My Girl is Sick

When Hannah is sick, she's quiet. Mostly serious. Still.

These are not words that typically describe my butterfly who flits and floats as her primary mode of transportation and whose sentences carry a melody of whatever made up song she's composed in the moment.

As I hear the rapid beats of the thermometer telling me that her fever is back, I desperately wish that whatever bug she's caught had a face so I could punch it.

My fluffy white robe compensates for my bony body as I give her Momma-snuggles. I feel within me that somehow this act would be powerful enough to just heal her.

But it's not, so I pour another round of medicine and down the hatch it goes.

I stroke her hair back from her hot face, waiting for her to settle back in to sleep, feeling powerless to do anything more than wait.

In her dark room, I'm reminded how God the Father is so fiercely protective of His children. How He would destroy the thing that makes us sick. And how mostly... He is not powerless.

Two Years in Fort Collins

It's amazing the difference two years makes! The first picture was taken from our first day in Fort Collins. The second picture taken exactly two years later.

I look at my girl and it's easy to see how much she's grown. She's no longer a baby - she's a big girl! And as I look back over our past two years in Fort Collins - with all of its ups and downs, still a world of unknowns before us - I have to believe God my Father looks at us and sees how much we've grown, as well.

Perhaps it's time for an update on our lives in Fort Collins. A dear friend wrote an article about where we are in the process of starting up Fort Collins Community Church that you can read here. However, I've offered very little personal commentary on what this process has been like. It's time! No doubt it'll be therapeutic for me to write about. And who knows, maybe someone will benefit from our experience. Look for those updates to come... soon. :)

Our Favorite Dessert

Tonight Hannah and I made what we call Pumpkin Fluff. It's seriously one of the best desserts of all time! It's so simple to throw together, and apparently it's not too bad for you either.

Our version is a tad different with the way we spice it up, but here's the original Weight Watchers version. (I think it's like 1 point, in case you're interested.)

Pumpkin Mousse
Ingredients

• 15 ounces canned pumpkin

• 2 (3 ½ ounce) boxes fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

• 1 ¾ cups skim milk

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 2 cups fat-free whipped topping

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, spice, and milk in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix until smooth.
3. Add pudding mix and beat for 1-2 minutes.
4. Fold in whipped topping.
5. Chill well before serving.

Twirly Girly Skirt

I whipped together this little twirly skirt for Hannah Banana to get ready for Valentine's Day! I think her Chuck's are a nice touch. :)

Here's a final look at the skirt (laid out on Hannah's quilt, which my Mother made when she was my age). It's a reversible black polka dot and solid black skirt with a red yolk.

This isn't the first go round with this skirt as I've made her two in the past as you may remember, and I'll probably make her a few more for as long as she's interested in twirling. :) I love my girly girl!

The Ruler

I love that she's so involved in whatever we're doing. She wasn't very helpful in cutting fabric, but she sure looked cute counting the numbers on the rulers.

Sneak Peak

Um, how cute is this pocket? Way cute right?! Imagine the dress it's going to go on!

Hannah Met Santa

Thursday, Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped by Hannah's school to visit with the kids. At first, Hannah was terrified of Santa, but eventually stood in line to go meet him. She absolutely did not want to sit in his lap, but decided on her own that she wanted to ask him for candy canes. She immediately warmed up to him and talked his ear off! She had all of the grown ups laughing as most of the other kids had very little to say and she apparently had lots. He asked if she was really just 2-years-old because of how well she speaks. :) I wish we could have heard everything or videoed, but here are a few pics!

Let Them Eat Steak

Our Thanksgiving Day was off the chain. We relaxed all day long. In fact, I don't think Hannah ever got out of her jammies! It was so nice to spend quality time together, and especially nice to enjoy a good Southern meal for our Thanksgiving feast. Fluffy mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, big juicy steak. Mmmm.

Pity Party - Table for One

Bah. I'm like the Ebenezer Scrooge of Thanksgiving this year. While everyone I know is daily updating their Facebook or Twitter with the things for which they're thankful, I'm counting down the days until this month is over. Bah.

Don't get me wrong - there are many things I'm thankful for.

We've got a beautiful family.

We're all healthy.

We have a roof over our heads... for now.

We have jobs... for now.
We live in the best town ever!
We live so close to our dearest friends... who have abandoned us this week! (How dare they.)

Our church is growing slowly and steadily.

But really, I'm stuck wallowing in my own self-pity, and all of these thankful people are reminding me that I should be giving thanks right now. And I kinda don't wanna. Our family has had so much up in the air for so long, that right now I'm really exhausted with all the unknowns and getting my hopes up. I know I'm being a little near-sighted by not considering all that God has in store for the future, but it's time I say it out loud that I'm discouraged.

So for Thanksgiving this year, we're foregoing the turkey. We're having steak and potatoes, dangit. And maybe when this month is over, I'll put my big girl panties on and be a little more thankful. But for now, I'll be at my own pity party.

Old Town Soloist Draws a Crowd

There's nothing better than playing outside out at the Oak Street Plaza water playground in Old Town. And better yet, the Pianos About Town are still on display, so Hannah had the opportunity to debut her solo musical career featuring the song, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". Naturally, she was a hit.

Little Pig, Little Pig

A Tribute to Don Juans

One of the highlights of our trip to Tyler was the Mexican food, namely, Don Juan's. We ate there twice in one week, and it truly wasn't enough. So yes, this is a whole blog post dedicated to us enjoying Don Juan's.

Who Doesn't Love Blue Bell?

Hannah, Papa and The Flamingos

My parents and I decided to take Hannah to the infamous Caldwell Zoo. But because of the heat, we barely lasted an hour! Despite the short visit, we enjoyed ourselves. Hannah especially liked the flamingos.

Here's the one picture I got from our outing.

The Drama Club

Our family just took a trip to Texas for a friend's wedding. With 19+ hours in the car, Hannah and I got bored...

My Favorite Room

Check out Hannah's big girl bed. It's a queen, which overly accommodates her, but also our out-of-town guests ever so often. (Don't worry. We've got a water-proof mattress pad.) The quilt is one that my Mom made a way long time ago, so it's super soft. Chris and I used to fight over it, but I guess in the end Hannah wins. Her room has to be my favorite room in our house.

Rain Rain Time to Play

The Freemans at the Farm

We took Hannah to The Farm at Lee Martinez Park on Saturday and had a blast. This place is super hands on and interactive, so Hannah got to feed the chickens and goats, moo in the face of the cows and even take a quick pony ride. We had such a fun day!

Yeeeeeehaw y'all!



I Told Her to Stop Growing

... but she just won't listen. Pretty soon she's going to be as big as this bear!

 And here's Hannah with a buddy from school, Russell, who we bumped into while in Old Town.

Bathing Beauty