The Family Party

 My baby girl turns 8 on Wednesday (I'm still in denial) and today we had a small family party for her.

Her cake was made by a local bakery and was not only incredibly awesome looking, but it tasted like heaven!

 My brother and his wife got her a friendship bracelet making kit. Remember those?! She's already made Addison one.

 Hensleigh, Sydney, and Addison

 This is what Chris and I got her. It may seem extravagant, but we got a really good deal on it and we couldn't pass it up. Plus, it's nice to have for us too!

 So excited!

Easter 2012

Happy Easter!

Easter egg hunt at my mom and dad's

Lovin' on baby Hensleigh

Hensleigh is getting so big! Here's Syd, Hens, and Addie at Chris's mom and dad's.

And another easter egg hunt at church. We had a nice day, pretty good weather (a little cold, but much better than previous years). Hope everyone had a good one too!

Horses

Our neighbor and good friend across the street, recently adopted 3 horses from an auction. We'd never been up close to them, but we started walking up at the cemetary again since the weather got nice, and their fence comes right to the edge of where we walk. At first, it was funny, because every lap we did, we noticed they had moved closer each time. Finally, we were able to pet them. The next day, we came back with snacks.

Kissing the horse

I don't know all their names, but Sydney calls them Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Tanny. Tanny gets no love from the other 2 girl horses. They chase him off from us.

Give me those carrots!

School get together

Sydney's school had a get together for the elementary school kids since they hadn't been in school since the tornado. It gave them a chance to get together and play with their friends. I really wasn't expecting ALL the stuff they had...

5 bounce houses, the Tumblebus, the Bubble Truck, and a hot air balloon!

Sydney caught up with one of her classmates.

And she found Madison! I love this little girl. She and Sydney were in Girl Scouts last year and she's been over to the house twice to spend the night and she is sweet as she can be.

And what's a festival without a balloon sword?

Tornado Devastation

Sydney's school

again, the school

looking through town towards the 4 way stop. This was a great small town.

golf ball sized hail

This is Sydney's daycare inside a church. This is where she was when the tornado hit. Fortunately, they have a basement and all the kids were safe.

The parking lot of the daycare, where all the cars were damaged.

What's left of my favorite house in town.

Same house.

So, all I can say is that I'm very thankful that my baby girl was safe. And with her anxiety issues, I was scared that she would be in a full blown panic attack. But she told me she just got in the bathroom and sang "Jesus Loves Me." She is such an angel and I'm thankful she's here with me. It's remarkable that all the kids were safe since most of them were still on buses when it hit. I personally have never witnessed such destruction and chaos. I am so thankful for all the cops, firefighters, military people and whoever else showed up to help the town. It was very moving to see all the help coming in. We had a friend who had pulled over in the school parking lot during the storm and watched it pass right in front of him and collapse the school. Amazingly, his car suffered very little damage and he was unharmed. So, I'm counting my blessings today for sure.

Congratulations!!

...to Michael Welker on finding a new job! Yah for employment!

Glasses

Sydney had been complaining that she couldn't see the smartboard at school, but I honestly thought she just wanted to wear glasses because she thinks they're cool. I had the school nurse test her and she recommended we take her for an exam, which I did. It turns out she is a little near sighted and the Dr. recommended glasses. Of course, Sydney was and is very excited. Above, she is modeling the pair she picked out.

And here we both are with our new glasses. I got some too, to help with the double vision I've been having for 2 years. The Dr. I saw a couple of weeks ago discovered that my eye muscles don't work together, which causes me to see double sometimes. So, right now I just have to wear them while driving and watching t.v. We'll see how this goes. I hope it helps! I asked Sydney the other day if she could see the board better at school and she said yes, so let's hope she doesn't get tired of wearing these and realizes they're not all that fun!