Wrapping up 2008

Wow.
It's very hard for me to believe that this year is over. It's gone by in a flash. My family has had a lot of milestones this year. Here are some highlights.

*Built a "Man-Shop" outback.

*Redid the kitchen.

*Spent the summer in Alabama, swimming, beach fun and family togetherness.



*Bought a puppy in Jan. and sold him in Aug. (so long Thunder)

*My nephew C got through another year of treatments. 2 more to go.


*Got serious about adoption and finally began the process.

*Completed the adoption homestudy and got on the waiting list.

*Big Sis started 2nd grade.

*Little Sis started Kindergarten. (Jamie started wondering what to do with herself)

*Took our little princesses to Disney for an awesome vacation.


*Started getting involved in extracurricular activities. (Upward Cheer leading)

*Josh got a huge promotion at work and also became a Major.

**Realized that all of these blessings are from God and we give Him all the glory.

Lord, Thank you for blessing us. Thank you for each and everyday in 2008 and the lesson that each one had to teach us. Do amazing things in our family in 2009. We love you. In Jesus name, Amen

Cherished Christmas Memories

Growing up my family had one steadfast Christmas tradition. On Christmas morning, before any gifts were opened we would listen to a tape of my Great Grandfather Arthur Alvin Septer,reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke.

I have to admit that as a child this sort of annoyed me. I was ready to tear into the presents and see what Santa brought me each year. As I grew up and also grew in my relationship with Christ the tradition took on more meaning.

Now, when my sisters, our husbands and our 5 going on 8 kids all meet at my parents house, we still listen to Grandpa Septer read the story. Still a cassette tape. His voice brings back memories. He passed away when I was in my early twenties. He was always telling stories and he loved Jesus. I am proud now to still have this tradition and to continue his legacy on to his growing number of great-great grandchildren.

Now when I listen to those words it brings tears to my eyes and my heart fills with the knowledge that God sent His Son as a little baby, to live a sinless life and die for all our sins.

Do you have any Christmas traditions from childhood that you still continue today?

Stocking Swap

Hey readers. I am excited to be part of a stocking swap. I learned of it by reading Kara's blog at Moddy's Thoughts, Prayers and Adventures. I am not so good at posting links, but the orginal idea comes from The Well-Rounded Woman. So, if any of you are reading this today, go sign up and join in the fun.

Blessed beyond measure.

Two weeks ago Friday Josh and the girls went to the Father/Daughter dance. I wasn't invited, but I did get some cute pictures of them before they left.

The one picture that seems out of place (for some reason I'm not able to arrange the pics in the order I want them) is of Josh and his boss. I was privileged enough to be able to go to his work today and participate in his promotion. My beloved is no longer a Captain, now he is a Major and I am so proud of him.

Thank You,Lord for your many blessings. I love my sweet family.

HSTK!!!

No, I didn't just sneeze. I don't need a tissue.

For those of you who aren't up on the Korean adoption lingo. That stands for: Home Study To Korea. It is an important step in the process. Our home study is complete, approved and we are officially on the wait list. No longer "waiting to wait" just "waiting". We got the letter in the mail when we got home from our Thanksgiving travels. What an awesome reason to give thanks to God.

So by this time next year we should (hopefully) have our baby home or at least a referral. A referral is the picture, name and info for the baby chosen for us. Once you get the referral its just a couple of months until the baby comes home.

I am so thankful that my God is in control and not me. He knows all and sees all and He sees my baby boy right now, what more could I ask for?

My Disney Advice

This post has been a long time coming. It has been almost a month since we left for our vacation. It was marvelous. We loved every minute of it. I wanted to post some advice I had based on our experience there. Take it for what you will.

-get the Disney meal plan. No need for the deluxe plan, basic was fine. You get one snack, one quick service (fast food) meal, and one table meal per day, per guest. It was great. You can use them in any order you want. Be sure to ask the cashier what is involved with each meal. Table service meals all included a dessert. Quick service meals include a side and dessert.

-make reservation for the Table Service meals ahead of time. I was surprised that we really had to go out of our way to plan our sit down meals.

-don't bring a baby if you can help it. I had a five and seven year old and they got tired. I saw many, many toddlers and babies and felt so sorry for their parents. That really limits what you are able to ride/do and they won't remember it at all. Of course, this is your own decision. I would be comfortable taking kids 4 or over.

-rent a stroller. This piggy backs on the last topic. We rented a single stroller for five days (there's a discount for multiple days) the girls took turns or shared the space. It was perfect. We would've been carrying Little Sis a lot.

-Save shopping till the end. If you have specific gifts you want to buy, spend your time looking, but wait to make purchases close to the end of your time. The stores can be very overwhelming (especially to kids) We told the girls to look and we actually spent our last day shopping. Downtown Disney has most of what you will need, and you don't need a ticket to get in.

-Stay on property, this goes along with the dining plan. If you don't stay on property you won't need that. I recommend staying in a Disney resort property. This includes transportation to all the parks, and downtown Disney. If you want to go to another resort (for a meal or something) go to a park and there transfer to another bus to get to that resort. Some resorts have ferry boats, or access to the monorail. Ask the bus driver he/she will usually know what the best route is for you.

-Take pictures of course, but get a photo pass. Disney has this awesome program, you pick up a gift card like card. Around all the parks are photographers who take great quality pictures, when they do, hand them your photopass card and they will swipe it. After your vacation you go online to see you photos and purchase them. No pressure. They even created a picture where my girls are "holding" Tinkerbell. I love it.

-Use a travel agent to plan your vacation. I started out trying to plan this myself. I am so glad that I eventually decided to call our travel agent who planned our Hawaii trip. She thought of so many things that I wouldn't have known. Also we prepaid so everything was all paid(even all meals). We only had to bring cash for tips and gifts.

-Buy or bring an autograph book for all kids. I never thought of this, but all the characters will give autographs with pictures.

Lastly, her are a few of my favorites:
Garden Grille (at Epcot, rotating restaurant, character meal)
Askerhaus Banquet Hall (also Epcot, princess meal)
Captain's Grille (Yacht Club resort, good food)
Soarin' (Epcot, best ride ever)
Safari (Animal Kingdom, go early for best animal action)
It's tough to be a Bug (Animal Kingdom, best show)

Feel free to comment if you have questions. I'm no expert, this is just what I learned from our experience. Also, if you live in our area and you want my travel agent's number let me know.

Gettin' it done, or not.

Someone help me understand how I manage to stay home two solid days in a row and still not get all my house chores done. Argh! It's so frustrating. I have a lot to do and stayed busy all day. (Well, I was on the computer some, but I am trying to cut back.) It seems like I can't get everthing done. How much do you get done in a day to consider it a sucessful day as a SAHM? Six loads of laundry, bills, vacuuming? Is a quick straitening enough? What do you think?

P.S. Pray. Josh and I are making a decision that will affect our future. Nothing scary or bad. Just a decision. Pray for wisdom and direction for both of us. Maybe I will fill you in more later if I can.

And so it begins.

Throughout our parenting Josh and I have felt strongly that our girls should never be more busy than we are. We have always had the rule of one extra activity at a time. So far this has meant that they do nothing. Yeah, well, there was that one season of spring soccer when Big Sis was four. At three she did gymnastics for a few months, we decided that wasn't her "thang". But nothing since then, she's 7 now.

For months and months I said "We need to get the girls into something." Still we hesitated, dragging our feet. Until now.

As of tonight we are the proud parents of two Upward Cheerleaders. It was practice night, and it was so fun to be there and watch. Unfortunately, Little Sis practices at 5:30 and Big Sis at 6:30. We finally got supper (at Colton's) at 7:30. Now we are home and the girls are finally in bed at 9 p.m.

This is so odd for us. We are usually at home on evenings. This will take some getting used to for sure. This isn't even considering that the games start in December and run through February. They are on Saturday mornings, another commitment that we aren't at all used to.

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a busy life raising and running around our kiddos.

Star Gazing.

A few nights ago the night was really clear and beautiful. We can see a lot of stars out at our place. Josh wanted me and the girls to go out in the backyard with him and look up at the stars. We got two blankets out and all four snuggled down between them on the grass. We were gazing and talking. It was great family time.

Big Sis, wise beyond her years, said,"God sees all the stars and He put them all in place." I agreed, "I told her God knows how many there are and He named them all." She thought for a moment, then she said, "I wonder if there's one named Pat?"

Jill.

Josh and I went to college with a guy named Scott. He's a great guy, he let me ride in his car to our bowling class. One day I beat him and the other guy we bowled with. Thy didn't like that too much.

Josh and I moved on in life and colleges. Scott became friends with my younger sister and her soon to be husband. Scott met and married a girl from Texas named Jill. My sister and her husband and Scott and Jill became great friends. Scott and Jill were at the hospital at 10:30pm the night my nephew was born. They had no kids at the time. Earlier this year Scott and Jill were blessed with their first child, Bryce. He is 3 months old now.

Yesterday, Scott, Jill and Bryce were on their way to a wedding. They were in a car accident and Jill was thrown from the car. CPR was done at the scene, she was rushed to the hospital and then life flighted on to a bigger hospital. Jill never woke up and was pronounced dead this morning. Scott has a few cuts and bruises, but baby Bryce is perfect.

Please be in prayer for this man, a pastor of his church, and their baby boy who will never know his mommy and how much she loved him and wanted him. Jill was a Christ follower and is now in heaven. It's hard to understand why she had to go now, but someday her family will see her again.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2nd Corinthians 4:18

Disney Pics # 2

Disney Pics #1

Hi, I'm still here.

We are home from our lovely and exhausting vacation. I will be sure to post more later on the details and pictures of course! I wanted to let my loyal readers (all two of you) that we had our first homestudy visit yesterday and it went great. We will have another visit later this week. The social worker said then she will "write it up" and send it off to Korea. That is the point where we actually begin waiting. Right now we are waiting to wait, but a step in the right direction is always good.

Feeling regretful.

I was feeling a little guilty about my last post, which I actually deleted. Not that the incident shouldn't have bothered me, it did. I just thought maybe I was a little overly sensitive and felt I should remove the post. Thanks to the two girls who commented. I appreciate the fact that you've got my back.

A burning hot night.

Yesterday we hosted a bonfire for our Sunday school class. We had a blast. The fire(once it got going) was a blazin' inferno. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, for the ever delicious S'mores (yum, Hey, I was good and only had one) There were probably at least thirty kids running around our yard. As the sun was going down we handed out glow sticks, necklaces and bracelets. They were a hit. The kids made their choices and headed of into the darkness. Our yard became a colorful light show of oranges, blues, yellows and reds. It was better than any fireworks. The night wound down and friends headed home. Josh and I gathered our girls into the house for a much needed shower. Big Sis had some unexplained filth all across her face. Little Sis, who was barefoot the entire night, had little black feet. Soiled, I mean solid proof of a fun night. I washed my babies and put them to bed. Once they were asleep, my honey and I strolled back out to the still glowing fire and sat for another hour or so. It was a perfect night. The best kind of hostessing, everyone stays outside and enjoys the gorgeous fall night.

Thank you God for your blessings, for the beautiful weather, the change in seasons, for friends old and new, for a sweetheart to share a cozy fire with, for dirty, tired baby girls and for Your promises and plans for our future. You are so faithful and I love You.

"Punkin" Patch

Thank you Photobucket!

Okay, I know this picture is a little odd. Josh took it with his camera phone, sent it to my phone which put it on the computer. Once I had it on the computer I played with it until the wierd blue stuff on my face was a little less noticeable. His camera phone isn't real great these days.

Well, on to the story behind the picture.

This is me (on the right of the picture) at the place where we had our fingerprints done for our adoption homestudy. I am waiting for the lady to finish what she is doing so she can take my prints. Just one more step in the process. I told Josh to take a picture. He thought that was weird, but I just had to have something for my blog.

We're coming baby brother!!

Garage Sale Blues

How much is two days (plus) of work worth??

Uhh? About ninety dollars.

A word to the wise, if you live out in the outskirts of town don't expect to have a sucessful garage sale. Oh well, that's ninety dollars toward the "Baby Brother Fund"

Life is...

Unpredictable.

Yesterday I got a call from the school nurse. Little Sis had fallen from the monkey bars and hurt her wrist. The nurse had iced it, elevated it and sent Little Sis ( who seemed fine) back to class with orders to the teacher to watch her. She called me to just keep me in the loop. Little Sis was using her hand to color and not complaining.

Well, I went to pick her up at school to take her to a dentist appointment. I reached to grab her hand to lead her across the busy school parking lot. She said "Ow, my wrist hurts." I looked at her and she was holding the hand kind of funny and out away from her body. Josh was with me, he said he thought it was broken. We proceeded to cancel said dentist appointment and head to the pediatric urgent care clinic. Two very long hours later they told us that Little Sis had indeed broken not one but both of the lower bones in her little arm, just above the wrist.

This is one brave girl. She cried at school when the accident happened, but the entire visit to urgent care she was tough, no tears, occasionally she said "Ow, ow" when the Dr, nurse, radiologist, etc would manipulate her wrist. I was proud of her.

Today we headed to an orthopedic appointment where her splint was traded out for a bright pink cast. (Did you think she'd pick any other color?) Now she is resting and relaxing watching T.V. Dr said she's fine to go to school tomorrow.

Big Bummer Alert: She'll have the cast on until after our Disney vacation. I told her that maybe the Princesses can sign it.

Life is good.

My hubby made it home yesterday. We were all so excited to see him. Thanks to all of you who prayed for us while he was gone. We survived. I am learning to trust God during these times without my husband. It's nice to be able to rely only on God, He is faithful.

The home study paperwork is moving along. Fingerprints will happen soon among other things. Our journey to Baby Brother is moving along.

One last exciting note. We are about three weeks away from our big vacation to Disney. I am pumped and so are the girls. Any advice from those who've been there before?

Sleepy and lonely.

Hi, I miss my hubby.

I don't have a whole lot of interesting things to say today. My husband probably won't be home for at least another week. This being a single parent thing really stinks.

I don't want to spend my whole post complaining. It has really been okay around here. I got to meet one of my blog friends in real life last night. Kara had a baby shower for her new baby boy. It was fun. I had to cart my kids along, due to my lack of babysitter. I told Josh on the phone that my baby sitter had skipped town. He said "Who?" I said, "You!!" He's a dork sometimes.

The days have been very normal. Nothing interesting. Laundry. Dishes. I'm not even sure why I am writing this post. I am reaching out for adult communication I guess. Josh and I talk on the phone but our conversations are short. Whatever happened to the days when we talked and talked for hours on end and I would cry when it was time to hang up. What's that all about?

Sorry for the rambling. I'm really tired. I don't sleep much when my co-spooner is gone.

Have you ever???

I was our running errands today and was stopped at a red light. To my left I saw a man get out of his truck and run up to the car ahead of him (also stopped at the light) He reached above the drivers side window, grabbed a hotcakes and sausage meal (from McD) and handed it to the embarressed mom driving the car.

I was wondering have any of you ever done that?

You place an item on top of the car, usually your hands are full and you're searching for keys. You get into the car and drive off, forgetting the item on the roof.

Once, Josh and I left his cell phone on the truck and drove off. We didn't realize it was gone until we got home. We back tracked and found the phone, in a pile, in the middle of a street about a mile from where we started. Funny thing, we put the pieces back together and the phone ACTUALLY WORKED!!

Any other funny stories out there?

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby.

My sweet, brave husband turns 33 today. I love him so much. He does everything he does to take care of us. This mans man who grew up with one brother, rough and tumble and gross like boys are sometimes. He is so sweet and loving to our two little girls. His heart is for us and his favorite times are with our family of four. He is so excited to add our baby boy and wishes for him almost as much as I do. He and I started dating when he was twenty. We've grown up together and I still love him. I'm IN love with him and I always will be. He's my soulmate. Happy Birthday Josh. I love you.

P.S. I talked to our social worker today and our homestudy will get underway in Oct. Yay!!!!
So much paperwork to do, but, I know it's worth it.

Yucky Hurricanes

Some of you know that when Josh was deployed it had something to do with Hurricane Katrina. Another state was set to go but was affected by the storm and so Missouri was called up. We found out he was to be deployed a day after my birthday in 2005.

Well, over this past weekend Josh got a call that he was being sent to Arkansas to a staging ground for helicopter's flying to help people affected by the next hurricane, Ike. So tomorrow, which happens to be Josh's 33rd bday, he leaves to go to AR and then possibly farther south depending on when and where the hurricane hits.

I am bummed that he will be away on his bday and also that he could possibly be gone for two weeks. God has chosen to provide for our family through Josh's job with the military, and I'm thankful. But, sometimes it stinks, you know. Pray with me that he remains safe and that the hurricane weakens and all the people on the coast will not be in any danger.

Nothing much going on.

I am rather boring these days. Not a lot going on. As for the adoption, all I know right now is that our packet of paperwork made it to the agency. We haven't heard anything else yet. Keep praying. I know that really the waiting has just begun.

Recipes??

My fair readers,
I didn't mean to mislead. The wonderful chicken was from Harter House, out of their neat section of already prepared meat dishes. I should've made something up and let you think I created that dish on my own. The brussel sprouts were an experiment for me. I cut fresh brussel sprouts in half and sauteed them in a little olive oil. They got a little crispy on the edges. I added salt and pepper. I got a vote from Josh that we should do that again. Half-Baked brownies were also something else that I think you got the wrong idea on, it was a box of Gheridelli Brownies that I literally baked half the time. So they were ewey, gooey yumminess. I hope you all aren't to disappointed by my honesty. It was still yummy.
Me

Yum.

The Menu tonight:
Parmasan Artichoke Chicken
Sauted Brussell Sprouts
Mac and Cheese

Half-Baked Brownies.

It was great.

Whew.

We made it through our first whole week of school. The girls are still doing really great. The busy schedule finally caught up with Little Sis and on Thursday evening she had a meltdown. WOW!! She was beyond unreasonable. Josh and I just laughed becaused we knew it was the tiredness finally catching up with her. She finally settled down and went to sleep and woke up Friday with her usual cheery disposition. Today we have a birthday party and a grown-up get together. One of Josh's friends he deployed with is having people over. This is Josh's chance to get back at me for dragging him to MOPs and Pops night. Maybe I should practice my smile and small talk before we go. Uggh.

The first step

Last night Josh and I filled out an online application for an adoption agency. I have some paperwork to get together and send in as well. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will hear something. The country we are seeking out is quite different than the one that we originally talked about. I just feel God telling me that's where our baby is.

Fasting

Yesterday I went on a computer fast. It was awesome. I am usually drawn to get on the computer if I have a minute to spare. Most of the time that minute becames half an hour or maybe more. Yesterday I was praying and I just felt like God was calling me to fast from the computer. Each time throughout the day when I wanted to use the computer, my thought process was changed to focus on God and all the gifts He's given us. It was great. I recommend it for all of you others who find yourselves addicted to this thing. Maybe next time I will go for two days, or more.

Our first day

Countdown continues..with update

ONE DAY TO GO!

Girls meet their teachers today.

I made a teacher gift with an apple theme.

I'm hoping this will butter them up so they like my kids best.

Just being honest here.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE TEACHER GIFT: apple candle, apple stamp, apple hand sanitizer and an apple (it's all from the Dollar Tree, except the apple of course.)

COUNTING DOWN TO SCHOOL

Two days to go.

AACCCKKK! (in case you didn't know, that's a scream)

Falling Up

My husband was stunned by my gracefulness today. I was carrying groceries in from the garage when my flip-flop toe got caught on the step. I slowly fell into the house dropping groceries as I went. It was one of those slo-mo things where I felt myself going down, down and couldn't stop. My sweet husband saw the whole thing. He was concerned and kept asking if I was okay as I lay there clutching the bag left in my hand. All I could say was,"I crushed the chips." Maybe I wouldn't have made quite as big a thud if I wasn't so concerned about chips in the first place. Don't worry, Josh helped me up and I don't have any injuries, except the one to my ego. Oh, go ahead, laugh, I know you want to.

Detox

Let me start by saying that I really like my mother-in-law, she's so sweet and I can always count on her to pray for me and my crew. But, I do have to say that the first couple of days back home for the girls have been trying. It's back to reality for them and they don't really like it. We have been dealing with some disrespect issues. I've been screamed at and whined at and yelled at. I have had to try to discipline with kindness and not out of my anger. Believe me I've had anger. How could little sweet babies who you diapered and feed and rocked to sleep turn into opinionated, hateful little rotten creatures. I know it has to do with their stay at Mamaw's house. They are free to do what they want and are treated to prizes and treats and lots of fun everyday. I'm not saying that's wrong, that's what grandparents are for. But, the return to normal life where the girls are not the center of the world has been hard for all four of us. I know some of you have dealt with this before or are dealing with it now. Let's pray for each other.

They're Baaack.

My girls got home yesterday about 1:00 I was just about to put the finishing touches on their rooms. They really liked thier bedroom and it's new beach theme. I spent the week turning one room into a playroom and the other into a bedroom. I think it will be a great change and it will hopefully keep the majority of mess confined to one place. We shall see.
They had fun at my mother-in-laws house and got spoiled every minute. I do think they started missing me after a few days. Now we have to start the countdown to school. Less than two weeks away.

p.s. I am planning on filling out an adoption application really soon, be praying that God will lead us in the right direction. I will give more details later as things progress.

Missin' my Chicks

Every year for the past few years, Josh's mom has wanted to have Big Sis (and now Little Sis) for a few days each summer. Last year they each took a separate turn leaving me at home with one girl to spend one on one mommy time with me. It was great. This year she wanted them both on the same week. And when I say week I mean six nights, seven days. My first thoughts were "Yes, I can get a lot done around the house, relax and spend time with my hubby with lots of time to spare" My first couple of days were great. Sleeping in. Completely rearranging the girl's rooms and organizing toys (aaacckk! still working on that one) I even got a girls night out with my sister and cousin-in-law. But as of Wednesday I was over my vacation. Plain and simple I miss my kids. I miss their snuggles in the morning. I miss their sweet voices singing in the next room. I even miss their sister squabbles (I know I'm crazy) I am here to testify that absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

A peek into the future?

I am so bad at this posting stuff. I kept trying to add text to the slideshow below and each time I did it would mess up. Little Sis found my camera one day. I picked it up to find all thes pictures she had taken with no one else around. I just had to share. The question is, will she grow up to be a famous photographer or a super model?

Self-Portraits by Little Sis

Vacation Bible School

My girls are attending VBS at my parents church. I have been seeing some of my bloggy friends there, dropping off thier kiddos. I asked Little Sis what they had for snack on Monday. She said bananas, Sun chips and a Capri Sun. I think VBS has come a long way since my days at Faith Missionary Baptist Church. Without fail our snack was cookies and red kool-aid. It may have been a little repetitive but it was great. I have a lot of great memories from those hot summer days. The year I was too old to attend I began helping. I was a teacher in a kindergarten class when I was 15 or 16. Oh the joys of a tiny church. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. I hope my girls are making great memories this week. I know they are learning more about God and that's the best part of all. Do any of you have VBS memories?

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

I am a little late with this post. Yesterday my oldest child turned seven. We had such a busy day. Josh was home and we spent the day together. We made a visit to the big city, Toys'r'us and Chuck E. Cheese. Big Sis requested an American flag cake and mac 'n' cheese for supper.

Big Sis is smart, caring, creative and determined. I am so proud of her and the girl she is becoming. She is a blessing.

Back to Normal?

I am home now and finally almost unpacked. I am a proud member of the ranks of procrastinators. My husband comes home tonight and that gives me some motivation to get things done today. Unfortunately, while I have been unpacking the two sweet girls have turned their rooms into disaster areas. So, our main project today is to make some order in those rooms. I have enjoyed looking at my new kitchen. We have also been picking blackberries from our own personal blackberry patch. It makes me feel like a pioneer woman picking berries for my family. I guess that is as close as I will get since I don't bake bread from scratch too often and I can't churn butter.

Home again.

The girls and I headed home a few days early. We just couldn't take that apartment anymore. Josh will be home middle of next week. I can't wait to use my new kitchen again. I also can't wait to see all of my Missouri friends again. It was nice to see you today BDM, why don't you leave a comment sometime.

Two Little Mermaids

Once upon a time there were two little mermaids. They loved to swim. They swam everyday in their nearby pool. What fun they had. They practiced their swimming and got better everyday. Their father King Triton was so proud he took video of them doing thier best swimming. (Pay no attention to the woman in the pool, we aren't sure who she is;))

Our Awesome Weekend!!

Although it didn't start out that way, our little family had an awesome July 4th weekend. Here is a time line of how things went:


Wednesday, July 2nd

7:00 p.m.: Jamie and girls see Kit Kittridge movie.


9:08 p.m.: Heading home from the movie, Big Sis vomits in the van.


9:45 p.m.: Girls and Jamie arrive to apartment, A/C not working, upstairs is like a sauna


11:00 p.m.: Josh arrives home to find below standard sleeping conditions.



Thursday, July 3rd

6:45 a.m.: Family awakes to no A/C, very crabby family indeed.


7:30 a.m: Family eats breakfast out to escape heatbox apartment.


8:00-8:40 a.m.: waiting outside of rental office to alert them of no A/C.


9:00 a.m.: Family arrives back to apartment getting hotter every minute.


9:o5 a.m: Jamie begs Josh to take dog to kennel and begin mini-vacation a day early.


9:06 a.m.: Josh complies. Packing quickly ensues.


9:15a.m. to 2:5o p.m.: packing, showering, driving, snacking, more driving


3:00-4:3o p.m.: search for hotel with vacancy, find one, lounge on beds enjoying A/C


4:30-6:oo p.m.: Eat at fav seafood place one last time. YUM!!


6:30-7:30 p.m.: Swim in hotel's awsome pool.


7:30-9:00 p.m.: walk on beach, dig holes in sand, watch sunset



Friday, July 4th

6:45 a.m.: Little Sis wakes up, ready for "brek-thust"


8:00 a.m.: Eat at Waffle House, blueberry waffle, mmmmmm


9:30a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Enjoy Florida's Gulfarium. Big and Little Sis love it.





12:15p.m: Drive to Pensacola, Fl


1:30-3:45 p.m.: Visit Naval Aviation Museum. Josh is like a little kid.



3:45p.m.: Drive to wrong hotel.


4:00 p.m.: Finally get to right hotel (earned free night with Marriott rewards)

Sweet bonus: hotel is in perfect viewing distance of Pensacola fireworks show.

4:15-5 p.m.: veg out in room.

5-6:30 p.m.: walk to Outback Steakhouse (a block away), Eat yummy meal.


6:30-7:00: digest

7:oo-8:00 p.m.: Swim in hotel pool.

8:00-9:00 p.m.: shower, jammies (girls)

9:00 p.m.: walk down to lobby and watch fireworks from front lawn of hotel

9:30p.m.: bedtime


Saturday, July 5th
7:30-9:00 a.m.:wake, get dressed, eat free breakfast in hotel lobby.

9:00-10:oo a.m.: check out, load up

10:00-11:30 a.m.: Drive along coast, Gorgeous!!!

11:30-12:30 p.m.: Visit Navarre Beach, played in sand and surf, so much fun!

12:30-4:00 p.m.: Travel (the scenic route) back to Alabama.

4:oo p.m.: Enter apartment, A/C is fixed, apartment cool!!!!!

Thanks for putting up with this post. I know it is a little lengthy but I really wanted to document our weekend. If I missed some time periods it was because I didn't want to bore you with too many details. Also, sorry about the spacing, I tried to fix it and it kept acting up. We had such an awesome time. Memories were made and bonding happend between the members of our family. God is awesome. I am thankful to Him for our time together and also for His awesome creation that we enjoyed. He is quite an artist.

Happier?

On the news this morning there was a report on happiness. It compared couples without children to those who had kids. The findings were that childless couples as a whole were 7% happier than those with kids. I can't imagine this. My life is so much better with kids in it. Maybe the couples with children have more stress, worry, work, financial responsibilities, etc. But that is nothing in comparison to the satisfaction, joy, love, blessings, fulfillment and on and on that kids bring into one's life.
I think the couples that were tested must have been the ones who had no desire for children in the first place. Those who are satisfied with things how they are. Before my kids came along I wanted them so much. Any opinions out there?

Little Sis is Five!!!!

My sweet girl is turning 5 at 2:56 p.m. It was a great day when our second daughter joined our family. I can't believe how fast the time has gone so far. Little Sis is outgoing, curious and fun loving. We call her our free-spirit. She is a blessing. Here is a video of her when she was two. We sang this song together every night when I put her in bed.

Happy Birthday Sugar Bear!!

The magic number.

Little sis's birthday is fast approaching. I was telling her today I didn't want her to get older. She told me not to worry that she was still little. I asked how old she would be when she wasn't little anymore. She said 7. I guess this means her big sister will cease to be little in about a month or so.

What do you think?

I am reaching a crossroads in my life. My baby girl is turning 5 next week. She will begin kindergarten in August. I keep asking her to stay home with mommy for one more year. She's not falling for it. Can't say I didn't try. Anyway, now where does that leave me? Josh and I are pursuing adoption but we can't say when a baby will actually be in our home. What should I do with myself during the in between time? Get a job? I don't know. I have to be honest I am struggling right now with my new identity. Does anyone have any wise insight or opinions about what to do when your baby's off to school? If you are at home with little ones right now, what are your plans for when they do start school? Anybody who's been through this already? Well, I would appreciate any encouragement/advice anyone has to give.

Father's Day and the zoo.

I am a day late for my Father's Day post. We had a fun day yesterday. We are struggling about which church to visit while we are away. Yesterday we decided to watch our church live on the internet. It was nice and it made us wish we were there. I didn't think the girls were taking it seriously. I finally told them that they would need to draw me a picture of something the preacher talked about. Dr. Marshall talked about love from 1Corinthians 13. He focused on patience, kindness, envy and pride. When it was over I told the girls to each go draw a picture. Little sis drew a stick man with a word balloon coming out of his mouth. Inside the balloon were scribbles. She ran up to Josh and I and threw it in our direction saying "Love" and running off to play. Big sis took a little more time with hers. She brought her picture to us. In the top left corner she had written the initials V. R. I asked her about that. She said "I don't remember, He said something about V.R. or R.V. or something." A light bulb went off. I said "Do you mean N.V. (envy)?" Yes, that was it, and off she went. I cracked up.

After this we got ready and drove to Montgomery. The zoo there is very nice. Father's got in free for Father's day. We had a good time. It was a little hot, but still nice in the shade. Everyone got to see his or her favorite animal. Although the girls were upset that this particular zoo had no panda (we saw Kung Fu Panda last week) Just as we were finishing up our walk and preparing to ride the train, it began to thunder and lightning. Josh suggested that we get ice cream on the way home and forgo the train. This satisfied everyone (especially me) and we headed home.

I love my husband, I hope he had a great day with his girls. He is an awesome daddy.

God is good.

I really don't want to write a serious post. I would rather be funny or exciting. I just feel lead to ask you all to pray. Please pray that God would bring victory to some members of my extended family who are being attacked by the enemy. I don't want to name names but there two are people who are in times of crisis in their lives right now and only God is able to free them from bondage and bring victory into their lives. During this time things look hopeless and difficult. Many other family members are being affected by what's going on. Pain brings hopelessness and hopelessness leads to bad choices, even sinful choices. I truly believe that hurting people hurt people. Pray that doctors involved with these family members can have Godly wisdom in dealing with them. I am sorry if this post is confusing. I don't want to be too specific about either situation, just know that Satan is attacking and I don't want him to have the victory. Pray that Satan will be bound from their lives. God can take these lives and make something beautiful from them. Also, if anyone has any advice on dealing with and helping someone dealing with depression/addiction, I would welcome them. But really I know the best thing I can do is to pray, will you pray along with me?

Psalm 41:1-3 "Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness."

I thought these verses fit the situation pretty well. I also want to ask that you would pray that Josh and I can be a positive influence in this situation especially to those involved who do not know Christ.

Destin

Saturday we took a trip to Destin, Fl. We went to our favorite beach there, Henderson Park. This is the first time the girls have seen the beach in over four years. They don't remember ever being to the beach before. We had a great time. I was the only one to get sunburned, for an overprotective mommy like me I call that a victory. The last picture is later in the day. We walked out on a fishing pier to see what we could see. Josh and I had to walk off our scrumptious seafood dinner. It was fabulous. Yummy!!

One word

Here is a meme I read on Alana's blog. I though I would try it. Each question can only have a one word answer. Here goes.

1. Where is your cell phone?
downstairs

2. Your significant other?
running

3. Your hair?
ponytail

4. Your mother?
nana

5. Your father?
worker

6. Your favorite thing?
spooning

7. Your dream last night?
forgotten

8. Your favorite drink?
coke

9. Your dream/goal?
brother

10. The room you are in?
bedroom

11. Your hobby?
reading

12. Your fear?
worthlessness

13. Where do you want to be in 6 year?
home

14. Where were you last night?
here

15. What you are not?
ambitious

16. Muffins?
buttered

17. The last thing you did?
vacuum

18. What are you wearing?
jammies

19. Something you are not wearing?
hat

20. Your mood?
grouchy

21. Your summer?
away

22. Person you tag?
Michelle (you bloggy dropout)

Howdy Y'all from the deep south

Just so you know our family has relocated, at least temporarily. Josh is on TDY (temporary duty) training in Alabama for eight weeks. It was such a blessing that this happened during the summer and the girls and I are able to be here with him. We are staying in a lovely (and by lovely I mean gross) furnished TDY apartment. But I am not complaining. I am glad to be able to see my hubby each morning and at night when he gets home late. He is my best friend and I don't like to be away from him. Those of you who know me, know that we are apart often, due to his job. I am thankful that our little family can be here together. I failed to mention that our giant puppy is inside with us during our stay here. Loads of fun!! I hope you feel my sarcasm coming through on that one. One of the bonuses here is that we are about two hours away from the gulf coast. I can't wait to see the girls at the beach. They have been to the beach before but they were 2 1/2 and about 8 months old so they don't really remember. We are headed down there this coming weekend. I will take loads of pictures and be sure to post them. So until mid-July all my Missouri friends can hold down the fort for me there.

My flip-flops

Thanks Alana for the bloggy flip-flop fun. Thanks too to Darlene R. for the flops. I love them.

A manly post for my husband

Josh this post is for you. We are missing you down there in the south. We will be there with you soon. I wanted you (and all my readers) to see the new shop. I can picture it now. You putting on your work boots and your man coat and going out to do something manly in your new shop. I can't wait until we are all back home again so you can try it out. It looks great. Or atleast I think so from a woman's point of view. I am excited about the storage that will happen within its white steel walls. I love you, see you Saturday.

Our Yard Before:


Our Yard After:

Our special girl

I am sure that most of you have heard by now about the tragedy in Steven Curtis Chapman's family. I've had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I think about it. I can't imagine what that family is going through. I do know that God is all powerful and He is merciful. I pray that He will give them peace and comfort during this time.

I read that little Maria had just graduated from preschool. This really hit home with me since Wednesday, my little princess graduated from her preschool. She was the only child to skip across the platform. She made everyone laugh. Our hearts swelled with pride. Little Sis is a girl who can bring a smile to anyone's face. Here are a couple of pictures from that day, and a video clip from a fun day with friends at the children's museum.

The Kitchen

We are finally finished with our kitchen makeover. And by we, I mean a bunch of guys from Romania. They did a great job. They replaced the formica counters for granite, added a back splash and all new stainless steel appliances. My fav is the undermount sink,but I love it all.

Here are the before and after pictures of my lovely kitchen. I am so happy with how things turned out. Yay!!!

Before:

After:

Life and Times of the First Grade

My first born baby is almost finished with her first grade year. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. She has done really well this year and I am proud of her. She has had some exciting things happening lately.

First of all, she was asked to include a story that she wrote in the Tri-Lakes Young Authors Conference. She enjoyed a day of writing and illustrating activities and received a certificate and a gold seal on the cover of her book. The book is entitled "The Bird That Said Moo." It's a very cute story. She was proud to be a real author. Maybe, God will use her someday in that area. She has so much potential. Here are a few pictures I took that day.

Another exciting thing that happened was a special surprise at school. The third and fourth grade had spent time in state testing and this was a little treat for all their hard work. The Principal and my husband Josh set it up. It was a visit from our favorite helicopter pilot, Big Sis's Daddy, Josh. He landed at the school Monday morning and all the kids got a chance to look at the aircraft. Big Sis and her daddy both had an awesome time. I wasn't able to be there, but the secretary took these pictures for me.