This Week's Hurdles...

What a week it has been already! The old saying, "when it rains, it pours" has seemed to hold true this week. Here's a quick run-down of this week's highlights...

-My grandmother has been sick and having problems with her blood pressure & heart. She saw a local doctor on Monday who found a heart blockage & he set her up an appointment to see a heart specialist in Macon on Friday. However, Tuesday morning, she seemed to get worse & was rushed to Macon. She had sonograms & an EKG ran which all looked pretty good, but has a stress test scheduled for tomorrow morning to see the extent of the blockage. Please keep her in your prayers. She is the glue that holds our family together & the rock that we always lean on!

-While washing some of Eric's hunting clothes this week, I missed cleaning out one of his jacket pockets. In it was a pack doe urine wafers. Well, needless to say, our washer smelled really nice when I pulled out the clothes to swap them to the dryer. I did 3 "clean washer" cycles with bleach to try to get the smell out, but every load of clothes I wash comes out smelling like doe urine. I'm just waiting to be attached by a buck each time I walk outside!

-The reason I was washing Eric's hunting clothes in the first place was because he left Sunday on ANOTHER hunting trip. This time he's in Louisiana with a group of friends duck hunting. So, with everything going on, he's out of state...which makes it even more stressful!

-I had another biopsy appointment yesterday which went well. I took Molly with me to have her looked over. The new places on her leg that have been a mystery to me over the last couple of months are some type of warts which were the result of a scratch. We have some new cream that will bring them to a blister & they will peel off...she's not too happy about all that!

-I've been trying to plan our Colorado vacation which we're hoping to go on sometime next month. But, wow...that's one expensive place to visit! I'm having a hard time finding us a place to stay & airline tickets are going up everyday. They've already gone up $125 per ticket since last Friday! Also, I'm a little concerned about IF we will be able to go, because of our newest "hurdle" this week...

Yes, Miss "Graceful" has broken the growth plate in her big toe! We spent from 7am-5pm between the ER and the doctor's office Monday. She had her cast put on that day & she'll get it off tomorrow morning. They'll put her in a post-operative boot tomorrow which she'll have to wear for another 2 weeks. The hardest part is that she cannot put ANY weight on it for 3 weeks if we want to avoid surgery...which means I've been carrying her everywhere. I took her stroller with her to school yesterday which made it easier for the teachers to get her back & forth to lunch. But, it has definitely been an adventure trying to keep a 4 year-old off of her feet.

Needless to say, I'm ready for the weekend!

Year-In-Review

Since we're now embarking on a brand new year, I thought I'd take a minute to look back over some of the highlights of the past year. And, since Eric & I seem to never take pictures of ourselves, this will actually be Molly's year-in-review!

In January, Eric surprised Molly & I with these (unfortunately in would be several weeks before we were actually able to enjoy them!)...

Molly got up close & personal with an "efanant" in February...

Farming was starting up in March...

April was busy with Easter, teaparties...

Cheerleading, Kite Founders' Day...

And the Relay for Life...

We were "in full swing" of things when May brought t-ball...

And, Molly's dance recital...

Warmer weather made Brown Springs irresistable in June...

July means vacation... And Molly's birthday in Candyland...

One of the biggest highlights of the year came in August when our little Molly started school...

September is always our annual trip to George L. Smith...

And Molly got in a little dove hunting, too...

Temperatures were cooling down in October, just in time for the fair...

And Halloween...

And, our introduction to the "Ferbettes"...

We gave thanks in November as Molly's guests at school...

And were honored to be named the County and District Farm Family of the Year...

Of course, December brought every child's favorite day...Christmas!

Whew...it has been a very busy, but really fun year! I cannot wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!

Arkansas Hunting Pics...

Eric did manage to snap a couple of pictures during his trip to Arkansas (had it been me, there'd been at least 300 pictures taken)! Here they are...

Brrr...It's Cold In Here...

...Molly loves the sing that song off of "Bring It On" (which is also her Daddy's favorite movie). And, she's been singing it a lot lately, because wow...what a cold snap we've been having over the last couple of weeks! Our water pipes froze both Saturday & Sunday nights. And, I really don't think you understand how much you rely on running water until you don't have it. And, I promise you, neither the dishwasher, the washing machine, the toilet nor the shower will work without it...because I tried them all! I even managed to wrangle Triton into the shower & up onto the bench for a bath Sunday afternoon...just to turn on the faucet & remember that we had no water. He was one very happy dog needless to say! While Molly & I dealt with the GA cold snap, Eric was in even colder temperatures. This weekend was his annual duck-hunting trip to Arkansas with Grower's Supply. He said it was "freezing cold" the entire time...he even went out & bought more thermals while he was there. I know they allhad a great time, though & I'll be sure to post some of his pictures here (if he took any...last year he didn't take a single one!) We continue to pray for little Kason Palmer. He is the 4 year-old son of friends of ours who has been in PICU for 10 days now. He is making "small leaps" now as they are hoping to wean him off of the ventilator today & slow down some of his dialysis. Please continue to hold this precious little boy in your hearts and pray that God will heal his body.

New Photos...

I am really loving my new camera that Eric & Molly gave me for Christmas. I have SO much to learn about all of it's shooting capabilities, but so far I am LOVING the portrait & close-up shooting modes. Here are a few of the pictures I shot on the very first day of having the camera...

This is by far my favorite picture I've taken on it so far. It turned out a little dark, but I'm still learning, people!

I've also really become fond of the these next pictures. And, I didn't realize until I uploaded them that they are all "opposites".

Little dog...

Big dog...

Doesn't like cold weather...

Loves cold weather...

Now, I'm just ready for the weather to warm up so I can get outside & learn a little more about my new camera. Then again, I sure would love to see some snow fall tonight...that would make for some pretty pictures, too!

My Little Photographer

Happy New Year from our family to yours! I hope this new year is your best one yet!

Over the weekend, Molly asked me if she could take some pictures with my new digital camera. I said "Sure", because I was dealing with a migraine & figured it would entertain her for a little bit. These are some of the pictures that she snapped around the house...

This is the kind of pictures I expected to see from a 4 year-old...

Of course, she had to take one of Triton. And, it's actually pretty good...

Now, I was started to get interested when I saw this one. Girlfriend is pretty good with the camera...

I love this one of Santa...she did such a great job!

Now, be still my heart! This almost brought tears to my eyes. She snapped it of herself & I think it's my new favorite picture!

I think (& hope) that she's taking after me with her love of pictures. And, I think, we may need to invest in her a digital camera of her own very soon!