... started off with a bang! I know, it's now a month after her birthday. Whatever.


We started out with dinner with Grandma and Pepe Bleger, and Aunt CC downtown. Violet was very excited to celebrate big sissy's birthday. Either that or she just figured out that she was getting sugar. Either way, she's cute.





Katrina was very excited about her "special" dinner. You can guess how Madi was feeling...

So, what do we do when we're downtown at the restaurant, waiting for dinner to arrive? Well, we show off how big our muscles are...

... and enjoy Aunt CC's latest photos (of ourselves).

... open all the fabulous birthday presents (the leopard print cape and the pink fleece jacket were her favorites)...

Phillipians 4:4


"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"




Tonight was hard. We sat down with Katrina to talk about Alecia's death. To my surprise, she had already processed much of what we were going to say. She knew that Nevaeh's mommy was really sick, the girls had talked about it at school. These two little girlfriends had talked about Nevaeh's sadness, her fears, her worries. My daughter amazes me. She understood that Nevaeh was not going to have a mommy here anymore, that her mommy was with Jesus. She understood that Alecia did not hurt anymore. She was glad that Nevaeh would have her daddy and her grandparents, but was concerned about what life would be like for her without a mommy. The maturity my daughter showed tonight amazed me.





Today, we are rejoicing, because Alecia is now singing for Jesus. Her beautiful voice is carrying over heaven, ministering to angels and her Daddy alike. The pain she has carried for months is gone.





Today, we are grieving, because Alecia leaves behind two precious little girls and a husband, learning how to deal with life without her.





Today, we are rejoicing, because this family has extended family and friends that will be able to be there to help them grieve, to help them learn this new "normal".





Today, we are grieving, because a life has ended far too soon.




I am so thankful for the "little" things today. The health of my family. My husband. My daughters. Our home. Our life. It isn't perfect. But it is ours. And I am grateful for it.

On Madi's birthday, I wrote about how sad I was that my computer broke, that I couldn't get any photos of my beautiful princess for my blog. Well, my new laptop is chock full of Madi-fabulous goodness. Be warned, I had a hard time choosing photos for this little montage. So I put a bunch in. But I figured, hey, this is my blog, and my kiddo, and I can put in as many photos as I want! So, grab some coffee, buckle in, and away we go!



Here we are, just days before Madi's arrival. Katrina was absolutely certain she was getting a baby sister. We weren't sure. We should have listened to the big sis.






We made sure that Katrina was the first person to hold Madi, after Mom and Dad, of course. It was love at first sight.






And here's our beautiful baby rockin' the hospital clothes.






We couldn't get her to sleep much those first few weeks, but I did figure out she liked to nap in the laundry basket. We've learned not to question her weird sleeping habits. Considering the child now sleeps like a washing machine (around and around and around...).






This was from her first Thanksgiving with the great-grandparents in Phoenix, and one of her first really big smiles. That smile still melts my heart. Although there are a few more teeth in the picture now.





From one of our many adventures to the Rec Center when she was a baby.






Her love of baseball (and baseball hats) started early...





... as did her special relationship with her Uncle Adam.






This was, by far, her most famous face as a baby. It was always accompanied by many "ooh, ooh, ooh" noises.






Here she is with her favorite partner in crime. I think one of her first phrases was, "No Maj".





Miss Katie is, by far, her favorite babysitter. Always has been. Always will be. She will do anything for that young lady.






Enjoying a cruise around the property with her sister. It amazes me to see how much they both have changed.






They're not Daddy's girls at all, are they?






And now, modeling her new pj-wearing technique. Interesting, I know. But, really, everything is with this little girl.

Life has seemed so good for us lately. Jerome and I have reached a new, great level in our relationship. The girls, while still a challenge, daily bring joy and laughter to our home. Our families are doing well. Business is going great. And yet, my heart is hurting for families around us. So many things have happened recently. Things that are the "shouldn't happen to good people" type of things. And it is so hard to see. Our hearts have been heavy, our burden to pray great. I would humbly ask your permission to share a few of their stories, so that you can join us in prayer. Each of these families is truly a treasure, giving so much to our lives. It hurts to see them hurt. Please take some time to pray for these families.



The wife of one of Jerome's co-workers was just diagnosed with breast cancer. They are doing a PET scan today to see whether or not it has spread beyond the breasts, because previous tests have said both yes and no. She is undergoing a full round of chemo, and then will have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in December. To top it off, their beautiful baby girl, born in December, was just diagnosed with hip dysplasia. She has just been fitted with casts that she will wear until her hips heal correctly.



The husband of one of Jerome's co-workers had a tragic ATV accident this weekend. He was driving, and the vehicle rolled, crushing his hand underneath. They flew him to Denver because his hand was severed. The surgery to reattach his hand was unsuccessful, and they are amputating the hand today.



One of the matriarchs of our church had a heart attack this week. I spoke with one of her (many) daughters today, and she is in intensive care at our local hospital. I have known this woman literally as long as I can remember, and she is probably the last woman I would expect to fall ill. I just saw her on Sunday, gave her a big hug, and got caught up on all her extended family's gossip. She is one of the most active, caring women I have ever met. Needless to say, her family is in shock, and deeply saddened.



The last situation I can barely describe without tears. The mother of one of Katrina's dear friends is deathly ill. In July, at seven and a half months pregnant, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. They delivered the beautiful baby girl early so that they could begin treatments on the mom. There have been numerous complications, and while the baby is healthy, Mom is not. She is extremely dehydrated. On Sunday, the fluids (blocked from hydrating her due to the cancer) backed up into her lungs, causing it to collapse. The surgery to repair her lung has left her on a ventilator and in extreme pain. She is sedated, and will probably not be awakened from this. They are going to take her off of the blood pressure medication this morning. The doctors are anticipating that she will probably be with Jesus by this evening.



We got to see her husband and Katrina's friend at a birthday party a few weeks ago. He was exhausted, but hopeful. He said that she is a fighter, that this battle has only strengthened her faith in God. He has been taking care of a newborn and a six year old, working a full time job to support his family, and spending as much time at the hospital with his beautiful wife as possible. He has extended family surrounding him, but still, his burden is great.



My heart hurts. I saw this beautiful, strong woman not days before she was flown to Denver in July. They had no idea anything was wrong. She was just looking forward to being able to reach her toes again. And, now,unless there is a true miracle, her children will be without a mother by the end of the day. How do you explain death to a six-year-old?



I know full well that I will most likely have to sit down with my baby tomorrow night and try to help her understand why her dear little friend's mommy went to be with Jesus. Katrina is so sensitive - she cried when we told her Nevaeh's mommy was sick, she cried for joy when the baby was born healthy, she cried the first time we saw them back in Durango. I know she will cry tomorrow. So will I. How do you help a six-year-old understand?



Thank you for letting me pour my heart. It is heavy, and it hurts. I don't understand why all this is happening, right now. But I know my God is great. I know my God is good. I know my God is the Ultimate Healer, the Ultimate Physician. And that, above all else, is where we MUST place our trust.

Wow, has it really been almost a month since my last post? Dang, where has this month gone? Oh yeah, under the cloud of life & health insurance books! Don't worry, I passed my test. I am no legally able to harass you about your life insurance needs. But I won't be any more obnoxious than usual, I promise...


Aren't you lucky?


My computer died in the midst of all this, attempting to take 7 years of family photos and our financial records to the grave with it. Thanks to Super Computer Man (a.k.a. good buddy Jonathan Richards) our photographic and financial family history has been restored to my new-to-me laptop which is simply fabulous! I will be transferring the last of the photos to the new 'puter tonight, and backing EVERYTHING up, to be stored in the fireproof safe. I've learned my lesson. All this to say, expect a plethora of picture posts in the near future, as I attempt to update my cyber world on the happenings of my real world.


So, what's happened lately? Well, Madison had a birthday (photos to come), we went to the fair (photos to come), Katrina is in first grade (photos to come), Katrina had a birthday party (photos to come), Violet got her first big girl hair cut (photos to come), and the girls generally caused trouble around the house (yup, you guessed it - photos to come). I got strep for the first time in my life, and had an unexplained yuck for two weeks that the doctor still has no reasonable explanation for. Jerome is getting busier by the day at work, and is generally Super Man and Wonder Daddy around the house.


For the first time in ?????, I am experiencing the peace that surpasses all understanding. Jerome is selling a property that was supposed to close Labor Day weekend. It hasn't closed yet. Because someone at F*nnyMae who is supposed to sign a piece of paper and send it to the title company cannot be reached to sign the piece of paper and send it to the title company. Seriously, that's all that's holding this deal up. For 2 weeks. And these people want to run our health care???


But I digress...


Had this happened 6 months ago, a year ago, I would have been freaking out. But today, peace. I know God's got it. I know He will close the deal. I know there are reasons why this piece of paper has been overlooked. Granted, I am praying for Him to open some eyes (and hustle some chubbies) at F*nnyMae, but I am trusting Him. I know He's got our best intentions in mind. I know He will provide. Because He has before. And He will do it again.


So, I just wanted to drop a line and let you know that I am alive, I am well, and I will be back to the blogging. Because I love it. And I love you guys!


P.S. When I ran the spell check for this post, it highlighted chubbies. I think that's funny...