Halfway to February?

Man time flies! January has been just as busy as Christmas time. And February won't slow down either.....I thought it would. Last weekend we went to the arts & science museum that's an hour or so away. We took Justus and my nephew to see the dinosaur exhibit that was there for just one more weekend. The boys had a great time. And we laughed alot!

Justus was apprehensive at first because the dinos were so big but we eventually got him to touch them. Looking at them & walking past them quickly was not a problem. About halfway during our time there they did a demonstration/talk. Justus drove the speaker crazy & tried to steal away the toy dinos he brought for a visual. All the parents were snickering.....except Sam who said J's name 45 times, followed by "stop", "no" & put that back. I had a great time trying not to laugh and eventually Justus ended up holding a dino and listening to the rest of the talk.

I'm in planning & execution mode for our Valentine's Banquet that the youth put on every year......LOTS to do! And J's birthday is right after that so we've got plenty to keep us busy. Planning and doing.

Zeke is finally rolling over both ways - back to front & front to back. His latest craze is to look straight at you & scream/squeal. He's trying to communicate but mama or dada just won't do it!

Justus is satisfied, he's got something to play with.


Checking out the Long Neck


There is NO way I'm going to touch that thing!

Justus

How can a person who drives me nuts bring such joy?? My almost three year old can say his abc's, count to 11 on his own & to 15 with me. He can get dirty in a split second & would take five baths a day if I'd let him. We're starting to learn how to recognize numbers & letters. It's hard to get him to sit still for very long!

Ezekiel

Christmas day Ezekiel got his first tooth. I knew he was fussy at church Christmas Eve but I was super surprised when I saw a tooth peeking through the next day. He has also started being able to stay sitting up when I put him that way. It makes bath time so much more fun. Yesterday he started the rocking that babies do before they start to crawl. It's so much fun to watch them grow! One thing I am really grateful for is that he is a cuddle bug. And will still let me hold him like a baby when he's tired. Baby love is so sweet!

Crash

Some kid was talking on his cell phone & this happened. Oops! My dad & brother pulled him out. He had just put insurance on the car yesterday. Good thing he didn't have to report this! The ditches around here are pretty bad. We've had to pull out lots of people out of our ditch. This is our neighbors yard across the street.

On to 2007

So I now have a few minutes to do my 2006 review. I've come to the conclusion that I've been blessed! 2006 was a great year for me. I finally broke free from some lingering depression. It still tries to overcome me but I am learning how to deal with it rather than ignore it! In 2006 Sam & I have gotten closer. Justus has grown like a weed. And Ezekiel was born. We got a new to us car and God blessed us tremendously.

This year I look forward to an even better year. One of my most favorite ways to relax & get a good laugh is to spend a few moments with you. You girls bring a lot of joy to me. And I appreciate your honesty and being part of your lives....even if its from hundreds or thousands of miles away. Like I said, I am blessed!

My goals for the year are: To be wise in my spending.
Organization
Get more involved with Sam & ministry in general
*Dare I say lose weight???? It's always at the back of my mind. But rarely do I make a decision to do something about it. -We shall see.

Yuk

Here is the only pic I have of me on Christmas day. It's not great but Mel asked for it. Enjoy.

Pics----

My first Christmas

Mommy hiding from the camera

The kids & their favorite person in the world.

Recovering

We've all had the stomach bug. Oh the joy! Sam. Then me. Followed by the boys, my parents & finally Jacob(bro).

Christmas Kids

We had a very LOW key Christmas this year. Justus' favorite gifts were the MatchBox cars from Daddy. You know, the ones that cost one dollar. Good thing we didn't go crazy buying stuff. Zeke got a swing for outside that we found while in Bama. We didn't do a BIG gift this year. Sam and I were disappointed a little but the boys didn't miss a beat. Here's the boys Christmas Day.

FAMILY PORTRAIT

Well, we had our picture taken for the church directory. All in all it's not that bad....the photographer could have tried a bit more. The good thing is that I don't hate it. The bad thing is that my face is SO red. Too much blush?? Or was I just hot? The world will never know.

The B'ham leg of the trip

We had a great time hanging out with Mathew & Nicole. Some good laughs! The kids got along very good. Especially Justus & Darcy. I think they're two of a kind. I also got to meet Jamie & her boys. Tres & Justus beat up on each other most of the night. Again- lots of laughs & a couple of tears too. It was great to meet your kids! We went to the Alabaster parade as well but the batteries in the camera died.

Down with beta blogger!!!!!!!

I want the old one back!!!!!!! Ive tried to post pics 5 times now. NOT a happy camper!

We're in the process of downloading ALL our pics to another website so we can delete most of them off the computer. They're taking up too much room & slowing things down! It's almost 4am & I can't sleep. I'm about to give it another try. Talk to you soon.

I burnt the cookies & ran out of milk....maybe I should eat an apple instead.

Average???? I don't think so!

Last week Zeke got his shots & of course they weighed and measured him. He is getting close to 16lbs. And over two feet tall. Seems pretty amazing to me! I do realize that Zeke isn't growing as fast as Justus did BUT when the nurse told me he was average I about blew my top. My son, average???? Not exactly the kind of thing you tell a mother. So I politely smiled & we left ASAP. I'm thinking that the nurse needs some lessons in public relations. And me well, I just have to get over it. Poor girl, I know she didn't mean it they way I took it!

Lights out

Well, two light bulbs have blown out in two days. Is it faulty wiring or just cheap bulbs. I'm seriously thinking about buying those bulbs that last for years instead of months! It just may be a worthy investment for my sanities sake if nothing else.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Check out this cute Thanksgiving Set I bought for the boys. Justus LOVES stuff like this & since he has started using his imagination alot more lately it's funny to hear exactly what's going on in his head! Today is better. We all got a better nights rest & that makes for a happier mommy & babies.

Living the life

The boys are grumpy & I'm soon to follow if they don't zip it for a minute. Seriously, I think Ezekiel is teething and Justus is snotty. Aaaaah, I need a little quiet!

HOWDY

So, I've got a second to say hello....life seems to be speeding up! Justus is getting so big & Zeke is just amazing! THis week has been pretty busy & the weekend will pick up speed as well. We still have shots (yuk), student night out (dinner), family pics for our church directory ( again, YUK!) and a fundraiser for a new teen center some friends of ours are opening up.

I think next week will be our only week that there isn't some commitment on the calendar. Maybe some things will show up. If not maybe I can finish the book I started three weeks ago. Ah, that would be nice!

ps I tried to turn the picture for some reason blogger didn't translate correctly. How surprising.

Recap of this past week

So, I will narrate this just a bit. This past week was busy! We had our annual outreach: Hallelujah House. I worked all four nights 4-10. Sam was Noah for two nights & brought the boys one night. Justus was a monkey, Zeke a M&M. During the day on Saturday we took the boys to a carnival/fun fest. That was fun! Hum, what else? can't remember which pics blogger actually put up. They didn't all come thru. Anyways. Enjoy!

Sweet & Sassy!

In that order. My sweet baby & sassy two year old. I didn't plan on taking Ezekiel outside so we put a blanket on his head.




Justus knows when it's time to smile. Sometimes he cooperates....other times we get this.

Twilight Zone-

That's the feeling I've had for the past two days....my internet was down & I lost my cell phone. Point blank- I'm a genius! So, it's definetly wierd to be without communication! No one to read my daily "toils"...poor me. And no one to pick up the phone and gabb to for the three minutes before chaos reigns. (it takes approximately 3 mins. for one or both of my children to realize I'm not busy helping them).

k. So how was your weekend??? I've been trying to catch up in three minute invervals....no making much progress. The good news is....internet is back on!!!!!!!!! And Sam found my cell at the church. OOOPPPS! Thank God it didn't rain; I'd left it outside beside the swing. Zeke went a swinging & love it. Mom lost her mind & left her phone. Hey, the baby was happy!

Three minutes is up! Gotta go!

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the prescence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodnesss and love willl follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forver.




Thank you Lord for hearing my heart. For listening to things that I can't even put into words. You are my joy.

More conversations with J

J: Baby's cute

Me: Yep & you're handsome.

J: Mommy's handsome.

M: No mommy's pretty.

J: I'm pretty.

M: No your handsome.

J: Why?

M: Because boys are handsome & girl are pretty.

J: yeah.


NIGHTLY PRAYERS:

God bless, mommy, daddy, baby......on & on....God bless shampoo..man..Yardigans...followed by lots of giggles! And more prayers. Amen.
Goodnight momma, goodnight daddy. ME: What about Jesus??? J: Jesus loves me this I know....continue with the Entire song....followed by more giggles. And eventually a Goodnight Jesus.


OTHER FUN SAYINGS: "mommy, what time's for it??" aka what time is it?, "can I have the jump rote?" aka jump rope, he also likes to call brothers passy a pass seat; not sure if he can't hear right or if I just don't pronounce it well. Maybe it's his age. Whatever the reason, there is always reason to laugh around here!

Pumpkin patch

I was pretty dissappointed with this particular pumkin patch. We won't be going back there next year. The kids were wild & the picture taker (sam) was in a hurry so we didn't get any "great" ones. This was NOT an enjoyable trip. So after this torture session was over we took the kids to the park & had a much better time. Still, I thought I'd share a moment of our day. The other two kids are my niece & nephew.

Cobb webs...

My mind is full of them right now & it's hard to think entirely straight but I will try for just a moment. A few fun things have been happening in the midst of my fuzzyness.

#1 God has totally blessed us! When Sam & I got married we bought a car for 1000 bucks & it's lasted for six years. The poor thing has been all up & down the east coast. Even to Texas & Ohio! Well, its still running but on it's last leg. So, I'll just blirt it out---someone gave a minivan!!!!!!! Yes, it needs a little TLC & maintenance upgrades but it was FREE!!!!!!! How awesome is that??!!!!!!!!!!!!

#2 Windex works: Ever seen the commercial where the bird flies into the sliding glass doors??? Well that happened yesterday. Only the bird didn't fly off it fell into my house two feet away from a sleeping ZEKE. For a moment I almost panicked but then I grabbed the skimmer from our pool & gently pulled the thing out of the house. He must have been dazed still. As soon as he got a breath of fresh air he flew away. YEA---we're all safe.

#3 Allergies are at full blast. I woke up with a nice little headache this AM. Zeke had nice boogies & J has the black eyed (circle under his eyes) look. Plus when I talked with Staci yesterday she & Chloe weren't feeling all that hot...allergy related as well.

#4 Went to get an FLU shot for the boys. Sam & I were the only ones who walked away with them. The one they had gotten that day wasn't for 4 & under. HUM, would have been nice to know before dragging the family to the sick room at the doctors office!!!!!!!!!!

#5 I've been doing some spring cleaning. Yes, it's fall. And no, I'm not pregnant. We just have TOO MUCH STUFF! I find myself throwing things away when the boys aren't looking. And by boys I mean Sam & Justus. They both seem to have the "I need it" mentallity. I have the get rid of it mentality. Poor guys.


#6 Justus makes me laugh, like hold my side LOL kind of laugh. And Zeke puts a smile on my face every day. Man, I'm blessed! And Sam, well he's just good to me! He came home early from work yesterday. Told me to go get a shower. While I was doing that he packed a picnic lunch & got the boys dressed. He took us to the park. We had a blast. I needed a day out of the house. So thoughtful!

#7 So this one isn't so fun but I'll still share. I'm gaining weight & my hair is falling out. This is exactly what happened after I had Justus but with J it happened much faster. I thought that I had avoided it but alas I have not. I am walking on the treadmill 4-5 times a week but haven't seen much physical results yet. My legs are a little trimmer. Anyways, it feels good to do something for myself so I will continue.

#8 Justus has started calling me mommy again. I love it. I've been momma for almost a year now. Wierd huh???

A car ride with the kids

Staci & I hit up some consignment stores today...they were a terrible dissapointment- to expensive for our blood. Followed by lunch with some friends. Then picked up Justus from Sam & headed on our short drive to shop a little more. At one time all three kids were crying; thankfully that didn't last long. Other wise they each took time for a solo cry before they all crashed for a nap. Over all we didn't buy much. Wipes, a thermometer & a bottle of water. Nothing that we were looking for neccesarily but some things we needed. Thanks Staci- it was a fun!

Isn't this beautiful???

It would be so great to sit under this tree & have time to reflect!

Hmmmmm....

Well, this past week went by in a big blur. There were a few moments to pause & reflect but mainly a steady flow of activity. Our EC department put on Masquerade Ball on friday. It went very well. I didn't get to take any pictures like I wanted to b/c my department for the night was food. Since we encouraged our youth to go I was pretty busy keeping food on the table. Getting ready for this event was the main focus this week. AAaaah. It's over.

This month is our missions emphasis ending with the International Banquet last night. It's pretty self explanitory but just in case; we got together & ate food from the nations. As well as the missons report. And funds raised....etc.

That's it.

Except that Staci is coming home at the end of this week!!!!!!!!!!! Look for pics of the kids together sometime next week!

For Mel...and anyone else who might care.

A) Four jobs I've had in my life:

1. Daycare teacher
2. office assistant
3. Intern (for a children's pastor)
4. Babysitter extrodinair


B) Four movies you would watch over and over:

1. Pride & Predjudice
2. Sound of Music
3. My Fair Lady
4.Seven Brides for Seven Brothers


C) Four places you have lived:


1. Dayton, OH
2. Alabaster,AL
3. Palmetto,FL
4. Rockwell, NC

D) Four TV shows you love to watch:

1. Survivor
2. Lost
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. American Idol

E) Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Orlando, Fl.
2. Asheville, nc
3. The Outer Banks (NC)
4.Bahamas

F) Four of my favorite foods:
1. All things dessert
2. Chocolate - this isn't a dessert; its a main food group!
3. Ceasar Salad
4. Pasta, pasta, pasta!

G) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. New York City
2. Niagara Falls
3 The mountains
4. In my own home!

Digging deep

So I gave in and had Sam start me a myspace. I'm not really a big fan but lots of former aquaintences are there that I just wanted to say hey to. Anyways I was doing a few updates on it after devotion time (yeah; I'm doing a little better) & I shared a little.

For the longest time I had a hard time reading the bible. I would read but it would seem like a blank page that no matter how many times I read it nothing sank in. Lately there has been a stirring in my spirit. And the word has come alive! Thank you God for hearing me!

So when I'm up with lil bit I pray, if I can't sleep I try to think of my future. And when the boys are napping I take time for devotions. Can I say RENEWAL?!!!!!!!! This also corelates(sp) with stirring in our congregation at church. There is a sense of urgency to repent. And a hunger for closer relationship with God.

Here was my devo for the day:

Out of my mind!

If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 2 Cor. 5:13

God's spirit has been moving in a great way lately. And one thing has become quite clear. God desires relationship with his people & he won't tolerate sin. Sin has become so commonplace that people think we're 'out of our minds' when we: pray for miracles & answers, save sex for marriage, forgive rather than seeking revenge. And the list goes on.

So, if we're going to be 'out of our minds' lets do it for God. Keeping in mind there is a right & wrong way to do it. Live a life pleasing to God. Spend time with him learning his ways & letting go of our own.

Alot for a little

First check out my consignment finds; all for $80!!!!!!!!!!


It's hard to see all that I got but the quick recap is: 2 winter coats for Justus, a fall costume for Zeke (pram?), 2 pairs tennis shoes for the boys. Several longsleeve t's for each kid. A few girly items for my nieces. 4 fall outfits for Ezekiel & a pair of adjustable jeans for jbean. There are several other items that didn't make it into the picture. 2 games for the PS2, a bag full of cars & a car carrier for the TONS of cars justus has.