Party at the park

It's been a week and a half since Andrew turned 6 years old, but today was the first opportunity we had to celebrate with friends and family. I think he enjoyed this party more than any other. We simply found a green field area at the park and set up for a game of kickball, conversation, and nibbling. It was a NICE 80 degrees...couldn't have been nicer (click on any picture to enlarge).

Andrew said he wanted to have a UGA party and agreed with my suggestion to ask all invited to wear an article of clothing with their favorite sports team identified. We had ALOT of UGA fans in attendance (Go Dawgs!), a good many Florida Gators, two Alabama "Crazies", and a sprinkle of faithful Georgia Tech followers.

When I asked Andrew what he wanted to play with at his party with his friends, he spouted out a list: the football, Frisbees, kickball, sandbox, bubbles, hoola hoop, and tennis balls. He had a plan!

The kickball game was the highlight and I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids! Nikki had a competitive spirit and gave the game all her might! Chad nor Mitch held back in their power....good thing Austin and Nathan were there to TRY to catch the some of the throws (bad Gator!).

Bacon Band-aids for boo-boos!

There were church and school friends there but Andrew seemed to be overly thrilled when two neighborhood families came! Even at his young age, he's already being mentored by his elders in his life on a regular basis. He's learning much from the twins and some of the fathers in our church. I hope he looks back at these pictures and has a great appreciation for these friendships.

My mother, sister, brother, and pregnant sister-in-law were able to come as well as Mitch's sister's family. Birthday parties three times a year creates more opportunities for me to see these precious people. I know that they are precious to Andrew as well. He loves them so much..even the dog, Einstein.

Tonight at bedtime (8PM!): "Mom, Can I have a pug puppy on my 7th birthday next year?"

Hmmmmmmmmm.......

Will you please pray for Olivia?

Often we are asked to pray for people we don't know. Tonight, I'm praying for two year old Olivia, even though I've never met her. She recently fell into a pool and was discovered at the bottom of it a few minutes later by her father. She is currently sedated and is having some major issues with fluid and food in her lungs. Nothing other than that is really known. Her friend, Amy Beth, is writing about the days she's spending with Olivia in the hospital room.

You can read Amy Beth's words about Olivia's history and current condition starting here and then progressing to here, here, and so on as you refresh the blog. You can subscribe to a reader so you can be updated on Olivia's progress without having to remember to check yourself.

A late Easter post (one of many)

MeMe and Pop have an amazing backyard, making play all the more fun. Hunting eggs was a real treat! Flips of craziness followed white Mitch relaxed on the back porch watching LIFE in Hi-Def.

First homework assignment

NOTE: Andrew's tongue is bright red because he just finished eating a red popsicle. His tongue isn't really that freaky looking!

I was told in my photography class to read my camera manual from cover to cover. I'm almost finished with that assignment. It's been hard to get through since I'm a visual learner. Give me "hands on"! Also, we were instructed to take a photo and make note of our settings so we can share the information with the class tomorrow evening in a PowerPoint slide.

Here's my attempt and I'm very disappointed with the quality of the picture sharpness. I have so much to learn about my settings...I haven't a clue when to use what!

Camera: Canon Rebel XTi
Exposure: 1/50 sec
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 70-300 mm
ISO Speed: 200

BEFORE (SOOC)

AFTER (Edit)

Following in their footsteps.

I guess talent on the piano skips a generation because she doesn't get it from me. She's following in the footsteps of both of her grandmothers! Maybe she'll also be a church pianist one day.

There's nothing like a best friend.

My middle child will tell you the same thing every day if prompted...."My best friend is AC. I'm gonna marry her and we're gonna have babies for God." I adore AC's mom and I think it would be AMAZING and FANTASTIC if we were able to show this picture at our kids' possible future wedding reception.

God can do anything he wants.

Losing the joy of mothering....

Oh, someone understands!

Forgive me, Jesus!

Our sweet girl

I look forward to every new morning that I get to see her rise from rest. We love her so!

"Dirt" is gone....

Our Beta fish of three and a half years, DIRT, finally passed away last week. He simply died of old age, the PetSmart fish expert told us. He was a good pet....low maintenance and fully house trained. We've already got another, though. This time a female named LISA (again, Andrew chose the name....don't know where or how he comes up with his decisions!). It seems fish will be a constant pet in this house.

Happy 6th birthday, Andrew!

Six years ago today, my oldest child was born.
It's been a marvelous six years.
I'm so thankful to be his mommy.
God is good.

I love photographing my friend's babies!

Suzie, I stinkin' love you. It brought me joy to look through all the images of your children this past week. Praying for you and missing you immensely. Wish I could sit and drink coffee with you everyday. Wouldn't that be delightful?

Happy Easter

I was busy while Mitch had a moment to pose
with our children after church this morning.

Then, Mitch tended to other duties while I got this picture with the kids.

Once we were both available, there was no one around to take the family shot. I have a remote but no tripod. That's ok, I need to work on my Photoshop skillz anyway.

Spring Fling

We took the kids to the fair for the first time. They loved the lights, the smells, and the sounds. They walked around the first hour in amazement, never really asking if they could ride anything (well, one of them persisted) but just wanting to see what these big lights and sounds were coming from. Eventually, they were able to get on a few rides.