annie bananie

aunt "winnie" loves her some annie. my niece. my beautiful niece. just look at her!

my annie. she is vivacious. spirited. lively. vibrant. so animated. so sweet. nurturing. friendly. unforgettable. i could go on and on. she is so, so many things.

she is also vital. vital to my life.

my sister and family traveled home for the 4th and the tingle clan met up with them in macon. to say it was fun is an understatement. we swam our hearts out, ate our stomachs beyond fullness, and laughed. laughed at ourselves. at each other. at our crazy offspring.

annie has what is called alopecia. when she was a year old, her hair began falling out and has since never grown back. she knows no different. she couldn't care less. i think it is safe to say my sister has carried the burden of the loss thus far. we worry about parenting our little ones so often. their snacks, their behaviors, their manners. my sister has a whole other set of parenting tasks to complete. annie's confidence, her appearance, her protection. but my goodness, my sister is amazing. already. so amazing.

one of the steps brooke took this week was to get annie-bananie's ears pierced. something so small yet monumental to annie. she might not have the bows or the braids. but she has the earrings. she was sooo brave. and SO PROUD of those little earrings.

as we drove away yesterday, from my sister, from my annie, a piece of my heart was left there. even as i sit here, i miss annie. i miss hearing the most friendly "HI" or her asking her mommy for "uh 'nack, i want uh 'NACK!" i love that little girl. as i said, she is vital. i need more of her in my life.

busy, busy.

it's been awhile. too long actually.

june has been a month of traveling, beaching, mountaining, swimming-pooling, tshirt making, vacation bible schooling, and well, just good ole summer-loving. it has been wonderful.

but we are back home. back to our life. back to the kids toys that they missed so much.

more to come. more to update. i promise.

easter

i remember when i was younger i knew easter was special. i knew it was a day to be celebrated. but i always felt like my soul couldn't conjure up enough emotion to truly "get it".

a little older now, i have learned and realized, this life as a believer is not about what i feel or the emotions i might develop. this christian walk is simple. we are called to simply believe. believe in a good God. in a loving Savior. in amazing grace. in sweet mercy. just believe.

7 months

riley wells. you had me at that toothless grin.

i was always baffled at how parents could love anyone more than their first born. i feared i wouldn't. or couldn't. a lot. oh boy, was i dead wrong.

riley wells...your sister was independent. you are my snuggler. your sister was so funny and animated. you are serious and contemplative. your sister could CRY, with power. you sob, with tameness. your sister was young at heart. you are my old soul.

i love you both so much it hurts. i cannot believe i get to be your mama. but i do. yay me.

you are now 7 months. not sure how that can be. and at 7 months you are as long as some 1 year olds. even some 15 month olds. you love to dance. especially when sister sings elmo. you get pissed, and i mean pissed, when sister takes a toy from you. but you also light up whenever she is around. you have dived deep into bath water and fallen from our bed, both head first. and both without many tears. you are tough {and that makes your daddy happy}.

happy 7 months baby boy.

big daddy

my dad and his grandkiddies. what a sight. i love it.

there is a long time friend of my parents that passed away yesterday. it was a sad day for many people in macon. and though i have not seen him or his family in a while, i was still troubled. his wife, his kids...they are all in my thoughts and prayers. but i think the thing that had me the most torn in the face of this quick and unfair death, was his grandchildren. his own set of grandkiddies. they lost a good granddaddy yesterday.

there is something about grandparents. to grandkids, they are perfect. they come with goodies and treats, patience and love. and no spankings. just hugs. big ole bear hugs that make big ole smiles. my papa snored like a bear, took me blackberry picking, made mud pies with me, and took us to the "corner" (aka the gas station down on at the fork in the road where we got to buy all kinds of candy...which probably means only 2 pieces but in my memory i am sure it was hundreds). they are simple memories. but lovely little memories.

addison has a million little memories already. a good many are centered around the happenings at each of her grandparents. i often wonder which ones will stick and which will fade away as more and more stories are created in her little head. either way, i know they will be sweet and precious, or maybe just plain funny.

summertime

nothing too profound to say. just a pic i love and a season approaching that i am so looking forward to. summer is upon us. the beach is around the corner. swimming, grilling, a little memorial day celebrating...birthday partying for my little miss, big sister visiting...all means summer is a coming (i try to chant that to myself when i see something yummy that i want in my mouth).

gi-gi and her babes

while thinking about all the blog posts i promised to do but haven't done, i found this...

my sweet niece annie, so peaceful, so loved, so soft. laying in the arms of her great-grandmother. i think it is safe to say no once else mattered to these two at this moment. they had each other. and that was as it should be.

i am not sure i even wrote about last november on here. my grandmother suffered a cardiac arrest. and survived a 3% survival rate. i always knew she was special. i love that woman more than i can even say. whenever she is holding one of our babes i snap a picture. i want them to look at these one day while i tell them a story of their Gi-Gi.

i had the pleasure of taking care of grandmother while she was in the hospital. when she finally got to come home, she, myself, addison and riley camped out at moms until mom was home from tulsa. riley was only 8 weeks old and still on that crazy feeding schedule and bedtime was just nuts for a few months there. grandmother offered to lay down with addison while i put riley to bed. she was so weak, still recovering, but so willing to help. about 45 minutes into her "helping" i was still hearing giggles and whispers dancing about in the guest bedroom. not just from addison, but from both of them. i knew right then not to go in. they needed that memory. i needed that memory. my grandmother was still alive and kickin...praise the sweet Lord.