Pictures of His Grace

Oh, Wow!

2012-01-27T11:36:00.007-05:00

Wow! I didn't realize it had been a year since I posted anything on my blog. Time slips away too quickly. This time of year at our house is usually very busy because it's basketball season. This basketball season has been overwhelming, to say the least. Hannah began her season in November, playing middle school and junior varsity. For the first few weeks of January, she had 4 or 5 games a week. This year we decided to let Alli play for the Rec. Department, since she will begin middle school ball next year. She is on a 10 and under team from her school. Then we discovered that there was an 8 and under team for boys from the school, so we switched Aaron to the Rec. Department as well. With each having a different schedule for games and practice, it has been a little bit of a circus. I have found myself, for the first time, having to depend a good bit on others (parents of team mates and friends gracious enough to help) to get my kids where they need to be. I have also had to accept the fact that I can't be at everyone's games. Take for instance our schedule this evening. Hannah has a game two hours away at 4:00. Aaron's game is at 5:30 south of town and Alli's is at 6:30 north of town. Hannah gets to ride the bus to the game and back. I will take Aaron to his and Kevin thankfully gets off at 6:00 and can take Alli to hers. She will have to spend about an hour at the ER waiting on her daddy. Oh, how I love to watch my kids play ball and I hate the fact that I won't get to see Hannah and Alli play tonight. But I will be with Aaron, who definitely needs some support from his basketball loving mama!

I love watching my kids grow and improve in all they do. Hannah's team had a great season. They were undefeated in their league and last Saturday they won their league tournament championship game by two points. Their defense and team work won the game for them. Hannah put up a lot of shots, but for some reason the ball just wasn't going in for her. It was the kind of game that makes this mama want to stand the whole game. Oh, it was so close. Hannah fell on the floor one time and didn't get up for several minutes. She fell hard on her hip. Of course, Kevin wasn't going to go check on her but I told him to go. He went out there and told her she hadn't broke anything, to get up! She got up, sat out for a minute or two and then went back in. It was a fight to the finish! I just wish I had a picture of a rebound Hannah made where she jumped really high to get it. I would love to show her how high she got off the floor! Amazing! Can't believe my girl is finishing middle school basketball and will be playing for the high school team next year.

That's my #24 for the Lady Lions!

So proud of these girls, playing for an audience of 1!

Alli and Aaron are improving as well. They are playing about two games a week. Alli is working on getting more aggressive and using her height to her advantage. I can't tell you how many times the word "rebound" has come out of mine and Kevin's mouths the last three weeks. I should just make a sign with the word on it! Aaron is working on these same things and he wants to score so bad. He needs a dose of confidence and I so want to see him looking at me in the stands with a big grin, knowing he has just scored a basket for his team. He came really close last week and he made some great assists. I love to see teamwork. It's a glorious thing! This year Hannah's team has worked so well together. I love to see my child make a goal, but I love it even more to see him/her work with a team mate by making a quick pass to them and letting them shoot.

Aaron is #24 in the navy.

Alli, #35, is the tallest on her team. She gets to jump for the ball!

Well, enough about basketball, because I could go on and on. I always hope every year that I am going to do better with this blogging thing, but it usually doesn't happen. My plan is for this blog to be more about pictures of the kids, so that our family and friends can keep up with what they are up to. I may occasionally share a story. I am praying about a personal blog for myself that I can share my journey with others. The past 13 months have had a lot of ups and downs. Thankfully, my God loves me and is with me through every trial. Makes me think of that childhood song, "He's Still Working on Me". I could think of so many things worse than being diagnosed with celiac disease; however, change is not easy. Dealing with depression is not fun. I know the Lord has brought me to a place where dependence on Him is the only thing that will get me through. So, we will see about the new blog. I set up one last year, but I never found myself ready to share. My purpose in life needs to be letting others see God's glory thru me. I always come back to this one verse that the Holy Spirit whispers to me on a daily basis. It's the verse that gave me the name for this blog. In 2 Corinthians chapter 2, Paul is talking about his thorn in the flesh in verses 7-10. The first part of verse 9 says, "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Pictures of January Snow

2011-01-13T01:15:00.003-05:00

Another Dose of Snowy Weather

2011-01-13T00:41:00.004-05:00

Sunday night, January 9th at around 10:00 the snow began to fall. We woke up Monday morning and found around six inches of snow. It was so beautiful! Kevin has worked nights this week, so he was not able to make it home Monday morning. But on Tuesday morning, he was determined to make it home. As you can see in one of the pictures (in the next post), he turned into the driveway and that was as far as he made it. The kids have been out of school all week. Friday may be the only day they will get to go. You do not see Hannah in any of the pictures because she has been sick since Saturday evening. She has had a terrible sore throat and ear infection. She is feeling better, but still cannot hear well in her left ear. The last couple of days I have been getting my education on Star Wars with a movie marathon. It's been interesting learning to talk Star Wars with my boy! Monday was the Harry Potter movie marathon, so I finally told Aaron we would watch some Star Wars. I love to see him smile! Enjoy the pictures! I will post a few more in a new entry.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-13T00:09:00.004-05:00

A White Christmas

2011-01-12T22:35:00.004-05:00

A Little Chocolate and a Big Bridge

2010-07-22T22:39:00.003-04:00

JA always finds neat places to stop for a quick photo. It's hard to tell, but it's two kissing sea lions. At this point we were on a desperate search for popcorn for JA. We had promised him we would find popcorn before we went back to the hotel.

The trip would not be complete without a stop at Ghirardelli Square. Yummo!

We are getting a closer look at the Golden Gate Bridge as we cross over for the first time. I am still wondering.......does the sun ever shine here?

A Few Pictures

2010-07-22T20:49:00.002-04:00

Woo Hoo! I finally got a few pictures to upload. I guess it will only let me do three at a time. Today we have hung out at the house enjoying the fact we don't have to go anywhere or do anything. In the living room there is an 18 ft window seat and the two side windows can be opened where you can enjoy the cool breeze and hear the ocean waves. I claimed a spot on one end of the seat, opened the window, and read for a little while. I have been in a Bible study this summer about grace, so I started reading Chuck Swindoll's " The Grace Awakening: Believing in Grace is One Thing. Living it is Another. " The Lord is revealing a lot to me thru this book, and it has gone right along with Kay Arthur's study on grace. Maybe one day I will write a post concerning this subject. Well, Kevin is cooking dinner tonight. He's cooking Alli's favorite....fried eggs! It has been so wonderful having him with us! Due to circumstances at work, he has been away a good bit. Things always go a lot smoother when he's around. And since he's our international traveler, we were able to navigate the airport without a problem....what a zoo!

This picture was taken early Tuesday morning at the hotel where we left the car. We were waiting on the shuttle to take us to the airport. We got off to a later start than planned. We left the house almost 10 minutes later. We had to stop and get gas. One of the tires on the van was really low, so we searched for a gas station where the air pump actually worked. We made it on time with time to find breakfast.......Chikfila minis!

I enjoyed taking pictures while we were in the air. They weren't as clear as I thought they would be, but you can still see. This picture was taken when we were going over the Rocky mountains. One thing I really enjoyed on the plane was the map you could look at on the tv screen on the chair in front of you. It told us exactly where the plane was. At one point I think I actually saw the lake where Kevin took me to propose. Sounds crazy and I even woke him up to show him!

This picture is the view from the window with the 18ft window seat. It's just incredible! On the left is a river that is running into the ocean. Right now the fog is settling in for the night and I can't see the trees and beach that are in the top left hand quadrant of the picture. Enjoying this adventure with my crew!

It's Finally Time!

2010-07-21T23:36:00.003-04:00

We started our little adventure early yesterday morning. Several of us were a little nervous about our first time flying. Last time I flew was in 1994, and since I am not real fond of heights, I was a little nervous, too. But once we were in the air, the kids decided they liked flying. Kevin was asleep before the plane even hit the runway for take off. I thought I would have fallen asleep, but apparently that only happens when you put me behind the steering wheel of my car. Maybe I didn't get sleepy because I was so busy looking out the window at all of God's creation below. It was so amazing to see how the landscape changed as we went further west. We went over a total of 11 states in about 4 and 1/2 hours. Our landing reminded me a lot of when I flew to Jamaica 16 years ago. As we were descending, there was a layer of clouds that looked like marshmallow fluff. You couldn't see anything below the plane. As we went below that layer of clouds, all you could see was water, no land. I have to admit I was a little nervous at that point, but amazingly we landed without a problem. While on the flight, I thought a lot about God's sovereignty and how He already knows the number of our days.

We arrived in San Francisco about 1:30 p.m. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting settled into our hotel room and then walking along Fisherman's Wharf enjoying Pier 39 and the Ferry Building. San Francisco has been really foggy and about 40 degrees cooler than home. The kids really enjoyed the afternoon despite the coolness. JA chased every pigeon he could find and Alli helped him. My oldest child is known for her dry humor and stating the facts as they are. As we are dodging pigeons, she says, "they are going to be arrested for harassing the pigeons!" JA would either be ahead of us chasing pigeons or lagging behind because he was getting tired. After returning from the Ferry Building we went thru the aquarium which is the smallest aquarium I have ever been in. I enjoyed the fact that it didn't take long and it wasn't crowded. We decided to see if we could get tickets for the Alcatraz tour, but as stated in all the travel books, "You need to book in advance!" They are booked thru next Wednesday, so I guess taking a picture of Alcatraz will be as close as we get. We went back to our room, rented movies and crashed for the night.

This morning we walked to Ghirardelli Square and got our first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge. Of course we had to buy a few pieces of chocolate even though Kevin claimed we could get it back home. I told him I didn't think our stores had some of the same flavors, so we had to have a few samples. We headed back to our car and began our journey to where we are now. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was awesome. It is so beautiful here. Our trip up Highway 1 was spectacular. Our God is truly amazing! Our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean was incredible. I told Kevin we are getting the mountains and beach all in one. The view from where I am sitting is incredible, so peaceful. I am just trying to soak it all in!

After several attempts to upload pictures for this post, I am going to give up for the night and try again in the morning.

Time is Flying By Too Fast!

2010-07-13T00:10:00.005-04:00

I am so often reminded how quickly time is passing. It's so hard to believe that H is 12, A is 9 and JA is 6. These are some of my favorite pictures I took of them right before they got out of school for summer. I love these kiddos!

Introducing......#32

2009-11-05T13:43:00.003-05:00

Last Friday we found out that Hannah made the middle school basketball team. We are excited for her. She is really getting into it and enjoying it. She received her practice uniform yesterday, so I couldn't resist taking pictures and sharing the news. This momma is ready for some b-ball! Go # 32! More pictures to come later!

Halloween Weekend Fun

2009-11-05T13:17:00.003-05:00

I decorated the back of Kevin's truck for Trunk or Treat at our church on Friday night. The kids had a blast at this event. They helped give out candy after they got done making their rounds. On Saturday night we went to a friend's house for dinner and a night of trick or treating in their neighborhood. Here are the characters I took with me.

Prince Caspian from Chronicles of Narnia...Isn't he handsome? He did have the armor to go with it. He carried the sword around but the other was too much.

Here she is! Lucy from "I Love Lucy!" (Fit her personality perfectly!) I think this costume was a hit!

Hannah joined in the fun also, but I think this is probably her last year to do so. She seems to have outgrown the costume phase. She went as Dr. Seuss' "Thing One". I think she just wanted her hair sprayed blue.

Hannah's friend, T, spent Saturday with us. Since Alli's costume for Lucy from Narnia didn't work out, I told T that she could be Susan from Chronicles of Narnia. She wore a Renaissance princess dress for her costume. It was a busy weekend, but filled with lots of fun!

Down on the Farm

2009-10-23T13:20:00.006-04:00

Today Kevin got to enjoy a field trip with Aaron to a local farm. They enjoyed a hayride, the corn maze, and petting some of the animals. The trip was cut a little short by the rain. But I think they really enjoyed their morning together. Kevin agreed to take pictures for me.

Fall Break

2009-10-21T00:20:00.004-04:00

October has been a busy month thus far. School work, piano, cheerleading, and church activities have kept us hopping! The kids did have their annual fall break this month, but for the first time we were all in different directions. It kinda made this momma crazy for about a week!

Hannah has been wanting to participate in a mission trip with our church for a while. So this year for fall break we decided that she and Kevin would go on the mission trip to Texas with a team from our church. The team was all set to go to Texas until our associate pastor decided the Lord was leading them to stay here and help the flood victims that lived only an hour away. Kevin and Hannah were gone Sunday evening thru Friday evening. Kevin got to experience a different type of mission trip. He got to turn his medical brain off and participate in some physical labor--pulling up hardwood floors, removing sheet rock, and shoveling mud out of houses. Hannah was part of the ministry team that made gift baskets to hand out as they visited in the community. She was well taken care of by Mama Mel and Grandma Marsha (two of the ladies from our church who were on the trip, who I asked to watch out for her)!

Hannah actually missed 3 1/2 days of school to go on the mission trip, so while they were gone, Alli and Aaron were still in school for a few more days. On Wednesday afternoon, I dropped Alli off at her friend's house. Our friends, T & T asked if Alli could go with their family to Universal Studios and SeaWorld in Orlando for the fall break weekend. Alli had an awesome time. She rode lots of rides and got completely soaked by Shamu! Thank you to T & T for letting Alli tag along! Alli returned on Sunday evening that weekend.

Well, by Wednesday evening, it was just me and my boy. To be honest, he was pretty upset that he couldn't go to Orlando with Alli and her friend. He kept saying that Alli's friend was his friend too. "She hugs me, too!", he would say. I knew I would have to have something special planned for us. So on Thursday, after his much needed hair trim, we headed to Chattanooga for an over night stay. Late Thursday afternoon we headed to the movie theater for "Toy Story 1 and 2" in 3D. He loved it. I did too, but three hours in a dark, cool theater tends to make me really sleepy. So, yes, I dozed off a few times. After the movie, we ate dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, P.F. Changs. By the time we finished, it was time to head back to the hotel. After getting dressed for bed, we laid in the bed and watched "Ice Age 3" and "Up". However, Aaron didn't make it very long after "Up" started. He was so tired!

The next morning after breakfast at the hotel, we drove over to the mall and visited Build-A- Bear. We now have a polar bear named "Snowen". I got to shop for just a few minutes. But as I had promised, we made our way to the aquarium. It was my quickest trip thru the aquarium. Aaron wanted to play outside and we also saw "Under the Sea" at the Imax theater. "Under the Sea" had been playing for a few minutes when Aaron says, "Momma, when is the movie going to start?" I said, "Aaron, this is the movie." He was just a little disappointed, but I thought it was pretty cool. Later as we were playing by the river, the rain drops began to fall. We got caught in a little downpour. We ended our day with a little Ben & Jerry's. Yummo!

See You When That Trumpet Sounds!

2009-09-27T14:57:00.005-04:00

Last Friday I went on a little shopping spree to find Hannah some fall clothes. Let's just say I do not enjoy shopping in the junior section without her. She's eleven and we are shopping in the junior section! Around lunchtime on my way home, I decided to call my mom and see how things were going for her and my grandparents. She said things were going okay and that my Papaw had a cold and had vomited a few times due to his cold and cough, but they thought he was getting better.

Just a few hours later, I would learn that my sweet Papaw was seeing his Saviour face to face for the first time. Papaw was in his recliner, his favorite place to be, when the Lord decided it was his time. We are so thankful he did not suffer. It was like he fell asleep in his recliner. Papaw was 87. He would have been 88 next month. I guess the thing that has brought so much comfort and joy to my heart the past week, was realizing the legacy he left us--one of faithfulness to Jesus and one of faithfulness to his family. Papaw was a retired pastor. He surrendered to the ministry at the age of around 33. At the time, he had a good job with Bellsouth and had a wife and three kids to support. My Papaw's best friend was in charge of the message at the funeral on Monday. He totaled the number of churches my Papaw had served either as pastor, interim pastor, revival preacher, or just simply turning on the heat and air and it came to 176. I had no idea. Papaw chose to answer God's call on his life and I believe he served Him wholeheartedly.

Three weeks ago on Labor Day weekend, we went home to see everyone. I am so thankful to the Lord that He orchestrated this trip home. As Papaw was getting in the car that Saturday afternoon, I got to kiss his cheek, not knowing it would be my last. I know this was a gift from the Lord.

As I walked into the living room of my grandparents home for the first time last Saturday, I could tell how different it was not to have him in that recliner as usual. We will miss him greatly, but oh, what a blessing it is to know he has been healed. Papaw, we love you and we will miss you. See you when that trumpet sounds!

Our Crazy July

2009-08-06T10:02:00.008-04:00

It is almost that time, time to join the rat race again. The kids will be going back to school next Thursday. I will miss not having them with me, but I think it is time for a schedule of some sort.

We had a full month of things to do in the month of July. We started the month with Hannah's 11th birthday. While lying on the beach in May, she and I planned her party. She wanted to invite a few friends over for a sleepover and scrapbooking. Scrapbooking has become one of her new loves. I am thankful for this because I plan for her to help me get everyone caught up. Her sister loves it, too. One of my friends let my younger two spend the night with her family and Kevin was working the 3p-2a shift, so it was just me with five preteen girls! The moms met me at IHOP and the girls and I had dinner there. Then we went home and started scrapbooking. I think this was a hit. The girls really enjoyed it. I bought some paper albums from Hobby Lobby, along with paper and stickers. We just asked the girls to bring their photos from home. As the night progressed I found out how loud 11-12 year olds can be. And I was sort of in shock because I learned that they still love to play hide-and-seek and "Your It". I think Hannah really enjoyed her party and I am so glad she did.

On July third we made a trip home to visit family. We were there for 10 days. I thought this would give us plenty of time to spend with everyone in the family. I was hoping to get to be there for the birth of my new niece, but she decided to come after we left. But we really had a good time with everyone. We ate good home cooking, went to the zoo, went shopping, and played with the cousins. We played hard, because it took me a few days to recover from the trip!

Once we got back home, I had less than a week to get my two girls ready for camp. They went to camp on a local college campus for two weeks. Hannah has been to Centrikid which is four nights away, but neither girl has been away from us for that long. We were able to communicate only by mail. So for two weeks in July we only had one child in the house. It was very quiet. No fighting or fussing was heard until Kevin started playing the Wii. If he didn't win, Aaron was an upset boy. We are continually working on this issue with him. He's a very sore loser! On the 31st Aaron and I went to camp to get our girls. I think we were all glad to see each other and of course we had to stop at Kevin's work to let the girls give him a hug. Daddy's girl (Alli) requested we stop for the hug. She couldn't wait till he got home. The girls really enjoyed camp. They had loads of fun and are ready to go back next year for two weeks. And Alli finally got to ride a horse! On the day I left them at camp, I told her several times not to be upset if she didn't get horseback riding as one of her skills. They only had a few slots for that skill. By Tuesday or Wednesday I got a note from her saying she was going to ride horses. Her eyes light up when you ask her about the horse she rode. The girl lives life to the fullest! And we learned that Hannah doesn't like camping out. As you begin to listen to her story about camping, I can understand why and I easily have a picture in my head of her trying to sleep that night. The spot she and her cabin mates chose for their tent was on top of some tree roots. She said her sleeping bag was on top of the biggest root. I couldn't help but laugh, listening to her. I think Hannah made some good friends and they are now emailing each other. I am so thankful they were able to experience this camp.

So for now we are enjoying the last bit of our summer before it's back to the books. I am looking forward to this new year. Aaron will be in kindergarten and I know it will be a fun year for him. Alli will be in third grade and she will cheer for the Jr. Pee Wee football team. Hannah will be in the sixth grade. Sixth grade was a hard year for me, so I pray hers goes a lot better than mine. Hannah will play middle school basketball this year, so I am looking forward to that. I asked Kevin where he thought Aaron got his competitiveness from. Kevin told me that I was competitive, so that was where Aaron got it from. I asked him what he was talking about--I am not competitive! He told me I was the one who couldn't be quiet when the girls were playing upward basketball and that I hated to lose. Yes, it is true, I have a hard time shutting my mouth when my girls are on the court. And yes, I probably hate losing, too. Oh well, I lost that one.

Monday this week Kevin's friend, Erik, experienced a great loss. Back in April, Erik's parents were hit by an SUV while crossing the street in New Orleans. His dad had lots of broken bones, but has been recovering well. His mom came out of coma towards the end of April and had struggled with lots of problems due to her injuries. She had been slowly improving, but over this past weekend took a turn for the worse. She has been ultimately healed by her Lord and is in heaven with Him now. Our hearts hurt for them and we pray that the Lord will comfort and strengthen in the days ahead as they cope with this great loss. If you want to read a sweet post about this precious woman, read her daughter-in-law's(my sweet friend, Erin, Erik's wife) blog, embracing my cup. It is the post titled, "In Jesus' Arms."

Under the Sea!

2009-06-24T00:24:00.004-04:00

It is quiet at our house tonight. Kevin is on a mission trip. Hannah is at camp thru Friday. Alli is at a friend's house, and my little man Aaron is asleep. This is the week during the summer when I have mixed feelings about my husband and daughter being away from me. I am excited for these trips they are making, but I am so reminded that I am not in control and I have to trust the Lord to take care of my crew. The past few days I have sat around like a teenager hovering over my phone waiting to talk with my husband for just a few minutes. I am so glad to get to talk with him today and know that everything is going well for him. They saw 58 patients today and hoping for 60 plus tomorrow.

Hannah left for Centrikid Monday. She is having a great time. She absolutely loves this camp. It has been quiet this week without her. She is growing up so much. We are now shopping for the same size shoes. She still has 8 inches to catch up with me in height.

Alli is in cheer leading camp this week. She has spent lots of time with her best friend, A. They have been doing a lot of bike riding this week. The child enjoys life fully with a smile, except when her mom tells her it's time to leave the pool.

Aaron just loves to stay at home and chill. He does enjoy the pool, but he also loves the old cartoons his dad and mom grew up watching. Of course, there's the Wii and the DS--Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, etc. Aaron's personality continues to amaze me. He has a little OCD about him, but in a good way. One of his favorite things to do right now is take out all the kitchen washcloths from the drawer, throw them on the couch, and then refold them into squares and stack them neatly back in the drawer. He also told me that he was not going into kindergarten next year, that he was still in the 4 year old class. He says he is ready to go back to school and he loves the work. I can't wait to see what he says come August.

This weekend my mom came to visit for a few days. While she was here, we made a trip to the aquarium, which is also hosting the Titanic exhibit this summer. The kids really enjoyed seeing all the sea creatures, watching Deepo's 3D movie, and seeing the Titanic exhibit. Aaron did not care for the exhibit much. Before you go into the exhibit they give you a boarding pass that has a person's name on it who was actually on the Titanic. Towards the end they list all the names of the passengers and whether they survived or not. So you get to look up your person's name and find out if they survived. We all survived but Aaron. His person had two sons with him. He had been going thru a divorce and custody battle. The sons survived. The man thought that when they got to America things would work out and he and his wife would be reunited. I could have spent a long time in the exhibit reading all the info, but some little boy I know kept pulling me forward. He was ready for lunch!

P.S.- This post was started on Tuesday evening, but didn't get finished till Wednesday!

Back to Reality!

2009-06-02T21:56:00.005-04:00

Unfortunately all vacations must come to an end, so Sunday we bid farewell to St. George Island and made our way home. I think I could have stayed for an entire month. I think St. George has been our favorite beach vacation so far. We hope to return again at some point in the future. It truly is a vacation from the hectic world we live in. We did cook, wash dishes, and wash clothes, but the rest of the time was sitting on the beach, playing in the pool, fishing, reading, watching t.v., playing the ds nintendo, and taking a few naps.

I won't forget our fishing trip that Kevin chartered with a guy at Indian Pass. It was planned for Friday morning. I agreed to go as long as they had a bathroom close by the dock. If you have had several babies, you will understand where I am coming from. Well, Kevin checked it out and asked if there was a restroom. The lady told him, "yes, there's one at the dock." The lady also told him we would be fishing on the bay and we would fish for fish we could eat. We finally get there and I asked Kevin to find out where the bathroom was, so I could take care of that issue before we got on the boat. He came back to the car and said, "Karen, there's your bathroom over there." Oh yes, it was a port-a-potty. I could just imagine how long it had been sitting there. I survived and decided I had been in one in Atlanta when I participated in the Peachtree Road Race that had smelled worse. So we all loaded onto the boat, ready to catch some big fish! Well that little boat carried us out into the gulf, not the bay. After about 30-40 minutes, Aaron starts whining about his tummy hurting. To be honest, I think all of us were a little on the nauseated side. You couldn't stand up on the boat without getting knocked around by the waves that were tossing the boat around. After two and a half hours of fishing, Kevin had caught one shark. The guy must have felt bad because he started fishing for sail cats (catfish) and by the time our time was up, the kids had caught 10 sail cats. The guy would cast the line, hook the fish, and then let the kids do the rest. We enjoyed our little trip, but I think we were all exhausted. I slept for about 3 hours when we got back to the house.

We got a late start to our day on Saturday, but we packed a lot in after lunch--beach, swimming in the pool, riding bikes, cooking catfish, pictures on the beach at sunset, and washing laundry. Saturday was a big day for me because I finally tackled something that I have wanted to work on for a long time. All three of my kids know how to swim. Their mother, however, has been dog paddling for years with a fear of putting her head in the water. This has bothered me forever, but I never have been able to overcome this fear. Since we had a private pool at the house where we stayed, I decided this might be the week for me to work on this issue. It took me all week to work up the nerve to put my head in the water. Well, Saturday, with my three little encouragers in the pool with me, I put my head down and swam. I think they were as excited as me. I enjoyed this sweet time with them. What a blessing my kids are to me!

Well, I truly hated leaving Sunday morning. I love the beach. I love to sit and listen to the waves roll in. It's so peaceful! When I am sitting there, I can't help thinking about how big our God is and how great He is! On a funny note, if I was planning life for Kevin and I when the kids are all grown up, it would be for Kevin to get a job on a cruise liner(such as Disney), and then retire and live on St. George Island. Hey, nothing wrong with dreaming! You can tell where my favorite two vacations have been.

So Monday morning, we were back to reality. The girls are enjoying a week of basketball camp and today we got to spend a few hours at the pool with friends. I am savoring these summer days!

Walking On the Beach at the Cut

2009-05-27T00:37:00.002-04:00

Pool Time

2009-05-27T00:29:00.001-04:00

First Fishing Trip

2009-05-26T23:51:00.003-04:00

For some reason I was awake by 6:30 this morning. I had told myself that I would get up early and go walking; however, I talked myself into reading and savoring three cups of coffee. I had several quiet hours to myself which is unusual in the morning. No one else got out of bed till around nine.

After a little breakfast, Kevin and Alli decided they would go out on the pier and fish. Hannah and Aaron joined them for a little while. Aaron decided he wanted to swim, so we got his swim trunks on and by that time Hannah decided she would swim, too. By the time we made it to the pool, Alli was running our direction while yelling that daddy had finally caught a fish. Yesterday when Kevin bought his license, he also purchased a book that tells all about the fish you are able to catch here. He had his brochure out trying to decide which type of fish he had caught. He thinks it was a pinfish. It was funny to this country girl because I only know catfish, bass, bream, and white perch. Later in the afternoon he went back for a few more minutes and caught another pinfish. We didn't get a picture of that one, but he said the first fish could have eaten the second.

By the time Alli joined us in the pool, the rain began. The rain got heavier and the thunder clapped, so inside we went. We finally got to go back to the pool later this afternoon. It was a little chilly!

Kevin picked up our dinner from BJ's Pizza and Subs. We enjoyed staying in for dinner and not having to clean up afterwards.

Our quick dinner gave us some time to ride our bikes down to Bob Sikes Cut and walk a few minutes on the beach. It was so beautiful and the temperature was just right. The sound of the waves and the cool wind blowing added a nice touch to the end of our day. Looking forward to tomorrow. Ready for a little rest now.

A Quick Catch Up

2009-05-25T09:40:00.005-04:00

I keep saying that one day I am going to blog on a regular basis. It just never happens, so I am not going to say that. However, school is out for the summer and we are on vacation, so I have slowed down long enough to type a few words.

I think the last time I blogged was about a possible contract on our old house. I can't describe the relief we felt after closing on that home on April 17th. After signing the million papers we had to sign, there were hugs exchanged between me and the new owner and our real estate agent. Our real estate agent, KD, goes to church with us and I think the world of him, his wife, and all of their family. I know he was just as relieved as us to finally sale the house. Even his wife has been praying hard for us to sale the house for those two years and two months. After we started the contract process, we had an appraisal done on the house that didn't turn out as well as we had hoped. I was pretty disgusted (so was Kevin) by the whole deal, however, that is the way the cookie crumbles these days due to the economy. After the closing was said and done, I was convinced that God was in it. The lady who bought our home is divorced with two young boys. They were so excited about the house and to be part of a neighborhood with lots of kids. I think there will be lots of support there for her and she won't have to worry about the boys. They will be out in the front yard playing with all the kids in the neighborhood, because the front yard is where they all come to play. I hope to go by one day and see how she's painted all the rooms. The one thing that I gave up with the sale of the house was my mirror above the fireplace. We left it there to help sale the house. The plan was to bring it to the new one and put it in the master bath. Guess I will be headed to Kirkland's to find another one!

Of course April and May are busy birthday months for us. Aaron turned 5 on April 1st. We had a family birthday celebration with a little Mario cake and played the Wii. Mine was next on April 24th. We celebrated at P.F. Changs, one of my favorite restaurants. It was a wonderful day for me and turned into an even greater day when we got a text message saying that a dear friend's mom had awoken from a coma. She and her husband had been hit by an SUV in New Orleans on Palm Sunday weekend. I am still moved to tears when I think about all this family has been thru and how they are still touching the lives of those who know them and even those who don't know them so well.

Well, May is a big birthday month for us, too. Alli turned eight on May 2nd and Kevin had a birthday on the 3rd. The night before Alli's birthday, we hosted a mother/daughter scrapbook night in our home. What a wonderful night we had together. It was a complete success and our next one is scheduled for June 12th. I have decided that with my girls helping me I might actually get caught up with scrapbooks for all the kids pictures before they leave my nest. We have no furniture in the front part of our house (formal dining and living room), so I just leave my tables up the majority of the time because we have scrapbook nite once a month for the ladies. Hannah and Alli continued to scrapbook on Saturday (Alli's birthday) and would scrapbook every day if we had the time. The night of the mother/daughter scrapbook we had birthday cake for Alli. She requested the strawberry cake I made her last year. It's a recipe from one of the sweet ladies in our church. I also made 24 cupcakes using the same recipe and used my cupcake stand. It was a fun weekend. We had plenty of cake for the weekend!

We celebrated Mother's Day weekend with a quick trip back home to see all the grandmothers. There was really not enough time to spend with everyone, but it was enough to last us till July. I did get to go to my favorite restaurant on Mother's Day; yes, it is P. F. Changs. I will have to enjoy Newk's next time because there wasn't enough time to hit that one. I think we will have plenty of time in July. Looks like I will be there for 10 days!

So, here, we are enjoying our summer vacation on St. George Island, Florida. It's our first trip here. We have friends that come here every year and they love it. It's our kind of vacation. Our house is on the bay. We are surrounded by palm trees and pine trees. We have an enclosed pool outside. It has to be enclosed due to the mosquito population. We drove down yesterday and arrived around five. Kevin cooked shrimp last night. Just a side note, out of the blue on our trip down, Aaron asked if he could have a green vegetable when we got to our house. This is shocking because he has wanted nothing to do with vegetables. So, Kevin told him that we bought the asparagus and the broccoli just for him. Aaron wrinkled his nose up at the broccoli. But to my surprise, he actually decided it wasn't so bad. After dinner, we all put our swim suits on and headed for the pool. The pool is heated, and this is a good thing, because Kevin is actually swimming with us. I think he really enjoyed it. Of course, Aaron went thru his "I'm scared" phase, but when it was time to go in, he wasn't ready to leave. I told him his name was "Nemo".

I am about done savoring several cups of coffee, so the kids and I are going to head towards the beach. We haven't got to see it yet. I hope to post some pictures while we are here, since I have my computer with me. Kevin is working on the schedule for he and his cohorts for July thru September. He will also have to study for his board exam. He's not much on sand and sun. He hasn't had any time to do these things, so he will have to work a little while here.

I have tried to arrange the photos, but blogger won't let me. These are pics taken on Mother's Day weekend at my grandparents' home. The first picture was taken at Bop's. We met my dad there for a few minutes and had some ice cream.

Time for some sun!

A Praise to Remember

2009-03-15T21:49:00.002-04:00

After waiting two years and two months, Kevin and I signed a contract tonight to sell our old house. The wait has seemed forever. It has definitely been a lesson in putting our trust in the Lord for it to be in His timing, not ours. We still are awaiting appraisal and inspection. The closing is set for May 1st. We are trusting Him that this will go thru without any problems. The family who is purchasing the home is excited too. So, right now, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to my Lord for all that He has done for us. I am amazed at how He brought all of this to fruition within about 2 weeks.

As I praise Him for this miracle in our lives, I pray also that He will lift the burdens from our friends who have homes they are trying to sell. Waiting is so hard and trying to understand the "whys" is hard, too.

A Few Pictures From February

2009-03-06T22:38:00.003-05:00

Here are some of our February moments.

Aaron got to go on a field trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts. He had been excited since before Christmas when his teacher began telling them about this place. He got to make his very own sunshine puppet with a little assistance from his mom. Then he got to see a cool puppet show about the weather.

We have spent every Saturday at our church's family life center playing Upward basketball. If you look closely Hannah is sticking her tongue out. I guess that is suppose to help her dribble the ball a little better. I love watching her play ball!

And here's my Alli trying to sink one in the basket. It was a great effort, but it did not go in the basket. I love watching both my girls play and improve every year. Upward is a great program. Next year Hannah will play for her school's middle team and Alli will still be at Upward. Aaron will get to start basketball next year. I have already purchased him a 27.5" basketball that is blue and grey. He is working on learning how to dribble. Next year will be a fun one, adding this boy to the mix! I just pray he shows good sportsmanship!

Pictures from January 19th Snow

2009-03-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures that were taken of our little dusting of snow on January 19th. Hannah missed out because she was in the shower. There wasn't much left to play in by the time she came back upstairs. Alli and Aaron had a blast for a brief few moments. We learned that Aaron doesn't like to be hit with a snowball!

After two months......

2009-03-06T09:09:00.003-05:00

After two months of no blogging, I thought I would post something today. I am actually in the mood to do so. January and February were very busy months for us and everyone else, too, I am sure. Upward Basketball is almost over and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can't express how ready I am for summer. This mommy is tired of homework, running kids everywhere and packing lunches every morning. I am ready to have my kids at home with me where we can enjoy some peaceful time together. And this mommy is ready for spring! I had strep throat back in January and this week I had another bout with it again. Not fun at all! But I am thankful for antibiotics and mine worked quickly, like a charm. I am thankful also that the Lord healed me in time to be at the hospital with a friend who delivered her little miracle by c-section last night. I posted about my friend back in July. She was never supposed to be able to get pregnant--- ever! But the Lord opened her womb and she had a healthy red headed 8 lbs, 10 oz, 21 inches long little girl last night. And she is beautiful! We are so excited for them and look forward to seeing her grow!

These last two months I have not stayed in God's word as much as I should have and I can tell. But the Lord is continually showing me my need for Him and His word, drawing me to Him. This morning I am so thankful for his mercies and that they are new every morning. We have so much to be thankful for. This morning my heart is thankful to Him, because He has brought healing to some places in my life where I have been crying out to Him for this healing for over a year. I trust Him to continue that healing. This morning I am overwhelmed by God's goodness. As we (friends of the family who had the baby) were sitting around waiting for the baby last night, I couldn't help but think about how God has blessed us thru the people we have met since we have lived here. We have been here since '99, so it's been 10 years. I am definitely overwhelmed by His goodness!

As for my crew, well, it can be a circus around here, I tell you. Kevin is working a lot right now, because they are short one man. They will have a new guy in April.

Aaron is learning how to read. I can't wait for the light bulb to finally turn on and I can quit explaining what a blend is. He is trying though. And he is very smart, so I know he can do it. I just hope I am patient enough. We also found out that he will be our neatest writer out of the kids. He can write a "5" better than either one of the girls. I don't try to compare, but it is neat to see the differences. In his leisure time, he is a Mariokart expert. If he thinks you will sit and listen to him, he will corner you and tell you all about Mariokart, the levels, the characters, etc. He is better at this than his sisters, and it amazes me. This is also one of the areas we use to discipline him. It works pretty well and I enjoy the break from the Nintendo DS and the Wii. He is growing by leaps and bounds. And I can't wait for warm weather. We are trying to make it to shorts wearing weather, so we don't have to buy size six in pants till the fall.

Alli is doing great. She is playing basketball and loving it. She gets better every year. She is growing so much and doing really well in school. She loves being outside and has finally gotten accustomed to being outside with our dog, Fudge. Fudge has been getting more loving these days. His surgery has tamed him down a good bit. I am so glad because Alli loves animals and she will be good to him. After I dropped Hannah off at school at 6:20 this morning, Alli and I got to go to breakfast together and that was really nice. I don't get much alone time with her. She's such a sweet girl with a sweet heart! However, she can get feisty if she needs to. Alli is also doing really well in her piano. I think she enjoys it, which is awesome!

And there's Hannah, my tween! She stays so busy for a 10 year old. She is looking a lot better this year in basketball. She is playing on a team that consists of 5th thru eighth graders. There is actually a ninth grader that is home schooled who is playing on the team they play every week. So it is like watching junior high basketball. I can't keep my mouth shut while she is playing. I have tried. It just doesn't work. I feel like I am on the edge of my seat the whole game. I love basketball. I love to watch it! Hannah is doing great in school. I will be glad when we have the science project complete. Hannah is two hours away this morning for the ACSI spelling bee. Kevin had to work the 3p-2a shift last night and I couldn't go with her. She is growing up way too fast. I am somewhat apprehensive about the stage she is in now, but I am enjoying our talks we have. She is now 5' 2". She has nine inches to go till she is my height!

Life is full right now, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Just looking forward to a break!

A Man and His Deer

2009-01-04T18:49:00.005-05:00

I had to post a picture of Kevin and his deer. I don't think Kevin has killed a deer the times he has hunted since we started dating. So it has been a while!

A Boy and His Goose Plate

2009-01-04T17:56:00.007-05:00

Back in November I took the kids to Christmas Village in Birmingham. We went last year and enjoyed it. I had their picture made again with Santa, so the kids got to tell Santa what they wanted. When I say kids, I mean Alli and Aaron. Hannah didn't really want to be in the picture, but she did it for her momma. Anyway, later Aaron told me what he asked Santa to bring him. Never in a million years would I have guessed what he was about to tell me-----a GOOSE PLATE! I am thinking, "Where did he come up with that?" I kind of dismissed this, thinking it was something silly he had said just to say it. Well fast forward to December and I am at church one Sunday morning. A lady named Carol who gives Aaron gum every Sunday morning came up to me and told me that Aaron told her he was getting a goose plate for Christmas. Now I am thinking, "Santa I hope you took him seriously!" I am still trying to understand where he got the idea of a goose plate. When Kevin found out about this request, I don't think he could comprehend the idea of a goose plate. He asked Aaron multiple times where he got this idea. Aaron has not given us an answer yet! So here's the boy with his goose plate and it's the one present that he has been the most interested in. The goose plate won over Spike the Dinosaur!

A Little Christmas Fun

2009-01-04T16:58:00.005-05:00

Sadly our Christmas holidays are coming to an end. The kids will go back to school tomorrow. All of our usual activities will start back and we will add Upward basketball practice this week. I have thoroughly enjoyed the kids being home with me and we enjoyed having Kevin off for a week. We spent six days with our families in Mississippi. We stayed three nights with my mom and three with Kevin's parents. Our days were filled with catching up with extended family members. My grandfather seems to be doing well. He seemed a little on the tired side, but it was his chemo week. Kevin's grandmother was doing okay. She had lots of swelling in her lower extremities. The kids really enjoyed catching up with all of their cousins. My nieces and nephew have grown a lot since we last saw them in July. My brother and his wife are expecting their fourth sometime late summer.

We were able to spend a few hours together as a family on Christmas Eve. The kids and I made sugar cookies for Santa. (Thanks for the recipe, Erin!)

It has become a tradition to make chicken and dumplings for our Christmas Eve meal. So I sent the kids to the shower to wash all the flour off. You can't see in the picture, but Hannah had it all over her face. I began to work on the dumplings. Soon Kevin arrived home from work and we ate our dinner and a few more sugar cookies. We did save Santa several of the best cookies. After dinner we let the kids open two gifts--new games for the Wii and their pj's for the night. This is our silly pose in our new pj's! We concluded our evening with the movie, "The Nativity." I can't begin to describe how I felt as I watched Mary in pain as she was giving birth to Jesus. I think I cried through all of that part, especially when she held Him in her arms for the first time. The story of Jesus is so amazing!

After we opened gifts on Christmas morning, we had our monkey bread and scrambled eggs. Then we loaded up the car and headed home to our families. Of course that was a little after lunch time here, so we were hungry by the time we made it to Gadsden. Thank goodness for Waffle House. Kevin ordered sandwiches while I went to the gas station and bought gas, drinks, and chips. Crazy I know, but the BLT was great! Nana had dinner waiting for us when we got to her house. The next evening my dad, brother and his family came over. My mom built a fire and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Kind of strange for Christmas, but it was actually a great change. She had made soup also, so it wasn't just hot dogs. And it was very warm while we were there. My new do did not fair very well for a couple of days. I had the frizz going on. On Saturday, the hottest of the days, we went to my grandparents and caught up with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and cousin-in-law and her little girl. I always enjoy getting to see them and we don't get to see them real often.

On Sunday we headed to Kevin's parents and enjoyed lunch with all of his siblings and their spouses and our niece. I enjoy my mornings at their house. My mother-in-law brews coffee and has it ready when I get up and then I sit at the table and work on the puzzles in the Clarion Ledger alongside my father-in-law. My new sister-in-law was there to join in the fun on Monday morning. She and I worked on a crossword puzzle for about two days. Kevin went hunting twice. Once with my dad and on that Monday with his brother. He actually lucked up and killed an eleven point. It's about time!

We were in Jackson on Monday and Tuesday evenings visiting with Kevin's grandmother. Our niece also stayed with us the whole time we were at my in-laws, which we enjoyed. Monday night we ate at P.F. Changs. It was great! And we ate at Newk's on Tuesday evening and it continues to be one of my favorite places to eat when I go home. Wish they had one here. We left early Wednesday morning and made it home by 3:00. So glad to be home!

This picture was taken at my mom's house. Somebody was a little tuckered out! The picture represents how I have felt since returning home. I think I will always blame it on the time change and our habits of staying up late to visit.

I Made It!

2008-12-23T09:03:00.006-05:00

Well, it has been a long year of waiting for this moment. There were some days I didn't think I would make it. But I am finally getting to share something that the Lord has always blessed me with---lots and lots of hair!

Yesterday I had nine inches of hair cut for Pantene Beautiful Lengths. They make wigs for women who lose their hair due to the chemo they take to treat cancer.

Patsy put me in three pony tails and started cutting. Here is my before picture.

And here is my "after" picture.

I have had several friends who have donated their locks--Deana B., Julia, and Pam. So they were inspirations to do this. And then in May this year my grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer. I probably would have to have more than two hands to count all the people who I know personally, who have been diagnosed with cancer. So this gift to Pantene Beautiful Lengths is in honor of my Papaw.

We Are Still Here

2008-12-10T09:56:00.002-05:00

One day I am going to blog on a regular basis. The purpose of this blog is to keep family and friends up-to- date with our growing children and to help us remember the events that occur in our family. We did make it home from our trip to the mountains on that Sunday morning. I will remember this return because we had to come home a little earlier than we were scheduled. We had a call from our pastor on that Thursday morning before we left requesting me to sing "It is Well" right after he finishes his message on Sunday morning. Our trip to the mountains had already been cancelled once. Now my preacher was asking me to cut the trip a little short. For several minutes I battled this one. I really didn't want to come back early. We would have to get up early to make it back. I wanted to sleep late one more morning. However, my preacher calling me is almost like God calling me Himself. I figure that the preacher has been praying about this message and God has laid this song on his heart. At this time there were people at our church going thru divorce and losing their jobs, plus the economy issues and election are concerns to the people. God had laid a message concerning hard times on my preacher's heart. So, I felt compelled to say, "yes". I am so thankful we came back. The message touched my heart and singing that song was good for my soul. "It is Well" is a common funeral song, but it is so comforting at any time. I would have missed out on a blessing if I had said "no."

We had a great Thanksgiving. Kevin had to work, but the kids and I went to our friends house where we usually spend Thanksgiving and Kevin joined us later after his shift ended. We enjoyed great food and the kids had a blast with our friends' kids. Riding four wheelers was the highlight. Aaron actually calls them wheel barrows.

That Friday night Kevin picked up our Christmas tree and I started scrambling to clean up for a surprise party we were having for a friend on Saturday. Thanksgiving break was great and I feel like we got to enjoy each other and get some much needed rest.

So here we are in December. The tree is finally decorated. My mantle stills needs some work. I am adjusting to being the sole housekeeper for our home. Since Aaron was a baby, I have had a lady come in every other week to clean. It takes me forever just to get everything picked up. We had to let her go last week for reasons I will not discuss. I hate it had to happen. For some reason, I always come out of situations feeling like the guilty one. However, I know we did the right thing. I just hope she will see it someday. So, anyway, it may take me several days to get my house clean, but I think I am going to like this better. We will see.

This past weekend my mom was here. The girls had their piano recital Friday evening and our children's choirs at church had their program Sunday evening. It was a busy weekend. The girls did great and the children's musical was wonderful! Hannah played the part of head cheerleader. She did great on her speaking part!

Hopefully, I will post pictures soon. I haven't started putting pictures on the laptop, so I will have to work on that. I will try to post more often this month.

Getting Away

2008-11-14T14:50:00.002-05:00

Today has been a nice lazy day for us. We finally made it to the mountains for our fall break. We made reservations for a cabin back in October but were unable to come due to Kevin's grandmother being critically ill. The couple who own the cabin were kind to let us reschedule for this weekend.

We left yesterday a little after 5:00 p.m. Yesterday was a nasty, rainy day and with it came a terrible fog! It is a lesson learned for us. Of course it was already dark as we got closer to our destination and the fog had gotten worse. "Molly," my beloved gps system(we have a love/hate relationship), that I depend on way too much, failed us. We were in the middle of no where (where she took us), and she went dead. As I was scrambling to figure out what was wrong and why she was not running from the cigarette lighter, we discovered the plug-in was missing several pieces. Meanwhile I am praying, "Lord please help us. We are stuck in the middle of no where. We can't see where we are going and we don't know where to go now." We were all very hungry. It was already after 7:00. I knew we had a few cookies left and a pack of Ritz Bitz crackers. We also had a couple bottles of water. If you know me well, you know that my car is not really neat. I consider it to be my office since I stay there a lot. So Kevin and I cleaned the middle tray that was between us and lowered it to see what was under it. Kevin found one piece that he thought went on the end of the plug. Then he found a fuse. He said, "Karen, there's got to be a spring some where." At that point, I panicked. You see earlier that day, I had found a spring under my leg on my seat. When I found it, I thought, "This must go to one of the kids toys or an old pen. I will just throw it away." The reason I panicked was because I wasn't sure if I had already emptied the trash from the car when I was getting the car packed. So I grabbed my little black trash bag and went thru all the Kleenex and paper. I found the spring at the bottom. What are the chances of Kevin finding all the little parts and me knowing where the spring was located. By the way, I almost emptied that trash at a gas station when I stopped to get gas. For some reason I decided not to! Kevin reassembled the plug to the gps and plugged it in. "Molly" was back in business. She brought us to our cabin, but due to the fog we missed our cabin several times because we could not see. I truly believe the Lord is the one who got us here safely. He definitely knows my weaknesses----organization and neatness being two. Glad we are running on His strength, not mine. The car will be cleaned out well when we get home.

As we were riding thru the darkness and the fog, I couldn't help but think about the spiritual darkness that so many people are in. I thought about how God's Word/His truth shines light for us to see. As Christians we have seen the Light, but we need to keep reading and studying His Word/truth so we can see and know what to do everyday. We have to let God use us to shine for Him so that those who are in the dark will see.

As I said, today has been a lazy day. We got out of bed around 10:20 and we have just enjoyed being together and not doing much of anything. Tomorrow we will get out and go hiking. We may even see if there are any apples left! I will post pictures when we get home.

Congratulations to our friends, The McElhaneys, on the birth of their new little one. We are excited for you guys. Can't wait to see her in person! Glad everything went well. She's beautiful!

Fun Moments for Aaron

2008-11-09T22:51:00.003-05:00

Aaron had his first field trip of the year during October. We visited a local dairy farm. They had two different tours: the flower tour and the dairy tour. The dairy was definitely his favorite. They fed one of the calves with a bottle. And then the kids got to feed the calves corn husks. Aaron and I were not dressed warm enough for this field trip. I had heard we would be getting some rain the day after the field trip, so in my mind I was thinking the day of the field trip would be warm. Boy was I wrong!

This picture says it all. And let me add.......this was not a warm wind! I tried so hard to enjoy this field trip, but I was so glad when I was able to get back into our van. Needless to say, Aaron had his picnic lunch on top of the beach towel I laid across his lap, while we traveled back home.

We have a fundraiser called the "Fun Run" at our school every year. Aaron ran 41 laps this year.

This picture is from our trip home to see Kevin's grandmother. We stopped at Wendy's with Uncle Darin and Aunt Jessica for a frosty. Aaron ordered the vanilla frosty. Aunt Jessica had the chocolate frosty. Aaron decided he wanted some of both. So he ate with two spoons from two different cups! The boy loves the cream!

This is what happens when you have to stand outside the bathroom and wait on your sister for what seems like an eternity. I have several more pictures of this that would tell more. We are in TJMaxx and there is a full length mirror to Aaron's right. Basically, he stood in front of this mirror with his newly discovered skull cap on his head making funny faces in the mirror. Yes, I did buy the skull cap! He loves it!

You are so much fun sweet boy! There's never a dull moment with you! I love you!

October Fun

2008-11-09T21:34:00.006-05:00

I don't think I remember an October in the life of our family that has been any busier than this one. This past month I had to come to the realization that I must enjoy these times I have with my kids even if it is in my Honda Odyssey van. So many times I kept wishing for those days when I had them at home and there were not so many activities to be involved in. We obviously have passed this point in our lives, so here we are. Our October was filled with lots of ballgames to cheer for, field trips, a trip to see grandparents, fun runs, and Halloween. We are beginning to slow down a little now that November is here. Here are some pictures from our crazy October.

Kevin's parents came for a visit one weekend. We went to a festival that is held every year during October in our town. Of course we had to stop by the park on the way out for Aaron.

Even though they don't always act like it, I really do think these three love each other!

I love this picture. I loved watching my mother-in-law jump on the trampoline with Aaron. When she comes to visit, Aaron takes full advantage of his mamaw's attention. And she loves every minute of it, even if it means jumping on the trampoline or laying on her belly to watch a cartoon!

Let me introduce you to Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and Wonder Woman in Pink! Yes, I do realize that Tink has grown a lot from her usual size! Just wish I could have talked Wonder Woman into playing the part of Wendy! Peter Pan did have a hat, I just couldn't figure out how to make it stay on his head.

As I have been working on this post, we received a call from one of Kevin's sisters that their grandmother was taken to the ER by ambulance. She has a pacemaker and apparently it did not work this evening. They had to shock her several times at home. They have her sedated and intubated. All of the family is at the ER with her now. Please say a prayer for her. Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Papaw!

2008-10-21T14:42:00.003-04:00

Today is my papaw's 87th birthday! He has had quite a year and we are so thankful that he has recovered well from his surgery back in May. He is taking chemo every other week and is tolerating it well. I think Grannie keeps him on a strict schedule on those weeks.

During fall break we had to make a trip back home to see about Kevin's grandmother, so we were able to spend some time with my papaw at his home that Saturday evening and then on Sunday at lunch at my mom's. I have lots of pics to post from that weekend, but due to my schedule the last week and a half, I have not had time to post. It has been a month where I feel like I can't get my "head above the waters". So I will hopefully in the next couple of weeks get to catch up on what we have been doing.

This quick post today is for my papaw. We love you, Papaw! You look great! We hope you have a wonderful birthday! I know Grannie has baked something sweet and delicious for you today. I hope she made your favorite: sweet potato casserole. We love you both!

Our Sweet Mrs. T

2008-09-26T22:48:00.003-04:00

We just received a phone call about 30 minutes ago that our sweet Mrs. T has been ultimately healed and is with Jesus. I thank you for your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for their family. Pray for us as we share this news with Alli in the morning as well as other parents having to do the same. Pray for our school family as we minister to the family during this time. She will be missed and we look forward to the day we will see her again in heaven and receive one of her sweet hugs. We love you, Mrs. T!

An Update

2008-09-26T11:28:00.002-04:00

Here I am again asking for you to pray for Alli's first grade teacher and her family. The test finally confirmed a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and the family was told it is terminal. She is not responsive at this time and hasn't been for several days. We have been told that hospice is coming in today and they will start decreasing her meds tomorrow. The last few days have been really rough for her family as they have had to make decisions. Unless the LORD sees fit to intervene, our sweet friend will experience ultimate healing and be with Jesus.

Our school had a benefit dinner last night. It was incredible! God is doing so many amazing things thru our school. One of the things that amazed me so much was that the daughters of this sweet lady were there at the dinner last night. One of them actually took part in the program. We were able to talk with them afterwards. Please pray for these girls. They have some rough days ahead. But I can see how God has placed this school and the people from this school in their lives to be His hands and His feet for these girls. Please pray for their dad as well. It is so heartbreaking!

A friend and I will be going to the hospital in a little while to see her. Please pray for us as we do this. And pray for all these kids, like my sweet Alli, who have been loved on by this sweet lady. It is going to be so hard for them. I talked with one mom last night whose child was in Alli's class last year and her family is close to this family. The child is questioning her mom about why God will not heal her. Pray that God will use us to minister to our children and to this family.

Thanks for listening. I appreciate your prayers more than you know.

Please Pray

2008-09-23T22:38:00.002-04:00

I have been wanting to post all week, but I simply have not had a chance to sit down at the computer and take the time to type it out. We have had so much going on the last few weeks. We have seen some activity with our old house and we received our first offer last night. We will counter offer tomorrow. This has brought some excitement to our home the last week and a half. We are trusting the LORD to work it all out. If I get the time in the next couple of days I will post some pictures and tell more about what has been going on, maybe even throw in a little of what the Lord has shown me thru Isaiah. If it weren't for the peace that God promises those who know Him, I could have come home after Bible study this morning and been depressed the rest of the day. Kay's message this morning made my heart very heavy. She talked a lot about God's judgement on America. More on that later.

I am writing this post tonight to request prayer from those of you who may read my blog. My heart is very heavy tonight for someone who has meant a lot to our family, especially my Alli.
Alli's first grade teacher from last year has been in the hospital the last couple of weeks. She is very, very sick. They believe she has ovarian cancer. She has other health issues. She is not stable at this point enough to have surgery. She has been receiving dialysis which means her kidneys are not working well. Her blood pressure is very low. Please pray for this family. She is married with two daughters, one is in high school and the other will begin college soon. She needs a miracle. God knows what is best for her. We know that. We are trusting Him. I can tell Alli is concerned for her teacher. But she has told us that she knows her teacher knows Jesus and that she will be okay. Please pray for all of the kids who have been loved by this teacher. She has had such an impact on so many people. Thank you for your prayers!

Still Here

2008-09-01T09:22:00.005-04:00

I have had emails and comments from friends wondering when I would blog again. Since my last post was about going to the beach for a little vacation, you may have wondered if we had returned. Well, we did return, in time to start the new school year. We haven't stopped since.

Hannah is in the fifth grade. So far, this year doesn't seem so bad. Fourth grade was a complete adjustment phase for us, so this year we already know how she needs to study. Our school is trying to get a football program going, so Hannah is now a cheerleader for the Pee Wee football team. I will post pictures of her as soon as I remember to take my camera to the football game. We had the jamboree this past Saturday and the first game is tomorrow. At some point Hannah will be part of the running club at school and I hope will be able to play basketball with the middle school team. One of the newest things for Hannah is taking allergy shots twice a week. Hannah has had a horrible cough all summer and it is still lingering. Her lung function tests have not been great, but they have not diagnosed her with asthma, yet. Her doctor told me that allergy shots would hopefully keep her from developing asthma, so I decided, along with Kevin's approval, that we would begin these as soon as we got back from vacation. We have to go twice a week for 8 weeks and then it will go to once a week. So the afternoons are a little crazy. I hope by the time we get to the end of the 8 weeks that her symptoms will improve. I think Hannah is enjoying this year. I can tell a difference in her maturity level compared to last year. It blows my mind that I have a 10 year old.

Alli is in the second grade, so she has moved to the upper campus with her sister. She seems to have made the transition without too many problems. We have left our homework at school one night and misplaced our agenda. I think this is all part of learning to be responsible. We learn from our mistakes. Seems like every time I look around Alli is reading a book. I will say that my girls have my love of reading. Alli and Hannah are taking piano again this year. Before I tell you something about Alli, you must understand that my kids love to watch old shows, such as "Andy Griffith", "I Dream of Jeanie", and "Gilligan's Island". I am all for this because these shows are great clean shows. One afternoon I picked Alli and Hannah up after piano. Alli ran to the car with such excitement. She said, "Mom, guess what song I am learning to play." Of course I had no idea. You got it, the theme from "Gilligan's Island!" Nothing could have pleased her more. She continues to be my butterfly and sometimes I gently have to pull her head out of the clouds so she will pay attention to me. I love that she enjoys life so innocently. One of the things I want my kids to learn now is the love of exercise. Our school has a running club, so Alli will begin this soon.

That brings me to my four year old, Aaron. I could easily see someone criticizing me for putting my son in preschool when I am at home all the time. But preschool, five days a week, full days, has been the best for him. He is having a great year so far. I love it when he brings his papers home and I can see where he is trying to write his name. He writes two big A's, two little r's, an "o", and a "n", followed by the first letter of his last name. I am not sure where he got the extra "r". Maybe he thinks since he has two a's, he can have two r's. We had a practice session last night. I am trying to get him to write his name in the correct area of the worksheet. He is growing up so fast. He will continue to have speech class every Wednesday. Aaron has made great strides in this area over the last year. He is talking clearer than ever and uses words that sound so big for him. One of the things I want to remember about Aaron at this age is the way he gives me kisses. Aaron loves to snuggle with me and give me sweet kisses. However, he has taken on a new way. He now asks me to close my eyes. I close my eyes and always wonder where he will plant his kiss. It's usually on the nose or cheek and it's so sweet! His big brown eyes will melt your heart!

So there you have it! This is what we have been up to since vacation ended. And I didn't even mention church on Sundays and Wednesday nights, choir, and Awana.

Kevin has been busy working. We still have our old house for sale and we have had to go clean the house in the past week, even though we have someone living in it. I am to the point where I just pray for God to show us what to do. I trust that He knows His plans for this area of our lives. It has been on the market for a year and a half.

As for me, I am enjoying a few hours to myself during the day before I run my shuttle in the evenings. Those few hours don't seem to last long because they are full of housework and laundry. My mind and heart have been preoccupied lately due to a Bible study I am involved in. Perhaps this is why I haven't blogged in a while. If you ever have a chance to participate in a Kay Arthur Precept Upon Precept Bible study, I encourage you to do so. There's lots of homework, but is worth all the time you put into it. Our church is currently offering her newest PUP, Isaiah. Living in the times we are living in, Isaiah seems so scary. But God offers so much hope at the same time to those who live for Him. Several times when I was watching the Olympics and I would see a medal ceremony where we had won the gold and our anthem was playing, I would cry. This was not my usual sentimental "I love my country" cry. It was a cry for a country who has turned its back on God. God is still God. He has never changed. If He will judge His people who continually turned their backs on Him, will He not do the same to us? I am a continuous work and God is using Isaiah to show me some things in my life that have not been right. I truly want to make Him the focus of my life, to love Him with all my heart, soul and mind.

I may go back and write a post about vacation, but in case I don't, here are a few pictures to enjoy from the trip.

Busy, Busy!

2008-08-07T14:09:00.003-04:00

We are taking a break for a little vacation before the kids go back to school. Meanwhile our computer will be worked on while we are away. Seems like I always have issues with my computer. I will catch up with my blogging when I return.

This week we have been running around town every day for appointments with the dentist, new teachers, and even the hair stylist. We had an interesting morning yesterday. A friend of ours is studying to be a photographer. He asked if he could take pictures of the kids for a little practice. We went to a local college, an absolutely beautiful site to make pictures. We went to a spot where our friend, Deana B., took photos of the girls in 2002. As I was standing there, I thought about how young the girls were. Alli was only 10 months old. I can still see her standing on the bench in the gazebo peeking over at us. Hannah was three. I can't wait to see the new photos. And of course, we would have a water mishap while we were there. This time it was Alli. One of their poses was around a water fountain. We let them put their feet in. Alli even stood in it. She held her dress up. I helped her get out. I turned my back for one second and heard a splash. She decided to get back in to wade in the water one more time. However, she tripped and fell in, getting her dress completely wet. Our friend's mom was there assisting him. She taught me that you can take paper towels and use them to dry the dress where it will not look wet. So we were able to take more pictures. I am learning that all you can do is laugh sometimes. It's useless to get upset. I just gently reminded Alli that this is what happens when we do not listen to our parents. After my gentle reminder, I remembered that I don't always listen to my heavenly Father as I should. Funny how God uses your kids to give His reminders.

Our Cousin MC

2008-07-26T15:51:00.002-04:00

I must introduce you to my cousin's baby, MC. She just turned one this month and on Sunday the 13th, my mom had my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins over for lunch. So we got to meet her for the first time. What a cutie she is! She was so much fun to watch. Her mom blogs, so we get to keep up with how much she is growing at Miley Minutes.

It was so good to see my grandfather that day. He looked a lot better than he did when we saw him Mother's day weekend. He is thinner and weaker, but his appetite is good and he is starting to gain some of the weight back. His dementia was not as bad either. He received good news from his CT scan report this week and began his chemo this week also. They did not find the cancer in any of the other organs. He doesn't have to go back to the oncologist till August 21st. The home health nurse will draw blood for his lab work, so they will not have to travel to the doctor's office every week, which is 30 minutes away. This will be a tremendous blessing to my grandmother. She is hanging in there with him. I just wish she would learn to sit and prop up her swollen ankles for a little while every day. Here's my grandfather in a picture where the kids are playing. He always enjoys playing with his great grand babies while he sits in the recliner.

And this is Aaron with his great Grannie!

Cousin Time

2008-07-26T15:24:00.004-04:00

My brother and his family got to spend the night while they were visiting at my mom's. On Sunday morning we had some play time with the cousins. My brother has remarried and so I now have a new nephew and niece. Will's daughter, HJ, usually does not have much to do with me when we are there, but this time she loved on me and wanted me to play with her and tickle her. For the longest she would not let me take her picture, but I grabbed her and asked my brother to take our picture. I was successful in my endeavors as you can see.

We really enjoyed getting to know his new wife and her two sweet children. They make a beautiful family. We wish them the best as they begin their new journey as husband and wife and as a family.

And last but not least, I must share a picture of our three dogs who traveled with us all the way to see Nana. Aaron is not asleep in this picture. He just doesn't want me to take a picture of him. I want him to remember when he is older how much these dogs meant to him as a child. He will probably try to deny it!

A Moment of Thankfulness

2008-07-26T14:16:00.007-04:00

As I said, my next post for the trip will be totally dedicated to Aaron's enjoyment of his first fishing trip. I wasn't sure if he would get into it or not. He enjoyed being outside, but he did not have the patience to wait on the fish to bite. He walked around on the pier a lot. We were all together as you can see. Aaron is beside my mom trying to get a cricket in this picture.

Several moments later my brother moved off of the pier to the bank to fish with his two daughters. Without me realizing it, my brother had moved to a different pier. He was on the smaller pier you can see towards the front. We were still on the pier that's farthest away in the picture.

This picture shows Aaron's boredom with fishing and it also indicates he was leaving the pier where we were. He is holding his fishing pole by the wrong end and he is dragging it along.

Well, little did I realize, Aaron had moved to the pier with his Uncle Will. All I remember was hearing a big splash in the water that came from the direction where my brother was located. I turned around and saw Will laying on his belly and watched as he pulled my son out of the lake. I dropped my pole and ran to the other pier. And this is how the story goes.

Aaron was fishing next to my brother. You must understand what Aaron does while he is "fishing". He watches the cork as he pulls it along in the water. The pier they were standing on does not have rails. It has a piece of wood that raises the edge of the pier just a little. As Aaron was pulling his cork along, he forgot to pay attention to where his feet were going. Will said that all he saw was green Mickey Mouse crocs in the air and Aaron going head first into the water. But my baby came up swimming and he never let go of his fishing pole! The worse thing out of the whole ordeal for Aaron was the fact his clothes were wet. If you know him really well, you know he doesn't like to be wet(unless he is truly swimming with swim trunks on) or dirty. I had no change of clothes for him. He has really come a long way because he continued to dry out without too many complaints.

Even though I had poor reception for my cell phone, I had to call Kevin and tell him the several hundreds of dollars we have paid for Australian swimming method swim lessons the last three summers has finally paid off. Thank you to Mr. Richard! Thank you to Will for acting so quickly to get him out of the water. Most of all, I am so thankful to my Lord for taking care of Aaron that day. It could have easily turned out different. Life can change so quickly!

Our Trip Home

2008-07-26T13:28:00.007-04:00

Two weeks ago the kids and I began our trip home to visit family. I had huge plans to leave around 8:00, but my computer would cause me to start my trip later and put me behind by an hour and a half. I cannot understand why I always have issues with my computer. But this time it was Window's fault, not mine. I now have my computer set where it will not automatically update for Windows. I had to fix the problem before I left, because Kevin does not deal with computer issues and he would need to use the computer while I was gone. I am finally getting better at understanding these techs who work for Dell, but I still hate having to call them.

We made it to my mom's that afternoon where my brother and his family were waiting for us to take the kids fishing. My dad brought his bass boat and met us at a local lake. I enjoyed this time with my family and I'm glad my kids got to experience it as well. Fishing was always a normal activity for our family when I was growing up, so it brought back lots of memories. A lot of my memories are of being stuck on a boat with my dad and brother and wanting the fishing trip to be over. However, their patience far outweighed mine.

This particular afternoon turned out to be an interesting one. We all started off fishing on one of the piers, the pier with the wooden rails. It was a very hot day and the fish were not biting very well. The only catch of the day was one little fish caught by yours truly.

I grew up in the country all my life, but when my kids and I stepped out on that pier to fish, you would have thought the city slickers are here to learn how to fish. I spent a lot of my time stepping back and dodging hooks and line. This was the first time my kids were learning to cast. Alli was convinced she had it all figured out. I stayed out of the way as much as possible and this picture tells all. The hook with the cricket attached to it, is caught in her hair.

We have discovered that this is one of Alli's favorite activities. She thoroughly enjoyed it. And she loved being in the boat with my dad. Of course, she is all about her dad, grandpas, and uncles. At first all the granddaughters started out in the boat with Papa Bill. When they decided to get out, Alli stayed and I got in with them.

I enjoyed riding around the lake with Dad and Alli. I don't get to spend a lot of time with Dad and I miss that. If I would have had more time that week, I would have gone fishing with him again. Fishing has become one of his favorite pastimes again. I am like my dad in the fact that God's creation(nature) has always brought peace to our lives. I think this is why he has started fishing again.

Aaron and Hannah enjoyed their time at the lake. My next post will tell you more about how well Aaron enjoyed his time at the lake. Hannah doesn't have much patience for fishing, but I think she enjoyed being with her family.

God Is Still In The Miracle Business!

2008-07-24T23:55:00.004-04:00

I will soon post pics and stories from our trip home last week. I have been catching up on laundry and housework this week. Since his big sisters have been at music camp all week, Aaron has required a little more entertainment. I do have lots of stories I can tell, so as soon as I can download pics, I will post.

This week our family and friends have been reminded that God is still in the business of performing miracles in the lives of His people. We pray for all kinds of miracles. We are not always answered in the way we think we should be. And we are not usually answered in the time frame we think we should be. But God knows all. He sees all. The news I am about to tell you makes me think of Samuel's mom, Hannah (in the Bible). Hannah wept for a child for years. She pleaded with God to give her a child. He answered in His time and gave her Samuel, who would eventually anoint King David. And then when I think about Jesus being from the line of David it gets even more exciting. Point is, God knows what He is doing!

One of my friends tried to get pregnant for years and could not. Seven and a half years ago God brought a little baby girl into their lives who they adopted. That little baby girl is now one of Alli's best friends. So all these years they have not been able to conceive. When I came home this week, I found out my friend had not been feeling well. She took a pregnancy test Sunday which was negative. The nausea would not go away, so she decided to go to the doctor on Wednesday. They ran blood work and a urine pregnancy test. While we are in the middle of Chick-fi-la, the doctor calls her and tells her she is pregnant! I cannot begin to describe the shocked look on her face. When she told her husband, he was speechless. Kevin's response: "Holy Cow!" (I love shocking a doctor with miraculous news!) Today she went to the doctor and it's official. They are going to have a baby in March. She has a picture to prove it and she got to hear the heartbeat! My friend is like a second momma to Aaron, so when he received the news, he said, "no!" I am sure he will come around at some point. We have several friends who are having babies, so maybe he will catch on to the excitement.

God, thank you so much for this miracle in our friends' lives! All praises to You!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

A Little Time Away

2008-07-11T19:49:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow the kids and I will be traveling to our home state for a visit with our family. I will visit my family first and we will finish the trip with Kevin's. His baby sister will be married next Saturday. I am sure it will be a wild week, but we will enjoy getting to be with everyone. As I was looking at his sister's bridal portraits, I couldn't help but think about a 12 year old girl I met about 16 years ago. Time flies so fast! When I get back, I will try to post some pics of the wedding and other activities we get into while we are there.

I found out today that my grandfather will have a CT scan done on Monday. He will be taking chemo by mouth and may have to have chemo by IV in the oncologist's office. Don't know many details right now. I hope to talk with my uncle this weekend and find out more. Please continue to remember him and my grandmother in your prayers.

I ask you also to pray for two couples in our Sunday School class. Both couples have had miscarriages this week. One lady was 20 weeks and the other was 16 weeks. My heart breaks for them. I cannot begin to imagine the pain they are in. Please remember them.

I Have Been Tagged

2008-07-07T00:18:00.002-04:00

I have been tagged by a friend to answer some questions so you can get to know me better. So here it goes!

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I had just entered the world of motherhood. Our Hannah was born on July 1st weighing 9 lbs, 3 oz by c-section. We came home from the hospital on July 4th. I think learning how to get Hannah to nurse was my biggest obstacle at this point.

Five favorite snacks:
Apples with peanut butter
Tortilla chips with salsa and sour cream
Granola
Small scoop of vanilla ice cream with a tsp of peanut butter
Homemade Cheerios Bars

To Do List:
Go to grocery store
Take sister-in-law's shoes to have repaired at shoe shop downtown
Deliver tomatoes and blueberries
Wash clothes and clean the house
Get Oil Changed in the car

Five jobs I have had in the past:
Pharmacy Tech at a hospital
Nurse's Aide at Children's Rehab
RN on a medical/surgical unit for eight months; postpartum/gyn unit for a little over a year
RN health department; RN contract nurse with health department and medicaid
Mom, Best Job of All

Places I Have Lived:
Clinton, MS
Little Rock, Arkansas
Bentonia, MS
Hickory, MS
Montrose, MS
Goodman, MS and Jackson, MS---for school

Bad Habit:
Unorganized
Misplacing things due to my lack of organizational skills
Eating too much
I am sure there are more, they are just not coming to my mind at this time.

Five Random Things People might Not Know:
1. I love to read books and it's hard to go to Barnes and Noble without buying a new one. It's better if I stay away from that place.

2. I took piano for 11 years, 3rd thru 12th grades, plus one in college. I don't play much anymore. No time for it. I do love music.

3. I love to scrapbook when I have time.

4. I grew up as a pk, also known as a preacher's kid. That's why I lived in several places growing up.

5. My favorite vacation so far is the Disney Cruise. I would love to be on one right now!

CD's I would want if Stranded on an Island:
1. Anything by WaterMark
2. Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir CD's
I also like to listen to old 80's music as well.

What would I do If I was a billionaire:
1. Give money to church, school, and other mission type projects
2. Give money to our parents and grandparents
3. I think I would pray that the Lord would send me divine appointments, since He knows whose in need.

When I figure out how to put links into my post, I will tag two people as well. Thanks to georgiamom for tagging me.

One Down, Two To Go!

2008-07-06T23:12:00.004-04:00

Kevin has three siblings. He has a brother and a sister who are twins, and then another sister that is a couple years younger than the twins. During the month of July, Kevin's side of the family has two weddings within a two week time period. The brother got married in Gatlinburg yesterday and the baby sister will get married in two weeks in the same church we were married.

So, on July 4th, we all met in Pigeon Forge to spend some time with Darin and spend the night before the big day. Of course for this crew, our meeting place was the outlet mall in Sevierville. I had a very interesting shopping experience for tennis shoes and flip flops at the Rack Room with my father-in-law. He was in dire need for new shoes and yours truly was left to assist him with finding the right shoe with the right fit. I knew Kevin had a big foot, but didn't realize his dad could wear a 14! The shopping trip to the Rack Room was successful and we came out with two new pair of shoes at the buy one, get one half off price. I think I have four or five bags from the Lenox store to carry home when we go for the next wedding. Kevin's mom found some great deals there; however, there was no room in the Camry for those bags when they left today. After we finished our shopping, we took Darin to The Chop House for dinner. Kevin, the kids, and I ate there two years ago and I loved it. It was great once again! We then headed to the Ramada for a night of rest.

When we woke up Saturday morning, it was raining. But by the afternoon, the sun had come out and it turned out to be a beautiful day for a wedding. The wedding was beautiful. It started at one and lasted no more than 10 minutes. I think we were gone from the reception by three. Jessica was beautiful in her wedding gown and Darin, of course, was smiling and cutting up, joking around as usual. I will say that I have never seen hands shake while lighting the unity candle as much as I did when they were lighting theirs. Other than that, they were cool as cucumbers. Here's the bride and groom!

Here's Aaron getting a little sugar from his new aunt. He looks thrilled! The boy is spoiled rotten!

And here's the groom with all of the nieces and the nephew! They love their Uncle Darin!

And last but not least, here are the brothers.

We came home after the wedding reception. Kevin's parents, aunt, sister and soon to be brother-in-law went home this afternoon. I think we all had a great time this weekend. We will soon be seeing each other again. My son will be a ring bearer for the first time in this next wedding. I am sure it will be an enlightening experience for us. On the way to the wedding yesterday, he got a little upset because he realized he didn't have his "suit" on. We had to explain that he would wear that to Aunt Tracy's wedding, not Uncle Darin's. I pray he loves his tux, because all the boy wears is polo shirts/t-shirts, shorts, and crocs!

Thanks to Jessica and Darin for allowing us to be part of their special day. We had a great time! And yes, I did get teary-eyed. I did inherit my late grandmother's ability to shed tears even during the happy moments of life. I am sure I will at the next one! That's just me!

I Will Start Back Soon

2008-06-26T09:44:00.002-04:00

After being told once again that someone(my mother) has checked the blog and there's nothing new, I will try to download pictures from my camera and get you caught up on the happenings in our world really soon. I must work on housework this morning.

It has not been boring around here since summer began. Kevin is home after a 10 day trip to the Ukraine. My oldest is at camp and will come home tomorrow. It will soon be time for all the July weddings in the family. What happened to those quiet summers I experienced as a child?

Needless to say, I have enjoyed this summer with my kids. I will soon share more with you!

A Very Thoughtful Gift

2008-05-17T14:31:00.005-04:00

Wednesday evening, after choir rehearsal, I unlocked my car and opened the door to get in. When I opened the door, I saw the steering wheel. My thoughts were, "This is not my car. How did I unlock another person's car?" I can say this because we have several people at our church who own cars the same color and make of our car. Then I looked on the passenger seat, saw the paperwork and clutter that was mine, and thought, "Yes, this is your car, Karen."

You see, Wednesday night was store night at AWANA's at church. It's the night that the kids get to spend the money (it's fake money) they earned for saying their verses every week. My sweet Alli had already given me one gift before I went to choir. It's a cross necklace and the cross is made out of two nails. She told me it was my mother's day gift. Well, before Kevin took the kids home, he helped Alli leave my second gift. Funny thing is, I saw this item laying on the table close to where Alli was sitting during AWANA. I just didn't know it was for me. So, here's the reason I was convinced I was getting in the wrong car.

All I could do was laugh! When I walked in the door at home, Kevin was laughing. He said he told them I would probably have to take it off because it might make me have a wreck. He's right. I would probably wreck from laughing hysterically. I think I laughed all the way to school Thursday morning.

Thank you, sweet Alli, for thinking of me! You are precious! After talking with a dear friend who is also one of Alli's AWANA leaders, I found out that Alli was so excited about getting this for me. It cost her 8 or 10 AWANA dollars to get it.

If you can't tell what it says, yes, it says "Princess." I think I will save it for when Alli gets her first car. Can't wait to see what she thinks of it then!

One of My Favorite Smells

2008-05-17T14:12:00.003-04:00

When I arrived home from visiting family, I had a pleasant surprise awaiting me. I knew it was coming, but wasn't sure when it would happen. It was nice that it arrived on Mother's Day. It actually may have happened before Mother's Day, but this is the day I got home.

When I got out of my car, I was greeted by the wonderful smell of roses. I have five knockout rose bushes that are right outside our garage. This year Kevin cut them back early, before the birds had a chance to nest in them. Before we left last week, they had already started blooming, but I knew they would soon be covered in blossoms. This year they are gorgeous and I had to take pictures of them. I love this flower and this particular kind of rose is very low maintenance, which is good for me. I would love to have more of these around the house and one day I will. Right now I am enjoying the sight and the smell that greets me every time I go to my car or get home from all of my running around.

A Quick Trip Home

2008-05-17T13:32:00.005-04:00

Mother's Day weekend we made a quick trip home to see our families. The big purpose for the trip was to see my grandfather. We got to my mom's on Thursday evening around 11:00. We let the kids sleep in on Friday morning while Kevin and his dad cut my mom's grass and finished the yard work at my grandparents' home. My mom worked till lunch and we headed to the hospital that afternoon. We had a three hour visit with my grandfather. The minute we went through the hospital room door, my grandmother asked Kevin to shave my grandfather's face. Papaw had a nasogastric tube in his nose, so it was hard to work around that tube. Papaw has pretty much wanted to be left alone, so I wasn't sure how this was going to go. However, he let Kevin shave him without fussing at Kevin.

My Papaw is 86 years old. He will be 87 in October. He has been healthy for the most part all his life. He has always been a hard worker. Even after he retired, he continued to preach. Until just a few years ago, he has always been strong. I guess I have continued with that picture in my mind all this time. So, seeing my Papaw on Friday was a little difficult. I think the dementia is the hardest thing to comprehend. It's just not him. I had to read between the lines to understand what he was trying to say. It's like he can't put his thoughts into words anymore. He watched the kids a lot while we were there. He held my hand and kissed me on the cheek even though the tube was between us. We are still waiting to hear the official word on the report from the mass and lymph nodes they sent off for testing. Grannie says that they told her there was a trace in his lymph nodes. However, I think this is one of those things where it's there or it's not. Thursday evening, this week, they moved him to the hospital in the town where my grandparents and mother live. He is receiving physical therapy to help get him ready to come back home in about 2 weeks. He won't start chemo for another 4-6 weeks. Hopefully, if they give him chemo, it will be something he can take by mouth. I have heard that there's a type of chemo for colon cancer taken by mouth that doesn't make the patient nauseated and lose their hair.

We stayed at my mom's till Saturday. After lunch, we went to Kevin's grandmother's where we visited his family for the rest of the evening. Kevin's mom cooked dinner and brought it to Mamaw's. It was a great visit. The kids even sat in the same room with Mamaw's dog Charlie, a Boston Terrier. Mamaw had no idea we were coming, so when we stepped thru the door, she was shocked. I think it made her Mother's Day weekend a great one! We spent the night at Kevin's parents. We took Kevin's mom to lunch at the local catfish house on Sunday for her Mother's Day lunch. All of their kids and their families were there to celebrate the day with her.

We had a great weekend with our family. The kids are ready to go back to spend more time with everyone. It won't be long till July!

The Boy Loves His Pups

2008-05-17T09:42:00.001-04:00

From previous posts you have learned that Aaron got his first puppy for his birthday this year. He loves Fudge. Fudge is a little hyperactive. That is actually an understatement. Before the kids come outside, I have to put Fudge in his kennel. I have a few scratch marks that can attest to how wild Fudge can be. Aaron enjoys feeding Fudge treats, but it's always while Fudge is in the kennel. We love Fudge.

What's most interesting is Aaron's love for two little dogs that get to live in the house with us. Please meet Brownie and Fudge!

You guessed it! Brownie is the brown one and Fudge looks just like his real Fudge. These dogs sleep in the bed with him at night and they ride in the car in the pocket on the back of my seat when we head to town or church. These pups are part of Aaron's webkinz collection. I think he has a black lab and a dalmation as well. At least he doesn't have a zoo like his two sisters!

He loves these dogs but will quickly tell you: They are not real! But as you can see, the puppies attended Alli's awards day!

Happy 36th Birthday!

2008-05-07T23:55:00.003-04:00

As I told you before we have four birthdays in about four weeks time. If Alli would have waited about six more hours, she and her daddy would have shared the same birthday. I guess Alli's celebration was a celebration for Kevin as well. Aaron has continually told me that I needed to make his daddy a chocolate cake. However, I think that is Aaron wanting the chocolate cake, not his daddy. Kevin spent the morning with us and then he went to work for the evening shift. Thank you, Kevin, for all you do for your family: for loving us and providing for us. Happy Birthday!

Sweet Seven

2008-05-07T23:03:00.003-04:00

And, now on a happier note, our youngest daughter, celebrated her seventh birthday last Friday. As I was sitting on my back porch this evening, I watched Alli play, as she walked back and forth, counting to ten. I am not sure what that was all about, but she was constantly moving and enjoying every minute of it. It's been that way since she arrived seven years ago. She was my easiest delivery and was the smallest of the three, weighing 7lbs, 4.2 oz. Hannah weighed 9.3 and Aaron weighed 9.2. I can picture in my mind right now how she looked as an infant, sweet and precious. She is my butterfly and she's daddy's girl all the way! They say she looks a lot like I did at that age and I was a daddy's girl, too.

I made cupcakes and took them to school during recess time, so she could celebrate with her classmates. We sat at a picnic table outside. The wind blew so hard, we couldn't keep the candles lit long enough for her to blow them out. Instead of throwing a big party, we had a family night. She wanted to see the movie, "Nim's Island," so we went to the movies after school. The girls loved the movie. Aaron did well, but kept asking "when is him going to come out?" I kept asking who that was and finally understood after the movie was over, that he was talking about the elephant from "Whorton Hears A Who." I told him we would have to come back later for that one. We let Alli choose a place to eat and had dinner in town. Then we went home for cake and presents. Alli loves strawberries, so I made her a strawberry cake that actually had pureed strawberries in the cake and the icing. They were the strawberries I saved from the night before. Alli couldn't understand why I wouldn't let her have those strawberries the night before, but I didn't want her to know my plans for those strawberries till she got home and saw the cake. The cake was a hit! They loved it and Hannah has requested the same cake for her birthday. I think Alli enjoyed her evening. What a blessing you are to us, Alli! We love you! Happy Birthday!

Thoughts for Today

2008-05-07T20:08:00.002-04:00

Before I continue to post to catch up on all our family happenings, I must confess where my thoughts have been lately, especially today. I say all this not to complain, but to share that I get overwhelmed sometimes with all that's going on around me.

Basically, the "C" word has invaded our family again. Kevin's father was diagnosed several years ago with prostate cancer, and thankfully he is cancer free at this point. While Kevin and I were on our trip, I found out that my grandfather had been sick and was admitted to the hospital on that Wednesday. He had surgery yesterday. They removed a mass from his colon. They are not sure if it is stage 2 or stage 3. We will hopefully know next week sometime. If it is stage 3, he will need chemo. My grandfather also has issues with dementia which have worsened since he has been in the hospital. They have tied his hands to the bed several times because he keeps trying to get up. He's so weak, and he has lots of tubing connected to him . I finally got to hear him tell my grandmother to leave him alone while I was on the phone with her today. I don't think I have ever heard him sound like that in all my life. Of course I joke with my mom and tell her that he's just been saving it up all these years and is now letting her have it. My grandfather is in his 80's. The Lord has given him a long life. He is a retired preacher and he and my grandmother enjoyed the years they were in the ministry. Although I know that this cancer could possibly kill my grandfather, what a comfort it is to know that he knows Jesus Christ as his Savior. I don't want my grandfather to have to suffer a long drawn out process with this, and I know that it's a possibility as well. I hate all of this, too, for my grandmother, my mom and her brothers. We live 5-6 hours away from our family, so I can't just drive over to the hospital whenever I want. I knew we would eventually have to deal with this when our parents got older, if we were still living two states away. I guess I have gotten a little taste of it this week not being able to be there for my grandparents. Then I start thinking about all the people in our church who have been affected by cancer in some way or who actually have some type of cancer that they are currently dealing with. I then think about our friend, M, who has a disease with no cure and she's only 3 years old. One of Kevin's nurses just died from injuries in a motorcycle accident. It's very overwhelming! My heart feels so heavy today. It's been one of those days where I feel like I could just cry at the drop of a hat. Thankfully, we will be able to leave tomorrow evening and spend the weekend with our family.

It has also been one of those days where I feel like I will not be winning the "Mommy of the Year Award". I have to be honest. Today I asked the Lord why he decided to give my kids the mommy He gave them. I know that sounds crazy, but I was in one of those moments where I was questioning myself. I have forgotten so many things lately. The one thing I can see that needs to definitely change is my daily walk with Christ. I haven't been in God's Word lately. My heart is yearning for time with Him and sometimes I just don't see that. Basically, my priorities have not been in the right order.

Tonight we did not go to church. I spent some time on the back porch after dinner with a cup of my Bifferdoodle coffee, watching the kids play. The wind was blowing. It was very relaxing. Tonight I will end the day with my Bible. It truly is a balm to my soul. We have to rest in Him, knowing that He has a purpose for it all. As one of my favorite songs (Total Praise) from Brooklyn Tabernacle says,

Lord, I will lift my eyes to the hills.
Knowing my help is coming from you.
Your peace you give me,
In time of the storm.

You are the source of my strength.
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You.

A Little R & R

2008-05-07T19:33:00.004-04:00

Kevin and I were able to get away for a couple days last week, just the two of us. Some friends of ours kept the kids Tuesday and Wednesday night, so we could head to Asheville, North Carolina for a stay at the Grove Park Inn. We love this place. Our first trip to Grove Park was three years ago and we knew we would have to go back again. It was once again cool weather while we were there, but this time we did not get to see snow. It started warming up again on Wednesday and we got to enjoy the outdoors at Biltmore Estate. I love to ride bikes, so I got Kevin to agree to renting a couple bikes and seeing Biltmore from a different perspective. The Lord gave us a gorgeous day for it. We had appointments back at the Spa at Grove Park Inn, so we didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked. We decided that a family vacation at the Biltmore Inn would be something we might like to try sometime. We enjoyed our afternoon at the Spa and then went out for Japanese that evening. Soon it was Thursday and it was back to reality for us. We finished up the adventure by stopping by the local strawberry patch to surprise the kids with 5 lbs of strawberries. Except for the cup and a half of strawberries I saved for a special someone's birthday cake, all the strawberries were eaten on Thursday night.

Birthday Tulips

2008-05-03T23:42:00.003-04:00

Within a month's time, our family celebrates four birthdays. Mine happens to be one of those. On April 24th, I turned 35. I feel no different, but 50 seems a lot closer than before. I enjoyed my day by myself, exercised, got some things done at the house, and was off again to get the kids from school. After we went to a second grade open house at school, we met Kevin and some friends for dinner.

I received one of my gifts earlier in the day, which I was expecting, because I saw the confirmation email Kevin received after ordering them. So much for a surprise birthday gift! But when I opened them, I was pleased with how beautiful they were. Kevin knows I love flowers. These were the prettiest tulips he has ever given me.

And for the second gift, he gave me a book called, "The Shack." I have not read it, yet. It's on his side of the bed.

Sapphire's Afternoon Napping Spot

2008-05-03T23:27:00.003-04:00

Have you seen the infomercial for the topsy turvy tomato growers? Well, we own two now. Kevin decided he wanted to try these out and plant some pepper plants as well. He took down my bird feeders and hung his topsy turvy containers in their place. Basically, you place the tomato plant upside down in the container and then pour the dirt on top. We do have lots of blooms, so we will see. He also planted pepper plants in pots and put them on the back porch where the tomato plants are located. I love peppers, so I am looking forward to having fresh peppers. I looked out our back door one afternoon and began to wonder if I will ever get to see these peppers. Our beautiful cat loves to squeeze herself in very small places to take a nap, so here is what I found.

Our Boy Turns 4!

2008-05-03T22:56:00.003-04:00

It is so hard to believe our baby is four now. Shhh! Don't tell him I said, "baby," because he has made it known to me several times that he is not a baby. He's still my baby though. I will never forget how Kevin kept saying he didn't want the baby to be born on April Fool's Day. I went to the doctor on April Fool's Day and was already dilated 4 cm. The doctor started getting the paperwork ready for me to go to the hospital as soon as I could that day. I mentioned Kevin's concern about the day and the doctor said, "It's my favorite holiday!" And Aaron didn't wait long to get here. I don't think I got to the hospital till almost one. He was born at 4:59p.m. that evening. And what a joy he has been since he arrived!

This year his birthday was on a Tuesday, so we planned a party for that Friday after school. However, I did make mini cupcakes for Aaron to share with his friends at school. The cupcakes had Diego faces on the top. This year Aaron has really been into the Diego toys and the show. I went to school to spend some time with Aaron in the classroom while they had snack time and got to be there for cupcake time. He has really enjoyed school this year. It was a rocky road at first. His class is very small and I think he has enjoyed becoming friends with the kids in his class. He talks about them a lot.

After cupcake time, I took Aaron home for the day. I just realized that there's more to this story and I don't have the pictures on the computer to share, so I will probably save that story for another post sometime. It has to do with Aaron's birthday gift. After taking Aaron to Chik-fi-la for lunch on his birthday, on our way home we picked up his gift--a 3 1/2 month old yellow lab, who he has named, Fudge. I will post on that later because it was quite an experience for us both.

We celebrated Aaron's birthday that Friday at a local place that has inflatables. Despite the bad weather, we had a great turn out and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Happy Birthday to our boy! We love you!

Walking for a Friend

2008-05-03T22:18:00.003-04:00

Seems like we have been going nonstop the last month or so and blogging has been the last thing on my mind. So the next few posts will be for events that happened in March and April.

At the end of March, the kids and I participated in a walk to help raise money in honor of our friend, M, who has mitochondrial disease. It turned out to be a beautiful morning for the walk. The rain held off till the afternoon. After the walk there were games and other fun activities for the kids to enjoy. "Thank you" to those of you who supported us in the walk. Your support means so much to us, M, and her family.

Daddy's Girls

2008-03-27T11:11:00.005-04:00

Kevin and the girls had the opportunity for a date night March 8th when they attended a father/daughter dance. This is their second year to attend. They went to Olive Garden for dinner before the dance. The girls love pasta, especially Hannah. We discussed the issue of red sauce on their dresses before pictures and decided they should probably choose white sauce when ordering their dinner. I think we only had a few tiny spots on Alli's dress.

The three enjoyed their night together and are looking forward to the next one. Aaron and I got to spend the evening together at the Verizon store and went home and watched Max and Ruby.

I have to mention this just for the sake of my memory. In the above picture Kevin is trying to look happy for the camera, but the truth is he's not real happy with me. He did something that he really didn't want to do for the sake of us girls--wear a tie with pink in it. You have to understand something. The suit Kevin is wearing he bought in probably 1993 or 1994 when he interviewed for med school. The tie he would have worn normally with this suit he also bought the same year. I thought it would be a great idea to let him coordinate a little with the girls and a new tie would look really nice. I found this Tommy tie that I thought the pink was very subtle. It has very small pink and black squares on it. You know, I could have bought a pink shirt or a very bright pink tie. But no, I tried to respect the fact that he doesn't want to wear pink by going subtle. Well, you would have thought that I committed a crime. Kevin got over it quickly. He enjoyed the night and the pictures look really nice. He even hung the tie on his tie rack in the closet. However, it may be a very long time before I get him back in that pink tie! Thanks Kev for sacrificing for us girls!

Break, B-R-E-A-K, Break

2008-03-03T15:05:00.003-05:00

Today our girls participated in their district spelling bee. Kevin and I have been calling out spelling words for days now, seems like. For the last week, we have tried to use every spare moment going over about 6 pages of spelling words for each girl. I even found myself sitting on the couch between the girls, holding two lists, and alternating between the two. And since I am a "Southern Belle", my pronunciation has not always been the best. I think one night I was actually suppose to say the word "does" (as in a form of the word "do"), but I said "does" as in two female deer. If you know anything about the family I come from, you can understand why I might say this. Alli got a big laugh out of this one and so did Kevin. However, Kevin topped it all last night on our last round of practice after church. He was so frustrated with Alli because she would not spell the words he was asking her to spell. I had to talk with Alli and try to figure out why she was not trying to spell them. She told me she didn't know how. Well, Kevin decides to look at the lists and realizes that he is calling out Hannah's fourth grade words instead of first grade words. I told him, "Okay. You made her cry buddy. It's time to apologize."

This morning the Lord poured out his blessings on Hannah and Alli and their hard work paid off. There were six schools represented at the bee. Hannah won 4th place for the 4th grade bee. Alli won 1st place for the 1st grade bee. Alli's winning word was "break". We are so excited for them and we are thankful to the Lord for the recall He gave them today.

Superior, Superior!!

2008-02-24T13:58:00.003-05:00

I love science. I really do. However, when it comes time to work on science projects, I want to run the other way. I never had to complete a science project in school, so it is a new world to me. Thankfully, Hannah's projects have been nonexperimental. Since Hannah attends a Christian school, you have to apply your project biblically as well. It can get interesting.

This year Hannah was blessed to receive a blue ribbon at the school science fair and she was able to go to regionals. She was blessed to receive a superior rating (blue ribbon) at regionals as well. Her topic, by the way, was the platypus. Of course my question for her teacher was about which grade they start doing experimental projects. She is hoping next year they will actually try to teach them the process of doing an experimental project by working on it all year. This would be a huge blessing for the next years to come. It would make my life and the life of our family a lot easier. I think Kevin would be thankful, too. I told him once the projects became experimental, it was his ballgame. When you are a chemistry major, you tend to have a little more experience with experiments. We will see!

Valentine's Day Dinner

2008-02-24T13:08:00.003-05:00

Yes, I will eventually catch up on the posts I have been wanting to write for the month of February. I know Valentine's was over a week ago. But I had to share about our dinner on Valentine's. Kevin was actually off that day, so I didn't have to go back to town to pick up the kids at school. He ran the shuttle that day. This gave me the opportunity to get dinner ready at a decent hour.

I chose spaghetti with meatballs for our Valentine's dinner. Hannah loves pasta, so I knew she would be excited. Alli eats just about anything. Aaron eats like a bird most days. I bought French bread, so I knew that would get him interested for a few minutes. So I was excited about cooking the meal for my family. Then all of a sudden it hit me. Wouldn't it be fun to break out the fine china for this wonderful meal? You have to understand that Kevin and I have been married almost 12 years and if I decided to do this it would be history in the making for our family. You see, my china has been in storage since we got married. We have moved several times and I have never had anything to put them in. When we moved in our current home a little over a year ago, we took the china out of the boxes and put it in the cabinets in the kitchen. We have a set of cabinets that have glass where you can see what is in the cabinet. I guess I got accustomed to not using them, so I had not thought about getting them out until Valentine's Day this year. Well, the kids were excited about eating on fine china, especially Hannah and Alli. Kevin laughed when he saw what we were about to eat on and questioned whether I was sure I wanted to let the kids use them. It turned out to be a nice meal. I hope I will think to use the fine china more often. Maybe next time we can add some candlelight!

Lessons on the Art of Shaving

2008-02-22T08:42:00.003-05:00

For those of you who know my Aaron and have talked with him on occassion you know the issues we have had with his speech (mainly that he talks when he wants to). Preschool has really helped him improve in this area and he works with a speech teacher once a week. So these days I am amazed at some of the things he says and it is easy to actually have a conversation with him. Well one night a couple weeks ago I didn't expect to have a conversation with him about shaving.

You tend to think that shaving is something he will learn from his father. As you know there are three girls in our household and with my husband working different shifts, Aaron tends to be with his mom and sisters a lot. Well, for Christmas, Kevin's grandmother gave Aaron a Go Diego Go! shaving kit. Aaron loves Diego. The kit came with a mirror you can suction to the side of the tub, a pretend razor, and shaving cream. We had opened the kit to look at it, but we had not used it during playtime in the tub. Aaron was ready to get in the tub one evening and says, "I want to shave my legs". I immediately thought, "He spends way too much time with girls! I am going to have to talk with Kevin about this." Anyway, I quickly explained to Aaron that mommies/girls shave their legs. Daddies/boys shave their "whiskers" on their face. I got down on my knees to where he was in the tub, lathered up the shaving cream, and spread it on his face. Aaron likes to be the one in control of things. He wants to be very independent, so I had to grab his hand along with the razor and show him how to shave his face. He finally got the hang of it. When he was done, I asked him if his face was smooth now. He ran his fingers across his face and quickly told me with a cute proud-of-himself grin that his face felt smooth.

I don't think I will forget this particular moment with my son. The girls and I laughed hard about it. Since telling Kevin about this incident, he has summoned Aaron to the bathroom to watch him shave several times. I am now reading the book, "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson!

Queen for the Day

2008-02-17T09:35:00.003-05:00

At the school where the kids attend, the first graders participate in Bible character day. Each child is assigned a particular character from the Bible and they research the character to find out what that character did in the Bible. During chapel time they share with the other classes about their character. They also must dress like their character.

Alli was chosen to be Esther. I was excited about this because Esther is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I could read it over and over again. I can't wait for Beth Moore's new study about Esther.

As my kids will quickly tell you, I am not a seamstress. I am not crafty at all. So I went online searching for a costume for Alli. Thankfully, I found one. All we had to do was write down what Alli would say about Esther during chapel. We probably had about three note cards total. Alli planned to read it off the cards that morning, but on the way to school that morning she decided she would memorize it. This made momma a little nervous. It amazes me the ability she has to memorize things so quickly. When it came time for her to get up in front of everyone, you could tell she was a little nervous, but she finally spit every word out just like it was on the cards. I know the Lord is responsible for the courage my kids have when they are in front of a crowd and I hope they will always remember Who gives the courage just as He gave Esther courage.

Nothing But the Blood

2008-01-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow.

No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Last May on a weeknight after school, Alli accepted Christ as her Saviour. She and Kevin took a ride in his truck to talk and pray. She came back and told me she had asked Jesus in her heart. What a blessed moment in the life of a mother!

Yesterday we were finally able to have Alli baptized. What a joyous occasion for us! Another blessing for us was knowing that our niece was being baptized in her church the same morning. Kevin's parents have had two blessings in less than a year--to know your grandchildren know Christ!

It's Basketball Time!

2008-01-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

Even though there was a threat of frozen precipitation again this Saturday, the girls finally got to play the first game of the Upward Basktetball season. Of all the sports to choose from, basketball is my favorite. Then when you put my kids in the game, I can really get into it. I had a friend tell me at the game that I needed a nerve pill.

This was Alli's first game and she is learning a lot about how the game is played. I would love to step on the court and show her exactly where to go. She did so great for her first game. She scored a few baskets and would turn to us and look at us with her big toothless grin for our approval. By the way, she finally lost two of her teeth that have been sticking out at us since before Christmas. I pulled one and she let one of my friends pull the other. I think Alli is going to be one that enjoys whatever she is doing in life. This fact shows when she is dribbling the ball and giggles while doing it. This week we will talk about defense.

This is Hannah's third year to play basketball. I could really tell how much she has improved since last year. Her defense rocks! She had to guard a girl that is slightly taller and built bigger than she is. She guarded this girl a lot last year. Hannah stayed with her girl the whole time, with arms up. When Hannah first started playing, she was not very aggressive. I would get down on my knees to be on her level and make her try to take the ball from me. I know that sounds crazy, but I think it was effective. I could also tell that Hannah played with the team in mind and not just herself. I pray she will continue to play this way and remember this important lesson off the court as well.

While the girls played, Aaron hung out with his nana and mom. Most of the time, he had nana at the concession stand for something to eat.

I am sure I will have more to tell as the season goes on. I look forward to watching them grow spiritually and improving on their game.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

2008-01-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

Since I had to take Hannah to the eye doctor this afternoon, we were able to be home earlier than usual on a Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday afternoons are crazy because we usually don't get home till after 4 and we have to be at church by six. We are running around crazy trying to get showers, do homework and eat dinner. Well today was a nice surprise! Around four, as the kids were getting their showers, snowflakes began to fall. I called them out of the shower to see because I was afraid it wouldn't last long. Well, it's seven o'clock and it's still coming down. We didn't go to church. I am not up for driving in this mess after dark and the temperature is still dropping. After having a bowl of white chili, the kids went out and enjoyed the snow. This is Aaron's first snow to play in and he had so much fun. The girls enjoyed it just as much. Alli was not happy when I made her come inside. At some point, it's time to come in and get dry clothes on. They say this will all turn to rain after 1 am. We are still holding out for no school tomorrow! Thank you Lord for the snow!

The Dough Man

2008-01-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

Aaron has an abundance of toys in his room. He occassionally goes in his room to play with them. Most of the time he enjoys playing with his big sister, Alli. We have learned that his most favorite item to play with is playdough. Someone gave him a cool caddy with lots of playdough for Christmas. I also added a Backyardigans playdough set to his collection as well. On Thursday I kept him home from preschool because he has had a terrible cough and didn't get much sleep Tuesday and Wednesday night. I think the playdough stayed out all day Thursday. He would play for a while and then go watch one of his favorite shows. After a while, he would be back at the table playing with his playdough. I don't think he ever gets bored with it. He is definitely in the stage of playing pretend. He has a wild imagination. We know this by the stories he likes to make up. Playing with playdough is a great tool for his imagination!

Back in the Swing of Things

2008-01-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

The holidays didn't last long enough for us. We have quickly gotten back into school work and our usual activities. This Tuesday we began a new activity that comes every January--Upward Basketball! The girls had their first practices on Tuesday-Alli at 5:30 and Hannah at 7:30. It makes for a fun evening of trying to get homework done, eat dinner, take baths, and try to get them in bed at a decent hour. Trying to get this done while your husband is at work, makes it even more interesting. I am thanking the Lord for a good friend who let us come over and get Alli and Aaron a bath while we waited for Hannah's practice. The friend only lives 5 minutes from the church. I am looking forward to watching my girls learn more about basketball this year. Hannah gets better every year. This is Alli's first year and I know it will be a fun one with her. She giggles all the time, even while dribbling the basketball. This was a problem for her when she was learning to swim. She always took water down, because she was constantly laughing. I know our schedule is really getting busy because we have added this activity to it. However, when they walk away from Upward, they have learned more about Christ and how to play basketball in a Christlike manner.

As you can see in the picture, Aaron has finally learned how to wink. He usually closes both eyes. I was so excited when I actually caught his first wink, with one eye, on camera. At practice, Aaron ran around the gym numerous times and got rid of lots of energy. I look forward to Aaron getting to play basketball, too!

Pictures of His Grace

2008-01-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

I have several friends that blog and enjoy reading their blogs. I love keeping up with their families this way. I am getting to see their kids grow through all the pictures they post. I have been wanting to start a blog for our family, but just couldn't decide for sure if I should do it and couldn't come up with a name for it. I thought this would be a great way for our family and friends who live two states away to see our kids on a regular basis. So, after almost two months of soul searching, I am finally beginning our blog. This is a perfect time to start since it's the beginning of a new year.

I think sometimes from the outside our family is seen as this perfect little family. I have been told several times that I have it all together and react calmly with my children. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of the time I feel like I fail miserably at being a mom and wife. I feel like my weaknesses haunt me. As I start dwelling on this, God reminds me of a verse in His word. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 No matter where I fall short, His grace is enough. He uses my weaknesses to bring glory to Him. So, with that said, anything that is shown or said on this blog, is a result of the grace He has poured out on us. We are truly, pictures of His grace!