Outside play

It's cold outside! So cold that even Luke wanted to give a hug to Andrew (Luke hates being touched and is very non-affectionate so you better believe I took a picture when this happened).



Mitch teased me - "You just let her sit in the stroller and cry while you took pictures of her?". Don't you remember flipping through old photo albums and finding pictures of you crying? There. That's what I thought. Guess you had a mean mama like me.



And finally, if only we could make our toy room into an ice rink then our boys would be the happiest on planet Earth. Andrew got his Atlanta Thrashers jersey for Christmas. Mitch took him to see them play a few weeks ago and all Andrew can remember are the huge brown (mascot) birds hanging near the Jumbo-tron shooting out fire every time they scored. Luke is catching up to the hockey fever. He got his Chicago Blackhawks jersey from a friend at church/school. They both want to wear their jerseys everyday! Convincing them that this is a bad idea isn't working too well...however, now that I think about it, it would help cut down on the laundry. Hmmmm......

Teeth & Fingers

Even with a runny nose, Abigail is still a cutiepatootie! At almost seven months old, she's finally cut her first tooth. Fingers in her mouth are very common for Abigail these days. She kept us up for two hours last night screaming in pain. My sweet husband went to Walgreens at 1:30 a.m. to get some Orajel for her. It was magic! She fell asleep as soon as he put it on her gums...Daddy is so smart.

Family Time

Saturday morning, the boys sat on the couch and read the story of Adam and Eve together, each from their own Bible. Daddy read aloud while Andrew followed along in The Big Picture Story Book Bible. Luke enjoyed looking at the large pictures of Adam and Eve walking through the garden.


To celebrate my brother's birthday, he and his girlfriend drove down from Atlanta to have dinner and dessert with us. Below is my brother, Stuart, and his girlfriend, Autumn.

Andrew decided to try to cut Autumn's hair. He used his medical scissors from his doctor's kit. Maybe he's performing brain surgery (not that Autumn needed it!). She was such a good sport.

Happy 32nd birthday, little brother. You're old!

Brothers

Andrew and Luke played a few rounds of Ring-Around-the-Rosie last night. They were so pooped that they plopped into their beds without a complaint!

Oh, How He Loves You & Me

I can't imagine what Rick and Sherri are going through. I hope I never have to go through the trial the Lord is taking them through right now. I am a huge fan of Rick's show (http://www.rickandbubba.com/) and have listened to it since I met Mitch, who introduced me to the duo. I just watched on YouTube what Rick said at his son's funeral yesterday. Am I ready? My mind keeps racing back to Sherri, the mother. I weep for her.

I'm going to go kiss my sleeping babies right now.

Define: sleep & play

Cabin fever has struck our home. We are stuck inside due to the cold weather. I could let the boys bundle up and play outside but I have to time it just right and do it when the baby is taking a nap. Luke is still in need of a nap but he's fighting it harder and harder each day. Moving him into his big boy bed has been tough on us all. He likes his new freedom but we are losing much sleep due to his new found "independence". Mitch and I wake many times during the night to Luke staring at our faces, waiting for us to smell his breath, I guess. He only has two options: Return to his bed or sleep on the couch. For a while, the couch was his choice. Now, it's neither. I got a total of one hour of sleep last night and that wasn't even a consistent 60 minutes. A nap was on my "wish list" for this afternoon but a little one was awake while the other two slept, etc. There's nothing like having the entire family awake at 4:30 a.m. Anyway, I found this website to help aid with my "inside" sanity. It offers activity ideas to do with your toddler/preschooler. Maybe you'll find it helpful, too.

College roommate "DER"

During college at VSU, there were four of us in a two bedroom townhouse. We had the time of our lives! Heather (a.k.a. - Der) and I shared a room. I remember painting our nails in the bathroom one night during beach project in Daytona Beach, FL, when she told me that she could see herself married to Drew. She stated that long before he even started pursuing her! Even though she longed to be married and live with "Drewby" (hee hee, I just had to type his nickname!), she still had to live with me until they tied the knot. She asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding but it was to take place on the same day I graduated from college (she was a year behind me) so I had to say no because I really wanted to walk to get my degree.

We were such cheesy, giggly roommates. If one of us was out, the other would leave a lit candle in our bathroom next to the sink just so the other would know they were thought of and prayed for before going to bed. Not only is Heather one of my favorite people in the world but so is Drew. I remember coming home one night with a horrible toothache. Drew was over visiting with Heather and he noticed my intense pain. He insisted they take me to the Emergency Room. They both waited all night with me until I was finally seen. When it came time to give me a shot of some kind (I don't know why a shot was given to me, much less in the buttock), Drew politely left the room while Heather held my hand as the nurse administered the medicine. Come to find out, I had an abscessed tooth that ended up being pulled the next day.

Now, Heather is pregnant with her fourth child and due in the spring. I am so glad I get to see her often since Valdosta is only a few minutes away from where my mother lives in Thomasville. She and Drew spent this past Saturday purging clothes and junk from their house so I decided to drive over and sit with her while she sorted through the many piles. I got to spend some time with her three little ones, Will Ramsey, Emma, and Anna. Below are a few pictures of us and their kids taken during our time together.

By the way, happy birthday, Mary! You, Heather, and Libby were the best college roommates God could have ever chosen to give me!

Amazing Grace

I drove to Valdosta today. I still knew my way around. Things have changed but Baytree, Jerry Jones Dr, Alden Ave, Remerton, and Gornto Road were still there, shooting me in the right direction. So many wonderful memories made in that city. I grew so close to Christ while there. I knew Him. He was my best friend. We talked everyday and I couldn't wait to dig into His Word to find out more of who He was. He taught me MUCH about myself during those four years. I saw my dirty heart - my sin. I saw His blood, His death, His perfection, His love, His grace. It flowed over me. My heart was undivided. I could give Him all of me - I focused on being an excellent student to bring Him glory. I wanted to please Him and be a good steward of the years in college He blessed me with. As I drove away from Valdosta today, my heart was sad. No longer do I spend massive amounts of time in His Word everyday, not even every week. I long to do so but my heart is divided. Idols? Probably. Time with Mitch, time with the kids, time to myself, time to sleep, time to spend with friends, time to go to the gym, time to clean and "keep up appearances". I long to be intimate with Christ again. It's so hard - why? Even though my time with the Father looks different now, He doesn't look upon me any differently. He still delights in me, still sings and dances over me, and still sees me as perfect - and He knows all the dirt on me. Now that's amazing grace.

Waiting on Snow!?!?!

The girls & Luke are in Thomasville for the weekend.

Mitch & Andrew are at home watching for the snow.

Andrew is so excited!

The computer says to expect some snow.
The TV says heavy snow is coming!

So, Andrew watches.....

And waits.....

But, as of 3pm, only sadness (and incredible cuteness!) are in abundance:

Woman sings while in labor

A friend forwarded me this video this morning. I cried all the way through it. What a sweet way to give birth. Wish my own birth stories had been this peaceful. Ha! Glory to God!

I'm a Rebel!

I got a new camera today, thanks to my wonderful friend, Holly (a Canon Rebel). She got a new one for Christmas and sold me the one she's been using. I'm excited about learning how to take better pictures and seeing the end result. This camera is a bit bigger than what I'm used to carrying around (my Sony Cybershot could fit in my purse!) but you better believe it will go most everywhere with me.

Faces

My kids are making me laugh this week!

"Wiggles, Mama?"

Luke has discovered the Internet. Thank goodness he can't manage the mouse or get to websites, but he begs and pleads for me to go to The Wiggles website, Disney.com, YouTube (so he watch funny videos), and noggin.com. I get quality time with him three mornings a week when it's just him, Abigail and me at home. Abigail goes down for her morning nap around 10 and sleeps for about an hour. During that time, I try to shower Luke with attention since it doesn't happen often. I'd type more but it's 10:30 and I need to go cuddle with my sweet boy!

"Good Morning!"

Andrew just wanted to say good morning to you all!

Couldn't stay away

All is well and thanks for asking, Kat. I said I was gonna take a break but I just can't stay away. This blog is an outlet for me. A way for me to journal. A way to remember my day/days. I don't want to feel guilty for loving to write and update. I just needed a few days to NOT think about anything. On that note, here are a few pictures from today. My sister and mother came up for a quick overnight visit and I took the opportunity to use my camera, as usual.

Mom reading a book - I love that this is a silhouette of my mother. I noticed the light from the window was casting a dark shadow on her as she sat and read. I love how it looks, although it's nothing a professional photographer would boast about. Everyone has seen this type of picture in a book or imagined them...now I have a personal one. Oh, my beautiful mother. How I love her so.


My sister, Angela, playing with my daughter - Such a sweet moment. I'm so thankful and glad that my children love their "aunt sassy". I couldn't pronounce my sister's name when I was little so I called her Sassy. My own children have a hard time saying her name, too, so we've just carried on with the nickname and it's a hit.


Yesterday was Mitch's birthday. Why did he have to be born so close after Christmas (huh, Cheryl and Anthony?)? HA! I always remember it's coming but so often forget to make his day extra special from the other 364 in the year (well, 365 other days this leap year). The children made him a homemade card and we had cake and ice cream last night while Mom and Angela were here. Thanks, Honey, for loving me and knowing that my kisses are as good as any birthday present I didn't could give.

A break....

I will be taking a short break from blogging....probably a week. Sometimes there are just matters in our life that take such a priority that blogging seems meaningless. Maybe I'll share a bit more when I return. Please don't "un-bookmark" me!

#37

Shhhh.....don't tell Mitch that I told you. Tomorrow is his 29th 37th birthday! I love you bunches, Babe!

Ribbit

Yes, I have changed my look. Far too long I've had that same green/blue rounder template and decided it is the year of updating. Welcome 2008. Don't you like my frog? I figured that since we have two delightful little boys in our house, a frog seemed fitting....quite appropriate. Abigail doesn't fit into that same mold but I'd like to think that she'll one day like to hold frogs with her brothers (and lizards, and bugs, and other gross creatures - NO snakes!). If not, maybe one day a frog - oops - I mean prince -will cross her path. I'm working on adding the links back to the righthand sidebar. Bear with me.....CROAK!

Just some stuff....

Our cousin, Emma, came to spend the day with us today. We made a gingerbread house in the morning, played with some new Christmas toys, ate out at Chick-Fil-A, rested on the couch, played outside, "undecorated" the house from Christmas, and played on the computer. Here are Emma and Andrew enjoying their time together riding his ATV.



Also, we had Davina and Kyle over for dinner last night. Davina not only uses her talented fingers to play fine tunes on the piano but she also gives a great haircut. Andrew just needed a trim so I watched as Davina demonstrated the technique. Didn't seem to be too hard....you just have to make sure you don't cut the kid's ear off since sitting still is so hard to do!

gingerbread house

Our cousin, Emma, is staying with us today. Already we've completed a work of architecture that wasn't attempted over Christmas as planned.

Big Boy Bed

Luke is finally out of his crib....literally. Just in the past week he has been climbing out at all hours. So, thanks to our church congregation, we assembled his brand new twin bed last night (see picture of bed only minus the other furniture and accessories). He was so excited! Mitch and I knew that last night might be a little scary for Luke but he managed well. He cried a little after we tucked him in (which Luke never does - he loves to go to bed!) but soon settled. Then, about 3:00 this morning, he woke up crying. I think he was a little disoriented. After calming him down, I placed him back in his bed where he stayed quietly for 30 minutes. He began crying again so Mitch decided it was his turn to try to calm Luke. Of course, by now Andrew and Abigail were both awake. Party at 4:00 a.m.! Anyway, Luke likes his bed and feels all grown up. He even went down easy for his afternoon nap today. He likes being able to get out of his own bed and open the bedroom door by himself. Wow, they grow up fast. Before I know it Abigail will be out of her crib. Good thing we already have a bed for her.

Toffifay & Nutella

I've found a new favorite treat. Toffifay! I'm also a huge lover of the delicious Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread. These two treats have something in common so I guess that's why I love them so (that would be the hazelnut). I implore you to try one, if not both, of these yummy sweets. Nutella can be found right next to the peanut butter and jelly at the grocery store. Toffifay is usually found on the candy aisle next to the higher priced chocolates. Neither are cheap, but (believe me) these treat are worth every penny. Sometimes I can find a coupon for Nutella (doesn't happen very often). Both of my boys love it so I have to keep it stocked in the pantry. They ask for it by name! By the way, cream cheese spread and/or banana make good pairs with Nutella on bread. It goes great on bagels, toast, on graham crackers or saltines, or simply on sandwich bread.

If you're worried about the calories, visit this site to keep tally.

Did you know?????

Target won't let you return or exchange any item from their store that's over $20 without a receipt (received as a gift so I have no receipt)? Merry Christmas. I can understand them not giving a refund for an item without a receipt but I am baffled that they won't allow an exchange (new item, tags still attached). Apparently, this policy has been in place for quite some time (Target just dropped the minimum to $20 from $40 this past August, 2007). After spending some time searching for more information on Google, I could feel the angst from many Target shoppers through my monitor. I think we'll be writing the CEO a letter this week. Just needed to vent.