Playground!

Thanks to some wonderful friends, we were blessed with a new "playground" for Hope this weekend! Our friend's kids were getting too big for it so she offered to sell it to us for a great price! Never did we think we'd have play stuff in our backyard, but God totally provided this one, complete with monthly payments! We have played outside every day since we got it and Hope loves it! She asks to see her playground first thing each morning and then eagerly waits for it to be time to play outside! I am so thankful for this unexpected blessing in our lives!
She wasn't too sure about the sand at first, but now she loves it! Our friends left a Thomas shovel and mold and Hope thinks it is the greatest thing ever!
She loves to go up and down over and over again and flies off the slide at the bottom! This is the perfect size for her and I am so thankful for the outside time it is providing for us!
It was freezing (it literally snowed later in the day) at our friend's house when we picked it up on Saturday and was still quite cold when we got it home. Jaye hosed it off as he was putting it together and Hope just couldn't stay away. She was soaked from head to toe, but could have cared less! The playground even has 2 cute little seats which she was thrilled about! We got a picnic table and teeter-totter too! Too much fun!

He Is With You

Tonight at work I spent a lot of time with some pretty amazing middle school students. These students were on their way home from camp and had a pretty scary experience that brought them to me. In the midst of Dr.'s and nurses seeing them and being questioned by lots of people, I was able to connect with 3 of the students and talk to them about what they had learned. The one student, the youngest of them all, told me that she learned that God is with her. What a perfect and important thing to have learned, just in time! This opened doors for us to talk about how God was with them today, even in the midst of something very scary. When I asked 2 of the other students what they had learned they both shared and we were able to talk together about their weekend and indeed, how God was with them. I am so thankful for the time I spent with these three tonight and I pray that this day will remain on their hearts as one where they truly felt and knew that God was with them.

God tends to speak to my heart through music and as I talked to these students tonight, a song immediately started going through my head. It's one that I have loved since the 1st time I heard it and I found myself singing it all night. God is indeed with us and was most certainly with these students today. It was His mighty hand that protected each of them and brought them out safely. Here are the lyrics:

He is With You, by Mandisa

There's a time to live
And a time to die
There's a time to laugh
And a time to cry

There's a time for war
And a time for peace
There's a hand to hold
In the worst of things
In the worst of things

He is with you when your faith is dead
And you can't even get out of bed
Or your husband doesn't kiss you anymore
He is with you when your baby's gone
And your house is still
And your hearts are stone
Crying "God what'd you do that for?"
He is with you

There's a time for yes
And a time for no
There's a time to be angry
And a time to let it go
There's a time to run
And a time to face it
There's love to seek
In all of this
Through all of this

He is with you in the conference room
When the world is coming down on you
And your wife and kids don't know you anymore
And He is with you in the ICU when the doctors don't know what to do
And it scares you to the core
He is with you

We may weep for a time but joy will come in the morning
The morning light

He is with you when your kids are grown
When there's too much space and you feel alone
And your worried if you got it right or wrong
Yes He is with you when you've given up on ever finding your true love
Someone who feels like home
He is with you

When nothing else is left and you take your final breath
He is with you

He is with you

The Lord Saves

"Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed. He answers them from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and

STAND FIRM."

-Psalm 20:6-8

Happy Birthday Jaye!

Valentine's Day just happens to also be Jaye's birthday so it is an extra special day in our house! Here's a pictoral guide to our great day...

Hope and I woke Jaye up and brought his presents to him. Hope was excited to tell him "Happy bithday" and then quickly told him "Is Dumbo day, small world day, Peter Pan day"!! She was excited to celebrate her Daddy and give him her cards and gift!

For Valentine's Day, we gave Hope a little basket with some Toy Story chocolates and some princess chapstick. She was quite enthralled with her chapstick and it soon covered her face with sparkles! She just couldn't get enough!

After exchanging gifts we all headed to Gymboree. I was so glad Jaye got to come to Gymboree with us and I think Hope loved having him there too! After Gymboree we were off to Disney!

Hope's requests were Dumbo and Small World so that's where we went first!

She was quite happy to pose for the camera so I was quite happy to take LOTS of pictures!

She looked so cute in her red and polka-dots...I really tried to get a good picture!

Around 5pm, we dropped Hope off at Grandma and Grandpa's house and headed back to Disney for dinner at our favorite place, Storyteller's Cafe. This was our 4th year going there for Valentine's Day and Jaye's birthday! It was so wonderful to eat our meal at our own pace, to enjoy several trips to the buffet and sip a great bottle of wine! Eating in peace was wonderful!

Earlier in the day we had picked up fast-passes for Space Mountain. We hadn't gone on it together in at least 3 years! Well, it wasn't working when we got over there so we went to see Captain EO instead. I had never seen in so let me tell you, it was quite amusing! I couldn't help but laugh at how cheesy it was and I was very entertained by our bouncing seats!

Thankfully, Space Mountain was open when we got out of Captain EO! It was so much fun!

We had a wonderful day together and I am so thankful for each part of it!!!

Happy birthday sweet Jaye, I love you so much and am so blessed to share my life with you each day! Hope and I are the luckiest girls alive to have a man like you to provide for us and care for us like you do! Thank you for loving us so well and for being your kind, thoughtful, and generous self! We think you are amazing and we wouldn't trade you for the world!!

Space

Today has been one of those days. Me waking up tired (thanks to my daughter who has decided that its fun to wake up early) and Hope being extra naughty, have not been a good combo today. I don't know what it is or what has been up, but today is one of those days where I am wishing for a do-over or just for it to be over even. She has been a roll today and has been quite out of control and I am so ready for some space!

Usually, we go to the mall weekly just to get out of the house and walk around. We usually hit our 3 favorite stores: The "Bear Store" (Build-A-Bear), the "Mickey Store" (Disney store), and the "Doggie Store". We don't usually buy anything, just walk around and look...and she usually loves it and is quite content to sit in her stroller. NOT TODAY. We stopped at the Bear Store and I actually let her make one (she's made 4 for others, but never one for herself) and we found a little something for Daddy's birthday. Next we stopped in Gymboree to look for a sweater I had seen that was finally on sale. She was beyond naughty...shouting and throwing everything (her cup, her snacks, her ladybug and its house) on the floor. I should've turned around and gone home at that point. But...I didn't. By the time we left the mall I was flustered and on-edge. We had made plans to meet friends for lunch so we hurried down the freeway to make it on time. Hope decided she didn't like anything at the table for lunch so her lunch consisted of water and ice cream. It wasn't worth the fight.

Thankfully she went to bed as soon as we got home! I caught a 30 minute nap and woke up to Hope's squawking (my least favorite sound) and she was crabby as can be. Let the fun continue! So, I won't bore you with the rest of the naughtiness, but it continued most of the afternoon and into the evening.

So...all that brings me to desperately wanting space today! I got a new sewing machine for Christmas and am itching to be crafty, but little Miss Naught-Pants ruined our 1st trip to JoAnn's for fabric and bobbins. Still nothing to try my machine on, thanks to Hope. I had thought about painting something as I've seen lots of fun ideas on craft blogs, but I cannot imagine trying to do anything with Hope anywhere near me as it would turn into a disaster. I am past due to get fitted for a new bra since nothing fits after Hope, but that was a HUGE disaster and we walked out of the store as I apologized to the lady. It's the little things that I really miss being able to do BY MYSELF!!! I look forward to my 1 decent shower of the week each weekend when Jaye is home...When you have a (almost) 2 year old in the other room, you can't afford to take more than a 5 minute shower for fear of what you'll come out to. I just miss having space. I want to create, I want to sit all by myself somewhere without being whined at, pulled on, or crawled on. I wish I was one to get my hair or nails done often...then at least I'd have a guaranteed few minutes of peace and quite.

Okay, I'll stop venting now. I really do love my little Princess with all my heart and 9 days out of 10 I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything! Most days I love playing all day and spending every waking minute with my sweet girl, but today I find myself tired, grouchy, and ready for a new day...a good day where I'll wake up with a happy attitude and enjoy each moment!!!

22 Months

Hope has been 22 months for a week now, but I forgot to write a little something. So...let's see, what is she into?! I think the better question would be, "What is she NOT into?".

-She loves to pretend. She plays with her Little People house daily. All of her princess, animals, characters, etc. rotate through each day. Her people and princesses often have parades and line up to go to Disneyland. (yes, Disneyland is still a favorite)
-Her house is now filled with all of her stuffed animals. She loves to go in, shut the door, and then lay in the middle of them all. I get invited into her house daily and I love our time playing in there! She's now quite good at going in and out of the windows!
-Hope is a pancake monster! Her favorite for breakfast is mini pancakes. She eats 7 or 8 and loves to dip them in her syrup. As I type, she has eaten all the pancakes and is now dipping her fingers in the syrup, giving me a play-by-play..."finger, eat it, dip, mmmm".
-Jaye has built quite the stack of DVDs now on top of the TV. Hope loves to stare up at them and pick which one to watch. She rarely watches more than 10 minutes, but they provide the soundtrack to our days. Her current favorites are The Little Mermaid and Toy Story.
-After 1 week of Gymboree, Hope asks daily for "Dimborine" and tells me all the things she does there..."jump, tunnel, bubbles, go up slide, etc." We made it twice last week and we will head that way in the morning again! So far, so good!
-Hope loves her Daddy! (who doesn't!?) She gets so excited when she hears the garage open in the evenings! She loves to watch movies and eat popcorn with Daddy whenever possible! She still rides the train with Jaye 3 nights a week and loves her choo choo time!
-She is a chatterbox! Many people comment on how verbal Hope is. I love that she can tell me what it is she wants now!! I love hearing her little voice and listening to her play!
-Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles! Hope LOVES bubbles! Really, I think she loves them because it gives her an excuse to run around in circles and be silly! (o: She loves to twirl and spin!

In general, Hope is such a happy kid! I've told Jaye several times this week how thankful I am for her and her happy heart. She loves to give presents and really seems to understand the concept of giving. She is quick to share a toy or ball and is concerned with those around her. She is beginning to say "thank you" on her own, without prompting. She is beginning to become more aware of friends and is becoming quite social. She is such a happy-go-lucky and easy-going kid! I am a proud Mommy of my sweet little girl with a big heart!!!

Pure JOY!!!

Can they be any cuter or happier?!?! Had to share this!

Gymboree!

I've been debating for awhile about whether or not to join Gymboree with Hope. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Being that we have little to no structure at our house and I often have no ideas of what to do with Hope, I thought a little structured playtime outside the house would be good for both of us! A friend from work has a son 2 months younger than Hope who lives nearby so we decided to try out a free class and see how the kids liked it.
Hope and I got to Gymboree 10 minutes early so we got the whole play floor to ourselves for a bit! The first thing Hope noticed was all the balls...she was thrilled!!! Once class started we sang a bit and played a bit and it was really fun! I liked that they'd have a group activity for 5 minutes and then they'd let the kids go play and explore for 10 minutes and then we'd go back to a group activity. When they brought out the parachute towards the end Hope was in awe! She LOVED sitting on top and running under and everything about it!

So needless to say, Gymboree will now be getting monthly payments from the Howard household in exchange for an hour of structured play and hopefully an hour or two of free play at the Gym each week! As much as it kills me to pay for Gymboree, I am looking forward to lots of playing and maybe even meeting new friends! Hey, if I pick up an extra shift each month that will more than cover our playtime! (o: Oh the things we do for our kids!!!