Fun at the Parents As Teacher Carnival

Tonight I took Emma to the Parents As Teacher Carnival. She had a great time, she enjoyed all the games and prizes and of course the candy! This is a time of the year we love Branson so many fun things for the kids to do. We have something planned every night until Halloween and all of them are free events! If you are viewing this through an email you may not be able to see the picture video playing below.

Emma's First Visit to the Dentist

Today Emma had her first visit to the dentist, my little girl is growing up. She let them look in her mouth, count all 20 of her teeth and show her all the dental tools. They said her teeth look great and they can tell she does a great job of brushing them. Which made me feel good, all those rushed mornings of making her brush her teeth and floss have paid off.

Since she was so good at the dentist daddy took her to pick out a toy. She picked out a salon chair for her baby dolls of course. It came complete with a blow dryer, straightener, clips, and so much more. Little girls can be so much fun!

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

We had the opportunity to take a break from cleaning, unpacking and working to take Emma to the pumpkin patch with another family. It was such a blast. I am blessed with a wonderful family and friends!

Letting the Tears Fall

Today marks 9 months since mom passed away and it is still so fresh and seems so unreal, I still pick up the phone to call her and hear her voice. Purchasing a new house and turning 30 were not near as fun without her. But I love that I hear her voice in everything I do from decorating the house to raising Emma.
After moving to our new house I have spent some time going through different boxes and books that mom gave me over the years. In one book I found a card from mom that she gave me when I was in high school and had been having a rough time, "it said never be afraid to cry because that is how you show the world your heart." Inside the card was this story, I saw it on Facebook again today and felt like God was telling me to share it with others since it keeps coming up in my life. I think since mom has passed away I have had a harder time crying in front of others for fear I will lose it. Because no longer can I shed a few tears and move on....a few tears bring on more tears and before I know it the flood gates have opened. God is reminding me through this it is okay to stop and cry and let the world see my heart. So today, just for a few minutes I will sit and cry....and let the troubles of the world fall from my eyes with no regards to who might see.
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A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

Author: Unknown

Stubborn Red-Headed Daughter

I have a very beautiful and stubborn red-headed daughter! She makes me cry and laugh all at the same time and today has definitely been one of those days. At lunch we had chicken parmigiana, something Emma has never tried. I put 4 pieces on her plate along with fruit and other things she likes. I told her she had to eat one bite before she could get down from the table. Many times if she tries one bite she ends up really liking it.

It has been an hour and a half and she has cried and screamed to the point of exhaustion. So below is a picture of Emma, taking her nap at the table. Little does she know mommy is regaining my own energy for this battle. When she wakes up that plate will still be there waiting for her to take her bite. I sound horrible don't I? I am sure my mom felt the same way many times but knew it was for my own good. This is one of those days I wish I could call mom and tell her I was sorry and that I knew all those times I threw a fit she was only looking out for me.

Emma Painting Her Nails

Emma is such a girly girl! She loves painting her nails, wearing dresses and fixing her hair all by herself of course. I actually kind of like it even though I myself have never been a girly girl. My mom would love that she was into this stuff so much! Emma painted her toes and was so proud of her job!

Branson/Hollister Flood

Well, when we moved into our friend's rental house we never thought we would be dealing with possibly flooding but here we are 16 inches of rain later and a dam that is open and going full force and I found myself receiving a phone call from the police that they were knocking on our door and telling us to evacuate. EVACUATE! What do you take with you when you your road is already closed and you are entering and exiting through a small access road on a hill? Not much....we packed necessities. Overnight bags for each of us in case we need to stay somewhere for a while. Memorabilia......pictures, cds of pictures and videos, photo albums, a few things my mom gave me, mom's rings and jewelry. As I looked around our living room, I realized it is all just stuff. We don't need to frantically pack, my treasure's our truly in heaven and in my heart and memory. So even though we are praying they are wrong and we do not need to evacuate I know that everything will be okay because I know my maker is in control. Below are a few pictures of our area and the crazy flood. Please say a prayer not just for us but for ALL Branson and Hollister residents who are being effected by the flooding.

This picture is of the house across from the lake from us. The water is about mid-way high....they were evacuated a day ago.


This picture is of North Beach Park, down by the Landing. We use to walk in this park all the time.

This is a picture of the Landing, that restaurant used to be on the lake not in the lake.

Branson Landing view! I can't even imagine if I lived here.

This family was waiting for the dad to get back from going to get their pets out of the house.

Picture of Table Rock Dam, it is flowing strong.

Easter Weekend at Our House

Today we had a busy day of cleaning, coloring eggs and ended it with a family movie night. I love my family and the time we get to spend together.

My Sweet Princess

04_23_11 019, a photo by Dee_Sheets on Flickr.

I know my mom is smiling as she watches Emma. Emma loves all things girly! Dressing up, heels, make-up, etc. The other night she asked Victor if she could sleep in her glass slippers.

Emma at Silver Dollar City

We went to SDC for the first time this year. It amazes me how much she has grown this past year. Last year she wouldn't ride any of the rides. This year she rode the carousel and ladybug multiple times and the roller coaster. This roller coaster while not as big as adult roller coasters is definitely faster than the baby rides. She didn't cry at all, just buried her face in my side and said I'm ready for it to stop. I talked her through the ride telling her what was happening and how much fun we were having. When we got done she ran to her daddy to tell him what fun it was. Go figure!

We had a great time and I am excited for many more beautiful days at SDC this year.

Emma Dancing to Pretty Young Thing

It has been a while since I posted to the blog. One of the main reasons I had started this blog was for my mom. I just haven't had the courage to post again. I miss mom terribly and I don't think an hour goes by when I'm awake that I don't wish I could call her and tell her some of the fun stuff Emma is doing, ask her a question or just have one of our long talks. Emma talks about her often, still prays for her at night, and tells me when I cry that, "it's okay because Mamaw is in our hearts." Sometimes I think she understands better than I this whole circle of life. People say time heals wounds and every tear I cry puts me closer to coming to terms with losing her.
I have been blessed with a wonderful family and mom's death has reminded me to spend time with family and LOVE on Emma so she will have great memories with me like I do with my mom. So today, we had a full day. Emma starts playing Bitty Soccer Ball in a couple of weeks. We had her first practice. Me and a friend are coaching her team and it proved to be exciting and hilarious to watch 3-5 year olds play soccer. Emma picked out pink shin guards of course. Then we celebrated a friend's birthday at the park. Finally we came home and decided to dance to some music. I recorded a little bit of Emma dancing to Michael Jackson's Pretty Young Thing. She was dizzy at the beginning of the video so she stumbled a few times. It sure made me laugh!