Hats

Mitch and I have decided to try to walk 6-12 miles each week together as a family. Before loading the boys in their stollers tonight for our outing I couldn't resist taking a picture of my three men in their hats.

Laid-back boys

Mitch enjoys having his sons sleep and snuggle on his chest. Here, he and Luke take a break from their day to relax. My mother and brother were both here to visit us this weekend so Andrew and Luke got lots of kisses and hugs. Andrew enjoyed wrestling with his Uncle Stuart and feeding the ducks with Gami. Luke was passed around and held by everyone that could get their hands on him. Family is a wonderful thing.

Two extremes

One baby likes to sleep on his back and does so peacefully. The other "baby" likes to sleep (and play) on his tummy and does so with much vigor. I love being a mother to boys.

Sweet Face

This picture makes me want to cuddle with him all day!

In need of a clean sweep

Our apartment is slowly turning into Toys-R-Us. I finally sat down one night and purged through the toys but I don't think I even made a dent. Christmas arrived meaning more toys have made their home here, too. I have to watch where I step for fear of tripping and landing on a child or injuring myself. It doesn't help that we live in a small apartment (I feel I shouldn't complain because we have friends who are living in a similar apartment with three children!). We are growing too big to fit in this space and the clutter and lack of storage space is beginning to take its toll on me.....leading to much frustration. I have it on my TO DO list to sort through the piles of stuff (I'm not a pack-rat! It's just that there's no place to put the needed things) but my time is full of more important things right now. When I looked around at the piles of clutter the other day, a surprised smile came to my face. It made me grateful that, despite my cluttered heart, the Lord pursues me and delights in me regardless of my sinful condition. It amazes me that he sees me as perfect. He has made a clean sweep of my dirty heart! My outlook should be the same so I'm gonna pray that I NOT get all worked up about making vacuum lines in my carpet (I can't see my carpet anyway).

Generations

A picture of my mother and her five grandchildren: Meredith, Ethan, Emily, Andrew & Luke. The oldest three belong to my sister. My brother is 30 and single, living in his bachelor's pad in Atlanta. Ok, Stuart....it's time you find a wife and add some to this mix!

Laura came to visit!

Our sweet friend, Laura, came to visit us yesterday and today. She's a freshman at Auburn University and since her home is two and a half hours away, she decided to spend her long holiday weekend with us! We were so glad to have her here. She is a joy to be around and a huge help! We took my two boys shopping today and then she and I watched a movie while Andrew took his afternoon nap. I love you, Laura!

A keepsake for Luke

A local pottery studio invites parents to bring in their infants to paint a free tile with their child's footprint. So a friend and I took our infants Friday morning and above is the result of my time (although it hasn't been glazed or fired in the kiln yet). I love to paint and make things so this was right up my alley! I only wish I had done this same thing for Andrew when he was a baby. I can't wait to show you the finished product. Sorry this post isn't all that exciting....I've been too busy changing diapers to think of anything else to write about.

Loving Your Neighbor

This breaks my heart and makes me angry!

BUT -- is it any worse than ignoring the fact that there are thousands of homeless in MY city?

Handsome little guy

Andrew is growing up way too fast. While eating out tonight with his grandparents, two teenage girls stopped to flirt with him. He enjoyed all the attention. I can't believe that his eyes have remained so blue since birth! Is he really almost two years old?

Mitch's Birthday #35

Mitch's 35th birthday was today. The best way to celebrate was by being in church together, especially since it was my first time back since giving birth to Luke. After the service, our church family gathered for lunch but not before surprising Mitch by singing "Happy Birthday" and giving him a huge cake. Since we didn't do the Christmas card thing this year, we posed for the first time as a family of four for this new year. I'm so happy to be surrounded by these three men!

Are Those The Village People!?!

Last week we were at the Dr.'s office with our boys. We were admiring the construction site border/wallpaper and having fun pointing out all the different trucks, trains and other vehicles for Andrew when I noticed this:Yes, right there on the wall paper, are the Village People doing the YMCA dance! How random is that!?

You might be a RICH redneck if...

you build a house here.

Hey, It's Mitch!

OK -- I forced Jawan to let me start posting on this site -- it is "The McGinnis Message" -- not "The Jawan Message." She wouldn't even have a name for her blog if it weren't for me!
Anyway, I have things I want to say that wouldn't be appropriate for the pastor's blog, so now you get to hear from me -- until she decides to kick me off! Jawan, please let me stay!

Cutie Pa-Tootie!

"Huh, what? Who? Yeah...."

I am so sleep deprived that the words coming from my mouth aren't making much sense these days. So, if you call my house at any point in the day, make sure you repeat all that you say because it's highly possible I didn't catch any of your information the first time you said it. Believe me...ask my sister-in-law.

This will be #4 for me.....

I visited the dentist this morning to find out what could be done about the mouth pain I've been having. Good gracious, it's time for another root canal. I seem to have one about every three years. Part of me wishes for my dentist to just pull all my teeth, get me out of my misery, and give me a full set of dentures! I can deal with blood, wounds, and broken bones but there's two types of pain that I find hard to tolerate.....tooth/mouth pain and stomach issues. I guess I just would rather see what's causing me pain rather than dealing with what's going on internally. Wow, one could really read something spiritual into that statement, huh?

Mitch and I have a date tonight to see Chronicles of Narnia. We're taking Luke with us but have a sweet babysitter to come watch Andrew while we're gone. I can't wait!

More pictures to show off

TOUCHDOWN!

Brotherly love