YVETTE

Yvette with Marc 1977

Today, we here on Earth lost...

but the Heavens gained a Sweet and Beautiful Soul.

Yvette will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

p.s. Yvette, please give Max a Big Hug and Kiss for us.

AS A WAY OF THANKS

Last Thursday, we had an unexpected need for a baby-sitter, and one of our dear neighbors stepped up to the challenge. Dee Riser came over for the afternoon and watched the boys, so Marc could be with me during a minor out-patient surgery I had to have. When we got home that evening, Dee had prepared dinner for us, which was completely unexpected, but greatly appreciated. She had fixed a Beef Stew with Carrots and Noodles, and a Cherry Cobbler. I hadn't eaten in 24 hours, so I gobbled it all up as fast as I could. It was so YUMMY!!!!!

As a way of saying Thank You, the boys and I went to see her and her husband, Von, today and took them some Homemade (from Scratch) Double Chocolate Pecan Brownies. I also revved up my Cricut, and made her this adorable box to hold the brownies.

She has promised to pass along the recipes for the meal she made for us, and as soon as she does, I will be sure to share them with all of you.

Thank You again to Dee and Von for helping us out, and to Arlinda for your help. Also, Thank You to all of our friends and family who prayed for us and sent us kind words. You ALL mean the world to us.

MARCH 1ST

FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY, we got out of the house for something other than going to a doctor's appointment or running to the grocery store. Yesterday, was March 1st, and it looked like Spring was right around the corner. If it hadn't been windy, it would have been absolutely perfect, but we took what we got. I bundled up the boys, loaded them up in the stroller, and away we went for a nice brisk walk... and of course a pit-stop at the beach and play-ground.

We were hoping to go again today, but Winter seems to have snuck back.

NEXT MILESTONE REACHED

Grey reached another Milestone this week. He was getting really good pulling himself up to his knees...

but finally, on Tuesday, he pulled himself all the way to his feet. This picture is of his first time. I didn't actually see him do it, but I was able to capture the moment. The second time he did it, was a little later that morning when he was supposed to be napping. He had been in his room for maybe 15 minutes, when I heard a blood-curtling scream. I though he was seriously in pain, so I go bursting into his room to find him standing there. I guess he got scared once he as up, and didn't know how to get down.

In the past week, we've come to learn that he pretty much uses the blood-curtling scream for EVERYTHING, no matter how small or big. Needless to say, it is a little unnerving.

CRAFT PROJECT

To keep my mind off "things" this week, I decided to get a little crafty. I saw a tutorial for these barrettes on the internet, and had to try to make a few of my own. Very Easy, Very Fun, and Very Cute!! The tutorial said it was for "Little" girls, but why can't "40 Something" girls wear them too?

However, I do know a few "Little" girls, and maybe their Mommies too, who might like one of their own, so I plan to get busy next week whipping up a bunch. I'll be sure to post pictures of all my creations.

YUMMY!!!!

We're having dinner with friends tonight, and I offered to bring Dessert. So, I whipped up my trusty and YUMMY standby...

Better than Sex Cake

It is SOOOOOOOOOOO delicious. Thought everyone might like the recipe.

Box of Devil's Food Cake

1/4 cup of Kahlua (optional)

(2) Packages of Instant Chocolate Pudding

8oz. container of Cool Whip

Crushed Toffee Pieces

1). The night before, bake cake per box's instructions. Once cooled, break up into pieces and put into bowl. Let sit out over night uncovered.

(I left this next step out for this particular occasion due to their being children present)

2). A little while before putting whole thing together, pour Kahlua over cake and let sit.

3). Make Instant pudding, but use only 3 cups of milk instead of 4

4). In a Trifle dish, layer ingredients as follows:

Cake, Pudding, Cool Whip, Toffee Pieces, Cake, Pudding, Cool Whip, Toffee Pieces

5). ENJOY!!

Being that these friends are from our new church, I'm going to have to come up with a different name for this delicious treat.

KITCHEN HELPER

Just like his older brother, Grey likes to help Mommy in the kitchen.

POWDERED SUGAR

Introduced Luke to the yumminess of Powdered Doughnuts this morning.

IMPATIENCE

Yesterday, while feeding Porkchop his lunch, I put the spoon down for a second so I could use the remote and look for something to watch on TV. When I turned back to him, he was trying desperately to feed himself. I guess he hasn't learned how to be patient yet, however, I was very impressed with his initiative to try for himself. After being shocked and then laughing, I took the spoon back, loaded it up and handed it to him. He knew exactly what to do.

AAAAHHHH... THE CARRIBEAN

As I sit here and look out the window at Snow, Snow and more Snow, I can't help but do a little reminiscing about the trip to Jamaica Marc and I took, some years ago, when we got married. Along with our good friends Matt & Amber Rudacille, we stayed at the Couples Resort at Ocho Rios.

Come this August, we will be celebrating our 5 year Wedding Anniversary. We're thinking about renewing our vows. Unfortunately, we won't be able to do it on a Carribean Beach like we did the first time, but our little Beach here at Lake Anna will be just as Romantic.

CRAWLING... THE OTHER VERSION

As you all have seen before, Grey has started crawling. The previous video that I posted a couple of weeks ago showed Grey crawling in the "Traditional" style. Since then, we've come to learn, that he only preforms that particular style of crawling when on a rug or carpet. Here is a video, which displays the style of crawling he preforms when on hard flooring.

We call it the "Slither".

TABLE FOOD

Porkchop can now start eating table food. So far, he's not really a big fan. We've tried bananas to no avail. We've tried mashed potatoes with a little bit more luck, and we've tried Gerber's Fruit Puffs. He's trying the Fruit Puff here. He ate three of them before gagging himself and throwing up. Yeah for me!!

A BOY TRAPPED

And no, he didn't climb in there by himself. I put him in the cubby for the photo op.

9 MONTH CHECK-UP

Last Friday, Grey had his 9 month check-up. Dr. Wiley says he's looking good, but that I need to feed him more.

He is 28.5" tall, which is in the 59%, but he only weighs 17lbs., 6oz., which is in the 7%. So basically, he's not as much of a Porkchop as we thought. We immediately started the "more food" routine which he took to like gang-busters. He never complained before that he was still hungry, so how were we to know? Hopefully at his 1 year checkup the 7% will be significantly raised.

These are some pics I snapped of him last week. Gotta love the "Cry Face". Totally gets that from Nan Faucheux.

TV WATCHING

Do you think they're close enough?

Thank God our TV is hanging on the wall.

Can you imagine how close they would be if it was on the ground?