Socks are NOT the enemy.

I can post from my phone now?!?

2012-02-04T01:35:00.001-06:00

It would seem I have no excuses left then.

More to come.

Maybe.

We are on a roll now!

2011-08-25T05:30:00.012-05:00

(Two posts in one week, y'all! It's feast or famine 'round the ol' blog lately. I'm going to make a noble attempt to get back in the swing of things, but no promises.)

We ate cucumbers for dinner Monday night. No, not just cucumbers. I'm sure there was other stuff...not that I remember what it was now. Anyhow, for some weird reason, cucumber seeds kept showing up all over the house on Tuesday. I found two on the sofa, one on a door, and two on the floor. I'm not sure how they got everywhere like that, but Anna Beth had a guilty look on her face when I asked. I'm just sayin'.

Luke saw me picking one up. I was mumbling something about how they were everywhere and how weird it was. He stopped doing his homework and looked at me intently.

Luke: "You know, Mommy? If you left those on the floor, I bet we could grow some cucumbers in the house."
Me: "What kind of housekeeper do you think I am? HOW DIRTY DO YOU THINK THESE FLOORS ARE?"
Luke: "Well, you *do* have "Good Housekeeping" magazine on your Nook. Maybe you need to read that."
Me: *Silence*

Umm.. Wow. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Luke is lucky that he's cute...

...because he sure is blunt--and honest.

If it looks like a post, smells like a post, and sounds like a post...

2011-08-24T11:26:00.000-05:00

...it probably kinda is one. Sorta. I wrote this on my phone's notepad back in April, so things have definitely changed since then, but I still giggled at it a little. Maybe you will, too.

Anna Beth's to do list:

Wake up at 3:30 a.m.. Mommy misses me the most at that hour. She likes for me to be in her bed, not mine.
Put my feet on Mommy's nose while she sleeps. She likes that.
Be grouchy when I get up. Mommy, do you know you snore?
Throw most of my breakfast on the floor for Tootie. I kinda owe her for something.
After breakfast, mess with the blinds. Mommy will raise them so I can see outside. When she puts them up, she'll find the dead moth that I was going to take care of. What?!? I was going to clean up. I'm a giver.
Find Mommy's last 4 issues of "Southern Living." She hasn't had time to read them, so I will eat them.
Have an exploding diaper incident that defies laws of physics and gravity. Consider that your science lesson for the day, Mommy.
Mommy has to change my outfit because of the diaper thing, so it's a fashion show! Work it, girl!!!
Laundry time. While Mommy folds clothes, I take the folded clothes out of the basket and throw them after I slobber on them.
Nap, but only after I put up a prize-winning fight.
Lunchtime. Scream like a demon and hit the spoon every time Mommy tries to feed me vegetable turkey. If it looks like puke in a jar, it probably tastes like it, too. Eat Mommy's sandwich and Cheez-its instead. Winning!
Spit up on freshly-vacuumed carpet and Mommy's new shirt. Told ya I didn't like vegetable turkey.
Find half bath door ajar. Play in the big white fountain. Be amazed at how high-pitched Mommy can scream.
Eat fridge magnets. Open kitchen cabinets. Smash fingers repeatedly. Bump head numerous times.
Make note to self to get new hobbies.
Eat Tootie's food. Enjoy impromptu bath and mouth-washing in kitchen sink.
Pick up Emma and Luke from school. Try to eat their homework.
Attack Tootie while she sleeps. Laugh maniacally.
Look innocent and confused when Daddy gets home and Mommy tells him that she's exhausted from our day.
Eat/throw dinner. Wear as much of it as possible.
Take a bath. Splash Daddy. Eat washcloth.
Pretend to go to sleep by 11:00 p.m. Get up screaming at 11:30. Ha, ha!!! I fooled you, Mommy! I'm not sleepy! Let's do it all again tomorrow!

Deal or No Deal?

2011-08-01T05:02:00.005-05:00

This summer we’ve watched a little bit of the game shows, “Let’s Make a Deal” and “Deal or No Deal.” The premise is the same: You can trade what you have for something bigger and better, or possibly not as good as what you have. The problem with these shows is that the outcome is uncertain. Greed, ambition, and foolhardiness often overtake good judgment. The result is usually that everything they’ve won is taken away. Not such a good deal, after all…

I am something of a deal maker when it comes to my family. At mealtime: “One piece of broccoli, two green beans, and three bites of meat, and you can be done, Luke.” At playtime: “Emma, if you will clean your bathroom, you can have computer time.” I even *try* to make deals with God: “Lord, if You will just let Anna Beth sleep through the night, I will get up early for some quiet time in the Word.” At least my deals typically have a good outcome. (By the way, trying to make that deal with God doesn’t work. He expects me to be obedient and have quiet time with Him anyhow. It’s funny what sleep deprivation will do to you.)

God is the ultimate deal maker. When you accept Jesus as your Savior, curtain #1 has the Father, curtain #2 has the Son, and curtain #3 has the Holy Spirit. You can’t make a wrong choice. As long as you make a good decision to trust God, He will give you the most grand of gifts—eternal life. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Roadblocks

2011-07-01T18:46:00.000-05:00

Last weekend as we were coming home from a outing, we came upon a roadblock where policemen had closed the highway. They were checking for driver’s licenses, proof of insurance, current tags, and looking for impaired drivers. We passed through without incident, but Emma and Luke were a little shaken by the experience. They were worried we had done something wrong.

God puts up roadblocks for us, too. When we start down a path that He doesn’t intend for us to tread, He often will speak to us through the Holy Spirit and gently remind us that we need to go another way. Sometimes His roadblocks are just temporary setbacks that put us in the right place at the right time, delaying us from being in the way of danger. Other times, He sets up a checkpoint to refresh our relationship with Him through His word and through conviction of sins.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord shows him what to do." God knows the best way for us to go. Sometimes His ways don’t make perfect sense to us, but they get us to the place where He wants us to be—near to His heart.

The best roadblock God has given us stops us from taking the path away from Heaven. Jesus is God’s way of stopping us from going the wrong way altogether. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Though life may throw up obstacles along the journey, there is one clear path to our Father—the loving arms of Jesus lead the way.

Checking In

2011-06-01T02:30:00.003-05:00

Now that Anna Beth is mobile, walking and crawling anywhere she pleases, she’s getting a little more independent on where she wants to go. Gone are the days where she stays right next to me, just content to be in my presence; now she’s on the go! She wants to explore everything and every place she can.

Even though Anna Beth’s journeys take her further away from her comfort zone right next to me, she uses a technique that I compare to that of bats using echolocation. Bats make sounds as they fly through the dark to find out exactly where they are. Anna Beth uses the word “hi” (said over and over) to let me know where she is and to find out exactly where I am. If I don’t answer her “hi” check-in right away, she cries and lets it be known how unhappy that makes her.

God desires for us to check-in with Him in that same kind of way. Our prayer relationship with Him should be constant, always letting Him know what is on our minds and where we are with Him. It’s not that He doesn’t know how or where we stand, but He wants us to keep those lines of communication open with Him.

1^st Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” God wants more than just a check-in of “hi” from us. He wants a real relationship that we maintain because we want to be close to Him, to feel His love and to let Him know the desires of our hearts. He is always near, just waiting for us to check-in with Him.

My storm story...one week later.

2011-05-04T21:18:00.000-05:00

My storm story isn't much of a story at all. We were awakened by Winfield's tornado siren at 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27. Our satellite wasn't working, so I pulled up radar on my phone. We saw that the storm was north of us, in the Hamilton/Hackleburg area, so we knew we would be okay. School ended up being cancelled due to the expected bad weather to come. Jason had to go into work since our Internet got knocked out in the morning storm, and he couldn't work from home.

The kids were glad to be home. I was glad to have them here, but I worried about Jason. Turns out, Birmingham had fared much worse in the morning's storm. His office had no power, no Internet, and their generator had been hit by lightning. He hung around until it was clear no work could be done. He made it back home by noon.

As the day went on, we watched James Spann show community after community go under tornado warnings. Each storm went just barely north or south of our town. A couple got close enough to make us seek shelter in our poured concrete closet. We watched in horror, disbelief, and sadness as we watched Cullman get hit by a terrible tornado, live on camera.

Time after time, we headed for shelter, but never had any problem until our power went out at 5:00 p.m. It was probably a blessing in disguise.

At 5:13 p.m., a massive tornado destroyed a huge portion of Jason's one-time hometown of Tuscaloosa. It played out live on tv and radio. We were blissfully unaware.

Our power didn't return overnight. We had no phone, no cell, and no Internet. Concerned family nationwide tried to call, e-mail, and text, but nothing could get through.

School was cancelled on Thursday. Landlines worked, and I found out that my parents' power was back on. We decided to see if we could pick up breakfast in town. We were stunned to see the lines all over town at the gas stations and restaurants. We still didn't understand the local scope of what had happened. With the new dawn, radio stations were reporting the devastation in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, but no one knew exactly what was happening in our own county.

We headed to my parents' home. Dad provided coffee and tv coverage. I sat in front of their tv screen, dumbfounded. How could this have happened in my beloved Alabama? Why were we spared? Literally, you could draw a circle around my hometown and from every compass point around us, there was death, damage, and destruction in every direction. Hamilton, Hackleburg, Smithville (MS), Jasper, Tuscaloosa, Cordova, Birmingham, Cullman..."Oh, Father, have mercy," was the only prayer I could voice, and I prayed it over and over all day.

Our power returned later that afternoon. My gratefulness was saturated with sadness for my county, my state, my region. "Why, Lord, why?," I questioned, not out of anger, but grief.

I changed my mindset come Friday. I wanted, no, NEEDED to help. I'd heard that local stores were wiped out, so I raided my own stash of personal goods and baby items. For once it was good to be something of a hoarder. :)

When I finally mustered up enough courage to go to the store, I just couldn't make myself want to buy anything for my family. We had a full fridge, freezer, and pantry. We were all healthy, had clothing, and a roof over our heads. We filled up one cart with baby food, formula, and toys. Our other cart had little because we honestly needed little. I guess I have something akin to survivor's guilt. At the same time, I realize just how blessed we are. I don't deserve God's favor. None of us do.

The clean-up, rebuilding, and healing process have begun. It will be a long, painful, slow ordeal. As I was reminded yesterday as I watched Anna Beth take her first slow, shaky, unsteady steps, I realized that our state's recovery process will be shaky, uncertain, and slow, but we WILL come back from this. We WILL have the opportunities to be God's hands and feet to show His love to our fellow man. God WILL be glorified in this.

Picking Roses

2011-05-02T22:15:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday morning I needed to fill two empty vases for table decorations at our Ladies’ Conference. I first walked out in my garden to my white roses, since our decorating theme was all white. My white roses looked dingy, old, and slightly wilted. I settled for the more colorful miniature roses that grew on the other side of the garden. They were in much better condition. They showed no signs of decay. They didn’t have any ragged edges and were brightly hued. They held their petals tightly. Most were blemish-free, looked healthy, and smelled lovely. “Yes,” I thought, “These will have to do.”

I’m so glad that God doesn’t look at Christians the way I looked at my roses. Sure, we all get dingy in our sin; we get tired in our Christian service; we even show signs of decay in our faith. But God doesn’t walk away from us, even in our worst state. He knows that we were “wonderfully made” to serve Him (Psalm 139:14). No matter how blemished we become from sin, He can still wash us clean through the blood of His Son. Even on our most ragged days, God can see our potential. Romans 5:8 tells us that But “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” He mercifully looks at our hearts and says, “Yes, these are the ones that I have chosen.”

I am so thankful that he picked me!

Counting Blessings

2011-03-31T11:43:00.000-05:00

Has God ever spoken to you through a song? I had it happen to me a couple of weeks ago as I sat in church. It had been one of THOSE mornings. You know, one where the kids didn’t want to get up, didn’t like their breakfast, one had sniffles, the other didn’t like their clothes, the baby didn’t sleep, and my shoes hurt my feet. Yeah, one of THOSE mornings.

As we opened our hymnals to “Count Your Blessings,” I realized right then that I had not been counting my blessings; instead, I had been numbering my sorrows. How much easier and naturally that comes to me! God has blessed me with a wonderful, healthy family, godly parents, good health, and everything else that I need, yet, my focus is on what I don’t have, can’t obtain, and what isn’t going the way I wanted it to. How short-sighted of me!

I felt like God was telling me that it was high time that I change my perspective on things. I could choose to wallow in my sorrows, or I could praise Him for what He has done, is doing, and will do. I could train my eyes to the ground and be mournful, or I could “lift up my eyes to the hills… [to] the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth,” (Psalm 121:1-2).

It did me good to be reminded that God is in control over all. He knows my sorrows, even the petty ones, and He still chooses to bless me, despite all my shortcomings. I am so thankful to God that He loves me enough to show me what I’m doing wrong…and He’s just gentle enough to do it in a song.

So, I guess we are doing something right.

2011-03-08T13:03:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. Y'all thought I went off and shut down this blog, didn't you? It's just that my world of sleep deprivation, diaper changes, and teething is not particularly interesting to me, so I don't feel the need to bore all of you to death with it, too. That's not saying that I'm not still keeping up with all of you, though. I read all of y'all's blogs like my life depends on it. But my lack of commenting probably doesn't prove that too well. (It's hard to type when you're holding a sleeping 26 pound 9 month old. Oh yeah. 26 POUNDS! Girlfriend has got to learn to walk and SOON or my tired, old back is going to give up the ghost.)

So, here is Miss Priss:

(Sorry for the blurry picture. It's hard to hold 26 pounds steady in one arm, take a picture, and still get to church on time.) She's teething like crazy, eating everything we offer her, and sleeping through the night occasionally when it suits her...which isn't nearly often enough for me.

Luke is doing great in school. He just finished basketball season. He's becoming quite the ladies' man. He told me just the other day that he has a girlfriend and a back-up girlfriend, just in case. Here's what makes my heart sing, though:
He loves God so much! It makes me so proud! (In case you can't read that, it says, "What do you believe?" Luke wrote, "The 2,134 pages of my bible, God, and Jesus.")

Emma is doing great in school. She's OBSESSED with the "Warriors" books, which is a series about cats and their clans and their battles and apprentices and warrior names and OHMYWORD, there's a lot of those books...and I'm not a cat person. Suddenly, she IS a cat person, so we have something else to disagree about. *SIGH* Anyhow, look how grown-up and beautiful she is:

This was taken Friday, after she and I got some serious haircuts. That was the first fun, nice thing I've done for myself since I can't remember when. No more ponytails or clippy-up-dos for me.

One more shot of Prissy McPrisserson before I go and don't blog for the next six blue moons:

Sweet baby has got more rolls than Pillsbury ever thought about. Love 'em all!

Well, she has abandoned her video and found me sitting in the next room. She booked it in here on the crawl express and is trying to eat my iPhone cord, so I'll take off.

Friends

2011-03-01T22:12:00.000-06:00

One of my longest friendships in my life is with a woman named Betty. She and I became fast friends when we were in 2^nd grade. We were in classes and Girl Scouts together up until the end of 5^th grade when she moved away.

Through college, jobs, relationships, weddings, expanding families, shared joys and sorrows, we have always remained close. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and two boys. We see each other maybe twice a year if we are lucky. Yet, we still can pick up right where we left off every time we see or talk to each other. I’m not much of a phone conversationalist, and time constraints prevent us from seeing or talking to each other as much as we’d like. Our shared history is what keeps us close—that, and our love of God. She inspires me through her life and testimony.

Whenever I do get the chance to call Betty, I always think when I hang up the phone: “Why didn’t I call her sooner?” She always encourages me and says just the right things to help me feel better about the challenges I face.

A confession: Sometimes I say the same thing after communing with God through His Word. I wonder why I hadn’t already turned to the Bible for encouragement, and to find just the right things to give me hope in times of adversity. Just like friendships have to be maintained through communication, so does a relationship with our Heavenly Father. God always has the time to spend with us, but we have to take the time out of our lives to make Him a priority. Even though some friendships may not last, we know that “God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1: 9)

Crayons

2011-01-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

I remember the joyful feeling of opening a new box of crayons so well. The potential of that box of crayons was just endless to a young mind. Oh, the pictures I would color! The sharp, little Crayolas were lined up so smartly in their neat, colorful rows. It was perfect.

But, without fail, soon those perfect little crayons would break. I would lose my favorite blue. I would use the yellow down to a little nub. Someone would swipe my red. Eventually I would cast aside that box of crayons for a newer one and the process would start all over.

A few years ago, my kids got a neat gift for Christmas. They placed old, broken crayons in this little machine. A light bulb heated up the crayons and melted them down into a mold. The old, useless crayons were reborn as new rainbow crayons. My kids were delighted!

Have you ever felt like a crayon? Useless and cast aside? Unable to leave a mark on the world? Broken or lost? No matter how broken, useless, lost, or purposeless we feel, God can still use us. He never casts us aside because of our brokenness. Rather, he can use our brokenness to make something beautiful in our world.

We never lose our potential in God’s eyes. He sees us, the broken and sinful people that we are, but also sees our potential, because “we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” Ephesians 2:10. Sometimes it takes a little heat to make us change into what God would have us to be. It’s the difficult times that refine us, make us stronger, and more capable of doing God’s will.

No mo' snow!

2011-01-12T22:03:00.000-06:00

I live in the South--land of humidity and sweat. So, you can imagine our glee/surprise/unpreparedness when presented with a forecast calling for 4-8 inches of snow and ice.

Day one: Friday-Go to Wal-Mart for basic grocery run. Lose my mind and take all three kids with me. All the crazies were already out in full force, buying all the milk, bread, Pop Tarts, and Diet Coke. Trip takes twice as long as usual. It's going to be nice to have a few days of downtime at home.

Day two: Saturday-Jason and Luke go to the BBVA Bowl Game. I stay home with the girls and clean. I realize mid-afternoon that I may be housebound soon due to weather. Strongly recommend we go out to eat. Jason wisely agrees. Kids look forward to pretty snow.

Day three: Sunday, a.k.a., beginning of the Snowpocalypse of 2011- The sleet and snow begin to fall at 5:00. The kids are excited. School is closed for Monday. I go into a baking frenzy and make homemade bread and lasagna. I pray that our all-electric home doesn't lose power. By 10:00 p.m., we have 2.25" of snow on the ground. So pretty! Tootie declares a moratorium on going outside to so her business, since the snow is neck-deep for her.

Day four: Monday- We enjoy the unspoiled beauty of 4 inches of snow in the front yard, that is, until the neighbor kids start playing in our yard and spoil it. (Before I could take pictures. Grrrr!). Luke, Emma, and I go out and build a snowman. We name him Bama Bob. Jason works from home. Already the older two are starting to fuss and argue. Hot chocolate, warm baths, and all day in jammies seems to help. Tootie continues her protest.

Day five: Tuesday-Still no school. Snow is still there. Kinda over it. Jason works from home again. Kids are restless, tempers are short. Cabin fever has set in hard. Snow is still there. Tootie's excretory system must be in mortal danger by now. Bama Bob was murdered by neighbors' hateful dog. Family mourns. But at least there will be school tomorrow, right? RIGHT?!?!

Day six: Wednesday- NO. No school. Jason braves the treacherous roads to go to work in Birmingham. Kids take on prisoner mindset, start forming gangs and getting jailhouse tattoos.

Tootie gives up and does her thing on the ice. She fairly well explodes. Temps aren't getting out of the 20's.

Ugly snow.
Spiteful snow.
Evil snow not melting.

Help me. I'm running out of bread and milk. I think the kids are planning a riot. I'm pretty sure Anna Beth tried to shank me with a pacifier/shiv. Well, we definitely will have school tomorrow.

Update: There is no school on Thursday.

God help me.

Little Children

2011-01-04T12:28:00.000-06:00

I've had a lot of early mornings with Anna Beth lately that have given me some quiet time (albeit sleepy time) with God. I was marveling one early morning before Christmas about how Mary must've felt in those early mornings with Baby Jesus. How overwhelming and awesome it had to be to know you were raising the Son of God! I wonder if she realized how much that infant would teach her.

Another thought I had during this time was about what God means when He tells us to “come to Him as little children,” (Matthew 18:3) I believe that He means the following:

· When Anna Beth is tired, scared, or seeking comfort, she wants to be held tight by those she trusts the most. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.," (Matthew 11:28)

· Anna Beth's legs are strong, but not strong enough for her to walk alone yet. I have to hold her up when she wants to try to be mobile. When I am not strong enough to go it alone, God's Word promises in ref. that He is always with us, and upholds us in His mighty hands, (Psalm 73:23).

· Anna Beth has mastered saying "Mama," but that's her only understandable word right now. Even though she's not using words yet, there is much I can discern from her cry--whether she's hungry, tired, or hurting. I read somewhere that God understands us even when we are too feeble to cry out to Him. He knows the desires of our hearts.

· Anna Beth knows no deception or insincerity in her life. She is innocent and pure of heart. God wants us to come to Him with pure spirits. Innocence should be what we strive for.

I never knew a baby could teach me so much.

Finally!

2010-12-28T19:22:00.001-06:00

It only took three lonnnnng pregnancies, countless stretch marks, and infinity hours of sleep missed, but I finally, FINALLY got one to say "Mama" first! Yaaaay, Anna Beth!

Of course, she may just been saying, "Mmm, yum" to the banana apple pear baby food she was eating, 'cause girlfriend likes to eat. Her Daddy heard it too, so it's gonna count.

From our house to yours...

2010-12-26T20:24:00.000-06:00

We hope that your Christmas was as magical and fun as ours!

Wonderful memories were made that will be treasured...even if I never manage to blog about them. Heh.

God bless you all!

The Long-Awaited Return to Blogging...

2010-12-02T21:35:00.000-06:00

Okay, not that anyone noticed, but I haven't been blogging.

I gave myself permission to slow down and enjoy every moment of Anna Beth being a tiny baby and all the joy that this stage of life brings...*snort!* Yeah, I can't even type this with a straight face.

Being a mom of three is rewarding, but HARD. I love every minute, but it's more challenging than I dreamed it would be. I have been exhausted, stressed, overjoyed, delirious, sick, exhausted, grouchy, exhausted, and overextended. Did I mention exhausted?

Anyhow, I'll stop whining.

We decided to take the family Christmas card picture tonight. We had been to the local library's Christmas program at the Pastime Theater this afternoon and had pictures made with Santa. Since everyone was festive and dolled-up, it seemed to be a good time to do the picture.

Luke protested the hat. Emma was agreeable, but wanted a dog puppet in the picture. Anna Beth was being a typical 6-month old and not looking and doing baby stuff. Tootie dog was hovering around everyone, making it obvious that she needed a bath and alternately popping into the background of pictures and teetering on the edge of pictures while licking her nether regions. *Ahem.*

Take one:

There's a hairy arm invading the shot, a stinky small dog to the right, and Anna Beth is about to snatch off Luke's hat.

Take two:

Anna Beth was trying to forcibly remove Luke's face.

Take three:

Luke leaves the shot to deal with his face removal incident.

Take four:

Emma smells the stinky dog. Luke smiles through his pain. Anna Beth likely did something in her diaper.

Take five:

Anna Beth has the giant head that eclipses her brother's face.

Take Six:

Anna Beth realizes no one is holding onto her (notice lack of hairy arm) and decides to make a break for it. She oozed right out of her chair and dramatically plopped on the floor.

I won't post the final result here right now. But I also won't wait six months until I post again.

Maybe.

Are You Seeking?

2010-11-30T10:18:00.000-06:00

As a child I loved a good game of hide and seek. As an only child, I didn’t get a lot of opportunities to play, but when I did, I was thrilled. I was a really great hider. There was nothing better than finding a super hiding spot when playing with a big group of cousins or friends.

I remember a downside to my favorite game. There would sometimes come a point when, due to how well I was hidden or lack of interest on the part of “IT” to find the hiders, that the game would be abandoned. There I’d be, in the World’s Best Hiding Spot, and no one was even looking for me. I’d wait and wait, until I realized nobody was trying to find me. I would be so disappointed.

I suppose God probably feels that way sometimes. When we are most troubled, joyous, or needy, we often forget that God is not hiding, He is there with us. All we have to do is seek Him in prayer and in His Word. Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” How disappointing we must be to God when He is near and we choose not to seek Him, due to lack of interest or fear that we won’t find Him!

God is not hard to find. All that He requires is for us to be sincere when we look to Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Let that be your goal this Christmas season. Seek Him whole-heartedly in everything this busy time requires. You’ll be blessed if you do!

Hoarders

2010-10-31T15:06:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen the television program called “Hoarders?” I am appalled and fascinated by it, all at the same time. The concept of the show is that a person or family is seeking help for an unbelievable problem. Their homes have been taken over by stuff. Sometimes the stuff is as innocuous as piles upon piles of clothing, books, and boxes of belongings. Other times, the person or family keeps everything in their home, including garbage, animal or human waste, and other unthinkable filth. The homeowner occasionally has an explanation for why things have gotten to that point, but most of the time, they can’t explain why it happened.

Inevitably, every time I watch the show, I always ask myself: “How do they let it get so bad? At what point did they just give up and let the piles of stuff take over?” The good thing about the show is that the person or family receives help cleaning up and counseling for their problem. They are given a way out, if they choose to accept it.

I think this show is a pretty good comment on the sin condition in our world. A person starts out with a little “pet” sin. That gateway sin leads to other ones. Eventually, the person finds himself in over his head in the filth of sin. Sometimes, he says “I’ve let it get too bad. I’m just going to give up and let this sin lifestyle take over.”

The good news is that this person --and all believers --have a way out, if we choose to accept it. Jesus Christ spilled his blood so that we may be free from the filth and guilt of our sin. His blood washes us as white as snow.

God Bless You!--Lianne

On Blogging Hiatus...

2010-09-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

...Be back soon!

Goodness

2010-09-09T06:24:00.001-05:00

I see her every afternoon as I wait to pick up Emma at school. She comes out before all the other kids, holding on to the arm of a teacher. With some degree of difficulty, she makes her way over to the bench and sits down.

I can't begin to imagine exactly what her disability is, but if I had to guess I would figure it to be muscular dystrophy or something akin. No matter what ails her physically, she never fails to keep on smiling. Even when there's no one paying any attention to her, she sits on her bench and lights up the world with her bright grin. She's a cute little thing.

Then I saw HER yesterday.

She made her way across the parking lot as quickly as three legs would allow. I'd seen her out there before, but she never ventured all the way across the long lot to where the kids were. I wondered if the administrators would shoo her away.

She obviously belonged to someone, seeing how she was looked very well-fed and was wearing a collar. She looked like some mix of Labrador Retriever and who knows what else. It appeared that her body had never quite snapped back from having puppies some time back. (I FEEL YOU, MAMA DOG. I DO.)

As she quickly ambled her way over, she stopped and scratched as best as three legs would allow her to do. She made a beeline for the little girl.

I held my breath, wondering what would happen next.

The little girl smiled brightly. If I'm lying, I'm dying--that dog smiled right back at her.

They greeted each other like old friends. The dog curled around the little girl's feet (and even though I couldn't hear it, I know she did it), breathed a contented sigh.

The little girl reached down and stroked Mama Dog's head. Mama Dog looked up into the little girl's eyes. In that moment, I saw pure joy...bliss...no judgment.

As I blinked back tears, I realized it was a good day.

Hold my hand!

2010-09-01T08:39:00.000-05:00

Anna Beth has recently started sleeping through the night, every night (Cue choirs of angels singing the “Hallelujah” chorus here,). She has developed a little habit that I find endearing and thought-provoking. She wants me to hold her hand when she goes to sleep. If I’m holding her, she locks her tiny hands around one of my fingers. If she’s napping in my bed, I have to lie next to her, holding her hand, until she drifts off to restful sleep.

Anna Beth derives total comfort and peace by knowing that I am there with her. She feels protected and loved by having someone’s hand to hold on to. Don’t you feel the same way about your relationship with God? I know I do. I know that if I chose to grasp tightly on to God’s hand that I would be less likely to worry and fret over situations that He can handle.

Thinking back to the time I was a little girl, I can remember being scared of the dark. I found comfort in holding my Daddy’s hand. I knew there was nothing too big or too scary that he couldn’t handle. I find that same comfort in my Heavenly Father now. If I didn’t have the “Everlasting Arms” to “lean on,” I don’t know where I’d be.

When you feel your faith is being stretched and tested, reach out for God’s hand. Find your rest in Him. His hands are strong and sure. In Isaiah 41:10, it is written: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” God’s hand is unfailingly with us in times of trouble and in times of peace. I praise Him for that.

Who's a Bad Blogger? Subtitle: What I did or did not do on my summer vacation, or lack thererof.

2010-08-30T09:59:00.000-05:00

Hi. It's been so long since I've blogged that I feel I should probably introduce myself. I'm Lianne, mother of 3 (seriously still feels weird to say that) and wife of one.

So, yeah, being a mom of three is a bit more demanding, but definitely a lot of fun.

Here is some random information that refuses to shut up until I get it out of my brain:

1. If you are expecting a baby or have horrific insomnia, you need to program your DVR to tape tons of programming. Late night feedings call for late night tv watching. Late night programming (I'm talking after 2:00 a.m.) is designed for people looking for a date, perverts, and people who watch the Home Shopping Network. (These are not necessarily mutually exclusive, by any means.). Late night tv is more of a wasteland than daytime tv is. If you are expecting a little one, forget registering for bottles and diapers--what you really need is a TiVo.

2. Coffee was not a friend during pregnancy, but it has become a joyous love once again. Coffeemate Coconut Creamer is nectar from God.

3. If you can get yourself a handy-dandy diaper fetching team like these two, you are in good shape. Unlike me, they are pretty tireless.

4. Speaking of tireless, I briefly was on one of the hottest days of August. My rear right tire blew out on the way to a family outing. Fortunately, Jason was with me that day. He changed it, while drowning in his own sweat. I felt blessed that it happened while he accompanied us--I can change a mean diaper, but not a flat tire.

5. If you ever get the chance to tour a Blue Bell ice cream factory, I HIGHLY recommend it. The free ice cream at the end was great, but the kids and I loved that it was like watching an episode of "Unwrapped" live. Extruders and hoppers have never been so adored.

I have lots of other meaningless drivel that I'm going to post in the near future. Anna Beth has started sleeping through the night every night (Cue choirs of angels!), so I have a little more blogging time in the mornings while she naps. That is, provided I ignore the sticky kitchen floor and the tumbleweed-like tufts of dog hair blowing through the hallway.

"Just a little Patience..."

2010-07-31T16:39:00.000-05:00

When God was giving me the virtues He knew I needed, He decided to go sparingly on patience. It’s not something I’m satisfied with, so I pray that He will provide more patience or teach me how to be more patient daily. I’m impatiently waiting to become more patient!

In my defense, I do not live in a society that encourages patience. Instant communication is possible through texting, phone calls, and e-mails. A person can microwave a complete turkey dinner in less than five minutes for lunch. In mere moments, you can feed your entire family exactly what they want from a drive-thru window at a fast-food restaurant. We have devices in our home that allow us to record our favorite television programs and fast-forward through the commercials. Our society does not value patience; rather, we are constantly figuring out ways to do what has to be done in faster ways.

The God we serve is not always a “fast-food God.” In fact, His response to many prayers is “Wait.” It’s the message of “Wait” that can bring doubt into the mind of a believer. God can and does give instant replies to prayer, but that is not always the case. Sometimes He seeks to teach us to be patient in our request in order to deepen our faith, trust Him more, and learn to live in expectation that He will act.

I will continue to strive to be a more patient person. I know God has been infinitely patient with me, so I will seek to be more like Him, even if the majority of the world disagrees.

As I learn to be more patient, my faith will grow. I will learn to be joyful, no matter my circumstances. I will learn to endure with grace and to be hopeful for what God will do. While I wait, I will, in the words of Hebrews 12, “run the race…with perseverance…fix my eyes on Jesus…and not lose heart.”

God Bless You!--Lianne

A Very Special Guest Post

2010-07-23T21:52:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I'm Anna Beth.

My Mommy said that I could write a guest post for her blog. I didn't even know I could write yet!

Anyhow, I have heard that some people wanted to see pictures of me. My Mommy doesn't blog much. I think I keep her pretty busy most days...and nights.

I stay pretty busy myself--what with the playing, eating, sleeping, and...well, that other thing that I'm really not at liberty to talk about.

My parents tell me that I am a blessing and a miracle baby. Now, I don't know what all that means, and I'm guessing all Mommies and Daddies say that. But, my Mommy promises me that it is true.

Last September, my Mommy's doctor told her that my heart rate was way too low. He said that my body measured way too small also. Can you imagine that???

Anyhow, the doctor didn't really think I was "going to make it." I'm not sure what I was supposed to make, but if it's what I do in my diaper...well, I "make it" several times a day.

Oops! I wasn't going to talk about that.

My parents are always thanking God for me. You know who I thank God for? My big sister, Emma, and my big brother, Luke.

They are SO GOOD to me. A baby could not ask for a better big sister and brother! They love to help my parents out with baths and entertainment. They love to hold me and play with me, too. I can't figure out why they won't change my diapers, though.

Well, I have to go play, eat, sleep, and maybe that other thing when my Mommy's not paying attention.

It was nice meeting y'all!

Time

2010-07-14T10:48:00.003-05:00

It occurred to me that the people who have the least amount of free time are probably the ones who spend the most time worrying about it.

I know that since adding a third child to our family, my time seems to be disappearing a lot quicker than it ever did before. I spend much of my time holding and feeding Anna Beth, and when I have those rare moments when she’s asleep, I have to make the absolute most of that time, whether it be eating a meal, showering, doing laundry, or spending time with Emma and Luke.

I feel my time comes at a premium right now. If I don’t make smart use of my fleeting moments without a baby in my arms, I find myself frustrated (and hungry and unshowered, etc.) because I didn’t get anything done.

We all get the same 24 hours every day. What we do with those hours is what determines our productiveness, our closeness in relationships, and other outcomes. What we choose to spend our time being focused on defines to the world what we place our importance on. Anyone looking at my life right now can see that my priority is taking care of my children. Anyone looking at my house can see that it is not a priority to me at the moment! (The piles of laundry and the furry Tupperware in the back of the fridge are a testament to this fact!)

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon tells us that “ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” I know there are days where I don’t think there is a time for everything, and sometimes the most important thing I should be doing—praising the God who gave me this day—gets pushed to the bottom of my “to-do list.”

If you were to analyze how you spend your 24 allotted hours, what would your clear priorities be? Would it be work, sleep, family, or time spent studying/praising/talking to God? Take the time to be introspective. You might be surprised.

Easy and Fast Weight Loss Product! Snicker

2010-06-28T17:41:00.001-05:00

You probably get them, too: Those coupons and advertisements that are stuck inside the newspaper you subscribe to. Sometimes they are for cat litter or plastic wrap, other times they are for diapers or pretzel m&m's (Thank You, Sweet Jesus!). The rest of the time they manage to sneak in some weird items that I seriously wonder who buys them in the first place--like the Princess Diana doll in her wedding dress or the limited edition commemorative Wizard of Oz plates, or some such nonsense.

Oh, but wait! I have found the ultimate coupon ad product. Behold:

Yes, you, too, can shed unwanted pounds by wearing a muumuu.

Let's analyze some of the claims on this ad:
1. It's called "figure-flattering," "slimming," "luxurious," and "elegant."

Yep, 'cause nothing says svelte more than looking like Mrs. Roper:

2. "Look slimmer in an instant" and "The pounds seem to disappear as soon as you put [it] on."
Uh huh. A tarp pretty much accomplishes the same thing if you throw it over something, the something disappears. I'm just sayin'.
3. That "model" has man feet. EWW.
4."Perfect...for entertaining at home--even pretty enough for candlelight dinners!" Now, I don't eat my dinners by candlelight very often, but I'm pretty certain that the muumuu is fairly unlikely to inspire romance. I would be afraid those giant sleeves would catch on fire!
5. "Perfect for all day wear." Yes, especially if you weren't planning on taking off your pajamas that day, anyhow.

Perhaps a more effective way to market this would be to say, "Muumuus: 'Cause you aren't even trying anymore, are ya?"

Two Special Guys...

2010-06-20T11:23:00.002-05:00

Hi, it's me, Lianne, the irresponsible Blogger. Mommyhood to 3 is full-time work! I fully intend to start blogging again soon, but for now, my blogging time is small and elusive!

In other news, I'd like to wish two very special guys in my life a very happy Father's Day:

My Daddy...

Dad and Emma (Have you EVER seen a prouder Granddaddy?)

Daddy and Luke

Daddy and Anna Beth (Shh! He's sleeping! Ha!)

And my Jason...

Jason and Emma

Jason, Luke, and some crazy, bloated lady without makeup

Dr. Jason McDaddy and Anna Beth

These men are more than just fathers, they are DADDIES. Daddies are real men who aren't afraid to be involved, get their hands dirty, and set a Christ-like example for their households. I am so grateful to have grown up in a home with a strong Daddy and to be raising my children with a strong Daddy.

I love you guys!

Wrapped in HIS Word

2010-06-05T17:44:00.002-05:00

I had one of those “A-ha” moments at 3:00 a.m. while I was in the hospital after delivering Anna
Beth. One of my nurses came in and proceeded to carry on a conversation with me about who-
knows-what, as she woke me out of a dead sleep. She complimented the quilt that we had
Anna Beth wrapped in. It is a beautiful quilt that is covered with scriptures that are meant to
encourage and inspire. It is sure to become an heirloom.

After the nurse walked out, I started considering some of the scriptures embroidered on the
blanket, like Isaiah 66:13, which reads, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”
What beautiful imagery to think of God acting like a mother to a child! A mother is tender,
loving, kind, merciful, and usually just what an infant most desires when scared or hurting…all
of which God is to us as well!

Another scripture on the quilt is Proverbs 30:5, which says, “Every Word of God is flawless, He
is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” As I admired Anna Beth’s sleeping form in the
cradle next to me, I prayed this scripture over her. I prayed that she, as well as Emma and
Luke, will always wrap themselves in God’s inerrant Word. I prayed that they will always use
His Word as a shield against the things of this world that discourage our hearts and lead us
away from God. I hope that they will turn to Him as a refuge in times of trouble and rejoice in
His Word in times of happiness. I pray that their paths will be made straight in their
acknowledgement of Him (Proverbs 3:6). It is my heart’s desire that they will know the Lord
and love Him first and most of all.

What about you? Are you wrapped in His Word today? If not, please consider how comforting
and encouraging it would be to feel His presence every moment as He guides and protects
you. If you are wrapped in His Word, thank Him for His grace and mercy.

p.s. Sorry about the super-weird spacing on this post. Blogger hates me today.

Introducing...

2010-05-28T14:35:00.000-05:00

Miss Anna Beth!

Born at 10:03 a.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2010. She weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20 inches long.

Fun/Scary facts:

1. The anesthesiologist had to stick me twice to put in the epidural. Jason didn't watch this time, fortunately. I'd had a nice shot of Nubain, so I really didn't care.

2. Anna Beth's heartrate took a big plunge soon after I got the epidural boost. The nurse laid me flat on my back and my blood pressure started dropping like crazy. I was pretty loopy as a result of the Ambien from the night before ("Good enough for Tiger Woods, good enough for my wife,"--Jason), the Nubain, and the epidural, so it really didn't occur to me to be alarmed until later. Buzzers were blaring as my BP dropped to 83/38. My nurse, Laura, called the nurse's station for help. They brought her ephedrine to try to raise my pressure back up. I was non-plussed as I watched her squeeze an entire bag of glucose into my veins. After two doses of ephedrine, my bottom number finally started to come up a little. I am thankful that my nurse never lost her cool and was totally in control.

3. Right after this episode, I told my nurse that I felt pressure. She'd just checked and I was only 7 cm or so. She checked again and I was at 9. She phoned my doctor who told her to tell me to push when I was ready. Jason called my parents to find out where they and the kids were. They were still about 30 minutes away! I told him not to tell them that I was pushing because I didn't want them to break the speed barrier to get there!

4. After only 13 minutes of pushing, Anna Beth arrived. Just like Luke, she had the cord wrapped tightly around her neck. Also, just like Luke, she weighed the exact same as he did, but was an inch shorter in length.

5. Emma didn't want to leave the hospital on the day Anna Beth was born. She wanted to stay on and hold her all night. She is SUCH a GREAT big sister!

6. Anna Beth is a really good baby. I told Jason that if the other two had been this easy, we would have had 10 or 11. He gave me a serious stinkeye over that comment. He tells folks that ask if this is our first baby, "No, it's our last." That cracks me up every time. It's totally true, though!

7. I have bounced back from having Anna Beth so much faster than I did with my previous two. God has really blessed me!

Thanks to all who've checked on us. We appreciate your prayers as we start this new chapter in our lives. Also, a big thanks goes to Rachel who visited us. Not too much longer, Mama, and you'll have your "Cletus the Fetus" here to hold and snuggle!

Here are some more pics:

Sweet Feet!

My Awesome Kids

Just.SO.Tired!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

She's coming!

2010-05-20T05:13:00.000-05:00

As I type, I'm am having one WHOPPER of a contraction...unmedicated for the moment, thankyouverymuch. I was admitted to the hospital to be induced last night due to Anna Beth's expected large size.

So far, I've survived the injustices of a waaaaaay too small hospital gown and having to use the bane of my existence, the dreaded bedpan. *GAG!* (P.S. They fixed the gown problem. The one I'm in now probably hosted the circus last time it was in town.)

Anyhow, I sure would appreciate all your prayers today. We figure on having Anna Beth here by around lunchtime. Emma and Luke are really excited to meet Anna Beth...and to have the day out of school!

I will post an update later with stats and rants and whatnot. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get pics on here from my phone, but if we are Facebook peeps, check them out over there later.

Oh, one more thing...can I just tell you how pleased I am to know I should be back home for the "LOST" season finale!?! A girl's got to have priorities.

In the meantime, bring on the pain meds!

Butterflies

2010-05-10T17:17:00.000-05:00

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about butterflies lately. One reason is that we are decorating Anna Beth’s nursery in that theme. The other reason is that we had five real butterflies living in our house up until recent days.

Emma received a butterfly growing kit for Christmas. Last month we ordered our caterpillars. The box arrived with lots of instructions and a little jar, full of some really yucky substance and creepy-crawling with these hairy caterpillars. (Jason was even freaked out by them.) In about a week’s time, we had chrysalises on the lid of the jar. In about another week’s time, we had these scrawny, nearly-colorless, weak-winged, so-called butterflies flitting around our mesh butterfly cage. In about an hour after they’d hatched from their cocoons, these ugly insects had suddenly become spectacularly-hued, majestic, graceful flying creatures. It was amazing to see the transformation!

Since the lifespan of a butterfly is only a short three weeks, we decided to release them after only a couple of days of appreciating their beauty. To watch them fly away was truly breathtaking.

I couldn’t help but make some comparisons between my walk as a Christian and the metamorphosis of the lowly caterpillar into the lovely butterfly. Before I became a Christian, I had not reached my full potential that God planned for me. As I learned more about Jesus, my life began to change and take on a more specific direction. After I gave my heart to Jesus, a definite metamorphosis began to occur in me. I learned to experience the beauty and freedom of a life that comes from following God’s plan for me. God gave me freedom when I accepted His Son as my Savior, but He continues to nurture me and facilitate more growth and change in me every day through the Holy Spirit.

As Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." I know that I’m not as graceful or as beautiful as I will be in Heaven, but I’m going to do my best with the short time I have here on Earth to glorify Him.

A Kleenex-Worthy Post

2010-04-27T21:52:00.001-05:00

Last night as I tucked Luke into bed, I snuggled him closely (as close as the belly allows for now), kissed him, and whispered in his ear, "I love you, little man."

Luke looked questioningly at me and said, "You know, Mommy, I already know that. You don't have to tell me every day."

I smiled and replied, "I know, but I'm going to tell you every single day that I'm alive and that you'll listen to me say it."

Incredulously, he asked, "Even when you are old--like 64?"

I answered, "You better believe it! EVEN when I'm One million and 64 years old and we are in Heaven, I'll still tell you every day."

He got quiet for a second. "Mommy, do they have Facebook in Heaven?"

I half-grinned, thinking I knew where this was going. "Umm, no, baby, I don't think they do."

With eyes beginning to tear up, he looked at some distant point over my right shoulder, "But, Mommy! How will you be able to tell me that you love me if you die and I'm still here?"

A warm gush of tears filled my eyes. I had to look away, too. "You'll know it in your heart, Luke. That's why Mommy tells you and shows you that she loves you every day now. You'll always have that with you."

His voice choked as he inquired, "But what if I...(sob) forget?!?"

(Kleenex break. I can't even type this without crying. Whew.)

I assured him that there was no way that he could ever forget how much I loved him. I hastily kissed him again, tucked him under the covers, and beat a hasty retreat to go have a good, old-fashioned ugly cry.

Today I took Emma and Luke to the cemetery where my great-grandparents, several great-uncles, and a great-aunt are buried. Since this Sunday is Homecoming Day at our church, we typically decorate the cemetery with new flowers at this time. We took flowers to put on the graves of relatives that my kids never met, or were too young to remember when they passed away.

I explained to the kids that I know that I still carry the love in my heart that all of these family members had always shown me. It's not something easily forgotten. I think Luke feels better about it all now, but it served as a definite reminder to me that there should never be a day that goes by that I don't make sure that my children, family, friends, etc., know how much I love them. I want them to carry that with them always.

Go love somebody today, okay?

Maybe It's Lost in Translation...

2010-04-22T17:03:00.000-05:00

Last week I went on a field trip with Luke to see "The Wizard of Oz" in Birmingham. When it was all over, Luke and I decided to go "someplace nice" for lunch. (He suggested Taco Bell, which really wasn't what I had in mind.) We enjoyed a wonderful and fun lunch at a hibachi table at Stix. As we were about to leave, one of the Japanese waiters comes over to me and points at my stomach.

"Oh," he said. "That looks like twins."

Y'all, I was so flabbergasted, I couldn't even react. I mumbled something completely unintelligible about it just being one and walked away.

Well, at least it only happened once, right?

Oh, but no.

Alas!

Last Sunday night we ate at our local Mexican restaurant. Our waitress looked at me and inquired, "Baby?" I said, "Yes, only about 4 more weeks."

Her eyes stretched wide. "4 BABIES? QUATRO BAMBINOS?"

I quickly answered, "Oh, no, no, no. Just one."

She laughed. "Oh, okay. First baby?"

I smiled as politely as I could. "No, actually this will be my third."

Her eyes stretched wide again. "Oh, so it's TRES BAMBINOS!"

I shook my head in a vigorous "NO" signal and excused myself to go sit in the car and cry.

Or not. But that made you feel really sad for me, huh?

I saw a church sign today that said, "He who has tact has less to retract."

I like this a lot. Especially right now. The power of the belly compels total strangers to grope me and say things that are so far-fetched that I could scream.

In related news, I think we finally found Charlie Brown's long-lost "Great Pumpkin."

An Update of Sorts...

2010-04-08T18:22:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't felt much like blogging lately.

I've been in the death throes of a raging sinus/ear infection with the added bonus of bronchitis.

As if being uber-pregnant wasn't hard enough on its own.

The nesting instinct...

(Sorry, had to wipe sneeze off computer screen)

...kicked in about two weeks ago. I was a cooking madwoman. I've got casseroles and lasagna and all sorts of pretty things in the newly-cleaned out and organized freezer. I cleaned like there was no tomorrow...or like Martha Stewart was coming over tomorrow. Whichever.

Then, the pollen plague kicked in, and I've felt like death ever since.

Oh, the injustice.

Anyway, here is an update in pictures of what's been going on.

Luke called a girl last Friday. This being the day after another girl called him. He uses his hands a lot when he talks on the phone. I may or may not have videotaped a large portion of his conversation to show him when he's older. You're welcome, Luke.

We went to our church's egg hunt last Saturday. My kids put all their eggs in one basket. Emma came home covered in mud. It was a good day.

The Easter Bunny was very kind to my kids. They got Zhu Zhu Pets in their baskets. While they enjoyed them a great deal, poor, long-suffering Tootie was not a fan. Which, of course, led to all of us finding ways to chase her around with them.

They were mumbling something quietly here. Tootie was on high alert.

"I will protect you, Mom, from the evil, tail-less talking squirrels."

"Did that one just move?"

"I think I can protect you better from over here...sitting on your feet. Help."

I love, love, love this picture. Luke adores his big sister.

It's only April and she's already got new freckles.

I love this face.

The pink ladies' club. I smiled through the pain. My ear and my abdomen were both nearing explosion.

Finally, this is why Tootie likes Grandmama and Granddaddy's house better than ours:

She can exert her dominance here. And sit on the furniture.

"You WILL respect me, little man. FEAR the Tootmeister."

I will end the post here. I have lots more pictures and things to say, but I'm out of Kleenex, so...The End.

Two things...

2010-03-31T09:23:00.002-05:00

One:
This picture was taken today. TODAY. Jason gave me this balloon on Valentines' Day.

It refuses to die. I hate to be crude, but I'm wondering what kind of balloon viagra they put in this thing.

Two:

It's official.

I have reached the "Bless Your Heart" stage of pregnancy.

All old ladies say that to me, first thing.

I had a lady tell me yesterday that I looked like I was about to "pop wide-open." Thanks, lady. REALLY.

For the record, I'm told I have about 7 weeks to go.

More pictures are unlikely.

I do not own a wide-angle lens.

"Unfinished Projects"

2010-03-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

I am a serial project starter. I have bought fabric to make curtains for Anna Beth’s room.

I have piles of clothes waiting to be mended.

I have all the materials a girl could desire to organize a huge volume of recipes.

I have tons of scrapbook material and resources.

What I don’t have is the time and/or desire to see all these projects through to completion, which frustrates me to no end. To my own dismay, I am not a serial project finisher.

If I would complete just one project before I decided to embark on another, I could probably make some real progress. My problem is that when inspiration to do a new project starts, I have to do something then—or take a chance on forgetting about it or not caring about it so much later.

I am tremendously grateful that God does not go about His projects the way I do. As Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God doesn’t give up on a task halfway through it. He is the Master of following through to completion that which He starts. He will not forget about or get discouraged with us, even when we are unnecessarily difficult or tedious. He never gets bored with us.

I am reminded of a song from my childhood that said, “He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The Sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.” God is still working on me. Even before the day I was born, God had a plan for me (as He does everyone else), and He is working in me every day of my life. As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

I’m so glad that He is still working on me and that He will not grow tired or neglectful of me. Praise Him!

Springing into Spring Break...

2010-03-15T14:09:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, Emma, Mom, and I decided to have a Girl's Day Out. It was pretty cold and drizzly outside, so we decided that we would go check out the Tupelo Flea Market in Tupelo, MS.

It's only a little over an hour away, but we were still surprised at how many people we saw from our hometown there. We saw my Uncle and Aunt, my Mom's co-worker, a classmate of Emma's, and a lady that used to work with my Grandmother. That same lady came up to us to introduce (show off) her 5 month old granddaughter.

After introductions were made, my Mom mentioned that we have another little one on the way. That lady took one look at my belly and said, "Huh. Looks like a great BIG one on the way, instead of a little one."

She was very lucky to have walked away from that encounter with all her teeth.

I'm just sayin'.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed our day. We feasted at Olive Garden for lunch. Emma enjoyed a carousel ride:

We finished off our day at a shoe sale at Belk. As I've mentioned multiple times before, I have a sliiiiiiight love affair with flip flops. I have an especially soft spot for Yellow Box flip flops.

In my own defense, I have to say they were on SALE!

But here's the thing:

They stink.

Really badly.

As in, I wore the red ones yesterday and could smell them from underneath the church pew, stinking up the place.

It's not a sweaty feet smell. It's more...well...I don't even know how to categorize it.

You know how dog's feet smell when they are hot?

Kinda like old, dirty Frito chips? Well, it's kinda like that, only add in a chemical chili pepper smell to the mix.

REALLY unpleasant.

I think it's that foam stuff you see in the bottom picture that stinks, so I'm going to let them air out a few days before I wear them again. Not to mention, it's 46 degrees outside today and the next day and the next day...so I guess it's back to tennis shoes for a while.

Today is the first day of Spring Break with the kiddos, so let the fun times (and whining--could be mine, could be theirs...hard to say) begin!

If you blog it, they will read it.

2010-03-11T20:29:00.000-06:00

This is the same look my "Blogger" button gives me every time I get on the computer lately. It's not that I don't love blogging and/or have nothing to write about. It's more like every time I sit down, I start to fall asleep due to my sweet, ~~energy-sucking~~, precious, unborn child.

I've started using the "notes" feature on my iPhone so that I could remember details of some of the crazy stuff that's been going on in my life lately. Goodness knows that Swiss cheese-brain-pregnant woman is NOT going to remember any details.

For example, back in early February, Jason and I attended a country music concert put on by Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley. I am not the country music fan in the family, so it was a bit of a unique experience for me. But we are over a month past the concert, so I feel like it would be wrong to blog about it now! So, instead, I will give you these "gems" that I felt it was necessary for my readers to know. (If they don't make sense to you, that's okay. I probably don't remember what was meant by them, either.)

Drunk chicks know every word to all songs ever written.
Gangster rap played in the parking lot before a country music show is weird.
"Yee-ha" is the only acceptable battle cry at this concert.
"This girl next to me just hollered like a scalded dog."--Jason (This is my favorite quote, EVER!)
(After seeing drunk girl eating mayonnaise on French fries) "Bet she's gonna see that again later."--Jason
Largest assembly of dancing mullet women on earth.
Got kicked in the shoulder by drunk girl standing on the back of my seat when she fell on the guy next to me
Miranda Lambert is a bitter and angry woman.

See? I told you that you needed to know these things.

Another note on my phone is about what happened to Luke and I a couple of weeks ago when he had strep. After we left the doctor's office, he wanted to eat at a steak restaurant that allows you to throw peanut shells on the floor. (We only eat at THE classiest establishments.) These were the "pertinent" details about the family that sat behind us:

Please make your kid stop screaming in my ear.
I never thought I'd be one of "those" people that complain about other people's kids in a restaurant.
"Bite? Bite? Bite?" (Hard poke in my back)--what the kid kept saying when our food came out.
I cannot believe they are letting a two year old drink straight out of a Heinz 57 bottle.
A Heinz 57 bottle was never meant to be used as a hammer.
Who's surprised that the kid just smashed his fingers? Not me.
Yelling a kid's name (Bryson) 800 times is not the way to get them to hush crying.
Letting a kid "scream it out" in a restaurant is hardly appropriate.
No matter how many times you say, "Bryson, you are usually good in here. You don't usually do this in this restaurant," it's not going to help. GET UP out of your seat. Leave the fried pickles on the table and go comfort your kid.
Please don't let your kid stab me in the back with a butter knife.
Please apologize when your kid stabs me in the back with a butter knife.
"I guess you better get used to this, huh, Mommy?"--Luke (Again, it's a good thing he's cute.)

Could you have lived the rest of your life without knowing this? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Finally, we have what I looked like last Sunday morning:

Here you have what I actually felt like:

Now, aren't you glad you spent time reading this?

I know.
I'm sorry.
You will never get this time back.

Have a great weekend!

Party lines

2010-03-04T07:45:00.000-06:00

I remember an oddity of my Great-Grandparents’ and my home from when I was about 5 years old. Whenever you needed to get on the phone, you had to be cautious that you didn’t interrupt someone else’s conversation. We had something called a “party line,” which meant that the one line was shared by several households. Whenever the phone rang, you had to count how many times it rang to know which household it was for.

That’s not to say that some folks didn’t take advantage of the situation. There were some people that would pick up the phone no matter how many times it rang, just so they would know the news of the day in the neighborhood. You certainly never wanted to share anything deeply personal or scandalous over the phone, because you never knew who all was really listening to you. You also couldn’t stay on the phone for very long, since this was before call waiting, because some impatient neighbor would be pretty likely to blast a trumpet into your ear if they felt like you’d been on long enough.

Mercifully, with God, we have multiple lines of communication. We can talk directly to Him in prayer and in our thought life. We have His words communicated to us through the printed word of the Bible. As believers, we have the constant companion of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, which guides and speaks to our souls.

Thankfully, unlike the party line system, we don’t have to wonder when we hear God speaking if it’s really for us. We are not limited by others on how long or how in-depth we get when we are speaking to Him. We never have to worry that our private business will become public knowledge when we pour out our hearts to Him. We don’t have to worry that we are interrupting someone else who might be talking to Him. There is no question that He is listening when we speak. The key is to make sure that we are listening when He speaks to us!

We may have a slight problem.

2010-03-01T07:25:00.034-06:00

Now, I've mentioned before that I have a little, tiny, almost not-worth talking about problem with shoes. Apparently, it carries over into cheap, disposable plastic storage. (Don't look at my cooktop. For some crazy reason, the camera made it look like it hadn't been cleaned in a week. Which it hadn't. But who wants to see that?)

I cleaned out the cabinet over the fridge on Thursday evening as I was looking for a large container for individual Dinosaur Dirt Cakes for Luke's class for Friday. I had to pull out all of our foil, Ziploc bags, and such to get the container out. (Sidenote: The bigger my belly gets with Anna Beth, the shorter my arms seem to be getting. Between the disappearing feet and all of the other maladies of pregnancy, I am just perturbed at the ways my body is rebelling against me.)

So, basically what we have here are 600 resealable sandwich bags and 22 bazillion feet of plastic wrap. (What you don't see are the two boxes of Ziploc gallon sized freezer bags and the one box of quart sized bags...Or the two rolls of tinfoil.) What's a girl to do with that much plastic storage, I ask you?!?

And I promise that (unlike the shoes) I totally didn't know I had that many storage bags or rolls of plastic wrap. It was a matter of, "Hey, I'm at Wal-Mart. What did I come in here for again? Hmmm...must've been milk, eggs, bread, plastic wrap, and Ziploc bags." You would think that I'd remember from one trip to the next that I had bought those and that we hadn't been bagging or wrapping individual slices of bread or pretzels or whatever in them. *Sigh.*

If plastic storage hoarding isn't your thing today, maybe this is:

Jason said the prayer at breakfast on Friday morning. As soon as he said "Amen," I noticed that something had happened while the food was getting blessed. Part of it (the chocolate chip pancake part) had ended up on Luke's head. And like a good blogger, Mom and her camera were there.

Y'all have a great Monday!

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, Part 4

2010-02-25T16:35:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday morning, I taught children's church to the older children. The class started out pleasantly enough with the kids polling each other with questions like, "Whoever likes cookies, raise your hand!" (I totally raised my hand, just FYI.)

Then there was, "Whoever likes Alabama football, raise your hand!" (You know I raised my hand.)

Luke decided to get in on the action. He shouted, "Whoever is pregnant, raise your hand!" (Thankfully I was the only one who raised my hand to that one.)

He followed that up with, "Whoever will be 35 on their birthday this year, raise your hand!" (I gave him the stinkeye and said, "Okay, we are SO DONE with this game.")

He's just lucky that he's cute, that's all I'm saying.

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, Part 3

2010-02-23T16:45:00.000-06:00

This is just not right.

How does something like this EVEN HAPPEN?

Foot thieves have come during the night and stolen away my feet.

Who does this kind of thing?!?

They were down there yesterday when I looked...

And now they are gone.

I think I need to go sit down and think this over.

What do foot thieves do with the feet they absconded? Pawn them? Sell them on the black market?

Did I leave them somewhere?

Tootie Dog, have you seen them?

Oh.

There they are.

(I promise my legs are not as swollen as they look. Bad angle, I guess. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the leftover Valentine's chocolate I've been pounding away on.)

In unrelated news, they did it again.

In this unfortunate day and age of crazy people torching churches, I have to wonder if this is REALLY a good idea. Some people may take it as a dare.

All right. There's still leftover Valentine's candy to be eaten. I have a job to do.

Call off the bloodhounds...I'm right here!

2010-02-19T13:12:00.000-06:00

Wow.

When blogging ONCE a week becomes a struggle, you might as well just quit. I've had lots to blog about lately, but just no energy/time/desire/chocolate to do so. (The lack of chocolate is a total fabrication. In fact, the eating of the chocolate takes up a lot of blogging time. Or so I've heard.)

So, instead of real, insightful-type post, I will post some random pictures of things that have recently amused/confused/aggravated me. Fair enough?

First off, can someone explain tiny shirt-sleeve pockets to me? I put on this wonderfully soft and cozy pink shirt a couple of weeks ago and was dismayed and confused by the tiny pocket on my sleeve.

It's not big enough to put ANYTHING in. And if you did find something tiny enough to put in it, it would fall out the first time you raise your arm. And it looks weird.

Then I remembered I had another one in the closet at home:

What's the deal?

Next, we got a letter from the Census Bureau this week. You probably got one, too. When I saw the envelope, I was all, "Okay, finally. I'll fill this bad boy out and be done with it." (I'm occasionally efficient like that.) But, alas, no. It was not to be.

Instead they sent this INCREDIBLY USEFUL letter to tell me that they would be sending the actual census form soon. Thanks, U.S. Government. The tree that gave its life for that piece of paper that you sent us is eternally grateful, as is our national deficit. Great thinking. I can only hope you'll send me another letter a few days after I get the census form to remind me to fill it out and send it in.

Next, gas station pickles are NASTY.

I don't care if you are pregnant or not--they are gross. (I may or may not have bought the pickle the same day I bought a dozen chocolate covered doughnuts and a blue raspberry Slush Puppy. Go ahead and judge me. The cashier did.)

What a happy perk this is!

Why does EVERY store not have expectant mother parking? I think I'm gonna start a petition.

Finally, I found something sorta neat at Babies R Us on this same shopping expedition. It's called Heartburn Tea. It's made with cinnamon and marshmallow root and all sorts of herbal friendliness. I haven't tried it yet, but the whole concept of stomach acid shooting out my nose Sunday night made me decide it was time to try something, ANYTHING different to help. (Don't pretend you aren't jealous. It's not every day you get to smell digestive fluids hanging out in your sinuses. Unless you are me. Good times.)

Anyhow, here's the box:

Is it just me, or could they have put ANYTHING else on the box besides that half-nekkid woman? Granted, that look on her face kinda makes me think that she could feasibly have heartburn, but REALLY?!? Put a cute, winged baby on the box. Or a volcano spewing hot lava. Or me writhing in agony with a kleenex stuffed up the right side of my nose. Anything but that lady!

So, yeah. That's what's been going on in my head. Sad, but true.

Have a great weekend!

Luke's Salute to Soldiers

2010-02-08T12:26:00.001-06:00

Luke and I were working as a team Saturday night. I hauled all his clothes out of his closet and started sorting out what was too small. (Are you jealous yet? What an action packed life I lead!) On the questionable items, I had Luke try on the pants and/or shirts to see if they fit. This is how it played out:

Me: "Does it fit?"
Luke: "Ummm. No. I don't think so."
Me: "What's wrong?"
Luke: "It's too tight in the soldiers."
Me: (Failing to stifle a giggle) "In the WHAT?"
Luke: " It's too tight ON MY SOLDIERS!"
Me: (Guffawing) "Where is THAT?"
Luke: (Points to shoulders.)

Gives all new meaning to "Going Commando," doesn't it?

I added this to Wendy's "Life is Funny" Blog Carnival. Check it out!

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, part two

2010-02-04T12:30:00.000-06:00

I'll admit it.

I'm a bit of a quirky sleeper when I'm not pregnant. The room has to be silent, except for the white noise generator. The room must be comfortably cool, preferably with a ceiling fan, and absolutely dark.

All that still applies, but it's worse now that I'm gestating. Much worse.

I now require a body pillow. This is not entirely new, as I had to have one when I was pregnant with Emma many years ago. In fact, body pillow (bp, for short) is the reason Jason and I ended up buying a king-sized bed. He got tired of clinging to the edge of the queen-sized bed as he propped his pillow on the nightstand.

Or something like that.

Near the end of my pregnancy with Emma, I started waking up with little bits of fabric between my toes. Soon after, I would wake up with wads of fluffy bp stuffing in my toes. Granted, I totally have monkey toes, but I did cut my nails. For some odd reason, I just shredded my poor bp in my sleep.

Jason is lucky to be alive.

So far, my new bp is healthy and shows no signs of toe-shred, but it's still early. I've still got 16 (!) more weeks to go.
***********************************

On Monday night/Tuesday morning, I got up at 1:16 to go to the restroom (more on that later) and then collapsed back into bed. I curled up with bp and fell fast asleep. At 2:06 a.m., our security system alarm went off. I sprung out of that bed like I'd been shot out of a gun. Instead of turning the alarm off at the panel in the bedroom, I flew into the kitchen to the other panel. (And really? I didn't know what was going on. For all I knew, there was someone breaking into the house. Running through the house was probably NOT my best idea.) I stood staring at the alarm panel. Finally, I comprehended that it said that Emma's smoke detector was going off and that the glass in the library window was broken. I shut off the system as Jason finally emerged from the bedroom to go investigate.

Turns out, the house wasn't on fire (YAY) and no one had broken any glass (Also YAY). Emma's smoke detector was full of dust (HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!?) and the ridiculously loud alarm from that set off the glass break alarm.

I'm so glad we have dust alarms in this house now. I'd hate to know that there was any undetected dust lying around.

Sheesh.

All that said, after I talked with the alarm representative and mentally apologized to our neighbors, I looked down to see that in my right arm, I was choking the life out of my poor body pillow. I didn't even realize that I had bp with me. I had probably carried that thing around for 10 minutes before I noticed that I even had it.

Fun times.

**********************
I know this is probably God's way of getting me prepared for Anna Beth actually being here, but it's not my favorite thing right now. I have to get up EVERY single night between 1:11 and 1:21 a.m. to go to the bathroom. It never fails that I wake up and think, "Yes, I made it through the night!" only to be disappointed that it is in that magical 10-minute window that it ALWAYS is.

So, I try to sneak steadily, stealthily, and quietly to the bathroom so that I don't wake the child in utero. Whenever she does wake up, I am guaranteed at least 30 minutes of wiggles and hiccups on her part, that tend to keep me awake too. Although, I suppose that if my bedroom got up and moved in the middle of the night, I probably would wake up with an ailment a lot more severe than just hiccups.

When it's not my bladder waking me up, it's the snoring. *MY SNORING*

Me, the delicate flower who only snores when terribly, horribly sick with a deadly sinus infection.

Not anymore.

Now my snores are not the gentle, breathy wheezes of ailing sinuses.

Oh no.

They are more like the buzzing of an out-of-control chainsaw riding on a Harley with no muffler. I wake myself up with this. Ugh. The snoring leads to dry throat, which leads to drinking water, which leads to more bathroom trips. Awesome.

When it's not the bladder or the snoring that wakes me, it's the leg cramps. I had leg cramps in my other pregnancies, but these are new and improved. These are so bad that I wake up begging Jesus to come and get me. These are so bad, that I know if I had a sharp object on my nightstand, I would self-amputate to escape the pain. Also awesome.

Finally, if all the other fun nighttime adventures were not enough to keep me sleep-deprived, I have the crazy pregnant woman dreams to keep me occupied. If we've met (or not, even, Ty Pennington), chances are you've played a role in one of my dreams. I don't have happy dreams of romance and fun, oh no. Mine are always someone is missing, someone is dead, or a-mystery-has-to-be-solved-nightmares. Maybe I need to cut down on the "CSIs" before bedtime or something.

I think I need a nap.

Through a glass, darkly...

2010-02-01T17:54:00.001-06:00

Last month, my family had the opportunity to take a peek at our newest family member, Anna Beth. The amazing technology that exists today allowed us to see all her internal organs, her bones, and that she is a girl. It really was a special time for our family to be able to see the unseen perfection that God is working inside my body to sculpt and form her into His image.

Even though we could see her tiny feet and the wonders of the workings of her four-chambered heart, we could not distinguish Anna Beth’s facial features. We couldn’t see what color her hair will be. We won’t know until later what color her eyes will be, but for right now, none of that really matters. What we did see is that nothing was out of the ordinary. We are going on faith that the ultrasound technician was right in the things she did observe. She saw that all the organs were there and functioning. She saw that all the bones were present and properly formed. To put it simply in Biblical terms, “For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then [at birth]face to face.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

It can be a little confusing or unsatisfying to look at an ultrasound picture if you don’t know what you are looking for. It helps to have someone point everything out to you so that you know what you are seeing. The same can be said of the mysteries of God’s Word. Not everything in the Bible is supposed to make sense to us right now. There are some things we will not be able to comprehend in our finite human minds until God reveals the truth to us.

However, there are some things that God intends for us to take His Word by faith, believing Him now and seeing for ourselves later. All of God’s promises concerning the Kingdom of Heaven and what it will be like for us in eternity may not make a lot of sense now, but we are to believe His Word and share that knowledge with others. After all, the Gospel can be intimidating to a person who doesn’t know what they are looking at or listening to.

I am so grateful and blessed to have always had people in my life that were willing to patiently explain and teach to me the meaning of God’s Word. If you have been fortunate enough to have a person in your life that was dedicated to helping you understand what you believe, pass it on! The world could use a lot more clarity in our faith and in our focus!

God Bless You!--Lianne

Look Out! Here comes Mr Smooth!

2010-01-25T12:16:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday, Luke came home with a sliver of paper in his hand. He immediately handed it to me. When I looked down at it, it said "Ashley" and had a phone number. I asked Luke, "What's this?" He said, "Oh, Ashley just wanted me to have her phone number. She told me to call her."

Oh.

Have I mentioned lately that the boy is 6?

6. Not 16.

I'm just sayin'.

So, he comes home Thursday with another piece of paper in hand. This one reads "Rachel cell" and has a phone number. (This being the same cute gap-toothed Rachel that Luke danced with in the first grade play.) So, I asked him how he got this number.

He just smiled.

He laughed as he said, "Well, Mommy, I told her, "Rachel, I lost your phone number.' She said, 'When did I ever give you my phone number?' So I said, 'Uh, at the beginning of the year.' So she wrote it down and told me not to lose it this time."

Oh.My.WORD.

Paging Mr. Smooth.

So, if you know any single guys, I would totally recommend this as a pretty good pick-up line.

Oh, and to my knowledge, he hasn't called any of these girls yet.

I'm not holding my breath, though.

Introducing...

2010-01-20T11:23:00.000-06:00

Anna Beth!

Anna Beth should be joining us in May of this year. She looked perfect on the ultrasound, which was a huge relief considering that we got off to a rough start. To go from expecting to miscarry to seeing a healthy baby tumbling around and waving on ultrasound is nothing short of a miracle. God has blessed us so much!

It has been really nice to finally be able to call her by name, instead of it, the baby, or (my favorite) your probably sister.

So, yeah, we will have not one, but two weddings to pay for.

At some point, I will have one child at the elementary school, one at the middle school, and one in high school. Sometimes I wonder if we really thought that through.

It's A ... COOKIE!!!

2010-01-18T16:34:00.000-06:00

So, I'm still sitting in the doctor's office waiting to find out my baby's gender right now. I just wanted to share a story from Luke's bedtime last night.
I reminded him that today was the big day for the ultrasound. He said that he hoped that the baby would be a girl. When I asked him why he wanted a girl, he surprised me with what he said:

"Well, Mommy, if it's a girl, it will be special. That way, it will be like an Oreo cookie. With one girl older and one girl younger, I'll be the cream in the middle of the chocolate crackers. Everybody knows the cream is the best part. I will be extra-special if I'm the only boy."

Pretty deep, huh?

4:00 p.m. Update: We finished our OB appointment, glided through our dental appointment, and are currently stuck in the mayhem that is Chuck E. Cheese. Our ultrasound went very well. The baby was NOT shy and was eager to reveal that it is healthy and it is a...

GIRL!!!!

Let the buying of all things pink commence!

Emma has a slightly different take on the Oreo analogy. She said:
"If Luke is the cream, we are going to be the cookies that smush him."

That seems about right.

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, part one

2010-01-14T13:33:00.000-06:00

As you all probably know by now, I am expecting a baby at the end of May. We will mostly likely find out if the girls will outnumber the boys in this house on Monday. (I think so.)

Emma says since Tootie dog is a girl, it has already happened, but I digress.

I have decided to periodically (which means whenever I feel guilty that I haven't blogged about anything in a long time) write an installment of the Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman. This doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to be graphic and discuss uteruses and other girl parts I'm not especially inclined to talk about or anything.

Guy readers (all 4 of you, I think), you are safe.

Sorta. As safe as you ever were here, I guess.

Anyhow, this was the conversation between Luke and I at bedtime last night: (He always waits until I tuck him in to haul out the heavy questions.)

Luke: "Mommy, where does the baby come out of?"
Me: "Uhhhhh."
Luke: "Does it come out of your nose? Your ears? Your hair? Your shoulders? Your feet? Your armpits?"
Me: "Umm. No, none of that."
Luke: "So, where, then?"
Me: "You know how you have boy parts that are different from girl parts?"
Luke: "You mean, like my pee-pee and my bootie?"
Me: "Yeah, umm, yeah. Sorta. Babies come out of their mommies' bellies out of their girl parts."
Luke: (With a disgusted-incredulous look) "Ewww! Do they poop them out?"
Me: "No! I mean, not like that, no. It's different."
Luke: "Gross."

So, I have a feeling the next few months are going to bring LOTS of questions that I don't know how to answer.

What Makes For a REALLY Great Day?

2010-01-08T23:49:00.000-06:00

The stage was set. It was frigid outside. Clouds rolled in. Snow fell.

Not a lot--this IS Alabama, but just enough for all of us to have some fun.

Well, everyone but Tootie. She is not a fan of snow or temperatures below 80 degrees.

Luke throws a pretty mean snowball. Repeatedly. Don't worry, Emma retaliated. Repeatedly. I just wasn't fast enough to get a picture.

This is one of the pictures I sent in to James Spann (our favorite weatherman) per Luke's request. He put this one and the one of the kids with the snowman on his blog. He showed this one on the news twice!

And while we are on that topic...
You might think that the reason Alabama won its 13th National Championship last night was because we have the Heisman trophy winner, a great defense, and/or that Texas' quarterback was injured. Well, you'd be wrong. It was because of this:

This is Jason's LUCKY SHIRT. He has worn it for every Alabama game this season. (Including the one we were in Disney World for.) It was originally my shirt, but it somehow made its way into Jason's t-shirt drawer. He is a big ~~sucker~~ believer in football game superstition, so he now thinks this is the luckiest shirt on earth. It will, no doubt, be worn until it is nothing but shredded strings.

Hopefully we will have some more really great days soon. I sure did enjoy this one!

An Open Forum for Griping

2010-01-05T18:23:00.000-06:00

Don't get me wrong. I am grateful to get gifts. To know that someone thought about me and thought that I would like something is very meaningful.

BUT...

Sometimes you get a gift SO BAD that you have to tell somebody.

This happened to my husband and I at Christmas this year. Due to extenuating circumstances, I can't tell or show you just what we got here, but I will gladly e-mail you a little show-and-tell if you're interested.

Consider this post a safe haven. Tell me what you got that was just awful. I'm not talking about gag gifts or funny Dirty Santa gifts. I mean, the real deal. Did you get a animatronic fish that sings Christmas carols? A harmonica for those who are not musically inclined? (That is a real gift my very musically inclined husband got one year.)

Just let it all out. I need a good laugh!

What are you looking at?

2010-01-02T22:24:00.001-06:00

Do you remember when you first learned to drive a car? If you were anything like me, you were a precision-guided driving machine! I kept my eyes focused straight ahead and did my utmost to lock out all distractions, whether inside or outside of the car. I didn’t touch the radio dial, the air conditioner, or dare lift a finger off the steering wheel to wave at a passerby. No way! I was completely and utterly devoted to the task at hand—being a safe and attentive driver.

Fast forward to the present day. I am a driving multi-tasker extraordinaire. Now, I’m not one to put on make-up while driving, but I have been known to eat a meal, change the radio, adjust the temperature, window shop, talk on the phone, and be the instigator of backseat peacekeeping (“Don’t MAKE me come back THERE!”), all while safely cruising down the highway.

Somewhere along the way, I got comfortable, maybe too comfortable in my journeys in the car. The same can probably be said about my Christian journey, too. I know that when I first became a Christian, I was totally Jesus-focused. I was locked-in, ready to do whatever He needed me to do. I was not about to let the world get in my way! But as it happened, I got distracted along the path. I got so focused on trying to do so many other things that I forgot to see all the blessings around me. I got so busy with the unimportant things that I lost my focus. As I ran my race, I forgot to do what Hebrews 12:2 says: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” I realize now how essential it is to keep my eyes on Jesus and both hands on the wheel!

I'm not dead, just busy.

2009-12-18T12:20:00.000-06:00

Contrary to popular belief, I have not moved to some internet-free island in the South Pacific and/or have not gone to jail for killing a man, just 'cause he needed killing. I have just been crazy, out-of-control busy. You know it's bad when your own parents call you out for not blogging...AND THEY KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO! (P.S. Thanks for caring, Daddy.)

Hmm. The last 15 days recap:

December 4-8: We went to Disney World. Our trip to off to a bit of a rocky start when I was "randomly" chosen to frisk while waiting to board the plane by a female security agent. Let's not forget that I'd already gone through security and the metal detector and all that jazz. Apparently my baby bump looked awfully threatening. I guess I forgot what a threat to national security pregnant women can be.

To make matters worse, she told me to "assume the position." I almost asked her which position she meant, like the John Travolta "Stayin' Alive" pose or maybe on my knees in prayer... In retrospect, it's probably better I left it alone. She also frisked the woman standing behind me in line. She was wearing an University of Alabama hoodie, so she and I decided that the security agent was a bitter Auburn fan. Figures.

We had a great time at Disney.

Eeyore even shared with us (in his own, non-verbal sort of way) that he, too, is an Alabama fan. He was especially excited about that day's big win over Florida in the SEC Championship. Bless Jason's heart, he missed the whole game, but did stay updated on his phone.

We ate well at Disney. Really well. In fact, food and I became friends again while I was there.

We ate dessert with every meal. The kids don't know what to do now that we are back home and don't have an ice cream sundae bar in the house. Poor spoiled babies.

I miss it, too.

We rode everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. The only thing I skipped out on was the teacups. As a pregnant gal, I feel like I'm riding the teacups all day long, every day.

December 8-16: When we got back home, we found out that Emma had pinkeye and bronchitis, which would explain why no one got any sleep. Emma coughed all night, every night at Disney.

After hostessing a party for 20 ladies two days after we got back (I'm certifiably crazy, I know), we moved on to the next big set of events--the Christmas Plays!

First was the church play:

Next were the three performances of Luke's first grade play:

He got to dance with this little cutie:

She led.

Bless the little present guy in the back row. He couldn't sit down in his costume.

The play was great, but the kids sure were glad when it was over. (As were the moms and dads who sat through all three performances.)

I wrote a whole blog post in my head during the Tuesday night performance. It may or may not make it to print, but it dealt with first grade play attendee etiquette. I was appalled at how some "adults" behave at a school play. Truly embarrassing.

So, after two parties this morning, my kids will be home for the next 16 days.

SIXTEEN DAYS.

Oh my WORD.

Somebody save me.

Merry Christmas!

Socks are NOT the enemy.

I can post from my phone now?!?

We are on a roll now!

If it looks like a post, smells like a post, and sounds like a post...

Deal or No Deal?

Roadblocks

Checking In

My storm story...one week later.

Picking Roses

Counting Blessings

So, I guess we are doing something right.

Friends

Crayons

No mo' snow!

Little Children

Finally!

From our house to yours...

The Long-Awaited Return to Blogging...

Are You Seeking?

Hoarders

On Blogging Hiatus...

Goodness

Hold my hand!

Who's a Bad Blogger? Subtitle: What I did or did not do on my summer vacation, or lack thererof.

"Just a little Patience..."

A Very Special Guest Post

Time

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Two Special Guys...

Wrapped in HIS Word

Introducing...

She's coming!

Butterflies

A Kleenex-Worthy Post

Maybe It's Lost in Translation...

An Update of Sorts...

Two things...

"Unfinished Projects"

Springing into Spring Break...

If you blog it, they will read it.

Party lines

We may have a slight problem.

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, Part 4

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, Part 3

Call off the bloodhounds...I'm right here!

Luke's Salute to Soldiers

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, part two

Through a glass, darkly...

Look Out! Here comes Mr Smooth!

Introducing...

It's A ... COOKIE!!!

Diary of a Crazy Pregnant Woman, part one

What Makes For a REALLY Great Day?

An Open Forum for Griping

What are you looking at?

I'm not dead, just busy.

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