a family that rides together, stays together

Over the summer, I took Gracelyn to the beach and met our family at an amusement park to celebrate Father's Day with our dad. The only downer was that Matt was not able to go with us. He had to work that day so he could take off Sunday for church and his first Father’s Day….that made it totally worth it!

It was so nice to have my brother’s family, my sister’s family, my parents, and Little Miss all together. We all had such a wonderful time riding the rides…adults included.

My niece, Farah Elisabeth, was terribly upset that she was not tall enough to ride the Pirate Ship. Lucky for her, and us, they had a "big girl" Pirate Ship that was just the right size.

I started feeling a little sad for my thrill seeker, Gracelyn. I knew that she would love to ride too. The only requirement to ride the little ship was that you had to be wearing shoes. Of course this was the one day that I did not have shoes on Gracelyn. Farah Elisabeth, who is three, graciously allowed Little Miss (who still wears a size 2 at eight months old) to wear her shoes so that she could ride…I guess she knew the pain of not getting to ride. The ride attendant just smiled and laughed at us when we sat down and the shoes plopped off.

I pray that you are enjoying family time as much as we are.

ox,

farah

Lovable Losers

On July 4th, Matt and I, along with his dad and step mom, took Gracelyn Faith to another Cubs game.  Even though they lost, we had a wonderful time and made lots of great memories.  Gracelyn is two for two with Cubs games...gotta love the lavable losers. 

Hope you all are making wonderful summer memories too.

ox,

farah

Family Fun

While on summer break, I was blessed with a quick trip to visit my sister and her wonderful family down in Charleston. I adore my nieces and nephews, sister, and brother-in-law. While there, I helped Joli redo her dining room and living room. We should have taken before and after pictures. Everything turned out amazing. We had such a wonderful time despite five of the kids getting a stomach virus and fears.



  josiah courage--1 year 6 months

enden joy 4 months

swimming with her cousins

I hope you all are staying healthy and enjoying this beautiful summer. 

ox,
farah

Growing While I'm Working

I went back to work today. Little Miss looked like she grew while I was gone. Her hair looked longer tonight. She talked more…I guess she was trying to tell me about her day. It made me sad that I’d missed it all. I’m so thankful that Ms. Amy, our nanny,  loves on her for me while I have to work. I couldn’t do it if not for her. She is sleeping now and I miss her…physically miss her—my heart hurts. I wish I could go and hug her one more time for the night.

I pray that tomorrow is a little easier.

ox,

farah

Our Little Beach Girl

May 29, 2010 was Gracelyn Faith's first trip to the beach.  We took a day trip with my parents, my brother, his wife and  their son, Tyson.  Gracelyn absolutely loved the sand and water.  She is definitely an outside girl. 

I look forward to many more relaxing days at the beach. 

God Bless~ Farah

A Tag:)

My sweet niece, Peyton tagged me on her blog http://purplepeytons.blogspot.com/.  So this is for her.  I love you, Pey!

First the rules are: Please tag five people and do not tag the one who tagged you. And if you would not like to answer a certain question, simply change it to one you like and answer that.


#1-What song are you currently listening to a lot? All The Way My Saviour by Chris Tomlin~~from Peyton's blog.  I love this song!

#2- What books are you currently reading? The Bible

#3-Do you sing a lot? kind of ---I am horrible.

#4-Sweet or salty?Sweet for sure!

#5-What is your favorite hobby? photograph and making baby food

#6-What books have you read at least 3 times? sad to say, but none. 

#7-What sites do you always visit when you get on the Internet? My Blogger, facebook, and many other blogs.

#8-What was the last things you bought? groceries~~3 cases and 1 jug of Lipton Green Tea Citrus diet...my new favorite drink.

#9-Which fictional character do you think you are most like? During this season of life, I would have to say The Little Red Hen.

#10-Favorite earliest memory? Joli and I riding our bikes when we were about 7. I remember trying to get up a hill but my training wheels would not make it.

#11-What do you do to change your mood? pray

#12-What was the last meal you ate? chicken, seasoned potatoes, steamed carrots, and corn.

#13-Do you want to learn another language? I would love to speak Spanish and Vietnamese...I would love to know what the pedicure person is saying about my nasty beautiful feet.

#14-Five things you can’t live without?1. My bible, 2. my family,3. my dogs, 4. food, 5. coffee!

#15- Find the closest book to you, and flip to page 54.what is the first sentence in the 2nd paragraph? This is from my journal~~Don't be afraid, because you will not be ashamed.  Don"t be embarrassed, because you will not be disgraced.  Isaiah 54:4

#16-What is something you would like to say right now? Praise God be the glory! 

# 17- What are your five favorite animals? #1. dogs 2 birds, 3 rabbits, 4 horses 5. cats (cats would be #2 if I were not allergic.)

# 18- Whats your favorite color? I change all the time.  Right now it is white.  I love its pureness. 

#19- If you could live in a book which one would you live in? This a tough one.  I have no idea. 

# 20- What is your favorite sport? I am not really into any sports unless my nieces and nephews are playing. I do enjoy going to Cubs and Bears games with my hubby.


And now I tag 5 people~ Hunter, Joli and Sean, Tori, Tara and Kim

God Bless~Farah

Thank you, God for Gracelyn's Powerful Healthy Lungs

Yesterday Gracelyn and I went on an impromptu trip to Target. Gracelyn was one loud chick the whole time. One lady who worked there came up to us and said “Girl, is that you making all the noise? When you become an opera singer you better come back and see me!” I think that was a very nice way of saying “Girl, you are too loud!” and “Lady, can’t you get her to stop!”

One more thing about our trip---
Picture it-a very packed card section in Target. Gracelyn Faith & I squeezing our way in to find the perfect cards for her daddy and granddaddies. That's when it all happened. Gracelyn started screaming singing at the top of her powerful lungs. Then she proceeded to rip cards off the stands and try to eat them. Of course being my daughter, she only grabbed the expensive musical ones that cost about $7.00 each.  It was obvious that everyone wanted us to leave. There were no smiles, no one saying "aww, she is precious" or even "oh my, she is loud". I felt like I had taken her to the library. I had no idea the card section was such a serious area.  So what did I do, I started laughing and gave her a huge loud kiss. I told her to sing because  if it was not for her, I would not have been buying the “Daddy’s Princess” card.  Gracelyn was the only one that found that funny.  That just made both of us laugh even more.  I guess after praying for eight year to have her, a little screaming sounds good.

To all you moms, please see the joy in your loud sweet baby. God has blessed us with a precious gift and we should enjoy every minute of each day. 

ox-Farah