Happy Birthday Weatherly

Tonight we got to help Weatherly celebrate her 4th birthday. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and the kids didn't get to play on the splash pad. However, I don't think they were too upset. Speaking for my kido, she loved the Cheetos's and the cupcake with ice cream. She was as happy as could be! :0)

Caroline's new desk

Caroline got a new desk and she absolutely LOVES it! She likes to dangle her feet or arrange her toys on it and then take it off. I am going to get some washable invisible markers that only show up on certain paper and let her use her desk in her room during room time. I will let you know how it goes....

A surprise visit

This afternoon we got a phone call from Jennifer and Randy and the kids. They were in town and stopped by to see us. Caroline enjoyed herself very much! She received lots of attention and loved every minute of it! So happy they stopped by, it made our afternoon! Thanks guys!

Caroline has started "the look!" She's serious!!!

She loved sitting with Jenna while Jenna read to her. Book, after book, after book...

Miss Hollywood while helping us clean

fun days

So we had a somewhat crazy week this past week. I made sure I blogged about them so that I would forget. However, I also wanted to blog about some of the fun times we have this week. We started this thing we call "family kiss" each night as Caroline gets ready for bed. She wraps one arm around my neck and one around Andy's and says "lamly iss." It's precious, she has a huge smile and laughs and says it again. Today as I was putting her down for her afternoon nap she said "lamly iss." What a sweet time it was for me. It made me think of all the times I get frustrated with her or myself and how blessed we truly are. What a gift she truly is to our family, good times and the not so good! :0)

eating corn on the cob for the first time

she loved watching the rain

brushing her teeth while dancing...

Friday's after 5

We are so excited that our city has continued with Friday's after 5 again this summer. It started a month earlier and will go a couple months later. YEAH! It's such a fun time for our family. We enjoy seeing other friends and family members. The entertainment is great and the vendors are really good. If you are local and haven't been, you really should try to make it next month!

Caroline loved the big fan!

playing with her buddy Catherine

hanging out with our friends
you would have thought she hadn't eaten in days... lucky for Caroline, Olivia shared some of her yummy snacks!

Our first ER visit

Today started out as a very quiet Friday morning. We didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go. I was so excited!!! :0)

enjoying dress up

I think she is ready for dance!!! Isn't she the cutest thing ever!!!!

Caroline and I started working in her room to get it ready for her "room time." She decided she wanted to brush her teeth. I got her tooth brush ready and went to put something in her room. In less than a minute, I came back and found her with an open empty Excedrin PM bottle. I thought, surely she hasn't had time to open this nor could she have swallowed it that quickly. I asked Caroline if she opened it and she said empty. I asked her if it was empty when she got it and she held it up and said "empty" again. So I called my aunt and asked her what she thought I should do. She thought it would be best to take her to the ER.

We threw a bag together, got in the car, turned the flashers on and headed to the ER. NOBODY moved over and once we got to the ER, they didn't seem too concerned... After almost 2 hours from the initial find, we saw someone. Caroline acted normal, like nothing was wrong. I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing until the doctor informed me that when children overdose, the effects show up much later, several hours later.... We had to give her this awful charcoal medicine mixed with grape juice. She took one sip and that was it! We had to hold her down and force it using a syringe. Caroline also had to have a finger stick, which she wasn't happy at all about. (Did I mention that Andy was out of town today... he goes out of town maybe 1 every other month...) Thankfully my mother in law was with me and was a HUGE help!

not the best picture, but I didn't have my camera

Almost 4 1/2 hours after it began, we got the results from the blood work. (I must add that from the time we got there until we got the results, nobody seems overly excited that we may have an emergency on our hands! I guess this isn't as uncommon as I thought.) Everything was good, not traces of anything in her system. THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

asleep after 7 1/2 hours of excitement

I have to brag for just a minute on my baby girl, she was a trooper! We spent over 3 hours in a tiny room with no toys, no books, nothing. She got fussy once or twice but nothing like it could have been. I was so proud of her!

Tomorrow Andy and I will be SUPER baby proofing the house. Anybody want to join us???

Uncle Joe's Farm

Last Saturday, Caroline, Mema and I went to Uncle Joe's (her brother) farm. Caroline had a blast! She loved it. I enjoyed the fresh vegetables and really appreciated my kind mother's help with the peas and corn. We decided to head back out today. Uncle Joe had a lot more veggies that were ready. We got some tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, corn and okra! YUMMY!!! Mema came home and helped me shuck the corn, which I think is the hardest job. Thanks Mema! This afternoon, I will start working on my peas... a lot of work but oh so worth it!

picking tomatoes, too bad she likes to pick the small green ones...

helping Great pick peas

All good farmers have to "work" the soil right?Got everything we need, now it's time to head home...

Oh how my daddy would love the farm girl in Caroline! If only he was here, I know Pops would have found his perfect sidekick... The only question is, could he keep up with her???

Super Doubles at Harris Teeter

Another good day, helps me remember why I coupon... I did realize that I am not as "inspired" as some to save big bucks! Some people were very serious and had a very LARGE notebook of coupons. They were picking up lots and off to the next thing. Over all I was super excited if for nothing but the deodorant and magazine!!! :0)

• 5 Sure deodorants


• 4 packages of Beef Oscar Myer Hot Dogs


• Soft Scrub


• French Onion Deep


• a magazine-couldn't resist... I had a $1 off coupon which doubled to $2 and the cover caught my eye!!!!

Total before coupons-$43

coupons-$29

Total paid-$14

Happy Birthday Peyton

This afternoon we headed down to the beach to celebrate Peyton's 6th birthday! It's hard to believe he is that old. We had a blast. Caroline enjoyed her time at the pool and wasn't scared one little bit! We went back to the camp site for hamburgers and birthday cake. Lucky for us, no party is complete without Daniel and Claire making homemade ice cream... YUM!!! This time we had vanilla or butter pecan, don't know about the vanilla but the butter pecan was wonderful!

notice Caroline's curls...

"Carolina" and Wilson coming in at the same time

working on the ice cream

the birthday boy waiting patiently to get started

We had a great time, I only wished he could have spent more time with them.

working through the struggles of motherhood

As I think of how to start this post, the only thing that I can think of is working through the struggles of motherhood...

This morning Caroline and I were at home and I was working on packing our lunch. She was playing quietly, which usually sounds an alarm. Even when she is playing, she loves to talk with herself or Lucy. I walked in the den and saw her standing beside my curio cabinet, door open, holding one of my birthday dolls. (These were gifts that I got every year for my birthday. I didn't collect much so these were always precious to me... I plan to give them to Caroline each year as she grows older.) I asked her to put the dolls back and close the door and she did. I went back to the kitchen to continue working on lunch. Once finished, I came back into the den to see her back in the cabinet. As I walked towards her, asking her to put them back, she got really excited and the shelf fell....................

The dolls quickly became decapitated, arms amputated, etc. I think the only doll that survived unharmed was the baby. I stood amazed, upset, angry, sad, disappointed, hurt. I didn't know what to say. "I had just asked her to leave it alone and she didn't. She disobeyed and look what happened. What was she thinking? Why can't I get this parenting thing RIGHT??? Why doesn't she do what she is supposed to do? (her actions are examples of the sin in her heart) Why is it so hard for her to listen and obey???" (these words are examples of the sin in my heart) I have really been praying, especially this week, for God to give me wisdom in the area of discipline and the sin in both of our hearts. I quickly felt a knot in my throat and tears in my eyes. Caroline watched as I picked up each piece. I didn't say a lot because I knew I would truly regret it if I did.

It's been several hours since this happened, and while I am still sad, I know that they are just things... I am thankful that I didn't say the above things that I wanted to say at the moment! I thought of Matthew 6:20 "But store up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves will not break in and steal." These dolls are a special part of my childhood but they are just that, things. They are nothing compared to my relationship with the Lord.


Andy will be picking up super glue and we will begin repairing the dolls later tonight. We will sort through the broken pieces and use pictures on the Internet to help us put them back together. I know one day I will look back on this day and think, oh the joys of raising an almost two year old! I must admit that I do look forward to the day that Caroline asks why her dolls have cracks and glue... what a story it will be!

"Don't Make Me Count to Three!"

• "Don't make me count to three!"
• "You just wait till your daddy gets home!"
• "You don't want me to come in there!"
• "If you don't straighten up, you are going to get it!"

Do any of these sound familiar? These are the opening lines in Ginger Plowman's book "Don't Make Me Count to Three." Wow, she had me with those! How many times does Caroline disobeyed and I am clueless as to what to do? So I say something like one of the above and HOPE she does the right thing so that I don't have to discipline her. Well guess what, it worked in the beginning but not anymore.

This book has definitely opened my eyes to Christian discipline. Here are a few key points that have really hit home for me.

1. "Children are born sinful. They wouldn't be natural if they didn't sin. It's our job as parents to train our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (pg. 29) Just as we have consequences for our sin, we should discipline our children for their disobedience (their sin) just as Christ disciplines us.
2. "Don't allow your desire for changed behavior to replace your desire for a changed heart. If you can reach the heart, the behavior will take care of itself." (pg. 33)
3. "2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (pg. 37) God will give me everything I need to be the parent He wants me to be.
4. "It is not difficult to train our children to act Christians. We have really accomplished something when we have trained them to think like Christians." (pg. 40)

This is good stuff. It is a quick and easy read. I am very excited and highly recommend this book to all parents. I think this is one that I will read over and over again, to remind me of my role as a parent. Stay tuned, there will be more to come.

Lunch Date

Yesterday I was able to find a sitter and enjoy a wonderful, child free lunch with my former kindergarten team. (Now I know why stay at home moms get so excited to have a lunch date!!!!) We had a wonderful time together. The ladies chipped in and bought me a going away gift. (so sweet!) The ladies got me a Pandora bracelet with a "journey" slide. So as I embark on my new journey, they wanted to wish me luck and for me to remember them along the way. I was so excited and felt very loved! What a great way to finish up the year.

We did decide that we needed to get together more often. Looking forward to catching up again soon.

Is it time to walk down a different street?

Lately, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the journey that the Lord has me on right now. Tonight, I started a Bible Study "One in a Million" by Priscilla Shirer. Before we got into the book, we were each asked to share about a journey in our life. I thought of all the journey's that I have taken and how each one was so different. Some were tough, some were amazing, some left me clueless but in the end, it was a time of growing for me. I had to take a step back and see what the Lord WANTED to do, not what Rita wanted to do.

In January when we decided I would be at home, it was a decision where I felt very free yet very anxious. I truly felt that He would open a door for me to work at one of the preschools that I had applied to. However, as I packed up the boxes in my classroom, I realized that I was about to start a journey that I didn't know anything about. Sure I had summer vacations, spring break, Christmas break, etc., but I haven't been unemployed since I was about 13. Would God truly meet our needs, even the little ones that weren't really important?

God has continued to show me His glory the last 6 months. Just when I have a moment that I doubt His power, He shows me that he has it all taken care of. Whether it's a really "reduced" yearly tax bill for my car, my desire for a Pandora bracelet, a low cost WONDERFUL vacation, my desire to grow in my walk with the Lord or even the relationship with Andy and Caroline, God's providing in His time and His way! And the really NEAT thing is as we begin to "declutter" the material things around us and begin to recognize God's providence, it's truly amazing.

The one quote tonight that really struck me was "Is it time to walk down a different street?" I do believe it was time for me to take a different street, a new journey. I am excited about the new street and the next 6 weeks with the study. Can't wait to see where He is going to take us!

Caroline's first swim lesson!

Caroline had her first swim lesson today and loved it! At first, she wasn't really sure about getting in with Mrs. Barbara. Grace got in and played with her for a little while which made it all better. Within no time, Caroline was like a little fish. Mrs. Barbara had her blowing bubbles on the water, jumping off the steps and even got her to put her head under!! I was so surprised! I was so excited to see her enjoying the water.

**Notice some pictures are from a distance... she did much better when I was not around. :0)

thinking about getting in

a little closer

about 5 minutes later, going under for the first time

so proud of herself

ready to go again

ready or not Mrs. Barbara, here I come!

swimming all by herself

Swimming makes a girl hungry. She wanted cer O's when we got home. She has seen somebody pick up their bowl and drink their milk when they are done. Wonder where she got that from?

sweet time

Caroline and I shared some sweet time together this evening. When she was much younger, we had a set routine each night. Once we got her dressed in her pj's, we would sit in the rocking chair and read several books before putting her in her crib. As she got older, she didn't want to sit in my lap and read. She would ask for luffeys and paci and she was ready for bed. Tonight after she got dressed, she pointed to her books and said "read." So we started with her Princess Bible that Great gave her for Christmas last year. We made it through the first two stories of Adam and Eve. (She was so sweet, cuddled in my arms, she smelled so clean, ahhhh) She would repeat after me different parts of the story. It came to a section about sin in our life and what the snake represents to us in the Garden. It was a sweet time for us to pray and ask God to forgive us of our daily sin... It reminds me that I sin and fall short everyday, why should I expect my sweet baby girl to be any different? Looking at my life through my child's eyes brings new light every day.

too much of a good thing isn't so good!

the evidence

About two months ago, Andy introduced Caroline to "dipping." Now she likes to dip everything-chips, celery, fries, etc. Today we decided to have our last none healthy meal for a while. I love Zaxby's and thought that would be perfect. Caroline was very excited to see she had "dipping" Zax's sauce which she called ketchup. I should have known when I walked into the kitchen to find her holding the sauce packet up to her lips things couldn't be too good. Well it wasn't... she brought it all back up and some more! YIKES!!!!! This was the first time she has been seriously sick vomiting and couldn't stop. It was pitiful. Although once she was done, she smiled asked for more chicken and "alPE" juice.

Jared's graduation celebration

May 27 was a big day for our family. It was the last day of teaching for me. It was the day my oldest "nephew' graduated from high school. Unfortunately I was not able to attend because of wrapping up things at school. However, tonight we were able to celebrate with Jared on his major accomplishment. It's hard for me to believe that he is old enough to have completed 12 years of school! Yikes, I remember the day he was born. I remember his mom informing us after he chocked on some sugar water that "he was HER baby and he could break." Well Jennifer somehow he has managed all these years and is still altogether... :0)

It was a warm but wonderful evening together. We enjoyed looking at old photographs and laughed and cried at the memories that they welcomed. My greatest wish for Jared was that his Pops could have been there to celebrate with him. My daddy thought that child hung the moon! I know that he would so so proud of the young man he has become...

the grauation boy

Caroline enjoyed playing in the rocks...


digging in...

We forgot Caroline's swimmies. Jenna was great and got in with her. She had a blast!

two precious girls

"Here I come! Look at ME!"

Happy Graduation Jared, we are so proud of you!

Good bye...

Andy's family has been taking family vacations together for almost 8 years now. I would have to say that this was one of the very best ones that we have ever had! The weather was amazing! It seemed like everyday there was a cool breeze. Caroline did really well and was such a trooper. Our house had an awesome wrap around porch that was perfect for morning play time and afternoon naps. The view from our room was breathtaking! It felt like home because we actually know the owners of the house and their photographs are in every single room.

We moved at such a slower pace and it was wonderful. We got to enjoy each other as well as our family. This week I was reminded just how blessed we are and how much we have to be thankful for. I hope that as I begin my new career at home, I realize the importance of being still and taking in all that is around me.

Our house

We had our own little balcony!!!! In the distance above the trees you can see the ocean. So peaceful and quiet!

the view from the back porch-there is a lagoon behind the house but you can't really see it all too well in the photo

my favorite place! so peaceful, so quite, so perfect!

(Vacay read "The Fixer Upper" by Mary Kay Andrews-great book!)

the side porch

Thank you Tomi Jean and Greg for treating our family to such an amazing week!