Making Memories with Six

back in 1840

2011-02-04T07:51:00.009-05:00

It was a pleasure joining Catherine and her 3rd grade class as they spent a school day at Brattonsville Academy, a school that Dr. Bratton started for his daughters back in the early to mid 1800's. The children recited a poem, practiced writing, learned about quill pens and how to write with one, did math on a slate board and reviewed the geography of South Carolina as it was in 1840. Once they completed their work, they enjoyed playing outside... games fitting to "back then." After playtime and using the privy (or out house), the children ate lunch: a ham biscuit, apple, dill pickle, milk and a cookie... served to them wrapped up in a towel and placed in a little basket. They finished up their day with making butter and doing a little dancing outside. Catherine really enjoyed the experience and found so much about it intriguing... it was a different sort of school day for sure... different in good way!

Having experienced a school day like it would've been "back then"... I continue to ponder if that would have been a good fit for me. As I observed what was being taught and what was expected of the children, like the way they had to stand while answering questions and speak in complete sentences, there was so much about it that drew me in. I thought a lot about why I, and so much of our society, has bought into the belief that we have to teach our children so much, so early. It seemed to me, as I watched and listened, the focus was more on speaking properly, using appropriate manners in a respectful way, and doing what you did well. It came across as a much simpler time, though I know it was "hard" and had it's own set of challenges. Certain things about that time continue to break my heart... especially the use of slaves and the way they were treated. But I find so much about it appealing. I think it's a craving in me to peal back all the layers of complexity I've allowed to creep into my life, often due to giving way to pressures from this "world," and find simplicity. Determine what is truly best for Brian, Me and our children - our family... be sure that what we determine is best is in alignment with God's desires for us. Though I feel we do a fairly decent job of not over-committing, there are still things at home we allow to eat up and complicate our time... often related to technology (it's beneficial but harmful, too), and for me, not using my time wisely. There in lies the challenge... how to edit such things so they are balanced in my life. And within an edited life, embracing what it offers as to enjoy the simplicity rather than allowing the ways of the world to steal the very joy that a simple life offers.

Time for tea...

2011-01-24T09:31:00.007-05:00

beautiful and proper

wearing a pretty dress that belonged to me when I was a little girl

Mary Scott and Mommy

time for a tea party!

Mary Scott thought the tables were so pretty

ready for 9 little ladies and their dollies

dreamy...

enjoying the tea party

yummy snacks

Mary Scott and "Lily Anne", one of her Bitty Twins she got for her birthday

a spot for the birthday girl

decorating straw hats for the dollies

"Lily Anne" wearing her lovely hat

the little roses added a nice touch

will you join me for a cup of tea?

one of the cutest little "friends" at the tea party

We celebrated Mary Scott's 5th birthday this past Saturday and had a delightful time. I enjoyed every minute of it, even the planning and preparation. It was my first time giving a tea party, and somehow it just captured me. The days leading up to it, Mary Scott became more and more excited and kept saying, "Mommy, I'm so excited about my tea party! How many more days?" Her anticipation sure made every bit of my effort worth it.

When Saturday finally arrived and the tables were set, the food was out and the candles were lit, we were thrilled to welcome our first guests. As each precious little friend came in, we started one of our crafts: decorating a straw hat for their dolly (or whatever they brought). Once all the dollies were dressed in their beautiful hats, the little ladies gathered around the table for snacks and "tea." The girls were so sweet and well mannered. After finishing their tea and singing Happy Birthday to Mary Scott, it was off to the craft table again to make tissue paper flowers. We finished up our time together with a lesson on setting the table.

It truly was a wonderful time. Mary Scott kept a beautiful smile on her face and seemed to have so much fun. Of course, Brian was pitching in and helping all along the way, and Benjamin and Catherine were wonderful helpers, too. We appreciated our friend Ashlyn helping with the crafts and all the moms, too. I'm so thankful it all went wonderfully, and most of all, I'm thankful Mary Scott felt loved and celebrated.

a weekend at the farm

2011-01-16T21:35:00.007-05:00

We always enjoy getting down to the farm where I grew up. The children could spend all day playing and wondering around outside... free from the constraints of city life. Soaking up family time, riding the four-wheeler, hunting, taking down deer stands and celebrating Mary Scott's upcoming birthday made the weekend especially enjoyable. It always seems the time goes by too quickly!

Mimi playing with the grandchildren

Uncle Casey getting the 4-wheeler all gassed up

nephew and cousin, Abrahm

nephew and cousin, Ezra

Catherine and "Ezzy"

Mary Scott ready for a trailer ride

we were excited to have Brian's parents, aka Nana & Popa, join us at the farm

Brian's little sister, Katie Beth joined us too... fun!

three generations

Mary Scott giving Nanny some sparkle!

three generations again

we celebrated Mary Scott's upcoming birthday with a cake

Anna's not to sure about Benjamin and all his hunting gear

Benjamin and CJ, nephew and cousin, heading out to deer hunt

goofy litte Anna

2011-01-12T20:51:00.005-05:00

Anna girl is full of spunk, determination, independence and energy. She is so much fun and incredibly loving. She sure keeps us on our toes and adds so much "life" to our home. Anna loves shoes, anybody's shoes... this night, she was prancing around in Benjamin's shoes... that goofy girl!

the big snow

2011-01-11T21:23:00.000-05:00

It came, just as the weather man said it would... SNOW... and plenty of it! We awoke Monday morning, January 10th, to the snow pouring from the sky. It snowed most of the day clothing the ground with nearly 5 inches. Then to top it off, the ice came, so we enjoyed three days at home. The kids had plenty of time for sledding and all sorts of snow and ice fun. Staying warm was top on my list of priorities!

Anna 1st haircut

2011-01-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

Anna made it to 2 1/2 years old before her first haircut. She anticipated the big day with much excitement and sat perfectly straight and still the whole time. I was so proud of her!

Mary Scott is reading!

2011-01-02T21:58:00.000-05:00

Anna is practicing her reading... just like her big sister

Mary Scott brought in the new year with a big accomplishment: she started reading. New years day she picked up a "Bob book" and read it... just like that. Boy she was beaming from ear to ear, and I'm sure I was, too! We are all proud of her. There's just something about learning to read - seems it opens up a whole new world.

a weekend by the campfire

2010-10-25T11:02:00.010-04:00

as i'm working my way through the piles of "campfire" laundry, the familiar smell reminds me again of the way i feel when we're camping... like everything is right, in spite of the work and effort that goes into it... like we're in our element somehow, even though the experience is so different than our regular day to day. it really is wonderful and something our family enjoys.

as we were taking down camp sunday morning, the guy camping across from us came over and said it had been such an encouragement the night before to over hear our children reading matthew 2. moments like these make my heart swell up with pride because it was on the kids own accord that they sat around in the tent that night and read the bible together... and to think it was blessing our neighbor and none of us even knew it. i love how the Lord works!

we set up camp on site #16 at kings mountain state park

catherine is indeed my child... i peeked in one of her packed camping trip bags and found this pumpkin. when i asked her why in the world she was bringing it, she replied, "well mom we've got to decorate!" so even while camping, our table looked pretty with fall foliage from nearby woods placed in plastic cups nestled beside our perfect little pumpkin

a dog named rusty was camping next door with his family... anna was completely in love with him

benjamin dragging in a tree that he cut down all by himself

even rocks are more interesting when you're camping

catherine teaching mary scott how to play checkers

roasting marshmallows for yummy s'mores

A Night Away

2010-10-25T10:18:00.006-04:00

What a treat it was to sneak away for an overnight trip to Boone and Blowing Rock. Brian and I enjoyed so much the simplicity of sitting and sharing a meal without interruptions and even resting on a park bench quietly, not jumping up to fetch one of the children or address wrong behavior. The opportunity to sleep in was certainly appreciated, as well! Being right in the thick of parenting, it's alway a treat to have a little break. We had a great time strolling the streets of Blowing Rock while checking out the local shops. We topped off our time there with a chat over coffee and dessert... the perfect way to draw our trip to close.

thanks so much, MeMe (aka Mama), for loving and caring for the kids so we could get away

Mary Scott's last "1st day" of Preschool

2010-09-01T16:23:00.003-04:00

such a pretty girl, and tall too!

a little posy for your 1st day of preschool

Mrs. Taylor showing Mary Scott around the classroom

Daddy's shirt repurposed into a new outfit for Mary Scott

ready to go home after a fun morning at school

It's still a mystery to me how quickly time flies. How can it be that today was Mary Scott's last "1st day" of preschool? She's a 4k'er now and will be off to kindergarten next year. It almost feels like yesterday that we moved to Rock Hill, and she was only 6 months old! She has excitedly anticipated preschool starting and had a wonderful day. I think she'll enjoy her classmates as a number of them are already dear little friends. And her teachers, Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Hebebrand, seem delightful. Mary Scott looked cute as a button this morning, big smile and all, as we headed off to school.

I stayed up last night after everyone else was in bed to make a little outfit for her first day. I enjoyed the quiet time and the chance to be creative and sew... it's sure been a while! It was a fun little project. I repurposed an old dress shirt of Brian's into a skirt and put a cute little posy on a hand me down t-shirt. It turned out well and is more special because it first belonged to Daddy. I fashioned the skirt from this blog post: http://sugarnspicecreations.blogspot.com/2010/03/ashton-top-tutorial.html. The posy on the t-shirt was inspired by my wonderfully talented and creative friend Corrie. I'm so thankful for people who are willing to share their ideas!

Sweet Mary Scott... Mommy's proud of you, and I love you! I'm glad you had a wonderful day at preschool.

Old-Fashion Lemonade Anyone?

2010-08-23T09:13:00.006-04:00

Lemonade is one of those things that screams summer so the kids and I, upon their years of requests, finally decided to do a Lemonade Stand. And what better way to finish off summer break than to make a great memory! After some heart to heart discussions, Benjamin and Catherine decided to give all the money made from the lemonade and chocolate chip cookies to a ministry called Urban Eagles (http://www.charlotteeagles.com/community/urbanministry/index_E.html). This ministry, in particular, is dear to their hearts because some of the children who are ministered to attend our church and are in their Sunday school classes. Proverbs 14:31 says, "... but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." We've been talking a lot lately at our house about how richly blessed we are and about being grateful and content rather than always focusing on what we don't have and what we want... so hard in our culture because most everything around us is telling us we "need" so much more than we really need.

We had a really fun time preparing everything to make our table pretty... okay, I had a really fun time! I found the best links for printable labels on a blog new to me: http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/. And juicing all the lemons... whew, that was a lot of lemons that left our whole downstairs smelling delightful! I should've counted them but didn't even think about it. In all we made 4 big batches of lemonade and 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies. The day started our really cloudy with threats of rain, but the Lord was beyond faithful to answer my prayers to keep the rain away at least until we were finished... it was sunny and hot from 1 to 3 while were manning our stand. Brian said maybe next time I should pray a little more specifically... keep the clouds but without the rain!

Thanks to the generosity of friends and neighbors, the children have a donation of $61.85 to give to the Urban Eagles! Thank you to everyone who came out to support us and thank you Lord for making it a success. It was a delightful afternoon!

Back to School for Benjamin & Catherine

2010-08-18T08:20:00.001-04:00

dressed and ready for another year of school

new school sign - Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies

Catherine is getting so tall

super excited about her new backpack... a birthday gift

big 5th grader

Catherine and Mary Frances, one of her friends and classmates

loaded up to head home after walking big brother and sister into school

How quickly the summer passed and here we are... another 1st day of school. This time, it's 3rd and 5th grades. It began hitting me hard that this was the last "1st day" of walking Benjamin into elementary school. I can remember like yesterday taking him to the door of his kindergarten class on his first day there, and like a flash, he's now a 5th grader. Catherine's a 3rd grader which means she's half way through with elementary school. They're super excited about their year and are anticipating it being a challenging one as they are both in gifted and talented classes where all of their work will be accelerated... so lots of interesting new things to learn should await both of them. Here's to another awesome year at Sunset Park!

Longing for the Sea

2010-07-12T19:48:00.005-04:00

How I long to have my toes in the sand... just didn't get my fill on our recent trip to St. Simon's Island. We had a wonderful time, but it sure went by too quickly. There's something that pulls at my heart strings when I look at this picture of little Anna, the sea washing up over her feet. I would like to be doing that very thing right this moment!

Reflecting on Mother's Day

2010-05-10T12:05:00.007-04:00

As Mother's Day approached this year, Brian started asking the usual questions... what would you like to do? anything in particular you would like to have? where would you like to eat? On his defense, his heart was in the right place, desiring to make a special day for me that filled my heart's desires. So in an effort to honor his requests, I gave it some thought. And I found myself asking him this very question, "Would it be terrible of me to say what I would most desire is to go away by myself for a while? Maybe even to a spa? Is it wrong of me to celebrate Mother's Day by being away from my very children that have made me a mom?" Terrible or not... I felt guilty for even considering such a day. Brian reassured me that he had already thought of treating me to such a day and that I certainly shouldn't feel bad about it. As he continued to pursue creating the perfect day for me by more questions of what and where I'd like to go... I finally told him I didn't even want to think about it... that somehow it made me feel like I was having to do the work if I had to offer all the ideas.

.... All of this said and after reflecting on how I was feeling, I realized I'm one tired Mama! I'm not any less in love with my children, don't absolutely delight in being a mother and feel richly blessed by the Lord to have 4 beautiful kids. I'm just in a demanding season of mothering. It's these seasons that make my survival (my attitude, my countenance, my patience...) so dependent on my fellowship and dependence on Jesus. Galatians 6:9 reminds me, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." I know I'm in the thick of it right now... all the training, discipline, day to day upkeep of home, laundry, meals, repeating lessons that in my mind should already be mastered... and unlike God, I can't see the big picture, and I don't know how all these lessons will work out when our children are grown up. How my heart longs for each of them to grow into delightful adults who love Jesus more than life itself and who desire to serve and love others unselfishly. And as I long for such things, Jesus whispers to me that just as I must be centered on HIM for a life that reflects His heart, so must my children. I'm convicted that I must pray more fervently and faithfully for each of them: Benjamin, Catherine, Mary Scott and Anna. I must pray for Brian, as well. And we must pray together. I'm also reminded that the Lord continues to love me and be patient with me as He teaches me the same lessons over and over again, ones that I well should have learned by now. I'm thankful for HIS loving example of parenting.

On this side of Mother's Day, I can joyfully say I had a wonderful day. We celebrated on Saturday and extra love and care were given to me the whole day through. A yummy breakfast prepared by Brian and served after he had allowed me to sleep in (woohoo!). A little gardening with Benjamin and Catherine. Hanging up the hammock that we've had for 13 years that was still in it's box followed by me relaxing in it for a good 3 hours Saturday afternoon with lemonade and book in hand. Once I finally got up, Brian and the children called me to the front porch where they had two knock-out roses and four gerbra daisies for me. Then a picnic enjoyed at Glyn Cairn Gardens on an absolutely beautiful evening. It truly was a glorious day... not free of some of the usual demands of parenting but definitely a day where I was celebrated and preferred.

For sake of encouragement when I feel inadequate and treasuring in my heart the thoughts of our children and Brian, these are things they noted about me:

from Mary Scott: "I love my Mom because... she makes me yummy food, she gives me bubble baths, she takes me to school, she makes pretty hair bows for me!"

from Benjamin: "You mean a lot to me. Love you!"

from Catherine: "'M'akes me happy, 'O'ut standing, 'T'errific, 'H'ard working, 'E'verlasting love, 'R'eally creative. Thank you for caring for your family. You are a very good mom. I'm glad you are my mom. If you weren't, I probably would have a terrible life."

from Brian: "I definitely found a virtuous woman. You are an awesome mom, and you show that love to our children daily. Thank you for how you live that out and make our home a home. Our children are truly blessed. I love you!"

In closing, my prayer is this, "Lord Jesus, thank you for the honor of being a mother. Thank you for entrusting Benjamin, Catherine, Mary Scott and Anna to my and Brian's care. Lord, I want to do this well, and the time is passing by so quickly. I want to enjoy the process and not waste a single day of life with my husband and children. I ask that you would give me strength and patience, especially when I'm worn down. I pray that my life... the way I love you and walk in daily fellowship with you, the way I love my family and others, the way I serve, my attitudes, my desires, the way I use our resources (money, clothes, food, time... ) would be a true reflection of you and what you will for my life. Lord that I would be a hero to my children. And Lord in these coming months, I pray that you would cause me to laugh way more often with Brian and the kids, that you would gently nudge me to be an active mom in our family's fun and activities and not just an "on-looker" mom. Help me to lighten-up and live in the very freedom that you talk about in your word. My heart is so grateful for this life you've given me. Above all, I want to love the way YOU love. Thank you, Father, for the gift of motherhood.

Heading home from a delightful Spring Break

2010-04-20T22:26:00.003-04:00

One day soon I hope to get back to blogging. It seems to have taken a back seat over the past few months, and I've gotten really behind. I wanted to take a quick minute to share a little family picture we took just before loading up to head home from a very relaxing and beautiful Spring Break at the beach. I'll save all the details for later but will leave it for now saying it was truly a blessing of a week for me, Brian and the children.

2010-02-22T08:34:00.004-05:00

"And now abide faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians: 13:13

Valentine's afternoon was such a sweet time with my girls. Just as visions of tea parties and daintily set tables come to mind when you think of little girls... we had the pleasure of making that dream a reality. My "new friend" (but oh so precious!) Christie and her girls, Ashlyn and Brooke Owen, hosted the most beautiful Valentine's Tea Party that I could ever imagine. Every detail was thought of... perfectly decorated tables, little sentiments of love sprinkled all throughout their beautiful home, delicious food and treats... and all of it shared among dear friends. It was truly a delightful afternoon. The girls, all of them no matter their age, had a wonderful time talking, laughing, eating, learning about table manners, playing dress-up... what a special time it was. One of my favorite things Christie had the girls do is write on a paper heart the finish to this statement: "I love God because...". She then glued each of the hearts to the strings of balloons and the girls took them outside and let them go. As the balloons raced up into the sky, we couldn't help but wonder who might find those sweet little praises to our Lord and Savior. What a blessing it is that because of a relationship with Him, we can experience love in its purist form. I've often pondered the thought of what it means to truly love, not with conditions and what I might get in return, but to deeply love the way Christ loves me... Hmmm, I can't quite get my mind around such love, but as I've thought about it, one main theme that always comes to mind is if I am loving that unselfishly and sacrificially, there are many sins that would vanish. Maybe that's why God's greatest commandment is to LOVE.

Thank you so much Christie, Ashlyn and Brooke Owen for a special time and a memory that will forever live in our hearts!

Ashlyn and Catherine - they really hit it off!

Catherine: "I love God because..."

Mary Scott: "I love God because..."

"love notes" written by Christie's grandfather to her grandmother

dress-up is so much fun

Catherine having a sip of tea

Anna joined in for "tea" like one of the big girls

flooded by the beautiful sunlight as they look out onto the lake... after a very snowy day before

Brooke Owen

A HOME FILLED WITH LOVE

2010-02-15T10:42:00.005-05:00

This year, Valentine's Day proved to be extra special. We enjoyed the morning playing in the snow together then had a delightful evening at home. I made some special sweet treats for us to enjoy after a delicious dinner of pan seared tilapia and shrimp, garlic parmesan grits and steamed green beans. We could hardly eat fast enough, each of anxious to enjoy chocolate dipped strawberries, heart shaped brownies and chocolate covered pretzels. I really enjoyed blessing my family with a delicious dinner and dessert. I count it a true privilege to serve them is such ways. After dessert, Benjamin cranked up the music and the kids danced their little hearts out, and of course Brian joined in too.

Just before we tucked the children into bed, I began gathering all the goodies for the rest of our evening. I bought the movie, Fireproof, for Brian and fixed a nice cheese tray with a bottle of wine he'd been wanting. Benjamin was right by my side as I was getting it all ready. Before I knew it, he had likened my little set-up to a wedding reception and began asking me what type of reception Brian and I had. When I told him we had a nice and simple reception at the church where we were married.... he went on to share with me his vision for his wedding reception: lots of dancing at a millionaire's mansion with a big water fountain... sure sounds nice! For crying out loud, what 10 year old boy thinks about his wedding reception!!! My Benjamin does... he's a thinker, for sure.

After the children were in bed, Brian and I enjoyed the rest of our evening over wine, cheese and a movie that would surely be good for any marriage. It was wonderful to snuggle up with my man in the quiet of the night to watch a movie, even though I didn't manage to stay awake for the whole thing. I like the way we're comfortable with one another like that. That he pretty much knows I'm always gonna fall asleep... not because I'm bored but just worn out. I pray that we will celebrate our love for one another often, and we will be intentional about making one another feel extra special... I believe that's real important in marriage. This was one of my favorite Valentine's memories ever. It was truly a wonderful day, from start to finish. I was reminded the whole day through that a special kind of love fills our home... a love for which I am eternally grateful.

Snowy Day Fun

2010-02-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

How thrilling it has been, especially for the children, to have fun in the snow this year. Our first snow day happened on January 30th and then we got even more snow the second time on February 12th. Thankfully, the days to enjoy playing in the snow both happened to be on Saturdays which made them even better because Brian was home and able to join in the fun. There was sledding, snow boarding, "snow biking" and just good old-fashioned fun in the snow. It was wonderful and beautiful, too.

the snow started falling around 4:30 Friday afternoon and by 7 o'clock there was a good thick covering on the ground

according to catherine's measurement, we got 4 1/2 inches of snow

school valentine's parties

2010-02-12T13:51:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed joining Benjamin and Catherine at school for their Valentine's parties. I went to Catherine's first and had fun playing heart tic-tac-toe and some math games with her. Afterword, I headed to Benjamin's classroom to set up for his party. We had a chocolate fountain and caramel fondue with all kinds of yummy treats for dipping. My favorite part of both parties was getting to see all the children have a fun-filled time.

Catherine and her teacher, Mrs. Martin

muffins with dad

2010-02-10T13:44:00.001-05:00

In celebration of Valentine's Day, Mary Scott was thrilled to have Brian join her for muffins at school. She is in absolute love with her daddy which is just the way it should be. She and Brian had a great time being together.

A HAPPY, HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY TO MARY SCOTT

2010-02-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

Mary Scott was one celebrated little girl for her 4th birthday, and she enjoyed every single moment. We had a few friends over to our house for a play dough party and it was so much fun. Each of the girls made their own batch of play dough then had fun playing with it. We even had play dough cookies for our treat in place of birthday cake. Mary Scott had a great time with her friends and has been enjoying all the thoughtful gifts she received. One of the things she has been most entertained by is her Loving Family doll house that was handed down to her from her good friend, Isabelle. Many of her gifts were all the furnishings to "make her doll house a home."

We got to celebrate again with our family when we travelled to Macon a couple weeks after her birthday. The top excitement from that party besides being with our family was Mary Scott's beautiful princess cake. She would look at it over and over with an enormous smile and say how much she liked it. I've often made our children's cakes but this one was definitely ahead of my league. A sweet lady from my home town who made our wedding cake made if for us... and it was a hit, indeed, and was delicious, too. Getting to celebrate with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents... it was a real treat!

Dear Mary Scott, you are a precious soul. We spend lots and lots of time together, and I am enjoying you so much. Coloring and writing are two of the things you most enjoy doing right now. You've recently learned to write your name and are very interested in letters and how different words are spelled. You love it when you can curl up with one of us to read a good book. You continue to be all into Anna and are like a little mommy to her.

One of my favorite memories with you lately is from one day in December when we were driving to pick up Benjamin and Catherine from school. We were talking about Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus which somehow led us to sharing about asking Jesus into your heart. You quickly told me that you had recently prayed and asked Jesus to live in your heart. Of course I wondered if anyone had prayed with you but you said you had done it all by yourself. When I asked you why you had asked Jesus into your heart, you immediately told me in your words, "Because I don't want to be by myself anymore." You can rest assured, my sweet girl, that indeed Jesus is with you every moment and you can always call on him. Not only is he your Savior but also your friend. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and so thankful that you love Jesus. Choosing to surrender your heart and life to Christ is the most important decision you will ever make. Mommy and Daddy love you so much and are so thankful for the privilege to be your parents.

anna boo is up to...

2010-02-01T08:29:00.002-05:00

sheer delight

"uhhh! i've been in mommy's make-up" (again!)

"who's watching me?"

just past the year and a half mark, anna is certainly one active, delightful and determined little bit. i haven't figured out if my perception of her being my busiest child of the four is true or if it just seems that way because i'm often having to corral her while being involved with our older children. but let's suffice at saying my perception is my reality right now! rest assured, if we leave a cell phone within her reach, she'll grab it in a split second, and if brian dare leaves his wallet within her access, she'll quietly confiscate it and contently empty every single thing in it. and then their is our bathroom cabinet where i keep my make-up... seems like a radar goes out if i forget to "lock" it and she's in there in a moment dumping everything she can get her hands on and often "making her face." and while i'm cleaning up her mess, she's on to making another one! she certainly keeps me on my toes! she's quite the feisty one and let's everybody in the house... store... or restaurant know if she's not happy with what's going on - from 0 to 90 in an instant and loud! she's an independent and determined little soul. i think it's amazing how creative God is that each of my children's personalities is so vastly different yet all created in His precious image.

in addition, anna is incredibly expressive... she has the most amazing little way with her face, her eyes. she gives the best hugs. she'll come out of nowhere and embrace my leg with the tenderest little squeezes - melts my heart! and she gives the smackiest kisses ever. she insists that we hold hands at the start of dinner and pray together... just can't help but think it makes the Lord smile. she's becoming more and more verbal as time passes using new words in the right way like "shoe, off, cold." i'm noticing her pretending, playing make-believe. the other day we were heading off to bed and i found her at the play kitchen filling up a cup with "wawa" and sipping it... so glad i savored that moment.

i'm reminded that this time does indeed pass quickly and even with its challenges, i'm choosing to praise the Lord... for what's amazing about anna, as well as the parts of her personality and development that sometimes get me discouraged and frustrated. it amazes me at how much love God puts in my heart for our children. 1 Peter 4:8 says, "above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'" i think it is this love that comes to our aid when as parents we feel overwhelmed and inadequate. no doubt, anna is an absolute delight to me and to our family. she brings such joy and fun to our home, an excitement and zest for life. i'm forever grateful for the privilege to be her "mommy" (she is starting to replace "mama" with "mommy") and look forward to loving her for the "anna" that God created her to be.

Judd Christmas in the Tennessee mountains

2009-12-31T10:09:00.001-05:00

Christmas afternoon, we loaded up and headed to Sevierville, TN to celebrate Christmas in the mountains with our Judd family. Last year we decided instead of doing big gifts for everybody to take a trip together and do a book exchange. It proved to be a great idea and was an enjoyable time together. We all gathered in a great big cabin, each took our turn at making meals and spent lots of quality time together. We played games, did some crafting, took plenty of hikes, did a little shopping... all that stuff that "togetherness" offers. One of my favorite adult times was one night after the children were tucked in bed, we had a sharing time with a little twist. My sister-in-law, Heather, offered up the great idea to have everyone write down their goal for the upcoming year on a slip of paper which we collected in a bowl. As the bowl passed around the group, we each drew a slip and after reading it, guessed who wrote it... then the person that wrote it expounded upon their goal and also shared what the Lord had been teaching them in 2009. It was such a neat time to go a little deeper with one another and share about matters of the heart. Our days in the mountains certainly created plenty of sweet memories and hopefully were the start of some new Judd family traditions.

so sweet of Aunt Katie Beth to make Ginger Bread Houses with the kids

headed out for a hike

Paul, Rebekah, Avery & Adam

such a cute little group of cousins who adore one another

the love shared among these brothers and sister... it's something special!

they have so much fun being together... plenty of laughter

Mark, Heather, Anderson & Carter

Mary Scott does adore her Papa

my craft that I worked on long and hard during our trip... it was fun sitting around the table crafting with my sister-in-laws who made one, too

Aunt Katie Beth playing with the kids while we packed for our travels back home

CHRISTMAS MORNING - 2009

2009-12-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

Brian and I reviewed wake-up time with the children Christmas eve... otherwise we'd have likely been up at 4 am! Our morning still started before the sun came up. I had set my clock because I knew Benjamin would beat us downstairs, and Brian and I didn't want to miss a moment of seeing them Christmas morning. We got down just in time to snap a quick picture of the tree and grab the video camera before we heard Benjamin and Catherine barreling down the stairs. They grabbed their stockings first. Oh how I've always loved stockings... something about all the tiny little treasures inside and getting to reach your hand down to pull out the surprises.... fun, fun, fun. It was so funny watching them. They are as different as night and day in just about every way I can imagine. Catherine would slowly take out each little thing from her stocking, look at it, savor it, maybe even talk about it. Benjamin, on the other hand, was pulling his stuff out just as fast as he could go... just seeing how fast he could see what all was in there. Once they finished with stockings, they checked under the tree and found some other treats they'd been hoping for. Mary Scott and Anna joined us a while later and had fun discovering their treasures in their stockings and under the tree. Brian and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them.

We also had the pleasure of being joined by Brian's brother, Paul, our sister-in-law, Rebekah, and their sweet children, Avery and Adam. It was extra special to have little Adam with us for his first Christmas. The kids all had a fun time celebrating and playing with one another. It was indeed a very merry Christmas. We ended our morning with a delicious breakfast of Eggnog French Toast topped with caramelized peaches and whipped cream. I got to prepare it in my lovely new turquoise colored Le Creuset skillet given with love to me by my wonderful husband and children.

Celebrating Christmas with Mama

2009-12-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

This year, we headed to Mama's the weekend prior to Christmas to celebrate. It's always a challenge to fit it all in. We're usually on the road a lot during the holidays. As usual, when we're down on the farm, we enjoy lots of time outdoors... especially the children. Catherine and Mary Scott had a wonderful time helping Meme bake cookies. I think they could've spent the entire time playing bakery! We had plenty of yummy treats to snack on the whole time we were there.

One evening, we rode further out into the country to look at Christmas lights. Mama kept trying to describe the huge display this family has put up over the years, but upon seeing it, I could hardly believe my eyes. It was like a whole little town built solely for the purpose of Christmas. It was free to ride through, but they do ask that you bring non-perishable food to donate to the needy. One of the latest additions to the town is a beautiful little church where apparently a couple of weddings have already taken place. It was an enjoyable outing for the entire family.

Watching the children anticipate our gift exchange brought back memories of when I, my brother and my cousins were kids... we could hardly wait to open presents and would drive the adults crazy until the time finally came. Some of the most special gifts given were the wooden bowls my mom gave to my brother, Casey, and sister-in-law, Sarah, and Brian and me. The one for Casey and Sarah was Nanny's (my grandmother's) and the one for Brian and me was mama's. I'll always treasure our wooden bowl and will use it proudly. Thank you so much, Mama, for passing it on to us.

Catherine's Winter Show

2009-12-16T16:14:00.004-05:00

Catherine and her "Mighty Giants" gymnastics team did an incredible job at their Winter Show. I was one proud mama!!! I'm sure I'm partial, but in my book... these girls stole the show. Way to go Catherine and team.

Here are videos of Catherine's beam routine, bars, individual floor routine, and team routine (in two parts). It was her first time ever doing an individual floor routine. The videos are certainly not great quality, but they hopefully capture what a great job she and her team-mates did. Way to go Mighty Giants!!! We're all proud of you!

Be sure and scroll all the way to the bottom of my blog and pause the music so you can hear the gymnastics music.

Gingerbread Party

2009-12-16T14:06:00.003-05:00

mary scott is working diligently on her gingerbread man

Mary Scott received an invitation to one of the sweetest little parties during Christmas time. It was a gingerbread party hosted by Molly, one of her favorite school friends. This party is a tradition for Molly's family. Everything about the morning was precious! The little girls listened to a gingerbread story read by Molly's mother, Elizabeth. Then they each decorated two gingerbread cookies. The girls had a wonderful time together, and all of us moms enjoyed visiting, too. Thank you so much to Molly and her mother for including us. It was a splendid time in every way!

all the sweet little girls... molly is in the purple dress

of course, little anna was into everything and enjoying every minute of being in a new place

BREAKFAST IN BETHLEHEM

2009-12-15T13:40:00.001-05:00

It was a treat getting to join Mary Scott and her little class for "Breakfast in Bethlehem." Our morning together started with the children singing to us.... so cute! Then we shared breakfast together. Before our morning was finished, Mrs. Radford and Mrs. Kivett, Mary Scott's teachers, gave each of the children a gift. Of course, the kids were so excited to find a big snuggle teddy bear in each of their gift bags. It was surely a morning to remember.

Be sure and scroll all the way down to the bottom of my blog to pause the music before starting the video.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

2009-12-14T13:34:00.000-05:00

Benjamin and Catherine, along with all their schoolmates, performed beautifully in Sunset Park's school musical, "Twas the Night Before Christmas." It was a fun evening for all.

Where is Jesus?

2009-12-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

As we set out all our Christmas decorations this year, we especially enjoyed setting up all of our nativity sets. I so desire to always keep Christ our focus and honestly, it can be quite a challenge with all the other "festivities" that come along with Christmas. As Mary Scott helped me set up the last of our nativities, the girls' little people one, much to our dismay... we couldn't find baby Jesus. Yikes! I continued to look for Him and until He was found we decided we were simply anticipating his birth. The Lord really began to speak to me concerning the missing baby Jesus. He reminded me of how sometimes we can get so caught up in even the good things of Christmas... like giving, spending time with family and friends, enjoying the pretty lights and decorations... that we get distracted and loose our focus. When we speak of the "true meaning of Christmas" we always speak of Jesus, but what about our hearts? And essentially what happens is the very thing that happened to our little nativity set... Jesus is missing. Isaiah 29:13 says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Oh Lord... may my heart always be centered on you and filled with you so that the overflow... my words, actions, countenance... be a reflection of you and your love.

Live Nativity at the Billy Graham Library

2009-12-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

One night during the Christmas season, we headed up to Charlotte to meet some good friends of ours, the Andersons, for a quick dinner and then a visit to the live Nativity at the Billy Graham Library. It was a delightful evening filled with laughter and fun. Our families always have a great time together... the children play well and seem to enjoy one another so much, and Brian and I especially enjoy our time with Evan and Annaliese... sweet family for sure. The Nativity was so pretty and the buggy ride through the lights was a fun way to end the evening. Great evening, indeed!

all the children except kirt... not sure where he was

pure happiness!
i love mary scott's face in this one... FUN!

mary scott, catherine and adah

enjoying the buggy ride through the lights

the Library is such a pretty place

challenge: capturing the Christmas card photo

2009-12-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

Gracious... could it be any more challenging to capture a great picture of all four of our children at the same time. I find it to be especially hard. So with time ticking a way, getting down to the final wire before Christmas would come and go with no cards being mailed out... I loaded up the kiddos by myself to try and capture it - the perfect picture for our 2009 Christmas card. I'll leave it at saying perfection wasn't found that day but thankfully I managed to get a few good shots, and one that made us happy.

the one that made the cut... our 2009 Christmas card picture

these hats are fun on the girls

little anna has the prettiest blue eyes

cute as a button - even with her little black eye

I sure do love our 4 kids... I'm richly blessed indeed

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-09T10:47:00.003-05:00

I made the plunge this year and bought an artificial Christmas tree.... still can't quite believe I did it. No offense to poor artificial trees, but I have a special place in my heart for fresh cut trees, especially the Frazier fur type... the wonderful scent that fills the air, the way each one is original. But I concluded for this time in my life that an artificial one would be easier, and when I happened on one at Wal-Mart that would work perfectly in our space, I bought it. Benjamin and I had it up in no time. When Brian arrived home from work, we were ready to adorn it with ornaments and such. We had a delightful time decorating it, and I enjoyed every minute of listening as the children laughed and shared about ornaments they've received or made through the years. Then I began to look at the tree and noticed how so many ornaments were clustered all around the bottom where Mary Scott was able to reach, and as I listened and looked, my entire perspective changed. Though I like a beautiful tree, even a real tree, it's not about it being the perfect tree, it's about family, time together, reminiscing about years gone by. I left the ornaments piled on top of one another... because in my heart that was an expression of my child. Benjamin counted it an honor to be given the job of topping the tree with our angel. It truly was a sweet time together.

Benjamin hits double digits!!!!

2009-12-09T10:22:00.001-05:00

handsome boy... growing up

never too old to blow out a candle!

you had so much fun celebrating with a few of your friends... played football in the dark, had pizza and root beer then watched georgia tech beat clemson for the acc championship

Seems like just yesterday I gave birth to my firstborn and only son. The absolute joy that came into my heart on that special morning of November 29th at 6:59 am. I can't quite explain the pure love that entered my world... different than any experienced before. And I'll never forget hearing his precious cry seconds after he entered the world and the way that his crying ceased the very moment he heard Brian's voice. It was amazing! How thankful we were that morning to hold our precious little baby boy, beautiful and healthy in every way. "Benjamin" ... son of my right hand, a very strong biblical name, "David"... to share Brian's middle name, and also biblical - not a perfect man but a king that God used in mighty ways who wrote beautiful and heartfelt Psalms to the Lord.

I can't begin to believe that Benjamin is now 10 years old. How is it that the years pass so quickly yet sometimes the days seem so long and hard? I want so desperately to savor every moment with my children because I'm realizing more and more the days pass as quickly as vapors. Yet I often find myself caught up in simply surviving. As of late, the Lord has been speaking to my heart about what he has in store for me... and it's way more than surviving. He desires to fill my days with peace, joy, opportunities to shower his love on my husband, children, neighbors, friends and even total strangers. As the Lord is speaking to my heart, I'm realizing if all I'm doing is surviving then I'm not bringing Jesus the glory that's due him. I'm learning to be filled to overflowing with him so that everything I do, even the everyday, sometimes monotonous "duties" of motherhood, I do unto the Lord. And I'm so thankful that when I was given the distinct honor of becoming a mother 10 years ago, that God would continue to make me and mold me into his image. That he loves me so much that all these years later, he hasn't given up on me but continues to open my eyes to more of him.

And that is my very prayer as I celebrate with my precious boy on this, his 10th birthday... that I would always love him enough to continue to gently teach him, pray for him, nurture his relationship with Jesus, laugh with him, be silly with him, listen to him and be patient with him.

Benjamin you are a fine young man whom I am proud to call my son. You are intelligent and determined and extremely passionate. May the Lord teach you how to be passionate for him and his ways. You love to read... can get totally lost in a good mystery like the Hardy Boys. You are a great student and do very well in school. You enjoy sports of most any kind, and lately, it seems soccer is becoming your focus. You crave playing with boys since you're surrounded by all of us girls at home... you love being rough, playing with guns, tackling... all those "all boy" kinds of things. As each of us has things God is teaching us and cleaning up in us... you're learning what it means to prefer others over yourself, to choose kindness just to be kind (even when others may have been unkind), that admitting fault is not only what Jesus requires but that confession brings freedom. Son, I love you deeply, more than I can manage to communicate. And I am confident that the Lord has great things in store and that as you surrender every part of your heart and life to him that he will use you in amazingly mighty ways. I am eternally grateful that God chose me to be your mom.

Thanksgiving with my family 2009

2009-12-09T09:36:00.009-05:00

We spent our Thanksgiving holidays this year with my family. It was a treat for all of us to romp around in the great outdoors... cotton fields, four wheeler, beautiful weather and of course delicious food. We enjoyed being with my mom and my brother and his family and were glad to get the chance to see my dad and Tonia along with Grandma Neysa, my aunts and uncles and cousins. Nanny, my mom's mom, was a little under the weather but we were able to spend a little time with her, too. One of the highlights of our trip for Benjamin was the opportunity to go dove hunting. Catherine even went out one afternoon hunting with the guys... brought back memories for me of when I used to go with my daddy and my brother. Mary Scott especially enjoyed playing with her cousins and picking cotton. And Anna's obsession was being outside and playing with Meme's kitty cat. We have so very much to be thankful for... one of which is family!

Mary Scott and cousin, Abrahm, having fun on the farm

Meme loves feeding her yummy grits to her grand-babies

my brother, Casey, and his 3 boys

Daddy and Tonia with Mary Scott and Anna

Mary Scott had a blast riding the tricycle with cousin, Mary Martin

Grandma Neysa with all of her great grand girls wearing little aprons she made for them

heading to hunt doves early one morning

my nephew, CJ, with his first 2 doves ever

even Catherine decided to go hunting

Meme, Mary Scott and Abrahm having a swing

family game night

2009-12-09T09:05:00.002-05:00

though we don't do it as often as we'd like, we immensely enjoy family game nights at our house. it took us 3 nights to finish our yahtzee game... bedtimes always greeted us before our game was done. we had fun cheering for one another and got a thrill watching mary scott roll the dice. she teamed up with brian and they reigned winners for this game. i just love it when we spend quality time together.

Benjamin - medaled Principal Scholar

2009-12-09T08:47:00.003-05:00

Benjamin continues to make us proud with the great job he's doing in school. He's definitely in a more rigorous and academically challenging class this year which has been a good fit for him. He's learning a lot and is working to become more organized. For his first 9 weeks, he was awarded the highest honor when he was medaled Principal Scholar because of his 4.0 grade point average. Way to go Benjamin. Keep it up!

Catherine... one TERRIFIC kid!

2009-12-09T08:39:00.002-05:00

Terrific Kid... oh yes she is! Mrs. Martin (aka Miss Nowell) picked Catherine as the Terrific Kid for her class for the month of Novemver. She had so many sweet things to say about Catherine and commended her for her hard work and good attitude. We're indeed two proud parents of our sweet girl.

Another successful soccer season

2009-12-09T08:35:00.002-05:00

Mid November brought the end of another successful soccer season for Benjamin. No losses, a few ties and several wins! Way to go buddy! We're proud of you!

practicing with my camera... again

2009-12-07T11:04:00.007-05:00

this time we headed down town rock hill after school for me to get some more practice. we had a fun time romping around and ended our time with a trip to the library. my pictures still aren't turning out perfect, but i keep telling myself to keep practicing and surely they'll get better. one of the things i'm really focusing on right now is how to achieve the nice fuzzy back grounds (known as bokeh in the photography world). i'm ending up with too much brightness and pictures a little washed out... but it's practice, right? i find i still love pictures of my children even if the pictures are far from perfect.

i realize these are really sad faces mary scott has... she had fallen down... but sad faces are a part of real life therefore worth capturing

learning how to use my manual settings on my camera

2009-12-07T10:50:00.004-05:00

i'm finally diving into the experience of learning how to use the manual settings on my camera. i decided after putting it off for so many months, i needed to just dive in and see if i could at least begin to grasp what all the different settings mean and how they effect the outcome of a picture. this particular afternoon, i and the kids headed out to give it a whirl. they were kind and patient little subjects. and as i practiced, i captured a number of shots that i liked. i still have a far way to go but this is the beginning of chipping away at the world of shooting in manual mode.... we'll wait and see where it takes me!

Judd family Thanksgiving

2009-12-07T10:24:00.005-05:00

We were glad to get to celebrate Thanksgiving (a little early) with the whole Judd family this year. We enjoyed a feast indeed and had plenty of family to catch up with... ended up being about 50 people. Scott and Cathy did a lovely job hosting. I was amazed at how completely calm Cathy stayed the whole time. All the children had a great time playing together, and Grandmother Judd seemed to immensely enjoy having all her children, grandchildren and beyond together.

the whole crowd... about to dig into our feast

mary scott putting something in her pocket... cute little bootie

grandmother judd

scott

anderson

cousins playing

mary scott with remnants of chocolate cake all around her mouth

a little popa time

2009-12-07T10:17:00.004-05:00

the children always enjoy hanging out with popa. while we were visiting, he took the children on a golf cart ride and made a fire for them one night.... so fun watching them enjoy each other. catherine even cleaned up popa's work space in his shop.

time with dear friends in macon

2009-12-07T09:48:00.005-05:00

i know that planning ahead is often the best way to approach situations, but i love the way last minute plans can fall into place beautifully. it was just such an occurrence with some of our dearest friends in macon. brian, i and the kiddos were literally in route to macon when i began calling friends to see if we could all get together for lunch on saturday. and much to my amazement, everybody had the time free so we planned a get-together. we picked up lunch from chick-fil-a then headed over to this great little park down the street. to top off our fun, we arrived at the park to discover they were having an event with rock climbing and pony rides... all free. we couldn't have planned a more fun afternoon had we started months in advance. the children had a blast although we missed maryscott joining in with us. she woke up that morning with a nasty cough and fever so she stayed at home with Nanna to rest. benjamin commented at one point in the car as we were driving to the park that it sure was quiet without mary scott in the car and that he missed her being there. so sweet, and we did indeed miss her. while at the park, benjamin and catherine especially liked the rock wall. i think benjamin must have climbed it at least 10 times. by the end, he had us timing him to see how fast he could make it to the top. brian and i thoroughly enjoyed having a little while to catch up with our friends while the kids had a great time romping around together.

enrichment clusters

2009-12-07T09:04:00.003-05:00

One of the things Benjamin and Catherine are really enjoying at their school are enrichment clusters. The last hour of every Friday, they go to their chosen cluster where they participate with children from other classes to learn about different areas of interest they have. For their first cluster, Benjamin participated in CSI (crime scene investigation) and Catherine did Creative Stitching. They both enjoyed learning each week, and I got to go to their end of semester celebration where they shared about what they learned.

benjamin sharing about what he'd learned

catherine's creative stitching friends and teachers

catherine's beautiful work is the one on the left

catherine and maggie, one of her best friends at school

Hallelujah instead of halloween

2009-12-07T08:49:00.003-05:00

Realizing how behind I am on blogging as I'm looking back through my pictures. So a few short posts are in order to attempt at getting caught up. We had a great weekend at the end of October with Aunt Peggy and Cathy/Nanna coming up for a visit. We got to spend a little time with cousin Jessica, too. We ate lots of yummy food, did a little shopping and enjoyed getting the kids all dressed up to walk around our neighborhood on Saturday night... in spite of the rain. As we do each year on October 31st, we shared with our children from our hearts about the hope we have in Christ... hallelujah. And encouraged them as we walked through our neighborhood and interacted with others, that we share the love and hope of Christ through our words and our countenance. We had 2 little fairy princesses, a fall princess (created entirely by Catherine's own imagination) and a pioneer.

beautiful fall day

2009-11-13T08:53:00.003-05:00

A few Saturdays ago, we took off to Chester State Park for the afternoon. We enjoyed a perfectly beautiful fall day. Some of our friends, the Hanrions, came along too. We did a little wondering through the woods, played in the open spaces, canoed on the lovely lake and then roasted hot dogs over a fire for dinner. We had a wonderful afternoon and evening.

SISTERS...SISTERS

2009-11-13T08:37:00.005-05:00

How precious is the love between these sisters! Mary Scott adores Catherine and awaits her arrival home from school every day. She looks forward to them playing together... school, house, gymnastics... whatever they happen to create in their make-believe world. They will disappear for a while and later I'll find them deep in the heart of play... I love it! I never had a sister growing up, and my brother is 4 1/2 years older than me, and let's just say he was never much into playing baby dolls with me! Because we lived on a farm way out in the country, I seldom had friends over to play, so often you'd find me in my room talking away to all my make believe friends because that's all I had. I think I'm especially fond of watching my girls play together so contently because I didn't have that as little girl. One of my prayers for them is that their hearts would be bound together tightly throughout their lives.

As I'm sitting here typing, Mary Scott is looking at the pictures of her and Catherine and saying, "I love Catherine so much!"

Mary Scott's Fall 3K Fieldtrip

2009-10-27T21:26:00.005-04:00

Anna and I joined Mary Scott for a class field trip last week to frolic among all things fall... apples, pumpkins, hay bales and farm animals. The children kept smiles on their faces the whole time as evidence they were certainly enjoying themselves. I had fun watching Mary Scott interact and play with her school friends... she looks so forward to seeing them each week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Otherwise, I was chasing Anna all over the place. She is one active little girl! She didn't miss a beat - joined in everything all the older children were doing. We all enjoyed the beautiful fall morning!

Mary Scott leading us through the corn maze

even Anna gave the corn maze a try!

having fun looking at the pigs

Mary Scott and friends
jumping on a hay trampoline... fun, fun, fun!

a horse is a horse... of course!

taking in all the farm animals

Anna enjoyed the animals, too

GT HOMECOMING 2009

2009-10-21T08:38:00.008-04:00

We hit the road this past weekend for a trip Brian and I have anticipated for a while. We headed to Atlanta Friday afternoon to drop off the children with Brian's parents and brother and sister-in-law. Benjamin, Catherine and Mary Scott were super excited about having a sleep-over at their cousins' house, and little Anna experienced her first night without me. Brian and I were equally excited to have a night away. We love our kids dearly and deeply, but it sure is refreshing to get a little break from the demands of parenting 4 children. Once we'd given each of them a big ole' hug and kiss good-bye, Brian and I headed to meet up with some old friends, his college room-mates and their wives, for dinner in Buckhead. We enjoyed a delicious meal at Bricktops made even better by great conversations as we caught up on the happenings of life over the past 14 years - an abridged version at least! And what a treat it was to sit through the entire meal without getting up once -no trips to the bathroom, no "be quiet, we're in a restaurant", didn't even have to cut up any ones food! After dinner, we all climbed in our party wagon - my minivan (kept us grounded in the fact that we are all parents of some precious little bits) - not sure where we were headed. Apparently, the guys (Brian and his college roomies) have always been an indecisive bunch. We spent the next 45 minutes driving back and forth on Peachtree looking for a good spot to enjoy coffee and dessert. We quickly discovered the busyness of Atlanta hasn't changed a bit... the waits for a table were 45 minutes at 10 0'clock at night... you've got to be kidding me! So we finally settled on Caribou Coffee where we continued to enjoy great conversation and had some good laughs. Though none of us had turned into pumpkins quite yet, we decided to call it a night around 12:30 pm when we headed to our hotels. It was a fun evening, indeed!

We awoke the next morning brimming with excitement about our plans for the rest of the day. Our entire trip was centered around going to Georgia Tech's homecoming game against Virginia Tech. The game wasn't until 6 o'clock in the evening so we had some leisure time before heading to the stadium. We enjoyed breakfast at the Flying Biscuit with Ben and Heather who we've remained in pretty close contact with since our college days. We squeezed in a quick little shopping trip into Marshall's to pick up some winter wear... turned out to be freezing cold on game day and someone had taken my coat out of our car when we dropped off the children. We got Brian a GT toboggan, me a GT scarf and big GT blanket at the bookstore prior to the game hoping we would keep some measure of warm. No trip to a game would be complete without a visit to the Varsity... "what do ya have?"... so we had lunch there where we were joined by the final room-mate, Eugene, whose wife wasn't able to come. So the group was finally complete - Brian, Ben, Jeff & Eugene. I enjoyed every second of listening to them laugh and joke with one another and hearing them reminisce about their years in college... it was great! And thankfully the wives, Heather, Jenny and myself, enjoyed talking with one another as well. We all had such a nice time together that we are aiming to make it a yearly tradition to meet in Atlanta and attend a GT football game.

The game was the perfect ending to our trip. Our Yellow Jackets, against the odds, showed up to play some good football. The defense was strong and quick and stopped Virginia Tech in their tracks. Though it took our offense a while to get in the swing of things and our passing game left a whole bunch to be desired... the Jackets got the job done and beat the Hokies 28 - 23. We had a blast cheering our team onto victory while bundled in our big blanket... completed by high fives, hot chocolate and roasted peanuts. Way to go GT!!!

Thankfully, while we were enjoying our time away, the children were having a great time playing with their cousins. We sure do appreciate Scott and Cathy and Mark and Heather being so gracious to love on 'em and care for them. It was a weekend our whole family enjoyed!

the roomies... Jeff, Ben, Brian & Eugene

Ben and Heather

Jeff & Jenny

A weekend visit from MeMe

2009-10-19T09:26:00.004-04:00

We were all glad to see my mom a couple weekends ago... we were way passed due! It was a fun weekend full of activity - soccer game, afternoon outing, church Sunday, a birthday party, and a trip to get apples. We enjoyed having MeMe along for all the fun.

Catherine - still enjoying gymnastics

2009-10-19T09:15:00.003-04:00

Catherine continues to go to gymnastics on Tuesdays and Thursdays... 2 hours each time. She really looks forward to it each week. I'm continually amazed at her flexibility and the way she so bravely tries new things... wish some of that would rub off on me!

Benjamin had a field trip

2009-10-09T08:30:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was a perfectly beautiful day for Benjamin and all the other 4th graders from his school to attend the US Disc Golf Championship. And to top off an already fun field trip, Brian took off from work to go with Benjamin as a chaperon. I was so proud of Brian for going and so excited for Benjamin knowing how much it means to him for his daddy to be by his side. I joined them for a short while to get a few pictures.... they heard from a blind guy who plays disc golf, saw "Bear" - the disc golf dog, got instruction/training/practice in driving and putting with your disc and then got to enjoy watching some of the competitors play. It was an enjoyable experience for both Brian and Benjamin. And according to Brian, all the children behaved very well throughout the day. I enjoyed tagging along for a little bit, and we're hoping to attend the final championship round as a family on Saturday.... fun, fun, fun!

waiting to catch some discs

all the children listening so intently

go Benjamin

what a pair... these special fellows

Mrs. Bostic, Benjamin's teacher, aiming for the basket

me and my sweet boy

Ms. Bundy, Benjamin's PE teacher, organized a great field trip

"Bear" the disc golf dog

Benjamin retrieving two discs after seeing how far he could throw them

and Brian had to get his discs, too

SOCCER - fall 2009

2009-10-07T21:26:00.004-04:00

Benjamin had his first soccer game for the fall '09 season this past Saturday morning. They won their game and played well as a team. Benjamin did a great job although he had some frustrating moments - he took 3 great shots that missed the goal each by just a bit. I'm certain in weeks to come, he'll get better with his accuracy. All in all, they played a good game.

after one of his missed shots (i wanted to go scoop him up) - he was so frustrated

Afternoon Glow

2009-10-07T21:12:00.003-04:00

Late one afternoon last week, I was outside playing with the children and suddenly noticed there was such a pretty glow on their faces from the sun. So I ran and grabbed my camera to see what kind of pictures that type of light would create. I even captured a good ole' cry that Anna had at one point - real life, so worth capturing, right?

Picture Day at Preschool

2009-10-07T21:06:00.002-04:00

Mary Scott had picture day last week at preschool. She sure looked pretty and was so excited. I enjoyed hearing all about it when she got home. She said Barney tickled her to make her smile.

What's a mom to do? or dad, for that matter!

2009-10-07T20:56:00.002-04:00

As of late, Benjamin has had this little desire to wear his hair in a mo hawk. Yikes... yes, that's what I said - a mo hawk. My son wants to wear his hair in a mo hawk! I've been in this terrible dilemma because it certainly wouldn't be my choice for him to wear his hair like that. And it brought up a question from Benjamin. He asked, "Mom what so bad about a mo hawk. It's just hair." It was one of those teachable moments. I went on to explain that a mo hawk is not bad, but it tends to carry a certain stigma in the minds of some. I've sense let him wear one out in public one time. I think it was good for him and me. One thing I admire about Benjamin is his willingness to be who he is and not feel he has to always conform just because of what others may think... I could learn from him.

One Last Little Dip in the Pool

2009-10-07T20:44:00.006-04:00

Several days ago on one of the warmer days we've had lately, Mary Scott had the great idea of pulling out our little pool one more time before kissing summer good-bye. And Anna would have it no other way than to play in the pool, too... clothes and all. It's so fun watching them enjoy moments like these together.

i love the way anna is looking at mary scott

"look at me swimming"

a little dip in the pool, then some dancing

no playtime outside is complete without some cruisin'

"Oh, say can you see..."

2009-09-21T08:26:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, Benjamin auditioned for his school chorus and made it. We were all thrilled. They practice on Wednesday afternoons right after school and had their first performance this past Friday night singing the National Anthem at the Winthrop University women's volleyball game. Each of the children was looking polished... black bow tie and all... and they sang beautifully. My heart swelled up as I listened and my eyes filled with tears... just thinking about the years that lie ahead, opportunities Benjamin will have, chances for us to support and encourage him as he is learning to be a Godly young man. After singing they all got in position to cheer on the team and give 'em five as the starters where introduced. High fives with a bunch of college girls.... I'll leave it at saying Benjamin was excited. And the game was fun, too. It was a great way to start our weekend.

Anna's Walking

2009-09-18T11:00:00.003-04:00

Anna hasn't been in any hurry to walk. For the past couple of weeks, she's been taking a few steps here and there. But this week, she has finally taken off. She tends to resort often to crawling although each day seems to bring more steps than the day before. She's occasionally getting herself to standing without pulling up and is taking at least 10 or more steps before falling. She gets the sweetest little grin like she's so proud of herself. With more mobility, comes more bumps and bruises for sure. Last weekend, she attempted to climb out of the play car instead of opening the door to get out, and she landed head first on the patio and got a nice bruise on her forehead. I know this just comes with the stage, but I sure don't like seeing her pretty little face all marked up. We're so excited at our house to see her taking those sweet little unbalanced first steps. This isn't a high quality video of her but I couldn't pass up sharing it.

Labor Day Weekend 2009

2009-09-18T10:00:00.007-04:00

We enjoyed a great visit with Uncle Paul and Aunt Rebekah over Labor Day weekend. Our drive to and from the Virginia Beach area seemed especially long both going and coming... but we had so much fun while there. Poor Paul and Rebekah - I'll bet after we departed for home Monday, they just sat in the quiet and peace of their home 'cause we're a noisy bunch! But in spite of the noise (and lack of sleep thanks to Anna), we had a weekend full of great family time together.

Saturday morning at the beach was so much fun... sand, waves, snacks, throwing the football. It was a treat to get to see the ocean again. And Saturday afternoon included plenty of college football - it cracked me up watching Brian and Paul enjoy the Georgia game from our xm radio in our car because the game wasn't on tv.

We enjoyed visiting Paul and Rebekah's church Sunday morning then headed out for an afternoon of boating with the Ratz family. Crazy as it may seem... it almost feels like I've known Sue forever even though our boating trip was only my second time ever seeing her face to face. I love how the Lord can knit hearts together that way. We had a great time getting to know their family, and boy were my kids excited to be on a boat. We got to ride down the inner coastal waterway and see downtown Norfolk from the water. Benjamin was thrilled getting to see all the ships. And Mary Scott was so relaxed on the boat which really surprised me. She tends to be so fearful in new situations but not this time. In fact, she was so relaxed she ended up taking a nice long nap before the afternoon was over. Benjamin gave wake boarding and skiing a try for the first time. The wake board didn't work out but he did manage to get part way up on the skis. And Catherine wanted to give skiing a try so she got out in the water, skis on, then a big boat came by and made the water sort of choppy.... she was done, ready to get back in the boat. We really had a wonderful time, Ratz family.

Then to top off an already great day, Paul and Rebekah took us to Symphony Under the Stars Sunday evening. It was a fabulous time together. Lovely music, perfect weather, a picnic and great company to boot.... who could ask for more?

Thank you Paul and Rebekah, and Avery and Adam for a fabulous weekend all the way around.

precious baby Adam smile

Anna sporting some shades

Avery and Mary Scott having fun in the sand

Uncle Brian getting to know Avery

Avery holding onto her daddy's hand

sweet Avery face

love seeing them all together like this

all about snack time

Rebekah's classic grin

crumbs and all... such a cutie

I'd say this is desperate to hear a football game

taking it all in from the front of the boat

Mary Scott really enjoyed the boat

Madeline and Anna getting to know each other

one of the views downtown Norfolk

huge battleship

Benjamin giving the wake board a try

firsts... mary scott started preschool

2009-09-04T07:46:00.003-04:00

Feeling very unsure of how it would go, I'm delighted to report preschool has gotten off to a great start for Mary Scott. Her first day was Tuesday, September 1st at Oakland Day School in 3k.

She's been quite excited about starting to school, and we couldn't get to her "meet the teacher" day quickly enough... but when we left that meeting, she was in tears over leaving a change of clothes and a couple pictures of her that her teacher had requested we bring from home. And I'm not talking a little whining or a few tiny tears. I'm talking alligator tears for at least 45 minutes. She kept saying to me as she cried, "Mommy, I'm so sad to leave my pictures at school. Will you please go back and get them?" And of course what I wanted to do was scoop her up in my arms, march right back into school and get all of it. But I didn't. We brought her change of clothes home because I knew she could take them back in her back pack on her first day, but her teacher needed the pictures to use in the classroom. So instead of doing what my emotions where telling me to do (go get the pictures), I heeded what I knew in my heart was a teachable moment... a time for training for real life situations. One things for sure, in real life, we don't always get what we want just because we want it desperately. So I explained to Mary Scott why her pictures needed to stay and that we were not going back to get them and that I was sorry she was sad. And I explained it again, and again, and again. Still crying, she informed me she didn't want to go to that school. She finally stopped crying after some firm coercing from me. But she continued to make it clear to me that she did not want to go to school.

I seemed to have a new understanding that day of how deeply Mary Scott feels things and how she wants to be sure everything is okay and taken care of...

All that to stay, I was afraid her first day would bring tears and hanging onto my legs unwilling to go into her classroom. But I'm thankful not to report such behavior. Instead, she woke up excited and ready. When we got to school, she hugged me goodbye, walked right in and went to hang up her bag... and she saw her picture! Then she never looked back with uncertainty. She had an awesome day and enjoyed it very much. At one point she got to be the line leader and really seemed to like that roll. She made a precious little red hen to bring home... and she wanted to bring home everything else she had colored or written on, too. But she's getting the hang of it that sometimes certain things need to stay at school. She seemed more settled about leaving some things at school yesterday and says now, she understands why she had to leave her photographs at school.

This whole experience has sort of given me a glimpse of what it's like with me when God is telling me to do a certain thing and it's not what I want to do, and I don't understand, and it makes me sad and even afraid and uncertain... but I just have to do it out of obedience(even though sometimes kicking and screaming). And then on the other side, I get it, I understand why. And I'm reminded yet again that His ways are higher than my ways, His ways are perfect. 2 Samuel 22:31.

I'm really glad she's enjoying it and look forward to her having a great year. And I have to say, she looked so adorable on her first day of school. I stayed up the night before making her a new outfit to wear and boy did it make my heart sing to see her so excited about wearing it. She had so much fun twirling around in her little skirt, and she looked just as cute as a a button.

While the big kids are at school...

2009-08-27T12:36:00.004-04:00

While Benjamin and Catherine are at school, my little bits are up to all kinds of fun stuff at home. Fun stuff like playing and having snacks, making messes... Now that Anna is a little older and much more mobile (though not walking independently quite yet), Mary Scott wants her to play with her constantly. And within 30 minutes of Anna going to sleep for nap time, Mary Scott will come to me and say, "Anna told me she's ready to wake up and play with me." It's really quite cute. When they are eating, Mary Scott will pull her chair all the way over next to Anna - chairs bumping each other. She just can't seem to get enough of her! By around 10 o'clock every morning, Mary Scott starts asking if it's time to go pick up Benjamin and Catherine. As much as it stretches me and tests my patience sometimes as I teach my children about loving one another... it's amazingly precious to me to take in the relationship each of them shares with the other. And I look forward to God growing sweet friendships among them as they get older. Lord, I pray they will always look to you to guide them as they figure out how to live and love, and I pray you will always give us wisdom as we help them navigate.

seems like Anna could just take off and walk at any moment

and she has this glorious little laugh and her smile is fantastic!

cruisin' on her hot pink car - she gets on and off now and rides it well

digging in the toy basket... and pulling out every single one, of course

Mary Scott just finished with my hair... now for hers

Mary Scott can pick some beautiful outfits!

just one of the messes...

snack time - yogurt drinks and gold fish... yum

1st Day of School at Sunset Park Elementary

2009-08-27T11:47:00.003-04:00

Well, it's back to school for Benjamin and Catherine. The summer just seemed to fly right by us. And how in the world can they be in 4th and 2nd grades?

August 19th was the day and boy was it an early morning. But they both seemed so excited, a little nervous of course, and ready to face the challenges that being at a new school offers... learning where every thing is, making new friends, establishing all the rules. They both had a great first day. Benjamin even said it was, "awesome!"

Thus far, I'm thrilled at how well they are adjusting. And I continue to feel it was the best decision to send them to Sunset Park. I'm praying the year will prove to be an excellent one. I'm so proud of their good attitudes and their eagerness to learn. They're both great kids, and I'm so thankful God chose me to be their mom.

"end of summer" HFG gathering

2009-08-27T11:33:00.002-04:00

What a precious group of friends our Home Fellowship Group (HFG) is. It's such a blessing being able to partner alongside fellow believers and encourage one another in this thing called life. We had a great time celebrating the end of summer together. Susan and Mark were so gracious to invite us all to the pool. We had fun swimming, eating and just plain old being together. I think all the husbands/dads had an especially fun time in a little pool basketball game. And the water slide was a lot of fun, too. It was the perfect way to end the summer!

Time at Nanna and Popa's

2009-08-27T10:55:00.002-04:00

Benjamin and Catherine had a fun-filled time with Nanna & Popa. In fact I'm not sure they were ready to return home. They visited the Museum of Aviation, went swimming, helped pack care packages to mail to soldiers over seas...they even wrote a letter to us. Receiving their sweet notes in the mail made my day for sure. Sounds like they did well while away - Catherine was really missing us the first night and called crying. Thankfully after talking with her and praying for her over the phone, she seemed to be okay and was fine the rest of the time. Benjamin helped Nanna with some window cleaning to earn money to buy a slingshot... oh how $ motivates that boy.

We were so excited to see them when they returned home on Friday. I'll be honest, having a little break from the constant challenge of training them in how to treat one another offered some refreshment. But I was so ready to snuggle them in my arms and look at their sweet faces. It was nice of Nanna and Popa to bring them all the way home. Catherine was so excited to bring us a gift they had made... a beautiful picture of her and Benjamin in a frame they had decorated with sea shells they found at Jacksonville beach. They also made a yummy cake for us.

I'm delighted they had a great time and appreciate Scott and Cathy taking the time to be with them. And I'm really glad they're home!

A little pink lipstick

2009-08-27T10:18:00.002-04:00

While Benjamin and Catherine were away... Mary Scott got into all kinds of fun but missed them desperately. And that foe called FEAR grabbed her every night at bedtime. She hasn't slept in a room by herself since she was 6 months old... she and Catherine share a room. And she loves the chance to go snuggle up in bed with Benjamin for the night. So she certainly wasn't in favor of sleeping all alone in her great big room. Bedtime brought challenges every night. But some of the fun stuff she enjoyed included experimenting with some beautiful pink lipgloss... and boy did she doctor herself up good.

The End of our Vacation

2009-08-27T08:53:00.004-04:00

We finished our wonderful vacation with a one night stay with Brian's Aunt Peggy and Uncle Greg who live in Jacksonville, FL. We always enjoy bunking up at their house... Peggy is quite the hostess and entertainer. And never stops short of offering up some most yummy eats. We spent most of our time swimming and having "friendly" competitions of pool volleyball - guys against girls... well almost, cousin Jessica had to humble herself and join the guy's team for sake of numbers and a little fairness. But for the record - the girl's team rose victorious... yes we did. We also got to celebrate a 1st birthday while there - Bailey, their cute little pup, turned one. Thanks so much Peggy, Greg & Jessica for a great time. Only sad but good thing was... when we said goodbye, we left Benjamin and Catherine to go home with Nanna and Popa for the week. And yes, I got choked up, eyes filled with tears - first time I've left my kids for more than a couple nights and even that is rare.

What a handsome boy he is! And I love his expression...

so thankful for the bond these two have

"V" for VICTORY!

and yes, "L" for LOSER!

Benjamin and Catherine enjoy hanging out with Jessica

their pool is like what you'd find at a resort... so nice

happy 1st birthday, Bailey!