So Thankful

Tonight I got a haircut. I know, not real exciting...However, there's a story... As many of you know, I am a bit cheap when it comes to cutting these curls. I go to this darling hair salon where walk-ins are welcome. It's my kind of salon: cheap haircuts with no appointments necessary AND they are a full-service salon. (Got my brows waxed, too.) Anyway, this nice girl started cutting my hair and I noticed the picture of a sweet-looking blonde preschooler on her counter. I asked if it was her daughter and she told me it was. Her name was Makenna.

I had notice earlier that the girl cutting my hair was wearing a nametag saying her name was Melanie. We talked and as she was working I mentioned that I wanted my kids to have 'M' names---and that my sister-in-laws all had 'M' names. I mentioned that I had a sister-in-law named Melaney and my boys were Max and Myles. She then tells me her daughter was a twin. The babies had twin-to-twin transfusion, and they were born at 27 weeks. One of the babies lived 9 days, and she told me she and her husband are at peace knowing that they know exactly what the baby would look like today if she were alive---her identical twin!

I'm sure you can imagine that I had tears, and I thanked her for sharing her story. I'm sure it's not easy, and the fact that I was talking about my twins did not help.

As I drove home, I was reminded for the 2,567,899th time how incredibly blessed we are.

We.have.two.miracles.

A Couple of Days

I'd love to have these little chunks back for a day or two. Look how sweet they are!! I feel like things were so busy and hectic when Max and Myles were small, and I would love to go back for a few days to enjoy it! :)

One for the Cats

Here's one for the Wildcats! I'm so happy they are playing so well, and it's nice to win a few big games...hopefully it continues, and Jacob Pullen continues to show up to play his BEST!

I really do love this picture. I believe Myles has a bruise on his forehead, and I remember trying so hard to get these yardbirds (a Denny Bramble word) to sit still long enough to snap a picture. I believe the Cats were either going to a Bowl game or playing in one. It does not really matter---we are a Wildcat family.

BTW, the chair they are sitting in was Sean's grandma's. I remember going to her house and sitting in it thinking it rocked so nicely. Believe it or not, the chair still sits in the boys' room, and they still let me rock them every once in a while. I.am.lucky!

Time to Golf

Today when we drove home, Myles told me today was a perfect day for golfing! The poor boy is dying to get outside and hit some balls! As soon as the snow started melting after our last snowfall, Myles told us he wanted to go golfing as soon as the snow was gone. Bless his heart, each day he would tell us it's getting close to golfing time.

Both boys have been out in the front hitting their "practice balls". They make me a nervous wreck...they seem to have no care in the world for what's going on around them. I'm constantly telling them to watch out for each other! It makes me so nervous that I told Sean he should be the one out with them rather than me!

I'm hoping for some nice weather on a weekend soon. These sweet things need to go to the driving range with their dad...I'll be happy to stay home!

Prayers for Melaney and Edward

I hate to say this is one of the few pictures I have of my sister-in-law, Melaney. This is her on her wedding day with her big brother, Sean. I have a wonderful feeling when I look at this picture. It reminds me of the glorious day she wed Edward and all of the McDaniel clan were together to celebrate in Dallas.

Melaney and Edward have endured a rather rocky journey in attempt to conceive a child. Yes, it hits so close to home, and Sean and I have have been through much of the same things. It's been years since they began trying, and currently Melaney and Edward are going through the IVF process. It's been great to hear Mel's great attitude and determination when I talk with her on the phone and read her blog. Thursday will be the day they will retrieve the eggs, and I'm looking forward to it almost as much as they. It seems like not long ago Sean and I were headed to the hospital for our retrieval, and the day is vivid in my memory. Luckily it's a sweet memory, and I pray they can say the same of theirs.

No one says life is fair, but I will say going through a fertility process is very difficult. It doesn't seem fair that two people who love each other have to struggle to create life. I won't get started in my whole feeling of the situation, but I will say I know it's making Mel and Edward better people, and Sean and I are better humans because of it, too.

Please keep them in your prayers. I know God has His plan for them, and I am hopeful this is the time for them to begin their journey as parents.

McDaniel Miracles

I saw this "old" picture in my collection, and it brought back so many memories! This was the picture I used for our birth announcements which I named 'McDaniel Miracles'. I remember trying to take a picture of Max and Myles to use for the announcement, and I got frustrated because one would constantly move. When I took this one, I loved it. I love babies in white, especially onesies! When I showed this picture to Sean, he told me it looked like Max was ready to punch Myles.

The announcement picture also reminded me of this picture. Once again, it looks like Max is ready to punch. Let's just say "personality"! I frequently tell Max, "Don't let anyone tell you that you don't have personality!" He most certainly does! So does his brother---and we are so glad! Both boys are so special and precious to us. We are reminded each day of God's gift to us, our MIRACLES!

I Love You to the Moon and Back!

Guess How Much I Love You is a book the boys, Daddy and I read together. If you're not familiar, it's about a rabbit and his dad who tell each other how much they love each other. It's a great story, and Papa Tim bought the boys this sign for Christmas. He also gave them their own book with a neat message in the front. It was great! I absolutely love this picture, especially after trying many times to take a family portrait for our Christmas card this year. I thought it would get easier to take pictures of these two, but it does not seem much different from the times I put them in the chair together to take a monthly picture. (You can see what I mean below. Notice how sweet Max's face is in the first picture. I guess one out of two was not bad...)





I'm going to try to be better about posting in 2011. I did not do well in 2010, so we shall see if I can improve this year!