A Look Back

Easter Picture March 2009...

Easter Picture March 2010

Obviously last year, the pictures were a little more planned. This year, we were walking into dinner at church tonight and I stopped them and said "Stand there and hold hands! Say cheese!!!"

Same outfits - more hair!!!!!

Happy Easter!!!!!

In this next picture, you can see the "lump" on Henderson's head - this happened last March- you can read more about it here. So thankful that God spared him any complications and he has had no adverse side effects.

American Girl Party

On Saturday we had a beautiful day here in Alabama and we spent it outside for the most part! I enjoyed a long run with my friend, Ashley, in the early morning, then Will took Wilson to a 5k sponsored by the company he works for and then on to CHOM's Rubber Duck Derby at the University Outdoor Pool. Meanwhile, I took Henderson and 4 sweet little girls to a birthday party at a gymnastics gym, then onto this sweet, creative "American Girl" Tea party - a 6th birthday party for our sweet frind Marlee!!!! Melissa, Marlee's mom, is one of the most creative "real life" people I know!!!!!

The girls enjoyed scrumptious delights and made hats anad necklaces for themselves and their dolls. Felicity enjoyed the beautiful day!!!!!

Here are a few of Melissa's creations!!!!

Henderson had a great time too!!!!!

Mary Alice and Emma Claire were in matching dresses, much to their delight!!!!!

This picture just portrays their sweet friendship so well!!!!

Marlee is the Birthday girl!!!!!

I made it in a picture!!!!!

Emma Claire just cracks me up! She looks like quite the old lady with her glasses on her nose and her cute little hats!!!! (not to mention the leotard on under the dress!!)

Henderson got into the necklace making!!!!!

THEN he found a baseball - that's my boy!!!!!

Can we talk for a minute about his hair!!??? I have a love/hate relationship with it. The back is typically so pretty and curly, but the front hangs straight down. I was hoping as the front got longer it would start to curl, but no such luck. If he was a girl, I could just pull those bangs back in a pretty little bow and VOILA!!!! But, he's a BOY, and I have sinced trimmed his bangs so he can see, but I just don't know what to do - it was a VERY windy day, so that played a little part. I am definitely a LONG hair boy mom, so don't even mention cutting it!!!!! Any suggestions?

See that hair?????

Here are the cutest girls in town and their little dolls too!!!!!

Happy Spring to you!!!!!

Hosanna!!!!! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!!!!!!

On another note, Will and I are in a Bible study at church called Parenting By the Book by John Rosemond - it is WONDERFUL and I highly recommend this book if you haven't already read it!!!! As one lady in the study said last night, " I am loving this book, my children, not so much!" It is BASIC - Grandmother-type discipline, but it works!!!!!! I need something - the whining and crying and general chaos is driving.me.crazy!!!!!

Here's are a few quick lines from the book: Grandma also understood that when all was said and done, people were fully responsible for the choices they made. Thus, when one of Grandma's kids did something wrong, and tried to mount a defense, she turned her withering look on him and said, "There are no excuses - no ifs, ands or buts." She held her children fully responsible for what they did, and she held them fully responsible from the time they were toddlers.

He also refers to little toddlers as "little criminals" which just CRACKS.ME.UP!!!!

Grandma knew that every child came into the world bearing a nature that was already corrupt, depraved; that each and every child was a natural-born criminal; and that to steer the little criminal in a prosocial direction required a combination of powerful love and powerful discipline.

Another thing, our scripture for the week - yes, my 5 year old AND 3 year old are learning this and my almost 2 year old will hear it often!!!!!

"Do everything without complaining or arguing" Philippians 2:14

I wrote it on an index card for Emma Claire and she took it to school this morning.

Sunset to eternity

Emma Claire came home from school yesterday with this beautiful picture she drew.

It's Mary Alice, Morgan, Emma Claire and Caroline holding hands looking off into the sunset - how sweet is that? And look at that BIG sun - as bright and happy as my Emma Claire!!!! She really loves to draw!!!! And if you know these sweet girls, you'd know that each of those pictures looks exactly like each child!!!!

Soon after she showed me this picture we were in the car on the way to dance and Emma Claire asked me what's the highest number in the whole world. This led to a talk about infinity, which led to eternity, which led to heaven and the trinity.

I'm digging deeper in His Word today!!!!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

Soccer

Soccer is in full swing (or KICK!!!) and Wilson and Emma Claire are BOTH playing! I just NEW that soccer would be PERFECT for Wilson - he loves to run, is VERY fast and can kick a ball pretty good, super agile and athletic - what else do you need? Well, apparently you need to be able to concentrate on the BALL!!!!! Wilson had a great time - he would run FAST down the field, but he'd be looking STRAIGHT down or at the crowd, concentrating REALLY hard on his running, then every once in a while he'd throw his leg out to kick as if for show. He'd also run in front of an opponent (who didn't have the ball) and take a stance as if defending them. It was quite hilarious!!!! He looked much like this picture below.

I don't think he actually touched the ball during the game, but he ran alot!!!!

Little brother was there to cheer him on!

Granddaddy Bud was there to watch

His friend Lee is on his team - Lee is actually VERY good!!!!

he actually followed the BALL around the field!

He made a goal during practice - does that count?????

Henderson got his sports mixed up - apparently we watch a lot of basketball and not much soccer!!!!

Nana was there to watch too!

A little pre-game coaching from daddy!!!!

Don't let this picture fool you - I think this was the only time he was even near the ball, but I'm glad I got it on camera!!!!

Wilson enjoyed being on the sidelines a little too much!!!!

He was a little jealous of his brother who was playing in the grass!!!!

After much urging (threatening) Wilson finished the game out and then ran out to play with his sister and cousins who had been running around in the field (where Wilson REALLY wanted to be the entire game, I think)!!!! He's only 3, so we still have hope!!!!

Immediately after, Emma Claire had her game - we've got the same cute team from last year!!!!

Notice Louise in the middle (she's the one in pink shorts and pink bows). We are the only all-girls team in the league. When we got our schedule and uniform assignments, we were the BLACK team - all-girls and BLACK??? What were they thinking? Purple would have been just fine, thank you. SO, we took matters in our own hands and decided they would wear pink shorts and ribbons. WELL, when we received our jerseys last week, they were black and RED!!!!! What???? The jerseys have always been just one color. Well, Louise hadn't gotten her jersey yet, and I guess we failed to mention the red to her and she showed up in the pink shorts and bows - now wouldn't that have been the cutest thing? We were so disappointed!!!!




But we still have the cutest team out there and we played Patton's (my nephew's) team. The girls played hard, and blocked some great shots, but I think we are finally getting to the point where the boys are getting a little faster, more aggresssive and rough than the girls.

Wilson was right in his element with Sarah Davis

The tunnel at the end makes it all worth it!!!

Only a few tears were shed - over taking cleats and shin guards off and then wanting them back on - those things take FOREVER!!!!