Another Abby-ism

Just because I need a laugh today...Poor Laney is sick.  I'm home with her.

The other night while walking through a store, Abby started singing.  Not softly.  Not sweetly.  But with great gusto.  The song?  "LITTLE RED, BA-GOOSE!  LITTLE RED, BA-GOOSE!  LITTLE RED, BA-GOOSE BEHIND THE TRAIN!"  She didn't know the next lines, so she just kept repeating these!

Do I need to translate?  "Little red caboose.  Little red caboose.  Little red caboose behind the train, ain, ain, ain.  Smoke stack on his back, back, back, back...rollin' down the track, track, track, track...little red caboose behind the train!  Wooo Woooo!" 

Goodness...I love these girls. They keep me in stitches!

Just a dream...

Abby told me this morning that her bad dreams from a couple of nights ago could be found in Jesus's belly.  Huh?

Ok, let me go back.  She told us last night that the night before she had bad dreams about doctors.  Which was probably true, she ended up sobbing in the night and we brought her to bed with us.  So, she was really really nervous to go to sleep last night.  She said she was afraid she'd have bad dreams. 

We talked to her about it, and gave her some fun or funny things to think about while she was falling asleep.  Then, before I left her room, I asked her if she would like for me to pray for Jesus to take the bad dreams away.  She readily agreed.  I prayed aloud to Jesus asking Him to take away her fears and replace them with joy.  I mentioned some silly things that Jesus could put in her heart, etc.  She settled down, and eventually fell asleep.  She did, however whimper some in the middle of the night, so we brought her to bed with us again.

This morning, however, while she was getting dressed, she said, "Mama, my bad dreams are in Jesus's belly!"  After my look of confusion, she said she didn't have any bad dreams so they must have went away and are now in Jesus's belly.  I wonder if she meant lap?  Like we lay our worries and concerns in His lap?  Not sure, but it made this mama smile for sure this morning.  Her joy at her peaceful dreams was certainly contagious!

Nothing earth shattering...but I wanted to share it nonetheless.

Got some other things mulling around in my brain...but I'll save those for another day.  I'll try to add a pic of sweet Abby tonight from our home computer, too! 

Quote

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!!!"---Unknown 



AMEN! I hope that's me!  I hope I'm skidding in broadside, ready to meet Jesus!  I pray I do whatever God calls me to do.  And that I do it with a grateful heart. 

God is good!  And so are you, my friends.  Thanks for the encouragment!  

Gotta unload.

• My mom has been sick.  Very, very sick.
  
• A friend's daughter is in the hospital with pneumonia...she's just a preschooler!
• Another friend is supposed to deliver her baby on Friday and they already know her son has a serious heart issue.
• There was a massive earthquake in Haiti.  Thousands dead.
• A friend's father passed away this weekend.
• We are relaunching the orphan ministry at church this weekend!
• My heart is longing to adopt, but I haven't heard God clearly say where or when.
• My girls are growing up at an alarming rate and it makes me sad.
• Tony's Mamaw has been really sick and in the hospital.
• I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm totally struggling.
• I'm thinking and praying more and more about homeschooling.  Not ready to discuss that, but I'm sure praying about it.  Call it a dream, right now.
  
• Debt.
• Our country's leadership?  *sigh*  Enough said.
  
• I want Tony to be happy, challenged, and blessed by his job.  Not sure if this is the case.
• I'm not a "focused" teacher right now. 
• I really want to go to Di*ney World.
• Our laundry pile is beyond ridiculous.  I mean it.  It's like, call the TV show therapists in, high.  Do I care?  Not so much.
  
• Blah, blah, blah...there's more...but that'll do for now.

Is it any wonder I don't sleep at night?  That could also be the reason I don't blog.  I have a whole lot in me, but it's too overwhelming to dissect right now.

Just had to pour it all out there.  I know God reads blogs, right?  So He'll see my heart.

I'm SO excited...and I just can't hide it...

I'm about to lose control, and I think I like it...Ooooh Yeah!

God is moving the hearts of people in our congregation to adopt and be a part of orphan care!  Can I get a WOOT WOOT?  Little ones near and far are soon going to be finding out what it's like to be tucked in by a mommy and daddy!  They will find out what it feels like to have someone kiss their boo-boos and whisper that Jesus loves them!  Uh-mazing!  I'm so pumped!

To help families get started, the orphan ministry at our church is getting back in full swing and could use your help.  First of all, will you praise Jesus for hearts being changed and moved?  Will you praise Him for challenging us?  And will you pray for the ministry team and kiddos worldwide?

I'd love it if you checked out Project James 1:27.  Become a follower!  Let our church administration know that there are people passionate about orphans!  Leave us a comment or question if you have one!  Oh, and spread the word about the blog.  We just want to see more children find their families and the love of Christ!

Ok, back to singing!

Photo Update

Hello!  It's Tony.  I won't bore you with with the narrative...enjoy the pictures recapping the past 30 days or so. 

Laney after opening gifts Christmas morning

Abby after opening gifts Christmas morning

Yup, after opening all the gifts, this is where we found the girls playing.

At the Indianapolis Children's Museum - the girls received a membership from Gigi and Papaw.

The girls running the Barbie Corporation (at the Children's Musuem)

Tony and Uncle Robby racing down the slide at the museum (with the girls). 

We were glad the girls "needed our help".

Rett and Aunt Ally (and the girls) racing down the slide...they too were glad

the girls "needed help" down the slide.

The girls waiting to go downstaris to see their birthday presents...(they turned 4!)

The girls gift - updated dress up corner with new washer/dryer, mirror, some new dress up clothes and shoes...

SUPER ABBY - wearing her new cape

SUPER LANEY - wearing her new cape

Then to the Family Birthday party for the girls...it was cold out.

The girls and their cakes

Opening gifts

Then Christmas break, birthdays and the days off were over...back to the real world. 

It snowed and got really cold. 

I hope you enjoyed the pics.  Thanks for checking in on us!!!

Meatloaf and a crock pot?

So Sarah totally knows my cryptonite.  Meatloaf and crock pots.  (Thankfully, she didn't let you know about root beer *shivers* or hard boiled eggs).  I LOVE to cook.  I LOVE when my kitchen is spotless and I get to whip up a big ole mess!  I think I'm a pretty decent cook, and I love to try new recipes and flavors.

That being said, I cannot boil eggs.  Nope.  The shell sticks.  But I already did that post here.  Not going there again.  THIS post will be for my other failure...meatloaf.  Seriously.  I'd like to meet the person who named it, first of all.  Meatloaf?  A loaf of meat?  YUCK!  Now, don't get me wrong, I love the tasty treat, when someone else makes it.  It just sounds disgusting.  And yes, Sarah's right.  Tony LOVES this meal.  He asks for meatloaf, corn, mashed potatoes, and rolls.  So very basic.  So very easy for me to ruin.

Therefore, Sarah sent out a plea to you, our readers, to give me your meatloaf recipes.  Please go back and read the comments section of my last post.  There are some tasty looking recipes listed!  Then, hopefully, there will be more in the comments for THIS post.  Please post your recipe.  Please help Tony have a delicious meal.  Otherwise, my mom or dad will be doomed to make his meatloaves (is that a word?) for the rest of eternity.

For the record, I made a YUMMY dinner tonight.  Steak with peach and balsamic vinegar glaze, atop a fresh salad with strawberries, walnuts, and blueberries.  I could have licked the plate!  AND I did it all WITHOUT a crock pot!  haha

Ok, ok, bring on the recipes!

P.S.  Tony said for any of the local readers, feel free to drop of a meatloaf for him to sample.  He'd be happy to play judge!

Break

"We were on a break!"  Name that TV show quote.  Yep, Friends.  I have been on a break.  A break from blogging.  And I have loved it.  Every last second of it.

Technically, I'm still on that break.  So, I just wanted to blog to let you know I'm still alive.

I'm sure Tony will blog soon to do a catch-up post.  He's good to do that when it seems too overwhelming for me.  I mean, we have Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's, and the girls' FOURTH birthday to blog about.  That's a lot to include.  And I'm just not in the mindset yet.  I'm to busy tricking my mind into thinking that going back to school tomorrow is a good thing. 

So for now, enjoy this chilly start to 2010.  And I'll be back...I promise.