Mark Driscoll to men: How Dare You?!?!?!

Trust me....there's no reason why I'm posting this video other than that I like what he says. The sermon makes me thankful for my spouse. Mitch is the best husband in the world and I couldn't be happier in my marriage.

I love you, Babe....thank you for showing Christ to me.

My mom : Abigail's Gami

While at my mother's house over spring break, she and my daughter had some good bonding time. Much of it was due to the fact that they spent an entire day together, just the two of them since Abigail wasn't feeling well and my sister and I were off with the older kids celebrating two birthdays. This picture was taken about 30 minutes before we parted ways....Abigail looked everywhere for Gami once we arrived home, walking around the house with her hands up, asking, "Gami? Gami?".

Would you rather....?????

(a) have one long, thick furry eyebrow across your entire forehead?

OR

(b) a huge amount of ear and nose hair that cannot be trimmed?

Kid's meal toys

Ok, I admit it....I am a sucker for buying my children those expensive kid's meals at any fast food establishment. They make my children happy (har-har) and it makes ordering easier (call me lazy). SO....of course this has made me an EXPERT (insert laugh here) on evaluating those ever so valuable toys that come along with the nutritious bagged/boxed meal.

By far, Chick-Fil-A has the best "toy" since almost EVERY toy item is educational (ok, sometimes even a bit boring...I mean, what kid really wants a set of "THE U.S. 50 STATES AND FACTS"?). I love the book serious that CFA often includes in their toy line-up, too. The puzzle series kept my boys busy for hours as they mixed up the pieces to make weird pictures. If I were an award giver, I'd recognize CFA for coming up with those foreign language CDs last year. I played mine while washing dishes late at night and found myself speaking Japanese to an empty room. The CFA meal deal is even sweeter in that you can trade in your unopened toy for an ice cream cone! Oh, Mama loves this!

And...yes, I MUST mention the toys from McDonald's and Burger King. How would the world stay informed of the upcoming movie releases if it weren't for Mickey D's and BK? Promotion is the ticket at these dining establishments. I'm not a fan of these toys because they have JUNKED UP OUR TOY ROOM and MY VAN!!!!!! I try to secretly dispose of these toys when all three of my children aren't looking, but I've made the mistake of not burying these delightful treasures deep enough in the trash can and have found myself CAUGHT, trying to explain how the toy got there.

Arby's is a hit or miss type of toy distributor. Sometimes they make lousy excuses for a sport toy (frisbee, plastic basketball hoop, etc) but they have also surprised me with games that engage the mind and encourage interaction. Not to mention that the curly fries are A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Andrew got one of these games as his toy a few days ago and I will probably post some of those qusetions on my blog to see what random comments and responses it creates.

Well, this was not meant to be a post about kid's meal toys but it seems to have turned into just that. I like to make lists in rank order.

RedBox Code today only

Today's RedBox code, good 'til midnight.

J89LA2

Paw-Paw's grave

My father passed away nine years ago, so my children will never get the joy of knowing him. I have told them many stories of their "Paw-Paw" but the kids are most fascinated with his actual grave. I know....that sounds morbid. It's not actually the grave itself that they are interested in but rather the difference between Paw-Paw's body and soul. They understand that it's only Paw-Paw's body in the grave and that his soul is in heaven with Jesus. Andrew smiles when he says, "I'll get to meet Paw-Paw in heaven one day, won't I, Mama?".

My five year old "gets it" and has been begging me to take him to see Paw-Paw's grave on our next visit to my hometown. Spring break brought that visit so we made it a priority to stop at the cemetery and let the boys see my father's grave and begin asking their questions.

In this picture, my sister shows the boys my daddy's grave marker for the first time. Then, the questions began and honest answers were given. I would have loved for them to have met my dad but they will surely know of him through stories and pictures....this one included.

Easter 2009

Even though I had nursery duty on Easter Sunday, it was good to be in church, celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. I see God best when I look at my sweet family. He has truly been gracious and good to me.

Granny's goats

My children enjoy visiting their great-grandmother (my dad's mother). They have already made so many fun memories of their time at her house:

1. egg hunts anytime of the year
2. climbing on the grapevine posts
3. playing hide-n-seek in the woods
4. racing up the staircase
5. swinging on the back porch swing
6. eating at the Kid's Table
7. getting kisses from Granny
8. picking weeds
9. hiding behind the large trees
10. and most of all....feeding the goats

(click on the collage for a larger view)

Happy 5th birthday, Andrew!

Andrew's birthday usually falls during spring break. This year, we were visiting my mother and sister on his actual birthday. The cool thing about that is that Andrew's first cousin, Emily (my sister's youngest daughter), shares the same birthday....just four years apart. Spending their birthday together was special so we celebrated all day long.

First, we went to the local library for story and craft time. After eating a light lunch, we traveled 30 miles south to Tallahassee to enjoy three hours at Zoinks (think Monkey Joe's). There, they jumped on all the inflatables, played air hockey, and threw some skee ball. After a VERY short rest, we ate dinner, cake, and ice cream and then opened gifts.

The only downside to the day was that Dad wasn't able to join us and Abigail wasn't feeling well. She and Gami stayed home while we played, but we sure did miss them all!

Happy 5th birthday, Andrew!

(click on the collage for a larger view)

Friends for a long time

I've been friends with Summer and Ashley for a loooooooooooooooooong time....since childhood. I'm so glad we've kept in touch and are so comfortable together. Even our children act like they've known each other forever!

I had a great time chatting with you two this past week. Let's do it again!

Wordless Wednesday

RedBox Code today only

RedBox Code good today thru midnight:

TS473G

MUSIC: Love it, hate it....don't care.

Do you love that song but your friend hates it? Does that song make you change the track or hit replay? Think again.

An excellent article by Bob Kauflin with reasons why musical forbearance might be good for our souls.

Perry Noble makes a good point, too. I just don't have the guts that he does so I'll just post the video for you.




HT: Abraham Piper

Sidewalk chalk tracings

Sidewalk chalk is always a hit at our house. We go through a pack in one play session. The kids love it when I trace their bodies and then they can color in their clothing and facial features.




I think it's funny that Abigail ACTUALLY laid still long enough for me to capture her entire body tracing.


It's rained for what seems like two solid weeks here. We've had probably two days of sunshine peek through the wetness. This weekend has been beautiful but I think more rain is coming, making it truly a spring break.

Just one more

You can tell the kids are pooped. They just finished hunting Easter eggs in the hot sun and the last thing they wanted to do was pose for a family photo. The day was full of great memory making and I'm so glad I got to snap a few shots of my friend and her family.

The REAL McLeod

I think they photographed with perfection. And Chad even managed to wear his favorite hat (what were you thinking in the photo below, C-Dog?).

Messin' with McLeod

Happy Opening Day, Chad!

My first family photo session

A spring time picture of my sweet friends. I enjoyed photographing them and they made my job easy! More to come later.

Field Day

Field Day at WCS. Andrew enjoyed the tug-of-war most of all, even though his team lost in the second round.

Joann's coupon

Here's a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase as Joann's Fabric Store. Don't forget that they have a craft and scrapbook section!

This coupon expires tomorrow, April 5th.