Happy Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day today at my brother's house. I was lucky enough to celebrate with my daughter, my mother AND grandmother. Happy Mother's Day to all of you who wish to be mothers, who cannot be mothers, who soon will be mothers and who are mothers. May God bless all of you!

Olivia with Grandma and Grandpa Sailing

Izzy

Grandma Sailing and Olivia

Aww mom. . .don't brush my hair!

My cousin, David, and his little boy, Zachary.

Back In The Swing

Ryan's grandma recently found out that she has breast cancer. It seems that it was caught early, thankfully. Today, she had surgery to remove the cancer and it seems that they got all of it and found no evidence of it in her lymph nodes. Please pray for a speedy recovery. She will continue with radiation and then a medication. Cancer is such a scary thing.

Tomorrow, Jazzercise is sponsoring a Back in The Swing breast cancer fundraiser. They will have four classes at 7:10 am, 8:20 am, 9:30 am and 10:40 am. I will be attending the 10:40 am class, of course. When have you known me to get up earlier than I have to? To take the class, you just need to make a $10 donation.

2260 N. Ridge Rd (behind Quik Trip at 21st and Ridge.)
Wichita, KS

Please come out and join us if you'd like. I know that I'll be thinking of Ryan's grandma all morning.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 - Update

It was a busy, busy day today. We started with Olivia's occupational therapy, which she really loves. It's probably because if she does a good job, she gets to swing at the end! Then, we headed to my sister-in-law's house for lunch and Olivia and Izzy played outside again today. They got a slip-n-slide that the girls got to try out. They didn't quite get the running start needed to really slide (or they just don't make them like they used to.) Izzy understood the concept, but because it wasn't quite slick enough so she crawled down into the pool at the end. I laughed out loud when she looked up at me and said, "This is fun!" Oh, but it is supposed to be so much more fun! Olivia just walked down the slide and wasn't too sure about getting soaked. But, whatever they do. . . those two have so much fun doing it.

Afterwards, Olivia hung out with two more of her cousins. . .Julia and Rebekah. . .while the mommies worked out to Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I came home exhausted!! I am so very ready for bed. Here's hoping Olivia sleeps in late tomorrow!

Peonies

Now, I'll admit. . .I am no gardener. I don't like to get my hands dirty, I don't like to pull weeds, I don't like the creepy crawly things I find when I do. I don't know the names of most flowers or whether to plant them in the partial or full sun. But, I love to watch my flowers bloom. I love how they start with just a seed and grow into something so beautiful. I love how one day there are only buds and the next. . .beautiful flowers. I love my peonies. They only bloom for but a few days a year, but I love them when they do. And this picture was taken on Sunday. You should see the blooms today!!! It reminds me of one of my favorite poems of all time that I wanted to share with you.

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so easily,
But in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in God for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance
In each step of the way.

The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord knows.
I'll trust God to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

Author Unknown.

Simple Arithmetic

Gorgeous weather

+

Gus

(Olivia's furry cousin)
+

Two cousins and best friends
+
A playhouse
+
juice
+
chairs out on the lawn
+
puppy dog sprinkler

+
popsicles
+

a water table
=

A wonderful, enjoyable day and a very happy Olivia.

Sunday, May 2, 2010 - Update

What a gorgeous day!! We just had to spend the day outside, so we headed to the zoo. When we pulled in, Olivia squealed "gafingoes!" So, we had to see the gafingoes, of course. Any guesses on what those are? Sadly, we didn't stay for too long. Not only did everyone have the same idea as us, but there was a huge cinco de mayo celebration. I've never seen so many people!! It was a. . . zoo!! :) As we were leaving, however, Olivia fell in love with a stuffed gafingo and because of the way she hugged it and loved up on it. . .we had to take it home. So, now she has a stuffed "flamingo" that she takes everywhere. She even tossed Gogum and Lily onto the floor in place of her new friend. Now, I'm off to start writing a children's book called Gogum and Gafingo. LOL.

Bible Verse Week Two

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

P.S. If you see me, ask me to recite Isaiah 40:31

Choo Choo

Olivia has started to LOVE playing trains. The other day, at Toys R Us, there was a train table set up and she could have stayed and played for hours. So, we decided to probably get Olivia a train set with a train table for her birthday. Then, I discovered how expensive train tables were. This morning, however, I found an Imaginarium train table at a neighbor's garage sale for $40!! I thought that was a pretty good deal considering it's in good condition and it would probably cost about that much to make one. It didn't come with any trains, but Olivia loves pushing her cars on it for now. We just have to figure out where to put it since it won't be taking up permanent residence in our living room.

Thursday, April 29, 2010 - Update

Olivia hasn't been able to spend much time outside the last few days due to the 40+ mph winds. It's just awful here and it hasn't let up. I don't see how we haven't taken 'The Windy City' title away from Chicago. I've lived here my whole life and the wind remains one of my biggest complaints. Okay, enough about that.

Last night, the three of us just layed on the floor laughing and playing. Olivia told us where we had to lay and then proceeded to climb, run, jump and fall on us. Her laugh is so contagious. Then, she started in with the tickling. . .but she only tickles you in one place. I've tried to tell her that the eyeball isn't ticklish, but she doesn't care. She wiggles her fingers, says "tickle tickle tickle" and pokes you in the eye.

Olivia and I have both been a little under the weather. I spent the day yesterday wondering if my head was truly going to explode. Because Olivia has been a bit congested, she threw up last night and got it all in her hair. We thought the quickest way to clean Olivia up would be for daddy to take her in the shower. She hated the shower (she always takes baths) and wasn't afraid to tell us so. She always tells us that she likes things by putting the word 'fun' in front of it. . .fun zoo, fun park. Last night, she loudly informed us that the shower was NOT fun and keeps reminding us of that. She also didn't appreciate the fact that her beloved Leap Frog Lily caught some of the vomit as well and they had to be apart while we cleaned her up. Olivia is now sleeping with her Lily and Gogum. . .all is right with the world.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - Update

Getting ready for our road trip.

We visited Jamie and her daughter, Lyric.

We had a great day! Shelley, Izzy, Olivia and I drove down to Independence, KS. I think it was the farthest from home Olivia has been. :) We ate pizza at Big Cheese Pizza (which I hadn't eaten in years) and it was delicious. Then, we played all afternoon at the park. They have a great park there with tons of things to do. The park had a lot of new playground equipment and a lot of old school stuff as well. . .like those slides with a 1/2 inch lip on them and the metal, steep, wobbly stairs. I am terrified of those slides! Of course, Olivia. . .my slide connoisseur. . .would have gone on all of them. . .by herself. . . if she could. That girl has no fear! After playing all afternoon, Olivia only took a 15-20 minute nap during the 2+ hour ride home and she didn't go to bed any too early either. She is like the Energizer Bunny, I tell ya. I am worn out! But, it was fun and what a welcomed change of plans. Thanks girls for a great day!

The scary slides. . .maybe the stairs are what scare me. Look closely at this picture of Jamie and Lyric going down the slide. See who is climbing up the stairs? It's my daughter trying to give me a heart attack. LOL

Olivia played on this forever!

Monday, April 26, 2010 - Update

Guess what I get to do tomorrow? Mommy and Aunt Shelley are taking me and Izzy to Independence!

Shelley and I have a friend named Jamie who lives in Independence. It is actually THE friend that set Shelley up with my brother. I haven't met Jamie's little girl, Lyric, and she has yet to meet Olivia. I hope we can go. Olivia started getting a runny nose today, which has progressed to a cough. She is already having trouble sleeping tonight. Please pray she isn't sick and that she doesn't continue to get sick every month. We are really looking forward to a girls' road trip tomorrow.

Word On The Rings

For those who are interested in memorizing scripture, here is a great way to do so!!

http://www.westefc.org/media-room/scripture-memory/

Saturday, April 24, 2010 - Update

Yesterday, the girls spent the day at my parents' house. They got Happy Meals that had tiaras in them and they were so cute! They both had a blast!

Is my tiara on straight?

A solemn princess

Princess Izzy and Princess Olivia

All princesses eat fudgesicles, right?

Friday, April 23, 2010 - Update

As some of you know, I was a big Kids Praise / Psalty fan growing up. I had Kids Praise 1-4 on records and Kids Praise 5 on cassette. A few years ago, my brother transferred many of my old records onto CDs. Olivia and I listen to them almost daily and I feel so blessed to have her listening to what I listened to growing up. Well, I recently got the CD of Kids Praise 5 . .it was one of my favorites. One of my favorite songs on the CD is One Step At A Time. I was listening to it in the car today and just burst into tears. Yeah, Olivia probably thought her mom had gone nuts. I listened to those words probably a million times growing up, but they mean something totally different now. The song begins:

When something seems too hard to handle
Too big to conquer, too far away to touch.

When all your dreams begin to shatter
And deep inside you, you're hurtin' oh so much.

Now, I just know that growing up I related to that song as well, but it was probably about my mom not letting me go to the Jets concert or. . .something like that. :) It takes on new meaning for me today as I know the meaning of climbing the highest mountain with Jesus by my side.

Sometimes life gets so complicated and a children's song sorta takes you back to square one and reminds you of what is truly important in life. . .what you need to learn. Yeah. . .this post is kinda corny, but I think we teach our children about what is important in life and sometimes forget to apply it to our own life. I haven't memorized a bible verse since I went to Awanas, but that's still important to us as adults. So, I'm going to try to memorize more scripture even though I'm awful at it. Well, I'm not awful at memorizing verses. . .I'm really good forgetting them afterwards. And I know a lot of bible verses, but I don't know where they are found. So, here's my first one:

. . .but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - Update

Olivia wanted to lay on the floor and eat her snacks just like Autumn. When I got out the camera, she told Autumn to say cheese. Crazy girl.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - Update

La la la la la

Olivia still loves musical cards. She had to borrow Julia's birthday card for a bit over the weekend to listen to the beautiful music. She would love to listen to music continuously throughout the day. I'll be curious to see how her love of music plays out as she gets older.

Monday, April 19, 2010 - Update

Lately, Olivia has been really into dollhouses. She saw those cool dollhouses at Hobby Lobby and desperately wanted them down to play with. She's also really into little cars. She has some cute, little bug cars that she calls "rabbit cars" which is a long story, but she LOVES them. She is playing with them too in the pictures below. And, today. . .it was a beautiful day, so I cleaned out her water table. Last year, she didn't care a whole lot for it, but today she loved it and we had a blast. Well, except that every time I turned my head, she was climbing into the water table. Needless to say, she was soaked by the time we headed inside. I have enjoyed watching her interests branch out and change as she gets older. And, I know one little girl who may be getting a big dollhouse for her birthday!

Our family

The Glunt side

We celebrated a lot this weekend. We celebrated the lives of Olivia and Logan by marching for babies. We celebrated my brother-in-law's retun from California. Sadly, he goes back to California on Monday. We also celebrated my niece's birthday. Because the entire family was together again, we took more family pictures. Plus, we hadn't gotten the kids together in their Easter outfits. It was a busy, but wonderful weekend!

I have two exciting bits of news. Olivia has made it to 23 lbs!! She continues to eat and it does my heart good to watch her eat all kinds of food. And to see her gaining weight? Pure joy. Olivia also let me paint her toenails today. I thought I was going to have to wait until she was, like, a preteen to do that. She saw me painting my toenails and it piqued her interest. I let her pick out her own color and she sat still while I painted them and everything. This is a big milestone for her, in my eyes. She is so proud of her painted piggies.