One Very Envious Wife...

Last week my dear hubby had the opportunity to go with some guys from the marina to race in the 2008 50th Dauphin Island Regatta. They sailed in a 40 foot Endeavor sailboat and they came in 3rd in their class! One of the joys of having known Russ since I was 18 years old is that we literally have grown up together. I say that because I can remember the day that Russ said, I would love to learn to sail." Now, just like many of us, when Russ makes up his mind to do something --- he does it! He started learning to sail and then eventually got a position working at the marina. He has read too many sailing and race rule handbooks to count them, taken classes, attended regattas, crewed for others, obtained his US Sailing Instructor certification, logged hours for his captains license, owned countless boats (somehow-- people just give them to us) and now manages a sailboat marina on Percy Priest Lake. Its been amazing to watch his knowledge grow and grow and now, others call on him for his expertise (the countless phone calls we get are proof!) So for Russ winning 3rd place in his first open water regatta was awesome! Now, I was just fine with him being away for a week and I was ecstatic that he and the other crew members had placed 3rd in their class. However, I became envious when Russ got home and showed me all the photos and video clips he had taken. All of the sudden I was ENVIOUS! Take a look for yourself...


Untitled from leeanne lackey on Vimeo.

Easter 2008

We spent Easter in Florida with my brother,sister-in-law and niece. We had a great time. Here are some highlights and funny things that happened:

Analayne starting calling Cracker Barrell the "crappy darrell."

Analayne and Hadley played and played and now Analayne loves to get in her little tykes car and say to me, "I going to Hadley's."

We went to an Easter egg hunt and the girls got to hold little baby chicks.

We went to the beach (it was fairly chilly) but we still had a great evening.

Analayne and Hadley played on the playground and Hadley did her best to show Analayne how to do flips on the bars.

We enjoyed being with everyone and we miss having all of our family living close by. For now we just have to make yearly visits and try to capture the girls as they grow older together. Enjoy some photo highlights.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Back Off Satan...

For those of you in my group of family and friends who read my blog (and any lurkers who are reading this), I want to ask for your prayers! My brother and sister-in-law are adopting a baby boy from China. They have prayed for such a long time for their child and are so excited (and we are too). They have eagerly been preparing for their son to come home. For weeks there has been feelings of anticipation, excitement, eagerness, thankfulness and honestly feelings of heartache for him.

A few weeks ago they were given travel dates and all seemed to be set for them to begin their journey on May 1st. However, today they received word that one little piece of paper needed for their adoption ( I think its the I-171H letter) is being held up and as a result it might hold them back and make them and their baby boy have to wait longer. This is agonizing for them! As a mother (and with a mother's heart) I can only imagine how difficult it is to continue to wait to hold the child you have already been waiting for and have already been loving. I won't even attempt to put those feelings into a written form!

We know that it is the Lord's plan for baby Shepherd to come home and we know that Satan loves to destroy our happiness and joy and he especially would love to thwart this process. Here is what I have to say (and I am very strong willed...) "Satan, you just step back. You have NO power over this situation. God's plan is divine and we as followers are faithful and we believe that the Lord is in control."

God can do amazing things and we believe that....so my fellow friends and family, please join with me in prayer that this paperwork gets completed in time to allow for the scheduled travel and time line. We know God can do anything and HE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS! Oh yeah--- and pray that they receive the needed money to complete their adoption. I also ask that you might additionally pray for Candace to somehow miraculously find the diamond earrings. (Hey, our lord asks that we come to HIM with all our needs and requests so I figured I might throw that in there too)...

**If you want to read more about the adoption of MY NEPHEW, Shepherd click here.

A Big Girl Bed

Out of necessity Analayne has moved to her big girl bed! Here is the drama that occurred that prompted this sudden and abrupt move down the hall. Last night our garage flooded, the drywall was wet, Analayne's carpet and padding got wet and overall it was just a big mess. So Russ being the wonderful handyman and "jack of all trades" that he is began working and very quickly found the problem. It seems that the pipe that led to our hose spicket burst and so water was spewing out of it and coming out the wall into the garage. The other side of this garage wall is the wall that is in Analayne's room, so with that said, water was leaking into her room. However, she was already asleep and it was almost midnight so we decided to deal with the mess in her room today! So Russ tore out everything that was wet and installed a big fan to ensure that the no water or dampness is left. With the big fans going there was no way that a poor little girl could sleep in the same room. So once I realized there was no way she was sleeping in her little toddler bed I began "talking up" how wonderful her big girl bed was and I started moving her babies and blankets into the new room. Analayne looked puzzled for a few minutes and then climbed right in and Russ and I sat down with her on her bed and prayed and did all of our hugging and kissing and then... we turned on her music, closed the door and walked away. That was it... yep...that was it... no getting out of bed, no crying, no nothing. A big girl indeed!

I had been working on a plan for her "new" room and had already put her bedding together. However, I had not yet painted or hung her new window treatments or started moving all of her "babies" and fun stuff to their new home. I just got done telling Russ, "you know-- if she sleeps through the night with no issues...she will not be moving back into her old room." He replied, "yep, I know." I wonder if he realized that with that comment he just committed himself to painting her room next weekend?

Three times around on the zoo carousel....

We love the zoo. The animals, the playground, the farm house, the petting zoo area, the beautiful "water features," and the carousel. As zoo members we get a discount on carousel tokens and that is a good benefit because somehow in the midst of Analayne's excitement and my excitement I started letting her ride the carousel 3 times each time we visit the zoo (which in the good weather months might be once a week). Analayne gets to hand the token to the zoo worker, pick which animal she wants to ride and then as she rides round and round she has a beaming smile! While we stand in line for our turn to board the carousel, Analayne and I talk about each animal and we point to the different animals and name them as she starts to make her decision about which one she will ride.

A few weeks ago we went to the zoo and she rode the elephant, the bongo and the monkeys. She had wanted to ride one more time but I had to enforce my limit (my physical limit of going round and round 3 consecutive times in a row and also my financial limit of $1.00 a ride!). The animal that she would have chosen was the giraffe. However, at the zoo there are maybe 3 animals on the carousel that do not go up and down and the giraffe is one of them. I explained this to her, but told her that the next time we visited the zoo she could ride the giraffe if that is what she chose. For the next 3 weeks this is exactly what I heard her say over and over again to nearly everyone she met. "I ride the carousel. Giraffe no up down. Elephant go up down. Giraffe no up down...he too tall." Finally last weekend in the beautiful 70 degree weather I took Analayne to the zoo and yes, we rode the carousel 3 times. She chose to ride the turtle, the elephant and the GIRAFFE!

Mustering Up The Energy

I am working on it my friends... I have so much I want to write about and so many pictures I have stock piled in the camera that I want to post. However, the motivation and energy to do any of this is lacking! I simply don't want to do anything. Don't want to cook, clean, go walking, scrapbook, blog, do my Bible study, drive anywhere, run any errands, go to work or even force my brain to have a complete thought. To sum it all up...I Don't WANT to do it. Is it because it is cold outside and it has rained or been dreary since Christmas? I promise a really good update soon--- but for now--maybe I shall take just one more nap!

When It's Freezing Cold & You Don't Want To Go!

So what are we doing on these very cold days with grey and gloomy skies? Here is a breakdown of our newest favorite activities:

1. We went to the circus last Sunday night. We were pretty sure Analayne would like it but it ended up that she LOVED it and was glued to the performance. She is still talking about everything she saw. It was truly the best circus performance Russ and I have ever attended--- you can't beat Barnum and Baily!

2. While other children are singing songs like Twinkle Twinkle and Where is Thmbkin, Analayne is singing the song, Charleston! Analayne loves this song and if your not familiar with it the first part of the song goes like this, "Charleston, Charleston..made in Carolina.." She sings this song and does not miss a word.

3. We are painting. This is Analayne's newest and most favorite fine motor activity. Within 20 minutes she can paint about 50 pictures. In about an hour and 20 minutes I can clean up the aftermath. Thank goodness for easels and Ajax!

4. We are writing the alphabet. She loves for me to sit down with a marker and her tablet of paper and she dictates which letter for me to write down. After a page of tablet paper begins to get full I ask her to identify certain letters. For example, "where is the letter J?" and she points to the correct letter. Fun and educational-its a win-win for us!

5. We are obcessed with Angelina Ballarina and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I won't elaborate, just know that I know every word to every Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song and I am certain that I know everything about TOOTLES!

6. Two of her favorite books right now are Fancy Nancy and Llamma, Llamma Mad At Momma.

7. Analayne knows her manners (YEAH!!!) However, she says both the "thank you and your welcome part all in one sentence, despite the fact that it might not be her "turn" to be the one saying your welcome! Its cute though... and as a mommy I will take it :)

8. We are washing "dishes." Analayne has mastered the art of pulling a chair up to the kitchen counter to help me "cook" or to "wash" dishes. Washing dishes can be a very helpful activity for both her and for me. I scrub the skink (After all..I am a germ-o-phobic), fill the sink with a little water, give her two or three cups and a few spoons and she plays for a very long time (long enough for me to make dinner!)

9. This morning when Analayne got up she climbed into bed with us and said the following, "I want a Wiggle boat." Russ said, "do you want to watch Wiggle Boat?" (her DVD) and she shook her head and said, "no, I want a Wiggle boat." I then said, "you want a wiggle boat that you can play in?" and she said, "yes." She then proceeded to say (and I quote...) "Daddy get me one." In response to that Russ told her "give me a week and I will get you one." She knew the right person to go to for a boat...literally! The surprise to me is that she had already made her mind up that she wanted to have her own little boat to play in. She is her daddy's girl (mine too!) On the flip side...where are we going to store a "wiggle boat?"


Russ and I are doing fine as well. We are hanging in there until a glimpse of warm sunshine comes our way. January and February feel like really long months to us. More to come very soon!