Happy Birthday Sis!

Happy 4th Birthday Aubrie!

At 6:15 PM - 4 years ago we first met & your daddy bawled his eyes out & literally got lost in Mattoon on his way back with food! 

I can't believe you are 4 already!  It seems like yesterday that you looked like this -

Now you are such a big girl!

 You amaze us every day.  We love you so very much and can't imagine our lives without your smile in it!  Enjoy your day because it's all for you!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Little Four Eyes

Today I'm going to blog about something a bit more serious.  Your kids.  Really - if you have children - get their eyes tested by an opthamologist by age 1.  You have no idea how important this is!  I tell people all of the time, but I think they think I'm crazy.

I want to share my story about Aubrie.

To start off - I do not wear glasses, nor does my husband, or our siblings.  Only one grandparent in our immediate family has glasses.  So I never once thought that any of my children would have vision problems.  Boy - I was wrong.  At 18 months, Aubrie started crossing her eyes.  I thought it was something she was doing to be cute.  Well - FYI - kids don't cross their eyes at that age to be cute.  They do it because they have a vision issue.

So I tell her pediatrician at her 18 month checkup & he confirms that no something is wrong with her eyes & I needed to see a pediatric opthamologist.  Up until this point - no one thought she had a problem.  Pediatricians rarely catch this - seriously they just don't.  Aubrie was smart - she put puzzles together with the brown side up.  She knew her colors & her shapes.  We were so very amazed at what she was doing if she had a problem seeing.

So we finally get an appointment with her pediatric opthamologist - these are hard to find in podunk IL.  It took 2 full months to get in - to top all this off - I was very pregnant with Everett.  He was due August 12th, and Aubrie's appointment was made for August 15th.  It was the soonest she could get in and I was bound & determined someone was taking her that day because we already waited 2 months.  Well - Everett is stubborn and I was overdue - so my Mom and I took her to see this doctor.  He was terrible.  He didn't like kids & he was rude to us.  He told me that we weren't right that Aubrie just had a wide nose bridge, but he'd still look at her eyes.  Well they dilated her eyes & shined a flash light in them over a prism.  When the eyes turn red like camera red eye - you have found the prescription - seriously - it is that easy.  He was so wrong - she may have a wide nose bridge, but she was very far-sighted.  She needed a glasses prescription in both eyes of +5.5.

I just couldn't believe it.  How could my baby have never see my face close up when I rocked her to sleep?  I looked at pictures of kids in glasses & I bawled.  Remember - very pregnant here & hormonal.  I was just sure that these glasses would look like the bad 80s plastic glasses & hide her unnaturally long gorgeous eye lashes & beautiful brown eyes.

So the next day - I go in to be induced with Everett & I put my sisters in charge.  I send them to take Aubrie to get her glasses.  I trust their judgement & again I didn't want her waiting another day to see me.  So all you moms - imagine getting a picture text mid-contraction - hard labor - of your baby girl in her new glasses - but bawling her eyes out.  Yes - thank you Abbie for that one!  So I'm in labor - crying again.  She hated her really cute tiny purple glasses.

Thank the lord for the two Moms.  They reassured her and manipulated her into them.  With her you have to manipulate everything before she thinks it's cool.  From that point on - she wore her glasses & loved them.  She is now almost 4 and on her 3rd pair of frames - in a +5.75 prescription (we stayed the same this year - hooray!).  Her glasses don't hide how beautiful she is - they enhance it.  It is her identity.  She's pretty cute don'tyou think!

So again - check out your babies eyes by age 1 (you can't afford not to) - it's important!  It's very genetic - so all my kids & nieces/nephews are getting eye exams - doctors orders.  If you know anyone who is getting glasses for their children point them to Little Four Eyes.  Ann created this site for parents with children in glasses.  It's a great community & I wish I knew about it when Aubrie was first diagnosed.  It was a blessing to find & I check this website out often to help new parents who have the same fears that I do.

Oh and great news - Everett was tested at 1 - and he has perfect vision!

Mom's House - Part 6 of 6!!! The Best for Last!

OK prepare yourselves now.  These pictures are the things that makes my mom's house stunning every day.  I hope this post blows your mind!  I think it most likely will!

Her Kitchen:

Please keep in mind - this is an addition - all new space.  However, she took old cabinets & made a beautiful kitchen.  I love her sink - you want it too!  and the two cabinets to the right - fabulous!

I should have taken a picture of the large parsens table - Dad built it and it seats 8 with mismatched chairs - also great!

This baby goes clear to the ceilling!  It holds tons of food it is to the right of the pictures above to make the kitchen an L.

An old diners menu from Litchfield, IL - very cool!

Another old diner menu that is very cool with some oversized silverware & a huge turquoise bowl.

Perfect above the stove - a medicine cabinet becomes a spice rack!

Take an old lampshade & wrap it with beads - glorious!  This is not for Christmas - this is every day fabulous!

A window daybed - all the grand babies like to sleep here!  It has a christmas theme to it right now.

Right next to the daybed is a hilarious bird lamp & a reupholstered rocker for the grandkids.

The Living Room:

Now you know where I get my love of color!

My mom loves a grandma look. She has lots of fat chairs and mixed fabric - and it always works!  Behind this chair is a great attendance board from a very small church!  It's amazing - it even has the offering amount!  There is also a very neat old church on the cabinet you have already seen - lots of treasures to be found here!

Mom collects chairs.  This is just a really great way to show them off.  In case you can't tell - those shelves are filled with old doll furniture.  Great showcase isn't it!

Dad's Office:

She recently went black in here, and I really like it. She has another grandma loveseat in here.  Mixing fabrics & colors - again is working for her stuff!

My Dad is a farmer - he does all the typical IL grains.  He also has a large herd of cattle.  So it's only fitting that he has a collection of cows in his office.  My favorite thing is the old sign.  It says my grandpa's name.  I believe my Dad found it in the barn after Grandpa passed.  Sisters - I call dibs on that!

Another grandma fat chair & an old door creates a cozy setting.

This is the downstairs bathroom.  It's small, but it works well b/c it's mainly Dad's bathroom.  Beadboard = wonderfulness!  Shower curtain sewn by Annie!

This is hilarious - and only fitting in Dad's bathroom.  He thinks he is the biggest & baddest man around & the boss of all the bosses!

This is the laundry room.  Here is another amazing door Mom has added.  It goes between the laundry room & living room.  I love her old mother hubbard print on the wall.

I hope you enjoyed the first level of my mama's house.  Give her some props b/c she deserves it - she works her booty off decorating this baby up for every single holiday!  What is your absolute favorite thing in her house? 

This spring I'll feature her upstairs b/c there are count them - 3 bedrooms up there and 2 bathrooms you will be loving.  She also has beautiful gardens that you will love!

FYI - This is the type of house I hope to have some day!  Since I'm 27, I have years of collecting ahead of me!

Mom's House - Part 5 of 6!!!

I will admit - this post isn't as great as the others, but it's important to my family and who we are.  We (as in Mom) used to breed pugs - not in a weird like 20 dog way, but my parents did.  We had Macy Mae, Stella Rue, Rita Rose, & Wally Eugene.  We truly loved these dogs & they all lived in the house in slept in beds with us.  If you ever need a proper dogs for kids - go pug 100%.  I have never met a pug that wasn't nice.  I now own a rescued pug - I have had her since I was 20...she's a brat, but I love her.

This is Trudie Claudette.  She takes daily abuse from my two kids.  They pull her nipples (probably too much information - sorry), they hug and kiss her, occassionally Everett bites her and gets in trouble, and they love her very much.  She's very special to us!

So back to my Mom's house - every great kitchen needs huge old metal letters - that say pug of course.  This is the door to the back porch & yard - where the pugs go out.

  I seriously want these bad (Mom remember this - pencil my name on the back of these!  ha ha)

This is where Rita & Stella sleep - it's their dog bed.  They are obese - so it's a tight fit!  My pug also has one of these at my house - a must for queen dogs!

Here is Stella (black), & Rita (fawn) - they are truly exhausted at my picture taking!  They are literally a good 12 pounds heavier than my pug - almost twice her size - they are obese!  They are both retired from the pug breeding business.  They sleep & eat all day.  We love them very much!

Oh and a special shout out to Jade - Leg Anniversary!  (Inside family joke - Jade ran over Stella with 2 tires one Thanksgiving day in college - about 7 years ago).  Her leg was pinned twice with no luck - now she has a bum leg she carries around, but she's alive!  To this day - we sing leg anniversary - a song made up by of course me - to Jade on Thanksgiving day!  He really loves it - seriously - who wouldn't!