Joyful Noise!

Basketball

2012-02-01T04:53:00.000-08:00

My boys are playing basketball this year. We have two completely... and I mean... totally and completely... different boys.

Bryant is eager. He is athetic. He doesn't hesitate, even if it means making a mistake. He is a quick learner. He is social. He loves the game-- any game. For our first game this past Saturday, he was up hours early. Ready. He decided to go with me early, since I have to be at all games. And on the way, he told me this: "I'm gonna see how the first game goes, so I'll know how mine will go." He's a student of the game... a student of the moment.

Tres is thoughtful. He is pensive. He's not super coordinated. He learns slowly at times. He is a fun loving kid, but he's selective about how he spends his time. He loves computer games-- controlled environments. For our first game, he got up as late as possible. Watched his brother's team play with dread apparent all over his face. He's a student of life.

But when it's game time, Bryant goes out all smiles. Easily calling for each ball. Passing naturally to those around him. Taking shots. Missing some and shrugging those off with a smile. He cheers for both teams victories and high fives those around him, even if he doesn't remember their names. He's quick on his feet and seems to be able to read where his man is going to go. I even see him try to fake him out! To me, he's the MVP of his team.

And when it's game time for Tres, he takes a deep breath and with steel determination, stalks onto the court to face, what I'm sure seems to him to be certain humiliation. I watch him push himself to stay with his man. He answers the coach and the ref with respect every time. His determined face quickly becomes red and sweaty, and still he pushes on. When the ball is passed to him, he is surprised at first, and uncertain what to do with it. Then he sizes up the situation, and adapts. He's taller than almost all the kids, so he has an advantage in passing the ball over their heads. Watching his face transform from dread to joy was a highlight in my own private ESPN show in my head.

Two totally different children. One very proud Momma.

2012-01-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

There are so many things in the old testament that I do not understand. Some of these stories are whacked. Just saying.

My Kids!

2012-01-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

They're all growing up so very fast!

Our night

2012-01-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

So today was my full PE day at school. I was outside all day and it was beautiful! After school, I headed home without Sophia... she has dance class on Thursdays. I got home a few minutes before the boys and sit down for the first time today and just take a deep breath and listen to the silence.

The boys come clomping up the stairs shortly after, laughing at some brother something that must have been hysterical! They come in hollering, "Hey Mom!" and head straight for the kitchen (man am I nervous about teenage years already!). Then they come settle in by me to do their homework. Tres is working hard to get his 7 and 8 multiplication facts down because he has been struggling to pass the test on them. Today, we reviewed them orally, then I had him write them 3 times each. Bryant was working on spelling homework. He got a little teary when he took a practice test and missed two. After they finished all of that and we got their backpacks ready for school tomorrow, we loaded up to go pick up Ava Sophia.

I use my brief time in the van to touch base with Hank. And once we get to the school and Sophie's class, she had decided that she didn't want to leave school... an all too common occurrence. She loves school. Once I extricate her from the after care ladies, she skips down the hall ahead of me. She is chattering about how it's spirit night for her school at Chik-fil-A. She wants to go. Her teacher told her to!

So we head to Chik-fil-A... one of the many reasons I am thankful for my job is the financial ability to head out on special occasions like Spirit Night! Smile!

Once at the mall, we head inside to CFA. My kids immediately find other kids from school and find a table close to them, while I take their orders... 2 kids meals and one adult meal (Tres... already!!). I bring the food back to the table and sit and chat with another Mom while the kids eat and chatter and laugh around us. At some point, Sophia decides her chicken is uneatable. Before I can stop her, she throws her entire uneaten meal in the garbage. I did consider going in after it. Instead, I let her know that her meal is gone, and there wouldn't be another one. Tears followed.

Then we headed home with a CFA sandwich in hand for Hankie. Got home and sent the kids to get ready for bed, while I started Sophie's homework with her. She's whiny because she's probably hungry (too bad), and now she claims her foot is hurting from some mythical injury. The boys get settled playing on computers and I-pods and I start laundry and knowingly procrastinate cleaning my nasty, dirty kitchen by turning on a recorded CSI.

The hum of the garage door pulls all the kids from their rooms and racing to be the first one to hug their daddy. Hank can barely make it in most days without getting mobbed! ;) Hank comes in and asks all the kids about their days and then the kids slowly trickle back to what they were doing with a, 'Come play with us after you eat, Dad!' thrown over their shoulder.

Hank comes up the stairs and we chat about our days. He gives me a present he picked up for me at Target today... the anniversary edition of Dirty Dancing that he had found for $2.76 on clearance. My husband really does know me. I get Sophie refocused on her homework, and she eventually gets her Daddy to help her. She insists on putting 'Little Red Riding Hood' at the top of her page because she says it's her nick name at school. Hank soon decided to turn on Call of Duty and it's just me and the nightly bedtime routine.

So it's bedtime, actually a few minutes past since I decided to sit and let you know about our day! My kids are good. I'm off to pray over them as they settle into their beds. Then, I guess that stinking kitchen deserves my attention before I fall asleep on the couch trying to watch something that isn't on Nick or Disney!

"It's Okay"

2012-01-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

In my recent workouts, I have noticed that I'm in the "It's okay" category. Do you know what I mean? Tony Horton says, "Kick forward, then kick back." Then he walks over to the overly buff people working out with him and says, "Or you can do it like this beast and not let your foot hit the floor." Then he pauses, looks at the camera and says, "But if you can't do that... it's okay. Just keep moving."

Yeah. It's okay. It's okay cause I can already feel how painful it was to do the dummy version of said excersize!! Ha!

3 %

2012-01-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

Yup. It really has been since August. And guess what?? It took a little insomnia to get me on here now.

Life is crazy busy. I started working at a private school this past fall. I'm having a blast, getting happily under paid, and working my kid's hours. God is good. He provided a job that works for our family.

Hank is excelling at his job. I honestly expected nothing less of this man of excellence that I have. He provides so well for us. I am humbled by how hard he works. And I am thoroughly proud of him.

We love our church. We proudly serve in different areas of ministry when asked... and often wish that life was a little slower so we could do more. But seasons ebb and flow and we are aware this is the season for the most important ministry of our lives: our kids. And while we may ask God to hold onto that desire for a bit, we'll need it back soon.

This year, I wanted to make a resolution. I prayed over it. A novel concept. And this word keeps floating around in my mind: DISCIPLINE. I want that. I want more of that. I want that to be ingrained in my life. So, I've done some things to help develop that. I signed up for the Life Journal Bible plan. I am currently on day 12. The little progress ticker says I'm something like 3% done. But guess what? In that 3%, I've found so much truth, questions, answers, and peace. Already, it feels as if every sermon I hear is active in my life. I feel a connection to what I'm reading. I'm seeing parallels in my life. I'm finding new ways to talk to my kids about the Word of God. I like this thing called discipline. And the really funny thing is, it keeps popping up in conversations, sermons, and every day life.

Well, it's easy to say that on Day 12, right? But if this word keeps on floating around in my head, I'm hoping it decides to take up permanent residence.

Weekend Away

2011-08-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

I have a lot that I need to post about... Sophia's 4th birthday and party, me starting work, upcoming opportunities for our family... but right now I am feeling happy and content and I just wanted to share that. I'm surrounded by my parents, my sisters, and my children and everyone is happy to just be together.

I spent this weekend celebrating one of my friends! I got a facebook message several weeks back asking me to join in on a surprise get together for Nicole for her birthday. So I came in town this weekend from Georgia, Staci came from Mississippi, Tiffani came from North Carolina, and a couple of locals joined us too.

Staci and Tiffani ambushed Nicole when she came home from work on Friday. She was shocked and excited. Then they came and met me at Joe's Italian, another surprise for her! We laughed so much! At half pieces of strawberry cake, dancing with Momma and swinging our napkins in the air, getting a mound of Parmesan cheese on my pasta!

Then we went to the Holiday Inn Express and got comfy and laughed, talked, played games, and laughed, and talked, and played games until 3 am! Crystal came and joined in the fun for several hours too.

We got up Saturday and spent time chatting and getting ready, then headed to the mall for a bit. Nicole's next surprise was at the Aveda Beauty Institute. We had schedules pedicures for everyone. I actually asked if I could get a haircut instead since I needed one severely! Amy Repass joined us there too and then we went over to Johnny Rockets for some burgers.

After we got done there, we went over to Amy's house to play games and talk and laugh some more. I wasn't able to stay any longer, but they continued on to see a movie.

I had so much fun. And while I am close to Nicole, I was thrilled to get to know all the other ladies better! Thank you ladies for such a fun weekend!

Last night, I joined my family at Johnny Ray's and we talked and caught up on all the important stuff! This morning I got to spend some one on one time with my big sister. It was a nice quiet time too. We had breakfast together then went to Target and JC Penney's. The whole time talking each other's ears off.

I am blessed. And while I am here, Hank has been in Chattanooga with his family, helping his sister do a backsplash in her kitchen. I'm excited to be reunited tonight though. There's no place like home, but I sure to enjoy these visits!

Our Dining... I mean... Office!!

2011-07-28T13:07:00.001-07:00

We have been doing a little remodel in our house. Nothing that costs much, in case anyone was wondering. Here is what it looked like before: Now, to be clear... I loved this room. I loved the curtains and the table and the decor. I felt like it was well put together. However, we used this room a grand total of 2 times in one year. Not practical and a waste of space!! So after some coercion on my part, Hank agreed to let me make a change.

The first hurdle to overcome was that we didn't want to loose any seating, for the rare times we do need both tables. So we accomplished this by taking our dining room table into the eat in kitchen... (notice the new curtains, courtesy of my fabulous sister!)
...and using the smaller round table in the corner of the dining room for a homework area...

I love the switch! The more formal table dresses up that eat in area! And I love that we have more seating without having to pull out a leaf!

The next thing was the lighting fixture was current and nice, but hung too low. And since this room in on the front of the house, gets warmer than most... so I asked for a fan (shout out to all you handy husbands out there! Couldn't live without mine!) And I'm sitting here blogging and enjoying the breeze from it right now. :)

We were also blessed with some heavy duty shelves. A guy from our small group had a bunch of these to unload from his work. We got a few and painted them. And we purchased a wall mount desk from IKEA, sanded it and painted it white to match and mounted it between the shelves.

Now, I'm showing you guys all of this pre-decorating because I am going to have to do some yard saling and bargain hunting to get the look that I want in here. So don't judge too harshly just yet. I have ideas for a reading chair, and I want a nice round rug in here. And I plan to make these shelves functional and stylish! You will just have to wait and see! The only thing I've done so far is to take some old picture frames and frame some scrapbook paper!

But, lack of decorating aside... this is already so much more functional for our family! We can put music on in here, the boys can get online, I can work on my coupons without spreading them all over the house! It's coming together nicely, if I do say so myself!

I would love some suggestions from my creative friends! Let me know what you would do!

Leftover Will Power

2011-07-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

I did again today! No sweets, limited carbs, and no coke. And I did between 3-4 miles on the treadmill. I gotta admit though... I missed the 6 am wake up call. Slept right through that sucker! Oh, well! There's always tomorrow, right?

Now, if I can just make it through tomorrow! I think if I take this day by day, I just might make it.

But right now, my attitude has taken a major nose dive and I am not fun to be around! Be warned!

2011-07-19T18:34:00.001-07:00

Today I stayed away from coke, bread, and sweets. Sounds like not such a big deal... but it kinda was. I did have a slushy at Sonic.

Tomorrow, I'm starting at 6 am. Gotta get used to early work outs since I'm starting back to work. And, let's face it, 6 am may not be early enough.

I'm not sure if my mind is stronger than my body yet, but we'll see how it goes!

Today's Adventure and Tomorrow's Goal

2011-07-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today, Hankie took the day off and we set out to have a family fun day! Since we have season passes to Six Flags this year (courtesy of our yard sale), we knew this would be one way to have an outing without spending major money!

Sophie was not feeling it though, so as I was packing sandwiches and getting little boys thoroughly sun screened, I called our neighbor Bonnie to see if she could hang out at her house, which thankfully, she could! Thanks again Bonnie Jean!

We had a blast. It was hot, but not as hot as it has been. And Six Flags was crowded, but not as crowded as it has been... and we hit the water park, Skull Island twice to cool off.

Funny things to remember from this day... Bryant chauffeured me in the car ride you see below... and apparently 'forgot' where the break was and bumped Tres and Hank two times. So against the rules, by the way!
And at Skull Island, I saw a lady pushing 60 frolicking in the water. And, yes, that is the only word that would describe what she was doing... she would walk under the water, throw her hands up, jump up and down while twitching her hips around. Run out of the water laughing... all in a tight, white two piece that should have been retired at least a quarter century ago! Gotta love that passion for life, though... or attention. Tough to tell! ;)

Now to the not-so-fun part. This picture is a big reality check for me. I am not happy with myself. I am not happy with the choices I've been making. So I am going to change it. The end.

Father's Day 2011

2011-07-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

This year, Hank's birthday and Father's Day present was to get the PS3 shipped off and fixed, but I wanted to make it a Father's Day to remember. My sister Tonnie said that her volleyball team had made them a bag with cards, pictures, verses, and little things that reminded them of her and that she had so thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought that sounded like the perfect way to help my kid's celebrate their Daddy.

I found an unpainted hat box at the local thrift store for 10 cents and already had some craft glue and index cards. I let the boys do most of the box, but Sophie did some of it. They put words all over it that reminded them of their Daddy.

And when he opened it up, here is what he saw. We found pictures of him that we loved and helped us remember fun times together.

I enjoyed making some drawings of my own to accessorize some of the index card memories.

This one, I love. I'm not even sure if he is aware of this one. When we first started dating, we were both working at ABC 33/40. A lady there kept Dove chocolates on her desk. Hank would eat one and if the saying on the inside of the wrapper was appropriate, would come and tape it to my computer screen and sign in 'H.' I found an old old old folder from my 33/40 days and in it were some of those wrappers. This is one. I gently removed the 'H' and added my 'J.'

And of course, I made him his favorite cookies!

I had to serve at church on Father's Day, so I got up early, made his cookies and set everything out on the kitchen table where he was sure to see it.
Between services, I saw he had updated his facebook and this was his status:

"My wife and kids always make Father's Day great, but this year I woke up by myself and sat and laughed and cried with the thought that went into my present, I LOVE MY LIFE because of my family. i couldn't ask for more, I AM HELPLESSLY BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!"

I feel the same way, baby.

My Two Hulks

2011-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

My Sophie girl found this Hulk costume in Bryant's memory trunk.

Here is Bryant at Tres's 2-year-old birthday party in the same costume at 6 months old!

2011-07-12T15:56:00.001-07:00

My head hurts today.

Didn't get to excercize this morning.

Found out more about my upcoming job and I'm excited!

My boy have been so good and sweet and helpful today.

Sophie had to have a massive splinter out of her heel last night, and today has proclaimed that her foot is broken.

Bar-b-que cups for dinner.

Swimming in a while... maybe that will help the headache.

The end.

Weekend News

2011-07-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Friday night, we went to our small group. We may have been a little late in joining a small group but we feel comfortable and happy with the one we are taking part in. Friday night's potluck theme was breakfast. So we ate until we cried 'uncle!' and then continued our Bible study and discussion on Ephesians. We especially focused on the role of the husband and the wife... and the difference between obedience and submission. Lots of good thoughts that have kept Hank and I talking since then.

Saturday, we ran a few errands, got a few things done around our house and hung out with our kids! We've been watching Expedition Impossible with the kids. That evening, we all got ready and went to Johnny's Pizza with a certificate we had purchased on restaurant.com for $2... tip and all we paid $15 for a sit down meal for 5! Then we went to church. We are in the midst of a series at church called Sabotage (check out The Church's Website). Last week, the focus was on pride. This week, the focus was on offense. I think I would be lying if I said I haven't taken offense to things I shouldn't and that I haven't held on to things I shouldn't. One of the key thoughts was this: MANY OF OUR DREAMS ARE SACRIFICED AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OFFENSE THAT WE ARE UNWILLING TO RELINQUISH. I don't want to give up any of my dreams because of some offense I won't even remember next year.

Anyway, the boys brought a friend home to spend the night after church, so we decided to take an evening swim at our neighborhood pool. [Sidenote: not a lot of folks at the pool this year, and the HOA lady said that is because not even half of the houses in our neighborhood paid their dues... and I've noticed a growing number of foreclosure homes here too... so sad!]. Then it was back to the house for second dinner (if you have kids, you know what I'm talking about!), PS3, Pokemon, Beyblade, and Wii!

Sunday morning, I made pancakes and sausage for all the late risers. And at 5 we headed to a wedding. It was an outdoor ceremony and so so sweet. Before the wedding, Sophie kept asking, "Where are the prince and princess, Mommy?" And then during the ceremony, she kept asking "Is this the kissing part?" So cute. Then it was back home to get ourselves ready for the week!

This has been the first weekend in a long while, we weren't out of town or having company. It was nice. And since school is right around the corner... I'm trying to savor every moment of these long summer days.

Hankie

2011-07-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, Hank turned 40 on July 2! I have to tell on myself a little. I thought he was turning 40 last year, so he keeps teasing me that he is turning 41... I have never claimed to have the best memory! Especially after having three of his babies. Umm hmmm...

We didn't do much in the way of traditional birthday celebration. Hankie could eat breakfast for every meal of every day, so he requested breakfast as his birthday meal. And since we were meeting my parents to get our kids on his birthday, we decided to meet at Shoney's and get Hankie's favorite breakfast bar.

I would have gone all out with a party, if I thought he would have enjoyed it. I tried to throw a party for him when he turned 35 and he uncomfortably enjoyed it. He just doesn't like to be the center of attention.

So we just stuck to a family celebration. We got the kids and ate Shoney's and then came home. Hankie headed out to serve at church and I stayed at home unpacking the kids. I had planned to go to the Saturday 6pm service (love this! Gives you both days of your weekend!), but as the day was getting long, Tres kept telling me his ear was hurting. I knew he had been battling swimmer's ear, so when he was crying from the pain, I loaded everyone up and headed to an Urgent Care.

We didn't make it to church at all... in fact, I got back home way after Hank did. And didn't get to make him a birthday dinner or anything. He was very good natured about it... he snuggled Tres and made sure he was doing better, and took Bryant for a swim at our neighborhood pool. So after getting everyone home and settled, I got down to the business of making sure my husband knew he was loved and appreciated!

I had asked Hank before his birthday what kind of cake he wanted, and he actually turned down that idea in favor of homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with double chocolate chips... so I made him his cookies! And we stayed up late watching a movie, playing games, and enjoying them hot out of the oven.

Sunday was more of the same with Tres's ear. He was still pretty uncomfortable, so Hank again went to serve at church, and I made up some lunch (one of Hank's favorites... Chicken Spaghetti... while I watched/listened to church live online. So so so so thankful for modern conveniences at times like these. I did NOT want to miss church. So when he got home, we all sat down and ate.

That night, we loaded up pillows, blankets, snacks, and drinks and headed to our first drive in experience here in the ATL... and it was fabulous!! It was a double feature of Cars 2 and Mr. Poppers Penguines. And while it started at 9ish, since the kids had taken a nap we were up for it!! Here is where I should plug it... it had stadium parking, centrally located bathrooms and snack bar, AND it would have been easy to bring a headphone radio set and watched another movie, like Transformers 3, Super 8, Bridesmaids, etc. by just switching to another station! Definitely something we will be doing again! $17 for our whole family to see both movies!

Hank is a wonderful husband and I am honored to be his wife... I was a little disappointed that I couldn't make it bigger and better for him this year, but he was happy and content to be able to have his family home and spend quality time.

New Post

2011-07-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been very good at this this summer... I know that. Let's move on! :) Here are some highlights of life at the Boemers:

The boys finished up their school year with lots of honors and awards! Tres even made it into PC (Program Challenge) at school. Still very thoroughly impressed with their school! Public school with a very private school feel!

I start work at CHCS (Chapel Hill Christian School) in a few weeks. I will be teaching music for 1.5 days and PE for 1.5 days and doing some teacher aid stuff besides. The hours are my kids hours and that was priority #1 for us.

Sophia, who turns 4 in August (not possible), will be attending Pre-K at CHCS. Uniforms and all! To say she is excited would be a tremendous understatement!

Hankie turns 40 tomorrow! We've gotten his PS3 fixed and bought him a couple of games which he is already happily playing... so don't worry that this will spoil the surprise!

We've been on the road a lot this summer. The first week, we took some good friends to Birmingham and stayed at my Mom's for a week. We hit the $1 movie, the pool, shopping, hung out with friends, and just had a blast in general!

Then the second week in June, the boys got to go spend some special time with Hank's parents at Disney for Star Wars Weekend... Star Wars has hung around a lllooonnnggg time at our house! ;)

Then the third week in June, both boys participated in my sister's brainchild, Rock Solid Volleyball Camp. Think VBS meets volleyball camp. They LOVED it! And it was a great way for them to be active, spend time with family, and have fun!

Now all 3 of my kids are at my Mom's house. We get them in the morning and can't wait. I don't mind a little Mommy break, but this house is quiet and lonely without them.

Also,at the beginning of the summer, my neighbor and I were able to sit down and talk and work through a lot of things. Such a huge answer to prayers. I am thankful beyond words for reconciliation. And I feel that I am a better friend because of what I learned through that season.

I'm still a couponer, and because it is important to be, I don't see that changing any time soon.

So there it is in a nutshell. Hope you enjoy my new post..... (cough, cough... nicole)

They Were Right

2011-04-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

Meet my friend Becca Mae... well, you can call her Rebecca. I first met her when I started attending my parents church my Freshman year in college. The church was a small, start up and was setting up and meeting every Sunday in a school cafeteria.

My parents had set her up pretty good... "She's sweet and pretty, Jamie! She loves Jesus and she likes to have fun." I remember thinking, in that I-know-more-than-you kind of mind set that teens have, "I don't need my parents telling me who would be a good friend!" But as soon as I met her, I knew my parents were right! Shocker, huh?

Starting college and having your friend dynamic change so drastically was what I think made us so close so fast. But nevertheless... the day I met her, we had lunch with a bunch of other folks from church and then we were as thick as thieves... game nights at my house (Guestures), game nights at her house (Loaded Questions), double dates, trips to the mall, a quick run to the store at midnight for ice cream, beach trips (remember working on that human video in the driveway of the pink house?), camp counselors at Springville together where we received the best worst make overs ever(those pictures will never see the light of day!), youth sponsors, girl's nights (remember that movie we went to see and the pastor and his wife were there, Becca Mae?), Oak Mountain hikes, sleepovers where we talked about everything from Kim to haircuts, prayers and tears... as as we got older it was time to attend graduations, weddings, and then it was time for hospital visits when we each had children. I remember going to visit her when she had Maddie Claire, and I got to tell her I was pregnant with Ava Sophia! Milestone moments...

We are *cough, cough* older now, and wiser thanks to a lot of life experiences... some good, some not so much. But here is one thing I want you to know, Becca Mae. You are one of the biggest reasons I am the kind of friend I am today. I learned so much from our friendship. Laughter, fun, and more fun, yes. But also prayer, being there through difficult times, working through tough spots in our friendship, confidence in confidences, transparency even when it isn't so pretty. You helped shape how I accept others into my life.
I love you and our friendship. I love that when we get together, it's as if no time has passed. I love watching you be a wife and mommy... I admire your determination to go to school. I know you will always be there. I will forever be thankful for the gift of your friendship... and that my parents were right.

Maddie Claire... she found an ant parade! So sweet!

Ava Sophia scooting around!

Family Ties

2011-04-13T13:01:00.001-07:00

I love that my family loves to spend time together! Daddy playing some beyblade with Bryant...

Sophie trying to give Bryant a kiss...

And Tres helping Sophie put together her 'girl LEGO!'

Look at how big girl Sophie looks in that last one... time is going by a little too fast for my taste.

The Creed

2011-04-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

At my church, The Church at Chapel Hill, our pastor is teaching a series called, 'The Creed.' My husband, who has a Catholic background, immediately recognized it as The Apostle's Creed... and knew it by heart!

Here it is:

"We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered at the hands of men, was crucified, dead, and buried. On the third day He rose again; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit;
the redeemed church;
the fellowship of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting."

You know what I like about this? It lays it out... it tells you no if-ands-or-buts... this is what I believe. Here is heart of the matter... the meat of the meal... it's all here in a nutshell. You wanna know about me? What I believe? Who I believe in and why? Here you go! Here is what I place value in, who I put my faith.

Pastor has be diving into certain areas about this too. Last week's was Acceptance. He talked about busted relationships. Well, it's no secret I've had a few in the last couple of years. You know the old saying, "He read my mail?" Meaning, it seemed he was speaking directly to what I had recently gone through? Well, I felt like he didn't just read my mail... I felt like he hacked into all of my personal accounts!!!!
He said, "Acceptance with conditions, ALWAYS created insecure relationships."
Man... talk about a challenge that can sometimes go against the grain of what you feel. To extend a hand even if it means there is a possibility that your hand could get bitten.

But, honestly, how can I do any less??? Where in the heck would I be if God gave up on me when I turned by back on Him.

So I am striving to be an unconditional friend. To be there, even if an offense is present. To love without limits. I'll keep trying... I'll keep loving.

Bryant Steven Boemer

2011-04-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

April 2, 2004... That's the day my sweet little Bryant was born. That's the day we went from two-on-one coverage to zone defense! That's the last day I said, "I have a child" and started saying, "I have children!" There is no way... I mean, NO WAY, that my baby boy is 7!?!?! This birthday has hit me harder than any of them. I find myself scrambling to get back some of the time I so foolishly wished away!

The sweetest baby (after those incredibly exhausting and mind numbing colic months)

The prettiest baby... even all dressed up in blue, people would think those long eye lashes and big brown eyes belonged on a girl...

The most fun to dress up!

And the other half to the Boemer boys!

Now he is tall and lean and smart and athletic.
He loves Mommy hugs, but avoids Mommy kisses! Boooooooo! He wants to be outside and will play anything with the word 'ball' in it... basketball, baseball, football...
He LOVES to sing and dance. He asked for Kidz Bop for Christmas and knows all the songs and has some killer dance moves to go with it!
This year, we were gonna do a party, but the boys had a last minute opportunity to go to Disney with Hank's parents. So he decided to fore go the party so he could have some extra Disney cash! So instead, he ordered an extravagant meal of shells and cheese, chicken fingers, chips and cheese and soda, topped off with ice cream sundaes instead of cake.

This young man likes to make games out of cleaning out the dishwasher, putting his clothes away, and just about anything else, so I wasn't surprised that he embraced his impromptu party with such gusto!

We had fun celebrating my Bry. We were able to give him the things he wanted most... On his list this year:
Heelies- I picked up at a yard sale for a buck! Brand new and his size!
Razor Scooter Siege- A gift from Grandma and Grandaddy! He is already whizzing around the driveway in it!
Money- He got Disney money from us and birthday money from Grammy and Pop Pop!

He also got a Kidz Bop Dance Wii game, a LEGO and a t-shirt from Sophie, and a beyblade from Tres.

I am more thankful than words can express that he is a part of our family. We didn't 'plan' him... but we were so indescribably happy he was coming! And while I never thought I wanted children close together, I could not begin to imagine Tres without Bryant and Bryant without Tres. My Boemer boys... ruled by one tiny queen. Thank you, Lord.

Things we've done to our house:

2011-03-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

-Added stainless steel appliances

We are working towards a certain look in here... we are planning new flooring in the near future. Tile or hardwood, we aren't sure. But I have to say, this is by far my most favorite kitchen. Surprisingly... it has a small pantry, but tons of counter and cabinet space!

-Upgraded the kitchen sink from white cast iron (see above) to an extra deep stainless steel with new faucet and garbage disposal

This is where being a plumber's daughter comes in mighty handy, folks! This was our Christmas present! If I didn't express it enough, Daddy, I am THRILLED!!!! And I love you.
-Added lighting over the kitchen cabinets

This was a complete Hankie project. I love the ambiance of it now!

-Added a drop down attic access

Just another reason I love to yard sale! I found a brand new drop-down attic access for $40 and Hank and his Dad installed it for us.
-Floored the attic

All God's children can sing the Hallelujah chorus for additional storage space!! With three growing kids, you know I'm using every bit of it.
-Put a medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom

The boys were in serious need of some storage options in their bathroom. So we changed out their mirror for a medicine cabinet. It keeps things a little neater and gives the boys

-Additional shelving in laundry room, pantry, and closets

-Painted the guest room, kitchen, and master bathroom

{Guest Room}

{Master Bathroom}

-Retiled the upstairs hall ball, replaced vanity, added wainscoating, and new shower head

{BEFORE}
See how sterile and almost hospital like the old tile was... boo! And the vanity was just your typical white standard, builder's grade cabinet.

{AFTER}
I love how warm and homey it is now! Love the Oops! paint color, and the white beadboard, and the vanity we got marked down from $169 all the way to $99!!

-Added a play place in the backyard

The BEST hand me down, EVER!!!! This used to live at my sister-in-law's house. The kids love, love, love this. The boys will take their books out there and read for school. Sophie will swing out there by herself for hours. And when kids come over, there is a place to banish them! *Smile!*
Currently we are working on hiding all the cords from mounting our television over the fireplace... and once that is done, I'll be painting the den.

Once this is finished, and the den is painted, I will take a new and improved picture for us all to enjoy!

Crafty?!?! Me?!?!?!

2011-03-21T11:59:00.001-07:00

We have this old desk. It was passed to us from Hank's side of the family.

We were using it as a computer desk in Alabama, and had it in our guest room when we first moved here. But when we started doing our hallway bathroom make-over... which bled over to a guest room make-over, I started thinking about what I could do with this old desk.

It is weathered, to be kind. It has dents and scars, marker and pen marks, old sticker residue, and cup rings in the finish.

So I got to thinking... how could I re purpose this?? I liked the idea of keeping it in our family, but it was in need of a definite face lift.

So I started off by sanding it and priming it.

Then I treated it with Weathered Wood to get a crackled effect.

And while all that dried, Hank and I hit a few yard sales to 'dress' it!

Okay, I admit, I found more than I needed, and walked away from several sales with things not related to this project, but it was a fun time with just me and Hankie... I just love this man.

So here is the finished product. The top of it has been redecorated several hundred times now... I mean, this picture was taken yesterday, and already I have different items on it! One of them is a lamp I got at a yard sale. We put the desk in our super huge and open foyer. A friend of mine suggested we use it there, and I liked the idea of using an unusual piece of furniture there. She also suggested the basket under it. That will be used for shoes and umbrellas and such.

The candy dish is an antique, I think. I picked it up at a yard sale for $2 from a little old lady who told me that it belonged to her mother and she remembered it from her childhood. The books I picked up at several different yard sales for dollars each. They are all published anywhere from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s. The picture frame is actually a thick framed mirror from IKEA. I had 3 hanging in the kitchen that I had painted green and had cut a picture to fit it. I pulled one down, crackled finished it, and painted over it in off whtie. I really liked the finished product and decided to hang it over the desk.

We also lucked up on some quality fabrics at one of the yard sales... a tapestry type and a silk. We are gonna use one to make panels for the front door and maybe the other to make a runner for the desk to add some more color and who knows what else!

My Three

2011-03-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Since I've been a slacker I thought I would give you a guys a quick update on my sweet kids!

Let's start at the top, shall we? Henry John Boemer, III... always known as Tres. My joy. He is so smart and well behaved and kind. He befriends everyone. And his close friends are not always the most popular choice. I am proud of his sensitive and open heart. He is super smart... I mean, just ask him! If you need the answer to anything, my child thinks he knows it. Annoying at times, you ask? Why, No! {she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm}
He recently participated in the school wide spelling bee, being one of two from his class to participate. He placed 7 out of 20. He went out on the word 'civic.' He added a 'k' to the end. Now he wants to know how to spell any word that sounds funny to him or he doesn't 100% know!

He is also being tested for Program Challege at school. His teacher recommended this since he flies through his work, grasps the concepts quickly, and is on a SIXTH GRADE reading level! Go Tres-man!
A few other things about him... he is 4 1/2 feet tall and wears a men's size 7 1/2! He is growing so fast! I'm constantly having to update his closet lately!
He is not super athletic, although he has shown an interest in basketball and karate... and he is counting down the days till swimming time!

Bryant Steven... my brown-eyed charmer! Can I just pause a second. His birthday is in a couple of weeks and for some reason that jump from 6 to 7 is making me so sad.
This was on the hundredth day of school... he is the one of my children who likes to participate in school wide events like dressing up, wearing hats, etc. So we got him all older.
You can really tell he's a snaggle tooth little thing here! Love it! He looks so much like his Daddy to me. His dark complexion, dark eyes, and his love for all things active. This kid will play outside most days until the sun is set or later.

He is doing really, REALLY well in school! He always starts out slow and even distressed about school. But he moves at his own pace and now, nearing the end of March he has surpassed all expectations for second graders. He checks out second and third grade books at the library, and is super proud of that! His math skills impress me! He is a whiz with numbers, this one!
He is a fun kid. He likes to make up games and play them. He loves to play wii... he is just all around competitive. I recently got in trouble for missing the sign up cut off for soccer. Now he doesn't miss a chance to check in and make sure I haven't missed anything else... sigh.

And that brings up to our little leading lady... Ava Sophia. 3 going on 13. She is attitude plus. You know the expression sugar and spice? She personifies that!

There are times when she will come up smiling and want to tell you a secret. She'll push my hair back, cup her hand around my ear, and whisper, "I love you!" And then ten minutes later she is crossing her arms, shaking her head and saying, "I don't want to!" But as stubborn and strong willed as she is, she is obedient. And I am so thankful for that!

She is a ham who loves to play Barbies, babies, littlest pet shops, swing, dress up, sing, and dance. She is also all about doing ANYTHING her boys are doing. So, if they are playing DS, then she is too. And if they are watching Survivor, then she will too.
And while they don't always enjoy her constant attention, they mostly tolerate it (unless other big kids are around). There are plenty of, "She won't leave me alone..." and/or "That's not fair..." and/or "Boys don't play Barbies/babies/dress up..."

I feel so incredibly blessed by these three treasures. I have been really enjoying this season of their development. My favorite time of day is right when they get home from school... seeing Sophie greet them, then catching up on the day over snacks. I also love praying with them at night... I like that they thank God for "happy hour at sonic, playing with their Daddy, and chicken alfredo for dinner." They make me smile.

Speed Bump

2011-03-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

I wrote a song not long ago. It's called "Heart's Cry." It's been a while and it felt good.

This song came out of a lot of different, tough circumstances in my life over the last several months. I debated whether or not to post about it, and once again came to the conclusion that this is my blog and intended to serve as a sort of chronicling of where my family and I are and where we are going. The bumps along the way are part of that story. So, CAUTION!! Speed bump ahead!

When I moved here, I developed several relationships pretty quickly. I felt so lucky, because in the two weeks before I made friends I felt so lonely and depressed. I am not the kind of person who likes to sit and wallow, so I kept my kids busy doing 'stuff' and I stayed busy unpacking and taking care of business. Once we made these friends, all that changed, we moved from the isolated state into the settling in state. I began exercising with some ladies, sharing some of my thoughts and hobbies with them. You know, the surface stuff you share before you really dive into a relationship. [Side note: It seems so much scarier as an adult to make friends somehow!] The summer wrapped up in a blur of birthday parties, swimming, and playtime with neighbors. I remember feeling so warm and content one afternoon by the pool, when one of my new friends said, "I feel so blessed to have you in my life. I've only known you for a short while, and you are one of my best friends!" I smiled a thousand watt smile that day.

Once school started, all those relationships had to take second place to the business of order, and structure, and school work. So I'm not really sure when it happened, but I began to notice a good bit of distance myself and that friend.

After trying to get the bottom of it several times, it finally came out that she was offended at how I had handled a situation involving one of her children. I'm not gonna go into any of that, but let me just say that I am learning some things the hard way. I don't want to live my life with a fortress of walls around me, but I'm learning that some barriers are good.

It had taken a lot of tears and prayers to see both sides of this circumstance. And I feel like, at 33, it is well past time to move past impulse reactions and hurtful words... and really dive into what got me into the situation and what I can learn from it to avoid anything like this in the future.

I wish I could say, 100%... "This was not my fault! I didn't do anything wrong!" But that is not, and probably will rarely ever be the case. I'm a human... I fail. I think, it's how I handle the failure that determines what kind of person I am. 2 Timothy 4:5 says, "But you, keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant."

Man, I'm finding it hard. Not to be God's servant... but to keep my eye on JUST what I AM doing. To quit looking at others' lives and passing judgement. To be a guardian of my own salvation.

In this time, my tried-and-true, love-me-no-matter-what friends have risen, once again to the occasion. And for that, I am so thankful. And friends I first thought to be surface or acquaintance friends, have been faithful and solid. And for that, I am also thankful.

Thankfully, I feel like my life is settling down after being jostled over this speed bump and that I might just have learned a life lesson about how to adjust for the next one.

I'm a Nerd

2011-03-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

So I've been pretty consistent with my couponing since we moved here. So much so that we added some shelves in the laundry room (thank you Lord for the massive room!). We are looking for a small freezer right now. I am more than thankful for an overflowing freezer though!

I have to admit that 4 years ago, I was one of the people that said, "I just don't have time to coupon." Now, I can't believe I ever said that. I just assumed that you could save just as much by buying generic. Now I know better!

This is my toiletries stockpile... with a little dish detergent and paper towels thrown in for good measure.

I'm super proud of this... I have laundry detergent for at least a year, if I do one load a day. And the best part is... I got all of this for free and some of it for a profit.

I will readily admit I have an addiction...

However, this addiction feeds my family and supplies me with a hobby! *Smile* I like to see how much I can get for how little. It's my favorite game!

I keep money in our budget for other fun things this way! And if you want to know how you can, give me a call! I love to talk about it!

Again, I fully appreciate the fact that I am a coupon nerd.

Surprise! Retreat!!!

2011-02-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

So my 33rd birthday came and went this year without much fanfare... in fact, I barely remember parts of it, because the flu bug decided to hit our house hard right around then. But my wonderful husband and my good friend Sherry, got together and planned a surprise getaway. Sherry's birthday falls around the same time and we both were in need of a little stress-free down time. So that is how we ended up at Lake Blackshear in Cordele, Ga.
The resort was actually in a state park, so the scenery could not be beat!!

The place reminded me of Dirty Dancing for some reason... it had hiking, canoeing, a pool, work out facilities, fine dining, golfing, camping, fishing... you name it! It was tucked out of the way of civilization... in fact, my phone had no signal, so I could actually sit back and know I wouldn't be interrupted!

Here we are fueling up before one of our hikes! We found some pretty isolated and beautiful spots! And also saw a couple of deer... and looked really hard for an alligator.

Sherry laid out by the pool and got a weird sun burn while she read. I wrote a song and took a nap and read. We did our nails, curled our hair, did funny face masks, and talked and laughed until we were dropping in and out of the conversation...

We ate at a critically acclaimed little hole in the wall restaurant on Friday night... Daphne Lodge. It was so good! The history on the menu said that the building used to be an open air dance hall and that families used to load up their wagons and drive over on Sundays to dance... how cool is that?!?!

On Saturday, we headed over to Albany to meet up with Sherry's family. The GPS took up mudding! We laughed and were oddly proud of the mud splattered truck.

We spent Saturday afternoon and evening with Sherry's family. And I found myself feeling drawn in by her family. Laughing at tales of Sherry's childhood... and pics of her high school days. Sharing where we've been and celebrating how far the Lord has brought us. I so enjoyed the retreat at Blackshear, but my favorite part of the trip was staying up until one in the morning talking and laughing and crying at times, with the Sceales family.

Keep The Change

2011-02-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Change is so darn hard sometimes! Especially when you are trying to apply what God has taught you about you and your behavior to the relationships around you and to your every day life.

Do all you Kingwood Youth Group alum remember the sermon Benny... or was it Mark in Chi Alpha... preached about how a clay pot if made. It is formed sculpted. Then it has to be fired in order to have a finished product. I remember one of the points was that there are times when a pot is resistant, for one reason or another, fired too long or damaged, and has to be broken and reworked to go through the whole process again.

I absolutely know that God is teaching me things through some of these tough circumstances. I've had some interesting encounters with people that have made me take a step back from my gung ho path, and examine my actions, words, and deeds. If I can't be a good student for God... then I don't think I can be a good anything.

Change is happening whether we embrace it or not... and even though, there are many moments lately when I want to yell "Enough! Keep the change, already!" I would rather be refined by my Master's firm, loving hands, than to crumble beneath the weight of my own failings.

New Stuff Going On

2011-01-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

So a few little minor aftershocks from the great big move quake of 2010. We are finally settling into our new finances... man it seems to have taken a while for some reason! I started cleaning houses this past September for extra income. I had a lady who had me coming in one or two days every week, but she had to stop because of her finances.

Thank God that when I moved, I immediately looked up new off season (travel) volleyball clubs. While it's not gonna make us rich, it definitely helps to have a cushion for the month to month bills. So right now, even though I'm not cleaning, I am staying busy with twice weekly volleyball practices and weekend tournaments.

I'm still trying to do substitute work, but getting these teachers to call me is a trick, cause they don't know me!! I go up and volunteer at the school at least one day a week, so I'm hoping the more familiar they get with me, the more calls I will get. I've gotten a few random calls from other schools, but haven't been able to accomodate them because finding a last minute sitter for the Sophster is not always easy. It should be a little easier next school year. We plan to enroll her in one of the state funded pre-k schools around here (thank you Georgia lottery). Then I will be available more readily!

The good thing about tight finances, is that I have become determined to keep our grocery budget as low as possible and as a result, out 'stockpile' has grown with lots of free, cheap items after lots of tedious match ups. God is good and I feel blessed to be able to take care of my family well on just a little!! That way we make sure funds are available for other things.

Wellll.... in other news, I was asked to lead the praise and worship for the upcoming women's event. I am very excited and nervous. Definitely looking forward to it!!

So that's what's up for now! Stay tuned

on our way home

2011-01-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

Man! It's harder to blog from my phone than I thought it would be. We just had dinner with my parents at Top of The River. We met them halfway after my volleyball practice. They brought my nephews with them and surprised us! The boys were THRILLED to say the least! It was fun just listening to the kids tell k ock-knock jokes and try to do magic tricks with strings. On the way home Sophie grabbed her stomach and told us she had to go potty... anyway, after an emergency visit to the Exxon bathroom we are back on the road... with a commando little girl!

Blogging In The New Year

2010-12-31T19:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here in my newly rearranged den, my Dad contentedly watching football with just a little brownie on his face... my Mom talking loudly to my sister in the guest room, and two out of three children sound asleep downstairs... and I am content.

God has been good to us. In 2010, the Boemers moved to Georgia. A lot of other things happened, but that is the one thing I believe we will remember about 2010 when we look back over it in years to come.

My children have grown considerably over this past year... my baby boy turned 8. That astonishes me. Has it really been that long since the test was positive? Since we drove away from the hospital feeling like someone was gonna pull us over and ask us if we had a license to parent? Since we figured out that they don't break that easily and how to get poo out of just about anything? Since we found out that our little guy was gonna be a brother? And then found out the Boemer boys were gonna have a sister?

A lot of the changes in Tres, Bryant, and Ava Sophia have been physical: losing teeth, getting taller, longer hair, transitioning from diapers to panties. But a lot of them have been emotional. Learning that brothers and sisters are forever... that you can't get rid of them even if you wanted to. Realizing that even if your family lives a couple of hour away, you can still see them (thanks to skype) and talk to them... and even plan fun filled trips to visit and be visited.

It's been an interesting time for me. One of the more valuable lessons I've learned has been that it's okay to walk through a valley, as long as I know that God is with me. This has been the year of details for me... and God has shown up in every single one. From the price of our house, to the fact that one of Tres's classmates lives across the street. I've made some new friends, and I get the sense that they are life long ones. Women after God's own heart. We started attending, and shortly after joined, The Church at Chapel Hill. Man what a difference that makes... we have a base now. A support group.

But enough of looking in the rearview mirror! I'm excited about 2011. I know God has us and is with us. Now and always, He remains smack-dab-in-the-middle.

Black Friday

2010-11-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Mom and I were out and at it by 11pm Thanksgiving Day! I had a little list I wanted to get from Wal-Mart, Kohl's and Target. And Mom was after... dum dum dah dum.... electronics. I am, however, sad to report that my camera was dead by then... so no pics to go with it! Lots from Thanksgiving though... so stay tuned for that.

Wal-Mart was a massive rush of insanity and greed! I was so impossibly frustrated by people's lack of common courtesy and downright rude behavior. I couldn't have kept up with the things that were snatched out of hands, the buggies that were rammed unmercilessly into my ankles, and snide comments coupled with murderous looks thrown at me for being in the general vicinity of a sought after item. Wal-mart had roped off the main aisle and had pallets of items saran wrapped with signs that said you could not take the items until midnight. So I wriggled by way around the store to the toy department and tried to spot the items I was trying to get. I got a couple, but not all. I was just happy to get out that store in tact!! The swell of noise at midnight was about deafening in the toy department and I am not exaggerating when I tell you, the Wal-Mart employees were scrambling up onto the paint counter like someone escaping a flood!

Kohl's was a little better. This time, there were less people.... all the way around. But saying less people in terms of people buying things on Black Friday, means double to triple the amount of shoppers on any other busy Saturday. And Kohl's was understaffed and the staff they had there had no clue where any of the early bird special items were. I asked 5 employees the location of one item, after I had already searched the store. I came to the conclusion that this store must not carry it for some reason. So I got in the massive line and when I was about 5-8 people away from checking out, I see a woman literally scurrying past me with multiples of the item. I tried to ask the women where she got it but she was single minded in her focus and gone before I could get the thought out. So I decided to get out of line... by the time I located the item (and also a couple of more that I had on my list that were being rolled out of the back!! yay!) the line had quadrupled. I waited in line for an hour. *Sigh* Both in frustration at the memory and that it is behind me.

Target was the main event though. I was still in the Kohl's line from H-E-double hockey sticks when they opened, but my Mom and brother Matt about 25 back or so... Wait, allow me to back up for a second. After we left Wal-Mart at 12:30, we headed over to the shopping center where Target and Kohl's are located. When we saw the line at Target off to a healthy start, I told Mom I would get in line and hold the place until Matt got there. I start to get out and decide off handedly to bring my sweater. And after I get out, Mom rolls down the window and hands me a small umbrella "just in case." About 10 minutes later, that "just in case" was a reality as I attempted to wedge my rear onto a 2 inch ledge and hunker down under a smaller than small umbrella in an attempt to claim a small piece of dry ground. An hour in, when the rain slacked some, my Mom relieved me for a half hour, then I was back out until Matt got there. It was miserable... and I didn't even want a big ticket item! But I sure do love my Mom and Brother, so, hey... whatcha gonna do?!!?

Now, back to the story. Mom calls me and tell me that at 4, when they opened the door, people that didn't stay one minute in the line, came and acted like they had been there the entire time. My sweet little Momma got sassy with some and even strong armed one back behind her! I so wish I had been there to see it. But, I feel I need to remind you that I was still in line at Kohl's. I did finally escape from there and walked over to Target where my Mom was already in line, having already purchased two TVs and now had a buggy load of presents for grand kids. While she waited in line, I zipped around and found almost everything I had on my list! The line we were in was so that we could also purchase a $25 I-tunes card for $20, and while we were standing there, a red shirted employee hurries up and says the I-tunes deal is over. We were at the register checking out! Thank the Lord, we had a sweet spirited lady who upon hearing this news, winked at us, and said, "So this is my last one!"

We rolled back home sometime between 6:30-7 am... just in time for Grandaddy, who was holding down the fort with the kids, to head out to work! The kids were still (barely) asleep so I headed right to bed, and slept nearly 5 hours! Now I'm up and enjoying the Alabama v. Auburn game with my Daddy.

Mr. B's Birthday Dinner

2010-11-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this in October, but we got a chance to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday with a family dinner (minus the Welborn's!) at Joe's Crab Shack. This is a first! We are closer, geographically to most of Hank's family now, and it was fun to get together and celebrate a birthday together. The best part was when the Joe's staff recognized Mr. B's birthday by making him wear a big hat and sing into a wand! It was so out of character and fun!

God is Right Handed...

2010-11-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

So follow me on this one, okay?

I go to a wonderful church that has a really uplifting, God-centered, fulfilling worship ministry/experience.

That ministry is spearheaded by some talented people.

Those talented people have produced an incredible worship CD, called You Shine. (Available at http://www.churchatchapelhill.com)

I have been thoroughly enjoying my time in the car with God lately. The songs really reflect a heart intent on praising God.

One of the tracks is a recitation of Psalm 63. Since the first time I heard it, it has resonated with me. Every day I listen to it, I feel God brings to my remembrance more and more things to be thankful for.

And, to be real, this has been a tough couple of months for our family. So, just about every time I listen to that Psalm, you can pretty much count on the fact that I will be close to tears by the end.

The lady who does the reading, has a very melodic voice... in fact at the end of her reading of the verses, it sounds like she is gonna start singing. So her vocal inflection, has had this line stuck in my head... "I cling to you; Your strong right hand holds me secure." (Ps 63:8 NIV)

And I got to thinking today why the David felt the need to indicate which of God's hand was holding me secure... cause I figure neither of God's hands is weak! My thought is this, David wanted to be super sure that we understood that God is stronger and bigger and wiser and more on top of any problem we could ever fathom. And since the majority of people are right handed, their right hand is generally stronger.

Anyway... nothing really hard core or theologically astute to back it up, but that is how I see it!

My Kids Are Cuter Than Your Kids!

2010-11-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

Just accept it! ha! I know a bunch of parents who probably bristled a little when they read that. Well... what kind of Mom would I be if said, "Your kids are so much cuter than mine?" I mean, I have good looking genes showing up in some little people... just sayin'.

Anyway, this past weekend was CAH-RAZY busy, but so much fun! By Friday afternoon, we had rounded up all the pieces to this years choices for Halloween costumes. Like I said, this year was the year of imagination and not spending.

Tres decided to be a GI Joe/Army man this year. He had a camo shirt (given to him by uncle Matt and aunt Kayla) and we borrowed the hat from the next door neighbor. The jacket is the centerpiece, because this is my father-in-law's jacket from his years in service. It has the name 'Boemer' on it.

Bryant is rocking his Alabama football player look. We couldn't find a football helmet to borrow, but he was content to wear a baseball cap. And we had a regular football for him to carry, but he just HAD TO carry to old beat up, chunks missing out of it, Nerf football. We put this together with a hand me down Alabama jersey, some old baseball pants and cleats, and some black electrical tape under his eyes (cause he would NOT do make-up!).

Sophie's must-have Fireside Girl costume took the most creativity. I must now stop and give props to my wonderful husband! When Ava Sophia began making her demand for this costume, I just tried to divert her to one of the many costumes she currently has in her room. But Hank always catches the vision... so with an orange t-shirt, a khaki skirt, a $1 toboggan from Wally World, an old t-shirt, and Hank's old boy scout patches... Voila! We had to stretch out the toboggan by getting it damp and letting it dry on a plate. Then I made a quick bow and hot glued that bad boy on. So... Whaaaaatttcchhhha Dooooo-in'?

On Saturday we got up and did some work around the house and garage. I had found a drop-down attic access with stairs at a garage sale for $40 and Hank and Mr. B had installed it several weekends ago. We got some of the attic floored, so we transferred bin after bin of clothes, memorabilia, and collectibles into the attic. Fun, fun! And I spent a little time cleaning the house cause my parents were coming to visit. I headed to our church's Saturday night service and Hank took the kids to a local trunk or treat and to Publix to trick or treat.

My Moment of the Weekend, had to be seeing my little costumed family file into church to hear me sing on Saturday night. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

My parents rolled in around 1 am, and we immediately went to bed! Cause we were up and running Sunday morning! Church at 9 & 10:45, then a quick lunch at (where else when my boys see my parents) Outback.

Then I had to leave early and head over to volleyball try-outs for the new club organization I am working with. So I was there until 7 pm... squealed back into my neighborhood at 7:30 and jogged up to where Hank and the kids were in the neighborhood! Here are a few shots that my wonderful husband (who knows his wife loves to blog) took for me!

Practicing What I Sing

2010-11-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

Some might think that posting this is showing off. Well, if you know me, you know I'm not into that. This blog is about what is going on in my family's lives and this is what is going in my mine.

I'm learning to walk in faith. And I believe that God has been telling me and reminding me every day, every hour, and every minute that He has me.

So when I joined the church ensemble and was asked to sing this song, I knew the Lord was helping me learn to do this.

I honestly felt like I had a hold of the hem of God's robe this weekend and I haven't let go. Although some of God's lessons lately have not been easy, I'm up for it.

Whatcha Think?

2010-10-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Is it too early to get the Christmas decor out? I was thinking today about how muggy and humid it is and it's about to be NOVEMBER! Hello... is Mother Nature on vacation? So maybe if I get out the Christmas stuff, it will usher in a little cooler weather!

Really, I want to get out my Christmas stuff so I can go through it and get a plan in place on how to decorate our new home! And then I can get rid of what I'm not gonna use in the yard sale. I'm doing a yard sale for the Boemer Christmas fund! This year, our family (as well as many others, I suspect) is scaling back significantly. But Hank and I are determined to make it a good Christmas regardless! I have some really good ideas for sentimental gifts.

My baby girl has been sick... and I mean really sick lately! She had the flu over the weekend, and now she is rocking a double ear infection. I just want her to be well!

The boys are getting excited about Halloween! And this year, instead of buying $20 costumes, we are using what we have. Tres is gonna be Indiana Jones again. He has everything he needs except a whip. Bryant has been changing his mind like a girl changes clothes... but I think he's settled on an Alabama football player. And Sophie wants to be a fireside girl... all I need for that is an orange shirt... Hank is gonna make the rest. If Sophie is gonna be a fireside girl, I'm thinking about printing out some pics of Phineus and Ferb pics and put them on some sticks for me and Hank.

God, My Shephard

2010-10-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

"God, my shephard!
I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shephard's crook makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life."

Reading the Bible in the Message translation has made the word come alive once again! I was so used to the rote, memorized way I could prattle off Psalm 23, that I never thought to explore the depths of what it meant to me and my life. I love this: "True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction."

I love the action verbs used in this translation: you serve, you revive, your love chases... what a picture of our Saviour!

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for this quiet pool to drink from today! I love you.

Henry John III turns 8!

2010-10-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

While Tres and Bryant were in school, Sophie and I headed out to pick up a few gifts for my eight year old! Do you like her outfit? She WOULD NOT be swayed from her Ariel costume.

I seriously can't believe it's been 8 years since Henry John was born and took Hank and I from 'couple' status to 'family!' So after he got home from school and after his Daddy got home from we gave him gifts from us. Just look at that smile! He has been a smiler since the moment he was born... what a joy! And that his brother is his best friend is a prayer that is answered and a bond I hope lasts their whole lives.

Lego's and silly bands were top on the list this year! Then we followed the present opening with his favorite meal... chicken Alfredo! I didn't have time to make a cake on his actual birthday, and I knew I was making one for his party... but I live next door to Becky Crocker... and she wasn't about to let that happen!

So she whipped up a giant cupcake and a batch of cupcakes and all the neighborhood kids came over and enjoyed!

This year, instead of a huge party, Tres decided to invite a handful of kids to go see a movie with him. So, while Hank took them to the theatre, I stayed home and boiled hot dogs, finished his cake, and made homemade ice cream.Before you guys all think I'm just a one hit wonder with the stinkin' LEGO cake, I must say, they now request this cake... I tried to do a black base LEGO and then build on it with a green one, but I only had enough black dye to make the icing a sickly gray color... so completely green was what we ended up with!

Homemade chocolate ice cream was also a birthday boy request!

One of the gifts Hank and I gave him were tickets to Six Flags. So we planned to go the next weekend!

He received mostly money, because he has been saving for a DSi XL for a while. So he was so excited to be able and take his birthday money that night and get one!

I was so excited about taking my family to Six Flags! I have been to Six Flags many times as a little girl, teen, and young adult... but I think the last time I had been was when I was around 21!

The boys talked big about trying this roller coaster or that one... but in the end... the only ones they rode were the Mine Train one and the one in Toon Town (all accompied by Mom since Dad doesn't do heights!). We also rode Thunder River several times (including a petrified Sophie who glued herself to my side and buried her head in my arm the entire ride!) and Splash Mountain. I'm sure that I am mixing up the Disney names and the Six Flags names... but oh well!

I had so many more pictures, but something happened to the memory chip in our camera and these were the only ones that made it! Bummer... but at least we have something to remember the day with.

All in all, a very good birthday extravaganza for Mr. Tres man! Following is a list of things I want to remember about him right now:

- He still does a version of the Tres man rewind... this occurs when he gets excited when telling a story. He will sort of suck in his breath and repeat in a whisper what he just said.
- He is obedient and kind!
- He does not want to leave his brother out (he's okay with leaving his sister out though!)
- He is tall for his age.
- He reads on a 5th grade level.
- He loves to ride bikes.
- I don't think he will ever outgrow LEGOS!
- His unquestioning belief in God is an incredible example to me.
- Although he went through a phase where kissing Mom was not cool, he has now decided that it's okay (at home and where no one can see it!).
- Even though he could have had his own room when we moved, he wanted to share one with his brother.
- He has decided this year, that he doesn't like cake anymore... even the special ones his mommy makes for him on his birthday.
- His misses Alabama, but loves his new home and friends.
- He would hang out with his Daddy 24/7.

You Are Here ---->

2010-10-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we're all on a journey, right? We're on a road, ultimately leading us to our final destination.... So on the road I'm on, I feel like I've passed through the city of Vulnerable, GA. Now before you pull up another tab and google it... there's not a literal city called Vulnerable. It just seems to have been a pit stop for me. During this transition, I have found myself way outside of my comfort zone. I was born, raised, married, and had children all in Alabama. Surrounded by the support, love, and encouragement of my family and friends. So moving was a big deal to this home body. If you ask me how the transition has been, I will answer honestly. It's been good. God has been in the details. We are so very, very thankful for God's hand. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I know we are smack dab in the middle of His will. But man, it's been a little scary for me at times. A new church, new friends, a new normal. No instant babysitters. No big, loud, chaotic, impromptu family meals. No lunch dates with my Mom, or clearance shopping dates with my sister.

But I'm hanging in there. I've only broken down publicly once! I'm proud it hasn't been more... I've only gotten lost a handful of times (stinking post office). I've overcome most of my insecurities. I'm learning that my comfort zone is wherever God puts me. I'm learning that a large church is comfortable and homey. And I'm learning that my husband is an amazing friend.

Feeling vulnerable is not comfortable. But if God has something to teach me while I'm here.... I'm ready to learn.

Blueberry Pickin'

2010-10-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

So another one of my fabulous neighbors has a connection to a cool farm about 20 minutes away. And they called to tell her that they were overrun with blueberries! Since school had already started, we loaded up the little kids and headed over. Sophie decided to get herself all 'dress up' for the occasion.

When we got there, we explored a little.
We found goats.

We found chickens. Then we hit the blueberry patch! Getting the kids to put the blueberries in the bucket was next to impossible!

We came home with plenty though! Enough for a blueberry jello cake! And a lot of other fun stuff!

Living in the Land of Pink

2010-10-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was pregnant with a little girl, I was excited and nervous and a little out of my element... I mean, I had lived in the land of blue for 5 years! But never did I ever think that our family as a whole would embrace PINK so thoroughly! Three years later, Ava Sophia has her boys trained to turn down the pink aisles at stores automatically. Three years later, she has her daddy giving her manis and pedis. Three years later, you can find me walking the sidewalks of our neighborhood with her, decked out in her princess costume and pushing her babies in a stroller. The land of the pink has been good to us! It's full of sass, imagination, hugs, and fun!

This year, when she woke up, we decided to let her open her gift from us.

Note the sleepy eyes... but she's rearing to go!

Grammy and Pop Pop were here that weekend, and Sophie enjoyed sharing all her toys with them.

See her pretty birthday dress? Grandma got that for her! It's a 24 months, and she rocked it!

One of her favorite gifts was her tea set! She immediately changed clothes (cause that's what any good diva does), pulled her hair out of her pony-tail and promptly demanded that her Daddy have a tea party with her... which, he did!

While they were partying... I was busy preparing for the party to come...

See how busy I was? I mean... someone had to taste test it!

My neighbor, Becky Crocker made her a Barbie cake (per the princess's request) and I helped her decorate it! It was fun pretending to be Cake Boss for a minute.

The rest of the food was equally as pink... watermellon balls and sugar cookies on a stick (rolled in pink sugar, of course!).

Once the food was ready, we set up the big inflatable water slide that we borrowed from one of our fabulous neighbors!

Then we played...

Toss Across....

Water Sprinkler.... and an improvised baby pool!

A little sidewalk chalk....

Water Balloons.... [Sidenote: I'm STILL finding these things!]

And after a short break....

It was time for the main event! Cake and presents!

Sophie was infatuated with her cake! She loved it... wanted to hold it and not let anyone eat it. We had to distract her and move it away.

After all the kids got reengergized with sugar, we moved them downstairs so Sophie could open her presents.

It was a fun day, from start to finish. My parents came for the day with my niece Sierra and my sister Jennie! And it was a hot day, but a nice night, so everyone hung out outside well into the evening! It was a fun "pink" day! Here are a few more memories from the day!

Did I Tell You The Story of My Boys and Their New School?

2010-10-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

When we first moved into our new home, the real estate listing showed that my boys would be attending one school, and we found out from neighbors that they were attending another. I wasn't really sure what to thing. Both schools had good scores on greatschools.net. But the one I originally thought they were attending is newer and bigger. And the one that we are zoned for was smaller and a little older. So when we went to the Open House, I was slightly hesitant.

But both boys were so excited about their classes! Their teachers were so kind and welcoming. And I learned at Open House that this little school has a private school feel and some serious expectations for my kids to meet!

We also learned that both boys had a friend in their class (another way God was telling me He had our backs in this transition).

So the first day came and went with a little bit of fanfare and excitement. And then the homework commenced. Lots and lots of homework. I am happy to say that while they did have a little bit of a struggle with getting up and getting adjusted to a routine... neither boy had to struggle a bit with their homework or what was expected of them at school!

Tres is on a 5th grade reading level... almost 6th grade. He is in the library constantly and brings home different books DAILY! The librarian knows him by name. His teacher recommended him for an enrichment class (to challenge him, since he was getting a little bored). And we have talked to his teacher about testing him for the gifted program! But I think we may hold off on that until next year.

Bryant is our little math whiz! He loves numbers. He reads well, and we work on that daily... but his math he needs little to no help with! I love it! Bryant has to have an adjustment period before he starts to really grow, and I'm thinking it is his time now!

I'm so proud of my kids... can you tell? What a joy!

Thank you Lord for my Tres-Man and Bry... I could not, and would never want to, imagine life without them! Continue to guide them in their education and help me to be the best Mom and cheerleader I can be!

Hmmm....

2010-10-04T11:48:00.002-07:00

Let's see if I can play a little catch up... and if I can get to blogging for regularly....

Let's just see, shall we?

Spongebob in Graceland

2010-09-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

Life here in Douglasville is going really, really well. The kids have adjusted to a new neighborhood, time zone, school, and way of life very well. Hank is thriving at work. I am happy savoring my time being a stay-at-home mommy. I know this time is coming to an end, but that's another post for another day. I would have to say that the most natural and easy transition for our family has been at church. We started attending The Church at Chapel Hill very shortly after we moved here and have been so excited about how easily the kids felt at home. Tres and Bryant LOVE Kid's Planet... reminding me that they need to learn verses and go over the lessons with them. Granted the incentive might be Kid Planet Bucks and the candy said bucks can purchase... but, hey! Whatever works! Sophie likes to get herself 'dress up' for 'Bible school' on Sunday and Wednesday nights. She has made friends that I later here her talking to while she is playing in her room alone.

Hank and I are very happy too. Every week, the message seems to be tailored for us. Of course, I know, the entire congregation could feel this way... and that's just how God works! This past Sunday, Pastor Dave started a series entitled "Graceland." In the sermon, he said, "Grace is God's gift before we do anything good, and it's His enabling of us to do anything good." It got me to thinking about my life... and how God's grace has saved me from so many things and has been extended to me in my darkest times.

And while I was standing during the alter call, with my hands raised and singing 'Amazing Grace,' I looked up and the Sponge bob band-aid I was wearing caught my eye. I know a dozen mother's who are probably smiling when they read that... or looking at their own 'boo-boos' bandaged with Hello Kitty, Dora, or Strawberry Shortcake. Those character band-aids seem to be a badge of honor sometimes.

Laugh if you want, but mine made me cry. I was thanking God and vividly remembering finding out I was pregnant nearly 9 years ago. I remember because I was single and living outside of God's will. And finding out your pregnant while rediscovering your need for God and His grace is very humbling. So I stood thanking God for His grace in my life. For His protection when I was stupid. For His love when I didn't deserve it and blatantly turned my back on Him. For His mercy. For His favor...

That Sponge bob band-aid made me think: Where would I be? A hopeless case... an empty place... if not for grace.

Thank You, Lord. Thank You for a Sponge bob reminder of Your amazing grace in my life. I am humbled and honored that You are with me daily. That you want to sit and talk to me. That you care about a broken person and their broken needs. I love you, Father. Keep reminding me that this life is not mine. Send me Sponge bob reminders every day. Your Word says, "Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!" And that's why every detail... including a broke-down A/C... is in Your hands. And that's why, as I sit here getting hot in my house and listening to the hum of box fans, I am praising You.

Sophie-isms

2010-08-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

My baby is 3!!!! AHHHHHH! Where did the time go? Here are some things that make me smile and laugh about my little lady:

Her favorite color is pink. Always pink. It never changes. You can ask her a million times and she will tell you a million times!

She loves to eat chicken and mac 'n cheese.

She loves to get 'dress up.' She wakes up and says, "Time to get dress up, Mommy?" And her look is not complete without fixing her hair and brushing her teeth.

Now that she is potty trained, we are working on getting her over the fear of the dreaded diaper changing stations in the bathrooms. She seems to have her most proud moments when she announces each and every time we go into a restroom with a changing station, "I no hab to get on da bears/da elefans!" [there are normally cartoon kola bear or elephants on them.] She has had some sort of irrational fear of these changing stations for a while now. I can't pinpoint it, but when we would go to change her she would become terrified and pitch a tiny fit until she was done. So now she is proud to by pass the dreaded changing station and head to the potty!

She is swimming with water wings on now... all over the pool.... no fear, that one! She took her time on the stairs for about 2 weeks and the other day she decided to head into unknown waters. As long as she is in her water wings and I am nearby, I'm cool!

She likes to play with hair and scratch backs. And while that sounds okay, just make sure you are prepared for the attack on your head with a brush or make sure her nails are trimmed!! OUCH!

She is really into trying out new, big words. She is liking 'Prolally' right now. And she uses it correctly!

Every noun in Sophieland is followed by an adjective... 'I will wear my dress red.' 'I want some gloss (lip gloss) pink.' And so on and so on. It's fun to hear her talk right now. I love it.

She has begun to sprout up, but not gain weight. So a 2T outfit fits her in length, but a 12 month outfit would fit her little waist.

She is OBSESSED with shoes and changes them constantly. Last night, we unearthed a pair of old Buzz Lightyear tennis shoes that both boys wore.... and she wore them around all night until bed, then put them on first thing this morning. At about 10, she looked at me and said, "I go put on guwl shoes now."

Her hair is long and curly at the end. And I love it! So cute!

She has a friend/hero in our next door neighbor's daughter, Maggie. I hear about Maggie constantly until Maggie gets home from school (K-4).

She seems to have graduated from coloring on wall/couches/tables/clothes/herself. Althought I still don't trust her on her own with markers... she does get some creative time with Mommy!

This will probably be her last year at home and I am trying to take it all in and make it last!

2010-07-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

When you feel like a friend has offended you, do you say something or hold it in? What is the right thing to do.

Some have told me the only way to go is to be open with the person. Let them know.

But what if it would only cause drama and reciprical feelings of hurt? Not to mention how most women, and some men, hold onto things like that with a vise grip, dredging them up with offenses long forgotten to build a case against you.

I prefer to work through things silently, and with massive amounts of prayer, unless it is unavoidable.

How do you deal with situations like this? I do feel hurt and put off. But if the offender doesn't realize they have offended, is there really an issue?

The AMAZING World Of Coke

2010-07-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we took another family adventure. We went and explored the World of Coke. I had gone back in high school days, but they have moved and added a bunch of stuff. The kids have been super pumped to go ever since we told them we were moving and listed the World of Coke as an attraction.

Cheers!

Tough decisions to be made...
Just before we went into the movie. It was a really cute cartoon with interesting and unique characters. It was like exploring the life inside of a coke machine. Very cute.
Tasting cokes from around the world. Some of those were N-A-S-T-Y. But my guys were determined to try them!

He probably did drink about that much!
Ahhhhh!!! Nothing like an ice cold coca-cola!

Things That I Like In My New Hometown:

2010-07-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

* We are literally minutes from everything... movies, restaurants, shopping, schools. You name it, it's less than 15 minutes away (including Six Flags)

* My kids have friends over to play! It's a small thing, but my kids have friends already from the neighborhood and I am so thankful!

* My yard is flat and big! I find myself tightening my abs and my butt cheeks just walking to the mailbox. And a family of four rabbits like to hang out in our side yard every evening at dusk (is that redundant?).

* I have made 3 awesome friends in my neighbors! All three outstanding women of God! How incredible is that?!?! Encouraging, genuine, open, and willing to allow me into their circle!

* I have begun working out with 2 out of 3 of those neighbors in the mornings and feeling better and better about myself and the direction that the Lord is leading me.

* I have room for visitors now... and I love visitors!

* My husband is so content with our family back together! I can't even tell you. It's been an entire month's worth of a deep breath. Does that even make sense?

* Free movies every week at the local theatre...

* It looks like I'll have a homeschool class to teach here. It will help some financially and help me to keep my foot into the journalism world!

* There is a paper that is published by the county that lands in my driveway two days a week... and I discovered much to my delight, that they include coupon inserts from the previous weeks paper and the upcoming paper! I was so giddy.

* Also, I can purchase double coupon papers here... not in Alabama.

So in a nutshell, my doorbell rings more, my husband smiles more, and I feel like God is leading me down some new paths.

Thank you, Lord for delighting in every detail! You truly are the Author of my story.

Cha-cha-cha-cha...Changing

2010-07-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today I has the opportunity to put some of

what I learnedabout friendships over the past 6 months into practice. I'm really expecting a lot of myself these days. I intend to keep the changes in me going and I think that starts with stopping the preaching and starting the practicing.

I've begun an exercise routine every morning for the past week. And while it's still early on in the process, I can only say that if you truly knew how determined I feel, you wouldn't be doubting me right now. You know you are! Quit it, already! Here is my new mantra:

I Peter 2: 1-3
So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You've had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature and whole in God.

Mom's Birthday

2010-07-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

We met my Mom and my sisters for lunch yesterday on my Mom's *cough,cough* 39th birthday. We had planned to meet at Top O The River, but they were closed for lunch, so we ended up at Fuji to have our little party on the road!

The boys were thrilled to see Luke!And they spent the entire lunch emmersed in inside jokes, DS games, and laughter. I love how close they are.

Mom tried sushi... and after two bites, passed it around to everyone who wanted it... sidenote: I was proud of Tres for trying it. She says it was okay, but I'm still not convinced.

Ava Sophia spent some time watching Phineus and Ferb on Sierra's Ipod.

Then she decided to steal Aunt Tonnie's glasses!

We capped off our time together with some birthday ice cream at Maggie Moo's (a lot like Coldstone). And Bryant got a little crazy with the cotton candy ice cream!

All in all it was fun and it was so nice to hug my family! I love you Momma! I hope you enjoy the pictures. Come see us soon and we will be there in August sometime! ;)

Centennial Olympic Park Adventure

2010-07-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

We had a visit from the Butlers this past weekend. It was a short one, but a fun one. We found a decent Mexican restaurant in our area and invaded with all 6 kids in tow! Ha!

After they left, we stayed around the house for a while then decided to head out on a family adventure. We have plans to visit the World of Coke next weekend, so we thought we would scope it out and go to Centennial Olympic Park. We had a lot of fun. Tres was running through the fountain before I could blink. Bryant has not been feeling well, so he was a little more reserved, but slowly got in and enjoyed the fun of the water. Sophie had nothing to do with it until her Daddy carried her over and got her wet. And by the time we were ready to head back home, she was ready to stay and play!

I kept seeing rainbows while we were there. And I felt like it was a personal message from God to me. I just love feelings and moments like that.

On the way home, I asked Hank if we could find this restaurant... can anyone guess why I wanted to?

Settling In!

2010-07-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

I posted a bunch of pics of our new house on facebook, so I thought I would post here first this time with more detail. Here is our master bedroom. We updated the bedding, and were able to add a chair to our room here! Yay for space!! I have plans to cover the two pillow forms in the chair with green covers and accent the bed with some green pillow cases. We are updating our family pictures as we unpack them and will have those up in black and white soon!

Here is our dining room. I love how elegent it looks! These curtains were in our den in our Alabama house. They go so well in here! Love it. The only thing I have left to do in here is to hang up some old family pics from both sides of our family. And I want to do some yard saling and find some vintage looking frames.

This is the hall bath/guest bath/Sophie's bathroom. It's pretty straight forward as it stands. But we have plans to add wainscoating, paint and molding.

Here is the media room. We are furtunate that we have the space for additional den type area here. Hank mounted a flat screen above the toy closet. Other plans for this room include hanging all of Hank's Alabama stuff, including his Daniel Moores. And since that's a sofa bed, this is also another guest room.

We've been working on the boys' room for a while now. And we finally feel like it's coming together. We upgraded the twin bottom bunk, to a full sized mattress set and got them new bedding.
We upgraded the bulky old style computer monitor with a little flat screen tv/computer monitor for their room. We feel like as they get older, the computer is going to come into play more and more for homework and other pasttimes. We bought the table at IKEA. It will actually fold down if we needed it to. Then we framed it with some shelves we already had.

Well, that's some of our new home. All rooms still need pictures hung. A few need paint jobs. And Hank and I have some projects we would like to do... but overall, we are more and more comfortable here.

Small victories are being won every day. And just yesterday, when I asked the boys how they felt about where we lived now, they said, "It's awesome!"

The Truth of the Matter

2010-07-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

I do my best to keep this blog light and informative. But lately, since we've moved, I haven't often felt light and informative. I've felt quiet, and busy, and alone. Just in case you are already rolling your eyes, or saying to yourself, "Here goes another pity party," I want you to know, I feel no pity for myself. I feel like I'm growing. I feel like I'm stretching. I feel like I'm finally coming into myself.

My house is slowly getting curtains, pictures, shelves put up... and in the process, I feel like God is doing a spruce up in me. Cleaning out corners and cobwebs. Dusting off old desires. Sweeping out the layers of life that have come and gone and revealing the never changing purposes He has planned for me.

A couple of things I'm learning in the quiet season. The phone doesn't have to ring. I do not have to have a full social calendar. My kids are fine not having as many play dates. We are all learning to lean on one another. To appreciate what we have. To hug each other more, to laugh with each other more, to watch a movie together and sit down and eat together.

Slowing down was hard for me and I resisted it at first. But it's like I was moving forward so fast, that when I stood still everything around me was in slow motion and crystal clear. My baby girl won't be that baby much longer. My little boys are quickly becoming independent of Momma.... unless they want a meal or need some article of clothing washed! My husband is thriving in his job and happy to have us with him. I'm doing my best to grab hold of my family... and live in the here and now and not in the I-can't-wait-until mentality.

Making friends is interesting for me. It's kind of a self examination time. What about me makes a good friend? What about me needs to be adjusted? What about me needs to go away?

It's been a quiet friend season. I think everyone believes I'm so busy. And let's face it, everyone is busier in the summer since kids are home from school... but my phone rings less. If I'm being completely honest, I've had to admit to myself that I was hurt and even mad at my friends for doing something that is inevitable... getting on with their lives without me! How crazy is that?

But there is One who is with me always. There is One who knows the plans for my life, because He made those plans. There is One who has laid out each step for me and my family. He knows the church we will be a part of. He knows the teachers my boys will get. He knows the next step for Hank at work... and He knows and cares about all the little details in between, like making friends and finding the stinking post office (yes, I might have gotten lost again yesterday). He hears me when I am singing praises and he hears me when I am crying.

I fully believe that we are smack dab in the middle of God's plan. He has us where He wants us.

Visitors Welcome!

2010-06-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

My sister, Tonnie, and her family are on their way home even as I type this from a 2-day visit! It was so much fun showing off my new house and neighborhood to them! Tonnie and I took a 2 mile walk around our lake, took a trip to IKEA (and Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target, Ross, and other places!). We made homemade biscuits, lasagna (with not nearly enough marinara sauce), and brownies. We played Mad Gab and I especially enjoyed Tonnie reading the phrases... so funny... Here's one for you Tonn, "Heaven Iced Hey!"

We have some friends stopping in after the Braves game on Wednesday and soon should have one of our favorite couples and their family coming to stay! I love it. I love entertaining and spending time out and in with them!

Also, we have made some neighborhood friends and I look forward to seeing how the relationships develop for the kids and for me. But no matter what... the first step has been made and I am thankful.

Things Are Going

2010-06-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

There are a few things about Georgia living that are a definite change or departure for us. For one thing, we are on Eastern Standard Time, so here I sit at 8:36 and it's still light outside... and will be for at least another half an hour! It's making it a little hard for me to wind down for bedtime, which I suppose signals to my kids that they get to stay up late! Along those same lines, prime time TV starts at 8 here... I don't really care about that, but it's just part of the adjustment I suppose.

Also, when I was getting the utilities turned on, I got the water/sewer set up and assumed that doing that meant out trash pick-up was set up through the city. Not so, here in Douglasville! So here we are in our second week and the trash is piling up! :) I called this past Monday and got us set up. It's just different.

I need to find a Thrift Store, a closer post office, a drive in, a dollar movie, an outlet mall.... the list goes on.

School starts on AUGUST 5TH!!! Oh my word!

There are a lot of details to work out to get my boys registered... blue cards transferred from Alabama to Georgia... car tags registered to Georgia... and said cars need to have emissions tested before they can be registered. We also need a valid Georgia license. I get tired even thinking about it!

I'm ready to find a church home and get my kids plugged into some events.

My time with God has been really incredible lately. Good conversation with my ever present, always supportive, emotionally healing, physically enabling friend. It would be easy to fall into a poor-pitiful-me pattern and whine about it all. I keep reminding myself that loneliness is God's cry for alone time with Him. Here's something I have been really clinging to:
Romans 12:2
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

My house is really coming along! I will take pictures soon... maybe next week. We are already getting pictures on the wall! How crazy is that!?!?! The last time I was putting a house together, Sophie was a newborn. This time around, we set her room up first thing, and that has made all the difference! Her own toys (out of storage and out of boxes) have been like new. We got her the movie Enchanted, and while I've been unpacking, she's been going around with a duster singing Happy Working Song. It's so so so so cute! Hank had the camera with him in Delaware with the boys so I couldn't capture it, but I will definitely try to one day really soon!

Things to come in future posts:

Pics of the house (of course!)
The boys in Delaware
The boys homecoming from Delaware
Introducing the house to our kids

Our New Home

2010-06-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

5 bedrooms
3 baths
3 car garage
Amazingly big driveway (I am not exagerating when I say it's the size of a basketball court!)
+.5 acre-- flat! part is fenced! did I mention HUGE!
Huge laundry room!

A fraction of the yard!

Our neighborhood has INCREDIBLE ammenities! A lake with a walking track, a playground, a swimming pool, tennis courts, club house, not to mention the sidewalks throughout.

I am excited about introducing the boys to their new home on Sunday! Gonna focus on their room tomorrow.

Did You Know...

2010-06-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

When you hit a lightning bug going 70 mph on the interstate, it glows on your windshield for 5 more minutes.

Publix employees know where the water board is... thank goodness.

When you get soaked, dry off, then get soaked again... well, chaffing happens.

That a b-r-a (I'm spelling that so no one gets offended!) can live under a dresser drawer from college (sometime between '95 and '99) and come out ONLY when my Dad is carrying it off the moving truck.

A person can accumulate 7 artificial trees and not even realize it.

A person's husband gets really grumping loading and unloading seven artificial Christmas trees.

If you listen to the Glee soundtrack all the way to ATL and back, twice, it is decidely UNgleeful.

On The Road Again

2010-06-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

Well, this is it. We get the truck this morning and load all of our earthly possessions on it. It seems a long time coming. Hank's been working and living in another city and state since last November, so it has been. But it could have been longer and I'm thankful for the way it all wrapped up so nicely here at the end. My kids finished their school year, Bryant finished his soccer season, then we closed on the sale of our home. We've been at my parent's house since then.

We were supposed to close on our new home yesterday, but a glitch postponed closing to next week. But, we are greatful that everything is still moving forward. Hank's work schedule next week is not condusive to moving, so we are being allowed to move all of our stuff into the garage of what will be our home this weekend.

Then it seems I have a limitless 'To Do' list, but I'm happy to begin tackling that!

I got to spend time with almost all of my family and friends in the past few weeks! Dinner with Kelly and Josie at Mizu's.... Pizza Hut and shopping (and prank calling and laughing) with Tonnie... Chik-fil-A and BAM with Jenn... home cooked breakfast with GiGi and Pawpaw (my mom's parents)... and lots of pool time with my friends (Nicole and Becca Mae and Kelly O.) and with the boys' friends (Caleb, Luke, Parker, and Kari, not to mention cousins!). We've made the most of our time. I love that I have such awesome friendships! Thank you guys for taking time to spend with me and my family and for loving us and putting up with us all!

Ballfield Fun

2010-05-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

My brother's little boy, Tyler, has been enjoying his first season of tee-ball! He's so cute out there! We got to go to one of his games and cheer him on!
Handome Tres man!

Grandma and Bryant

Tyler and Matt... man does Tyler's little smile take me back to Matt as a little boy! Everybody sing it with me... Memories... in the corner of my mind... mister water color memories... of the way we were.... okay, enough of that.

Temporary Home Sweet Home

2010-05-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

I went back with Hank to Atlanta on Sunday. I looked at houses ALL DAY and then after Hank got off he came back and looked at the two I had it narrowed down to. We quickly eliminated one and are still thinking about the other. Man, I wish this was as simple as finding a new pair of shoes. But, anything worthwhile is worth our time, right? Hank and I keep reminding each other that it is our responsibility to find our family a good home with good schools. So even though we are frustrated and tired, we are determined! There are some decent prospects, so our heads are definitely up!

So Tuesday a few of the showings fell through and I ended up kind of on my own wandering the city. So I dropped Hank off, found Target, did some shopping, and since it was a nice day, sat in the car with the windows down and read. I met Hank for lunch at IKEA, then I went and did a little online househunting (no longer fun, by the way!). After that, I found another quiet place to read and wait on Hank to finish his day. When I got ready to go pick him up, the car would not crank. So he walked to me and a very nice security guy came to jump us off.

Anyway... it was a long day. And because Hank needed to replace the starter in the Camry, instead of meeting my Mom halfway, we drove all the way back 'home.' That term has taken on a whole new meaning now. I want to say, 'Ah! It's good to be home!' And I am comfortable here... but it's getting bare around here... cabinets and drawers cleaned out. Toys packed away... pictures off the wall. Our reality is again about to change.

Well, we've come to the point where we will not be able to close on a new house by the end of May, so we will be moving in with my parents for a couple of weeks at least. Hopefully we will be in our new home (wherever that is!) by the end of June! Gotta get my kids settled and registered for school after all.

2010-05-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hank and I are searching for a new home for our little clan. While I would love to say that we are being patient, that is far from the truth. We are bouncing hour by hour between a range of emotions... from frustration, to excitement, to slight panic at times. In the midst of all this madness, Hank and I got to spend a much needed weekend alone. While it was no honeymoon, as it was filled with househunting, it was nice to be alone with my husband! It had been so long since we had done that. We laughed and talked and prayed and everything in between. I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend.

Just some fun stuff! We found one of our favorite restaurants in Atlanta. Copelands! Hank and I went there often when we dated, but they closed down in Birmingham about 5 or more years ago. So we got our favorite... Spinach artichoke dip with fried bowtie pasta and chicken fettucine! Good stuff!

And my shoes got to hurting my feet while we were searching for a home, so we stopped and got some and look what I found! Houndstooth flip flops! Can you tell what the name is from the picture? It made me laugh and think about what one of my friends always says... "Bear Bryant did NOT invent houndstooth!"

Dear Tres, Bryant, and Ava Sophia

2010-05-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted you before you were born. Each one of you took me by surprise, and while I was shocked, I was also thrilled. I loved (almost) every minute of being pregnant with you. I loved feeling you move and knowing that God had a purpose and a plan for you. I loved how with Tres I craved cantaloupe, with Bryant I craved Reese's ice cream, and with Sophie I could devour an entire watermelon by myself. I loved standing in the mirror and seeing my baby bump and wondering what you each would look like... act like... sound like. I loved shopping for your first tiny outfits and washing them and folding them and getting your rooms all ready. I loved how your dad would cater to my every whim. I loved feeling you have hiccups. And I loved seeing you suck your thumb on the ultrasound. I loved the day we officially hooked the infant carrier in the car, 'just in case' you came early, which you all three did!

I loved you when you were born. The first hour after you were born was the happiest form of torture! I could see you, I could examine every inch of you... but I couldn't touch you yet. I remember how I would sing to you and all of you seemed to turn your head and search for me. I saw your face on your birth days and I knew that I was in love. I knew that I had chosen to love... and love deeply... before you. But there was no choice now with you. It was a love that came as naturally as breathing. Before you were an hour old, I had you memorized. I knew how you felt. I knew your cry and learned to discern it in the midst of dozens of other crying children.

When you turned one and we threw ridiculously large parties that you would never remember... I loved you. In that first year, each of your personalities developed so thoroughly. Tres was my joy and my light, smiling at every one and at every opportunity. Bryant was my brown eyed chunky monkey! A mini version of his Daddy with charm to spare! And Ava Sophia, a spicy little lovable diva. My tart and tiny. Momma's girl, through and through.

I loved every bottle I washed, every stain that I scrubbed, every diaper I changed, every story I read, every boo-boo I kissed. All of these things were my complete and honest pleasure. God gave you to me. God trusted me with three tiny treasures (and you were all tiny! Tres was 5 lb. 14 oz. Bryant was 6 lb. 7 oz. and Sophie was 5 lb. 1 oz.)

I hate every nightmare you have, Tres. But I love how you will still come to me and let me hug you and comfort you. I hated every ear infection you had, Bryant... but loved the sweet way you would play with my hair as we waited on one of the three sets of tubes to relieve your pain. I hated breathing treatments and asthma attacks, Ava Sophia... but I love how you trusted me inexplicably as we learned together about the inhaler and nebulizer.

I love watching you now, interacting with one another and I love to dream about how your relationships will develop as you grow. I love seeing Bryant follow Tres to the ends of the earth. I love seeing Bryant fulfill every one of Sophie's demands/requests. And I love seeing Sophie desperately trying to keep up with her brother's impossibly fast pace.

I love hearing you pray. I love to talk to you about Jesus. I love watching you sleep. I love to smell your hair after your bath. I love it when we laugh together. I love watching you be your dad's helpers and buddies. I love watching you learn how to love back.

I would not be the person I am today, if it were not for you three. I love you. I wanted you. I would die for you. You are my world.

Mom

OMG

2010-05-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

These are all from 2005! Can you believe those are my little boys!

Sooo....

2010-04-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

I think it's about time that I let the blog world know that my house is UNDER CONTRACT! Thank You, Lord and Praise the Maker! God brought us some awesome buyers and we close at the end of the school year.

I'm actually on my way out of town in a few minutes to meet with Hank and do some real estate shopping! Woo hooo! I've had some serious fun window shopping online, but my head is spinning from all the choices. I'm ready to get there and pinpoint where we want to be. Here are specifics that we, as a family are praying for:

1- Excellent schools
2- A decent sized, level yard
3- An easy commute for Dad

I know God's got our best.... scratch that... our VERY BEST interest in mind and at heart.

Other things... hmmmm... Oh yeah! Bryant turned six! He is such a joy, that boy. I remember when he was an infant and he cried constantly until he turned four months old... then he did nothing but charm us. I feel so blessed with my little family. I didn't plan a single one of children, but God knew them and His purposes for them before they were formed! Bryant had a soccer birthday party at the park...and we couldn't have custom ordered a better day. We brought soccer balls, beach balls, bean bag toss, remote controlled cars, and other fun outdoor stuff out. We even had a water balloon toss. Then the kids decorated their own cupcakes. It was so simple and so fun. Bryant is also playing soccer this spring and has turned into a very smart and aggressive (without being mean) little player! At the last game, he scored 3 goals. And at school he went from the bottom of the class at the beginning of the year, to the top of the class now. He is just coming to life!

Tres is counting the days down until swim season is here. He and Bryant actually jumped into Mom's pool last week! They said it was cold, but wouldn't get out until their lips were blue and they were shivering. Tres is our resident fish and has big plans this weekend while they are staying with Mom and Dad. He is loving school! He reads so well, and loves that his teacher seems to focus on science a lot. Let me tell you something though... this little man likes to aggravate his little sister. In this way, he reminds me constantly of my little brother. Sigh.

Ava Sophia is expressive and fun! She is demanding, but sweet. Ornary, but kind. Indepent, but cuddly. She loves to brush my hair, but she's not very gentle about it! Ouch! She loves for her dad to paint her nail and toe nails. She would spend as much time as we allowed outside, picking flowers, swinging, or jumping on the 'jumpoline.' She loves her boys... but especially Bryant since he caters to her every whim! :) She got her first haircut last month. Just a trim off the ends, but it still made me tear up. We have broached the subject of potty training, but I don't think she's quite ready yet! She has the best little high pitched, almost cartoonish, voice!

Hank and I celebrated out 8th wedding anniversary very quietly this year. With him in ATL and me here. We will get to go out alone this weekend, for the first time since this whole transition started last November! I'm thrilled!

Well, I'm at the shop, so I can't post the corresponding picture just yet, but they are coming! :)

Dusty Blog!

2010-03-29T20:31:00.001-07:00

I've got pics and posts that need to be posted!! I'm bad! I promise to get it going soon!

On another note... how can I get word verification on my blog? Too much spam for my liking.

To List or Not To List

2010-03-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

That is our question right now. We're had our house listed fsbo since November. We had some serious interest right off the bat and thought it was pretty much a done deal. And when that fell through, we still had heavy traffic and lots of interest. It wasn't until after Christmas that things got slow. We average one showing a week and it seems that with warmer weather we are getting more serious buyers.

What is frustrating is that we hear from all agents and interested buyers that the house shows great. We've heard the following phrases repeatedly: "They want to bring their mother/brother/son/daughter back to see it in a few days." "It's in their top four!" "It's a serious contender." And my personal favorite, "I have to sell my house first."

So when an agent calls to tell us that it went well, like they did last night and last week, all the hope I once had is, sadly, not there. In it's place is a sort of resigned understanding that the realtor is trying to keep his/her options open.

Hank and I are talking seriously once more about listing with an agent. We have one in mind and have from the beginning of this process, but thought we would exhaust all options with fsbo (i.e. buying a package that lists your home on realtor.com and assigns you an mls # for 6 months).

It's mid March. We are in our fifth month with Hank in his new job. I've heard from others who have been in this same spot that 5 months is not so bad.

Once we got into February, we began making plans 'just in case' we sold since we wanted our kids to stay in their school through this year. So as far as our children are concerned we have felt it best to leave them where they are and make their big transition over the summer. I just hope that happens for us. For some reason, when I look ahead, and think in terms of months, it doesn't seem like we have a lot of time to make a decision.

As of right now, we are seriously pondering listing. We loose a lot of flexibility with the price then, but it becomes a ton more visible and the work load is lifted off of our shoulders in terms of showing and open houses.

This N That

2010-02-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready for a gold party tonight. I went to one at Josie's house about 3 weeks ago and had fun hanging out with some girls and actually left the party with $150 bucks for a small handful of jewelry I don't wear, so I decided to have one! But I am going with an 80s theme. I have the music playing now and have my outfit laid out! I'm so excited and ready for some girl time! Pictures will be posted!

My family is in Georgia at my niece, Heather's 6th birthday party. Hank has a camera too! So I'm sure those pics will make it here too! Mom drove with me and the kids to meet Hank halfway and eat. Then mom and I headed back here. All the possibilites swam through my head of what I could do 'by myself.' But all I did was clean, get coupons ready, and play on the computer. I didn't turn on the tv or radio or anything. Man... does that say something about me? I could've been at a movie or out partying (cause that is so me!). Oh, well, I guess it's time to admit it. I was savoring the lack of noise and enjoying my name (aka Mom) not being called every minute. I miss them already though. Those crazy 3 make me smile.

We show our house two times tomorrow, plus we have an open house! So who knows! Maybe this is our weekend to sell! I'm praying it is.

The Day I Breathe

2010-02-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

That's what today is for... it's the day Hank comes home and the day I get to finally take a deep breath. Not that I don't get down moments. Once the kids go to bed, I have time. And Sophie doesn't require every bit of my attention when the boys are at school (just most of it!). But those moments are usually filled with cleaning and such.
Over the past three weeks, my sleeping patterns have gotten horrendous. I guess you could call it situational insomnia or something. I find myself jumping at every noise, restless, antsy and craving adult conversation.
Even as I sit here typing and watching snow falling outside, the peace that usually comes with either of those activities alludes me.
When Hank gets here tonight, I know what it's going to feel like. It's going to feel like my entire being had taken a deep breath, and I will nod off early and sleep late. So I'm on a countdown.

And it gets better... Hankie has Monday and Tuesday off. Monday because it's my birthday and Tuesday because he has traffic school. I'm so ready for this. I know we are only a full month removed from all the holiday stuff, but it's tougher than I thought doing this by myself during the week.

This is not a pity party. We know God has us where He wants us. We know that His timing is the ultimate goal. We are waiting and learning to cope.

So here I sit, on the day I get to breathe...

Remember, Jamie!

2010-02-08T17:08:00.001-08:00

Sophie says the following things that I love:

* "Can my take a bath?" or "Can my hab a snack?"
* bishes = fishes ; This can attract some funny looks when she is talking really loudly about bishes in public places!
* She can be sitting on the couch and act like she's in "twubble" and needs me to "wescue" her. I think this is because of Dora.

Bryant still says the following:

* "He bout we do this?"

Tres says the following A LOT:

* I'm just asking! I'm just asking!

Old Man Bry

2010-01-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

For the 100th day of school, Bryant's class dressed up like old people. I wanted him to pull his pants up really high, but he wouldn't! And we couldn't find the baby powder to make his hair look white. But I love the results just the same! He reminds me of my Grandaddy!

Dalmation Mania!

2010-01-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I did something that I was really proud of!

I got a phone call from a friend of mine, offering the kids and I free tickets to see 101 Dalmatians at the Birmingham theatre. I LOVE going to the theatre! I went when I was a single lady a lot... Phantom, Love Letters, Fame... it was so much fun to get dressed up and go enjoy a night of pure entertainment. And I just knew that my kids would love it every bit as much as me.

I knew it would be a challenge with just me and my kids... and I almost turned down the tickets just for that reason. But I decided to be brave and said thank you very much!

For those of you that really know me... it's no secret that I detest driving in the city. You also know that I take my kids with me just about anywhere... so it wasn't that I was nervous about handling my kids by myself... it was more taking my three most treasured gifts into the place that makes me THE MOST nervous. But I figured with it being a family show, I would probably find a parking area with lots of families.

While we were on our way, I told the kids that we needed to pray for a good parking spot. And then the kids and I went over holding hands, not running away from Mom, etc., etc., etc. When we got to the BJCC, the first lot I pulled into was nearly deserted. So I pulled my happy little butt out of there and found another one. I parked close to the main entrance, and wasn't really sure where were going. I just stayed with the flow of people, and it turns out that we parked directly in front of the entrance way to the play! Thank you, Lord! It's the small victories that mean the most to me.We found our seats and waited for the show to start! We were on the ground level, right next to the doors and near the restrooms.
So we got settled and waited for the show to start. And what better way to pass the time than taking pictures?

There was no photography once the show started (or so the picture police informed us wwwaaaayyyy before the curtain was raised), so we put up our camera and enjoyed the show!

Sophie did great until intermission... and then she wanted up and wanted to walk around. Thankfully, she made friends with the lady usher after intermission and took turns sitting with me and sitting on the stairs with her.

I thought the show was fantastic! I loved Cruella D'evil! She had an amazing voice! And the real dogs doing tricks were a huge hit with the kids.

Brotherhood

2010-01-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

I am so very proud of my two little guys. I mean, for all intents and purposes, they are supposed to be pushing limits and playing Hank and I against one another during this transition. We've encountered a few issues, but nothing we haven't been able to get under control!

They help me out so much. They help keep their rooms and the toy room clean. They help set the table for meals, they do their homework and take showers/baths when they are told. They put their dirty dishes in the sink and their dirty clothes in the hamper. And they tell me all the time that they love me! They are GOOD BOYS. They are EXCELLENT BOYS! I can not brag on them enough. Not only are they polite, but they think of others.

I was cooking dinner the other night, and asked Tres to please put ice in the glasses. I watched him very carefully choose a Hershey's cup for himself, a Reese's cup for Bryant, and a princess cup for Sophie. Then I watched him switch the ice maker to crushed ice and fill Bryant's cup.... switch it back to cubes and fill his cup. Then he paused and asked, "What kind of ice does Sophie like, Mom?"

We've gotten into a good routine of Bible study and devotion every morning and prayer time at night. I love their prayers... "Please let a little boy's Mom and Dad buy our house cause Daddy needs us to live with him! Amen." "Thank you for my DS and pizza and for my Junie B. Jones book." "Thank you for making mom cook us food tonight."

I remember so vividly finding out I was pregnant with Bry just before Tres's 1st birthday. I cried... and I cried hard. I didn't think I was prepared to split up my love and I didn't know how we were gonna do two and keep on working. But God knew, huh? God knew that these two little boys would balance one another out... one pushes the other to read... one pushes the other to play outside. I love the dynamic between my boys. I love the closeness... and I love that Tres has a letter he wrote for Bryant that says, "You are my best brother."

Carpe Diem

2010-01-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

Today I spent the day with a good friend. I am soaking in my time. I know it is only a matter of time now until I won't be able to call up my girls and spend some quality time talking, laughing, and sharing!

It seems like our little family is in a holding pattern... waiting on our home to sell. We've had lots of interest, but no follow through so far. We have determined in our hearts that whatever happens, we, as a family, are resting in our choice to trust the Lord! It's my new motto. I can't say that I trust God and then pull it back when I think that things should go a different way... As if I could do better.

Thank You, God. Thank You for teaching us...scratch that... thank You for teaching ME patience and perseverance. I know You have Hankie, Tres Man, B-Bry, Ava Sophia, and me smack dab in the center of Your will.

Coming Soon To a Blog Near You

2010-01-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have taken a blog break. I got a little down about some response I got on a previous post and had to adjust my thinking. I have always been super careful of others thoughts and feelings on this blog. And while I will still consider people's feelings, I'm not going to dismiss or overlook my own, especially when I feel like that I am going through it molding and shaping what it going on in my life. So, I'm coming back with a new outlook!

Friend or Fiend

2010-01-06T13:08:00.001-08:00

I took this down for a while, but am putting it back up. I just feel like I want to know where I've been when I look back at this. My blog. My decision! Love to all.

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Something has been bothering me... bothering me crazy bad... for a while now. Does that ever happen to you?

Here's my problem. At least, I think it's a problem. I really don't know.

A friend won't talk to me. I have apparently done something so God awful that I am to be excommunicated for life. Did I hit on her husband, you ask? Did I abuse her children? Did I talk about her behind her back? No... I did not. I truly have not one single clue as to what happened between us.

Trying to get information from her is like running into an ice burg. Nothing... Nada... zilch... not a thing. Did I try to call? Did I e-mail? Did I hit her up on face book? Yes, to all of the above.

I've cried and prayed and wondered. I've gotten mad, then sad, and finally sulky. My husband has banned me from speaking of the 'incident.' He tells me that trying to guess is only going to drive me crazy. He tells me that a true friend would try to work it out with me.

Here's my conundrum... I want to be a good friend. So do I just give up? Do I just say "Oh, well!" and move on? Because, truthfully, I just don't know that I can do that. I feel like I'm owed an explanation. I don't think that anyone deserves to be written off so thoroughly without knowing what they did and how they could be a better friend, to them or anyone else, in the future.

I thought about not blogging about this. I truly struggled with it. I don't want to air dirty laundry. I'm not trying to get said friend mad. But this is, after all, my blog... right? I still have freedom of speech. And in a year, I want to be able to look back at this and try to figure out what I'm supposed to have learned from all this.

So, I don't do this often, but what do you think? What would you do?

I am the first to admit... hold you breath and get ready to be surprised... I'm not perfect. I try to be a good friend. I want to be the type of friend that I would want to have. I could have done something unknowingly that insulted or hurt this friend. I just want the chance to try and make it right, if it's possible to.

The Old Year

2009-12-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

This past year we have been learning, growing, and evolving as a family. Hank has changed jobs... both boys are in school and learning so so much... Sophie is developing into a beautiful and strong willed little girl!

We've had a ton of things happen! Good things... things to move us into the next phase of our life. We're in the middle of a transition and beyond ready to be on the other side looking back!

The 'Old Year' (as Tres called it) has been good to us. But we have learned some tough lessons about living. And we are learning the value of family more and more. I'm so thankful for all these events.

I have resolutions, but want to wait to tell you until I have prayed in the New Year and committed these things to my Savior.

But in lieu of those, I want to reflect on what I've learned in the 'Old Year.'

* I've learned that my kid's Bible study, does, indeed, apply to me.

* I've learned... or I've been reminded... that my conversations with God, are not one-sided.

* We've come to realize as a family, that any pets we get have to be fur less... allergies and asthma are apart of life for now.

* As a wife, I have learned to appreciate how my husband is willing to make huge changes for our family-- and he doesn't do change well.

* I've learned that after 30 I cannot eat whatever I want... even if I still think I can.

* I am learning that being a mommy to a little girl is so different than being a mommy to two rough and tumble boys!

* I've learned that eating lunch with my sons at school is cool to them... so I'll do it as often as I can until they think it isn't cool anymore! :)

* I've learned that I like having my house so clean! Who knew.

* And I'm learning that love can be shown in so many more ways than candles and flowers! Cleaning out the dishwasher, washing a load of laundry or cleaning out the car really does it for me! :)

* I've learned the hard way that friends you invest in should also invest in you. I'm so thankful for all my 'investments!'
- For friends who let me be creative and come up with new characters and fun ways to kill them off!
- For sister type friends who love me even when we fight in the parking lot of Lowe's.
- For the most loyal friend who has my back at every turn, and eats every meal I cook... even if I made it with dark meat!
- For friends who let me, exhausted from painting, crash at their house all day and just rest.
- For friends who never judge, and make me laugh at myself when we talk!
- For childhood friends who let me, Martha I. Ball, be silly after all these years!
- For mom type friends who put up with crap and snippy remarks, and then hug and cry with me when I realize what I'm doing!
- For my favorite half of our favorite couple... who makes it so easy to be real with her!

Our New Normal

2009-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

For several weeks, the kids have seemed to be pretty much adjusted to our new 'normal.' Don't get me wrong, they still wait for Friday like it's Christmas Eve, and hate Monday. But there are no longer emotional breakdowns and boundary testing sessions going on. I have laid down the rules and our routine, and the kids seem to be responding pretty well. I have noticed, though, that they tell Daddy WWWAAAAYYY more about their days than they do me. I can say, "How was you day?" And get a "Fine" or "Good." Hank can ask, and he gets it all!

Last night, though, Bryant wanted his Dad. The kids were eating at the kitchen table while I was cleaning up after them (Remember we are keeping OUR HOUSE picure perfect.. or at least close to it! since it is on the market) and he started sobbing for his Daddy.

I went over, picked him up and situated him in my lap. He doesn't let me 'baby' him very often so I remember kissing his head and breathing in the smell of his freshly washed hair. We talked for a few minutes and decided to pray for the next day to go by quickly, made plans for the boys to sleep on the pull-out sofa downstairs, and decided to make Daddy's favorite cookies. That seemed to satisfy him, but it broke my heart. I sat there silently praying. I know it hasn't been a long season for us. And if God is teaching Hank and I important things right now, I am glad for this time. But I miss finding Hank's foot in bed at night... My heart is screaming for my family to be whole again.

Weeks like this... chicken pox, computer viruses, and the usual holiday stresses... make me realize it even more.

It's goot!

2009-12-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

We've been elfed!

2009-12-10T14:39:00.001-08:00

Bob the Elf is back! He is making himself at home, but not making many messes this year. The boys got the other elf in a grab machine a month or so ago, and Bob seems to like having him around!

Polka Dot Princess

2009-12-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

Guess who has chicken pox...

Gingerbread Goodness!

2009-12-10T14:19:00.001-08:00

Hank had it in his head this year that he wanted to do a Gingerbread house with the kids this year! So while he was in ATL last week, he picked one up. After a really long day at the parade, the SEC game party and other misc things... we sent the kids to take bathes and then let them decorate away!

Sophie, being the beautiful diva she is came to table sporting her bikini... or her 'simming sooot!'

Bryant showed up in pj pants and Tres showed up in undies... none of these things are unusual at our house. But for picture purposes, I had Tres go put on some clothes. Smile! That kid would stay in undies all day if allowed too!

It was a lot of fun, and the house came out surprisingly well considering a 7, 5, and 2 year old decorated it. Soph only sampled all the candies once (maybe twice), but they were all in love with the icing!

Creepy Crawley

2009-11-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

Tres is a very good reader... his teacher told us he is on a third grade reading level and he's in the first grade. He comes home super excited on library days, and is diligent to point out to his brother that one day, Bryant too, will be able to read like him... one day.

So with Hank being gone during the week, I have decided to let him do his nightly reading in bed. He finished up his nightly reading (he's really into Flat Stanley right now!) one night last week and I tucked them in. I headed out to the den to fold some laundry and watch a show and few minutes later, he came down the hall excitedly. He had apparently continued reading from his stack of books after I left.

"Mom! Did you know that a tarantula SHEDS it's skin?" He is so very expressive and it is so hard to capture that in writing... his eyes get big, he gestures with his hands a lot. "And did you know that they lay HUNDREDS of eggs at one time?"

"I didn't know that Tres," I say. I try not to giggle at his incredulous eyes as his plops his little tighty whitey clad bottom down beside me on the rug where I'm folding his pajamas that he never wears.

"AAANNNNDDDD," he sings this with his inflection pattern jumping up and down, "the babies inside the eggs live there for 3 to 4 years!" (I should point out that I have not read said book as it has a big hairy spider on the front of it and therefore can not verify these facts.)

"Wow, that's a long time," I appropriately respond.

"Mom! If a tarantula bites you, you will get very sick, but you might not die. They are HIGHLY poisonous, but not deadly!" he finishes with a proud and satisfied smile.

"Okay, baby... it's probably time for you to get back in bed now."

"Okay, Mom," he says as he slowly gets up and tenatively begins the walk back down the hall to his room.

"I love you, Tres man."

"I love you too-- Mom?" he asks as he rubs his neck a little, " I feel like I have a tarantula bite now..." he says as I choke on a laugh. He holds his hand up, palm up and cocks his head to the side and gives me the tiniest skeptical smile... "but I know I don't."

I so enjoy being a Mom.

Rangers, Ninjas, and Monkeys! Oh My!

2009-11-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

I'm slightly ashamed that it is the end of November and I am just now getting around to telling you about our Halloween! To be honest, the past month has been very surreal at times and in fast forward in others.

On Halloween day, we had our first open house and Hank and I hung out at the house that day. But as soon as it was over, we headed over and got the kids and took them trick or treating! So here is our cast of characters for this tale:

Meet Jack, the red Power Ranger (SPD). Tres was uninterested in finding a costume this year and at the last minute dug through our costume bin and pulled this one out!

Storm Shadow is a bad guy in the G.I. Joe saga. Bryant was so excited to find this costume! He had it picked out and hounded us until we bought it a good 3 weeks before Halloween.

And introducing, Ava Sophia as the monkey princess. This picture was taken after we got to my grandmother's house that evening (our traditional first house to trick or treat at). As soon as we got out in the backyard, she took off running around acting like a monkey. I have a handful of blurry pics trying to capture just one of this wild child! She stood still here because she heard a dog barking... she was saying, "You he-ah dat, Mama?"

This year, it was a fun coincidence that Kayla and I had monkey costumes for the little ones! I added a little tutu skirt, necklace, and a bow (which she lost). These little monkey cousins were so cute!

Here are all the cousins and one friend at Grandma's house. Sierra was Dorothy, Luke was a Jedi, and Tyler was the cutest little cowboy.

Then it was candy time!

So these pics are random, but I liked them and wanted to post them! So enjoy!

My beautiful daughter! She loves 'fow-wers!'

Tonnie revisits the past in her 80s-90s inspired costume.

Luke uses the force to keep Grandaddy in line!

Me and Soph as we were trick or treating... it's hard to take pics when your corralling your kids! Smile! Also, we used this opportunity to spy on the other houses that are for sale in our neighborhood! He he! I know I'm sneaky!

At the end of the night, we saw the Zaxby's sign advertising a free kids meal for every costumed child with no other purchase necessary! So we ended our evening with some 'shicken' (a Bryant-sim), then headed home to tally up the loot!

The First Half Way Meeting

2009-11-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

This has been a week full of adjustments at our house. I'm learning to not let my emotions guide my actions... because my emotions are unpredictable these days!

Monday morning, Hankie helped me get the kids off to school, then we came home and got him packed and ready for his first week away. He is staying with his sister until we can sell OUR HOUSE and find a new home.

It wasn't so bad this week, since we knew that the kids would be out of school Wednesday for 'vet-trins' day (a Tres-ism). We had prepared them. So we rolled along pretty well and I woke them up as usual on Wednesday morning and we headed over to Anniston to meet him.

We met at Shoney's for their breakfast bar... Hank loves that place. I'm ambivalent. Tres, however, has discovered a love for breakfast buffets... and the independence of selecting his own foods.

When we pulled into the parking lot, the boys were all over me to find Dad's car and park right by it! And they zoomed out of the van when they saw their Daddy! I mean, that hug alone was worth the drive. It was a loud breakfast for us... lots to catch Dad up on. School stuff, friend stuff, wii stuff, pokemon stuff... imporant, life altering stuff... and Hankie gave them his full attention and responded appropriately to every insignificant detail. I chose well... God gave me a wonderful husband. We laughed and the kids hung on to him. Sophie made us all crack up when she announced to the table next to us that she had pooted. She is a nut!
Then we went to a few stores to waste a little time together. Target is always a fav for my family. I enjoy looking at clearance and sale items... and the kids could live in the toy department.

Bryant really wanted his dad to read to him, so they sat their happy little butts right down and did it! This made me tear up. And Bry chose a book about always loving your family... sigh... tears... even now.

Our time was up before we knew it. Hankie had to get back to work. So we took him back to his car, and started our good-byes. This was horrendous for us. Bryant and Soph were okay. But my ultra sensative little man, Tres, was sitting in the back with a heartbroken expression. He climbed out for one last hug from Daddy and broke down.

I tried to make it a quick getaway since I knew it was already killing Hankie... but Tres was really pitiful. He kept saying, "It's not right to leave a family member behind!"

He and I talked about how the Bible teaches us about different seasons in life. Tres sat and thought for a minute, then asked... "What do you mean by seasons, Mom?"

"It's a short time for us to learn and grow. For God to teach us things and for us to learn to trust Him more," I tried to explain... the whole time praying away each day that we would be separated. "You trust Mommy and Daddy to make the best decision for our family, right?"

Tres nodded his head, the movement releasing huge tears that had welled up again.

"And Mommy and Daddy trust God."

I've been replaying that conversation in my head a lot. You can probably tell. I want this to be a time that we teach our kids what it is to fully trust. What it means to be instant... in this season and the next. I want them to see Hankie and I handling this with faith and love and patience.

Lord show us how to do this. This season is here and we need You more than ever.

House Update

2009-11-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

So we are showing our house to a number of people, and getting great feedback and even some genuine interest... but no buyers yet!

So go by the house blog to check out the latest...

This HOME is just waiting for the right family to fill it!

I need....

2009-10-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

...a magic wand. Things are coming along and sort of starting to come together. Progress is being made, but I still want a magic wand! :)

Park It, People!

2009-10-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

This was the day I took the kids to the park when Hank called me about a possible job interview...

Progressing...

2009-10-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

For a while, we were sitting and waiting... it seemed like we were in a holding pattern. We were waiting for a formal offer, and not really sure how to proceed. God helped us. Doesn't He always?? He helped us find clarity when it felt like there was none in sight. He brought several people into our path the reinforced what we already felt God was doing for us. We are taking a step and trusting that the path has been laid before us!

During the holding time, Hank and I stayed busy. Painting, sorting, packing... you name it... we've done it. And with every task, we've been in serious heart-felt prayer.

Hank got his official offer yesterday. He is talking to his current boss today. And it looks like he will be in ATL, without us until this house sells, early November.

Here was his interview day. He's so handsome!

Atlanta traffic wasn't so bad. His interview started when his shift would start, so it was a good measure of what he had to look forward to.

This is me having some fun with mirrors at IKEA.

Crystal! This is four of the mirrors I was telling you about.
I sat in the car for HOURS punching in addresses into the GPS and seeing how far they were from the station.

His interview finally ended around 3:30... and we drove around and looked at a few houses, but didn't see anything special.

We'll keep you all posted on what becomes of us! As you can probably gather... my head is in other places besides blogging for now! Please be patient with me! I will return!

In the Middle of It All

2009-10-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well, here at sit at Krystal in Atlanta... Hank is down the road in his interview and I am sitting here praying and researching real estate now that I have more of an idea where the station is.

Hank looked so handsome this morning. He thought about shaving his goatee, but I convinced him to keep it! He was nervous, but confident. We spent the ride from his sister's house making a list of questions that he has for them and trying to prepare for any question they may ask him.

My computer is about to run out of juice and I don't see a handy dandy plug here at this lovely Krystal, so I guess I will shut down and trudge over to IKEA and waste a little happy time there!

Please pray! We honestly have no idea how this will turn out. God is in the middle. That's what I keep saying. He is here, right now, sitting here with me while I intermitantly sip my coke, tear up, and pray. He is with Hank as he answers questions, fills out paper work, and does some hands on stuff. He is with my kids who are happy but nervous about the possibility of moving near the Coca Cola Factory (Smile). He is with my family who are supportive, but I know not thrilled at the idea of me and mine moving away from my home for the first time in my life. He is in the middle of it all.

And that is how we will proceed... with Him in the middle... in the very midst... of every decision... from housing, to schools, to banks, to insurance. I will not neglect that step in the process... it's the first one.

I've enjoyed my morning with You, God. Thank You for being here with me.

Opportunity

2009-10-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

We're taking a deep breath and big step on Tuesday of this coming week. It all started this past Tuesday. I had the kids at the park playing, when I got a phone call from a very excited Hank. He said, "I just got a very interesting voicemail!" He then proceeded to tell me about a job opportunity in Atlanta.

You may remember back at the beginning of the year, Hank's station laid off a ton of people. One of them was Hank's manager, Gary. Gary took a job in Atlanta. When this position opened, he sought Hank out. Hank has been told, the job is his if he wants it. It comes with a substantial raise and some job perks. We will know more details after Tuesday though.

In the meantime, we are researching what houses in our current area are selling for... researching what houses in ATL are selling for... researching the company that could be Hank's future employer... looking at schools, banks, insurance, etc. There are a lot of details.

Needless to say our heads are spinning! A lot of things will have to line up, but God is in the middle. He dropped this opportunity in our laps the afternoon after we sat down and did a job search in ATL and Nashville online.

We feel right now like this could be the move for us. But we are open and praying. God guide our steps. Direct us. We want your best for us.

Tres's 7th Birthday Pokemon Card-y!

2009-09-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

So I've been waiting to get pics downloaded from my Mom's camera... we took pics with hers and mine at the party, and I know how to upload from my camera, but not hers! Maybe my super helpful and handy husband will help me out with that! But I want to get down the details before my memories of the day start getting fuzzy... and let's face it... after three kids and dividing and multiplying my attention so many times now... my memory ain't what it used to be folks! It's somewhat diluted. Smile!

First of all, he was a sick puppy the week before his birthday. We had planned to have his party the weekend before, but due to a high fever, and a very lethargic little boy, we were forced to reschedule his party. But, we rescheduled it for his actual birthdate day, and he thought that was pretty cool!

Hank took the day off, and we saw the boys off to school. They both skipped off to school in their Pokemon shirts! Then the madness began for us! We were wrapping presents, picking up last minute party items, getting goody bags ready, etc. We stopped mid day and went and ate lunch with our boys. (That is one thing I love to do.) Seeing them come down the hall with their class, walking orderly and looking around hopefully until they spotted us... then their little faces just lit up! I didn't realize I had the camera with us until after we had eaten with the birthday boy! C'est la vie!

After lunch, we headed over to my Mom's house to set up party central. About this time, I remember looking at the sky and realizing it was gonna rain. I was just praying it would hold off. It was hot enough to still let the kid's swim and run around outside... and all of the parent's were hoping for a good way to burn off some energy!

Hank ran to pick up the kids while I continued party prep... and before we knew it, we were in a countdown to party time!! But, the rain did not hold off, and as it started to pour, and I mean soaking-wet-through-and-through rain, Tres started to get worried that his friends would decide not to come.

{Insert picture of Tres sitting on Mom's front porch cross legged waiting for his friends to come, while it pours! Pic on Mom's camera.}

We had to pull my parent's grill into the door way of their garage to grill the hot dogs, and we had to make sure we had plenty of indoor games planned... well, at least, garage games! :) I was beginning to get worried that no one would come out either, and as I watched Tres sitting on the porch so forlornly, my Momma's heart started to hurt. But just about that time, I saw a car making a slow pass by the house... I had just enough time to grab the camera! I snapped the best shot of my baby waving to his first guest from the porch.

{Insert pic from Mom's camera here!}

I grabbed an umbrella, and began the wet task of ushering EVERY GUEST that we invited (with the exception of Caleb, who was sick) quickly into the house.

Then it was time for food! Hot dogs, chips, drinks, cheese dip, cookies. We got the kids set up and eating first. I was a little hardcore about no one putting hands into food. I was the sole server, and I had someone go around with the Germ-X once the kids were settled. Once they ate, I shifted the kids into the den for opening gifts and let the adults dig in...

Man was it fun to watch Tres open this year! My little man takes pure joy in all things, and has since he was a baby. He has always been and will always be my joy. Just look at that face!

He took great pride in reading each card this year. One of his classmates was sitting beside me and told me that Tres was the best reader in his class! That made me smile. Then she sighed and said wistfully, "I wish I could read that good."

Bryant is such a good brother. I really pray that my boys continue to develop their friendship. My sister and I were and are close and I love that. There is really something special about someone who knows you so well, that actually likes you too! :)

After presents, I handed out goody bags. This year, instead of the standard junk in a bag, Hank and I went online and ordered a huge lot of Pokemon cards. We divided it up and gave those as goody bags. The kids began trading immediately and were throwing around words like 'starley' 'rocario' and 'eevvee.'

Then it was time for the ice cream sundae bar! We went all out finding all sorts of topping to make this the best for the kids! And they really, really seemed to enjoy it! Again, I was the only one dipping ice cream, and Hank was the only one handling toppings.

Then we took the kids out to the garage and let them let with a nerf gun and a tower of pokemon characters! It was so fun, and the kids loved the satisfying racket the cans made when they shot 'em down! We had prizes for everyone, so everyone was a winner!

Well, that's all I have for now, folks! I promise when I get the pics from Mom's camera, I will insert them!

Birthday Check List

2009-09-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hot dogs... check
No fevers.... check
Ice cream, and lots of it... check
Hand sanitizer... check
Pokemon cards... check
Tissue for the Mommy who can't believe her baby is 7...check
presents... check

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Bryant's Parents

2009-09-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Bryant had to move his clip today because he was talking in the restroom. We have had a lot of trouble with the boys talking and being loud in the restroom so we are really cracking down on this. I wanted to write you and let you know that there were several boys talking in the bathroom but when I asked who was talking, Bryant was the only one who told me the truth. I was very proud of his honesty and I wanted to let you know so that you could praise him at home.

Thank You!

Bryant's Teacher

I am a very, very proud Mommy right now. It really does begin at home, huh?

My Baby...

2009-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

The baby that took us by surprise... that made us a family.... and started us on this crazy, wonderful journey is about to turn SEVEN -- take a minute if you need to and look at that again. He turns 7 tomorrow!

He has been battling a number of things the past couple of weeks: the swine flu, a double ear infection, and respiratory issues... and with all three he had a fever and was very lethargic. Last week, we just knew we were on the downhill slope of it all, cause he woke up in a great mood and headed off to school. Then on Friday around 11, the school called me and said he had a fever again.

Well, we had family coming in that afternoon and his party planned for the next day. The doctor assured us that it was his ear infection and changed his antibiotic, but he was so puny. When I mentioned to him that I thought we might want to reschedule his party, and he didn't get upset and only said "Okay, Mom." That was when I knew he truely felt bad.

I got the new antibiotic in his system, and in no time, he was starting to act like his old self. But since we has already sent out the cancel and reschedule, we decided to just have a family gathering... so I whipped up a quick cake, and wrapped a couple of small gifts... and voila... instant party!

We rescheduled his party for his actual birth date, tomorrow, and he is very excited about that!

Hank tried to take their birthdays off, if they fall on a weekday, so Hank will be home with me taking care of wrapping and getting everything ready for go time!

Take Two...

2009-09-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

My mom is trying her hand at blogging again! So if you wanna stop by and see what Betty Fay has to say... it might just help her stay motivated to continue!

Not A Good Day...

2009-09-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

When things get quiet around here, that's when I start worrying! So when Tres came running to me and told me Sophie had a sharpie today, I got a sinking feeling... I ran into the den and found a slightly discolored two-year-old and her 'artwork' on the kitchen table and our couch...

This picture really doesn't do it justice, but it's the best I could do in my frenzied state!! I was worried I wouldn't be able to get it out... but thank's to help from the facebook community... I used some rubbing alcohol and scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed!!! I got almost all of it out of the couch before I flipped the cushions.

And I put hairspray on the table and most of it came up... what didn't come up, I put Comet on and scrubbed it away!

Now the artwork on my daughter... it's still faintly there after two hour long baths and endless scrubbing... a few more baths and I think we're in the clear, though.
She even 'decorated' her toes in an extra special way!

Oh, Sophie.

Soccer Time!

2009-09-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! Soccer season is underway. This year, Tres opted not to play soccer, but Bryant was aching to get started! Mother nature has unleashed a string of storms that made it impossible to really get started, but practices are definately underway now!

There is just something so fun about watching a little boy enjoy a sport so much! He may not be the best (YET), but he is having an ABSOLUTE blast playing! He had a bad cough today, so I had to make an executive decision to not let him practice and he was in tears! Just saying... he loves it!

It turns out that his coaches were soccer players at my high school when I was there... the Ziemet brothers. Robbie graduacted a year behind me his brother Kevin graduated in the class above. They have been super encouraging and have patient, which is important with a group of 8 five-year-olds! Bryant loves it!

Family Day at the Lake

2009-09-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

My dad and brother bought a fishing bought not long ago and have been having a blast lately fishing and spending man time (why am I picturing Tim the Tool Man doing that stupid man yell right now?)
It turned out to be a breezy day, so we didn't feel like just jumping into the lake or anything.

But all the boys went intertubing behind the boat! They loved it!

After that, only Tres wanted to get in a little swimming... He reminds me of my Grandaddy with his feet sticking up like that! That's a memory I have of my Grandaddy... his little, white feet sticking out of the water.

And my Daddy spent some time fishing with each of the boys!

I spent a lot of the time we were there pushing the kids at a swingset that was just up the path from the dock... as the day wore on, Sophie got more and more hard to handle. Come to find out she had a double ear infection! But, just as a side note, this was a turning point for us, because she actually TOLD us, "My ee-ah huts!" It's so nice when they can tell you what's wrong!

Back to School Bash!

2009-08-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we took the kids to a back to school bash! We were so busy chasing our kids around that we didn't get a ton of pictures, but we did capture a few moments!

Ava Sophia got her face painted! She sat so still and was so serious! Her only request was that it be 'pupple.'

There were inflatables and candy and food and crafts... my kids had a blast and never quite slowed down! In fact, I didn't have one picture of Tres!! He was too busy.

After the activities, Crosslife had a production called 'Worship Star,' which spun off of the idea of American Idol. The host was supposed to be Ryan Teethcrest, but instead last year's winner Carry Understood filled in! It was all about finding someone who offered true worship to the big 'Dawg.' Contestants were Anna Fantana, Beyond Saved, and others. It was funny and the kids had a blast!