Another Girls' Night

Twice a month, some close gal pals and I get together for a Girls' Night. I LOVE these women, because they can identify with my experiences as a young mother. Our times together are filled with lots of laughs, tasty snacks, and the sharpening of spirits. I feel like we can share with each other on a gut-level, and that is something I treasure deeply! This week, we decided to create a beach-theme, in hopes that it will help us tolerate this loooong winter a little more easily. We had favorite beachside snacks, like shrimp cocktail and hawaian bread with spinach dip...we were treated to strawberry, blueberry, banana smoothies...and we indulged in some fun beach-decorated cupcakes (thanks Kristi!) We played a custom board game that had us laughing ourselves silly, as we answered questions about the 'glamorous' life of motherhood. And then we ended the night with a heart to heart message from Sarah Jane. Some of our friends couldn't make it, and they were greatly missed! One such friend, just happened to be vacationing on the real beach with her hubby. So we created a special message for her:

My Mom is okay.

Thank you, everyone, for all your heartfelt prayers! Mom successfully pulled through surgery yesterday. She had an egg-sized tumor removed from her thyroid gland. It was so attached that they ended up having to remove half her gland as well. But, after further tests, NO cancer was detected! Praise God! I took Reese with me last night to visit her at the hospital up in Rockford. She was very weak, but was able to squeeze our hands. Reese and I picked out a 'Get Well' balloon in the gift shop, and he proudly presented it to her, along with the cards that he and the other kids had created. It was so powerful to have lots of family members in that small room, surrounding her, and taking turns whispering into her ear, and just letting her know that we were all there to support her and love on her. Thank You, God, for family. Thank You for your healing touch. And thank You for giving Mom more time on this earth. That she is still here drawing terrestrial breath tells me that You still have appointments for her. It is proof that You have more lives for her to touch and more plans for her to fulfill. Praise You, Jesus!

It's official!

Yes. It's official! My 9yr old son can officially beat me in arm wrestling. Holy smokes! I think I just entered an entirely new realm of parenthood! No longer are spankings and physical strength a factor. Now we enter the battle of the minds. Hmmm...this could get interesting. LOL. Good thing I have an extremely obedient child. He's really a special kid...A special kid that can whoop on mommy in arm wrestling!

Disney Princesses...

I can't help but post this today: Marina has a new fascination in life...Thanks to Grandma Brody, Marina has recently been exposed to the dreamy and glittery-pink world of Disney Princesses! Grandma bought her a big snow globe that is surrounded by the princesses and that contains a spinning Cinderella inside the sparkly, light up globe. Marina loves to twist the knob and listen to the enchanting music. Well, today we were naming each of the princesses one by one, and here's how it came out of Marina's mouth: "Cindow-edda....Jasmine....and Snow Wipe!" Hmm...somehow that last princess has been associated with our daily diaper changes. I just had to laugh! And it makes me remember my neice, Jaylynn, at that age... except Jaylynn gave that poor princess the unfortunate name, "Ho White!"

Hiccups!

Today, Reese ran up to me and said, "Mommy, there's something in my mouth!" I tried to find what he was talking about...maybe a hair or a leftover piece of toast?? I didn't see anything, so I asked him to show me where it was. He just opened his mouth wider and repeated, "There's something in my mouth!" Suddenly, he let out a hiccup, and his eyes looked at me with distress, as if to tell me, "See, there it is!" I couldn't stop laughing! "Reese, that's a hiccup! Let's get you some water." Too too funny!

Random Memory

This is a very random post...I don't really have anything interesting to say, but I wanted to get something new up. So here's a random memory: This past October we spent a weekend up at the Wisconsin Dells with Ryan's family (Brody's and Dahms'). We stayed at the Kalahari which is an indoor water resort. It was so fun to swim, try out the waterslides, and hang out together. We spent an afternoon out at the horseriding trails. The dads took the kids riding while the moms took the girls shopping at the boutiques and antique stores downtown. The only girl that actually preferred the horseback riding was Marina! She is obsessed with ponies. (Or as she calls them...'tonies'). So, she hopped right up there with daddy, and was visibly shaking with excitement! LOL! It was so cute.

Glamorous Mother's Guide to Eating Out...

I came across this article today...
Hmmm....very interesting! It sets me straight on some 'healthy eating' myths....

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/hungrygirl/16617/fast-food-shocks-swaps

I guess I can't order that tuna sub anymore.
::sigh::