Booked!

Yes!! Our 2011 Disney vacay is officially booked . . . . . 2/11 - 2/18 we will be eating with Mickey Mouse and Cinderella and we are so very excited! I absolutely can NOT wait to see Isabel's face and hear her shrills as she sees the incredible and oh so magical sights at Disney World. Now, all we have to do is wait, wait, wait! Isn't that the fun part . . . . ha!

Precious Minds

So last night, I'm sitting in the living room and Isabel walks up to me and says, "mommy!!" while pointing to her panties. She had teeteed in her panties, uh oh! I said, "Isabel, we aren't supposed to teetee in our panties, we are supposed to use the toilet." To which she so sweetly replies, "weeeeellllllll, God wants me to teetee in my panties." Okay, seriously, how was I to keep a straight face?? It was hysterical . . . . . . oh, if I had taken a picture to capture the look on her face as she tried to convince me that God really did want her to teetee in her panties. It was simply adorable. Even more precious than her words, to me, was her heart. She really thought that it would be okay that she had teeteed in her panties if she could get me to believe that it was what God wanted her to do. Yes, I understand that she was "telling a story" and I did explain that to her but the fact that her 2 year old little mind can comprehend that there are things that God does and does not want us to do was, well, is incredible to me.

Never underestimate the mind of a child!! They understand much, much more than we give them credit for and there is no better time than the present to teach them about God and what His plan is for our lives. Isabel knows, at 2 years old, that God has a plan for each of us and that we are to do what He instructs us to do . . . . . . even as simple as teeteeing in our panties or on the toilet!

Oh, those precious little minds. May we be reminded that they are absorbing everything that we say and do.

Have a great Tuesday!

Post of Pics . . . . .

This post will be mostly pics from our weekend. We had a great time and we enjoyed celebrating Reid's 1st birthday with him . . . . . fun party! We used to call him Baby Reid but we can't do that anymore. Anyhoo, the pics are mostly for my friend Cissy, Reid's mom, so enjoy.

Aside from the party, we dinner at Chef Scott's Noodle House on Friday night topped off with some frozen custard and sno-balls from Quakes. On Saturday, before the party, we got started on the "Great Sullivan Home Organization Project" of 2010 . . . . . long overdue and I'm so happy to be on our way to a neatly organized home! Oh, the things that make me happy . . . . . I'm OCD like that. And then we had some great services at church on Sunday. Scott preached at a local church for both services and he enjoyed that as well.

Enjoy the pics . . . . . some are of Isabel ready to help her daddy on Saturday morning, some of the party and then some of Isabel and Claire saying the blessing this morning.

Have a great Monday!

Many Thanks!

While I've already posted this morning, I was struck as I sat here at the computer and heard the sweet voice of my precious 2, almost 3 year old daughter talking to her babies in the living room. I am soooo very thankful for her life, for her health, for her happiness but most of all for my Lord and Savior who allows me to spend these moments with her. I acknowledge the fact that there are so many parents who would give anything to celebrate a 3rd birthday, cheer on as their child "teetees" on the potty, clean yet another mess, comb rats out of hair, comfort a cranky toddler . . . . well, you get what I'm saying. And for all of these seemingly mundane tasks, I say thank you God! Thank you for the breath that you allow me to breathe and for the little eyes that are watching everything that I do . . . . may those eyes see a glimpse of you in ALL that I do and may I be blessed enough to watch as she grows and discovers who you are and the plan that You have for her. Motherhood is such a gift and I am sooooo incredibly thankful for the little hands that are patting me on the leg as I type and the little voice that is begging me to help her poopoo on the potty.

Thank you God Almighty for your incredible gift!

The Happenings . . . .

Its been a great week this week but I am also glad that today is Friday, even though it is Friday 13th. Why am I paranoid about that? Could it be because my brother and I always watched those horrible horror movies when we were growing up?? We would sneak into the living room (because we didn't have televisions in our rooms) late at night on Friday the 13th with snacks and we would stay up late watching the silly movies. Okay, so it was a little fun, but I now I really don't like Friday, the 13th!! And today has been incredibly yucky with lots of rain, thunder and lightening . . . . ugh! Oh well, its games inside today with 2 precious little girls.

So far we've had a good week . . . . . kinda slow but good. Our good friends Cissy and baby Reid came over for a play date on Tuesday and the girls had a great time. While here, we discovered that the Disney site had published the new 2011 rates so we were able to get some quotes on our upcoming trip. We are planning a big vacay to Disney in the Spring with the Ormon family and all of my family . . . . . should be lots of fun. If we can get the right price that is. We'll see! I'm already soooo excited. And then on Thursday we spent the morning at Monkey Joe's with some other great friends and it was a lot of fun. After jumping, we headed next door to Chef Scott's Noodle House. That was our first time there and it was really yummy. I think we may head there for dinner tonight . . . . . yummo!! All in all, its been a great week.

My highlight for this week was when I was getting breakfast ready for the girls and I turned around to see Isabel holding Claire's hands and trying to teach her how to say the blessing. It went something like this, "Thank you God, for, for, for, Claire, thank you for blessing, amen". Isn't that just wonderful??!! I love it! I can't even begin to imagine what God has planned for these 2 precious children and I can't wait to see. Soooo exciting!

Well, currently, while I type this post Claire is screaming her head off because its almost time for her morning nap. So, I need to run put the sheet back on the crib mattress and let this little blessing get some rest.

Happy Friday the 13th to everyone!

Summer!!

It has been a fabulous summer so far but where did the time go??!! It doesn't last long enough but we did at least make some great memories.

Isabel and I traveled to the lake in June with Toto and Claire to meet mom and Aunt Linda for a few days of "chill time" and it was great. My cousin Staci met us there with her 3 boys and we had a blast tubing, swimming, boating, etc. I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to visit and relax.

In July, we went to the beach in Perdido Key for a week with all of my family and oh man, it was wonderful. The weather was gorgeous, the water was breath-taking and we all really enjoyed the time together. While there, we went "goofy golfing", had ice cream and snow balls, shopped, had dinner and even went on our first sail boat ride . . . . fun stuff and pics are below. Not only did we have a great time but we were able to get some great pics, possibly even our Christmas card pic for this year, in the adorable outfits that mom made for the girls. And oh, how blessed are we that my mom is so very talented and giving of her time to make so many incredible outfits for our girls! Thanks mom!!!!!

Besides the trips that we have taken, we have also spent our days jumping with friends at Kangarooz, bowling and shopping at Target and swimming.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to stay at home with Isabel and spend so much quality time with her. She is such an amazing little girl and I don't take one minute with her for granted.

Oh, and starting today, we are keeping "Claire Bear" each day for my brother and his wife. Let me just say, life is very busy but oh so fun. Watching Claire and Isabel interact is very entertaining. They adore one another and I just pray that they stay as close and lovey as they are right now.

Enjoy the pics and we'll be back soon . . . . . . .

Hello again!

Well, its been a while since my last post but we are very much alive and well here in the Sullivan home!!

Since my last post I have done something that I've dreamed about since I was a little girl . . . . I resigned from my part-time job outside of the home so that I can be at home with my precious Isabel full-time. Yes, we did it!! We made that big jump and we are soooo very happy with our decision and I absolutely LOVE being with Isabel every minute of every day. Okay, maybe not EVERY minute, but you get what I'm saying.

So, as of today, this is my 3rd week at home with Isabel and let me just say . . . . life is still hectic! We are having a lot of fun but its definitely not a "life of leisure" as some may think. Granted, we are absolutely blessed to have the opportunity for me to be at home and I wouldn't trade it for the world but it really does seem like I am busier now than I was before. Part of that is because we were so excited about me being at home that we packed that first week full of activities with friends and family. My second week at home was spent teaching Isabel's VBS class at our church. That was a lot of fun, a huge blessing and very exhausting. And this week, well, its been a little more low-key but I've been trying the get the house clean and the laundry caught up from being busy my first 2 weeks off! Wow!

Again, we are so very fortunate and thankful for the life that God has given us, both in the "life" that we live and the precious that we have the responsibility of caring for . . . . Isabel!

And about Isabel, I must share her news for this week. As part of staying home and making sure that God receives the glory for the time that I am allowed to spend with Isabel each day, part of our daily routine is to spend a few moments in Bible study and prayer together each day. And for those of you who are wondering, it is an age appropriate study, sometimes just being a book that we read about God. On Monday, we were reading her book "Tell Me About God" and as I finished I heard her mumbling. I asked, "Isabel, what are you saying?". To which she replied, "mommy, God has a plan for me". Okay, wow! To hear those words from my precious 2 year old daughter's mouth was such a gift from God. Granted, I'm sure she doesn't fully grasp the words that she is saying but isn't it exciting to know that she is learning?? And from this, Scott and I are taking the advice that our pastor offered in one of his sermons and we have begun asking her, "Isabel, what do you think God wants you to be when you grow up?". Do you see the difference in that question and the "usual" question that adults ask children which is, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"? You see, by starting out early and asking what God wants them to be, we are teaching them that yes, God DOES have a plan for them!! Its just so amazing to watch our children grow, learn and discover, especially when they begin to discover that they are God's children, created by Him and for Him and that they have a purpose!!

Thank you God for my precious baby girl and for my incredible husband who works so very hard for our family so that I can stay at home and teach my Isabel about you!! Thank you for our life . . . . oh how I love you Lord!

More to come and maybe some pics too! Hopefully I will be more faithful to my blog now that I am at home but I'm still in the process of working out our new daily routine!

See you soon!!