My "Superstar"

Today was Logan's first performance for her Hip Hop dance class. She was AMAZING! The group performed in a professional theatre ($20 a ticket!!) and I was so impressed. The entire studio did so well, and my little Lolo has finally found something that she truly loves! I am one very proud mommy! These are the moments that truly make being a parent so special, and can I just say how much I LOVE having little girls??? It was so cute to do her hair and make-up this morning, and to see her excitement all day!

At one point, she came downstairs and I asked her if she cleaned her room and made her bed. She replied, "I'm a superstar today mom, and superstars don't have to clean their rooms." HA! (Of course I told her that she could get her superstar little behind back upstairs because my superstar DOES have to clean her room!)

What a little munchkin...

Here are some of the highlights.

Living in the moment

Lately I have been struggling with something - trying to appreciate the good, not worry too much about the bad, and live as much as I can in the moment. It isn't easy. Well, at least not for someone like me. I am so worried about Brenna (who is not showing any signs of improvement). This worry seems to be clouding everything else right now, though I am consciously fighting against it. What do you do when one of your children seems to be in so much pain? How do you not worry? How do you try to fully experience the joys of the other stages that your family is going through? My only answer right now is through faith.

This is Brenna pretty much 90% of the day when she's not sleeping.




Isn't that so sad? She is so very uncomfortable and it is all I can do not to cry along with her. My mommy bear instinct wants to keep taking her to the doctor, demand more tests, research endlessly on the internet. However, I know that I have to trust my doctor and leave my worries at the feet of God, especially so that I can focus on my other kids, who by the way, are so amazing!

Case in point: Logan and the chipmunks....

Logan is definitely hitting her tween stage. I can see her trying to discover herself, her interests, her place in this world and it is awesome being a witness to that. I pray every day that I can take it all in, appreciate her growth and guide her in the best way I can. In my efforts to try to reassure her that she has not been lost in the shuffle of things, we have committed to a date night at least once a month. This month, we decided to see a movie. I was surprised to see so many teenagers there without supervision, doing things that I wouldn't necessarily approve of my own children doing. I kept thinking, oh no...this is just a few years away for Logan. Holy moly! This seriously made me want to slow down time, and I was convinced yet again of the importance of living in the moment for ALL of my children.

Just as these thoughts were circling through my head, my little Logan saw something that completely excited her. As if on cue, she reminded me that she was still my baby girl....still so innocent....

And this is what she saw....




Here's my tween, amongst all of those trouble making teenagers, thrilled to take a picture with Alvin and the Chipmunks! I could just hear the whisper in my head....

Enjoy these moments


Thank you Lord for that very needed reminder!


And then there is Hayden who is also entering a new, exciting stage in her life. The toddler stage! She is talking up a storm, dancing, singing, and completely living life to the fullest!

While Brenna is crying about 90% of the day, this is how happy Hayden is about 90% of the day.



What a vivacious little thing she is! I know from past experience how quickly kids go from baby to toddler to school-age....I don't want to miss out on one smile, one laugh, or one new word. So, again, I have to commit myself daily to hand over my worries to God.... To know that no matter what, He loves my children even more than I do, more than I can possibly imagine.... And to always remember that His plans for them are even better than my own!! I am so thankful for my faith during these difficult times, knowing that I can rest in His comfort.

Pumpkins, pirates, potato heads....and, well...puke.

This has been one heck of a week! Not only was I wrapping up one of the most INSANE months of work I have ever had, but we were also dealing with little Brenna's tummy issues. Remember my last post where I thought perhaps we were in the clear with that whole thing? Well, I was sadly mistaken. Things seem to have gotten progressively worse and we're not really sure why. So we had an upper Gi appointment for her, which came back completely normal. You would think I would be elated at those results, and don't get me wrong, I am so thankful it came back that way. At the same time, I am still left a bit frustrated trying to figure out why she seems like she's in so much pain all the time.

Today we went back to the doctor and he started her on a different medication. Boy do I hope this is the magic drug! He also ordered a head ultrasound, which normally would freak me out....but surprisingly, I'm not at all worried. I know that he's just trying to be careful and explore all possibities. I am thankful to have such a thorough pediatrician! I am pretty confident though that these issues are related somehow to eating and digestion, which is why I'm not too concerned over the whole head thing.


But that's not what I wanted to post (except to say that things have been very busy these days!) I have much cuter and sweeter things to talk about.

Like these two beautiful girls....



We went last weekend to the pumpkin patch with Nama. We drove all the way to Escondido, which I wasn't too thrilled about. But once we got there, it was so worth it. The girls had a ton of fun!!



The girls on a hay ride....Hayden was fascinated by the long stalks of corn around us!



Enjoying snow cones!



My sweet girl...



Picking out pumpkins!







For Halloween, we decided not to trick-or-treat this year, and instead just enjoyed time with family.

Here's my little pink pirate and yellow bumble bee.




In lieu of carving pumpkins, we made potato head pumpkins instead - it was so much fun!









And the finished product:




And where is baby Brenna you ask?

Puking of course!


Thanks Deda for holding her so much!!! You're the best!