Alexa's Cupcake Party

Those of you that know me know that I am obsessed with party planning.  I really do LOVE every second of it.  If I had unlimited funds I would throw a lavish party for every occasion!!  I mean, who does't love a good party!?

So, when it came time to plan Alexa's second birthday I was almost giddy!  There was no doubt in my mind that the theme had to be cupcakes.  The girl LOVES cupcakes!!  {I am not exactly sure where the passion for cupcakes came from ;-)}.  So, in November my sister and I found the most perfect cupcake paper, so party planning was in full force!!

We celebrated Alexa's birthday on February 12th at my parents house!!!  It was soooooooo much fun!!!  Far greater than I could have ever expected!  She had such a great time!!!  The day after her party we went back to my parents house.  I guess she thought she was going back to her party because she was so disappointed the whole time we were there.  We would ask her what she wanted to do (their house is LOADED with fun.... a jump castle, Barbie jeep, swingset, play room FULL of toys), but all she could say was "have a cupcake party"!!  Poor baby!!  But, it was confirmation that it was all worth it!!!!

Here are a few pictures from the big day!!!

Overall, a HUGE success!!!!!  Thank you soooo much to everone who came and made her day soooooo special!!!  And a BIG thank you to Valaree, Cassondra, my mom, and my husband for all of your help!!!  I could not have done it without you!!!!!!

Now, what am I supposed to plan??  Maybe an Easter Extravaganza?!  {wink, wink}

Happy 2nd Birthday Alexa Jayne!

My Sweet Alexa Jayne!!

WOW!!!  T-W-O years old!!!!!  I honestly do not know where the last two years have gone.... they have flown by so fast!  But, I do know they have been the best two years of my entire life!!!

Daddy and I prayed so long for you!!  We often say that God just needed to take his time creating you because you are such an extra special design!  :-)  Well, the wait was definitely worth it!! The whole time I was pregnant with you, I spent hours imagining the little person you would be.  And, baby girl, you are more than I could have ever dreamed of!!!

The last year you have grown up so much!  You went from barely taking a step on your own, to running around everywhere like a crazy woman!!  Daddy and Pops think you are going to be a soccer player because you are so fast and energetic!  You love to be outside swinging, jumping on the trampoline, blowing bubbles, and just getting dirty!

You are such a smart girl!  You know all of your colors and shapes.  A few months ago, you learned every letter from A to Z.  You can recogonize them and know the sound that they make!  You can count to 10 and recogonize your numbers too!!!  You now have a huge vocabulary.  You know so many words and repeat pretty much anything (which definitely keeps mommy and daddy on their toes)!

You LOVE to sing songs.... we bribe you with songs all the time!  You favorite songs are "The ABC's", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee", "Jesus Loves Me", and mommy & daddy's version of "The Beauty and the Beast Song"  aka "Princess Song" to you!!  Mommy and Daddy have duet versions of your songs that we sing to you after bath!  Its one of my favorite times of the day!!!  You giggle with delight at how silly your crazy parents are!

You are a great eater!  You pretty much love it all, but some of your favorites are goldfish, rice, hamburgers, M&M's, cupcakes, chicken, apple sauce with sprinkles, cinnamon toast, and Princess Soup!  You love drinking water, orange juice, and lemonade.  Unfortunately, when we took the bottle away (at 22 months...oops!) you started refusing to drink milk!  So, we have now substituted with a gummy vitamin! You LOVE getting your "princess gummy" every night.... you look forward to it all day and are absolutely giddy when you get it!!  Its so fun to see you so excited about something so simple!!

In August, you transitioned it a BIG GIRL BED!!!!  Papi built you the most beautiful bed in the world!!  It amazing!!  It even has your name at the foot of it!  You love your new bed... you have done so well in it from day one.  You have only gotten out of it a handful of times on your own when you refused a nap!  Your new room is just perfect for you.  You have a kitchen, table & chairs, chandellier, and a closet full of toys!!

You also became a BIG sister!!  You are an absolutely AMAZING sister.... I could not be more proud of you!!  You LOVE baby Addi!!!  You take such good care of her and are always checking in on her.  She loves you so much!  She watches every move you make and soaks it all in.  You often tell her what you are doing and make sure that she is included!  She smiles and giggles at you all the time, especially when you are smothering her with your love!  She is now at the age where she grabs everything, and a lot of times, unfortunately, its your hair.  You are always so gentle and sweet to her, even when she hurts you!  One day I asked you if you wanted to take one of your baby's bye-bye with us (implying a baby doll).  You replied "Yes!!  Take Baby Addi"!  My heart melted at that moment!!!  You are so nurturing and loving!!!  Addilyn is so lucky to have such a sweet sister and best friend!  I pray for your relationship with her and know that you two girls have a lot of fun times ahead of you!!  I can not wait to watch you two learn and grow together... I know you will have such a special bond!!

You are such a beautiful girl!!!  Your sweet, soft curls melt my heart in a million pieces!!  I love to run my fingers through them and watch them spring right back up.  Your hair has gotten soooooo long, its actually down to your shoulder blades when it is wet, but your curls make it look so much shorter!!  Youtr curls fit your personality so well!!  Your big, beautiful, blue eyes are breathtaking!!!  You have long, dark eyelashes... your eyes are soooooo gorgeous!!!  At your 2 year check up you weighed 25.5 lbs (33rd %tile), you were 35.5 inches (88th %tile), and your head measured 18.5 inches (35th %tile).  Needless to say, you have come a long way from the teeny tiny 5lb 10oz baby we brought home from the hospital!

Your inner beauty is even more ravishing than your outer appearace!  I can't even express into words how awesome you are!!  You are so F.U.N!!!!!!!!  The best word to describe you is spunky!!!  You have the cutest little giggle and the most beautiful smile!!  Your smile can light up a room.  Even when you are sick or sad, you still have a smile on your face!  Every time I take you to the dr. when you are sick they don't believe me because you are still so happy.  You love to be silly.  You could rough house and be tickled all day long.  You always ask mommy and daddy to play "got you".... which means we run after you, catch you, tickle you and say "I got you!!"  You love to be loved on.  You play like a crazy woman, and then run over to get a little loving in, and then go right back to playing.  You walk up and say "big hug mommy", throw yourself on me, rub your face all over me, and then you are on your way again.  It makes me crumble in a million pieces!!!  You can also be a little defiant!  You love to test your limits and know exactly which buttons to push!  You are VERY strong willed... you know what you want and will do what it takes to get it.  I secretly LOVE this about you, but have a feeling it will create some challenges along the way!!!  I love to watch daddy discipline you.  You know that he is a softy, so you smile and bat your eyes the whole time.  Lately, you sweetly say "Daddy" with a soft little sigh.  9 times out of 10 it really does help!!  I told you that you were a smart girl!!  :-)  You are so well rounded!!  You love to play outside and get dirty.  You can play in the dirt and be covered in bubbles and then come inside and love on your baby dolls!  We gave you a train set for your birthday, knowing it was a bit boyish, but you love it.  However, when the train falls off the track, you say "it's ok train", pick it up, give it a kiss, and then set it back on the track.  You are just an all around total package!!!!!

I thank God everyday for blessing us with you.  I am so proud of you and love you more than you will ever know.  Daddy and I pray for you everyday (normally many times a day).  I pray you always have a sweet heart and gentle spirit.  I pray for you to live a life of honor and humility.  I pray for your salvation; that, above ALL else, God is your everything!!  I pray that in whatever path you choose for your life, God would be glorified.  He would shine through you.  I pray He gives you a heart for others, a passion to serve, and desire to live for Him!  I pray for the friends you will have.  I truly believe you are who you surround yourself with.  I pray that God has hand picked the people that He will set in your life.  I am praying for the lives of your teachers, mentors, coaches.  I fervently pray for the man God has created for you.  Whoever he is, wherever he is, I pray he is a true man of God.  A man who will seek to put God first and you second.  A man who is hard working, honest, humble, gentle, and knows how to treat you like a princess.  You are the daughter of the King, and you deserve to be treated like one!

Alexa Jayne, you are our princess!!  You are one amazing baby girl!!  Daddy and I love you more than we can ever express!  I am so proud to be your mommy!!!  I can not wait to see what God has planned for your life!!  I am so excited about the adventures you have set before you!  I feel so honored that God gave me you!!  He trusts ME with your life!  You and your sister are the greatest gifts I have ever been given and I vow to treasure you, protect you, and give you my ALL - my very BEST!!!  I promise to seek His direction for your life.  You are going to do amazing things sweet baby - I just know it!

Happy 2nd Birthday Alexa Jayne Walker!!!

I love you sweet girl!!!!!!!!!!
Mommy

Feels good to be back.

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!  The sweet sound of relief!!!  I have sooooooo terribly missed blogging... my outlet, my ME time, my time to pour my heart out!!  I definitely have not neglected this blog because I wanted to.  Life has been crazy, well more like pure and utter chaos!!!  From mid-November to the end of December, my little business took off with Christmas and wedding orders.  I created close to 80 designs during this time.  Every spare moment was consumed with cards!!  It was such a huge, huge blessing, but I rarely had a moment to breathe!!  Since Christmas our life has been full of sickness!!  With all that to say, I am finally back and OH! does IT. FEEL. GOOD!!!!!

So...

As I just looked back at my blog for the first time since November, I read my last post about fear/worry.  Talk about a stab in the heart.  I confessed in that post that worry/fear/anxiety is probably my biggest struggle.  I always fall right back into this nasty cycle, and that is where I find myself today!  In this terrible pit of darkness!  My faith has really been put to the test the past month, and I admit, I am failing.

Since mid-January, we have faced illness after illness.  Alexa was diagnosed with strep.  About a week and a half later, she started running fever again.  She was tested positive for strep throat.  She then proceeded to run a fever for 11 days straight, even on an antibiotic.  The drs grew more and more concerned, so we found ourselves in the hospital getting a urine catheter, blood work and chest xrays.  Thankfully all came back ok and they determined she just had a terrible virus.

During this time, I was experiencing a lot of chest pain, pressure and dizziness.  I mentioned it a few times, but just kept telling myself it was indigestion.  After a week of the strange feelings, I almost passed out in the middle of the store.  This really scared me.  I couldnt imagine this happening while I was alone with my babies, or even while I was holding my babies.  So, I frantically called Jonathan.  He told me I needed to go straight to the ER.  He rushed home, my mom left work to get my girls, and we went to the ER.  My EKG came back abnormal and I had an elevated D-Dimer which lead them to think I was either pregnant or had a blood clot in my lung.  I am not sure which diagnosis I found more scary!  They quickly determined I was NOT pregnant (whew!!!!) so they sent me to have a CAT scan.  Thankfully my scan came back clear too!  This left me with an unclear diagnosis as to my I had an abnormal EKG and bloodwork so I was sent to a cardiologist.  At the cardiologist, we determined my dizziness was from my extremely low blood pressure (76/60).  I did a stress test and wore a holter monitor for 48 hours.  I really felt like an 80 year old!!  After all the testing, the cardiologists determined that I have a juvenile t-wave abnormality, which basically means its normal for me to be abnormal.  I should grow out of it in time, which is hopefully the case or else I will have serious issues when I am 50.  They diagnosed me with inflamation in my chest wall which was causing the pain and ellevated blood work and told me to stay super hydrated to help mt blood pressure!  All in all, no big deal...

Last Thursday, Addilyn woke up with a fever.  She was diagnosed with her first ear infection so we put her on her first antibiotic.  She had progressively been going down hill again with her feedings and screaming bouts.  The weekend was absolutely terrible because on top of all of her other issues she had an ear infection as well!!!  I decided I had reached a breaking point and made plans to call a chiropractor who specialized in pediatrics!

The weekend, despite Addi's issues, was amazing!  We celebrated Alexa's 2nd birthday with a cupcake party!  It was oh so much fun!!!  Everything was perfect!  The party post is coming soon!!!

Monday we headed to Dr. Kip Mayo's office to have Addi evaluated!  He was extremely hopeful that we could get her fixed up and was so wonderful and helpful.  Wednesday, after 3 days of chiropractic adjustments, she had the best day of her life!!  She was perfect!!!  So happy, so content, she ate great, and even had a poopy diaper!  A true miracle!!!  I know all of the prayers played a huge role!!!

Tuesday was Alexa's 2nd birthday!  And of course, of all stinkin' days, she woke up with 104* fever.  She was diagnosed with flu A. :-(  I have never seen my girl so lifeless and pathectic.... absolutely heart breaking!  They put her on Tamiflu along with the rest of the family.  On Wednesday she broke out in hives with an allergic reaction to the Tamiflu.  Jonathan was out of town and our air conditioner broke.  My dad came and tried to fix the air, but it was an unsuccessful attempt!  It was a hot, yucky night!  Thursday morning, Addi broke out in a rash too!  Of course I assumed it was the Tamiflu, but the rash looked different and progressively got worse throughout the day.  So, now I have 2 babies covered with hives/rash in a HOT house with no A/C.  Nothing worse for a rash than heat!!  :-(  Back to the pedi we went!  Addi was not having an allergic reaction, she has a viral rash from thr cold/virus she has a week earlier that caused the ear infection!!!

Thankfully, $1000 later, we got our A/C fixed.

This morning, Alexa woke up with severe hives!!!  Like nothing I have ever seen!  We went back to the pedi again (3rd time in 4 days) and they still think its part of her allergic reaction, so Benadryl around the clock it is!!!  Addi still looks terrible, but doesn't seem to be bothered by the rash as long as she stays cool!  We finished up Addi's first week at the chiropractor and found out some other news that caused some upset as well, but we are praying that some more therapy will help!!

All in all, this week/month has been absolutely EXHAUSTING!  I feel like I have nothing left in me!  I don't know what else to do... I am mentally and physically drained!!

So as I was throwing myself a pity party, God kept putting a sweet name on my heart.  Kate McRae.  If you have never read her story, you should.  If you have never prayed for her, you should!  This beautiful sweet baby girl has been battling cancer.  Just when they thought the battle was over, it all came back.  Talk about heartbreaking, gut wrenching, every parent's worst nightmare!!  What this precious family would do to have a broken a/c or hives be their biggest concern!  I truly can not even fathom!!  Even in their lowest of lows, living out their biggest nightmare, this family has been able to rejoice!

I pray for a heart like this.  A heart that, even in the worst of times, can rejoice.  To be able to say, in EVERY circumstance, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL!  Lord, take me to this place!!  I know that I am yours.  I know that my babies are yours.  You love them MORE than I humanly can.  My worry, anxiety and fear are NOT from you!  It stands in the way of my relationship with you.  Take it away.  Give me faith.  I want to trust you more!  No matter how terrible my day, week, month or year have been, I want to see Your hand above all else!!!!  Forgive me for thinking I have any control or can do any of it on my own!  You alone are God and it is well with my soul!