EE's Birthday Party

The birthday girl!

Peek-a-boo!

With Mommy

With Daddy

Isn't this cake adorable? Mrs. Linda made it, and it couldn't have been more perfect for her themed party of "Guess Whoo's Turning 1!"

Just starting to enjoy her first taste of anything sweet

Getting another mouth full

Can you see the hands anywhere? Complete M-E-S-S!

Trying to share

Getting the stickiness off of her thumb so she can pick up some more

Just before her bath- Can you tell she is FULL of cake?

Enjoying her scrub down

The birthday girl with Daddy and Mommy

It is still beyond me that EE is now 1. Despite the fact that I am in disbelief, she did have a birthday, and boy did she enjoy her party. She loved being the center of attention. She just hammed it up! I thought she would have been sick after eating so much cake, but it didn't seem to bother her. She did smash it beyond recognition, but while playing with it, she ate A LOT! It was fun to watch. When she opened up her presents, she just oohed and ahhed at everything- giving partiality to her baby doll. I hated to see the evening come to a close, as it was so fun to watch our lil' girl enjoy her special day. But, by the end of her party, like most toddlers, she was all tuckered out and ready for bed. What a special time it was!

Happy Birthday, EE!

Yesterday was EE's 1st Birthday! It's hard to believe that a year has already passed. It seems like yesterday I was looking into her sweet newborn face. Anyway, we had a wonderful time celebrating the life that God gave her this past year. More pictures and the story of the day to come! Happy Birthday, sweet daughter!

Merry Christmas

We are so thankful for the Christmas season. We are thankful that God sent Jesus to earth to live a perfect life, die for our sins, and resurrect and return to his rightful home in Heaven. As we celebrate his birth, we ponder what it really means to have a savior that truly understands our weaknesses- not only because he knows how we are created, but because he has walked where we walk.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"While they (Joseph and Mary) were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
-Luke 2:6-7

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Scroll

"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me."
Psalm 54:4

The Hard One

Have I ever mentioned that it is really hard to get a picture with EE smiling? The kid sees the camera and does one of four things: 1) looks down, 2) looks away, 3) refuses to look up, or 4) crawls off. Yep, that is the way it goes when she sees a black rectangular object in my hands. If you know me very well, you must know that this really annoys me (probably an understatement) because of my obsession with pictures. So, in order to get a picture of her smiling, it takes quite the circus, and it is nearly impossible to do alone. Oh yeah, did I mention that you have to take about 20 to get a decent 1?
Well, anyway, here is the story for the pictures above. Just after EE was born, a really sweet lady in our church bought her this dress to wear for her first Christmas. So, because of the lady's generosity, I thought it would be a good idea to give her a picture of EE wearing the dress. Apparently, my daughter didn't think this was a good idea. Did you see the last picture? Yeah, that's EE! Is it possible to be that opinionated already?

Wordless Wednesday

(Who says it doesn't get cold here??? Granted we did turn the sprinkler on to get the ice...but I'm just sayin' it has been freezing lately!)

Happy Anniversary

8 years ago I married the love of my life. I'm so thankful God provided me with such a wonderful, godly husband. If I had it to do over again, I would do it all the same.

Happy Anniversary, Ben! I love you!

Wordless Wednesday

EE- 11 Months

I really have a hard time believing that EE turned 11 months old this past week. But, if the calendar is correct, and I do believe it is, at the end of this month she will be having her first birthday. Here are a few of the things our beautiful girl is up to...
* This month can be summarized as "teeth, teeth, teeth!" She has four on top and three on the bottom. The fourth tooth on the bottom will be through in a few days.
* She is busy and she is fast! EE can get somewhere faster than I can. Up until today she hadn't taken any steps. That's right. Today she took her first step. She can stand without holding on to things, and she is a pro at cruising around on furniture.
* The girl knows how to put down some food! She mostly eats pureed food, but this week has started trying to feed herself food from the table.
* We had to lock up all the cabinets in the kitchen because she will throw out EVERYTHING she can reach, which makes a huge disaster area where ever she is.
* Anytime EE hears music or a beat (such as a washer or dryer or dishwasher) she instantly starts rocking in rhythm to what she hears.
* And last but not least, she knows how to show her dissatisfaction in life. Anytime she is told "no" or can't do what she wants....well, let's just say her actions match the sayings about people with red hair.
(Oh yeah...did I mention that the girl LOVES a phone?)

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Scroll

"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."
Psalm 40:5

Conversations

Earlier today, BA told me, "Mom, when I was young Papa let me try to drive the four wheeler." After asking if he was old now, he said, "Yeah, but I'm not 16 yet."

Conversations

Today CJ informed me, "Mom, I'm not three anymore. I'm four. I can start school on Monday."

(Just in case you are wondering...CJ is two, and he wants to be four so that he can do school at home like his big brother! Haha! Not a chance you are starting to skip naps, buddy boy! Good try though!)

My Three Lil' Blessings

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Scroll

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
-Psalm 100

Where have I been?

CJ enjoying a fudge pop while taking a bath. Can you tell he is proud to be in Mom's garden tub, and even more proud to have an endless supply of popcicles due to his sickness?

BA supervising his brother's bath. Can you tell he REALLY wants more than one fudge pop? Too bad the doc didn't tell him that...or at least not just yet. Just a few days later, he got his wish too.

My two boys

We said goodbye to Dallas...she has happily moved down the road a bit. She now gets to run wild in the woods like she has wanted to for so long! Her new owner is a hunter, so she gets to go to the woods.

Our new pups- Scrappy & Slinky. The kids just ADORE these dogs.

CJ upgraded to a big boy bed. Can you tell that he is proud of himself?

A lil humor in the midst of sickness...CJ got into my lipstick.

And finally, what we spent way too much time doing last week...Girl, I am glad you are better!


Where have I been? That is the question. I'll give you three guess and the first two don't count...haha! The easiest summary is that when we have sick or teething children, updating the blog is not on the top of the list. Here's a synopsis of the last two weeks...

Tuesday- All kiddos go for their flu shots.
Thursday- CJ wakes up saying his tongue hurts and is running a fever. Doesn't take a genius to guess he had strep throat.
Tuesday- BA wakes up hoarse and coughing. He forgot to mention his throat hurt. A doctor's visit revealed he had strep throat too.
Thursday- EE is coughing, wheezing, running a fever, and lethargic. I thought it would be an easy visit to the doctor. Yeah...not so much. We also had to go to the hospital to have chest x-rays and blood work. All of that to reveal that she just had some sort of viral infection causing her problems. It also reminded us that she does have asthma and anything that gets in her nose/lungs presents a problem...back to the breathing treatments :/

In the midst of all of that (as if it wasn't enough on it's own), Eva cut one tooth on the bottom and two teeth on the top. That gives her a total of 6 teeth...and still more bulging! This kid is so different than the first two! They barely had two at their first birthday!

People always tell me when I take the kids out, "Boy, you sure are busy." I guess they are right, but I am thankful I am busy with what I love! I know one day they will all be grown and I will sit around wishing I could have another day when they were little and we were so "busy." In the mean time, enjoy the pictures. They are the past two weeks in summary.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Sunday Scroll

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."
Psalm 40:1-3

Sunday Scroll

"In a loud voice they sang: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!' Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'"
Rev. 5:12-13

Not as Planned

If there is one thing I can attest to about parenting, it's that it doesn't always go as planned. Maybe that is an understatement. Yesterday I was thinking over the plans for today, and I decided that it would be just a normal day- nothing major on the agenda. (Insert laugh here!)

I planned to pick up the house, play with the children, and visit a church member in the afternoon. What I didn't plan was to see every hour on the clock as the night passed by. Dearest EE is cutting 4 teeth on the top gums.

Also what I didn't plan was a trip to see the pediatrician. CJ told me at lunch that his tongue hurt. He went downhill quickly, so it didn't take the doctor to clue me in to the fact that he had strep throat. (It did however take the doctor to get me the medicine for the strep throat.)

And, the worst thing that I didn't plan on was having CJ throw up all over himself while we were purchasing his prescription. Thankfully, I was in Walmart because I needed to purchase him some new clothes...right down to undies...to wear home.

Now, what I hope is that my two year old son can be convinced to swallow his saliva this evening despite the pain so that we don't have to clean up any more vomit today. Even more than that, I hope we don't have anymore "unplanned" surprises waiting to reveal themselves this evening.

However, even though this day has turned kind of sour, what I want to say is that being a mom is still the most fabulous job I have ever had. I take the worst days at home over the best days in the office somewhere. I love what I do, and I am thankful for my wonderful husband who supports me staying at home. I love you Ben, and I am thankful to have the most fabulous job on earth. :)

Sunday Scroll

"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."
~Psalm 37:23-24

Conversations

Our children have never been trick or treating. We decided this year we would take them to the homes of some of our family members. I was describing to CJ that when you knock on the door you say "Trick or treat." I then explained that they could do a trick or give him a trick. He smiled really big and replied, "That sounds good!"

(I stand corrected...after posting this, I was telling Ben about it, and he told me saying "trick or treat" meant something else...something mean. I guess our kids will not say that. Perhaps they will ask, "May I have a treat?!")

Wordless Wednesday

Getting into EVERYTHING!

Our daughter has become quite the explorer. It doesn't help that she moves a little quicker than we do. She is getting into all sorts of things. EE loves to play in the pots and pans. Her most recent discovery is the drawer that has my aluminum foil in it. She opened the box and unrolled it before I could get to her. I tried to rescue the foil, but after re-rolling for a while, I just "cut my losses." I am happy to report that EE has only managed to make it to the potty once. Boy that grossed me out, but at least she didn't put her hands in her mouth before I got to her. (By the way, teaching your two year old to keep the bathroom door closed isn't very easy!) One of her other favorite things to do is throw anything folded out of drawers or cabinets. I'm not a fan of this, but I can handle re-folding a lot easier than re-rolling foil or having heart attacks while running to the potty on rescue missions. I can't imagine what it will be like when our girl starts walking, but it is on the horizon!

Conversations

I was showing the boys the video I posted of them on the blog. BA noticed the guy selling stuff walk by in the background and said, "He was saying 'Water! Water! Water!" I responded, "Right. He was trying to sell water." BA replied, "Oh, I thought he was thirsty!" Haha! All that time at the game he thought those sellers for drinks were saying "Water" or "Powerade" or "Lemonade" because they were thirsty. From the eyes of children...

Wordless Wednesday- Seminole Style!

1st FSU Football Game

The boys in their football uniforms

My sweet blessings

Still in love... (From time to time he still asks if he can marry EE)

Riding in style :)

The whole family- Go Noles!

EE is almost tuckered out

The boys LOVE football. They amaze me at how still they will sit and watch a game.

BA- the only one who didn't tire out!

Despite the loud crowd, EE sleep soundly

CJ just couldn't hold out. The game was played during nap time, and by the 4th quarter, he fell asleep too!

We are very thankful to Aunt Sarah who graciously made it possible for us to go to the football game. It was the first time for all of our children. We were proud to introduce them to our alma mater. They LOVED it, and we look forward to watching the Noles play in the future.