The Scott Spot

Bedtime Conversation with Asa

2010-06-23T20:18:00.003-04:00

Here's a part of a conversation I had with Asa at bedtime tonight....
Me: Avery is going to Carlie's house to play tomorrow and Mommy is taking you and Brynn to the Highlands (pool).
Asa: (trying to spell the way he says it) Avee's go to Collie's house. I go to da Highlands.
Me: That's right!
Asa: Bwynn's go to Emmie's house.
Me: Emmie IS Brynn's friend, but Brynn's not going to Emmie's house tomorrow. Who is ASA's friend? Whose house would YOU like to go to for a playdate one day?
Asa: Asa needs stay with MOMMY!!

That's right, baby! You just keep saying that! I'll keep you as LONG as you'll let me!

Sesame Street LIVE

2010-06-08T14:44:00.002-04:00

What a fun family outing....going to see Sesame Street LIVE at the Centreplex. The five of us went with Grandmommy, Grandma Shirley, and Carson. Great show! Good times!

Kick Off to Summer!

2010-06-01T14:24:00.002-04:00

HOORAY!! It's summertime, and I can hardly wait! Vacations at the beach, days at the pool, sleeping in, no deadlines, family field trips, going to the movies, summer camps, Xtreme Week, crafts, playing in the sprinkler, watermelon....ooooh, these are just some of my favorite things about summer! We kicked off the break by going with Shirley and Al and Shawn and Ash and all of the kids to St. Simons for Memorial Day weekend. It was a great trip - the 7 cousins played great together and had so much fun on the beach. I am so thankful for a place we can go together like Myra's house at SSI. What a blessing!

Asa making mud pies in the sand.

Baylor and Avery playing in the waves.

The girls taking a break from the water to rest on the rocks.

Avery's 5K Graduation

2010-05-19T22:53:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that my baby has completed kindergarten. What a fun and exciting year it has been! Avery has loved going to school every single day, and Mrs. Kitchens has been the BEST teacher in the world! For graduation, the kids performed an adorable play about Old MacDonald's Garden coming to life. Avery was a sunflower. Every child had to learn their lines, and they did such a fantastic job. The costumes, the motions, the lines, the songs, were all just perfect. They also showed a memory DVD of the year, and it made us all get teary eyed to see how much our little ones had grown up over the course of the year. Avery is already excited about becoming a big 1st grader!

Asa in a BIG BOY BED...finally!

2010-05-15T23:07:00.000-04:00

Well, tonight Asa spent his first night in his big boy bed. It's funny how different things are for that 3rd child. Avery was in hers by 20 months, Brynn by 18 months, and here Asa is 2 and a half and was still sleeping in his crib. He had only started climbing out of it regularly in the last month or 2, so I really haven't been in a rush. He was fairly excited about it (not nearly as over the top as my other 2 drama queens), and he fell right to sleep. My baby boy is growing up WAY TOO FAST!

So proud of his new bed!

Getting ready to say prayers.

Goodnight Asa!

Sleep Tight!

Our Little Tumble Queen

2010-05-15T22:13:00.004-04:00

Brynn took gymnastics this year at Sportz Quest. When trying to decide between ballet or gymnastics, we decided that Brynn would rather tumble and climb than twirl and plie! I think it turned out to be a good decision, and she was actually pretty good at it. She loved her little class and her teacher, Ms. Margarita. On the last day of class (last Thursday), she got a medal and a certificate. She was proud of herself!

End of the Year Parties

2010-05-15T19:30:00.007-04:00

The last weeks of school are always busy with end of the year parties for the kids. Asa's was on Friday, May 7. I went to hear him sing some songs in his classroom, and then we had a picnic lunch outside. Asa absolutely LOVES his teachers, and on days that he does not have school, he cries, "I wanna see my TEACHERS!" Mrs. Dianne, Mrs. Amber and Mrs. Connie have been such a blessing in his life!

Brynn's 3K Hoe Down was on May 12. We had a country breakfast, the kids sang, we went back to the room for some presentations, and then she got to rotate to the activity stations. It has been a wonderful year as a Fantastic Fish in Mrs. Chrissie and Ms. Kimberly's class. Brynn has loved every day that she got to go to school at Ingleside!

Avery's class party was a swimming party on Friday, May 14. She enjoyed playing in the pool with all of her friends. Mrs. Kitchens and Mrs. Parrish have been GREAT this year, and I couldn't ask for better teachers to make her Kindergarten experience a special one!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T19:36:00.003-04:00

We had a great Mother's Day yesterday...went to church, got some pics with the kids, took them to the fair (with Nonna, Granddad and Uncle Jeff), and then cooked Mother's Day dinner for the 2 Shirleys (my mom and Bryan's mom), Papa and Al. It was a fun filled day of enjoying my own children and being thankful for the wonderful Moms that God put in my life. I am truly blessed!

Silly Face!

Asa's first time at the fair...a big hit!

I'm FIRING the Tooth Fairy!

2010-05-09T19:15:00.000-04:00

Bryan pulled Avery's 2nd tooth yesterday, and once again, the Tooth Fairy called and told Avery she'd be dropping by. Well.....this morning, Avery walked into my room with this downcast look on her face.
Me: What's wrong, baby?
Avery: (Holds out her tooth) She didn't leave me ANYTHING!
Me: (Panicking) Oh no, sweetheart, she must've been sooooo busy last night with all the children who lost teeth. Maybe she'll come tomorrow.
Avery: But she SAID she was going to come last night! (She's now about to cry, and it's KILLING me!)
Me: (desperate at this point!) Why don't you run get your milk out of the fridge, and then I'll go help you look around your room. (Avery leaves....Mommy improvises.....QUICK!) I go back to Avery's room.
Me: Avery, lets look and see if she left a note explaining why she didn't leave you anything. You know sometimes, she will let you keep your TOOTH, but she'll leave you a note nearby with your money in it. (AMAZINGLY, there is a folded note right beside the bed).
Avery: What's this? She opens it up and finds a golden dollar and reads the note that explains, "You can KEEP this tooth!"
Mystery solved; Avery is thrilled! It's a good thing because I was about ready to FIRE the Tooth Fairy! Whew....that was a CLOSE one!

Field Day Fun

2010-05-07T13:32:00.010-04:00

Avery had Field Day at school yesterday. She had such a fun time participating in all of the events with her friends. Her favorite one was tug-o-war. I took Brynn and Asa with me to watch and just let them run around the football field. When Brynn realized that she could find LOTS of ladybugs in the grass, she was entertained for a while (my little entomologist)! She took Asa with her on her bug hunting excursions and ended up catching 4 of them! They were so cute walking the field together looking for them. I took lots of pictures, and Bryan got it on film because sometimes we have to remind ourselves of these moments when our kids are so sweet to each other! I owed Tattnall big time that night, because all 3 kids were ZONKED by bedtime!

Soccer Relay

Obstacle Course

Water break before the Tug 0 War.

She was really into this!

Mrs. Kitchens' class is proud of their ribbons!

Bug Hunt....so sweet!

Avery Lost Her First Tooth!

2010-05-05T19:39:00.000-04:00

My "baby" Avery lost her first tooth yesterday! Mrs. Kitchens pulled it at school while all of her friends looked on. She was so proud and couldn't wait to put it under her pillow last night! The Tooth Fairy called her to tell her that she would be paying a visit, and lo and behold, this morning, there was a golden dollar in place of her tooth!

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

2010-04-20T15:50:00.007-04:00

Last week at Ingleside, Brynn's class had "Muffins with Mom." Mrs. Chrissie read this poem, and I just had to share it. The author is unknown.

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her that....
She has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook,
("101 Things to Do With A Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse....
That is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer....
And hang up!
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her...
That she was going to have a cup.
And chances are....
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it!

Sound like anyone else's life besides mine?

Avery and Brynn's Fancy Birthday Soiree (That's French for party.)

2010-04-17T22:07:00.008-04:00

Today, we had a double birthday party for the girls....Fancy Nancy style. If you are familiar with this eccentric children's book character, then you know that "more is definitely more," and that was exactly what we did. Elaborate costumes, wonderful accessories, trendy manicures, sparkly makeup, and sassy hairdos were all a part of getting the girls ready for a Fancy Fashion Show at the end of the party. Throw in some French vocabulary lessons, fine dining, and unwrapping gifts, and voila, you have a PARTY EXTRAORDINAIRE! The pictures tell the story....

Before the guests arrived, Avery and Brynn assessed themselves and decided that they WERE indeed FANCY and not plain!

Daddy and I even joined in the fun, proving that we don't need lessons in FANCY!

For a craft, we decorated hand mirrors and sunglasses with bling (a fancy word for sparkly jewels.)

Reading the Fancy Nancy Book gave the girls a lesson in French vocabulary and learning the difference between plain and fancy. They were captivated (that's a fancy way of saying really interested.)

At the Boutique, the girls picked out accessories (which is fancy extra stuff like tutus, boas, wings, tiaras, or shoes), had their makeup and hair done, and got a manicure (which is a fancy way of saying had their fingernails painted). My wonderful sister, Chrissy, sat there painting nails for almost 2 hours, and all of the girls LOVED how they turned out!

For hors deurves (which is French for snacks), we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with frilly toothpicks (they taste much better that way), and zebra striped petit fours (which is French for little bitty cakes), and parfaits (which is French for ice cream with sprinkles). The girls practiced eating with their pinkies up like ALL fancy people do and enjoyed being served by Daddy, the butler.

The birthday cakes (compliments of my friend, Michelle, who also made the petit fours) had Avery and Brynn's monogram on them (which is a fancy way to show that something belongs to you alone.) They were decorated with papillions (French for butterflies).

Ooh la la! Avery and Brynn were simply elated (that's fancy for really happy) over their birthday gifts!

At the end of the party, the parents came back to watch our Fancy Fashion show. The kids were proud to show us all they'd learned about being fancy. Daddy was the MC, introducing each girl and commenting on her keen sense of fashion. He did a great job!

Here is our fabulous crew of Fancy Fashionistas! Don't they look MAAAvelous, Dahling?

It was a great party! Tonight Brynn asked me, "Mommy what are we doing for our NEXT party?" Is she her mother's daughter or what?

He is RISEN!!

2010-04-11T17:16:00.000-04:00

I love Easter! We get into Easter almost as much as Christmas around the Scott house. We've made numerous Easter crafts, opened resurrection eggs, decorated our Easter tree, read books, decorated eggs, been to several egg hunts, and told/retold the Easter story using songs, cooking, crafts, or whatever means possible. It's a wonderful opportunity to teach the kids about what Jesus did for them on the cross and what He accomplished when he rose from the dead. Ingleside had a Family Fun Day on Saturday, and all of the kids enjoyed their egg hunts and playing on the giant inflatables. After that, the kids had portraits made by John Mullis. I haven't gotten to see them yet, but I can't wait. Avery had to wear jeans and her Xtreme Praise t-shirt to church on Sunday, so these were like my "Easter Pictures" since I didn't take any on Sunday. We went to church on Sunday, and both Avery and I were on the praise teams - she in the Xtreme Zone and me in the worship center. After church, we had lunch at Mom and Papa's, and then we came home to open up Easter baskets. The kids LOVED opening up all of their treats. What a wonderful day to celebrate the LIFE we've been given through Christ!

Spring Break at St. Simons

2010-04-08T16:31:00.009-04:00

For Spring Break this year, we went to St. Simons with Grandmommy and Grandpapa. The kids loved the beach, even though the water was freezing cold. It's amazing that they will actually swim in the ocean, and then come back to the house and complain that their bath water is too cold! I just don't get it!

Every year, when we first go to the beach in the spring, I say, "This year is going to be a little bit easier," and I am saying it yet again. We were actually able to RELAX a little bit this time! Asa is no longer in that toddler phase where he wants to just run from one end of the beach to the other while one of us chases him. He played nearby in the sand with his beach toys or dug holes and was as happy as a clam. The girls played really well together and spent hours climbing on the rocks pretending to be mermaids and putting on shows for each other. Daddy walked them out to the sand bar (for the first time ever), and they thought they were something else waving back to me on shore. I took the girls' kites, and we flew them, which was fun, and all 3 kids loved building drip castles with Daddy. We went to the park at the pier several times as well, which is always a hit. I can tell we are going to have a fun summer ahead of us! Bring it on!

"March Madness"

2010-04-08T15:41:00.009-04:00

We love March Madness at our house! It's one of Bryan's favorite sports events to watch. It's actually fun for all of us to watch it with him because he gets SO into the game! Madness, however, is not just a "March" thing at the Scott house. Life is so crazy, sometimes it feels as if we're spinning out of control....in a good way. March was full of great moments - spring sports, school events, funny "everyday" moments, Easter activities, warmer weather, Cherry Blossom Festival, birthday parties, Spring Break and more. Here are some pictures from the month.

Avery started softball at Freedom Park playing for the SHARKS! She is having a great time and is learning a lot. She has wonderful coaches, and several friends from school are on her team. I know it's going to be a great season.

Brynn struck again with more of her mischief! This time, I was working on the computer, and she walked in and said, "Look, Mommy, I cut my hair!" She was so proud of herself. I assessed the damage, and it was not as awful as when Avery cut her own hair. Brynn actually did a fairly good job; it was just a little too short. I had to fix it only a little bit, and in the end, she didn't look all that bad. I certainly didn't go as crazy about it as I did when Avery cut hers...am I getting USED to this mishap? No, if anyone puts scissors on my Asa's curls, I will bawl my eyes out! Speaking of that...did I ever post that I've cut his hair myself at least 6 times, and the curls just keep coming back!! YEAH!

I will post Spring Break and Easter pictures in separate posts. I'm almost caught up now, and with the girls' birthdays and summer around the corner, that's a GOOD thing!

Catch-Up Post #2

2010-04-05T08:17:00.000-04:00

If you read my last post, you know that I fell off the blogging train for a while and am trying to catch up, so here are the highlights of February. One of the most EXCITING events of the month was that is SNOWED in Macon. All 3 kids had seen snow last year, but Asa was too little to really enjoy it. This time; however, they all had a ball watching the yard turn into a winter wonderland. They caught snowballs on their tongues, had snowball fights, made snow angels, and built a Bulldog snowman. We even tried going to a nearby park to sled down some hills, but it was pretty much a dud....Rubbermaid container lids just don't compare to a real sled. Anyway, we all had a great time!

On February 19, Avery got to go to her first Father Daughter Dinner at Ingleside. She was so excited to get all gussied up in her new dress and have me do her hair and makeup. Bryan came and picked her up at the front door, like a real date, and he brought her a beautiful bouquet of flowers. She was absolutely GIDDY, and he made her feel like a little princess. It was really sweet. I am so thankful that the two of them had this special date together.

Avery tried out for the Talent Show at Tattnall, and she made it. She was the youngest contestant, and she sang "Do, Re, Mi" from the Sound of Music. I got to watch from backstage, and I tell you, I was a nervous wreck! Avery was just a calm as she could be, but I was definitely a bundle of nerves. She did a FANTASTIC job and made us all very proud!

Lastly, here's a cute picture of Asa that I love. Guess he's inspired by his big sister!

Time to Catch Up - January

2010-04-01T08:18:00.006-04:00

I can't believe I've let myself get this far behind on the blog! Here it is, April 1, and I haven't written since December! I better get on it....beginning with January. If you know me well, you know that I enjoy scrapbooking. Well, I've noticed over the years that the winter months are always when I have the fewest pictures and things to scrap up. Things haven't changed, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get myself caught up.

Avery started Upward Basketball, coached by Daddy and Uncle Shawn. She really liked it, especially being on the team with Baylor. She improved alot and learned the basic rules of how to play the game. At this stage though, the umpires are pretty lenient with the rules...Granddad called it Baptist-ball!

Brynn had Donuts with Dad at school. Bryan said that she kept on saying, "I'm ready to eat donuts!" in the middle of their little program. She was so excited about getting to spend this special time with Daddy and to give him all of the artwork she made just for him.

Up next....February!

My Christmas Top 10ish List

2009-12-30T09:33:00.013-05:00

Even though I've already posted LOTS about our Christmas, I realized there was so much more that I enjoyed this season that I hadn't even touched on. So here is my Top 10 List of OTHER things I loved this year, in chronological order.

1. Getting most of the shopping done before Thanksgiving - This freed me up this year to really enjoy the season and not be living from event to event by staying up late to wrap the presents for the next "event." The shopping was done early and the gifts were wrapped and under the tree before the season really got busy! I need to remember this for the future!

2. Decorating the house - It was so much fun this year because Avery and Brynn really helped me a lot! They were so excited about getting the trees up and seeing all of the pretty decorations and animated toys. Asa loved playing those obnoxious toys at the same time...about 10 of them!

3. Celebrating Advent - Advent means "to come," and we used the advent wreath as a way to celebrate the coming of Christ at Christmas. We sang our Candle Song each week, which was fun. The kids always wanted to light the candles and sing it several times, so they could blow them out again. We talked about Love, Hope, Joy and Peace as we lit the candles each week. We also have a advent house that the kids opened each day in December. Each day had a prize and some kind of activity we had to do that focused on the true meaning of Christmas. The kids loved it!

4. Nattie, our Elf on the Shelf - We started this tradition this year, and it was a blast! He was a mischievous little elf though. He got into the candy jar, unrolled the toilet paper, dumped out the kids' toys, wrote in soap on the bathroom mirror, and lots of others. The kids loved finding him every morning.

5. Christmas Hope - It is always one of the busiest, yet most fulfilling weeks of December...when the Ingleside choir does their musical presentations. This year was no exception. We practiced LONG and HARD for 2 days prior, and then we had 5 performances in a row. It was an absolute joy to be a part of. I absolutely LOVE our choir, and it thrilled me to offer God these songs from our hearts! It was also special this year because Avery sang with the Xtreme Kids. How fun to be able to do that together with my daughter!

6. The Nutcracker - Grandmommy took Avery to see the Nutcracker Ballet for the first time this year! She was absolutely mesmerized by the whole thing. Chrissy and Allie Ann came all the way from Thomasville to go with us, which made it even more fun. The girls went backstage afterwards and met some of the ballerinas. Avery got to see Kayla and Catherine, the 2 ballerinas from her birthday party. The Macon production is amazing, and I am so glad that this will be something I can enjoy with the girls for years to come!

7. Bible Study Ornament Swap - On one Monday night in December, our Bible Study group has dinner and an ornament swap. Well, actually, it's done "Dirty Santa" style. The ornaments this year were spectacular. I love being able to look back and see all of the ones I've gotten over the years! This was the 8th year we have done it!

8. Doing crafts with the kids - since I am out of school for the holidays, I have lots of time to make things with the kids. We made lots of little crafts from Oriental Trading Company, made yummy treats, painted , made ornaments to give away, and made cards for people, to name a few. They always love it when I take the time to do arts and crafts with them, and they are so proud of the end product.

9. Breakfast with Santa - My friend, Beth McCart, puts on a big production for Breakfast with Santa. One morning, we went to her house, where we ate wonderful finger foods until Santa arrived on a fire truck! The kids, probably at least 75 of them, EACH got a gift from Santa. I don't know how she pulls this off, but it's AWESOME!

10. Fantasy in Lights at Calloway Gardens - This was a first for us, but I have always wanted to go. We went with the Abbotts and the (other) Scotts. It was rainy and cold, be we enjoyed every minute of it snuggled up together under a blanket in the trolley. Even Asa was enthralled by it! We will definitely want to go again in the future!

OK - so I know I said Top 10, but here is one last tradition that I just couldn't leave out because it's one of my absolute FAVORITES!

11. Family Night - This is our last big "event" of the season. The only decoration left up in the house is the Christmas tree, and we all sleep on the floor in the living room in front of the tree. This year, we watched a movie and ate popcorn. It was Asa's first year to be a part, and he did remarkably well. I love this family tradition! It's a great way to end the season.

So there you have it....December in a nutshell! Now it's time to start thinking about 2010!

Christmas = FAMILY

2009-12-27T13:04:00.017-05:00

Christmas is such a special time of year, and it means so many things to me. First of all, it means JESUS...the reason we celebrate at all! But perhaps the second most important aspect of Christmas in my eyes is FAMILY. At this wonderful time of year, we get together with all of our family at different times. It's a great time for reconnecting with those who live far away, for enjoying the company of those we see all the time, for watching cousins play together, and for relishing old traditions as well as making new Christmas memories together. The family festivities, for us, began early in the month, when we got together with the Kitchings side at Mom and Papa's house. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner, a "Dirty Santa" game, gifts to kids from the grandparents, a birthday cake for Jesus, and a surprise visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus. Great photo op!!

Our next celebration was with the Harrisons at Mom and Papa's for lunch. This gathering has truly grown over the years as we continue to add 3rd cousins to the mix. This year, Clark and Sara brought baby Harper. We had a wonderful meal, where the grandparents ate in a room with all of the little ones, and let our generation sit in the dining room at the "kids table." It was fun to catch up and have a "normal" conversation without any distractions. We have TERRIFIC parents, we know that! We also enjoyed a birthday cake for Jesus, a "Dirty Santa" game, a gift exchange with the grown ups who drew names, gifts for the kids from their grandparents, and another visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus. This particular time, Avery said, "I know you're not the REAL Santa." I asked her later why she said that, and she said it was because he didn't have a real beard. The evening ended with Grandpapa riding the kids around on his motor scooter, which was actally more exciting than SANTA....go figure!

On Christmas Eve, after going to the Family Service at Ingleside, where Avery sang with the Xtreme Praise kids, we went to Shirley and Al's with the entire "Scott" family. This is always a fun night, especially for the kids. After a wonderful dinner, the guys went downstairs to "prep," while the ladies were entertained by the children. They sang their favorite Christmas carols, acted out the Christmas story, and dramatized the 12 Days of Christmas. Then came the visit by Rock 'n' Roll Santa (played this year by Steve). He was one of the funniest ones in years with his crazy dance moves! The kids had a few wild moves of their own, especially Carson! We laughed so hard! The kids told Santa what they wanted for Christmas, and he gave out presents to the little ones, (Avery picking something we had never heard of...GREAT!) The adults exchanged their gifts as well, while trying to dodge the flying balls of wrapping paper being thrown by everyone. It's crazy with this crew, I'm tellin' ya!

On Christmas morning, Asa woke up first around 7:15, and the girls woke up around 7:45. Mom and Papa came over to watch the kids unwrap all of their stuff, and Shirley dropped by to join us for brunch as well. It was a fun Christmas for the kids, and they enjoyed opening their gifts and playing with them throughout the day. Bryan and I just enjoyed hanging out with them and watching them have fun!

Granddad, Nonna, and Uncle Jeffrey came over to our house for dinner on the 26th. We ate a great dinner with Dad's favorite Blueberry Pie for dessert, and then we opened gifts with them. Avery and Brynn loved climbing in boxes and bags and letting themselves get "unwrapped." They all enjoyed their calendars that I made for this year. (I have been making one for about 6 years now).

Last, but not least, we celebrated at Dennis and Tina's on the 27th. Tina cooked a fantastic dinner, and then we opened presents. The kids opened all of theirs first. Asa was ill because he didn't want to take turns. He just wanted to be opening up one present after the next. I guess they have to learn somehow! The adults opened presents next - a bunch from Al and Shirley, and one from the person who drew their name. There were a lot of gag gifts given...Dennis' old Umbros, Bryan's law books, 2 Brut Bottles, a pair of regifted boxers, an old game button from Bryan and Shawn's baseball days, and Bryan's flyers from when he ran for SGA President at Mercer. No wonder it took us until 10:00 to finish opening gifts! It was a fun night though, and the kids enjoyed playing with each other and with their new toys.

I am so blessed to have come from such a wonderful family, to have married into such a wonderful family, and to now have a wonderful family of my own. These people make Christmas my absolute favorite time of the year! After such a busy and fulfilling month, I feel like, "It's over...what do I do now?" But life will keep me busy enough, I'm sure.

That's My Boy!

2009-12-21T16:29:00.005-05:00

I had just put Asa to bed the other night, and he was calling, "Mommy, Mommy" in the way he does when he has attempted to climb out of the bed but has gotten stuck on the rail. He wants me to come get him down, or he'll fall! Well, this time when I went in there, I nearly fell over laughing. My little man was naked as a jay bird on that bed rail. The camera just happened to be in the next room, so I ran and snapped this picture (though I have censored certain parts, obviously). He had taken off his zippered PJ's and his diaper, and I soon realized that he tinkled right through the crib slats onto the floor! I LOVE that little guy! For some odd reason, I just coudn't be mad at him! I mean, look at this face! Can you blame me?

Celebrating at School

2009-12-21T15:50:00.008-05:00

Every year, at Tattnall, my SOOOO TALENTED mom writes up an unbelievable program for Kids Yule Love. This year was particularly special because Avery was there to be a part of it. The K5 traditionally sings several carols during the program, dressed up in their handmade reindeer antlers. They always get a ton of laughs as they sing and dramatize the 12 Days of Christmas. Avery was ALL into it! At one point during the program, Santa makes an appearance and passes out gag gifts to some lucky students. The younger students go absolutely WILD when he arrives in his sleigh, pulled by 8 reindeer, and of course Rudolph out front. Avery was right there to shake his hand as he made his way down to the floor. Mom dresses up like Mrs. Claus and reads the script. You almost can't recognize her! At the end of the program, the faculty children/grandchildren get to be a part of the Nativity Story. Avery was an angel and did her part beautifully. Kids Yule Love has been a special part of Tattnall for years - I remember participating when I was there. It is such a sweet reminder of what a joy it is to GIVE to others. I am so proud of all that my mom does to make this one of Tattnall's greatest events all year!

At Ingleside, I was one of the mamas in charge of the "Happy Birthday Jesus" Party for Brynn's class. I used the same cake as I did for Avery's party last year, which was a huge hit. Before eating it, we talked about the colors of Christmas (red and green cake inside) and the meaning of the star and the holly. Then each child was given a candle to put around the Jesus candle in the middle, showing how our lives are centered around Christ and how His Light helps us be lights in our world. We sang Happy Birthday and the kids blew them out. It was cute. I got the idea from a FANTASTIC book called The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Welchel. It talks about the truths and meanings behind so many of our Christmas traditions. It's a great resource for moms!

Asa's class had a party the same day, but unfortunately, I couldn't clone myself! I am so thankful that all 3 of the kids are able to celebrate Jesus at their schools. It was a blessing to me to see all of the wonderful crafts they made and hear them talk about all they were learning about the true meaning of Christmas.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

2009-12-20T13:30:00.006-05:00

Several years ago, my good friend, Lanier Kelley, decided that she wanted her kids to be a part of a "typical" Christmas Pageant - you know the Herndon type, where kids forget their lines, angels sing at the top of their lungs, and the sheep wander off the stage. Thus began a wonderful Christmas tradition with the Kelley family and lots of our friends. The kids spend a couple of hours at Lanier's "practicing" on a Saturday afternoon, and then we all get to go back on Sunday evening for the program and a light dinner! It's funny to see how the kids have changed over the last 3 years. I remember the first year we had it, Lanier was constantly feeding the kids their lines, and coaching them with the lyrics to the songs. This year, the program was nearly flawless....making us sentimental parents realize that our babies are growing up WAY TOO FAST! This year, Avery was the "star" and had to memorize a line, and Brynn was an angel. Asa was supposed to be an animal, but he prefered just wandering on and off the stage and cheering for his sisters. Brynn spent most of the show saying "Hey, Mommy" or "Hey Daddy!" Avery said her line perfectly and loved wearing the precious star costume! What a great way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas! I hope this tradition will continue for years to come! Lanier, you ROCK! This is one of the sweetest Christmas memories every year!

Here comes the Mamarazzi!!

2009-12-18T14:44:00.009-05:00

At this time of year, I'm sure my kids feel like I am always taking their picture! There is just so much going on, and I want to capture every bit of it. I know I need to update the blog with some of these events, but just a little at a time, because every one of these "occasions" is worthy of a little blurb. So, enjoy these pictures, courtesy of the "mamarazzi."

First off, a few pictures from Thanksgiving. We enjoyed spending the day with the Harrison Family at Kevin and Courtney's house in Kennesaw. Pictured are the cousins who were there and their children. We also managed to get a pretty decent picture of just our family....that doesn't happen very often!

Next, some of my favorite pictures of the year, taken in our neighbor's front yard which is completely covered in a yellow carpet of gingko leaves. It was freezing outside, and Asa was not at all thrilled for me to be taking his picture instead of HOLDING him! Daddy took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures of ME with the kids. I love them...especially since I am ususally the one TAKING the pictures!

That'll have to do for now....gotta go run the kids around town! More to come!

What are you REALLY thankful for?

2009-11-28T18:24:00.008-05:00

It was the night before Thanksgiving, and I was trying unsuccessfully to go to sleep. As I lay there, I was thinking about all that I have to thank God for this year. The regular list went through my head...things that I always am thankful for....my Savior, my husband, my children, my family, my health. When asked what I am most thankful for, these are always at the top of my list, as I'm sure they are yours. But on this particular night, I asked myself, "Other than those that are a given, what else am I thankful for?" Some things like coffee or an occasional pedicure came to mind, but I considered that I could live the rest of my life without having my toes done and be just fine! I could completely give up coffee if I had to. SOOOO, that left me pondering what am I thankful for, other than my list of givens? I mean, what things other than God, family and my health, could I literally not live without? What things, if taken from me, would leave me absolutely lost? When you take God and family out of the picture, the task is not so easy! But here’s my list (or at least what I thought of before finally falling asleep!)

1. My Accountability Group – This group of women has become more than just a Bible Study group to me. I am so thankful for the relationships that I share with each of these ladies, whether they have been involved for 9 years or for just a few months. I love that I have a place that I can feel completely safe and loved despite my faults. I love that I can be totally honest with my struggles and can count on these women to encourage me and pray for me.

2. Music – A world without music would just be plain awful!! I can’t even begin to tell you the way music touches my heart! I can hear a song that I love and I’m just completely caught up in it. I absolutely LOVE a beautiful melody, or the sound of a choir or group harmonizing, or amazing lyrics. I can get LOST totally in music, and I am so thankful that it is a part of my world!

3. My Camera – Sometimes I feel like I view the world behind the lens of my camera, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I absolutely LOVE going back and looking at my pictures, and my hobbies of scrapbooking, blogging, and creating photo books are all possible because I take so many pictures. I would love to actually be GOOD at it one day and take a photography class or something. But, having a great camera makes up for my lack of experience, and I am so thankful for mine!

4. Sleeping - I can't tell you how thankful I am for SLEEP! Whether it's a nap or getting to sleep for hours at night, sleep is something I absolutely LOVE.

5. Carbs - Some people love chocolate or sweets or caffiene....but I love CARBS. I'd rather have french fries than chocolate any day! I honestly don't think I could ever go on one of those low carb or no carb diets. I would not be able to last a day!

6. Summer - I used to think spring was my favorite season, and it is the PRETTIEST, in my opinion, but if I could only have one season, I'd pick summer. I love the beach, the pool, time off from work, spending time with family. There are so many special memories that I connect to summer.

7. My minivan - If you know me well, you know that I waited a long time for God to answer that prayer, and boy do I love my van! It's the perfect car for us during this stage of life, and I am so thankful that I finally got it. No more leaning over to put the kids in a sedan. I don't know how I ever lived without it!

So, what are YOU really thankful for? If you take out the "givens" what makes your life great? I'd love for you to leave a comment.

October Fun!

2009-11-09T13:14:00.015-05:00

The end of October went by in a blur of busyness - field trips, fall festivals, birthday parties, and costumes. Here are some pictures that sum it all up!

Brynn's 3K class at Ingleside took a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch at Elliot Farms. They enjoyed the pumpkins, corn maze and hayride. In the pictures below, Mrs. Chrissie is her teacher and Makenna is one of her best friends. Brynn LOVES the Fantastic Fish class!

PaPa turned 80 on October 22, and we had a HUGE party for him that weekend. It was at his sister's house in Sandersville, complete with DJ and a huge spread of food! The kids had a great time dancing. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful man in our lives. We LOVE Al so much!

Avery's class at Tattnall went on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, Fire Station and McDonalds. I took Asa with me, but quickly realized that I can't really "do" a field trip with a toddler. We ended up going home after the Pumpkin Patch, but I did manage to get a couple of cute pics there!

Lastly, here are some pics from Halloween. We all dressed up like cowgirls and cowboys and went to the IBC Fall Festival. Afterwards, we went out to Gordon to Dennis and Tina's house. The kids had a great time!

More of Brynn's Mishief

2009-10-29T13:15:00.002-04:00

Things got a little too quiet around here this morning while I was working on the laundry. I went into the kitchen and there was sugar all over the floor.

Me: "Brynn Scott, come here!"
Brynn: (not even in the room yet) "Asa did it; Asa did it."
Me: "Brynn, who got sugar all over the floor?"
Brynn: "Asa did it all by himself."
Me: "He climbed up on the counter and got the sugar bowl down and then made this mess all by himself? I don't think I believe that!"
Brynn: (with such an innocent, wide eyed look) "Yes, Mommy, he did it all by himself."
Me: (with broom in hand) "Well, you see, it's easy to clean up messes like this. What if I tell you that you will NOT get a spanking for making THIS mess, but that you just need to tell me the truth."
Brynn: "Okay, I made that mess."

Unfortunately, she didn't realize that instead she would be punished for lying to me! When I told my dad, he said that she needed to take legal advice from him....you never commit a felony to avoid a misdemeanor. In other words, don't LIE to avoid a spanking!

Oh, about 30 minutes later, I realized that Asa had sugar all in his hair. I guess he got a little sugar shower from his sister....could life be any more fun than that?!

Fun at the Fair

2009-10-17T18:02:00.005-04:00

Bryan and I took the girls to the fair last Thursday while my parents kept Asa. It was armband night, so they got to ride unlimited rides - a MUST for them at this age. They had so much fun together on the rides and in the fun houses. Bryan and I didn't even buy a band for ourselves this year because they had each other to ride with...so sweet! We went to the fair's circus, which was a treat because neither of them had ever been to a circus. They loved it. We left just before it started raining; perfect timing! On the way home, I told Bryan that I think fall is my favorite time of the year....cool weather, football season, fair food, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, Fall Festivals, costumes, Thanksgiving, playing in leaves, and getting ready for Christmas. So much to enjoy this time of year!

I love that look on Brynn's face...it's one we see often. Life is just THAT thrilling for her!

Teachable Moments

2009-10-10T17:05:00.003-04:00

Wednesday night at church, we were eating supper in the fellowship hall and Brynn announced, “Look Mommy, I drawed on my chair.” Sure enough she had created a pen and ink masterpiece on the back of her seat! One part of me was like, “I hope nobody saw that…what they don’t know won’t hurt them," but the other side was telling me, “This is a teachable moment.” SO….I told her that she would have to clean it up, but first she would have to apologize. I looked around the room for one of our pastors, and Mark Hudgins was sitting nearby. She apologized to him, and he lovingly forgave her and encouraged her to clean it up. We also saw Steve Mann the Facilities Manager (and a family friend) and I made her tell him “I’m sorry” as well. (He had to keep from laughing at her). Then we went to the kitchen to get some 409 and a wash cloth. Fortunately, we cleaned it up well enough. Just another day in my life with Brynn!

Avery Lately....

2009-10-10T16:36:00.007-04:00

I have been so busy lately that I haven't been very good about updating my blog. There have been some things I've been meaning to post, but I haven't gotten around to it. For starters, I have a few stories about Avery that I don't want to forget.

The other day, we had this conversation:
Avery: Mommy, I don't know who I'm gonna marry.
Me: Well, you have a WHILE before you have to decide that, but when you do, you need to make sure that he loves WHO more than anyone else?
Avery: ME!!
Me: Well, that's true, but I was talking about him loving GOD more than anything.
Avery: Like Daddy does.
Me: Yep, like Daddy. (The conversation is sweet enough at this point, but there's more.)
Avery: And he needs to know LOTS about the Bible.
Me: Yep, that'd be great too!
Avery: Well then, I know! I'll marry......Caden, because he knows LOTS about the Bible. (Caden is her friend from 4K last year, and he goes to our church.)

I am quickly learning why other moms LIMIT the number of activities their kids are involved in. I think I will have to take their lead from now on, as we are so busy with Avery right now (and we still have 2 more). She is taking ballet, which she loves, and is also involved in the Xtreme Kids Praise Team at church. She loves to sing the songs and do the motions, and I love watching her worship the Lord. She was able to lead Kids Worship a couple of Sundays ago, and this past Wednesday night, she and the rest of the Xtreme Kids Praise Team led in the BIG ROOM! She thought it was the greatest! She was in the back, so the pic is not too good, but you get the idea.

Avery has also been playing Upward Soccer. She has enjoyed it each week, but today (Game 5), it was like something clicked. She was a MACHINE out there....so aggressive and always after the ball. The coaches asked if we had "NO FEAR" tattooed on her! The highlight was when she SCORED A GOAL!!!! She immediately looked at us to see our response and came running to give us five! It was fun to see her shine and take the game seriously. In previous games, she was known to bust out in somersaults in the middle of the game, so this was a total turnaround! Some of the pictures from the game show JUST how intense she was. LOVE IT!

Check out this face...right after scoring her first GOAL!

Avery's newest obsession is Tattnall cheerleading. There are a couple of girls in her class at school who are involved in the Elementary Cheerleading program, so Avery wants to know when she can be a cheerleader too. Great time to explain how she has to CHOOSE what activities she participates in, and she chose soccer. Anyway, I am hoping that with her recent success in soccer, her interest in that sport will ultimately win out over cheerleading when she makes the choice again next fall, but we will have to see. I have to admit though, she does look pretty stinking cute in her costume when she wears it to the football games! Brynn too (with her tummy hanging over her skirt)!

Asa's 2nd Birthday

2009-10-10T13:15:00.013-04:00

Asa turned 2 on October 1st....I can't believe it. The morning of his birthday, he said "teetee potty" and went twice, like he was trying to prove what a big boy he was. Though I am eager NOT to pay for diapers anymore, I am in no rush to potty train or for him to do ANYTHING that makes him not a baby anymore. I wish I could freeze time and keep him just the way he is, but I keep saying that at every phase of his life! So, he can use the potty when he asks, but I'm keeping those diapers on for a while...they are my last!

For his birthday party (on Oct. 4th), we did a Sesame Street theme. There were lots of games for the kids to play, and I made some yummy Sesame Street Treats. When Elmo came (Uncle Shawn dressed up in the costume), Asa took off running in the other direction. I later learned that he thought it was a "big bear." He eventually warmed up to him enough to stand beside him, but would NOT let Elmo hold him. There was a great turnout of family and friends, and we had a super time!

There were tons of fun games on Sesame Street!

Asa wanted to eat the cookie bean bags himself instead of letting Cookie Monster have them.

Avery and Baylor hunt for candy in Oscar's Trash Can.

Carson and Avery pick ducks for a prize in Earnie's Rubber Duckie Pond.

Asa loved playing with the Elmo bean bag toss.

The birthday boy with his grandparents.

"Mom, I'm not so sure about this big red bear!"

Our family with Elmo.

Playing in the bubbles with Elmo.

Sesame Sweets: Elmo Cupcakes, Cookie Monster and Oscar Ice Creams

Asa enjoyed my cupcakes!

Asa and Elmo

Grandmommy and Grandpapa gave Asa a Radio Flyer trike!

It's OK, Daddy's Here!

2009-09-10T19:24:00.005-04:00

One night last weekend, when we were in St. Simons for the holiday weekend, Asa had a rough night. He woke up several times, standing up in his pack-n-play until someone came and stood by his crib and calmed him down. At some point during the night, (I don't even remember what time), he did the same drill, and Bryan got up. Asa was sleeping at the foot of our bed, so I just saw Bryan standing there, and Asa had laid back down. I quickly glanced at the clock and fell back asleep. I woke up 30 minutes later to see Bryan STILL standing there over Asa's bed. It got me thinking....there Asa was, trying to fall back asleep, but he wasn't at peace unless he knew his Daddy was right there. He might close his eyes for a few minutes, but then he'd rouse himself and look up just to make sure his Daddy was still there (because he knows that his Daddy will eventually go back to bed). I wondered how long this would last? Would Bryan ever get to go back to sleep. Then another thought occurred to me....the Bible says that God never slumbers or sleeps. How AWESOME is that? Asa would've been completely secure if he knew his Daddy could stay up and watch over HIM all night, but Bryan's human...and he can't. But GOD can! He never ceases to watch over HIS children, and when we are scared, confused, worried or anxious, we can always look up in our Daddy's eyes. He will surely be there saying to us, "It's OK, your Daddy's here." I am so glad for that! Kind of a deep thought for the middle of the night, huh?

Asa Milestones

2009-08-15T14:20:00.005-04:00

This is blogworthy, and is surely something I don't want to forget. I mentioned in a previous post that Asa's first complete sentance was "I want my drink." Well...his second complete sentence occured one day during a diaper change. "That's my pee-pee." Can you believe that?

An Unusual House Guest

2009-08-14T15:29:00.003-04:00

A few days ago, I heard this squealing and thought there was a bird in the house, but it turned out to be a baby squirrel that had fallen down our chimney. He was really kindof freaky looking…like a rat or something! I managed to get up the guts to pick up the thing, and we tried to give it some milk with a medicine dropper. The kids loved on him for a little bit before putting him out for Mama to come get. I had read on the internet that the best place for him was back with his mom, and I saw her sitting in the top of the chimney like she was looking for him. (Or at least that's what I convinced myself and the kids of). I also read on the internet that you have to feed a baby squirrel every 2 hours! I didn’t feed my OWN KIDS every 2 hours, much less a squirrel (and definitely NOT the night before school started)! The kids were really hoping mama'd leave him for us to raise, but the next day, he was gone. I’d like to think the mom came for him, but I’ll never really know. It was fun for a while though!

The Boy Wants Some Cherrios!

2009-08-14T15:22:00.003-04:00

The other day, Bryan walked into the kitchen and found Asa EYE LEVEL with him! He apparently is a pretty clever climber, and he wanted those Cherrios PRETTY BAD!

Back to School Week

2009-08-14T13:46:00.014-04:00

This week has been a busy and exciting week for all 3 kids! First, Brynn went back to school on Monday. She is in the Fantastic Fish 3K Class at Ingleside with Mrs. Chrissy and Mrs. Kimberly. She was very excited about being the first one in the family to start school, but when she realized that I was leaving her, she started to get upset. It only lasted for a minute, and then she was busy doing puzzles with her friends.

Asa was the second one in the family to start back. He is in Mother's Morning Out at Ingleside, and he started on Wednesday. His teachers are Mrs. Dianne and Mrs. Amber. Asa had Amber last year and loved her, so being left was not too traumatic for him, since she was right there to love on him. It makes it so much easier to leave them when you know someone is loving on them!

Avery's first day of Kindergarten was on Thursday. She is going to Tattnall, which is very special to our hearts since Bryan and I both went there, and Grandmommy works there. She had Orientation on Wednesday, but her first official day was Thursday. Her teacher is Mrs. Kitchens, who she already knew from church, and Mrs. Parrish. She was absolutely ecstatic about going...no hesitations whatsoever. She enjoyed her first day a lot and couldn't wait to go back today! I can't believe my baby is in Kindergarten. Time sure does fly! I guess I better hold on to them as long as I can!

Orientation Day - Avery and Grandmommy enjoyed finding her name on the new student bulletin board!

Happy Birthday, Bryan!

2009-08-13T17:19:00.004-04:00

Today my husband of 12 years and my love of 19 years turns 36! Here's your techno-savvy Birthday Blog....times have changed, huh? 36 Things I love about you....(in no particular order).
1. You are a wonderful father.
2. You are a godly man.
3. You make me laugh.
4. You like to talk.
5. You don't care what other people think of you, so you're willing to make a fool of yourself.
6. You work hard to provide for our family.
7. You are a man who lovingly leads his family spiritually.
8. You care about eternal things more than the things of this world.
9. I love to hear you when you watch a good football or college basketball game - soooo loud!
10. I love laughing with you when you watch someone dance funny.
11. You make family a priority.
12. You are always looking for ways to become a better husband, father, man and are not content to stay where you are.
13. You are quick to say I'm sorry.
14. You are quick to pay a compliment.
15. You are teaching the kids to read their Bibles every day and to make it a heart habit.
16. I love the way you smell after a shower (did you even know that? Bet you'll take more of them, huh?)
17. I love that you enjoy making memories and keeping traditions.
18. I love that you are teaching our kids how to play sports.
19. I think you are a great teacher, and I learn alot when you lead Sunday School or a Bible Study.
20. You are supportive of me and encourage me in my work.
21. You are my biggest cheerleader over my scrapbooks.
22. You support me as a mommy and you allow me to have "me time" as needed.
23. You take me out on dates alot!
24. After all these years, you still make me feel like I'm your Number ONE!
25. I love watching you with all the kids, but especially with Asa, who looks so much like you.
26. I love that I can trust you to commit EVERYTHING to prayer.
27. You always have a smile on your face...even when it may not match what you feel on the inside.
28. I love those "roll my eye" moments with you!
29. You have encouraged me for 10 years to have Bible Study at the house, and you take care of the kids to allow me that joy.
30. You are an "involved" father.
31. You make me feel valued and appreciated.
32. You make me feel loved.
33. I love that your passion in life is your God.
34. I love that your other passion is to make sure everyone you know is RIGHT with God.
35. I love that we solve the world's problems together.
36. I love that I get to live this life with YOU! I wouldn't want to walk through it with anyone else.

Happy Birthday, Baby. You're my world! Julie

What's the Godly Thing to Do?

2009-08-12T22:23:00.002-04:00

Tonight, the girls were sharing a pack of fruit snacks after dinner. I told them that we'd divide them evenly. Check out the following conversation....
Mommy: Who wants to pick first?
Both girls: Me, Me, Me!!
Mommy: Well, what do you think would be the GODLY thing to do?
Brynn: I want AVERY to be Godly!

Our Last Summer Hoorah!

2009-08-12T21:10:00.008-04:00

I'm a little behind on my blogging, and I haven't gotten around to posting pictures from our last trip of the summer. We went with Granddad and Nonna to their house in Charleston and had a fantastic time with them - taking the boat to a nearby island and finding shells, surfing and boogie boarding at Folly Beach, wading in the fountains at Waterfront Park, walking on the pier, hanging around the house, eating dinner out and grilling dinner in. Fun times!!

Lunch break on the boat

Girls collecting shells; beautiful old lighthouse in the background

Morris Island, where we anchored and went shelling

Avery's first surfing lesson

Miss Brynn

A windy evening on the pier

Sitting out on the dock with Granddad

Climbing the oak tree with Daddy

Avery in the fountain

Asa playing in the fountain

Asa's Morning Surprise

2009-07-20T10:29:00.002-04:00

This morning, we were in a rush to get everyone up and ready so that I could take Avery to basketball camp by 8:30. At 8:10, I had Avery ready and was brushing my teeth, when she came in the bathroom and said, "OHHHHH Mommy. You've GOT to come see what Asa did. It's just TERRIBLE!" I ran into the living room, and Asa was out of his diaper with poop all over him. Neither of the girls ever did this, so I guess the third time's a charm. I ran him to the bathtub and told Avery that if she was gonna make it on time, I'd need her help. While I cleaned up Asa and the mess he made, Avery helped Brynn find her clothes and put them on, find a bow and fix Brynn's hair, get Asa's shoes on, and turn off all the lights in the house. Needless to say, we made it by 8:30. Whew....what a morning! He's lucky he's so darn cute!

Brynn's First Time at the Dentist

2009-07-14T19:56:00.007-04:00

Brynn has been begging for months to go to the dentist, so I finally made her an appointment while she was eager for it. She had her first trip to see Shawn yesterday and did terrific. I was very proud of my BIG GIRL!

More "God Talk"

2009-07-14T19:49:00.004-04:00

A few nights ago, when we were in St. Simons, Brynn and I were lying in the bed and she looked at a shadow on the door and said,
Brynn: Mommy, that looks like a cross!
Me: Yes, it does. Do you know what happened on the cross?
Brynn: (nodding) God died.
Me: That's right. Jesus died, but did He STAY dead?
Brynn: No.
Me: What happened?
Brynn: He's sposed to eat the apple and fall down dead. Then a prince sposed to come and kiss him and wake him up!

Guess I need to work on her theology!

On the same vacation, Avery asked me, "Mommy, if God sees EVERYTHING, can He see me even if I am hiding?"

I love it when I get to answer these questions and have these discussions with the girls. What a privilege!

Hilton Head Vacation - A Family Tradition

2009-07-13T17:59:00.009-04:00

One of my favorite summer highlights is my family's vacation to Hilton Head. This was our 26th summer, so it's almost getting to the point where MY kids are the same age as I was when we started vacationing there. One of the reasons why it's so great is because a lot of my extended family goes as well. This year, it was my parents, us, Chrissy and her kids, Aunt Jeanie and Lee, Traci and her kids, Aunt Nettie and Uncle Rob, Tosha and her kids, Clark and Sara, Uncle Mike and Aunt Gale and Bailey. If you really want to know, in all that's 26 of us! It's so much fun because I just LOVE my family, and I love to spend time with them...it doesn't matter what we do. Highlights from this year were celebrating the 4th of July, fireworks at Shelter Cove, LOTS of time on the beach together, going on bike rides, swimming at the pool, eating low country boil, going to hear Gregg Russell at Harbour Town, eating watermelon, taking "family pictures" on the beach, going for walks in the mornings, and just hanging out at night talking and laughing. Thanks Mom and Papa for another WONDERFUL trip! I already can't wait until next year! I took about 500 pictures (deleted about 200) and still have so many that I want to post that I decided to try a slideshow. Enjoy!

"What about Brynn and Asa?"

2009-06-28T19:54:00.009-04:00

Some of you have been telling me that you've enjoyed the recent blog posts about Avery, but that you're wondering what's up with Brynn and Asa. SOOOO, this post is devoted to the 2 of them and what's going in their lives.

Brynn, my precocious middle child, is honestly wearing me out right now!! She is just over 3 years old, and she is really fighting for attention at this stage in her life...in mostly negative ways. (Maybe this is why I haven't had much to post...trying to keep it positive? Guess I won't win MOTY after this post.) She is constantly whining, hitting, pushing, spitting, crying, pitching fits, drawing on the table...you name it. Papa kindly reminded me the other day, when I was about ready to pull my hair out, that she is just fighting for survival right now, among Avery and Asa...and that NEGATIVE attention is, at least, attention. It was a great reminder that I need to carve out some special time with JUST Brynn. One on one, she is one of the most delightful children you will ever meet. She is affectionate, funny, and her energy is contagious. She loves to clown around and make people laugh, and her favorite type of comedy right now is, of course, potty humor. (I am working on this!) She says all kinds of things wrong that tickle me, like "blueberry mushrooms" instead of muffins and "skeeta bites." I have really enjoyed working with her recently at the pool on her swimming. She always wants to "practice with my swimmies off," but I know that she really just enjoys the attention. Now she is swimming like a fish. She loves sitting in my lap and reading books or watching movies together, and on occasion, I can still get her to take a nap with me. She's really into Polly Pockets & Littlest Pet Shop (a girl thing) and collecting all kinds of teeny toys and pets that she gives hysterical names to (like Gazelle, Insabelle, and Marina) and carries around in her "case." When we go out, she turns so many heads because she prances about in her pink high heel dress up shoes, pink sunglasses and that little case over her arms. She always brings a smile to their faces! So that's just a snapshot of where we are with Brynn right now...you can say a prayer for us if you think about it, because I could sure use it! I am reminding myself constantly that I could've lost her last summer, and at least she is here, and I am able to experience it!! But, just keeping it real....it's tough sometimes.

Now, on to Asa. Little Ace is getting so big and doing so many new things. He is starting to say all kinds of words, which is such a fun stage. His first complete sentence was, "I want my drink!" He sings some songs like "Jesus Loves Me," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, " and "God Our Father, " but I'm not sure many would be able to understand them. You can only recognize the tunes. He loves reading books, being outside, playing in the pool, putting on grown up shoes, playing with balls (he has a bag of 100 thanks to Granddad and Nonna), dancing, and chasing his sisters. When we go to the pool, he can always be found taking a nap in his stroller for at least an hour and a half. He is still very affectionate and has recently taken to ME instead of Bryan (which you know I just eat up.) If you've read my blog for long, you'll remember that I posted a while back that he was a Daddy's boy. Well, that may be starting to change a little, much to my delight! He is at an adorable age, but he can also pitch a pretty nasty fit...the fall on the floor, throw your head back, and kick your legs kind. I guess by the time Brynn moves out of her current phase, he'll be right there to take her place! People are all the time asking, "Are you finished? Do you want any more?" I have come to the conclusion that I love babies, and I would probably want another one even if I already had a dozen. I HAVE to stop somewhere, and Bryan and I are so content with our family as it is now. The thought of Asa being my last baby is sad, but yes, he's it!

So, there ya have it! I don't know that I even scratched the surface, but I hope that gives you a glimpse into what's new with Brynn and Asa.

Avery's Birthday Party Idea

2009-06-23T08:34:00.005-04:00

Avery came up to me the other day and told me that for her 6th Birthday Party, she wants to have a God and Jesus Party.

M: What would we do?
A: We can read the Bible and tell Bible stories and sing songs to praise God. And we can play with my instruments and learn about God.
M: What else?
A: We need white and yellow balloons.
M: Why white and yellow?
A: Because God and Jesus' dress has white and yellow on them. Oh, and the cake can have God and Jesus on it...with white icing. It will be SOOOO much fun!

Not your typical party, huh? But how can I say that to her? I LOVE the fact that she thinks learning about God and singing songs to Him would be the greatest party ever. If she still wants it, I may be trying to figure out a way to make it happen. As I type this, she said, "And you can dress up like God or Jesus...or some other Bible character. I can't wait until my 6th birthday!" I guess I'll wait and see if she sticks with it. Guess she's a party planner like her mom!

The Hour I First Believed....

2009-06-08T09:36:00.006-04:00

June 7th was a SPECIAL day in the life of our family!! Last night, at a performance by Ballet Magnificat at our church, Avery asked Jesus to come into her heart. She sat in my lap throughout the show, and I explained to her what was going on in the story. She asked tons of questions. She was really concerned that Rahab was so sad because she didn't have Jesus in her heart. At the end, when Rahab became a believer, she realized that Jesus was what made Rahab truly happy. There were tons more questions throughout the show about where the missionaries went when they died and why they were dressed in white, and why were people not allowed to love Jesus in Russia. (The show was a modern version of the Rahab story from the Bible and was set in Communist Russia.) At the end, one of the men gave an alter call. It's funny, I could tell from the questions she was asking me all along that this had stuck a chord in her little heart and that the Holy Spirit was up to something, so I prayed right then for God to work in heart however He pleased. Then, this was the conversation...
A: Mom, what are they doing now?
M: They are letting people who want to pray come down and pray with them.
A: About what?
M: People can pray to ask Jesus into their heart, or pray for some kind of problem they are having, or just go tell them what Jesus is doing in their heart.
A: I wanna go! (gets up and starts walking...)
M: Wait, baby. Why do you want to go?
A: Because I wanna ask Jesus into my heart! (Of course I am already crying at this point)
So Bryan and I walked our baby down the isle, and Bryan led her in a prayer to receive Christ as her Savior. What a joyous day that we have prayed for since before Avery was even born!

Avery, Daddy and I are so proud of you. Our prayer is that you will always be able to look back on this night as the hour you first believed. You accepted Jesus with as much faith as a 5 year old can muster, and we know that you love Jesus more than anything in the world. I've never seen a child want to go to heaven and be with God so badly! I am thankful that you are His child, and I pray that as you grow older, He will reveal more and more of Himself to you. What a glorious day, when my child's name was written in the Book of Life!

Memorial Day Weekend in SSI

2009-05-29T18:58:00.006-04:00

This was our first trip to St. Simons since last fall, and the girls were so excited! They had been asking for weeks when they were going to get to go to the beach, and to make it even better...they were going with their cousins!! It is always fun going with Shawn, Ash and their kids because they all play so well together. They don't fight or whine (well, not as MUCH), and it's just EASY! Asa really enjoyed the beach this year, now that he's 19 months old. He had fun playing in the sand or in holes and taking a nap. He and Carson played really well together. The girls played out in the ocean on the boogie boards, and Baylor and Avery climbed on the rocks a lot. We spent all day on the beach both days and cooked dinner at the house, so we all spent most of the vacation in our bathing suits and PJ's....Ashley's and my recipe for a PERFECT vacation! Shawn was our chef for the weekend, making spaghetti on Saturday night and a great chicken dish on Sunday. He even made chocolate pancakes one morning! What a guy!! I was telling Ash while we were there how this is just the beginning of MANY years of summer vacations we spend together at Myra's house. What a blessing!!!

Avery & Brynn's "GraduLation"

2009-05-15T19:12:00.005-04:00

The girls "gradulated" this week (Avery's pronunciation, and thus Brynn's as well)! They were both excited and talked about it all week long. Brynn's 2K Luau was on Wednesday, and Avery's 4K ceremony was today. At the luau, the class performed a couple of songs and got their certificates. Then we had a really nice lunch. Today's ceremony was quite impressive too! Mrs. Nikki had the kids sing 4 of their favorite songs, play instruments (Avery was on the handbells), recite their A-Z Bible Verses, and then get their certificates. It was really top notch! Ingleside has the BEST preschool program in the world! I am so thankful for everyone who works with my kids. So now, school's out!! Bring on the summer days!!

Brynn singing "Five Little Monkeys"

Getting her scrapbook & certificate from Mrs. Dana

Getting ready to enjoy lunch with Mommy & Daddy

Avery got to hold a sign for "Jesus Is My Best Friend"

Getting her certificate from Mrs. Ruth

Avery's "Pissin' Cup"

2009-05-13T14:57:00.003-04:00

This is so funny!! Yesterday, Avery won her first trophy ever - for softball. When I told her she was getting a trophy, she said, "What's a trophy?" I told her what it was. She was really excited about getting her first trophy, but when she woke up this morning, apparently she forgot the word "trophy" since it was new to her. Instead, her conversation with Bryan this morning went something like this....
Avery: Daddy, I want my pissin' cup.
Daddy: Your WHAT?
Avery: My pissin' cup.
Daddy: WHAT did you say?
Avery: MY PISSIN' CUP!
Daddy: Where on earth did you hear that?
Avery: From CARS.
He later found out that Lighting McQueen wins a trophy in the movie CARS that is called the Piston Cup! Don't know if I'll ever want to call it a trophy again. To me, it will always be a pissin' cup!

Mother's Day Memories

2009-05-10T19:20:00.006-04:00

Today was a great Mother's Day! In the words of Avery, yesterday was the "pretend Mother's Day, and today was the real Mother's Day!" She couldn't wait to give me her gift yesterday - a clay bird's nest with eggs that she made at school and a sweet card. Brynn gave me a beautiful flower picture with her handprints as the petal and her face as the center of the flower. I enjoyed a day out with my mom yesterday - lunch at Panera Bread and a pedicure. I later explained to Avery that even when she grows up, I will still like to have "dates" with her, Brynn and Asa. You're never too old for dates with Mom! Last night, we had Shirley and Al and Mom and Papa over for Mother's Day Dinner. Then today, I enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day at church, and then I took the girls to Nonna and Granddad's pool for a swim, where we gave Nonna her Mother's Day gift. Am I blessed or what? I have 3 moms right here in town!! It was a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon, and just now as I put Asa to bed, I got the icing on the cake! I read to him and rocked him, sang him his favorite songs and got lots of kisses; then I put him in his crib. I said, "Goodnight, buddy, I love you!" and then he said, "I dub oooo" (I love you). I'm still a puddle even as I write this. What a sweet gift from my little man on Mother's Day! I feel blessed beyond measure to be the Mommy of these 3 great kids!

Life Lessons Learned at School

2009-04-27T10:32:00.004-04:00

Last Friday, Avery had her first ever "Field Day" at Ingleside. I had to work, but Bryan went and watched. Apparently it was the sweetest thing ever. The children were such good sports - They cheered for each other. They were graceful when they won AND when they didn't. They tried their best and didn't give up. They learned some valuable lessons about teamwork, perseverance and sportsmanship. I am so thankful for Mrs. Heather and the Ingleside Preschool Family for teaching my children these things. Avery said that she had such a great time, and the pictures make that obvious!

A "Tutu"rrific Birthday Party!

2009-04-18T20:54:00.015-04:00

We had Avery and Brynn's ballet party today, and it was so much fun! The weather was absolutely beautiful for a party, and the girls had such a great time. They all were adorable dressed up in their tutus, and they had fun doing "Babydance" and dancing with 2 REAL ballerinas. The pictures pretty much tell it all....

So SWEET!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Mommy & Daddy with the Birthday Girls!

Grandma Shirley and PaPa

Grandmommy & Grandpapa

Let's do first position....

Scarf Dance!

Look! It's a flower!!

Even Asa is having a good time with all these girls!

Ballerinas, Kayla and Catherine came and taught the girls a dance.

Showing off what they learned...

All of the girls

Beautiful cake by Cory Knowlton!

Brynn! Get your fingers off the cake!!!

Make a wish!

Opening presents with Nonna

AWWW! Is it over already?

Happy Resurrection Day!

2009-04-14T20:12:00.006-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the family from Easter yesterday. I thought some of them turned out so cute that I just HAD to post them. My favorite one is the "stairstep" one of the kids. Asa was just standing there, and Brynn (on her own) got behind him. Then Avery hopped in the back and I started snapping! I couldn't believe that we got such a cute pic of the 3 of them and it was completely unplanned and unposed! What an unexpected blessing!

DRAMA Don't Work on MAMA!

2009-04-14T19:22:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, Avery pulled the funniest/saddest manipulation tactic I have ever heard her try. I took away her Resurrection Eggs for the day because of something she did to Brynn. Then, within about 10 minutes, she wanted to watch the Mrs. Pattycake Easter video and do the eggs along with it. I said no, reminding her of her punishment. She huffed off to her room, and then the REAL drama began…

Now, she was back in her room all by herself, and I heard her start ranting in this half crying/half whining voice. She was saying so much that I turned on the monitor to listen, and this is just PART of what I heard. I missed the whole beginning, and once I started listening, she said so much that I couldn't even remember it all! She was saying all of this completely to herself because I had closed the door. (I think she was hoping I'd hear it all and be so sad for her that I'd change my mind and let her play with those eggs after all!) This is some of what I actually REMEMBER hearing...(words in all caps were spoken with extra emotion.)

"I am SO SAD right now. NOBODY likes me and I don’t have ANY friends – not Carlie, Lilla, Anna, or Reagan (these are all the girls in her class @ school)....not Mommy, Brynn, Daddy, or Asa… The only person who is my friend is Baylor (her cousin)…SHE is the only person who is NICE to me because EVERYBODY else is mean to me. I wish I could go live with HER family….but THEY don’t have room for me….I wish I could just DIE and go to heaven to be with God and Jesus and all the other people that died like Pops (my grandfather) and Mrs. Patricia's dog who gotted killed in the fire (our neighbor's house caught fire last fall)…And I don’t have ANY pretty things. None of my CLOTHES are pretty. I don't have any pretty DOLLS, no pretty CLOTHES, no pretty TOYS…and I can’t even FIND my pretty lamb that I gotted for Easter" ...and on and on and on!!!!

It was COMPLETE drama from beginning to end. Needless to say, I had heard about enough when she got to the "no pretty clothes or toys" part, so I had to jump in there and have a “chat” about trying to manipulate me using this type of drama and that it WON'T work. We talked about how the things she said were not true at all, but were used to try to make me feel sorry for her and change my mind about her punishment. I told her that there are plenty of children in Africa that would love all of her toys and clothes, and if she doesn't appreciate them, I'd be glad to ship them to some children who would. We talked about how God put her in the perfect family and that if she died we would all be so sad. She got the message and was fine after some hugs and kisses (even though she still couldn't watch Mrs. Pattycake and play with the eggs).

All I could think is that I hope this isn’t a taste of the teenage years! I must confess it broke my heart to hear her say those things. But I know she didn't mean any of it, and I better get some thick skin because I'm here to be her Mom and not her friend! I am hoping that MAYBE she will learn now that this won't work on me and won't even try it as a teenager. Parenting is SOOOO hard sometimes...especially the discipline part!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Brynn!

2009-04-12T21:04:00.006-04:00

Today is special for 2 reasons - it's Easter Sunday, but it's also Brynn's 3rd Birthday. The picture above was taken when she was a week old. My, how she's grown up! Brynn is my "life of the party" child. She has been into things since she could roll over! There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't make me crack up laughing about something. She is so vibrant, spirited and full of energy and brings such joy and enthusiasm to our family. Today, we made cupcakes for her to take to school tomorrow and had a little family party after supper that she enjoyed immensely! Happy Birthday, sweet girl! Mommy loves you!

A Day at the Zoo

2009-04-12T19:57:00.009-04:00

On Saturday, April 4, we took the kids to the Atlanta Zoo, and they had a super time! We couldn't have done it without Nonna going with us - we are able to play man to man instead of zone defense. It was fun seeing the animals for the first time ever through the eyes of the kids. The girls were amazed to see in real life, animals that they'd only seen in movies and books. They loved the pink flamingos (Brynn screamed at the top of her lungs, "Look at that bird's tee-tee bottom") after seeing a bird go to the potty. I kept my distance and was like, "Whose child is THAT?" The gorillas and the orangutans were particularly playful and fun to watch. Asa rode a merry go round for the first time. There was also a new parakeet exhibit that opened the day before we went. There were hundreds of them and they would come down and eat off of seed sticks that you held out for them. Brynn LOVED that! There was so much more to do and see than I expected, and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Spring Break - Macon Style

2009-04-12T19:19:00.006-04:00

Girls in downtown Macon

Due to a variety of circumstances (weather, Bryan working, saving money, and others) we decided to stay in town for Spring Break this year. I knew if I didn't have something planned for us to do every day, that the kids would go nuts (or maybe it was me that would go nuts)! Either way, we kept ourselves busy. On Monday, we went to the park, and the girls painted and decorated the ULTIMATE toy of all time...a huge cardboard box. On Tuesday, I took the girls to the Museum of Arts and Sciences. They loved it, especially when the cockatoo pooped on the floor and when they got to see the Madagascar "History" (Hissing) Cockroaches. On Wednesday, Mom and I braved the rain and took the kids to the Georgia Children's Museum. Thursday was our inside day...water, water everywhere!! We dyed Easter eggs and had indoor egg hunts. On Friday, I must have been super desperate to get out after staying inside all day on Thursday because I VOLUNTARILY took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. I am glad that it doesn't take much to amuse my children, because we really didn't do anything spectacular. At the end of the week, Avery told me, "Mommy, this was the best Spring Break EVER!!"

Museum of Arts & Sciences

Showing off their creative sides

Dressed up in kimonos at the GA Children's Museum

Asa @ GA Children's Museum

So proud of their beautiful eggs!

Go CRAWFISH!!!

2009-03-21T15:14:00.005-04:00

Coach Jason, Coach Alex and Coach Dale with the CRAWFISH

No, we're not dressed up in pink for the Cherry Blossom Festival...Avery had her first T-ball game this morning! Her team is named the Crawfish, and their uniforms are pink - Avery's absolute favorite color. She was so excited to get to play in her first real game. She did really well - getting 2 hits off the tee and fielding a couple of ground balls. The game, of course, had it's blooper highlights though, as she spent most of her time in the outfield building molehills out of dirt and had to be reminded to run after hitting the ball. One time she missed a ground ball and then ran and stood on second base like she WAS something. Guess we need to remind her that you have to be holding the BALL to get someone out at second. The best, however, was when she was the runner on 2nd base and the batter hit the ball. She took off running to third, but instead completely bypassed the base and ran straight into the dugout. In her defense, the inning WAS over, but I'm not sure she knew that. We are in for a great season!

First time at bat

Avery running from 2nd to 3rd (but ending up in the dugout)

Ready position

My angel in the outfield

Getting some coaching from Alex at first base

Friends in the dugout

Mommy According to Avery

2009-03-18T17:19:00.006-04:00

Here is a fun little game that I recently posted on Facebook. I don't usually do these types of things, but I thought I would enjoy knowing what Avery's perceptions of me were. It turned out to be quite fun! I had to ask Avery these questions and see what she said about me.

1. What is something mom always says to you? I love you!
2. What makes mom happy? I guess when I say, "Mom, this dinner is sooooo delicious!"
3. What makes mom sad? If I get a spanking.
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickle me.
5. What was your mom like as a child? You liked to play with your toys.
6. How old is your mom? 53 (a little digit reversal, I'm afraid, and one year off.)
7. How tall is your mom? Let me measure you...(leaves room to get a tape measure, returns empty handed). I guess I'll have to count you. She counts from 1 to 14 from my feet to my head and says, "14 tall."
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Go to the beach.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Sits there and cries and says, "Avery's not here to play with me."
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Everyone seed you.
11. What is your mom really good at? cooking supper
12. What is your mom not very good at? I'm thinking it's gonna hurt your feelings. (I told her it would not, and she changed her answer to "going to bed.")
13. What does your mom do for a job? clean up (it sure does feel like that's my full time job!)
14. What is your mom's favorite food? broccoli
15.What makes you proud of your mom? Taking me to Ella Sombrero for a date.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Larry the cucumber (had to ask why, and she said because you're straight and long. HA!)
17. What do you and your mom do together? go on a date
18. How are you and your mom the same? Both of us like to play on the computer and we both got blue eyes (hazel actually).
19. How are you and your mom different? Because you're bigger than me and I'm smaller than you.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? You kiss me and hug me.
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? getting married
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? to choir

Snapshots Worth 1,000 Words

2009-03-11T20:08:00.011-04:00

Sometimes during the day, I will catch one of the kids doing something cute or funny (and often mischevious). I have learned to have the camera nearby, so that I can snap a picture on a moment's notice. There are no long stories to go along with them - for the pictures tell their own story. Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from the last month.

OK, what is it with Asa and the feminine products? Guess I need to put them out of reach!

Avery and Brynn riding double on MY old horse - so sweet!

Asa giving me a big fat kiss! Love that boy!

Check out Brynn's shirt! HA! So appropriate for the girl who colors her lips with red marker and climbs into the bathroom sink to look at herself in the mirror (it's about to break off the wall!) She is the QUEEN of mischief!

She has an electrifying personality!

She's Jumpin' Her Pants Off

2009-03-07T19:54:00.003-05:00

The other day, Brynn was jumping up and down in the living room, and she is so skinny, that her pants fell down. As if that wasn't funny enough, she looked at me and said, "Look Mommy, I just jumpted my pants off!"

A GRAND Day for Brynn

2009-03-04T17:02:00.007-05:00

Brynn's Grandparents Tea was today, after being rescheduled from Monday due to the snow day. Grandmommy, Grandpapa, Granddad and PaPa were able to come, but Nonna and Grandma Shirley could not get out of work obligations for it. We sure did miss them. It's just a blessing to have 3 sets of them all in Macon! She had so many grandparents that she had a table ALL TO HERSELF!! Brynn had a ball pouring tea and singing songs for the Grands. The decorations were precious and the food was delicious. Here are some pictures...

Thanks to all of you guys for making this day special for Brynn!!

Snow Much Fun!!

2009-03-01T20:08:00.011-05:00

WOW! I can't believe it actually happened - we got snow in Macon, Georgia for the first time in 7 years! It was in the high sixty's yesterday, and today it snowed - that's crazy Macon weather for ya! The girls were so excited to see their first snow, and we had so much fun playing in it. Granddad and Nonna came by to watch, and the 2 of them, along with Daddy helped Avery and Brynn build a great snowman! (We didn't have a carrot, so he has a hot dog nose! The girls thought that was quite hysterical!) Asa looked like the kid from "A Christmas Story" all bundled up to where he could hardly move. He was very subdued and fascinated by the whole thing. This was certainly a day to remember...because it may be while before it happens again.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

2009-02-20T06:58:00.003-05:00

Today is my Mom’s birthday, and I wanted to do something special for her. I got this great post idea from a friend’s blog (thanks Bethany). So, Mom, this post is totally and completely for you! And anyone else who reads it will know without a doubt what a wonderful Mom you are to me! I have made a random list (typed exactly as they came to my mind) of memories and qualities that I love about you. I hope you enjoy it!
1. You are a prayer warrior, and everyone in the family looks to you to take prayers to the Father on their behalf.
2. You write the best poems – wedding poems, birthday poems, school poems, the list goes on...
3. Working on my “All the world’s a stage” speech for graduation.
4. Helping me with my clever college entrance essays.
5. You LOVE my scrapbooks more than anyone – I can’t wait to show them to you.
6. Seeing you when you’re with my children – an AWESOME Grandmommy.
7. The way you’ve cried every time I had a child – like I knew it was special for you to see your baby have babies (and you always thanked me for my sacrifice when most people are just focused on the new baby).
8. All of your help after Avery (you know what I mean!) Not many people could’ve handled that.
9. Your generous nature.
10. Watching you take care of Pops as he aged. You were a great daughter to him!
11. Going to Burger King with Mrs. Smothers while @ TSA, and the fact that you still do it!
12. Meeting you at BK now with your sisters and Pops before he died.
13. Singing @ Pops’ funeral – for him, but for YOU too.
14. You’ve never missed an event – not a ball game, talent show, parents’ weekend, Christmas program. You’ve always supported me in everything.
15. Planning a wedding with you – the sweetest wedding ever!
16. Getting pulled over on the way to ATL when we went to get fitted for my wedding dress.
17. You are my BEST girlfriend.
18. The way we shop so well together – being able to walk in/walk out quickly and not waste time.
19. When you taught my women’s Bible Study group and they all loved you too.
20. The way you handled your cancer and how it gave the rest of us peace (and how God healed you!)
21. When you wanted to hear me sing “Trust His Heart” immediately after coming out of your surgery, and I was holding your hand.
22. Dinners at El Sombrero with you, Papa, and the kids.
23. Playing mafia at family gatherings and crying because I hated lying to you all!
24. The time when you rode on the back of my Big Wheel down the big hill on Pierce Dr. N and got scared b/c we were going too fast. You tried to get off and massacred your leg!
25. Our pet cat, Whiskers, and how he would attack us from under the kitchen table.
26. Going camping back in the day.
27. Being in your English class.
28. Growing up with your working at my school was always great – because you were always there and I never resented that.
29. What would I do with 3 kids and you not being in town to “relieve” me sometimes - whether it’s just dropping in for a change of scenery, meeting me at Chick-fil-a or letting me go get coffee.
30. You’re always there to talk to when I need a listening ear.
31. You are one of my top “advisors” in life.
32. Wanting to go with you & Papa on your honeymoon when I was little.
33. Being SOOOOO excited when you got engaged to Papa.
34. Going with the family to Disney World last March.
35. Wonderful memories of Hilton Head over the years.
36. I love that we talk on the phone at least once a day (often more).
37. You allowed me to be a “BABY WISE NAZI” with Avery and supported me even though I was utterly ridiculous.
38. We both were there for each other during our times of discontentment over our living situation (houses). God worked it out for good for each of us.
39. How proud I was to be your daughter when they gave you the standing O at Tattnall’s moving up ceremony Logan’s senior year.
40. When I came inside from playing with Denise as a child because I knew MY Mom would tell me what the F word meant. And then going back outside and saying, “I told you she would tell me!”
41. I’m just glad that we can talk about ANYTHING.
42. You are a model wife, daughter, sister, and mother, and I pray I can be half the person you are!
43. Going out on my 21st Birthday and y’all buying me a glass of wine – WEIRD!
44. Being able to relate to you as an adult and friend now!
45. Always asking you how can I make my girls love me the way I love you and turn out to be Godly women.
46. You coming in @ Aunt Nettie’s when Grandmommy died. I only remember that you were bawling, and it is etched in my memory.
47. I love that you share your testimony with your seniors – TSA is so blessed to have you as a part of their family.
48. You have parades and dance with my kids, and they love it!
49. You are full of Godly wisdom and can always point me to Scripture for answers.
50. Taking the trip to Hawaii with you and Papa.
51. Spending the night with you guys when Bryan goes out of town.
52. Eating pizza and watching movies that we rented, the 2 of us on opposite ends of the sofa just vegging out and Papa in his lazy boy.
53. All the nights you scratched my back growing up.
54. The first time I had to use a certain feminine product when we were at the beach and I was freaking out!
55. Lots, lots, lots of laughter through the years.
56. Telling you that I was pregnant with my first child, and seeing you cry because you were so happy and surprised.
57. Telling you I was pregnant with baby #2 after coming home from SSI. We told Avery to give Mommy and kiss, Daddy a kiss, and the baby a kiss. You cried again!
58. Announcing that “It’s a boy” at the girls’ birthday party and you being so excited, but upset because Papa wasn’t in the room…then you had to comfort me while I cried over it!
59. You celebrate with me over the things that I FINALLY get – like my van, my house, my children – things that I have to WAIT for patiently – that you know I REALLY want.
60. You are the most amazing mom in the world!
As you can see, there are 60 reasons, and there is no mistake about why. I was actually surprised by how LITTLE time it took me to think of them. I spent no more time than it took to type them, and I have billions more in my head. I could go on and on about you forever, which is just proof that I love you more than you’ll ever know! Happy 60th Mom! I love you. Julie

I Thought BOYS Loved Their MOMMA's!!

2009-02-11T14:43:00.004-05:00

That's what everyone told me when I found out that I was having a son!! "Oh, boys just LOVE their Momma's!" Well, what's wrong with mine? I say that with a smile on my face because while I wish Asa would just want to crawl up in my arms and love on me all the time, it melts my heart to see who my "replacement" is -- Bryan. Boy, does Asa just adore his Daddy! In the mornings, when I go to get him up, he can hardly wait to get out of my arms and run to his Daddy. Bryan will pick him up, and he will put his head on his Daddy's shoulder and stay there for as long as Bryan will hold him. It really is a sweet relationship. Who knows, maybe my day will come, as it did with the girls (all of our kids preferred Daddy as babies), but until then I'll just enjoy watching my man and his little boy!

Avery's First Trip to the Dentist

2009-02-09T11:35:00.007-05:00

Last week at school, Avery's class learned about Dental Health, and she came home every day talking about the dentist and how to take care of her teeth. I decided I should take advantage of her positive outlook and schedule her first appointment with Uncle Shawn! So, this morning, we went to the dentist. Avery was so excited, and she did fantastic. Mrs. Belinda was her hygienist, and she was great with her! She cried only once, when she had to bite down on that X-Ray thing, but who DOES like that part? Other than that, she loved watching the Backyardigans on the TV, going for a ride on the magic chair, having her teeth brushed by Mr. Ticklebrush, and spitting into Mr. Slurpy Straw! Uncle Shawn gave her the high five for no cavities, and she got her great bag full of treats! She was very proud to walk into school afterwards and show Mrs. Laurie and her friends the pictures that they printed of her getting her teeth cleaned and her X-Rays. It was a great first experience, and in her words, "the bestest day EVER!"

This is NOT Funny!!!

2009-02-05T10:11:00.004-05:00

Last Monday, when we were at my in-laws, Brynn went missing. When I found her, she was in the bathroom looking over the potty after flushing SOMETHING down. I saw Shirley's toothbrush in there and fished it out, and then noticed that the entire toilet paper roll had apparently been dunked as well. I wasn't sure exactly what all she flushed, but I knew in my gut that this was NOT good. The potty wouldn't flush right, so I had to get the plunger to unclog it. I told Shirley to be on the lookout in case it overflowed. This is the email I got from her today...
She wrote, "Guess what! The commode finally overflowed this morning. Al is calling the plumber today. I was trying to get dressed for work when I flushed it -- only had my coffee cup to try to stop the overflow by dipping water! Most water I think went downstairs. My toothpaste tube is missing so it probably is the main trouble. This may be a "blip" to record in your memory book of Brynn. It will be a good laugh!"
Only I am NOT laughing!!

Taking a Plunge

2009-01-30T18:34:00.007-05:00

Bryan was keeping the kids this afternoon, and look what a mess Brynn got into this time!! Apparently, she started by using the plunger and splashing the toilet water all over the bathroom. At that point, Avery came and told on her. Before Bryan could get himself in there, Brynn had already stripped down naked. I guess she didn't want to get potty water on her outfit? No, it seems that a plunger on your tummy is quite HILARIOUS to a 2 year old. Instead of telling her to stop IMMEDIATELY, in typical fashion for us, Bryan went and got the camera. Next, Brynn thought it might be fun to plunge HERSELF inside the potty, so in she went! The camera battery died before Daddy fully captured that shot. Then to top it all off, she tried to dry off with her bed comforter! I swear she doesn't get this from me!!

First Kiss

2009-01-28T17:06:00.003-05:00

Avery: Mommy, guess what I played at school today with the boys?
Mama: What?
Avery: Kissy Face!
Mama: And how do you play Kissy Face? ( I think I already know this one because I used to play something similar, but I wanted to get her story.)
Avery: The girls chaseted the boys and when we catchted them, we said, "Kissy Face!" And then you know what?
Mama: What... (please don't tell me this...)
Avery: I kissed a BOY!
Mama: Really? Who did you kiss?
Avery: Jake
Mama: Girl, you're only 4 - you shouldn't be kissing boys!! (Had to get that in!)

So, Jake Prather was the first boy Avery ever kissed. I had to write the story down for posterity.

The Faith of a Child

2009-01-20T17:42:00.007-05:00

Avery was QUITE upset one night last weekend because she lost her new bedroom slippers that Grandma Shirley and PaPa gave her for Christmas. She came to me crying hysterically over it. I was trying to dry her hair, and the drama was starting to get to me! You know how it is. Here's a glimpse of our conversation...

Mama: Avery, do you really think that all this crying and fussing is going to actually help you find your bedroom slippers? What can you DO that will actually HELP this situation? (the answer I was looking for was to actually LOOK for them!)
Avery: I can PRAY about it! (and she did, VERY sweetly, I might add.)

At this point she was convinced that they were going to immediately show up, and I had to explain that God might HELP us find them, but we might not find them tonight, this week or ever. Maybe God wanted to teach her to take better care of her things or to put things up where they belong? We looked EVERYWHERE I could think of, but no slippers. So…she prayed again about it! I am beginning to think that I have GOT to find them because this is breaking my heart. I called the grandparents, and she hadn’t left them at any of their houses, which left me with the option of explaining that sometimes God tells us to wait, and she’d have to wait for His answer.

About 15 minutes later, Avery comes into my room and asks,
Avery: Mama, how do you spell bedroom?
Mama: Why?
Avery: I’m writing a letter to God to ask Him to help me find my bedroom slippers. (Now that's what I call persistence! It was so cute! I helped her spell the words, and this is the letter she wrote….(in case you wonder, it says, "Dear God, please help me find my bedroom slippers." She put it in an envelope and wrote "To U God" on the outside."
Avery: Now, how do we send it to Him, Mama?
Mama: (not out loud) – Great question, how DO you send a letter to God? (out loud) Let’s put it in the pages of your Bible and see if He comes to get it. (So that's what we did, and of course God eventually did remove the letter from the Bible, much to her delight.)

Now, the original slippers still have not turned up, but a certain grandmother felt the need to intervene. I guess you can say that God provided a NEW pair of bedroom slippers. I gave them to her on Monday.

Mama: Avery, look what I found!
Avery: (SOOOOO excited) God got me some new bedroom slippers! I like these better than the other ones! (Guess God knows that she likes princesses.) She tries them on and they are a tad snug.
Avery: I think they are too small!
Mama: Oh well, I guess we’ll have to go buy a bigger pair.
Avery: No, Mama, I’ll wear them. I don’t want to hurt God’s feelings!

I love conversations like this! When I thought back on the whole ordeal, it made me realize that Avery taught me alot about God and prayer! She reminded me that the Lord wants us to come to him with childlike faith - realizing that He cares about the little things in our life, that He truly does hear our prayers, the He has the POWER to act, that He appreciates our persistence, that He will answer in His time, and that He wants us to be grateful to Him in the end. I'm just glad she didn't ask me why God didn't already know her shoe size!

No More Diapers for Brynn!!

2009-01-14T19:22:00.008-05:00

HOORAY!!! I am no longer diapering 2 bottoms at the same time! Brynn decided that she was ready for big girl panties! (Yes, I've learned to let my children decide when they're ready, as opposed to frustrating the heck out of myself doing the "potty training" thing.) I tried to potty train Avery in a day, and I quit the same day! Then, a few months later, Avery told me "I'm ready to wear my panties, " and that was it! I decided to take the same approach with Brynn. She has been going to the potty every so often up until now, but in the last few days, it's become a regular thing. It's been interesting this go round with Avery being so involved in the process. She's Brynn's #1 cheerleader, standing right there peering into the toilet to see if Brynn was successful. Such a funny sight to see. Whatever happened to PRIVACY?

So, time to celebrate!!! We had a "No More Diapers for Brynn" party with a cake and candles and sang No More Diapers For You...to the tune of Happy Birthday! Brynn felt very important and special...like a BIG GIRL!!

I'm SICK of This!!

2009-01-09T20:42:00.003-05:00

Well, since I last posted on our anniversary, we've had our share of sick kids! Avery's stomach virus turned out to be fine after about 12 hours. My parents kept all 3 kids for us to go out on New Year's Eve, and shortly after they brought them home, I was with Asa in the kitchen when he started throwing up. He threw up all over me while I tried to get him to the bathtub. I thought he was done, but he puked on me one MORE time before we both had to hop into the shower. Don't know how it is that I'm like some kind of puke magnet. I'm always holding them when it happens. Asa's bug only lasted about 12 hours too, but I had to take him to Dr. Vernon the next day for his ears. He's on his 4th round of antibiotics, and if these don't work, we'll be visiting the ENT center. Amazingly, no one else got sick until this past Wednesday when Avery started complaining again. The virus hit her for round 2 and then Asa started up again yesterday!! The second round, they both only threw up once, and luckily it wasn't on me this time. Avery did completely drench our sofa cushions though. At least my new sofa is scheduled to arrive NEXT week! She thinks we are getting a new sofa "because I throwded up on the old one!" (love that verb usage, don't you, Mom?) As of now, that's all from OUR house that have gotten sick, but I'm sorry to say that Grandpapa, Grandma Shirley and PaPa have each had it too in the last 2 days, compliments of my kids! Gotta hate that!!

Happy 12th Anniversary!

2008-12-30T16:18:00.004-05:00

Our 12th anniversary was Sunday, and Mom and Papa kept the kids for us to have a nice relaxing weekend at home ALONE! It was wonderful to be able to sleep in, go out to dinner AND lunch, and just listen to peace and quiet for a change. On Saturday, Papa called and said Avery was complaining of a headache, and she wanted to come home. We figured she was just homesick, and she ended up feeling better that day. But she woke up in the middle of the night on Saturday night crying. By Sunday morning, she had a low fever, so they brought her home. As soon as she saw me, she started crying about her head. I held her for maybe 5 minutes, and she started saying her tummy hurt. Then she got this look on her face and I knew what was coming! She starting puking all over me. I was holding her while she threw up 4 times on me from the living room to the bathroom. Poor baby; it was so awful! We both hopped in the shower, while my WONDERFUL husband completely sanitized the bathroom and my parents cleaned up the mess in the living room. So, I spent my 12th anniversay taking care of a kid with the stomach virus. That night, instead of a romantic evening with my husband, it was Bryan, me and Avery in the bed. I told Bryan that night, this kindof typifies our life stage right now, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Happy Anniversay, baby! You're still the greatest husband in the world, and it is a joy sharing life with you!

Holly Jolly Christmas Part 2

2008-12-29T19:56:00.028-05:00

Whew!! Christmas is my absolute FAVORITE time of year, but I must admit that I breathe a HUGE sign of relief when it's all over. Despite my attempts, I just don't see how it will ever be anything but hectic, and I really don't mean that in a bad way. I happen to love a packed schedule because I seem to get lots more accomplished. On Christmas day, Avery kept on wanting to know, "Why does Christmas only last ONE DAY?" One day, child? Where have YOU been? We've been doing Christmas for a whole month! But now that the decorations are all put away, the new toys are in their proper spot, the parties are all over, and the baked goods are ALMOST gone, I can finally sit down, relax, and reflect on the rest of this year's highlights...(continued from my previous post).

9. We celebrated with Shirley, Al, Shawn, Ash, Dennis and Tina and their families at the Smith's house on the 21st. Tina, as always, cooked a delicious dinner. The kids all enjoyed playing together, and somehow we left the house in decent shape. They were SOOOO wild!! Avery and Brynn sure do love their cousins though! The family is so big; thankfully, we draw names between the brothers & their wives/kids. But all of the grandchildren got lots of great gifts from PaPa and Grandma Shirley, and Brynn tried on every single new outfit and modeled it for everyone.

10. On Tuesday the 23rd, Mom kept the girls and baked Christmas cookies with them. I had to take Asa to the doctor that day - Diagnosis: double ear infection, sore throat, & brochitis. Poor Fellow! That night, we had Dad, Hope and Jeffrey over for dinner. We opened presents first (out of the ordinary for the Daniel family), so that we could enjoy a longer dinner/visit with the adults. Nonna read to Avery and Brynn and put them to bed that night, which was special for them.

11. On Christmas Eve, we went to church and then to Shirley and Al's house for dinner. Afterwards, the men went downstairs for their yearly "Santa debate" while the ladies stayed upstairs and were entertained by the younger kids as they did their "Program" of carols for us. The older generation of cousins (pictured) had to do "The Program" when they were growing up, and last year, they willingly passed the baton to their younger cousins. Tom Murvin lost the men's "debate;" therefore, shortly afterwards, the sound of Santa's sleigh was heard on the roof. Then, the highlight of the night, Rock n Roll Santa, showed up with his crazy dance moves. It was so funny to Bryan and me this year because all 3 of the kids actually danced with him. Well, Asa was actually PLOWED OVER by him (a video clip that Bryan is considering sending to America's Funniest Home Videos). It was hysterical! The evening continued in a blur of laughter, flying wrapping paper balls, oooohs and aaaahs over new toys, and generally LOTS of noise!

12. Asa was the first kid up on Christmas morning (7:15). Brynn was next at 7:45, and Avery joined the rest of us at 8:15. I am cherishing these Christmases, because I know in time they'll start waking up before the sun rises on Christmas morning. Mom and Papa came over to be a part of all the fun. First, we did our advent wreath & house and sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" several times. They were REALLY into the whole advent candle thing and wanted to do it over and over again all season long. When we got around to seeing what Santa brought, the girls were really excited about everything they got, and they enjoyed opening Asa's loot too! Avery was especially thrilled with the Care Bear that was "exactly what she wanted." She told me later, "The elves are really good at that." I asked, "at what?" She responded, "at making Care Bears." After presents, we had brunch, and then just spent the rest of the day chillin' out!

13. On Christmas night, Bryan and I let the girls in on one of OUR traditions - sleeping on the floor in front of the Christmas tree. We pulled our mattress in the living room, and the girls brought their sleeping bags for a great family time of laughing, reading, and watching movies. They thought it was GREAT!!

And now, it's over. Another year almost gone. One of my favorite songs that our choir sang this year said these words..."It's a brand new Christmas...another year, another chance to make a memory - to cherish friends and family. A brand new Christmas...enjoying moments with the Prince of Peace. There's no gift like the present, and this is....a brand new Christmas." Those lyrics perfectly express my thoughts this Christmas. We've enjoyed our family and our friends; we've made many new memories, but more than anything, we've celebrated Jesus in a way that made THIS Chrismas special and unique.

A Holly Jolly Christmas

2008-12-21T15:54:00.015-05:00

Well, the Christmas hustle and bustle have already hit around my house, so much so, that I haven't had much time to blog. Some of the highlights so far (in chronological order)...

1. I enjoyed my "Promise" marathon week. Practice with the IBC choir for 2 nights and then the production for 3 nights. Avery was a huge fan and came to see it 3 out of 4 times. On the first night, I was walking out on stage to sing with my ladies quartet, and I heard, "Hey MOMMY!!" I ignored her, not wanting to be distracted, and she yelled out, "HEY MOMMY" again. Needless to say, she spent the whole song moping over the fact that I didn't say hey back. I guess it's time to teach her a little about "theatre etiquitte."

2. Some of those everyday moments that you just HAVE to snap pictures of - like Brynn falling asleep during dinner at her little table. (see picture below) Or what about when I walked up and Asa had a highchair tray full of Cherrios (the culprit? Brynn, of course). She said, "But Asa wants some more Cherrios." What you CAN'T see is that there were hundreds in his seat, and the box was now empty. Thanks, Brynn!

Then there was the day when I rounded to corner to find my Christmas tree on the living room floor! Avery said, "I'm sorry I knocked over the Christmas Tree." I was so mad I had to send her to her room so I could cool down! We got it fixed (though I haven't put all the ornaments back on), and Avery said with a pout, "Mommy, I said I was sorry, and you didn't forgive me." Guess I can't be mad anymore. But the fact that I CHOSE not to take a picture of it prooves how upset I was. The thought entered my mind, but I deliberately didn't get out the camera! Now I wish I did....
Of course, Asa picks this crazy time of year to start climbing up on everything. He can climb up on the sofa, or a small chair, or the girls' art desk. He has sustained quite a few injuries. (No, one of them wasn't when I was snapping this picture, thank the Lord!)

3. We had our first family Christmas gathering last Sunday at Mom & Papa's with the Kitchings side of the family, and guess who showed up? Santa Claus!! Brynn ran up to him and jumped into his arms, and Avery was nothing but smiles. The kids all enjoyed singing "Happy Birthday to Jesus" and eating birthday cake, and the adults had a "Dirty Santa" gift swap that was fun.
4. Avery's Broadway Show Choir had their holiday performance at MLT. She did a great job. We bought her roses and gave them to her afterwards, and she thought that was great!

5. For my birthday (which was in September), Dad and Hope gave me 2 tickets to see Annie at the Grand. Avery and I went on a date to El Sombrero and then to the play afterwards. We had great seats, and Avery loved every minute of it. Afterwards, we went around to the back of the building and got to meet the cast and Sandy!

6. Avery and Brynn both had Christmas parties at school, and Avery's Christmas program was amazing! The 4K and 5K classes did a great job of celebrating Jesus' Birthday! Avery was originally on the front row, but she got moved because she kept on pulling her dress up. She also told Mrs. Ruth that if the little girl who sang the solo was sick, she could do it because she knew all the words! I was surprised that she would even WANT to do a solo because she clams up in front of an audience.

7. On Saturday, we had our Christmas gathering with the Harrison side of the family in Marietta. It was alot of fun. The cousins enjoyed playing together and the only mishap was that Brynn cut a hole in her dress with some scissors! Better dress than hair, I'll say!

8. Throughout the month, we have done dozens of crafts, baked cookies and cakes, had great times with our advent wreath and our advent house - all in order to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. This has definitely been a great one so far! And there is still so much more fun to come!!! This truly is the BEST time of the year!

2nd Annual Christmas Program @ the Kelleys

2008-12-06T19:44:00.007-05:00

Tonight, the kids enjoyed being in the Christmas program at our friends', the Kelleys, house. This tradition started last year and has become one of my favorite parts of this wonderful season. There were over 25 kids who practiced this morning and put on the production for all of us tonight. The idea stemmed from the fact that Lanier just wanted her kids to experience the "Best Christmas Pageant Ever" kind of thing. The kids all have great little costumes, they (sometimes) memorize their lines, the music messes up every now and then, kids scream out "Hey Mommy" in the middle of the program (that would be Brynn this time), and we all just LOVE it! This year, Avery and Brynn were both angels and Asa was a lamb. Here are some of the highlights....

Asa and Elijah were 2 of the animals.

Avery and Brynn were angels, though Brynn was more interested in Baby Jesus than in singing the songs we had practiced all week long!!

Myra, Avery and Lydia

Brynn, Evie and Emma ringing their bells.

Brynn came in from outside later during the night and said, "Mommy, my pants fell down." She couldn't seem to keep them up! Nice crack!!

Can I say just say that Lanier wins the MOTY award. I don't know many moms who would let that many kids (ages 2 to 8) spend 2 hours at their house practicing for a play and then open their home up again at night for everyone to come back and watch/have dinner! But, it sure does mean a lot to all of us who get to be a part of it, and it's one of the Christmas memories we'll carry with us for a life time!! Thanks, Lanier!!

I'll Love you Forever

2008-11-24T21:59:00.004-05:00

About a year ago, I was reading I'll Love You Forever to Avery before bed. Most parents, especially Moms, know this one - it tends to be a favorite of ours because it demonstrates how a mothers's love for her children is something that never grows old, even if THEY do! Well, have you ever really paid attention to the words of the book? On this particular night (a year ago), as I read the book to Avery, I did. Pardon me, while I recap the story...
Mommy sneaks her new baby out of bed, rocks him, and sings,
"I'll love you forever; I'll like you for always.
As long as I'm living my baby you'll be."
So sweet! A few years later, Mommy sneaks her toddler out of bed, rocks him, and sings the same song. So sentimental. Still a couple of years later, Mommy sneaks her little boy out of bed, rocks him, and sings the same song. I love this book! Several more years pass by, and Mommy sneaks her teenager out of bed, rocks him, and sings her song to him again. You get the idea! Well, it's all sweet until one day, when the little boy gets married, and Mommy gets in her car, drives across town to his house, climbs a ladder to his window, sneaks in his bedroom, crawls across the floor, gets her grown-up boy out of bed, rocks him, and sings, "I'll love you forever." For the first time ever, I looked at my favorite children's book and asked, "What kind of SICK Mama is this?" All of this to say that I may very well be on the road to becoming that sick Mama!! I love sneaking my kids out of bed at night and bringing them into my bed and just holding them and loving on them! I did it just last night with Asa, and I cherished every minute of it. His smell...last night, he smelled of lavender and maple syrup. His breathing...mouth closed into a pucker and nose breath rhythmically tickling my neck. The feelings of the warmth of his little body next to mine and the adorable twitch of his hand as he holds my thumb, assuring me that he is asleep and completely unaware that I am caught up in this moment. Yep, I'm definitely in trouble, but as long as I can get away with it, I think I'll keep it up! When my kids are older, I'll be the mama who is still sneaking them out of bed while they're asleep for these priceless moments. (But I may have to draw the line with the ladder!) Avery, Brynn, and Asa, rest assured, I'll love you forever!!

Bad Hair Day!

2008-11-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Well, today was one of those days that I'll always remember. Every mother of girls (and probably some boys too) has this deep rooted fear that one day their baby with the beautiful long tresses will give herself a new haircut. We keep the scissors out of reach; we try to instill in their minds that cutting your OWN hair is a REALLY BAD IDEA; we threaten them; basically, we try to put the fear of God in them! For me, it didn't work. Today was the fateful day when my baby cut her hair. Faithful readers of this blog are saying, "Oh no! Brynn strikes again, and Brynn's hair can't get any shorter," but you'll never believe it...the culprit wasn't Brynn, but Avery!! She decided she wanted short hair (like her best friend at school), and that was it. She took a big whack out of the front and ended up giving her self a ridiculous looking set of bangs and a really bad layered cut on the left side. I didn't end up crying (I was too mad to cry), but I didn't wait long before taking her to the "beauty shop" to get it fixed. She absolutely loves it and thinks she looks just like Carlie from school. I feel pretty fortunate that in the end she looks OK, just not like a little girl anymore. Boo - Hoo!!!

It's the Hard Knock Life For Us

2008-11-13T18:42:00.001-05:00

Avery's newest musical obsession is "Annie." Today, we had my niece, Baylor, over to play for several hours. I nearly died when I saw what they were playing...they were pretending to be orphans and singing, "It's the Hard Knock Life" while they completely cleaned my house!!! They took squares of toilet paper and washed the floors, walls, furniture, and windows . They made my bed, cleaned Avery's room, and even picked up the mess in the house that they'd made. I couldn't believe my luck! Believe me, my house is "shinin' like the top of the Chrysler Building" right now, thanks to a couple of imaginative little girls! Think I'll have Baylor over more often!!

What IS it with my kids?

2008-11-06T17:08:00.002-05:00

So, I'm at home the other day, and I can't find Brynn. It's about 4:30 (and we have dropped her afternoon nap, I should add), and the house is just too quiet, which always beckons the question, "Where's Brynn?" I am running around the house calling, "Brynn, where are you? Answer Mommy!!" I do this for what seems like eternity (really only about 10 seconds), but I am starting to get really panicky! I walk into Asa's room, and I just happen see 2 little feet sticking out from behind his crib. I go to look closer, thinking maybe she's playing hide and seek. But no, you guessed it, she's fast asleep behind the bed. What IS it with my kids??? (If you read my "Sound Asleep" post from September, you know what I mean!)

Fall Festival Fun!!

2008-11-05T18:28:00.001-05:00

One of the highlights of the fall season is the Fall Festival at church. This year, Avery decided that she wanted to be Little Bo Peep, and she wanted Asa to be her sheep. I was pretty impressed with this cute idea, so I went with it. I had a friend of mine, Wanda Hulett, who is a fabulous seamstress, make the girls' Bo Peep dresses, and I ordered Asa's lamb costume from E-bay. Avery and Brynn loved wearing their matching dresses with the pantaloons and carrying around their staffs. (I ended up having to confiscate those because they ended up being used as weapons to hit each other over the head with!) Asa was adorable as the lamb, and he turned quite a few heads as he toddled around! We decided to go to the Fall Festivals at both Ingleside and Mabel White this year (one on Wednesday, and one on Friday) = double the fun!! Here are some of my favorite pictures - better late than never!

All dressed up and ready to go....

The cutest sheep EVER!!!

The girls loved playing together on the giant slides and moonwalks.

Avery and Brynn both rode the ponies (a first for Brynn).

What I Learned at School Today

2008-10-30T20:44:00.000-04:00

Avery's class had a visit by the fire department today at school, but I didn't think to ask her about it. Tonight, just before dinner, the oven timer went off. Avery was in the kitchen with Bryan and me at the time, and she said, "Mommy, hurry up and open the door!! Open the door!!! Get the key!!!" I was like, "No baby, it's time for dinner. You can't go outside and play right now." To which she politely explained to me, "But the fireman said that when the bell goes beep, beep, that I'm sposed to get out of the house." How cute is that?

Conversations with My Kids

2008-10-22T17:36:00.002-04:00

Avery had made cards for some girls in her class at school, and the next morning, she couldn't find them....

Avery: (whining) I can't find my cards, Daddy!
Bryan: Well you have to look for them, baby.
Avery: (crying) I already did.
Bryan: Well go look again. You need to THINK of where you've been and where you might have put them down.
Avery: (hopefully) Maybe they're under the covers!! (She goes to look).
Avery: (crying, again) They're NOT THERE!!
Bryan: Avery, you have to THINK! Where did you put them, THINK!
Avery: (hysterical) I DON'T KNOOOOOOW!!!
Bryan: Well, you have to THINK!
Avery: (completely giving up) It's too HARD for little kids to think!!!

Fun @ the Fair

2008-10-11T21:19:00.001-04:00

We had a great family outing to the Perry Fair on Thursday. It was arm band day, so the kids rode unlimited rides (worth the money because they must've done at least 40 rides each). Their favorite ones were all the little "fun houses," the Fun Slide, the flying bees and elephants, and the merry go round. Brynn, our daredevil, also loved the roller coaster and the swings. Bryan and I each got to do some rides with the girls, which was fun, but it was nice that they were able to do some just the 2 of them. Mom and Papa met up with us around 4:30, just in time for corn dogs, greasy french fries, and funnel cakes! We had a great time, and it didn't start raining on us until we were in the car on the way home!

Seeing Double

2008-10-08T18:23:00.000-04:00

It has become apparent that Asa is VERY much like his big sister, Brynn. Remember the picture of them in the dishwasher? (see Deja Vu post on August 11). Well, just tonight I was getting the kids dressed after baths. I already had Asa in his PJ's and had left him in his room to play. I got the girls out of the tub and was with them in their room getting their PJ's on, when Avery walked into the guest bathroom. She ran back in the room and said, "Mommy, Asa's in the bathtub!" I rushed in there, and somehow, he had managed to climb back in with his pajamas on. The water was almost completely drained, but he still got pretty wet! Of course, I KNEW I'd seen this once before!!! This EXACT thing happened with Brynn once. I am posting BOTH pictures!! Looks like I'm in for alot of trouble with the two of them! The top picture is Brynn when she was 14 months old. We had a "color bath," so that's why the water was blue. Bottom one is Asa - 12 months old. I'm afraid he's doing all of Brynn's mischief about 2 months ahead of her!!

I guess I should look for this to happen too in about a year....these pics are of Brynn just 2 nights ago when she was SUPPOSED to be in the bed going to sleep! First we walked in on her, and she had pulled EVERY SINGLE book off the book shelves. We cleaned that up, had a "come to Jesus" talk with her and went back about our evening. About 30 minutes later, we walked in, and she had pulled every wipe out of the box and the floor was covered in them. What did I EVER do to deserve this? Mom kindly reminded me the other day (when Brynn messed up Asa's b-day cake) that "this is the same little girl who nearly drowned about 4 months ago." I'll take the mischief ANY day!! Thanks for the reminder, Mom!

Asa's Barnyard BBQ

2008-10-05T21:07:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that my baby boy is ONE!! It seems like just yesterday that he was born! Anyway, we had a wonderful 1st birthday party on Saturday. We invited all of our family, and many of them were able to make it! The weather was perfect. We ate boiled peanuts, BBQ, cake, and ice cream while all 0f the kids played on our new playset (given by Granddad and Nonna to all 3 for birthday & Christmas this year). It was a lot of fun. Check out some of the pictures.

Mommy, Daddy, and the Birthday Boy

Our little farmer in front of the barn that I painted as a decoration.

Every boy looks macho on a John Deere! Well, except for boys in red gingham with horsie appliques on the front. They just look downright cute!! Sorry, buddy.

Getting a decent pic of the 3 of them is rare!

People say Asa looks like his Daddy's side of the family. Those big eyes, dark hair, and olive skin make him a "Scott baby."

This was the ADORABLE barn cake that my friend, Lisa Mayfield, made - please notice how terrible it looks on the front (the green part just below the fence). It wasn't always that way. The reason for that would be, of course, Brynn. She got into his cake and decided to "rake" the "front yard" with her fingers. I was furious!! I tried to fix it as best I could, but oh well...

Asa enjoyed his own cake and ate EVERY bit of it (with a little help from his sisters).

This galvanized tub kept him still while we opened presents.

Sound Asleep

2008-09-27T21:07:00.001-04:00

I am uniquely blessed in the fact that my kids are REALLY hard sleepers. Maybe it's because I made it a point never to tiptoe around them when they were babies, so they learned to adjust to a somewhat noisy environment. There are 2 things that I absolutely LOVE about this: First, I can pick them up and move them around while they are asleep, and they won't wake up. If they fall asleep in the car, I just carry them inside. If they're asleep in their beds, I can go in and pick them up and hold them or rock them. I LOVE sneaking them out of bed and bringing them into my room to snuggle (I get to enjoy cuddling up to them, and they don't wake up to realize it and get spoiled!) I can also get really cute pictures of all three of them when they're asleep because I just wait till they're out and then position them however I want to.

The second thing that I love about them being hard sleepers is that they can fall asleep just about anywhere - on the floor, in the car, on the couch, in the highchair, and even inside a box!! Last night, Avery came into my room and asked, "Where's Brynn?" (They share a bedroom). I asked, "She's not in her bed?" Avery said "no," so I went in the room and looked. Then Avery said, "Oh, here she is...asleep inside this box." I looked inside, and sure enough, there was Brynn fast asleep in a box.

It got me thinking about all of the funny places I've caught them sleeping, so I decided to round up some pictures - old and new.

Brynn in the box - 9/26/08

I came home one night from PTO at school, and Brynn had fallen asleep on the floor. Bryan left her there for me to see! 9/7/08

Left: Asa fell asleep right in his ExerSaucer - 6/15/08

Right: Too pooped to even eat! 3/2/08

Christmas Eve 2007 - YES, they are REALLY asleep.

Christmas Card pic of the girls in 2006. They didn't even wake up when Bryan and I were manipulating those hats to look just PERFECT!

Avery fell asleep while watching a movie in our living room chair - 3/16/07

Avery read herself to sleep. 6/19/07

Avery was so tired after gymnastics one day, that she crashed on the sofa. 5/10/07.

OK, I guess you get the idea! I could literally look for pictures forever because there are dozens of them....

My Weekend Without Julie (posted by Bryan)....

2008-09-27T21:06:00.001-04:00

Well, it's better late than never, but here is what Bryan had to say about his weekend without me when I went to Fernandina with my girlfriends...

Okay, so Julie goes away for the weekend with her girlfriends, and I'm keeping the kids. So how was it for me?
First of all, Julie left on a Thurday around noon. So when she takes a weekend, she takes a weekend. I kept Asa while the girls went to Athena Leskovic's house and played. I took advantage of a nap, about a half hour, while Asa was asleep. Then I delivered him to Grandmommy so I could work a little more. Picked them up after work, brought them home. Night's almost over right? Wrong.
Brynn would NOT stay in her bed! No matter what I did, she would not. I spanked her over and over again to no avail. After spanking Brynn who knows how many times for getting out of bed (literally Brynn would not obey), Brynn fell asleep. Avery was still awake, and I asked her why in the world did Brynn keep getting out of bed when I kept spanking her? Avery said, "Because she's 2." I laughed and told Avery that sometimes God speaks through the mouth of a child, and I think He just did.
It was awesome. After that night's battle royal with Brynn, she was the first to wake up. She came in the bedroom, and I asked if she wanted to get into my bed. She said yes, and we just laid there together, and I loved on her. Then she said, "I love you." It was awesome b/c I was so concerned about last night's stuff. The first (or one of the first) words out of her mouth were "I love you." How great is that? Even in discipline, per God's word, she felt loved.
So I take them to the Tattnall homecoming game. Avery wants to wear a cheerleading outfit. The only one she has is a Georgia cheerleading outfit. Brynn wears Avery's old TSA cheerleading outfit.

Tripp has his jersey retired before the game, and during the ceremony I recognize a wailing cry over the crowd. . . it's Avery. I have to leave the ceremony to go take care of Avery who scratched her leg.
Go back to the ceremony, finish up. Asa's got a poo-poo. I change it, and then I cannot find Brynn. They're doing the invocation before the game and I'm the only person walking around looking for someone. Shawn finally sees her on the field near one of the end zones. We stay till halftime. It's late, so I let the girls sleep in their cheerleading outfits.
Wake up the next morning, cook pancakes upon Avery's insistence. Then she doesn't eat any b/c Brynn poked her in the hand with a fork. Brynn also decided to pour the syrup on the dining room table.

Off to Tanner's football game . . . of course in the cheerleading outfits. I guess if it were up to me I'd probably change their clothes only twice per week. Grandma Shirley bought the kids pizza, and Avery gave me "your favorite part" (the crust).
Went to Arby's for lunch (a big deal for me b/c I've never taken all three of them out to lunch on my own before). Got the car washed (which it needed) and the kids loved that. Off to Burns Park (it's hard to swing three kids . . . kinda like that guy that spins like 20 plates on sticks). Back home, nap time for Asa, and though I try to get some shut-eye, Avery and Brynn decide they want to get in bed with me and cut up. Baths, off to Grandma Shirley's for spaghetti, and back home.
Somewhere along the line I find during the weekend a roll of toilet paper undone and stuffed into the toilet. I wonder who would have done that? Asa's not coordinated enough, and Avery is, at her age, too responsible. That leaves me or Brynn.

Off to church on Sunday. I take Grandma Shirley and Papa up on their invitation to go to S&S Cafeteria. Man was that crazy! In the middle of that long wait line, Avery has to go to the potty. She holds it as long as she can until "it's about to come out!" Grandma Shirley takes her to the bathroom, leaving me and Papa with Brynn and Asa and 4 trays of food. When we sit down, Asa's fussy, Brynn just wants jello or Papa's congealed salad, alot of screaming, crying, and craziness and we're out of there. It was chaotic, but it was wierd, after the whole thing, I told God that it was awesome. It's one of those things you look back on and laugh, and count your blessings.
Mommy came home to a clean house (picked up about 2 hours before she arrived). It was a fun weekend, but having Mommy around sure helps!
- Daddy

This is a Bandaid!

2008-09-15T13:24:00.000-04:00

Just a second ago, I walked in on Brynn, who was in my bathroom getting into something, I was sure. I looked at her, and she said, "This is a bandaid" and pulled up her dress to show me. This is what I saw...so typical of Brynn!! I'm still cracking up!

My Weekend Without Bryan

2008-09-13T21:28:00.001-04:00

I must say that I have wondered how I would handle this weekend when it finally arrived. Bryan was at the beach with his buddies since Thursday, and I've had the kids by myself. You have to know that in the past, when Bryan has even been gone for the night, I have run over to my parents to spend the night. So, you see, I've never really had to do this by myself. I guess I wanted to see if I could really handle it. Well, it's Sunday, and I am happy to say that I have survived...(but not without a little help!) Here's a not so brief summary of the weekend.

OK, now don't go writing me off yet - I DID spend Thursday night at my parents, but it was because Papa K was taking all three kids to school on Friday morning since I had to be at work at 8:00. At 10:15, I got a call from Asa's teacher that he had the runs, and I had to go pick him up. Normally, Bryan would've been able to handle this, BUT not this time. I had to leave work to go get him, and then I took him over to my father in law, Al's, house, so I could go back to work. By the way, he's not sick - just teething. My Mom picked them all up at noon and took them back to my house where Hope, my other mom, was keeping them until I got home. The weekend has just started, and already I've used all THREE sets of grandparents!!! You have NO IDEA how blessed I am to have grandparents in town! I honestly don't know what I'd do without them! When I got home, the routine was pretty much cook supper, bathe the kids, read books, have our devotion, say prayers and go to bed. As expected, Asa and Avery went to sleep GREAT, but Brynn pulled one of her late nighters (see previous post) and didn't fall asleep until about 10:00. I stayed up until 12:30 working on the computer! Why do I do that when I know I have to wake up at the crack of dawn?

Yesterday morning, I took the kids to Burger King where my parents and Aunt Nettie and Uncle Rob usually go in the mornings. We ate and played on the playground before taking the girls on a "field trip." Papa kept Asa, and Mom and I took the girls to Lane Packing Company (with a short detour by Hobby Lobby, of course). We ate lunch at the Peachtree Cafe, played on the playground and tractors, and, of course, ate peach ice cream. We had to take Mom back to her house, and I had to pick up Asa from Papa, so while I was there, I caught a 20 minute power nap to get me ready for the rest of the night. I came back here late afternoon and did the normal night time stuff. This time, Brynn hadn't taken a nap, so she was asleep by 7:30. I was feeling pretty good about myself when I had ALL asleep by 8:30. I was much smarter this time and went to bed at 10:30.

This morning, I got all of the kids up, fed, dressed, and ready for church, and I even got an early enought start to swing by Starbucks for a Mocha! I talked to Bryan on the way home afterwards, and he was ON HIS WAY!! By the time both Brynn and Asa had a nap, and we did a quick "once over" on the house, it was almost time for his arrival. He ended up getting home around 3:30, much to our delight!

So, there you have it! Obviously, I couldn't have done it without the help of ALL the grandparents! Hats off to my friends who have to do this ALL THE TIME without help!) We did nothing really spectacular, but I MADE it! All of this while keeping the house clean, cooking supper, nursing boo-boos, doing 4 loads of laundry, being a household referree, washing/unloading dishes, building forts and castles, creating 2 photo books on Shutterfly, finishing a layout in Brynn's scrapbook, proofing a birthday invitation for Asa's First Birthday party, babysitting Avery's class mascot "Friendly Frog" for the weekend & typing up his journal, having my OWN devotional times, making sure that our Webkins are taken care of, and finally posting a blog to tell all about it! I have to say, I feel like I have passed the test. (For the record, I NEVER ONCE got on Facebook!! Maybe that's why I actually GOT something done!)

And lest you say, when do YOU get a weekend with YOUR friends at the beach? Well, I'm leaving for Fernandina on Thursday. Stay tuned for Bryan's weekend without Julie...I may even make him type up the post!!

The Sounds of Bedtime

2008-09-02T21:45:00.002-04:00

Bedtime at the Scott house is not exactly bedtime. I try get the kids in bed by 7:00, which is no real problem for Asa. He's the easiest one to get to sleep - just put him in the crib, and he's off to la-la land! Easy enough! Now the girls are another story altogether. On a typical night, we get them in their room around 7:00. First, we brush teeth, then we read together, then it's time for prayers, hugs & kisses, tucking in and LIGHTS OUT!! That's when the drama begins...

Brynn loves to climb all over the crib and sit up on top of the rails. If she's not on her pillow, she's perched like a bird on the railing! It's quite a sight to see! Avery is constantly getting up to inform us that "Brynn's out of the bed!" or "Brynn turned on the light!" Brynn gets out of bed incessantly, crying "Avee's hits me!" or asking "I'nna get in Avee's bed!" Sometimes we let them get in Avery's bed together for a while, which can be good or bad. On many nights, they'll sing or play school, but often they nearly drive each other crazy (at which point Brynn has to go back to her crib, and she pitches a fit!) Sometimes (like in photo below, taken last night) Brynn will sneak back into Avery's bed, but we won't discover it until we check on them right before we go to sleep. They will both be snuggled up together fast asleep. So sweet!

The other night, Avery sneaked out of bed after Brynn was already asleep, and we found her under a dining room chair just hanging out listening and watching us in the bedroom. Glad we weren't DOING anything!

All of this to say, on a typical night at bedtime, our house is filled with a conglomeration of the sounds of praying, reading, singing, tattling, crying, laughing, talking, teaching, whining, fighting, and loving. At some point each night (maybe by 9:00), they all 3 are visited by the sandman, and then there is peace and quiet!

Asa's First Steps

2008-09-02T19:55:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday, Asa took his first step (11 months old). Since then, he's gotten more and more confident standing alone and trying out his legs! This morning, he took 2 steps for Daddy, and this afternoon, he took 2 for me. Tonight as I was trying to capture a picture of him walking, he took 9 steps!! I couldn't believe it! My little boy is growing up, and I can't stand it! If only I could freeze time and keep him just like he is right now...forever!!

By the way, if I can ever get computer savvy enough to figure out how to import a video from my camcorder, I will replace this pic with live footage of the momentous event! But, I'm in the process of trying to figure it out...we shall see!!!

Labor Day Weekend in St. Simons

2008-09-02T19:17:00.001-04:00

For the long weekend, we went with Shawn and Ash and their kids to Myra's house in St. Simons. This is a small "beach shack" on Ocean Boulevard that was owned by Bryan and Shawn's grandmother, Myra. She owned it back when you had to take a ferry to even get ON St. Simons. Now Shirley, Bryan's mom, owns the house, so we are blessed to have a place at the beach that we can go whenever we want. We love it! It's not fancy, so you're not afraid to sit on the furniture or walk on the floors. But the best part is the memories that Myra's house holds. Bryan and Shawn spent many summers there as kids, and it holds a special place in their hearts. That's why it's such a cool thing to be spending summers there now with OUR kids - in the same house, on the same beach. This weekend was definitely interesting as we were outnumbered nearly 2 to 1! We had 7 kids under the age of 7! It sounds like it'd be absolutely wild, but the cousins have so much fun together that they really entertain themselves. We spent every moment we could on the beach, getting out there around 10:30 and not leaving until 6:00 each day. The kids were so exhausted by the time they finished supper that it was not difficult at all to get them all to sleep. I'm sure that this will be the first of many vacations to Myra's beach house with the 11 of us! (As of now, neither couple plans on adding to their family, but we never know if God's plan is the same as ours.) Anyway, it was an absolute blast!
Myra Jane, Avery and Carson

The younger 4 under the tent. (Myra, Carson, Asa and Brynn)

Avery and Baylor were inseparable!

She was pretty taken with Myra too, since she's the "newest."

Playdate with Lola Grace

2008-08-28T17:48:00.000-04:00

Last year in 3K, Avery's best friend was Lola Grace. When she found out that LG was not going to be in her class this year, she was REALLY upset. I told her that she'd have new best friends (which she HAS made), yet occasionally, she would still say that she missed Lola Grace or that she had a dream about her. So, I decided that we HAD to invite Lola Grace over for a play date. This afternoon was the big day, and Avery was ecstatic! The girls had so much fun together. We are thankful for friendships both new AND old!

Brynn's Political Views

2008-08-25T10:48:00.001-04:00

Brynn is at the adorable age where we can ask her to repeat random words, and when she says them, she pronounces them really funny. Here's an example of a recent conversation:

"Brynn, can you say Mississippi?"
"Miss-i-siss-i-pee."
"Can you say entomologist?"
"Eto-mo-lo-gist" (She's pretty good at that one)
"Can you say republican?"
"Re-pelican."
"Can you say democrat?"
"Demo-craP!" (She really enunciates the last P in the word too!)

Even my family and friends that are democrats had to admit that was hilareous!!

I Didn't Sleep At ALL Last Night!

2008-08-14T07:58:00.001-04:00

Some nights at our house are so ridiculous it's comical. Last night was one of those. Bryan and I stayed up until midnight talking (which often proves to be a poor judgment call). At 3:30, Brynn came walking into our room, scared to death because she said she saw a cockroach. Bryan got up to handle that situation (thank you, honey) and by that time, Avery was awake as well. It took him about 15 minutes to get the girls settled down before he came back to bed. I went back to sleep, only to wake up at 5:30 because Asa was crying. Bryan offered to take care of this as well (yes, I have a great husband) because he had NOT even gone back to sleep. It took him about 30 minutes to get Asa back to sleep. Bryan had the clock set for 6, so 3 1/2 hours of sleep is all he got (don't know HOW he's gonna make it today.) I woke up this morning at about 7:15, and the tendancy was for me to think about how tired I was, but God gave me one of those sweet reminders that He often gives to keep me from complaining. I went in to check on the girls at about 8:00, and they were both asleep together in Brynn's crib. They looked so sweet, and I could just imagine the 2 of them scared of cockroaches, so they decided to sleep together to calm their fears. With our children the ages they are, it's rare that we get a full night's sleep without someone waking up at night. It's mentally and physically exhausting, but today I was able to look past that and just appreciate my children, even if I didn't sleep at ALL last night!

Deja Vu!

2008-08-11T16:07:00.001-04:00

Today, I walked in on Asa playing in the kitchen, and he had climbed up into our dishwasher. As if that wasn't shocking in and off itself, I had this strange feeling that I'd seen that exact same thing before. Sure enough, I pulled out Brynn's 1 year scrapbook, and there it was! Is Asa going to be as much trouble as his big sister? It sure looks that way!

Left: Brynn - 14 months; Right: Asa 10 months