FFF# 2 - Happy Leap Year!!!

When Krystal, Ali and I went to Guatemala in January... Ali and Sara began to do jumping jacks.

It was pure entertainment! I think we laughed our heads off - as their arms and legs would get going the wrong ways.






Plus, Sara was like this SPEED jumper. There was no extra little hop, or taking your time... it was POW POW POW POW... and then they collapsed in a heap.

They were such fun to watch - and BOY WERE THEY TIRED THAT NIGHT!

The Birthday Girls

After Christmas is over... it seems like we have about a 3 -4 week "break"... and then the onslaught of BIRTHDAYS begin. Our family LITERALLY has at least ONE birthday every month... sometimes two or three.

January was Uncle Chris' big day... but since he is waaaaaayyyyyy out there in Arizona... we missed out on having a "get together" to honor his big day. (read: good excuse to get together and have dinner and dessert)

However, this week (on the 21st and the 24th) are the birthdays of two of my very favorite ladies. Mom and Jamie. There are very few people that have had as much influence on my life as my Mom and my sister, Jamie. I can't think of a single childhood memory either good or bad... where my family wasn't there to support, love and encourage me.

I have been very blessed to have a Mother that loves the Lord, serves Him with her whole heart, and has led by example both in her family life - as well as her professional life. I have always been amazed at her integrity and her lack of "gray" areas. Everything in Mom's world is very black and white. She has always challenged us to be the best we can be, has held us all to a higher standard... but has loved us all unconditionally. Mom also always likes to get together with her "family". It has always been one of my favorite times... although as we become more scattered and spread out...I find it a little sad that we aren't all together more often.

Jamie is very much like Mom. The difference with Jamie is that as my sister, she has also been my ally and my partner in crime at times. She is good to a flaw. She is kind, she is tender and she is sweet. I always tell people that out of the 4 J's... Jamie is the Sweet One. We (lovingly) call her Mother Theresa... because she wants to take care of everyone, and she doesn't like conflict or disagreements.

So today... we got together to honor Mom and Jamie. We met for an early dinner at the Outback... and then went to Mom and Dad's for dessert and a few games. It was a lot of fun! I hope that my kids learn to appreciate these times with our family. I honestly cannot believe where the time has gone. It seems like we blink - and the years just go speeding by!! I pray that I can learn to slow down enough to enjoy the NOW with my family... and the time that we have... not always looking to "what is coming up"!

By the way... some of these photos were taken by the kids. We have some little photographers in our future!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND JAMIE!!!!!

Semi- Wordless Wednesday

Thank you Diane (David's mom) for sending us this extra special prize in the mail today. But thank you even more for taking the girls homemade "Valentine Cookies" to Sara when you traveled!!!

MY VERY FIRST FFF

My sweet boy... he is an angel... asleep or awake.

I was so excited that Sarah's FFF theme this week was Sleeping Angels...because we just took this the other day. McCaleb has taken the backseat for several weeks on the blog... and he's OK with that. I planned a big post for him for this weekend as he is out attending his very first Farm Machinery Show and Tractor Pull with his Daddy, Mr. Kelvin and RJ... but since I forgot to make sure he had a camera to take... I guess I might not get any pictures of this fun day! He did call me several times to let me know he was having a really good time. He really is the sweetest boy...

One Of These Days...

I just L-O-V-E our monthly updates! We get the best pictures. They always do such a great job making the photos festive and fun - but I wonder how LONG it must take to get 5 - 7 photos of each child, dressed in the cute outfits... and posed, and (hopefully) smiling??? It has to be a lot of extra work... and I need to make a MENTAL NOTE to tell Susana how much we appreciate and ENJOY our monthly updates... and especially the photos.

Plus... later in life we can always whip them out to show the boys that come calling... :) I'm definitely saving the PILGRIM ONE for then! ...One of these days...

In the meantime... here is our SWEET SARA... wishing everyone a HAPPY 2008!

Tag... You're It!!!

I have been tagged... THANK YOU...by Sara and Kelli. (Bless their hearts, if they only knew how bizarre I was... they wouldn't have done this.)

So, here are the rules~The rules are to link the person who sent this and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours~Post the rules on your blog~Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself~Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link their blog~Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here goes: (Keep in mind it was very difficult to limit this to just 7...)

7 Strange /Weird Facts about me:

#1 - I have this whole belly-button thing. It isn't a fettish... it's more of a repulsion. I cannot touch mine at all - it is just gross. My girls are outies... and Rachel considers hers a "pull-toy" UGH! I just can't even stand it. (We hope that after surgery in April... this might be corrected...)

#2 - I have absolutely no sense of direction. I can be on our own farm, in our own woods (which isn't that big) and not know which way the house is. As you can imagine.. when trail riding, I just ride. Jesse does all the leading. He just makes me "look good". :)

#3 - I cannot stand to stick my hand in a sink full of cold dishwater... ICK!! I will even get a clean spoon dirty to get the "plug"out in order to avoid the water.

#4 - I am still carrying the same purse I have had for about 10 - 12 years. I own more guns than I own purses. Especially if you count my Daisy BB Gun I got when I was little. :)

#5 - I am obsessive about even numbers. I buy things in 2's... or 4's. Eating M&M's is an entire process: First in order of colors.... followed by matching the M's as closely as possible... and finally... eating them two at a time. (One for each side of your mouth....) Odd ones get split in half. I told you - quite a process. I wrote a whole paper on it in High School.

#6 - I am left handed. I eat left-handed, I write left-handed, I shoot pool left-handed, and I hold my horses reins left-handed. Everything else... I do right-handed. (Bat, tennis, bowl, cut with scissors, shoot a gun, throw a ball, use a mouse... so am I really left-handed or am I right-handed?? I can NOT do any of the other things right-handed...at least gracefully.)

#7 - I love TETRIS. It is my favorite game. I look at everything in life like a giant Tetris game. I even try to make it more difficult by making big gaps in the game and letting it almost fill up - just to see if I can get myself out of the mess! I play it every day, without fail. I cannot, however, stand the music that plays on the game. It is totally annoying.

OK, one last thing... BLOGGER will not allow me to spell-check either .. which totally annoys me as well. So please forgive my shortcomings in typing. I often get the letters flip-flopped in an effort to type too fast!

I am TAGGING the following people: (with reasons why)

Cynthia (because we just need to see if my list of strange facts about you matches up with your own...bah hah)

Cherri (just so you have to update your blog once again this month!)

Rick (just becuse we need a GUY involved in this - and I know you'll do it... or Cherri can do it for you!)

Jodi (because my subtle hints to update don't seem to be having any impact...)

Ruth (so you will get into the swing of blogging again and we can see more pictures of Sydney!!)

Ginger (because GIRL, you have had a rough time these last few weeks - and we need some fun to cheer you up!)

Angie (just because life with 3 boys and a new baby can't be busy enough...)

Let's see if anyone else is as bizarre as I am! Ha! Have fun... and have a great weekend!!

It Seems Like It Was Just Yesterday...

It's been FOUR YEARS today that our plane touched down in Atlanta (finally...) beginning the biggest adventure of our lives. This was the day the girls came home, forever!

(We haven't changed all that much - have we??? Maybe a few more gray hairs... but any wrinkles are only from laughing and smiling at their silliness!)

It was a long road... 15 months from the day we received and accepted our referral to bringing home those two precious, wonderful little girls.

They have enchanted us all...

They have entertained...

They have captured our hearts.

Happy Forever Family Day - Ali and Rachel!!

The Hanks Family - February 2008