Big Smiles

I have been missing from the blogging world for quite some time now.   We've been busy.... to put it mildly.

I'm not going to try to catch up tonight.

I simply want to document one of my new favorite things:  I absolutely love all the spontaneous smiles that I see cross complete strangers faces  when my girls are flanking me as I run through the grocery store, or the drug store, or the zoo... you get the idea.  They are a zany crew, these Four Silly Sisters, and I thank God every day that he made each one of them just the way they are!

Missing Teeth

At the girls' last dental check-up, following x-rays and an otherwise clean bill of dental health, we were informed that Sarah's top, front, right tooth was going to have to be extracted. It had apparently sustained trauma at some point in history (we have no clue when or what?!?) and the middle portion of the root was dead, which could lead to an infection that might damage the adult tooth, etc, etc.

We took her Monday to the pediatric dentist for what we thought would just be an evaluation. She was such a cooperative patient that he offered to try and remove it while we were there. He had the tooth removed in less than 10 minutes, and we were on our merry way.

Once we got home and picked up all the other girls from school, she proudly showed off her new missing tooth. Side note: Sarah has been eager to begin loosing her teeth since Ella started loosing hers over the summer. She has claimed loose teeth and had me wiggle them for months now to check and see if any were close. This has been utterly thrilling for her!

Son on Tuesday morning when Maggie woke up fuming mad that Cupid didn't visit us, Sarah told me secretly that she figured Cupid couldn't stop by because there was already a Tooth Fairy at our house that night and the Tooth Fairy had top priority.

Book Review: Embraced by God

Over the course of the past 2 weeks I have been carefully making my way through a Litfuse Publicity review copy of Babbie Mason's new book, Embraced by God. It is a fabulous 21 day devotional aimed at celebrating who and whose you are in Christ. I'll give you my thoughts up front and some info from the publishers will follow in case you are interested in checking it out. Oh, and there is a Nook Giveaway involved too!

My Review:

I should start by saying these are not short daily devotions by any means. Each day has an entire chapter that relates to it's theme. I have found that I can't fit these in with my early am Bible reading before getting my girls off to school, but it has become something I look forward to sitting down with as soon as I return from morning drop offs. I grab my copy of Embraced by God and a cup of coffee and head to a warm comfy spot for a while. I had not previously heard of Babbie Mason, but she is a singer/songwriter as well as author, and I think that is why I love her writing style. She is very easy to "listen" to. I find myself reflecting throughout the entire day on the thoughts, verses, and themes brought up in each mornings' chapter. I haven't technically learned anything new as a result of reading this devotional, but it has certainly brought to the forefront of my mind how simply loved, cared for, and cherished I am by God. How awesome is that?!?

From the Publisher:

Have you ever wondered, "Does God really love me? Do I really matter to him?"

HE LOVES YOU.

As a matter of fact, God loves you just as much as he loves His own Son.

In the pages of this heartwarming, thoughtful and life-affirming 21-day journey, award-winning gospel singer, songwriter, and teacher Babbie Mason reminds you, when you know you are loved by God and that you are in His eternal plan, you’ll never again wonder if your life matters.

Click for more info.

Embraced by God is a 21-day encounter that shares the unconditional love of God. "If you watch what the media says as to where we should find our identity--" says Babbie, "--money, beauty, power and technology--you'll just be confused about who you are and what your purpose is. As a culture we are trying to buy or sell what can only be administered to the soul by Jesus."

Celebrate with Babbie by entering her Nook Tablet Giveaway!

One beloved winner will receive:

• A Brand new Nook Tablet with Wi-Fi
• Embraced by God by Babbie Mason
• Babbie's Embraced by God Music CD
• Babbie's Embraced by God Notecards

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/5/12. Winner will be announced at Babbie's "Embraced" Facebook Party on 3/6. Babbie will be hosting an evening of chat, music, laughter, and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, Embraced by God music CDs and Notecards, and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club.)

So grab your copy of Embraced by God and join Babbie and friends on the evening of March 6th for an evening of fun.

Reminder: Litfuse Publicity provided me with a copy of this book for review purposes. No other compensation was provided. All the opinions are my very own.

Love Cupid

My dear sweet Maggie came stomping into the bathroom where I was showering this morning at five minutes after 6am. Her feet were stomping mad and she was pumping her little fist in the air as she squirmed her way between the inner and outer shower curtains so that I could see how angry she was. She said, "He didn't come. He didn't come Mom, and it's all YOUR fault!"

I was still trying to wake up, and at this point I was completely unable to imagine who didn't pay her a visit last night. She proceeded to rant and rave about the fact that there were no hearts, chocolates, or arrows lying around the house, oh, and she didn't feel 'in love' with anybody either!

Thanks to her continued tirade I was able to surmise that Cupid was the missing culprit, and I was at fault for being up before the sun. "He must not have had time to get by here yet, and now he won't come because you are up."

My apology dripped with sarcasm as I explained that I was up extra early in order to make a heart shaped crumb cake for her and her sisters for Valentine's day.

At first I wasn't sure where she got her crazy ideas. We don't really "do" Valentine's day here. Sure we make cards, crayon hearts, and airplanes for classmates, but we try to Love One Another Well everyday so there is never much of a big deal made over Feb. 14th.

I got a pretty good idea where all the Cupid stuff came from several hours later while visiting her class. I happened to notice Maggie asking another little girl, in very hushed tones, whether Cupid had visited her last night or not. The other little girl said, "Of course not, tonight is the night." She was clearly Maggie's source of info on Cupid. She spoke with authority, and I could tell Maggie was believing every word she said.

So tonight I found this little note scribbled on to a white board at the foot of Maggie's bed. The picture is terrible, but it basically says, "Cupid, My sisters say you aren't real. But I think you are." After Maggie was asleep and I had snapped a few pictures, I erased her message to cupid and then wrote a reply. "Dear Maggie, There is no greater love in this world than God's love for you! I'll be back in a few years with hearts and arrows. Love, Cupid"

Something Old

I have a very talented husband. Several months ago we treated ourselves to a long overdue king sized matress upgrade. The only trouble was we couldn't agree on a new bed to go with it. After a little debate and a lot of Pinterest perusing we decided that perhaps an old door would serve as our new headboard.

Thankfully Mimi had a few old doors stashed away at the dairy barn, so we got started... and by we I mean mostly Scott. I really hate that we did not take any before photos. It was such a filthy mess to begin with. I got to help on several days while the girls were in school (boy am I going to miss that next year), but mostly I did easy jobs while Scott had to do all the measuring, cutting, nailing, figuring, etc. I think the finished product turned out beautifully!! I am so proud of Scott and his determination to do absolutely anything he sets his mind to.... Thanks babe!

Gold Rush

Kari and I loaded up our five girlies while the Daddys were working and headed over to Dahlonega yesterday to meet up with some friends for Gold Rush. Thank you KD girls for a nice meeting place, and Heather and Joan it was great seeing you ladies!!

Since I'm the worst blogger ever I thought I could at least post some pictures from our afternoon... maybe some more bloggy catch-up is also in order. Perhaps this will be the week?!?

A Summer South GA Trip

In addition to all the individual dates that Scott and the girls shared this past July, he also made a trip down to south Georgia to see his family. As usual, Ella and Sarah were eager to travel, and Maggie and Kate opted to stay home with me.

The girls took their bikes with newly removed training wheels and chalked up a few hours in the early mornings and late evenings riding along the sidewalks near Gamma's. Not even one knee was skinned upon their return.

They didn't seem to mind the scraggly, bearded face of July as much as I did.... case in point, Ella was still willing to be hugged right up to it cheek to cheek.

They spent some time at Gamma's antique shop. She has several baby carriages so I'm sure they pushed their babies around and around the place. As nerve wracking as it is for the girls to play around in the antique shop with all the breakables, it's got nothing on the days of letting Bandit off his leash in there!?! What were we thinking??

They even had a nice visit with Scott's dad's side of the family... lots more picture posing than Ella or Sarah either one was very happy with by that point I'm sure.

Back at home I was amazed at how easy it was to only have 2 little people with me during the day. While the others were away, my sweet Kate and Maggie were just as happy as a couple of little larks to play together. They even snuggled up in the same bed while Sarah was missing from their room. I truly don't think they fought or argued over one single thing the whole time!

Kate was randomly giggling from the back of the Expedition one afternoon, and when I asked her what was so funny she just smiled, reached over to grab Maggie's hand, and said, "I'm just so happy to have my Maggie!" Melted my heart right on the spot....

I am sure that Ella and Sarah fared almost as well for the trip, but we were all certainly glad to be reunited when they arrived home once again.