Thankful

I am thankful that Evan fell asleep for a nap. God knew that my "to do" list was too big to accomplish without the nap!

The Honest Scrap Award

Thanks to my friend Angie at http://cannoncreations.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules for the award:
1) You must thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.
2) You must share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.
3) You have to present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
4) Last, you must tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.

10 Honest Things:
1. I love Jesus.
2. I love Mt. Dew. Can hardly go a day without one!
3. I can't stand to unload the dishwasher. I would rather wash the dishes by hand.
4. I love to sleep in (even though I never get to).
5. I still love going on dates with my wonderful husband.
6. I love having meetings. I know that sounds weird, but it gives my that feeling of accomplishment.
7. I can't stand junk mail, phone solicitors, etc. I hang up on the phone people that don't speak instantly, and I don't feel bad about it anymore.
8. I love to read, just don't get to do it enough.
9. I would love to have a few more kids....IF I was rich and had started having them a lot younger in life.
10. I can honestly say, I think my family is complete!

I am thankful

1. I am thankful for my salvation.
2. I am thankful for my family.
3. I am thankful for my blogging friends.
4. I am thankful for my church family and friends.
5. I am thankful for my home.
6. I am thankful for my GODLY husband.
7. I am thankful that God called me and my husband into the ministry.
8. I am thankful for GREAT parents and in-laws.

Just a Thought

If we could all go back to thinking the thoughts of a child, the world would be a better place to live!

As most of you know, we are transitioning into Allee getting her own room. We live in a 3 bedroom house, and Allee was sleeping in Aiden's room, while Evan's babybed was in her room and he had no room! Now that Evan is out of the babybed, the boys are sharing and Allee is excitedly getting her own room.

My SIL was gracious enough to give us a twin bed and told us we could paint it or whatever. The bed needs freshening up just a bit and I am excited about doing this for Allee to make it special to her. However, my dreams for doing the room, bed, etc. all at one time and having a big "surprise" revealing are not going to come true. Allee was so excited about the bed that we put it up and put her in her unfinished room.

When I told Allee not to worry about how it all looked, that Mommy was going to fix it up with paint, she said, "You don't have to paint it. I like it like it is. It is beautiful." The room is mismatched and thrown together right now. But, everytime someone comes over that hasn't seen it, she proudly announces, "Do you want to come see MY NEW ROOM?"

When she did that today, it made me think about how ungrateful most of us are. We think everything has to be perfect and well put together. We think we have to give everything a "fresh coat of make-up", so to speak, in order for us to use it. This includes new Christians, new friends, and even material things like clothes and furniture. Now, don't get me wrong, we should all take care of ourselves and our posessions that God has blessed us with, but that CAN'T be the most important thing. My little girl showed me how we are guilty of teaching our children at a young age to expect nothing but the best, however, the best is different in a child's eyes. Let' be careful to keep that true! Kids don't see materialistic differences! When does that change? When do they learn to look down their nose at others and what they have or don't have? I fear that is a learned behavior. And sometimes, unfortunately, that behavior is learned from their parents.

Thanks, Allee, for opening my eyes and for keeping things so simple. Be proud of who you are and what God has blessed you with, no matter what that may be!

Evan holds on

I have been babysitting some this week as well as working at the training room for my sick boss. I was coming to the FLC to use the internet in Rick's office and as we were crossing the street, I grabbed for Evan's hand. It hit me, that usually when I do this, I don't have to grab him if we are going somewhere he wants to go, he holds my finger as tight as his little hand will wrap around mine and walks as fast as his little legs will allow. But if we are going and he doesn't want to go, like home from church, for instance, I have to hold his wrist as tight as I can and pull and lead him in the right direction.

Isn't that just like us and God. When we are excited about the direction God is taking us, man, we hold on tight to God. We wouldn't even think of letting go, for fear of danger or sadness, etc. But when God asks us to do something we don't want to do, like giving up a sin in our life, or forgiving someone we don't want to, or serving, etc. , God has to hold on tighter to us and lead us in the right direction.

Aren't you glad that God doesn't let go of us and that we can always hold tight to Him!

We had an awesome revival this week and I praise God for His goodness and His mercy. Please pray for all the lost people today, especially our family members. May we all be more concerned for the soul of the lost sinner.

Aiden cuts shirt

Aiden came home with a nice little note from school yesterday. He apparently decided that he would use his scissors to cut a nice hole in his shirt. When the teacher asked him what happened and why, he told her that he cut because he wanted to. Well, at least he didn't lie, but Rick had a long talk with him. The teacher said she explained how we need to take care of our things because Mommy and Daddy spent good money on our things. Maybe we won't have to deal with that again.

Daddy's REAL Job

Poor Daddy! Just to preface this post, I love my husband, and he does a wonderful job as the pastor of our church, the daddy of our home, and being my husband.

Rick was getting ready to go to his office and do "church stuff" like studying, phone calls, etc., and Allee asked where he was going. He said, I'm going to work. She asked where and he said, "To the office." She replied, "Oh, I thought you were going to your "real" job far away."

Rick got a huge kick out of that. Blessed as we are to have somewhat flexible schedules and our kids see us a good bit, what they don't see is what all we "really" do. I don't know why Allee is having such a hard time knowing what "daddy does." Daddy does a lot that she doesn't see. Maybe one day she will see the sacrifices we have made for "daddy" to be able to do the job he does.

We love you daddy and we appreciate ALL you do for us and others.

Too Busy

Is it just me, or do all of you feel as busy as I do? Life seemed so much simpler when I was a child. I don't remember going all the time and being a run ragged as I feel now. Last week is a blur. We try to take care of our families by doing activities and being involved, and yet, sometimes, our families are the ones to suffer the most. Let's just say, by Friday night, after a long week of craziness, a long day of church errands, picking up kids from school, room mom meeting, painting at the church, I think we ate supper and bathed....I was spent! Unfortunatlely when my youngest knocked over the toybox that I had just filled with toys before bedtime, I took my frustration out on him by screaming at him. Like he knew. He was just being a little boy. (Mischievious little boy, but nontheless...) When I realized how upset he had gotten, I got upset and was comforted by my oldest, who probably had the fear of God in him by this point and knew not to rock the boat. Afterward, I was able to find some alone time with God and talked to Rick and all was well.

I guess my point is, and I spoke on this a couple of weeks ago at a ladies retreat, be sure to not "busy" yourself out of a family and into a mental institute. Also, and we all know this but are still guilty of slipping up as I did, take time with God early! It doesn't have to be first thing, but early in your day. This reminds us that God is in control and not us. We can't function alone and we need His daily guidance to help us make decisions and not "crack up". Don't pour all of your energy into your family (kids, spouse, etc) and live no energy for yourself and your relationship with God. If we do this we may find ourselves waking years later to an empty home, but worse...an empty HEART! Let Jesus fill your heart with joy and transfer that joy to others. Let's all be a witness for Him today!

Corn is a vegetable....by Aiden

Life is busy at house. I know it is for you all too. Wednesdays are especially busy due to church. I try to get everything done before hand so the kids can go straight to bed afterward. Today, Aiden claims he was starving to death and couldn't get homework (reviewing numbers, writing and reading) accomplished until after a snack. I told him he could have a snack before I even thought about how close it was to supper, due to earlier eating for church night. He already had asked for chips and I was trying to convince him to eat a fruit instead so that he wouldn't spoil his appetite. As I was convincing, I stumbled across a small bag of corn chips and had a brain loss or something and asked if he wanted those. He said, "What are they Mama?" "Corn chips," I said. A big smile and eyebrow raise came across his face. "Mama, that will be good for me to eat, because corn is a vegetable and vegetables are good for you." He turned his little self around and marched off eating his healthy snack, never to know any different.

He has already learned so much in school. He has a wonderful teacher. I can't believe how he is picking up on the reading already. His teacher has them do a writing journal. They have to draw a picture and then write a sentence about the picture. She was sharing his folder (which stays in class) with us at open house. She encourages them to write the words they are trying to say, even if they don't know how. It is so cute to see the way they spell things. I am really amazed that she even knows what he means in the "sentences". One picture he drew and the sentence was "I went to church." He had drawn a stick man at a pulpit, (daddy of course) and several pews (straight lines) with stick people on them facing the preacher. Pretty impressive. He had packed the church full of as many stick people that would fit on the pew! That's what I like. Seeing a child with a heart for God! LOL!

Seriously, we have been studying obedience in Children's Church and it is really making a difference in my kids. We have tried reward charts before and they haven't worked, but along with prayer and a revived heart on my part, we have started getting stickers on a chart each time I "catch" them being obeidient...without whining, stomping, or a bad attitude. Their behavior overall has been better. We still have our fights, but it is a work in progess. Thank you Jesus. You are so good to us and we are so undeserving!

Evan mocks!

They learn fast! Doing what others do is not a good trait, but it is inevitable. Cute story from the Taylor bunch.

Sunday, in the midst of chaos as usual, I was preparing to leave for a meeting before p.m. service, leaving Rick to tend to the youngsters. Of course, there was whining to go with me. While I am trying to get ready and ignore the cries of the young, Evan comes running into my room screaming in pain. He had been playing in the living room with Allee, so I asked, "Allee, do you know what is wrong with your brother?" Very unconcerned and dry, she replies, "Yes, I shut his finger in the drawer." "Why did you do that, Allee?" "Because he put them in there!" Okay, I can deal with this. So I am explaining to her why it is important to be nice and help our younger brother, she is half way listening, Evan is still snubbing, and I am still getting my things together....Allee comes around the table and WHAM! hits her forehead really hard on one of the bar stools. The crying begins! I assume Rick will see how she is since he is closer, but he continues working, as if she needs no attention and really isn't hurt, so Mommy to the rescue. I squat down beside her to investigate the damage and spot a red area that seems to be okay. As I am kissing the boo-boo, Evan approaches my side, looks at Allee, looks at me, and I still can't believe I saw this from my 21 month old, but he takes his head and intentionally bops it on the bar stool, gives a really pathetic attempt at a whine/cry and lunges for me to hold him.

As I am cracking up out loud at what just happened, I walked out the door for Rick to deal with all the drama!

New Puppy

Well, actually we have had it for a month, but you know me and my updates. His name is Rosco (other names considered, Jack (by Aiden), Puddle (by Allee) and Porkchop (by Daddy). Aiden finally named him! My cousin blessed us with this adorable Jack Russell Terrier. We were excited to get him because we have a fence and all. Well, by looking at the pictures you can see the fence doesn't help. He can crawl under, through or between anything, he is so tiny! He is all puppy! Teething and biting. He is a great dog. He fetched for us on the first day, never barks and loves to run and play, AND all of the kids can pick him up easily! I can't believe we added something else to our lives, but so far he has been no trouble at all! Evan says, when you ask him about the puppy, "Osco bite me". But Evan is the one who shows the most interest. Now that he has starting nibbling on toes, Allee runs from him (she always has exposed toes in flip flops). Aiden tried to take him for a ride in the little coup car, which seems nice, except he put him through the hole in the handle and the poor thing was hanging there by his neck....not barking though! We had a long talk about that!

Random Summer Pics

Allee, Aiden , Evan at Nathan's B'day Aiden's 5 Year B'day
Evan being silly

Aiden at VBS - Camo night

Allee at VBS - Crazy Hair

Allee and Aiden at Nathan's party

Kindergarden "Here I Come"

Aiden started his first day at Walker Elem yesterday. He absoultely loved it! Except for P.E. He said those "referrees" wouldn't let them play, even though they told them they could. "All they did was talk to us." He cried this morning because he didn't want to go to school. When I asked him why, he said because he didn't want to go to P.E. Poor thing...first day and already found something to fuss about. Otherwise, it was a huge sucess.
I didn't really get sad until I took Allee to pre-school this morning. Then it hit me. Aiden went to pre-school for 3 years and now Allee is in her second year. It was strange to take her in without him. She didn't seem to mind, though. She was very excited to see all her friends. I can't believe I am already in this place. Sending my first off to his first day of 13 years, if the Lord tarries. It's a little scary, but I am happy for him.

As you all can see, I have been out all summer. We did lots of fun things and were on the go a lot, but with three small children at home all day and slow internet, no time for posting blogs and writing. Maybe now I can beging to get back on track. I've missed you guys!

Know too much

I tried to upload pic, but after 10 min I gave up, so here is a random story for you!

Quick disclaimer: Against better judgement that we (I) usually have on our children's viewing privaledges, I found Spider Man 1 and 2 for $5 each and had them in my gift closest. Aiden LOVES SM! So, for V-day, instead of candy, that is what he got. He loves the "real" Peter Parker and watches the movie as often as we let him. Also, if you haven't seen the movie, disregard this post.

We were riding home from town and Aiden was watching SM. He was saying, "No Peter, watch out, that spider is gonna bite you!" I quickly explained to him that the spider had to bite Peter or the movie wouldn't be called SpiderMan. He said, "Yeah, I know Mom. If the spider didn't bite him the movie would just be called 'Peter Parker' and that would be silly!" Then on the way home yesterday, watching part 2 now, the end was on at the part where Mary Jane (the love of his life) had chosen to love SpiderMan, despite knowing the danger involved and the dedication he would have to others. They are discussing their future when SpiderMan hears a siren in the distance which indicates he has to leave her to go and help. She says, "Go gett'em tiger". Aiden asks, "Mom, why did she call Peter a tiger?" I laughed and deferred the question to Daddy. Daddy said, "Oh, she's just being silly." (It gets better). Allee chimed in "Aiden, Mary Jane just wants to know if Peter Pawrker will come to her wedding."

So, all that to say, too much spiderman is NOT a good thing. That and the fact he literally tries to climb the walls!

Aiden turns 5

Oh My!!!! I can't believe it! My baby turned 5 today. As I am writing this, I am full of mixed emotions. Part of me wants to go into my room, shut the door, get all of my home videos and pile up on the bed watching and crying, thinking of all the times I could have been nicer, taught him a better lesson, yelled less, been a better mom....you know, think of how fast the years have gone by! It seems like yesterday that I was being wheeled down that scary hallway to the delivery room! But the other part of me chokes back tears of joy and thankfulness that God allowed him to be born in the first place! Most of you know the story of my little miracle and the close call he had with death and I am so happy that he is celebrating his 5th birthday. How can I even think of being sad when he brings me such joy and each day that he grows he learns something more, something different and faces new obstacles. We measured him today and he had grown an inch since March. Pre-school graduation was tough and I know the first day of "big boy" school will be worse. (Okay, I've got to stop before I drown....thanks to my bf, I just finished watching a sad episode of Jon and Kate, too.)

On a lighter note, you all know my Aiden well. He catches on to all that you say. I am always saying how I don't want him to grow up. Today he told me that it is going to be okay that he is growing up because he will just learn more new stories to tell me as he gets older.

He was also flirting with a school friend in church yesterday and had to be moved, his temper has been awful today....I think instead of turning 5 he reverted to 2! But he's my baby and I love him dearly! I can't imagine my life without him (or the others either, of course). I just wish my writing could let you all know him the way we do! He actually did a little marital counseling today. Rick and I were "discussing" our events for the day and our schedule was conflicting a little and I was trying to "help" get it all done to decress his stress. Anywho..we were all in the vehicle together while we were "discussing" (truly, it wasn't a fight), and Aiden (always listening) chimed in to help. I had just said something to the effect of 'you just need to do what you need to do and not worry about me and the kids, we'll do our own thing.' Meaning, don't let our schedule hinder yours. Aiden said, "Dad, I think Mom is right. You just do what you need to do and we will do what we need to do and then ya'll don't have to fight." I quickly told him we were not fighting and then Rick and I got a big laugh out it. So he may be a counselor. He worked for us!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDEN! WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

P.S. You know I would love to post a pic but I am one of the 5 people left in the US still on dial up so whereas this post took 5 min to load, the pic would take an eternity! Post some when I can! Hang with me guys.

Updated pictures

Easter at my Granny Earnest! All the Great-Grandkids except for 4 that live out of town. Isn't she blessed! Thanks for a great day! My Family at Easter Service !

Kids at the Montgomery Zoo!

There would be more pics. But is taking 20 forevers to load one image and I have many errands to complete today. Maybe I can get to the office and catch up on birthday pics, zoo, ect. Hang with me guys. I am doing the best I can!

Can I go to your wedding?

Yesterday, Allee and I were setting up for Ladies Night Out and out of the blue she said, "Mom, when are we going to go to the wedding?" "What wedding Allee?" "Your's and Daddy's!" "Well, Allee, Mommy and Daddy have already had one wedding. We probably won't have another one." Burst into pouty tears! "Allee, why are you crying?" "Because I really wanted to go to your wedding!" God love her! She is so cute and thoughtful and emotional....oh, no....she's all GIRL!

She also asked me about what we were doing. This was the conversation.

Allee: What we doin mommy.
Me: Setting up for our Ladies Night Out.
Allee: What's that?
Me: Well, we eat and have a speaker.
Allee: Am I gonna come?
Me: Well, I hadn't planned on it, but I guess you could.
Allee: Yeah, I want to.
Me: It will probably be boring to you, you have to sit really still.
Allee: I can do that.
Me: You can?
Allee: Uh, huh. What ya'll gonna eat.
Me: Well, we're gonna have ham.
Allee: Ummmm, I love ham.
Me: And green beans...
Allee: Ummm, I love green beans.
Me: and corn
Allee: on the cob?
Me: No.
Allee: corn off the cob?
Me: yes
Allee: ummm, I love corn off the cob.
Me: and hasbrown casserole
Allee: ummm, I love hashbrown casserole.
Bless her heart. I hope she doesn't figure out that she didnt' get to go, b/c she CANNOT sit still!

She got her costume for her gymnastics "decital" as she calls it. It will be in two weeks. She is so excited.

A whole Month----Seriously

Wow! Am I a loser or what? JK. So much has happened and you all know my computer and internet situation. I haven't had time to get to town except for groceries. And, now, our computer crashed, so this may be a last note for a while. LOL. Let's see if I can catch you up.

Easter - Wonderful week and weekend. We had an Easter drama at church and because of our lack of a new building, we had to have service in the FLC for room. Setting up a gym to look like a sanctuary takes lots and lots of time! Most our our first two weeks of April were spent there! All went well at the service. We had tons of people and good fun. We got to visit all of the family after church for our egg hunt. Evan didn't really care for hunting his first eggs. He would rather throw them like a ball. My Granny had a little ceramic dog sitting in her flower bed with an egg hid beside it. Evan wouldn't get the egg because he would shiver at the dog, thinking it was real. It was so cute! Allee still loves to hunt and eat the eggs! Aiden is in limbo. Whatever everyone else does is okay with him.

Spring Break - Spring Break was very busy for us. We went to the Montgomery Zoo with MiMi and the boys and had lots of fun. Aiden didn't much care for eating beside the giraffes because of the smell! He told Allee if she would breath out instead of in she wouldn't smell it! We also spent a night at the River. They love going there, but do not understand that the water just isn't warm enough to get in yet. I had to work, so the trip was a little short. I am filling in at NHS until the end of the school year, so life just got busier! (if that is possible).

WAC - We had our WAC (Women Active For Christ) State Meeting this weekend. I was in great need of spiritual renewal, and God really showed up! I was amazed at His work. On Friday night, we had an executive committee meeting and shared some prayer request. I shared that I wanted everyone to pray for my neice in Hawaii that God would send someone to witness to her and help mentor her while she was there, living on a military base with her new husband and one year old, expecting another! Last night, my mom told me that someone invited them to church! WOW GOD! That's fast! I have been praying for months, but the power of Gods people praying in one accord works miracles! Thank you to anyone who prayed for her and please continue.

God showed me and reminded me this weekend of how valuable our time with him is. He spoke the same message to me through four different people this weekend, our president on Friday night, a dear friend who shared a devotion on Sat, our National Sec/Tre on Sat, and my own husbands message on Sunday. I have been struggling with getting alone time with God and have been guilty of making the excuse that God will have to understand because He knows my position with the kids distracting me and the things that I HAVE to get done. Right? Wrong! Boy did He remind me....WRONG! God desires to fellowship with us. And I not talking about that little bit of reading our bible and saying our night time prayer just to check that off of our to-do list! I am talking about FELLOWSHIP! COMMUNICATION! Like we do with our own spouse or children! Ya'll have heard me say all of this before, but I am sure you, like me, need to be reminded from time to time. I have to give God glory and praise. He woke me up at 5 am and let the kids stay asleep and I actually got to spend quality time with Him this morning. Thank you God!

One other quick praise item....Aiden and Allee had a slight 4-wheeler wreck on Sat. Aiden did not see the ditch and hit it, causing Allee to fall off! She hit the gravel face first. I had to pick rocks out of her back teeth. She has a few scratches on her lip and her inside jaw was bit, but other than that, no damage. Thank you God for protecting my babies and making what could have been bad, not so bad!

Hope you all have a wonderful week. Sorry this was quick. I will try to keep posted better. I have missed telling you tons of funny kid stories, but I felt this was most important today!

Also, our 7th annual Ladies Night Out is May 1st. The B Team Angels are speaking. Starts at 7pm. All ladies welcome. Hope to see you there.

So much happening

Okay, so much has happened since tubes, I do not have time to catch up. Overall, Evan in doing great. We had a great check up and he has been sleeping well, for the most part. We now have runny nose and low grade temp from cutting molars I am sure! We had 15 mo check up and weigh a whopping 20.8 pounds! I can't believe he is already this old. He has gotten such a personality (and temper) lately. He is beginning to communicate in his own language in sentences....too bad I have no idea what he wants. I understand lots of individual words, but when he talks in sentences, it is mumbo-jumbo! So cute, though!

The other day, during chaotic bath time, Rick went to get Aidens PJs and found Evan in Aidens room alone, sitting on the TOP BUNK! Needless to say, the ladder is now removed during daytime hours and only put up when Evan is sleeping.

On a different note, church has been busy and wonderful. We had a v-ball tourn last weekend that was a ton of fun! Well, I was a little too competitive, but I just can't help it! Fun anyway! I was reading in my Sunday School lesson that was on Love this week and it points out how Love is a commandment from God. It also says that we are to not only show love to God, but to everyone. How are our children ever going to learn to show love to others and God, if we dont show that same love. We are their examples. Do your children see you showing love to others? Too Christ? How will they learn to be Christ like if they don't see it? How much do we REALLY love others? How will you show love today? Love is an ACTION, not just an EMOTION!

Evan got tubes

Today was the day! Evan got tubes in his ears and he did great. NaNa T came and met us yesterday to get Aiden and Allee to spend the night, so we had a fun night with just the little one. He is growing up so fast. He is so fast. I can't keep up with him. He woke up when we put him in the car at 5:30, and stayed awake. My biggest concern was him wanting food. He did fine for the first hour, but around 7:15, when we had been playing ball for 45 min to occupy him, he whined for a "nack". We redirected his attention, and that was that. He was so good. No crying until they were bringing him back to the room and it stopped instantly when he got Mommy, froggy and juice! I was concerned that we may not need them since he had seemed a little better lately, but the doc informed us that he still had significant fluid on the L. So, I am glad we did. Thanks for all of your prayers and continue to pray that this will help him rest better!

Evan and doughnuts

It is no secret that all three of my boys LOVE sweets! Rick, Aiden and Evan could eat their weight in doughnuts! Aiden can eat a whole dozen of krispy kreme if you don't watch him. He even sneaks and gets them if they are around and trys to hide that he has them.

Well, Evan is carrying on the tradition. Yesterday morning after he had already eaten breakfast, he started whining and we didn't know what he wanted. Rick got him up and he and I were talking while Evan was pointing toward the "snack" cabinet. We weren't really paying much attention to him and all of a sudden he took his pacy out of his mouth and I swear he said in his little baby voice mumbo jumbo..."i wanna doughnut." Rick and I looked at each other at the same time and said, "did he say doughnut." When we got the white powdered doughnut from the cabinet the kid went crazy....bouncing, smiling, screaming with excitement.

However, he is picky. I tried to break one in half to give to him to decrease the mess and he stomped his foot and shook his head. I immediately offered him a whole one and he gladly accepted and devoured it! He is a mess!

Birthday lunch with MiMi

After the ears, we picked Aiden up from school and talked them into chips and dip from Jalepeno's for Allee's lunch! They sang the birthday song in Spanish! Allee was so tickled. She wasn't so sure about the hat though and Aiden was more focused on sitting on the donkey outside! Thanks again MiMi. We had a blast....and thanks to Daddy for keeping Evan home so we could enjoy our girls day out! BTW - MiMi took her in the shoe store......BIG MISTAKE! The girl is picky and wants it all! After trying on virtually every shoe in the store, she ended up with princess house shoes which she insisted on wearing out of the store. As a matter of fact, that is them in the window seal behind her in the picture!

Allee Beth Gets Earrings

Allee turns 3 this Saturday. MiMi has been wanting to get her ears pierced for an entire year. I finally agreed. So, MiMi called and we let Allee skip school on Monday to get it done. She was so excited. I kept telling her it would hurt and she said matter of factly (just gotta know her), "No, it aint gonna hurt me cuz I'm strong." I would say, Yes, it will hurt and she would argue, "No it won't." So off we go! I tried to make sure she understood before we began the process, but she still wanted them. So she picked out the cute pink flower earrings and below is the process!

Allee waiting in the chair...very excited!

She gets the dots on her ears to mark the spot!

Getting them cleaned.

Gun in position...she still thinking "it aint gonna hurt."

She tried to hold her tears. I think she was more shocked that in pain. She still wanted them though. She looked so pitiful. The cry was more of a whimpering sad boo hoo.

Second ear. I was shocked she sat so still. She said it hurt but she was ready for the second one.

All done! "It hoorts!"

Seconds later....Thank you MiMi...I love my new earrings!

She has done well with the cleaning "3 times a day" so far and no complaints. I hope she keeps it up. They really are cute! Thanks MiMi!

Snow Picture Updates

You all know me and my computer. Just now getting time to get these in. Aiden asked when we would get snow again b/c he had so much fun! I told him it could be years!!!!

The Taylor Family before church. Poor little Evan didn't even have shoes on and it was still snowing hard!Aiden wanted to build a big snow man. I started he and Allee a small ball. He was making the middle, Allee the head and me the bottom. His ball got bigger than mine real fast! He was so excited.Allee was proud of her ball too! The finished product! Aiden didn't like the fact that we didn't have all the right things for his face, like a carrot nose! Oh well. When you live in Alabama, you don't stay prepared for the snowman making contest!

Wonderful Weekend - AND Aiden Funny!

Okay...so we live in Alabama and the weather outside is frightful... WHAT A WEEKEND!
First, we had Upward Awards scheduled for Friday night and the program was great, but the weather....what a mess! Warm, tornado threats, thunderstorms, etc. I was scheduled to work a SB tourny Sat a.m. Well, I knew that wasn't going to happen. By morning, the rain had not stopped, but the temp started to slowly drop. By afternoon, it was frigid. By midnight we had snow! This morning we woke to a beautiful yard full of the white stuff. I thought my kids would jump out of their skin. Aiden was the cutest: "Moma, it really did snow. Can we make snow angels, and snow balls, and play, and snowmen, and..and..and..." "Yes, son, but you have to wait!" "Mama, I am so thankful that God gave us the beautiful day with snow." Awwww. I will post more on snow when I get my pics uploaded. So, in Alabama, you can wear shorts on Thu, raincoat and mudders on Fri, long sleeve on Sat, and coveralls on Sun. And then repeat it the next week. It will be 20 tomorrow night and 76 on Friday!

During this wonderful weekend, my son has really been acting the part of a gentlemen. I have noticed he is trying to be more helpful, esp when cleaning up toys. Friday, the kids were getting to watch a movie, but were to clean up before. Allee had made a mess in her room and was refusing to pick up. I was trying to help and had already told Aiden he was excused because he did not make this mess. He came back in and started helping anyway, and before I could get Allee to pick up one toy, he had cleaned them all! As I was bragging on him (he loves the bragging) for doing such a good job and being so helpful to his Sissy and Mommy, I was being a little silly and said
"Aiden, you are the best "cleaner upper" that I know." (Now, you have to know Aiden...)
He turned and with a very serious face said, "Mom, I think you mean "cleaner" (emphasizing the word)...I am the best "cleaner" you know.
"Yeah, that's what I meant."
"Mom, you said cleaner upper....hey, cleaner upper...that....."
"Matches! (Again, being silly, finishing his sentence)
"Mooommm! Match is when things "looookkk" alike, RHYME is when words have the same ending."

Thank you "4 year old son of mine " for my grammer lesson!

Little one don't sleep

So we finally got our ears checked, thanks to advice from Kim. He did have a small amount of fluid on both ears. The doctor gave us the option of tubes or nasonex nose spray. I decided on the nose spray to buy some time to decide, but we are still very restless, not sleeping (me, Rick or him) and very irratable at night, so I think we are leaning toward tubes. My feeling is it is too simple of a procedure to split hairs over. If it will give him the chance of some relief, I think I am willing to take the chance. Please pray we will make the right decision.

The picture is of Evan in our car. The kids got a DVD player for the car from their special sitters (second family) and Evan has really began to enjoy it. We have been playing one of Aiden's movies, "Angel Wars", over and over, just for the sake of not having to change the DVD and the kids don't seem to mind. Evan is so spoiled now. He gets in the car and starts pointing. When he is watching, he is mesmorized, as pictured above. Now, he will NOT watch TV or movies in the house!!!! Too funny!

Nursery Rhyme Week

This week was nursery rhyme week at preschool. We new we were having dress up at the beginning of the month, but I always wait till the last minute. Aiden wanted to be humpty dumpty and Allee wanted to be Cinderella (not a nursery rhyme). Ms. Crystal told us that SLT was wearing her old fashioned day dress, so I thought that was a great idea. So we looked for a character that I thought would fit her dress and came up with "Mary had a little lamb" and Rick talked Aiden into being "Old MacDonald." Aiden thought he was the coolest with his hanky in his pocket. He isn't squinting his eyes in the picture (he says), he was looking like a farmer. (whatever! and the crossed arms was apparently something to do with a farmer too.)

My little princess

Allee had a special day last night and today. She got to go home with Ms. Missy and NaNa Jan and spent the day shopping and at Chucky Cheese. She came home with all types of goodies. This all came about Sunday night at church when she invited herself over. She couldn't go Sunday, so they promised to come get her Monday. She had it all planned out. She wanted to take her Dora tent and sleeping bag so they could camp outside. That fell through. LOL. When they got here to pick her up, she had her bag packed and practically ran to the door. Her middle name should have been "go". With Allee away, Aiden was able to have Mommy and Daddy to himself after Evan went to bed. Rick and I were watching CSI and thought he would go to bed, but he wanted to watch and eat popcorn. So, although not a kid show, we let him watch some of it. He is fascinated by the different gross stuff on there. He also ate two bags of popcorn and asked for a third. It was a little weird with just him, but we had a blast. Brought back some old memories. Thanks NaNa and Ms. Missy.

Can you spare a square?

This post will be a little different from most, but I hope you can all find the light hearted humor...

Typical night at the Taylor home that we call a circus! We ate an early supper, Rick went to play basketball, so I am alone with the three kids. They are playing, or two are playing and the baby is following me around whining like a puppy with pacy in mouth and froggy in hand. The issue of a potty break comes up for Mommy. Now, all you mothers of little babies, toddlers, or kids of any age under 10 can probably relate to this moment. You need privacy, you want privacy, privacy is expected, but do you actually get it? Now, Rick...YES! Newspaper in hand, he WILL get his time, if for no other purpose but peace and quiet and you had better not interrupt, bother, talk to...etc until he is finished reading, or whatever. Now, Me on the other hand, I don't get that nice quiet time alone (unless Rick is here and I ask him to "GET THEM OUT OF HERE!"). I have to wait until I can't wait any longer, then try to catch them in another room playing, run to the bathroom and pray they don't figure out where I am if only for a minute, only to be met by a door opening in my face and a conversation striking up! Any of you relate? Now since Evan has been mobile, even all of that is difficult. I usually have to take him and a toy into the bathroom, and even then he usually ends up in my lap (especially if we are the only two in the house and he has no one to play with). Well, tonight was just that scenario. I was going to make a really quick bathroom stop (with Evan in lap) and then off to more Mommy duties. I ran in so quickly, I didn't notice the missing toilet paper. The spare roll holder that holds 5 rolls...EMPTY! So I did the logical thing...I yell for my 4 year old to come rescue me! As I am trying to explain how to get toliet paper off the roller in the other bathroom, he is telling me he heard a noise in there and is too scared to go back without me! NOW WHAT! Just as I am about to talk Aiden out of being scared, Evan crawls out of my lap and shuts the opened bathroom door. As I am about to scold him, I look to see him playing with a NEW roll of paper sitting randomly behind the door! I just thanked God and laughed.

Now, if you can't thank God for the little things in life, something is definately wrong with you! I sure thanked him for my little things, especially the babies in the bathroom today!

P.S. Hope this didn't embarrass any of my readers! Most of you who are reading know me well, and very little embarrasses me. If you know my husband, don't tell him what I wrote about him! LOL! JK! AND my whole scenario could have been prevented if the person who used the last of the paper had replaced the roll in the first place!

Southern hospitality

Just a thought! I had to run in the grocery store real quick the other day and as I was rushing around, I took note that out of 3 teenagers that I came into contact with while they were checking out my groceries and working, all three had good manners. Now, I know some of you northerners do not think manners and respect are of any importance, but this southern girl loves it! I love being called ma'am, people saying thank you and please...etc. I used to wander why I got in trouble for not saying "aunt or uncle", but now I how disrespectful is sounds for a child to not put some kind of prefix before addressing an adult. I know this is preference, but I like it...ex. Ms. or Mr. First name....

All that to say, I am very proud to live in the South where hospitality is still being used, even if not used the way or as often as it used to be, thank the good Lord we still have some parents teaching manners to their children. Those parents are to be praised....it's not going unnoticed! Let's focus on the good in people rather than always trying to find the bad!

Praise God!

God is so GOOD! Our church has been really growing since January when we decided to take a leap of faith and offer two morning worship services to allow for more seating room for our current congregation. We had 176 people in worship this morning. Now, for some of you that attend large churches, that may not be a big deal, but to us....it is GOD....simply amazing. It just proves that God can AND WILL do anything if only you have the Faith to Believe in Him and put it in His hands! Thank you, God, for the amazing work you are doing in our community!

I just realized how long it has been since my last blog. I worked the week before and spent this last week catching up! Our church enjoyed a V-Day banquet with Fireproof movie and Rick and I enjoyed a night away at the beginning of the week for a Pastor's Worker's Conference in Forestdale. The speakers were magnificant and we had a great couple of days to ourselves. Thanks to the family who kept our kids! We love ya'll!

Upward is almost over and it has been wonderful this year. This is only our second year and it is lots of work, but we seemed to have more people pitch in and help. We also had some great coaches. Thanks to all of you who helped make this year a success. We will have Awards Celebration on Friday night. Please pray with me that we will see the results of God's work with at least one profession of faith! That would be a perfect ending to the season.

If you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry. We have a PRINCESS that will be turning 3 on March 14 and is already wanting party details, so I have to get busy. I'll keep you posted.

Praise God for 70s

We had a blast yesterday in the Sunshine! Thank you God! Allee went home from church with NaNa BooBoo and Evan was down for a nap, so Aiden and I rushed out to enjoy the day. We got to ride 4-wheeler, play golf and wash the 4-wheeler. It was so much fun. I forget what it is like to have one on one time with any of my children. Then, when Evan woke up, he couldn't wait to get outside too. They both found the nasty sandbox, so I let them play for a while. It was a great day!

Shelby's First Day of School

We welcomed BFF Shelby to Chapel Hill Preschool last week. Even though she isn't in Allee or Aiden's room, they were so excited to have her come with them. We got to bring Shelby to school because her Mommy is in school, too! She did great! I felt like I was running a preschool myself be the time I got home! We love you Shelby!

Abbi wins!

Last weekend, my neice Abbi was in the Fayette Middle School Beauty Pageant. SHE WON the 5th grade division! Allee thought she was a princess. Allee had a ball picking out her favorite dress in each category and who she thought look the prettiest. We didn't always agree, but it was fun. Of course, we both thought Abbi was the prettiest in her purple dress! Congrats Abbi! We love You! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A "little Behind"

I was posting this as actually being "a little behind" on my blog, but then I remembered this cute pic of Evan I took last night. Allison bought him some cute jeans for his birthday, and although a bit to big, I let him wear to church last night. When we got home, he was playing so hard, he couldn't keep his pants up. This picture is a little more than "bustin a sag".

Allee's Hair Isn't that Bad!

Okay, thanks to having a sister as your hair dresser, Allee came out with a cute little haircut and if you had not seen her hair before, you probably couldn't even tell! Although, last night when we were in the bath tub, Rick came in after I had washed her hair and said, "I smell something burning." Aiden quickly replied, "No, Dad, it's just Allee's hair." It does still smell when you get it wet. Just like when you get a fresh perm. Ladies, you know what I am talking about.

Here are a couple of pics, before and after. Look closely at the before and you can see a wad of orange hair at the very bottom. When Janet brushed it out that afternoon, it went in a perfect angle up to one side...we cut about 3 inches to even it up and left some burnt up underneath (almost to the scalp) to grow out and cut out over several haircuts!

Allee's Hair

We had an interesting morning at the Taylor household. We were getting ready for school and Rick and I had an appointment to do our Taxes (yuck) after dropping the kids out, so the morning was busy! Allee and Evan were ready, Aiden was in the process. Rick was fixing breakfast (juice cups and pop tarts) and I was with Aiden. We have recently cut our heating unit off and have been using our gas wall heater, due to the rising power bill and our poorly insulated older house. Allee, for some odd reason, backed up to the heater to warm. Rick smelled a funny smell and looked up to see her standing to closely. When he told her to move, he saw her beautiful, long blonde hair all singed (or however you spell that) up in the back in a big ball of burned hair! It was awful. After panicking and near tears, I realized it was just hair that would grow back and made the call to MiMi for an emergency haircut. I couldn't get her on the phone and finally resorted to brushing the burned parts out and sending her to school. We are at MiMi's now about to examine the damage. I just praise the Lord that she didn't catch fire. So, be careful! Heaters are still hot, even if they don't touch!!!!! Will post pictures and more details later!

Prayer Time

I have been struggling with getting adequate time alone with God lately. I get in my Bible reading, but finding true quiet time to really talk to God has been difficult. I found myself the day after something important happened that I was suppose to pray about, saying, "Oh, I forgot." So, those of you who know me know that I am a list person...I decided to try a new system. I listed all the things that I wanted or needed to pray about that were not immediate, daily requests...you know, the things you want to remember, but take the back burner to the things in front of your face, like your sick kids! I numbered each item and made a scale at the bottom of the list for each day of the week. Then I divided the numbers up equally between the days. Each morning, I glance at my list and find the item number I am to pray for, then throughout the day, even if I don't get to stop and have true quiet time, I mention those request to God. I keep those requests on my mind all day. That way, I am getting prayer time for all the needs. Some days are better than others, but this is my second week to try it and it is working for me so far! I know some of you make think I am crazy, but maybe you should try something different in your prayer time, too. I have also tried writing letters to God. This way, my mind doesn't wander into all of the areas of things I need to do and I can truly talk to God!

Sleepless in Samantha!

Here we go again! Evan has been the best of the three as far as sleeping, until recently. I decided when he was born that I would train him to stay in his babybed, and at night and naps, when he gets sleepy, he finds pacy and green frog and nudges us toward his room. I turn the mobile on, say nite, nite, and he drifts off to sleep! WOW! I know...amazing! (that happens, MOST of the time, not all). BUT, the last 2-3 months have progressively gotten worse. He still goes to bed fine, but wakes up all hours of the night. I feel like it is his ears, but it is beginning to wear on me and my lack of sleep. Night before last, the entire family was wide awake at 3:30 a.m., and last night wasn't much better. Please pray for Evan to get some sleep so that the rest of the house can sleep!

Major Updates - keep scrolling

I tried not to put lots of writing since it has been so long since I posted. Keep scrolling down to see what all has happened in our lives since Halloween! That is just SAD! I even left out several events that I didn't have pics of. Our church had a major Christmas play that required lots of building and decorating, but all went well. We have started Upward Basketball which has lots of work involved, but is going great. We have also started two services on Sunday A.M. to make more room for visitors. Since we began, our number have increased in Sunday school especially! The Lord has really blessed! Rick has met with an architect to talk about possilbly building new santctuary! Please pray that God's work will be accomplished as He sees fit! Hope you enjoy the updates.

Happy Birthday EVAN!

Evan celebrated his 1st birthday the Saturday after Christmas with Big Al! A few friends and family gathered and he had a blast! Crystal's Mom made all three kids the cutest Alabama outfits. They were adorable! Thanks Mrs. McDaniel! It was a fun day, but the stress of the holidays, then a birthday, then new year....don't know if I will do it that way again. Not sure how his birthdays will end up, but I had to have a separate 1st birthday! I can't believe he is growing up so fast!

4-Wheeler

My no asking on our part, NaNa and Pop thought it necessary to get the kids a small 4-wheeler for Christmas. They LOVED IT! We all met on Christmas day at the Ag bldg in Kennedy and all the kids brought their 4-wheelers to ride. I thought Aiden would be afraid of it, but he wasn't. He did really good with Allee on it, but when cousin DJ (who is the coolest according to Aiden) got on for a ride, Aiden went a little too fast in his turn and off they went. So he wrecked in the first few hours of having it. I thought NaNa T would have a heartattack, but everyone was okay. Aiden had a skinned up leg, but got right back on. It will be a long while before I trust him with Evan (like 3 years), or before we let the throttle back out, but we have really enjoyed it. Mommy even takes a ride. Thanks NaNa and Pop!

P.S. They have a real helmet now! No Worries!

Meet Addison

Aiden and Addison had some fun play time together at NaNa BooBoo's over the holidays. She is my great-neice and the sweetest thing I have ever seen. She will turn one on Valentines day. She and her mommy will be moving away soon and we will really miss her. We love you Addy!