Spring Break at St. Simons

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!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

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!

October Fun!

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!

It's OK, Daddy's Here!

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?

Back to School Week

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!

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