Thank You!!

Just a quick note to say thank you to all of you who prayed for Jeremy and my mom! Jeremy's test results came back yesterday and everything is benign. He goes Monday to get his stitches removed and we'll find out if it will be possible to have more than one lipoma removed at a time. I'm very relieved and although I know that God is in control, I was fretting a bit. :) Also, my mom's surgery went very well and last I talked her she was good.

Prayer Requests

I know there are lots of our friends and family that are prayer warriors, and right now we could use a few extra prayers if you get a chance. Jeremy just finished up at the dermatologist office this afternoon. He had two different procedures done. He had some freezing done in three different places in his face for pre-cancerous cells. The doctor said that at his age (he's only 32) this shouldn't be a problem, but his initial appointment was for just one spot and then they found two more when he went in. This is something that we'll have to keep an eye on and make sure that he uses a sunscreen of at least SPF 50.

He also had a large tumor removed from his arm (about the size of a golf ball). The doctor thinks that it is probably a lipoma, but sent it off to be sure. Jeremy also has several more of these tumors (two more on his arms, a few on his legs, and one on his lower back) that the doctor would like to remove. The problem is that he initially has said that he doesn't want to remove more than one at a time. Jeremy has several stitches, has to take antibiotics for the next several days and goes back in two weeks to get the stitches removed. If he has to do this for each tumor, it will be very costly and very time consuming, not to mention having to drag out the pain of all the procedures.

Please pray that (1) the tests will come back benign, and (2) that if Jeremy does well the doctor will agree to remove more than one at a time. The doctor did say today that depending on how Jeremy heals, he may be able to do more than one at a time. The one they removed today was also the biggest one and bothers him the most.

On another note, my mom is having knee surgery on Thursday for a torn meniscus. Please say a prayer for her as well. Thank you!

It's a Sleepover!

Wow! Twelve little girls can really wear you out! Caitlyn and Kylie had their birthday sleepover on Friday night. The girls had a blast of course eating ice cream cake, pigging out on pizza, playing games, painting nails, watching movies, and staying up until 5:30 in the morning. Yes, you heard me right!

The party started about 5:30ish, and while we were waiting for the pizzas to cook, the girls just played and chatted. Many of them were so excited about sleeping over that they put on their jammies as soon as they got here! :D Since both of the girls were having a joined party party, there was a definite divide between the younger girls and the older girls. Luckily, everyone got along and there were no fights the entire night.

Once the girls ate their pizza, it was onto the cake. I usually make the girls each a birthday cake, but we had decided on one cake this year since they were having a joined party. When they asked if they could have an ice cream cake, I wasn't sure I could pull that off, so we went to the store and the girls helped me pick one out. Honestly, even though it felt weird not making them a cake, it was one less thing on my to do list! :)

 

  

  

 

After cake, it was onto presents and what fun it was. The girls really got some great gifts, and I am so thankful that they have such nice friends. Caitlyn and Kylie also received some gifts from my parents that were big hits. Some of Caitlyn's favorite gifts were the purse and matching wallet she received from her friend Grace, the mp4 player with speakers she received from Grandma and Poppy, the Paperoni set she got from Kasie, and the Bedazzler she got from Taylor. She's already Bedazzled a pair of jeans!

 

 

Kylie also hit the jackpot, with many of her favorite things. She received a couple different My Little Ponies, several of her latest obsession Littlest Pet Shop figurines, the TinkerBell movie on Blu-ray from Grandma and Poppy, a Furreal pet, and the new Twister Hopscotch game. Both girls also got a $10 bill and a $10 gift card to McDonald's.

 

  

 

After presents, we played a few games, and gave out some prizes. Each girl received a photo Valentine card from Kylie and Caitlyn along with a Hasbro card game. I had kept all my Hasbro coupons from coupons.com and used them to snag the card games very inexpensively. Normally retailing for $5.99 a piece, I was able to get ten of them for a little under $10 dollars! Since I had already gotten the photo Valentine cards for free when I signed up for an online photo site, I think I did a pretty good job getting inexpensive party favors.

While the girls actually settled down pretty early and started watching movies, playing Nintendo DS games, and snacking on popcorn and cookies, it was almost hopeless at getting them to sleep. A little after 10 PM, a friend of mine dropped off her teenage daughter (Thanks Savannah and Jackie!!) who had been at a Valentine banquet, to help out for the night. She was a life saver, painting the girls' nails, doing their hair, and spoiling them rotten! I finally collapsed at around 3 AM and only two of the girls were asleep. One of them was my sweet Kylie, she's not a night owl. :) The next morning Savannah said that most of the girls had been up till after 5 AM!

 

  

 

The party was a success and I was so thankful that the girls were so well behaved. But I'm so glad that I don't have to think about another one till next year! :D

My New Laundry Room!

The last few weeks have been so busy here with the snow, the girls' birthdays and sleepover, and the kids passing around a cold, but I guess I always say that. It all comes with the territory with four kids, a husband and a dog I suppose! :) Anyway, I wanted to take some time today and catch up on some family posts. Jeremy has been busy busy working on even more house remodeling projects!

I forgot to take a "before" picture of my laundry room/pantry/hot water heater closet but I found this picture from last year that shows at least part of what it was like before.

As you can see, my washer and dryer were covered by folding doors, and off to the left side was a VERY small door that housed the hot water heater, but that we also used as a very much needed pantry space. We had been talking about doing something with this space for quite awhile, because the folding doors and the pantry door remained open most of the time (except when we had company over) and the small door on the left was so small that no adult could walk in it without turning sideways. I won't even mention how I manged to get myself wedged in the pantry one day! Lucky for me, Jeremy was home. :D

A few weeks ago, I heard a strange noise one evening and came out to the kitchen to see my husband sawing away at the post between the small door and the folding doors. When he decides he's going to do something, he just starts right then without warning! There was one thing he hadn't thought about though. This was a Thursday night and we were having 40 people over on Sunday night for the playoff game! After he assured me he would get it completed and finish painting my kitchen, I sat back and let him go to work. Jeremy always comes through and does a great job, so I wasn't worried... very much.

By late Saturday night here is what my new laundry room/pantry/hot water heater closet looks like!

 

 

Complete with hooks for my aprons, and even a dark wood wall behind the washer and dryer, Jeremy completed the room in about 48 hours and I LOVE it! It's accessible and thanks to these gorgeous baskets, new pantry shelves, and a hamper that Jeremy turned into dog food storage, it's organized too.

Instead of taking on the expense of putting in cabinetry above the washer and dryer and above the hot water heater (hiding behind the shelves), Jeremy kept the existing shelving units and covered them with very nice looking bamboo roman shades, and used some storage baskets that matched the dog food storage.

We just need to get one more matching roman shade for the window on the back door and it'll be perfect! It is amazing how much bigger my kitchen/dining area seems now. Thank you sweetheart!

Wordless Wednesday

I think someone is channeling Michael Jackson! :)

More Snow!

 

If you remember, right before Christmas we got almost a foot of snow here in the Richmond, Virginia area. That is very rare, especially that early in the winter season. But we had a blast, and as you could probably tell from all the pictures and videos, the kiddos were out playing in it every day until it melted.

Since then we've had very weird weather, with the temperatures being well into the fifties one week! But it has cooled back down immensely and the snow started again. Last weekend we got a foot of snow. That's right! A good 12 inches! It hasn't even melted yet and this morning it started snowing again. It's been coming down hard all day and doesn't show any signs of stopping soon. They said on the weather channel that it may turn into sleet later on tonight. Yuck!

While the snow was coming down and the wind was blowing hard, the kids decided earlier that they wanted to get out in it and play for awhile. Armed with my video camera and regular camera, I headed out to get a few shots before I froze my rear end off! Enjoy the pics and video. I love the one of Caitlyn trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue! :D Looks like they're calling for more snow to come our way on Tuesday!!

 

  

 

P.S. Because of the yucky weather and the chance of sleet later, we had to postpone the girls' birthday sleepover till next Friday. That's actually on Kylie's birthday, so they weren't too bummed. We are also planning on having a Super Bowl party here on Sunday. As long as we don't lose power and the TV still works, looks like we'll be here partying!

Happy Birthday Caity-bug!

I know I say this every year, but I really can't believe how fast the years have flown by! Today Caitlyn turns nine years old, and as our oldest child creeps closer and closer to her teenage years, I try to comprehend all that God has blessed our family with these past eleven years of marriage. God is good... ALL the time! Even through the hard times, God has proven himself over and over to our family, given us so many blessings we don't deserve, and allowed Jeremy and I to experience the joys of raising a beautiful and amazing daughter.

We don't have any exciting birthday plans today, just hanging out at home, enjoying the foot of snow we got over the weekend, and playing hooky from schoolwork. On Friday, both girls are having a sleepover. AAAHHH!!! Twelve pre-teen girls in our house at the same time just might be crazy, but I figure with both of their birthdays so close, it's easier to do it all at once. :) I will be sure and post pictures after we recoup from the party! :D

Love you all and thank you to God Almighty for the privilege to have Caitlyn as a part of our family!