Happy Birthday baby girl!

Anna Haley. I can't believe you are 8 years old today. It seems just like yesterday when you came into our lives.

It's funny now to look back and see you and your very prompt chunky 9lb 9oz self. You were born on your due date. Very typical for you my little girl. I remember the day your daddy & I found that you were a girl. I, was ecstatic, your dad wasn't. He wanted a little boy so bad he couldn't stand it. I love little girls. I love smocked bishop dresses, giant hairbows, and mary jane shoes. Painting finger nails and curling hair. I know girls. I love little girls. Your dad..didn't.

He wanted a little buddy to hunt, fish, ride 4 wheelers with. To play ball with and to "boy things" with.

It's funny how God gives us what we NEED isn't it?

Because your daddy got that little buddy in you. He realized very quickly that you were what he always wanted and it didn't matter if you were a boy or a girl. Oh if he only knew back on that ultrasound day what he knows now. Because what he knows now is that there is nobody more special to him (and me) on this earth than his Anna. We all know that we take a backseat to you in his eyes..and that's ok. He treats you like a queen. Do you realize he cooks us all breakfast because of you and it's your favorite meal?

I sure hope you remember "game days". On days where you have softball games..your daddy gets totally pumped the night before. He plans his entire day around it..getting to work at 5am so he can leave early to go get you. He gets you dressed in your ball uniform and takes you to eat somewhere. Not McD's or fast food. I'm talking Cracker Barrel or Logan's Roadhouse. The rest of eat grilled cheese (my specialty..Anna even put that in her "cookbook") or ball park food but not you my dear. Then the two of you go to the ball field to warm up (like an hour before the game) and do y'alls little routine. I hope you remember how much you are the light of your daddy's eyes. He is so proud of you and he tells me all the time just how special you are. I hope you know.

I love being your mom. I love that you let me dress up you in all kind of prissy, frilly, ruffled, smocked stuff and never bat an eyelash. I love that you are you. You wear all kinds of craziness and you don't care what other people think. Just yesterday you told me how a 3rd grader told you that you always dress like a clown. While that put a knife right through my heart to hear that someone would be so mean, your response of "that's ok..clowns are cute. Wasn't that such a nice thing for her to say?" totally mended my heart as you are so pure and you still believe in the best of people. I love looking at the world through your sweet innocent eyes. I wish with all of my might that I could keep you this way.

I love watching you do all the things you do. No matter what it is..you always do your best and you give 110%. I'm so proud that you were accepted into the gifted program at school. I'm so proud of your straight A's report card after report card. I'm so proud of every pitch you throw, whether it's a strike or a ball because I know with you biting that tongue and that grunt as you push off the mound that you are giving every single pitch your all. I know that every time you swing that bat you are swinging it with all your might and you are running as fast as you can (when you're not watching to see where the ball went {ahem}). I know every time that music comes on in dance class you are shaking it till your sides hurt. Every gymnastics class you are flipping with all your might!


I love how at dance pictures you told the owner of the studio that she didn't have to pose you. You had your own poses.

 I can't say I'm totally shocked that you have your own poses. It's not like you have very much practice at posing.

Out of our 3...you have been to the ER the most (so far..but I think Hudson will bypass you soon)

The very next day we're back to babies and microphones

I love how you smile when running bases. Every time. Well..unless your tongue is hanging out. :)

I'm sorry your birthday parties haven't been the best. Your birthday falls in a very busy time of year. Right in the middle of mother's day

(your were born on Mother's day. This pic was on mother's day) , decoration, ball season.

 ( taken right after playing a ball game)

So your parties are always thrown together. This year you were suppose to have your party at the Alabama Softball game on Sunday May 1st. But the April 27th canceled that for us. So..I returned to my normal self of throwing something together very last minute. UAB was nice enough to let us come celebrate your birthday very last minute.

The girls even got to get their picture made with Coach Marla!

So little girl..I hope you had a very great birthday..I know you were very excited this morning to show off this outfit.

 Thank you for coming into my life. You are like a breath of fresh air. You are the kind of person that can pump up a crowd just by being you. Not good for your teachers, but wonderful for ball coaches. You are so special my little girl and I love that you are mine. Please stay the way you are right now.

Love,
Mom

My heart just hurts

Since April 27, 2011 there hasn't been a day where I haven't cried. Since the tornados came through my  state I am glued to all coverage. All of the stories, all of the familes, all of the homes lost I can't help but get the lump in my throat and tear up.

We were lucky. The tornados seemed to go in a circle around us. and I can't figure out why. Why were we spared? How do tornados pick and choose their path of destruction? Why wasn't it us? Why did it choose THESE PEOPLE?

Like Carrie Grier Lowe? 26 years old, mom to a 7 week old baby boy. She was one of 7 people in a house and she was the only one that passed away. Why her?

Why Pam and Junior Jett? Pam is the daughter of my mother's-in-law best friend Freda Owens.

Why did 3 members of the Ferguson family die, but the 4th 10 yr old Bryce didn't? Why will he have to grown up with out his parents and little sister?

Why did five members of the Hallmark family pass away but the other 4 that were huddled with them survive? Two children from that family have lost their parent and, grandparents but Julia, who was a twin, survived. Julia's twin, Jayden, did not. The twins were 17 months old.

Dustin Kreider lost his wife, son and daughter. I can not imagine coming home to a empty, quiet house.

Why did Ashley Harrison lose her life but the other 3 friends, including Alabama football player Colin Tinker, live?

Randy Robbins wrote about living through the tornado. The pictures are amazing and it is just unbelievable he lived through the tornado going through it apartment to tell the tale.

I am having such a hard time with all of my whys and I'm just on the outside looking in. I'm just driving through the destruction and devastation everyday. I can not imagine what the ones who are actually living this nightmare are dealing with all of this.

Is that not just overwhelming? Sometimes I look at my living room or playroom and get overwhelmed not knowing where to begin to clean up the mess. Where do you begin cleaning up this mess?

In the picture below...look on the door that is open. Is that hanging on the door belong to a kid? Was that a child's room? Are they ok?

This house, half of it was sucked off it's foundation. But these kitchen cabinets must have been installed well because for some reason they stayed.

 

 The house below..most of the house is gone but the china cabinet looks like it's still in place.

Remains of a store

If you look closely at the houses below. You will see the spray paint on the houses where they have searched the houses looking for bodies.

Jamie also posted some great pictures. As did The Birmingham News. Here is a interactive map where you can see the devastation before and after by sliding the blue cursor back & forth.



Please pray for our state and the families that lost everything including their loved ones in this terrible storm.

I'm sorry son

I know everything we own is pink. You haven't noticed or really care but I know it's coming and I'm sorry.

Pink scooters, pink bikes, pink helmets, pink balls. I know. It's excessive. I'm sorry. I can't help myself. I love having little girls and thought I would always be a mom to girls. I never dreamed of having a little boy.

You are so cute riding the pink princess scooter that Anna got for her 3rd (or 4th..eek!) birthday. You are so fast on it. It is so funny when you ring the little bell on it.

Maybe for your birthday we can buy you a manly scooter. :)

We are all so smitten with you little boy.

Maybe I should be apologizing to your future wife.

We are all guilty of toting you around and spoiling you rotten

She will have her hands full..no doubt

(I know..I just heard the collective gasp. Is that not the absolute CUTEST thing you've ever seen?)

We love you little brother. I hope you don't get a complex playing with all the pink.