WOW it's been to long

I guess I could make a bunch of silly excuses about my lack of blog interest but I've just had a crazy year and will promise to be better in 2013!  Piper is growing and changing so fast that some days I wish I could take a nap and some days I could cry wishing to slow it down so I can take it all in! She is smart, very funny, silly, sharp as a tack. She loves her baby dolls and stripping off every stitch of their cloths! She is in her second year of "school" at our church.  She LOVES her teachers, Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Tabitha! She randomly asks me where is my Truett and my friends? She is very kind and thoughtful and just has a big loving heart. Depending on what is going on with us when she asks about her friends, I'll say so and so is brushing teeth and going potty getting ready for bed, or so and so is going to Walmart with his mom too! The house is in great shape after the tornado.  Don't know if I'd say we are recovered...not sure you ever recover. Yes we've rebuilt and changed some things but I don't think we'll ever get over what we've been through.  During the past three years, my brothers and I have gone from all living in the same area that our Mother lives in to each living hours and hours apart. BIG change for all of us.  I miss my family desperately.   Holidays are very sad when you're alone.  I have John and Piper, but sure miss the extended family! We have alot of yard work planned for the spring and several trips in 2013 also! Stay tuned and I promise to be a little more in touch in the coming year!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Piper!

Birthday girl, trying to wake up!

Pink tricycle was a huge hit! Thanks Heather, Jay and Marlon!


2 year old close up! L.O.V.E this sweet face!

Jay, Heather and Marlon with Piper the princess!

it's a new baby doll!

yellow has always been Piper's favorite color!

yummy cake from ? ill fill that in later today!

John, Jay, Heather, Marlon and Piper!

Piper loves her Uncle Ralph and this train!

Piper and granny (age 86)playing music together!

Piper is the tallest girl in her "class" at school!

Happy, Happy Birthday Piper! You are the best thing that's ever happened to me! I really don't know how I lived before I met you! Life is full and busy with you at 2! You love to be into everything and seem to be in constant motion! Your teachers at school LOVE you to pieces!, even the director, Kerry, that had to walk you up and down the halls for two months cause you cried everyday! Now you march right in and wave bye to me as your walking toward the toys and your little friends! You are giving lots of hugs and blowing kisses too! The funniest thing you say right now is a long drawn out WEEEEELLLLLLL! You say it at just the right time and we have no clue where you learned this?! You will try about any food we put in front of you, but, would prefer chicken for every meal!

My purposeful word for 2012?

I have thought and prayed about this concept for a few weeks now. I wondered if it would really mean anything to me? Would the daily thinking on this WORD help me to be more patient with everything and everyone that it was important to be patient with? We shall see, but I'll admit that I have very high hopes! Last year, I attempted to read the Bible in a year. I failed. My goal was to get up a little early every day and do my reading at the dinning table where there was good light and I'd be on the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms so I wouldn't wake John and Piper. Well......some days I overslept, some days I had been up and down with Piper, some days I was just plain old lazy. I can be pretty tough on myself. This is a new year and I'm working on forgiving myself and moving on! I'll come back here and add some new links for reading that are much more manageable!

I need to also admit that the April 2011 tornado has changed me. I've always been pretty brave I guess. Not anymore. If the wind is blowing much or it looks like it could storm, I want to be at home in my "safe place". The Lord spared our live on that April day and I am so grateful!, but, I also wonder why He did? I want to be open, to what He needs from me. I'm a planner/list maker, and sometimes it's tough to let that go and really focus and listen to what it is He is saying!

Happy New Year!!!

WOW! It's seems impossible that 2011 has come to a close and that today we all get to start fresh! Also mind boggling that in 9 short days we will celebrate the 2nd anniversary of our meeting Piper! A Mickey Mouse party is in the works, at Heather's new house, in south Huntsville! There should be pleanty of red and yellow for sure since Mickey is Piper's current obsession! After the craziness of 2011, we are hopeful for a healthy & low key 2012! Hope to {at least} do monthly posts here so you all can watch Piper grow!

This little sheep handprint is the first ornament that Piper made for us at Sunday school! I nearly cried when we went to pick her up. The teacher handed it to me and told me they learned about the sheep that were at the manger with the baby Jesus. Piper says hand every time she spots it on the tree!

This is the ornament I bought Piper this year. We sing You are my Sunshine
almost daily so it's perfect for us!


This is Piper before church on December 18th! I've taken so many pictures of her, when I ask her to smile for meemaw she giggles and makes silly faces at me! Well, I guess that's it for now! Happy New Year and I'll look forward to hearing from you all in the comments!

Christmas 2011

Wow! I wonder if anyone but me is reading this blog? Life has sure been busy this year! We put our tree up today and will decorate it tomorrow with Heather and Jay. More pics to come, I promise. Piper was so excited when we plugged it in! Can't wait to share pics from Christmas morning!

ps. Piper was dancing and "singing" around the tree!

Forever Family Day!

This is the day I've waited for all my life! Friday at 9am, this tiny miracle will become Miss Piper Raine Conley! I guess I'm still in shock. Sort of feels like I'm watching a movie in slow motion. She is everything I've always dreamed of in a daughter...Pure JOY!!! It's been a long 18 months and every moment has been so worth the wait!

Lookin' at some Positives...

We are alive! Praise God for that with every breath I take! John's daughter, Heather, called to warn us about 3 minutes before we got hit by the f4 tornado. Our power had been flickering on and off for several hours and when she called it had been off for about 10 straight minutes.

Thankful that the tiny hallway where we were standing stood strong and shielded us from flying debris and glass!

Thankful that my mamaws old Singer sewing machine was placed in a little bumped out spot by the master bedroom door and it was not hurt at all!

Thankful my mamaws very old platter that she used to serve my papa his breakfast on was not hurt!

Thankful that I've never really been attached to material stuff because the windows in our master closet blew in - so we lost all of our cloths, shoes, belts, purses, etc. because of the blowing glass and miscellaneous debris. I had a pair of flip flops in the back of my SUV and don't even remember putting them there...that's the only pair of shoes I had left. Only cloths we had left was what I had in the washer and dryer when we were hit by the tornado.

So thankful for my sweet hubby, John and our beloved little toot and tiny pooch, Abby! Glad we were all together when this happened to us!

I may add to this list as the days go by. Right now we are all overwhelmed with "tornado business"! Seems like this event has consumed our lives since April 27th. Constant phone calls, meeting the contractor, roofers, drywallers, painters. It's really odd not knowing where our stuff is. ServPro came and packed up what was left and moved it to a warehouse. They will sort and clean everything and then bring it back to us when we are ready to move back in. We had talked about painting the dinning room a darker color and now it's done! Can't wait to share pics with everyone! I had told John on Tuesday night that I would love to have a new fence cause the one we had was ugly...that will be replaced now also!