Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Interesting...
I've recently been following this blog. I wish I had this much time on my hands - can you imagine one new clothing item every day! I wonder if she keeps all the clothes or passes them on. If she keeps them, I hope she has a BIG closet! Some of the things she has transformed are rather cute!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
First Night
Last year was the first year in many that our church had organized and held Vacation Bible School. Our church is 8 miles out in the country so it is hard to have an event and expect people to just "show up" for it. So you can imagine that our expectations (not that we were limiting the Lord) were to pretty much just have a handful of children show up - mostly our own children from our church family. I believe on our highest attendance last year was close to the end of the week when we had in the mid-upper 20's. We did have family night with a concert by the Daybreak Quartet on Friday night & had over 125 people in total - that was awesome! I don't believe our church had been that full in years!
Monday night we had 31 on our FIRST night!!! Praise the Lord! I am praying that it doubles tonight! Wouldn't that be amazing?!?!?!?!
In the 11+ years that we have been doing VBS, it still melts my heart to see my own children enjoying learning, singing, crafting, and playing. This is my Gradybug's first year in class - he thinks he is "big stuff" sitting with the big boys in opening & closing service. What is even more amazing is that Skyler only has 2 years left before she is in teen group and is a helper! Oh.my!
Have an awesome day! This is the day that the Lord has made - let us REJOICE & BE GLAD in it!!
Monday night we had 31 on our FIRST night!!! Praise the Lord! I am praying that it doubles tonight! Wouldn't that be amazing?!?!?!?!
In the 11+ years that we have been doing VBS, it still melts my heart to see my own children enjoying learning, singing, crafting, and playing. This is my Gradybug's first year in class - he thinks he is "big stuff" sitting with the big boys in opening & closing service. What is even more amazing is that Skyler only has 2 years left before she is in teen group and is a helper! Oh.my!
Have an awesome day! This is the day that the Lord has made - let us REJOICE & BE GLAD in it!!
Monday, July 19, 2010
The tribe has spoken....
Okay, not really, but every time I read our theme for Vacation Bible School, all I can see is Jeff Probst dousing another survivors hopes of winning $1,000,000!
Monday begins our first night of VBS. I spent all day on Saturday tracing, copying, and cutting preparing for all of the cool crafts we are going to make this week. Sunday night, we set up all of the props and decorations.
We have:
Our verse this week is Romans 8:37
Through the Bible lessons, the children will learn to
I'm secretly hoping my own children listen really well to that last one!
We're looking forward to a great week!!
Monday begins our first night of VBS. I spent all day on Saturday tracing, copying, and cutting preparing for all of the cool crafts we are going to make this week. Sunday night, we set up all of the props and decorations.
We have:
Our verse this week is Romans 8:37
Through the Bible lessons, the children will learn to
I'm secretly hoping my own children listen really well to that last one!
We're looking forward to a great week!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
6 Months
So it's taken me a few days to update on Abby Cate's 6 month appointment - you just wouldn't believe how crazy it has been around here - even if I told you!!!
Abby Cate is officially climbing the charts! She weighs 13 lbs. 12 oz. and is 24" long. She moved from the 5th% (at 4 months) to the 10th% in weight and from 3% to 5% in length. She is doing well with foods & loves everything that I have put in her mouth with the exception of cereal - she does not like oatmeal or rice, which suits me just fine. I can totally understand - have you smelled that stuff?!!
When she was discharged from the NICU, the dr.'s wanted us to follow up with this dr. & that dr. along the way. Our main concern was getting her home & getting her sugar levels maintained, so the only dr. we followed up with (other than the pediatrician) was the endocrinologist. Our pediatrician recommended that we give her until 6 months to "prove" herself before we began to throw her into months of physical therapy, hearing visits, geneticist testing, etc....so that is what we did.
The ped said he sees no reason for us to see any of those dr.'s at this time. AC is proving that she is catching up and surpassing all of her milestones. Growth is good, development is awesome (will share more of that in a minute), and she obviously has no hearing problems - she is very sensitive to sounds, especially when she hears her name. And she also loves to hear herself "talk!" These are all signs (according to her ped) that her hearing is just fine.
On the development side - she is rolling over both ways & already sitting up. When she is sitting in her car seat, as soon as you unbuckle her, she pulls herself to a sitting position. She is one strong little gal! In the nursery on Wednesday, I had her sitting in her car seat playing for a minute while I was getting something for Grady. Skyler & I both turned our heads just in time to see her literally rocking her seat so hard that she was sliding out of the bottom of the seat. I caught this sequence of pictures! No, she was not hurt - she was actually laughing (my mom & mil both asked first thing - "is she okay?!"). Needless to say, sitting and playing in the car-seat is out of the question from now on unless she is buckled in!
She is always so happy & smiling - when I send pictures to my family, my brother always sends me a message back & comments "She is ALWAYS smiling! Does she ever not smile?!" The truth is, she does smile a lot & very rarely gets upset - I told him I would take a picture of her the next time she gets hungry & thinks I'm not moving fast enough! I am so thankful for a happy little lady!
In other news, we are getting ready for Vacation Bible School next week! WHOOOHOO! Our theme is Soul Survivors on Danger Island & I can't wait. This year, I am not teaching. I am VBS Director as well as Craft Director! I'm preparing for lots of craziness next week, but I'm also looking forward to a wonderful week with the children! Please pray for us that we will see several new children in the area attend & many tender little hearts will hear the story of salvation & be saved!
Abby Cate is officially climbing the charts! She weighs 13 lbs. 12 oz. and is 24" long. She moved from the 5th% (at 4 months) to the 10th% in weight and from 3% to 5% in length. She is doing well with foods & loves everything that I have put in her mouth with the exception of cereal - she does not like oatmeal or rice, which suits me just fine. I can totally understand - have you smelled that stuff?!!
When she was discharged from the NICU, the dr.'s wanted us to follow up with this dr. & that dr. along the way. Our main concern was getting her home & getting her sugar levels maintained, so the only dr. we followed up with (other than the pediatrician) was the endocrinologist. Our pediatrician recommended that we give her until 6 months to "prove" herself before we began to throw her into months of physical therapy, hearing visits, geneticist testing, etc....so that is what we did.
The ped said he sees no reason for us to see any of those dr.'s at this time. AC is proving that she is catching up and surpassing all of her milestones. Growth is good, development is awesome (will share more of that in a minute), and she obviously has no hearing problems - she is very sensitive to sounds, especially when she hears her name. And she also loves to hear herself "talk!" These are all signs (according to her ped) that her hearing is just fine.
On the development side - she is rolling over both ways & already sitting up. When she is sitting in her car seat, as soon as you unbuckle her, she pulls herself to a sitting position. She is one strong little gal! In the nursery on Wednesday, I had her sitting in her car seat playing for a minute while I was getting something for Grady. Skyler & I both turned our heads just in time to see her literally rocking her seat so hard that she was sliding out of the bottom of the seat. I caught this sequence of pictures! No, she was not hurt - she was actually laughing (my mom & mil both asked first thing - "is she okay?!"). Needless to say, sitting and playing in the car-seat is out of the question from now on unless she is buckled in!
She is always so happy & smiling - when I send pictures to my family, my brother always sends me a message back & comments "She is ALWAYS smiling! Does she ever not smile?!" The truth is, she does smile a lot & very rarely gets upset - I told him I would take a picture of her the next time she gets hungry & thinks I'm not moving fast enough! I am so thankful for a happy little lady!
In other news, we are getting ready for Vacation Bible School next week! WHOOOHOO! Our theme is Soul Survivors on Danger Island & I can't wait. This year, I am not teaching. I am VBS Director as well as Craft Director! I'm preparing for lots of craziness next week, but I'm also looking forward to a wonderful week with the children! Please pray for us that we will see several new children in the area attend & many tender little hearts will hear the story of salvation & be saved!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thrifty Cooking
Tuesday night Chris had to speak at Tishomingo State Park for a church having their summer camp program. We were all supposed to go, but Grady decided he wanted to catch a little tummy bug Tuesday morning. So I opted to keep he and Abby Cate home with me. Abby Cate took a short 30 minute nap, so while she was sleeping, Grady & I did some dinner planning since I knew Chris & Skyler had not eaten before they left.
While checking on the garden & picking ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, I noticed that the lettuce had gotten rather big, so I snipped what we had. Turned out to be a bigger bowl of lettuce than I thought once I had picked it.
We came in and washed all the veggies and I laid the lettuce out to dry. Then I started searching the refrigerator. I already knew there was some chicken that needed cooking. Then, I found a bowl of leftover jasmine rice from a previous meal, and 1/4 loaf of velveeta cheese. I pulled out some celery & onion and a can of cream/mushroom soup from the pantry & VOILA - chicken & rice casserole! Upon searching the bread cabinet, I discovered a pack of leftover hamburger buns from last week and they quickly became garlic bread with a little spread of garlic butter.
So, we had fresh salad with ingredients all from the garden, chicken and rice casserole, and garlic bread - WOW, I was amazed - it was really good! Chris called to tell me that they were on their way back from the campgrounds and to see if I wanted him to stop and pick up some sandwiches, but was very surprised to find out that dinner was in the oven and would be done when he got home! Chris & the kids both loved it & I went to bed feeling like I had accomplished something major last night - isn't it funny how small things like this make women/mothers feel so proud of themselves?!
While checking on the garden & picking ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, I noticed that the lettuce had gotten rather big, so I snipped what we had. Turned out to be a bigger bowl of lettuce than I thought once I had picked it.
We came in and washed all the veggies and I laid the lettuce out to dry. Then I started searching the refrigerator. I already knew there was some chicken that needed cooking. Then, I found a bowl of leftover jasmine rice from a previous meal, and 1/4 loaf of velveeta cheese. I pulled out some celery & onion and a can of cream/mushroom soup from the pantry & VOILA - chicken & rice casserole! Upon searching the bread cabinet, I discovered a pack of leftover hamburger buns from last week and they quickly became garlic bread with a little spread of garlic butter.
So, we had fresh salad with ingredients all from the garden, chicken and rice casserole, and garlic bread - WOW, I was amazed - it was really good! Chris called to tell me that they were on their way back from the campgrounds and to see if I wanted him to stop and pick up some sandwiches, but was very surprised to find out that dinner was in the oven and would be done when he got home! Chris & the kids both loved it & I went to bed feeling like I had accomplished something major last night - isn't it funny how small things like this make women/mothers feel so proud of themselves?!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Happy Birthday!
I love the 4th of July - always have and always will be one of my favorite holidays! Not only do we celebrate the birth of our country, but we always celebrated the birth of my grandaddy! This time of the year always makes me think about him & reflect back on the many memories of him!
There was always a cookout on the 4th at my grandparents house - all 5 of my daddy's siblings would come - along with their spouses and children. It was a big celebration! In February of 2007, my grandaddy passed away from a long battle (over 30 years) with multiple myeloma. We were fortunate to spend his last few days with him. We had planned a trip to my parents & when he was put in the hospital, we headed there instead. He was released back home to live his last few days. Skyler would sit by his bedside and watch tv with him & write him little love notes and leave on his nightstand. Grady was just 5 months old, but I am so thankful my grandaddy got to meet him before he died. Oh & he would've just loved Miss Abby Cate & her spunky smiles! She must get her ability to smile so big from him - his smile could light up a room! I can still hear him standing on the front porch hollering at us kids as we drove away - "bye! bye! bye! bye!" I miss you Grandaddy - you were the only grandaddy I really had growing up & I love you so much! You were truly GRAND!!!
Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your cookouts & family & friends! Happy Birthday America!
There was always a cookout on the 4th at my grandparents house - all 5 of my daddy's siblings would come - along with their spouses and children. It was a big celebration! In February of 2007, my grandaddy passed away from a long battle (over 30 years) with multiple myeloma. We were fortunate to spend his last few days with him. We had planned a trip to my parents & when he was put in the hospital, we headed there instead. He was released back home to live his last few days. Skyler would sit by his bedside and watch tv with him & write him little love notes and leave on his nightstand. Grady was just 5 months old, but I am so thankful my grandaddy got to meet him before he died. Oh & he would've just loved Miss Abby Cate & her spunky smiles! She must get her ability to smile so big from him - his smile could light up a room! I can still hear him standing on the front porch hollering at us kids as we drove away - "bye! bye! bye! bye!" I miss you Grandaddy - you were the only grandaddy I really had growing up & I love you so much! You were truly GRAND!!!Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your cookouts & family & friends! Happy Birthday America!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
My garden
I am so proud of my little garden & how it is growing and producing "fruit!" I can remember as a little girl, my mom would take me to pick beans from a friends garden and I hated it! I can't believe I get so excited over gardening today! We have planted tomatoes and cucumbers before & been semi-successful, but this year, we planted more than that!
We have squash, zuchinni, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, 4 kinds of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, corn, and beans planted. All of it is producing something. I've had a mess of beans & taters, several tomatoes, cucumbers, and the rest is still growing. While we are waiting on our squash and zuchinni, we have had a church member give us a ginormous amount of their "overabundance!" Gotta get busy tonight & get it put away - after I make some sauteed squash/onions for dinner & make Abby Cate a couple of trays of food! I also have a huge amount of cucumbers ready to make some pickles! Hmmm!
We decided to go a different route on traditional gardening - we planted in old tires. We 1) are recycling & 2) are saving time in that we don't have to weed! We are already learning and deciding what we need to do differently for next year, but overall, I believe it was a success. Not having to weed a garden makes it so much easier to worry about keeping it dusted and watered and bug free - HUGE time saver!
This was the garden several weeks ago - since this picture was taken, everything is about double the size here & the cucumbers (front right) & tomatoes (second row) are loaded!
We have squash, zuchinni, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, 4 kinds of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, corn, and beans planted. All of it is producing something. I've had a mess of beans & taters, several tomatoes, cucumbers, and the rest is still growing. While we are waiting on our squash and zuchinni, we have had a church member give us a ginormous amount of their "overabundance!" Gotta get busy tonight & get it put away - after I make some sauteed squash/onions for dinner & make Abby Cate a couple of trays of food! I also have a huge amount of cucumbers ready to make some pickles! Hmmm!
We decided to go a different route on traditional gardening - we planted in old tires. We 1) are recycling & 2) are saving time in that we don't have to weed! We are already learning and deciding what we need to do differently for next year, but overall, I believe it was a success. Not having to weed a garden makes it so much easier to worry about keeping it dusted and watered and bug free - HUGE time saver!
This was the garden several weeks ago - since this picture was taken, everything is about double the size here & the cucumbers (front right) & tomatoes (second row) are loaded!
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