One thing I love about Georgia!

One of the things I LOVE about Georgia is the weather.  One week until Christmas and we are in the mid 70's.  I hung Christmas lights this year in shorts and flip flops, have the house windows open for a nice breeze, and last but not least, went to the ocean!  I love this weather!  We went to Tybee Island and had a fantastic time playing in the sand, watching the kids play, and letting Stuart ride his bike on the beach.  We are definitely not in Kansas anymore Toto. :)

Stuart riding his bike on the beach.  Look at the cargo ship in the background; so cool to see!

Daddy and precious Anne.  If Anne would stop eating the sand, we would let her crawl around in it. :)

I love this picture and how the sun is setting behind us in the background.  A great day!

My sweet John!  He prefers playing with the seashells rather than in the cold water.  Smart guy!

"Mommy, I found a seashell!"

Stuart running from the waves.  Fearless little boy!

Genesis 1:10
God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

The things kids say.....

I love when your child randomly says something to you that makes your heart smile a mile wide.  That happened to me today with Stuart.  We were sitting on the couch together watching a movie when he looks up at me with tears in his eyes. 

Me: "Stuart, what's wrong honey?"
Stuart: "I'm crying because I'm happy Momma."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Stuart: "I'm happy because I get to be with you!"

Awwwww!!  My precious baby boy made my heart melt.  Again I am reminded of what a precious blessing he is in my blessed life.  I love you Stuart!

Making Ornaments!

It's been a tradition at our house to buy the kids an ornament every year, but this year I wanted to do something a little different.  I wanted to make the kids an ornament.  I found this great idea on the internet and decided that I HAD to do this with them.  The kids had such a great time and we made some great memories too!

What you will need: shatterproof ornaments (I bought a 12 pack at Wal Mart for $6), sponge paintbrush, white acrylic craft paint, muffin tin, black sharpie, and orange sharpie.  Total cost for 12 ornaments was $15.  Pretty cheap! :)  Great to give to grandparents too!

1. Paint your child's palm white, including the fingers. (I was afraid Anne would stick her hand in her mouth, so we used her foot instead.  Worked great!)
2. Place the ornament in the palm of their hand and then tell them to wrap their fingers around the ornament.
3. Place wet ornaments in muffin tin to dry.
4. After 1 hour, use black sharpie to add eyes and a hat to the tip of the fingers.  
5. Use orange sharpie to add a carrot nose.
6. Write the name of the child/year on the bottom of the ornament.
7. Last but not least, hang on the tree!

Happy Ornament Making!!  

Bah Humbug!

What is a better way of getting ready for the holidays than decorating the outside of your house with Christmas lights?  Well, I can now think of a MILLION other things that I would rather do than this frustrating activity after my day today.  Hanging up the lights was something I always did with my Dad and I absolutely loved every minute of it.  We would spend the entire day up on the roof hanging lights, talking, and if it was snowy, playing in it.  So I thought this would be a great opportunity to make memories with my kids.  WRONG!  Here is how it went down at my house.....................

Aaron spent two days hanging 2 strands of lights (that's an engineer for you).  Ha!  He measured every clip to make sure they were all straight and even.  Here's my proof that he is an engineer at heart.

I thought it would be a wonderful surprise for Aaron if I hung up the other 7 boxes of lights that we bought.  I put Anne in her pack and play, gave the boys toys to play with in the yard, pulled out the ladder and I was ready to go.  Well................. 2 1/2 hours later, Anne is crying, the boys have both stepped in dog poop (no, we don't own a dog), I nearly crashed the ladder through the window, dropped my entire bag of clips on the ground (scattered everywhere), John is now crying because he fell in dog poop, and Stuart keeps climbing the ladder asking me if we are done yet.  My holiday spirit started taking a turn for the worse when I look up and I notice that I only have about 2 feet left on the roof and then I am DONE!  HOORAY!  

Then the unimaginable, horrible, unexplainable thing happens........................I place the light strand on top of the roof so I can move my ladder over to finish this last bit of lights and I see the light strand start falling off the roof.  Within a matter of 5 seconds, all my hard work (7 strands of lights) came off the roof like watching dominoes fall over.  I watched in horror as all the lights fell off their clips and onto the yard below. 

Stuart ran around the house following the lights falling of the roof with the look of shock written across his face.  He puts his hands on his cheeks (about to cry) and shouts, "Momma, what did you do?????????". 

I started laughing so hard that I nearly peed my pants, then the laughing almost turned into sobbing, then I sat down in the grass and pouted.  SERIOUSLY???  DID THAT JUST HAPPEN??

So much for stringing up the lights!  The lights ended up in the bushes and that's where they are going to stay this year.  :)

Bah Humbug!

Thanksgiving in Georgia!

This year for Thanksgiving, my parents flew to Georgia to spend the holiday with us.  We had a great time and the kids enjoyed their grandparents very much!  We decorated the Christmas tree, opened Christmas presents, made cookies, saw the sites, went to a movie, and visited the ocean.  We made some great memories that I know I will cherish forever!  It is always an amazing thing to me to watch my children interact with my parents.  How awesome it is that they get to spend time together, getting to know each other, and having fun!  God has truly blessed us!  Here are some pictures of what Thanksgiving looked like for us this year!

Stuart and Aaron playing with Stuart's new bow and arrows.

Jumping in his new trampoline.

Mom and Dad relaxing in our backyard.

The Thanksgiving feast!

John eating his meal at his new table.

"Oh my goodness!"

One of my favorite pictures!  Anne loves when her Daddy plays guitar.

Lounging around the house.

My all time favorite pie: RAISIN. :)

The kiddo's in front of our Christmas tree.  My precious blessings!

John and Mom decorating the tree together.

John swinging between their arms in downtown Georgia.

The family in front of River Street in Georgia.

This was taken right before John dropped his whole cone on Mom's lap.

Love this picture of John and Mom!

Hanging out in Forsyth Park.

Sweet Anne rubbing her face against Papa's beard.

"Count your blessings, name them one by one,"
"Count your blessings, see what God hath done!"
"Count your blessings, name them one by one,"
"Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."

It's Your Turn Mommy!

Bedtime used to be something extra special between Stuart, John, and I before precious little Anne came along.  Now they have to wait their turn until I rock Anne to sleep or sometimes their bedtime routine gets cut short if Anne starts crying in her crib.  I absolutely love bedtime with those boys......singing, praying, talking, telling stories, tickling, and on and on and on.  Some nights it takes me 2 hours to get those boys to bed because of course I would wait until they both fell asleep in my arms.  The BEST feeling in the world! 

But a new page has turned in this "Book of Life" and the boys are growing up and have realized how cool, awesome, and special their Daddy truly is.  Bedtime with Daddy is way more fun than Mommy because Daddy has the coolest make believe stories, he can throw kids on the bed, tickles them so hard that they laugh til they cry, and finally he wraps them in his big strong arms til they fall asleep together. 

I knew it would happen someday..........I now have to take "turns" (as Stuart calls it) with Daddy.  Tonight was my turn and now I find myself getting excited when Stuart declares, "Mommy, it's your turn to put me to bed tonight!" with a big grin on his face.  I admit that I wasn't always so excited to put the kids to bed, but now I am starting to realize that things are changing, the kids are growing up, and I am so thankful when "It's my turn!" because it won't be my turn forever.

Growing Up!

 When your child laughs, all is right in the world.  My little Johnny has the most adorable laugh and I love when I can catch it on camera.  Makes my heart smile!

Look at me!  My two bottom teeth just popped right out today; hooray!  Ain't I cute?

Brothers and sisters.....what a special relationship!  It was gorgeous weather here so we had to go to the park and play.  I caught this picture of Anne and John and couldn't resist sharing it with you!

Have you ever caught your children playing quietly together?  Enjoying each others company?  It is the most marvelous sight a mother can behold!! :)  John and Anne absolutely love this little kitchen and always wind up playing with it together.  Love it!

And last but  not least, my little Stuey Luey!  This little boy is FEARLESS!  This is how my precious little 4 year old plays at the park.  So much energy and imagination; love this boy!

Have you enjoyed your children today?  If not, bust out the crayons, markers, water paints or go to the park; sit down and relax with your kiddos.  You will be amazed at what they have to say and I promise you will make some memories that are worth keeping!! :)

The Big 30!

Today Aaron turned the "Big 30"!!  Happy Birthday Honey!  In honor of you, I'm listing 30 interesting things about you! 

1. He was born on Friday the 13th.  
2. He graduated High School a 1/2 semester early.
3. He snores in his sleep.
4. His favorite cake is yellow with chocolate frosting.
5. His favorite meal is Frito Pie.
6. He loves his yellow Corvette.
7. He loves playing the guitar, piano, and drums.
8. He loves riding motorcycles.
9. He always flosses his teeth.  
10. He never goes without socks.
11. He hates it when I tuck the sheet under the mattress.
12. He detests McDonalds, but likes Burger King.
13. He wants to be the general contractor and build our next house.
14. He loves playing video games.
15. He is a great singer.
16. He is an amazing Daddy.
17. He is a great listener and best friend.
18. He rips off his toenails instead of using clippers.
19. He used to wear braces on his teeth.
20. He played soccer in college.
21. His nickname is A-Rod.
22. He loves the TV series "Chuck".  We own all the seasons.
23. He loves buffalo grass.
24. He eats an apple for lunch every day.  (Only an apple).
25. He has a Masters in Engineering from WSU.
26. He loves to exercise.
27. He has 3 amazing kids who absolutely adore him.
28. He loves God.
29. He doesn't mind wearing black socks to the YMCA to work out.
30. He is the BEST!

Happy Birthday Aaron!  We love you!

"Just Like Mother Made"

Do you remember way back when

Your boy or girl was six or ten

When you got out flour and baking tools

There seemed to be a set of rules

That said you needed a helper too,

And you usually got it before you were through?

Cookies, dumplings, pie or cakes,

They wanted to make one "like mother makes."

Sometimes you thought, "O, what a mess,"

But anyway you soon said, "Yes,"

And glad you were, for they had fun

While you had love from daughter or son.

Now, when you bake, the house is still

But you remember, and always will,

When the little helper sat on that stool

And learned his lesson in your private school.

You made much more than pies and cake, 

You made a memory "Like Mothers Make."

-by Mrs. Frances Blakenship

Taking pictures............my favorite hobby!

Taking pictures of my children is a hobby of mine that I absolutely love!  With more practice I am hoping to get better and better, but for now.....here are some of my recent favorite pictures.  Enjoy!

What are you thankful for Wednesday?

Since I am just starting a blog, I thought that I would use Wednesday's to blog about what I'm thankful for.  Where do I even begin?  There are so many things to be thankful for that I am ashamed to say that I take for granted.  So today, on my first Wednesday to be thankful, I am going to be thankful for the things that are going on in this picture.  I am thankful for my husband and for him loving to play the guitar to the kid's.  I'm thankful for John and how loud and passionate he is about everything.  I am thankful for Stuart and what a wonderful big brother he is to John and Anne.  I am thankful for Anne that she is healthy and a part of our lives.  Mostly, I am thankful that God blessed me with these blessings.  Thank you God for loving and blessing undeserving me!

It's Happening!

It's happening!  My sweet little Anne is growing up!  It's amazing how fast time flies and how quickly my newborn is changing.  Anne is smiling, laughing, babbling, sitting up, crawling, eating baby food and now...................standing in her crib.

This is the precious little baby that waits for me every morning to come and pick her up and wrap her in my arms.  It's happening!  She's growing up and I'm so very thankful that I get to enjoy every step of it!

Getting Ready For Christmas!

Such sweet brothers.....most of the time. :)

This was right before John fell off the fence. Ha!

"Can we have our fruit snacks yet Momma?" --Stuart

Stuart keeps smelling Anne's flower on her head; what a goof!

This one's a keeper! :)

It is such a beautiful day here today that I thought we would take advantage of it and take some pictures to send out in Christmas cards.  All in all, it turned out well.............besides me hitting Anne in the head with the camera, John falling off the fence, and Stuart knocking Anne over.  Good grief! :)  I think I got a couple good pictures that I can use this year.  At least no one is picking their nose!!  Ha!