Angie's Daily News

Fall Tea Party 2011

2011-11-15T20:50:00.000-06:00

Emily's ballet class had their Fall Tea party. We get to go in and see what the girls have been learning and they decorate beautifully for a tea party.

Gracie thinks she's part of the class, so she just jumps right in.

Not the best photo, but Emily picked out what Gracie should wear to the party. She wanted them to match, so they did! Gracie prissed around just like the big girls. Emily even shared her treasures they got with her. They can argue like cats and dogs, but they truly love each other and that make me so happy.

Ready for Church

2011-11-13T20:32:00.001-06:00

Yard Work

2011-11-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

Gracie wanted to go out and rake a few leaves. I do believe she planed from the beginning to get her a big pile going so she could jump in them.

I love her to pieces.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:05:00.008-05:00

Our first Halloween function was at the library for story time. Emily wanted to be an Enchanted Princess.

And I found Gracie the cutest Cupcake costume at Old Navy. She won the costume contest and they gave her this book that she knows backward and forward!

On Halloween night we went to our church for a trunk or treat. The girls had lots of fun and got lots of candy!

Having A Little Procedure

2011-10-13T08:43:00.002-05:00

Headed the dentist and this is how I feel about it.....

Say a little prayer for me....please!

First Grade Field Trip

2011-10-05T11:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Emily had her first field trip of her First Grade year. It was a place that they use as a Farm Classroom. For two days a year the FFA comes and teaches the children about all the things a farm can produce and Alfa sponsors it so it's free for every school in the county. It's only for First Graders and one of the workers told me they see 1500 students in 2 days. It was a great day and I even learned a few things that I didn't know!

Emily and Anna Kate

They had a duck race by pumping water pumps. Emily won!

We went on a hayride out to the fields. They had cotton fields and pumpkin fields beside each other.

Mary Ann and Anna Kate with Em.

They gave a presentation on cotton and all the things cotton is used for. I didn't know that when they put the cotton in the gin, they use the seeds for making oil and they use it in food like Doritos. One little boy told me he could taste the cotton every time he ate Doritos. LOL.

After seeing the cotton, the kids got to pick a pumpkin. You can't tell my this photo but some of the pumpkins were HUGE!!!!

The workers told the kids to get a pumpkin that they could carry themselves. Well, that was nearly impossible!!! Em finally found one with the help of her friend McKenna.

We ran into one of my husband's best friends in high school, Shannon. It was so good to see him.

Em and Melana riding the train.

Mary Ann and AK

They had a petting zoo with rabbits, geese, goats, sheep, and pigs.

They explained to the children the importance of eating fruits and vegetables every day.

And this was the hit of the trip. This is Butter Bean the cow. Her owner explained a lot about dairy and in importance of having it in your diet.

After a full day of learning and fun, it was time to head home. As always, we rode with my friends Crystal and Richard and their little girl McKenzie.

I really enjoyed it and the kids did too! I can't wait to go back with Gracie.

I've Found A New Addiction

2011-09-27T17:53:00.001-05:00

If you wonder where I've been......

My cousin Jenny told me about this website forever ago, but I just never took the time to browse. Then I asked my sister-in-law, Maggie, about it and she was like, "Girl....where have you been"! Lol. But Maggie told me how it all works and now I'm HOOKED!!! Move over coffee, Mexican food, and Facebook.....there's a new kid in town!!!!

Gracie 3rd Birthday!

2011-08-29T20:31:00.000-05:00

My sweet Gracie baby turned 3 Sunday and I just can't believe it!!! How can she already be 3!!! We had a very low key birthday with just family.

Sorry it's a little dark, but I just had to have one of her blowing out her candles.

Thanks to Aunt Tessa for the Alabama dresses for the girls. They were way cute!!!

Gracie and Big Sis ready for bed.

Gracie trying to make a number 3. You know it's a little harder than just 2 fingers.

Week One

2011-08-22T20:34:00.001-05:00

The first week of school has come and gone, and I must say, I hope they all are as smooth as the first (a girl can dream). Our summer was filled with late nights and late mornings, so getting up early was our biggest hurdle to get over. After we would put Emily to bed, she would usually stay up and play in her room or read a book with a flash light. Since school started, I cleaned out her room so she would hopefully go right to sleep instead of staying up. Well, no go on that! The third morning of school, I moved Em's pillow to make her bed and this is what I found....

Apparently she snuck into the bathroom and grabbed her a little reading material. It just cracked me up so I snapped a picture.

The girls have actually been playing better with each other because they've had a little time away.

Saturday, my friend Erika called me and asked if I wanted to meet her at McDonald's for a little lunch date with the kiddos. I said sure, so we headed out. We had a great time and even though it was H-O-T the kids had a blast. Erika had her three. My friend Leigh had her two. I had my two, and Erika brought our friend Jennifer's kiddos too!

When Erika called, we headed right on out the door in just our play clothes. I don't know what happened to Gracie, but she got totally filthy playing with the big kids. Taylor had brought markers, and from the looks of it, sweat and markers made for a very messy Gracie. I had to keep telling people she didn't leave the house with a face that dirty!

Here's the whole "Hee Haw" gang.

A fun time was had by all! Can't wait to do it again.

July 4th Parade

2011-08-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

On July 4th our church asked us to dress our kiddos up in their red, white and blue best so they could have a parade. It was so wonderful to see all the beautiful children we have in our church.

But, I have to admit....these are my favorite two (shhhh, don't tell anyone).

VBS 2011

2011-08-18T16:23:00.001-05:00

Oh yes! VBS! That was only at the the end of June (told you I was gonna play catch up)!! But none the less, I wanted to show you our kiddos we had all week.

My friend, Aimee, helped me with my class and we had 4 to 5 teenage helpers everyday. And we needed every one of those helpers because we had such a big group!

Lydia during Missions. She did a great job with the kids!

If the kids brought their Bible, brought a friend, or memorized a Bible verse, they got points and could use those points in the store. Em used all her points on candy.

Emily and Emily

We had a great time at VBS and the best part was that many came to know Christ that week. I can't wait for next year!!!

Back to School

2011-08-15T20:30:00.001-05:00

We're Back!!!! Not just back to school, but back to blogging!!!! After taking a summer break from the computer, we are back to a bedtime schedule and hopefully I'll be back to regularly blogging!!! Thanks to all my friends that asked me (or hounded....and you know who you are. lol) about where I've been. I'm just glad someone else besides me even looks at this thing!!

Emily had a great first day of school. She started the First Grade and we couldn't be happier with her teacher, Mrs. Stewart. We've heard only good things about her, and let me tell you, that does a mother's heart good!!!!

I like to have her name on her shirt of for the first day of school just to help the teacher. I want to thank my Mother for making Emily's shorts. They were so cute and it made the day a little bit more special.

This morning felt like the beginning of Fall!!! It was a nice break form the heat and it was also nice that my camera didn't fog up on me when I walked outside!!!! lol

Em's backpack came from Walmart and we had the vinyl letters put on it at Just Amy's. She does a wonderful job and thanks to Aunt Maggie for picking it up for us!!!! Emily added a few extra things to it to make it cool.

Of course Gracie had to get in on the action! I've been asking Emily forever what grade she's going in, and when I ask Gracie she says, "Preschool....but not yet"!!! Your right not yet!!! I'm gonna keep her with me as long as I can!!! Our plan is for her to start Preschool next year. I hope this year goes by slow!

I had a lot of friends who's little one's started Kindergarten this year, and I so remember how they feel!!! Your excited and sad all at the same time. After the first year, it gets a little easier to let them go to school. But then I've already started thinking about when Emily graduates. Why I do that to myself, I have no idea! It seems like forever before that day gets here, but you know it feels like I just brought her home from the hospital and she is now starting First Grade.

Boy time flies!!!! Man, I hate admitting everyone was right about that!! LOL.

Stay tuned. I have a few things to fill you in on that happened this summer.

Fianlly The Last of It

2011-06-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

It has taken me two weeks to post about a 4 day vacation, but we are now finally down to the last of it.

Our last official day for beach time was Saturday, but it was not smooth! It's as if we flew through the Bermuda Triangle and everything started falling apart. At 12 am in the morning, Gracie woke up with an ear ache. Chris ran to Walgreen's to get some Motrin and that seemed to do the trick until the morning. Gracie's has always had ear trouble but her ear was doing something I had never seen it do before. As soon as our family doctor opened up, I called them and explained what the problem was. They told me that we needed to take her to the Urgent Care in Gulf Shores and have them check her out. So thanks to my friend Lynn, who use to live in GS, we found a doctor to go to. The unfortunate part was that we had to wait 4 1/2 hours to see a doctor!!!! But what do you do. I tell you what you do......you wait! lol.

When we finally saw the doctor, it was totally worth the wait. He was great with Gracie. To no ones surprise, she had an ear infection and he gave her an antibiotic to take by mouth and one for her ears.

When we got back to the condo, we headed down to the beach! We didn't get to stay out long because it started raining. We then headed in to get ready for a few beach pictures. As I was snapping away, my camera just quit working. The flash wouldn't pop up, and it kept giving me a busy signal. I snapped all I could while it would let me.

Not the best pictures....but it is what it is.

The next day we headed home.

All was going well until we hit Montgomery and the car started acting funny. We stopped several times and Chris called a friend that knows stuff about transmissions, which helped. We just had to go 50 most of the way home!!!!

This trip was an experience!!! We needed a vacation after our vacation!!! But although things didn't go as smooth as we would have hoped, we were together and that's all that matters. I picture myself telling Emily and Gracie all about the "crazy" trip to the beach we took when they were little.

Words I Needed To Hear

2011-06-25T21:58:00.002-05:00

I've had a rough couple of days in the "motherhood" department. Thoughts of stress and failure have crept in and I know that those thoughts are only form the devil himself. I found this at Kelly's Korner and its just what I needed to hear at the moment.

MOTHERHOOD AS A MISSION FIELD

by: Rachel Jankovic

As someone once said, “Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help Mom with the dishes.” When you are a mother at home with your children, the church is not clamoring for monthly ministry updates. When you talk to other believers, there is not any kind of awe about what you are sacrificing for the gospel. People are not pressing you for needs you might have, how they can pray for you. It does not feel intriguing, or glamorous. Your work is normal, because it is as close to home as you can possibly be. You have actually gone so far as to become home.

If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church.

There are a number of ways in which mothers need to study their own roles, and begin to see them, not as boring and inconsequential, but as home, the headwaters of missions.

At the very heart of the gospel is sacrifice, and there is perhaps no occupation in the world so intrinsically sacrificial as motherhood. Motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to live the gospel. Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Motherhood provides you with an opportunity to lay down the things that you cannot keep on behalf of the people that you cannot lose. They are eternal souls, they are your children, they are your mission field.

If you are like me, then you may be thinking “What did I ever give up for them? A desk job? Time at the gym? Extra spending money? My twenty- year- old figure? Some sleep?” Doesn’t seem like much when you put it next to the work of some of the great missionaries, people who gave their lives for the gospel.

Think about the feeding of the five thousand when the disciples went out and rounded up the food that was available. It wasn’t much. Some loaves. Some fish. Think of some woman pulling her fish out and handing it to one of the disciples. That had to have felt like a small offering. But the important thing about those loaves and those fishes was not how big they were when they were given, it was about whose hands they were given into. In the hands of the Lord, that offering was sufficient. It was more than sufficient. There were leftovers. Given in faith, even a small offering becomes great.

Look at your children in faith, and see how many people will be ministered to by your ministering to them. How many people will your children know in their lives? How many grandchildren are represented in the faces around your table now?

So, if mothers are strategically situated to impact missions so greatly, why do we see so little coming from it? I think the answer to this is quite simple: sin. Discontent, pettiness, selfishness, resentment. Christians often feel like the right thing to do is to be ashamed about what we have. We hear that quote of Jim Elliot’s and think that we ought to sell our homes and move to some place where they need the gospel.

But I’d like to challenge you to look at it differently. Giving up what you cannot keep does not mean giving up your home, or your job so you can go serve somewhere else. It is giving up yourself. Lay yourself down. Sacrifice yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time today. Make dinner again for the people who don’t like the green beans. Laugh when your plans are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself down for the people here with you, the people who annoy you, the people who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that you can’t read anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that which you cannot lose in them.

It is easy to think you have a heart for orphans on the other side of the world, but if you spend your time at home resenting the imposition your children are on you, you do not. You cannot have a heart for the gospel and a fussiness about your life at the same time. You will never make any difference there if you cannot be at peace here. You cannot have a heart for missions, but not for the people around you. A true love of the gospel overflows and overpowers. It will be in everything you do, however drab, however simple, however repetitive.

God loves the little offerings. Given in faith, that plate of PB&J’s will feed thousands. Given in faith, those presents on Christmas morning will bring delight to more children than you can count. Offered with thankfulness, your work at home is only the beginning. Your laundry pile, selflessly tackled daily, will be used in the hands of God to clothe many. Do not think that your work does not matter. In God’s hands, it will be broken, and broken, and broken again, until all who have need of it have eaten and are satisfied. And even then, there will be leftovers.

This came from desiringgod.org

Beach 2011 Day 3

2011-06-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

Day 3 was much like the first. We headed to the beach and played in the water and then headed to the pool.

We promised Em that we would take her to play Putt Putt. We found the best place! It may not have been fancy on the decorations, but we were the only people there, so we had the run of the place. The girls had the best time.

Beach 2011 Day 2

2011-06-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Bottom line is, I've got to blog!!!!!! Busy is the word around here so as usual, I'm way behind!!!! I've had sick kiddos, VBS, and same kiddo that is still not well. But here we go.

Our second day at the beach, didn't start out smooth. It may not have been smooth, but the girls made up for it by being cute!

We made the discovery that the girls like the pool better than the beach and that is a change from last summer.

We stayed at the ocean for a very short period of time. It was kinda of hot so the girls were ready to head to the pool.

That night we headed to Lu Lu's, which is our favorite place to eat. I was a little nervous when they said the wait would be and hour and a half! But we met some nice people form Ohio and we talked with them. It made the time just fly on by!

Photo by Emily! As you can tell, I believe in sunscreen! lol!

More to come!

Beach Trip 2011

2011-06-17T14:31:00.001-05:00

Our beach trip this year was more like a "three hour tour" instead of a vacation. It started out with high hopes because the trip was relatively smooth and the kids were so excited when we got there. Em couldn't wait to get to the beach! Once we got to the room, we headed down to the water. They were so happy with the sand and the waves, Chris and I actually thought that this trip was going to be a piece of cake!!! Although the first night was laid back and easy going, it was only a camouflage of things to come!!! Ha Ha!

After we hit the beach, we headed over to Mikee's for dinner.

More to come.......

Dancing Queen

2011-06-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

Emily had her first dance recital this past Saturday, and I must say she was wonderful!!!!!

I got choked up on the way to the recital because I told Chris that I've been dreaming of doing things like this forever. Chris was not overly impressed because he said he had to do it every year when his sister was little! But I know he was still proud of our little star!!!

The ballet was called Return to the Secret Garden. My mother-in-law told me there was a movie called the Secret Garden and I really want to see it now.

Emily was an orphan, and I do believe one of the cutest ones I've ever laid eyes on!!!

I've notice that sometimes when Emily gets nervous, she makes a "fish face" with her lips.

It was a great night. There were some parts of the play that were truly magical. I can't wait to see what is in store for next year.

School's Out For The Summer!!!!!!

2011-05-29T21:44:00.000-05:00

Emily's first year at "big school" has come to an end!!!! And let me tell you, it has gone by so fast! Last Monday they had Awards Day for Emily's grade. She made all A's the whole year! Her family is very proud of her!

Thanks to Gran, Aunt Tessa, Grandmother, Pop, Aunt Maggie and Sophie Clare for coming.

After the program they had a party in Em's classroom.

They had a ton of snacks!!! Cake, chips, and ice cream sundaes with all the toppings!!! Mrs. Martinez is helping Em with her sundae.

Gran and Em

Aunt Tessa and Em

Allie and Em

Em and Carly

It has been a great year!!! Emily has made lots of new friends and learned bunches!!! She can read and do math (which I hope she never had trouble with). I can't believe she is headed to First Grade!!!! My sweet baby is growning up so fast!

Early Birthday!

2011-05-29T16:20:00.000-05:00

My sweet angel Emily turns 6 in June, but because all her school friends scatter during the Summer, I decided to have her "friend" party before school let out. We have been to several painting parties this year and they were so much fun, so that's what we decided to go with.

I can't believe we were celebrating Emily's 6th birthday!!!! These years have gone by so fast!

I let Emily decided the menu for the day. My sweet girl made it easy on me by wanting a cookie cake and Doritos.

Emily is all into butterflies so Melissa, our artist, taught the girls how do paint one.

We had the perfect outside space for it. Now it was a little "warm" but ideal for the party.

My neice Sophie Clare.

Gracie was going for more of the abstract look.

My neice Robin.

The whole gang.

Present time!

My Daddy and my SIL Tessa.

Gran, G-daddy and their girls

Pop and Grandmother

Me and Em

It was a stress free day. We are going to have a family birthday party on Em's actual Birthday, but it was fun having all her "girl friends" over.

Easter Sunday

2011-05-07T08:30:00.004-05:00

Easter Sunday is always a busy morning. But you have to make time for the Easter baskets.

Gracie loved hers. I told them they could eat anything they wanted in there basket until they put their dresses on, and then there was no more candy.

My sweet little angles.

It's always hard to get a group shot of everyone.

After church we went to my Mother's house. My Mom made the best dinner and the weather was perfect! We stayed outside most of the afternoon.

Jenny and her girls got there just in time to hunt eggs. Em giving Kate a helping hand with the eggs.

Kate

Ava Caroline

Robin

Gracie was not having a great hair day! ha ha

Notice my two are pusing and shoving each other! They will fight over air, but then love each other to death!

It was the perfect family day.

Finding Eggs

2011-05-03T12:09:00.001-05:00

I know I'm way behind on blogging, but since the recent weather events I've had a hard time getting back to blogging. So many have lost so much. Friends have lost family members or their homes, so please say a prayer for the many in Alabama that are going through this terrible time.

Now on a much lighter note.....back to happier times.

We went back to your old church for a visit and let the girls hunt Easter eggs. Gracie and Emily had a great time.

Sophie Clare

Braden

Maggie got SC a rabbit for Easter. His name is RaRa. Emily decided to name him Clover.

He's a very handsome boy.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-27T14:53:00.001-05:00

This will be first of many Easter posts! We just had a lot going on this past weekend.

I must confess my egg dying pictures are not the best. My camera was not doing what I wanted it to, so the pictures are blurry and out of focus, but I had to post a few to mark the occasion.

Gracie loved dying eggs! So much so that she dyed the same eggs several times!

Emily enjoyed herself as well. She wrote letters on all the ones she dyed.

Not long after they finished dying them, they started cracking all the eggs. Emily even ate a few, but only the white part.

We all had a lot of fun.

Zoo Trip

2011-04-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, Emily's kindergarten class went on a fieldtrip to the Birmingham Zoo. It was a great day! We walked around with Mckenzie and Ali and their parents. It was so fun to share the day with my number one girl!!!

Do Your Little Turn on The Catwalk

2011-04-14T11:00:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday was a very eventful day to say the least!!! It started out very low key. Emily had spent the night with Grandmother and Pop so I could deal with Gracie and the "no passy" situation. Later on in the day my niece, Sophie Clare, was in a fashion show at our local mall so we met everyone there to cheer her on.

Gracie didn't care that she wasn't in the fashion show, she wanted on the catwalk anyway.

Sophie Clare looked so cute in the outfit that Maggie picked out for her.

What we didn't know was that there would be over 100 kids in the show, and poor Sophie Clare was 97! The wait was a little long and Gracie was growing a little tired.

But it was well worth the wait! SC did great! She walked and turned and smiled and looked like a little doll!

Gracie giving her a congratulations hug.

After the show, we grabbed a bite to eat and then Gracie went home with Grandmother and Pop.

I do believe Emily was ready to go!

A fun time was had by all!

Gone With The Passy

2011-04-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last Friday was Gracie's last day with her passy. I've been thinking I need to try to get it away from her for awhile, but to be honest I didn't want to go through the trouble. But I was kind of forced to make the decision sooner rather than later.

We talked for a whole week about how she was getting to be a big girl and that she didn't need her passys anymore and that we were going to give them to our dog Daisy to play with. That is what I did with Emily and it worked like a charm. Emily was also a big help because she told Gracie that it would be okay, that she would cry for a little bit, but she would get over it. So sweet! The morning went pretty good, but we went to eat lunch with my Mother and Gracie SCREAMED the whole 25 minutes home! When we came in the door, she was wild! I had to lock the door to keep her form going outside and getting her passy from the dog! It went on for another 25 minutes and it was BAD! Screaming, rolling around on the floor, and pushing me (see why I didn't want to take it away), but she finally calmed down.

I was so worried it would be a nightmare when bedtime came, but she was surprisingly happy. I made a big deal about what a big girl she was and I bought her some new PJ's. She was all smiles, and due to the huge fit she threw, she went right off to sleep.

Now, that's just day one. It's now been 6 days and she has asked for it everyday, several times a day. But I just keep reminding her that we gave it to Daisy and she needs it now more that Gracie does (more on that later).

Tooth Fairy

2011-04-12T17:00:00.001-05:00

My little sweetheart finally lost her very first tooth. I'm ashamed to say that it was way back last Saturday when she lost it! (It's been a crazy week) Emily had spent the night with my mother, and I was so nervous she would lose it and I wouldn't be there! But Saturday morning Gracie and I went down to hang out with Em and Robin and make cookies. While we were there it just popped right out. My Daddy's friend, Otha, helped a little. Everyone was so excited! We yelled and clapped and enjoyed the moment.

I found this cute little box for her sweet little tooth to go in. Those baby teeth are so small and I was worried that it might get lost under her pillow before the "Tooth Fairy" could get it. So we opted for putting it in this sweet little box and sitting it ON her pillow. The Tooth Fairy left her $5! She was so excited!

On to many more teeth and many more memories to make.

Patiently Waiting

2011-03-30T20:11:00.002-05:00

My sweet darling is waiting to loose her first tooth. All I have to say is.....HOW CAN THIS BE! It seems like we just came home from the hospital with her!

It's hanging on by a wing and a prayer! Chris is trying to talk her into letting him pull it.

He gives it a little tug and......

there she goes!! You can barely see her. She was having none of it! It'll be out soon enough, and then before I know it, she'll be getting her driver's license! UGH! She was suppose to stay little forever! Ha ha.

Hard Working Husband and The Girlfriend Gala

2011-03-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

My husband has been working super hard at getting our house ready for spring. We actually sat down the other day and made a list of all the things we would like to do to the house to consider it totally the way we want it and it kind of stressed us out. But what can you do but take it one thing at a time.

Thursday evening, I had plans with some friends, so Chris and the girls worked on the yard. And it looks wonderful!

Emily helped Chris spread mulch.

Emily thought she something riding around in the back. Don't worry, Chris went super slow. But I watched them until I had to get ready to make sure he kept going slow!

Gracie just rode in the front and played with all the treasures that Chris has in the front of his truck.

This is our dog, Daisy. We have a leash law in our neighborhood, but it's not always enforced. Most everyone is okay with the dogs, but every now and again you'll have someone call Animal Control. Daisy is loved by all because so far she has avoided doggy jail. She's pretty good about staying close to home.

My husband was sweet enough to entertain the children so I could have a little girl time. The United Way throws and anual fundraiser every year called The Girlfriend Gala. And apparently its the hottest ticket in town because it seems like they are always sold out. I ususally only think about it when its too late to get tickets. My friend Ashley called me Thursday and asked if I wanted to go! Ummm....YEAH! She said she was going to hunt us down some tickets and somehow she did! The theme this year was Diva Las Vegas and all the tables were decorated around a Las Vegas theme. I can't believe I didn't take one picture of the tables but I was too busy talking to everyone. I met some new people, got to see some I haven't seen in awhile, and got to chat with people I see all the time! I really enjoyed it and I hope I get to go back next year!

Me, Erika, and Ashley. We all go to church together and our girls are all door steps in age. They are great girls to hangout with.

Cleaning House

2011-03-25T14:38:00.000-05:00

It seems like a woman's work is never done, and by that I mean HOUSEWORK! It is a never ending job around here.

This is what Gracie likes to do while I clean!!! This kid is a total riot!!!

What laughter and joy she brings to my life!

They Love Their Daddy!!!

2011-03-21T20:09:00.000-05:00

My girls love their Daddy and I am blessed with a wonderful husband that helps me out in every way with them. He provides well for them, he plays with them, he helps me get them ready for bed at night, he helps Emily with her homework, and most of all he prays with them. Now if I could get him to pick up after himself he would be perfect!!!

Ha Ha!

I really do believe that the best part of their day is when he comes home!

Chris turned 38 this month and we had a mini celebration! Sophie Clare got in on the action.

Anytime Chris cranks up the lawnmower the girls go crazy!!! They love to ride all over the yard with him and he is happy to do it!

This past weekend Chris and I had a date night and the girls stayed with their grandparents. We left Saturday morning and shopped and looked around all day. It was just one of those wonderful days that you'll remember forever. We will be married 10 years in June, and I must say it has not always been easy, but MOST definitely worth it!!!

I'm very blessed to have him!!!

Family Time

2011-03-18T11:00:00.001-05:00

Emily had spring break last week and we ended up having a very low key week. Tuesday we got together with Jenny and her girls at The Falls.

It started out a little crazy! Before we even made it in the park, Gracie pushed Ava down and got her muddy. Then they were running and Ava fell and scratched her knee up real good and tore her pants! Oh my! She soon recovered and we were off to enjoy the park.

The train wasn't running at first so we started at the front of the park and walked through until we got to the playground. The only problem was that the gate was locked and we couldn't get across. Well, what do you do in a situation like this? You crawl over the fence!!! I went first and Jenny passed me each girl and the strollers.

We played on the play ground for a good little while! Right before we left to grab a bite of lunch they got the train working so we rode it all around the park before we headed off to the mall.

Don't forget about Kate.

Once the girls had lunch they rode the carousel.

For some reason this picture keeps posting at the end, but I just couldn't leave it out. Kate is just a sweetie!

It was a great day! I love any time I get to spend with Jenny and the girls.

Paint the Town

2011-03-13T15:34:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago,my friend Ashely (far right) asked if I wanted to go Paint the Town. We painted a cute canvas, or shall I say the instructor painted a cute canvas. We mostly laugh at what we were painting. It was a fun night. We grabbed a bit to eat before we painted and just hung out and talked.

I hope to do it again soon.

Ladies Tea

2011-03-10T20:08:00.000-06:00

Every year my church has a Ladies Tea. They asked me to decorate a table, but since this was my first year to attend the tea, I felt more comfortable just attending so I could get the feel of what it was all about. I invited my Mother and we had the best time. The only regret I have is that we didn't get there early enough to walk around and look at the other tables! The table we sat at was very pretty. Mother and I talked about next year and what I would do for a table. But there is no way I could do it without my Mother's help.

The speaker was chef Jean Claude (I know I'm spelling his name wrong) from The Cove, that was founded by Billy Graham. He gave his testimony on how he came to know Christ and it was wonderful!

I can't wait until next year!

Happy Birthday Robin

2011-03-09T20:50:00.000-06:00

My niece Robin turned 7! SEVEN!!! I just can't believe that she is 7 already!!! My sis-in-law, Tessa, planed the best party for her. It was a painting party, and everyone loved it!!! I'm definitely not the best painter, but even I wanted to pull out a brush and paint! I so wish we had something like this close to where we live!

Jeff, Tessa, and Robin

Gracie jumps right in likes she's as big as everyone else!!!

Emily was so excited to see Ava Caroline.

Gracie's favorite color seemed to be black!!!

Sweet Baby Kate!!! Love that face!

Tessa did a wonderful job on the cake!! She didn't make it (but I should tell everyone she did, haha), but I loved how it had both the painting theme and the zebra print.

The whole gang

Mother got Robin a pair of Twinkle Toes just like Emily's. I do believe she loved them.

Me and Kate

G-Daddy, Gran and their girls.

We had such a great time. It was one of the best parties I've been to! Tessa, you did a wonderful job!!!!

She Did It!!!

2011-03-06T15:33:00.000-06:00

I'm so very proud of Emily because she sang with the Children's Choir today. Emily has been going to CC since August of last year but has yet to sing with them. She got up there and sang like a little pro this morning. I guess it's third times the charm. The next time we are inviting the whole family, so y'all be ready!

Emily got to choose where we had lunch and she decided on Logans. She loves the peanuts!

Kate Turns 1

2011-03-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

Our little Kate has turned 1! Seems just like yesterday that we were awaiting her arrival. Jenny had her birthday at her church and it was so pretty. The kids had lots of room to play.

Her cake was so good.

The whole party gang.

Michael, Kate and Jenny

Kate really got into the present opening! She opened every one.

So glad we could be a part of Kate's special day.

I Just Don't Get It!!!

2011-02-17T20:01:00.002-06:00

If you are a fan of the SEC, my guess is that you've heard of the situation down in Auburn. I just don't get it people!!!! It's football! I know it's great and fun and what we live for on Saturday in the South, but the fact that we would take a rivalry so far that we would poison trees is just crazy!!!

Now I don't call myself a "tree hugger". But I do love tradition! Tradition is was brings us together on holidays as a family, and tradition can also get us pumped up for a football game on Saturday. That's what's so great about it!!!

I feel so bad for Auburn and its fans, because let's just face it, memories are hard to replace! I have fond memories of Auburn. I went to several games with my brother, who is a BIG Auburn fan, and let me just tell you, I had the best time EVER! I have many other memories that have been made there that I won't even go into, but hold a very special place in my heart! And let me just add....the lemonade a Toomer's Corner is AWESOME!!!

To all of my Auburn friends, I'm so sorry for the possible loss of a tradition.

Hopefully, all will turn out well!

And I will add a .....War Eagle!!!!

Pardon Our Progress

2011-02-15T20:24:00.000-06:00

We are in the middle of a few home improvements. We are building a carport onto the house. Which is totally awesome because we are going to be out of the weather when we are getting in and out of the car, and we are also going to have some extra storage space for things like our Christmas tree and whatever junk my husband brings home. Ha ha! It's been sort of slow because the weather has not been the best, but this week the weather has been wonderful so far! After school the girls wanted to go out and play, but they ended up sweeping up sawdust for an hour! Not because I wanted them to, but because they wanted to!

Yes I'm aware that Emily has her shirt on backwards, but she loves to have all the print on the front.

Gracie wanted in on the sweeping action.

We have MANY more things we want to do to the house, but the bathroom and the add on will be the big things for this year. Although I'm trying to get my husband to put up more trim in some places. Hopefully, I will get what I want!!!

Happy Tuesday y'all!!!! I hope you're enjoying this wonderful weather!

Happy Feet

2011-02-10T20:23:00.000-06:00

Okay y'all. How many of you have heard of Twinkle Toes shoes? Well up until Emily started school, they were totally foreign to me. Once I've found out what they were, ignorance was a great state to be in! I'm strictly a Keds girl. They're white and go with everything!!! But now that Emmy's in school, that's not what's "in".

At the beginning of school I took a snapshot of Em's shoes on the very first day. Lets just say they had absolutely had it by the second week of school and by the end of the first month, I stopped cleaning them every night because there was just no point in it! So last week, Em and I headed out to pick up some new kicks!

All Em could think about was Twinkle Toes. I promised her we would "look". When I was growing up, the rule on clothes shopping was that if my mother paid for it, she had an input on what I brought home. So my goal was to shop with an open mind. But when we walked in, it wasn't looking good! There are different styles and some are just plane ugly! But we looked and looked and came across a pair we could agree on!

This is the happiest girl in the world. I thought she may actually sleep in them!!!

I love seeing a smile on her face!!!

Vintage

2011-02-07T20:17:00.000-06:00

When most of you read blog post about items that are "vintage", I'm sure that you don't think of an old sweatshirt. But this sweatshirt is very vintage because is was mine when I was 9 years old. My Mom found it when she was cleaning out a closet. I couldn't believe she still had it! It's so funny how seeing it can bring back so many memories.

In the little town I grew up in football was, and still is, a BIG deal!!! When I was younger, other than going to my Grandparents house, Friday night football was the highlight of the week. In 1985 we went to the State Playoffs. I can still remember game night!!! I was the coldest I believe I've ever been in my whole life!!! But it was a great memory!

But nothing like the memories I'm making these days. Not every day is perfect, but I know that through life I'm gonna look back on the "not perfect" days and miss them.

My children are the lights of my life and I'm truely blessed to be their mother.

Let's Give 'Em Something To Blog About

2011-02-02T21:10:00.000-06:00

And by "them" I mean me!!! Not much has been going around her but school, church, no sleep, and more school.

For the past few weeks, Gracie has had a nagging cough and a runny nose. But for last week it has gotten worse. The cough medicine wasn't even touching it at night and we've been up all hours of the night, with some nights having no sleep at all. No sleep is just a recipe for long days! This is what this little darling looked like yesterday morning, so once we got Emily up and off to school, we headed to the Doctor.

Once we got to the Dr, you would have never been able to guess that Gracie was sick because she talked up a storm to anyone who would listen. She was a big hit! When we got into an exam room, I had to explain to Gracie that she needed to look sick so that the trip wouldn't be wasted. Ha Ha. No need for that, the Dr. said she had a sinus infection and gave is some medicine to clear it up. I'm so glad she is on her way to getting better and that I'm on my way to getting some sleep!

After the Dr, we headed home for a bite of lunch and for a nap. The nap had to be quick though because Gracie was getting her hair cut before we picked up Em at school. That's why she doesn't look to happy...she's still a little sleepy.

She looks so little sitting in the chair! You would think she's been getting her hair cut forever! She was such a pro.

I wish I would have taken a before picture of Gracie's hair. It had gotten WAY too long. Toni cut about

1 1/4 inches off which I think was just right. She straighten it to see if it was even, which made it look still very long. Today it was bouncy and curly and I just loved it.

Then we had to run get Em and head off to dance! They are practicing for the spring recital and Emily talked all the home about it! I can't wait to she her dance!

Tonight was church night and then the rest of the week will be run here and run there! Busy, busy, busy!

Happy Birthday Carly

2011-01-21T13:59:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated Carly's 6th birthday. Carly is in Emily's kindergarten class and they are also in Sunday School together. Carly had a very interesting birthday week. She spent the night at the airport trying to get to the Auburn game in Arizona and later in the week when she got home, she got her ears pierced. That's a big week in the life of a 6 year old!!! We were so glad she made it back and that she invited us to her party. And what a great party it was!!! It was at a local salon and all the girls got pedicures and their finger nails painted. They also applied a little "fun" makeup and sparkle to their hair. It was a lot of fun to see the girls laugh and squeal and hang out with the other moms!

Lilly, Em and Carly. Lilly is the sweetest little girl. She's in my Mission Friends class on Wednesday night and she is a joy to be around. And Carly is a little girl with a BIG personality. I love to hear her talk and she's funny without even trying to be. I'm so glad Emily is able to play with them.

Claire Bear. She was loving getting her nails polished.

We will be heading to another party this weekend!! Can't wait!

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-12T20:41:00.000-06:00

When we got home Sunday we waited on the snow. We got busy and forgot about it and then we looked outside and everything was covered!!! Tuesday morning we were jumping to get out in it.

Although, you can't tell it by this picture, they were very excited.

I asked for a little excitement and this is what I got....

Emily couldn't wait to get back to sledding. It was perfect sledding snow. It was mostly ice so you could go really fast.

Our neighbor Landon and Gracie

I love these happy little faces.

Unfortunatley, this happened soon after they started.

Emmy and Chris

Chris isn't too big to miss out on all the fun.

I didn't have time to put on make up....as you can tell.

Our neighbor Bailey flying by on the intertube.

Laura and Little Penny

Emily played and played. Chris finally had to make her go in because she was soaking wet, but she didn't seem to care. This girl loves the snow!

Gatlinburg Part 2

2011-01-12T05:47:00.001-06:00

Our second day in Gatlinburg we woke up to snow. Emily was beyond excited!!!!! Chris headed to the fishing lure show for a couple of hours and the rest of us got up to get some breakfast. As you can see, Emily was very pleased.

Gracie was happy too, but snow doesn't tickle her fancy like it does Em.

We grabbed a little breakfast, met up with Chris, and just piddled around for the rest of the day. We shopped at the outlets and I got Emily a new coat. She wanted some earmuffs and this is the best we could find. We also got her a pair of snow gloves which came in major handy when we got home!!!

Looks like the same picture but it's not. I just loved them both and I couldn't decided, so I put them both.

While Gracie napped Chris and I went to grab a bite to eat and on our way back we bought the girls a sled. The best part of the whole trip was seeing them on that sled. They laughed the whole time!!!

The smiles say it all!!!! They were going so fast it was hard to get a good picture. My camera ability ends with "hey, there's a running man, so that must mean you can take pictures fast"! The running man didn't help, but you can still see how much fun they had.

Pop was our "stopper" at the bottom of the hill.

Later that night we walked down in the village and to say it was cold was an understatement. We purchased a few goodies and headed back to the room.

We left early the next morning. We had to get home because we had winter weather headed toward where we live. And we didn't have any milk or bread or ANYTHING!! We made it in plenty of time and have enjoyed more snow!!!!

Gatlinburg

2011-01-11T07:17:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, Chris and I took the girls on a trip to Gatlinburg. Chris collects fishing lures and they were having a show up there, so we thought it would be a good time for a family trip. We left on Thursday after Emily got out of school. Chris' parents came up on Friday to join the fun.

Friday morning I was by myself until his parents got there, so I decided to take the girls to the Gatlinburg

Aquarium. It was right down the street from our hotel and I was so glad because as soon as we go out the door it started snowing.

Emily has been to an Aquarium before, but it was all new to Gracie. I think her favorite part was that she could run free as a bird. It was not very crowded and she was everywhere! It was so fun to see her excitement.

Here are some of the weird little creatures we saw at the aquarium. I know God has a plan for everything, but some of these little jokers are strange!!

They had this moving sidewalk that went under a tank, so that all the fish were swimming on top and all around you. Gracie loved the sidewalk. She wanted to stand by herself and take it all in.

Not Emily! She stayed right by me and the stroller. All she kept saying was, "This is creeping me out"!

Everyone's favorite part were the penguins. They were so cute and fun to watch!

They had this long tube that went under the aquarium where the penguins were at and you could crawl up and stand in this area that is in the middle of the penguins. Gracie and Emily loved it.

As usual, it didn't take Emily long before she met a friend.

This is our sweet Fluffy. You can't leave the aquarium without a gift from the Gift Shop. But that seemed to be Emily's motto at every store we went in! ha ha

We had a great time at the aquarium. I have more to come about our trip....stay tuned.

Comfort Zone

2011-01-03T20:39:00.000-06:00

Man, I love "HOME". You know what I mean. At home you can be yourself. Not worry about anything and feel safe. I guess you could call it your comfort zone. As soon as we walk in the door, we get right down to being comfortable! Sunday was no different. After church, we ran to get a bite to eat and brought it back home. Gracie was soon asking for her passy and blanket because she was ready for a nap. We didn't have church on Sunday night, so Chris went riding 4-wheelers with his friends. My friend Ashley called and wanted us to go see the movie Tangled with her and her girls, but I wasn't real sure Gracie would make it through the whole movie, so we took a rain check. We opted for a quiet Sunday at home.

Before Christmass, the girls and I tried to make sugar cookies to decorate. The didn't turn out well at all. The batter never formed a dough and we just had a plain mess. I wanted Emily to decorate something, so we made brownies and cut Christmas shapes out of them.

Emily always likes the batter better than the actual brownies.

Once Gracie got up, we got down to decorating. See what I mean about "comfort zone" it's the middle of the day and we're in our PJ's.

Finished product. Doesn't it look great...haha! It may not be the prettiest, but they sure were fun to make.

I love spending time with my girls. Emily has to go back to school tomorrow and I do believe that Gracie is going to have a hard time with it. Although they fight like cats and dogs, Gracie loves Emily and Emily loves Gracie. The first thing Gracie asks me every morning is, "Where's Emmy?". And if you ever give Emily something, she'll say, "What about Gracie?"

On the days that all they do is fight, I remind myself of these sweet little moments.

Have a good night y'all!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T22:20:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year y'all!!! I hope last year was a wonderful year for you, but if not, I pray God blesses you in every way this year!!!!

With that said, I'm not one to celebrate big for New Years. Don't get me wrong....I love the idea of sending out the old and bringing in the new, but I like to do that from the safety of my own home. And I couldn't imagine sharing it with anyone else but my favorite people, Chris, Emily and Gracie!!!!

We had plans for Ava Caroline to come spend the night with Emily, but Jenny called earlier in the day and Michael (Jenny's husband) had the flu. We sure didn't want that spreading around the house again, so we thought it might be better if Ava came another time. Even with Ava not coming, we still had to hit Walmart because we didn't have anything to eat!!! We picked up a few party favors to ring in the New Year.

I fixed supper later that night and we played, laughed and had just a plane ole good time. Grandmother and Pop came to visit, and it was so good to see Cheryl feeling better. She's still not 100% but she is better. The girls showed them all of their Christmas goodies.

Due to the fact that my sweet Gracie didn't have a nap, there was no way that she was going to make it until midnight. So we did our partying early. Chris was not at all happy that I bought the girls party horns to play with. They were very annoying and very loud, but they were happy. Eventually, we did have to take them away for a little while because we just couldn't take it anymore!!!

I asked the girls what their favorite part of last year was. Emily said spending time with her family and Gracie said "Happy New Year". They were very cute.

Today was a very relaxing day. The girls and I got up and headed to my parents house for a visit. Daddy was up and around and doing great! We visited and ate the traditional black eyed peas and turnip greens. My mother is the best cook and it was all soooooo good!!! We came home to rest before we headed over to our friends Kasey and Brandon's house. They had us and a few other couples over. We laughed and talked and had a great time.

Well, that's our New Years wrapped up in a nice little bow. I hope you all had a restful day.

Happy New Year!!!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

High School Reunion

2010-12-31T18:15:00.000-06:00

Last night me and and a couple of my high school friends got together for a bite at Chili's. It was so good to see Kathy and Shannon because it has been probably 5 years since we've done this (but that's just a total guess because, I can't even remember the last time).

Over Thanksgiving break I went with Mother to her dermatologist appointment. In walked Shannon (far right) looking just like she did in HS. We talked for a bit and promised to get together over Christmas break. Kathy and Shannon are both teachers, so that would work out great because they get off for 2 weeks. Well, a lot has happened since that day at the doctor's office, and to be honest, I totally forgot about it!!! But thanks to Facebook, Shannon got us together. We sure missed Melissa, but she had to go off and move to Florida with her husband and family. But I guess you can't fault her for that! HaHa.

It was so fun to catch up! Shannon told a few of her "Shannon" stories. If you only knew my friend, she is a hoot and the funniest things always happen to her.

I'm very proud of my friends. They have accomplished a lot and both have beautiful families. And if we don't see each other until next Christmas, I'm sure we'll be able to pick up right where we left off because honestly, that's what true friends do!!!

I hope you all are having a safe and Happy New Years! Ours is VERY low key, but that's just how I wanted it!!! Stay tuned for a few pictures!!!!

Happy New Years!!!!!

Makin' The Best of It

2010-12-30T06:02:00.000-06:00

We've kind of has our minds elsewhere this week. My Dad had surgery on Monday and my MIL, Cheryl, had a "little" surgery on Tuesday. They both did great, but you can't help but worry about them a little. I mean really, they've worried about us for years, now it's our time to give back (ha ha).

With any scheduled surgery, the motto is "hurry up and wait". Because of this, I didn't go to the hospital for Dad's surgery because they weren't exactly sure when it would be and that's not the answer you want to hear being a mother of 2 impatient children. My goal was to make Tuesday a day of visiting. We would stop by and visit my MIL before she had surgery and when they took her back, we would run a few errands and then go see my Dad. Bless Cheryl's heart. She had to be there early and when we got there the Dr. called and said he would be 2 hours late. It's not fun to wait, but that's just the nature of the beast. Things happen and Dr's have to be called somewhere else. I know this because she was having surgery at my former place of employment, and what I consider the best job I've ever had. When I had Emily, I decided to be a stay-at-home-mom, but I truly loved working there.

Once they said the Doc would be late, I knew my crew would never make it because the complaining started when we came through the door. They were hungry (which I don't know why, they had breakfast), they were thirsty and they were tired. They were fading fast!!! So Maggie and I decided to go ahead and take them to the Mall. We both felt guilty living it up while we had family in the hospital, but everyone assured us to go on.

The Gang was much happier once we got to the Mall. After we ate, we all rode the carousel.

We had a great time. But as we were leaving Gracie threw a Stage 5 fit, that had the whole Mall looking at us!! You know the more this happens, the less it bothers me! Lol. She was just wore out, so it was expected. We hopped in the car for our next stop.

My Dad was doing great and the girls got their second wind and put on a big show for Momma and Daddy. Gracie would sing and dance and say whatever you wanted her to. Emily was just being her sweet self. It was so good to be there with my parents. But it was even better to see my Daddy feeling good. He had knee replacement and you really never know how you'll do after surgery. We stayed about an hour and a half and then headed home.

It was a very busy day, but it was a GREAT day. Daddy was great, Cheryl was great, and I got to spend time with Sophie Clare and Maggie.

Christmas Wrap Up

2010-12-29T21:25:00.000-06:00

Sunday, we wrapped up our Christmas weekend. Since our church was only having preaching we decided to go back to our home church. We surprised my in-laws and I do believe they were glad to see us and it was great to see everyone again.

My MIL bought the girls matching outfits for Christmas, so we dressed them up. I just love these outfits!!! I think it was funny that they all had on a different color bow.

Janine wanted the kids to come up on stage with her and sing "Oh How I Love Jesus". Emily just sat on the first pew, but Gracie and Braden went right up. Janine did most of the singing, actually she did ALL of the singing, but they sure looked cute standing up there with her.

We went to eat and then to my in-laws house to visit for a little bit. Since I didn't get many pictures of anyone else but the girls on Christmas Eve, I wanted to do a group shot like we did at my parents house (its down at the bottom). It took us several tries be we got a good one and I was happy. To say the girls were grouchy was a HUGE understatement. That is, my girls were grouchy. Sophie Clare was just as sweet as could be. Gracie pushed and grabbed at SC until I just knew it was time to leave and take a little rest. But poor Gracie didn't make it down the road before she fell asleep. When we got home Chris laid her in her bed with her coat on.

Once everyone rested for a bit, it was time to play some more!!! The girls had a really good Christmas and I can't believe how blessed we are.

The Family.

Christmas Day

2010-12-28T12:00:00.001-06:00

Oh the excitement on Emily's face Christmas morning. I got up early and sat on the couch because I was worried the Emily would get up and I would miss the look on her face. I got up about 6 and waited, and waited, and waited a little more. I do believe my little darlings we pooped because they didn't wake up until around 8. The look on Emily's face was priceless. She was very excited that Santa brought her a new kitchen, but I had to remind her that the kitchen was for Gracie too.

While we waited for Daddy to get and get the video camera going, the girls went through their stockings.

God bless my little Gracie. For the past two months, if anyone asked Gracie what Santa was going to bring her, she would say a sucker. Never not once did she change her answer! So as you can imagine, that little sweet baby got her sucker. She was so happy!

And M&M's!! Gracie had the breakfast of champions Christmas morning. Sucker and M&M's. But that's the best part about Christmas morning....you get a free pass.

Emily is all about earrings. I think after the first of the year she will get her ears pierced. But for the time being, she had some stick on earrings in her stocking.

After all the presents were opened, I fixed a little breakfast. I think my pancakes got a little "done". I did not have the best results in my Christmas cooking. I made 2 cakes and 1 ended up looking horrible!!! But it tasted great so that was a plus.

It took us awhile getting all the toys out of the boxes! I always say I'm going to ask Santa to take them out of the box but I always forget. But the rest of the morning was spent playing and relaxing. It was like we were in a dream because the kids were playing, we were relaxing and then you look out the window and it was snowing. It was just a wonderful day!

Later that night we headed to my parents house to exchange gifts with my brother and his family.

My Mother and Daddy got Gracie this doll, I thought for awhile we were going to have to leave it at their house!! It talked and laughed and never stopped. Then my mother broke the news that it didn't have an off switch!!! Well, let me tell you, we found it!!

I wanted to get Emily and American Girl doll for Christmas but I was worried she wouldn't play with it that much. I don't know if you know this, but they are kind of expensive. Mother found the Target version, and Emily just loved it. Jenny has been by her side ever since she was opened. Now that I know Em loves these dolls, I do believe she will get an AG doll for her birthday in June.

Mother got all the girls matching dresses! They are so pretty.

Robin and Gracie enjoying their writing mats Momma and Daddy got them.

Family picture!!! With all the excitement going on, its hard to get a picture of everyone. So we set the camera up for a group shot!!! I'm so glad we did. These moments are going by so fast and I want to remember them always!

Christmas Eve Night

2010-12-27T20:51:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve is my Mother's Birthday. We always have a big family get together to celebrate her special day and to swap Christmas gifts with the younger kids. We had a great time! The kids were so fun. They ran and played, but pretty soon they settled into the movie Santa Buddies.

When we got ready to sing Happy Birthday to Mother, the girls got right in front of her to sing. They looked like a little choir of angels.

With Ray's birthday later in the week, they sang to him as well.

Jenny and Michael

The kids had fun opening their gifts.

Have you seen those Yule Log videos? Well, I have and I always thought they were funny. I mean really, who would sit around with a "fire" on their TV. This Christmas we did and it was great!! It played Christmas music in the back ground and made it feel cozy. All I can say is "Don't knock it til you try it"!

It was so late when we got home and we had to get straight to bed so Santa could come. We read the Christmas story from the Bible and then Chris read the girls The Night Before Christmas. They were so sweet!

Once everyone was sound asleep, Santa soon came.

We had the best day spending time with the family. We laughed and talked and ate! It was truly a great day!!!

Christmas Eve Morning

2010-12-26T21:43:00.001-06:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone!!! In a slit second!! But I must say we have had a wonderful few days spending time with friends and family.

It all began with Christmas Eve morning. We headed over to my in-laws house for lunch. Usually we eat first and then open presents but that plan soon went out the window!!! We opened presents first and then had lunch. It was so fun to watch the kids open their presents. Sophie Clare jumped right in.

Gracie started off interested, but she soon faded.

My MIL painted these plaques for me and Maggie using the girls hands and feet. I'm a total sucker for anything with their sweet hands and feet on them.

Maggie and Jamie got Emily the coolest Barbie doll set. Her face was priceless when she first saw it.

They also got Emily some PJ's. She loves them and has worn them every day since!!!

My Mother and Father-in-law gave all the girls a play kitten. Which is so much better than a real one!!! HaHa. My FIL also made each girl and art box. It was so cute and creative! I know they will cherish it always!

Chris helping SC with her present

Maggie and Gracie

I'm not even sure what this sweet face is about, but I just love it!!! She must have been excited about something good!

That was just the moring festivites!!! Stay tuned for more.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

2010-12-25T15:09:00.000-06:00

We are having a white Christmas and I just can't believe it. This morning we woke up to enjoy our presents without any snow. We talked to Chris' family that lives about 30 minutes away but up on a mountain and they had tons of snow. To say that we were sad was an understatement, but hey, what can you do? Then before you know it, it started snowing here and it's really coming down. It has been for about 5 hours.

Emily was so excited and wanted to go right out to play in the snow. But I encouraged her to wait until Gracie takes her nap. Gracie is not a fan of the snow so I thought that might be the best plan.

Emily couldn't wait to get ready. She wanted to wear this tobogin. It was my brother's when he was little.

Good ole snow ball fight. I even got popped a few times.

I never think to buy winter gloves. I mean its never that cold in the south. Sometimes you just have to improvise. So Emily's hands wouldn't get wet building the snowman, we put her little cloth gloves on her hands and I covered them with ziplock bags. They worked like a charm!!!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas! We sure are.!

I Love My Girls

2010-12-23T13:27:00.001-06:00

I've been wanting to take the girls to this place in town and snap a few pictures. You wouldn't believe that it's an old gas station that they decorate for the holidays. I've had an awful time trying to get there because we have been sick and then it was too cold, but yesterday we decided to run up there and take a few shots. Well, when we got there the wind was blowing at what seemed like a 100 miles an hour! Excuse everyone's hair.

The Falls

2010-12-22T12:04:00.000-06:00

In our town they have a park that the city lights up every year. Last year we promised Emily we would take her, but she was sick the whole month of December, so we weren't able to. But Monday night turned out to be one of the warmest we've had in awhile so we decided to hit The Falls.

Jenny and her girls were going to go, but the daycare called earlier in the day and Ava had a fever. We hate that they couldn't meet us, but we want AC better so that we can see her on Christmas. Maggie, Jamie and Sophie Clare met us and we had a great time!!! It was more crowded than I expected but still totally enjoyable. I'm so glad we were well enough to go this year!

Gracie and Uncle Jamie

Me and G

Sweet Sophie Clare

Maggie and G

Em and her Daddy

The Family!!! We all have crazy eyes, but we have learned, when you take a group shot you take what you can get before everyone gets mad!!!

Can't wait until next year!!!

The Nutcracker

2010-12-21T13:02:00.000-06:00

Every year, I try to take Emily to do something special at Christmas time. So far we have been to the Polar Express, to see The Rocketts, and to see The Nutcracker. Chris and I tried to take Emily to see The Nutcracker when she was younger and I do believe we tried to start making magical memories a little early because she could have cared less!!!! And we left in the middle of the show. So I decided to try The Nutcracker again now that Emily is a few years older. Emily and I asked Mother to go with us and we had a great time!!!

Gran and Emily getting ready to go.

I was excited because I've never got to see the end of The Nutcracker. It was really great!!

We ran into our friends, Jennifer, Carleigh, and Avery. It was so good to see them!

Ava Caroline's Birthday

2010-12-21T12:33:00.000-06:00

We celebrated my cousin/niece, Ava Caroline's birthday way back at the beginning of December!! Where has the month gone!! I say cousin-slash-niece because Ava's mother Jenny is my first cousin, but more like a sister! So when people ask us how we are related, we just look at each other. And if its a total stranger we usually say "sisters".

Look who we ran into on the way to the party. LITERALLY, on the way to the party!!!

Jenny had the party at Ace Gymnastics and as you can see it was a big hit!!

Michael, Ava's dad and his mom.

Mrs. Yocum, Jenny and Aunt Carol (Jenny's mom)

Kids of all ages loved the foam!

Sweet Baby Kate

I hate that this picture is blurry because it cracks me up!! Gracie always thinks she's as big as everyone else!!

My SIL Tessa, me, and Jenny

The whole gang!

We are so glad you had a Happy Birthday Ava!!! Love you!

The Flu Blues

2010-12-17T19:11:00.000-06:00

Okay y'all, the flu bug hit our house last Thursday and we are just now getting back in the swing of things!!!! Luckily, Gracie and I are the only ones that were blessed with this wonderful sickness and we are keeping our fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers that it will stay that way!!!! So be looking for post after post. I have a few things to tell you about!

Thanks to my husband, mom and neighbor who helped us make it through. My mom cooked for us. My neighbor brought us food, and my husband helped around the house without even being asked. Now to get ready for Christmas! It'll be here before you know it!!!

Sophie Clare turns 2

2010-12-07T05:57:00.000-06:00

As always, I'm behind. But as the old saying goes, "Better late than never". The Saturday before last, we celebrated Sophie Clare's 2nd Birthday.

Everything looked great! Maggie did a wonderful job as usual.

SC got a little shy once everyone started singing.

I love this little face!

We got her a Pillow Pet and she loved it! That is right up until Natalie and Zac gave her the cash register! Then she dropped that Pillow Pet like a bad habbit! LOL

A fun time was had by all. I'm so glad we could celebrate this day with you.

We Love You, Sophie Clare!!!

Take a look here, here, and here for ALL of her birthday celebration.

Game Day!

2010-12-02T20:29:00.000-06:00

I must say, I'm a little sad football season is already over. Well, at least for Bama it is. They are going to a Bowl Game, but to me, it's just not the same. I hope Auburn can pull it out for the state of Alabama AND I hope Cam Newton wins the Heisman!!! He's got my vote!

We had big plans for game day....or at least I thought we did. My neighbor invited the whole street down to his house. Since the game was during Gracie's nap time, Chris was going to go for the kickoff, and I would come with the girls when G woke up. When I called Chris, I found out all the other ladies had either gone shopping or stayed at home. So, we had a "Girl's Night In"! It was great....right up until Bama lost. But that's okay, we had a good time anyway! Better luck next year guys! Roll Tide!!

Thankdsgiving Part 2

2010-11-30T20:26:00.000-06:00

Thursday we spent the day at my in-law's house. We got there around lunch and stayed until dark!!! I must say, I was a little sad that I was missing out on my Mother's Thanksgiving meal because she is the best cook! But my mother-in-law, Cheryl, blew lunch out of the water!!! It was SO GOOD!!!! Thank you for all your hard work because it was WONDERFUL!!!

It was unseasonably warm, so after lunch the girls went outside to play. Sorry for Gracie's dirty shirt. I think she was playing in my father-in-law's workshop. We had on our Bama best for the big game on Friday.

My beautiful angel!!! Oh, how I love Emmy!!!

My sweet Sophie Clare

Chris took the girls on a 4-wheeler ride

Don't forget Gracie!!! She was there too....holding on for dear life!!! HaHa

Emily's cousin Madyson was down from South Carolina. Emily loves playing with her!

The fam. Jamie, my brother-in-law, had already gone home and the babies really didn't seem to care about being in the picture.

It was a great relaxing day. I can't believe we are finished with Thanksgiving and rolling on to Christmas. But I am so ready!

Thanksgiving Part 1

2010-11-29T20:44:00.000-06:00

We had a fun filled Thanksgiving!! Emily was out of school for a whole week and it was great to have her home during the day for a change.

For the past couple of years, Chris and I have swapped family gatherings at Thanksgiving. One year we go to his family's house and the next year mine. It works out wonderfully because we actually get to spend quality time with the family instead of eating and running to another house. Because it was our turn to spend it with Chris' family, my Mother planned a day of fun on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The girls and I met Mother, Tessa (SIL) and Robin (niece) at Target so that Mother could get a few gift ideas for the girls for Christmas. It was so fun watching the girls look at all the toys.

Gracie thinks she's just as big as the other girls.

We let the girls decided where we were eating lunch. They chose McDonald's! I tried to change their mind, but it didn't work. McDonald's was the place!

We headed to Hobby Lobby after that. Mother is going to make the girls a pillowcase and she wanted them to pick out the fabric.

I can't wait to see the finished product. The girls also got to pick out ornaments.

This was how the Robin and Emily where all day. They loved being with each other.

When we got back to Mother's house, she and the girls made two pecan pies for Thanksgiving. The big girls did most of the work, but Gracie loved being in there with them.

Robin and Emily took turns pouring and stirring.

I know this is a memory they will keep with them forever!

It was a really fun day!!! I love spending time with my family. And Tessa, I want to apologize for not getting a better picture of you. But Christmas is coming and I will do much better then!!! Love ya!

Lunch with Emily

2010-11-23T20:53:00.001-06:00

Last Thursday, we had Thanksgiving lunch at school with Emily. I was so glad that Chris was able to go and I know Emily was too!!!

Thanks Gran for the cute turkey shirts. We love them!!!

To say that it was organized chaos is a total understatement!!! But it was still fun being able to share this time with Em!

Gracie was so fussy and I couldn't understand why. Then it hit me! I only purchased 2 plates, thinking that she would eat off one of our plates. She was upset because she didn't have her own plate!!! When Emily finished and started socializing, she finished her food and was much happier!! That girl (Gracie) is a mess!

Emily and Brinley

We walked Em back to her classroom and said goodbye. I love her so, and I'm so glad we could spend this special time with her!

Go, Go, Go!!!!!

2010-11-17T21:26:00.001-06:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you have somewhere to go everyday? Well, since last Friday, I've somewhere to be everyday....sometimes being gone all day long!!! Granted, most of it was for fun stuff, but none-the-less, it can be hectic!! So here are the gory (and somewhat boring details)!

Friday, I spent the whole day with my brother. I asked him to ride to town with me, and it ended up being the best day. Jeff was on vacation, so he didn't have to work. We had lunch and strangely enough, went shopping. I wish so bad that I would have brought my camera with me because, like I said, we had the best day. Nothing fabulous, but as you know, when you get older, life kind of takes over, and you are doing your own thing. It was great to have some time with him. And Gracie enjoyed seeing her Uncle Jeff.

On Saturday, I went shopping in Birmingham with my friends Tammy and Dawn. They are my neighbors and we have planned this several times but it usually fell through, but we finally nailed down Saturday. We had the best time!!! We talked and laughed (both of which I LOVE to do) and it was great to get to know them better. I was able to buy a few things for Christmas which makes me happy to feel ahead of the game.

I had to fix breakfast for our Sunday School class, so I was bright eyed and bushy tailed come Sunday morning. Then we had to run a little errand Sunday afternoon ;). Monday, Gracie and I played catch up all day and I washed a TON of clothes!! I mean, seriously, it was bad!

Tuesday came, which was my cousin Jenny's birthday. I had a full day of things to do, so my mother-in-law was kind enough to watch Gracie so my load would be lighter. Although it was easier to get from A to B by myself, I did miss my partner in crime.

Jenny and I met for lunch. I hope she had a great birthday because I enjoyed spending it with her.

With it being Tuesday, Emily had dance. This day was special because we were able to go in and see the things that she has learned. I must say that I was a little nervous that she would back out because she had talked about how she was scared all week!!! We talked about it every chance we got and she pulled through with flying colors!!!!! I was so very proud of her!!!

After they showed us their moves, they had a sweet little tea party for the girls. Lots of goodies and treats!!! It was so fun to be able to share this with her. This is the stuff I LIVE for!!!

Today, we had to hit the floor running!!!! Gracie had her first dentist appointment this morning. When Emily had her first appointment, all they did was count her teeth, which in itself was a disaster, but you know, it just kind of eased her in. So when I made Gracie's appointment, I thought that's all it would be.....a little teeth countin'. Oh no my friend!!! They straight up cleaned her teeth!!! I'm so glad I didn't know this before hand because I would have worried about it the whole time. And it was as bad as you could imagine!! Screaming, snot....the whole 9 yards!!! But all was fine. No cavities!!!! I love their dentist, so I know Gracie was in good hands. Emily's second visit was much different. She loves going now. So I hope G will feel the same way. But I won't hold my breath!!!! HaHa!

After we finished at the dentist, we headed to eat lunch with Gran. She has been out of town for the past few days, so it was so good to see her. Gracie told her several times, "You so sweet" and "I love you". And I do believe she kissed her 20 times.

Gran giving Gracie a little "make".

By the time we finished lunch, it was time to pick up Em. Emily had her first phone call from a school friend today. I thought it was so sweet, then I found our that Emily passed her phone number out to a few friends at school. A friend from Sunday School sent me a message that Emily had put her phone number on a little piece of paper and given it to her daughter. I'm so thankful that she only gave it to people we know!!!!! And NO BOYS!!!! But Brinley called and they talked a bit. It was so funny to hear them talk about TV and stuff like that. Oh I could just squeeze Emily she looked so cute. And the best part was that Gracie crawled right up beside her while she talked. If only life could always be this sweet and innocent!!!!

It has been a busy couple of days, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world!!!!

Happy Wednesday y'all!!!!

Operation Christmas Child

2010-11-09T20:29:00.000-06:00

Operation Christmas Child may not be a new thing to you, but if you've never heard of it please take a few minutes to watch this video.

For the past few weeks, we have watched videos like this on Sunday morning during church. I've not made it to the end of one without crying yet! To see the faces of the children who receive these boxes puts Christmas in a whole new light. We have participated in OCC for the past several years, and I'm telling you, there is nothing that compares to seeing the joy it brings to these children.

This past Sunday we watched a video of a man who, with is daughter and wife, has packed over 8000 boxes. That's not just 8000 children that will get a toy on Christmas, but it's 8000 children who hear the gospel of Christ and hopefully decided to give their hearts to the Lord. What an opportunity!!!!

So if your church has this ministry, there's still time!!! Get involved!!!! If they don't, then find a church that does!!! You won't be sorry!!!

Gracie and I went and got our items today for a boy and a girl, and tomorrow night during Mission Friends, Amy and I are going to show the kids what Christmas is really about.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15

Great Weekend

2010-11-09T11:48:00.000-06:00

Our weekend was great and very relaxing. Saturday morning we where all very lazy. The girls got up and played and played and it was so nice not to have anywhere to go!!! We eventually got out later in the day to go celebrate Jenny and Aunt Carol's birthday, so Emily got busy making them card.

I got up pulling out our Christmas china and putting it in the china cabinet. Then Emily talked me into getting out the Christmas tree. She really didn't have to do too much talking because I love to see her face when the tree goes up. That smile on her face is really what life is all about!

Gracie's face was priceless too! She was asleep while we were putting it up.

Emily helped me hang the ornaments and she did a great job.

This is Emily's First Christmas Ornament. My friend Yvonne and I went to Birmingham to a craft show and they painted Emily's little hand when she was just 5 months old. Every time I hang that ornament I remember how much fun we had that day. I also can't believe that was 5 years ago!!! Life is going by way too fast!

Later Saturday night we headed to Aunt Carol's house. Believe it or not, Kate was excited to see me!

My Mom and Aunt Carol

Gracie trying to decided which candles to put on the cake.

The girls played great together!!! They laughed and screamed and had a good time.

Hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil!!! Ha Ha

My mother got this sign for Aunt Carol. Funny because between my mother and AC, they have enough fabric to open up their own store!!!!

Jenny's birthday isn't until next week, but we celebrated a little early. She and I are going to meet for lunch next week to celebrate her big day!!

I got tickled because their Birthday numbers look like a zip code.

We had a great time visiting with the family, and Sunday was great too. We went to church, which the service was GREAT, and relaxed the rest of the day.

I hope you all had a great weekend as well.

Last But Not Least

2010-11-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon, our church had their Trunk-or-Treat. We all decided to dress up. Chris went as a farmer because he had overalls. I went as a doctor because I had scrubs from my old job and the girls went as Dorothy.

Since we had more ground to cover, Gracie was going to have to wear shoes and it just turned out to be a HOT day. I decided to dress Gracie in Emily's 2 year old costume because it was much cooler. They were so cute as matching Dorothy's

This is Emma. Her parents, Casey and Brandon, are in our Sunday School class. I do believe she is the cutest Wonder Woman I have ever seen.

Later that night, we made our way to my parent's church. They had all kinds of fun games but the hit of the night were the pony rides.

My niece, Robin.

Cloe the Cowgirl. How cute.

Tessa was kind enough to let us borrow Robin's costume from last year and she was also kind enough to carry Gracie around. This picture cracked me up because Gracie carried her candy bag just like all the big kids. To me is was just so cute.

Well, Halloween was a blast this year. But I must say I'm glad for some down time. And I'm sure you'll be glad that I'm done with the pictures. HA!

Halloween Part 2

2010-11-03T20:17:00.000-05:00

Saturday we went to Trunk or Treat at our home church. I've not talked much about it, but during the summer, Chris and I decided to move to a church closer to home. It was not a decision that was easily made, but it was something we prayed about and God opened a door. It's always good to go back home! These people will ALWAYS be our family!

Easton was cute as a little monkey.

Sophie Clare ever the sweet strawberry.

Grandmother painted Em's face.

I got the best call Saturday morning. Derek, the pastor's son and great family friend, called and asked if Emily could be a flower girl with Katie in his wedding this coming Summer. It was all I could do not to cry! He told me not to, so I choked it back. But I'm so excited!! Emily and Katie get along great and it will be so fun to be apart of their special day!

Gracie as a lady bug. She wouldn't wear her shoes, so she had on pink flip flops. Oh well.

Jaylin was a sweet Southern bell.

Farrah as Jessie. We love Toy Story at our house!

I got tickled watching Gracie dig in her bag of candy.

We drove by our old house and stopped to see our neighbors. Colton was so little when we first met him, and it's still hard for me to believe he has grown so much.

We had a fun time, but the girls we pooped when they got home. Gracie laid down in the chair and Emily covered her up with all her blankets. They are so cute when they play together (that is when they not fighting...haha)!

Special Snack

2010-11-01T20:34:00.000-05:00

You will be so sick of Halloween pictures before this is over! I have a ton!!! So we might as well start with Friday.

Instead of a party, Emily's class had a "special snack". They are only allowed 2 parties a year, so this snack was very low key. I helped the room mom, Jennifer, pass out all the snacks to the kids. I love the fact that Gracie just fits into wherever she's at. Not to say that she wasn't a little "all-over-the-place", but she was so sweet and the other kids just loved her.

Gracie sat in every one's lap!!! Kids were saying, "Come sit with me Gracie". I was very proud of Emily because she wasn't a bit jealous. When we got there, the kids were making candy necklaces and using the pieces to do a math assignment. It was funny, because Gracie started eating the candy at Emily's table. Before long, we started passing out food and all the kids brought Gracie their candy. Mrs. M even asked about a candy necklace that was left on a table and Gracie said, "It's mine!" That brought a laugh from everyone!

My hats off to Mrs. M. Her kids love her and she does a great job managing her classroom. Even on a crazy day like "special snack", the kids were really good.

I love sharing these moments with my kids!!! I can't wait for more!!!