Here is just a tiny peek…

This…

And she was PLAYIN’

I’m not sure how someone can be so little and SO BIG all at the same time!

I couldn’t help blogging these images. I love them! Maybe they aren’t technically the best… so you can see the dumping ground that the piano has turned into… But, I see past all that. I see this smile and this tiny little person, and I remember not knowing if I’d have to let her go with her sister… This sweet girl is a fighter and she is going to do BIG things. She amazes us every day.

And just a peek at what I still have to blog about…

Brady’s 13th Birthday. We got to go to Skywalker Ranch! Check out his BLOG for his post on that! I love that kid! Our March of Dimes walk. Wait till you hear about how much our team raised!Mary Rose’s play, Willy Wonka Jr. She was SO wonderful! Our camping trip! OH! The images and memories I have! We had such a super time!LOOK! The starfish are holding hands!!!Show me your mussels!

And Brady’s school award. I’m so proud of these nerdy home schooled kids! And after this ceremony and some of the speeches… I’ll never be able to get him dressed in the mornings!  MAN! He was right! He is the only home schooled kid that has to get dressed everyday! I felt his eyes boring into me as his advisor was speaking on myths regarding homeschoolers… I guess that one is true.

I try to not be all crazy and post pictures of my dog all day. Just kidding Monika! I do, however, post lots of Beans. She is just with me nearly 24/7!

So, if you don’t have Instagram then go get it!

The other day I blogged about a photo I entered into a contest… Well, MeRa featured it on her blog! So cool right?! Check it out HERE. And vote for your favorite HERE!

CLICK HERE!  

On to messy signs!

Here is Jillian showing some of her favorite signs! I find that if you start teaching signs around the time they start table foods, it seems to click better for them. Some of Jillian’s first signs were…

And…

Jillian is 21 months (she was a preemie so shes really more like 18 months) and she has about 15+ signs. No! Stop! And eat. Seem to be her favorites this week!

I asked her to look at her hands…

And she signed…

And one more picture for good measure! She is so cute!

Here is one of the sweetest families I’ve ever met, and I am blessed to call them friends. They have quite the story, but for now I’m just going to ask that you keep them in your prayers. Dad is being deployed. I get all teary eyed thinking about all the amazing people I’ve met living near T.A.F.B. It takes a special family to be a military family, and I wouldn’t have the life I have without them. I am more grateful then I can say.

You can see how sweet, fun loving and tender this family is from these images, but that is just the tip of the iceberg, they are loyal, devoted and they are fighters. Each. And. Every. One. Of. Them. The word Brave should have their picture next to it in the dictionary.

Vanessa’s Bracelet says: Live everyday like he is deploying tomorrow.

In case you couldn’t tell… This is a graceful bow.

For Maggie’s birthday ‘Auntcy’ bought her ballet lessons. She has been begging me since then to get her into “ballet class”, only the options for ballet class around here were a ballet combo class (She wanted ONLY ballet) Or, a real fancy ballet academy for the low price of… an arm and a leg. Finally, the spring issue of courses offered by the community center was published, and lo and behold… Princess Ballet! Whoo hoo! After her first class she is ready to eat, sleep and drink ballet! She just asked if we could put a big mirror on the wall and get her a new CD player for her room to play ballet music. Oh boy!

Now I may have gone overboard with all these images and you are under no obligation to watch this slideshow. She was just so stinking cute! The class was darling and every week they get to learn a new princess dance. Fun! Right?! And no dance class would be complete without a sticker at the end! I sent Maggie back to say think you to her teacher and to my surprise Maggie gave her a great big hug!

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She got to go to a real ballet class!

I’ll have more to share soon. I just have to cull through 50,000,000,000 images I took of the 45 minute class and but that together with all the video I took.

Wanna hear something funny  CRAZY? Together Jen and I have ten kids. No joke! T-E-N… TEN! Ten kids! I really want to take our families to the mall! How funny would that be! Or out to dinner! Do you have a table for fourteen available? 

Some of these images crack me up! Yes, I know its not right to put bows on boys and then post it on the internet. He’s just so cute! And Mr. E. wasn’t taking the ball from Jillian… They are perfectly matched and I WILL have some amazing images of them together for their wedding slideshow. Enjoy!

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Happy Tuesday!

1. Have you been to Brady’s SITE? He is having a blog contest. Is it bad that my son has blog contests and I don’t? Is he a better blogger then me? Maybe because he is a computer hog! Anyhow! He’s giving away a brand new David Crowder CD! And its a good one! Click HERE and comment to enter!

2. I so want to do one of these craft weekends! Check out HERE and HERE! So fun right? If I had a few sponsors and a bigger house I’d totally host a Craft Weekend here in California! OH. MY. GOODNESS!!! Instead of a bed and breakfast when we retire we can buy and run a Bed & Craft-fest! Wait! WHY WAIT? Oh. I have to win the Lotto first. Its always coming down to a cash flow problem!

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

3. Did you know… “The overall odds of winning any prize in MEGA Millions are 1 in 40 and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 176 million.” ~ Calottery.com

4. I’m still loving my fish! The little Neon Tetras by the ship… gone. Mace Windo (the purple guy) ate them. I couldn’t look at him for DAYS!

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

 The blue and purple guys are actually inhumanly dyed. I didn’t know this till after I bought them, so no hate mail. Please.

5. Color or B&W?

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

6. I’ve made THIS dish a few times and everyone has loved it! I use the taco seasoning packet form Trader Joe’s. I’m lazy. And I love Pintrest!

7. I was worried about these ears at first… No need! They are perfect!

©Sharon Sossaman

8. I was going through my images and I missed a few…

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

8. We’ve been trying to take advantage of this weather, by walking as much as we can. The big kids went to Jeramy’s folks and we had a quiet weekend with just Jillian. We walked to dinner one night and after lunch we walked… we are a walking, strolling family!

©sharon Sossaman

9. Speaking of Pintrest… Did you know you can find out if your site or blog has been pinned? YUP!

I’ve been pinned once… And I didn’t even pay her to pin me!

They didn’t.

I was trying to NOT talk with my hands. And I tripped and stumbled over my words. (((SIGH)))

Well, Hopefully someone will be blessed with our story…

OH! I am so thrilled that they used some of our images! The NICU can be scary, if you don’t look for the good stuff  thats all around you!