Running the Race

May

2011-05-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

The month of May came unbeknownst to most Tuscaloosians. Most of us were still in shock by the tornado that swept through here 1 month ago - schools were closed, the University shut down, all activities were canceled..most of the time I even felt guilty for doing normal everyday things like laundry. I felt like I "should" be out helping someone else. But life does go on and we are now back to our "new normal" around here. The city is still ravaged and many are still homeless, but rebuilding has begun and I'm so thankful we live in a city where those in charge are committed to making it a better place than it was before!

We thankfully celebrated Henderson's birthday the Saturday before the tornado hit. His birthday was May 2nd and he turned 3 years old - how can that be!!!???? My baby, my last, the one who says "We Married" everytime we kiss - isn't that the cutest thing!!!??

In case you haven't noticed, Henderson and Wilson are both very much into superheros!!!! A spiderman party it was - just a simple dinner with some family and friends on a beautiful April evening!

Henderson, I love you with all my heart!!!!!

May also brought (eventually) choir programs that had been postponed, school programs, gymnastics recitals, softball games and many other end of the school year events!!!! Emma Claire grew leaps and bounds in her gymnastics abilities this year!!!! She can now do a front limber and backbend kickover!!!!

Summertime - we love you and hope to enjoy each and every minute!!!!!

Easter!!!

2011-05-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Easter Weekend was a beautiful one in T-town - our last "normal" weekend as we know it!!!! We enjoyed an Easter egg hunt with our church at a local park downtown - they had different areas for all the different ages of children, so they each filled their baskets!!! Inflatables made everyone happy :) Later that afternoon, we celebrated Henderson's 3rd birthday at our house with some families. His birthday was not until May 2nd, but I decided to go ahead and celebrate since everyone was in town for Easter!!! Boy am I glad we did, otherwise his birthday party would have been canceled along with everything else for the 2 weeks after that tragic day of April 27th! We are just beginning to get back to normal - school, programs rescheduled, softball games starting back, some normalcy in our not so normal town!!!!

This hair - it just makes me laugh. Neither Will nor I have curly hair, so it is so fun to see and play with Henderson's!!! Just last night as I was taking him up to bed, he was pulling on one of his curls saying "I a girl!!!" I assured him that MANY boys have curly hair, it's just one of those things that make him "him"!!!

We got a picture of the 7 cousins - kind of rare these days with how active and busy they all are - and since we didn't make it to Disney World like we had planned, this will have to do!!! We are so blessed to have cousins so close in age and living close by too! Chandler is the oldest, then Patton and Emma Claire are 5 weeks apart, Mills and Wilson are 6 weeks apart and Stanton and Henderson are 2 weeks apart!!!! Emma Claire has grown really close to Chandler over the last year which makes my heart so happy, they're like sisters!!!

Emma Claire and her friend Marion - she lives down the street from us, they moved in just a couple months after we did, and her family has been such a blessing to ours!!!

Here are the rest of Marion's siblings - Marion and Emma Claire are 5 months apart, Ellen and Wilson are 2 weeks apart and Mark and Henderson are 1 month apart - how's that for great friendship just down the street!!???

On Sunday evening we had dinner and an Easter egg hunt at Will's parents house with extended family and neighbors!!!! Here are the little ones getting a head start to hunt eggs!!!

Then the middle ones, (Mills is missing)

Then the BIG kids to finish it off!!!! (Patton was sick, poor thing)

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Where Do I Even Begin?

2011-05-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

Who would have thought as we were celebrating Easter on April 24th, on a beautiful sunny day, that just 3 days later our city and surrounding areas would be turned upside down, literally. As we huddled in the basement, we had no idea what torment was raining down just 2 miles away. The power was out, cable and Internet were down, cell phone coverage was sketchy at best. And then we began to get pieces of information. I sent my husband out to our house in The Downs that we bought about 8 months ago, to bring back to life and sell (it's what we like to do). I was able to see on Facebook that a tree had fallen on a friends house in The Downs, so I knew it had been hit somewhat. No words or pictures can describe the devastation. Oh I'm sure you have seen them and read them and poured over them like the rest of us, but seeing it firsthand, just brings tears to your eyes and makes you just say, "Why"? "How can this happen?" "What are we going to do now?"

Well, I'll tell you what our great state is doing. People are coming together, working together, loving each other - not just loving families and friends and those that are easy to love - people are helping strangers and those with nothing and those with much who are now BROKEN. A gentleman in our church gave a testimony yesterday. Samaritan's Purse is headquartered at our church, First Baptist Tuscaloosa, and they send teams out everyday at 8:00 and 1:00 (1:00 on Sundays) to help people, in any and everyway they need it. This man has been volunteering with Samaritan's Purse this week, along with 3300 others of us!!!! He is a structural engineer and he was hoping to see some roofs and analyze and build some roofs and houses. Little did he know that God had greater plans for him. People have noticed what we're doing. Walking through neighborhoods, doing whatever needs to be done. This man sat and listened and prayed and talked and listened some more. His quote, "Brokeness brings Openess". He picked up some limbs here and there, but what many people need is an ear, a loving word, a hug. Yes there are many physical needs, and those are being met, believe me. But there are also many spiritual and emotional needs as well. As this man was leaving a house (or rubble) a power company man from Detroit, Michigan was sitting in his big bucket truck and he motioned for this man to come to him. He called him to come sit in his truck. He began to point to his bright orange shirt and ask him, "what are you doing? What's this all about?" He had seen all these bright orange (and now Crimson, Yay) shirts walking around with smiles on their faces, helping people in many ways, day in and day out. He told the man, I want what you've got. He had just gotten off the phone with his wife in Detroit and told her when he gets back he's putting their house on the market and they're moving down here. He wants what we have. POWERFUL. TESTIMONY. GOD'S LOVE. THE HANDS AND FEET OF CHRIST. God CAN work all things out for good for those who love Him. God CAN turn ashes to beauty. He's doing it - He's working in our city. We CAN Praise Him in the storm.

The following are pictures my husband took from our house in The Downs (we do not live in this house). They are the only personal shots we have so far of this storm, when we have gone out, we have not had camera in hand.

Right behind this house to the left is the Rosedale Housing that was completely devastated. From what I can tell, this was just east of where the tornado really began causing mass destruction, it was not completely on the ground at this point and we got the north edge of the mile wide span.
About 1/2 mile east of here is where Henderson's school stood and the surrounding neighborhood that was leveled. It's so sad to see. We lost about 5 huge trees in the backyard, but they only clipped the house and took the back roof off and broke some windows. We were very fortunate, many houses in the neighborhood must be completely rebuilt. It is an historic neighborhood with trees like you've never seen. HUGE oak and magnolia trees, completely uprooted and blown over, the neighborhood WILL come back, but it will take many years for trees to grow to the height and beauty they once were.

This picture is looking out our front door.

Backyard

The neighborhood from our rooftop

Please continue to pray and give. These needs will not be met this month or the next. Our church, along with many others have committed to this for the longhaul. This is our mission field. If you want it to be yours, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will be glad to assist you in any way, from bringing volunteer/mission teams here, adopting a family in need, donations, support, etc.

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Brace Yourselves

2011-04-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

The tordado that came through Tuscaloosa and then the rest of Central Alabama was devastating. We are physically fine, our house we live in was not damaged. We were about 2 miles from the tornado, it was pretty scary nonetheless, but I cannot imagine what many went through. We did have a house that we were trying to sell in The Downs neighborhood that was hit pretty hard. We lost some of the roof and had some windows blown out and lost most all the trees. But all that can be repaired, we are alive and well. Tuscaloosa will not be the same "normal" for a very long time. Every activity imaginable, from University classes and graduation to softball games and parties and events has been canceled. We have even canceled our family Disney World trip that we were supposed to leave for a week from today. So many have lost everything, even loved ones. Henderson's preschool was destroyed, but they will meet at an alternate location on Monday and they'll carry on. Many will not. As I was running this morning, I was literally weeping over how unfair it all is. Not for me, but for all those who lost it all. I was listening to my ipod and the song Jesus Saves came on and the line, "Day is breaking, night is quaking, God is making all things new, Jesus Saves" really struck a chord. I pray all those seeking shelter literally, will also seek shelter in the wings of the Almighty God, the one Who was and is and will always be. May God soften their hearts to receive the Good News, maybe the only Good News they will hear for a while. May God break my heart and give me a willing servant heart to GO and DO.

Clothes and houses can be bought and repaired, but the images of children being swept out of parents arms and friends being pulled up into the sky will last forever in the minds of those who experienced it. Pray for these people. Our church delivered supplies yesterday afternoon and is making sandwiches this morning to deliver to workers and survivors. Prayer is needed, don't let this fade in a few days....prayer and donations and service will be needed for months and months.

The following images are all from the Tuscaloosa News. The areas hit in Tuscaloosa were not rural, wooded areas, they were VERY densely populated, with students and families and restaurants and businesses.

This one is Forest Lake, the neighborhood that surrounds Henderson's preschool, which was destroyed, it was a beautiful old neighborhood on this little lake right in the middle of town, many students lived here as it's only 1/2 a mile from the University.

Big Lots was to the left of Hobby Lobby, as you see it's no longer there.

Milo's restaurant sat to the left of those cars....again, nothing.

You can see how close it came to the hospital and even bigger apartment coplexes full of students.

very busy part of town

total destruction

The community has pulled together like I've never seen, neighbors helping neighbors, strangers helping strangers. God's love through and through.

Read more: http://www.mylivesignature.com/mls_wizard2_1.php?sid=54488-61-AC9EAD64C79E039047528AB0D38C09EC##ixzz0dulADQqZ

Cover(ed)

2011-03-29T07:39:00.000-05:00

While blog hopping this morning I came across a new blog. Kelley and her husband are in the process of adopting their second daughter from China. Kelley has decided to partner with (Cover)ed to help with their fundraising in bringing Caroline home. I thought that the towels were so cute (and go towards such a great cause) that I had to share with you!

Each towel is $25 and their family will receive over 50% of each towel sold to go toward their adoption!

If you'd like to purchase a towel, you can email Kelley at kelley.b.brown@gmail.com. Please put (Cover)ed in the subject line. She prefers cash or check--- but if you would like to pay by paypal let her know and she can figure something out. There is no shipping for Birmingham residents and just $2 for one towel or $3 for 2 or more if you live out of town.

To see all the different color and design options that are available for purchase, please click here (but please email Kelley to order so it can go towards her fundraising).

They would be perfect for a birthday gift, to take to the pool this summer, or to include in an Easter Basket:

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Praying for Kirill

2011-03-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

Please read the following blog post link and pray for this family. Their oldest son is in Wilson's class at school and they are dear people seeking God's will and fighting for the son they so desparately want! May God intervene and make a miracle happen!!!

http://oureyesopened.blogspot.com/2011/03/kirills-story.html

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Spring Break fever!!!

2011-03-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

About 2 weeks ago, I was with some friends and it seemed like everybody was talking about plans for Spring Break....snow skiing, Disney, beach, mountains....and we had none. I didn't even have a babysitter lined up for the children while they were out of school! I knew my sister had been wanting to go to the beach with their new baby for a while, so I began looking on VRBO and I called her to see if they might want to go with us!!! I found a great condo at Caribe in Orange Beach...they have an indoor pool, with a fun slide, which was a necessity b/c the outside water was FREEEEEEEZING!!!!!!

One of the outside pools, located b/w 2 towers (so it doesn't receive much sunlight) had 3 windy tube slides that were just irrestible to my crew!!!! Emma Claire was the first to brave the icy waters!!!!

She immediately took off for the indoor hot tub to warm up!!!

Henderson really enjoyed the indoor pool and slide!!!

Wilson and Emma Claire too!

Wilson was the next to brave the icy waters for a chance to go down the slide!!!! He pretty much crawled down the slide for fear of the plunge into the icy waters below!!! Here he is at the bottom, trying to figure out a way to get out without getting wet!!!!

He realized mommy with the camera was going to be no help and he had to take the plunge himself!!!!

He was crying before he even got out of the water!!!!

Emma Claire decided to brave it one more time on the big slide - that's her coming off the slide!!!

The beaches were nice - beautiful blue icy water and windy!!!!

My children LOVE the beach, I just wish it had been a little more convenient - we had to drive across the street to get there :(

My little nephew, Charlie, enjoyed the sunshine too!!!

Proof that I was on this trip!!!!

Worn out after a long day of swimming and playing in the sand!!!!

I LOVE what the beaach air does to Henderson's hair!!!

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PINK

2011-02-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Continuing with my pink theme - from the pink birthday cake and pink book in my last post to THIS!!!! Friday night was the Power of Pink Gymnastics meet with Alabama vs Kentucky!!!! The daddies sat thsi one out and Ashley and I took some of our favorite little girls to the meet - Oh! and Wilson too - on one condition - HE HAD TO WEAR PINK!!!!

We all met at Ashley's house for pizza and dessert - it didn't take Wilson long to get in the 'pink' mood - here is playing with the PINK Barbie airplane!!!!

As soon as the pizza and brownies and pink cookies and pink rice krispie treats were downed, we took all the children outside to get "pinkified"!!!! Wilson and the adults included couldn't resist a little "pink" action - all in the name of Raising money for the Cure for Breast Cancer!!!! (you should have heard the questions about Breast Cancer - HILARIOUS!!!) At one point one of the girls asked me what "breasts" were and I said "it's your bosom's" and one of the other girls began to pat her on the bottom and said it's your BOTTOM!!!!!!! Thinking I was refering to her bottom!!!! So funny!!!! After we cleared up what "Breasts" were, then the talk began about cancer - I can't tell you how grateful I am that none of them had any close connection with cancer - I can only hope and pray it stays that way for MANY years!!!

Here we ALL are with our pink getups!!!!

The girls had to pick on Wilson a little bit - he was a good sport throughout it all!!!

I even had my new pink kicks to wear!!!!

The bus ride to the Coliseum!!!!

Dancing for the Dance Cam - they got on the jumbotron SEVERAL times - i also got several texts and comments at church on Sunday about how "pretty" Wilson looked!!! I just think, you have to be secure in your manhood to dress in pink from head to toe!!!!

YMCA!!!!

Wilson sharing his flip flop with Sarah Davis - go figure???

ROLL TIDE!!!!!

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Keeping Your Little Girl

2011-02-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

A dear friend gave me this book this week and I finished reading it in a day and a half! It's a MUST read if you have a little girl - especially between the ages of 5-12!!!! Drop what you're doing and get it now! We must do all we can to protect our little girls, keep them close and grow them up to be Women of God!!

My dear, sweet Emma Claire - I'm so glad we're off to a great start - but I can do so much better! I pray God will give me the grace and patience and wisdom and strength to do all I can to raise her up into the woman God wants and desires her to be!!!

Read more: http://www.mylivesignature.com/mls_wizard2_1.php?sid=54488-61-AC9EAD64C79E039047528AB0D38C09EC##ixzz0dulADQqZ

Snow Days,Warm Days!!

2011-02-16T07:43:00.000-06:00

We have 5 adult birthdays in January and February. The last week of January we celebrated the January birthdays at our house - Will's, Bud's (Will's dad) and Di Anna's (Will's mom) - it was one of those weekends in January where the temperature peaked up into the 70's and the children played outside from early morning until well after dark - one of those times I'm so thankful to be living in the Deep South!!!!

My sister-in-law brought a strawberry cake from Edgar's bakery - YUM, YUM, YUM!!!!

Superhero attire was out in full force, as it is EVERYDAY at our house!!!!

This little guy (Henderson) is going through a funny time - he's very negative much of the time, I tend to think he's just trying to "come into his own" while watching his brother and sister dominate. I'm trying to be very patient with him and know that "this too shall pass", and shower him with love and giggles and affection. One positive thing that's happened with him is that he told me, for the first time without being prompted, that he loves me!!! Oh how that melted my heart, to hear it so innocently, "I wuv you".

Wilson is really growing up, I see him trying to imitate his father and grandfather and other men in his life and really trying to be a "big boy"!!!! 4 is a great age!!!!

Emma Claire has enjoyed her new friendship with Marion - she moved into a house in our neighborhood in November and they hit it off instantly!!!!

So, we went from flip flops one day to THIS the next!!!!

It was a magical snowfall - fluffy and thick and glistening - it was a winter wonderland!!!!!

They all enjoyed it, but the boys for only about 15 minutes - they just don't do cold very well!!! It will be awhile before I attempt to take the boys snow skiing!!!!

They just get COLD and cranky!!!!

Emma Claire LOVES the snow and could stay out all day long!!!!

My dear sweet husband gave me a wonderful gift for Valentine's Day - he had my blog printed out for me in a book!!! What a surprise!!! It's only the first 8 months, b/c that was the limit for the number of pictures, but it was such a treasure and to see the children's eyes light up when they realized it was all about them - priceless!!!! I hope to get the rest of it printed one day!!! It's given me new motivation to get back to blogging regularly - that and purchasing more storage on google for pictures!!!! If you don't hear from me for more than a week, start nagging - I've just gotten busy (or lazy)!!!!!

Now we are back to wearing flip flops and enjoying playing outside everyday and not taking naps, because who has time for naps when it's 70 degrees and sunny outside????? Let's get out and play - it won't last forever!!!!

Back from a Bloggy Break!

2011-01-27T16:53:00.000-06:00

well, i have inadvertently taken quite a break from blogging. it wasn't on purpose, just life got in the way. things have pretty busy around here - from hosting a new year's eve party at our house to being the rep for shrimp and grits kids to just trying to live the life God wants me to live - being a mom, wife, friend, daughter, sister, employee and everything else that falls under the "Kellie" umbrella!!! life is good and i have so much to be thankful for!!!

wilson got to go on a date with his daddy to smackdown wrestling in birmingham earlier this month. let me just tell you how happy i am that it's wilson there and not me - i went with will once when we were dating - and it was quite the adventure!!!!! wilson ate.it.up - he wants to go back! most people are quite surprised to know my husband is really into wrestling, he just doesn't seem the "type", but i find he and wilson back in the sitting room watching it and "performing" it all the time!!!! wilson has become nearly obsessed with his daddy lately, which makes me a little sad, but it's in good time, he's 4 now and growing into a little man all his own!!!!

apparently "wrestling go-ers" are not very good photgraphers!!!!

in other "wilson" news, we got in to see the endocrinologist 5 months early thanks to some cancelations due to the snow/ice storm that hit our area! we talked to the 3 doctors at UAB and they did extensive lab work and an xray of his hand to determine his bone age. all the lab work came back normal, which is good and his bone age came back delayed by 2 years. now, no one seems to know exactly why this is, but the good news is that bones grow to age 16 and since wilson's bones are only 2 years old, he has 14 more years to grow instead of the normal 12 that most 4 years olds would have!!! we go back in july to check on his growth. if he has grown less than 3 cm, then he will undergo an intensive, invasive growth hormone study to determine if he is growth hormone deficient (this is an iv, 3 hour long procedure, so they only perform it if they have good reason to believe you might be deficient). i learned that in the state of alabama, you cannot receive growth hormone unless you are deficient of the hormone. (obviously i can see the reasons behind this law, but in wilson's case, i wish it were not true). so we wait and try our hardest to get him to grow - whole milk, butter, peanut butter, instant breakfast shakes, anything he will eat to load up the calories!!! Henderson is getting it all too - he's small, just not quite as small as his 'big' brother!!! Wait and see, wait and see - it's hard!!!!

also, earlier this month we had the priviledge of celebrating the inauguration of our dear friend and sunday school teacher, Dr. Robert Bentley as Governor of Alabama. his granddaughter, Caroline, and Emma Claire are dear friends and Will and I are also friends with all of his sons and their wives. it was an amazing weekend and i am regretting my decision to not tote around my big camera to every event. sometimes i just want to enjoy the moment instead of being a photographer (of which i am most certainly not). so the only pictures i got were the ones taken at the pavlick's house while we were getting ready to go to the ball. but from the prayer breakfast to the ceremony to the ball it was evident the type of christian man Gov. Bentley is and will continue to be as leader of our great state. I am proud to call him my friend.

now for the few photos

Emma Claire and Mary Alice all dressed up for the Ball - they had a marvelous time with their closest friends and it really made the night special for the Bentley family to have so many friends surrounding them!!!

they can still be silly, even dressed up!!!

mommies and daughters

you never know what you might find when you hand your camera off to someone else:)

somehow emma claire didn't make it in this one, maybe she's the one that chopped us off!!!

Happy January and soon to be February to you all - I'm ready for spring - how about you?

Merry Memories

2010-12-30T09:08:00.000-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was FULL of excitement and activities!!! It has flown by!!! Warning, this post is pretty much our entire month of December wrapped up in one post. Pictures will be many, words will be few!!!!

Our elves had a great time being mischievous - but on a few days they actually made cinnamon rolls for the children, brought doughnuts and even pointed to Jesus a few times - they have their priorities in order!!!!

The attempts at Christmas card pictures were many!!!!

Emma Claire and Wilson saw Santa a few times each, Henderson only saw him once - and once might have been too many, he's still terrified!!!

This is a classic "Emma Claire" look - thoughtful and pensive - I really think she thought she was supposed to just climb up in his lap, say cheese for the camera and get down. When he started talking to her and asking her all about herself, I think it caught her a little off guard!!! :)

When Santa asked Wilson what he wanted for Christmas, he responded with, "A Grinch Movie"! This brought lots of laughs from Santa and his elves!!! Then, he left Santa's lap and went to get his face painted and his request, A Grinch!!!! The girls weren't really sure how to respond, but they did their best!!!

Waiting in line to see Santa at the one event Henderson actually got close to him!!! You can see Emma Claire holding his hand, not letting him run away!!! I didn't get a picture with my camera of him sitting in his lap b/c I was so busy trying to make him smile and not cry!!!

The weekend before Christmas, Emma Claire was in the production of Winnie the Pooh, A Christmas Tail! It was a wondeful experience and such a cute cast and costumes!!!

Emma Claire and a few of her friends were surprised on the last day of school when their elves picked them up in a limosine and took them on an elfcapade!!!

They went caroling at Capstone Village, a local retirement home. And they were all really quiet and only walked and sang softly to all the elderly residents!!!!

Yeah, Right!!!! They all loved us being there, but I think they were ready for this rowdy group to leave when it was all said and done!!! School's out and Christmas 3 days away was a little too much excitement for these girls!!!! :)

This sweet man actually sang to the girls when he opened the door!!!!

The man in charge gave them a clue to go see the BIG MAN IN THE RED SUIT next!!!!

And they rode the train and posed for a group picture!!!!

Then got another clue to go make cookies at one of the girls' grandmothers restaurant!!!!

Christmas Eve and Day were spent at Will's parents house - with 7 children, it was full of excitement!!!

Santa brought my children a 4 wheeler, which they have LOVED!!!

On Christmas day, Emma Claire was playing on one of her little cousins rocking horse type toys and slipped off and busted her mouth - knocked her front tooth and lateral tooth (is that what it's called?) up into her gums and bit right through her bottom gum all the way into her chin. I took her to the Emergency Room (in the snow), then to my brother-in-laws, Stan's, dental office where she recieved 2 stitches, 3 shots, laughing gas and lost her very first tooth!!!!! Stan had to pull her front tooth and the other one is still questionable. It was all VERY exciting!!! She was very brave and never cried in the chair!!! Her lip is still pretty bad and swollen and she's talking funny and slurping alot :) She's probably the last first grader in her school to loose a tooth so she was SUPER excited about that!!! The tooth fairy is now alive and well at our house!!!! All the pictures I have of her are on my phone and I have no idea how to get them on this blog!!!! You probably would not want to see them anyways, they are pretty gross!!!!

Henderson fell sick on Monday, croupy cough like he pretty much keeps 300 days out of the year along with fever. Normally fever around here goes away on it's own in 24 hours, but Wednesday afternoon he was still running high! I took him to the pediatrician and his fever there was 104.6!!!! Wow!!! He tested negative for flu. His ears, throat and lungs were fine. No diagnosis, but we came home on a Z-pack and he woke up fever free this morning!! Halleluiah!!!!

The New Year is just around the corner and it's such a great time for New Beginnings! Emma Claire and I both have the Jesus Calling books that we are going to read together this new year! My hope is to be more intentional with my family and others this year. To not let moments slip by because I'm too busy or focused on other things, but to treasure life and the people around me, both those I'm close to and strangers alike. Lord, give me a passion for the lost and open my eyes to see needs around me and give me the strength and resources to meet those needs!!!

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Acts 20:24

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Merry Christmas

2010-12-20T08:34:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!!

May the love of Christ reign in your hearts this season!

Thanks, Matt, for the awesome cards this year!!!!

It was hard to pick just one!!!!

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Christmas Blues

2010-12-09T16:36:00.000-06:00

I recently repainted our Master Bath. Something about it was just bugging me - it was plain jane, though very nice and spacious!!! Scroll down to see the before pictures. I forgot that new blogger actually posts pictures in the order you upload them!!!!! I went out on a limb and chose this dark blue/green/gray color. It actually doesn't have near the gray or green I thought it would, but that's okay. It's very glamorous and dramatic!!!!! It's Benjamin Moore HC 158 newburg green.

I brought in this oriental runner from our upstairs hallway to bring out the blue in it!!!!

This little potty wash area is Wilson's faavorite part about this bathroom! He uses it as a urinal. The actual name of it has slipped my mind, but it's what you use to wash your bottom :) - Emma Claire gets a kick out of telling her friends that :)

I think the gorgeous tile is accented much more instead of just blending in!!!!

This little precious gem came out of our backyard. I thought she was too pretty to get knocked over during kick ball games and would instead be put to better use holding mine and Emma Claire's jewelry!!!!

And last, this urn came out of the backyard too, and it was plain concrete which I primed and spray painted a metallic bronze! I then cut some boxwood and filled her overflowing!!!!

And here are the before pictures!!!!!

In other news, we are busy painting our ceilings - not the bead board ones, but all the flat ones - getting away from the stark white! The kitchen and den are going just 50% of the wall color and the dining room is getting bronzed with Ralph Lauren Regent Metallic!!!! I can't wait to show you!!!!

I'm also reading David Platt's, Radical, can I just tell you how much it's affecting me??? If all these projects weren't already underway, I probably wouldn't be doing them. We are falling short, Christianity in America. God's working on me and I am trying my best to listen and obey. It's tough and not so fun, but I know it's for far better eternal rewards. I challenge you to check it out!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Photo Dump

2010-12-02T12:28:00.001-06:00

In Christ Alone

2010-11-22T16:30:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving kicks off the Christmas Season! I have always been an early decorator. I just can't help it - once I start seeing all the stores and businesses decked out, it stirs something within me! I am excited about Thanksgiving week, excited to be off work a couple days and spend time with all my family and eat delicious foods! I have so much to be thankful for. Obviously God has blessed me with this beautiful house and health and a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful healthy children. But what if He didn't? Would I still be thankful? Would Jesus be enough? I hope I would. In Christ Alone is one of my favorite worship songs. I've actually just downloaded it onto my daughters itouch that she is getting for Christmas - ssshhhh - don't tell her:) I haven't been through many "droughts" in this life of mine, and for that I am thankful. They will come, God says they will, and I hope I will stand in Christ Alone no matter what.

Take a look at what brings me joy, what I've been working at. None of it really matters in the great big scheme of things, but it is my home and I try to make our home a place of peace, shelter from that great big scary world out there. But without it, we'd still be a family. And Christ would still be our Solid Rock. Back to that itouch. I'm new to the whole itunes world. I downloaded my first music ever today! I was pondering what songs Emma Claire would like on her itouch and as easy as it would have been to put popular Justin Bieber songs or Taylor Swift songs that I know Emma Claire will come to love, I decided that for now, the only music that's allowed on there are praise and worship songs. If she's going to be influenced by this world, which she will, I want her to be drowned in words of affirmation and praise for the King. Happy Thanksgiving to you all and whether you're celebrating in a home full of pumpkins or Christmas trees, be thankful for that home and the family and friends within!

Enjoy the little peak into our home:

In Christ Alone

my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This cornerstone, this solid ground

firm through the fiercest drought and storms

What heights of love, what depths of peace

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease

my Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ Alone, who took on flesh

fullness of God in helpless Babe

This gift of love and righteousness

scorned by the ones He came to save

Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin?s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand

***In Christ Alone, words by Getty, Julian Keith; Townend, Stuart Richard;

Read more: http://www.mylivesignature.com/mls_wizard2_1.php?sid=54488-61-AC9EAD64C79E039047528AB0D38C09EC##ixzz0dulADQqZ

Football

2010-11-19T09:31:00.000-06:00

Last night we took the boys to the Alabama football game! The original plan was to take Emma Claire and Wilson and get a babysitter for Henderson. When I told Emma Claire our plans, she was a little less than excited about the ball game, stating, "all you do is SIT there" and so she opted to go to play practice and spend the night with her grandmother. Since we had 2 extra tickets, thanks to an old friend from Dothan, who now lives in Birmingham - THANKS Amanda!!!!, we took both boys - and they were ECSTATIC!!!!! We went to our tailgate and ate some yummy food and threw the football a little, then made our way to the stadium! I was expecting COLD temperatures, so I packed gloves, hats, scarves, you name it - but it was actually very mild and pleasant!!!!

I had assummed Henderson would be very "scared" once we got in the stadium, b/c he tends to be a very "slow to warm up child" in new environments. But he didn't miss a beat. They climbed up on the railing and started yelling ROLL TIDE to their hearts content! It helps that we have front row seats right where the team runs out - had we been way up high, the outcome might not have been so positive!!!!

Pure joy, I'd love to know what's really running through their minds!!!!

Below, you can see Coach Saban's head right above Henderson's head!

And there we have Ingram, Orr, Hightower!!!! Yipee!!!!!

Grandaddy Bud held onto Wilson's coat to make sure he didn't go sliding down the overhang on top of the players!!!! :)

It was truly a wonderful experience and I'm so glad my boys got to go to at least one game this year! About midway into the 3rd quarter (9:00) I was ready to go, so I asked the boys if they were ready to go - NO!!!! They both wanted to stay with their daddy, but I knew Will was not up to keeping both by himself. I decided that it was time for Henderson to leave since we could tell he was getting in that "wild stage when they're so tired they just keep moving around and acting crazy so they won't fall asleep" - you know what I'm talking about. So I picked Henderson up and carried him up the steps, all the while he is screaming "I WANT MY DADDY!!!!!" all the way. I know the police officers at the top thought I must be kidnapping this child. I had to put him down a second to put the backpack on my back and he took off down the stairs screaming for his daddy!!! And it didn't get much better. He screamed for his daddy half way to the car! Fun times, but it was worth it - seeing the joy in their eyes and putting the love for the Tide in their hearts!!!!

Read more: http://www.mylivesignature.com/mls_wizard2_1.php?sid=54488-61-AC9EAD64C79E039047528AB0D38C09EC##ixzz0dulADQqZ

Thankful

2010-11-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

Recently I took the children out in the backyard for an impromptu photo shoot after church one Sunday! We are really enjoying this fall weather and our new house! It's so fun to be in a new house during the first change of the seasons!

God has blessed me with so much - a loving, generous husband who provides for us and works hard! 3 beautiful, healthy children who love each other and love others and love life in general! Family and friends who are always there for us and make me laugh and smile daily! What more can I ask for?

The house renovations are complete, and I have been decorating for Christmas - I know - EARLY!!!! I LOVE it though. I'm nearly done and now it's time to clean up all the pine needles and dust and ENJOY it each and every day! It's been fun decorating a new house, I can't wait to share it with you all! Christmas shopping is nearly done also, thanks to the Internet, so I hope to enjoy the season and my family and really focus on the true meaning of Christmas!!!

Emma Claire is in Winnie the Pooh-A Christmas Tail production by Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre, so she's busy practicing for that, the boys are being boys and destroying my house as quick as I can clean it up! They are both going to the Alabama football game tonight with Will and I - they are beyond excited! I got their hats and gloves out last night and Wilson slept in his and then wore them to school - he can't WAIT!!!! Emma Claire was given the opportunity to go to the game, but said, "all you do is SIT there" and opted to go to play practice and spend the night with her grandmother instead!!!!

Thanksgiving is right upon us and I can't wait to be with family and enjoy the slow pace of this special Holiday - just eating and fellowship and enjoying God's blessings!!!!

Read more: http://www.mylivesignature.com/mls_wizard2_1.php?sid=54488-61-AC9EAD64C79E039047528AB0D38C09EC##ixzz0dulADQqZ

Yard Sale!!!

2010-11-12T09:40:00.000-06:00

Yard Sale is tomorrow!!!!! Please come find something you need!!!! Toys, Smocked clothes, antique dining table, oriental rugs, stainless steele glasstop double oven stove, women's clothes, riding toys, leapster and games, books and much more!!!!! Sat. 7-10!!!! Let me know if you need the address!!!!

Renovation before and afters

2010-11-08T14:13:00.004-06:00

Here are the before shots: The wall on the left behind the sofa is the wall we took down. There was just a hallway in between the den and the living room and it also made the breakfast area tee-tiny!!!!

This was a picture taken as the "support wall" went up because this is a MAJOR load bearing wall!!!

This is the after: taken from the breakfast area!

Notice the 4 columns, I could have done without those, but like I said, this is a major load-bearing wall - I saw the exposed beams myself during the construction!

We love the new openness!!!! We can see the tv from the kitchen and breakfast area and I can see the kitchen when I turn the corner from our bedroom! It was truly worth all the dust and mess!!!!

Yard Sale

2010-11-08T09:37:00.002-06:00

I'm doing it...I'm having a yard sale this weekend!!!! We moved 3 months ago and I threw alot of stuff away, but other things I just put in the storage room, thinking "maybe I'll use that again!" Nope, I'm not going to use it, I haven't used some of it in 5 years! So, this Saturday, I'm having a yard sale! Lots of toys (Leapster and games, tot 4 wheelers, and many more), children's clothes, my clothes (small women's/juniors), purses, decorative items/planters. If you're local - please stop by - I'm also okay with early shoppers, so let me know!

Along with gathering and pricing things for the yard sale, I finally finished painting the den/kitchen area!!!! We hung the last of the mirrors and oil paintings last night and I can't wait to show you pictures! We have really enjoyed our more open space!!!!

We spent the majority of yesterday outside - it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! A perfect Lord's Day that started with an amazing sermon by our college minister, Tim, on Proverbs 3:1-12 - it was geared towards parents, but also grandparents too! My focus this week (and the rest of my life, I hope) is on being more intentional with my children - making the most of every moment! Even the little moments in the car when I would normally put in a dvd and hope that they are all quiet!!!! I now hope to engage all my children and their friends in meaningful conversation!!!! Dinner times will be seen as share time and bed time is the most important time of the day! Because like Tim said, children will talk for hours at bed time if it means they don't have to go to sleep! Ha!!! They are growing up way too fast, and life feels like it's slipping by sometimes!!!!

Stuart Little, then Halloween!!!!

2010-11-01T08:47:00.004-05:00

The weekend before last, Emma Claire was in Tuscalooosa Children's Theatre's production of Stuart Little! It was a fabulous week of shows! Emma Claire was a River Creature as well as a neighbor, passenger and spectator!!!! The River Creature costumes were definitely the cutest!!!!

Here she is with her dear friend, Mary Alice

and me

and my mom and dad

some cats from the show

her buddies at Mug Shots for dinner between the 2 Saturday shows - it's a tradition!!!

matching dresses and hair!!!!

Emma Claire with her cousin, Chandler who was Margalo!!!!

And then we went straight into Halloween week where we had something nearly every night!!!! This is at Will's work trick-or-treating!!!! Henderson was scared of the warewolf, so he would not get in this picture!!!!

This is all 3 dressed up before we went trunk-or-treating at church and then trick-or-treating in the neighborhood!!!! We now have enough candy to open up our own candy store, it's quite ridiculous. I'm just thankful my brother-in-law is our dentist :)

Wilson decided to go as a dragon/crocodile/dinosaur since he had already worn batman 5 times last week!!!! It's the costume he wore when he was 2 - still just about fits!!!!

On Saturday we worked really hard on the yard and the interior renovations. The painting is ALMOST done, but it might be next weekend before I can finish. Emma Claire auditioned for the next play, Winnie the Pooh, A Christmas Tail, and made it and practices start TONIGHT!!!!! No rest for the weary!!!! We are loving our new, open space though and I'll be sure and post pictures as soon as it's completed!!!!

Emma Claire's Baptism

2010-11-01T08:31:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Emma Claire was Baptized!!!!! She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior a while back and then recently began really asking questions about walking down at church and letting everyone know!!!!!

It was a beautiful time! Will's parents are on the baptism committee and they work behind the scenes helping those being baptized get in their gowns and showing them what to do, so they enjoyed being back there with Emma Claire during this special time. I chose to be in the back with her too, so I could take pictures and see her up close and then dry her off in the end.

Here is Nana helping her into her robe.

Do you notice Emma Claire's new glasses - you can hardly see them!!!!! She LOVES them and we do too!!!!!

Here she is with her Nana and Grandaddy Bud

With me

Bro Gil telling her what's going to happen and also telling her she was his sister now - she got a kick out of that!!!!!

Here they are waiting

One last reminder of how to hold her hands!!!

He told her she could look anywhere she wanted. She looked out at the audience the entire time! Afterwards, she told me everyone she saw - her cousins, Wilson, Ga Ga, grandaddy, aunts, uncle and friends! I was really glad she chose to look out in the audience. I mean, that's what it's all about - telling everyone that she LOVES Jesus and wants to live for Him the rest of her life!!!!

I'm kind of surprised she didn't wave!!!!

Raised to life in Christ

I'm so proud of her!!!!

Afterwards, we had my mom and dad, Will's mom and dad, Ellen (Will's sister) and Stan and their 4 children and Katie (my sister) and Matt and Charlie over for a chili and hot dog lunch and roasted marshmallows on the fire outside!!! It was a wonderful day in celebration of Emma Claire and Jesus!!!! Emma Claire will always remember that she got baptized on Halloween :)

October Beach

2010-10-27T07:23:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we took a break from all the renovations and activities we have going on and took a family trip to the beach. If you've never been to the gulf coast in October , it's a WONDERFUL time to go!!! The water is still fairly warm, the days are warm enough, average 85 degrees - you can actually walk on the sand that's back away from the water barefoot without scorching your feet!!!! The crowds are minimal and it's just a fun time!!!! We took the children on the Pirate Cruise

All the children LOVE this - Henderson is our "slow to warm up" child, and I wasn't sure how he would react on this ship with these "real" pirates!!!! It started out very good - he handed his ticket to the pirate and skipped aboard!!!!

THEN he saw the pirates in action, climbing the ropes to let the sails out and that was enough for him - he kept saying I want to go home, I want to take a nap and then he would hide his face on my shoulder. Just pitiful. My camera card became full after these pictures and it was to bright to try and delete any pictures, so I was able to actually enjoy the fun without a camera attached to my face!!!!

By the end, Henderson had somewhat warmed up and was dancing a little and brave enough to get his own treasure out of the treasure box!!! Everyone had a blast and I highly recommend this for anyone in the area!!!!

I took my camera out to the beach only one day - I really just wanted to relax and enjoy the vacation and the moments without the pressure of taking good pictures!!! Here's what I got:

These are canonball jellyfish - they were out in abundance - the great thing is, they don't sting!!!! Unless you try to kiss them, then they will sting your lips - apparently human lips are the only thing that is sensitive enough to detect their sting!!!! So, DON'T kiss them!! :) They are really neat, and sea turtles feed on them!!!!

Buried alive!!!!

In other happenings around here, Emma Claire is getting new glasses -rimless ones, so she'll have an entirely new look soon!!!! Wilson had his eye appointment yesterday, he has intermittent exotropia (one eye turns out at times and "shuts down"). The fix for this is surgery and as his parents, we have to decide when to have it. Our doctor said the time to do it is when the eye turns out more than it is straight. Whew, what a tough decision. It has definitely gotten worse over the last year, but I wouldn't say it's all the time. Has anyone out there had any experience with this? Also, we are looking into Human Growth Hormone for Wilson also, we have an endocrinology appointment scheduled, but it's not until May 2011, unless they can work us in earlier. He has been off the growths charts since he was about 2 months old, and is still very tiny. With a dad that's 6'4", we just worry about the emotional effects this may have being so small. Anyone have any experience with this? I'm doing my research, but I'm not finding much.

Happy Fall, ya'll!!!!!

Finally...Before and Afters

2010-10-19T15:54:00.007-05:00

I know it's been a long time.. I have missed blogging, but I have also enjoyed lots of fun times with my family - Wilson turned 4, we've been to various tailgating events and a beach vacation and homecoming at the University of Alabama. The thing that has consumed most of my free time lately is our house renovation. The exterior of our home was in GREAT need of some TLC and repair. We decided to brick the front, to match the addition that is on the rear. The front of the house gets blasted with the sun each afternoon until the sun sets completely and it has really taken a toll. We knew if we just repainted, we would have to do so about every 5 years.
We have also undergone a renovation on the interior - we took a major load-bearing wall down between the kitchen and den. I think it was a much greater task than any of our workers imagined. It is almost complete and once I get around to painting the kitchen/den myself, I will post those before and afters.
Last week we took a trip down to Panama City for a week with Will's side of the family and it was the most perfect week ever! The weather was phenomenal and the children had SO much fun in the gulf - they REALLY love each other and they REALLY love waves and sea creatures!!!!! Hopefully I will get those pictures up soon as well. For now, enjoy these before and afters. I am off to the Bama Theatre for the final dress rehearsal for Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre's performance of Stuart Little, which Emma Claire is in - she's a River Creature - how fitting!!!! The school shows start tomorrow morning and public shows are Friday - Sunday. It's sure to be a treat for the entire family - I hope you'll make it!!!!!

Okay, here are the pictures!!!!

BEFORE:

notice the wear on the front door and peeling paint and rotten wood

notice the broken window sash on the middle dormer

if you look carefully behind the boys to the right, you'll notice that below that window, the wood is white, not even painted!!!!!

AFTER:

We added the front porch and the brick and painted remaining wood, we still have some trimming to do of those center bushes, but that will come with time!!!

we used the same brick that was used on the rear addition - it's called Alamo brick and it coordinates with the brick that borders the driveway and is on the retaining wall and patio floor called Old Chicago (see picture below with boys sitting on ground)

This is the rear of the house that was existing when we bought the house.

We are enjoying this blessing God has given us!!!!

Summer's Not Over Yet!!!

2010-09-09T06:00:00.007-05:00

Yes, Labor Day has come and gone, and YES, we were fooled with a little "taste" of fall for a few days, but summer is not over yet. I'm not wearing my white jeans anymore (apparently whomever made up THAT rule was NOT from the South!!!) We are still sweating it out here in the South and trying to enjoy every minute of it!!!!

The boys enjoy lots of bike and scooter time in our new FLAT driveway and they also have come to love the sprinkler system!!!!

Unless you live under a rock, you know that College Football season is well under way. We kicked it off last Saturday with FABULOUS weather! We all went to the quad and had a blast!!!

I didn't take my camera on the quad, but rather took a few pictures before we left the house!!!

Sunday of Labor Day weekend, I decided at the last minute (cause that's how I like to roll) to invite a few families over for a cookout to break in our outdoor kitchen and fireplace. I figured it was just cool enough for a fire and some roasted marshmallows!!!!

It's not everyday that you see someone standing beside a fire barefoot! We live dangerously around here!!!!

Then, to prove that summer is still with us, last night after church, while the boys were outside riding their bikes waiting on Emma Claire to be dropped off, Wilson spotted a bull frog! I got the flashlight and we were able to find him under a bush! Wilson in all his bravery and quickness caught him and we held onto him until sissy got home!!!!!

He's a big one - eeeeewwwww!!!!

Henderson was gladly the flashlight holder in lieu of holding the frog - he's a little on the "fraidy cat" side!!!!

Wilson - not afraid of ANYTHING!!!!!

Is he not the biggest frog you've ever seen????

After Sissy got home, they came inside and had some fun playing with polly pockets!!!!

We have a 3rd barstool, but Henderson and Emma Claire like to be close!!!!

Happy Summer (still) to you! Enjoy it!!!!

SIX

2010-09-01T16:37:00.009-05:00

I have a SIX year old - how is that? Aren't I only 16 still? I feel that way sometimes!!!! Life is slipping by..I am trying my hardest to soak up every moment and not wish it away.

Emma Claire's birthday was last Friday and she had a few cousins and friends over for a sleepover, planned at the last minute since Will was going to be out of town!!!! They enjoyed pizza out on the patio!

Then they played and played and played, with only 1 instance of "drama" where someone felt left out - which is pretty good since there were 10 of them!!!! They watched Stuart Little 2 and High School Musical 2 - each and every one of them in the playroom - it was MAGICAL to hear and see the silence and stillness!!! Around 11:00 they were ALL ASLEEP! Can you believe it? - I couldn't! They all slept through the night and began waking up at 6:30 (Henderson and I were up at 5:30). I took those that were awake outside to play and I know the neighbors (our NEW neighbors) had to think we were crazy people with 10 children moving into the neighborhood. As they walked by I wanted to shout, "No! I don't have 10 children! And NO! We won't be outside at 6:30 every Saturday morning!!!" It was a great time and I hope Emma Claire enjoyed it!!!

As soon as everyone left, we all jumped in the shower and with the help of my mom, who was in town for the birthday festivities, but had spent the night at my sister's house (bless her), we got ready in about 45 minutes to head to the bowling alley for Emma Claire's Sunday School Class bowling social!!! It was a great time, especially with the help of gutter blockers and this handy dandy roller thingy (can you tell I'm not up on bowling terminology!!)

I entertained Henderson with candy out of the candy machine, lest he say, "my turn, my turn" and drop a bowling ball on someone's toes again - sorry Chris, that was a close one!!!

THEN came Sunday. Emma Claire and Mary Alice had a joint birthday party planned at the Yacht Club POOL! A swimming party and there was a 60% chance of thunderstorms ALL.DAY.LONG!!!! We had to make a decision and fast. There were dark clouds all around us and everytime we looked at the hourly forecast it was a big cloud with lightning coming out of it from 3-5 pm - not exactly optimal for a swim party. So Ashley and I decided to cancel the pool party and move it TO MY HOUSE - didn't I tell you I've been praying that God would use this house to bring him glory??? Well, there's no point in waiting til we've got it all ready - why not have 30 children and their parents over 2 weeks after we've moved in??!!!

SO, Ashley made some trips to Wal-mart to buy fingernail polish, lotion, hairclips and makeup and I got my house as ready as it was going to be, with the help of wonderful in-laws and parents!!! My house was transformed into Mary Claire's salon! Emma Claire and Mary Alice were beside themselves with excitement!!!!

Notice the watch on Emma Claire's wrist - that's my mom's. I think she got so tired of Emma Claire asking her how much longer that she just handed her the watch and told her what time too look for!!!

The den (which I finished painting the night before- you haven't seen this one yet, I'll get some more before and afters soon) was set up with tables and primping stations!!!

The other den, or keeping room (as we are getting ready to take down the wall behind the sofa and open it up to the kitchen), was laid out as a craft room, where the girls decorated big peace signs!

The birthday girls digging in the party favors!!!

Emma Claire checking her watch!!!!

And the guests arrived!

Nail polish station!!!

Henderson got in on some of the hair action!!!

Foot Massage station!

makeup station - Wilson got in on that glitter action too!!!! I take these as the perfect pictures to show at his graduation party one day!!!

This foot massage station CRACKED.ME.UP - the girls were all into it - rubbing lotion into each others feet, I wish I could have laid down there with them!!!

The cake - in case you hadn't noticed, we went with a hippy, PEACE, theme!!!!

AND, since IT.NEVER.RAINED (isn't that how it always happens) we had cake and ice cream outside, my house is still thanking me!!!!

Uncle Matt (candle lighter) has never been surrounded by so many little girls in his entire life!!!

It ended up being one of my most favorite birthday parties EVER!!!!

Happy Birthday Emma Claire!!!!!

The House

2010-08-24T06:31:00.014-05:00

I'm back, what a busy time of year! Add a quick move into it and it'll nearly knock you out!!!! Remember, I got a picture of Emma Claire before school the first day, but not the boys. So, after school I sat them outside and got a picture of the 2 of them, dirt, kool-aid mouth and all!!!! They have had a great time this year and they are becoming BIG buddies. Everyday when I pick them up, they are playing TOGETHER in the gym, just the 2 of them. It's so sweet. One of my daily prayers for my children is that they'll always be close and that nothing will come between them.

NOW! The house! It's a wonderful house and we are so blessed to have found it and moved in as quick as we did. It is a work in progress. I have been painting and painting and painting some more. We still have a wall to knock down b/w the kitchen and den, so that room is not finished AT ALL, but the other rooms are coming together. I'll start with the outside. It's everyone's favorite!

The built-in fireplace will be wonderful this fall for watching out of town football games and hosting family and friends!!!

All the teak furniture came with the house, of which we are SO THANKFUL!!!!

The outdoor kitchen has already been put to good use - we love to grill around here!!!

Even with all the patio space, there is still a nice big flat yard!!!!!

Some of the other "jewels" that came with the house - there are MANY more!!!!

Secret, "cool" places

Now for the inside, which is still VERY MUCH a work in progress!!! The playroom:

This is the bonus/guest room off the playroom: The children LOVE it b/c it's a long room that's empty except for a bed (and their tents)!!!

Henderson's room: notice the ceilings, that is NOT beadboard, it's individually cut pieces of wood, nailed to the ceiling!!! WOW!!!

Nothing on the walls yet and still have pillows to buy, but it's a start!!!!

Henderson moved to his big boy bed 2 nights ago, so the baby bed will soon come down!!! (Hence the baby bed mattresses under the twin beds that I pull out on the sides of the bed at night, in case he rolls off!)

Emma Claire's bathroom before:

Emma Claire's bathroom after: a little girly touch, the color matches her bedspread

Emma Claire's room before:

Emma Claire's room after:

Wilson's room beforeWilson's room after:

Wilson's bathroom:

Here's a shot of those ceilings, aren't they fabulous!? They MAKE the house!!!

Half bath:

Master Bedroom:

Master Bath:

master bath

I'm pretty sure this is great plumbing hardware, though I know nothing about it. The water pressure coming out of that shower head is AMAZING!!!!!!

More Master Bedroom

Dining Room: (we will eventually paint the ceiling and put in a chandelier) This room was a pale gray with white trim, just dreary. So I warmed it up with Benjamin Moore paint in Free Spirit on both walls and woodwork.

Kitchen:Living Room before: (used to be their dining room, but it substantially smaller than the living room, so we switched them!) The old color was a light gray, which is hard to tell in this picture. I know gray is the new "in" color, but I just can't do it - it's so dreary and doesn't go with any of my furniture or rugs.

Living room after: I didn't paint the trim in this room, but I may go back and do it later!

The front of the house will be an entire post by itself. The sun shines DIRECTLY on the house every afternoon and the front is wood siding and is peeling and weathered. We are hoping to brick it to match the addition on the back. I'll post more about that later!!!

We are so very blessed and fortunate to have found this house and I pray every day that God will use it to bring glory to Him. It's perfect for our family and the children have loved the flat driveway and yard and safe street!!!! I pray that I will always have an open home, for family, friends and strangers alike (within reason), that God will allow me many days to raise my family here and share His love.

GRACE

2010-08-11T07:36:00.002-05:00

What a wonderful message

Have a great day!

Whirlwind

2010-08-10T09:31:00.002-05:00

I must apologize for the lack of posts lately, but there's a really good reason....we are without Internet right now because we've.....

MOVED!!!!!

3 short weeks ago, we decided on a whim to list our house on a Tuesday night, we had a house in mind that we might want to move to. On Friday our house was officially on the market and a family from out of town was coming to look! On Saturday this same family came to look again and made an offer. On the same day they made their offer, we found out that the house we wanted was not going to be for sale. Where were we going to go? Sunday evening, after a day at the lake we looked at a house nearby and fell in love!!!!! We accepted an offer on our house and made an offer on this house. By Monday all offers were good and closing was set in 2 and a half weeks!!!! We had a lot to do!!!! Last Saturday, with the help of lots of family and friends, we moved into our new house and we are so happy!!! I'll post before and after pictures soon, but there's some painting and knocking down walls and exterior work that needs to be done first!!!! It's been really neat to see God work in all the details!!!!

School also started today. I got some pictures of Emma Claire, but the boys were out the door before I could even grab my camera. I'll have to get pictures of them AFTER school!!!!

Here is our new 1st grader!!!!

With her teacher Mrs. Thompson!!!

2010-07-15T11:16:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Bentley and his family for winning the Republican Runoff for Governor of Alabama! We are prayerfully looking forward to the November election!

I am through with my jury duty. It was NOT a fun 3 days. It was a Rape case involving 2 girls, sisters, who were raped by their mother's boyfriend when they were 9 and 10 years old. Heartwrenching. We found him guilty, after only 10 minutes of deliberating.

It is a busy busy time for me, and the jury duty just added to it! The children are all home for the summer and I have wonderful babysitters who are absolute ANGELS to me!!!! They are super flexible and understanding and GREAT with my children!!! Also, my sister and mother-in-law have helped out alot too, they are also WONDERFUL!!!! I am in the middle of trunk shows with Shrimp and Grits Kids clothes - I am a Rep and it's a 2 week ordeal, of which I am VERY grateful for!!!

It's HOT! Have you noticed? I am a runner and I run at 5:00 in the morning. It's HOT and HUMID even at 5:00 in the morning. So much so that it's been VERY hard to get motivated to just go out and sweat and suck wind, which is all I feel like I do while I'm running - it's not pleasant right now. I'm really looking forward to some cooler, less humid weather, but I think that's still about 3 months away!!!

I'm right in the middle of Beth Moore's Esther Bible study and I cannot say enough good things about it! I have learned SO much, and really been able to apply it to my daily life!!! If I was good with words, I'd share with you some of what I've been learning, but it always ends up a jumbled mess, so I'll just say, if you get the opportunity to do this study, DO IT!!!!!

So, in a nutshell, we are enjoying summer, swimming alot (it's the ONLY thing you can do outside right now) and staying busy. I'm trying to make the most of every moment that God gives me, whether at work or with my children or with friends, because there are less than 4 weeks left of summer!!!! I absolutely cannot believe it!!!!

Vote Today!!!

2010-07-13T12:35:00.002-05:00

Vote for true conservative leadership, Bentley for Governor of Alabama. He's been my Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa for the last 8 years. He LIVES what he believes!!!

Also, I'm in jury duty this week - on a criminal trial, that's all I can disclose. Be back with a post next week!!! Go vote!!!

4th of July, part 2

2010-07-07T09:25:00.008-05:00

On Sunday night, we had a few friends and family over for desserts and fireworks!!! There was lots of love to go around, both for our country and family and friends!!!

Here was the main dessert table. You may notice, this is our new dining room - it used to be our living room!!!!

We just flip flopped the rooms and made the old smaller dining room a sitting room! It's so cozy and right off the kitchen - I use it ALL the time now!!!

I've ordered a crystal chandelier, because there is no lighting for this room and hopefully it will be up by next week!!!!

I think the children may have gotten the 4th of July and Halloween mixed up because all of a sudden Chandler was getting everyone's attention for the costume parade through the house!!!

Andrea (in the middle) had knee surgery last Wednesday - she's such a trooper! (Melissa was being silly with the crutches)

It was such a fun time of fellowship and yummy food!!!! Look at that angel - aren't her eyes the most beautiful you've ever seen?

THEN it was finally dark outside and the party moved to the fireworks!

Henderson just tickled me - he was so serious holding that sparkler - his shoulders were up at his ears the ENTIRE time!!!! He was so tense, but loving it!!!!

Out on the porch we had a homemade ice cream station - YUMMY!!!!

Have I mentioned I LOVE summertime????

The 4th at the Lake!

2010-07-07T09:20:00.008-05:00

We had a great 4th of July! We spent Saturday at the lake enjoying family and friends!!! It was one of the best 4th of July's EVER in terms of weather. It was around 90 degrees, but the humidity was significantly lower than it had been - pure bliss in the South!!!!

I finally had enough of the long hair on Friday night after bath time! I combed Henderson's hair and realized it hung about 6 inches down his back ~shudder~ in fine mullet fashion when combed straight! I knew it had to be cut, regardless of the curls!!! So I took about 6 inches off and guess what!!?? It still curled!!!!! Yes!!!!!

After:

Before: (and this was on a humid day when it was curled up - you can only imagine what it's like when it hangs straight!!)

Wilson got about 4 inches off his and Emma Claire about 1 1/2 inches.

The basketball goal was high, but TALL daddy was there to lend a hand!!!!

The watermelon was tasty

The fellowship was GRAND!!!!!

(Sorry for the swimsuit shot, Ellen and Stan, you look fabulous!!!:)

Matching swimsuits

Will had some good help fishing!!!!

Please ignore the spongebob life jacket. I had no idea it was sponge bob when I bought it, I thought it was just a cute yellow jacket with green polka dots!!!!

See that Island across the water? Well, it is the new "hot spot" for our children to play! They swam across and went on an ADVENTURE and found about 200 golf balls that some neighbor had a great time hitting! They brought them all back in a little boat and thought it was the greatest treasure ever!!!

They also went on a search for all things WILD ~ HUGE leaves, snakes, rabbit poop, muscadines (emma claire ate some and really liked them). My children are very brave and love an adventure!!!!

This was our Saturday ~ 10 hours on the lake and a perfect day! Sunday was filled with fun too, more on that later!!!!

Cheer Camp and Backyard Pools

2010-07-02T09:03:00.007-05:00

I mentioned in my precious post that Emma Claire was doing Cheer Camp this week! It was the elementary camp at The University and she LOVED it!!! They did a great job and the parents got to come watch the final "performance" yesterday!!!

BAMA spell out!!!!

We are so fortunate to live in a great college town!!!!

After cheerleading, Emma Claire and I picked up the boys who had been swimming with the babysitter and went to ANOTHER pool - my brother-in-laws parents house! There's just something about a backyard pool that makes my heart sing!!!! Emma Claire perfected her dive off the diving board and began working on her front flip off the diving board!!!!!

The older girls worked on theirs too, and I promise you, they collectively did 16,579 front flips in the matter of 4 hours!!!! To say they slept good last night would be an understatement!!!!

Then they played games like categories and I was taken straight back to the Azalea Swim and Tennis club in Dothan and all the games we would play during summer!!!!

My sissy, Aunt Katie (and Charlie), were there and we all got sunburned and had a great time!!!

Jimmie Ann and Jim (the owners of the pool) had just gotten back from a trip to Alaska, so we got to hear all about that and also how HOT it is in Alabama!!!!

It was 4:00 and Henderson had been swimming since 10, his swimsuit was slightly rubbing his legs and he was walking like he had ridden a horse for 48 hours straight, SO I let him take it off and skinny dip for awhile! He was beyond thrilled!!!! Have I mentioned my boys like to be naked MORE THAN ANYTHING!!!???

Wilson took one look at Henderson's naked bum and asked if he could swim naked, but I used the handy dandy 4-wheeler that he had been BEGGING to ride since we got there as leverage!!! "You can't ride the 4 wheeler if you're naked!!!!"

So, the boys rode the 4-wheeler and gator for a while, which was the highlight of their day, they are such "BOYS" (thank the Lord!!!)

And we will not speak of the hair issues we had going on, I just don't know what to do!!! Sometimes, it falls in glorious ringlets, and I swear I'll never cut it, and sometimes it looks like this:

So I sat under a shade tree and watched my boys in all their splendor just being boys on a summer afternoon!!!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

This is what it's ALL about!!

2010-06-29T07:25:00.005-05:00

Summertime Summertime Summertime!!!!

I love everything about it!!!! Yesterday after Emma Claire's cheerleading camp, several moms and I went out to the Captain's Cabin at the Yacht Club and spent nearly 5 hours with about 20 children and NO WHINING OR CRYING by a single one!!! It was MARVELOUS, they (and we) had so much fun! Just pure, old fashioned, summertime fun!!!!

You see that far right bouey, top right, just below the trees. Well, I swam all the way to that and back. It wasn't pretty!!!! There were talks about doing a triathlon and some suggesting that maybe I should do one. Running I have mastered, Biking I can handle after a little practice, Swimming, not so much. Now the fact that I was using kids goggles that didn't fit or work didn't help, but I just couldn't get the whole breathe, swim, breathe, swim thing down. Also add to it my insane fear of snakes and other marine life, and it's not a pretty picture. I might try it again this weekend at the lake, with MY OWN goggles and see how it goes, but this body was not made for swimming - I certainly don't have large, flipper-like feet, maybe that's it!!!!

(sorry ladies, I know I said you wouldn't be in a shot, but it's far off and this was the only bouey shot I had)

Back to our fun afternoon - It was lunch time when we got there, but no one was very interested in eating - Henderson had his yogurt and he was good to go!!!!

Wilson and Lee are both pulling up there goggles seeing each other for the first time - how cute is that!?

I'm serious when I say not a single child whined, cried, fussed, anything - it was almost surreal!!!!

At about 5:15, the storm clouds starting rolling in and we packed up and headed home, just in time, it poured on us the entire way home!!!!

But the fun didn't stop there! After eating dinner AND making chocolate chip cookies, we went out back and caught fireflies (lightening bugs) and our now HUGE black grasshoppers (and they'll get even bigger the rest of the summer)!!!!! Wilson found the grasshoppers on the same daylilly plant we've seen them on since they were born and only about a centimeter long back in April. It's like they're their own little wild pets out in our backyard!!!! We practically know them by name!!!!

We caught the fireflies in a mason jar, but once they were in the jar they wouldn't light up! Is that normal???? I thought they would continue lighting up so the children could see them up close!!!! As soon as we let them fly away, they would start lighting again!!!!!

Emma Claire

2010-06-25T08:48:00.003-05:00

I CANNOT WAIT to hug and kiss this sweet little face in a few hours! She left last Sunday with my mom and sister, Katie, to visit my older sister, Lori, in Evansville, Indiana!!!! She's had a great week playing with her cousins, but I miss her so much!!!! God really knew what he was doing when he gave me a daughter - she's provides such balance to the fiesty little boys at our house!!!!

I'm ready to hear her sweet sweet voice and kiss her sweet cheeks and just lay around and talk about all she did this past week!!!! And then play barbies and my little ponies and all the other girly things I've missed!!!!

What I Love!!

2010-06-17T14:31:00.002-05:00

I love evenings in the summertime - no longer do I feel the need to rush bedtime - if they get to bed at 7 or 8, great!!!! If not, I know I won't have to drag anyone out of bed the next morning. But isn't it ironic that even with later bedtimes, they still seem to wake up before I would normally be dragging them out of bed during the school year!!!??? After bathtime (or swimtime occasionally) the children usually disappear to the cool basement to watch a movie or play together! They REALLY do play together great and it is so fun to listen to their imaginary play!!!! I LOVE Summertime!!!!

Summer Happens!!!!

2010-06-15T07:43:00.005-05:00

Summer is here, but where are the slow, lazy days that come with it? We have been busier than ever, but having a BLAST!!!! I have just returned from a State Tennis Tournament in Mobile where it was HOT HOT HOT!!!! My playing was not so hot, but I had lots of fun with the girls on my team!!!! Then, I left Mobile and joined Will in Orange Beach at one of our friends houses on the bay. We had a relaxing 2 days to spend without children. It was VERY nice. The oil made it's first appearances, we could see tar balls up and down the beach Saturday morning and then the lifeguards started riding down the beach telling everyone to get out of the water. I forgot my camera on the beach, but the normally beautiful horizon was replaced with orange boom as far as the eye could see. And skimmer boats going back and forth and helicopters flying overhead. I pray that this spill will get under control very soon. It's so sad to think what may happen to the most beautiful beaches in the world!!!!

Back home we've played outside alot, but now that's it's nearing 100 degrees and 97% humidity everyday, that's coming to a close.

You see this little guy below: we are dealing with LOTS of discipline issues right now. 3 1/2 is ROUGH - his VBS teacher (who was also his Choir teacher last year) will also be his Sunday School teacher next year, so she's getting to know him WELL - she has her hands full, but I'm also dealing with it DILIGENTLY at home - no one said motherhood was easy - it's exhausting!!!!!!!

The park is always fun, but now you have to go at 5:30 in the morning to enjoy it!!!!

The pool - now that's the place to be!!!!!

We are right in the middle of a busy VBS week, with swimming in the afternoons on most days and nothing on our schedules at night (except for my Thursday night Bible Study on Esther - Beth Moore - it is FABULOUS!!!!!)

Summer time at it's best. We've enjoyed watching fireflies out the windows at night and reading lots of books from our library!!!! The grasshoppers still get tended too nearly daily, it's fun watching them get bigger and bigger and seeing the wonderment(is that a word?) in the children's eyes when they catch one!!!!

Oliver, Critters and More

2010-06-07T07:16:00.007-05:00

A few weeks ago (the Sunday night after we got back from the beach) the children had their church choir program AND their preschool end of year program ON THE SAME NIGHT, as usual of the last 3 years!!!! We went to the church program first and let Wilson sing there. When they walked into the sanctuary, he saw me, started crying and REFUSED to go on stage with the rest of the choir. SO, I convinced him to go up there if I went with him. He did, and after much probing and dirty looks and threats, he stood tall and sang his little heart out!!!

THEN, my mom and dad and Will and Henderson RUSHED off to the preschool to get the boys in the class ready to sing their songs there. I stayed behind and watched Emma Claire's class sing!!!!

And boy did they sing! They have a WONDERFUL class of musicians and she has a very LOUD cousin (Patton, 2 to the right of Emma Claire). He cracked me up!!!!! He was belting out singing at the top of his lungs, bless his heart.

As soon as they were finished singing, Emma Claire and my sister Katie and Will's parents RUSHED over to the school where we totally MISSED Wilson and Henderson singing. The good news though, without MOMMY in the crowd, BOTH of them sang their little hearts out and didn't miss a beat. I'm the one to blame.

Well, SUMMER time is here and we are living it up! Playing outside, swimming, watching long movies in the cool basement, VBS, you name it we are doing it!!!!

We have unknowingly harvest black grasshoppers. I should have shown them to you a few months ago, the children found one of our daylillies COVERED with thousands of itty bitty black grasshoppers. And they are still there - and growing. They started out less than a centimeter big and by the end of the summer they'll be huge - like 4 inches long HUGE!!!! All 3 children run out to look for them and catch many of them, even Henderson has gotten good at catching them. We always let them go and thankfully none have gotten in our house YET!!!!

Does this picture not just scream SNAKE!!!!!!

There are the little things...

We also have 2 hermit crabs, Willie on the right and Sandy on the left.

Emma Claire got pinched by that huge purple claw on the first day, so she's a little skiddish of them, but Wilson, well, let's just say it's only a matter of time!!!!

Will caught a frog on Saturday and he stayed in the aqaurium for awhile, but later Emma Claire and I looked out the window and saw Wilson holding him by the back of his neck - he just can't help it, he's ALL BOY!!!! He was soon let go, back to his family!!!!

Last week was also filled with OLIVER shows. Emma Claire was a workhouse kid and in the children's ensemble. Chandler and Mallory were pickpockets.

This scary looking man, is my brother-in-law, Stan, who did a fabulous job in his first ever acting job as FAGIN!!!!! Isn't the makeup wonderful???? You can see a better picture of Stan in my beach pictures!!!!

It was a wonderful week, but rehearsals until 11:30 each night last week and still up at 5:00 each morning about did me in!!!!! To say I was exhausted last night was an understatement!!!!

This week is a short week for me, as I'm headed to Mobile for a State Tennis Tournament on Wednesday, then to Orange Beach with Will for a rare trip without kids!!!! Too bad the oil has beat us there, but the time alone will still be nice!!!!

Election Day!!!!

2010-06-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

Vote Today!!!!

Vote Tuesday!!!!

2010-05-28T19:05:00.003-05:00

He's my Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa. He's been teaching Sunday School and WALKING THE WALK for as long as I've known him. He's the REAL DEAL. Please learn more, and vote Tuesday!!!! (fellow Alabamians)!!!!

More, I just can't help it!!!!

2010-05-26T15:25:00.010-05:00

I'm still wishing we were at the beach! These are pictures of our final day and night! We all got out of the sand and pool and got dressed for a night at Pier Park!

The final day was filled with as much beach as we could get!!!! Can you tell my camera was set on a 1600 manual setting - everyone is GLOWING!!!!

Grandaddy Bud rarely makes it on the beach, so this was a TREAT!!!!!

(This is where the fair skin and red hair that Wilson has comes from!!!)

He even got in the water!

Will loves to play in the sand AND the water, so that's perfect for the children (and me)!!!

Some neighbors of our had this fun game set up that they let the children play!!! The only bad thing was they had this horrible tent, so hands were washed WELL when the game ended! ha ha!!!!

Okay, enough of the brightness, back to a better camera setting!!!!

At Pier Park, Henderson watched Wilson on the airplanes, and REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to be on one with him. How do you explain to a 2 year old that he's just not tall enough?

Sweetness.

Henderson DID get to ride the carousel with his daddy and Wilson!!!!

Again, bad setting, but there's just something magical about this picture!!!

Another LARGE family picture taken by an innocent bystander!!!!

Emma Claire chose to do the bungee trampoline, but I couldn't convince her to do a flip - maybe I should have taken a turn and shown her how to do it!!!!

Pushing the stroller was a highlight of the evening!!!!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!!!!!

Or shaved ice in Emma Claire's case, she doesn't eat ice cream.

On the way out, we saw these teeny tiny turtles in a kiosk. Aren't they the cutest things EVER!!!! The only thing that kept me from buying one is the fact that after we checked out on Saturday morning, we were spending the day at Shipwreck Island and the poor things would have suffocated in the car.

SO,

we bought hermit crabs AFTER Shipwreck and I'll save those for another post!!!!

Beach Portraits

2010-05-24T11:56:00.014-05:00

We are back from the beach and it is back to REALITY!!!!!! Man, I want to be back there so bad, it was a wonderful time of fun, sun and fellowship! We packed alot in, but also enjoyed alot of down time, just relaxing on the beach and by the pool. We were blessed with nearly perfect weather and NO OIL!!!!! We did see sting rays swimming around us everyday and one day even saw a sea turtle up near the shore! I have NEVER seen a sea turtle in the gulf and some people near us made sure he got out back to sea - I sure didn't want him laying his (or her) eggs on the beach near our children!!!!

One evening we got everyone showered and dressed for beach pictures - it went amazingly well, with no screaming or tears (by adults OR children)!!!! All these pictures are unedited, straight from the camera - I think they turned out great!

Emma Claire and Patton - sweet cousins born 5 weeks apart - they have a special friendship!!!!

Chandler and Emma Claire are 3 years apart, but being the only 2 girl cousins on this side of the family, they hold a special bond. After the "white" photos were done, we let (begged) the girls to dress up in the "itchy" tutu dresses and be beachy princesses until the sun went down!

Wilson and Mills are 6 weeks apart and TROUBLE!!!!!

Stanton and Henderson are on the left side, and they were born 2 weeks apart and they are DOUBLE TROUBLE!!!!!

Large Family Picture!!!!!

Individual Family Picture - "Hey Wilson!!!!"

Henderson decided he wanted to be holding Emma Claire's hand instead of Wilson's!!!!

Henderson was a HOOT!!!! Everytime I'd point the camera at him, he'd laugh and start running!!!!

Doesn't Wilson look like such a big boy - much like a Frat boy????

Yeah, there's the real Wilson!!!!

Run, Run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Henderson man!!!!

These next pictures show not only Henderson running from the camera, but his tendency to stick his tongue out, which I have never noticed until I was looking for a picture WITHOUT his tongue sticking out!!!!!

See the tongue?

Emma Claire can STRIKE A POSE!!!!

The Ladies

Someone left these chairs on the beach and they were a focal point (distraction) for the children!!!!

Let these next 3 pictures tell a story of Wilson and his favorite hobby!!!!! (Don't pay attention to my bra that you can see thanks to Henderson!!!)

Yes, he did.

He does this daily and we are working HARD on making him stop. We are beginning to see him get embarrassed when we call him on it - any tips????

Classic Henderson - such an inquisitive little boy. The owners of the chairs came to take them away and Henderson was quite shocked - the only reason I got him to stand still long enough for a face shot!!!!

Can't you just hear him, "Why they takin my chair?"

"My chair!!!"

I managed to get one more shot with all 7 children - they are taking a walk and Stanton got left behind. We encouraged him to catch up with them....

He made it!!!!!
But Wait!
He caught up with them, then passed them....

Then the others ran to catch up with him.....

Stanton didn't like them catching up with him and ran back the other way!!!!

The End.

Beach, we miss you!!!!

Another Day at the Beach

2010-05-18T21:10:00.006-05:00

We are on our family vacation at the beach - having a blast!!!!!

The weather is perfect, the water is OIL-FREE!!!!

The boys are up to no good, as usual!!!!

We were met with these shells that had washed up overnight RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR CHAIRS!!!!! God is truly amazing!!!!!

We went to the Red Bar last night in Grayton Beach - it was FABULOUS, as usual!!!!

Only the older 3 out of the 7 got to go.....but after we were sat right in front of the loud band and dancing girls, we figured we might as well have had the other 4 little boys with us!!!! But the food and service were phenomenal!!!!

Daddy LOVES the water, as do all of our children (Henderson is finally warming up to it)!!!! I prefer to sit in my chair and happily watch and soak up some rays!!!!

I LOVE these curls - and this humid weather is doing great things for him, not so great things for me!!!!!

Chandler and Emma Claire are such sweet cousins who grow closer and closer each year!!!!

Patton and Emma Claire still share a special bond - they have been best buds since they were born.

More to come later!!!!!!

Teeee-riffic!!!!!

2010-05-10T08:45:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, we celebrated Henderson and his cousin Stanton's 2nd birthday!!!!! It was a Barney party of course, because that is the one movie that can hold their attention for 30 minutes!!!! There's just something about that big purple dinosaur....

Stanton and Henderson are 1st cousins born 2 weeks apart (his mom, Ellen, and my husband, Will, are sister and brother) - we live about a mile from them and are together very often. Then there are Mills and Wilson who are 6 weeks apart in age and Patton and Emma Claire who are 5 weeks apart in age. Only Mills and Wilson were planned that way - isn't God great?

The 2 birthday boys playing in the cooler - making a mess as usual!!!!

Chandler (the oldest of the cousins), Mary Alice (friend), and Emma Claire

They LOVE to swing this way~

Birthday Song time!!!!

The birthday boys and Mommas!!!!

(how in the world do you spell "momma'? Mama, Mamma, Momma, Moma,
Spell check wasn't much help either!!!?????)

Henderson can swing for hours and hours and hours....

We had the party at a neighborhood church playground and added a jump castle borrowed from a friend. The day was absolutely beautiful ~ 75 degrees!!!!

Party favors were sand buckets and shovels and they were put to good use in the rock pile!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Henderson and Stanton - I love you both!!!!

After the party, Emma Claire and Mary Alice had a swim party to go to at the University Outdoor Rec Pool and they FROZE (where did all this cold weather come from?)- but they had a blast and swam anyway - tough girls!!!!!!!!

Then we celebrated a GREAT Mother's Day with all the mothers, including the newest one, my sister who is due in September!!!! I'm so excited for Katie and can't wait to get my newborn baby fix by loving on little Charlie ALL.THE.TIME!!!!! Katie and Matt live about a mile from us and we are thrilled!!!!

Mother's Day Portraits

2010-05-10T07:53:00.005-05:00

We had some portraits of the children done for Mother's Day and I think they turned out GREAT! I had this one taken of Emma Claire because I know any day now those pretty baby teeth are coming out - and it's never the same after that!!!!

The next picture is a gold mine. There is NOTHING fun about taking small children in for pictures. NOTHING. To make matters worse, Henderson was TERRIFIED of the backdrop that came down from the ceiling - TERRIFIED!!!!!! We managed to trick him into smiling by acting the fool behind the camera and playing ball with him. But he wasn't to be tricked for long - he was HYSTERICAL - we didn't get any more pictures of him after this shot. He wouldn't even let me hold him and take a picture. But thank goodness for the ONE!!! I think it turned out darling!!!!

If you follow Abby's blog, you'll notice that Henderson (my youngest) and Mary Aplin (Abby's youngest) share a striking resemblance - they could be twins!!!!! If you don't follow Abby's blog, you should - it is an amazing portrayal of a woman of great faith, raising 2 beautiful daughters,
being the wife of a busy orthopaedic intern, being a wonderful sister, friend, daughter and
daughter-in-law and very soon moving all the way to Seattle!!!! Abby is a phenomenal writer!!! She will bring you to happy and sad tears all at once and she can paint a picture with words like I have never seen!!!! She and I grew up in Dothan together, along with her husband Jeremiah. They are both AMAZING people with indescribable gifts!!!!

Little H

2010-05-07T08:49:00.003-05:00

Henderson had his 2 year check up yesterday and he looks GREAT -

except for one thing.

The one thing we've been through the gammot and back with Wilson - he's TINY!!!!! He weighed 24 lbs, which was about 7th percentile, and I can't remember his height, but it was in the 20th percentile. Our doctor said he looks fantastic - he's reaching all his milestones ahead of time and is a very smart little boy. Our doctor has suggested we go through the plethora of tests that we did on Wilson - CBC (blood work), liver function, thyroid function, sweat test to check for Cystic Fibrosis, Celiac Disease Test, etc. In my heart and mind, I KNOW he's fine - he's happy, healthy, has no issues, but he's just TINY. If you've followed my blog for long, you know that we went through all this with Wilson - he was (and is) still very tiny (27 lbs at 3 1/2 years old), but Wilson has never been a good eater - NEVER - not even as a tiny baby. We searched and searched for a reason why he wouldn't eat and everything came back negative. So we just accepted that he takes after his mama and is very small. He has HUGE strides in the last year and actually eats like a normal 3 year old now, but is still VERY small.

Henderson on the other hand eats GREAT - his teacher at school often comments on how he eats all morning long. He eats good food and has no issues. So why is he still so little? Yes, I am very small, but their daddy is VERY tall - 6'4" (really closer to 6'5"). I joked with the doctor that it's about time daddy's genes start kicking in!!!!

Part of me just wants to hold onto the fact that I REALLY think he's just fine, but then there's the big "WHAT IF". What if there is something going on and I don't have him tested now? So, we will commence with putting Henderson through the rigors of drawing blood and sweat tests and whatever else is needed. And pray that God's Will be done, whatever plans he has for Henderson are perfect.

God is good.

Pool Time!!!!

2010-05-05T07:48:00.004-05:00

I surprised the children yesterday with our 1st trip to the pool for the year!!!! They were absolutely delighted!!!!!

We took along our friends, Ashley, Mary Alice and Sarah Davis - they were pretty excited too!
The children had SO MUCH FUN!!!! They jumped right in and never looked back!!!

The water was a little chilly,but considering it was 88 degrees outside- it felt pretty good! The older children swam in the big pool, but I didn't take that plunge YET - I'm sure this weekend I will be forced to- it's no longer a secret to Wilson and Henderson and they can't get in without me!!!!!

Talk about some Sass????

Of course, as much time was spent eating snacks as was swimming!!!!

Sweet friends - Wilson is so good to Sarah Davis - he loves her so much!!!!

Henderson had to sport goggles like everyone else!!!!

Yay for SUMMER!!!!!!

TWO

2010-05-02T13:14:00.005-05:00

Precious Henderson - you are 2 years old!!!! Where does the time go? You have brought so much joy to our family that sometimes I can hardly hold it in!!!!

You are a momma's boy - the 1 out of 3 of my children who just can't seem to get enough of me!!!! You are a cuddler - you love to be rocked and give hugs and kisses. You light up a room with your big blue eyes and curly blond hair!!!!!

I knew you were special from the beginning - you've always had a light in your eyes that shines so bright. God has a great plan for you and I can't wait to be a part of it and watch it unfold!!!!

You like to eat and eat and eat - much like your big sister - but after what we've been through with your big brother - that is the best thing EVER!!!!!

You adore Emma Claire - always asking about "Sissy" nearly as much as you ask about "Momma"!!!! You are very smart and obedient (most of the time) - you are nearly completely potty trained, wearing underwear all the time except bed time, though you do have accidents during "Playtime" - on the playground and soccer fields - I guess you think if there's no potty around, your pants will do just fine!!!!!

You and Wilson have a special friendship, being only 19 months apart!!! You can go at it, like most brothers can, but I also see those silly, fun moments where you both are completely lost in laughter and loving each other. I pray everyday that Wilson will be your best friend for life and nothing will come between the 2 of you. If there's one thing I hope and pray for all 3 of you, it's that you each will love each other and protect each other and never tear one another down.

You and Wilson will no doubtedly get into much trouble and make many messes (as is already evident) in your lifetime. You are teaching me all about grace and forgiveness and unconditional love and about laughing at the days behind and the days to come (from Proverbs 31). Surely laughter (and prayer) is the only thing that gets us through the day sometimes!!!!!

You are already quite obsessed with baseball and I'll find you in the backyard many days putting the ball on the tee and hitting it over and over again. You hold your hands backwards, but that is something we can work on later - you still have a MEAN swing and throw!!!!!

Swinging is one of your favorite activities!!! You like nothing more than for me to push you while you say "high, high!" If I'm not available to push you, you'll find some other way to swing - and you can swing for hours!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Henderson!!!! I love you SO much and am proud to call you my son!!!!

TROUBLE

2010-04-26T07:01:00.006-05:00

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TROUBLE!!!!

Lets start with Thursday night.... after bath time, Wilson and Henderson were in the bathroom "brushing their teeth" or so we thought. Turns out, they were up on the counter with their hands RIGHT under the faucet with it going full blast - you know how you put your hand on the end of a water hose to make it come out harder???? Well, that's what they were doing in the bathroom resulting in water ALL.OVER.THE.BATHROOM - countertop, walls, floor, mirror, lamp, themselves - puddles, everywhere.

Next is Friday. After school, I let the boys out of the car and I was unloading everything. I was in and out of the house while they were playing with their riding toys in the driveway. I came out and Henderson was playing in the flower pot. I got on to him and pulled his soiled hand out and as I was washing it off noticed something tan-colored underneath the dirt and realized it was PAINT - PAINT that was left in the bottom of a dixie cup from when I painted the mud room. I got onto him and looked up and realized that the entire back of my car had been PAINTED!!!!!! I didn't even have time to discipline him - I ran and got the water hose and as fast as I could I turned it on the highest pressure it had and began hosing off my car in the garage!!!! Thankfully it was still pretty wet and it all came off. Then I began noticing other things he had touched....the scooter, the walls, etc. It all came off.

Ok, on to dinner time - Will and I were back in the bedroom getting ready to go out and the boys were in the kitchen eating yogurt and pudding (foods they eat on a daily basis, by the way - mess free). Emma Claire came running back and told us that the boys had made a huge mess! Will went to the kitchen first and found pudding and yogurt all over EVERYTHING - they had painted with it!!!! The counter top was covered, the barstools were covered, the rug had it on it - the couch in the den had hand prints all over it!!!! What a mess!!!! Will put them in the bath and I took on the cleaning (dressed in white jeans, by the way)!!!!! We NEEDED a night out by this point!!!!!

Saturday was pretty uneventful - the weather was bad and we stayed home and surprisingly enough, no one made any HUGE messes!!!

Onto Sunday morning - we have this alarm system in our house that was here when we bought the house. We have never used it, don't even know the code. The only thing we enjoy about it is the 'beep beep' that occurs each time a door is opened or closed!!!! I have caught a child many of times "escaping" by hearing that 'beep beep'!!!
All through the night Saturday night it would beep a single 'beep' about every 5 seconds until we hit "reset", then it would stop for about an hour then start back - every 5 seconds 'BEEP' - I felt like I was up with a newborn every hour. So finally around 4:30 am I was FED UP - I started hitting every button I could find. I hit the "STAY" button and it beeped really long and then QUIET - I was so relieved!!!!! .....Around 6:15, Daisy needed to go outside, so I got out of bed and opened the back door. The LOUDEST siren you have EVER HEARD began going off and on and on and on it went. I ran back to the bedroom where Will had leaped out of bed to try to turn it off. He was working on it so I ran downstairs to the other keypad to see what I could do. I was punching in every set of 4 digit numbesr I could think of. It was SO loud!!!!!! By this time Henderson was crying and Wilson was up (Emma Claire slept through the whole ordeal and we have no idea how). Will finally decided to just tear the alarm right out of the wall, but that was no easy feat. I finally brought him some scissors and he literally unscrewed it all and cut the wires!!!!! The alarm had finally gone off by this point, simply because I think it's on a timer and after 10 minutes it just stops. But it was still set and we were stuck inside our own house. Daisy was stuck outside and whining at the door to come in, but we couldn't open the door because the alarm was still set and we had no idea how to make it go off!!! There was another alarm downstairs that would begin sirening whenever we opened another door or window!!!!! He finally got ready to open the downstairs door, armed with scissors to cut the wires, when I had the bright idea to try the same code that we use on our garage doors!!!! Will said, "that would be too easy." So he opened the door and the sirens began - I punched in the code and....

SILENCE -

I couldn't believe it - it worked!!! We learned the code!!!!!!!

We are thinking the system may have gotten hit by lightning or something or the power outage did it, but still today that beeping is going off every 5 seconds ALL.DAY.LONG and we have no idea how to make it stop!!!! PLEASE - if anyone has any suggestions - please help - our sanity is at stake here!!!!

But that's not all!!!!

We start getting ready for church and Will is all ready, the children are ready and he walks through the den to go downstairs to get in the car and notices that Daisy, our dog, walks in a weird circle around a certain spot in our den. Turns out she had diarrhea right there on the oriental rug. I guess all that excitement of the early morning did a number on her tummy!!!! Will brings the trash can in to clean it up, I get the children back with me and then load them in the car. Will gets in the car and there is a HORRIBLE smell. I ask him if he got poop on him. He checks his shoes, his hands, everything, NO POOP. He gets out and looks on Henderson and he's got dog poop all over his feet. So I get out of the car, use baby wipes to clean his feet really good, throw his shoes in the garage and off we go to church! We get to church and I get Wilson out of the car and notice he has dog poop all over his shirt!!! So we go into church and I change Wilson into one of Henderson's extra outfits (because he is POTTY TRAINING - to add to all this madness and I had packed 3 extra jon-jons in his bag!!!!)

We went to big church, I taught 2 year old Sunday school as usual (where I thought I lost a kid - no kidding - but he just went to the wrong classroom for worship time) we went home and I opened the pantry and a HORRIBLE smell came out at me - literally jumped all over me I felt!!!! I pulled the garbage can out and there was DOG POOP all over the bottom of it. Apparently when Will brought the garbage can into the den to clean up the poop that morning, he set the garbage can RIGHT DOWN IN A PILE without realizing it. So the cleaning began, I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed - until there were NO germs left in our house.

Doesn't that make you want to come spend some time at OUR house??????