2 1/2

Abby turned two-and-a-half yesterday. While it's not nearly the milestone as 18 months, I still thought it was an important day nonetheless. She has survived six more months of being a Tenner. Whoo! :) We marked the occasion by literally marking her height on her height chart in her room. I started this at two and will mark her height every six months until she yells at me to get out of her room or thinks I'm officially the uncoolest person on the face of the planet...whichever comes first. :)


So, to celebrate you turning 2 1/2, Roo, I'll list my top 20 reasons why I love you.

1. You have the most infectious laugh. You laugh a lot. Especially at inappropriate times, like when Mommy accidenally bumps her elbow. You laugh hysterically. We need to work on that!

2. Speaking of needing to work on...I love you because you're just so inquisitive. Yesterday at breakfast, you asked to see my boobs. I quickly explained a lesson on modesty, informing you that we don't need to show our boobs to anyone, to which you lifted up your pajama shirt all the way, grinned from ear to ear and yelled loudly, "LOOK! I GOT BOOBS!!!!!!" Oy.

3. As I mentioned, you are inquisitive. The only time you get in trouble at school is during lunch. You can't seem to sit still some days. Apparently you get up and sometimes even crawl under the table. Oh Abby. Your teachers say that you're just naturally curious and you like to know what's going on with everyone else. Well, you come by that naturally, Roo. Your mama was born Curious Cathy, and you and I are two peas in a pod. So, to all of Abby's future teachers out there, let me apologize ahead of time: she WILL get in trouble for talking too much and asking "What?" a lot! Sorry! :)

4. You love, love, love animals! Cats and dogs are your favorite, and you get so excited when we see Bob The Cat (the neighbor's cat) outside. You get this high-pitched voice and say, "Oh, Bob is soooooo sweeeeeeeet!" I love that you love animals for two reasons: 1. I'm glad that you didn't get my fear of dogs: I was so scared of dogs when I was little, thanks to my big brother leaving me alone in my grandmother's backyard with a huge, stray dog (thanks, Chris) and 2. because maybe you'll become a veterinarian one day and support your old parents. A house on the beach sounds lovely, Doctor Abby. :)

5. You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Obsessively. You could watch it 24/7 I think. And you think Goofy is the funniest thing ever! You try to sing along with the theme song, and during the "hot dog dance," you yell, "Dancing Time" really loudly and we have to dance with you!

6. You love orange juice and bread. I think you could eat that 24/7....while watching Mickey.

7. You like to pretend you're the Big Bad Wolf and you say to people, "I'm gonna puff and puff and blow {fill-in-the-blank} down!" You especially like to call your grandparents and say, "I'm gonna puff and puff and blow Nana and Papa/BeBe and Pops down!" And your crazy grandparens sure play the part well. They actually pretend to get blown away. Oh, the things our parents do when they become grandparents. They turn into people we don't even recognize!!!

8. You LOVE music. Rock, hip-hop, you love it all! And the louder the better. You make us turn up music as loudly as possible. Sometimes when your daddy and I are in the car, we'll turn it down to talk, but you yell at us, "Turn it up, please!" and so your majesty's wish is granted. Oh, and you and I have THE best time singing into our microphones (our fists) when we're in the car. Your daddy told me not to teach you how to lip synch because you look like a dork. But you know what?! I ignored him. :)

9. You have the best memory. Sometimes in the middle of an activity, you'll blurt out some random event from months ago. A couple of weeks ago, you suddenly said, "I go poo-poo at McDonald's with Truitt. Meredith sat in your lap." I was a bit confused until it hit me: back in July, we had gone to the zoo with your friends Meredith and Truitt, and you had, in fact pooped while at McDonald's afterwards. Where do these random memories come from??

10. You LOVE your cousin Clark. Oh my gosh, do you adore him! In fact, all of your baby dolls have been named "Baby Clarky." Doesn't matter if it's wearing pink, purple, or blue, its name is "Baby Clarky."

11. You are beginning to get more interested in the potty. Thank goodness! You used the potty at school on Tuesday and have used it a few times since then at home. Woo-hoo, Roo! You love to tell everyone that you pee-peed in the potty too. (It's the little things, isn't it moms?)

12. You love to sing. At school you are learning "Jingle Bells" for your Christmas Program (which I cannot wait for, by the way!) and you sing it VERY LOUDLY. Some of your other favorites are "Jesus Loves Me," "Twinkle, Twinkle," "Out of the Sea" from The Little Mermaid, "Kiss The Girl" from The Little Mermaid, and the Alphabet Song.

13. You are learning more about Santa Claus and Christmas, and I love that you are understanding it more. In fact, we were listening to a radio station yesterday that was playing all Christmas music, and a song was on about Santa Claus. While we were driving, you stated from your car seat, "Santa Claus is my friend." So cute!

14. You love babies so much. And you love petting them on the head. A lot. In fact, you love petting not just babies but kids on the head. The other day at the playground, you petted a little boy who was older than you on the head. He didn't like it so much. Can't say I blame him either.

15. You do the robot like nobody's business!

16. You insist on helping me push the cart at Kroger or Target. Once we're checked out, you know the routine: I unbuckle you, you stand where you can push the cart, and you go, go, go! You LOVE pushing the cart through the parking lot. And while you insist on doing it all by yourself, I have saved many a stranger's side door and bumper from being demolished.

17. You love your tricycle and insist on going down "the big hill" every time you ride it. Roo, you are fearless. You will be a lover of roller coasters like your mama.

18.You love, love, love your dogs, Millie and Winnie. You love to pet them, feed them (too many) table scraps, let them out in the mornings, and you certainly love to tell them what to do. If they bark too much, you announce, "Hush, girls!!!" and when you see Millie biting Winnie's ears, you proclaim, "Millie, stop biting Winnie's ears!! Big trouble!!!" And you discovered that when you rub Winnie's belly, she puts her front paws together. When you saw her do this for the first time, you got so excited and said, "Mommy, look! Winnie praying. God is good, God is good!!!!" SO cute!

19. You absolutely hands down love school! You cheer when we pull into the parking lot. (The other day you actually started clapping!) and your teachers absolutely adore you.

20. You love to do certain things with your daddy: you love to "drive" with Daddy. Just last night, as we pulled into the driveway after a Target run, you said, "I drive Daddy's car, Daddy?" And away the two of you went around the block, you sitting in his lap. You love that time with your daddy! You also love for your daddy to swing you really high! Sometimes you even "fly" up the stairs with him. Oh, and how you LOVE to hide in the closet behind his clothes and scare him. Too fun!

And one more... You love me. And there's nothing more I could ask for in this world.

Oh, and Roo, you are quite the artiste! I LOVE how you've been coloring lately. Can you tell she enjoys coloring certain things??
She usually colors the shoes first...

I don't think she could have colored the lost slipper any harder, do you??

Too fun!

Grandma Update and Arboretum Pics

I realized I needed to post a "Grandma Update" as so many of you have been wonderful to ask how she is doing. She completed her radition a couple of weeks ago, and she has been relatively pain-free because of that! Yay for radiation! However, her lack of appetite has been a major concern. Last Monday (8 days ago), she was rushed to the hospital from the nursing home for dangerously low nutritional levels. She received a blood transfusion as well as fluids, and she was on the mend. But what was supposed to be a 2-day hospital stay has turned into 8 days.

First came back pain and stomach pain, which was remedied by medicine and a pain-patch. Then came pure exhaustion. And then yesterday she developed a blood clot in her leg as well as a bacterial infection. Poor Grandma just can't seem to catch a break. Luckily she is on medication to help with all of this, which is wonderful. So, that's how she's doing physically.

Emotionally-speaking, she has good days, and then she has bad days. I can't imagine the range of emotions that she's going through, but all I know is that she is allowed to feel however she wants to feel, and my prayer is for comfort and strength to get through all of this. Easier said than done, I know, but Grandma is strong, and I hope she has more positive days in the near future. She should be released from the hospital on Thursday. When I know more, I will post. We are going to visit her this weekend, and I cannot wait to give her a big hug!!!

Now...let's get to some pictures, shall we? We went to the Arboretum with our friends Mica and Ava last week, and here are some pics from our visit:

Sweet girl

Abby and Ava

By the Gingerbread House

SweetCheesin' it up for me!

This past weekend, we also celebrated our sister-in-law's 30th birthday (Happy Birthday, Emily!), and I hope to post pics soon! :)

Trick-or-Treat!

Saturday was a super busy day for us, but what fun we had! We spent the day with our friends, Mica, Jonathan, and Ava, and our day began with a trip to Celina's Big Pumpkin Patch. Aside from the mud, it was a fun experience with animals to feed, a hayride, a "choo-choo" train to ride and photo opps galore!

Here's our Pumpkin Patch Family Photo
Our little pumpkin
Abby's reaction upon seeing the longhorn. Love this!

Abby's telling us how BIIIIIIG he is.

Jonathan told Abby to give him a "Hook 'em" so she did.

Hi goats!

Abby and her daddy feeding the little guys.

Abby insisted on riding the "choo-choo" train (a.k.a. barrels hitched to a John Deere tractor driven by a Celina High School student) :)

On the hayride.

A good time was had by all!

Saturday night we went trick-or-treating with our friends again, and I think Abby was mesmerized by the idea of Halloween: putting on a costume, walking around the neighborhood after dark with other boys and girls, asking people for candy, etc. She trick-or-treated last year, but she didn't really get it. This year she got it, but I still think she was overwhelmed by the whole thing!

Our little Cinderella:

and Ava the kitty-cat. Too cute not to share!

Trick-or-treating

She enjoyed checking out the skeleton. Luckily she's not scared of too many things!

Here are the girls after trick-or-treating, back to get candy from Jonathan.

What a wonderful Halloween day we had. I hope you enjoyed your weekend as well. Can you believe it's already November?! Where has this year gone?!

Gig 'Em!

Matt and I ventured to West Texas this past weekend to watch A&M get stomped by Tech. Or so we thought. I admit it, I had little faith in my Aggies, but boy did they prove me (and most college football fans) wrong!

Here's some of the sights on our five hour trek to Slaton/Lubbock: plateaus.
Matt getting his Guns Up.
Photographer me.
We finally made it to Slaton, and I got to see my BFF Kathy! (Who just turned 30 by the way!)

Here's Matt and his "Red Raider buddy" Kathy. While she graduated from A&M, she did go to the "dark side" and graduate from medical school at Tech. Luckily, she bleeds maroon. Kathy wore her red and black just to annoy Cary. And it worked. :)

Cary, Kathy, me and Matt tailgating before the game.

And what a game it was. I couldn't believe it. Neither could anyone else in the stadium. We were SHOCKED. I have never seen A&M win in Lubbock, and that was my fourth or fifth time to go to the Tech/A&M game out there. Way to go, Aggies! If I hadn't seen the victory with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it! Here's the proof:

Happy campers.

Three happy people and one unhappy one with a fake smile.

Matt lost a bet with Cary and had to don an Aggie shirt. I think Matt would have rather eaten manure.

What a good sport Matt is!

The weekend went by way too fast, like it always does! We had a blast, Kathy and Cary, and can't wait to do it again SOON!!! :) Whoop! :)

Fall Festival

Our church's Fall Festival was this past weekend, and we took Abby. She really enjoyed it!

Here she is after the festival:
And here's how she got to that point:

Doing a little bouncing. Boy, Cinderella sure can bounce! Too bad she had to remove her "glass slippers" first. :)
Then it was time for a little slidin'!
We ran into Mrs. Cinda, one of Abby's teachers, and Abby couldn't have been more excited! We love Mrs. Cinda!! :)
Then it was face panting time.

A heart perhaps? Smiley face? Flower? Nope! Nothing says "Cinderella" like a kitty cat, right?!

Abby really wanted to see what she looked like, so I gave her my lipstick holder. She put her face SO close to the mirror. It was hysterical!

In addition to the above pics, other highlights were riding on the hayride and getting a balloon animal that was a black “weiner dog.” She was thrilled that it resembled Millie and Winnie, and she held it the whole time there and on the way home. Too fun!

And here's our little "kitty cat" at home!

She Likes Trikes

This morning, at our church, Abby's school held its annual fundraiser, a Bike-A-Thon. Oh, what fun it was to see all the little kiddos ride their trikes and bikes! While the older kids rode laps around the parking lot, because Abby’s class is so young, they were cordoned off just to ride as much as they wanted in a smaller, CONTAINED area. There were no laps done with the Orange Room! No-sir-ree! Instead, they just pedaled their little hearts out, bumping into one another and having a grand ol’ time. :) Here are some pics from this morning.

Later, dudes!
Abby with her awesome teacher!

LOVE this pic. SO Abby! Notice where Abby is, and then notice where Abby's SUPPOSED to be!
Abby and Noble

Some more of her classmates about to go down the "ramp." Once Abby noticed the incline/decline, she pedaled there the rest of the time!

Cruisin' gal. Abby didn't have a helmet, but considering what I witnessed, I think our little fearless girl will need one soon! :)

At home with her trike. And she can actually pedal half of the time! :)

And in other news: the sun is FINALLY out! Hallelujah! :)

Trip to the LV

Abby and I traveled to Longview Thursday afternoon and were able to stay until yesterday. What a wonderful few days it was! I got to take in a Longview football game with my family while Abby got to spend some time with her Nana and Papa (and eat and play at Chick-fil-a nonetheless, so she was a happy camper!), go shopping with my mom, get to spend time with my absolutely wonderful in-laws, and hang out with my brother!

And not only was Abby able to spend lots of quality time with her BeBe, Pops, Nana, Papa, and Baboo (Uncle Chris) but she was able to visit with her Momo (Grandma) a lot! Oh, how our visit perked Grandma up too! Luckily when I visited, she seemed in good spirits. Of course, she has rough days, but having Abby around surely helped her spirits! Yay!

Here's Grandma and me
Abby with her Momo
This totally cracked me up. Abby found Grandma's controls for the bed. Good thing she didn't make Grandma's feet touch her head! Yikes!
Oh how they love to play with one another!
Abby just gave Grandma "five".
Abby entertained herself in Grandma's room by playing with the wheelchair. Once she discovered it the first day, there was no turning back. Here she is pushing her Pops around the room!

Back at my parents' house, Abby discovered Grandma's magnifying glass. Too funny.

Here are a couple more of Abby and her Pops from the weekend. How I managed to only get pictures of my dad and none of the other grandparents is beyond me. Sorry everybody!!

Rockin'

It was so great to be able to spend so much time in Longview. I'm thankful to say that we left Grandma in good spirits, and I hope it continues! She is on day 7 of 13 days of radiation treatments, and while she's physically feeling better, she is absolutely exhausted. Please keep her in your prayers over the next few days and weeks please! :)

Lastly, I'll leave you with a cute pic of Abby. Thanks to her BeBe for this super cute shirt and socks. In her Orange Room at school today, all the kiddos were to wear orange, as that is their color of the month. Too cute to not share!

Abby's Cinderella princess costume arrived over the weekend, and it is ADORABLE!!!! I cannot wait to take pics and show them to you. Our church's Fall Festival is Saturday, so hopefully I will get some good ones then. Happy Tuesday everyone! :)

Donuts with Dad and Other Goings On :)

Last Thursday at Abby's school, her Orange Room held its annual "Donuts with Dad." Here are my two favorite people before we headed up to the church.
Can you tell which one doesn't really belong? :)
Then it was time for the dads and kids to circle up and do a little Ring-Around-The-Rosy. Oh how fun this was to watch!
After that, the kids sat down and performed their welcome song. Each verse is devoted to each child, and it went a little something like this, "Abby, Abby, jump up and down...turn all around...and sit back down!" The kids hit the floor and sing while each kid gets up and performs when it's her turn.
Here was Abby's turn
After Circle Time, it was time to head to Chapel Time. It warmed my heart to see Abby sitting with her Daddy up there.
A great morning was had by all!:)

Also last week, we went to the park with our friends Mica and Ava. After feeding the ducks, Abby decided to climb the rock she has always avoided.

Climbing... ...climbing...
...and she made it! :)
My little climber. :)

Pure joy.

And lastly, I have to show off Abby's new PJs. She has a new obsession with Cinderella. So much so that shoes are no longer called “shoes” around here. They’re now “slippers.” Abby will purposely take off one of her “shoes” and say, “Oh no! My glass slipper fell off!” Seriously! Oh, and how she loves to walk around in my heels and pretend they’re her “glass slippers.” Too cute!

Here's her best "Asleep" impression.
And here are just two cute pics from last week too. I call this one "I Really Want That Chip!"

Happy Roo

I hope y'all have had a wonderful weekend. :) I am headed to Longview this weekend to visit with family, and I am so excited to see my grandmother! She has been discharged from the hospital and is now at a rehab facility. Her first radiation treatment was today, and I am anxious to hear how she feels. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Newest Grandma Update

Grandma's biopsy results came back this morning, and they revealed what we already expected: that she has Stage IV lung cancer that has spread to her bones. She has decided to go ahead with radiation, so that is wonderful news, and treatment begins tomorrow afternoon. I will tell you that GM has been discouraged lately; who can blame her? But luckily this morning she seemed to be in better spirits. As my mom told me, I can't think too much about this diagnosis. It really does make my stomach churn and I choose not to go there. Pastor Tom's sermon Sunday could not have come at a better time, nor could it have been about a better topic: fear. As I sat there in that pew, he reminded us that worrying solves nothing; in fact, it can be downright debilitating, and that only about two percent of what we actually worry about comes to happen.

So instead of focusing on the "what if", I'll remember these Bible verses. Gosh, they certainly help.

Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:30
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

And for my personal favorite...

Matthew 6:27
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Ah, I feel better. Honest. God, I know Grandma is in your hands. And at 29 years of age, the reality of all of this is sinking in. I don't like this diagnosis, but I, Cathy, have no control over what happens, and that's why I have faith in You.

Thanks again for all of you prayers and support. Keep 'em coming.

Grandma Update

My grandmother was diagnosed with bone cancer on Monday, and needless to say, this has been a very difficult week for her and my family. Grandma is one of my absolute favorite people in this world. With this soon-to-be-89-year-old, you will find a charismatic, imaginative, opinionated, and laugh-out-loud hilarious woman. If you're in a room with her, and she's talking, you're guaranteed an entertaining story, and more than likely, she'll have you laughing so hard you're crying.

Because I've grown up in the same town as Grandma, she's always been around. Friday nights when Chris and I were younger, you could find us at Grandma and Grandan's house. And it was almost guaranteed that Chris and I would be loaded up with popsicles, Tang, shoesting potatoes, frozen Hy-Top pizza, and eating Cool Whip out of the container. Heck, we might have just renamed Grandma's house "The Sugar Shack!!" I thank Grandma for my love of all things television. At Grandma's house, we were going to watch something good. Talk shows, Mama's Family, Wheel of Fortune, cartoons, game shows, we watched them all! And every Sunday after church, our family headed to Grandma's house to eat lunch and visit. Every Sunday. I loved going over there and watching football, reading the newspaper, and chatting with Grandma. I will always cherish our weekends we spent together.

I think that's what makes a diagnosis like this so difficult. Grandma has ALWAYS been a part of my life. She's ALWAYS been there. I've grown up with her, and she's become the fifth member of our family. Especially once she moved in with my parents almost five years ago.

One thing I know about Grandma though is that she is one tough cookie. She has been living in pain for quite some time, and while we are thankful to finally have a diagnosis, we certainly wish it wasn't the one given to us. But you know what? Things happen for a reason. God has a plan for all of us, and while that's hard to understand in the present, we have to keep faith that things will turn out as they're supposed to. Has this week been difficult? You bet. Have I bawled my eyes out on more than one occasion? Of course. Am I sad that my grandmother's bones have succumbed to this horrible, horrible disease? More than you can imagine. But I am also SO very grateful for prayers that have been sent her way and the outpouring of love and encouragement we have received. I have asked some of you to pray for her continued sense of humor and for her spirit to not be diminished, and I am happy to report that those prayers have been answered.

She is having surgery tomorrow (Friday) at noon to have a rod implanted in her left leg because the cancer in her femur has made her bone so brittle that it will soon break without reenforcement. The doctor will also perform a biopsy at the same time, and we'll have more information after those results come back.

As I mentioned, yesterday she was in much better spirits, and for that, I am so unbelievably grateful. I know that God answered yours and my prayers, and here is proof that her sense of humor has not diminished: As of yesterday morning, she was still contemplating whether to have the rod surgery or not. Here’s Grandma's conversation with the oncologist yesterday in her hospital room:

Grandma: Doc, I have a question for you. If it were YOUR mother in my shoes, would you still recommend to her that she have the surgery to implant the rod?

Doctor: (thinks for a second) If it were my mother, I would tell her the same thing, that she needs the surgery.

Grandma: Well then doc, since you said that, I have another important question I need to ask you: How do you feel about your mother?!

Isn’t that hilarious? Ah, good ol’ GM! Gotta love her!!!! :) I'll wrap this up by asking you to pray for strength for her and my family, wisdom on the part of her doctors, and courage for her as she faces this. Thank you so, so very much for all your support and prayer. Please know that it means the world to us.