Happy Birthday Weekend for Mary Clare!

Whew! This past weekend was a doozy!!! There was so many things going on last week with Tim being in Arizona, a still lingering sinus infection (me), Attic Affair, and Mary Clare's big birthday weekend that I feel like I am just now recovering from the festivities! In fact there were so many things going on last week that I forgot to order Mary Clare's birthday cake....even after Jaclyn reminded me to at lunch two days before the party. I STILL didn't get it done, and was scrambling for a cake plan on Friday afternoon. Luckily my friend Lauren saved the day and sent me her grandmother's recipe for the cupcakes for the kiddos, and I used the Chocolate Sheet Cake from the Pioneer Woman cookbook for the actual birthday cake. They were thebombalicious! In fact - I ate probably two cups of cake batter Friday night, which was very detrimental to my Weight Watchers weight loss journey. I'll let you know what progress - if any - was made this week on my weight loss journey when I weigh Friday!

Saturday morning daddy took the-last-day-to-be-one-year-old to the Browse Shop to get her a pair of official cowgirl boots for her western themed birthday party that afternoon. She was ecstatic and apparently kept screaming with delight in the store. I believe him, because this was the same girl who was screaming with extreme anger at her mama Saturday night when her pink John Deere boots had to come off. I guess she wanted to sleep in them......

Wearing her pink cowgirl party hat watching the Brumley boys ride the horses around the yard.

Easy killer.....getting on the horse for the first time.

It's amazing to me that this child is deathly afraid of dogs, yet she rode the horse like she's been doing it all of her life. See her sister in the background? Kate stayed on the horses the entire duration of the party. And when I say that I mean ALL DAY! She would get off to let other kids ride, but as soon as the kids got off and lost interest Kate got back on. Let me just say Tim REALLY wants to move to Windthorst now!

Our sweet friends that we actually consider family Theresa and Chuck Berend drove up from Fort Worth Saturday morning and spent the night with us. Here is Kate & MC posing with only two of their children Evie and Luke because little brother George wasn't interested in iPhone camera time.

Sunday morning started off in a hurry as Kate and I were rushing to FUMC so Kate could sing with the Cherub Choir at their service that morning. Here is the little choir girl waiting in her robe for her debut. I really think she was too exhausted to smile..............

Kate is the first child on the back row. The choir did very well!!

After a birthday lunch with Grammy, Grampy, Aunt Coco & Aunt Coco's boyfriend Trevor, Tim took Kate and the birthday girl went on a road trip to OKC to pick up one of Tim's employees from the airport. They made it back in time for us to enjoy some play time at Kiwanis Park.

What an amazing weekend! I don't know if it was all the physical work that had to go into making the weekend so special for Mary Clare that wore me out, or if it was just the overwhleming gratitude I felt all weekend that emotionally drained me. Thank you to all of our family and friends that came to celebrate our sweet Mary Clare's birthday. Your unconditional love and friendship overwhlems me and makes my heart swell with love. May God continue to abundantly bless you and your family as much as He does for Tim and I.

Tim & I can't imagine our lives with out our precious Mary Clare. Mary Clare, the baby that I was so scared of losing because of the complications I was having during my pregnancy. The baby that the doctors in WF and Fort Worth scared me into believing was possibly going to have permanent physical or mental challenges for the rest of her life.

But by offering it up to God - by letting go and letting Him - I was at peace knowing that she was going to be the child God created her to be.

She is the precious little girl with blonde hair and big blue eyes that absolutely adores her big sister.

The beautiful daughter of mine that is terrified of dogs, crazy about her Grammy, loves horses, loves to read, loves to eat, loves to smile, loves to laugh,

and loves singing Amazing Grace............

Happy Birthday my precious pretty. I pray every day that I will be the mother God wants me to be to you and your sister. I pray that as you grow that you have an undivided heart, and that you will walk in the truth of the Lord. I pray for your faith, your character, your decisions, your friends, your future husband. I thank God multiple times daily for you and sissy.

I love you with all my heart,

mommy

xoxo

Soccer Sensations

I didn't see myself ever being a soccer mom. I played one year of soccer in elementary school, and I was absolutely horrible at it. DREADFULLY HORRIBLE. So I figured my children would be ballerinas, tennis players, possibly basketball players - but not soccer players. That may have changed when we moved to Tanglewood a few years ago. Kate's BF Kateri lives right next door to us, and her dad happens to be a high school girls soccer coach. A really good soccer coach at that. So - like any other day, Kate asked if Kateri could come over and play like she does everyday when I pick her up from school. I thought that she wanted her to come over and play with their babies, but Kate had something else in mind. As soon as we pulled into the driveway she picked up her soccer ball from the garage and darted across the yard to Kateri's house. She wasn't home, but her daddy was and his eyes lit up when he saw Kate with the soccer ball in her hand. He came outside and played with Kate (or "practiced" as Kate called it) while we waited for Kateri and her mom. I was speechless. My daughter has skills. I don't have skills - but my daughter does. Everything he told her to do she did, and he kept commenting on what a great job she was doing. Now, she did try to kick the ball once with all her might and missed. It was pretty cute and pretty funny because it reminded me of myseldf when I was a kid. What would you call that? An "air leg" since she completely missed the ball?

Mary Clare enjoyed watching from the sidelines......


....until she decided that she wanted to play! My baby has skills too! Kateri got home and they played soccer until it got dark.


For some reason, Kate is really into soccer right now and I don't know if it is because she is crazy about her cousin Patrick and she wants to play like him or what. All I know is that I see some early Saturday mornings at the soccer field in my near future.

Art Night part one

• My friend Jamie and I headed over to How Great Thou Art art studio for a Ladies Night art class. It is so fun. I didn't get to go in January, the February class was canceled (BUT the make up class is tonight!!!) so I was REALLY looking forward to last nights class. The theme was a cross, and even though she gave us instructions on how to do it step by step, no one's cross looked the same. Everyone used different colors, different sizes and styles. My favorite part of the night is at the end of class when you walk around and look at everyone's masterpieces. Here are ours. The top cross is mine and the bottom one is Jamie's.

Looking forward to art night part two with Jaclyn and Lauren tonight!

Phillipians 1:3

I thank my God every time I remember you.

I woke up with a heavy heart this morning....

Three years ago today God called my father to His eternal home. I still struggle with that sometimes.....I replay everything that happened that morning March 18, 2007 in my head. Maybe I do that because I want to hang on to every last moment I spent with him that morning, every big grin he gave, every last word he said, every breath he took......

......maybe I do it because I am trying to remember if there was anything obvious that I missed that showed me that he wasn't feeling well. Maybe if I would have noticed it I could have taken him to the hospital and he could still possibly be here today.....just little things that make me go hhmmmmm.....

At the time it happened, I questioned God's goodness and then I got mad at myself for doing so. I will not deny that the question, "Why?" wasn't asked in my personal conversations with Him. BUT - I know God is good all the time. He just happens to test our faith so that we may trust His faithfulness. God doesn't promise that we will never experience bad things or heart-wrenching circumstances in our lifetime, but he does promise in Psalm 46:1 "to be our refuge and our strength" and in Psalm 23:4 that He will will be there with us every step of the way.

He must have known that I needed to hear a really good song this morning to start my day. I usually listen to KLOVE, but the co-hosts in the morning have a tendency to get a little chatty, so I just happened to turn it to the local Christian channel KMOC exactly when All of Creation by Mercy Me was starting. I have never had a chance to listen to the whole song - I always catch it at the very end. But I got to hear all of it today and I am so glad because every single word in that song is so true.

and all of creation sing with me now

lift up your voice and lay your burden down

and all of creation sing with me now

fill up the heavens let his glory resound

Thank you God for constantly having your loving hands around me to catch me when I fall, to guide me and to comfort me. Thank you for giving me 30 & 1/2 amazing years with my daddy.

Thank you daddy for everything you gave me while you were with us. As Marc has said, thank you for teaching us how to be generous, how to work hard, how to play hard, how to love hard and most importantly to stay strong in our faith. I will forever be grateful for all you and our Heavenly Father has given and continues to give to our family.

the reason we breathe is to sing of His glory

and for all He has done

praise the father praise the son and the spirit in one

Please pray for strength in faith and acceptance of God's will for Poirot family today. My sweet friend Rhonda and her husband Richard are burying their son Chris this afternoon who passed away Sunday in a tragic motorcycle accident in Fort Worth. Offer it up.

xoxo

SF

PS - A very happy birthday to Tim's Brother-from-another-mother Chuckles. We love you.

Like mother like daughter

I have crazy wild hair in the morning. I am sure a lot of you who are reading this do. Or you may not. In college I would always get teased from my roommates regarding my hair EVERY morning. I heard every comment from:

"Bindel - Comb that weave!", "BINDEL - Quit shocking yourself in the electrical outlet!!!"

"Bindel - I really don't think I have seen any nappier hair than yours."

It goes on and on.It was all fun because 1. I knew my hair was bad and 2. They loved me and were only kidding....or I at least thought they were only kidding. :)

So, now that Kate's hair finally started coming within the last year, her hair is getting worse and worse every time she wakes up in the morning. The pictures below don't do it justice!
Now matter how much detangler I use after her shower, no matter how many times I comb it before she goes to bed, she wakes up looking like her hair got in a wrestling match with a comb and the comb won. Just like her mama! :)

10 hours

When I woke up yesterday morning I mentally made big plans for my Friday night. I was a little tired from my whirlwind weekend last weekend, and Tim being gone all week so I was ready for some relaxation. I was going to meet my mom at Target to do some Spring clothes shopping for the girls. After that I was going to the drive thru at Kocks to bring home a bottle of La Crema Chardonnay, and sip on my chardonnay in my pajamas after I put Kate to bed at 8:30. That was going to be a close to perfect ending to a busy week. Well - it didn't happen that way and to make a long story short, I was the one in bed by 8:30 last night - not Kate! 8:30 on a Friday night? I am either getting old, or just incredibly boring. I fell asleep before 9 last night, and didn't wake up until almost 7 am. 10 hours of sleep!?!?!?!?!?!? I can't remember the last time I got a solid 10 hours of sleep that wasn't induced by excessive consumption of alcohol from the night before. I can't remember the last time I got 10 hours of sleep regardless of how much I drank the night before. So - I am ready for what ever this weekend holds! The girls and I are about to head off to the gym so I can torture myself through Cindy & Jennifer's classes, and then Kate is off to a play date with one of her BFF"s Presley. Before Tim headed off to work this morning he asked me what I wanted to do this evening and he made the comment that we could do whatever I wanted. My mind immediately started racing on dinner, movies, having friends over and cooking out.......and then I thought - those 10 hours of sleep felt pretty good last night. Yeah - I may want to do THAT again. It may be a 7:30 bedtime tonight! :) Don't forget to set your clocks forward tonight! Have a great weekend!

On your mark........

What a beautiful day! Thank you Lord for this beautiful weather! I was tired of looking at my gray, dirty, shaggin-waggin Suburban, but I was hesitant to wash it because all of the gloomy wet weather we have been having lately. I celebrated the sunshine this afternoon and took my car to All-American Car Wash during my lunch hour. It is so pretty and shiny! All of the dings and scratches have been forced out of hiding, and are more visible than ever! That doesn't bother me though - mainly because it is paid for!

As I was checking out at All American today, I noticed a flyer on the counter for the 1st Annual Running of the Mustangs 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run at MSU. As some of you may or may not know, I was a runner at one time in my life. Obviously you can't tell now, but I am slowly but surely getting myself back in shape to attempt running in races again. This may be what I need to jump start my goal of running a half marathon this year! It benefits the MSU Women's Cross Country Team and will be held on Saturday, April 3rd. I think it's $20 if you register before April 1st. Check out the info:

http://www.active.com/running/wichita-falls-tx/the-running-of-the-mustangs-5k-2010

If you can't make it to the MSU 5K, there is also the CASA 5K and 1 mile Fun Run on April 17th at Lake Wichita.

http://www.active.com/running/wichita-falls-tx/casa-5k-run-walk-2010

So, let's lace up our shoes (if you need some new running shoes I highly recommend calling up my friend Lauren @ Jerry's Sporting Goods), and get out there and run or have a fun walk. It will benefit MSU, CASA and most importantly our health! On your mark....Get Set.....GO!

I'm a coming home

On my way home to my precious pretties. I don't think Kate is ready for me to come because she has LOVED living with her Grammy these past four days, but I know Mary Clare is ready to see her Mama and Daddy. Tim and I called yesterday morning and MC started crying when she heard our voices on the phone. Ann-aka Grammy-(Tim's mom) said that MC saw a picture of Tim and I later that evening and started whining for us. So sweet. I can't wait to see them and love on them. We may even have a slumber party in our bed tonight so I can snuggle with them all night. Tim and I have had a amazing mini-vacation, but it was hard being away from the girls. Mary Clare hasn't been away from both us at the same time before, so I guess this has been harder for her than I thought it would. Tim has to stay here in DC for a conference so we'll have plenty of mommy time before he gets home. I'll also post more pics when he gets home as well.

I heard a disturbing story this morning on the DC news, and it reminded me of home. There was a jogger running in the mall early yesterday morning, and was hit & killed by a semi truck. The trucker didn't stop, so it is a tragic hit and run accident. It's pretty disgusting that the trucker is on the run, but what is the most sad is that the jogger wasn't carrying any id on her so the police and the hospital don't know who she is. All the police have been able to so is show pics of her keys and the bracelets she was wearing in hopes someone would recognize them and come forward to identify her. It made me think of Mrs. Terri Otto, who was also hit and killed by a truck a few months ago while she was out on her early morning run. Completely different scenario though because the man who hit Terri actually stopped to render aid. Terri's family and church family and friends started to immediately pray for her and congregated at URHCS to comfort and support the family and each other. This jogger didn't have that. Her family doesn't even know she has passed away. So, as brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray for this woman, and pray for her family when she is finally identified and her family is contacted. Also, please pray for the trucker, that he/she listens to their conscience and comes forward.

Back on Monday also means back on track for exercising and eating healthier. I've been doing well (despite some weekend setbacks) since January and I am actually down 12.2 pounds!! I also did well the first part of last week however, it was hard to keep that momentum going when you have all of this amazing food to choose from in NYC & DC! On my way to the DC airport SO - back to life - back to reality!

The Big Apple - Day 1

Tim and I made it to NYC safe & sound. After we checked into our hotel (Tim booked not only the same hotel where we stayed for our honeymoon, but he also booked the same room!), we headed out! We were famished from not eating breakfast or lunch, so we had lunner (kind of like brunch, but with lunch and dinner) at our most favorite Italian ristorante ever - Angelo on Mulberry Street. I have visited NYC three times within the past 5 years, and have eaten here every time! It's AMAZING! Best Italian Food EVER!
We did some sightseeing in Little Italy and found this most beautiful cathedral. It's the Old St. Patrick's Cathedral and the pic below is the view from the pew of the altar.

It's even more breathtaking in person........

We then booked it 1 1/2 miles to West Village to delight ourselves with an infamous cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery on Bleeker Street. YUMMY! They also have another location on 6th Street for all of the tourists in Times Square to enjoy.

We took the subway to Times Square and took a lot of pics just like every other tourist in NYC.

And then made it back to our hotel room to watch the The Office. Here is our view from the hotel room.

All in all, it was a good first seven hours in the Big Apple. Tomorrow we are going to go on The Sopranos tour, eat at Sardy's, and go see a Broadway show to end our day. It's going to be busy so I need to get my rest! Good night!

Ducky Doors

If you have seen this gray, dirty, shaggin' wagon suburban driving around town with some the duck magnets from the Leap Frog Fridge Farm set on it then it was me. I have no idea how long they have been on there because I hardly go the passenger side now that Kate knows how to buckle herself in. I guess Mary Clare decided that mommy's car needed something extra..... I just never know what my girls are going to do....they never cease to amaze me and make me laugh!!

Tim took Kate and Mary Clare with him to a boot store Decatur yesterday evening. Tim has REALLY big feet (almost Shaq's size) and they usually have his size. The store didn't have his size, but they did have Kate's and she got the cutest pair of pink & white boots! She is so proud of them that she wore them to bed! Now I just need to find some for Mary Clare. I'll post a pic of the proud cowgirl tonight.