Photos 365

My friend, Paige, is starting this fun idea of taking a photo everyday for a year. I love this idea because Farrah is growing so fast and changing everyday. At first this idea seemed a little stressful but I decided not to stress about this and make it a fun project. There will be days when we do a lot of things and days where we do nothing but I want to capture my day as best as possible. (Some photos will be from my phone so it won't be the best quality but I have a picture.)

So here's my first week in photos!

Farrah had fun "playing hair" as she calls it. LaJuana and Annika are such good sports!



Farrah and I had a picnic in the living room. We have not eaten a meal in front of the TV (I know shocker!!) so Farrah thought that was extra special. We had sandwiches and watched Frosty the Snowman.



Farrah's new game is playing Hide and Seek. She LOVES it!! So much that we are all tired of playing Hide and Seek.





Farrah's teacher at KDO asked for us to bring a family picture so they could make a family book. I looked back at this past year and I found TWO family pictures....TWO!! I have a ton of Farrah and a some of James and Farrah and me and Farrah but only two family pictures. So at breakfast before KDO started we took a family picture...haha!!



Farrah also learned how to play London Bridges this week. She had so much fun!



I have more photos but I want to write a post about each of those.

Christmas cards are impossible.....

For the last two years I have LOVED our Christmas cards! This year I have a busy little girl who won't sit still for nothing. I finally threw my hands in the air and said "If you smile and look at mommy I'll give you some candy!!" Did it work? Well you be the judge...haha!!











These are just a few of the pictures I took. Will there be a Fortner Christmas card this year????? I just don't know...haha!!

Farrah you are one big mess right now but I LOVE every minute of it!! You are so much fun right now and you have a whole lot of sass! Dad and I are still trying to figure this one out! Love you so much sweet girl!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.....

I wanted to decorate for Christmas weeks ago, but since I was having Thanksgiving at my house I thought I should wait. So I waited til Thanksgiving night...haha! I also had to wait for James' help. With having both my shoulder's operated on I couldn't get all the things out of the attic and I couldn't lift anything heavy.

James was a good sport. He put together my new 9ft tree and I fluffed it (Thanks babe!) Last year I went to the after Christmas sales and got some really good stuff. The best thing was opening everything for the first time and seeing it all over again. I must say, I got some really good stuff last year!!



Last year I ordered these amazing stockings! I ordered them off of Ballard Design. I've been eyeing them for two years and I just finally bought them. I told James I wanted some stockings that I could keep forever and these are definitely them! I even ordered extra to match for our future kids.



This year for the big tree I went with the red and lime green and I LOVE it! It's so festive and fun! Farrah looks at it and says "Mommy, I like your Christmas!" My favorite purchase was my big tree topper. It a big top hat that lights up.



I've always had the dream of putting a Christmas tree in every room so this year Farrah has one in her room. I've used that tree for the last three years and its so fun that I just had to use it for Farrah. She's not really sure what to think about it in her room. The first night I left the lights on while she went to sleep and about five minutes later she was calling me in to turn them off...haha! She really does like it just not the lights.



Every year I buy Farrah a Christmas ornament and I found her a great one this year! This girl is so into Texas Tech football that when she see's a football game on TV she'll ask "Mommy, we go see the boys play today?" I keep Farrah's very first ornament on the main tree, and then the current ornament on the main tree and then it will go on her tree next year.

This years ornament


2010


Farrah's first Christmas 2009




I love this time of year! The promise of new life and promises. Families getting together and loving on each other. I love the cold and hoping for snow. Every year I so badly want a white Christmas and this year I will hope for the same.



Merry Christmas!!!



I want to remember this story from Farrah so this is just for me but you can enjoy it as well. Last week we came home and the neighbors across the street had their Christmas lights on and Farrah said "Mommy, I want sparkles on my house!" It made me laugh and then I told her she needed to tell her daddy! For 10 years James has told me that he would put Christmas lights on our house and still nothing...haha! James told Farrah for sure next year we would have Christmas lights...that a way Farrah!!

Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving is year. It was super busy but we enjoyed every minute of it. We started with lunch with James' family. We went to James' brother house and loved seeing his family. I love have such big families with little kids running around. Farrah was worn out, which I was thankful for...haha!

After lunch we came home and napped Farrah and ourselves before my families Thanksgiving. I love cooking for everyone and this year I made the homemade cornbread stuffing. Last year I wanted to learn how to make homemade pies, crust and all, and my 90 year old grandmother stood in my kitchen for three hours teaching me how to make pies. This year, I wanted to make the stuffing so my mom told me the recipe that has been used for many generations. I love family recipes!

This Thanksgiving was such a fun one for us but I can't help for being very thankful this year. I am so thankful for both our families but most of all for my little family. Farrah is growing so much and there is not a day that goes by that she just makes me smile and thank God for her! I'm incredibly blessed by a wonderful husband who always puts my needs before mine and Farrah's.

This has been a rough year but a great one at the same time. Thankful for so much!

When it rains....it pours!

You know the saying when it rains it pours, well this statement always seems true for my family. Its nothing really bad but it just seems that just when I think I've got everything under control something changes.

After my therapy on Wednesday, I started having this spot on my back that was hurting. At first I thought it was from the heat pack they put on me after I'm done with my therapy. I had James check it and he couldn't see anything wrong. So everyday my skin just hurt but I just thought it was from dry skin or something.

Last night I noticed a small cluster of blisters on my back and the pain is getting worse so I went to a clinic today and I have.....Shingles!!! I can honestly say this is the worst pain I've ever felt.

What's so weird is that my back doesn't look bad at all! From what the doctor said was that the Shingles are attacking my nervous system and my nerves are going crazy in this area. But the nerve that is under attack is on the front right side of my chest and goes under my armpit all the way to my right shoulder blade. So this is a large area and one that is very deceiving. From what I've also learned is that Shingles are brought on by stress...haha!!

One challenge I'm having is the sleeping part. Since my double shoulder surgery I can't sleep on either one of my shoulders and my back and front hurt from the Shingles so this is going to get real interesting!!

I have to go back this week and get a shot so hopefully the Shingles won't return and yes that's a possibility....yikes! One last piece of info is that Shingles are not contagious!! Yes, they are in the family of Chicken Pox but there is no way you can get this from me so Farrah and James are totally safe and so are you..haha!!

(The only reason I'm blogging about this is because I want to remember this.)

Shoulder surgery #2!

A couple of weeks ago I had my left shoulder surgery and I'm officially done with surgeries for a VERY long while! This shoulder surgery was so different then my right shoulder. There was more damage and the tear was worse but I've not had near the pain with this shoulder then I did my right.

From what James tells me (I don't remember anything about that day except for being VERY sick!) Farrah wouldn't leave my side. She was a great mommy sitter...haha! At one point she crawled in my bed and wouldn't leave.....sweet girl!!



Farrah has had a whole lot of fun while I've been down! One night James put his pop up deer blind and Farrah thought that was the greatest thing ever!! There has been lots of playing with Lucas and Annika and Uncle Lance and Aunt Juana too.







I'm very thankful of having a wonderful family that is so willing to help me with Farrah. I'm also very thankful to Kelsey, Abby Cherri and Andrea for bring us meals this past week! It was a huge help and such a blessing!!

Ms. Piggy!!

This year for Halloween Farrah was a pink pig. I found this costume last year and wanted it so bad! She was the cutest pig I've ever seen! She loved dressing up and was extra excited about all the candy.

We started out Sunday night at my mom and dad's church. They had a trunk or treat and Farrah had a blast. Farrah was joined by all her cousins. This is the church I grew up with all my life and to bring my baby back to them was such a joy. Of course they all loved on Farrah and gave her extra candy! There were jumpers and slides and my favorite a cupcake walk. It took me forever to win some cupcakes but I did!!









On Monday we went to our church's Trunk or treat and then headed off to the Vintage for door to door Trick or Treating. Our church had some fun jumpers and a trunk or treat, and again Farrah was spoiled.





We met up with Lucas and Annika and went to the Vintage for Trick or Treating. That place was so packed but we had so much fun! Farrah was really into it too. She would go to the door and say "Trick or Treat." Farrah had so many comments that by the end of the night we were just laughing at all of them. She was a pretty cute pig if I say so myself...haha!!