Mary's reception & water balloons

We went to Atlanta this past weekend to celebrate the new marriage of my college roommate, Mary, and husband Darien. It also seemed like a mini college alumni reunion. Pictured here are many of my close friends from my college days. Now we're all married and carry the title of Mommy. Boy, we're old!



While we were in Atlanta, we decided to save the money by not staying in a hotel but rather stayed overnight with our sweet friends, Amy and Sam and their five kiddos. We had such fun chatting about football, crafts, kids, and theology until 2:00 in the morning (I hope I don't fall asleep during Mitch's sermon tomorrow!). Today we went out in their front yard and enjoyed the weather by throwing water balloons at each other. Mallary and Samuel are teaching the art of the overhand throw to Andrew in this picture. In the bottom picture you can see Andrew getting ready to use his overhand to soak his daddy!

Close & In Your Face!

I couldn't resist.....I love taking pics from weird angles of funny faces.

Sin...ugh

I hate my sin. My sin was never REAL to me until about ten years ago. That sounds weird, I know. Something happened in my walk with Christ. It deepened and I saw how dirty I was. I also saw, and still see, how redeemed I am. Sin is ugly. Nothing about sin is pretty. Everything about Jesus is. I feel empty because my time is filled with other things rather than meeting with Christ. Yet, He delights in me. He rejoices over me. Zephaniah 3:17:

"The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing."

I shake my head in disbelief. How could I sin against the Father? Why am I not consumed with Him like He is with me? Why am I so eager to please myself and others moreso than pleasing Him? The Gospel is true. I need reminding of it everyday. I need to repeat the questions/answers in my head like I do with my son: "Who made you? GOD! Why did God make you? For HIS glory!". Oh, thank you for the cross, Jesus. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. I cling to your cross.

I'm glad He exposes my dirt. I'm desperate for a Savior. Good news...there is one and His name is Jesus.

Missing Dad

Today marks six years. It's been six years since my father passed away. He was young; only 59. Each time a huge event happens in the world, I relate it in time to my father's death: the shuttle returning to earth and burning up, September 11, the birth of my children, and so forth. Every detail of THAT horrible day stands out in my mind. I remember the phone call at 1:00 a.m. I remember all the emotions; screaming, crying, pounding the bed, hugging my husband. I remember being surrounded by family that week. Time can take away some of the pain and freshness of losing him but there are still so many things about him that will never be forgotten.

* Daddy's voice was low. I loved listening to him sing in those deep bass tones.
* When a little girl, he would sometimes wake me up in the mornings by rubbing his prickly whisker-face on my cheeks.
* He loved to listen to the "old men" of music, as I referred to them: Elvis, Sinatra, Glen Campbell, and more.
* I remember his pale white skin.....reminds me of my own! He would burn in the sun just like me.
* I remember his laugh. He smoked a good bit of his life so he had a raspy laugh. He quit smoking later in life but the raspiness stayed with him.
* I remember his love for sports...sometimes his love kept him in his recliner so I would often serve him his supper on a UGA dinner tray.
* He loved being a salesman. THE DEALMAKER - #1!
* He LOVED the Georgia Bulldogs. He had several coke bottles commemorating the UGA 1980 football championship sitting around the house. Sic 'em Dawgs! I enjoyed listening to him tease his brother, Uncle David, during football season since because, for some odd reason, David turned out to be a Gator fan - despite having grown up in South Carolina and Georgia. What a weirdo! Just teasing, Uncle David!

The list goes on.....I think I'll stop here and thank God for the 25 years I was able to enjoy with my father.

Labor Day

We've had a fun Labor Day! MeMe and Pop came over for lunch and stayed for a while afterwards so we could enjoy each other's company. After naps, we all went to the park to play tennis, feed the ducks, take a walk, play on the playground (our first merry-go-round experience...they loved it!) and later see a weird mural on the park wall. Hope you had a good time today as well.

I can't believe....

I can't believe he's dead.

Box Tops

Do you ever wonder why that little picture is on a lot of the products/items you purchase at the grocery store? It looks like this:



Well, that little picture (called a BOX TOP) is worth $.10. Registered
schools can mail as many box tops back to General Mills so they will, in turn, mail a check directly back to your school. We, Westminster Christian, participate in this program and are trying to raise cash through the box top program so we can purchase specific items for our playground, art program, and more. So, if you would like to help our school out, and you don't mind cutting box tops off of particpating products, you can mail them to me and I'll make sure they are bundled and turned in for the cash (I'm the coordinator). Go look in your pantry now...you might be surprised to find you already have many participating items with box tops on them.

You may email me for my mailing address. For my email address, just click on my name in the right hand margin and then you'll see the link for my email address. I just don't want to put my mailing address on the Internet for all the world to see. Thanks!

Fish and rainboots

Andrew got two new things yesterday. One was a fish that he named DIRT. Go figure....he's a boy. The other was a pair of rainboots passed down to him from the son of one of my college friends, Amy. He loves them. They were perfect for dancing in the puddles this afternoon after the storm passed. Luke enjoyed sitting outside today on Dad's favorite blanket (although it's upside down, you can still make out GEORGIA TECH).

Andr`ee Seu, writer

This article has spoken such truth to me. It rings true to my heart. Silly how someone else's burden can bring another to tears but it's my burden as well. The author of this essay/article, Andr`ee Seu, is one of my favorite writers. She writes for World Magazine, another favorite of mine. The Lord speaks through her and I always walk away from her articles with new knowledge and insight. In fact, I hope to purchase her new book which is a collection of some of her past essays. You'll probably enjoy reading her work as well. Justin Taylor (see link on right) shares some of Andr`ee's background on his blog. Click here to read his words. She is making an impact on the world for the sake of the gospel.

Happen to me? No, it couldn't.....

You think that it will never happen to you. Better yet, you think that you'll NEVER be the one to blame. You go along in life never worrying that it might even be a possibility. Yep, you know it.....I recorded over valuable home video on accident. In fact, not just a little bit but an entire year's worth; plus the hospital recording of my child's birth, etc. I'm sick to my stomach...ugh.

Favorite things

Andrew's favorite thing to do is explore. He found the lotion (I usually hide it well) and twisted the top off. In this picture, he's realized that he can make the lotion pop up by squeezing it hard. A few minutes after this picture was taken there was lotion everywhere so off to the laundry his clothes and blue cover went!



Another favorite is my friend Claire. She's a faithful friend. If she's within driving distance, she will come visit. She was in town overnight with her family and she brought her sister and brother with her to church this morning. It was so good to see her face. Love ya, Claire!

Lazy Saturday

I love Saturdays...at least this one. Sometimes they are full of "things to do" but this one was restful and fun. We slept late, ate cereal, watched Dad mow the yard, went to a birthday party, took naps, played in the crib, visited with friends, set up the swingset (thanks to the Wilcox family for giving it to us!), and just finished eating BBQ sandwiches for dinner. Luke is in bed for the night and Mitch and Andrew are at Lowe's picking up some nails. I am sitting here alone in the dark computer room....ahhhhhhh.

Playing in the crib


Watching Dad mow the yard


Caught Luke standing for the first time in his crib. He did it all by himself!

Changed it again

I've changed my template again. I don't like the fact that I'm on my third template within a short period of time but, for some reason, they keep messing up on me so I have to find a new one. Oh well...I like this one and will stick to it until something goes wrong. I'll be putting the links back up in the right margin soon. It's past midnight as I type this and I'm too tired to copy and paste this late.

Look what's blooming in our backyard!

These beautiful flowers are blooming in our backyard. I wanted to take a picture of them before they die, since I'm not the best gardner in the world.



Andrew jumped in his "flintstone mobile" (hence the feet for pedals) and was in such a hurry through traffic that the steering wheel broke off. Guess we need to buy him a second car already.....

All Aboard!

This is now Andrew's favorite place to visit on the computer. He is obsessed with trains!

Video of Andrew's hunt

Andrew loves to hunt for Roly Polies but he has to ask for my help when they roll up and fall between the blades of grass. Enjoy!

For the sake of the Gospel

I was in the midst of a discussion this past weekend. Up for debate was the topic of appropriate dress for corporate worship. From what I gathered, there was definitely a sense that some of us were gonna have to just agree to disagree regarding the issue. Personally, I tend to fall on the side of dressing casual, for various reasons....it's how my generation tends to dress, it's more comfortable, I feel God's not concerned with what I wear (as long as it's modest), and the majority of our congregation dresses on the casual side. Define casual? You will find me wearing skirts with sandals most of the time but I enjoy wearing loose fitting linen pants with a casual blouse as well. I have no hesitations about my casual dress, as long as it's modest. Some might say that I'm not being respectful of the Lord Almighty by dressing in such fashion. I will agree that there's validity to being respectful of the Lord in how I dress but is there any more respect in wearing a dress than there is in wearing linen pants or jeans, for that matter? Is there any more respect in wearing hose and heels than in wearing simple sandals on bare feet? It concerns me that, rather than the gospel being our focus, we allow the issue of "how dressed up or dressed down" we are to take precident in our minds (and hearts?). We need to be willing to do whatever it takes to win others to Christ. Randy Pope, pastor of Perimeter Church in Atlanta, says, "The gospel has to be elevated to its rightful position and we can't let our personal preferences stop us from elevating the very thing that is most precious".

Pope continues, "If our churches are going to lead than we have to become contemporary to the culture in which we've been placed. Am I concerned with being used to help win the lost? Do I do all things for the sake of the gospel so that I may become a fellow partaker of the gospel? Am I (we) willing to repent of idolatrous traditions? Traditions are beautiful, wonderful and should be embraced but not at the expense of losing the opportunity of reaching the lost."

• Define unbiblical traditions -- those who's love for a particular tradition dictates their interpretation of God's word leaving them unwilling to move from their tradition regardless of the impact on the lost.
• Define Biblical tradition - those who, in spite of loving and routinely utilizing traditions, will readily move from them for the sake of reaching the lost.

What a challenge. I pray that I will strive to become all things to all people, not just becoming some things to some people. See you in church Sunday.....I'll be the one in pants.

Fun Times

Grandchildren on Mitch's side (we have the boys and his sister has the girls).

Andrew in the big inflatable chair at Monkey Joe's during his cousin's birthday party.

Prune face! Luke eating prunes for the first time. He loved them!

Land Shark!

Searching for creative and effective ways to get your kid out of the bed in the morning? Read this for some insight. My favorite was the one about the LAND SHARK. I think I might try it one day!

Thinking back

I think about all sorts of stuff when up in the middle of the night feeding my infant son. Tonight, I thought back to my elementary days and tried to list my teacher's names in order of grade. Making a mental list at 2:00 a.m. helps me to stay awake while feeding the baby. HA! So, here's my list.....can you do it, too?

First grade - Mrs. Everett
Second grade -Mrs. Mann
Third grade - Mrs. NeSmith
Fourth grade - Mrs. Frantz
Fifth grade - Mrs. Johns and Mrs. Chester
Sixth grade - Mrs. Jones and Mrs. C (short for Cernogorsky)

I had way too many teachers from seventh grade on to remember all of them. However, a few stand out.

• I loved my ninth grade English teacher, Mrs. Watson. She was a hoot!
• Although he was a bit quirky and strange, Mr. Farrell was a cool chemistry and physics teacher.
• My ninth grade biology teacher, Ms. Scott, ended up marrying Mr. Farrell soon after I graduated. Weird.
• I always hated math, but I thought Mr. Christie was the best at explaining the formulas.
• Typing teacher, Mrs. Williams....she's the reason I type so well today; "All together now, class. Place your fingers on home base and let's begin. Ready, a a a a j j j j f f f f .....".
• I loved playing the flute in the band as well as leading the colorguard with my flag during football season. My band director, Mr. Mayhall (although he's at the "enemy school" now), was probably my favorite teacher of all.
• No, wait....my favorite teacher from high school was definitely Mrs. Stowers. I was in her class for Junior English and for AP English my senior year. She pushed me extremely hard. Her class was always a challenge!

What's weird is that I went on to become a teacher and might be on someone's mental list as they try to dig deep and remember my name. HA! That's a scary thought.

Good looking firemen

Fireman everywhere have the reputation of being some of the most handsome men on the planet. I've got two of my very own at home!

Uncomfortable

Mitch and I went to Six Flags today. It rained most of the morning but we had a good time, regardless, and it soon cleared up. We took advantage of the cool weather and rain by standing in a shorter line to ride the GOLIATH (which was a ride that took my breath away! We rode in the front car...I'll never do that again!). Like my friend Crissy, I made several observations during my time standing in line for the many roller coasters that Mitch and I love to ride. Most of these observations made me uncomfortable. You will probably have amusement park flashbacks, sigh, and then nod your head in agreement as you read my list.

1. body odor
2. dirty water being splashed about
3. walking barefoot in the public restroom
4. sticky wet people bumping into me
5. sticky wet people standing too close to me in the line
6. couples who seem to think the line is a hotel room (can't keep their hands off each other)
7. couples attached at the mouth look up confused as to why people in line are staring at them
8. teenagers who run you over trying to beat you to the end of the line
8. old gum stuck that's been spit out and disposed of improperly
9. handrails...especially wet handrails
10. wet hairy men

I'm starting to sound like my college roommate, Heather.....am I becoming a germ freak, too?

My feet hurt

My feet really hurt....mostly my left one since that's the side/hip where Luke usually sits. The pain runs from my foot up to the small of my back. My uncle, who is a chiropractor, would tell me that wearing flip flops all summer doesn't help the matter. I would agree but it's so easy to just slip them on and off rather than bending down to tie shoes. Boy, I'm lazy. Mitch and I are going to Six Flags tomorrow but you better believe I'm going to wear my tennis shoes......I certainly wouldn't want my flip flops flying off the roller coasters! HA!

Check this out. Andrew loves playing in the water....especially when it falls from the sky.

Handsome brothers

Clicked this one at just the right moment. Makes me proud to be their mom.

Back to the routine of things

Andrew started preschool today. The morning went well but not as planned. I had to go to the dentist for a much needed appointment that's been scheduled for a while so I missed out on the journey of "dropping him off at school"....Mitch got that pleasure. I like the fact that Andrew is in on the same campus as Mitch. Just two buildings apart on the same property. Mitch has quite the job description so he gets to peek in on Andrew during the day as he passes by his classroom, playground, and cafeteria.

Luke and I have been spending the day together at the grocery store, running errands, and getting some things done around the house until we leave to pick up Big Brother. Luke is growing up so fast and surprising me more everyday with his personality. He loves the camera...can't you tell?

Some of my favorites

Some of my favorite places to visit on the computer:

www.ruf.org
www.theologica.blogspot.com
www.reformation21.org
www.worldmag.com
www.blog.togetherforthegospel.org
www.keylife.org
www.allenlevi.com
www.saragroves.com
www.marannook.org
www.desiringgod.org
www.banneroftruth.org/pages/home.php
www.girltalk.blogs.com
www.cbmw.org/index.php

A Change of Scenery

You might have noticed that I've changed my blog template. I was having some trouble with the right side margin in my previous layout so I decided to find another template. I hope it hasn't thrown anyone off. I plan on staying with this one for a while, although I liked my last one better.

I'm back in my own house, in my own familiar territory, in my own bed, and in my husband's arms. Vacation is always fun but there's no place like home....

The Florida Springs

We have just returned from a five day get-away to Florida to visit my sister and her family. This was our first time at their new house so we took full advantage of it and played everyday. Being that she lives in Florida, it only made sense that we spent the majority of our time in the water. We took a two hour tube adventure down the crystal clear Ichetucknee River, swam in the swimming pool, and visited Blue Springs State Park, where I jumped off the huge dock (much to Andrew's delight). Since it was a natural spring, the water was freezing...but that didn't hinder Andrew from jumping right in with his floaties. We also took the boardwalk out to where the spring met the Santa Fe River. He truly is the God of wonders. What beautiful ideas God had when creating His world. I'm so glad He chooses to share it with us so we may enjoy Him. Here are just a few pictures I snapped during our visit to the springs.

To Kiss or Not to Kiss?

Interesting article found on www.reformation21.org.
http://reformation21.org/Counterpoints/Counterpoints/234/vobId__3713/

Memories

I traveled back into my picture archives and found this. Thought some of you would like to see what we looked like three years ago when we gathered for a celebration. Oh, college days....they were grand! Love you all!

Top Row: Mary, Malisa, Bree and Heather
Bottom Row: me, Cory, Audra and Libby (with Annie)

Girl's Night Out

Only a few weeks until Mary gets married. We love to get together so this gave us another reason to get away. We left responsibility at home (except I brought Luke with me) and got a hotel room so we could sit up until the wee hours laughing, chatting, eating, and reminiscing about our fun college days as roommates. Pictured from left to right: Libby, Mary, Heather, and me. Many adjectives come to mind when I think of my three best friends.....of course, my list could be longer but I haven't the room or time to list them all!

Libby = structured, organized, clean-freak, smart, personable, loyal, funny, and kind.
Mary = crazy, hysterical, laid-back, friendly, compassionate, and fun to be around
Heather = faithful, patient, encouraging, sweet, down-to-earth, germ-freak, and tidy.

What did you do this weekend?

We took a few walks, watched the rain through the window, bandaged some boo-boos, attended a birthday party, played in the sprinkler, went to church, bowled for the first time, ate cookies, had guests over for Sunday lunch, painted a wall hanging, sweated, felt the strong wind against our faces, went to Wal-Mart, bought a stuffed toy lobster, played on the playground, ate at McDonald's, gave lots of hugs and kisses, called grandparents, watched VeggieTales, fingerpainted, decorated with stickers, jumped on a trampoline, sang songs, played the piano at church, went barefoot almost everyday, killed a bug and then flushed it down the potty, visited friends, took naps, and much much more. These pictures captured a few of these moments.

It's Mary's time

After being a bridesmaid in everyone's wedding, it's now Mary's turn to wear white. My college roommate and sweet friend, Mary, is tying the knot. How blissful! Darien sounds like a wonderful man and I'm so happy the Lord brought them together. Mary, it's your time! Mark the date and pray for them (they're having a small, intimate wedding with family only)....Friday, September 8th, 2006.

Leash law

I love dogs....I really do. I used to want to be a veterinarian until I realized all the math, chemistry, and anatomy classes they had to take. I had dogs as pets growing up and I loved them all; especially my mutt, Nikki. She was with me from grade school until college. I'm not a dog expert on the breeds so I'm not sure exactly how each breed of dog is supposed to be "wired", but I do know that some dogs are scarier than others.

Usually, the bigger the dog, the scarier the dog. I haven't always been aware of their size, or frightened to an extreme by the large breeds....until I had children. I would like to think that I can go into my own fenced-in-backyard and not have to worry about the safety of my children; but, this morning, as Andrew was playing in the sprinkler and Luke sitting on my hip, I heard a deep grunt and then a growl. I immediately knew what the sound was but couldn't place the location of the dog. I then turned to my right and saw two HUGE dogs on the other side of the fence. This fence is a simple chain-link that is lower than it should be due to the erosion of the soil...therefore, instead of it standing at its full heigth, it is only half as tall as it should be. The dogs could have easily jumped it and attacked if they wanted. Andrew was about 30 feet away from me but our eyes met each as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. I looked him sternly in the eye as I slowly walked toward him, took his hand, turned toward the house and said, "Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk." It took forever to get to the back door, but we made it safely. I looked back to see the dogs still staring at us and slowly pacing back and forth against the fence.

This was MY territory, though...why should the dogs feel threatened by me? Well, maybe it's because one had some Pit Bull in him and the other looked like a Great Dane. It's just scary to think back on all those times when I've been in the outside laundry room while Andrew has played in the driveway, just a few feet away, without a fence to protect him. Or, when we were in the front yard this past Saturday washing my van and I turned my back to turn on the waterhose. Anyway, I'm just using this space to vent......if you are a dog owner, whether it be a small or large dog, please keep your dog on a leash or behind a secure fence. They may be friendly with you, or when you're around, but they're still animals that can be scary to those with whom they're not familiar.

I would type some sort of spiritual application here, relating the fear of dogs to the safety of God, but I'm too angry at the moment.
Ok, I feel better now.

At the car wash!

"Helping Mommy wash the car isn't all that hard.....especially when she does all the work and I get to goof, oops...I meant, cool off (*wink, wink*)!"

Pirates, Roly-Polies, and stuff

Just took some cute pictures that I wanted to share.

Andrew loves to hunt for Roly Polies....especially when the grass is wet and they ermerge from the soil. I'm trying to teach him to be gentle when he picks them up and transfers them from fingers to bowl, for they are easily crushed. He is learning but a few always end up dead in the process. This is the largest his collection has ever been!

I'm convinced that Chick-Fil-A has the best toys in their kid's meals than any other fast food joint; however, I must say that McDonald's gave out a winner this go round. They are promoting the new movie sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean (which we haven't seen yet but will soon, for sure, thanks to Chad and Chrissy), and gave pirate bandanas in their happy meals. Andrew has been wearing it around the house but Luke wanted to give piracy a try.

No comment.

Cousins playing

"My cousin, Emma, came over to play with me yesterday. Isn't she pretty? It was so hot outside that Mom let us have popsicles to cool us off. Anyway, I really like hanging out with Emma. I hope she comes over again soon so I can take her for another ride in my jeep."

That's hilarious!

I think this picture is so funny. Can you spot Andrew? He's in the middle of the photo, smack dab between all the girls. What a player.

More pictures to share

I love taking pictures and love sharing them even more!

How was your holiday?

We celebrated July 4 by going to visit my mother and extended family. We grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and ate loads of Lays potato chips. My cousins from Mississippi were also present for the food and fun. We made it home last night in time to watch the city-wide fireworks with Mitch's sister and her family. Today, after getting my root canal (what a relief!), we pretty much stayed inside since it was so hot! Andrew wanted to color, stick, and paint so he got busy at the kitchen table while Luke chilled out in the high chair.

Strolling my blues away

It's so hot! Too hot to even play outside unless it involves getting wet. After it rained a little and cooled off, I took the boys for a stroll around the block while Mitch mowed the front yard. Andrew loves sitting next to Luke in the jogger and Luke simply likes being outside, out of the house. A change of scenery is always nice for us all. I've got another root canal appointment this week so I'm all doped up on the "magic pills" to keep my pain away until it can be taken care of. Every dentist/endodentist in town is on vacation for the long holiday weekend so I'm relying on the wonder of medicine. We're taking advantage of the holiday as well....we're leaving after church tomorrow to visit my mother. I haven't been "home" in a while so it's due time. I love going to her house! My sister and her family will be there, too, so it will be two full days of laughter, eating, visiting, and playing. Hope you have a happy July 4th!