Finally...

Well... I finally have a blog header! It took me long enough...LOL. For curious minds... "Off we go like a herd of turtles..." is something my grandmother used to say whenever we would go anywhere when I was a kid. It really seems fitting for my family now, though. It takes us FOREVER to get anywhere.

Quick post tonight... I have two kiddos who are sick. Lexi has a double ear infection. I found that out when I rushed her over to our neighbor's house (she's a doctor) because Lexi's fever was 104.1. What started out as a simple cold about 4 days ago has now just knocked out my poor little girl. She's so fussy and whiny, which is so unlike her. She is the most easy-going child I know, and she seems to have a really high pain tolerance. The sad thing is, if it hadn't been for the fever, I wouldn't have even worried about anything more serious than just a cold. She hadn't been pulling at her ears at all. I had no clue that's what the problem was. Hopefully, all of the other girls can just stick with a cold and not move on to any secondary infections. Hannah and Taylor are already complaining of sore throats, and Gabby already has the cold. I would like to hope I don't get it, but my throat is already starting to feel scratchy... yuck.

Anyhoo... I hope all two of you who read my blog are doing well! Bye for now!

We're mobile...

It's official... Gabby is now mobile. She picked the first day of the year to crawl. She's been inching toward it for a few days, but mostly just kinda scooting along. Today, though... she crawled several feet to get to the toy she wanted. Thank goodness my house is already child-proofed twice over!

On a side note, I'm going to participate in Project 365 this year. It shouldn't be too difficult, because once my dear sweet husband leaves, I'll be taking a ton of photos to send to him every day anyway. Here's my first photo of 2008, the Gabster right after she crawled to her toy:


On a scrapbooking note, Two Little Pixels is having a sale. According to Sharon and Megan there won't be too many of them, so if you are so inclined, head on over there by January 15 to pick up some good stuff!

Ringing in the new year...

So I know I need a new blog header... I will get to it eventually.

Tonight I am pondering Ali Edwards' concept of "one little word." You can read more about it here. To be quite honest, though, I'm not really pondering... the word came to me pretty quickly.

For most people, the new year symbolizes renewal and hope... a clean slate... things along those lines. That's what a new year typically symbolizes for me. This year won't be typical for me. I already know that 2008 will be, perhaps, the most challenging year I've ever lived. My husband is deploying (AGAIN!) and will be gone for a few days short of the entire year, not to mention a few months of 2009 as well. So while I know this year will be so hard, I've also chosen a word that I think will help me get through it.

Embrace.

Here are a few of the definitions of the word on dictionary.com:

• to take or clasp in the arms; press to the bosom; hug.
• to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly: to embrace an idea.
• to avail oneself of: to embrace an opportunity.

It's going to be a tough word for me on a daily basis, but I'm realizing that I need to embrace this deployment to not only make it easier for me to deal with personally, but to make it easier for my girls to cope. And although I'm quite sure I will not be able to always receive it "gladly"... I'll receive it nonetheless, because fighting it will only make it that much harder.

So that's my word. Kinda takes the place of resolutions... I'm not really into those. I'm sure I'll be plastering it all over the walls of my house to help me remember.... LOL.

Happy New Year, everyone. May 2008 bring you all you could ever wish for...