The Bufe Family

11 months

2012-01-28T09:34:00.000-06:00

How is her birthday one month away? I can't believe we are almost to a year. I am planning a small party with family and friends on the Sunday before her birthday. I can't imagine not doing anything for her. She deserves for her family and friends to come celebrate her 1st birthday...

Daniel is working today so we headed to see Hadley early this morning in our pj's :)

11 months in Heaven

January 28, 2012

We love you so much Hadley D'Layne!!

In Christ's Love,

Mom's 49th Birthday

2012-01-22T20:41:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago we celebrated my Mom's 49th birthday with a fun dinner out with our family. It was such a blast and I love these pictures from the night so I wanted to make sure and blog about it!!

Mom you are so special to our family and we would not be who we are without you. Briley is very lucky to have such a wonderful Gigi!! You don't look a day over 35 by the way!! :) LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

In Christ's Love,

What I miss...

2012-01-19T20:42:00.000-06:00

A year ago yesterday, my Mother-in-law went to be with Jesus.

I miss her so much. I can't even begin to imagine what Daniel, my sis-in-law and father-in-law are feeling.

We spent yesterday evening together, just the 5 of us. Daniel, Briley, Mariah, Papa, and myself. We visited Tammie and then came home and made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and rolls!! It was a favorite meal of Tammie's and she always cooked it so well. We didn't really talk much...we just enjoyed sitting together and watching the new American Idol auditions, which she always enjoyed watching with Mariah. We have pretty much settled into our new normal as an extended family of 5. This time last year we thought it would have grown to 6 and it is SO hard thinking back to last year when Tammie died and having no idea what was in store for us the next 6 weeks.

It's heartbreaking to read this post I wrote last year.

A year later I have to tell you it still hurts bad. We miss her more everyday. Cancer truly does SUCK.

In November, I attended a grief class at church and the counselor asked us to write down 5 things we miss about the person we have lost.

Here were my 5 for Tammie:

1. I miss talking to you.

We had the best talks while Daniel and his Dad were outside working on who knows what. She was the BEST listener. She always wanted to hear what was going on in our lives and she NEVER acted like she was too busy. Her children were her life.

2. I miss seeing you with Briley.

She was and still is (in Heaven) an amazing Nonnie. Briley was so incredibly blessed to have her here for the first year and a half of her life. It's so hard not to see Tammie with her now. I know that is one of the hardest things for Daniel. We know in our hearts that she is Briley's angel and is seeing what an amazing little girl she is growing up to be but our selfishness wants to witness it ourselves. I know we will understand later but for now we just have to pray for peace when our pain is too hard to bear.

3. I miss our family dinners.

I started going out to eat with Daniel's family on a regular basis while we were dating, and even though I had known Daniel and his family since I was 11, I LOVED getting to know his family on a level I hadn't before and it first started with our dinners. Tammie was also VERY adamant that on your birthday we all go out to eat as a family and YOU get to pick the place, no matter what anyone else likes. Tammie and I would usually pick Mexican on our birthday's which no one really likes except for us!! :) We shared a love for guacamole and now Briley loves it too!!

4. I miss your gentle nature and LOVE for kids.

Anyone that met Tammie said what a wonderful person she was. She worked as a school secretary at an elementary school and even though she loved her coworkers she loved her job mostly because of the kids. She and I would attend the annual education dinner at church together and I miss that. I didn't want to go this year without her...it was too hard.

5. I miss your memory.

I know it sounds a little silly but I really do. She had the BEST memory and kept a record of everything. I wish I would be better at this. When we would compare what Briley was doing to what Daniel did as a baby she always knew exactly when he ate baby food, crawled, walked, etc. She could tell you almost anyone's birthday/anniversary in the family. I will be honest...this past year some family birthdays have been forgotten because we depended on her memory so much. Mariah is trying really hard to keep a family calendar up to date and I know Tammie would be proud of her for that.

Can you tell what an amazing woman she was? She truly was a woman of God and even in the midst of pain and suffering she shined in her faith tremendously.

Happy 1 year in Heaven Nonnie!! We love you and miss you and Hadley everyday.

In Christ's Love,

My little skier...

2012-01-12T23:30:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago Daniel and I were working on a project with cardboard and had to cut different pieces to fit a frame. We left the scraps on the floor while we were working and we heard a little voice say...

"Look Mommy and Daddy!! I'm skiing!!"

I know she's my child and I'm biased but I thought it was pretty creative for a 2 year old to grab scraps of cardboard on the ground and pretend they are skis. Daniel and I laughed so hard and had to take pictures of course!!

We hope to take her skiing for real someday!!

In Christ's Love,

The Light in Me...

2012-01-01T20:44:00.000-06:00

I remember thinking in early summer how much I wanted 2011 to be over. I kept saying to Daniel all year I just want it to be 2012...I wish it would hurry and get here.

Yesterday was pretty emotional for me. I was in a yucky mood and wasn't very nice to my patient husband and I kept thinking all day what is my deal? I have been wanting 2012 to get here so bad and with it being hours away I was very anxious. I had this huge wave of sadness because I know that Tammie and Hadley's angel dates are quickly approaching and I can't believe it's almost been a year.

Now that it is 2012 I feel like my grief is still so strong. I hate the idea of being so close to the time after our loss...already a year later.

Tonight I was getting Briley ready for bed and as I was brushing her hair she was singing a song. I couldn't really tell what she was singing so I asked her to sing it again and she said..."You put the light in me, you put the light in me, you put the light in me!" She kept singing it over and over again and then I realized she was singing this song...

Leave it to my precious daughter to humble me. We had a very hard year...God isn't going to deny that to us. But, I'm not going to let myself be afraid of 2012 or look back on 2011 with pain. I'm going to look ahead at 2012 showing EVERYONE that HE put the light in me. That's what I'm here for. I'm here because of HIM and I want to bring more glory to Him in 2012 than I ever have before.

I don't know what God has in store for us but I'm going to trust Him. Just like I did before our loss and like I have been doing and will continue to do everyday after.

Here is my sweet girl singing the song she and God brought to my heart tonight...

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:16

In Christ's Love,

Christmas Eve/Day Part 2

2011-12-31T21:21:00.000-06:00

Part 2 of our Christmas Day...

After presents and a few brief naps, we headed to Bluebonnet to see Nonnie and Hadley. We couldn't have Christmas Day without going to see them.

Don't you love our Christmas Day attire?? ;)

Daniel and I wore our Hadley fire dept shirts all day :)

Ringing Nonnie's wind chime with Papa

Daniel set up the automatic timer in a tree!! Pretty good shot for being in a tree!!

When we got home we let B play on her jeep for a bit and my family showed up for our evening Christmas with them.

She loved showing Gigi her jeep!!

All the girls making Christmas dinner...homemade pizzas!!

While the pizzas were cooking we opened presents and Miss B went first of course...

Don't the boys look excited?!?! :)

Briley got a jewelry box from her Uncle Andrew :) It is the kind I had when I was young with a little ballerina that spins when you open it. She definitely needs this with all the earrings she got this Christmas.

Then for her big surprise...

A doll house from Gigi and Pa!!

She ABSOLUTELY loved it!

All of the kids went it to buy my Dad a grill and he was SO surprised :)

Mom looking at her shutterfly calendar I make her every year :)

We set up the tripod and the timer so we could get a group shot!!

I love my family!!

All B's gifts!! One blessed little girl...

So there it is!! That was our awesome Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was HARD to not have Tammie and Hadley with us, but like my husband always says..."You can't change it so be thankful for what you have." Pretty simple and the absolute truth.

This is my last post of 2011...the hardest year of our lives but we are still and always will be thankful to our precious LORD.

In Christ's Love,

Christmas Eve/Day Part 1

2011-12-31T12:00:00.004-06:00

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was so much fun because of our sweet Briley Ann. **Be prepared for the longest post of pictures ever- and this is only part 1!

Christmas Eve night, before B went to bed, we sprinkled our reindeer food on the lawn and got Santa's cookies and Dr. Pepper (yep that's what he drinks in our house) ready.

Fast forward a couple hours and here is what Santa left for Briley Ann at our house...

We had to wake her up since Daniel's dad and sister were coming in a few hours and she wasn't too happy at first...

This was her face when she realized Santa had come...I love it!!

All she has asked Santa for is "2 blue m&m's"...he did not disappoint!!

Getting her first pair of James Avery earrings from Mommy and Daddy...they are angels :)

Presents from Santa, Mommy and Daddy

Testing out her new jeep!!

My sweet hubby got me a pair of Miss Me jeans that I have been wanting for SO long and Miss B and I had to show off our booties ;) Did you notice the iPad to the left of us?!?! Santa was very good to me :)

Checking to see if Santa ate her cookies and drank the DP...he did of course!!

A little bit later Papa and Auntie arrived and it was time to make Jesus a birthday cake!! Mariah (Auntie) has always done this with Tammie and now she is carrying on the tradition with Briley. This will be a tradition that we keep forever!!

Isn't it beautiful?? :)

Then we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and Briley "blew" out his candles at the end.

After a yummy breakfast/brunch...

...it was present time with Papa and Auntie!!

Isn't this the cutest table ever? Briley's Papa built it for her playroom and she absolutely LOVES it. We are so lucky to have such handymen in the family :)

She also got an easel from her Auntie!!

Not to mention cute outfits, a new baby doll, dress up clothes, and more earrings. Papa and Auntie sure know how to spoil her...in a good way of course!!

Papa, Mommy, Auntie, and Daddy's turn to open gifts...

B got Papa pistachios...their favorite!!

The next few pictures are VERY embarrassing but too funny not to post. I was a little surprised by my gift :)

I was not expecting a new iPhone from Daniel's dad and sister!! So thoughtful of them!!

Beautiful canvas Mariah made for all of us with Tammie favorite verse on it.

Auntie's favorite calendar!!

Her magnetic makeup board...a pinterest idea I got from here.

Her Texas Ranger Toms where we also got the idea from pinterest but my best friend Tracy painted them :)

Daniel's turn :)

Part 2 will be visiting Hadley and Nonnie and my family coming over Christmas evening :)

Picture overload but so worth the posts!!

In Christ's Love,

Christmas Time=Family Time

2011-12-30T19:00:00.003-06:00

Over the past two weeks we have met up with LOTS of family to celebrate Christmas. We are so lucky to have extended family close by especially during the holidays!! Here are some fun pictures from the 4 Christmases we had aside from our own :)

Christmas #1

Celebrating with Mega and Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins

Mega and her babies :)

Mom and Dad

Christmas #2

Celebrating with Grandma and Pop

She was so excited to get her new Mickey and Minnie dolls!!

Hugs for Grandma!

Christmas #3

Celebrating with Nanny, and Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins

Santa always makes an appearance at Nanny's...we are very lucky!!

Nanny and her kiddos!!

Christmas #4

Celebrating with Granddaddy and Granny Nell

She sure loves her Uncle Andrew!!

Aunt Erin was making a "diaper" for Briley's new baby doll. We love our Aunt E!!

Helping Granny Nell and Gigi open presents

Aren't we blessed?!?!

What a wonderful Christmas we had with our families.

Last and final Christmas post will be next...our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!!

In Christ's Love,

Baking cookies for Santa!!

2011-12-29T21:29:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve morning Briley and I got busy making Christmas cookies for Santa Claus. It is our first year making them and by the looks of them you can tell I am NOT a baker or a decorator but we still had a lot of fun!! Which is all that counts in my mind.

First pictures in our cute apron...

Getting all our ingredients together

She loved pouring everything in and wanted to do it ALL by herself of course!

Mixing it all together!!

Her favorite part!! Rolling the dough :)

Silly face time!!

Later that day, after Mommy had baked and iced them it was B's turn to decorate them...she had a blast and needless to say I don't have any sprinkles left ;)

The sprinkles ended up in the icing...baking with a two year old ;)

Hadley and Nonnie's angel cookies

The cookies all ready for Santa on his plate!!

Such wonderful memories made with my sweet girl!!

In Christ's Love,

10 months

2011-12-29T09:12:00.002-06:00

My sister-in-law, Mariah, asked me the other day if I had heard this song by Third Day and I hadn't. It is perfect for Hadley's 10 month post...

10 months in Heaven

December 28, 2011

We love you so much Hadley D'Layne!!

In Christ's Love,

Visiting Santa and Christmas lights at the Speedway!!

2011-12-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday we made our visit to Santa at Bass Pro shop. We have gone here since Briley's 1st Christmas and we plan on keeping the tradition :)

She wore her PJ's the 1st time she saw him so we have kept this tradition as well!!

Telling Santa Claus she would like "two blue M&M's" for Christmas :)

She wasn't scared one bit!! Lots of improvement from last year :)

Later that evening we headed to Texas Motor Speedway for their 1st Annual Christmas light display. We had a great time looking at lights and and enjoyed some yummy ice cream from Sonic after!! Christmas lights and ice cream...perfect evening ;)

Isn't this the neatest picture??

In Christ's Love,

Gaylord Ice 2011

2011-12-26T20:56:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday we met some great friends to see the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Texan this year. Daniel and I have gone twice before and even though it is a little overpriced it is still a lot of fun and will now be a Christmas tradition with the Jackson's- Beau, Amanda, and Braleigh!! I know Daniel and Beau are so excited :) hehehe!! Here are pictures from our fun day of seeing ICE-Shrek the Halls!!

Waiting to go inside ICE!!!

B isn't looking but I think my husband looks handsome :)

Getting the girls all bundled up!!

Isn't her hat so cute?? Thank you Uncle Scotty and Aunt Erin!!

They are ready...and could barely walk. It was so cute!!

Daddies and their girls!!

All the girls with a huge Shrek!!

The Jackson's!!

The girls wanted to keep touching the ice :)

Briley and Shrek's babies!!

Braleigh going down the slide!!

Briley's turn!!

The Dad's wanted a turn too!!

The dragon was so neat. It stretched all the way around the room and was HUGE!!

Two very cold families that had a lot of fun!!

My favorite part is always the end where they have a beautiful Nativity scene. So pretty!!

After ICE we had to take advantage of the beautiful Gaylord hotel and got a few more pictures before lunch.

The beautiful tree!!

Briley is obsessed with trains right now so we stood here a long time watching the trains go by. She LOVED it. I love these pictures too!!

Looking at the huge fish in the pond that runs through the hotel.

Sweet girls watching the trains.

We took so many pictures and the girls were such good models!! What a fun day with great friends!!

Last year and this year's ICE!!

In Christ's Love,

A wonderful day with hard moments...

2011-12-25T22:12:00.000-06:00

I went in to today thinking it was going to be a hard day with good moments...but my amazing husband put it so much better. "It was a wonderful day with a few hard moments." We didn't let our sadness consume us and we enjoyed such a beautiful day with our sweet little girl and close family celebrating our Savior's birth.

I plan on posting all of this week about the fun we had this past week leading up to Christmas. It's just too much for one post and it's wonderful memories I never want to forget so I want to blog about them.

Here are few sneak peeks of our Christmas Day!!

Merry Christmas!!!

In Christ's Love,

Flashback Friday

2011-12-23T08:04:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning...

2007

2008

2009

2010
(Precious Hadley is in my belly)

Can't wait to see her precious face Christmas morning 2011!!

In Christ's Love,

Firefighter Family Christmas Dinner!!

2011-12-21T16:04:00.000-06:00

Tuesday evening, Briley and I headed to the fire station to have dinner with Daniel and our firefighter family. We are so lucky to have gained such an amazing group of friends through Daniel's job. It really is a second family for us and we love getting together and all of the kiddos have a blast!!

Braleigh and Briley doing what their Daddies do best at work...hehehe!!

Kinsley, Briley, and Braleigh

All the firemen's daughters!! :)

I love these shots of us while my hubby was getting the camera ready...too funny!!

Yea!! Such a good one!!

Who doesn't love pizza and cookies for Christmas dinner at the fire station??

Time to play in the bay!!

LOVE this :)

Pretending to spray Mommy!

What a great crew and even better husbands/daddies!!

Time for a ride in the fire truck!!

Turning on the sirens was not a good idea!! Poor things!!

Briley loved it!!

The Jackson family!! Love them!!

All the kiddos!! 10 kids under the age of 5!!

Such a fun night. God has truly blessed Daniel and I with wonderful jobs and amazing friends!!

Only 4 days until Christmas!!

In Christ's Love,

Jesus, Savior

2011-12-20T23:16:00.000-06:00

Last week we took a Christmas tree up to the cemetary to put out for Nonnie and Hadley...

I've really been having a hard time this past week and I heard this song on the radio and it has brought me peace.

I'm not really sure how Daniel and I are supposed to get through Christmas, January, or February. I get sick to my stomach thinking about Christmas without Tammie and Hadley. I get sick to my stomach thinking about January 18th and February 28th.

But then I think of this song...

"Jesus, Savior, Son of God, King of Kings. Our salvation has a name. Jesus, Savior, Precious Lord of everything. Our whole world's about to change. It will never be the same."

Tonight I'm thinking about the bigger picture. I'm so grateful for that precious baby boy, born in a manger so many years ago. I will have eternal life with my family because of HIM.

My Jesus, My Savior.

In Christ's Love,

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-12-14T23:19:00.000-06:00

Because it is one of my favorite Christmas pictures I have to share...

Briley Ann-Christmas 2009

She is still my little Santa baby!!

In Christ's Love,

A Christmas filled weekend!!

2011-12-11T22:29:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful weekend...

On Friday, Daniel, Briley, and I enjoyed a quiet night together :) We went to Home Depot to buy some drawer knobs for a desk Daniel is building for our bedroom and then ate at Pizza Inn...it was a really low-key night after a long week and as boring as it sounds I loved it. When we got home Briley asked to have a "sleepover" and so her and I made a pallet on the floor with about 10 blankets. Daniel thought we were crazy and I so wish I would have snapped a picture of Briley's beaming face!! Around midnight, I woke up with a horrible pain in my back and soon realized that I am officially old and can't sleep on the floor anymore. However, we still had fun having a girl sleepover in the living room...until about 12:15 a.m. Ha!

On Saturday, we headed to watch Daniel perform in a Christmas parade for the city he works for. He learned to play Hark the Herald Angels Sing on his bag pipes a few weeks ago and is already playing it so well. We are so proud of him!! Here are some fun pictures from the night...

Today, I completed a Christmas pinterest project :) I have been wanting to display our Christmas cards but I didn't want to spend a lot of time making something. So, I found the Christmas card blessing ring idea and I loved it. All you need is a necklace hook from Hobby Lobby, ribbon, hole punch, and your Christmas cards. I love how it turned out...

I have looped all the cards we have received so far on it and I also have every Christmas card Daniel and I have sent out on it. I like the idea of keeping our families cards on there each year and then adding our family and friends new ones. I also love how it looks on the tree.

I also spruced up our tree a bit and added red tulle around it. Daniel loves a plain tree with just ornaments but he actually really liked this and so do I. What's great is I had the tulle already...no money spent!!

This afternoon, Briley and I headed over to my Mom and Dad's to let Briley spend sometime over there and so we could both see my grandmother, Mega, who had been out of town over Thanksgiving. We missed her a lot!! While we were there we did the perfect activity for a Sunday in December...decorating a gingerbread house!!

I love that cheesy grin!!

4 generations of women decorating a gingerbread house :)

Definitely not the prettiest house ever made but B had fun and that is what counts. You might be wondering what that weird red shape fondant is. A snake of course. Yep, our Gingerbread house wouldn't be complete without a snake on the roof. My daughter cracks me up.

I love Christmastime!!

Only 5 more days until Christmas break and more wonderful Christmas memories ahead!!

In Christ's Love,

Pinterest Picture Project...

2011-12-10T22:40:00.000-06:00

My inspiration...

Source: thisismeinspired.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

My attempt...

SUCCESS!!!

I LOVE Pinterest...how did we ever live without it??

In Christ's Love,

Candlelight Ceremony and Christmas Card

2011-12-07T21:15:00.000-06:00

Last night we attended our 1st MEND Candlelight Christmas Ceremony in memory of our sweet angel.

It was such a touching and intimate ceremony and I am so thankful to MEND for such wonderful ways they help us to honor our babies. My parents, my grandmother (Mega), Daniel's dad, and his sister all came to light a candle for Hadley and support Daniel, Briley, and I. I'm not sure how people suffer a loss like this without support from their family and friends...we are so lucky to have an amazing support system.

Papa and Auntie

Mega, Pa, and Gigi...and Briley practicing blowing out her candle :)

We went as a family up to the front to light Hadley's candles from the MEND candle and I loved that we were all up there together honoring our daughter, baby sister, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, and niece in Heaven.

My sweet family :)

On another note...our Christmas cards have been mailed. Yippee!! So glad to have this off my plate and done!! Most of our family and friends received them today so I want to share with my blog friends as well.

Merry Christmas from the Bufe's!!!

{Front}

{Back}

I love how it turned out!!

In Christ's Love,

Picture update...

2011-12-05T14:50:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving, Parade of Lights, and Decorating for Christmas :)

Thanksgiving Day

Bufe Thanksgiving at our home!!

Nice and cozy but we made it work!!

Briley waiting patiently on Nanny to fix her ripped blanket :)

Fort Worth Parade of Lights

Decorating for Christmas

Only 9 more days left of school and then Christmas break!!

In Christ's Love,

9 months

2011-11-29T16:52:00.000-06:00

How has it been 9 months??

The 28th of this month was REALLY hard. We didn't make it to the cemetery until dark and so our balloon pictures didn't turn out and one of our balloons popped :( That's life though right? Doesn't always go as planned and we have to remember what is important in life and be THANKFUL to HIM.

We are missing our sweet girl so much...

(this is just Tammie and Hadley's temporary markers...the official ones should be here in January/February)

9 precious months in Heaven

November 28, 2011

We love you so much Hadley D'Layne!!

In Christ's Love,

Catching up and a Day of Beauty!!

2011-11-23T19:19:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I have blogged. I have been so looking forward to this week off with my family and school has kept me super busy as well, and sadly time has just gotten away from me.

Now that my Thanksgiving break is finally here we are enjoying our time together as a family and the first thing we did was take family pictures :) Daniel was so thrilled!! HA! His lovely sister was so sweet to take them for us and they turned out great. Here is a preview...don't want to share them all because we are using them for our Christmas card!!

Did you notice the "H" I'm holding?? I love it and so does Daniel :) It is so important to us to include Hadley's memory in everything we can. Even though she is not here we are a family of 4 and we wanted that shown in our pictures. So thankful to my sis-in-law for taking such great pictures!! Can't wait to share the rest with you!!

Monday we had a fun day planned for Miss B!! 1st on the agenda was her VERY FIRST haircut. I know that is crazy since she is 2.5 but her Daddy has been very apprehensive about getting it cut even after reassuring him that cutting it makes it grow longer and healthier. He finally agreed and I'm so glad we did it. It looks so much healthier and no split ends (not that she had that many)!! Here are some pictures from her haircut...

I didn't get an after picture because she was so worried about getting her treasure box prize they offered her. It was the cutest place called "Pigtails and Crewcuts" and we will definitely be going back!! I didn't even have to ask for a little clip of her hair...the lady already had a small baggie for me with her hair in it at the end. It's already in her baby book :)

Our next stop was something I have been VERY apprehensive about for a long time. Daniel has been begging me to get her ears pierced. He wanted to do it when she was itty bitty and I said NO WAY. I wanted to wait until she was 4 or 5, could ask for them, and understand the responsibility of taking care of them/cleaning them. So we compromised and settled on 2.5!! It's all about compromise right?!?! Here is our little sweetie after her haircut sitting in the chair picking out earrings.

The next few pictures you can see how my face is getting worried, more worried, and pretty much scared to death at the end!!

Marking her ears...

She looks so happy and I look like I'm about to have an anxiety attack!!

"Daddy what did you get me into?"

:( So sad!!!!

Mommy practicing cleaning them...I can't even handle that little tear!! Breaks my heart!!

Lolly's make everything better!!

Now a few pictures to show them off...she was completely over it by now and loved them!!

Those lips, eyes, and cheeks kill me!! I keep telling her Daddy we are in big trouble!!

Getting primped and poked is exhausting...every girl needs her beauty sleep!!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!! Can't wait for yummy food and spending time with loved ones!!

In Christ's Love,

Twins

2011-11-08T17:54:00.000-06:00

We are having to borrow my sis-in-laws camera right now because someone left ours on the back of the couch and it was knocked over. That someone of course being me :( We are so hoping and praying that Arlington camera can fix it.

So, my sweet sister-in-law, Mariah, handed her camera over to us because I can't stand not having a working camera especially during the holiday season!!

She had some pictures saved to her camera and I have to share a few I came across.

This was November of last year...

Briley and her Nonnie were twins that day in their matching pink and gray sweats!! We miss her so much. Please pray for our family this holiday season...it's going to be a hard one.

Source: silentfears.tumblr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

In Christ's Love,

Pics from Daddy's phone...

2011-11-02T20:06:00.000-05:00

On the days that Daniel is home from the fire station he keeps Briley home with him. We love it because she doesn't have to go to the sitter everyday (even though we love Kristin!) and it gives her and Daniel some extra Daddy/Daughter time since he is gone for 24 hours while at work.

I thought it would be a fun blog post to look at some of the pictures he has taken on his phone of their special Daddy/Daughter days!!

Dress up time...

Stopping to look at the choo choo trains...

Shopping for some boots...

Checking out the airplanes at the airport...

Zoo trips...

Shopping trips...

Buying birdseed and feeding the birds in our front yard...

Donuts for breakfast...

Aren't Briley, Hadley, and I lucky to have such a wonderful man in our lives?? I couldn't ask for anything more!! Love you Daniel!!

In Christ's Love,

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T19:43:00.000-05:00

Last year for Halloween we had a lot of family over to tell them that our family of 3 was growing to a family of 4. It was a wonderful Halloween that I will never forget and honestly I wasn't particularly looking forward to the 31st this year. So this year we decided to keep things low-key and just had our parents and siblings over for dinner so they could watch Briley trick or treat. They never miss an opportunity to see her...especially dressed up as Minnie Mouse!!

Here are some fun pictures from our Halloween night!!

Briley had so much fun trick-or-treating!! She would go up to the door all by herself, say trick or treat, and then follow it up with a thank you!! Talk about a proud mommy!!

Comparing last year to this year...

We had a wonderful night with our close family and sweet girl!!

In Christ's Love,

Weekend Recap

2011-10-30T23:12:00.000-05:00

We had a fun and busy weekend!!

Friday night after releasing Hadley's balloons we headed to my brothers last senior football game. He hurt his ankle a month or so ago so he wasn't able to play but they did make it to the playoffs so we are hoping the doctor will clear him for those games. We did still want to go to support him because it was senior night and John and my parents were recognized on the field!!

John and my parents name being called!!

Briley and her Mega (my mom's mom)

Briley got to go on the field with her Gigi and Pa!!

Singing the L.D. Bell Alma Mater!! Where Briley's Pa, Mommy, Daddy, and Uncles all graduated from. Well Uncle John will in May!! I love how she had her finger up during the song!!

Here comes Uncle John!!

So proud of my little brother!! He is such a great kicker and we are hoping to attend college football games watching Uncle John as the kicker!!

After we heard my brother receognized, we rushed over to Daniel's Dad's house to watch Game 7 of the World Series. Sadly our beloved Rangers did not win :( We all took the loss pretty hard...we just knew this was their year!! But there is always next year and we are still Ranger fans and will be there opening day in April!! A family tradition we will not break!!

Saturday evening we went to Daniel's Nanny's house for a yummy dinner and a hay ride!! Briley had so much fun with her "cousins" running around Nanny's backyard...I love fall nights like this!!

My sweet little Halloween princess loved the hay ride. Daddy drove her on her first one!!

Sunday, Briley and I enjoyed sleeping in, cleaning, and painting pumpkins!! I hope to make painting pumpkins a tradition each year...she LOVED IT!!

She said the pumpkins were for Briley, Hadley, and Daddy...I love that she thinks of her baby sister!!

Sunday evening we headed over to my Grandaddy's house to celebrate his birthday. Grandaddy is my Mom's Dad and I have so many special memories at his and my Granny Nell's house and I love that Briley had so much fun tonight!!

Opening her Halloween presents from Granddaddy and Granny Nell

Playing with kitty's Rex and Roxy!!

Piano time with cousin Jake!!

Happy Birthday Granddaddy!! We love you!!

Busy weekend and even busier week...fun Halloween memories to take pictures of tomorrow!!

In Christ's Love,

8 months

2011-10-29T21:43:00.002-05:00

You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up

Waiting for the sunrise

Waiting for the day

Waiting for a sign

That I’m where you want me to be

You know my heart is heavy
And the hurt is deep
But when I feel like giving up
You’re reminding me
That we all fall down sometimes
But when I hit the ground

You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I’m letting go
You lift me up when I can’t see
Your heart is all that I need
Your love carries me so I’m letting go

You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up with your love
You lift me up

I know I’m not perfect
I know I make mistakes
I know that I have let you down
But you love me the same

And when I’m surrounded
When I lose my way
When I’m crying out and falling down
You are here to

Lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I’m letting go
You lift me up when I can’t see
Your heart is all that I need
Your love carries me so I’m letting go

I can see the dawn is breaking
I am feeling overtaken with your love
With your love
I don’t know what I can offer
In this moment I surrender to your love
To your love

You lift me up when I am weak
Your arms wrap around me
Your love catches me so I’m letting go

How humbling it is to know I can let go of guilt, pain, sin, fear and HE will always be there to catch me. When I fall (and I do all the time) I'm never going to hit rock bottom because he won't allow it. He loves me too much.

8 months in Heaven

October 28, 2011

We love you so much Hadley D'Layne!!

In Christ's Love,

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-27T20:14:00.000-05:00

I love going to the pumpkin patch with my family...

I can't post pumpkin patch pictures without comparing to last year...one of my favorite things to do!!

Did you notice Hadley's pumpkin in a few pictures?? Our sweet baby girl is never off my mind...especially on days like this.

I will be honest...I did get tears in my eyes several times seeing sweet baby girls all dressed up in their fall tutu's taking pictures with their siblings. How could I not?

But looking at this face with her baby sisters pumpkin reminded me of how blessed we are...

...and who doesn't love a cute cowgirl and handsome cowboy??

In Christ's Love,

It's a pinterest kind of monday...

2011-10-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

Just for fun here are all the things I'm loving and pinning right now :)

Products I would love to have...

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Clothes I would love in my closet...

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: facebook.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Crafts I wish I could make TODAY...

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: johnnyinadress.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Christmas I can't wait to make...

Source: allendesigns.typepad.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Things I would love to eat...

Source: marthastewart.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: leemeandthegirls.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Things that make my day better...

Source: tumblr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: 517creations.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

What are you pinning on this Monday??

If I don't follow you already I would love to!!

In Christ's Love,

Single Sentence Sunday

2011-10-23T19:14:00.000-05:00

Could this Minnie Mouse....

with her cotton candy....

be any sweeter??

In Christ's Love,

Boots...

2011-10-21T20:11:00.000-05:00

Last week Daniel couldn't wait any longer and bought Briley Ann some pink boots!! We were going to wait until Christmas but her Daddy said she needed them now. Looking at these pictures I would have to agree...

Why do I feel like we might be in trouble when she is older?!?!

In Christ's Love,

A year ago today...

2011-10-18T06:33:00.000-05:00

We found out this...

It's only 6 am and today is already so hard.

I wish she was here, I wish I could hold her, I hate this.

"God gives, God takes, God's name be ever blessed."-Job 1:21

In Christ's Love,

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness-October 15th

2011-10-15T20:11:00.000-05:00

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month and October 15th families are invited to light a candle for one hour in honor of their babies.

Here are the candles we have lit in honor of our baby...

Hadley D'Layne Bufe.

Thinking of our sweet girl and all the other babies who are in the presence of Jesus...what a beautiful reunion it will be when we are called home!!

"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." -Psalm 139:16

In Christ's Love,

2:28

2011-10-12T20:05:00.000-05:00

The past couple days I have found myself looking at my phone at this exact time...

I love reminders of my sweet girl...I really need them this week.

You are always on my mind precious Hadley!! I miss you today, I missed you yesterday, and I will miss you tomorrow. Another day closer to being in Heaven with you!!

In Christ's Love,

Our weekend in iPhone pics!!

2011-10-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

I love fall weekends!! Especially when they include an extra day!!

On Saturday we went to the Ranger game while my Mom took Briley to a pumpkin patch birthday party for my Mom's cousin's little boy. We had so much fun at the game...even with the rain!! Briley had a BLAST at the pumpkin patch as well!! My mom was so sweet to send me pictures :)

On Sunday, Daniel was at work so Briley and I did what girls do best...

Made a mess while playing dress up!! I'd rather make memories than clean up ;)

Baked a cake for no reason!!

Gave ourselves manicures and pedicures (her first time with painted fingernails!!) Not pictured- Several naps, endless movie watching, and a bubble bath :) I love time with my sweet girl!!

Today has been a relaxing day...

Daniel brought us home donuts and Briley loved her donut holes with pumpkin sprinkles on them!!

Daniel is at the Ranger game so Briley and I made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, Chick Fil A, and Kroger. I have been seeing the fall trail mix on pinterest a lot so I decided to mix up a batch to take to Briley's baby sitter, Kristin, and her family this week.

I thought it turned out pretty cute!! The printable is also from pinterest!!

I feel pretty rested and ready for the week. Only 4 more days until the weekend!! ;)

In Christ's Love,

Name Gallery #6

2011-10-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

Our family and friends NEVER let us down each month.

These are amazing!!!

I have to share about a few of these this month...

Here is Daniel's dad (Papa), Daniel's sister (Auntie), and Briley...I LOVE THESE!! I'm not sure how they got Briley to sit so well!!

A couple of weeks ago, my brother Andrew (who lives in Boston) drove to Hadley, MA. He met the captain that I got Daniel's father's day gifts from (read about that here) and this is one picture he took from his trip. I thought it was really sweet of him to go there and take pictures for us and for his angel niece :)

My best friend, Tracy, recently took a trip to NYC and sent me some amazing pictures. She spelled out Hadley first and middle name with the beautiful architecture in the city and I can't tell you how much Daniel and I LOVE these. Mine and Daniel's first trip together was NYC, so it holds a very special place in our heart...we are so grateful that she did this for us. Some of the letters are even from the new 9/11 memorial!!

"I have called you by name...you are mine." -Isaiah 43:1

In Christ's Love,

A Walk to Remember our Hadley

2011-10-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

I can't describe to you how amazing our MEND Walk was yesterday.

Everything about it was perfect.

Just watch the video and you will see...

In Christ's Love,

7 months

2011-09-28T23:13:00.001-05:00

"I know I'll see the sun shine bright
upon my baby's face....
When I finally get to heaven,
all my pain will be erased.
We'll soar the skies together,
as angels two by two.
We'll have a sweet reunion,
this mother's dream come true!"
~Unknown

Happy 7 months to our sweet baby girl...

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30

7 Months in Heaven

September 28, 2011

We love you so much Hadley D'Layne!!

In Christ's Love,

Single Sentence Sunday

2011-09-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

Can someone please buy this little girl a baby doll??

In Christ's Love,

My Family...

2011-09-21T21:33:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed.

I love this guy...

...for loving me, our daughters, and his family and friends unconditionally. A week ago he did something that I am so proud to finally share!! He got a tattoo to honor our sweet baby girl in Heaven. Daniel is not a spontaneous person and he knew that if he ever did get a tattoo he would want it to really mean something to him and think about it a lot before he went through with it. Here is what he got...

Isn't it amazing?? Those are her actual footprint marks and the exact size that they were on his upper arm. The yellow roses are on either side and they represent his Mom and the love she is surrounding Hadley with in Heaven. It has Hadley's name at the top and on the bottom her birthday and his favorite chapter in the bible. I really can't say anything more about this other than I absolutely love it and I absolutely love him for not even thinking about the pain and getting it.

I love my Hadley...

...I received our Walk to Remember shirts in the mail yesterday. October will be a hard month. It is the month we found out last year that we were pregnant with Hadley. I know God will be holding me extra tight this month. I am so thankful for Hadley and His love.

I love my Briley...

...She most definitely is my sunshine on hard days. God knew what a blessing she would be/is to our family. His plan is MORE than perfect.

I told you...I am so blessed. :)

In Christ's Love,

Picture update...

2011-09-20T21:55:00.000-05:00

I'm sad it's almost been a week since I have blogged. It is so hard to blog during the week. School is absolutely exhausting and the energy I do have left I want to spend it with Briley and Daniel. So tonight's post is a random update of things/pictures I don't want to forget!!

I posted on September 11th that we went to watch Daniel play the bagpipes at a 9/11 memorial service and he did awesome!! I am so proud of how much he has learned since he started 2 years ago. I hate to be super sappy but it is one of those things that I know our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will be very proud of. Here are a few pictures from the day and a video!!

(He starts playing around 2:27)

On Friday we celebrated my little brother's 25th birthday!! He came in from Boston and we were so happy to have him home. We hope he will be home for good by Christmas, though we are REALLY proud of how well he is doing out there all by himself. I know at his age I wouldn't have moved to a new city all alone...I'm not brave enough!! Here are a few cute pictures I snapped of the family at dinner...

My youngest brother John had homecoming that night and even though the game was rained out and he couldn't kick because he is hurt right now...Briley still had to be his date for homecoming and support her Uncle John. He said she was the prettiest girl there!! ;) She was done with pictures by this time but don't you love her little mum??

On Saturday, Briley and I went to a Mickey Mouse birthday party!! My sweet friend Tiffany's little boy, Tristan was turning 3. Briley had so much fun at the party and the decorations were so cute...

Of course we had to wear our Minnie Mouse shirt and match the theme!!

Well that catches us up on the past week and weekend...I have to end with this picture of our sweet girl. Tonight she saw a group of kids having soccer practice and she asked to go over and play. I told her no, that she was too little and she needed to be 3. She then replied, "I'm four." This little girl is going to give us a run for our money!! She melts my heart!!

In Christ's Love,

Pain and Peace

2011-09-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

I have had a hard week...

I heard this song tonight and I'm feeling so much better.

When my world is shaking...

Heaven stands.

When my heart is breaking...

I never leave your hands.

No matter what pain I'm feeling here...Hadley feels none.

I can't describe to you how much peace that brings me.

In Christ's Love,

I am second...

2011-09-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

I will NEVER FORGET what happened that day. Most importantly I won't forget that I am second...and HE is first.

Briley and I are off to watch Daniel play the bagpipes at a 9/11 memorial service today...so proud to be his wife!!

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”-Deuteronomy 31:16

In Christ's Love,

Whoopies!!!

2011-09-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

The first week of school our wonderful PTA had an assortment of the most amazing dessert I have ever tasted. Seriously. It was amazing.

They are called whoopie cookies and for someone that really isn't a dessert person I was super impressed.

For Labor Day weekend we were getting together with some friends for a barbecue and I decided to tackle the whoopie cookie. Not only the whoopie cookie...but the RED VELVET whoopie cookie!!

So here is my crack at it!!

First...you get all your ingredients together.

Then...you do a bunch of mixing.

You add some eggs...and then some red food coloring of course!

More mixing again...

Don't forget the whipping cream!!

Then you scoop them onto the parchment paper and place them in the warm 350 degree oven!!

While they are cooling you make the yummy cream cheese filling...

Last, you get a little worried because the cookies are looking a little sad and deformed, but then you place the cream cheese filling inside and VOILA!!! The RED VELVET WHOOPIE COOKIE!!!!

Place them in a air tight container and off they go to your party destination!!

The best part of this recipe...seeing these sweet girls enjoy their whoopies and ice cream!!

Everyone at the barbecue did enjoy them and said they were very yummy!! Daniel was very impressed when he found out they were homemade...he figured I had just used red velvet cake mix!! The thought had crossed my mind but I decided being a first time whoopie cookie maker I needed to go all out!!

I looked online and found the simplest recipe I could find :) You can go to it here.

In Christ's Love,

Name Gallery #5

2011-09-03T20:29:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned how much I love her name??

"I have called you by name...you are mine." Isaiah 43:1

In Christ's Love,

The truth about grief...

2011-08-31T20:30:00.000-05:00

Daniel and I received our 3rd book in the grief series from our pastor yesterday. The title of this book is, "Finding Hope and Healing".

I think that's a fitting title because without hope I would never heal. I know I'm not going to heal completely on earth. But hope does give me the reassurance that I will heal in the presence of Jesus.

I found a few quotes in the book that really stuck out to me about grief and I wanted to share them with you...

"Grief is a choppy two steps forward, one step backward experience." -Therese Rando

"Grief comes in and out like waves from the ocean. Sometimes when you least expect it, a huge wave comes along and pulls your feet right out from under you." -Alan Wolfelt

"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear" -C.S. Lewis

"If you're going through hell keep going." -Winston Churchill

"Tears are the silent language of grief."-Voltaire

They are very simple quotes but they are powerful. I can put my grief in each of them.

So tonight the truth about my grief is that it's never ending here on earth. It is always there, always changing, always hurting...

I love this quote...

I really can't think of a better way to describe hope.

Heavenly Father, You are the only one who knows my sorrow. My body is enveloped in pain and grief, but I know there is hope because of you. Help me to live out that hope. Amen

I love you Hadley D'Layne!!

In Christ's Love,

Big girl...

2011-08-29T20:39:00.000-05:00

It wasn't unbearable this evening outside, so we decided to enjoy a little bit of fresh air while the sun was going down tonight. While we were out, Daniel decided to rearrange Briley's tricycle so that she would be able to steer and push the pedals by herself. Ignore our poor grass...what's sad is ours is one of the better looking ones on the street. Praying for that rain!!

Here is her tricycle before...(Christmas present last year)

Here is the after...

She is still learning how it works but she loved it!!

Oops...looks like we will be buying a helmet soon!!

How did our little girl get so big??

In Christ's Love,

6 months

2011-08-28T14:35:00.000-05:00

"For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you. " Isaiah 41:13

My heart is absolutely breaking today. But in HIS name I find meaning so I will continue to hold on...I'm so thankful he will never let go!!

6 months in Heaven

August 28, 2011

We love you so much Hadley D'Layne!!

In Christ's Love,

Cooking with Mommy!

2011-08-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

The night before I went back to school Briley and I had fun baking brownies after dinner. She was so cute wanting to do ALL of the work and her favorite part was dumping the ingredients in the bowl. My little baker is so cute!! Pardon my no makeup...I was really enjoying my last day :)

She actually was in bed before they were ready and cooled off but we had some the next day!! I love these special memories with my sweet girl!!

In Christ's Love,

Peace

2011-08-21T08:05:00.000-05:00

This week has been hard. I have missed my family, I have been exhausted, and I have missed Hadley more now than ever.

This picture brings me peace...

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

The ultimate peace I will feel one day is when I can see this forever.

In Christ's Love,