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

What's the Godly Thing to Do?

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!

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

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

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"

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

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?"

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

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....

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!