glimpse into our world

his birthday

2012-01-15T16:15:00.000-06:00

today is the husband's birthday.

not a day goes by that i don't thank God for placing this man in my life. i know it sounds cheesy, but it's absolutely true. no matter what happens, i know that he has my back.

i love how he takes care of our family. he works so hard to make sure that we know how important we are to him. and we do.

i love how patient and loving he is with our kids.

i love how he knows what i'm thinking even before i do.

i love how he can infuriate me one minute, and then have me laughing the next.

i love our inside jokes.

i love he knows when i'm on edge, and he knows just how to calm me down. every time.

i love how he can make everything fun. so do the kids.

i love his outlook on life. no matter what happens, he knows that everything will work out. he is always quick to remind me that God has always taken care of us, and always will.

happy birthday to the bestest husband and daddy around! we sure do love you!

christmas

2011-12-30T15:41:00.001-06:00

another Christmas come and gone. we had a wonderful one, although i will say that it's getting to be more work each year. you don't realize when you are a kid that Santa actually gets a whole lot of help from your ~~mom~~ parents, and all of this Christmas magic doesn't just happen. but it is also more special each year as Caleb is getting older and understanding more. i can only imagine what next year will be like! thankfully we have a while until then to recuperate!

in anticipation of Christmas, we did some crafting.....

we had a lot of fun. it's amazing how last year, Caleb wanted nothing to do with being still long enough to do anything like this with me, and this year he was loving it. and so was i.

we decked our halls.....

you'll notice our stockings were not hung by the chimney with care, because a certain three-year-old wanted to yank them down. so they found a new home this year. luckily, Santa was still able to find them and filled them up for us.

we went to a really wonderful Christmas party, where Santa made a special appearance.....

and then we celebrated Christmas three days in a row.....

there were a lot of presents, a lot of eating, and a whole lot of fun. (there were also a lot of tears, and whining, and tantrums, and so on, but who wants to hear about that?!!)

and now we are ready to welcome the new year, and see what God has in store for our family!

bread, bread, and more bread

2011-12-11T21:10:00.002-06:00

we are in full-on-christmas-mode around here and i have, once again, neglected our little blog. so what better thing to come back and talk about than food?

i've been following edie's blog for a while now, and she's been doing some linky parties for all things food. so i thought this was a good time to go ahead and post my recipe for pumpkin bread, because people are always asking me for the recipe. so now, i can just tell them to go find it on the blog! i've spoken of my deep, deep love of pumpkin bread before. i live off this stuff all throughout the fall and winter every year. even the husband loves it - and he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so that is saying a lot. and it is probably the healthiest food item that little man ever asks for by name.

i cannot take credit for this recipe. it was given to my younger brother's class for something or other in elementary school, and my parents, and now I, have been making it ever since.

*****************************************************************************
The Best Pumpkin Bread Ever

3 1/2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
1 cup water
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together first six ingredients. Add pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add nuts. Pour into three greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

******************************************************************************

i always make this using my mixer. it makes it super-duper easy.

if i had to choose one thing in my kitchen to save, it would be my mixer. i love her. and not just silly ol' puppy-love, but the deep-kind-of-love that makes me smile every time i see her. my sweet momma gave her to me when i got married. she still uses her mom's mixer, and every time i see it, i think of my grandmother. these mixers hold all kinds of memories and lovin'.

ok, so while i'm at it, here's a couple of links to some recent favorites that are responsible for my not-so-small-waist-line.

these cinnamon rolls are so incredibly delicious, and so easy because they're done with the breadmaker. i mostly follow this site for couponing, but every recipe that i have tried of hers has been a hit.

and these dinner rolls are amazing. i'm always looking for good dinner-bread recipes, because at our house, there has to be meat and bread on the plate every night. my husband is not a picky eater at all, but if he doesn't have some kind of meat and some kind of bread for dinner, he would be a very, very sad man. but i've always shied away from making my own rolls because they typically take awhile to let the yeast rise and all. well, these rolls take 30 minutes total, are ridiculously easy to make, and they are absolutely divine. i found this recipe on pinterest a couple of months ago, and i have made it so many times since then. husband is a happy camper.

happy eating!

thankful

2011-11-24T06:03:00.000-06:00

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

her party

2011-11-15T21:02:00.000-06:00

we had baby girl's first birthday party over the weekend. we tried to keep it small and simple, and invited some family to come and celebrate with us.

baby's first sugar.....

tired.....

and happy.....

we sure do love this girl.....

one

2011-11-12T19:22:00.001-06:00

my baby girl is one year old today!

how is that possible?

my sweet girl-

you are such a blessing to us. you have such a sweet, happy spirit, and we are so incredibly grateful for you.

here are some things you are up to these days:

- you aren't quite walking on your own yet, but you are a super speed-crawler.

- you want absolutely nothing to do with baby food, and haven't for awhile now. you think you are a big girl and will eat almost anything that we eat.

- you give sweet kisses all the time.

- you love your big brother. you think he's incredibly silly and laugh at him all the time. you love to be in the crib with him so you can both jump and chase each other back and forth.

- you adore your daddy. as soon as he walks in the room, you will scream at him until he acknowledges you. and once he does, you hold up your hand at him. it's your "talk to the hand" pose that makes us laugh every time.

- you are so easy going and just go with the flow. you love to go shopping with me (grocery shopping and target runs....we don't have time to do much other than that these days!)

- you love for us to sing silly songs, especially when they have motions and gestures to go with them.

- you LOVE bath time. you start kicking and try to climb into the bathtub as soon as the water starts running.

- you try to take out your hair bows so you can eat them.

- you have the sweetest smile and dimples that can light up the room.

happy birthday sweet girl!

we love you so much!

our halloween

2011-11-04T12:11:00.000-05:00

this year, we spent our halloween in the hundred acre woods.....

i had to include this picture, even though it's not any good. i should really learn how to use our camera at night.....

Caleb is showing his daddy the moon. any time Caleb walks by an open window at night, or as soon as he walks outside, he looks for the moon and points it out to us. and i just love it, because how many times are we just going, going, going, and too wrapped up with stuff to just stop, and look at the moon. how grateful i am for my sweet boy to remind us to slow down, and enjoy God's creation and appreciate His beauty.

this was the first year that we actually went trick-or-treating. we weren't sure if little man would actually get into it or not, so we were happy to see that he got the whole concept, and he had a great time. listening to him say "trick-or-treat" was the cutest thing ever, and then he would yell out "bye-bye" as he left each house. it was a very fun night.

and what i hope will become a yearly tradition.....

my two guys watching "it's the great pumpkin".

and with that, it's November.....which means it's Thanksgiving.....which means it's basically Christmas.....which means it's my most favoritist time of year!

the pumpkin patch

2011-10-30T17:20:00.000-05:00

we made it back to the pumpkin patch this year. we missed going last year since we were so busy moving back home post-flood, not to mention i was very much with-child at the time. so, it's been two years since we took little man, and it was a very different experience this time. he had a blast, which means that the rest of us did as well.

it is no easy task to get two littles to look at the camera at the same time, especially when there are people watching you and waiting for their turn. but just when we were about to give up, they both gave in to our pleas and looked our way.....

our guy did a lot of playing.....

have i mentioned how grateful i am for an easy-going baby who is content to just go-with-the-flow? because i am. baby girl just sat and watched her big brother play and smiled at anyone who looked her way.....

my two guys walking through the pumpkin patch.....

hanging outside

2011-10-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

it finally started to feel like fall outside this week. up until now, it was still feeling more like summer out there. so we headed outside one afternoon when daddy was home and we went just a little crazy with the camera.....

fall crafting

2011-10-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

well, fall is in full swing at our house. this is my favorite time of year - even more so now that we have kids.

we've been doing lots of baking, burning our pumpkin spice candles, and staying in jammies a little longer than normal whenever possible.

so we thought it was time to do some crafting.

we tried doing a fingerprint tree, and little man really did a great job. finger-paint used to really freak him out, so we are very happy that he does so well with it now.

when we were finished with them, i held up my tree, which i thought at least somewhat resembled a tree.

anyways, this was our conversation.....

me: Caleb, what is it?
him: paint!
me: well, yes, but what does it look like?
him: {blank stare}
me: does it look like a tree?
him: {silly laugh} no!

he was so funny, acting like a tree was the most ridiculous thing i could have said!

so much for my artistic skills!

we also tried painting some pumpkins, because i am not yet brave enough to try carving them with our little guy.

and a parting shot, cause he's just so darn cute.....

curls

2011-10-09T13:59:00.007-05:00

okay, so here's a picture of baby girl at about 8 months old.....

and a picture of little man at about the same age.....

baby girl.....

little man.....

where are her curls?

*photos by Jennifer Dunaway Photography*

our summer in pictures

2011-08-26T17:09:00.000-05:00

well, summer break is over, school is back in, and we are getting into a new routine around here. and i have been the world's worst blogger and neglected this here blog of ours. so, since free time is scarce, and since i have no energy to come up with words, this post consists of my favorite pictures taken this summer.

but first, two little disclaimers:

1. there are a lot of pictures. and yes, this is after i narrowed it down.

2. these are all pictures of my kids. if you don't think my kids are cute, well, then, shame on you! and what are you doing here?

lazy summer days

2011-07-29T16:57:00.008-05:00

ha.

whoever first called summer days lazy did not have a 3-year-old and an 8-month-old.

our days are busy and full with never a dull moment, but we are enjoying ourselves, for the most part, and trying to fit in some fun summer outings.

i was going through all the pics we've taken all summer long, and realized that i really needed to update this here blog. which i already knew.

so first up, a visit to the zoo.....

makayla was there too, although she slept through most of it.

it was a really hot one that day, which you can pretty much say every day around here. we got rained out at the end, so we ran to the car in a downpour and got loaded up just in time for it to stop and clear up again. oh well.

a couple of things

2011-06-17T15:05:00.004-05:00

{thanks Uncle JaiSun for our shirts!}

just thought we'd check in and show you all a couple of things! we are enjoying our summer so far, and will hopefully be back soon to blog all about it!

6 months

2011-05-17T18:38:00.009-05:00

makayla was 6 months old last week.

in honor of her half-birthday, she finally got to eat something that didn't come out of a bottle for the very first time.

this baby girl is the sweetest, happiest baby. she rarely cries. if you just glance in her direction, she will smile her big ole' dimply smile, and you can't help but smile back.

she loves to watch her brother. whether he is playing happily, or crying hysterically, she will watch him intently and smile the whole time.

she is starting to actually get places now when she rolls around.

she can sit up, but gets tired very quickly, and then angry.

she sleeps through the night.

she really, really, really likes her bottle.

she is very ticklish, and her giggle is infectious.

she is in the 95th percentile for weight and length and head circumference. at least she's proportionate.

she's a beautiful, wonderful, amazing blessing, and I thank God for her every day.

look-alikes

2011-05-10T18:16:00.003-05:00

every time i look at Makayla, i feel like i'm looking at Caleb all over again.

i wonder why?

Easter

2011-05-04T20:18:00.003-05:00

reflecting

2011-05-02T07:35:00.001-05:00

it's been a year since the flood.

part of me feels like it was so much longer ago than that, and part of me feels like it was just yesterday. i remember everything about that day. all of the ridiculous details like what i was wearing. but mostly, i remember everything i was feeling. the fear. panic. worry. helplessness. frustration. anxiety. devastation. and while it's only been a year, i'm fairly certain that my memories of it will stay this vivid for quite some time, if not always.

and i'm ok with that.

yeah, the flood was awful. the whole situation was pretty devastating. but it's part of our story now. it's part of our family's journey. i can look back now and see everything that's come out of our flood experiences, and i can be grateful. we are wiser now. we are stronger now.

there are a few things i learned from this whole experience. some things i knew and just needed to be reminded of. some things i learned for the first time. either way, i hope i don't ever forget.

- we are so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends. i am forever grateful for them.

- this world is not our home.

- even when things are really looking down, God always provides. maybe not the way you expect, or how you expect, or when you expect, but He does.

- i have an awesome husband. he steps up and does whatever he has to do for his family, and i love that about him.

- there are really, really, really good people out there. people who didn't know us gave to us in such gracious ways. i am still in awe of this.

- everyone should have flood insurance. i don't care if you're not anywhere near an ocean, or a lake, or a river. i don't care if you're in the desert. get it.

so here's to our first post-flood anniversary. what a year.

he turned 3

2011-04-29T15:48:00.012-05:00

i asked him.

i begged him.

i pleaded with him.

please don't turn 3. stay 2 just a little while longer.

3 sounds so old. stay little. stay my baby boy.

but he did it anyways.

he's 3 years old now.

how is it that time goes so quickly these days? how i sometimes wish i could just slow things down, and enjoy this precious time with my sweet littles. sure, it's tough. being a mom is a heck of a lot harder than i ever thought it was gonna be. but it's also the most wonderful & rewarding thing i've ever done. i just want to cherish each beautiful day that i get to spend with my babes.

so what is Caleb up to these days?

he still loves trains.

he likes to sing and dance.

he loves to play chase, and wrestle, and being tickled.

he will finally sit still long enough for me to read him a book.

he still only drinks milk, and he loves him some carbs. bread and crackers. crackers and bread.

he is so affectionate and will give us hugs and kisses all day long.

he loves to count (in his own way). he can only count to 15, so if there are more than 15 things to count, he will say 14 over and over so that 15 can be the last number.

he loves for you to cheer and applaud him whenever he accomplishes something. if you don't do it on your own, he will politely prompt you.

he likes to take Makayla's hairbows out.

he likes to walk Bella. it is so.stinkin.cute.

he loves being outside.

so that is where we spent his day.

when we asked him to sit down with his sister and smile, this is what we got.....

nice.

the next day we had a little party. we kept it very small this year, but he definitely still enjoyed himself.

he spent more time outside.....

and then we dragged him inside for presents. apparantly, word got out that he's a thomas fan, so there was a theme to his gifts this year.

he was one happy guy.

happy birthday little man! we love you so much!

we went to the park

2011-03-27T13:19:00.010-05:00

well, it feels like winter here today, even though it was less than a week ago that we were enjoying warmer weather.

we took the kids to the park last week to meet up with a new playgroup that we found. more on that later. let's just say that they're awesome. we had a really great time, and i think it was really good for our family to just be outside and enjoy being together.

it was definitely obvious that little man enjoyed himself.....

not sure what's going on here. the pledge of allegiance maybe?

this little girl just hung out and blew some raspberries.....

i think this look is saying "will someone please fix my hair?"

and on a side note, i think there are few things in this world better than baby feet.....

and yes, thomas was there too.

spring

2011-03-21T16:58:00.002-05:00

i love spring.

random, meaningless, no good, unimportant stuff

2011-03-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

my brain is on overload 24-7 these days with a lot of important stuff, and a lot of not-so-important stuff. so, in an effort to clear my mind, here is some of the not-so-important stuff that is taking up precious brain space.....

- 4 months is a good age. they can't move yet. you can walk out of the room, and when you come back, they are exactly where you left them.

- i keep telling bella that if she has one more "accident" in the house, we will find a farm to send her to. i think she's calling my bluff.

- our new front door still has not been painted since we moved back home. and there are wires sticking out where the doorbell should be. how tacky is that?

- the blockbuster near us is closing. my kids will not know what it is to actually go to a store and rent a dvd. they will think that they only come from big red boxes outside of walgreens.

- march madness is stupid.

- i hate my cell phone. it hangs up on people, or makes conference calls, or goes on mute whenever it wants. sprint says it's because i hold it wrong when i'm on a call. seriously? they also said i have to either pay $400 for a new phone, or wait until july when i am eligible for a rebate.

- no one tells you how much laundry comes with a husband and kids.

- i hardly ever wear heels anymore.

- my kids are unaware that the time changed last weekend.

- as much as i love winter, i am soooo ready for summer.

- i don't get to watch much tv these days. so, when i sit down to watch a show that i dvr'd, and the show was replaced by storm tracker for the entire hour, i'm a tad bit peeved.

- you can be the 15th car in the drive-thru at chic-fil-a and you still get out of there faster than anywhere else.

- you are willing to wait in really long drive-thru lines when you have two kids in carseats.

- gas prices make me want to say bad words.

- i really need to start working on my new year's resolutions.

- i need a haircut.

- i want to learn how to sew.

- i need to go to bed earlier.

- mcdonald's mocha frappes are actually pretty good.

- i need to drink more water.

ok. so that was fun. and kinda pointless.

maybe now i can think more clearly.

or maybe not.

either way, i will hopefully be back soon to write a post with actual substance, and try to tell about the more important stuff on my mind these days.

the day we got our house back

2011-02-27T14:43:00.000-06:00

we've been back home for a while now, but i never did tell the story of everything that happened to get us here. it's a long story, but it's an amazing one. so here goes.

our home got hit back in may when it flooded. we got about three feet of water, so we had to gut the entire lower level and then rebuild. the house sat for about 3 months while we scraped up enough money to start construction. we started not knowing how far we would get before the money ran out, and not really sure of what we would do when it did. but God kept providing and placing more resources in our path, and by His hand we were able to completely rebuild. we were even able to make some improvements that we had always talked about maybe doing one day.

well, the summer was long, and hot, and stressful. husband was either at work or at the house working. little man definitely had a difficult time of things - it was obvious that he missed both his house and his daddy. and if you remember, i was pregnant. enough said.

but we trudged along, and the house slowly started to look like a house again. we started thinking about furnishing it, but we had basically put all of our funds into the construction itself, and there wasn't much left for anything else.

some friends of ours who live nearby were also flooded. they were ahead of us in construction, and then one day they invited us over to see what their church had done for them. we weren't exactly sure what we were going to see, but it was not at all what we expected. their home was not only fully furnished, it was decorated. artwork, accessories, window treatments, rugs, even electronics. it was all there. and it was beautiful. they were told to leave one day, and when they came back, their house was ready to move into - like an extreme makeover kinda thing. it was such an amazing blessing for them.

a few weeks later, these friends called us and said that the church had asked them if they knew anyone else who was in a similar situation - as in a newly renovated empty home. they immediately thought of us, and the church wanted to extend the same gift to us. we were pretty stunned at first, and i think we were both hesitant to let ourselves get excited, just in case it didn't happen.

a few days later, Nancy called me. she told me about the church that she and her husband had started, and about this amazing way that they were blessing families. she asked me if this was something that we were interested in.

um.....yes!

about a week later, Bobby and i went to meet Nancy and Pastor Stan. we were actually kind of nervous and anxious about the whole thing, and we were still trying to stay calm and not get excited in case things didn't work out. but they were the most friendly, warm, welcoming couple, and they put us at ease right away. we talked for quite a while, and Nancy asked us a lot of questions about our house. and then we set a tentative date (since construction wasn't quite finished at this point) for them to come and do the makeover.

this is when we finally let ourselves get excited.

about a month passed, construction was complete, and then, we were banned from our house for two days. we were told when we were allowed back, and that they would be waiting for us to walk us through and show us around. we were also told that the local news had shown some interest and might be there.

well, we got to the house and we were greeted by three separate news crews who started putting microphones on me, because Bobby told them i was the talkative one. (yeah, right!) so i started feeling very overwhelmed and nervous, which just makes me quiet, and not talkative at all.

we walked around to the back of the house, where there were at least 20 people waiting for us, most of whom we had never met.

and then it hit me. really hit me. these people were strangers. they didn't know us. but they were there, giving their time, their energy, giving of themselves for us.

and then they stood around us and they prayed for us.

and then the tears started.

but there were news cameras watching us, and i did not want to cry on the news. because i knew that if i started crying, they would not be sweet little lady-like tears. they would be big ol' gasping-for-breath ugly tears. (because remember, i was 38 weeks pregnant at this point) and i was not going to ugly-cry on the ten o'clock news.

so i decided not to say anything and hold it all in.

we walked into our house, and we were overwhelmed. i was instantly struck with how much it looked like home, and i had an immediate sense of calm and relief come over me.

the house was beautiful. so far beyond anything that we had expected. it was so apparent how much time and thought went into everything that they did. most all the furniture was donated, and the way that they made it all work together and the way it all fit so perfectly into our home still blows me away.

we went from room to room. Bobby was the talkative one, and i was the mute. i'm afraid that my silence might have given the impression that i did not like it, but it was completely the opposite. i sincerely loved everything, but just couldn't shake the mental image of myself bawling on tv. i think Nancy was a little nervous because she knew that i was a designer. but the thing is, i was a designer, but at this point, i was a wife and a mom who just wanted her home back so she could take care of her family in it.

and that's exactly what they gave me.

the icing on the cake was little man's big-boy room.

these pictures come nowhere close to capturing his excitement. he must have said choo-choo a hundred times that night. and he's had a train in his hand ever since.

it's been over four months since then. we are all settled in and we feel like we're home again. there isn't a day that goes by that i don't think about how blessed we are. God placed these amazing people in our lives, and they gave us so much more than they can ever know.

valentine's

2011-02-14T22:33:00.004-06:00

well, my valentine spent the day at work. (it's 10:44 and he's still there. my poor guy.)

such is the life in the restaurant business.

so i sent him off with a breakfast made with love.....

and i spent the day with my two little valentines.....

.....and i am filled up with love.

happy valentine's day!

january 15th

2011-01-15T07:45:00.001-06:00

holidays that are observed on january 15th:

1. Armed Forces day in Nigeria

2. Army day in India

3. Korean Alphabet day

4. Marin Luther King, Jr. day (when it falls on a Monday)

5. International Fetish day (i am not making this up...seriously)

events throughout history that occurred on january 15th:

1. Christopher Columbus set sail for Spain from Hispaniola

2. Elizabeth I was crowned the Queen of England

3. Coca-Cola was originally incorporated in Atlanta

4. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born

5. the Pentagon was completed

6. the first Super Bowl was played in Los Angeles between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs

7. Space Mountain opened at Disneyland

8. Wikipedia went online

9. my husband was born

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful husband and amazing daddy!

I sure do love you!

our christmas...part two

2011-01-07T19:51:00.000-06:00

we woke up to a white christmas.

does it get any better?

it was the perfect snow, just enough to make it beautiful without making the roads too bad, so we could all still gather over at my parent's house.

but first, we woke up early and let little man open all of his gifts at home.

correction, i opened little man's gifts and then waved them in front of his face to get his attention. which sometimes worked, and sometimes didn't. this kid is not easily distracted.

husband recorded and took pictures.

baby girl slept.

i guess she was up all night waiting for Santa and was just worn out.

we told her what he brought her when she woke up. she was thrilled.

then we headed over to my folks' house where my mom's cinnamon rolls were waiting for us. she makes these every year.

she knows if she didn't we would stop coming.

i kid.

sort of.

so we ate, and then we opened more presents, and then we ate some more.

and then, per tradition, we played one of our standard games - girls vs. boys. we have our usual go-to games, and we always plays boys against girls, even though the headcount is usually off a little. the girls used to claim this didn't matter, we would beat them even if we were outnumbered, but i have to admit that the boys are improving, and even win occasionally these days.

if you go through the games boxes, you will find old score sheets where my little brother would write things like "stinky girls" and "cool guys". it makes me smile.

anyways, this time we played bible outburst, which can actually be pretty hard. there are some really random topics with even more random answers. the boys won this time, but their final topic was "the ten commandments", so they were basically handed the win.

i'm just saying.

ok, so some of my favorite pics from the day.

the santa hats made the rounds.....

my daddy.....

and my mom, who looks like she's mid-lecture while opening her present, which cracks me up, because more than likely one of us needed one.....

my big-little brother with little man.....

why is it that still, whenever i see any of my guys with my kids, it absolutely melts my heart?

my handsome husband, who is giving me his classic crooked smile because i am in his face once again with the camera.....

my sleeping beauties.....

and my sleeping uncle (whom i suppose is a beauty as well).....

me and my girl.....

who is drying her nails.....

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have i ever mentioned that i love christmas?

because i really do.

our christmas...part one

2011-01-03T08:19:00.001-06:00

husband and i are fortunate enough to live near both our immediate families. still, we found that if we tried to see everyone on christmas day, there was never enough time to actually visit and be with everyone as much as we wanted. especially once we all started adding kids to the mix and made it that much more busy and hectic.

so we've started a new tradition of having husband's side of the family over a few nights before christmas day to celebrate. this way, we get to enjoy extra time with them without anyone having to rush off, and we get to enjoy another big christmas dinner.

it's a win-win situation.

this year was extra special since it was our first big dinner back in our house post-flood. enjoying our home with people we love is what it's all about.

since i was in the kitchen most of the time, i didn't get to take too many pictures. but here are some of my favorites.....

Caleb dancing.....

and being silly.....

and little Cortland who wasn't feeling well.....

and this little guy who i swear loves posing for me and just melts my heart.....

in case you were wondering, yes, adults were there. i don't know why i only took pictures of the kids. i guess they're just cuter!

and yes, makayla was there too. mostly sleeping. please don't tell her that i didn't take a picture of her either. i've taken 176,398 others so far to make it up to her.

before christmas

2011-01-01T16:30:00.001-06:00

well, we had a fantabulous christmas, but can't quite believe that it's already come and gone. every year, it sneaks up on me, and then passes too quickly.

and now it's 2011.

seriously?

but first i wanted to recap christmas. then i realized i needed to recap the week before christmas as well, so here it is.....

we took the kids to see Santa. Caleb has no idea who Santa is, or who he is supposed to be or do or any of that. but this momma wanted a picture anyways, so we braved the traffic and crowds and lines to see him.

now, i was perfectly prepared to stand next to Santa while holding a reluctant Caleb in my arms in hopes of getting at least one decent picture. but just when i think i know what my little man is going to do, he surprises me. not only did he sit in Santa's lap, but he seemed happy and was smiling. you could have knocked me over with a feather i was so surprised.

and for old time's sake, here he is his first christmas, looking cute and chubby as ever.....

same Caleb, different Santa.

go figure.

back to the present...afterwards, he rode on daddy's shoulders, which always makes him happy, and i got to walk through the mall for a little while, which always makes me happy.

next we headed out to Opryland Hotel to see the lights and walk through the gardens.

eight years ago, on christmas night, when husband wasn't husband yet but was still boyfriend, he took me to one of the gardens for what i thought was a simple romantic walk. well, the walk ended with him asking me to marry him, to which i obviously said yes. so needless to say, Opryland at christmas is now very special to us.

the hotel flooded back in May, but it is open again and is just as beautiful as ever.

little man fell asleep in the car on the way there.

little man NEVER falls asleep in the car. we had to wake him up, and this is how he felt about it.....

baby girl, however, was content as could be.....

so we walked around for awhile, and then we found a mini train ride that daddy squeezed into to take him on.

that daddy sure is a trooper.

ok, be back soon with our two christmases.

these are a few of my favorite things

2010-12-23T18:13:00.000-06:00

i. love. Christmas.

i love pretty much everything about it.

so, i thought i'd do a little post on some of the many things i love about it.

because i know everyone is just dying of curiosity.

1. Christmas music.

my brother says this makes me a nerd. i don't care. i start playing Christmas music on November 1st. in my mind, this is the earliest day that is somewhat reasonable to play it and not be perceived as entirely crazy.

amy grant's cds are my favorite ever. my brother says this really makes me a nerd. i still don't care. her first Christmas cd is my favorite, but "breath of heaven", which is on her 2nd one, is my favorite song ever. it is so beautiful and powerful.

2. decorations.

i love decorating our house anyways, but especially at Christmas time. it is all just so beautiful to me. i am slowly building up our supply of Christmas decorations each year, but it is hard to find things that are beautiful and not cheesy, and reasonably priced. but i am determined. the first time that husband ever saw my parent's house at Christmas time, he said that it looked like a museum. that is the reaction i'm going for!

3. hot chocolate.

with whipped cream.

no explanation necessary.

4. the clothes.

not Christmas clothes. just winter clothes in general. i love turtlenecks, and coats, and scarves, and gloves, and boots.

as far as actual Christmas clothes go, my opinion is that no one over the age of 12 or under the age of 65 should wear them. unless maybe you're a kindergarten teacher. maybe. otherwise, it's just not cute. in my opinion. but i do think it's especially adorable on little ones, and i have been having lots of fun dressing up my two. and then cuddling them up cause they look so stinkin' cute.

5. the cards.

i love getting all the cards in the mail. especially ones with pictures and letters.

however, sending them out has gotten a little tricky. it's next to impossible to get a good family photo, especially when one of you is 2. then i went to order them this year, and it was so hard to find one that said "merry christmas". i don't want to say "happy holidays" or "seasons greetings". i am sending out cards in honor of Christmas which celebrates Christ's birth. and the fact that this is becoming so difficult is just plain sad.

what was my point?

oh yeah, i like Christmas cards.

6. baking.

i love baking anything, and Christmas is the perfect excuse to go to town. i love making cookies and using all the cookie cutters and sprinkles and all. i love watching other people enjoy all the goodies.

i loved baking goodies with my mom when i was little, and i hope that my kids will enjoy baking with me when they're older.

7. eating.

so much food is around all month long. i choose to eat it all. or at least a lot of it. and i choose to not feel guilty about it.

try it.

it's fun.

8. wrapping presents.

there is something so calming and relaxing to me about wrapping presents. i love to take my time and think about the person that the gift is for. i love pretty papers and bags and ribbons and bows and tags and putting them together to make something beautiful.

and then i love to see them under the tree.

9. traditions.

love them. i love them all the time, but there are so many at Christmas especially. we are trying to be very intentional about the traditions that we have in our family, because i think you can have too many and lose the meaning of them all.

i have a lot more to say about this, but i will save it for another post all it's own.

10. family.

i love any occasion that brings family together, so this is a given for me. i am fortunate enough that i not only love all of my relatives, but i actually like all of them too. not only that, but i married into a family that i love as well.

well, i was going to stop at 10, but i need one more.

11. Jesus.

this is one of the sweetest books ever. my mom gave it to little man for his first Christmas.

but it's not this book that i love, but what it says. it reminds us of where Christmas came from and why we are really celebrating. because all of the decorations and food and presents are all good and fun, but that's not what it's all about.

God gave us Christmas.

and that's my favorite thing of all.

there are four

2010-12-22T16:09:00.001-06:00

i didn't grow up dreaming of being a teacher or a doctor. i didn't grow up with big plans to travel the world or go on some wild adventures. those things are all wonderful, they just weren't my dreams.

i grew up dreaming of being a mommy. i grew up dreaming about a husband and kids. about a family.

when husband and i decided we were ready to add a baby to the mix, i was beyond excited.

and then we waited. and waited. and nothing happened. and i was scared.

not just scared that my reality might turn out differently than my dreams. scared of letting go, giving up the "control" that i wanted to have, and letting God work.

He taught me so much during that time. things i didn't know i needed to learn.

He made our marriage stronger during that time.

now i can look back and i'm so grateful for that time. so grateful that God has a plan for us that is so much better that any plans we try to make.

because the story continues, and God did bless me with my sweet little ones. at the exact moment He chose.

God knew each of our babies and He knew when they would enter this world.

when i look at our mantle, i don't see four stockings waiting for Santa to come fill them up.

when i look at our mantle, i see our family. and i'm so grateful.

snow days

2010-12-13T22:36:00.000-06:00

it snowed a lot here yesterday, which is such a treat for us! we don't normally get this much snow before christmas, but it certainly will get you in the spirit.

not that i needed any help in that department.

snow days around here mean relaxing in our jammies.....

with footies.....

and naps.....

and baking.....

while we listen to christmas music.....

and fill up the cookie jar.....

wonder why i love snow?

she's here!

2010-12-05T16:32:00.007-06:00

well, if anyone is still out there, we have an announcement to make.

i have been a not-so-great blogger, but things have been ~~a lot~~ a bit hectic. but we are slowly getting back on track, and making new routines, and working on old ones.

and now, i am very eager to get back on this blog and catch up on things before i forget it all. a lot has happened around here that we want to remember.

but first, our announcement.....

Makayla Brynn arrived on November 12, 2010, at 1:18 pm.

she weighed 8 lbs 11 oz, and was 20 1/2 in long.

we are in love.

she is such a good baby. she sleeps a lot, and doesn't cry much at all unless she's hungry. she looks just like her brother did as a newborn.

a few more pics.....

and my ginormous belly right before delivery.....

and all ready to go home.....

husband was able to take some time off of work to stay home with us. we basically just locked ourselves in the house and soaked up some much-needed family time.

after the long summer we had, it was just what the doctor ordered.

but alas, all good things must come to an end. he is back at work, and i am learning how to balance life at home with two little ones.

and life is starting to feel normal again.

we are blessed beyond measure.

thomas the train

2010-10-03T16:44:00.006-05:00

thomas the train is a celebrity around here.

as soon as little man gets up in the morning, he looks for one of his trains to carry around.

"choo-choo" is one of his few words, and he says it at least a hundred times a day.

he loves the videos, although i have to admit that i don't quite understand the attraction. it's really kind of slow. it's not animated, and a lot of it is just still shots of the trains where only their eyes move.

but Caleb loves it.

so we go with it.

not to mention, it's a heck of a lot less annoying than dora, or diego, or those ~~stupid~~ silly wonder pets.

so, a few weeks ago, when our speech therapist mentioned to us that thomas was coming to town, we immediately looked into it and bought tickets.

we found out that thomas is actually quite-the-celebrity everywhere. not just at our house.

there were a lot of kids.

and strollers.

and cameras.

and lines. long ones.

and parents, who were all probably thinking the same thing we were.

"when did we become those people who are willing to spend way too much money to stand in the middle of crowds in 90 degree weather to let our two-year-old, who probably won't remember this in a month, see a pretend train?"

but then you see your little man's eyes get big, and his little face lights up, and those thoughts disappear, because it's all worth it.

after all the fun and excitement, and maybe a little bit of heat exhaustion, husband and i suffered a momentary lapse in judgement, and we did the unthinkable.

we took our little man into the gift shop.

this was truly the little kid in a ~~candy~~ train store, and it was not pretty.

actually, it went downhill very, very, very quickly.

so we did the most logical thing to do after an episode of that magnitude.

we packed it up, drove it home, and put our little man down for his nap.

in a rut

2010-08-20T17:15:00.002-05:00

i am in a big one.

i think about sitting down to update this blog, and then i can't think of a thing to write about.

life is so incredibly busy right now.

i want to sit down and write about all of the fun things we're doing this summer. about how we enjoy our hot summer days by the pool, and come inside for homemade popsicles, and grill out every night, and chase fireflies, and fall into bed at night exhausted by all the fun we've had.

but none of that is real.

we wake up in the mornings and go. we rush around getting dressed as we go over our to-do lists, agendas, and coordinating our schedules. little man has therapy four days a week. our house is under construction, so there is constantly another phone call to make, another decision to make, someone to meet, an errand to run, and so on. i fall into bed at night exhausted from keeping up with my ever-so-lively-two-year-old and carrying a baby around in my stomach 24-7. husband falls into bed exhausted from working at the house all day and working at a restaurant all night.

that is our reality.

i'm not complaining. i know that this is only for a season.

i'm reminding myself that every season of life has blog-worthy aspects.

this blog is my journal. a scrapbook. it's our family's story.

our story might be crazy right now, and not at all what i thought i'd be writing about when i started this thing, but that's ok.

we are learning lessons. we are growing stronger. we are living life.

and that's worth blogging about.

and away we went

2010-07-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

a few weeks ago, we went on a family vacation. this was our first big vacation since little man was born, and we had been planning it for quite a while. we came very close to canceling after all of the flood mess, but we have great friends who encouraged us to go. and in the end, we figured if we ever needed to just get away, this was it.

so away we went!

we went with two other families who are very good friends of ours. we all stayed in one big house right by the beach on Tybee Island, which is just outside of Savannah.

first of all, let me say that whoever invented portable dvd players for the car is a genius.....

we had as smooth a car-ride as one could expect with a two-year-old on board.

as soon as we got into town, we drove down the cutest streets with all of these little shops. they were lined with these trees.....

.....which i think are just gorgeous. when i think of an old southern plantation, these trees are on it. of course, usually in the movies the plantation ends up being haunted, but they're still beautiful to me.

miss Paula Deen's restaurant is down there, so we all ventured there to have lunch. it was very busy there, and even though we had reservations, we still had to wait for a table for quite a while. we opted to wait outside with little man, since it was too crowded inside.

the look on his face pretty much tells you what he thought about the wait, and the heat.....

we all had the same look on our faces after the meal. Paula's great and all, but it was a typical southern buffet lunch, and that's all i'm saying!

a few more pics around town.....

this was Caleb's first time to the beach. we were a little worried about how he would do with the sand and the water. he doesn't really like to walk in the grass, so we weren't sure how he would feel about that much sand; and he really didn't even like bathtime, so we definitely did not think he would like the water at all. but he really surprised us! he was walking around on the sand like it was nothing, and he was jumping the little baby waves in daddy's arms and loving it!

showing off his muscles and throwing back a cold one.....

and this pretty much sums up how he felt at the end of the day.....

we literally took over a thousand pictures while we were there. here are ~~999~~ just a few of them.....

we had a great time, and we are so glad that we went!

by the way.....

2010-07-13T16:18:00.001-05:00

with all of the flood hupla, we failed to mention that this.....

.....is scheduled to arrive this November.

we are completely overjoyed!

i will tell more of HER story thus far in a future post. for now, we just wanted to be sure that bloggyland was in the know!

life these days

2010-07-07T16:31:00.003-05:00

.....is busy. hectic. full.

we have been living with my parents since the flood.

we are so grateful that there is room here for us. little man already knew this house so well, so it wasn't as big an adjustment for him as it might have been. he has his own room here, and although the house was already slightly baby-proofed, he has shown us that we had a lot more work to do in this area!

we have gotten as settled as we can for now, and have gotten into a new routine here.

our house still sits with the lower floor completely gutted. still no walls. still no flooring. just concrete and studs.

most of our things that we were able to save sit in a storage unit.

there is a lot to do after a flood. a lot of meetings, applications, paperwork, phone calls, and on, and on. some days we feel ok. some days we want to scream.

we have learned how this whole FEMA thing works. we never thought we would be using any kind of program like this, but here we are.

we always thought that we were completely covered with all the various insurance coverages: medical, car, homeowners, life.

we didn't have flood insurance.

we didn't think we needed it.

we were wrong.

we have yet to meet anyone affected by this flood who was covered.

we refer to our life as "before the flood", or "since the flood".

we will think of something, or look for something, only to remember that it "drowned".

we are in a state of not knowing exactly what is ahead. we are not exactly sure of when we can start rebuilding, or how long it will take.

we are not sure of when we will have a home again.

if you know me well, you know that this is driving me crazy. i want a plan. i want a timeline. i want to know what to expect. i am a nester. i need a house to clean, and decorate, and love.

it's a good thing that i have a God who knows the big picture. i am asking Him to remind me of this a lot these days.

i also have a wonderful man by my side, who helps keep me calm, and focused, and sane.

not to mention a bouncing 2-year-old, who keeps me smiling, and laughing, and busy!

the flood

2010-06-15T22:30:00.002-05:00

hello blog.

long time no see.

i do have a reason for my absence.

we were hit by the great flood of Nashville.

it's being referred to as the "flood of a thousand years", as in that's how often a flood like this might occur here.

we woke up on the morning of May 2nd to someone banging on our front door, telling us they were evacuating our neighborhood and we had 5 minutes to get out of our house.

bobby and i thought that this woman must be a little loopy and was completely overreacting.

yes, it had been raining a lot, but we are in Nashville. we are not near an ocean, or even any really big lakes. just a few rivers here and there.

so Bobby went outside to go check things and out. when he came back about 10 minutes later, the water was already knee high across the way.

enter panic mode.

i grabbed diapers and milk and Caleb.

Bobby grabbed Bella - crate and all.

we walked out the door saying:

"do we set the alarm?"

"do we even lock the door?"

we got loaded into the car, and my amazing husband had enough sense to stop us right then, grabbed my hand, and said a prayer.

(have i ever mentioned how much i love this man and how lucky i am to have him?)

we tried to go to my parent's house. they live 5 minutes away, and we couldn't get there. every road there was already under.

even the interstate.

enter major panic mode.

we called my aunt and uncle, who also live close but up on a hill. they were so amazing and gracious. they let us invade their home, even though they had no electricity and part of their ceiling had caved in from all the water.

so we stayed there that day and night. when the electricity finally came back on, we stayed glued to the news coverage, which constantly showed our neighborhood, completely under water. it looked like our house was at least 3 feet under, maybe even more.

we went to bed feeling sick, uneasy, and completely helpless.

the next morning we drove over, just to see what was going on, and we were completely shocked to see that the water had already gone back down, and we could get into our house.

the water had been right around 3 feet deep all through our lower level. almost everything that was on our lower level had to be thrown out.

here is a picture looking down the sidewalk from in front of our house. that is my sofa on the right, just sitting out on the front lawn.....

the trash in our neighborhood accumulated so quickly. it was absolutely unbelievable to see how much there was.

here is husband standing in the middle of it all, to show just how much there was.....

they quickly started tearing the house apart. floors ripped out...walls knocked down...cabinets yanked out.

this is a shot of part of our living room and dining room.....

when the guys were knocking down the walls, they didn't want to take this down. so they hung it in the middle of the living room and left it there for everyone to see.....

it was such a great reminder in the midst of it all.

it is hard to watch your house being torn apart. it is hard to see your stuff sitting outside like garbage. it is hard to see the toys that your baby played with a few days earlier thrown into a trash pile.

every time i thought i had accounted for everything we had lost, i would remember something else that was gone.

not the material things. as much as i really liked some of our things, that wasn't what really mattered.

we lost pictures. Caleb's baby book. Caleb's newborn handprints and footprints. my maternity journal. our wedding album.

but as hard as the last six weeks have been, we are ok.

we have amazing family and friends. they showed up for us in ways that absolutely floored us. we are so grateful for each and every one of them.

we have an amazing God. He watched over us and protected us, and we are continually blessed by His faithfulness.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Isaiah 43:2-3

a very merry birthday

2010-04-27T16:49:00.005-05:00

we celebrated Caleb's 2nd birthday on Saturday with some family and friends.

it had barely rained all month, but on this day, for our outside party, the skies decided to let loose.

the party started at 12:00.

the very heavy downpour started at 12:00.

oh yeah, there were tornado warnings too.

so the party moved indoors, and almost everyone was still able to make it.

we had a fabulous time.

husband set up a tent on the deck, and stood out there and grilled away.....

little man stood at the front door, watching the rain, and waiting for his guests to arrive.....

while everyone else ate some yummy lunch, Caleb ate his spoon.....

and played peek-a-boo with it.....

Caleb loved the bags that his presents came with.....

and when we all sang happy birthday, he smiled and clapped.....

.....our singing must have been really excellent!

two

2010-04-22T16:32:00.000-05:00

happy birthday, baby boy!

two years ago today, your nervous mommy and daddy were sitting in a hospital room waiting for you to make your appearance.

how did you go from this.....

to this.....

while we blinked our eyes?

you have forever blessed our lives, and made us into this little family that is so precious to us.

here are some things you are up to these days.....

you do not like to see shoes left out. you will carry our shoes to us, one by one, for us to put away.

you must wear a onesie under all of your clothes, because you like to take your pants off.....and then your diaper as well. not sure what we will do when you master the onesie snaps!

your favorite foods are fish sticks, bread, cheese, bread, hot dogs, bread, grapes, and bread. but really, you are not a big eater and would be fine with a milk-only diet.

you still refuse a sippy cup, but we just found out you are tongue-tied, so maybe this is the reason?

you like to play under the kitchen table.

you like to get out all of the tupperware tops and make piles. in the middle of the kitchen. while i cook.

you like to watch thomas the train, little bear, winnie the pooh, diego, and dora. you give dora kisses on the tv. i try to not get jealous.

these are some of your nicknames: little man, baby boy, doodle bug, sweet boy, punkin' head, curly fry.

you love being outside.

you could swing for hours.

you babble in your crib a lot before you fall asleep. apparently, you just have a lot to say. i love to listen to you, because you always sound so happy.

you like to throw bella's ball for her.

you HATE having your teeth brushed. you would think that we soak your toothbrush in gasoline by the way that you act!

if you are not wearing shoes, you will not wear socks. you put your foot up to your mouth, grip the sock in your teeth, and then yank it off.

you clap all the time. anything that makes you happy gets a clap.

you bite your nails. who knew kids could do that this early?

you hate for us to fix your hair. and who can really blame you.....it's not easy! there is a lot of it! (mommy is trying to convince daddy to let us cut it. i think he's caving in!)

you like to give open-mouth kisses, and you love to be hugged.

we love you so very much, baby boy!

a fashionista

2010-04-20T15:49:00.004-05:00

Caleb has come up with a new fashion statement that he likes to sport these days.....

the off-the-shoulder-onesie.

husband is none too thrilled with the fact that his only son likes to expose his shoulders like this, but i assured him that he will grow out of it. unless, of course, we are still making him wear onesies as a teenager!

good night, sweet boy

2010-04-13T19:18:00.004-05:00

on any given day, Caleb might:

- leave numerous bite-marks on my legs.
- kick me when i try to put him in his highchair.
- throw the food that i just made him onto the floor.
- have 101 tantrums. for no reason.
- pull my hair.

on any given day, i might:

- not demonstrate enough patience.
- raise my voice.
- burn his grilled cheese sandwich.
- not have enough energy to throw him and swing him the way daddy does.

but at the end of the day, when it is just the two of us alone in his room, i hold him in my arms and say his night-night prayer. he presses his nose up to mine as i whisper the words, and when i open my eyes, he smiles his wonderful, sweet smile at me. he places each of his hands on each of my cheeks, and pulls my face towards his, and proceeds to plant his open-mouthed kisses on me. after each one, he giggles that sweet little laugh of his.

and in all of this, i can feel him saying, "we're gonna be just fine, mommy. cause i love you, and you love me. so just forget about all of the yuck from today, and tomorrow, we'll do it all again, maybe even a little bit better."

and he fills up my mommy heart with his kisses. and he holds my love in his little hands.

good night, sweet boy.

**********************************************************

i'm linking up for Emily's Tuesdays Unwrapped

a fantabulous Easter

2010-04-08T12:01:00.005-05:00

we had such a wonderful easter.

the weather was perfect.

the food was yummy.

husband had the entire day off of work.

we were with family.

and we got to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. what could be more wonderful than that?

we gathered at my parent's house. they just finished having a new and much bigger deck built on, so there is no furniture or anything yet. that equalled one enormous playground for little man.

he ran all around that thing as fast as his little legs would take him.

and since he does not like the way grass feels (i think this has to do with his sensory issues), we decided to hide the eggs on the deck and let him have at it.....

he did not want to put the eggs into his basket. he wanted to make a pile of them next to the basket.....

and then he discovered that there were snacks inside, and he had to try them out.....

and on a sidenote: my husband would like to make sure that everyone is aware that the outfit was my idea, not his. he simply went along with it because he's a good guy like that!

and here is my brother sporting another wonderful fashion statement.....

at least the basket was used for something!

madness

2010-03-18T15:35:00.006-05:00

once upon a time, a group of men got together to think of a way to drive their wives "mad".

"i know," said one of the ~~not-very-bright~~ men. "let's rally together all of the colleges throughout the land who have basketball teams and have them compete against one another. we will call it a tournament. we can all cease to do anything else except to watch all of these games. we will schedule 32 basketball games during the first two days alone, and it will be pure and utter madness."

the men were "mad".

the women were definitely "mad".

and today, on the first official day of "March Madness", i wonder if i was mad to have agreed to marry this husband of mine who buys into all of the madness.

but then i remember how much i love him.

and how amazing he is.

and what a good husband and daddy he is.

and so i humor him. and maybe even encourage him a little.

i fill out a bracket all on my own, and then tease him about how my bracket will beat his bracket.

i have a very intellectual way of making my choices.

which name do i like more?

for example, i really like the name Baylor. so, Baylor goes all the way to the final eight in my bracket.

sometimes, i don't like either of the names, or they're just plain boring names.

like Ohio State.

boring.

so, i'll ask bobby what color the teams are.

he will then give me this look, and then shake his head at the absurdity that is his wife.

but i know deep down, he's a little nervous about my system, and scared that if my bracket does happen to win, he will never, ever hear the end of it.

at least this "madness" will end in three weeks.

and then i'll have my husband back.

until then, if i'm a little "mad" at times, you'll know why!

finally

2010-03-12T20:33:00.005-06:00

husband and i have been married for five and a half years.

we finally ordered our wedding album.

it was really hard for me to decide what pictures to order, and what pages to order them on, and what album design to get, and so i just put it off.

for a long time.

until bobby said that if i didn't want to decide, then he would.

so i decided.

and we have our album now.....

and it was worth the wait.

this sweet boy, this mother's heart

2010-03-02T15:32:00.001-06:00

let me start out by saying that i have been contemplating on how to approach this post for a while now. i am not a naturally forthcoming person, especially when it comes to personal struggles in my life. when i started this blog, yes, it was for me to have some fun, maybe "meet" some other moms out there in the blogosphere, but the main point was to let our family and friends who wanted to keep up to date with us to have an easy way to do that. also, Bobby and i thought it would be great for us to be able to look back and see things we were doing, how things changed, how Caleb's grown, and so on. we wanted to record parts of our journey, and right now, this is a big part of it.

i also want to be careful how much i put out there. i love my family so much, and i want to cherish this journey we're on together. i don't ever want to tell too much of our story. after all, this is the internet.

i always want to be honest, and not ever feel like i'm simply painting a pretty picture of the foreground just to cover up all the stuff behind it. yet i also fear i may not do well with my words, and undermine or not show sensitivity to what others are going through. we all have stuff in our lives. right now, my stuff is kinda sending me for a loop, but i fully know that there are so many who have stuff in their lives that mine doesn't come anywhere near in comparison.

so, with all that said, here goes.....

anxious...questioning...nervous...overwhelmed...inadequate...guilty...angry...scared.

these are some words that might describe what's going on inside my heart these days.

our sweet Caleb has been dealing with some developmental and communication delays, as well as some sensory issues. at 15 months, his pediatrician was concerned with the fact that he had no words, and also that he was showing very limited understanding of what we were saying. by 18 months, when there wasn't really any change, bobby and i agreed that this was something we needed to address. we have had many different evaluations done since then with a lot of different doctors and specialists. we have started early intervention therapy, speech therapy, and are trying to get started on occupational therapy as well. right now there is no reason, or diagnosis, or any real answers as to what lies ahead.

Caleb is now 22 months old. he has shown some progress with the therapy already, but still has a long ways to go. he still has no words, except maybe "go" and "dada". he is definitely aware that he is limited in how he can communicate with us, and some days he can get very frustrated and upset. some days, he is happy as can be and running around the house laughing. he has such a sweet, sweet spirit.

this is what i know in my head:

God has a plan for Caleb.

God has a plan for Bobby and me.

God made Caleb in His image. He gave him to us to be his parents. He will give us everything we need to be the parents He calls us to be.

God is good.

God is mighty.

God can move mountains.

Everything that happens in our lives, the good, the bad, and all the stuff in between, happens for a reason. Everything is for His bigger picture.

We won't always understand that this side of heaven.

in my head, i know all of that, but if i am completely honest, i have to admit that my heart's not there yet. i have complete faith and confidence that God will lead me there, but today, in this moment, with this situation, it's just not there yet.

calm...quiet...trusting...still...peaceful.

these are the words that i want to be able to use to describe my heart. that is where i want to be. that is where i yearn to be.

"Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.

Tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers.

If you do this, you will experience His peace, which is

far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.

His peace will make your thoughts and hearts quiet and at rest

as you trust in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

snow again, snow again

2010-02-15T14:34:00.008-06:00

we awoke this morning to more snow!

that's three weeks in a row that it has snowed here. i don't ever remember getting this many snows so close together before. granted, it's not a lot of snow this time around - just enough to make for some pretty scenery.....

while it is nice to look at, if it doesn't clear up by tomorrow, my mommy-bible-study will be canceled for the third week in a row. i've really been missing this time, and after the kind-of-rough morning that little man and i had, i'm thinking that this mommy could really benefit from it! which translates to husband and little man benefiting as well!

valentine's day

2010-02-14T15:30:00.003-06:00

happy valentine's day to everyone!

i will be spending the evening with two of the little men in my life while husband is at work. one of the downfalls of being in the restaurant business is that we don't get to go out for the evening ourselves. but we're used to that and it really doesn't bother me at all. we will get to go out one night next weekend, and avoid the crowds, and long wait-times, and traffic, and so-on.

my youngest brother, Christian, will come over to hang out with me and Caleb while my parents go out. i told him we could have pizza for dinner, and he asked if we could have something else. kids these days.....i can't figure them out!

anyways.....

hope you all get to spend the day with the ones you love!

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;

but the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

snow

2010-02-03T17:25:00.004-06:00

well, the first big snow of little man's life has come and gone.

it was actually the biggest snow that i can remember in years.

around here, the weather men (and women) predict lots of snow at various times throughout the winter.

children get very excited.

adults make a mad dash to kroger to buy milk and bread.

schools announce their closings.

and then.....

nothing happens.

maybe a flurry or two, but usually nothing substantial.

so we were actually very surprised when it hit us pretty quickly Friday morning, and kept on going all day long.

we hibernated all weekend long, except for an occasional trip outside.....

we didn't do much of anything for three days.

it was wonderful.

pants on the ground

2010-01-28T19:23:00.004-06:00

no, i'm not referring to american idol, although i did think that guy was pretty amusing.

i am referring to little man.

i walked into his room the other day to get him up from his nap.

he was in his crib.

his pants were on the ground.

so was his diaper.

let's just say, the diaper was dirty.

very dirty.

there were things on his sheets that did not belong there.

he just stood there, with only his shirt on, and smiled as if nothing was wrong.

so i smiled too.

and then i laughed.

and then i took some pictures.

what kind of mommy would i be if i didn't?

i decided to spare you all from any actual images.

you'll just have to use your imagination.

speaking of things on the ground.....

every time Caleb walks by this table, he knocks the chairs to the ground.

if we put them back, he will come by and do it again.

so we leave them.

i wish i could know what was going on in his head!

happy birthday, husband!

2010-01-15T10:37:00.010-06:00

today i am wishing my husband a happy birthday!

dear Bobby,

i am so glad that God created you! you are such an amazing man, and i am so blessed to have you in my life. i love your sweet spirit; i love that you always worry about others; i love that you can always make me laugh; i love how you're such a kid at heart; i love how you know just how to calm me down; i love how silly you are; i love how hard you work for our family; i love how you appreciate me; i love how generous you are; i love how patient you are; i love how honest you are; i love how kind you are; i love how i could go on and on about you!

just one more thing.....

i love how cute you are.....

(one cute cookie)

(he still bites his bottom lip like this, and so does Caleb)

(i am told that big hair was in?)

(did i mention that he is silly? and a titans fan?)

(promising my dad that he will take care of me at our rehearsal dinner)

(on our honeymoon)

(the day he became a daddy)

(an amazing daddy)

(an amazing husband)

thank you for being such a wonderful husband!

thank you for being such a wonderful daddy!

thank you for being you!

i love you!

christmas

2010-01-03T17:58:00.005-06:00

christmas morning was still pretty low-key at our house, since little man still has no idea what is going on. husband and i are trying to enjoy that while it lasts!

we spent the morning at home, just the three of us, and watched Caleb open his presents.

the first thing he spotted was bob-the-tomato. he gave him a big smile.....

and then went in for a kiss.....

the open-mouthed kind that lets you know he REALLY loves you.

then he spotted larry-the-cucumber, and they all became fast friends.....

just in case anyone out there doesn't have kids ~~or you live under a tree,~~ bob and larry are from veggie tales - christian cartoons about talking vegetables that are obviously a really big hit around here.

he opened a few more presents.....

and then he decided that bella's new toys were more fun. so he ran around and played with them the rest of the time.....

but that's ok, because bella stole his new sock-monkey.....

we spent the rest of the day at my folks' house with my side of the family.

i went straight for mom's cinnamon rolls that she makes every christmas.

bobby went straight for the pigs-in-a-blanket and sausage balls, which have also become a christmas tradition.

we probably eat about 14,673 pigs throughout the day.

we opened more presents.....

we ate more food.

we played mom's new outburst bible game.

we discovered we don't know as much as we probably should.

but the girls knew more than the guys.

not that it matters, because it's just a game.

but if you were keeping track, the girls knew a lot more.

and we won.

but it's just a game.

and then we ate more food.

we watched the titans playoff dreams ~~abruptly vanish because they lost really, really bad~~ disappear.

and then we were tired. so we went home and went to bed.

christmas decor and traditions

2010-01-02T13:46:00.000-06:00

well, we blinked, and christmas is over and it's 2010!

we had a wonderful christmas and new year, and hope that all of you did as well!

i took another little blogging break, but am ready to jump back in and recap the last couple of weeks!

first, i'm starting with some pics of our christmas decorations this year. i had started to post these before christmas, but just never was able to finish. so, here goes.....

this is little man's basket of christmas books.....

i got the idea here to start a tradition every year, where we sit by the tree and read a book each night during the month of december.

we didn't really stick to it this year, because Caleb will not sit still long enough for me to read to him. it turns into me reading to myself as a little 2-foot-tall-wiggle-worm squirms away and runs laps around the house.

but i have high hopes for next year.

i'm still looking for other traditions to start as Caleb gets older. there are a lot of fun ones i want to do, like making gingerbread houses. but i'm also on the lookout for ones that will help us keep Jesus at the center of it all.

unfortunately, i think this is such a big struggle today, and probably even more so at christmas time.

we're not sure yet how much we will do the santa-thing. i guess we'll just pray about it and figure out what feels right for us as we go along. we will see.....

be back soon with pics from christmas day!

too much fun, not enough pictures

2009-12-22T14:07:00.001-06:00

WARNING: this post is very, very long.

this last week has been very full, fun, busy, and wonderful.

last thursday we celebrated the birthdays of my aunt, Becky and my kid brother, Christian.

Christian is 13.

a teenager.

my little brother is becoming not so little.

he chose to eat at Logan's for dinner, because what ~~kid~~ teenager doesn't think it's cool to be able to throw food on the floor?

little man was in rare form.

he decided that instead of taking his nap that day, he would sit in his crib and talk to himself for 3 hours. if i talk to myself for 5 minutes i get worn out. how he managed for so long without falling asleep is beyond me.

so, husband and i ate our food quickly, and left as soon as the ~~screaming~~ crying fit began.

there was no time to even think about taking a picture.

friday morning, Caleb and i headed over to grandma's (my mom's) to have a baking day. well, Caleb had a play day while grandma and i baked.

we tried to get Christian to bake with us, but baking isn't so cool when you're a teenager. so, his participation was limited.

i put little man down for his nap upstairs.

he talked to himself again for 3 hours.

apparently, he has a lot to say.

sleep finally won.

we were able to finish up the baking, and actually had a very productive day. we made shortbread, cookies 'n cream shortbread, fudge, and mints.

you would think that at some point during the day it would have occurred to me to take a picture.

it didn't.

we packed up all our goodies, little man, Christian, and grandpapi (my dad), and headed over to my cousin's house for dinner because we had a lot of family in town visiting.

we had a great time seeing everyone and had a yummy dinner.

little man did pretty well, considering he had a short nap - but at least he had one at all!

on saturday, when it became obvious that Caleb was, once again, not going to be taking a nap, we headed back over to my parent's house to visit with family again and have dinner.

and if you're wondering where Bobby is this whole time, he was working. a lot. Christmas time is the busiest, craziest time for them.

anyways, we had so much fun that, guess what? i didn't take any pictures!

but on sunday, we did!

sunday was our Chirstmas dinner with Bobby's side of the family. yes, he finally had an entire day off to spend with us! so, we put little man down for his ~~talking session~~ nap, and we started in on all the cooking.

i had to limit Bobby's participation in the kitchen. he gets a little carried away, and i really wanted to serve dinner at some point that night.

so, he was in charge of the shrimp cocktail.

if you know my husband - you know that he did not simply buy ready-to-eat shrimp and cocktail sauce and call it a day.

no - he cooked and seasoned the shrimp the way he wanted it, he made his own cocktail sauce, and then he spent an hour garnishing away.

he even made lemon baskets.

after dinner, we opened gifts.

the boys got some toys and clothes and matching teddy bears.....

but they weren't really interested.

next year, we are going to save some money and give them a roll of wrapping paper and some bows instead.....

this little guy did a lot of sleeping.....

this little guy posed for me the whole time.....

this little guy just hung around.....

and these little girls were worn out from it all. here is Ebony and ~~Ivory~~ Bella konked out.....

Caleb and i have been in the house ever since taking it easy and preparing for Christmas.

how is it possible that it is only 3 days away?

catching up...again

2009-12-16T09:54:00.012-06:00

i have been an awful blogger.

we are trying to slow down a little and really enjoy the season, so blogging has taken a back seat for now!

here is a little of what has happened since last time:

the day after thanksgiving, little man and i helped grandma and grandpapi put up their christmas tree.

their tree is ridiculous.

you have to fluff each branch in a certain way, and then attach each one in a specific row, and it takes forever.

here they are surrounded by branches.....

and here i am stringing the lights.....

somehow, i have become the designated light stringer over the years.

i love them, so i do it.

but it takes a long time, and a lot of patience.

so when we bought our tree, i knew i wanted something easy and pre-lit.

we get our entire house decorated in less time than it takes to put up their tree.

okay, i exaggerate.

slightly.

anyways, i absolutely love christmas decorations, but husband is a typical man, who doesn't really understand it all. but he loves me, and he does a wonderful job at humoring me.

i was very surprised that little man seemed to be leaving the tree alone.

until yesterday.

he started to remove ornaments, and bring them to me one by one.

so the baby gates went up, and he has been banned from the den.

i have also gotten most of our christmas shopping done. i actually did a lot online this year.

talk about easy!

i used to really enjoy going shopping - just walking through the mall with a starbucks in hand, hearing the christmas music, seeing the decorations, and just browsing.

that doesn't happen anymore when you have kids.

so online i went, and online i will be going more often!

christmas also arrived in our kitchen.....

i will not be telling you how many cookies i ate yesterday.

and last, but certainly not least, this little guy was born.....

our sweet nephew. pretty cute, huh?

we got to visit him and his mommy at the hospital with little man in tow, who was fairly oblivious to anything except eating goldfish.

we are very, very thankful for goldfish.

is this post all over the place, or what?

okay, i'll be back soon (hopefully) with more updates and pics of our decorated house!

catching up

2009-12-05T19:05:00.000-06:00

i've thought about writing this post all week, but every time i start to sit down, i remember something else that needs to be done.

so, finally, ~~as i ignore whatever else needs to be done~~, here is a quick recap of our Thanksgiving:

we all gathered at my parent's house (where we always gather), and were there for most of the day.

we had a wonderful time, full of way too much yummy food, time with lots of family, football watching, football playing, cider drinking, game playing, and on, and on.....

oh yeah, there were also some naps going on.....

what is it about Thanksgiving and naps?

little man also took a long nap upstairs (which gave bobby and me some great grown-up time!), and then woke up happy as can be.....

we played "apple to apples" for the first time, and even though the guys pretend to not like playing games, we know that secretly, they had a blast.

uncle JaiSun won, so he was in a great mood, and decided he would tickle little man.....

.....which wore him out and made him ready for bed.

so, we came straight home, and to bed he went!

happy thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T22:03:00.000-06:00

well, Caleb is back to his normal, happy, bubbly, all-over-the-place self.

after EIGHT days of a very fussy, unhappy little man, i find that i am even more grateful for my little guy's sweet spirit.

that's something else to add to my list of things to be thankful for!

in other news.....

i've been busy cooking today in preparation of turkey day. i made two sweet potato casseroles, two corn casseroles, and a fudge pie.

in my opinion, any vegetable can be delicious if you add some cheese to it and make it into a casserole.

yes, even squash.

however, i do not share the opinion that vegetables can be made delicious when made into a dessert.

no, i will not be eating pumpkin pie.

or pecan pie.

gross.

that is why i made a fudge pie.

you can't go wrong with chocolate.

(in my opinion.)

you also can't go wrong with cinnamon cookies.....

has anyone tried these? they are cinnabon cookies from pillsbury. the easy break-&-bake ones.

so yummy!

even little man thinks so.....

i am adding cinnabon cookies to my thankful list!

in all seriousness, i do have so much to be thankful for.

the scripture that's been posted at the bottom of this blog is one that i memorized in my bible study a while back, and it's just really stuck with me in this particular season of life i'm in.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

in ALL circumstances. that's something i find i need reminding of almost daily.

i hope that everyone has a wonderful, blessed, joyous day, and that you have much to be thankful for!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

sick boy

2009-11-19T21:41:00.002-06:00

we woke up on sunday to a sick little boy.

he's still sick.

it's been a long week.

i've gotten to run a couple of quick errands while Bobby stayed home with him, but Caleb has not left the house in FIVE days. i think he is going a little stir crazy, because nothing is really making him happy. so, on top of not feeling good, he is just plain bored!

please pray for health!

pictures

2009-11-14T20:55:00.008-06:00

a few weeks ago, we had some new family photos made, as well as Caleb's 18-month pictures. (did you notice the new header?)

i was going to wait to share these, because at least one of these will be our christmas card this year.

but, i'm not always very good at waiting.

yes, i do ask God to make me a more patient woman, a patient wife, and a patient mommy.

i suppose i'm a work in progress.

so, while God is working on me, here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.....

sweet little man.....

who already puts his foot in his mouth.....

*all photos by Jennifer Dunaway Photography*

groceries again

2009-11-05T17:55:00.006-06:00

today i made visits to two grocery stores for triple-coupons.

yesterday, i spent about 2 hours making my list.

that's a long time.

that is why i take pictures ~~and post about it, even though most people who read this blog (does anyone read this blog?) don't care~~.

next time i don't feel like doing it, i can look at this and remind myself why i do.....

this is a list of what i got for free:

disposable gloves - 2
parchment paper - 2
garlic toast - 2
frozen corn-on-the-cob - 2
frozen cut broccoli - 2
birds eye meals-for-two - 2
cookie dough - 2
chex mix - 1
butter - 2
mandarin oranges - 1
pineapple - 1
rice krispies - 1
rotel - 2
yeast - 1
chicken broth cartons - 2
wacky mac pasta - 2
tuna pouches - 4
pizzas - 2

and this was all really cheap or almost free:

beef broth cans - 3
brown sugar - 2
powdered sugar - 2
beech-nut cookies - 2
red wine vinegar - 1
sugar - 1
breakfast burrito - 1
bacon - 2
AA batteries - 1
cookie dough - 2
trix yogurt - 2
lean pockets - 2
fish sticks - 1
pie crusts - 2
canned veggies - 5
cooking soups - 4
mayo - 2

i spent about $25.00 for it all, and saved about $165.00!

i used this site and this site to make my list.

anyways, that's what i've been up to.

sorry for the unexciting post!

i'll get little man on here next time!

peek-a-booh!

2009-11-02T18:42:00.005-06:00

a day at the patch

2009-10-25T16:59:00.001-05:00

we spent yesterday morning at a local pumpkin patch.

i had never been before (if i went as a kid, i don't remember), and i was pleasantly surprised at all of the things there were to do. calling it a "pumpkin patch" is a pretty big understatement!

little man gets a little uneasy sometimes in different settings like this, so he was definitely not letting go of us. there was a little bit of this going on.....

but mostly, he was happy.....

and sometimes, he was really happy.....

and sometimes, he was hysterical.....

but then we saw one of these.....

and Caleb wasn't really sure what to think.....

"what in the world IS THAT?"

then he went through the maze with daddy.....

and then we made him pose for more pictures, because we just can't seem to get enough of him.....

our little ~~ham~~ man.....

fall can begin

2009-10-19T22:43:00.003-05:00

today, we had this for breakfast.....

i am a happy girl.

birthday party

2009-10-18T20:40:00.015-05:00

yesterday, little man was invited to a birthday party.

this little guy is one year old.....

how cute is he?

he truly is a little miracle.

we are so thankful that he is here, and we are so glad that he and Caleb are so close together in age. i hope that they get to be good playmates for each other as they get older.

the children were each announced as they entered, as princes and princesses. they each had their own seat awaiting them with a crown to wear.

we kept little man contained to his stroller for as long as possible.....

we were able to sneak the crown on for a quick picture before he realized it was there and tried to eat it.....

here is the birthday boy eating his cake.....

and obviously enjoying it.....

because he is smart and he knows that cake is yummy.

when Caleb turned one, he threw his cake on the ground.

and the ice cream.

i thought something might be wrong with him.

i mean, who does that?

he still doesn't seem too interested in sweets.

Bobby doesn't like sweets either, so i guess Caleb gets this from him.

i like sweets, so this makes me sad.

still, i love the little man (and the big man), with or without sweets.....

it's very rare that Caleb and i are actually in a picture together, since i seem to always be behind the camera!

yeah for birthday parties!

pajama day

2009-10-06T13:47:00.010-05:00

oh yeah. i have a blog. maybe i should post something?

we have been busy bees around here. i'm not even sure what we've been doing, i just know we've been busy!

so quick updates:

my dad is doing great. surgery went well and his recovery has been good. he actually went back to work today.

it's still fall. (have i mentioned that i love the fall?)

i still have no pumpkin bread.

the titans still have not won a game.

and this little man is still faster than me.

that is what half the pictures i take look like these days. apparently, 17-month-olds do not like to sit still for pictures.

Bobby had a day off yesterday, so we ended up just hanging out in the living room all afternoon and had some family time. Caleb stayed in his pj's all day, and he played.....

and played.....

and took some rides.....

and caught up on some reading.....

it was a really good, fun day.

seriously, with all the business lately, it was so wonderful to just take a little time out and regroup as a family.

we decided we might need to have pajama days more often.

no pumpkin

2009-09-27T17:35:00.006-05:00

as i said in the last post, i am anticipating fall. in this house, that translates to: time for pumpkin bread.

so yesterday, i went to the grocery store to buy some canned pumpkin. the shelves were bare. i thought that was strange, but just figured maybe there were a bunch of other weirdos like me who were craving pumpkin bread as well.

but today, i visited two other stores who were out as well.

so, i googled canned pumpkin.

apparently, there is a shortage.

hopefully, it will be back in a few weeks.

i guess i'll just have to sit tight until then. :(

thoughts on a rainy day

2009-09-21T11:32:00.011-05:00

it's been raining here. a lot. all. week. long.

yesterday there was a short break, so little man and I made a quick run to the grocery store. big mistake. when we were leaving the store, it was raining, once again. so here i was, trying to load groceries into my car and push the cart back to where the carts go (what do you call those things? i'm totally drawing a blank right now.), all while holding a toddler, an umbrella, a big 'ol diaper bag ~~full of amuse-the-baby-while-I-grocery-shop-tricks,~~ and a coupon box ~~that I'm terrified of dropping because they are filed in order because I am slightly anal~~. i'm sure i was quite the sight to see. needless to say, we were soaked when it was all over. Caleb seemed to enjoy it. i guess that's all that matters!

this rain does have me itching for fall. i look outside, and it's dark and gloomy and looks cold, and then i go outside, and it's 81 degrees and humid and i remember that we're in the south. the fall-like weather will tease us for the next couple of months until it officially decides to stick around. drives. me. crazy.

but in our house, fall is on. time for some homemade cookies, pumpkin bread, smelly candles, and some fall decorating. i might even crank up the air so i can snuggle on the couch with a quilt.

i love the fall, in case you couldn't tell!

*******************************************************

now, on to more important things.....

this is my dad (grandpapi) with little man.....

tomorrow he is having surgery to clean out some clogged arteries that are leading to his brain. will you please pray for him?

my little artist

2009-09-15T17:14:00.005-05:00

little man brought home his first work of art the other day from his class at church. it has found it's place of honor on the fridge.

it makes me smile every time i see it.

a busy week & a busy boy

2009-09-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

this week has been crazy busy at our house. so, i thought i'd squeeze in a quick post and then i'm off to start packing.

we leave in the morning for Macon, GA for the funeral. we are hoping that little man will take his nap in the car on the way down, but we'll see. we'll head back home on Saturday as soon as things wrap up and hopefully be home by bedtime.

i'm a little concerned how little man will behave in general, but mainly at the funeral and burial. he is not big on sitting still these days, so we are praying for a miracle!

and to show you how much he does not like to sit still, here is a little snippet of what he has been up to this week.....

his new favorite toy is his stackable cups. not sure why these hold his interest, while all of the toys that take 27 batteries ~~that die after five minutes~~ each and have pretty lights and fun sounds don't hold his interest much at all, but i guess that's how it goes.....

did i mention that they are multi-functional cups? not only do they stack, but they are great for throwing, and chewing on, and they make great hats!

he's been on some hippo-rides with daddy as the driver......

he discovered how to take off his overalls all by himself.....

i mean, who needs overalls when you have such cute chubby legs, anyways?

and he spent some time in an airplane on Labor Day.....

this little man has been all over the place. literally.

i am one tired mamma trying to keep up with him.

i am also one very blessed mamma.

loss

2009-09-04T15:30:00.008-05:00

today we received news that Bobby's uncle passed away during the night. he went peacefully in his sleep, and for that we are thankful, but no less saddened. he was a strong and constant male presence in Bobby's life, and we are sad to think that little man will not be able to know him.

he leaves behind his wife of over 50 years. she is on my heart today, as i fear for her emotional state as well as her physical health.

we are remembering that God is in control, and He has a plan for each of us. we find peace in knowing that our uncle is no longer dealing with his physical limitations and pains, but that today he has found peace.

please keep us in your prayers over the next few days as we must move forward and make arrangements for travel, and all of the logistics that come along with that.

"For you have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling;

I will walk before the LORD

in the land of the living."

Psalm 116:8-9

outdoor fun

2009-08-30T21:21:00.017-05:00

we have been having the most gorgeous weather this weekend. so today, after we got home from church and lunch, the boys took their naps and got all rested up for some play time outside.

little man hanging out by the tunnel.....

and looking through at his daddy.....

and in deep thought during a swing.....

and his new friend, the squirrel (or chipmunk?).....

and here we are singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", one of Caleb's favorites. i look kind of silly in mid-song, but i love the way little man is looking up with his sweet little smile.....

and Bella watches it all.....

hope you all had as wonderful a weekend as we did!

new look

2009-08-27T22:20:00.006-05:00

well, i spent all of my time giving our blog a facelift instead of writing a new post! now i'm tired, so i'm off to bed because we have a full day ahead of us tomorrow.

but because i think blogs without pictures are boring, here's one of little man.....

thank goodness tomorrow's friday!

happy sunday

2009-08-23T18:46:00.013-05:00

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

we sang this song at church this morning. every time we sing it, it gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes. the words are just so powerful and bring up so many emotions within me. i was very surprised to learn that it is not an old hymn, but actually written quite recently by Stuart Townend.

hope you're having a wonderful Sunday!

cutie-patootie

2009-08-22T21:22:00.006-05:00

i'm not really sure that's how you spell it, but i am very sure that this this little man is one.

he knows just how to melt my heart.

no green-thumbs here

2009-08-20T20:50:00.008-05:00

this was our first year to attempt to plant a tiny garden all on our own. in the past, my dad has brought us plants and helped us plant them. this year, we went to lowe's and bought the plants ourselves and we planted them with high hopes ~~that were tragically squashed right before our eyes~~. we planted tomatoes, jalapenos, different herbs, and some red flowers that i can't think of the name for.

what we thought was oregano ended up being tarragon, and i do not use tarragon very much at all, so it hasn't been much good to us.

we had no idea that you have to keep cilantro trimmed. apparently, if you don't, it turns into some kind of flower and then dies?!

our red flowers also died, for the most part. we aren't sure what happened there. maybe it was just too much sun, or not enough?

so all that to say, we were ecstatic when we were finally able to gather all of this from our ~~sad~~ little garden.....

and yes, we are aware that this is August, and we are just now growing this, but we are excited, nonetheless.

yesterday i jammed

2009-08-18T20:20:00.014-05:00

strawberry jam, that is.

this was my first attempt at canning anything, and i must say that it was pretty successful. i got the recipe here, and it was super easy, just a little time consuming. but it is so yummy, so i'm thinking it was worth it!

i put in a little less sugar than the recipe called for, and i ended up mashing it a little at the end, cause it was still chunkier than i like for it to be.

this morning i had a piece of toast with strawberry jam and what i'm afraid is becoming a mandatory-morning-cup-of-coffee. yum!

groceries

2009-08-12T16:11:00.019-05:00

if you had told me 2 years ago that buying groceries would make me really excited, i would not have believed you. in fact, i probably would have laughed at you. really, really hard.

but today, i went to the grocery store, and i came home really, really happy, and really, really excited.

why?

because i bought all of this.....

.....for $12.85!

yes - that is about 24 pounds of chicken that you see, along with a whole lot of other goodies. today was triple coupon day, and they had a great sale on the chicken. so i saved about $83.00 total!

my husband knows it was a good shopping trip when i call him in to the kitchen to see everything we got.

about 8 months ago, i discovered this site that has completely changed the way i shop. we have saved a ton of money, and have more food in the house than we have ever had. and while i do not intend on making this a blog all about being frugal and finding grocery deals, this is a blog about our family and my role as a wife/mother/homemaker. and buying groceries and trying to save money is a big part of what i do.

becoming a wife of noble character is something that i strive for. Proverbs 31:27 says, "She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." i am not saying that you have to clip coupons to do this; i am simply saying that for us and where we are as a family, this is something that i do.

we have been learning to live off of one income since Caleb was born, and at times, it has been a real struggle. but we try to constantly remember to put our trust in God, and that He will provide for us everything that we need.

i really do believe that God led me to this website and opened my eyes to the "couponing world", and that He did so at the perfect time. isn't it amazing how He can give us exactly what we didn't know we needed?

it's back

2009-08-10T14:58:00.012-05:00

football, that is.

i have a love-hate relationship with the sport.

we are BIG titans fans around here, and we are blessed enough to be able to go to a lot of the games, which is one of my favorite things to do with my husband. we have had the same seats ever since our stadium opened, so we have sat with a lot of the same people for years. we have made a lot of friends; we have watched their children grow up; we have tailgated in all kinds of weather; we have cheered and yelled until we went hoarse; we have won, and we have lost; and we have had a whole lot of fun.

now for the hate aspect of the relationship. football is on at least 4 days a week - if you count college (which in this house, we definitely do). so once the season starts, it STARTS. it is here with a vengeance. there is rarely a time during the season when our tv is not either showing a game, or showing a program that is talking about a game. i understand that this is a great love of Bobby's, so I try to go along with it and stay in good spirits, because Bobby is a great love of mine. but in all honesty, by february, i will be counting down the days to the super bowl. not because i will be excited to see the game, but because that is when the off-season begins, and i will have 5 months of a sports-free atmosphere in our home (except for the pro-bowl, and march-madness, and nba playoffs, and the occasional golf tournament, and did i say 5 months sports-free? ~~i don't know what i was thinking~~).

anyways, last night the titans played buffalo ~~and won~~, so to kick off the season, we had a few people over. we grilled a LOT of food, and watched the game. i was having too much fun, and forgot to take any pictures until the end, so.....

here is the newest member of the family, my little nephew, not-watching the game.....

and here is Bella with her daddy (who, of course, is watching the game).....

**disclaimer: in all fairness to my husband, i must point out that the amount of sports that i am claiming is watched by him may be slightly exaggerated for dramatic effect. **

sleeping boy

2009-08-05T16:14:00.011-05:00

this is how little man sleeps.

he will not let us put a blanket over him. he will immediately pull it off, lay on top of it, and stick his bum up in the air.

i don't normally wake him from his naps, but on this day, we had to be somewhere. so, i thought i'd take the opportunity to snap a few pictures first.

and that would be him telling me we're done with the photo shoot!

reunion

2009-08-03T13:54:00.014-05:00

we went to my high school reunion on saturday. hard to believe that it's been 10 years, but like i said before, it's a different clock!

anyways, we had a great time, and it was really good to see everyone. i wish i could say that i kept in touch with people better than i do, but i honestly only talk to my friend, Catherine, on a regular basis. at least now that i'm on Facebook, i'm doing a little better!

here's a pic of Catherine and me. she's been my best girlfriend since we were 6 years old (we went to the same school for grades 1st-12th together). she was my maid of honor, she was there when i was in labor with Caleb - you name it, she's been there for me! i love this girl!

here is my cute hubby with me.

and here we are with my other girlfriend, Katie, and her husband.

here's to another 10 years!

haircuts

2009-07-30T20:49:00.008-05:00

yes, Caleb got his haircut today (his 4th in his short 15-month life) and he hated every minute of it!

this little man has too much to do and see that he simply cannot sit still unless he is eating, and sometimes not even then.

so, i tried to feed him goldfish to get him to sit in the chair, but that was a no-go.

so, what's a mommy to do? why, put a smock on the both of us, hold him in my lap, and sing "the wheels on the bus" a few ~~gazillion~~ times to try and keep his hands occupied, of course!

the woman cutting his hair didn't seem the least bit phased by his behavior. i, on the other hand, was completely stressed out by the time we were finished, and found myself thinking about all of the patience these women must have to work there - this is a kids only salon. but she does a wonderful job, and hopefully Caleb will be a little better behaved for her next time.

needless to say, i wasn't able to snap any pictures while we were there. so here is a picture of him earlier today eating lunch.....

(i know his foot should not be on his highchair like this. i don't know why he's started doing this, but he hasn't been wanting to eat all that much lately - again, too much to do and see - so i let it go. just picking my battles!)

and here is a picture of him (about 3 pounds lighter and 4 inches shorter!) tonight.....

i know it's not the greatest picture, but it's all i got! i'll get better ones up soon!

little man

2009-07-28T21:09:00.003-05:00

little man has been next to impossible to photograph lately.

if i'm lucky i might sneak one picture in.....

until he sees the camera and tries to grab it from my hands.....

and tries to eat it.....

because he is of the opinion that anything and everything goes in his mouth.

five years!

2009-07-24T08:56:00.015-05:00

five years ago today, this man made me one very happy lady when he made me his wife.

today i'm reflecting on our married life thus far, and i find myself in disbelief that we can already be five years in. (there really must be a different clock keeping time when we're adults than there was when we were kids.) God has truly blessed me with a wonderful husband.

*photo credit Jennifer Dunaway Photography*

i've been told that you discover a new love for your spouse after you have children, and i have found that to definitely be true. i always knew that Bobby would be a great daddy one day, but actually seeing him with our baby boy has been more amazing than i could have ever imagined. all of the love, patience, and gentleness that he has always shown me has simply rolled onto Caleb as well, and if it's possible, i love him even more for it.

our life together has definitely had some low points, but it has gotten us to where we are today, and for that, i am grateful.

so today i thank the Lord for giving me my husband, and for blessing our marriage every day. and for making our lives even more rich with our little man!

a summer night

2009-07-16T21:01:00.014-05:00

we've had a pretty good week at our house. Caleb and i haven't had to leave home the last couple of days, which made for some good ol' lazy, summer relaxing. since today was only semi-hot, we decided to head outdoors tonight.

first, Caleb and Bella had some dinner.

Bella's new favorite seat in the house is underneath the highchair, where she anxiously awaits anything that might land her way. needless to say, she has gained a few pounds post-baby. ~~maybe she's putting on some "baby-weight" to sympathize better with me?~~

(yes, i am aware that they are both in desperate need of haircuts. i'm working on it!)

then we got loaded up in the stroller and made our way outside.

we walked down to the swings, where Caleb had so much fun that we never made it any further!

actually, i may have had more fun than Caleb did! i love seeing him so happy and carefree. it's a reminder of how simple things can be.

hope you're all enjoying your summer!

redecorating

2009-07-10T16:16:00.007-05:00

this morning (as he does most mornings), Caleb decided to redecorate his playpen.

apparently, he's a minimalist.

i suppose he's not yet aware that his mommy is kind-of a ~~ridiculous~~ neat-freak and would rather keep the toys in.

good thing he's so stinkin' cute!

chapter one

2009-07-08T21:10:00.010-05:00

well now you know why we're here, so let's get to the good stuff!

let's start off with a pic of my two favorite ~~men~~ boys.

we have been enjoying our ~~hot, hot, hot~~ summer thus far. Bobby has been working more nights lately, which has given us a lot of quality daddy-time during the day. we've been able to spend some fun, leisurely days at home together, which has been wonderful. Caleb thinks that his daddy is incredibly silly, and i love watching them play together and listening to all the giggles.

today i visited my good friend, Shawna, at the hospital. she just gave birth to her third boy. that's right, numero tres (the others are age 2 and 4)! she and i are about the same age and have been married about the same amount of time, yet they have two children more than we do. that completely blows my mind! i thought we were busy! anyways, the baby was precious, of course, and she seemed to be doing great. she's a wonderful mom, i just wish we lived closer together so we could see more of them.

seeing her newborn was yet another reminder.....

.....of how not-newborn Caleb is.

my baby boy is very much a toddler and is into everything to prove it! just when i think we have the house completely baby-proofed, he will find something else to show me that it most certainly is not. it's hard for me as a (pre-mommy-days) designer to let go of my decorations and accessories only to make room for the countless primary-colored plastic toys, but i am adjusting, and it is well worth the sacrifice!

when i got back home from the hospital, Caleb was in his highchair having his lunch.

let me tell you, when this little boy saw me, he gave me the sweetest hello that a mommy could ask for. i got smiles, squeals, clapping, kicking - you name it, i got it! i see daddy get these kinds of hellos all the time, but since i'm usually around, i don't get them as often. well, it most certainly did my heart good!

ok - I hear my pillow calling my name.

the beginning

2009-07-06T15:50:00.008-05:00

ever since i became a stay-at-home mommy, i have been introduced to this whole blogging-world. while at first, i found it a little odd, i have since discovered that it can be a wonderful way to connect. i have been introduced to other christian moms who i might never have actually "met" otherwise. i'm also thinking that it will be wonderful way to stay updated with our family and friends who we don't get to see a lot. but the best part for me, is that this can become an online scrapbook of our family. i hope that we can look back on this, and see so many of our wonderful memories blogged away!

so all that to say - here is our family blog!