Oh I have a ton to blog about from our weekend

So stay tuned!!!

October is Down Syndrome awareness month so i have joined in on the GET IT DOWN 31 for 21 challenge!!

The big new is.....

In the wee hours of the morning 19 years ago my life changed forever!!! I became a mother!!!! I became a mother to not one but TWO beautiful babies!!! A boy and a girl!!!

I never knew the joy that would come when I became a mother....but I soon learned! My husband and I were just shy of 20 yrs old, married alittle less than a year and our life really had just begun. Lyndsey and Michael, started out being really fussy, so we didnt get much sleep!! After several weeks they finally got in some what of a routine and our life started to slow down a bit. Neither one of them decided they wanted to sleep all night long until they were almost 1 yr old....I thought I would die!!!! I was totally sleep deprieved. William was in college and working full time so I mostly had the babies by myself. My parents lived 30 min away and they too were in college. My dad was in seminary and my mom going for her teaching degree....so they werent always able to help out....but they did the best they could. About once a week they kept the babies over night so i could get back some sleep, I had lost during the week...LOL! Eventually we came into our daily routine and everything was great. I am so thankful for my God giving me these two babies to care for and raise in a Godly home. MY life is forever changed!!!

Lyndsey and Michael ---

Know that Daddy and I love you very much!!! You are the reason that we know the Lord gave us the desire for more children.....for adoption!! You truely inspire me in just knowing the young man and woman you have become....We love you forever!!!

I love you my babies...Mom

Just one more day....

until I share some great news......that changed my life forever!!!

HINT for those of you dying to know: It come in 2's!!!!!


Have fun figuring it out....I will post in the morning!!!

4 days until the big day.....

SOmething very special happened to me that changed my life for the better and in just 4 short days I will share it with you..stay tuned!!!

Dear Anonymous:

I got this comment today and wanted to respond to you and anyone else out there wondering about adoption.... Please email me at rlba272@hotmail.com and I would love to share with you our process....I will work on a post sometime in the future for this as well.

I have been looking at you blog for sometime... I have not gotten up the nerve to even try it yet but I just wanted to tell you that your girls are a blessing... Me and my husband werent able to have children and we have been considering adoption.... I would like to know a bit more about it... Maybe you can do a blog about the process... Thank you... You are a very blessed lady.....

Update on Lily and the bloodwork

The Dr's office called this morning to tell me that all her blood work come back just fine. She doesnt have diabities or a infection.......they did say that she may just have a real small bladder so we will see. I really hope that is all it is.....

I am so proud of Giovanna....look at her read!

Giovanna come home today with her daily communication folder, and when I opened it I was so excited (as I am everyday, to get her excited about what happened that day). I found her sheet with her sight words on it...they got them yesterday and I said "Giovanna lets read all your words!", Well see the video to hear our smart girl read....... a, to, the, little, I, am

REMEMBER TO TURN OFF THE MUSIC ON THE SIDE BAR!

Lily is making sure we know she is smart too. I will try to catch her reading some words too!

Way to go Giovanna!! Keep up the awesome job sweet girl. Mommy and Daddy are so very proud of you!

Dr's visit

Well yesterday I had to take all 4 girls to the Dr's....No, I wasnt brave to do it alone, William was a big help keeping them happy while I talked to the Dr with each different child on the table. Come to find out, Gabby, Giovanna and Bella have sinus infections and ear infections...and Lily is now on allergy med's. I come home with half the pharmacy I do believe...

My brown bag contained: 6 bottles (yes you read that right) of antibiotics, 4 bottles of zyrtec, 1 bottle of singular, 1 box of albuteral for the nebulizer, 1 box of inhalers, 6 syringes and 6 medicine cups and a large bulb syringe so i can start trying to loosen the wax deep in their ears....

My girls with DS have the worse case of wax DEEP in their ears...it has always been this way, and I just dont know how to prevent it. Anyone out there with any tips for slowing down the wax build up (YES, we are always cleaning out their ears with the pediatric qtips) OR a way to prevent it from happening??

I am waiting the results from Lily's blood work...I hate waiting! The tested her for diabities because she is constantly going to the bathroom, will eat anytime and all of it all the time, and will go potty like every 20 minutes....so we will see what happens... I have no experience with this.... anyone out there that does?? What are the signs I should look for?

TODAY:
I had to go to the Dr's to have 2 skin tags removed, I was so scared!! They are gone now and it wasnt that bad.... I do not like needles!!! The medicine is wearing off now, so it is starting to burn.....oh the fun of Dr's!!

Our Princess Team is growing...

Thanks so very much to the following team members that will be joing our whole family:

TEAM PRINCESS AND OF COURSE THE PRINCESSES THEMSELVES

GIOVANNA GRACE~~~~~ ISABELLA FAITH~~~~~~ GABRIELLA JOY

Weley and Leigh Graham and all 3 of their teenagers
Stacy Kotila and both of her kids
Lisa and David Clontz and thier daughter
Giovanna's teacher and her Aide: Mrs. Johnson and Mrs Siri
Grace Williams
Gabby's teacher Mrs Smith

So far that is 22 team members!!! This is the largest team we have had thus far....

I am so honored to be the Momma to these girls....When I gave birth to our twins 19 yrs ago, I had No idea I would ever have anymore children. I ended up having cancer at 29 and having to have a hysterectomy.....so my dream of a large family....died...little did I know my God had a greater plan for us, and if I had never have gone through the pain and lonliness I did at 29, our future daughters would have never come to us!! My heavenly Father is just so awesome! He has shown us so much in our faith, in our family and our marriage in the last 5 yrs....

In the last 5yrs we have added to our family 4 beautiful little God sent angels. We never thought our family could or would ever adopt. We wanted too, but it just never seem to happen, until that one mission trip with our church to Guatemala.....that is when God revealed His plan to us....and there my dream to have more children....started to come real. So as I type this, my prayer is this: I hope someone out there is reading this that needs to know...God does have a plan for you....I recall the night that God had a come sit down chat with me in the middle of the night, on the end of my bed...I woke up and to my excitement, I totally seen my God sitting right at my feet....He is beautiful!!! All He said to me was this "Sit back my child, continue to be faithful and I will give you all the desires of your heart!!!" and there it is my friend...He is carring through with His promise...He is giving me all the desire's of my heart....a loving husband, 2 awesome young adult children, 4 little angels that never cease to amaze me, health and a ton of happiness!!!! He will deliver it to you too...just you wait and see!!!!

Its NOT too late...to join us!

See post below...

we are forming our PRINCESS TEAM for our Down Syndrome Buddy walk on Saturday Oct 11 at the Montgomery Zoo. WE would love to have you join us and or make a tax free donation in honor of our girls. You can use the chipin button to the right of the blog to use a credit or debit card or if you would like to send a check you may do so and make it out directly to the MADSOG (montgomery area down syndrome outreach group)

We would love to reach our goal this year!!!

Come on people.......

Im not a person to quote politics or get into any kind of debate, but my husband was telling me about this email circulating out there and then i was checking out all my blogs tonight and Ashley had also posted about it so i just copied it off there and here ya go!!!!

Come on people, seriously, who would want someone running our country, our One Nation under God, our home of the FREE that has only been in any type of office for only 143 days....NOT ME!!!

Are we all aboard the USS Ship of Fools? Makes me wonder! The first time Iread this quote, I thought it was dangerously true. Then I really started pondering it and thought how would this apply to our ownl ives/careers? Let's look at it again to see how absurd it is.

You couldn't get a job at McDonalds and become district manager after 143days of experience.

You couldn't become chief of surgery after 143 days of experience ofbeing a surgeon.You couldn't get a job as a teacher and be the superintendent after 143days of experience.

You couldn't join the military and become a colonel after a 143 days ofexperience.

You couldn't get a job as a reporter and become the nightly news anchor after 143 days of experience.

BUT....'From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan. 143 days?

We all have to start somewhere. The senate is a good start, but after 143days, that's all it is - a start. AND, strangely, a large sector of the American public seems to feel comfortable with this and campaigning for him.We wouldn't accept this in our own line of work, yet some are OK with this for the President of the United States of America ? Come on folks, we are not voting for the next American Idol. SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!

Down Syndrome Buddy Walk.... We WANT YOU!

Hello friends and family, We are currently getting our PRINCESS TEAM together for our local Down Syndrome BUDDY WALK . Every year we form the team in support of our 3 beautiful daughters, Giovanna, Gabriella and Isabella. We are honored to be a part of such a wonderful community and look forward to it every year as we form friendships and support to last a life time. We ask each of you to join in our fun day at the zoo as part of our team. Our financial goal this year is $2,000. All monies raised go to our local DS group, and they give a portion to the National Down Syndrome Association, and the rest stays right here in Montgomery to help advocate and educate for our children.

The cost of the Buddy walk is $10.00 per person and it includes: admission to the zoo, lunch, door prize ticket, and your Down Syndrome buddy walk T shirt. We are asking for as many PRINCESS Team members as possible. I need to know rather quickly-- by Wednesday of this week-- in order to guarantee a Tshirt (or if you dont mind not having a Tshirt, later is fine) if you would like to be on our team. The walk is Saturday, October 11 at the Montgomery Zoo. If you are able to give over the $10.00 per person this will go directly to our goal. If you are unable to participate in the walk but would like to donate to our TEAM goal you may do this as well. We can accept paypal (debit, credit cards or account balance) check and cash. Email me for directions to contribute to our goal. You can leave me a comment or email me at rlba272@hotmail.com I HAVE ADDED A CHIPIN WIDGET ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN FOR YOUR DONATIONS....THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Thank you in advance for helping our PRINCESS TEAM raise awareness for Down Syndrome!

I had a date with my dear sweetheart!

Well, several of you know my husband was gone all week long!! I hate it when he's gone!!! My mom come up for a few days, and that was a nice thing, as she has never come and stayed with us.

He returned home Friday when the girls got off the bus...they were all so very happy to see their Daddy!!!! We put them to bed at 7 and the babysitter arrived and we headed out to see Bill Engvall with our friends April and Wade. It was hilarious!!! I had only seen his show a few times on TV and died laughing the whole time, so when we got the chance to see him in person we went.....

Here is for your laughing entertainment....see video!





It was a nice night full of laughs for William and I. He was gone all week and then has to come home and work all weekend...no fun!!!

I have been busy moving my sewing room, so i will post a picture when it is complete.

Lilyanna Hope is now 5 Yrs old!!!

Im such a bad momma! Yesterday we were so busy I didnt post! My Lily is now 5 yrs old!! She is so happy to have finally hitten this milestone....

Stay tuned tonight for pictures of my little beauty!

I gotta run get them from School, so I will post later...

HELP! Im in Jail!

My Isabella is such the DRAMA QUEEN!!! She was sitting here on the stairs and wanted me to get her down.... see all the girls had walked past her coming down from the bath, and she wasnt happy....so here is her slow motion full of drama look. she is so funny.....The face where she looks like she is crying....oh can you say FAKE!!! She let out and Mommy yell and when i looked at her this is the face I got! I had to grab the camera....

Oh so much Drama!! LOL

Giovanna saying "The Pledge"

On Thurday I asked my little princess how her day was and what she had done at school. Well I about fell out of my chair when she told me she had said the pledge at school. To tell you the truth, I honestly hadnt given it much thought for her even learning the pledge...well she showed me!!! My smart, smart girl. You have to listen closely as she really tries to say it all....it is the cutest thing ever!!

She has only been in school now for 3 weeks. She knows all the kids in her class, and talks about them on a regular basis, loves her Mrs. Siri and Mrs Johnson (her teachers) and overall just loves going to school!!!! I pray her year will continue to be nothing less than GREAT! Gabby, really enjoys her class as well....I have to really work with her and ask her questions, because she isnt talking yet....but she can totally get her point across to you!!! Lily still just so amazes me with her ability to learn new things. She is in a private school using the ABEKA program and really loves her class. She talks about her Mrs. Jenny alot(her teacher)!! And well My little Bella, she is still the youngest princess that rules the house!!LOL She fell asleep in William's lap tonight and I just was in awe of her little self!! She has gotten so big, where did the last 3.5 yrs go?? I now have a very sassy girl on my hands!!!

Enjoy "THE PLEDGE!" If your wondering, she had just gotten home from school the other day and the TV was on....you can tell I was in her way of seeing the TV!!!

REMEMBER YOU NEED TO GO TO THE RIGHT SIDE AND TURN OFF THE MUSIC

what a day....

Well today I woke up early and headed out to met Leigh and we went to some yard sales!!! i was really surprised that there werent many out today. Then we eventually went to a children's consignment sale that happen to start this morning. I didnt buy ANY clothes but did find several boxes of the sight words for children. I had recently bought some at the school supply store and paid 10.99 and today I found all 6 boxes of them for only 2.00 each!! I was so excited!! With Giovanna and Lily learning sight words and will soon be putting them together to make sentences this will be oh so handy. I also found some of the beginner reading books for them...... after the consignment sale we headed over to the children's boutique in town.....Cute as a Button..... oh this store is so addorable. Check them out!!!

Well hope everyone has a great Sunday!!

PLEASE pray for me this week as it is going to be a very stressful week....my hubby has to go TDY.....Oh I HATE IT!!!

Please check out the Poll on the right side of my blog...

If you would please take note of the poll to the Right....Im curious how folks come to our blog....you may click all that apply to you.

Enjoy

I will be adding a video tonight (keep watching Stacy) of one little special girl recieting something that is just too darn precious....so be sure to come back and visit us tonight.

Daddy and his biker babes....

William will ride his motorcycle to work several times a week. Well, on Thursday G & G got on the bus and we went inside....Bella decided to take off her PJ's (they dont have school on T and Th) and walk out the door to see Daddy off......here is what I found....

Project for kindergarten....

William and I had a project due for G&G for school.....and we had so much fun doing it. We got the note the night before it was due and read it at 9pm....so we had a late night...... Here is the "parent"homework.....we just went a little overboard with it.....but it was o much FUN!!!

Their faces were to be made from paper plates and you could add yarn and things to add personality.....well william said we needed to blow a picture up and have their real face....so we did....i added ribbon, buttons and a bow to their hair.....they turned out so darn cute!!!

The following week Lily was student of the week, so I also made one for her with all her favorties on it as well.....I have to get the picture of her though....I will add it soon. Now I can see I need to make one for Isabella.....I will have them laminated and hang them on their wall in the room.

I know I know......

I know Im alittle late in posting pictures of G & G going off on the bus to school.....but here they are finally....

They both really love school, really love riding the school bus (this is the special ed bus so there are only 9 students with the driver and a aide) and so far seem to be adjusting very well.....