Here Comes 2012 ... from The Abandoned Blog

I guess I underestimated the busyness of working full time & being a single Mom.  Life has just taken on a new kind of chaos.  

All good but, wow, I feel like we have been living at warp speed since September!!

Two hospital stays .. all of our birthdays ..full time work .. 

full time sales goals ... meals .. laundry ... keeping the house semi-clean...... getting together with friends ... ... etc, etc!  

Feels like life is just on overdrive & the blog has been completely neglected.  

I guess better to neglect the blog than my girls!

Hannah & Lily are doing great!!!! 

Lily was SO excited for Santa to arrive.  I mean S.O.  E.X.C.I.T.E.D.!  

When she saw the gifts this morning she yelled, "we have to send Santa a Thank You note!" 

Lily is in preschool / daycare full time & doing great.   She is just an amazing child in every way & God has certainly given her the grace to handle every one of life's unimaginable situations.   God is so good & continues to bless her with a happy heart, a quick laugh & a tender spirit.  If you ask Lily who loves her the most, she says, "Jesus!"  ... it so sweet.  She also has a very long list of all the people that love her.  Her list usually starts out with Auntie Mom (Kim).... then "T" ... Uncle ... Raw ... Michael .. Maffhew ("but he doesn't live there anymore", she says).  So sweet how my girl forever knows how loved she is by our Slazas family!

Lily got to meet Santa & the Mrs.at pre-school.  She was SO excited & had planned to tell Santa she wanted a "kindle fire" for Christmas -- she saw a commercial & liked it.  Umm?  She doesn't read but she liked it!  

As soon as she sat on Santa's lap she got so nervous & told him she wanted "a new train set."  

I have no idea where that came from but it cracked me up!

The girls & I went to my sister's place in Indy for 2 nights.  

Got to spend time with the cousins, which they all loved!  

Lily & Julia just disappear playing with dolls, barbies & make-up.  

So glad my sis lives right up the road (115 miles or so).  

It is great that we get to make memories together with our kids ..

even if those memories on this trip included 

drugging her up & taking her for an MRI on her neck. 

Love you, Mir!!

 

Out to dinner before Taylor Swift concert on my 40th birthday.  

Poor sweet girl was just out of the hospital from pneumonia.

Look how tall she is!  We wear the same size shoe!?!

Hannah is healthy & doing great -- my girl can cook & has recently been cooking dinners before Lily & I get home.  

Yes, cooking dinners on occasion!!  One night was chicken & pasta and it was delicious!! 

She is busy planning a dance class for some of Lily's preschool friends.  

For part of her Christmas break she volunteered at Lily's school to help with the kids.  

She would rather be there than her own 4th grade class.  The kids adore her & she is SO good with them.  

I am so proud of her & so thankful for her gorgeous smile, her common sense, love for others, kindness & her tenderness towards Lily.  

The girls have separate rooms but they sleep together in Lily's room every night.  One night I overheard them talking & giggling .. Lily said "Mom is gonna tell us to go to sleep." and Hannah said "Nah! She loves that we are friends."  It was so sweet ...and Hannah was so right.  I am so thankful that these sisters separated by 6 years are such good friends.  Thank you, Lord!

I will close this last 2011 post by saying how incredibly hard the year 2011 was for me.  

Maybe it was just the compounded emotions of several tough years but last year at this time I

was going through the worst time in my life. 

Thankfully there are some life long friends that encouraged me, 

loved me, reached out to me when the times were very tough.  

It is the grace of God that I made it through this past year 

& still have my sanity (well, at least, half of it!).

Kentucky has been good to us.  

My neighbor mowed my lawn all summer (an acre!).  

Another person blessed me & the girls with a stack of gift cards so we could eat out.  

Lily's teacher, Jo, was AMAZING & so encouraging 

as many days I came home to get back in bed & cry.  

Life is not what I thought it would be in Kentucky but God knew 

and life is so much better than what I thought it would be!

All God's Best from HOME, 

Two Birthdays: Two Hospital Admissions

 Hannah turns 10 today.  

Ten.  

A decade.  

Hannah is the prize.  What a gift her life is.  To me.  To so many.  

I am so thankful to be her mom and to have walked some very tough roads along side her. 

"It's a girl" .. 1:11pm, 11/15/01. 

We have had some crazy health issues going on over here. 

After my last post, Hannah came down with pneumonia & got admitted to the hospital for IV anti-biotics.  

She got discharged the day before my 40th birthday.  

We celebrated on my 40th by going to a Taylor Swift concert & had some awesome Mexican food!

Last week I got sick.  Sicker than I have ever been in my entire life.  

Felt like "death would have been a relief" kind of sick.  

By Friday I got admitted to the hospital for pneumonia & spent the weekend there.  

Got discharged last night with doctor's orders to stay home in bed & rest this week.   

Kim said, "you can do that, Deb!"  .....  My best friend knows me so well!!

Thankful Hannah & I are both out of the hospital.  

Thankful for IV antibiotics, wonderful nurses & docs at 

Brownsboro Hospital & Kosair Children's Hospital, 

thankful for my work that hasn't fired me yet (!?!), 

thankful for a home to come home to with girls that are my heart.  

Life is good.  

Even when I was so sick I had a few good laughs with the nurses & xray techs.  

You just have to make the best of it all  ... even when you are coughing up a lung .. or two.

Happy birthday to my most precious treasure of a double digit child.  

You make my heart so happy, Hannah!  

 You have brought me endless joy & happiness for the past decade! 

I am forever thankful for God's amazing healing hand on your life. 

You are a walking testament to the power of prayer & the healing hand of God.  

  

Happy 10th Birthday 

Miss Hannah Rose Eriksen.  

9lbs 1oz born as healthy as could be on 11.15.2001

You are most loved ... forever!

How Cute Is She?

Miss Lily has done some modeling for me.  

I just love when she agrees to get in front of the camera.  

She is beyond adorable in every way.  

Fall in Kentucky is SO beautiful!

This is our second Fall living here & I just LOVE the colors & the leaves.  

Beyond gorgeous.

I just wish we lived closer to Idaho so Lily could get some Auntie Mom love on a regular basis!   

Kim suggested I ask Obama to see if he could do something about how far Kentucky is from Idaho.  

I am going to at least ask -- I know what he will say: Yes, we can!

 

Hannah has been sick since last Thursday night.  She always runs a high fevers.  

She sounds like she is going to cough up a lung but no pneumonia & her blood counts are normal.  

Platelets are a little low but that is fine for her.    

We always have so much to be thankful for!

 

What Haven't We Been Up To?

Life has taken on a new kind of crazy.  Single Mom.  Full time work.  Full time loving on the girls.  Overtime thinking about their needs, my needs, the house, work, soccer, the car, you name it ... & how to juggle it all.  

It seems like the kind of crazy where I am behind on everything: my blog, my friends, laundry, cleaning, you name it ... it's a miracle my bed is even made right now.  In the midst of days that seem very long, I just remind myself of one thing that I NEVER take for granted: my kids are healthy.  I am juggling normal life right now ... not blood transfusions, hospital stays & doctor appointments.  This is what I dreamed of ... and I do cherish it all.  I am just cherishing it at a very fast pace!

I love my job.  Love the people in my office & the clients that I am working with.  SO thankful for this job ... for the pay ... for the benefits ... and for the distraction to focus on something outside of the house.  
 
Hannah is on Fall Break for this week.  She is going to be working / volunteering at Lily's pre-school.  She is so excited to be with the kids!!  This is her dream -- she tells me that one day she wants to be a Mom, a pre-school teacher & a consultant with Scentsy (under you, DeMaris!! ..She told me herself!!) 

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to ...

On the first of October we celebrated "Sisters Forever Day".  Hard to believe it has been 3 years since we stepped off the plane at LAX for Hannah to meet her baby sister.  We went to dinner and then went to paint some pottery.  A wonderful night!

Here are the girls during our celebration evening:

This weekend we went to the Pumpkin Patch for a hayride & a picnic

 America's Next Top Model ... Always on her mind, even at the pumpkin patch!

 Picnic time ... Hannah picked the spot under a tree.  

Beautiful day with my two treasures!!

 Climbing around the hay castle ...

Life is good.  

It's a new kind of crazy-busy but I am thankful for the life we have!  

I don't take it for granted.  It can all change in an instant.  

Cherish it all!

All God's best from HOME,

Party Time

Super easy party. 

Great Kentucky friends. 

Fun time. 

Wonderful memories! 

Life is good & Lily is four.

Precious Treasure Turns F.O.U.R.

Hard to believe ...

SHE IS FOUR!!!!!

Lily woke up this morning & measured herself ....
to see if she was bigger. 

And, of course, I helped her measure so that she measured "bigger". 

She is bigger ... Right?? 

My girl is 4.

My girl that brings the joy, the crazy, the fun, the sweetness, the tenderness, the empathy,
the laughter & all the wonderful things that she is. 

She has my heart in every way.

She is the most persistent child I have ever met. 
She is beyond determined & has a the mind of an engineer at an early age. 

Hannah & I joke saying, "Lily, NASA called & they want you to come give a lecture to the team in Houston."
This girl figures it all out in no time & wants to understand how all things work.

The Lord gifted us with each other &
I am forever thankful that God chose this path to China for sweet precious Lily!  

Her life is such a gift .. to me, to her sister, to our family & to so many.  

God always gives good gifts
& He does more than I ever think or imagine ... 

Lily is far beyond what I ever thought or imagined for daughter #2.  


Happy Birthday, Miss Lily Sha Hope!!! 
You are a treasure &
I will never stop thanking the Lord for YOU!

Gone Redneck ... & Corporate

Life has been busy as all get out ... but we are loving it all!!!

My sister was here last week for 2 nights & I went totally Redneck.

   

After a night on the town 

(read: dinner at Texas Roadhouse & hours at Hobby Lobby)

I was driving her mini-van (the twin to my mini-van) & 

decided to give her "door to door" service (read: Redneck parking).

I parked her van right up on my lawn. 

We have never laughed so hard & 

I could have cared less what the neighbors thought ... 

Her van sat parked here for over 24 hours.  

 Life here in the South is just a lot of good ole' fun!!

The girls & I are totally adjusted to the new routine of me working full time.

Hannah says "I really like our new schedule."  

Lily is SO happy with the new full time pre-school schedule.  

She has adjusted so well & loves that each day is a school day.  

The routine of it all has been so good for her!!

I am so thankful that we have all transitioned so well to me working full time. 

I waited a long time, purposely, for me to go back to work full time.  

There is a time for everything & this is certainly the right time for me to be working.  

Mostly, I am just thankful for how well the girls are doing.  

They are all that matter to me.  

If it wasn't right for me to be working now, we'd live on welfare & beans & rice.  

I am not kidding.  

I will do whatever I have to do for my girls but I will not 

sacrafice their emotional well being for a paycheck.  

Thankfully, they are doing great with me working ...

So get out the frying pan, I love my job ... 

Momma is going to bring home the bacon!!!

So while I might park on the front lawn at times, 

Monday to Friday I am in heels with my hair brushed & make-up on. 

A New Day for this girl .. 

Life is good & 

I am forever so thankful for the good gifts that the Lord always gives!!!

All God's best from HOME,

Health & Freedom

A dream came true this summer.  

I rode on the tube with both of my girls at the same time.

This has been a dream since before Lily even came home from China.  

Hannah's health issues delayed this experience for two summers.  

What a gift. 

And what a gift to live in this country and to have so many freedoms!

Hannah's long time babysitter, Jenn, (from California) has a brave brother, 

Justin, that has been serving with the US Marines.  

This past week has been a nightmare for Justin & his family.  

Justin was hit by an IED ...and has extensive injuries.  

This is a dear, sweet, caring family.  

Please pray for Justin & his family: Jenn, his sister & parents Maureen & Cliff.  

They were all reunited today in Maryland for the very long road of healing & recovery.  

It will not be easy and life will never be the same.

Justin, thank you for your incredible service & sacrifice. 

 Our prayers are with you for your healing & 

for your entire family to sense the peace of God in the midst of this difficult road.  

Life is so short.  

Treasure the moments.  

Never taking my health or freedom for granted ... 

All God's best from HOME,

Plain & Simple ...

Last week was a great week.

I took a job.  Haven't started yet but I am gearing up & ready to go!  

Back to doing outside sales in the corporate world.   

I know it will be a lot of fun.  

I really can't believe they are going to pay me to talk to people & make friends all the live long day.  

Don't they know I'd do this for free? 

Hannah, Blair & I went to the Lady Antebellum concert on Thursday night.  

They were incredible but the BEST part was watching Hannah sing along & dance in the row.  

She is so alive ...so full of life ... and I am so thankful!!!

Friday was Open House at Lily's Pre-school.  Super fun.  

Lily was given about 20 tatoos which she put ALL over her body as soon as we got home.  

Just finally got them all off tonight (4 days later!)

While at the Open House, a friend told Hannah about a karaoke 

competition for kids at the KY State Fair.    

So off we went to the fair ... for Hannah to sing her heart out. 

She did move on to the semi-finals but didn't make it to the finals.  

She rocked the stage ... owned it & had a blast.   

She was so super excited when she came off stage -- 

honestly, you would have thought she had won based on her enthusiasm.  

Here are some pictures from our great week in KY: 

On our way to Lady A concert ... one of the best nights ever.  

Lily took this picture before we left. 

Yes, she's 3 but she can work the Canon DSLR.

At the State Fair for the karaoke contest.

Just had to get a picture with this sign.   Not often we see our last name spelled correctly.

This was a booth for "Eriksen Chiropractic" 

.. no relation to us. 

On stage ready for her first performance ... she calls this her "home."

 Being called back onto the stage to move on to the "semi-final" round.   

She was over the moon!!

 Lily (and "Baby") in the tricycle race at the Fair.  

Isn't she so adorbale?  

We have been having some sweet times together ... 

L.O.V.E. this girl!!

 Oops ... "Baby" got stuck under the back wheel. 

Hannah working the stage during the semi-finals.  

She had an absolute blast performing!!

Can't go to the fair without doing the rides.   

This picture is from before some crazy ride.  I should have taken a picture afterward ... oh my! 

Don't think I will be doing this ride again next year.  

I was scared out of my mind on this thing.  

When did I become such a wimp ... 

and why is my thumb double jointed?  

Yikes.

 

Life is good.  

 no matter what craziness is going on 

... and I know me a lot of crazy!

All God's best from HOME,