Thanksgiving '10

Thanksgiving was in Perry this year. Sweet times with family. We even had a special guest all the way from India, Nimmy Gabriel, a friend of Mom and Dad's they met while in Statesboro. We had a nice visit, and we were glad to be able to stay long enough to help Nonny begin her Christmas decorating. We set up her manger scene and we went and cut down a tree together at the Busy Elves Tree Farm. Thanksgiving is always a tease, making us eager for Christmas!

Disney Trip before Thanksgiving

We had such a fun time going to Disney World the week before Thanksgiving. Stan and I had earned two free tickets through volunteering, and then Stan's parents generously gave the kids tickets to Disney as an early Christmas gift. We left on a Sunday afternoon and spent Sunday evening at Downtown Disney, and Monday we were at the Magic Kingdom all day. It was exhausting and Stan and I were battling a mild stomach bug, but the Lord blessed the time and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I told Stan that I do believe Disney trips are in the same category as childbirth. It's amazing and spectacular but also fairly painful and costly, and somehow in just a short amount of time all the pain is forgotten, and you somehow want to do it all over again! :) It was great, and we were so grateful to Stan and Mary for their generosity that made it a reality. They also gave us gas money--really sweet. The kids are already asking when we can go back!

Abby's Visit to GA

What a fun time we had this past weekend! Abby and Titus and Andy flew in on Thursday morning last week, and we enjoyed a leisurely day with them since it was a school holiday, Veterans' Day. After we got home and ate some lunch, we put Titus down for a nap, and all of us rested a bit. Later that afternoon, we went to the park. Aunt Abby and Stan kept the kiddos at the park while I put in my last run before the race. Then when I got back to the park, Abby and I walked a while together while Stan watched the kids a little longer. We fixed shrimp and linguini and marinara sauce for supper. Late that night Nonny and Uncle Will arrived, so we had a very full house come Friday morning. We got Olivia off to school, I got Benjamin to preschool, and then I had a dentist appointment. After that we went to McDonalds for lunch where the kids had a great time playing in the play area. Then we hurried over to Mamie Lou Gross Elementary School for a special ceremony where Olivia was recognized as the "Terrific Kid" for this quarter in her class! Yeah Olivia! The ceremony was a little lengthy but really sweet. The first graders even won the "Spirit Award" for cheering the loudest. :) After that, we all hopped in the cars and headed to Albany. We got there around 5:30 I believe, and Carrie Beth, David and Jonathan were there waiting on us, and Mom had called ahead to them and given CB directions to get dinner going. We had a yummy meal on the cozily lit back porch, but it soon became too cool, and it was time to bed everybody down. On Saturday morning Nonny had made a "Grits Bar" for breakfast, and I was sorry to have to miss it since I was running in the Albany 15K Chili Run. I hear it was scrumptious. I was pretty nervous about the race, because my knee had been beginning to give me problems the week before the race. I was afraid I would have to completely stop and drop out of the race because the knee pain might get too bad. God got me through it, though! And it honestly felt like a miracle. I knew I could do the distance, but I was so worried with how much pain my knee had been giving me, but it really wasn't too bad. It didn't begin bothering me until mile 4, and then even after that, it wasn't a severe pain. I had to stop 4 times to walk for 30 seconds to relieve some of the pain a little but I still finished in 1:21--a minute faster than last year, giving me 2nd place in my age group. Next year, I'll be in the 35-39 year old group, so I'm hoping that since I"ll be one of the younger ones in that category that maybe I'll do even better! :) I was the old geezer in my age group this year. :) The really frustrating thing in this race was that these two women who were in their 40s kept just ahead of me the whole time. I just couldn't keep up with them. I thought to myself, "Maybe I'll get faster in my 40s, too!" :) Saturday afternoon was a blur--lots of icing my knee and resting. We did go outside and play in the yard a good bit with the kiddos while Carrie Beth and Abby enjoyed a little shopping venture. My knee told me, "I do not want to walk around stores today, please!" So I stayed behind and enjoyed watching them tree climb, ride bigwheels and play baseball. Sweet, lovely afternoon. That evening Dad came home for good from his Kairos adventure. He'd been working a Kairos all weekend, but finally we got him to ourselves a little. Stan had to leave to get back to Kingsland for the church services on Sunday, and Will also left Saturday night because of needing to be home in Montgomery to be at his church on Sunday, so it was Dad and us ladies and lots of grandkids! We spent much of Saturday evening going through some of Muzzy and Papaw's old things that Mom and Dad are trying to sort through and distribute to all of us. We enjoyed hearing some sweet stories from Dad as we opened up each storage container and pulled out items many of which triggered an interesting memory. It's still hard to believe she's gone. We all miss her and are sad she got called home earlier than we would've liked. Sunday morning was wild and wooly as we all got the kiddos ready for church. We were running late for Sunday school, as usual, and then Mom realized that she'd left something important at home, so I dropped everyone off and went back to get it. I had forgotten to bring my black tights that I had planned to wear with my dress, so Mom gave me a pair of unopened pantyhose that had belonged to Muzzy. You would've thought they'd be fine, right? Nope. They kept slinkin' down on me! So I had to go buy some tights at Kmart, and unfortunately by the time I got back, Sunday school had ended. I did get to enjoy the 11:00 service, and Daddy preached a wonderful sermon which inspired us all to remember our first love--Christ. Sunday afternoon Mom had made a mini Thanksgiving feast since Abby won't be here next week. It was delicious, and Lisa (the youth pastor's wife) and her daughter Kayla came to join us since Joel, her husband and their son were out of town. We enjoyed a great meal, and soon we were packing and out the door to go home. Mom drove me, Olivia, Benjamin and Abby and her boys home to Kingsland since Stan had to leave Saturday night. Well, what was supposed to be 3.5hr drive home became a 5.5hr drive home because Olivia got sick. She threw up, big time, twice in Mom's brand new van. It was pretty muchly a worse case scenario kind of deal. We had to stop at a Wal-Mart in Tifton and buy supplies to attempt to clean it up, but at that point we were still 2.5 hours from home. Right before we got to Waycross (an hour from home), she let it fly again, bless her heart. It was pure misery. Truly. God graciously got us through that and carried the vomit van home to Kingsland. We all slid into bed around 11pm, and we all prayed that if it was a virus that we could be spared! Fortunately no one has yet contracted it. PTL! Monday morning was spent in taking Mom's van to a detailer where a guy named Chuck worked some major magic! Amazing. I don't know how he did it. Just so glad it was all restored to its clean state--no more odor! :) Mom left Monday afternoon, and Abby and I took the kids outside for a fun, dirty afternoon playtime. Stan had to be in Waycross for a band event Monday night, so it was just us and the kids that evening. We had a pork loin roast, mashed potatoes and green beans and corn! yum! Tuesday morning we got up, got Olivia to school and then we zoomed off for the beach in Fernandina. We had a wonderful quick visit to the seaside. It has been two years since Abby has been to the beach, and Titus had never been until yesterday. It was such a fun time. Then we came home, tried to de-sand them, ate lunch and headed to the airport. It was very hard to say goodbye not knowing exactly when we'll see them next, but it was such a precious visit. I'm so glad I got so much time with them. It was truly a treat. I know it's such an exhausting experience flying with those two little guys, and I appreciate Abby being willing to make it all happen! It was a fun weekend, and now here I sit on a Wednesday morning feeling a bit like it should be Monday. Didn't the week stand still for me while I was busy having fun? :) I guess not, huh? Got to get busy planning for Wednesday night children's choir, and I probably should get some laundry going. Back to the routine! Life is rich!

Photoshop fun

One of Benjamin's preschool classmate's fathers, Mr. Troy, saw Benjamin in his costume and said, "I think I could make a really cool picture for you if you have him pose for me against this wall." So we stood Benjamin up next to this blank wall, and Mr. Troy told him to stretch his arms up high and look at the ceiling. Then Troy took the picture, and fiddled with it, and he came back the next day Benjamin had school with this photo! Isn't this hysterical? :) Benjamin absolutely adores it, and I giggle every time I look at it!

I was just reading this morning in the closing chapters of Deuteronomy where Moses is blessing the tribes, and when he gets to Benjamin's tribe, this is what he says, “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” It's only when we settle in and rest between the shoulders of our Creator that we can plug into the true "super power"! I pray that this little guy will grow to be a man who knows how much the Lord loves him and may the Lord use Benjamin mightily as he learns to reach up and cling to the shoulders of the real super hero, Christ the Lord!

trick-or-treating fun 2010

Well we missed trick-or-treating with the Atkinson crew this year, but we had a fun night of trick-or-treating in Stan and Mary's subdivision. Mary sweetly walked around with us (even with terrible sand gnats!!) and the kids had a blast. We enjoyed seeing their glee as they ran from house to house excitedly. :) Sweet days! Tomorrow night there is a community wide festival hosted by the Kingsland Methodist and Baptist churches and the City of Kingsland, so we'll be going to that as well, and Sunday night we'll have to do the great candy purge! (After Daddy and I enjoy just a little of it and save just a little for them!)

Daisy Scout Weekend Adventures Oct 2010

A week ago, we spent the weekend doing lots of activities with Olivia's Daisy Scout troop. We went to the Okeefenokee Swamp (not a personal fave), and then I went on an overnight campout with Olivia in one of the scout's backyard. These are sweet, fleeting days--even if they involve swamps and tent-camping. ;) Here are some pictures from our weekend adventures. We are very blessed to have a great troop leader, Miss Kim! We praise God for her leadership and the thought and care that she puts into all of her preparations. Truly a blessing.

Stan Made This For My Birthday!!

A number of months ago I read a post on a blog about how this woman had created herself a special place of prayer in her home--a little mini altar of sorts. My mom did most of her praying at our breakfast table. Dad did most of his at his church office. While there is nothing wrong with either of these locations, when I saw this blogger's place of prayer, it really got the wheels spinning in my heart and mind. I thought on it for a while and then I told Stan about how I felt like maybe this was something I was interested in doing in our home. I remember visiting the home of one of Mom and Dad's college professors. I believe it was Miss Guelick (sp??), the lady who went to Europe with Mom and Dad. She had a room that was specifically designated as her room for prayer and meditation. That memory of that special space in her home has always stuck with me, and when I saw this lady's blog talking about this same notion, I felt like the Lord was saying, "Yes! Let's do this!" That was back during the leisurely days of summer, and I allowed the busyness of the school year to push that dream aside, but my sweet husband hadn't forgotten this dream of my heart. For the last couple of months he's been secretly building a prayer bench kneeler for me, and he presented it to me this weekend as my birthday gift! I was incredibly humbled by this gracious and loving and thoughtful gift. It is the best birthday gift I've ever been given! I know we can meet the Lord without being on our knees and without a kneeler bench, but I look forward to many days of meeting with Him there on my prayer bench. Oh, Lord, keep me faithful! I just praise the Lord for my precious husband who gave of himself so lovingly to build something that will allow for some sweet times of intimacy with my Savior. (So can we say pressure is on for next March 8th--his birthday!!!) :)

Visit to see Papaw in his new place at Magnolia Manor

We were so glad to be able to go visit with Papaw briefly over the Labor Day weekend. He has recently moved into an apartment in the assisted living facility at Magnolia Manor in Americus, and he seems to be doing pretty well with it all. He's having normal struggles with adjusting to the change, but while we were there, he really was in very good spirits and didn't gripe or fuss a bit, bless his heart! I hope he'll continue to enjoy his time there, and we would all really love it if Mimi and Poppy would move there too, but we know that would be a huge change for them as they've come to love being in Perry. We hope eventually they might make their home there, because the spirit there is so pleasant compared to where they are. Anyway, it was a sweet visit, and I'm very glad we got to spend a little time with him.

Benjamin's back to Noah's Ark for his 2nd year!

Benjamin began preschool for the year on the Wednesday after Labor Day, and boy was he ready!! And boy was mamma ready! :) It's been a great beginning, and we feel so blessed by the ministry of Noah's Ark. This preschool really sees themselves as an extension of the ministry of their church, and I absolutely love the kinds of experiences my kids have had there! There's lots of love, lots of playing, lots of pretending, lots of messy crafts, lots of singing, lots of learning to be a good friend, lots of learning to be respectful, and every bit is wrapped in prayer and patient loving care. Benjamin is in Mrs. Melody's Merry Mice class, and he's as happy as a clam going every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I've started going one morning a week to help out in Olivia's classroom at her school while Benjamin is at Noah's Ark, and I've been very grateful to have that opportunity to be plugged in there in her room and see what is going on and try to be helpful to her teacher. Anyway, he's had a great start, and here are the pics to prove it! :)

The Holland Family Came for a Visit!

We had a very nice visit with the Holland family recently. Karen had a friend who got married on St. Simons Island, so it was a great excuse to bring the family down for a visit. The kids always enjoy playing together so much, and it's nice to be able to catch up on what's going on in their lives. Benjamin now insists that we keep Nicholas and Caroline's school pictures down low where he can reach them on the refrigerator. He comes by and picks them up and talks to them from time to time. :) Pretty sweet. We had a full weekend together, and we appreciate them making the trip down to see us all. Family is a precious gift!

First Days of School for Olivia 2010

What a fun first two days Olivia has had in 1st grade! She's in Mrs. Trevathan's class, and she loves her! There are several classmates from last year who are also in her class which is a wonderful treat. I've been very impressed by how interested Mrs. Trevathan is in really knowing her students. Her years of experience seem to be a blessing. I hope that this year I'll be able to go in and assist more than I did last year. Benjamin will be in preschool 3 mornings a week instead of 2 like last year. You can see him below in one of the pictures. He's in Olivia's classroom, and I'm not sure if he's looking exhilerated because he's hoping he gets to stay or if it's because he knows we're leaving Olivia! ;) Mrs. Trevathan doesn't have a paraprofessional to help her, so she's hoping to have lots of parental assistance. Teachers are under such pressure right now. Bless them! (Bless my precious teacher husband!) We're full of gratitude to the Lord for what appears to be a great start to the school year.

A Visit from the Atkinson Cousins

We enjoyed a really fun time with the Atkinson boys this past week. CB and Brad had kept our two for three nights, and then we kept their 2 for three nights, and it was really a helpful, fun thing all around. Just wish the Millers were closer so we could do this for them once and a while. Here are some pics of our adventures.

More Pictures from our 2 week stay in Albany

Well, it truly was a fun 2 weeks at Mom and Dad's. We are a special family--we love each other deeply. Like every family, we have our less than stellar moments--some of them down-right stinky, but God's grace runs through our family like a sweet cord binding us together. I had such a fun time getting to spend more time with Titus and AndyIV while their parents were away on a trip. Mom and Dad were extremely gracious hosts to us for such a long stay. I laughed a lot, gained weight from all the good food, swam usually twice a day, got a little tan, loved every precious second I got on the porches, was spiritually encouraged and challenged, got to hear my marvelous Dad preach, stayed up late and got up early because I hate to miss a second with these precious people! The list goes on and on. They were sweet days. Thank you Lord for our family!

Lake Blackshear--the most fun I've had in a while!

We spent the day yesterday on Lake Blackshear. We rented a pontoon boat and a sea doo, and we had the time of our lives! Soooo much fun! It was truly a joy-filled day. So many rich moments. Wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. Lord thank you for these wonderful days of family vacation.

VBS 2010

This year at VBS, I had the awesome privilege of leading the opening and closing sessions which are called things like "Sing and Splash Play" and "Floating Finale" since we were doing the High Seas Expedition this year. I loved it! Lots of singing and dancing. Meeting our daily "Bible Buddies" and learning our daily "Bible Points". Remembering to "Watch for God" and talk about our "God Sightings". I had a blast! Brother Dale, our new pastor, also helped out every day by performing a brief skit with me. He acted as "Sailor Jack" and he did a wonderful job. Sailor Jack was a bit of a hippy sailor who always said things like, "Whoa, man! Groovy, man!" etc. :) The kids really looked forward to seeing his silly antics each day. The Floating Finale was usually a little more complicated and involved some sort of interesting activity or experiment with the whole group. One day we used air cannons to blow cups off one another's heads. Another day we created a storm--it grew from just sprinkles to full blown thunder and lightning. Another day we were surprised by a sillly game of "What kind of ball is under this blanket?" Miss Tina, our children's coordinator, was hiding beneath one of the tables with her head sticking up like another ball, so when I pulled back the blanket, she surprised everyone. On Thursday I enlisted the help of some of our youth volunteers who acted out the death of Jesus on the cross, and with God's grace and mercy I led the whole group in a sinner's prayer. That was probably my most memorable moment. Hearing all of those little voices whispering the prayer with their heads bowed. Truly a miracle that they were focused and quiet enough to participate in that! Lord bless that moment and draw those precious children into a life-long relationship with you! On Friday we brought forward blankets that the kids worked on in arts and crafts and laid them on the altar as an offering to the Lord. We'll be sending them to children in Africa and spreading God's love to them. It was a fun-filled week. Exhausting? Yes, absolutely. But spiritually invigorating as well! Here are some pictures. We actually have a lot more, because we took pictures every day and made slide shows for the kid to see as they were coming in for the floating finale. Most of those pics are on a computer at the church, so I'll have to get them somehow so I can include some of them here. Olivia and Benjamin had a fun time and were sad to see the week end. Thank you Lord for a special, fun week.

Reward Time

Well folks, we've reached a major milestone in this house. Nobody is doing their B.M. in a diaper anymore!! We have been praying and praying for this day to come, and hallelujah, it has come! There is no rhyme or reason about why he finally gave up and surrendered to it. Truly a mystery. I said on a Tuesday a couple weeks ago, "Mommy's tired of changing your stinky diapers. You're too big to do this anymore. Why don't we try sitting on the potty tomorrow?" (I've said these same exact words millions of times before with no positive results.) The next night when Stan was at choir practice, Benjamin said, "I need to do my B.M." I said, "Remember? We're going to try sitting on the potty today." He cried pitifully for about 3 minutes and then suddenly he stopped and said, "OK, let's go." We went into the bathroom, and I put him up on the porcelin throne, and he said, "I need some pwivacy. Cyose da door, pwease." I obeyed his request thinking, "Yeah, this isn't happening." A few minutes later, he said, "I'm done." I go in and see the amazing result, and I screamed so loud that I terrified him. Olivia came running in and she and I cheered and cheered for him, and he sat there on the potty with his chin in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, and eyes rolling with embarassment. When we finished, he said, "Mommy, do not cheer for me tomorrow when I do my B.M." :) Yes sir! Whatever you say, sir! We had promised him a guitar that I had found at a consignment shop for cheap, so he was elated to get that, but Daddy had also (in a moment of desperation) promised him this set of "Armor of God" that he'd seen at a Christian book store, so that was the first thing we did the next morning--went to Jacksonville and got the armor! As you can see, this is one happy knight for Christ! Praise the Lord and help me, Lord, to trust you with these crazy aspects of parenting that are out of my control.

Blueberry Picking

Kendra Blackerby, a sweet friend I met through Olivia's dance class, invited us to come pick blueberries at her father's blueberry farm, and we took her up on her offer. It was a beautiful drive out to the blueberry farm--way out from Woodbine truly in the middle of nowhere. She gave us perfect directions, and we picked through two rows of berry bushes. It was kind of one of those family experiences when I as the Momma wound up saying things like, "We're out here to have fun, by golly, so lose the stinky attitudes and let's pick some berries!!" Stan and I had a great time! Olivia was bothered by the dragonflies which were in abundance. We tried to explain that they were completely harmless. They were beautiful, too! There were several different types and I enjoyed seeing their beautiful wings. Benjamin was kind of in and out. He was fairly gungho at the onset, and then as the row stretched on and on, he lost his excitement and began to moan and beg to be pulled in the cart. I kept trying to motivate them by saying things like, "This is such a blessing! We're getting tons of free blueberries! Think of all the smoothies and cobblers we'll enjoy!" They both perked up as we neared the end of the second row and they saw our buckets filling up. It was so kind of Kendra to invite us, and we have, indeed, enjoying them and have been thinking of the Blackerbys each time we indulge in a cool, fresh smoothie!