Six Times Six

Mark turned 36 on Sunday!! Join me in wishing him a happy (belated) birthday!!

We did most of our celebrating on Saturday with a trip down to Bloomington/Normal, where he was able to pick up anything he wanted from Barnes & Noble, and get some sweet Olive Garden goodness for dinner. However, the OG had a 70 minute wait, so we opted for some sweet Qdoba goodness instead. (Hey, it was his choice!!)

On Sunday, we made him a yummy dinner and yummy brownies. Maryn did the decorating with her new cake decorating tools from Christmas...it was a concoction of frosting, powdered sugar, and sprinkles. It tasted good...realllly good.

The girls both made him homemade presents. Avery made him paper dolls that were boys and gave him a little spending money...a whole dollar!! Hee hee. Maryn made him a journal with googly eyes on the front. He was tickled by both presents I think.



And Parker gave him the gift of her cuteness and never-ending supply of smiles and made his day that much more sweet and fun.

I hope it was a happy birthday for our favorite guy!!

Choncho, Let Me Borrow Some Sweats

I gotta say that showering and getting dressed before noon makes all the difference. Even though I know I'm not going anywhere today, I still feel better about life now that I'm clean, fresh smelling, and my hair has a style other than greasy ponytail.

Yesterday I didn't take a shower until 8 o'clock...pm. It was an unusually rough day for Parker...I think she missed having her Daddy around. Mark went back to work and she woke up to little 'ole me. There would be no crouching tiger, hidden baby around the house, no kung-fu calisthenics, no flying through the air complete with sound effects, or Daddy giving her a voice for every expression...I think she was a little sad about it.

Anyway, as a result she was fussy...all. day. long. She just couldn't get comfortable and I couldn't get anything done...including that shower.

But who am I kidding?!? It's really not too different from most days. Me not showering, I mean, not Parker being non-stop fussy. Most days I just don't get around to it. I have only a few precious snippets of time when Parker naps that I can get some things done. And unfortunately showering isn't at the top of the priority list.

The other day I read a post by CJane that cracked me up. It is called "Help Meet" and at one point she talks about her shape being lost in a huge navy blue t-shirt covered in her babies snot when she gets a text from her husband saying that he's on his way home. She catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and texts him back, "Just so you know, I look like Garbage Day!" HA HA HA!! It made me laugh so hard because I can so relate to her!! Most days I feel like I look like garbage day too. I remember over Christmas break, baking cookies with the girls and Mark. It was one of those non-showering days and Mark began taking pictures of the happy goings on. I hissed at him not to take my picture because "I looked like junk". He laughed and has since not let me live down that statement.

CJane actually makes a profound parallel from her situation, realizing that she should take glory in her appearance, whatever it may be...in effect that the grungier she looks, the more her love and service to her family shines. That God created her to be "an help meet" to her husband and Mother (with a capital M) to her children and because of that she is beautiful no matter what. This is illustrated when her husband texts back, "I like garbage day." Cute, huh?

I suppose I should apply those same parallels to my own situation as well, and I do, but ultimately I still want that shower at the end of the day. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's remembering that regardless of the shower or my lack of makeup that I am of worth...that what I am doing right now, today is what God intends for me and that when I am in His service, I shine. So hopefully I (and you) can remember that the sheen on my forehead isn't just greasy skin. Hee hee!!

Girly Girls and Their New Digs

Maryn and Avery seemed to enjoy their Christmas. Both of them recieved most of the things they were pining after...Maryn really wanted the book "Arnie the Doughnut", and Avery asked for a "Crayola Glow Dome". But one of the gifts that we were all especially excited about was a new-ly redecorated bedroom!!

Ever since we decorated Parker's room, they had been wanting to change things up a bit. They wanted something a little bit more "grown-up" to replace the pastel pinks, yellow, and greens they had had since Maryn was 5 and Avery was 3.

So true to form, Santa delivered...big time!! He found adorable new comforters in contrasting hot pink and white polka dots and the rest we have come up with together since Christmas. I must say it has really come together and the room looks very girly, bright, and fun.



This is Maryn's side. I found their white letter initials and then painted some frames white, and added a hot pink and white polka dot paper background for over their beds. We also found plain white frames and framed their school pics on the window wall...it just so happened that they both wore hot pink for their pics...can you stand the matchy matchy?!? HA!



This is Avery's side. We found these large pink wire flowers for the wall, and this cool flower lamp at Home Depot (on clearance for $12!) This is probably one of their most favorite parts of their new room. The flowers are white, pink, and green.

We let the girls pick the paint color for the walls, it is called "Honeydew". It is brighter than what I would have chosen, but I think it contrasts with the hot pink and white nicely. The girls also picked a brown rug for the floor. This was originally the color they wanted for the walls, but I just couldn't consent to painting their walls a dark brown. Even though the color was called "chocolate fudge" it reminded me too much of something else...ahem...hee hee.

We also found cute baskets and buckets with pink, green, and white to add some much needed STORAGE!! Because heavens know these girly girls have a lot of JUNK!! Oops, I mean TREASURES that they insist on saving (hoarding).

Overall, I think they are very happy with their new room. I think I hear them in there now, blasting the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus on their CD player and chillaxin' in their new "girl cave"!! HA!!

The Best and the Worst

What a year 2009 was...it's kind of surreal to look back at our family calendar and see all the things that we did. It was a year ago at this time of year that we moved here...packed up all our earthly belongings from our Bassett house in Livonia and trekked westward to our Wauponis house in tiny Tonica. I can't believe it's only been a year...sometimes it seems like it's been an eternity! Ha ha!

Anyway, after dinner on New Year's Eve, I read over our 2009 calendar and we reminisced about the things we had done. After I finished I asked everyone what was your most favorite thing that happened in '09 and what was your least favorite thing that happened?

Mark
Best: Birth of Parker Faye, starting a new job at IVCC, trip to Idaho/Yellowstone, passing the QE
Worst: Illinois heat and humidity and Suzy's bedrest

Suzy
Best: Birth of Parker Faye, announcing our pregnancy to our families and friends, trips to Michigan for GNO's, making new friends in Illinois
Worst: Illinois heat and humidity, bedrest, my run-in with an Illinois state trooper off of I-80 and subsequently missing the girls getting off the bus from school...still stings when I think about it.

Maryn
Best: Birth of Parker Faye, being invited to Young Author's again, starting soccer, discovering Matthieson State Park, my 9th birthday party
Worst: Ballet class and losing my last baby tooth

Avery
Best: Birth of Parker Faye, learning to roller skate and ride my bike, starting t-ball, making $10 bucks at my lemondade stand with Maryn, my 7th birthday party
Worst: Ballet class and getting sick on Halloween

Parker
Best: Being born!!, getting spoiled by my family on a daily basis, smiling and laughing for the first time
Worst: Getting my nose suctioned out with the "boogar sucker"

We each have made at least one resolution for the New Year. Mark and I both want to lose some l-b's and generally be more health conscious (after posting our engagement photo for our anniversary, we were both kind of struck at how much we have--ahem--changed), Maryn wants to take better care of her teeth, Avery wants to not complain as much, and Parker wants to master the basics--eating solids, crawling, maybe knocking out a few words...Mama, Dadda, gimme...we'll see.

2010 is looking good already!!

Merry Christmas!!

To You, From Us!!

Number 11

We have so much to be grateful for this year...
but most importantly these 3 blessings:

Maryn
Avery
and
Parker

And they are ours forever!
I can't think of a better anniversary gift!!

While Visions of Sugar Plums Danced In Her Head...

If this doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will.