The Michals Family

December Daily

samichals — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:55:30 +0000

Last year I did a scrapbook layout for everyday of December to document our last Christmas as a family of 3. You can see the album pages here. I'm doing it again this year. If you'd like to keep up you can see the pages in this album Here You can also check them out on my blog

until next time…

A Year in Review

samichals — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:49:19 +0000

snuggles with daddy

awaiting Tic Tac

a January Luau

growing the tic tac

good naps

a little fun before tic tac arrives!

Madelynn Alice arrived!

three became four!

Easter

Pure sweetness

Texas Bluebonnets

smiles finally caught on camera!

more good napping

hanging out with good friends!

fountain fun with cousins and uncle joe!

silly time with mama

swim lessons

sister time

pure joy!

no pictures please!

spent the summer in the pool!

nora turned 5 years old!

solids are tasty!

into everything!

back to preschool

a perfect carnival birthday party

mama and nora went to see mary poppins!

sweet!

7 months old

always silly!

Mary Poppins

Raggedy Ann

new hats and much cuteness!

Nora discovered the musical Cats

Cowboys fans!

what happens when big sister dresses up little sis

sisterly love

loves those O's

getting close

Hello Weekend!

samichals — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:21:27 +0000

I’m so glad it’s the weekend. We have absolutely nothing planned except to do a few things around the house, but it’s just nice to be able to enjoy free time. As for me, I’ve got lots more cleaning and organizing to do. I’ve got all of the furniture except for 2 pieces in place. My studio is an absolute wreck which is what I’m working on today. But the living room and dining room are both in order. Are they clean…no, they are a mess! Once I get all the organizing of cabinets and drawers finished, I’ll spend time cleaning or having the cleaning fairies come clean. hmmm…think i’ll let them come do the dirty work! When this is done, we are going to have a well organized and clean house! yay! course i still have to do the slipcovers for the sofas and paint the dining room…*sigh* it will get done before november…i can do it! but if it doesn’t get done by november, well that’s ok too!

miss madelynn is totally amusing us these days. her favorite toy at the moment is any cord be it plugged in or not. we have to watch her like mad! she’s everywhere and in everything. so different from miss nora who was content to sit and chill. they are fun. and this week, i’m learning to take time to really really watch, listen, enjoy and learn to just be with my children. this week, i found the blog of NieNie. a friend mentioned nienie would be on oprah (ick!) and that she had a great story to tell. so i found her blog and just started randomly reading through it…i was sucked in. i went back to the beginning and read her blog up until her most recent post (then i watched the icky oprah)! i even jumped over to nienie’s sister’s Cjane blog and caught up on her blog! I did a lot of reading up on this family(while my children napped and i should have been being constructive) and I am in love with them. Matter of fact, I want their mom to adopt me. Today Cjane actually has a post up about their mother and it made me cry because she essentially described my mom! so since i don’t have my mom anymore, i want their mom cindy to adopt me!

back to what i was saying, nienie is a mother of four amazing children. a year ago she and her husband were in a plane crash and they miraculously survived. some would question that miracle because stephanie (nienei) was burned on over 80% of her body. who would want to live through what she did but God had a plan for her and she’s here today because of that! she physically does not look like the woman she looked like prior to the accident. when i first saw her pictures after the accident, i felt sympathy for her. then i read more and more…no more sympathy. prior to her accident she was just gorgeous. but i learned from reading her blog, that what made her beautiful was not her actual physical looks, it was all about the person inside. she is funny. she’s an awesome wife and like a total super mom! and those qualities are the same – post accident and so she’s therefore just as gorgeous! she is a total inspiration to me.

i find myself so many times frustrated or irritated with things. taking everything for granted. nora asks me 5 gazillion questions and wants my absolute attention constantly. madelynn is 6 months old and well, she requires a lot of attention too (nursing, diapers etc). for some reason, my house wants to be clean. my husband wants attention too and so i’m constantly wondering when the *ME* time is going to happen and also wondering how i’ll get it all done as i’m only one person! and because i feel pulled in so many directions, i feel constantly frustrated.

after reading about stephanie…i see that my complaints are really stupid. she wakes up each morning in physical pain but by damn, she does not let that stop her. what used to be simple tasks (bathing children, picking them up, opening snack bags, etc) are now not so simple for her. but she finds a way. i don’t have any excuses. i don’t wake up in pain each morning but i still complain.

somebody said to me the other day while i was getting my nails done (hello – *me* time!) you have such a blessed life. that statement is so very correct. it seems i’ve let all my frustrations pile up and they have blocked the view of all my blessings. i am blessed. i am blessed to stay home with my children, to have healthy children, to be healthy and so many other blessings. this week after reading about stephanie, i decided to push my frustrations out the door. i sat down on the floor and enjoyed my children. i listened to nora. i watched madelynn pulling up. i sat with my husband on the couch and watched tv. i was relaxed. and somehow, even with taking the time to enjoy my people, the dishes got done, dinner was cooked and i was no longer so frustrated. did i get everything done i needed to get done…nope. but i found a different way. i laughed more and i was less stressed. somehow taking time to enjoy the little things made everything easier.

the girls and i were snuggling yesterday. i had to get up to change madelynn so i decided to put the camera up and see if i could get a couple of shots of what the three of us look like when playing. the first one is my favorite…once nora noticed the camera…she had to play with it. so the timer went off and caught this one.

the next one, nora took. she loves the camera but lately she wants to be behind it more than in front…

here are things i’ve learned this week while taking a more stress free, relaxed approach to life…

*nora has a crazy wild imagination

*madelynn is growing up too quickly. she’s trying to pull up on furniture but more than that, she tries to stand up directly from the floor

*nora loves checking madelynn’s diaper to see what’s in it. madelynn’s poops are now called poop pancakes

*per nora, “the man on singing in the rain (donald o’connor) looks like the man from the wizard of oz that plays the scarecrow (ray bolger)” good call nora!

*per nora, “the dance studio needs to paint the walls because they are not very inviting” and “i really need some singing lessons”

*madelynn is not amused by nora and i and our jokes/silliness. she just stares at us.

i think i’ve found myself laughing more this week than i have in a very long time. i’ve always relied on my mom to help me out or answer the big questions or to guide me through. she was the one i went to when i didn’t know how to do things or when i had big decisions to make…this morning while saying my morning prayers, i asked God why he had to take my mom from me when i need her the most…the answer that resonated in my head said, because i wanted you to rely on me. ok. i will. but i still wish i had my mom here! she would absolutely adore madelynn and she’d think the changes in nora were awesome! so here’s to enjoying the little things. to paying attention to the details. to sweeping out the piles of frustration. to relying on Him for the big and little things. to being thankful. just take a little time and breathe.

until next time…

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Nora’s Birthday Party

samichals — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:07:00 +0000

We had an awesome time at Nora’s 5th Birthday party! It was a carnival and it was great! Her invites (made by me!) looked like this

and yes, I put the wrong date on the invite!

We had WooHoo the clown and Mamaw the clown. There were games, balloons, cotton candy, sno cones, a piñata, and so much more! The weather had been so wet and yucky the week leading up to the party. We all just prayed that it wouldn’t rain. God definitely answered our prayers! Nora told me after the party that Memee must have told God to send good weather for her birthday party! Maybe she’s right. Speaking of, Mom would have loved this party. Everybody did. It was just a lot of fun. We invited 22 kids and only 2 weren’t able to make it. So much fun! Don’t know how I’ll top this one next year. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure!

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After the party, after dinner, after Madelynn was put to bed and daddy was taking a rest…Nora and I went outside. She asked if she could send Memee some balloons. and she did…

until next time…

Six months old

samichals — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:49:00 +0000

You are six months old today.

*You sit up if we put you in the sitting position.

*You are starting to enjoy a few solids and as of yet, you haven’t disliked anything we’ve given you.

*You went on your first vacation and put your toes in the sand but mostly you liked eating the sand.

*You think everything your sister does is funny.

*Neither mama or daddy are your favorite…you love both equally.

*You love Wina and you love when she gives you kisses.

*You laugh deep belly laughs and we love it!

*You are a super sweet girl and we are all in love with you!

First Day Back to school…

samichals — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:19:02 +0000

Nora had her first day back to school on Wednesday. She was excited. Three of her friends from last year and the year before are in her class. I can honestly say that choosing the 3-day program was the best. It was so hard getting up and getting the three of us out of the house on time. I can’t imagine doing that 5 days a week. Next year it’ll be so fun to stay in our jammies all day for school!

Here she is with her teacher Mrs. Veal. I cannot get that child to actually look into the camera.

I thought it would be fun to look at her first day pictures from the last two years.

2008-09

2007-08

Sweet girl is just growing up! She had her 5 year well check today. Nora did great until she found out she was getting a flu shot…she cried and cried and screamed. It was so bad. She got out of there with 2 suckers and the nurse carried her to the car because she claimed she couldn’t walk because her leg hurt so bad! What a nut! God help us next month when she gets the swine flu vaccine!

until next time…

Happy Birthday to you – my sweet sweet Nora Rose!

samichals — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Five years ago today at 5:26 p.m. I gave birth to a precious little girl, Nora Rose. She has been an absolute angel…a sweet delight. Nora is smart and pretty and so full of spunk! I love her creativity, her individuality and her kind heart. Tim and I are so blessed to have such an amazing little girl. We thank God daily for her! Today began with a little voice waking me with “i saw my presents wrapped up on the fireplace! Can I open them now?” Nora, Madelynn and I had donuts for breakfast. Afterwards we went to the public library in the neighboring town. Nora was so excited to be able to get her own library card. She had asked for one over the summer but we were told she had to wait until she turned 5! Today was that day! After checking out some books and Shirley Temple dvd’s, we went to lunch at La Madeleine which is one of Nora’s favorites. After our lunch we each enjoyed a lemon tart…yum! A couple or errands and back home for a little nap. While Nora and Madelynn napped, I baked individual ladybug, butterfly and dragonfly cakes. I made up buttercream icing for Nora to use to decorate the cakes herself! Our tradition since Nora’s 2nd birthday has been to have dinner at Babe’s. Nora asked if we could wait on that dinner until our family is in town for her birthday party. Instead she chose to have dinner at La Hacienda which is another of her favorites! At home she opened her presents…she loved them all! I’m so glad. We asked Nora is she had a good birthday and she said, “yes!” with her big jump and arms up in the air. I’ll post pictures from today later as they are still on my camera and I have to make an outfit for her to wear to school tomorrow…Instead I’ll leave you with some pictures from Miss Nora Rose’s first 5 years. Enjoy!

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until next time…

and she’s sitting up…(plus some other stuff)

samichals — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:33:00 +0000

Miss Madelynn is trying to get ahead of the schedule so she can chase her sister! She can’t get into the sitting position on her own, but if you put her in the sitting position she’ll sit there and play. She’s crawling everywhere! She tries to get into the sitting position on her own, but she just hasn’t gotten it yet. Lord help us…a baby on the move! She’s eating solids and loving them! Still nurses every 2-3 hours though. We do adore her!

Of course we all know Miss Nora turns 5 tomorrow. She asks me tonight if I would measure her. What she means is would I mark her height on the wall. She has grown an inch just since March. Nora is getting so tall…still a skinny little thing! Before bed I asked if I could take a picture of her on her last day of being 4. She said I could, but she started crying and of course i hugged her and asked why. she told me that she was crying because she knew she wouldn’t grow big like a real 5 year old by tomorrow. Silly girl.

Hope everybody had a fun weekend!

until next time…

Tomorrow Nora turns 5!

samichals — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:31:00 +0000

One of the things Nora requested for her birthday was for she and I to go get our nails done. Sunday we had an appointment with our favorite nail ladies. Cindy is Nora’s lady and she is so very sweet to Nora! We had a good time! Nora and I both enjoy getting time to do things together just the two of us.

I asked Nora if she wanted something special for supper Sunday night and she said “here is what I want…Sunday night I want ham, doubled (deviled) eggs, green beans and corn. Monday night I want waffles, scrambled eggs and bacon.” We had the “southern style” dinner last night and it was yummy. We’ll have breakfast tonight. Tuesday night (birthday night) we’ll go for our usual Babe’s Dinner…we do it every year on her birthday!

I got out yesterday and went shopping for Nora…she has requested a nintendo dsi. We got it for her, but I also bought her a small sewing machine. I can’t wait to teach her how to sew. My mom and mamaw Pat taught me to sew when I was about 4.5yo. She has been asking me for about a year to teach her, but with everything that has been going on and a new baby…it just hasn’t worked out. The machine is a simple little easy to use machine but it’s purple! Her favorite color. I’m putting together a little sewing box for her also. I hope she likes it! I’m still of so sad that my girl is turning 5. Five seems so old…so grown up! She’s not a toddler anymore. I guess it’s not only difficult this year that she’s turning five, but also because Mom isn’t here.

When I was pregnant with Nora, Tim wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise. Being the planner and OCD person that I am, I found out the baby was a girl and only told my sister. Everybody else had to wait and find out. My mom wanted a boy so badly. She even knit blue blankie with a boy in mind. She wanted a boy because we had decided (and would still if we had a boy) to name a boy Henry after my mom’s dad. I think my mom somewhat had it figured out that the baby was a girl but she didn’t say anything. Mom was in the delivery room when Nora was born…I want to say my mom held Nora even before Tim did…but I can’t really remember. It was love at first site. From the moment mom laid eyes on Nora…it was love! A kinship, a bond…something special was born at that moment. The two of them were two peas in a pod. Mom doted on Nora and Nora doted on Mom. To this day, I believe that Nora’s personality is so much like my mother’s. Nora has a lot of little quirky traits that are so much like mom. Madelynn missed out on knowing my mom, but Nora has a memory like an elephant and tells Madelynn stories all the time. Nora remembers things even I have forgotten. I hope and pray that those special sweet memories live on forever in Nora’s heart!

I was going to insert the picture of Mom holding Nora in the delivery room. But I couldn’t insert just one picture. Here is a little album of sweet times with Nora and Memee. It was really hard for me to go through these pictures not because they aren’t sweet and special, but because I still have a hard time looking at pictures of my mom and not crying because it still hurts so much not to have her here!

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Didn’t mean to take this post to a sad spot… Mom and Nora had a special relationship and I know that God had his hand in that because Madelynn is going to need Nora to remember all about Memee so she can know her in some way too. We miss Mom every single day. While I was going through the pictures Nora came in from swimming. She saw what I was doing and said, “those are all of me and my memee. i really wish she could’ve stayed here with us!” It’s hard.

No more being sad…I promise! Tomorrow you can check back for lots of pictures of Nora throughout her first 5 years! She has promised Tim and I that she will live with us forever. While I do want my girl to grow up and have an amazing life…right now it’s ok if she wants to live with us forever!

until next time…

Our little vacation

samichals — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Tim has been working NON stop lately, but we managed to get a week away. We drove out to Dad’s to leave Wina. We left dad’s early on Sunday morning and drove down to Corpus Christi. I had never been down there. We always went to Galveston when we were kids. Anyway, we spent Sunday through Friday in CC. The beach was fun. We visited the USS Lexington, The CC Science Museum and the Texas State Aquarium. Lots of fun. On Friday we drove to San Antonio. Did a little shopping at the Market, spent the night and Saturday morning we took the girls to Sea World. I’m so over Sea World. I went a couple of times as a kid and then we’ve taken Nora 3 or 4 times…but she begged us to take her so we did! She thought it was her first time there. So funny! Anyway, the girls were great travelers especially since we were in the car for a couple of long drives. It was relaxing and great to not have to deal with anything but what beach to hit or where to eat…just enjoyable! Of course we came home and decided we needed a vacation from our vacation! Here are a few pics for you to enjoy!

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until next time…