One big, long, enormous, gigantic, full-of-info, action-packed, emotional, way over due update!

The title says it all. It's been 6 months. 6 MONTHS since my last update. Yikes! I'm WAY overdue! I apparently suck at this blogging thing. And honestly, I thought I'd be pretty good at it, considering I do have a degree in speech and a minor in English! ;) But alas, I let myself down. Boo!

I have a good excuse this time. 2011 has been pretty crappy. It's been the worst year I've ever had. In just 9 short months, we lost 5 people we loved. I had bigger things on my mind than this blog. So please forgive me! I won't even dare to say that I'll update "once a month" like I have promised in the past. Apparently, I can't stick to that. But with Emercyn starting pre-k next week, I do want to TRY to update every couple of months. So hopefully I CAN stick to that!

So here's a month-by-month play-by-play of what you've missed these last 6 months.


March: Emercyn was in her last few months at TLC preschool, and Harper and I were enjoying our days together at home. Emercyn also started t-ball! Jason decided to be the coach! We named the team the Shockers, and our colors were bright blue, black, and silver. It was an exciting season, having all 4 & 5 year olds on the team, but a very fun one!!

April: Baby H turned TWO!!! We celebrated with all her closest friends from church at her favorite play place, ABC's Stay 'N Play in Yukon. We did a Sesame Street theme. She LOVES Elmo! :)

April was also a very sad month for us. On April 8th, we found out that Jason's Dad (Stan Looper) had a very aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. And on April 19th, we found out that my Dad's (David Mogg) doctors at MD Anderson decided it was time to stop treatment.

Stan's cancer was very advanced and very aggressive, and he very quickly got worse. On April 30th, just 3 weeks later, he passed away. Stan was such an amazing man. He was a wonderful role model for my husband, showing him what a good husband and father looked like. He was the best father-in-law I could have asked for, and was such a loving Grandad to our girls. Not a day goes by that he isn't missed or loved.

Jason's sister, who lives in Central Asia, came home with her husband and 3 kids to see her Dad in his last few weeks. Because she lives so far away, most of our communication with them is through email and Skype. So it was very nice to see them in person for an extended period of time. They were here about a month before having to return home. The girls LOVED playing with their cousins Lydia (who is Harper's age), and twins Hudson and Josiah (turned a year in June)!!!


May: Emercyn's Spring dance recital was darling! She performed in two dances, a ballet and tap routine. This month also marked the last day of preschool for Miss E. This meant she was ready for BIG KID school! Oh my!

June: On June 26th, my Dad passed away....just 2 months after Stan. We were told he had 4-6 months, so him passing away so quickly wasn't what we were expecting. He was a wonderful Daddy. I have amazing memories from my childhood that I look back on and remember him dearly. He was a loving Popa to my girls! I think of him every single day....missing him and loving him more than I can even put into words.

Losing both fathers/grandfathers in that short amount of time was and has been very hard. Luckily, Jason and I have each other to lean on. We KNOW and UNDERSTAND what the other is feeling, so we don't have to pretend or try to "get it". We both also have a very strong relationship with God. HE has been with us every step of the way...carried us most times, knowing we could barely walk on our own. It is because of our relationship with HIM that we are able to move forward. God is GOOD!

July: The girls took swimming lessons this summer! Emercyn surprised us by actually learning to SWIM! Up to this point, she wouldn't even put her head under water! :) Harper wanted nothing to do with the class! She loves the water, but did NOT want to participate in the class. :) Maybe next year!

We did lots of fun things this summer.....fishing, going to the zoo, swimming, having playdates, bible school, etc. It was a very hard summer for us; a very emotional summer. But we still tried to enjoy it as best as we could.

August: Emercyn starts PRE-K at Maple Public Schools NEXT WEEK!!! She will go every day, all day. How can she be this big???? Emercyn is very ready. Mommy, not so much!! I have knots in my stomach just thinking about it!!! We are going to carpool each week with two of Emercyn's dear friends. So lucky to be doing this. Gas is crazy right now! I did have to give up my beloved Ford Edge for a vehicle that has a 3rd row though. Bye bye Edge! You will be missed my friend. You will be dearly missed. Sniff, sniff. I ended up getting a gray Chevy Traverse. It's a beautiful car! It's newer, bigger, has more bells and whistles, and most importantly was in our price range! So I know I'll come to love this car too!!

Harper will start Mother's Day Out at the same school Emercyn attended MDO at this age. She will go two days a week. I'm a little nervous about this! She is VERY attached to me....and has a little separation anxiety. I'm hoping going to MDO helps her with this. Emercyn loved it! Hoping Harper does too!

Emercyn started her 3rd year of dance this month. The last two years she's been taking tap and ballet, but this year she's taking jazz and hip hop. So far she loves it!!! Harper is going to be taking a mommy and me Kindermusick class. Can't wait!! She loves to dance and sing, so I know she will have a blast!!

We also found out this month that my younger sister, Jenni, is pregnant!!!!!! She's due in February 2012. Such a wonderful blessing after such a sad time in our lives. This is going to give us so much happiness to look forward to. Like I said before....God is GOOD!!!!

This coming weekend we are taking the girls on a mini-vacation....an end-of-summer last blast trip! We are staying at the Hampton Inn in Bricktown. It has an indoor water park-type of pool area. We plan to take them to Pops in Acadia to eat, as well as Pinkitzel for a cupcake snack! The girls have never stayed in a hotel, so this will be an experience for us all!! :)


Well folks, that's about it! I'm sure I left out quite a bit (I'm doing this from memory)! But I hit the most important parts, which is all that matters. ;) And honestly, did you want to hear every single thing we did this summer? I could have told you about our potty-training journey with Baby H. But I will spare you the details. You're welcome!


Until next time......