Slumber Party

My sister and I had an applique slumber party this weekend.


Doesn't she look like she's having fun?


Here are the results of my labor. Please don't look too closely, because you will see my mistakes! The big leopard bag is for me. All of the shirts, and the jacket on the bottom right, are for Trent. I worked on a couple of gifts too.

I wish I'd taken a picture of Tracy's stuff, because she made some super cute shirts! I'm sure she will blog about them soon:)


Of course this little guy was there, too! Thank you Mike, Mama D and Daddy G for playing with him so I could work/play.

Happy Fall

and Roll Tide:)

Yummy

He tried his first rice krispie treat last night, and of course he thought it was fabulous. {He loves sweets, like his mama!}



I think he was scared I was going to to take it when I walked over to him with the camera.



This is his smile. When you say, "Smile Trent," this is what he does- a smile with his tongue poking out.

He's modeling the shirt that his "GiGi" {my grandmother} gave him. Thanks GiGi!

Just pictures

Catching Up

Wow- three weeks and no blog update! We have some catching up to do...

This little guy turned one on August 27th, and he started walking the week before his birthday!


This wagon was a birthday favorite, probably because all five of the children could play with/in it at the same time. {I just noticed we're missing one in this picture. Where's Abigail?}

I played photographer again.








We won't be framing this one, but it definitely made us laugh.


We've been cheering for the Crimson Tide! Trent loves his shaker!

We went to Miller's Landing for Labor Day weekend.

Mike played with his new gun.


Trent developed an obsession with rocks.


Daddy G and Trent spent a LOT of time riding in the ranger.


I had a great idea that everyone but me, Trent and Daddy G thought was a bit ridiculous.


We took some walks,


had some deep talks overlooking the lake, {while eating bread that was supposed to be for the fish}


and did lots of other things little boys enjoy.


I see many versions of this picture in our future.


And of course it wasn't all fun and games. There were a few meltdowns.

When we got home, I did a little consignment shopping.


I bought Trent's fall shoe collection,


lots of books and DVDs,


and even a few clothes and a potential Halloween costume. And all of this was from one consignment sale.


Here are my purchases from the other sale.

Finally, I went to Atlanta with some of my good friends and met lots of their sweet friends.


We had so much fun!


I was happy to get a new picture with Maggie and Scarlotte! {I think our last one was taken right after Tripp was born.} Thanks for the pictures, Scarlotte!

Whew... I think that's about it. I just got home from a work trip to Dallas, but I didn't take any pictures. That's probably a good thing, since this post is way too long:)

Haircut, Backpack, and Applique

Thanks for all of the sweet comments on my last post. It makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one who worries about crazy stuff. This post is going to be very random and a little lighter:)

Trent is sporting a new do.

I think he aged a year during the haircut.

He's also cutting some new teeth, which I'm hoping are the cause of the increased whining at our house.

Chase is one of his new favorite games.



The new haircut makes for great mohawks.

This is what lead to the shorter haircut. I can handle thumb-sucking, but something about the hair-twirling didn't sit well with me.



I knew it was time to make a move when his hair started to look like this. I wish I could say that the cut made a major difference, but he still insists on touching his hair while he is sucking his thumb. I guess we will have to shave his head one day, but I think we will save that potential disaster until it's time for him to stop sucking his thumb.



The little man also got a new backpack.



He loved it, until I filled it up a little too much one day, and the weight made him fall down. He will still wear it, but he's more cautious about it now.



Lastly, my sweet sister taught me how to applique while we were at the beach. I quickly realized that she wasn't just teaching me how to do it; she was showing me how much work and time it requires. I will definitely think twice before I ask her to applique a shirt "real quick." It's not a very hard process, but it takes a lot of time, and it's very easy to make mistakes. The thought of making a mistake on an expensive item that somebody is paying me to monogram/applique makes me feel a little sick. But I do think my imperfect-appliqued Wal-Mart shirts turned out pretty cute:)

Unedited

I really want to post some cute beach pictures from our trip last week. I want to post pictures of us smiling, playing on the beach, sitting on the balcony, etc. You know, those pictures that make you think, "What a sweet, perfect family!" It's ridiculous, but I look at those pictures on other people's pages and think, "I wish our lives were like that- fun and easy." Deep down I know that everyone has a story and that those people could be struggling with major issues, but don't fun pictures paint pretty stories?

I've decided that I'm a living example that you can be a happy person and worry too much. My name is April, and I'm a happy worrier. I'm generally a very happy person. I smile a lot, and most of my days are very good ones. However, I worry way too much. Maybe that's one reason God gave me Mike, who never very rarely worries. One night a few weeks ago, I had a horrible headache and told Mike that I thought it was stress-induced. {Background: We'd found out Mike's bilirubin and hemoglobin levels were not normal. We thought it might be cancer-related. He's also having an extremely hard time walking, due to muscle and nerve damage in his legs.} When I mentioned the word stress, Mike said, "Really? What are you stressed out about?" SERIOUSLY! This is my husband. This is how he's managed to fight cancer for almost 11 years. He has faith and leaves the rest to God. I struggle to leave my worries at the alter through the entire church service.

Mike says {in a very nice way} that I have a problem with pride. I thought men were the ones who struggled with pride! But I definitely worry too much about what people think about me/our family. God's worked in me regarding this ugly sin, but since having Trent, it's surfaced its ugly head once again. Lately I've focused on the fact that Trent doesn't say 20-50 words. I wonder if he would be talking more if I stayed at home with him. I worry that people think I'm not a good mom because my child isn't speaking in complete sentences at 19 months. It's crazy!! I know he is perfectly fine, but I still think about it. Another reminder that God is still working on my pride is the fact that I hate that people stare at us. Mike has a lot of trouble walking these days. He walks extremely slow, and it looks like every step is painful. I would probably stare at somebody walking like Mike too, but when I notice the stares, I want to say, "Yes, this is a side effect from his cancer treatment. He has muscle and nerve damage. It's reversible, and he should be able to walk normal again eventually. It isn't hurting him to walk, so please don't think I'm a bad person for letting him carry that diaper bag." Again, crazy! But it went through my mind tonight as we walked into the mexican restaurant.

So, that's the unedited me. I bet you wish I'd posted the beach pictures:)

Mike finds out tomorrow if he is going to stay on the treatment that is causing all of the leg issues. Please pray for peace. I'm trying to give it to God. As much as I want Mike to be cancer-free, I also want him to be able to walk, run and play with Trent.

Since I can't post without a picture, I'll leave you with this one.


This picture is a great reminder that

"Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God… "

* Lyrics from Chris Tomlin's "Our God"

Mike's Caringbridge link