Semi-Wordless Wednesday: I love her...

I can't imagine spending my days any other way. I love this girl more than life itself...

day 30 ~ movies you can watch again and again

Pretty WomanThe Wedding Planner

Rainman

Sleepless in Seattle

ALL DONE!!! :) HOPE YOU ENJOYED 30 DAYS OF BLOGGING THAT TOOK MORE LIKE 45 DAYS... :)

Sunday Thoughts...on Saturday night...

....there are a million things running through my mind to blog about... to actually TAKE the time to type out, share my mind and blog about... here's a glimpse into what is swirling around...

my friends are in Haiti. That in and of itself is NUTS to me... crazy to me. But crazier...they are meeting their children for the first time. They have claimed these two kids as their own, love them ALREADY and have met them for the first time in the past couple of days...crazy. Amazing and crazy.

other friends are waiting... waiting to find out who God has hand-picked to be the new addition to THEIR family... they are doing the sitting and waiting... they have done the paper work, the interviews, paid the $$ and have to wait... for a birth mom to pick them based on a book that they put together of pictures and letters... the birth mom doesn't get to know that Mama H would MUCKLE onto her with a big 'ol squeeze if she could or that Papa H would fist it up with her one time until one actually picks them...

there are several girls in my Bible Study group who are adopting children from Haiti as well and the adoption craze seems to be taking over like WILDFIRE. I love it. I love that all my FRIENDS are doing it... :)

then I read this blog...click HERE

and the part I love the most... is that Minnie is not going to know ANY DIFFERENT. Minnie is going to grow up in a home where she is perhaps the only child, or perhaps has a sibling that is the same color as her with the same parents as her... but she... will be a minority. The friends that she hangs out with, that she spends time with and that we allow to influence her life... will be of another color. And the fact that she more than likely will not have any colored brothers or sisters... will make HER a minority. And I LOVE.THAT!

I LOVE that she will grow up not seeing color or race and that the gap that seems to still be here in Northern New England... will be bridged a little more because of decisions my friends are making in following God and doing what HE says. I am thankful.

Don't disappoint....

day 29 - favorite tv shows and why you like them

FRIENDS hands down. Favorite TV show of ALL time. I love ALL 10 seasons, I love ALL the characters and I love EVERY episode. Husband and I used to have a date every Thursday night at 8PM and now we are psyched that there are TWO HOURS of Friends on every night. Pretty soon I know we won't be ABLE to have it on with the little one picking up more and more of what is going on but I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Friends! :)

Other guilty pleasures:

This year we have been into American Idol but mostly because we love the judges! Who doesn't love Steven Tyler and JLo!?!? :)

During the day we listen to mostly Christian music but I do love Regis and Kelly when it works out that I'm folding laundry or something and I am SOOOO happy that Martha Stewart is back on TV :)

I'm addicted to House Hunters but mostly just the last 7 minutes so I can see what house they picked and how they decorated it since they moved it :)

I love most smut TV that is on E!TV. Please don't judge. I NEVER watch E! with the girl, not that it makes it any better :)

Food Network is one of my FAVORITE channels... Giada, Ina Garten and Paula Deen are like my BFF's :)

and... truth be told... Husband and I DO watch Wheel of Fortune MOST every night. :)

day 28 - cruise a thesaurus and pic out 10 words you like the sound of

nah... I don't wanna... you all know what words I DON'T like... let's just leave it at that shall we?? :)

Uh...Whoopsie...

I was flipping through pictures on my camera yesterday (Saturday) in the car with Husband. I said... "did I ever blog about Robbie and Danica's visit??" His response.. "I don't remember seeing it" OOOOO ~ whoopsie! :) How could I forget the PA cousins trip NORTH!?!? Especially when the pics include the little gem they REALLY came to see!?!? :)

This of course was the fateful day BEFORE JJ, the CountryRents, and I all came down with the stomach bug. BLECK. But don't we look so happy and UNAWARE? :)

We had a great visit, enjoyed having them at our church and catching up on a whole different way of life since they have moved south.

Robbie now teaches at a private school where housing is provided for them, they eat in a dining hall that serves local meat and produce and most of it organic and everything they could ever want or need is 10 minutes away. Quite different and quite nice :) I wonder if they need a math or PE teacher, HUSBAND...

St. Patrick's Day

FESTIVE no? :) How do you like the self-timer shot that was CLEARLY lower than it should have been on the counter? :) hee hee hee I made a TRADITIONAL NEW ENGLAND boiled dinner for the FIRST time on Thursday and because I'm wild like this... we invited some unsuspecting (just kidding they knew it was the first time) guests over to enjoy it with us. Husband's co-worker and his wife came for dinner and apparently to read stories to Minnie :)

They will make FINE grandparents one day... they just LOVED on her and she, of course, ate it right up.

Dinner was great, company was amazing and I think maybe we'll do the "boy-led dinn-ah" again next year.

Built-In Babysitters

There was no school for kids on Friday so Daws and Sky came to hang out with the girl and I. Really, they mostly hang out with the girl. Really, I don't mind. :) She has a blast and I get to kick back and.... take video :)

BEFORE / AFTER

BEFORE: I was a little TIRED of the prints behind the kitchen table. They were fine for a while... like 9 years A WHILE...but I was just in the mood for something DIFFERENT. BRIGHTER. FUN. Different.

Brighter. More fun!

AFTER.

Not a HUGE change. But enough that I am happy with it. I didn't have to spend any $$ updating my current curtains which I do still love and I bought the material at "I should have bought it when I saw it at...." for LESS than I would have spent on a yd of my dear Amy Butler at the local quilt store. Granted I didn't GET Amy Butler but I'm happy with my purchase and I even have enough leftover to do someTHING else with. I'll keep yah posted :)

~Laurie

A year later...and I'm so happy you are still here to celebrate your LIFE with us. God is good. I pray your day today is WAY better than it was LAST YEAR :) I love you my "almost forever" friend and I'm so blessed to have your Mama, Friend, Sister, Wife, Daughter, advice in my life. Happy Birthday!

*picture courtsey of "Auntie Joyce"

Play Date: FINGER PAINTING!

Pheebs invited us over for our first adventure as a play group FINGER PAINTING!!! Minnie, Pheebs and Dani all LOVED IT... Lily...not so much. Wouldn't even TOUCH the stuff...but it is good that there is one in every group so that someone can grab the Wet-Wipes for those Mom's that get covered... :)

Hostesses with the MOSTESS ~ Even if while Minnie was playing with her toys she continued to holler "NO NO NO" :) and now we get the opportunity to teach the little ladies about SHARING :)

I think Dani was the BIGGEST fan of it though... even though her face doesn't show it. I think she is just secretly annoyed that I am making her stop long enough to pose for a picture...

and of COURSE my girl EATS it...

it's what she DOES...

AH well...she had fun, it was non-toxic and EXTREMELY washable.

SO fun to try new things with our friends! We thought that maybe the next time we do it we'll wait for a warm summer day and set it up down by the lake :) We also thought we'd give tie-dying a try this summer when we can rinse off in the pond! :) Fun adventures ahead!!! :)

World's SMALLEST...

PONY-TAIL

post-pony-tail

The Weekend Report

We started the weekend off RIGHT this past weekend... I mean how can you go wrong with a double batch of cinnamon rolls and cream cheese icing!?!? Minnie thought that was the PERFECT way to go :) We are only sad that we weren't able to bring them to "Brrmmm-Pa's" house for his birthday party because he and "Nana" were STILL not feeling well after a week of the sickies. So sad. It was, however, GREAT news for the FND crowd, Mama H and the Sunshine Family who went home with some extras :) Brando was home this past week on spring break and Minnie took the opportunity to tell him how to work his way around the kitchen. To his future wife: Your Welcome.

"and THIS is how you do DISHES, Brando" :)

Saturday we spent a great morning together as a family running errands and hanging out. We were home in time for Minnie to have a nap because we had a FUN night ahead!!! I mean when you are with the H Family it is ALWAYS a good time but pull into the parking lot of our destination and see a sticker like this... and you KNOW you are having fun! :)

We drove even FURTHER than "the big city" to go to a Praise and Worship event at my extended families church that was headed up by my cousin and her friends.

We debated bringing Minnie but knew that if there was Jesus, Music and friends... she'd LOVE it. She did. :)

and so did we. Amazing night with amazing friends...

and the fact that I got to see my cousin who is typically away at college AND introduce him to Minnie, his 2nd cousin for the first time... and I got to hug and love on my favorite Uncle who doesn't get out much... I was blessed.

Sunday we hit another milestone. Guess who's facing FORWARD in her carseat now and is LOVIN' life!? :)

Yet more proof that the baby really IS a "big" girl...