Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we spent with my Dad's (very large) family, which is a tradition we've had since my dad was little! We were very excited that Uncle James was able to come be with us!!! He was on break from Bible college, and it was great to see him. Elianna really liked him, and we know she doesn't take to just anyone!


Aunt Ann recruited Elianna and Selah to help pass out presents. Selah took it very seriously, while Elianna decided to try on the gift bows.



Aunt Coco always reads the Precious Moments Christmas story. Now that we all have outgrown it, it's time for the next generation to have their turn! Selah was also listening, she's just not in the picture.



The grass is always greener in someone else's present. All of the kids played with each other's toys! (At least they didn't fight.) Here you can see Selah eye-balling Elianna's new camper.



Showing off her curls and bling. The necklace was a present from her Sunday School teacher, and she wore it non-stop.



Opening presents, presents, presents... and having fun!



Mommy, I'm getting tired!!

Christmas #1

First we celebrated with Chad's family. (Grandma blogged about it, too.) It was decided last-minute, so the girls were surprised but very excited. Even more surprised was Grandma, who hadn't finished making their outfits yet!! (They were done in time, though, and they looked adorable. Since this was the first celebration, the girls weren't sure what to expect, but they caught on very quickly!


Of course, we made them endure the obligatory posed pictures before presents.


Getting down to business, taking it very seriously.




All you scrapbookers will appreciate this one: my new Cricut!!!! I am so excited - this little machine is so much fun.

Elianna got a lot of "Bridal" dress-up, due to her recent obsession with getting married. Here she is modeling a wedding accessory kit... and within the hour she had broken everything you see in this picture except the necklace. The bouquet fell apart, the veil ripped off the tiara, and the clasp on one of the earrings popped off! Fortunately, my hot glue gun came to the rescue and we are back in the bridal business.

Check out the CURLS!

I know most people want their kids to have curly hair, but having suffered with very curly hair my whole life I was relieved to see that Elianna's hair is fairly straight. But then, I realized that little girls need curls when they are all dressed up, so I have been experimenting with different curlers. So far I have tried sponge rollers (AACK, those brought back memories), a curling iron, and hot sticks. Here are some pictures of our pursuit of the perfect curly 'do.


Exhibit A: Sponge Curlers





Exhibit B: Hot Sticks




Voila - The Finished Product! Elianna looked at herself in the mirror and said, "I look like Bright Eyes!" (Shirley Temple)


P.S. In case you were wondering, sponge curlers and the curling iron did the best curls. Hot Sticks worked awful on her.

Christmas, Christmas, and more Christmas!

I have hundreds of pictures to wade through, but I'll try to give only the best recaps! The girls are getting old enough to really have a blast. Watching them is half the fun! (But I like getting presents, too, don't get me wrong.)

This Christmas was especially busy, since right after Christmas our guys went to Tennessee to go wild boar hunting. I know I sure wanted to go. Nothing to round out your holidays like shooting a 300-pound pig. (Yeah, right.) While they were gone, both girls got sick AND our furnace broke. Fun! To top it off, the day after they get back, they go shopping at Cabela's all afternoon! Never mind that I am supposed to be having family over and haven't gotten ANY of the food or other party essentials. *sigh* Men. It must be nice to be the center of the universe. I'm sure our camera is full of pictures of their exploits, and I'm sure we women will be forced to listen to the stories of the trip ad nauseum. (I know, I know, I'm so mean.) So, if I have to suffer through it, so do you!! I'll be posting pics as soon as I upload them. So in a week or two or three...

Merry Christmas!

We would like to wish all our friends, family and blog readers I've never met a very

Merry Christmas!!!

We hope you manage to squeeze a minute in to reflect on the joys of the season... when you're not wrapping forgotten gifts, cramming kids into their holiday gear, adding to the endless "to do" list and making those last-minute dashes to the store for stuffing. (Maybe that last one was just me...) I figure we can reflect on the season in January when everything slows down, right?

Personally, I love the chaos of the holiday season. I have a lot to do because my life is full of the things and people I love. I have a long "to do" list because a lot of people care about me, and I have a lot of people I care about, too. I have a busy schedule because I have a wonderful family and church with lots of exciting activities planned for this time of year. Don't resent the hectic holidays - embrace the chaos!!! There are people sitting home alone with empty schedules and no stress... and they would give anything for what we have.

To all our friends and family: We love you! Have a wonderful time this Christmas and may God bless you and your families in the coming New Year!!!!

All Our Love,
Chad, Angela, Elianna & Selah

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Make it STOP!

WOW - we have been buried here with the latest snowfall. Our church even cancelled services on Sunday for the first time in 22 years! Our car is useless - we can barely get it out of the driveway. (Part of that is the new tires we just got for the car. They are TERRIBLE!!! I have spun out three times, and one of those times I rear-ended a very nice guy in a very nice sports car. Since my speed was at a crawl, I barely left a mark, and he graciously did not file a police report. It would have been my ticket, so naturally I wasn't going to argue...)

It is also VERY cold, so we haven't been playing outside very much. I have a "no playing outside below 25 degrees" rule. Call me paranoid, but my eldest daughter has no concept of cold and would play even if her fingers got frostbite and fell off. She will play in the snow until it's too dark to see, and even then you have to drag her inside kicking and screaming. My younger daughter detests the snow. Well, she detests her snowsuit and all the related paraphernalia, since she can barely walk, see, and/or do anything besides stand there with her arms straight out until a stiff breeze knocks her on her bottom. Then she rolls around and shrieks while her sister laughs at her until someone picks her back up. So, I guess it's understandable why Selah hates playing in the snow. Elianna on the other hand just has a blast. She runs around, throws snowballs, flies down her slide (it gets very slippery) and whatever else she can think of. It's not been warm enough to build a snowman, since everyone knows the snow won't pack together if the temp is below freezing... which it has been since the snow fell.

So anyway, that's the excitement around here!!

Funny Faces

This is what happens when Mommy goes grocery shopping and leaves Daddy with the girls AND the camera. They were having entirely TOO much fun!



I really cannot express how happy I am that Chad is such a great Dad. His girls are always his #1 priority, and he knows how to make all three of us feel special and loved. They just adore him - you should see the way their faces light up when he gets home from work. Even Selah runs to the door, with that trademark "waddle run" of hers, yelling "Dada! Dada!" Chad is very into being a Daddy. While a lot of guys view their family as something they need to take care of (or spend time with) out of duty, Chad genuinely loves being with us, and prefers spending time together over doing anything by himself. Sure, we each have our separate interests (everyone needs a break sometimes!) but overall we love being together. It's great being married to my best friend, and it just makes our relationship that much better seeing what a great Dad he's turning out to be!


(Okay, he seriously owes me for this mushy post. I'd better get some kind of chocolate for this one!)

The Shredder

Selah's new phase now is SHREDDING. No book, paper, or anything remotely shred-able can be near her. I can't even count the number of magazines, books and Elianna's various art projects I have had to tape together after " Selah: The Shredder" got through with them. She got two pieces of tissue today, and here are the results mere seconds later:

Our Home, the Barf Fest

Yep, that's putting it mildly. Both girls got hit with a nasty tummy bug and were up ALL night. We went through, literally, every set of sheets and every blanket in the house. I did six loads of illness-related laundry in two days!!!! Selah had it the worst. Although she is generally the healthier of the two, she is MUCH more sensitive to these tummy bugs. Elianna's illness was entirely my fault. I had just been chatting with my mom on the phone and mentioned that Elianna had never thrown up with a stomach flu!!! (What was I THINKING saying that out loud!) Of course the next night Elianna was up puking all night long. This also happened to be the night Chad had to leave for work at 2:30 a.m. Since Elianna's last vomiting episode was at 2:38, he headed to work with no sleep, picked up his truck, and drove all the way to Indiana. To add insult to injury, he got the bug the next day. It just doesn't pay to be a nice guy! I felt so bad for him, I almost forgot to feel sorry for myself having to take care of the girls the next two days alone while he was out of town! Fortunately, my mom made an emergency run to Wal-mart for me, dropping off the flu essentials: saltine crackers, ramen noodles, white bread for toast, ginger ale and Jello. Later, my sister and Eric brought me some real food. Well, okay, it was fast food, but up to this point I had only had time to eat the leftovers from whatever gross-ness I had made for the girls. Namely, cold ramen noodles, dry white toast, and slimy orange Jello. So Wendy's was a gourmet treat. I have been scrubbing floors, tubs and anything else that got splattered, and so far I have escaped unscathed. Even if I get it now, the girls seem to be on the mend so it will be better now than earlier!!!

Christmas Decorating

We had lots of fun helping Nana and Papa V decorate their Snoopy Christmas tree! Of course, first we had to get the girls decked out in their fashionable "Christmas Gear."

Elianna decided to introduce the "put 12 ornaments on the same branch" decorating technique. I think it will become very popular.



Selah would basically fling the bulb at the tree, and believe it or not, it usually hooked on a branch! Both girls were very proud of their efforts.


Concentrating on the task at hand...

Little Miss Jabber Jaws

I can't believe how quickly Selah is picking up words, and how clearly she pronounces some of them. Of course, this can be embarrassing in public when she leans over, points at her booty and says, "Poop!" Or another red-faced moment was when we were in the library and I was asking the librarian for help with my account. Selah starts signing "nurse" and I ignore her. I have her almost completely weaned, and she has never asked to nurse in public before... and suddenly she yells, "Mama Niss! Mama Niss!" I don't think anyone knew what she was saying, although she was smacking my chest. I have no idea where that came from, and she hasn't done it in public since!

Anyway, I will try to think of as many words as I think of that she uses regularly, and will update this as I think of them.

Hi! (one of her first very clear words)
Dat or Waddat (that or what's that)
Baby
Uh-Oh
Brrrrr! (Whenever she's cold)
Mah (more or milk, depending what hand sign goes with it)
Up, up!
All Dah (all done, includes hand sign)
Lah-Lah (I love you, includes the hand sign Elianna made up when she was a baby, which is running your hand down your cheek. Chad always touched Elianna's cheek when he said "I love you" when she was a baby, so one day she rubbed her own cheek and said "I lah loo!" That became our own "made-up" sign for I love you. Now, Selah sees her do that and does the same thing. Too Cute!!!
Mama
Daddy
Nana
Papa (She also does Papa in her "scary voice." Tell her to be scary, and she growls Paaa-Paaaa in this deep, creepy voice. Glenn loves it.)
Niss (nurse)
Nigh-nigh (night-night)
Bye-bye
Bah-Dee (belly)
Eyes
Nose
EEEEs (ears)
Tah (tongue, and then she sticks it out at you)
No, no, no (complete with finger pointing)
Booh (book)
Peetah-boo (peek-a-booh. For the longest time, she would just say "Peetah!" It took months before she added the "boo" and sometimes it would come a few seconds later. Peetah!... pause... Booh!)
Boo-dah-bah (beautiful, goes with the hand sign)
Mmmmmm-mah (kiss)
Tay-Too (thank you)
Dah (dog)
Num-num-num (food - she makes this chewing sound)
Mine! (I hear this from both girls all day long)

She also sings a loud, long, "Laaaaaaaah" whenever she hears music, and sways back and forth. She's not nearly as into music as Elianna, but she still enjoys it.

All of this is in addition to a steady barrage of babbling in her own private language. She will ramble on and on, and then stop and laugh as if she made some hilarious joke, or wrinkle up her nose and make this panting/snorting sound that is just too funny. She and Elianna will sit and chat for the longest time, I can't help but wonder if they understand each other!!!

No MySpace pics, please!

Okay, I can hear the big, collective eye-rolling that will go on after reading this post, but please patronize me. I just spent some time talking to a family member who found out you can (quite easily) get around the MySpace pages that are set to "private." This is right after I read an article where they interviewed a pedophile, one of approximately 3,000 convicted child molesters registered on MySpace, who called MySpace his "shopping catalog" of sexual images of children and teens. Of the random survey they did, just grabbing random profile images, over 90% of them contained some kind of suggestive content. One watchdog company tracked down several profiles of these perverts, and found them listing themselves as "married Christians with three kids," etc..., when in fact they are none of the above.

So, naturally the protective mother in me is coming out, and I am asking all of my readers with MySpace pages to PLEASE REMOVE ANY PICTURES OF MY CHILDREN. Initially I had asked that they only be displayed if you keep your profile private, but after talking this over with this family member who saw how easily these safeguards are circumvented, I really would prefer to keep my kids off that site altogether. Please don't get your panties in a bunch and assume I'm saying you're doing something wrong. I really couldn't care less what anyone else does - I'm just trying to protect my kids. I know you can probably find my blog (or other pics of my kids) on-line if you tried hard enough, but I'm not going to gift wrap their images for the weirdos in the world if I can help it!!! Again, go ahead, roll your eyes at my paranoia... and then please go delete those pics for my peace of mind! THANKS!!!

It's gone, it's ALL GONE!!!!

Okay, I was preaching in "the other blog" about charitable giving, and today I was put to the test. And since I know this will be the first question when you are done reading this post, NO, I don't have pictures. Chad took my camera deer hunting.

Normally, I get my hair cut once every, oh, year or so. It gets longer and longer, and when I get sick of dealing with it I chop a bunch off and start over. Well, it had reached that point. The ends were splitting, pony tails were giving me headaches, and twice I woke up with it so tangled I had to have my hubby help me attack it with a brush while I stood ready with something to club any small animals that may have taken up residence. Things had officially gone too far. Then I saw some recent pictures of myself. Yuck. I looked like a stay-at-home mom that didn't care about her hair. The sad part was, I had done my hair!!! I was not pleased, and our first family pictures in ten years are scheduled for Monday. So, I called my favorite hair stylist, crossing my fingers in hopes that she was still working there, and made an appointment.

I walk in, and my first clue that it has been TOO long since my last hair-cut is when my stylist informs me that she is married and has a beautiful four-month-old daughter!!!! This happened, I am not lying, since my last appointment. I told her I am always afraid I am going to call to make an appointment and they are going to laugh and tell me "Oh, Mary retired months ago! Where have you been?" Sheesh.

Anyway, I show her how long I want it cut, and she says, "Well, if you just cut it a few inches shorter than that there will be enough to donate." Hmmm.... The quandary begins. I have been preaching at people to have a giving, unselfish, charitable spirit. I argue with myself like the father in "Fiddler on the Roof."

On the one hand, I know what style I like, and I don't want it a few inches shorter than that.

On the other hand, it seems like a waste to just throw it all away because it's a couple inches too short to donate.

On the one hand, my hair is big and cutting it short will only encourage it to look puffy and.. bigger.

On the other hand, my hair grows so fast in a matter of months it will be the length I originally wanted.

On the one hand, I have read on the Internet that Locks of Love is a big scam, and that they only make a handful of wigs and sell off the rest, supposedly using the money to cover operating costs but probably really blowing the money on cruises to the Bahamas.

On the other hand, I should let the IRS decide whether or not Locks of Love legitimately earns its non-profit status.

On the one hand, if I have brought the IRS into this, obviously I am just trying to get out of it.

On the other hand... oh, well, why not? Let's do it!

So, snip, snip, snip and EW! She lays the 13 inch braid right on the station in front of me. I don't know if she did this so I could feel good about my sacrifice, but it didn't work. I kid you not, it looked like someone had run over a rat. Several days ago. Gross. I then had a mental image of the poor lady at Locks of Love whose job it is to open package after package of hair. What an awful way to spend your day! I suddenly felt like I was about to gag. Maybe it's just me, but unattached hair is just nasty. The stylist mistook the look of disgust on my face for regret, and assured me that she would keep it long in the front to preserve as much length as possible. Well, not to get picky, but I am not a huge fan of that haircut where it's really short layers up the back, then long angled layers jutting out by your face. I had this done once, and I looked like a mournful hound dog with two long ears hanging by my face. I said, "Actually, I prefer it to be shorter around my face, and for the length to angle backward instead." She then informs me that this will cost me yet another three inches or so. So, snip snip off comes another pile of hair. She asks, as they do every time, if I want to try to wear it with my natural curl. I answer, as I do every time, I'd rather dye it purple with hot pink highlights. She takes that as a "No" and straightens it, although she can't resist a bit of a flippy curl at the bottom. What is it with people's fascination with curls? Why couldn't I have been Asian or Native American. The don't have to deal with the "wooly sheep" look every time the humidity rises.

Now, the moment of truth: she whips off the cape with flourish, and there is my new hairstyle! I know, the effect is lost on you, since I don't have "before" and "after" pictures. I can only ask you to imagine my hair, which hours ago hung just to my elbows, now barely brushes my shoulders. I have to admit, I am glad that I decided to cut it shorter so the hair can be put to some use. Even if it is simply lumped with a bunch of other donations and sold so the Locks of Love CEO can take a cruise to the Bahamas. Everyone should have a chance to see the Bahamas!

(Just kidding.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a Thanksgiving service at our church where we were asked to give a Bible verse and a testimony of something we could praise the Lord for. The verse I gave was Psalm 113:9 : "He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord."

In Bible times, one of the worst trials a woman had to face was infertility. When the Psalmist tells of God giving a woman a child who previously thought it was impossible, he knows he is striking a chord with the women who have endured this pain. It is a reminder that even when man and medicine do not give hope, with God anything is possible. Nowadays, infertility doesn't have the stigma it once did, but it is still one of the most heart-wrenching trials for a woman to try to get through. I was told in 2003 (after five years of an incompetent doctor being unable to figure out what was wrong) that it was physically, medically impossible for me to get pregnant. I had known for a long time that God wanted me to be a mother. To me, it was more than a personal desire, I truly felt it was my calling. My diagnosis really confused me (among many other emotions!) because suddenly I began to doubt myself. Was it just my own imagination? Was it just something I wanted so badly that I assumed it must be God's will? I turned to God's Word for comfort, and one day at work when I was really being gripped with doubts and despair, I came across that verse. It was a clear answer, as though God was speaking directly to me. We stepped out in faith and began the adoption process, and God brought us our first daughter. Five months after we got home from Colombia with her, Surprise! Along came our miracle baby. Two babies in two years - God definitely made me a "joyful mother of children." Only God knows if there are more children in store for us, and I am content to trust His will for our lives. I am so thankful that when God gives us a clear calling in our lives, even when we doubt Him, He will always come through for us. Like the verse says, "Praise ye the Lord!"

Happy Thanksgiving to all our dear friends and family. Instead of getting carried away in the holiday chaos, may we all take time to reflect on all of the wonderful blessings in our lives!

Cute Video Clips of Selah

**Update** Okay, since I have had so many concerned mothers write me and ask if she had an ear infection, I think I'd better clarify the circumstances of the second video! 1. She was fighting a cold, and although she didn't have an infection she was very congested which threw her balance off. 2. This is an older video, so she was still not walking very well yet, even under the best of circumstances. 3. We are at Grandma's house, so naturally it is WAY past bedtime and I am still trying to get them to wind down for bed. Both girls, but Selah especially, get giddy and energetic when they are over tired. I hope this eases the troubled minds of the mommies who thought I was laughing at my daughter while she was suffering from an undiagnosed medical condition!!! ;0) **End Update**

Here are a couple clips I finally uploaded... Better late than never! They both came out really dark - not sure why.

Selah really loved her birthday cake. Whereas Elianna took a few bites and got sick from all the sugar, Selah would shriek "Mah!" (More) every time I would ask her if she was done! I finally had to take the cake away. She has quite a sweet tooth, in spite of my best efforts to keep their diet wholesome.




Beware of the Drunken Baby! This clip is a little older, and I assure you she is walking much better than this now. It was just too funny the way she was weaving and stumbling around. I think I should have confiscated that sippy cup for further testing, but she didn't fail the Milk-Breathalyzer...

Can I get a Hallelujah!!!

Sometimes Elianna blurts things out, and I just scratch my head wondering where she got it from.

Chad and I were at church when another family asked if we wanted to go to lunch with them. We get to the car, and Chad realizes he has left his wallet at home. Now, I don't want to tell the other family this, since it will look like we are trying to mooch lunch... so we politely decline. Naturally, I am grumpy about this, and as soon as we get in the car I start complaining (with my "teacher voice") about the dangers of leaving without your wallet. What if we got pulled over and you don't have your drivers license? What if there was a sale and I had to stop and buy milk? What if one of our children came up missing and we needed a picture to show the police? On and on, till Chad starts complaining back that it was an accident so I shouldn't be so grumpy. Just as he starts, Elianna pipes up even louder from the back seat, "Guys! Guys! Be quiet and stop talking so loud! Guys! Guys! No talking mean! Be quiet!" I try not to laugh and turn around with a serious face. "Now Elianna, you need to mind your own business. Daddy and I are talking, and you don't tell us to be quiet." Something like that. Anyway, we go back to our intense fellowship (as my friend Megan calls it) and Elianna interrupts again. This time, she is really letting us have it. "Guys! Guys! Listen to me! If you want to yell, just yell PRAISE THE LORD." (Only she pronounces it "PWAISE THE LODE")

Where did she get that from?!?!?!?

I'll be back soon...

I know I haven't posted pictures in a while. Chad had to travel a lot last month, so I was pretty drained trying to keep up with our schedule while single-parenting. (To my single parent readers - I have a whole new appreciation for what you do!!!!) This on top of the recent loss of my grandma, I have been "running on empty" if you know what I mean. BUT, you know me. I can't stay down for long. I have all kinds of stuff to post about, so hopefully I will be back in the swing of things soon.

Selah's Birthday Party

After the Harvest Festival, we headed back to Nana and Papa V's to get ready for the birthday party. I don't know who had more fun, Selah or Elianna!

The party animals... (Well, some of them anyway)

CAKE PICTURES!!!

Here is the "before" picture. Nanu (great-grandpa V) made her this little cake even though he had been sick all week!

Sorry to disappoint, but she really didn't get that messy! She unfortunately loves to eat sweets and didn't want to waste a crumb.

TIME FOR PRESENTS

Her favorite part was the cards! Elianna worked on the presents for her.

Mmmmm, this wrapping paper tastes yummy.

Elianna was always on hand to help open (and play with) her presents.

Selah crawling through her gift from Nana and Papa Harvey. The girls has a blast chasing each other through this.