Our Beautiful Girls

February 18, 2012: Our winter has been very mild with the highs in the upper 60's, so the girls have been wearing Spring clothes lately! Here are some really cute quotes: Katie: "Mommy, what's Snow White's man's name?" Me: I don't know the Prince's name but we'll find out, ok? Katie: "Um Mom, I need you to go to Princesses.com and look it up." When I come home from work I take my shoes off and leave them in the laundry room and I always take a shower before I touch the girls, so Maddie runs up to me (without touching me) and says "Hi Mommy, you got germs?" and I say yes, I've got germs...do you have germs? and Maddie says "No, YOU got germs!" They're both just too cute!! Maddie is still making improvements with her speech therapy and communicating better every day, and Katie is inching ever closer to Kindergarten and she can't wait!! I'll be planning a combined birthday celebration for them this year and I'm working on a date. I can't believe my girls are going to be 5 and 3. Where does the time go? Here are a few more cute Maddie-isms:

January 9, 2012: October was the last update on the website, sorry everyone! The girls dressed as princesses for Halloween, but I don't have any pictures because I had to work. Maga said they were quite pretty! I also worked on Thanksgiving, so the girls took a short road trip with Maga, Papa, and Anna to see Aunt Beth and family in Virginia. Christmas was quiet but nice. I was off for both this year (I get to enjoy this every 3rd year) and it was so fun because this is the first year that Katie understands Christmas and Santa! We took the girls to Lights of the South and they enjoyed the hay ride and play area and Katie sat on Santa's lap. Maddie would have nothing to do with him!! Maybe next year... ;-) Anyway, the girls had a wonderful day, starting with Katie making monkey bread with me. She was such a good helper! I've been sick since Christmas Day with bronchitis and sinusitis and now an ear infection, and Maddie spiked a temperature of 103 which made her heart rate and respiratory rate high. Our pediatrician's answering service sent us to the ER to get checked out. She was a good patient and they said she has a virus and it should run its course. Katie and Anna are doing very well, thank goodness! Here are lots of new pictures of the girls from December to today. I'll try not to let so much time pass between updates next time. Love to you all!! XOXO.

October 24, 2011: The weather has been beautiful here and the girls have enjoyed some much needed time outdoors. "Aunt" Heather's visit was a wonderful treat for all of us and we enjoyed her company so much! Yesterday, the girls, Maga, Papa, and I went to the fair and Katie and Maddie enjoyed the rides, food, atmosphere, and of course the game prize stuffed animals Papa and I won for them. Katie chose a Panda Bear pillow pet she promptly named "Otto" and Maddie picked out a turtle, as of yet unnamed but she is talking up a storm, so that may change! We are looking so forward to seeing the family in a couple of weeks for Kacie and Louie's wedding. More pictures to come after the wedding...xoxo...

September 13, 2011: Well, it's official. Katie, at the age of 4, was a flower girl for the first time and she was GREAT!! George and Patricia were married Labor Day weekend and even though it was a whirlwind weekend, we had so much fun and I was so proud of both my girls. Katie was her usual social butterfly self and Madeline even ventured out onto the dance floor from time to time...a VERY big deal for her, my shy little introvert! There are a ton of pictures from the weekend from my new camera that my parents and siblings were so nice to buy for me for my 40th! What a great camera, but more importantly, what a great family! We love you all...XOXO...

August 25, 2011: Just a few days ago Madeline finally said "Mama" clear as can be! Talk about making my heart swell!! She is also attempting to say Katie which sounds like "Ki-tty". She says Papa clearly but can't say Maga just yet...she is "Gaga"! As we all know, Madeline's first word was actually "DiDi" (my sister and her aunt), but with each passing day she is trying to say more and more. She can spell her name and Katie's, although the individual letter pronunciations are not always clear. She sings songs (ABC's and Wheels on the Bus) and just "talks" all the time in general. When I ask her if she would like some juice, she says "ses, peas"! Between us and her speech therapist working with her, she's really blossoming...such a darling girl. Not to leave "Ki-tty" out, she has started her pre-school homeschool curriculum and she is counting to 40 and writing all her upper case letters. Such a smart girl...xoxo...

August 9, 2011: It's obscenely hot right now, so we've been having a lot of indoor play these days (not to mention I have to take it easy on my healing foot!). I decided to let Katie take some pictures with my camera and it's pretty sad that her picture taking skills are actually better than mine!! Guess who will be getting her own camera for Christmas? She absolutely LOVED it!! Madeline is feeling a little under the weather with a cold and low-grade fever for the past 2 days. Poor baby. She is actually spelling her name and Katie's name and trying her best to sound out the letters. She's just impressing me so much with her determination! They were just so cute again today that I had to take more pictures. The first 3 are Katie's...she was so proud of herself! All our love...XOXO...

August 5, 2011: The girls enjoyed about 30 minutes out back swimming in their little pool. It was so hot (actual temp was 104 degrees with the heat index over 110 degrees) that Madeline was flushed even in the cool water. They wanted to stay out longer, but wow, Georgia summer heat puts Florida summer heat to shame! They really enjoyed themselves, though. It is so hot that my poor lawn is brown in spots, even with the sprinklers set on a timer. I am looking so forward to Fall! Anna is home and getting ready for her junior year. We're so happy to have her home :-) Madeline has her first speech therapy session today, so we'll see how she does. She's such a bright, sweet, wonderfully loving child...she just can't get the words out! Maga and I will be "homeschooling" Katie this year with the Pre-K curriculum that my good friend Jennifer helped me pick out. I brought her to Target so she could pick out her school supplies, and she was so excited about that. She especially loves her kitty cat backpack! She'll be ready when she starts kindergarten next year. Love to you all...XOXO...

July 12, 2011: Sorry so long since the last update...I still have a broken foot so life has been a little more challenging than usual! The girls are doing very well. Maddie will begin speech therapy soon, even though she continues to say a few more words on her own with just our encouragement. Papa, thank you for working with her so diligently on her alphabet! Mom, thanks for ALL you do while I recover...I couldn't do it without you.

Since Katie was not chosen for the Pre-K lottery, we will be doing home school pre-K curriculum with her in the Fall, then Katie will start Kindergarten at school in a year. She's ready NOW, though! Uncle Bob came for a visit last month, and Katie was smitten immediately. Madeline, as usual, was a harder sell...she's still so shy. We had such a nice visit. Katie will be a flower girl in George and Patricia's wedding in September, and she's so excited about dressing up and "throwing flowers"! Anna's best friend Kim from Alabama was here for a few days and Katie had so much fun with her. Anna is now in Virginia with her Mom and family and Kim is there with her for the summer. We miss you, Anna banana! Heather and I have finalized our plans for our 40th birthdays, yay! Can't wait to see you Heather, and Katie is SO excited to meet you! Here are some new pictures of the girls over the past couple of months. Until next time...XOXO.......

June 1, 2011: Katie had her 4 year checkup and she is now a whopping 31 pounds (25th percentile) and 50th percentile in height. Dr. Ward said she is smart, healthy, and growing just as she should! Madeline remains significantly speech delayed but she is very bright. She is just so yummy!! The girls are getting ready to visit their cousins in Virginia and Katie is so excited! I'll post more pictures as I get them...xoxo

May 19, 2011: Hey everyone! Katie just celebrated her 4th birthday with a small but great princess party at our house last Saturday the 14th! Aunt Di and Uncle Curt came up for a visit and the girls were thrilled! Katie is attached to her Aunt Di Di at the hip, and Maddie seemed to really bond with her Uncle Curt-Curt! The kids seemed to have a good time and it was wonderful to catch up with all of their mommies, too. It just so happened to work out that the girls were dressed as different Disney princesses: Katie was Snow White, Anna was Cinderella, Zoe was Belle, and Lily was Pocahontas. The boys came as themselves!! It was great fun all the way around. A big thank you to Papa and Sondi for helping pick up balloons, etc. and a very big thank you to Maga for everything...you're the best! As most of you probably already know, I broke my foot (on Mother's day, no less!) and I'm supposed to stay off the foot completely for at least 5 to 6 weeks so says my doctor. Sondi was kind enough to take birthday pictures for me and I was ORDERED to sit down by my family!! Having 2 small children and sitting down all the time just don't go well together! Katie's birthday was actually Monday the 16th, and the network Sprout chose the card Maga and I made for her and it was shown on live TV the morning of her birthday...it was great!! For those of you who are Facebook friends with Paul (Katie and Maddie's Papa) he Flip videoed the segment and posted it on his wall. Katie and all of us were thrilled! Mimi and Poppy even saw it live on Sprout! Anyway, we hope you enjoy the pictures and for our family and friends who could not be here to celebrate with us, you were missed and you are loved. Until next time....xoxo....

May 4, 2011: Here are many, many pictures of Katie coloring her Easter eggs and the girls on Easter Sunday. They hunted eggs at Maga and Papa's house, opened their baskets there, then got to play with sidewalk chalk at our house later that afternoon. It was warm, but what a wonderful day! The girls enjoyed themselves so much. Also pictured is the front of a home made card that Maga and I made for Katie's 4th birthday and then sent to Sprout (PBS's toddler and pre-school learning channel). If they like it, then it may be shown live on TV on Katie's actual birthday of May 16th!! We sure hope they do, because we put a lot of thought and a lot of love into making it :-) We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and we wish all of our Mommy family and friends a Happy Mother's Day...we love you!!

April 13, 2011: First and foremost I'd like to mention that my great nephew and Katie and Madeline's 2nd cousin Justin has just been diagnosed with Leukemia. He was a young, energetic, healthy boy and he and his Mom Kymber have been delivered quite a blow with this news. Justin and the entire family face quite a long road ahead at Shands in Jacksonville and I am asking for prayers for Justin during this difficult time. I'd also like to encourage everyone to donate blood and enter themselves into the bone marrow registry in honor of him. Our love goes out to Justin, Kymber, and little sister Bailey...stay strong and know that people are thinking of you and praying for you :-)

April 8, 2011 - part 2: The girls were playing in my room while I was paying some bills and Maddie burped so loud you would have thought a sailor was in the room!! Well, I said "Whoa Maddie, that was a BIG burpee!" and I made a pretend burp sound and she cracked up laughing. Then Katie started cracking up and both girls were hysterical with laughter!! Katie then played ring around the rosie with her and they threw my pillows on the floor and pretended to sleep all the while still laughing. They were so cute. By the way, I am the worst picture taker. I tend to either over expose them or cut off tops of heads, etc, but here are a few more pictures of them having fun!! Enjoy!!!

April 8, 2011: Can you believe it?! Madeline turned 2 on March 30th!! She had a wonderful day with Maga, Papa, Katie, Anna, and me. Thank you so much to all our family and friends who remembered her special day. Even though she can't say it, she loves you all so much! Maddie had her 2 year check-up and she is healthy, weighing in at 26 1/2 pounds. She is in the 50th percentile in both weight and height, and 95th percentile for her head...(Just more space to house her smart brains!!) She has allergies and will be seeing a pediatric allergist soon, and she is also speech delayed, but I'm not too worried about that. Katie talks enough for everyone! Madeline's comprehension is great and she is a happy, cuddly, well-adjusted little girl, although she is very shy and wary of strangers. Both Katie and Maddie had a nice visit with their Uncle Anthony. He liked to play the "no, your name is Hannah" or "no, your name must be Lucy" game with Katie, and Katie kept saying "NO Uncle Anthony, MY NAME is KATIE!! She had a good time with him! Please enjoy the new pictures of the girls. All our love XOXO...

March 23, 2011: Happy Spring! It's a little warmer than we would like right now (mid to upper 80's), but the nights are gorgeous in the 50's. The girls are enjoying what time they have outdoors. There are some days when the pollen is too much for all of us, but we make the best of it :-) Katie had her first real dental check-up recently, and her teeth are perfect - no cavities!! Maddie will be 2 next week, can you believe it? Time flies, that's for sure. I'll find out the day after Madeline's birthday whether or not Katie was chosen for the Pre-K program. If she was, then she'll start school in the Fall...yay!! Both girls are happy and doing well, and they are enjoying their visit with Aunt Bethie, Uncle Oscar, and cousin Isabel right now. I'll have some more news next week after Madeline's birthday. Aunt DiDi and Uncle Curt-Curt: Katie CAN'T WAIT to see both of you for her 4th birthday!! To Maga and Papa: Thanks for all your help while I'm learning ECMO at work...I couldn't do it without you!!

February 12, 2011: What a wonderful day we had together! I took the girls to the park on this clear blue, cool, and beautiful day and they had so much fun playing together! Katie is so expressive, energetic, smart, and funny...and Madeline is so sweet. After their nap in the afternoon, Ryan and Benjamin from across the street came over with Valentine presents for the girls and they played for a little while (Thanks Jennifer and Larry!) I'm planning on going to Katie's (potential) future school Monday morning and signing her her up for the Pre-K program. She's so bright and I really hope she gets picked. She would LOVE it! Madeline is speech delayed, but I'm hoping more alone time with her will help her. As it is now, Katie does all the talking so I guess Maddie doesn't really need to. The girls love each other so much and I'm so happy and blessed to be their mom. Love to you all...XOXO...

January 10, 2011: It's a snow/sleet/ice/rain day! I was able to let Katie play outside in the icy snow for a little while before it began to sleet again. She loved it! School was canceled today, so Anna has a 3 day weekend. She's absolutely delighted! As for us, we are going to spend the day drinking cocoa and watching Sesame Street and Popeye and playing games! Candyland, anyone?! We hope it doesn't become so icy that we lose power, but so far, so good. All our love...xoxo....

January 1, 2011: Happy New Year! The girls, Maga, Papa, Anna, and I had a wonderful Christmas. Katie helped me make monkey bread and then we spent the morning opening presents. Katie was loving every moment of it, while Madeline wandered off to another area to play with some toys. I think next year will be a little more exciting for Maddie! I feel so blessed to have such bright and beautiful girls, wonderful parents, and caring families (the girls' grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins). You were all so thoughtful to send presents to the girls and we are so thankful for all of you. We're hoping for a Florida Christmas in 2011, as I will be off both Christmas Eve and Christmas day this year!! Some of the pictures are a little crazy and over-exposed, but hopefully you'll get a taste of what Christmas was like for us this year. Also, it started to snow early in the morning on the 26th and the flurries lasted almost the whole day! Katie was a little over excited the other day and twirled Madeline in my parents kitchen and Maddie ended up on the tile floor with a busted lip. Poor baby, but she's on the mend! We love and miss all of you...xoxo....

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