Owen and Karis are are the masked bandits, or Nacho Lebrie's. (sp?) 

Teresa and Lucas brought them back for their boys after their cruise. I'm jealous, about the cruise, not the masks. 

Mommy got a new purse and shoes. I know, a little wild. I've never had yellow shoes before, but it was such a good deal, and they look cute on Karis. Maybe I'll be able to pull it off. :-)

:-)

The picture of me is from our budding photographer. Once Karis discovered the art of point and push she can't seem to get enough of in. Unfortunately I'm often her target. The red bow...What can I say, I'm the mother of little girls. 

Karis is making a "Story" box. I'm not sure what that is, but she cuts out paper and glues it onto the box. We are working on cutting out shapes and yes, sticking out your tongue makes the lines straighter.

I know you always say"Daddy's little girl" but Gabi really is Daddy's little girl. If she had a choice between Mommy or Daddy she would pick Him everytime. Well, except if she is hungry. The outfit is from Auntie Amber - so cute.

Sleep, sleep, where art thou?

Gabi's teeth kept her in and out of a solid sleep until two this morning and then Karis was up at six. Needless to say I did not want to get out of bed this morning, and I was praying that God would give me grace.... It is only seven thirty now and I'm thinking that dose is going to have to be extra big today. :-) 

On a lighter note, it sure was fun to let the house fall apart yesterday. I even went to bed with dirty dishes in the table. Granted, they bugged me so much that cleaning up the kitchen was the first thing I did this morning and getting the house straightened up will be top priority today. I've found a messy house doesn't appeal to me, at all. I'd better get on with it. 

We officially pulled our house off the market today. I found out yesterday that the house we wanted sold. It was sad, but I think I had detached myself enough emotionally from the situation that I really think my realtor and family were more broken up then me. :-) God is so gracious because I don't think I would have felt that way a month ago. I went and looked at a couple more houses today, but nothing even comes close to the one we liked and they didn't have even as much space as we have right now. So... rather than prolong the agony of having to keep this house perfect we pulled the plug. I think the thought of having to clean my house to perfection yet another time speeded up the inevitable. I like my house and if I can't have the other one then I want to stay put. :-)  I'm already walking around thinking of what I'm going to do to change things here and there. Maybe even knock out a wall ---that  thought scares me a little.... ok, more than a little. We shall see. 

Karis specializes in cheesy grins at the moment. I love them. Gabi Rae walked around for a good part of the night in Karis' tu tu and Grandma's pj's.   The picture of her getting into the drawer is so all of you can see why my kitchen is NEVER clean. She goes around after me and pulls everything out. I love it though. 

It has been one of those days. Overall a good one. I had brunch with the Pastor's wives, which was encouraging and fun. My Dr. appointment was ok, not as good as I had hoped. It appears that one of the growths in my lung is growing while the other two are maintaining or shrinking. I'm not so concerned about my health as I am about the decision that needs to be made. Do we do a needle biopsy, or do we wait another four months and have to do yet another CAT scan. I'd almost rather have the biopsy and avoid the dangers associated with the scan. The appointment left me more drained then I thought it would. I was reading shortly after that being "born again" a continual surge of God's power. No matter what the circumstance, no matter how overwhelmed, His power is there for us. I'm telling you, I need that power right now. I'm glad God can see the end of all of this. :-) It's a good place to rest.

My girls

Not as slow as I thought

Maybe I an handle the world of the blogger after all. We shall see if I keep up on the lives in the Rankin household. 

Beware all boys. Karis isn't the innocent she seems. No, she is a manhunter. This little one is determined to marry a prince one day and as you can see, she is starting early. :-) Never too soon to keep your options open. So far Owen and Austin are clearly in the running, and her mama so far approves of her choices. 

Well, starting this blog didn't go too well - seeing as my last post was in November. Let's see if we can't do a little better. The girls with their presents from grandpa Johnson on Christmas morning and Gabi in one of my favorite tops.