Disney World

It really is the happiest place on Earth.






And Magic Kingdom is...well, it's pretty magical.






And those princesses are everywhere. And by "everywhere" I mean "at the end of a very long line in which you will wait at least thirty minutes in the blazing sun in order to get them to sign your child's autograph book and take a blurry snapshot".







The girls loved the rides...






Well, except for It's a Small World. Arden had mixed feelings about that one.



Amelia even got in on the fun.






That last picture is just because there's nothing cuter than chunky baby legs.

We had a wonderful trip and the girls were so good. Of course, Grandma Becky was a huge help with that! We can't wait to go back--Claire is already plotting our return.

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Time stood still on Friday.

That was the day that we were told Amelia has PHPV, a congenital eye disease that has left her with little, if any, vision in her right eye.

Time stood still.

Surgery will be performed in the few next weeks. Surgery on the beautiful brown eye of my precious baby. Surgery that may or may not improve her chances of ever having useful vision in that eye. Yet, surgery that we have to try because if we don't, we'll never know.

Time stood still.

After surgery, Amelia will begin an aggressive regimen of eye patching and glasses. She will most likely have to wear a patch on her "good" eye for 6-8 hours each day in the hopes that her "bad" eye will regain some vision. She will also wear glasses from now on. This therapy may or may not improve her chances of ever having useful vision in her right eye.

Time stood still.

Children with PHPV are predisposed to glaucoma and cataracts, things we will have to watch for over the years. She will also be at risk for retina detachment.

Time stood still.

We don't know what to expect. We don't know whether Amelia will ever see more than light and shadows in her right eye. We don't know if she'll have glaucoma, develop a cataract, or experience any other complication. We don't know so many things.

But we do know this: we will do whatever it takes to ensure that Amelia has the best treatment and the best chance for usable vision. We know that Amelia is loved by and being prayed for by so many people. We know that she is exactly the way God intended her to be, that she is fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God has a plan for her that is much bigger than this eye disease.

As we await our consult at Arkansas Children's Hospital, please pray for the following specific things:
--That her lens will not have to removed during surgery
--That we will make the best choices for her treatment
--That we will have peace through this process


I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.
Psalm 130:14

I Think She's On To Us

With our Disney trip just weeks away, Jason and I have been using Mickey's name in vain to get our children to behave. Over the past month, we've been known to say things such as: "If you do that again, I'll call Mickey Mouse and tell him you can't come to Disney World." Or "If I hear you say that again, I'm telling Mickey and he won't let you ride any rides." Or, perhaps taking it a bit too far, "If you can't be a good girl, Mickey Mouse will not be your friend. He only wants to hug nice girls."

Today as Arden was misbehaving (what?! Arden, no not her!), Jason told her that he was going to call Mickey Mouse if she didn't straighten up.

Arden looked him straight in the eye and said, "And Santa and the Easter Bunny too?"

To Be Filed Under What in the World???

Today as I was about to back out of a parking space, a woman knocked on my window. Thinking I must know her from somewhere, I rolled down the window and smiled politely.

"I don't know if anyone has told you this before, but you look JUST LIKE Cynthia Nixon," she said.

It took me a minute to place Cynthia Nixon--Miranda from Sex and the City. Miranda? Seriously? I mean, let's be honest, Miranda is attractive, but who wouldn't rather be told they look like Charlotte, or even Carrie? So I sat there in my seat, staring at this stranger, trying to determine if this was meant to be a compliment or an insult.

Noting my silence, she went on. "I mean, when I saw you come out of that store, I did a doubletake. You look JUST LIKE her!"

I continued to stare, wondering if Cynthia Nixon ever had to drag a forty pound baby carrier into a blinds store. Also, did she ever do it wearing jeans that were at least two days past due for a wash and a two year old running shirt that may or may not have spit up on it?

"OK. Um, thanks?" I shrugged, still unsure of the appropriate response.

She smiled. "I did the whole mom thing, too," she said, nodding to my mini van. "And I always looked frumpy. So I wanted to tell you that you look JUST LIKE Cynthia Nixon!"

Now, see, that's the part that really confused me. Did I look frumpy too? Did she feel a special bond with me with the "whole mom thing"? Was she trying to rally me out of my frumpy mommy existence by comparing me to a famous actress? And if so, couldn't she have told me I looked JUST LIKE Scarlett Johansson?