Happy New Year!

Looking back...

February

Kimber turned two!

March

Kimber started MDO!

We got a foot of snow on the first day of spring!

April

Kimber had tubes put in her ears.

May

Luke and I both graduated from college!

I didn't get a certified teaching job.

I was disappointed, but it led me to where I am. I am staying home with my girls.

I am thankful for that! He always has a plan!

Lolly was diagnosed with diabetes and lost her eye sight.

Kinnison donated her hair!

Grandma, Grandpa and Meme were sick often and underwent surgery.

They are doing better now! Thank the Lord!

July

We vacationed!

November

Kinnison turned five!

And, got her ears pierced!

We're pregnant!

December

Luke and I celebrated eight years together!

We saw Michael Buble in concert!

Kimber had to be hospitalized for pneumonia.

2010 has been a year full of ups and downs. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family to share those difficult and joyous times with. I am excited to see what 2011 has in store for the Hamilton Family! I will be staying home with the girls. Baby #3 will be here in June. And, Kinnison will start Kindergarten in the fall. It will be a year full of change.

Here is my resolution from last year:

"My New Year's Resolution is to be more patient with my children, stop cussing, eat better and to make a difference in someones life. I think I can achieve all of those except eating better! ;) Happy New Year!"

I have succeeded at being more patient, but have room for more progress. I have not stopped cussing. I have not been eating better. I have made a difference in someone's life. My New Year's Resolution is to continue to work on my patience, stop cussing, eat better, exercise more, and spend quality time with my children. I don't want to just be with them. I want every second we are together to count.

We are wishing you and your family a Blessed and Happy New Year!

In closing, I am going to share the same quote and same recipe I share each year.

"Be always at war with your vices,

at peace with your neighbors,

and let each New Year find you a better man."

~Benjamin Franklin

Recipe For A Happy New Year

"Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work, hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest, prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor." ~ Anonymous

Merry Christmas!

I know I am behind on posting, but things have been crazy around here. I thought something was going on last week when both of my girls were acting up. They were driving me crazy! Friday the 17th Kinnison started complaining of a sore throat. That night she threw up all over her room and some more in the bathroom. She is normally really good at hitting the toilet or a trash can, but for some reason decided to puke all over her floor. We didn't get much sleep. I woke up early and called the pediatric clinic. Kimber had a low grade fever and a cough, so I made them both an appointment. The whole way there Kinnison threw up. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with Kimber, but diagnosed Kinnison with strep throat. We went to Wal-Mart to get Kinnison's medicine. It took the pharmacy forever. While we were walking around she puked all over the floor and half the stuff in our cart. We finally made it home and I got the girls settled in to take a nap. Kinnison proceeded to throw up all over herself, her bean bag, a pillow and a couple blankets. Oh, I forgot to mention that Friday night my washing machine broke. So, everything that was puked on had to be taken to my mom's house to be washed. Saturday night Kimber's fever spiked to 103. We were worried she had gotten strep from Kinnison. We paged the doctor on call at the pediatric clinic. He finally agreed to call us in an antibiotic. Luke drove to Fayetteville at 10p.m. to pick it up. Sunday Kimber didn't do much better. We had Luke's Mom and Grandpa over for Christmas lunch and Kimber really started going down hill. We had the Tyree Christmas Sunday night. Kinnison and I went and Luke and Kimber stayed home. Kimber's fever stayed at around 103 and wouldn't go down, so I made her an appointment with Dr. Lee on Monday. Dr. Lee did a chest x-ray and diagnosed her with pneumonia. He prescribed Abuterol, Omnicef and Zithromax. Monday and Tuesday she didn't improve. Tuesday night she started breathing really fast and was up all night coughing. We didn't get more than 3 hours of sleep. I woke up Wednesday and made her another appointment. I had a prenatal appointment in Lowell, so I made her appointment in the afternoon. She fell asleep on the way to my appointment. I thought she was just trying to recover from our rough night, but soon realized that she couldn't stay awake. She was very lethargic. She slept through my whole appointment. On the way back to Prairie Grove she cried and complained of her belly hurting. Gammy met us at the doctor. As soon as she saw Kimber she knew we would be heading to the hospital. Dr. Lee told us we could come in daily for antibiotic shots or we could take her to the hospital. While we were trying to decide he made up our minds for us. He decided it would be best if we went to the hospital right then. Gammy and I agreed, and made our way to the hospital. Charity made it there about the time we were checking in and Luke arrived not too long after that. The next few days were very scary. Kimber's oxygen level dropped, so they put her on oxygen. She received two bags of antibiotics a day and did breathing treatments ever four hours. She was pretty much lifeless Wednesday and Thursday. I drove home Thursday night to shower and get clean clothes and Luke called to tell me Kimber ate a few bites of food and walked around. This was the first time she sat up, talked, ate, and walked since Tuesday night. She had to be fever free and without oxygen for more than 24 hours. She went without oxygen for a few hours Thursday afternoon, but she had to be put back on it Thursday night. Her fever also went back up to 102.8. She finally made some real progress on Friday. She went the whole day and night without oxygen or a fever! Dr. Blankers came to visit us on Saturday and told us we could take her home for Christmas! Seeing Kimber in a hospital bed was scary. I think I had a breakdown once a day. I hated that she was sick. I hated that we were spending Christmas in the hospital. I hated that we were missing out on our family traditions. And, I hated that we were away from Kinnison for so long and on Christmas. But, I am thankful she got well and that is all that is really important.

We had so many family and friends call, text and email us while we were in the hospital. I can't thank you enough for the encouraging words and prayers. I also want to say "Thank You" to everyone who brought Kimber gifts in the hospital. You made her smile and helped her occupy her time. I also owe a HUGE "THANK YOU" to my mom and dad. My mom washed my clothes (and pukey blankets) while our washer was broke, washed our clothes while we were in the hospital, they kept Kinnison and Tator for 3 nights, brought us snacks, gave Lolly her shots, bought us dinner and much, much more. I also want to thank the doctors and nurses who took care of our baby. I am so thankful for Dr. Lee and Dr. Blankers. And, last but not least, I want to thank God. I know that he heard our prayers and we are so thankful that we got to go home and spend part of Christmas with Kinnison and our family. Kimber was still very tired and cranky. We had to make her open up gifts. It didn't feel like Christmas at all. But, she was better and we were all together and that is all that really matters.

Since we have been home we have continued antibiotics and breathing treatments. She went back to the doctor yesterday for a checkup. She has remained fever free. YAY! He still heard some stuff on her lungs, but said she sounded much better! Praise the Lord!

Since then Luke and I have had a stomach bug, I got medicine for a sinus infection and Luke broke his thumb! Luke and his friend Jason were hunting. They flipped the four wheeler. Luckily Luke was able to push the four wheeler away from his body in the air and it only landed on his hand. We are so lucky he walked away with only a broken thumb! Because it broke his thumb completely in two, Dr. Lee referred him to a surgeon. He saw the surgeon today and he is confident that Luke will only need a cast for 4 weeks and then he will get a splint.

I am hopeful this week will go better! I think I am finally starting to catch up on some sleep. Tuesday-Saturday I only had about 14 hours! This has been a tough year for us. We are praying 2011 will be a better year!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Love You!

Getting Excited!

I cannot wait for the girls to open their presents. Each year I carefully plan and select gifts for each of them. I bargain shop all year long. I was done Christmas shopping in October. I had most of them wrapped before December even came. I am so thankful that I am an early shopper and plan ahead. We are on a tight budget now that I am staying home and we wouldn't be able to give them as much if I had to buy them now. I have picked up a few extra things in the last few weeks just because I thought they would like them and I just wrapped the last two gifts tonight!

Kinnison can't believe that Luke and I don't get presents. She is too young to understand. Actually, I don't think you understand until you have children of your own. I loved getting gifts...even after Luke and I were married. But, things are different now. I don't care if I receive one single present! There is no greater gift in the world then your children. And, one of my greatest joys is watching them open presents on Christmas. I love their excitement, watching their faces and seeing them enjoy their new things. I love that they get to open gifts, but I also want them to understand the true meaning of Christmas and how blessed we are. I am so blessed that my children get to experience Christmas, because many children do not. This Christmas we will be saying a prayer for those families that are less fortunate than we are. We will be praying for families that have loved ones that are ill. We will be praying for the men and women who serve our country and their families.

We are so incredibly blessed.

Cinnamon Ornaments

My mom used to make these ornaments with my sister and I when we were little. I made them for the girls two years ago, but they were too young to help. I decided to give it another try this year. We even got Luke to help us out. The girls loved picking out the cookie cutters and helping to cut out the shapes. I loved spending time with my family, making memories and beginning a new family tradition.

Last year the girls had a tiny little Christmas tree in their room. I went shopping the day after Christmas and got a 6.5ft tree for a steal! It was under $10! (originally $35) They loved decorating their very own tree. And, when these ornaments are done cooking they will get to hang them on the tree in their room. They smell so good!

Here is the recipe I used (from McCormick's Website)

Makes 12 to 15 ornaments.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 1/2 hours or 1 to 2 days drying time

3/4 cup applesauce

1 bottle (4.12 ounces) McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground

Supplies needed:

Cookie cutters

Drinking straw

Colorful ribbon

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Mix applesauce and cinnamon in small bowl until a smooth ball of dough is formed. (You may need use your hands to incorporate all of the cinnamon.) Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off top sheet of plastic wrap. Cut dough into desired shapes with 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters. Make a hole at top of ornament with drinking straw or skewer. Place ornaments on baking sheet.

2. Bake 2 1/2 hours. Cool ornaments on wire rack. (Or, to dry ornaments at room temperature, carefully place them on wire rack. Let stand 1 to 2 days or until thoroughly dry, turning occasionally.)

3. Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang. Decorate with opaque paint markers, found in arts and crafts stores, if desired.

Test Kitchen Tip: If a different size bottle of cinnamon is used, measure 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cinnamon.

(google cinnamon applesauce ornaments and you will get a million recipes)

Anniversary Getaway!

Michael Buble was in Little Rock on our anniversary. I told Luke it was a sign. I begged him to take me. Honestly, I couldn't justify spending that kind of money right now...especially since I just saw him in June. But, being the bargain shoppers we are, we found tickets for sale for half price on Craigslist. My mom and dad kept the girls for the night and Luke and I headed to Little Rock. We ate at Outback and did a little shopping. Then, we went to the concert. We got an awesome parking spot and had great seats. Naturally 7 opened for Michael again and they were fantastic. Michael was just as good as he was in June, maybe even better. He is hilarious. My favorite quote, "My filter is broken". I have been there! The concert wasn't over until around 10:30 and we still had to drive home. Luckily Luke had it in him to drive the whole way because I dozed the entire time. We made it home at 1:30. It was a great trip and I am so glad that I got to see that concert with Luke this time.

This is my boyfriend.

We normally take the kids to Silver Dollar City on our anniversary and rarely buy each other gifts. So, it was nice to have a night to ourselves. We are still planning a trip to Silver Dollar City though.

EIGHT Years...REALLY?

Tomorrow Luke and I will celebrate our eight year anniversary. It is hard to believe that Luke and I have been married eight years. Where does the time go? I have been saying that a lot lately. It seems like the older you get, the faster time flies.

I thought it might be nice to write about how we met and fell in love. The details become more vague as the years pass by.

Luke and I met in 2000. Josh got me a job at JC Penney. Luke worked in the men's department and I worked in jewelry. I thought he was cute, but thought he was arrogant and obnoxious. He thought I was gorgeous. I kid. Eventually we started talking at work and hanging out after work. We quickly became the best of friends. Luke and I started hanging out every night. I moved in with Fran and Cindy and was ecstatic when I found out our house was a block away from Luke. After that we spent even more time together. I started cooking him dinner and doing his laundry. He built me furniture and took me to dinner. But, during this time it never really crossed our minds that we should be together. We were friends. Best friends. During this time Luke and I were always dating other people. But, I noticed that we were spending more time with each other than we were with the people we were dating. He got a job at JB Hunt and worked every holiday. I would go eat with my family and then take him leftovers at work.

New Years Eve 2001 Luke and I made a spontaneous road trip to Memphis. We had so much fun. We went to a club and danced. Usher's song You Got It Bad came on and we slow danced. It was at that very moment that I knew I loved Luke. Those of you who attended our wedding reception should remember us dancing to that song during half time of the Razorback game. I didn't love that song. It was cheesy. But, I loved the memories associated with that song. So, we had to dance to it at our wedding. Anyway, we drove home that night because we had to work the next day. Things were never the same. I wish I could say Luke swept me off my feet. He didn't. I had to tell him how I felt. How did I tell him? AOL chat of course! LOL I was too terrified to tell him in person. I was so afraid that he wouldn't feel the same way and we would ruin our friendship. I was wrong. During spring break 2002 we went to South Padre with some friends. I got mad at Luke on that trip. We saw Vanilla Ice in concert. We made up. We walked the beach. And, for the first time we told each other "I love you". After that things moved fast. Luke bought two houses in Cave Springs. I moved in with him in June. We were engaged in October and married in December.

We have been through so much in the past eight years. I was bit by a rabid cat, my dad had a heart attack, we had a house fire, I had four surgeries, we lost two babies, and we lost three of Luke's grandparents. We have had lots of ups and downs. But, I know that I couldn't have survived any of those things without Luke by my side. We have had so many wonderful times. More than I can list. We have two beautiful daughters and a baby on the way. I am so blessed.

I was right about Luke. He is arrogant and obnoxious. But, he is also amazing. He is a supportive and loving husband. He would do anything for anyone, especially our family. He is the most amazing father in the world. He loves spending time with our girls. He is so involved in their lives. He is constantly teaching them things.He is kind, generous, strong, hard working and honest. He works so hard to provide for us. I am getting to stay home with my girls because of him! He is constantly thinking of ways to make money. He started mowing yards and supporting himself at a very young age, which taught him to be very resourceful. I know that Luke's personality can sometimes be overwhelming. He loves to joke around with people and is constantly giving people a hard time. The more crap he gives you, the more he thinks of you. Trust me! I get it from him every day. Sometimes it drives me crazy! But, I remind myself that is how Luke shows his love. Lord knows he is terrible with words. I could write a book of all the insulting things he has said to me. But, 99.9% of the time he doesn't mean it the way it comes out. It is unfortunate that people don't know him like I do. I know all of his stories, his past, and all of the things that made him who he is today. He is truly an amazing man. I am blessed to call him mine.

Happy Anniversary Luke! I am so blessed to have you in my life. I love you!