What's in a name?

I jumped on the paranoia bandwagon and decided to eliminate my last name from my blog. Most of the people who read this blog already know my last name, and I figured all the other strangers out there probably don't need to ☻ If you have me on your list with our last name, if you would kindly change it to either "Barbie" or "Our Bit of Earth", I'd appreciate it!

Now onto why I chose this name...

So many of you have clever blog names and I was slightly envious. I couldn't think of anything really. Then I thought of it! I read The Secret Garden with my students every year. It's such a great book about love and growth and discipline. About how even the most unruly people and gardens can blossom and become beautiful with careful pruning and tending. In the book, Mary asks Mr. Craven, "Might I have a bit of earth?". He was confused by the question so she goes on to explain, " To plant seeds in--to make things grow--to see them come alive." So there you have it. This will be "Our Bit of Earth". A place where I'll show you my little seeds growing and coming alive. I'm sure I'll have some growth too.

Deep, I know ♥ Hey, I've read the book about 20 times in the last 7 years, I know it pretty well.

Juliet's Sunshine

Aubrey makes her happy, Even when skies are grey.
And there is nothing Aubrey would rather do!
I love how these girls of mine love eachother!

Trike-a-thon

Last week, Aubrey rode her bike in the trike-a-thon at her school to help raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. She was able to raise $115! Thanks to all of our family for supporting such a wonderful cause. At first Aubrey was reluctant because there were SO MANY bikes...it was a bit intimidating. Soon she got the hang of it, and she was moving fast! About an hour after the trike-a-thon began, they stopped and served cookies and juice. Aubrey wanted to keep riding, "to help the sick babies". ☺ I convinced her that we did help them, but it was time to go. I really do love her little preschool. I love that it's small, that I know most of the kids and all the teachers. I also love that they are teaching the kids the importance of helping other through projects like this one.

Thankful

Yesterday, I was reminded of the blessings of healthy children. I'm thankful everyday for their presence...their health...their lives, but yesterday I was extra thankful as I read about two children who died of brain tumors. One was the grandson of Aubrey's preschool director (he passed away last year at St. Jude's) and the other, her teacher's son (he passed away in 2007). Then I delivered dinner to a family with a little baby who was born just before Juliet. She was premature and she has a chromosonal abnormality.

Today, I'm just so thankful for the health of my girls!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning ♥

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day.
I've got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's going my way.

One Month

On Monday, little Miss Juliet was one month old. I feel like that was the fastest month of my entire life! She is really such a GOOD baby! I think there are several reasons for this... First and foremost, God must have heard my prayers! :) Also, I think that I'm so much more relaxed this time around. I'm confidant in my decisions, and I feel like I can read her cues better than I did with Aubrey. I was afraid I was going to do something wrong and "break" Aubrey. "She seems hungry, but it's only been 1 1/2 hours...if I feed her now she'll turn into a snacker. She must just want to be held....but she's still screaming...AHHHHHH." With Juliet, if she seems hungry I feed her. She refuses it if she's not hungry. And so far, she's still working ;). In fact, this last week she's been sleeping at least on 5 hour stretch each night. Last night I fed her at 9:30 and she didn't wake up until 3:30...6 hours BABY! Amazing! She is very alert when she's awake and is starting to give us smiles...especially in the morning. Her big sister loves talking to her and getting her to smile. We are so thankful for this perfect addition to our family!

At one month old some other things we want to remember about Miss Juliet:

• Your wide eyes are getting more and more blue each day.
• You still prefer to sleep on your tummy.
• You are quite the pooper in the mornings...sometimes I have to change you like 6 times in a row.
• You weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 2oz at your appt and measured 21 3/4 inches. That means you've almost gained a full 2 lbs since birth and you've grown 1 1/4 inches.
• I have soooo much less anxiety this time around because you don't mind taking a bottle and/or a little formula. You still prefer breastmilk, but when you don't seem satisfied, a ounce of formula usually does the trick.
• You have an old man hairline (culdesac). Papa CC says Aubrey inherited his flat butt and you inherited his hairline. ;)
• Aubrey calls you "sweetie bug" and "sleepy bug". She came up with these nicknames on her own. :)
• We love you more than you can imagine!

Suprema Ballerina

Today was the first day of dance for Aubrey and Gracie. All the other kiddos were already in the class for a while, so the girls were learning along the way. It was pretty cute. I'll let the pictures and videos speak for themselves.
Before this next video, in Aubrey's defense, she didn't stand still the whole time, but she was worried because the other girls were, "getting off their mark on the floor".