You have to get hurt. That's how you learn. The strongest people out there- the ones who laugh the hardest with the genuine smile, those are the ones who have fought the hardest battles. Because they have decided that they're not going to let anything hold them down, they're showing the world who's boss.

We've got so much going on around here. Nothing bad- just the normal stuff. I have to take a break from the extra stuff right now to get caught up on life. I didn't realize my surgery would take so long to recover from and because of that I feel like I'm drowning with everything that needs to be done. Anyway, I'm taking a good time off from Facebook, blogging, texting, all those little extras. 

I'll post pictures of the kids spring pictures we are doing this weekend and probably nothing else until we are back from vacation. 

XOXO,

Krista 

Just because today is a terrible day doesn't mean tomorrow won't be the best day of your life. You just gotta get there.

HOLY GUACAMOLE! I have a dry socket and it hurts like _________.
I'm so far behind with my school work and work work and feeling overwhelmed today. Tomorrow will be a better day... after I go back to the doctor for them to repack my mouth!

Krista

"I don't care what you think about me. I don't think about you at all." -Coco Chanel

Well I made it through my surgery. Still in recovery mode and it sucks. I can't take my pain meds because I'm not use to taking medication and it causes me to throw up. So I've been sucking it up and dealing with the pain. It's been a real joy.
Today was beautiful. Not sure why I picked the prettiest weekend for recovery but I did. Ricky was advised not to leave me the first day so the kids didn't go to my brother's and Ricky didn't go to work. The kids kind of freak out when they can't get to me at their leisure. That is always fun to deal with. Our house looks like a hurricane came through it. That is really fun to look at. And I pretty much don't care :)
I've got a ton of homework due today. Happy Sunday to me.
On the bright side I think we only have like 24 days until VACATION!!! Oh glorious vacation, palm trees, white sandy beaches, gorgeous water, convertible, umbrella drinks.... RELAXATION! I pretty much will have nothing else on my brain until April 19!!
Another positive note, the fence is finished! I can't wait until the kids' birthday when their swing set will be back there!! Finally after 4 years we are going to start using our backyard!

Krista

There's this BOY who stole my heart. He calls me MOM :)

Hit PLAY to see BRODY MAN!!!!! 

As you can see, we had a pretty amazing Thursday! This is Brody's new walker which is actually called a Gait Trainer. This will help him be more confident in walking. He did so well as you can tell. We don't think he will need this long and I'm the one that actually pushed for him to get one so we could speed up the walking process. Remember, we have big goals by birthday number 2! We are still waiting for his AFO leg braces to come in (should be about 2 weeks) and then he can use this walker a lot more. Ricky and I are so proud of him. I can't explain it but it's a huge moment for him. 

By the way, are y'all so happy this blog finally cooperated and let me post a video?? I'm super excited. FYI, I always cheer them on just like that :) It's just my way of being their number 1 fan! And is he not the cutest little boy you ever did see? Just precious and full of life! We are so blessed that he is ours and that he has come such a long way. 

Gracie also received her walker today but she isn't allowed to use hers at all until her AFO leg braces come in. Her ankle claps and we would actually cause major damage if we allowed her to be in hers. But oh my is it cute... it's pink of course! 

Y'all start saying prayers, my surgery is in the morning and I am sooooooo scared! The only thing I am looking forward to is the sleep. I really want to sleep non stop for like 3 days.... Also, wish Uncle John luck as he will be taking care of the kiddos over night for us because Ricky has to work tomorrow night. 

Krista 

Far From What I Once Was But Not Yet What I'm Going To Be

Brody and Gracie get their walkers today! I am so excited for them!! I'll post all the details and pictures soon!!!

Also, I've been going back and forth since the beginning of this blog about making in private and I think it's time to do just that. I'll post more on that too and also email those of you that will still have access. Not sure if I can get it done this week as my surgery is tomorrow but I'll see how the day goes.

Have a great day!!

Krista

She is clothed in STRENGTH and DIGNITY, and she LAUGHS without fear of the future.

My mini me looks so much like me when I was a child that it freaks me out! It is so funny to go through my baby pictures because you can see my personality throughout the pictures and Madi's is so much like mine it is just so weird. Guess she is going to be a totally amazing, awesome person like her mom :)

In other news, Gracie taking her hair out of her bows got on my last nerve so I cut her bangs that were totally in her eyeballs. The second I did she smiled so big and started posing. I have the cutest little pictures of her today.

I didn't tell her to smile or look at me one single time! She instantly pulled out her own natural sass and model talents!! Is she not the cutest little sweetie ever??? And why have I not done bangs on her sooner? That is the real question! She rocks this look!! 

And not to leave Brody out, he also got a hair cut today but he decided to whine the entire time and nonstop afterwards too which is SO A.N.N.O.Y.I.N.G! I'm for sure he will out grow this little stage by his second birthday!! ;) 

Because no weeks is ever accident free, below is Madi's shiner. She now climbs on and off our bed and her climb off this morning wasn't as graceful as it usually is. We are going to wrap the kids in bubble wrap and call it a day! 

Just another day in our amazingly, wonderful, richly blessed LIFE :) 

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Eight years. I remember when my dad became sick and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. I remember the C word which to this day is the worse word there is. I remember a painful journey, many sleepless nights, and unforgettable memories that were being made. I remember the beauty of death and God's presence. These events are still as if they happened yesterday.
I remember telling myself to just get through it. To make it one more day. I remember thinking to myself that 10 years from March 20. 2004 it wouldn't feel like it did. That I would be better.
In some ways I am better but those weeks leading up to March 20th 8 years ago forever changed my life. I was 17 years old when he died. I remember thinking that 46 was too young to die and also being so thankful that I had put together a surprise birthday party for him when he turned 46.
You see my family forever changed when my Dad went Home. It was so evident that he was the glue that held everyone and everything together. Our family had issues as does everyone's. Maybe ours were bad but he still held everything together. Looking back I can't imagine the load he carried.

My mom, dad, and me 

There are so many things that remain in my mind consistently about my dad. Experiences that still to this day are thought about. We had a lake house when I was growing up. My dad built it. We would go every weekend. When I think about my childhood that is what it was. Going to the lake house and going boating every weekend. My dad was an awesome skier. He skied on one ski and I thought it was really cool. I wanted to ski to. Skiing looks a lot easier than it is. He set out to teach me how to ski. It took forever and I wanted to give up so many times. I think I was so mad I was in the water crying but you know what? He wouldn't let me give up. I learned how to ski that day and was the happiest girl in the world because of it.
I often wonder in what capacity will my children know my dad. For me that is the biggest loss my kids have is not having my father here. I know for sure that I want my kids to know about my father and his life but I struggle with taking them to his grave site. I don't go there often. Pretty much once a year to clean it off and make sure it's okay. I know he isn't there so I feel weird being there. It's something I still work through but know our children will know him.
I have so many goals in life because of my dad. He was the hardest worker I've ever met in my life, literally.
I am so grateful that Ricky knew my father and they were so close. They were amazingly close and loved each other very much. The one regret I have is that I don't have a single picture of Ricky and my dad.
After all these years I know that God has a purpose and a plan for each of us but it is still hard to understand why he had to take him. I just have to trust and have faith that there is a greater purpose.
Today is the first day of spring. March 20, 2004 I thought to myself, what a beautiful day to go to Heaven.

Krista

This picture was the last picture we took together on Ricky's birthday in February. I  never would have thought I only had a month left with him. 

"I'm fighting for the girls who never thought they could WIN." - Nicki Minaj

One last quick update...

Please keep me in your prayers on Friday, March 23rd. I'm having MAJOR oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth that are impacted. Usually that isn't a big deal but they will be removing some of my jaw bone to get to one and the uppers are in my sinus cavity. I'll be under Anesthesia, luckily. The doctor said recover time is around 5 days unless I get a dry socket.
*I've had one non impacted wisdom tooth removed, followed the rules to a T and got a dry socket... that hurt worse than recovering from a C section!

Anyway, if you'll pray that the surgery goes well and of course that I wake up from Anesthesia, I would appreciate it.
**Ricky hates when I say things like that but the reality is sometimes people don't wake up! But I want to be around a long, long, long time so pray it all goes well.
And that the kids and Ricky adjust to taking care of me!!! I see a little bell ringer thing in my near future ;)

THANKS!

Krista

DECIDE WHAT TO BE AND GO BE IT!

Ok, so I've went so long without adding any pictures and now I'm adding a 100... just kidding! Anyway, it has been a really busy month around here with the trip to Arizona, house upgrades, fence, etc. I can't believe it's already the 17th but am so happy we are a month and 2 days away from VACATION! 

I've been trying to start planning the kids' second birthday party. The plan was to have it a the clubhouse in our neighborhood but it is occupied the weekend of their birthday. I hope maybe we can have all the home improvements done by then and just have it here but Ricky really doesn't want to do that... we'll see but I'm so excited about their party because it will be Sesame Street. We are huge fans around here! 

Madi and her Nike's didn't make it into this patch of pictures. I need to download more from my phone and I hope to do that soon. 

our Easter decorations :)

Ricky sent this to me after they dropped me off at the airport

just landed in AZ- taxing in

AZ

AZ

AZ

office buildings our company owns

Arizona has the coolest looking plants. This one was at my hotel.

More AZ

This was my first time ever going to a place like this so I couldn't get over all the "just dirt" 

Madi Faith while we were waiting to get her skull X Ray after her concussion 

of course this was hours after her fall and boy oh boy at the freak out that was about to happen while they did the x rays! 

She wore herself out from all of the screaming at the hospital 

I'm SO excited about this... a sneak peek at things to come :) 

why mom wakes up at the foot of the bed! 

SOOOOO EXCITED about this. This is our master bathroom. It was one long mirror and my brother added what will be adjustable shelf and framed the mirror

bead board in our master bath with our new tile!! 

the kids' super fun bathroom. We had the mirror framed

This is looking in from our living room. It use to have really ugly cabinets above the sink but one day I decided to rip them out so we framed this up. We will have the painters paint this white.

view from kitchen

ok, so we have "builder grade" cabinets which coming form a family of carpenters, it's a little hard to get use to.Anyway, we added trim to the tops and it transformed these into boring and ugly to not to bad!

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." - Winston Churchill

We've had some pretty exciting stuff happening around the house this week. On top of our fence project, we've had some updates inside the house too!

I'll post pictures soon!! Oh and some picture of Madi and her first pair of Nike's! Her and her daddy wen't shoe shopping :) It was the sweetest little experience for them and I'll post more about that too!

Until then, Have a GREAT weekend!!

Krista

Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. - Eleanor Roosevelt

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Confucius

How is it we are already in the middle of yet another week? The days come and go and before you can even look up it's a new week.

"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "Happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon

Madi,

you got your first concussion today which landed us in the pediatrician's office, and then the hospital for skull x rays. You almost had your first trip in an ambulance but luckily you came around at home. You my child decided to climb onto the couch and then stand up. The problem was you fell and hit the floor and decided to turn blue for a few minutes. When I couldn't get you to come around, your daddy grabbed your up and tried too. Talk about scary! And after I rushed you to the Pediatrician like a mad woman, the doctor said you really did give yourself a pretty good concussion and we needed x rays. Boy did your freak out! Seriously, how could someone so small go that crazy? 3 hours later, we survived and were back home.

What a day!

XOXOXO,

Mommy

Nobody notices what I do... until I don't do it.

But now they do :)

I'm home!! But it was really a difficult day getting here. I was suppose to arrive back around 6:15pm last night but didn't get here until almost 9pm due to weather delays in Houston.

Arizona

I'm here so I made it safely. I'm already missing my Littles and the hubby so much. One more night and day and I'll be seeing them again!

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." - Elizabeth Kubler Ros

Before I tell you so really awesome updates on my totally awesome kids, I'll share our weekend.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!! We are BOOKED for KEY WEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!

Happy 20 months!

I cannot believe they are 20 months old today. I really can't believe that we are 4 months away from having 2 year olds. TWO YEARS.... that is crazy!

Here are some pictures I took this past month. Most are very recent.