Macey's First Steps!

Macey took her first steps tonight! Adam and I were trying to get her to stand up, and she took a step! Adam was standing her up, and she was reaching for me. She is the most adorable thing, too. When she has been standing by herself, or when she took those steps, Adam and I cheer for her. She eats it up! She loves being cheered for. She laughs and smiles from ear to ear. I can't believe how fast she is growing up!

Valentine's Love

My Dearest Mikayla,
On this Valentine's Day, I want to tell you how much I love you. You light up my life, and I love you more than anything in this world. You came into my life and lit it up. You bring me so much joy and happiness that I never knew was possible. I love you more and more each and every day. I am so proud of the little girl you are, and I am so excited to see the young woman you will become. I am so blessed that God gave you to me, and that I get to be your mommy. God has taught me so much through you. He has taught me about His unconditional and unfailing love. He has taught me that although I may not see the big picture, He does, and I need to learn to have more faith in Him and His will for my life. Thank you, Mikayla for everything you have done for me, without your even knowing it. I love you to infinity and beyond, Mommy

My Little Lovebug Macey,
Time flies by so quickly, and each moment is fleeting. I can't believe how quickly you are growing! It only seems like yesterday you were still in my tummy. Even then, I never knew I could love someone like I love you. My heart expanded double when you came into my life. You are so precious to me. Your sweetness and unfailing love minister to me daily. You light up my life. You are the type of person who makes me want to be a better person. You challenge me daily to be more selfless and to put others' needs above my own. In less than a year, you have taught me to give, and to love abundantly. I am so proud and blessed to be your mommy and I know you will always make me proud to say that. You are called to do things that are beyond my comprehension right now, but I know through faith that you are going to touch so many people's lives throughout the world and show them your God. I can hardly wait to see the woman of God you will become. I love you for now and always, Mommy

So Much Snow

Last week, the north Texas area had the coldest temperatures we have had in more than 20 years. It was in the single digits, and with rain, sleet and snow, we missed four days of school. I don't ever remember it being as cold as it was. We were homebound the entire time, because the streets were covered with several inches of ice, with snow on top of the ice. I got out one day, because I had to get baby Tylenol for Macey because she is teething.

At age 10 moths and 3 weeks, Macey finally decided to get not one, but two teeth. They are both coming in on the bottom, and I'm so thankful that we actually got most of the week off for Macey's sake, because she was running a low grade fever the whole week while her teeth were breaking through. We had to give her Tylenol for the fever and pain, so that caused her to be drowsy. She slept most of the days we were at home, so she was much more comfortable breaking her teeth that she would have been at day care.

Adam and I played several games of Monolopy. We also had our neighbors across the street come over for a couple of game nights. They have a little girl, Willow, who is Mikayla's age, and a baby, Ivy, who is a couple months younger than Macey. We played Monopoly and the Game of Life with them. It was nice to talk to someone else for a little bit. We were all suffering from cabin fever.

We took Mikayla out to play in the snow a couple of times, but it was difficult because it was so cold. When you tried to make a snowball, your hand got wet, and the freezing temperature was biting. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing you in the fingers. The cold wind chapped our cheeks, and made our noses run. Needless to say, we couldn't stay outdoors for long.

On Saturday, after four days of being imprisoned at home by the snow, Adam and I had to get out of the house. We needed food, and we needed a mental break. We went to Wal-Mart, and it was a treacherous drive. I white-knucked it most of the drive there and back. The roads were covered in ice, and there were few spots where the ice had broken through. We saw several disabled cars on the side of the road. We made it safely there and back, but it was not easy. None of our roads had been sanded or salted. I took a few pictures on the side of the road, and it's a complete white-out. This was the fifth day of the winter storm, too! Later that afternoon, though, the sun came out and melted a substantial amount of snow and ice.

When the snow and ice melted away and we finally got to return to school, it was only two days before we had another winter storm blast. We had this past Wednesday off of school, as well. We had freezing temperatures with sleet and snow. The roads were once again covered with ice. We only missed one day of school this time, though, because the sun came out on Wednesday and melted most of what was on the roads. It's still frigid outside, but there's not any precipitation, so it's not treacherous.

Yesterday, Macey turned eleven months old, and I can't believe how fast it has gone. She still has no interest in walking, and barely will stand on her own. She will cruise around the furniture while standing, but she will not let go. I guess she thinks that she has a big sister to do everything for her, so what's her rush to walk? She is my baby, though, and I think she fully enjoys being the baby. She gets jealous any time I am holding another baby, or if Mikayla is taking up all of my attention.

A couple of weekends ago, one of my dear friends came to town for a wedding. Kyna, a friend from high school, has three little girls, Lexi (3), Paisley (nearly 2) and Sadie (3months). She was in a wedding of a mutual friend from high school. She left her two older girls in Tulsa with her mom, but had to bring Sadie, the baby, with her. Adam and I babysat Sadie on Friday night while Kyna was a the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Sadie was such a good baby, and she was so happy! It reminded me of Macey! Any time I would hold Sadie or pay any attention to her, Macey would get upset. She wanted my attention, and she wanted to make sure I knew that SHE was my baby. It was so cute, and it made me realize that even at such a young age, Macey was fully aware of her situation.

Mikayla is as smart as can be. She is learning sign language at daycare, and she comes home every day and shares what she has learned with us. She is full of personality, and she is constantly in need of attention. I have to find a way to appease her need for attention while still staying sane.

Well, we are in for record warm temperatures in the next couple of days. I guess it's time to break out the shorts.