A Precious Gift{s}

I received a beautiful gift{s} last Monday.

It was a gift{s} meant for me and some wonderful women in my lift.

A thoughtful, meaningful, precious gift{s}.

When I heard about it, I didn't think much of it.

But once this gift made it to my door, I wondered what story it{they} could tell, what journey it {they} had been on, what purpose could it{they} serve in it's{their} new home.

I can't wait to pass it{them} on its{their} journey. Can't wait to see what stories will be told and purposes will be served.

Until then.

While this gift{s} is in my care.

I only have one thing I could do.

Give.Them.A.Photo.Shoot.

So, with out further ado.

I give you

The Glass Jars.

Good Golly. The sky is the limit, huh? What COULDN'T you put in those puppies?!?

I am so tempted to keep them all.

But what fun is that? Seriously, I don't have the room, either!

They were given to me with a charge of letting them be enjoyed by others.

I have some special girls in mind.

I can just picture them in a few kitchens, maybe a bathroom, possibly full of cotton balls, M & M's, long-grained rice.

Ooohhh, the Possibilities.....

Report on Kohen

I got a phone call from Shawn around dinner time and things have turned around - ALL FOR THE BETTER!

Kohen is doing really good! The Doctors are calling him an unexplainable miracle! They have moved him out of NICU into a more stable room. His vitals are all showing great signs. The only thing they are keeping an eye on is a small pocket of blood between his brain and skull that they say will be absorbed soon in the healing process. The Drs. say his skull fractures and facial fractures will heal in time. They are sure Kohen will be able to go home with in a few days.

THEY ARE SURE KOHEN WILL BE ABLE TO GO HOME WITH IN A FEW DAYS!!

How great is our God, I ask you?!?! A child that went through a 2 story window only sustaining facial fractures WILL BE ABLE TO GO HOME WITH IN A FEW DAYS!!

Thank you, everyone, for all of your prayers. I'll get more updates tomorrow & post more.

**UPDATE** Kohen Baby is home!! The Doctors wanted him to hold two meals down and yesterday (Sunday) he ate breakfast & lunch! He even gave them all a nice belly laugh {according to Belle Belle} when Big Sister Karsyn was playing with him, he gave everyone a giggle!! Our God is so big! Thanks to all for praying and thinking of Ryan and Hollie and all of their family! Keep them in your prayers as there is still a tedious healing process ahead of them.


Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think In my simple mind, I wouldn't have even imagined to pray for such a speedy recovery!

Psalm 36:7
How precious is Your loving kindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

Isaiah 12:5
Sing to the LORD,
For He has done excellent things;

Prayer Warriors Needed

This precious baby boy is my cousin, Ryan's, son. His name is Kohen and our Girls were born with in weeks of one another. His parent's are my Aunt Belle & Tommy and Uncle Greg & Aunt Alecia.

Please Pray for Ryan and Hollie's family. Yesterday Kohen fell out of a 2nd story window onto the concrete below. Ryan found him face down and they rushed him by ambulance to the CCU at Rady Hospital in San Diego.

This is from my Aunt Belle who has flown to be with Ryan and Hollie's daughter, Karsyn:

"The news from Ryan is that his vital signs are good, he's awake with movement in his arms and legs, but he has fractured his facial bones and is in a lot of pain. They have run CT scans showing no internal injuries and will continue to monitor his heart, brain, etc. I will keep you all posted from California......many, many thanks for the prayers!!!"

Please, people of God, PRAY. These are the specifics:

• That the Doctors and staff would have wisdom in how to treat baby Kohen.


• That God's peace would come over Bud & Hollie through this situation.


• That all brain activity would become stronger as the day progresses.


• That Kohen's pain would be a minimum as they are not able to sedate him while processing the brain scans.

I will be keeping in touch with Shawn, Ryan's sister, for more updates from Bud and Aunt Belle and will post them as I hear.

**UPDATE** As of last night, hearing from Aunt Belle, Kohen is HOME!! How good is God, I ask you?!?! And what a miracle that baby is! Click here for more updates.

My Four Year Old Boy...

Picks his nose shamelessly.

Doesn't care if Momma close-talks with bad breath.

Says, "I love you" immediately after a spanking.

Loves his scooter immensely.

Teases his Sisters incessantly.

Swims fearlessly.

Forgives immediately.

Remembers E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

Prays for anyone, anywhere without any reservation.

Proudly knows the words to "Hey, Good Lookin'!"

Wants to be bigger than he is, so that he can jump from tall buildings and out of cars.

Picked ALL THREE Spiderman movies to "watch on his day off."

Slams doors - specifically when the Sisters are sleeping.

Shuts doors quietly - only when we're all awake.

Fights with Mom & Dad E.V.E.R.Y night at bedtime.

Loves it when Dad announces "Spiderman's worst enemy is in the house!!"

Squeals because it's the "ticklemonster!!"

Doesn't give out too many kisses - they're kinda yuck.

Doesn't hesitate to kiss his sisters anytime they ask. {he's gunna kill me later for that one}

Chicken Spaghetti

I'm always looking for recipes with easy ingredients to get together quickly in this fast-paced household of ours. A few years ago a close family friend had Chris & I over for dinner and cooked this dish for us and we loved it.

And the BONUS: it's E-A-S-Y!!! Oh so easy.

{Side note: I also had a different version of this dish a few years earlier when I had Alexander. A special co-worker of mine used her late Grandmother's recipe. It froze GREAT and we had it a few weeks later when the Mom's finished cooking for us. Her recipe called for sliced can mushrooms, pimentos and some other yummy stuff. That dish was so good I asked her for the recipe. When she came to work with it, it was a photo copy of her Gram's cookbook page in her handwriting - So special!! I still have it!)

I made a few changes:
Her recipe was called Ro-Tel Chicken Spaghetti. The Ro-Tel is too pepper-hot to taste with Alexander & the Girls now eating everything we eat. So I put diced stewed tomatoes in ours today.
Hers had green onions - I'm not a big fan of cooking green onions.
Hers had a green bell pepper - I just didn't have one. But it's good either way.

Start with:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & diced

1 can Cream of Mushroom

1 can Cream of Chicken

1 can Ro-tel {or diced/stewed tomatoes}

1 lb. Velveeta Cheese

1 onion

2 stalks celery

1lb. pasta {of your choice} Cooked al dente

Sweat the onions & celery in a pat of butter.

Add cans of tomatoes, mushrooms & chickens.

Stir for a while to incorporate.

Dice the Velveeta & add to the pot.

Stir a while to melt the cheese.

Add the diced chicken.

Add the cooked pasta and mix.

Pour into a 13x9 Pyrex

Cook at 350 degrees 30 min. or until heated through.

It's also good to sprinkle parmesan or bread crumbs or chopped parsley on top to finish it off.

I usually use what is in the kitchen.

Chances are...

...If you can't find Sophie - she's under Izzy's bead

...If you find Sophie under the bed - she's reading a book about cats and saying, meow"

...If it's quiet in the house - You'll hear Izzy singing to herself, "Happy Birthday....So-So!"

...If a door in the house is open - Sophie fusses until I close it for her.

...If a door in the house is open - Izzy will walk through it and find ANYTHING to destroy.

...When it is quiet - Alexander is thinking deep thoughts about Super-Heroes.

...If you show Alexander any Transformers - he knows the Transformer's Name & if it's an Autobot or Decepticon.

...If you offer Alexander a movie - he's gonna pick Transformers. {see a pattern, here?}

...If the Internet is on - I'm sitting in my chair addicted to reading blogs.

...If it's fattening - It's going straight to my thighs.

...If it's fattening - Chris's body is burning it off as he eats it.

...If I've got good advice - No one wants to hear it.

...If I fall asleep before 11:30 - I'll be awake again by 2:30.

...If there's an empty water bottle in the house - Chris fills it for me.

...If there's a screw-up in the checking account - it's from my mistake!

Fun Day had by All

A few weeks ago, Chris was scheduled to go to L.A. for several days.

Being the good man that he is, he scheduled in some "us" time out of his ginormously busy work life so that we could all be with Daddy before the trip to Cali.

We didn't tell Alexander ahead of time where we were going. Actually, he knew we were heading to New Orleans but didn't know what we were going to do.

Until he met these guys:

That Cutie Patootie in the green shirt is one of the girl's future boyfriend, Jack. {No need to worry about him being fought over - his Momma just delivered a Cutie Patootie baby brother, Owen, last week. One for each of the Sisters!} His Daddy works with Chris & they got together & decided that their kids needed to meet the Imagination Movers. {Quick Question: Who looks more excited, a.) The Dads or b.) The Boys?}
Rich was so good with the girls. He even remembered which baby was Izzy & which was Sophie.

It DOES pay to have some one in the Film and Television industry sleeping in the bed next to you every night.

Most of my friends (and LOTS of family) would be excited to be on a movie set like Dukes of Hazzard or True Blood. Nah, not me. Nothing tops seeing a four-year-old seeing those guys for the first time in person. Actually driving away from the Nims Center knowing that "he knew" they were real. That to him, they actually solved problems. It's priceless!!

The folks at Disney were so incredibly hospitable while we were there. I'd been to the sound stage with Chris a few years back when they were filming Glory Road, but to see the place transformed into the Mover's Warehouse was AWESOME!!! They let us walk on set, watch some filming and Scott even "taught Alexander the Mover's Secret Handshake." We even got to meet Warehouse Mouse!! Izzy was so giggly with that little puppet! My highlight was meeting Nina!! We love her! She played with the girls and held them. Sophie even gave her Blue for a few minutes!

It was a fabulous set visit! Lots of fun had by all!!

Thank you, Daddy, for doing what you do! Not for just the perks of set visits, wrap parties or meeting famous people. But for all of the hard work you do day in and day out. Your dedication allows us so much more than monetary "stuff." We are grateful everyday when you walk out of the house in your handsome duds to conquer the movie world.

Back at Home in Pre-K

When Alexander was four months old, we enrolled him in daycare. I was still shooting at the Studio so daycare was the only option. His daycare is great. Everyone has his best interest at heart. His very first caretaker loved him as her own. She nurtured him as an infant, jumped for joy when he took his 1st steps, bought him the sweetest Christmas gifts, cried when we left, the list could go on. He has since moved on from that 1st caretaker - actually had four more teachers before we were able to stay home with me and the Sisters.


Now that he is 4 years old ("Mom, I wanna pretend I'm 5) we enrolled him back at his old school. Our church parish school didn't work out for Pre-K, so we chose to go back where it all began. Where the nurturing began. Where all the love grew. Where all of the timeout corners were worn out. Where he learned to cut paper in the paper cutting station (seriously, his last teacher said he could sit there for hours cutting up construction paper.) Where he threw Tyler's hat across the fence into the canal below.


This morning when Daddy & Momma dropped him off after 1 year of being gone, it felt like home. It felt like I was dropping him off with family. It felt good. It felt like home.

And just what have the Patties been up to while Bubb was gone for the day?

Eating doughnuts, drinking milk, running errands....

wearing their purple mary janes....

reading books to each other....

Seriously, they sat forever jabbering to themselves over their Little Golden Books.

Our $11, $11 Purchase

So Wal-Mart last night.

We went to get Toot's school supplies.

Don't ask why we waited until the last minute.

Passing by the shoe section, one of the girls {can't remember which one} started screaming:

"chooooos!! choooos!! CHOOOOOS!!"

Now I remember, it was Sophie.

They all three had a chance to pick out a toy {It was, after all, payday.}

Alexander picked out a Transformer {Big surprise there!!},

Izzy picked out 2 little people {A doctor and a dentist, no doubt},

and Sophie, my sweet sweet Sophie, picked out a book with red shoes on the front {she is her mother's child...round face, brown eyes, bull-headed, er, uh, good fashion sense...I digress}.

She spotted it before we could get it off the shelf, screaming "choos!! Choos, Momma!!"

They were red Mary Jane's with a little flower on the top.

She looked through that book several times before with actually made it to the shoe section

and then...

She saw the real thing!

It's not the easiest thing to find items in the same size in Wal-Mart.

It's not the easiest thing to find items in the same size in Wal-Mart in the same color.

It's not the easiest thing to find items in the same size in Wal-Mart in the same color that you LIKE.

Well, we found two pair of the same size purple Mary Jane's that we liked.

More importantly, that the Sisters liked.

Once the purple Mary Jane's were paid for and were at their new home, it was bed time.

But the Sisters were having nothing doing with Mom & Dad wanting to take them off.

"Night-Night Choooooos, Momma!!" was what we heard from them both.

Getting them off of fat feet was not an option.

Taking pictures of them sleeping with Purple Mary Jane Choooooos was the best option.

I swear I didn't pose Izzy. She really does sleep like that holding BeBe.

Sophie actually entrusted Blue to be held between her beloved new purple choooos!!

Got Meat????

Splash Pad Fun

Corks 'N Canvas

My Best Friend Katie came into town for a visit.

Just in time for a Girl's Night Out.

Almost 40 of us gals got together at a place in town called

Corks 'N Canvas.

Our group picked the Eye of The Tiger to all paint together.

Our instructor showed us color mixing and shadowing and where to put each color.

Pretty fun stuff, I tell ya!

We had a blast!

This is Katie & myself at the beginning.

This is our table. We were at the other end.

Katie getting started. {She's shadowing;-)}

Shawn Theresa {MY BESTEST COUSIN!!}

She went all rougue on her painting.

Allison's painting was so good & in the lines!
Me & Katie

Me & Shawneee!! {If you look up close, she put all kinds of shadowing in her eye and around the catch light. She's so brave - I tried to stay in the lines. HA}

**The wall behind us is all of the different paintings that your party can paint**

Katie's whites looked better than mine!

We had a BLAST!!
I sat next to some of the best girls!

Such a great way to spend three hours with friends!