Eeeeek! I'm so freakin' excited I can barely contain myself!!!!! Oh - I better go shave my wooly legs!!! Haha!
It has been a looooong day. Thus far, we have raised almost $1200.00 for the Pierce family!!! WOO-HOO! Thank you for opening your hearts and pocketbooks! That money is in the form of checks, cash, coins and gift cards. PLUS... gifts, gifts, and more donated gifts! AND... a local organization donated an entire Christmas dinner (turkey to dessert!). AND... the back of my van is full of groceries!!! My heart is so full. SO FULL! Isn't this what it's all about?!?! I look at the gifts already under my tree, and the fact that my healthy husband is on his way home and feel so incredibly grateful. Thank you, Lord!
Gotta go, I have wrapping (and leg shaving) to do!!! ;) Merry Christmas Eve Eve!
12.23.2008
T-minus-5 hours
Bowling
oh yeah... note the beloved Cinderella dress (worn most every day since before Halloween) now has a new accessory - a Snow White cape. Lovely. That thing is so ratty and full of holes.
Making cookies
12.22.2008
making wrapping paper
i will forever have reindeer, bells, snowmen, and stars on my garage floor;) awesome!
12.20.2008
Perspective
Everything has been yanked into perspective (again) in my life. Before yesterday, I was actually fretting about: the girls counting their Christmas gifts and not having an equal number, the fact that I colored my hair too dark and I should go to a professional to get it fixed, that I have rosacea, that my house is not clean and someone may want to view it, that I still have a couple gifts to buy... I could go on. All of that ridiculousness... and my friend's life has been completely turned upside-down. She is shattered. She is still on the floor reeling. Let me tell you, after talking to her for an hour yesterday and an hour this morning, it is incomprehensible what she is going through.
I have watched a good friend lose a husband before. With Ryan's previous and current jobs, I have always known the danger and put it way, way far in the back of my head, tucked away with the idea that we have million dollar life-insurance policies. But I would not be okay. I can't even wrap my head around the idea. And Demi's husband had NO life insurance. Unbelievable. She keeps asking, "Angie, what will I do? I've never done anything alone before." Those words ring in my ears. I don't know what to tell her, other than take one day, hour, minute at a time and try to keep moving. I remember Dixie and Derenda both saying that.
So far we have had several generous, heart-felt donations. Monday I will go set up a donation fund for the family. Also, people are bringing me food and gifts left and right. We plan on surprising her with (hopefully) a ton of stuff on Christmas Eve. She won't ask for help, but she desperately needs it. Desperately. Tomorrow I am taking Victoria and Emily for the afternoon and evening so Demi can go Christmas shopping - she hasn't done anything yet - and I think we'll still try to trim her bushes and put up lights outside, for the kids. That's what Lizzy and I were planning to do before I got the news. Just a little something for Christmas cheer... now it's turned into MUCH more than that.
I want to do so much for them. I want to take away their pain. I want to take away their future worries. All of those things are impossible, but I/we are able to give her kids a good Christmas... and then see what's next.
My renewed perspective: My family - immediate, nuclear, extended, step, friends that are family - that's all that matters. AND I really want Ryan in my arms. 3 days.
12.19.2008
Request from the heart
I know like everyone, you all are probably spent this Christmas, but I have a request:
Delaney has a good friend named Victoria she met through Girl Scouts last year when I was her Brownie troop leader. If you've been reading this blog long and heard me asking for prayer requests for them, you know how special this little girl and her family are to me. I have become friends with her mom, Demi, in the past year and a half as well. We have been praying very hard for their family because Victoria's Daddy, Jody, has been battling cancer. Well, this past Wednesday, he lost his battle and went to be with Jesus.
It happened quite suddenly... Victoria was getting ready to go to NYC with her aunt and Demi ran out to get her a disposable digital camera to take. When she returned home, Jody was gasping for air and she called 911. He lost his pulse a couple times and within 30 minutes of getting to the E.R. he was gone and there was nothing else to do. Needless to say, that precious family is devastated. They were told he'd try this chemo and if it didn't work they had another one to try. They still had hope left... and suddenly have nothing.
My friend, Lizzy, called Wednesday (actually the day he died) and said she felt we need to do something for them this year - like decorate the outside of their house or collect food for them. We had started to get things together to surprise them when I heard the news. Last year my family gave them a gift card to Wal-Mart for almost $400 - anonymously. Victoria and her 4-year-old little sister, Emily, had a wonderful Christmas and it felt SOOO good on this end. They also have an 18 year old half-brother, Travis, who lives with them.
I know it's "last minute", but what can we do for them? I feel like it needs to be BIG. Of course what they need most are prayers, so please send some up for them - for strength and will and that they'll figure out a way to pick up the pieces and move forward. I feel as though they need a good Christmas. They need a reason to smile. I can collect food, money, toys, anything! They don't have much, between medical bills, Demi having to quit her job to take care of him, etc. Anything would be well appreciated. So, if you feel like you have something to give, please email me ryangie97@bellsouthnet or call me (985-661-1671/788-5592). Also, if you have any ideas of how things might be handled (considering I've never done anything on this scale before), I would be more that open to suggestions.
Please pass this on to everyone you think may want to help. I have a limited # of email addresses due to the fact that Hurricane Gustav zapped my computer...
My heart is breaking for this family.
12.16.2008
My new best friend...
The "Santa's watching" threat wasn't working at all... I don't think they bought it because they couldn't figure out how he could actually be watching when he's so busy making toys and tending to issues at the North Pole - not to mention they can't even see him. Good point - young kids need something more tangible. So.... I took someone else's advice (Bring the Rain blog) and my life has become much easier thanks to...
My man, little Scouty...
It's another one of those "Why didn't I think of that and get rich?!?" products.
My new little friend... Hands down, the BEST $29.95 spent this entire year!!!!! Parents, screw parenting classes and books (did I say that?)! This baby works wonders for behavior modification! Too bad we can't keep him out ALL YEAR LONG!!! *wait... now there's a money making idea*
12.15.2008
simple joys
*beware: i am disgustingly upbeat...
- tomorrow i get to go to a special awards ceremony just for madelyn - she was chosen for december's "good character" award at her school. i am bursting with pride!
- after that, i go to the dermatologist for him to tell me this is NOT skin cancer on my face! (oh pretty please, doctor, tell me that!)
- after that, i go to work to spend $14,000! on equipment and new curriculums for the programs i have developed and will teach at the hospital next year! YIPPEE!
- after that, i will mail my last Christmas cards (some have already been sent) and the last packages!
- after that, i will pick sophia up from school and finish getting the last wishes for Ayanna, our 3-year-old angel tree girl! we have had so much fun shopping for her - never mind the amount of $$ spent. it has been the best part of this season yet! what a wonderful lesson for my daughters...
- after that, we will go home and get the older 2 off the bus and started on homework (okay, not so fun, but necessary) and give them a snack.
- after that, we will make homemade wrapping paper and let it dry! FUN!
- after that, we will wrap 5 teacher gifts, a bus driver gift, 2 girl scout leader, 1 gymnastics coach gift, 2 violin teacher gifts, 3 co-worker gifts and bake dozens of cookies for our neighbors and 2 desserts for my co-worker luncheon... and a partridge in a pear tree! FUN (the baking, not the wrapping)!
- after that, i will make dinner, give baths, brush teeth, read some favorite Christmas books (one of the best things about bedtime in december), and tuck the girls in tight!
- after that, i will make lunches for the next day, check homework, check email, check bank balance;), take shower, and...
- collapse into bed with a big smile on my face - because of a wonderful, blessed day (even if we don't accomplish all of that list or it doesn't run that smoothly - because my days usually have several kinks) and because, in 8 days, my husband will be in my arms for the first time in 61 days!!! AHHH! That's the absolute. BEST. part!
12.13.2008
Saturday...
we went to Christmas in the park for story time in the gazebo. Don't know if you remember but I did that story time last year... Anyway, Santa came afterward and Laney and Maddy wanted to tell him what they wanted. From the time he approached the gazebo to the time we walked away, Sophie would not turn her back on him - not even to sit on his lap for this photo - which is why she's not in it;) She didn't scream or cry... she just didn't trust him. Period. NO amount of candy coaxing would do the trick. She kept her eyes glued on him at all times. She did, however, take a candy cane from Mrs. Claus. It was so funny!
So, Delaney told him she wants a Wii. Maddy told him she wants "make-up and jewelry"..."OH, and a Wii and a Barbie house." Then she looked at me with a funny look and shrugged her shoulders because she knows he only gives them 3 gifts (like baby Jesus received from the Magi - can't take credit for that one - stole it from Keri;) and she sorta went over on that one. Whoops! That kid is a riot...
12.11.2008
Sneaux Day in LA
Delaney had a snowball fight at school and Madelyn built a mini-snowman. I'm thrilled they got to experience it since we missed it in Illinois by 1 stinkin' day. Sophie wanted nothing to do with it but see it out the window. It was very relaxing watching it fall down outside while propping my feet up to the fireplace sipping hot cocoa;) Good times...
Madelyn's Field Trip
Wednesday I chaperoned Maddy's class to the Aquarium of the Americas and the IMAX theater in New Orleans. It was fun spending time with just her - Thanks, Lizzy, for keeping Sophie! Here we are on the bus... I learned a long while back, when chaperoning Delaney's class, that it's no longer fun to sit in the back of the bus...uggg... and bus seats are A LOT smaller than they used to be;) No, it couldn't be that my butt is 10x bigger!
*sent from my camera phone
Sophia's Christmas Tea
See! Happy now!
This is Sophie's BFF, Grace. She was adopted from Russia only a year ago and is doing SO well - a completely different child. It's amazing what love can do for a malnourished, developmentally delayed child. She is absolutely precious... and those two little girls are WILD together!!!
Delaney's Christmas Violin Concert
