Has it really been a month??!

Shame on me for not posting to my cute blog in a month! Time is a precious thing these days and finding the time to blog is rare! We have been busy bees these last few weeks and I can't believe how quickly this year is passing by!! Some highlights of the last month are:

*Claire having her 6 month check up - she is growing so fast and she is quite the CHUB! She weighs almost what Evleyn weighed at ONE YEAR! She's 15 1/2 lbs!! She loves to smile and laugh and she LOVES it when Evleyn holds her and smothers her. She loves all of her fruits and veggies and she hates to miss out on anything, the problem with that is she is not the best nap-taker...but when she's awake she is the happiest baby ever!


*Evelyn is cutting her back molars - upper and lower ones - OUCH! She's been turning down food that she normally eats so I am anxious for her teeth to just grow so that she'll resume normal eating habits. She has quite the imagination and we have noticed recently that she talks a lot about someone named Bobby. We don't know anyone named Bobby or anyone that has a name close to Bobby and when asked who Bobby is she will tell us that he is her friend and he is right here (pointing to empty space next to her) So we have decided that Bobby is her imaginary friend. She even prays for him at her bedtime prayers!! It's pretty funny. Evelyn's shining moment this month, however, is that she is well on her way to being completely potty trained! YAY! We have made several visits to places and she uses the potty wherever we go. Knock on wood - but we have not had an accident yet!!! She is my big girl!

*Gordon is on VACATION!!! Gordon is taking this whole week off of work and we have our calendar booked with fun things to do as a family. We had the best Saturday together which was the perfect kick-off to his break from work! We love having him home and can't wait to spend the week with him!

*As for myself, I am training for a 5K in August - it's only 3miles, but it's a start! I got myself a new pair of running shoes and I have been walking/running for about 2 months now. I recently cut my hair! It's super cute and so easy for me to do in this summer heat!! I cut off about 7 inches and I love my new hairdo! I was spoiled with a visit from my sister and her daughter and that visit deserves a post of it's own, so I will do that later.

But here's a LONG story.... I can't seem to break my streak of being accident prone! On Wednesday last week, I was getting ready for the day and Evelyn loves to watch me put on make-up, so this particular morning I decided to bring a mirror and my make-up downstairs to sit on the floor with Evelyn and 'play' in my make up. She was so excited and I would brush her cheeks with blush and a dash of eye shadow on her eyes...she was lovin' it...then when I was putting on my mascara she decided to JUMP into my lap which bumped my right arm doing my mascara application and I shoved the mascara wand into my eye. Directly into my eye. I have never felt pain like that before and I have felt my share of pain, but nothing I have ever been through compared to the pain I felt in that moment!!

I immediately called Gordon because I thought I was blind in that eye. It was watering and I couldn't open it at all because it hurt so bad. We called my good friend Mindy and she came to my house and Gordon rushed home and Mindy watched the girls while we rushed to the Dr. The Dr did a test with dye and a black light to see if there were any abrasions and sure enough there was a big one on my cornea...OUCH! He put some ointment in my eye and then patched it and said to come back in 24 hours. Gordon stayed home the rest of the day and tended to me. I had to rest my eye as much as possible so I was 'OFF DUTY' so to speak as mom for the rest of afternoon/evening.

For the entire rest of the day, I kept my eyes closed. I wore one of those sleeping masks to help keep my good eye closed as well. I experienced blindness for 24 hours and I have to tell you how humbling that was!! I am so greatful for my eyes and that I have sight. There was a moment during the day when Gordon needed me to hold Claire for a minute and with my patch and my mask covering my eyes I was holding her. I couldn't see her face, but I could hear her and then I felt her hands grab my face and pull me into her face. I just started crying because the power of her touch was incredible. I couldn't imagine going through the rest of my life not being able to see her sweet little smile and her blue eyes staring back at me - when she grabbed my face I wanted to rip my patch and mask off so that I could see her. I only experienced a minimal amount of time without my eyes and it was practically unbearable. It was such a humbling experience for me and I have a better appreciation and understanding of what a blind person goes through each day.

The follow up appointment the next day brought good news - keeping my eyes closed for 24 hours helped the healing process. The Dr did the same test and he still saw the abrasion, but it was 1/4 of the size it was the day before. My vision was still blurry and cloudy, but better and I could tell it was returning. I took it easy that day as well and by the weekend, it is almost 100% better. Now I am just putting medicated drops in my eyes, but am without the patch! YAY! I can't thank my friend Mindy enough for helping me this last week during my temporary 'blindness'! For tending to my wound, watching my kids and driving me to and from my Dr appts!! YOU ARE THE BESSSST!!!


All in all we have had a good start to the summer - and we are all doing great! Here's some random pictures of the girls - just because they are so cute!!!!!!!!!