Who left this handprint...
and this one...
and who would COLOR THE WALL?
Hmm...

A visitor

Maddie had a special visitor this afternoon to help her feel better. Olivia was here about 2 seconds before they changed in to dress up clothes.

Maddie's surgery

Maddie Grace did so well this morning. Our friend Christa was her nurse, so that made her very comfortable. The ENT was able to remove the lodged tube, and I was so excited to see it was whole. It was not broken, as he originally suspected, so we don't have to worry about pieces of it remaining in her ear. He did have to repair her ear drum. He made an incision behind her ear and removed a small piece of fat. He used it to repair the hole in her ear drum, and he expects it to heal completely with no hearing damage. We serve an awesome God, and I am so grateful for all of your prayers for Maddie.
Bunny Bear helps her to feel brave

Oh, Brother

Maddie and Preston were playing last night when Maddie came over and said "Mommy, would you look at my brother?" Well...here is what I saw...
He pulled the sink out of the play kitchen and climbed on in

Our Pastor

A few weeks ago, our beloved Pastor, Rick, announced that he has been diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma. He has just started treatment, and he has kept a wonderfully positive attitude. This past Tuesday, our church hosted "Slick with Rick" and 42 selfless men shaved their heads to support Rick's new "do". Please keep Brother Rick in your prayers. You can follow his story here.

Surgery Tuesday

Maddie's ear surgery is this Tuesday morning. Please keep her in your prayers!

Preston's 1st shiner

See it under his left eye? He got hit by a swing on the playgound at school.

Consigning

It's spring/summer consignment time around here, so I have been busy going through the kids clothes and toys to get rid of things they have outgrown. I kept every baby item after Maddie Grace was born, but when we found out that we were expecting a boy, I had a lot of pink things that I no longer needed. Some of my friends talked me into participating in my first consignment sale about 2 years ago, and now I am hooked. I use the money that I make to purchase in season play clothes and toys for the kids. I get a bunch of new things and get rid of old things all at once. It's a definite win/win! Here's how it works: I label my items (twice per year), drop them off for the week of the sale, then I pick up any leftover items at the end of the week and collect a check. You usually get 70% to 80% of what you sale. There are 10 or so sales I like in a 5 to 6 week period. I try to put my items in 5 of them each season (spring/summer and fall/winter). If I have anything left over, I donate it. The sales only take gently used or new items, and many still have the tags on them. The last day of the sale, everything is half off! I have learned not to wait till the last day. If you really want it, you better get it while you can. Here are a few of my favorite things that I purchased the last couple of weeks:

We surprised Maddie with this Barbie Jeep. It's like new, and it cost 1/5 of the retail price.
They love it!
This was new from a boutique. The tag had $59 on it, and I paid $9. My girl loves to dress up!
Loved this blue embroidered dress for $4
Two boutique outfits, with tags attached, for a small fraction of the $95 retail price
The dress still has the tags on it (retail $67). I got these two super cute pieces for $12.

Hanna Andersson polos for $4
Brand new Sketchers for Maddie and 2 pair of Stride Rite shoes for Preston. Grand total: $10.

Here is a great website that lists the sales in TN:

Click here and select your area. Some are better than others, and they all have their own rules. If you live in my area, I would be happy to share my experiences with you.

So here's a question: what do you do with the things your kids have outgrown?

Hey, batter batter

Marty had baseball practice this weekend, and he took Preston with him. He loved every minute of it!

Madi Claire's Birthday

February is a big month for birthdays on our street. Madi turned 2, Drew and Natalie turned 4, and Grant turned 8. Chris and Nicki also celebrated birthdays. Here are a few pics from Madi Claire's 2nd birthday party.

Grandpa's and Grandma's

What else would you wear to Grandma's house?

Springing forward should be optional!

Surgery

We learned this morning that Maddie Grace will indeed need surgery. When her ear canal swelled, it apparently lodged a piece of her ear tube near her ear drum. The doctor will go in to remove it, and he may or may not patch the hole in her ear drum. That will depend on how her ear drum is healing at the time. They did a hearing test, and she did wonderful! That is a praise. I will let you know when we get the surgery scheduled. Please keep Maddie in your prayers.

Guess who?

Guess who found a black magic marker before school?