Dear Camera Cord,

I miss you. Where in my house are you hiding? I have so many great pictures to post on my blog, and your absense is really complicating things. Please make yourself known soon so that I can upload new photos. (new = pictures from the last 6 weeks) Thank you.

Sincerely,

Carla, your owner

Oh, Jakob...

...how you make my days funnier! This morning, after waking up DRY in big boy underwear for the first time ever, he was being forced to 'shoot the water', as we say in these parts. He was whining, crying, and generally making it sound like torture when he looks at me with angry eyebrows and says through a growling voice, "Mom-my! I AM NOT RE-SIS-TING YOU!!!" Then, this afternoon at the school he came into my office and asked for the keys. I handed them to him, and he immediately came back with, "Thanks, mom. You always have just what I need...just like Kelly." What? Who's Kelly?! He informed me that I was like Kelly from Kelly's Hardware Store in Sheetrock Hills on Handy Manny...always having everything Manny needs for the job! Thanks, Buddy. I figure being compared to anyone from Sheetrock Hills is high praise coming from a 3-year old!

Wordless Wednesday

(otherwise known as 'posts for those who have lost their camera cord and have no time to write a real post.')

Beaming

Today in the Sunday edition of the Lubbock Avalanche Journal on the front page of the Local section in colored photos (that's a big deal!) you could find a feature story on my amazing husband! It publically praises him for all of the hard work he does, the lives that he impacts, and the heart that he has. I have grown to love, respect, and admire him more than I ever dreamed possible 7 years ago. If you have a minute, check it out! I am SO proud of him.

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/102509/fea_508731440.shtml

Wordless Wednesday

Dodged a Bullet

Well, we have only dodged one so far! More on that later... We are hoping to dodge a HUGE bullet tomorrow. As some of you know, tomorrow is our first audition in the All-State process aka 'Carla's Job.' This audition and preparation is part of the reason we have been so stinking busy lately. We are hoping to dodge the flu bullet. As of yesterday, 6...SIX!...of my top students were running fevers and losing their voices. AH! So, my heart is in a panic for them, and I am so hoping that none of them actually have the flu. I am naive enough to pray that they are just tired and allergy-stricken...here's hoping. We'll see tomorrow if we did, indeed, dodge that bullet!

Yesterday, however, we dodged an even bigger bullet. (There shall be no comments on my poor parenting following this post! Got it?!) Lily was asleep on our bed while Jakob was watching morning cartoons. This is not uncommon in our home. I went to make his lunch, reminding him if they needed anything to call for me. Reminder...we live in a very small house. I'm not far away. So, I'm packing lunches when Jakob comes into the kitchen and whispers something to me. I thought, "Surely he didn't just say what I think I heard." Yep. I did. "Mommy, I dropped Lily." This is so surprising since he rarely takes interest in her! I walked back into my room to see my 3 month old laying prostrate, face planted into my bedroom floor. First time in a while my clothes laying everywhere actually served a positive purpose! I scooped her up, and her screaming became much more elevated. She just simply doesn't cry, so all that noise leaving her body FREAKED Jakob out...FREAKED! He starts screaming and throwing his hands from his head (classic Jakob drama) saying, "Oh, my Lord! Oh! My! Lord!" After I was certain that Lily was okay, I noticed that Jakob was sobbing into his hands. Broke my heart. I scooped him up with her, and we checked Lily out together to prove that she was okay. After things had calmed a bit, I asked him for more details and why he picked her up. As innocently as possible this is what he said, "I wanted her to see Mickey Mouse."

3 Months & Bedtime Stories

My sweet Lily Hope is three months old today. I am not as sad & sappy as I anticipated! She is coming into her own, sweet personality, & this time around I know the real fun is about to begin! Seriously (my friends will attest to this) she is the most easy-going baby EVER! She sleeps or plays during lessons, church, meetings, choir, small group...you name it! It is like she knows when it is time to just chill. She is MUCH more smiley than Jakob was at this age. He was dramatic from the very beginning! She loves to stand up while holding someone's fingers, coos back at you as though she's in a full on conversation, lights up when she hears Jakob or Daddy enter a room, and reserves her biggest smiles & sweetest moments for her momma. We have a very special knit to one another already, & I love it. In spite of our crazier than normal life these last few weeks, Lily has flourished...we are SO blessed & happy!


Jakob is as hilarious as ever...popping out one-liners more quickly than I can write them down! Last night at bedtime he decided he would tell Lily the story of Spiderman. Here was his intro: Lily...you're my original Lily. God made you that way. Just like God made Spiderman original. He lives in Lubbock, you know.

Alive...I think!

Yes, we are alive, but VERY behind! Why on earth am I writing a blog at 12:40 am when this week is going to be such a blur?! Because I have stinking cute kids! I'll explain a lot more about what we've been up to later on when I have a real second to sit and waste, but for tonight...enjoy! My dryer is calling me...bzzzzzzzzzz

Old Testament 101

Tonight at bed time, Jakob told us that Abraham's wife's name was Mallory. Nice.

Makes Perfect Sense to Me!

When you're putting off housework and cooking...write a useless blog entry!

Jakob has begun dressing himself, and mommy has decided it isn't worth the fight to make him match or look non-homeless!

Lily, the chunkiest ballerina of all! We're breaking the mold around here!

Sittin' pretty!

Finally...a picture where Lily resembles Jakob! They ARE siblings!!! But, really!? Is she this big already?!