Oh My Freakin' Gosh!

Before I headed to volleyball last night, I had to run my boys over to my Mom's. As I was unloading my kids, Tonnie & Brett were loading up. Tonnie asked me if I had gotten a letter from the GMA (Gospel Music Association). {Our group 'el has entered a competition,}I told her, actually that I had gotten one but hadn't opened it. She said, "Well, we didn't make the finals. But that kind of takes the pressure off. Now we can just go, learn , have fun, get critiques..." I totally agreed with her. So after I got home last night. I was opening the mail, and since I thought I knew what the GMA letter said, I opened it last. You can imagine my shock when it read, "Dear Jamie, Congratulations! Your song has been chosen as one of the ten finalists for the 2006 Song of the Year!" I think I screamed or yelled or something cause Hank came in the room asking what was wrong! I read it to him (Really Loud!), and he hugged me. I don't think we've quit smiling since! How awesome! So what does that mean, you may ask. It means that in two weeks, I will be performing--scratch that-- ministering "Wrap Me In Mercy" to an audience that will include professionals in the music business, reps for Christian artists, agents, and the such. The only hitch is I have to sing it by myself!! I'm gonna call and ask if we can have BGV's on the track. I would hate to kill the song. Cause if the song does well... guess what!?!?! EL DOES WELL!

Sad Milestone

Well... we finally did it. This weekend we broke down the crib and put it up in the attic. That was a little sad for me. It marks the end of the 'baby baby' period. Both of my boys are in big boy bed now!

Outback Debacle!

We headed home from CLF, and ate a very light lunch because we had plans to go out to an early dinner with my parents. We got the boys down for naps, and enjoyed a little quiet time. About 3:30 we headed to meet my parents at Outback. Let me just say, I was SUPER excited to go. I love certain foods at the Outback... cheese fries... Alice Springs chicken... and they have great baked potatoes.
We got there and settled and were enjoying catching up with my parents. We all ordered. Everyone got steak or ribs, except me. I got chicken. I fed Bryant off of my plate, Hanks, and Mom's. And Tres had a couple of bites of my chicken.
After Outback, we headed over to Krispy Kream. The boys love seeing the whole process of how they make the doughnuts. It was at Krispy Kream that I started experiencing some problems. I had to make two trips to the bathroom. I thought it was probably just because the food at Outback can be a little heavy. By the time we left, I was feeling pretty rough. But we still had to stop by 33/40 and let Hank finish up a project. So we dropped him off, and the boys and I went to Wal-Mart and I let the boys pick out a prize. Tres had pooped in the potty and kept a dry pull-up all day!! And Bryant had tee-teed two times in the potty. By the time we were loaded back up and had picked up Hank... I was dying! I had cold chills and was sweating. I barely made it home. Then had to spend some time in the restroom. I tried to function for a while... even managed to get Bryant into bed and Tres ready for it. Then I came back into my bedroom. Tonnie called sometime around 9 or 9:15. We talked briefly and then I felt it coming up.... and had to get off the phone and run into the restroom. I lost EVERYTHING! And it was violent. It was like my body rejected everything I had put into it. Then I was so weak, I couldn't get up off the bathroom floor for a few minutes. Nasty stuff. In fact, my back hurts today. I think I might have snagged something! In any case, I was up and down just about all night using the restroom and throwing up. But this morning I feel better. But I woke up to Bryant's upset tummy and several reallllly nasty diapers. And then Tres had a couple of diapers.

The moral of the story. Don't eat chicken at Outback.

I guess if I want to put a good spin on it, I can say that at least those calories don't count now!

C.L.F.

Yesterday morning, Hank and I got up and got everyone fed and ready and headed over to Christian Life Fellowship in Calera. We left our house at 9:50 and pulled into the church parking lot at 9:52!!
We walked into the church and met the pastor, Mark Davis. I immediately noticed that not everyone was dressed in what you typically think of a "Sunday clothes." It was nice to know people too. I took the boys into their respective classes, and ran into Darryl, who works for my dad on the weekends some. And Nicole (you know, the real one) and her husband Matt were there. I also saw several other couples I had met socially. So that felt good.
The praise and worship was good. I was really impressed with their worship leader. He seems so young to have such confidence in his talents! So cool. He even had an injury of some sort and played the keyboard one handed.
Then it was time for the message. Pastor David had obviously been teaching on the four cornerstone principles of CLF. He was on the fourth point, which is service. He made some very valid points about serving. How we should do things expecting ZERO in return. That we should reach out to those in need. That if you are serving out of obligation, you should probably step down. Great stuff.
He also touched on some of the reasons why he believes their church will never be a 'mega church.' He said he believes that CLF will never be huge, because they want to use their resources to help... they aren't in it to make money. He references a financial seminar that they held a couple of weekends back that they actually lost money on.
Over all it was a good experience. The boys went into their classes relatively easily. Tres even came home with two art projects.... oh and a permanant purple marker on his brand-new khaki pants (literally the first time he wore them!).

Henry John Boemer, III "Tres" ~ 3 years 4 months

Things I love about my little man:

- He has began using a new favorite phrase... "You know, Mom, I'm a big boy!" "I'm playing with Star Wars toys, you know."
- He tries to repeat everything we say. Instructions become 'perstructions.' Indescribable becomes 'inderdinable.' It's kind of fun to see what he will come up with!
- He gets SUPER silly when he is SUPER tired. No naps, mean insanity at our house!
- He has discovered the joys of computer games, gameboys, and the V-Smile.
- He is so smart!! He counts and tells you what letters words start with already!!
- He knows EVERYTHING. Just ask him. And he will let you know when he thinks you are wrong!
- He likes to be naked.
- He is WAY too busy to really potty train. Playing all day really takes up your time.
- He has such good manners! And he is trying to teach Bryant! (I would like to say that a little cartoon called "Good Manners With Max" has really helped in this area.) He also makes an announcement everytime he uses good manners: "I have very good manners, Mom."
- He loves to hear himself talk. He will often contradict himself in the same sentence. "I'm not going to school today, but I am." "I'm hungry, but I'm not."
- His best friend is still his daddy.
- His favorite show is STILL Rolie Polie Olie.
- He loves anything chocolate (that's my boy!), Doritos (that's daddy's boy!), and meat, meat, meat.
- He still takes hamburgers and hot dogs off the bun and eats just the meat.
- He doesn't even hesitate to give hugs and kisses!! In fact, he likes to give out 'spitsy' kisses too. He named them himself.
- He will randomly walk by his brother and push him down, just because he can.
- He has to get a haircut at least every 3 weeks. He has massive amounts of hair!
- He still things kissing a boo-boo makes it all better.
- He knows his full name is Henry John Boemer, III. And he's proud of it!
- He sings so loud and so sweet!! I love singing with him in the car.


List is TBA... gotta get ready for volleyball! 

Bryant Steven Boemer ~ 22 Months

Things I love about my baby boy:

- Anytime he is in his carseat, high chair, in a buggy... anything that has a buckle...he says, "Buhull, Momma!"
- He loves to play with 'coo coos'-- or trains.
- He is obsessed with shoes. He tries on any he can find!! And if they don't suit his fancy, he will end up wearing his yellow rain boots around the house.
- He carries around at least one of his five silkies at all times, and he sleeps with them all.
- We're working on manners, so anytime he asks for more, we are adding please at the end. This is how it usually comes out, "Mo, pe-ah!"
- He pee-pees in the 'big boy potty' more than his older brother.
- Anytime a stranger who is a man pays attention to him, he gives the stranger a blank stare as he sucks his pacie. Anytime a stranger who is a women pays attention to him, he waves and smiles, and scrunches up his nose.
- He instantly recognizes Wal-mart (wah-wah), McDonald's (donos), and the Dollar Store (do sto).
- He smiles at me and brings his forehead to mine, like we have a big secret.
- He tries to wink and just blinks really hard.
- He doesn't care that a banana is yellow, or that my shirt is red. But he can build Mega Blocks like nobodies business!
- He loves fruit snacks, pudding, pretzels, and cereal.
- While he still comes to Momma if he has a boo-boo or if brother (bubbar) has hurt him, Daddy is the parent of choice!
- He loves to slide.
- He loves Wiggles, Dora the Explorer, and Backyardigans.
- He wears sunglasses in the car. The ones he usually wears are Mickey Mouse ones where the shades open up.
- He loves to play with his Daddy's cell phone. He puts the phone up to his ear, leans on the couch, and crosses one leg over the other and says, "Lo?"
- He loves to play with keys, and we often find him 'unlocking' all the bedroom doors.
- He sings and dances like a spaz, but looks so cute!
- He likes for Momma to sing him to sleep at night.
 

Gettin' A Life!

Hank said the weirdest thing to me on the phone today. He said he was glad I was getting a life. Not that he didn't think I had a life before... just that he was glad I was doing things outside of work and mommy. But, just the same... funny, huh? I always thought that my life was too full... and now that I have more time and home with my boys, I'm finding I actually have time on my hands every now and then. Not that I couldn't find things to fill that time, but there is only so much scrubbing, organizing and cooking you can do in one day!

I really thought I would be tired of doing laundry and loading the dishwasher and figuring out what to cook every night. But I don't. I'm sure I'll have my days, but for the most part, I just feel like I am fulfilling one of my main purposes here on earth: serving my family.

Well, Bryant has been sick lately. Hank and I have spent the last few nights up and down with him. I took him to the doctor yesterday, and we found out he has a virus. Not the throw up kind, though. He has been running a fever and his throat is red and swollen and has puss pockets on it! Yuck! So when he tries to sleep at night, it gets dried out and his tonsels swell together. He is still contagious, so we are hanging out at home.

Tres has his last day at Mother's Day Out tomorrow. We just finished making cupcakes for him to take. I think he's gonna miss it, but he says he thinks he just wants to stay home with me. I wish it was warmer! Then I could take these munchkins outside to play. But not until it's warmer or until Bryant is 100% better!

I have some friends coming over next week! Yeah! Liz Wood is coming over and we are going to work on our portfolios for freelance writing. She and I are going to try and do this together. Which is great, cause I think I could use the accountability to get me motivated to get out there. And then later next week, Tonnie and Luke are gonna come over and spend the day with us. While the boys play, Tonnie and I are gonna try and finish a couple of songs we've been working on. Oh, Yeah! And my mom is gonna come over and watch a movie while the boys nap one day.

But I have noticed something. People that used to say to me, "I can't wait till you're at home so we can do {fill in the blank} together," are nowhere to been seen. Not really a bad thing, just an observation really.

I will post some pics tonight. I know I've gotten bad about not posting pics! Sorry!

Possible Job??

So a friend of mine stopped by the other day to tell me that they were loosing their editor at the Calera Newsletter. She said I came to mind for the job. I'm not sure of the pay, but I was told that the lady who is leaving was making $15 an hour and worked from home. I sent my resume and a cover letter over to the editor tonight. Please pray!! This could be the first step into writing freelance. I also expressed interest in writing in my cover letter. Right now, my friend Liz is doing the writing, but she is about to shift into sales... so who knows!

Please say a prayer for the Boemer family. Hank's Uncle Bill was found dead today. Not sure of all the details yet. It looks like he will be cremated, and there will be a memorial in Knoxville, TN on February 4th.

He has struggled over the years with alcohol. And that may have contributed to his early passing. I didn't really know him well. But I do know that when he visited my home he was respectful. He treated my children with kindness and me and Hank with respect. He even fixed the toilet seat in the front bath for me! We'll miss you Uncle Bill.

Pet Peeves!

Once you're tagged, let us know what your top 5 pet peeves are! Then tag five more. Don't be a pary pooper!

1- I hate when you call someone and they say "I was just about to call you..." Cause even if they were just about to call you, it always makes you wonder.

2- I can't stand it when someone with well over 10 items is in the '10 items or less' line at the grocery store. It's called an express check for a reason people.

3- It bothers me when someone leaves their blinker on when they aren't turning. it can literally make me tick!

4- I don't like it when someone only calls you when they need something (babysitting, recipe, etc.). I try my best not to be this person. And if you are calling just because you want something... don't try to soften the blow by making small talk up front. Just ask and get it over with.

5- It grosses me out when someone talks with food in their mouth.

6- (One to grow on!) Word Verification. Come on people... I don't get hit with spam very often. And when I do, I just delete it.

Okay... I tag Danielle B, Nicole T, Jennifer, Eric, and Traci

The Boys

We had a sleep over guest last night! My nephew Luke came over to spend the night with Tres and Bryant. Tonnie and Brett were in Disney for the weekend, and my parent's were heading out of town to celebrate their 30th anniversary. So Luke came to my house, and Sierra went to Kelly O'Brien's house. We had fun (with the exception of a few minor squabbles.). Luke told me that dinner was 'delicious food.' He also said, "Aunt Jamie, you have the best house for playing with toys." High praise from a 4 year old! About 9, I finally put Bryant to bed (have I mentioned that he is now back in his big boy bed again... and this time it looks permanant!). Then Hank and I pulled out the sleeper sofa and set the boys up with a Spiderman DVD and some popcorn. Hank and I went to bed about 10:30 (early mornings catch up with you!), and I got up about 1 am and the boys were sound asleep. I turned off the TV and tucked the covers over the boys. This morning has been fun. The house sure is a lot more lively with just one extra boy! It makes contemplating another baby silly. I'm definitely not ready for that any time soon!

Here are Luke and Tres late last night. We made out the sleeper sofa and popped some popcorn. They stayed up till around midnight. 

Power Rangers! I love this picture. Tres has been fixated on this toy Woody lately. He even sleeps with it. 

This is last night after dress up. Hank came home and Bryant took his daddy's glasses and put them on. He reminds me of Chicken Little! 

Bryant still has a fascination with shoes. He will play in his brother's shoes, in our shoes... in this picture he is wearing on of his Sunday shoes and a rubber yellow rain boot! 

Here's Luke-man! He's riding on a rocket! 

Here is Bryant with Grandma... still one of his most favorite people! 

Sleep Over! Luke came to spend the night at our house last night! The boys all played dress up! 

Tres and Luke were playing hide and seek! 

I took Tres, Bryant, and my nephew Luke to Oliver Park in Calera on Thursday to help Russell Wood celebrate his 6th birthday! I love this picture.  

Bryant loved these things! 

This is what I want to be doing this morning! Catch a few zzz's for me baby boy. This was the day after Thanksgiving or some early shopping day like that. Bryant went with me, Mom, and Jennie. 

So Stinkin' Tired!

So I took on a major task today. I kept my sister's little boy Luke along with my two. Then I took them to a birthday party at a park. Then I went and picked up Luke's sister Sierra who was at school. Then we came back to my house and they tore up Tres's room. Man! How did my mom do four kids? I was so frustrated by the the time Mom showed up to get Luke and Sierra. I mean sanity was on its way out the window! Not kidding. I guess I'm gonna have to take some of my own advise that I handed out to Nicole so freely, and learn to say no. My husband told me that just because I'm available doesn't mean that I always should be. I want to help when I can. But I'm still working... I mean, I get up around 5:15 these days and come home to an active household! But I love my niece and nephew. Just tired today.

Finding our Groove...

At home, at work, and with 'el! That's what I've been doing this last week! Sorry for the lack of posts, but I've got to figure out when to do that now. I guess at night will be my best bet.

Work is going good. I thought I would have a problem getting there at 6 am, but so far, I've gotten there in plenty of time, and been home by 9:30 at the latest! Finances are still a question mark, since this is the first week we won't have a full paycheck from me, but I am certain God is taking care of us! For starters, we eat at home a lot now. And we don't go nearly as much... at least for now. And that is nice.

Home is great! I can already see a difference in the way my boys respond to me. I love how they don't question that things have changed.... they just roll with it. Yeah, so Mom is home and feeding us, and playing with us, and finger painting with us, and cleaning up and stuff. Just normal. I love normal. It's not utopia by any means. Bryant still gets into EVERYTHING. And Tres is so resistant still to potty training, but I think I'm wearing him down!

'el is... well 'el is a blessing in my life. I love how I didn't seek this out. I love how we aren't rushing into anything. I love how we don't have to question if we are moving in the right direction... we know we are, because we are all praying and seeking God about every move we make. And with four prayers aimed in the same direction, you know if it doesn't feel right, we won't do it. This past weekend was phenominal to say the least!! Check out the 'el blog for pics and the full story! God is a God of provision, people. And I mean that.

Well that's about it from me!! I stay pretty tired with working, the home front, singing and volleyball... but I will be a better blogger!

F/T 2 P/T

This is my last full time day. Well... at least here at my dad's office. Now I will be a part-timer and full-time at home.

I will be trying to come in here at the office each morning from 6 am- 9 am and then head home to my family! Yeah! God is good people. This is a prayer answered!!

I will be pursuing some more freelance writing from home. My goal is to get published in 2006!

I will also be more able to pursue singing and music writing.

I'm excited. I keep hearing in my head "It's a new season, Jamie. It's a new day." God has some plans and I can't wait to see them come to fruition!

Westwood Baptist

So my little family got up and got dressed and headed over to Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster this morning. A shorter drive. The church is HUGE!! We parked in the visitor spot, and went inside and someone showed us to the nursery. I am not lying! We had to go down an elevator! Both of our boys went into their respective rooms with little fanfare and no crying. Hank and I enjoyed the service. The music was familiar and good. The message was about creating a financial margin. Biblically what belongs to the Lord. I was a little leary when I saw the title of the message. But the pastor surprised me. He was relatively young... 35 or so... and was so open and honest. He even seemed a little nervous. They also announced that starting in February they would be going to small groups for Sunday evening instead of Sunday evening service. Hank and I haven't talked extensively about it. It was a good way to start the hunt for a new church home.

What a week!!

So I am training the lady who is going to take over my full-time office manager position. This past week was a whirl wind of computer programs and first of the year stuff... so I didn't have much time to update my blog. I also started another part-time job. I am the assistant volleyball coach for the Alambama Jrs. 12 and under team. It has been fun to be involved with volleyball again. The pay is decent and it only require about 3-4 hours a week, and additional pay when we have tournaments. It's a lot of fun!
So next week is my LAST FULL TIME WEEK!! Praise God! Hank and I are excited and a little nervous. I have a list about a mile long of things I want to take care of in my house now that I will have some time to devote to it. I figure if I can get 1-3 things done on my list a day, I will be ready to leave the house in about 2 weeks with it completely in order!