Jun. 3, 2008 - Vacation Blog 2008
Well, the vacation blog has FINALLY been started. Day 1 is up and I should have day 2 done by tonight (hopefully). Here is a link to the blog:http://familyvacation2008.blogspot.com/
Hope you enjoy!
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Jun. 3, 2008 - Fatal Deduction by Gayle Roper
One across... Three down...
The answer is in the puzzle.
The danger is in not solving it before
time's up.
While on vacation, I had the chance to read a couple of really good books - Fatal Deduction by Gayle Roper being one of them. I had not previously heard of this author so I was excited to read something "new". I was not dissappointed!
Her style is wonderful and the twist, turns, and coincidences are totally unexpected. I enjoyed the characters and the fact that they were portrayed in a "real world" light versus more of a "cookie cutter" view. I'm not a normally a fan of romance - mystery is more my genre - but the little bit that is thrown in here just makes the book even more enjoyable!
Here is the summary from the back cover:
Libby Burton longs to be close to her twin sister, Tori, but their lives have taken them in different directions. Forced to share Aunt Stella’s old Philadelphia home in order to receive their inheritance, Libby hopes for a change, but it isn’t looking good so far.
First, Tori tries to steal the affection and allegiance of Libby’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Chloe. Then when a crossword puzzle with a hidden warning shows up on their doorstep, Tori refuses to take it seriously—in spite of the dead man who delivers it.
Libby finds comfort in neighbor Drew Canfield, but he hesitates to trust her after his disastrous marriage. As Libby struggles to act faithfully in the midst of these confusing relationships, she must also deal with a stolen diamond and a botched kidnapping. The answer to her problems lies in the riddles of the crosswords, if only she can solve the puzzle before it’s too late.
Fatal Deduction by Gayle Roper is one book I will be recommending that everyone read this summer - and now is your chance! I am giving a copy of the book away this week. Just leave a comment with your email address in the body. We will draw Saturday morning and I will announce the winner immediately after. Happy Commenting!
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Jun. 1, 2008 - We Are HOME!!!
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May. 20, 2008 - The Time has FINALLY Come!
It seems we have been waiting AGES for the day to arrive and it is FINALLY here! We are leaving on vacation! Yippee!!!! We are so excited we can hardly stand ourselves! We will be gone for 9 days - unless something else catches our eye on the way home and we decide to detour and check it out!
We are starting out in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN for 4 days and then going up to Cherokee, NC for a day, then to Chattanooga, TN for 2 days, then to Petersburg, KY (the Creation Museum) for the day, and then on to Louisville, KY for 2 days.
We are going to be doing the following things and would LOVE to hear anyone's thoughts on them. Also, if there is something great that we are missing, let us know! We don't want to miss out on anything!
Here's what we've got planned:
The Lost Sea Adventure
Star Cars Museum
Hollywood Wax Museum
Dollywood
Cade's Cove
Space Needle
Dixie Stampede
Guiness Book of World Records Museum
Wonderworks Museum
Fields of the Woods
Smoky Mountain Gold and Ruby Mine
LookOut Mountain
Rock City
Mountain Incline
Creation Museum
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
That's all we've got planned so far. Of course, if we get there and we see something else that looks good - we'll do that too! If anyone has been to any of these things and has some input I'd love to hear it!
Anyway, I won't be blogging for the next couple of weeks (until we get back). When we do return, I'll have tons of pictures from the trip. I would blog daily about it, but dh has forbidden the laptop to be taken on the trip! LOL :) So, I'll just have to do it all at once when I get home!
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May. 20, 2008 - SKID by Rene Gutteridge
Thanks to a friend from my WONDERFUL online homeschool support group, I recently got turned onto reading books for review. This has been a wonderful opportunity for me, because it has forced me to stretch the circle of what I'd normally read!
I just finished the first book, Skid by Rene Gutteridge, today. When I first received the book and read the back cover synopsis, I was not all that excited - it just didn't hold the appeal that normally draws me to a book....but I had made a commitment to read the book and read it I would.
Imagine my surprise when I loved it! It was a little slow at the start, but once the story got going, it was great! Full of fun and wit, it had me cracking up! I stayed up late and got up early just to sneak in a few uninterrupted pages.
If you think a wise cracking co-pilot, a menopausal flight attendant, a crazed pig, and an e"motionally" challenged woman on an international flight could be amusing - you'd love this book!
Here is a copy of the summary from the back of the book:
Blissfully unaware that Atlantica Flight 1945 from Atlanta to Amsterdam is about to make aviation history, First Officer Danny McSweeney focuses his energies on navigating the turbulent personalities of an eccentric female captain, a co-pilot with a talent for tactless comments and conspiracy theories, and a lead flight attendant with an outsized attitude that definitely exceeds the limits for carry-on baggage.
On the other side of the cockpit door, the unscheduled in-flight entertainment includes a potbellied pig, a jittery diamond courier, and the recently jilted Lucy Meredith, whose personal mantra of “What Would Oprah Do?” will be challenged by the sudden appearance of her ex and his new traveling partner. On her left sits Hank Hazard, whose unusually polite but constant requests–prompted by his covert role as a spy for the airline–test the limits of the crew’s customer service.
But as Lucy and the rest of the crew discover, Hank’s odd behavior is linked to a quiet faith that may play a key role in the fate of everyone on board. Especially when an unexpected traveler sets this already bumpy flight on a course toward the unfriendly skies.
If you are looking for some great summer reading, Skid by Rene Gutteridge is the perfect book! Enjoy!
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May. 12, 2008 - A Very "Musical" Birthday for 2 !!!!
On Saturday, Abby (who turned 10 on Wednesday, May 7) had a birthday party with a dear friend Akasha (who turned 12 that day). They had a High School Musical Party and Cook-Out. We all had a great time and a really good turn out. We had tons of food, family, and good friends!
The girls had a great time! Here are some pictures from the party:
As you can see by the front of the cake, it was a little warm that day and the icing was starting to melt and slide right off the front of the cake lol :)
Here are the Birthday Girls!
There were a lot of people present for the party as you can see from the next few shots:
Here are a few of the girls opening gifts:
Papaw and Granny - My precious parents:
All the girls, having fun:
It was a bit windy that day, so it was tough to keep the candles lit - but once they were, the girls got them blown out quickly again!
All in all it was a wonderful day - and a VERY Happy Birthday for both girls! We are so thankful that God has given us a wonderful family - not just blood relation, but also a God-given family of believers so that our children have Godly, Christian friends to share their special days with. Thank you, Father, for the gift of great friends!
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May. 7, 2008 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday Dear Abby,
Happy Birthday to You!!
OUR ABIGAIL IS 10 YEARS OLD TODAY!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABBY! WE LOVE YOU!!!
**Here is our little monkey early this morning, still in her pj's, unbrushed hair - we thought it was the perfect birthday photo!**
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May. 7, 2008 - God Doesn't Have Any Grandchildren
There is no such thing as a second generation Christian. The battle of faith must be fought alone, again and again, each time as if it were the first. ~Michael Pearl
A while back, Dh and I started reading the book, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp. Something he said in that book literally stopped me in my tracks. He said, "Good parents don't necessarily mean good kids." (Not his exact words, but my broken down translation)
WHAT? You mean my children will grow up and have minds of their own? Being a Christian and trying to live right won't guarantee that my children will too??
Of course, I KNOW that my Christianity doesn't genetically pass down to my children. And I know that they don't absorb right thinking by osmosis. But to see it on paper and to BELIEVE it - well, now that was like a bomb exploding in my head!
So, for the past couple of weeks, I've been rolling this information around in my head, mulling it over, trying to make it make sense. Then, lo and behold, my very favorite magazine comes in the mail with an article pertaining to the EXACT same thing!
The magazine I'm referring to is No Greater Joy. It's a FREE, bi-monthly magazine that is wonderful. You can sign up on their website.
Anyway, When I get the magazine in the mail, I immediately flip it open (usually on the way from the mailbox) and start to read (yes, it's THAT good). Well, this article, caught my eye, but was too lengthy to read on the mailbox walk - even for my long driveway! So, I settled down that night, with the children tucked into bed, and got right to it. I was immediately enthralled.
This was exactly the subject I'd been wrestling with the past few weeks...yet, someone else had written it all down.
Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the article:
'Too late, parents are discovering that just because THEY loved the Lord and THEY had faith and raised their children in a Christian home, there is no guarantee that their children will be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Faith and commitment to Christ is a personal choice that is no more automatic than learning Egyptian hieroglyphics. Children of the repentant must alone walk the road of humility and repentance to partake of the faith of their fathers.'
You can read the rest of the article here.
This has given me a lot of food for thought. While I know that Christianity is not part of our DNA and is something that each person has to accept for themselves, it's hard to accept that my children won't necessarily be good, just because we try to be!
This shouldn't be a hard concept for ME to understand. I mean, I grew up in a Christian household, accepted Christ at a young age (or thought I did), and still had a period of rebellion in my youth. At age 19, I did accept Christ, but it's not always been a bed of roses!
My 3 older children have accepted Christ and been baptized, they are all very much in love with Christ and I see this daily in their walk. But I know that I have to be realistic and PURPOSEFUL with them. They won't be "good" simply by growing up in a good home. They must be taught truth. They must see us rejoicing in the Lord. They must see us hate what God hates and love what He loves. Be deliberate in teaching them the Scriptures. And above all PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.
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May. 5, 2008 - My Baby's a High Schooler!!!!
Well, I guess it's official - at 31 - I'm OLD. I have a high schooler....or soon to be one, anyway! My oldest graduated eighth grade Friday night (May 2nd) with our local homeschool group. It was wonderful!
OF COURSE, I have lots of pictures and OF COURSE I am going to share them :)
Here is Rhett with his memory table. Doesn't he look handsome? And so grown up? WAAAAH!
Here he is with a couple of buddies. The one on the left in the light green is Patrick and the one in the middle in white is Trey - he was also graduating eighth grade.
The girls were servers that evening. The theme was aeronautics, so the reception hall was decorated like an airport - the servers were "airline stewardesses". In the back is Jenna - big sister to Patrick (from the photo before) and in the front is Alexis - little sister to Trey.
Papa and Maicee just hanging out, waiting for things to get started!
Rhett walking down to "Pomp and Circumstance"...doesn't he look thrilled? lol He can't stand to have people looking at him - and there was a packed house!
Our pastor - Bro. Jack - giving the charge to the eighth graders. One of my dearest friends and the support group leader (well, the wife half anyway :), Jenny, is in the background. She is Jenna and Patrick's mom.
This is the only picture I got of my child getting his diploma. He was up on that stage and off so fast I was lucky to get this! That is Scott (Jenny's husband and the other half of the support group leader couple) in the background handing out diplomas.
This young man's name is Justin. And while there were several other high school graduates, this one means a lot to me. I first met his mom, Kathy, when he was 6 years old. She had just moved here from Georgia. Her husband and Justin's father had left them when he was still a baby. Justin went to kindergarten, but spent everyday in the principal's office :) So, she moved here to be closer to her family. She decided to homeschool him, but he was WILD. I can remember her saying, "HOW will I ever teach him anything?"...and my mom just told her, "Teach him the way he is and the way he learns." So, she did. They did school on the trampoline, in the pool, walking the dog, etc. He gave a speech that had all of us in tears. He talked about how his mom had sacrificed her whole life just to make sure he had a Godly education. He is a testimony in himself!
Rhett and my Mamaw. She lives about an hour and a half away, so we don't get to see her too often, but we love her and miss her lots!!! And we were so thankful that she got to come - it meant so much to us!
Rhett and my parents - Granny and Papaw. Can you see the resemblance between my mom and my son???? lol
Madalyn on coffee duty!
Abigail serving up some yummy cake!
All in all it was a wonderful time. I am so proud of the accomplishments that Rhett has made. He is smart, funny, bright, talented, and just a joy to have around. But most of all he has a heart for the Lord. If I do anything in this life, I pray that I bring my children up to desire a heartfelt, sincere, close, and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. All other education is simply secondary.
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Apr. 23, 2008 - Are Words Really Necessary?
The other day Maicee was sitting in Joey's (papa's) lap and asked him why he was wearing a ring. The following conversation ensued:
Papa: It's a wedding ring.
Maicee: Why are you wearing a wedding ring?
Papa: Because I'm married to mommy and I wear it so all the world will know.
Maicee: Why did you marry mommy?
Papa: Because I love her.
Maicee: AW, Papa, why did you have to marry mommy....I WAS gonna marry you when I got big!
Obviously, she hasn't figured some things out....but that's ok. I hope she stays in love with Papa for a LONG time!
(btw...she is wearing the veil and tiara, and carrying the "throw away" bouquet from our wedding. The big girls dressed her up. When I asked her who the lucky groom was, she said, of course, "Papa"...Did I REALLY have to ask?)
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Apr. 22, 2008 - My top....something
For those that know me AT ALL, you know how totally impossible it would be for me to come up with a list of all the things I can't live with. But, alas, I HAVE done the impossible. I have put together a list of things I can't stand, can't deal with, can't abide, and will never be able to live with. So here goes - I know all of you have been on pins and needles - your wait is over: (oh, and btw, YES, this is a top 11...I know, who has a top 11...well, it's me we are talking about...)
11. Dirty vehicles - I can't stand to ride in car with a lot of junk or garbage in it. I want my house clean and I want my vehicle clean. I don't want stuff under my feet or piled all around me. I would likely have a nervous breakdown and wreck the car.
10. Sleeping in an unmade bed - a bed MUST have a full set of sheets and a bedspread and have been made up at some point before I get into it (or allow my children to sleep in it)
9. Not taking a bath before bed - everyone in this house WILL bathe EVERY night before bed (including washing their hair) and some of us (that shall remain nameless) will take another one in the morning
8. Dirty dishes in the sink - I can't handle having dirty dishes left piled up - I turn on the dishwasher every night right before I go to bed (and it gets run at least once during the day also)
7. Junky countertops - My countertops have to be clean and free of any form of clutter. I can't stand to have stuff stacked up - especially papers.
6. Dirty laundry piled up - oooh....I really hate this one! We do all of our laundry every day. I can't handle having dirty laundry left from one day to the next.
5. Clean laundry piled up - I fold laundry hot from the dryer or hang it immediately and then put it away (or have the children put it away) I can't stand baskets of clean laundry just sitting around getting wrinkled up.
4. Dirty bathrooms - I can't stand a bathroom that hasn't been cleaned - ring in the tub, crusty toilets, scummy countertops and sinks - gross! Our bathrooms get cleaned every night as part of our nightly cleaning routine
3. Wearing shoes inside the house - DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DISGUSTING THIS IS? Our shoes are on the ground where animals use the bathroom (germs), at the store, doctor's office, church, etc...where those people have walked Lord only knows where, and the germs are just multiplying...then you wear those shoes in your home and spread them all over your floor - where in turn if someone sits on the floor, then sits on the furniture - well, you get the picture. GROSS.....
2. Clutter/junkiness/piles of anything - I can't stand anything that has stuff piled on it or in it. Dressers, closets, drawers, tables, etc. I hate stuff. It makes me want to scream. I am the queen of throwing things away. I open mail as soon as I get it, throw away everything that is not totally important, file what I need (bills, etc) and that's it. I keep nothing.
And....for my #1 most hated thing - the thing I absolutely HATE, that I could never, EVER, EVER, EVER live with....
1. Dirty floors - our floors have to be swept and mopped every night after supper (our entire house is hardwood or tile - except 2 bedrooms and they get vacuumed every day) I can't deal with dirty floors in any fashion. And yes, unfortunately, I can't help it, if I go to visit someone, the first thing I do is look at their floors. It's a problem.....
I know (and now so do you) that I have issues. My husband knows this, my children have pointed it out REPEATEDLY, my friends all make fun of me, my dad laughs, my siblings roll their eyes, and my mom beams with pride (I AM my mother's daughter - we are genetic clones - REALLY, we are). But, it's just who I am. The Lord made me this way, my husband chose me this way, and my children....well, they just have to live with me this way. Actually, I have raised 2 very neat freaks and one, well, NON neat freak. The youngest is too small to tell.....
I realize that I lost most of you about #10, but for those that stuck around to the beautiful wonderful joyful OK, painful end, thank you.
And, as I promised yesterday, more photos. This time, it's our school room. The desks were built by my ever-so-talented husband, Joey.
The desk on the left is Abby's, middle is Rhett's, and right is Maddy's. They are done with school for the year, but Madalyn still sits at her desk a LOT and scrapbooks, writes in her journal, etc...so even though she has cleaned her desk off of school stuff, she keeps it "decorated" pretty much year round!
This summer, dh and I will re-paint the desks, along with putting up a wall. The new wall be built along side the left of this photo. Right now this is the back half of our living room (our living room is 20 feet long and 28 feet wide -from front to back of house). We use the back half as a school room, so we are going to put up a wall to truly divide the two rooms. I will try to post pictures later of how the two rooms look now.
Ok, well, there are the photos I promised and the top 10 11 to boot! Hope you enjoyed - ok, maybe enjoyed is too strong of an emotion. But if you are still reading, you at least tolerated this post. Have a great day! And, HEY, leave a comment!
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Apr. 21, 2008 - The de-Clutter Bug....
As many of you know (ok, not really many), I've been on an anti-clutter spree - I've been attacking it like ants on a pb&j. I'm sick of it....I am, by nature, a creature of organization. I am a self-proclaimed neat/clean freak. Germs scare me. Chaos disturbes me. Clutter just plain old ticks me off.
So, about 2 weeks ago, I got to that point. You know the point I mean. The point where you feel like you are suffocating in JUNK and you've REALLY had enough. So, I started cleaning...and I haven't stopped yet! I've thrown out and given away more stuff than I even realized I owned! It's amazing what being fed up will do for ya!
Anyhoo, one of my great success stories has been my laundry room. I don't have any before pictures (honestly, I didn't think about taking any - I was just so sick of looking at the MESS of it), but I do have some after. I know it's JUST a laundry room and that for many of you it will not seem even the slightest bit exciting, but for those moms who spend many waking (and should be sleeping) hours there, it's pretty darn adrenaline pumping.
Here are a few photos of the AFTER:
(yes, that is blue crayon on the door - the pitfalls of having toddlers....only, the truth is, none of my toddlers did it - it was a toddler friend...lol)
I installed this extension rod above the washer and dryer to keep all of the hangers on, so when clothes come out of the dryer I can hang them up right away. Before, I had a rolling rack that I used, but it took up way too much space in this little bitty laundry room.
I found this at Wal-Mart - it's great for keeping the ironing board, iron, starch, etc. all in one place AND up out of the way. So much better than stashed beside the dryer and stuffed in the cabinet, don't ya think? (For those wondering, that IS a bottle of water - I have a steam iron and keep a bottle of water by it to refill it)
I also got these great sorting carts at Wal-Mart (there are two of them). You can (kind of) see where I took a marker and wrote on the back of each one the kind of clothes to put there (darks, lights, towels, whites, etc...). It's so much better than the gazillion baskets I had sitting around before. Yes, those are "scratches" on the wall. I (yes, I said I) moved the coat rack from there (using my husband's power tools **insert: evil, maniacal grin**) to its new location. So, now I need to paint. Looking at this picture, I just noticed that there is a piece of trash on the floor....and here I am posting about cleanliness. Excuse me while I got get it up....
Oh, wait...I almost forgot! One of the things that got me to thinking about this post was talking with a friend the other day about things you just can't deal with....as far as cleanliness goes. I'm wondering - what is it that YOU can't deal with? You know...are you one of those people who can't go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink or do you only do them when you run out? Post it (or them) in the comment section below! I'll post my top ten (or twenty ...or more) things I can't live with tomorrow...and probably some more pictures of other things I've been cleaning.
I know the suspense is probably killing you.
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Apr. 16, 2008 - It's Softball Time Again!
Don't you just love this time of year? Fresh cut grass, flowers starting to pop up everywhere, gardens going in the ground, ...oh, and did I mention the fact that it's FREEZING! lol
Abby had her first ball game of the season on Monday night and it was so cold! We nearly froze to death! We had coats, hats, gloves, and blankets all wrapped around us.
She normally plays second base, but the hind catcher was out sick, so she played in her position. Here are some pictures (of course...)
Abby before the game....she took her coat off to get her picture made and was saying, "Hurry mom, hurry...it's sooo cold!"
Here she is up to bat...she is just soo cute! (ok, I know, only a mom would think a child up to bat is CUTE, but I'm the mom, so what else did you expect?)
Abby as hindcatcher. Not her favorite position, but she is really good at it!
At the end of the night, we lost 13-10, but it was a GOOD game...and lots of fun! And that is the most important thing.
Abby batted twice - she was walked once and got a good hit the next time up. She played really well!
She loves softball and can't wait till Thursday night when she can play again!
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Apr. 14, 2008 - Lots to Blog About...and a Very Special Day
The past week has been pretty busy for us. We've had 2 homeschool choir performances, a field trip, and a new bed....and of course, I've got pictures to prove it all.
Last Sunday (April 6) and then again yesterday (April 13) we had choir performances. We still have 2 more before we are done...but it's been great fun! Here are some pictures (only the 2 older girls are part of it - Rhett did it last year, but it's NOT his thing). The name of the choir is Joyful Noise.
That's Abby right in the middle with the blue bow in her hair performing Draw Me Lord
Madalyn above and below performing her part in He Reigns
This was Abby's part in He Reigns
They do a really cute skit about a girl who gets stuck in a box (sin) and can't get out (the girl is Madalyn). Then someone helps her out with salvation, but she forgets to pray and read her Bible, so she gets "tied" up in sin again. Here are the pictures from that skit:
During her time "in the box" many people come by and she asks for help out of the box. She gets lots of advice from them all. Abby's advice is, "What are you whining about? The box is the most fun thing EVER! ENJOY THE BOX!" We all just die laughing everytime...it's so hilarious!
This is the whole choir:
My Sweet girls:
Maicee and her "best pind" (read: best friend) Reagan:
Two of the girls' sweet friends from choir, Brianna and Ashley:
And of course, there was the ever present mommy...who was FORCED to have her picture taken by her daughter....so, here it is...
I hate having my picture taken, but at least in this one my eyes weren't squinty or my smile too crooked...so I guess it's not too bad, lol.
We also took a field trip to see "Teddy Roosevelt"...ok, well not really, but the guy sure did look and sound like him! It was a lot of fun and very interesting. Rhett especially enjoyed it (he loves anything to do with history). Here are some pictures from that:
Then, it was time for a new bed. Maicee has been sleeping in a twin bed with Abby (the big girls have bunk beds in their room), but she really wanted her OWN bed. So, last night, she finally got her wish - a big girl Dora bed. Here she is sleeping in it...isn't she sweet?
And, last but not least, today is a special day. Our son Noah would be 11 years old today if he was living. I often wonder what he would look like now and what he would be interested in. I know that God is keeping him until I can hold him one day in heaven. We love you Noah...Happy Birthday!
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Apr. 4, 2008 - Easter Pictures and a BIG GRRRR...
I had this whole great post written out and tons of great pictures...and then something happened and it all just dissappeared! AAAAHHHHH!!! So, I am going to post the pictures, but minus the cute little quips under each one. I just don't have the time or energy to think of all that stuff again!
BTW, I took these pictures the other day when we came home from the studio getting our Easter pictures done. I took the children over to my mom's yard and did them. Hope you enjoy (and I hope I can get them on before this computer acts a nut again....lol):
Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful jewels you've given me for my crown. The blessings you've bestowed on me by way of my children are more than I could have hoped for or dreamed of. Thank you, Father, for the love of a man that I never have to question. For the friendship and love he gives me and for the wonderful husband that he is. I feel like the most blessed woman on earth!
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Apr. 4, 2008 - Our Little Model....Or Something Like That....
Our closest mall is an hour away, so any time we have an opportunity to visit it, we do! Tuesday, we had a doctor's appointment, so OBVIOUSLY we went to the mall!
We were on a mission to find Rhett a nice outfit for his upcoming 8th grade graduation. We did find his outfit, but we also found some other really great deals. Apparently Maicee was a little more excited about the things that she got than we originally thought. Here she is "modeling" her "original" (as in she dressed herself without anyone else knowing) outfit:
She is wearing a High School Musical (Ha Stoo Moozital) shirt, a pink and green courdoroy elephant skirt, and her big sister's boots. She is destined for super stardom....can't you just see it?
(oh, and here is my disclaimer about the messy desks behind her...STOP LOOKING!)
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Mar. 27, 2008 - Happy Easter Days!!!
Well, this post is a little late, but we've had a hectic 2 weeks! First, we had a dear friend to get sick and spend a few days in the hospital about an hour away. AND it was in CCU, so we couldn't take the children!!! So, we had to travel back and forth to be with her and had my parents to watch the children while we were gone. She was able to come home the day before Easter and has been staying with us this week until she heals completely! Thankfully, she is well on her way to recovery! We love you, Mimi!!!
We had an early service at church Easter morning and here is a picture of what you get when you wake a 3 year old up WAY too early in the morning:
Obviously, she wasn't too excited about getting up! Once she saw all the candy that the "Easter Bunny" brought, she started to perk up!
After a little breakfast and a lot of candy we headed off to church. Here are the children in their Easter outfits...aren't they precious???
We had a wonderful service that morning! Then we came home and dyed some Easter eggs. Here are a few pictures of the children doing that (we are minus a son - he is "too old" according to him, but we've added another child - a friend of the girls' from church).
After we dyed the eggs, we went to my parent's house for lunch and an egg hunt. We had such a great time. Here are some pictures from that:
Some friends from church joined us and this is one of their sons. Here is the other one:
Here is a picture of Akasha, the girls' friend from church:
(My SIL, Brandi, is in the background, along with her middle child, Max)
My brother and his family joined us, also.
This is their son, Sam, age 14
This is Max, age 9 (he found the queen's nest)
This is Brittan, age 7
This is my older brother:
And my younger sister:
This is my honey (ain't he just sooo cute??? :)
Here is one of them all together:
And finally, after a day of fun, this is what happens to that 3 year old we woke up way too early:
She literally fell asleep standing up (this is her upper body on the couch, the rest of her was still standing on the floor).
If you are wondering where Rhett was at during all the egg hunting, he was asleep! Yes, asleep! He helped to hide the eggs, but then said he needed a nap. So, he went into Papaw and Granny's house and took a nap!
Also, yes, my parents were there (it was their house after all...haha), but all the pictures I got of them were with their backs turned or something (they were busy helping grandbabies find Easter eggs, ya know). There are some photos of them in my photo album in the sidebar, though.
After the week we'd had, we ALL pretty much fell into bed that night! We were so exhausted, but it was a wonderful time of celebrating Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Well, that was our Easter weekend - busy, but fun! Now things are "back to normal"...whatever that is!!!
Hope you guys had a great Easter! Jesus is Risen!
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Mar. 15, 2008 - Busy, Busy Days!
The past couple of days have been very busy for us. Last night (Friday) we took the children to Gatti Town. It's a pizza/past buffet that has a game area. It's a LARGE room that has bowling, skee ball, bumper cars, virtual roller coasters, and TONS of arcade games. They give the children a "fun card" that is a reloadable card that we put money on. Then they scan the card to play games. They had such a good time! Here are some pictures:
Here is Madalyn, with her "jackpot" of tickets! She hit the jackpot on one of the games and walked away with a ton of tickets!
Madalyn is trying to help Abby to hit a jackpot, too!
Rhett concentrating pretty hard on "riding" the motorcycle!
Maicee "low riding" on her motorcycle!!!
Abigail and Maicee on the virtual roller coaster! This was a lot of fun! You really feel like you are riding on a real roller coaster!!!!
Rhett and Maicee - they are riding a "go-kart"!!! Of course, it was only virtual, too!
Abby waiting in line to "spend" her tickets! It was fun to shop for free prizes!!!
Then on Saturday afternoon, we had an Easter egg hunt at church! That was a lot of fun and the children had a great time! We had 2 that hid and helped the littles, and 2 that hunted! Here are some photos from that:
Here, they are playing a game...you can see Abby's back in the blue shirt and jeans, and then you can barely see Maddy at the back in the lime green shirt. Maicee is to the left in the aqua shirt and jeans. I am not sure where Rhett was - I think playing football with some other boys! 
Here, they are opening and reading the Resurrection Eggs. Maddy is at the back of the row in the lime green standing by one of her friends, Caitlyn. Rhett is in the blue jersey with the camo hat, standing by 2 of his friends, Conner and Casey.
Abigail waiting her turn to open her Resurrection Egg
Maicee listening intently as the Story of Jesus' death and Resurrection is being read!
Madalyn getting ready to help the little ones hunt eggs! Bless her heart, the sun was shining right in her eyes!
Maicee hunting eggs! The sun was SO bright that day...every picture has "squinty eyes"! LOL
Abby was on the lookout! She found 39 eggs that day! And she also found one of the Queen Eggs...and won a dollar!
All in all, the past few days were busy, busy! But we had a lot of fun and spent some great family time together.
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Mar. 12, 2008 - Ah, The Simple Life....
Simplicity. The state, quality, or instance of being simple. Freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts. Absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament; plainness.
I love that! Freedom from complexity!! Simplicity seems to be something that should be easily attainable...but alas, it is not.
Why is being simple so complicated?
This photo was taken on our family vacation last year. It's the waterfall at Dismal's Canyon in Alabama.
I desire to have a simple life. Not the kind that has bobble head blondes living on pig farms. But the true SIMPLE life. Free from the world. Free to be who and what you are. Free to STAY HOME if that's what you want.
For the past 2 weeks our family has been really sick. During that time of course, our going and coming has been at a standstill. Wow! Has it felt good?
It reminded me of why I stay home with my children, why I homeschool, why we've chosen to live the life we have. God used these illnesses to re-center us and remind us of what He has called us to.
God called me to be a stay at home mom, to homeschool our children, to be a wife to my husband. All of these things are virtually impossible from behind the steering wheel of my van!
Lately, I've felt a little burned out. I took some time off from my responsibilities at church. I am revamping and re-examining our homeschool. I cried out to the Lord and to my dear, sweet husband.
The Lord answered me and said, "I've given you your dreams. I've opened every door for you to fulfill the life and ministry that I've called you to. YOU have gotten so busy that your missing it. But it's been there all the time!"
My wonderful and amazing husband said, "You have a full time job (several, in fact lol) with being a wife and mother. All of this other stuff is just that - STUFF! It's not what you've been called to. It's not what the Lord has for you. It's what the world tells you that you have to do in order to be a good mom. Listen to the truth and not the serpent!"
All of this has brought me back to the word SIMPLE. That's what I want for my life. That's what I believe God is calling me to.
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Mar. 10, 2008 - Words of Wisdom
I read these words this morning on The Power of a Praying Parent flip calendar.
Rejection brings out the worst in people.
Love and acceptance bring out the best.
Knowing that God loves and accepts us
changes our lives.
Now, I understand that in the context of the family unit this is a little easier to swallow. But apply it to our daily lives...and wow! It suddenly becomes a little harder to digest. When we started our church last year this is just the philosophy that we wanted to project most on the lost. While we never condone sin, we DO love the sinner!
This may seem relatively simple, but trust me, it's not! There is nothing "simple" about loving a drunk or drug addict who come to church on Sunday morning still strung out from the night before. But I know that God loves them...and He loved me in my sinful state. Now, I've never been a drug addict or alcoholic, but their sin isn't greater than mine!
I have had the joy and priviledge of seeing people that have virtually no hope left - they are on the verge of death, either from their lifestyle or suicide - change! Be radically transformed by the POWER of the Holy Spirit! I've seen these same people become tremendous witnesses for the Lord - ENTIRE families changed! And all because one person wasn't "too good" or "too spiritual" to reach out to someone who didn't fit into their perfect little circle.
When I read these words this morning, it gave me renewed energy and strength for the call we have answered. There have been times in the past year (past month, in fact) that giving up seemed the best thing to do. We are tired, worn out, sick...and it's hard! But knowing that God loved me and gave me a second chance at life is reason enough to get up and keep going!
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