Beth's Bountiful Blessings

We figured out who he looks like!

2012-02-11T10:03:00.001-05:00

Becca and John Mark at the same age!

Time is flying

2012-02-08T08:41:00.005-05:00

John Mark is growing so fast and is changing so much. He loves siting up in his bumbo seat and has great head control, he has tons of new hair coming in, he giggled at his Daddy for about 15 minutes yesterday and he is trying to scoot while he is on his belly. I keep telling him he does not need to be in a hurry to grow up but he is not listening!

A Rebecca E. James Original

2012-02-01T12:17:00.002-05:00

What's a girl to do when she has a naked doll and her dress is misplaced?

Pull out the duct tape and get her covered up!

3 months

2012-01-27T22:55:00.000-05:00

Dear John Mark,

You turned 3 months old yesterday and I just can't believe it. Your first 3 months have been so busy, lots of happy days and a few sad ones. You brighten our world so much.

Although we have not all talked about it, we are all constantly working to see who can get the most smiles from you...... Ahem, I am way in the lead :) You have this smile that you give me that is different than your regular smiles. It is a big grin with a sparkle in your eye and one of your eyebrows pops up higher than the other. After you give me this smile, I look at you and say, I love you to John Mark. Then you do a little grin like, whew she understands.

You are growing like a weed. According to our scale you are 15lbs and are wearing 6/9 months clothes. Can I tell you a little secret? I love it that you are a chunky monkey, those fat rolls are precious. I tease I need a toothbrush to get all those rolls clean.

You love your sisters and they love you. You light up when you see them. They get a little loud sometimes and you look at Lillie with an expression like, "Girl, you need to chill." Last night during family devotional Daddy was asking your sisters some things there were thankful for, Becca said she was thankful for her baby brother. It took some time but you have won her heart, I knew you would.

Baby Boy, I love you so much. You truly are my sunshine and you have made me happy when the skies have been gray. I am cherishing each moment of your baby days and looking forward to seeing the little boy you grow into. You have my heart, love and prayers forever.

Love Always,
Mama

When the camera comes out : )

2012-01-24T14:12:00.002-05:00

"Take my picture tooooooo, pleasssssssssse !!!!!!!!"

"CHHHEEESSSSEEEEEEE!"

That's a lot of cheese :)

I don't mean to be ugly but..........

2012-01-20T21:16:00.002-05:00

Becca has a new saying, "I dont' mean to be ugly but...." It usually means she is about to tell you how she feels about something. The other day she was sitting in the van and saw a girl walking across a parking lot. Becca looked over at Lillie and said, "I don't mean to be ugly but is one ugly dress that girl has on." The girl is a mess and you never know what she will say!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T13:14:00.002-05:00

What spoiled looks like

2012-01-16T08:35:00.004-05:00

My MeMe always said that her grandchildren were not spoiled they were well loved. I think though that if Meme met John Mark and was around him a little bit that even she would agree that we are spoiling him. I don't think though that we will ever look back on these days and wish we had rocked and spoiled him less. We are soaking it all up and enjoying every minute of it! He appears to be enjoying it too :)

Remembering

2012-01-10T11:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was one of "those" days, it was a Monday that started with all 3 children up at 6:30am and it was a full moon. We had some issues with behavior that had to be addressed and overall I just struggled with juggling all that needed to be done.

Then yesterday afternoon a sweet person commented on 2 sweet little girls that were playing in our yard and a precious baby boy that we had been blessed with. She went on to mention how it seemed just yesterday that I was wanting a baby so badly and how blessed we are.

All of that got me to remembering those days after Jay and I got married and how badly I wanted to be a mother. The struggles that I had with waiting and watching everyone else (it seemed) have a baby but me. There were lots of tears and many quiet days. The following verse came to my mind.

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD." Psalm 113:9

All I ever wanted to be when I was growing up was a Mama and God has blessed me with 3 beautiful children. I may be busier than I could have imagined and the house may be a mess but I am so blessed. This morning I taught school and rocked a baby with the humm of a washer, dryer and dishwasher as background music.

The days are long but the years are short and I am trying to remember just how blessed I am.

Back in the saddle again

2012-01-09T18:25:00.002-05:00

This May will be 2 years ago that I started Weight Watchers, I had a lot of weight to lose and was ready to do it! In the 6 months that followed I lost 80lbs. I stuck with Weight Watchers and got serious about walking. It was an amazing journey and I felt so much better. Last March I found out John Mark was on the way and then he was born in Oct. I did not gain much when I was expecting him but then the holidays hit and I gained more than I wanted to.

So I started back walking and joined Weight Watchers online last Monday. I am back in the saddle and it feels so good. During the past week I have lost 9lbs. Obviously, that is just a jump start and it will be less in the weeks to come. I am thankful to be on this journey again and hope to make good progress with the Lord's help. I have a wonderful husband and 3 adorable children, getting healthy and staying that way is important to me.

Be vewwy, vewwy quiet...I'm hunting wabbits!

2012-01-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

Could he be cuter? I don't think so!

Outtakes

2012-01-05T06:35:00.008-05:00

We recently had some pictures taken and I love them, especially the one at the top of the blog and the one of John Marks toes with our rings. The funniest ones though are the outtakes and let me tell you with 3 children there were plenty :)

John Mark, less than thrilled.

John Mark, falling reflex

Mama soothing John Mark, barefooted.

Lillie tries to help

"Hey, get a picture of the back of my head!"

Let's do silly faces, Becca refuses

No really, I am not doing this!

Okay, I will do it, oops Lillie lost interest!

Pictures by Paul Lord

2 simple golden bands

2012-01-04T06:59:00.005-05:00

John Mark's toes with our wedding bands

I was named after my paternal grandmother Margaret Elizabeth, she and I were so close. She passed away when I was 15 and ever since then heaven and our hope in the resurrection has meant so much more to me.

Not long after Jay and I got engaged Papa called me one day and I went over to his house. He wanted to know if I had bought Jay a wedding band yet and I told him I had not. He went on to say that he had the wedding band that my Meme had given him and he wanted me to have it to give Jay. He went down to his room to get it and when he came back he had 2 bands.

Meme and Papa got married in November of 1948, they were both 18 at the time. The narrow band he had was the original one that Meme bought for him in 1948. The second band which was wider was the one she bought when the first one got to small. He handed them to me and I looked at them and slid on the narrow one and it fit me perfectly. Jay came up to me that weekend and the wider one fit him perfect.

Those wedding bands mean so much to me, I loved Papa and Meme more than words can say. The memories I have of them are so special and I am so thankful for the legacy they left for me and that I have a piece of them with me forever. A person might look at them as simple gold bands, but to me they are so much more.

New baby, new blog design and a new year!

2012-01-03T16:23:00.002-05:00

So I realize that it has been nearly a year since I blogged. 2011 will go down in our record books as one of the busiest. We had many wonderful things happen, most importantly a brand new baby boy was born into our family! John Mark James was born on October 26th, he has changed our lives in so many amazing ways and we can't thank the Lord enough for him. We also had some sad things happen, my Papa was called to his heavenly home on December 4th. I am so thankful to believe that he is enjoying a heaven beyond our imagination and in the presence of Lord and Savior. In the coming days I hope to blog more, I have some things I want to share as time allows. Thanks for stopping by..........

Walking

2011-02-16T18:31:00.002-05:00

Last May I started a lifestyle change, my goal was to lose weight and get in better shape. I started walking and eventually worked up to 4 miles. I try to do it 3 - 4 times a week.

I have lost 80 lbs and I feel better! I get lots of compliments on how I look but that is really just the icing on the cake. I feel the best I have in years and have so much more energy. Jay watches the girls while I walk with one of my sister in laws and his Mama. It is such a nice break to get out and have some adult conversation and walking sort of gives me a high. When I don't walk I miss it, that has really has surprised me.

People talk about a diet but I have really come to see that you have to make a lifestyle change. Walking has become as natural as going to the grocery store or washing clothes. We walked last summer when I felt like I would pass out from the heat and this winter we have bundled up like Eskimos. I want to lose more weight but I am taking it a day at a time and a pound at a time. Walking is something I hope I never have to give up, it has been so good for me in so many ways!

A New Look

2011-02-11T07:00:00.002-05:00

When we moved in our house one of the things I loved was that the kitchen sink is in the corner and there is shelf up above it. At first I put some of my pretty cream china up there. It stayed that way a long time.

My good friend Amy gave me a beautiful wreath made of pages from an old book that she made! I just love it!!!! I decided to hang it over the shelf. A while back I had put jars of pickled peppers and homemade Salsa on the shelf. So thanks to canning and a good friend I have a change of scenery while washing dishes :)

A close up up the wreath

Meet Oreo

2011-02-10T07:06:00.004-05:00

Several months Lillie started talking about wanting a rabbit. I thought about it some, but kind of put her off. After about a month of her asking a good friend of mine called one afternoon and was explaining that they had a rabbit they were trying to find a home for...... So your child wants a rabbit and a good friend calls and has one, a cage, a house and will deliver? Hmmmmm, seemed like a deal to me :)

Meet Oreo, not your typical rabbit. Oreo is a big boy, bigger than most house cats. He also thinks he is a dog. He loves a good walk on his leash. He is content to hop around, dig, and eat anything yummy and green he can find.

Also you notice that the rabbit and cat are friends. Actually if you ask the girls they will tell you that the cat and rabbit kissed and are married. Can you imagine what the children would look like :)

Giggly Girls!

2011-02-08T09:25:00.003-05:00

Back in December we had Caroline, Ericka and Sara spend the night. The girls had a blast and were so giggly and silly!

They all dressed up and had a tea party! Lillie can't wait to do it again!

(Click on the pictures to view larger)

New Blog Design

2011-02-07T08:25:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the very talented Erin I have a beautiful new blog design and she also took these great pictures of the girls. Thanks again, I love the blog and pictures!!!!

I really want to start back blogging, I miss it. It helps me keep things about the girls journal about things the girls do and our life. I am going to aim for 3 posts a week so stay tuned!!!!

Book Title

2010-09-24T22:01:00.002-04:00

I often hear Mamas of small children mention they should write a book. I imagine most would fill it with pictures, quotes and stories of things their children do. I don't have time or the gusto to write a book but if I decide to, I have a title.

Last weekend we were blessed to take a trip and visit my sister and her husband. After leaving there we went on to North Carolina. We got to stay with a very dear friend of mine and her family. During breakfast the first morning we were there, my friends husband asked Lillie how old she would be on her next birthday. She stuck up one hand with all 5 fingers and then took her other hand a did a thumbs up to show she would be 6. As of a sudden she gasped and said, " When I turn 6 I will be more than a handful!" It still makes me laugh out loud. If you know Lillie, you know that she has been a handful since she arrived :) At least now, if I do ever write a book, I have the title, "More than a Handful"

Girls and Baby Dolls

2010-08-11T10:06:00.002-04:00

The girls got dolls for Christmas last year and have enjoyed them so much! Lately instead of 2 little girls to get ready for church, I also have to dress babydolls and fix their hair as well!

Lipstick

2010-08-09T12:44:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we went to church and then went by the nursing home to see a church member. Then we can home and just relaxed and rested. Jay and I were talking and all of sudden we realized it was too quiet. I called Becca and got no reply so I called again, she quietly called from the bathroom, "What you need me for?". I knew at this point something was up, come to find out she was primping in front of the mirror. Guess who is going to have to learn to put things up a little higher?

Sisters

2010-08-05T13:41:00.003-04:00

I am so thankful that God gave us Lillie and Becca. They are both such blessing and are such good friends. They have their moments when they fuss but they love to play. Every morning when Becca wakes up she looks around and says "Where's Lillie?", she can't wait to give her a hug and play. They sure bring lots of giggles and happiness to our home!

First day of Kindergarten 2010

2010-08-04T12:34:00.002-04:00

Homeschooling began today! Lillie has been so excited to get started. We are looking forward to a great year. This year we are using Singapore Math, Handwriting without Tears, Readers K by Sonlight, Get Ready, Set and Go for the Code, Language and Thinking for Young Children, History and Science through library books, 365 Manners for Children and doing chapter books for read aloud time.

Hello..... We're still here!

2009-08-08T19:05:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I updated, we have had a busy summer! We had lots of excitement, my sister and Chris got engaged, we are looking froward to a December wedding! We made a day trip to the beach, been to a several birthday parties and gone to Papa and Nana's house several times!

This past Monday we started homeschooling, Lillie is in Kindergarten and so far she loves it! She was a little disappointed when she did not learn how to read the first day but she is making good progress. She also started gymnastics! My camera charger has been missing so we don't have many pics but I found it today so we are back in business!

Hot Summer Evening

2009-07-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

On my heart

2009-06-26T23:11:00.002-04:00

The subject of marriage and family has been on my mind a lot lately. Some time is the last year or so I ask Jay to write an article on the way that God set up the marriage and family. I know I am biased but I thought he did a really good job. This is what I believe with my whole heart and I wish more people could see the blessings of this.

GOD’S PATTERN FOR THE FAMILY

The divorce rate has soared in the past several decades to epidemic levels. The

family is the institution created by God in the beginning as the building block for

civilization, and strong families are the very foundation of any stable society. Therefore,

as the family unit unravels, the fabric of society unravels with it. The government can

pour tens of billions of dollars into solving societal ills and into rescuing failing school

systems that cannot deal with troubled and out-of-control children. But this investment

would be like dumping money into a huge black hole -- without even touching the root

cause of the problem.

As God is the Creator of the family, it follows then that He (being an all-wise God

of detail and order) did not leave it up the imagination of man to come up with the basic

principles that build and hold together strong and stable families in the midst of the daily

trials of life. What is the “glue” that holds families together “for better or for worse”? It

is the fervent charity that is clearly defined in I Corinthians 13, and it is the consistent

adherence by each member to proper scriptural roles.

What popular culture sets forth as true love is based primarily upon materialism

and superficiality and is basically rooted in the selfish interest of “scoring points”. High

expectations are set -- expensive gifts often (and especially at the right times), “wineing

and dining”, charming flattery, and so forth. Anyone who has enough money and

charisma can meet these expectations relatively easily. And then the elaborate wedding

comes -- attended by scores of family and friends. But then, after the honeymoon, the

daily chores come -- and the real-life tests, stressful situations, and continual decisions,

all of which must be faced together by different personalities accompanied by unique

personal “quirks” that suddenly appear. Now the superficial is not enough. The only

thing that “beareth all things” and “endureth all things” (I Corinthians 13:7) is that deep

and abiding charity which covers “a multitude of sins” (I Peter 4:8). It is a charity that is

longsuffering and kind, does not boast itself or push itself forward, does not harbor evil

imaginations one toward another, puts the other person (their interests, comfort, desires,

wellbeing, etc) ahead of self, behaves honorably, and is not provoked easily.

These qualities are beautiful living manifestations of God’s love in our lives. And

one of the beauties of charity is that, in the midst of stressful situations, it shines even

brighter and draws the hearts even closer together. This true love from above is that

which the world knows little about, and it is that which is worth more than all the gold of

Ophir.

Moreover, as each spouse strives to fulfill his or her scriptural role, we need to

remember that these roles are set forth in the Scriptures in the context of charity. The

husband is the head of the wife, but his position is not that of a forceful dictator driven by

pride -- but, rather, a position that is patterned after the example of Christ’s beautiful

relationship with His bride. (See Ephesians 5:22-33). Our Lord loved His bride enough

to lay down His life for her. And, as her loving Head, He daily leads her, provides for

her, protects her, and nourishes and cherishes her. She is instructed to lovingly submit to

Him, just as the wife is instructed to “submit” unto her own husband (Eph. 5:22) and to

“reverence” him (Ephesians 5:33). And it is all the more easier for her to obey him and

submit to him if he is acknowledging and following Christ as the perfect example and the

supreme Head of the family. If such is the case, he will give “honor unto” her, “as unto the weaker vessel” (I Peter 3:7) and not be “bitter against” her (Colossians 3:19).

May the Lord help us to acknowledge God as the Architect of the family and to

ever strive to follow the instructions that He has given us in His infallible Word. “Except

the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it . . .” (Psalm 127:1).

Friends

2009-06-24T23:42:00.000-04:00

Painting

2009-06-23T23:00:00.000-04:00

The girls love to paint and it actually keeps them busy for a while!

I love these, they make painting fun for kids and easy for Mamas to clean up!

My little comedian!

2009-06-22T23:33:00.002-04:00

Several days ago Becca acted somewhat interested in potty training, so we got out our little potty and she went once. We made a big deal about it and tried several more times with no results. Later on that day I was sorting clothes and heard both of the girls laughing and giggling. I walked in the living room and saw this!

They both thought it was a hoot and I got tickled myself! It was a fluke however and she is not interested now. We shall keep trying though!

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-20T23:06:00.003-04:00

I feel so blessed to have such a Godly husband, father and father in law. I want to wish each of them a very Happy Fathers Day but especially my Daddy whom I wont get see today!

Growing up he and I had such a close relationship and we still do. I am thankful for all that he taught me and has done for me. He has always made all of his girls, mine included, feel like princesses and we all love him for it!

Daddy, I love you so much and I hope you have a wonderful day! You are such a blessing in my life and I thank the Lord for you. I will miss giving you a big hug today but I promise to save it for you and get it to you soon!

Love you lots,
Beth

Matching Sister Gowns

2009-06-05T14:00:00.002-04:00

Grandma (Jay's mama) recently made the girls some matching gowns, I think they are just precious!

I see more everyday the girls growing closer to each other, we have problems occasionally but for the most part they play really well together.

Becca adores her big sister and loves to play with her. She has learned lately what boo boos are and like to show her sissy to get sympathy! Speaking of boo boos you will notice in the picture above Becca has a black eye on the left. She fell off the couch and landed on a toy, it is better but still looks rough!

Hope you have a good weekend!

Watermelon at Papa and Nana's

2009-06-04T07:46:00.003-04:00

The Sprinkler

2009-05-01T22:26:00.002-04:00

Papa John sent a package this week after Lillie had to have her tooth pulled. The girls loved it all but especially enjoyed the cute whale sprinkler!

She was saying "CHEEEEEEEESSSSSSEEEEEE"!

Easter Morning 2009

2009-05-01T22:20:00.000-04:00

An Early Easter

2009-04-08T13:48:00.002-04:00

We celebrated Easter early with Nana and Papa last weekend. The girls were so excited when the Easter Bunny came by! Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Anniversary!

2009-04-07T14:36:00.001-04:00

8 years ago today, I married the love of my life. When I look back on the last 8 years, I feel so blessed. We have a wonderful relationship, and 2 beautiful little girls. There are tons of reasons why I love Jay, I love his smile, I love that he is the head of our home, I love the kind of Daddy he is to our girls. They both adore him and light up when he walks in the room. He is a hands on Daddy and does not mind one bit pitching in and helping.

One thing I have learned the last few years, is that love is expressed in so many ways. Love and romance, is not just diamonds, roses, chocolate. Love is deeper than that. Love is daily working together for the good of one other and our family. I can't imagine life without Jay and I thank God daily for him and all our bountiful blessings!

1 Corinthians 13

1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Happy Anniversary, Jay!

Healing

2009-03-06T08:03:00.002-05:00

We appreciate everyones thoughts and prayers during our loss. We are doing much better. Every day gets a little bit better and we realize just how much we have to be thankful for.

There is so much I feel that I have learned through this experience. Obviously going through something gives new insight into the situation. I have had so many people who have been such a great blessing to me who have lost a baby. It has touched my heart and made me desire to reach out more to others.

Again, than you for all of your love and support. I hope to blog more often soon, my camera is acting up again and what good is a blog without pictures!

Sadness

2009-02-26T21:40:00.002-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I write this, I have had some complications and have lost the baby. While this is very difficult and our hearts are heavy we also feel Gods abundant grace surrounding us. We realize that we have so much to be thankful for and thank Him for all of our many blessings.

Please remember us in your prayers in the coming days. With God's grace and the prayers of family and friends I know that we can make it through this.

What in the world woud cause this kind of reaction?

2009-02-22T18:13:00.002-05:00

We gave my Mama and Daddy a Valentine on Saturday and this was their reaction!

Now what in the world would make them react like that, hmmmm, you see what you think!

Ha Ha! We had never got to tell them BIG news in person and this more than lived up to my expectations! Please remember us in your prayers, will update soon!

We're here!

2009-02-03T21:28:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend this past weekend at Papa and Nanas house. I had a great birthday and enjoyed being with family and friends! I got spoiled as usual, I will have to share more about that later.

I have not been keeping the extra children lately so the girls and I have been stretching our wings some. Tomorrow we are off to make soap and wool dryer balls. I plan to post about that soon as well!

Thanks for stopping by, I need to find my camera charger so I can take some pictures! Have a good week!

Also, Please remember my good friend Amy, she and her family need our prayers very much.

Excitement!

2009-01-27T11:19:00.002-05:00

One of my best friends and our pastor's wife, Amy, has a been announcement over on her blog! We are very excited for them and can't wait! Pop over and see her story here!

Cake Contest

2009-01-26T16:11:00.002-05:00

My friend Elisabeth at Dixie Doodles is having a cake contest so I decided to enter these monkey cupcakes I made for Lillie's birthday last October! I thought they turned out cute!

2009-01-26T13:44:00.004-05:00

Papa and Nana came and spend the night with us Sunday was a week ago, I wish I had some pictures because there was lots of fun and hugs and kisses. While they were here we got a big surprise. Nana, Papa and Lillie went to town and when they got back Lillie said a man was coming and bringing a new stove and refrigerator! I was so surprised and thankful! We are enjoying them so much! Speaking of enjoying them, guess what Becca's new favorite thing to do is?

Every time Becca walks by the stove she checks to make sure there is nothing in the oven!

Thank you Papa and Nana! Love you!

Cuddle time with Daddy!

2009-01-17T20:40:00.000-05:00

Tool time!

2009-01-14T06:55:00.002-05:00

We were given some play tools and I thought that the little boy I keep would enjoy playing with them. That has been true, but my girls sure have enjoyed them as well. One minute they are hard at work fixing things and the next they are cooking in the play kitchen!

Photo MeMe

2009-01-11T14:59:00.002-05:00

My good friend Amy, tagged me to do a photo MeMe. I am supposed to open my photos, choose the 6th folder and then the 6th photo in that folder. Then I am supposed to post the photo with a description about it and then tag 6 friends to do the same.

So my picture is one of Lillie when she was 5 months old.

If you want to participate, consider yourself tagged! Leave a comment if you so so that I can check it out!

Peek a Boo

2009-01-07T21:06:00.002-05:00

Peek

A

Boo

"Ba Ba " as Becca calls her!

"Get in this House!"

Neighbor cousins and Baby strollers

2009-01-06T20:53:00.001-05:00

Lillie and Timothy

Lillie, Timothy, Ericka and Caroline

Lillie has started calling them her neighbor cousins!

______________________________________________________________

Guess who is really enjoying their new baby stroller?

Anytime Becca thinks about it, she hops in and waits for a ride!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T22:20:00.003-05:00

I hope each of you have had a wonderful holiday season, we sure have enjoyed ours. The break from ordinary life has been nice and yet I find myself looking forward to getting back into our normal routine. Lillie thrives on routine and we have already started working on easing her back into it. We were pretty amazed that we got her to bed at 8 last night and she slept in until 9 this morning. The sleeping in has been nice and I will miss that.

We have done some major house cleaning and getting things in better order around here. There are still many things that could be done around here, but Rome was not built in a day. As my neighbor and Sister in law says, "Cleaning house with children is like trying to shovel snow while it is still snowing. "

I appreciate each of you reading my blog, I hope as we get back in a routine I can get back to blogging more regularly. I miss it and have so many things to share.

May God bless each of us in this new year!

Lillie and Becca

2008-12-29T21:28:00.002-05:00

Our very good friend Erin took these pictures of the girls. I love them so much, I wanted to share sooner but they were gifts! Thanks so much Erin, I will treasure them always!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Blessed

2008-12-29T20:35:00.002-05:00

When I think about this Holiday season, I think how blessed we are. We have been blessed with family, food, friends, gifts to give and gifts received, 2 beautiful little girls to brighten it all, and last but not least, a wonderful heavenly Father.

We enjoyed it all so very much. I wish I had pictures of our get together at Grandma and Grandpa's house as well. I forgot my camera though! Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T07:58:00.002-05:00

For our home to yours, we wish you each a Merry Christmas. The van is almost loaded and we are nearly ready to head to Papa and Nanas house for Christmas. Lillie is so excited, last night she started begging to open just one present. I remember a long time ago being a little girl and begging to open just one.

One of my favorite things this holiday season has been to see the excitement in our little girls eyes. Last night while we were out we passed lots of Christmas lights and Lillie kept saying, "See!" 'Look", "Isn't it pretty" and lots of ooohhhs and ahhhhs. A minute later a tiny voice filled with amazement said, "See". We all have so many blessing and things to be thankful for, may we all see!

Family

2008-12-03T21:15:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday while we were at Papa and Nana's house, we had a family get together and enjoyed seeing Aunts and cousins. We had lots of fun adn celebrated Becca's birthday some more. I put together a little slide show since I took quite a few pictures! Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Traditions

2008-12-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

My family has many traditons that I think are so neat. Last week I was so happy to be able to help with some of them. The first one I want to share is, The Great Sausage Making of 2008. When I was little I remember Daddy and Papa making sausage, hog head cheese, and my Meme frying out cracklins. Papa John has recently been on a sausage making kick, so Wednesday nightRachel and I rolled up our sleeves and help make close to 50 lbs of sausage!

The meat all seasoned and ready to grind

Rachel and I threading on the casings to be stuffed, to make link sausage.
If inquiring minds need to know, we used natural casings, you can read about that here.

Stuffing the casings

Rachel putting some muscle into it.

One of the 3 links we made, how cool is that?

Our breakfast Thursday morning!

A Large time was had by all!

2008-11-30T19:58:00.002-05:00

A sleepy Birthday girl having her banana!

Opening presents

(Papa, Your fish looks freaky!)

Lillie and Becca playing in Becca's ball pit

Lillie swinging and waiting for lunch!

Old Papa and Papa John waiting on Old Tom to finish frying!

Fried Turkey

All the food!

Becca and her birthday

She loved it!

Licking it up like a puppy

Old Papa and the girls!

We had a wonderful thanksgiving, we so enjoyed staying with Papa and Nana. We had lots of wonderful food and so much fun! Becca had a great first birthday and enjoyed all of the festivities!

I have more pictures and stories to share over the next few days!

Happy First Birthday and Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

Your "Birth" Day

Dear Becca,

As I think about your first year my mind goes back further than a year ago. I will always remember April 16th, 2007, the day we found out you were on the way. I went to the Dr. for my yearly physical, we had been praying that God would bless us with another baby. I was so nervous and anxious to talk to the doctor. I wanted Lillie to have a sibling do badly. On the way to the doctor I will always remembering praying and asking God for wisdom. God spoke to my heart and I was filled with peace. I took a pregnancy test and the nurse looked at it, then looked again. When she said it was positive, I will never forget that moment. Then they took me back for an ultrasound, my heart was racing as I looked at that screen. All of a sudden the nurse said, "There's the baby and look, see that flicker, that is the heart beat." In that moment I fell in love with you. I still think about how I felt when I walked in that office and how I found out about you and the love I left with.

One year ago today you joined our little family. Once they got things rolling you were in a hurry to be born. I see now that is very much your personality. You are so very determined, in a sweet and quiet way. You weighed just over 2lbs less than your sister, I was so amazed at how tiny you were. When we took you home all of your clothes were so big on you. I had been expecting a big baby and you were so dainty. I remember going to Walmart when you were a few days old and buying you some warm newborn outfits. This past week I was in Walmart and they had that same rack with those newborn clothes on it. I picked up a set and got all nostalgic about it.

You are such a joy in our lives, you brighten every day. You love your family and love to show us. You call us , "Ma ma", "Da Da" and "Tissy" . You love your Sissy, she gets the most smiles and giggles. You love to take a bath with her and just watch her. I understand, the girl is a trip and can entertain for hours. You can also say, "Hey", "Nana", "AA" ,"Dog" and your latest is "Uh, OH'. It is the cutest thing and I could listen to you say it all day! You of course, have had walking mastered for a couple of months now and you are mastering running.

Your favorite foods are bananas, cheese, green beans, mac and cheese, spaghetti and ice. We had teased that maybe you could get your top 4 teeth for Christmas, but they are almost through. No more toothless grins from you. You love to swing, play outside, get a good back scratching and play. You love to play with toys, more than Lillie ever did. So many times I find you in the corner just quietly playing.

Last year when they started talking about dates that they might induce me, I got to thinking about your birthday would end up being on Thanksgiving day at some point. They scheduled me for November 27th and a few days before you were born I realized your first birthday would be on Thanksgiving. I really can't think of anything more fitting, we are so thankful for you and for Lillie.

As long as I can remember I wanted to grow up, get married to a handsome man and be a Mama, it was my dream . God has richly blessed me to have that dream come true.

I love you more than you will ever know, now and always,

Mama

Monday thoughts!

2008-11-24T09:29:00.003-05:00

We had a very quiet weekend at home and enjoyed it! I think we are all feeling better around here except for an occasional cough and runny nose.

Lillie has a dentist appt. today, she had crowns put on her front teeth when she was 2 and one of them has come off. They are going to do a cleaning and evaluate what needs to be done. When we finish up there we are heading to do some shopping. Lillie and Becca both have birthday money to spend! Look out Toys r Us here we come, Lillie is so excited!

Speaking of birthdays, our baby will be turning 1 on Thanksgiving day. I won't get to weepy about it now, I do plan on a very special on Thursday! Be sure and check it out!

Wednesday we are heading to Papa and Nana's house for thanksgiving. Every year we have so much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving, but it seems like this year we have so much more! I will share some of that on Thursday!

Thank you all for being patient with me and blogging. I hope to do better in the coming days!

So happy together!

2008-11-18T16:31:00.002-05:00

Sunday night we had to rush Becca to the hospital. She had been having a runny nose and some low grade fever. We had gone to check on my Mama, who was in the hospital. Becca slept most of the way home and when we got home she was still sleepy. I could not hardly wake her up and her breathing was very shallow. We took her to the ER and she was diagnosed with a really bad double ear infection and a light case of pneumonia. She had an IV for fluids and antibiotics. We got to come home this afternoon and we are so thankful. She got so sick in such a hurry, but she is making good progress already. She will be on breathing treatments here at home for a while and we go make to the doctor on Thursday morning.

Thank you for all of your prayers. It was very scary Sunday night and has been a very stressful couple of days. As you can see from the picture Lillie and Becca are very glad to be home and back together. Becca would look around her hospital room and say, "tissy, tissy!"

Election Day!

2008-11-04T07:38:00.002-05:00

I woke up really early this morning, my heart is heavy for our country today. I cast my early vote last Friday and I hope each of you will get out and vote today. It is important and and a great privilege. I don't know who will win today but one thing I do know is that God is on His throne. Let us all pray for this country of ours and beg God for mercy on us all.

Grandpa's surprise party!

2008-10-28T08:34:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday night we had a surprise party for Jay's Daddy who turned 60 on Sunday. All of his youngins and 15 grand youngins were there! We had a good time and enjoyed it very much!

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-27T19:56:00.002-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My baby turned 4 today and I have no idea how it happened. 4 years ago today at 10:42 am she was born, this morning at 10:42 am I was decorating cupcakes and she was sitting beside me. I looked over at her and thought about the last 4 years, she grabbed my arm and gave me a big squeeze and said, "Mama, I love you so much!" Funny, I was thinking the same thing :-)

The Fair, Lots of Rides and Birthday Cake

2008-10-22T19:38:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday we went to see Papa and Nana and hit the Fair! Lillie was very excited and had a really good time riding. The picture above Papa rode with Lillie and the ride was kind of rough, she was not quite so happy when she got off. Papa John said her face when it went so high was priceless!

Becca wanted to ride but was too little! This is pretty much what she did the whole time, watched and waited!

I wanna go!

Haulin Daddy around, Boy was he a good sport!

Waiting to be buckled up!

Let's go!

When we got back from the fair we had supper and birthday cake for Lillie. Papa and Nana won't get to see her till after her birthday, so we celebrated early! She had an ice cream cake and it was sooo good!

She looks so big, hard to believe she will be 4 next Monday!

Kaki and Becca
Becca liked the ice cream cake too!

Apple Wrapper Pie

2008-10-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday we were blessed to find apples in abundance and so reasonable. I have pulled out my cookbooks and am on a quest to make anything appley ( is that a word, hmmm, well it should be!). Here is one of my favorites, it is just so easy!

Apple Wrapper Pie

1 pie crust rolled out into 13 inch circle
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 cups of thinly sliced apples (about 4 medium)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp of white sugar

1.Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie crust on large ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap to keep moist while you make apple filling.

2. Mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir in apples. Mound apple mixture in center of pastry within 3 inches of edge. Cut butter in small pieces, sprinkle over apples. Fold edge of pastry over apples making pleats so it lays flat on apples. Sprinkle white sugar on pastry.

3.Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack, serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cool whip. Your people with love you for it!

The Mountains!

2008-10-14T19:29:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful trip this past weekend to see Deron, Laura, Ethan, Daniel, Hannah and Baby Grace. On Saturday we made a trek up into teh mountains to go see Amicolola Falls and go get apples. Laura's brother Chris went as our tour guide and we appreciated it!

The Falls

Chris and Ethan

Uncle Jay and Baby Grace

Making our way up the trail!

The kiddos resting beside the creek.

Lillie and Daniel

Deron, Becca, Grace and Uncle Jay

On the way we passed through this down that had scarecrows everywhere. Somebody said it is estimated they have 4000! I was driving so I did not get many pictures but they even had them set up like they were playing a Georgia game. It was kind of weird though.

I wish I had gotten more pictures of the kids and of the apple place. We all had a really good time! It was good to catch up with Deron and Laura and see their new house. We can't wait to do it again!

Beach Trip 08

2008-10-09T13:18:00.002-04:00

Walking to the beach!

Wow!

"Look at all the sand!"

Cold water

The HUGE Monster bridge!

Becca got cold and tired on one of our treks to the beach so Nana gave her a warm bath, wrapped her up and she slept for a loooonnngg time!

Listening to tunes on my MP3 player!

Gerogia Sea Turtle Center

Nana and the girls!

Papa and the girls!

A HUGE turtle

1 year old sea turtle

Another big one!

We had a great time! I am going to see if Papa John can share a few of his pics too, my camera battery was low!

Tomorrow we are headed to see Uncle D, Aunt Laura, Ethan, Daniel, Hannah and baby Grace!
Looking forward to lots of fun and going to pick apples!
Have a great weekend!

Vacation!

2008-10-04T21:39:00.003-04:00

I am sorry I have been missing in action! Things have been so busy around here lately. This coming week school is out around our parts and we are headed out of town, Lord Willing! We have had a few bumps in the road but these are our plans! Sunday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon we are going to the beach with Papa, Nana, AA, Old Papa and Gran Gran. We are so excited! I hope to have lots of good pictures to share, since this will be Becca's first beach trip! We have another trip planned next week, but more on that later!

10 months old!

2008-09-27T20:42:00.002-04:00

Becca,

How did my baby get to be 10 months old? It seems like yesterday we heard you were on the way! I think I will remember the weekend you turned 10 months old for a while. On Thursday you started running fever and it has come and gone, gone up and down! Last night you were snuggled up to me and you felt like a heating pad, temp 104.6! That a way to scare a mama. The doctor says it is something viral, I sure hope it goes away soon.

You bring so much joy to our world. I love your big ol grins and your giggles. You love to flash your smile with your 2 little bottom teeth! I think for Christmas you need to ask for your 2 front teeth :-) Two teeth sure don't slow down you eating though. I was amazed last weekend when you ate an entire double cheeseburger from MD. I still am not sure where that thing went. You have hit the 20 lb mark, Lillie was 20lbs at 5 months old! You and her are about as different as night and day!

You love her but sometimes you get enough and you let her know! I love to watch you play with her, you love to giggle with her. You watch everything she does and who can blame you, the girl is funny!

Sometimes I think back about when I worried that Lillie would not ever have a little sister like I did. I am so thankful God blessed us with you, we love you more than words can express!

Happy 10 months, Becca!

Fall

2008-09-24T08:51:00.003-04:00

(Our pear tree last fall)

There is a time of year that most of us in South Georgia crave. Those mornings where there is a chill in the air. We have suffered through all of the heat we care to and long for some relief. Monday we begin to feel a difference! I turned off our air conditioner and we have had windows or a door open ever since. This morning I opened the front door and the cool air rushed in. I took a deep breath and enjoyed it. I love fall, the colors, the pumpkins, apples, soups and stews, the need for a sweater and the leaves swirling through the air.

It is kind of funny to me that both of my girls were born during my favorite season. Lillie's birthday is October 27th and Becca's is November 27th. Just the right time for outside parties and fun fall activities! This year Becca's first birthday will be on Thanksgiving, I am just so happy about that. It just seems to be the right thing, we have so much to be thankful for!

Spaghetti + cookie= bathtime

2008-09-22T21:08:00.001-04:00

AA's Friend

2008-09-21T21:48:00.002-04:00

Lillie, Chris and AA

We had the privilege of meeting my sister's boyfriend this weekend. We all had a really good time and it would appear that Lillie has her first crush!

Pics

2008-09-21T21:30:00.002-04:00

I really want to do better at keeping up with the old blog. Bear with me, I will try!

Happy Birthday Papa John!

2008-09-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Papa John,

We hope you have a wonderful day today! Thank you for all you do. We love you like grapes and that's in bunches! So glad you had a good trip, We can't wait to see you next weekend!

Love,
Beth, Jay, Lillie and Becca

Our new sandbox!

2008-09-13T23:00:00.002-04:00

Family

2008-09-10T07:11:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday we got together at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The above picture is Jay's parents, grandparents, our kids and our 13 nieces and nephews!

Grandmother and Grandmother with all 15!

Grandpa and Uncle Bob watching Georgia Football!

Aunt Laura

John Benjamin, Guy and Ben

Grandpa and Grandaddy

Singing Happy Birthday

More singing

Aunt Dona, Ericka and Uncle D

A bit of advice

2008-09-07T20:33:00.002-04:00

If you are driving along a country road and you are feeling somewhat hormonal and you see a sign that says, FREE PUPPIES! Don't stop!

As you can see I stopped, when I got out a teenage boy came walking up and I asked him if he had any puppies left and he said, "Mam we have 11! Let me get my Mama." She came out and called them and all 11 came running. This little fellow came out and licked my toes. He was so cute and sweet, he had a few fleas and I was not sure. She started offering anything she could think of, she ended up bathing him, finding a box and an old towel to seal the deal. I asked Jay and he said if I wanted him we could get him.

The funniest part is that Lillie was asleep, so she had no idea. We got him and I held the box in my lap. When we stopped in a nearby town to get dog food, Lillie woke up but did not see him. So Jay got her out and when she saw him her big blue eyes almost popped out of her head. She is in love and named him Scruff!

He is a 5 week old mixed German Shepherd, Lab and Bulldog and no telling what else. He will be an outside dog, much to Lillie's dismay. She would have him dressed in a nightgown and sleeping with her if she had her way.

She is excited!

2008-09-03T21:22:00.003-04:00

Becca is WALKING and as you can tell she is a very happy baby. She has been taking steps for several weeks now but in the last couple of days she has taken off! She can walk across the room now without falling down. It is so much fun to watch, she falls down and pops right back up and goes again. Her determination is amazing, if she decides she wants to do something, she does it!

9 months old

2008-08-27T21:56:00.002-04:00

Becca,

How did you get to be 9 months old? Seems like yesterday we heard you were on the way!You bring more joy to all of our lives than you will ever know. You are taking more steps everyday and it is so fun to watch. I wonder sometimes what your personality will be like, right now I see a tender heart, happy eyes and strong determination. you are determined to learn how to walk and you wear yourself out trying.

One thing I think I will always remember about your baby days, is your love of food! You eat anything we put in front of you, you love grapes, bananas, pears, scrambled eggs, cheese and pasta! Most meals you eat more than your sister. Oh your sister, you love her but these days you don't have much patience for her! She gets in your way and you don't like it one bit. She might get on your nerves but one thing you love is to get a bath with her. The 2 of you love to splash and giggle. I can't wait to watch you grow and play together.

Becca, I love you more than words can express and I thank God for blessing us with the miracle of you!

Love,
Mama
I get lots of questions about does Becca look like Lillie, I looked back and found a picture of Lillie at 9 months. I don't see much resemblance. Lillie looked at this picture of her and said, "Mama was that me?, I was very pudgy!" I would agree!

Almost walking

2008-08-24T19:33:00.002-04:00

Becca is up to 8 steps before falling down!

Her enthusiasm is contagious

2008-08-23T10:34:00.003-04:00

We are spending a quiet weekend at home. Lillie enjoys preschool a lot, so we did some last night. This morning after breakfast she wanted to do some more and we worked on her workbooks.

I told her we needed to work on our unit study. She started dancing around and telling her Daddy we were going to do a unit study! I kept waiting for the question, and finally she looked at me and said,"What is a unit study?" It was too funny!

For those interested we are talking about the ocean and the beach. I have some crafts planned and lots of fun books. We are going to the beach with Papa and Nana in a little over a month and Lillie is already very excited!

A rainy day

2008-08-22T21:19:00.003-04:00

I am sure all of you have heard the saying about it raining cats and dogs, well let me tell you something, we are special at this house. Instead of it raining cats and dogs we got these .....

Yes friends, that would be 2 horses and to say that the kiddos around here got excited would be putting it mildly. They wanted to pet them , they wanted to ride them , could we keep them, where do they live, would they bite us?????? I made a few phone calls and could not find out who they belonged to, so I called the sheriffs department and I am sad to say that I don't know what the outcome was, it was pouring rain and I was trying to keep up with 4 kids, horse wrangling was not on my priority list. But it provided some excitement on a very rainy day in South Georgia!

Happy Birthday to a dear friend!

2008-08-22T08:21:00.003-04:00

Today is my very good friend Amy's Birthday! She is truly one of my dearest friends and she is definitely a kindred spirit. We get along so well and have so much in common. I feel so blessed to have her as a friend. She wears many hats and does a wonderful job of it all, mother, pastor's wife, daughter, sister, teacher, taxi driver, writer, cook, secretary, blogger, friend and many more!

Please stop by and wish her a very Happy Birthday!

Desperate times,

2008-08-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

call for desperate measures! One night last week Jay was mowing grass and I was trying to clean up and Becca was so fussy. I tried everything I could think of to get her settled down and she would not. So I finally had an idea, what if I put a dollop of Cool Whip on her highchair tray. As you can see, it worked at least for a little while, then we had to have a bath!

Climbing

2008-08-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

As you can see Becca is still being a dare devil and climbing! She has taken several steps over the last few days. I can't believe she is almost 9 months old and wants to walk. Her daddy says she will be walking in a week, we shall see!

Our weekend!

2008-08-18T22:18:00.002-04:00

We had our anniversary meeting this weekend, we were so blessed to have a wonderful meeting! We were so happy to have these fine folks staying with us! We had such a good time and Lillie loved playing with Joshua! He had such a good time, he wanted to stay! We would have kept him but his Mama and Daddy were not to excited about that!

Papa John was also able to come and preached on Sunday morning. We enjoyed having him come so much and I think he enjoyed seeing his grand babies!

Pictures

2008-08-13T07:20:00.005-04:00

I was going to post a nice long newsy update, but I realize most folks are just here for the kiddo pictures and I need to get ready for my day!

Sleeping Darling, you can't really tell from the pic but we have started using cloth diapers!

I was trying to get a toothy pic but I could not get the right angle.

Somebody found the paddle, I had a big laugh about this because I have a good idea of who she thought needed it.

Hey sissy, just a taste?

Pleasssssseeeee?

Bouncy ball!

The big excitement here on Monday was a crop dusting plane flew over about a dozen times. The kids were so excited, he would fly literally right over the house and you could see the man. He was really close!

Sleeping darling!

Have a good week, I hope to get back sometime before the weekend!

Birthday Pie!

2008-08-06T20:16:00.002-04:00

We went to Grandma and Grandpas house to celebrate Jay's Birthday. He had some of his favorites, Frito Pie, Slaw, and PB and J on Grandmas good rolls. Instead of cake this year he requested Chocolate Chip Pie. We had a fun evening and enjoyed it all. I wanted to get him a bible for his birthday but decided to let him go with me to pick it out! Hopefully we can do that his weekend.

Happy Birthday Jay!

2008-08-06T06:48:00.002-04:00

Today is Jay's birthday! Last night as we were laying in bed talking I apologized to him for teasing him about being old. Jay is 9 years and 180 days older than me, yes I calculated it! I like to tease him about it because he is turning 35 today and I was 25 in January. I like to say things like, WOW you are only 5 years away from 40! But it is all in fun and he knows that!

Jay is a wonderful husband and father, ALL of his girls love and adore him. The other night he was in the floor playing with them and they were crawling all over him like a jungle gym. They were laughing and Becca got all excited and was saying, Dada Dada Dada Dada. It was so sweet!

Jay, I am so thankful for you and the girls. I think so many times about those quiet early years of our marriage. The ones where we prayed and begged God that he would bless us with children. Where we sat in a quiet house and wondered how long it would be. When the girls get wound up and things get wild around here, I think about that and I think how blessed we are and how thankful I am for all of my bountiful blessings!

Happy Birthday Jay, I love you more than words can express!

Not to be deterred

2008-08-05T06:45:00.001-04:00

Becca may not be able to walk yet, but that does not keep her from climbing or anything else! She is quite the dare devil and was very proud of herself for climbing up on her chair and also for sitting on the door of the dishwasher!

Brought to you by the letter .....

2008-08-04T20:27:00.002-04:00

We have officially started home school preschool around here. As you can see it is going well! Our main focus is numbers, letters and helping with fine motor skills. We are reading a lot and taking about shapes and colors, Lillie amazed me by saying the alphabet to I the other day. Lillie and I are enjoying it and after supper tonight Lillie tried to convince me we could do some more. Her attention span is pretty normal for a 3 year old so we have several short sessions a day until we complete our work.

As you can see it is not all work and no play!

At least salt is cheap and easy to clean up!

Playing in the rain

2008-08-04T07:01:00.002-04:00

Becca's love of all that is yellow

2008-08-01T17:43:00.002-04:00

A while back I noticed that Becca seems to be attracted to things that are yellow. She has a ducky rattle Lillie gave her at the hospital, we have a stuffed yellow flower, a yellow lion, you get the idea. So yesterday I took Lillie and Gracie in Dollar Tree, I told them they could each get 1 thing. They took a while to make their selections and Becca got fussy in the buggy. We passed a display of little bouncy balls and I grabbed a yellow one and handed it to her. Her whole attitude changed, she smiled and lit up!

SO last night I was telling Jay about it and saying I had been noticing the yellow thing. He was playing on the floor with her and the yellow ball. I told him I bet we could take some blocks and she would go for the yellow one. We have those really big cardboard ones that look like bricks. So we decided to try it out, he took a red, blue and yellow one and lined them up, he put the yellow farthest away. So what do you think she did, she crawled past the red, past the blue and grabbed up the yellow one. She looked as us and did a HUGE grin!

Here are pictures of her and her ball, I wish I had caught our experiment on tape.

Busy

2008-07-30T20:38:00.000-04:00

Just so you know, I am still here! We had a good visit with Papa and Nana last weekend. Please keep Papa John in your prayers. He had to be rushed to the hospital early Monday morning, he had a ulcer and it had eroded into a blood vessel. He lost a lot of blood, and was in ICU until last night. He is hopefully on his way home now! I know he and Nana would appreciate your prayers. We love him very much and wish we could give him a big ole hug!

Some of you know that I have started something new, I am keeping 2 children in our home. They are precious children and very well behaved. Lillie and Becca sure enjoy their company. With 4 little ones and the oldest being 3 and 1/2, I am busy. But I am enjoying it and we are getting into a routine. I love being more scheduled than we have been. Lillie is taking a nap everyday and that has been a big help.

If my blogging in scarce, be patient. I have not forgotten, ,but I really feel I need to devote more time to my children, the children I am keeping, my husband, my home and most of all My Lord.

I am going to try to post a couple of times a week, so be sure and check back.

Have a great week!

Have a good weekend!

2008-07-25T07:36:00.002-04:00

Hope you all have a good weekend, we have a Pool Party to go to tonight and then in the morning we are heading to Papa and Nana's house. We will be home Sunday afternoon!

Lillie and Becca love getting a bath together.

Hey!

I think I could ride this thing!

Playing the big pillow!

The things she comes up with!!!!

2008-07-23T07:16:00.002-04:00

The other night I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and I heard Lillie saying something over and over. I turned off the water and heard her saying," Here comes the pot head, here come the pot head!" Thankfully when she rounded the corner this is what I saw!

She is constantly thinking of new ways to amuse her Mama and Daddy. I hope she keeps on trying for a very long time!

Just for fun!

2008-07-22T15:40:00.003-04:00

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My Grandmother, Margaret Elizabeth

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last Sunday, during church.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, I sometimes wonder if I should take handwriting again!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Ham

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep, Lillie 3 years old and Becca, almost 8 months!!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yeah

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? A good bit.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep, all of my original parts, except my wisdom teeth but I guess they were not original!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way, no how!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Homemade Granola

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Always, cause my fat feet won't fit out any other way.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I think so.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Bruster's Chocolate Raspberry Truffle

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? There shoes, weird I know!

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16.. What do you like the least about yourself?

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My grandmother, she passed away when I was 15.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I hope somebody will keep it going.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black shorts and no shoes!

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Peach Frozen Yogurt.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Becca playing with toys

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? peach

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? My fresh clean babies, fresh cut grass, cookies baking, apples and cinnamon.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Grandma

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I saw it on Kathi's blog and yeah I like her!

26. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Baseball

27. HAIR COLOR? Brown

28. EYE COLOR? Hazel

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope, they felt like sand in my eyes.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? My chicken enchilada casserole.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, I can't deal with scary.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Home--George of the Jungle ; Theater-- I have no idea. It has been a while.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black and White polka dots.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter, I don't like to be hot.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I am not sure. Maybe E and E will!

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Angelica

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Hmm, when would I have time to read?

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSEPAD? A nice soft gel pad for my wrist.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Nothing

42. FAVORITE SOUND? My littles girls giggly at each other.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Arkansas

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Not really.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Ocala, Florida

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? E and E

That was fun, feel free to copy and paste to your blog, hint hint E&E!

The littlest 2

2008-07-22T08:38:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, we made a trip to Sunny Florida to help pack up Deron and Laura. We had a good time and enjoyed helping and visiting with them. Continue to remember them in your prayers, especially Laura as she is still having tests done to find out where her pain is coming from. I meant to take more pictures of the weekend, but we were a smidge busy. I did take a few of Grace and Becca. They were easier to catch than the rest of them! Enjoy!

I know this one was blurred but it was cute! We caught Becca before she grabbed Grace!

Happy Tuesday!

Becca has a ........

2008-07-18T07:23:00.002-04:00

Tooth!!!!!!!! Last night I did my almost daily tooth search and low and behold there was a sharp little tooth when I rubbed her bottom gum! Don't count on seeing it or there being a picture for a while. She discovered that I really want one, so she will probably have her jaws locked for a while :)

The other night we pulled some toys out of the storage building and Lillie and Becca had a big time. I am thinking about putting some more out there so we can do it again.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Feeding Sissy

2008-07-16T20:51:00.000-04:00

I was working in the kitchen and Becca was sitting in the high chair eating puffs. I had fed her part of a jar of baby food and she seemed done so I gave her some more puffs and went back to what I was doing. I had my back to her and all of the sudden I heard a huge giggle. I turned around and this is what I saw!

Lillie decided to try and feed her, they both thought it was hilarious. Like I said , the giggles are so precious to me! I think we are in for lots of fun with these two silly little girls!

Miracles can happen!

2008-07-16T15:38:00.002-04:00

For the last week I have been looking for the charger for my camera battery. The flashing light had warned me that time was running out. I have looked, looked and looked some more! I mean not constantly but you know how it is when you something just keeps nagging you. Well I borrowed my sister in law Dona's camera for Gracie's party because still no luck. Well I was beginning to give up, you can't just pop batteries in this camera you have to have the charger. I started looking online and found a couple that would work.

Finally this morning I started thinking about options. I was almost positive I took it with us about a month ago when we went to Madison, Ga. I thought maybe I left it up there in the motel or something. I started looking in our closet and pulling out the various bags I pack in and low and behold, it was stuck in the outside pocket of one of those many bags! YAY! I am back in business, I had been in a decline. I mean you can blog without pictures, but it is hard and grandparents are not too crazy about it!

Lillie and Becca have started playing together more and it is just the cutest thing! They love to cook in Lillie's kitchen and Becca pulls up and helps. Then her poor little legs get tired and she just sits and chews on a pot while watching Lillie. I hear a steady stream of giggles these days and I would not trade them for all tea in China!

Happy Wednesday!