Grout and Babies

Carley was six months old on Monday. She is a complete joy, even if we don't sleep at night. Pray Prevacid will work better than cereal, Zantac or Nexium. The other two pictures are of Taylor and her best friend (also named Taylor) helping Richard grout our new glass tile backsplash. HYSTERICAL.

Family weekend

This past weekend, Scott and the children and I met Mom, Daddy, Will, Mel and Callan in Clayton, Georgia to celebrate Will's 30th birthday. We had an awesome time eating, snow tubing (sans prego Mel unfortunately), playing laser tag and bowling, eating, worshipping together, eating, playing cards, talking, laughing, pulling teeth and eating. I am so thankful for the blessing of memories.

Reagan pulled his second tooth while we were there.

Dada in the Batman mask.

The babies!!

Carley loves her Uncle Will!

Taylor has some news...

Green peas are gross!

A few recent pictures

OUCH!

This may be one of the most shallow posts I've ever done, but take it very seriously.

This is a WARNING for my lady friends!

Do NOT get your upper lip "threaded."

EVER!

The tears were rolling down my face!

Excerpts from A Thousand Shall Fall, by Bodie and Brock Thoene...

"My father...loves me. I will not...be afraid...A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."

Have you ever felt like the whole world has turned against you? Have you felt hopeless? alone? afraid? abandoned?

When difficult times come, Lily pleads with God:

"You ain't brought us so far to break us to pieces. Don't matter what's out there or what ain't out there no more. I'm believin' you, Jesus. You see when one sparrow falls. You spin clothes for the lilies...I ain't gonna fear nothin'! Ain't gonna fear hunger! Ain't gonna fear bein' poor! Ain't gonna fear what men do to me! Ain't gonna fear bein' alone!"

Because of her faith, her friend realizes anew: "When there's nothing left to give the Lord, then you have to look at what you have. Your soul. Yourself. And that is the only gift he wants from His children...Maybe this is what the Lord wants from us. For us to look to Him. To trust Him like a Father."

Do you--can you--trust God like a Father? trust Him to provide for you in the midst of loneliness, fear, and prejudice? trust Him to plant you deep, like a tree, so that no "wind" can "bust" you?

When you are feeling scared and alone, why not follow the advice of the mother in the book?

"Don't put your trust in nothin' else. All else is shiftin' sand. Just read Psalm 91 when you are feelin' scared. It'll tell you all you need."

Life will always be complicated. If you seek diligently, you will find the One who holds all the answers to the universe (I Chronicles 28:9).

Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge--
then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Happy Birthday, Mel!

I would like to give a shout out today to the birthday girl.

Melodie is about the closest thing to a sister I could have. Will blessed us all when he got on his knee and begged for her hand in marriage (even if she did want orange juice so badly that she almost missed the proposal).

After she was a great server at my favorite restaurant (even if she did offer a tampon instead of a straw and even if she did drop an earring in a customer's spaghetti and a crab cake in another customer's purse), she became a wonderful, relaxed, and calm first-time mother who's very generous with her precious baby girl.

She is a hard-working stay-home mom who appreciates that her husband's work ethic allows her to stay home with her baby girl.

She is a great friend to many--girls, boys, kids, babies, men, older men (go Cliff!) and women.

She came into what was Will's world and happily made it her own. She is pro-active and involved at church and is adored by everyone there who has had the opportunity to be welcomed by her.

She loves my children, which seals the deal. When Reagan was a toddler, she used to watch the Wiggles and do their dances with him. How many aunts do that?

She is eternally thoughtful and never forgets a thing.

She is a dream daughter-in-law for my parents.

She is so good to go into our family get-togethers and hug everyone. She has done that since the first time she went to either of our grandparents' houses, just like they were her family all along.

She never meets a stranger.

She has a HYSTERICAL sense of humor and says funny, funny things (even though I don't think she's a natural blonde). I hope she forgives us for laughing and understands that it's terribly endearing (even if Keep Lee and the rest of us do beat her menus with a dead horse).

She loves her God and talks to him faithfully.

I love you, Mel, and am proud to call you my sister-in-law. :)

Sweet anniversary gift

Last night, T&T asked if they could have 5 mins at bedtime to "discuss something in Taylor's room."

This morning, Tyler brought me a note that said, "Taylor and I need to talk to you and Dad in Taylor's room." When Scott and I got in there, there were three anniversary cards on Taylor's bed and Taylor's room was clean. Tyler also had wrapped two CDs up for us. :) Then, they had us go look at Reagan's room.

(Back up 11 hours--yesterday afternoon, Reagan had three NEAT [and big] piles of clean clothes on his bed for me to put away. By bedtime last night, ALL those clothes were on the floor along with about 5 pairs of shoes, who knows how many changes of clothes from playing yesterday [he changes about 3 times a day], toys and playing cards. I WANTED to kill him last night...)

So we go into Reagan's room and IT IS SPOTLESS. All the clean clothes are put away, the shoes are organized and the dirty clothes are in the hamper. They had even made up the top bunk (because he came to our bed at some point last night) and had laid out his clothes for school today.

They told us they had planned to pick up the house but found Scott on the couch (Reagan ran him off, I guess) and didn't want to wake him.

Then they told us that they had been up since 3:30. YEP! You read that right. They set their alarms for 3:30 AM.

They showed us the schedule.




Although we'll have to have a talk about getting up at 3:30 in the morning (OH MY!!), they worked very hard to start out this day great for us. I just had to brag on them a bit and tell you how sweet and thoughtful they are. :)

Here are their funny cards. Please forgive their spelling--I didn't proofread. :) Notice that the whole family is pictured on Taylor's card (first) and the Jordan logo on Scott's shirt in Tyler's card. They make me laugh.

Happy Anniversary, Scott! Enjoy that DVR!!

Gracious

I needed this one...

Gracious...Now I like that word. Not a Terrell Owens or Randy Moss word. No, this word is reserved for people who recognize that they are privileged to receive what they have been given. A gracious person is wonderful just to be around. So what is a gracious person?
A gracious person is slow to take credit and quick to lavish praise.
A gracious person never seeks to embarrass another. Humiliating another is not in this person's vocabulary. (And please...don't say something that humiliates another and then try to escape responsibility by saying, "I was only joking.")
A gracious person is always thanking others. Do you go through an entire day without thanking another?
A gracious person doesn't monopolize the conversation. Someone else has something to offer.
A gracious person doesn't try to play "one up-manship". ("That's nothing, you should have seen what I did!").
A gracious person pays attention to people. Sometimes people come away from such conversations saying, "He made me feel like I was the most important person at that moment."
A gracious person desires to say what is appropriate. He doesn't just say what is on his mind or whatever he might be thinking. (There is no redeeming value in emptying one's mind of whatever fleeting thought has happened to land at the moment).
A gracious person looks out for the comfort of others. "Would you like a cup of coffee? What about a coke? Can I get you a newspaper while I'm out?" etc.
A gracious person understands that she is not indispensable. You've seen this person. She desires constant attention. She has a way of constantly focusing most any conversation back on herself. There is a humility in realizing that you are dispensable.
A gracious person constantly points out the good that he sees. Maybe you are visiting a friend who lives in another place. Instead of pointing out the inadequacies of your friend's community, you are constantly finding things that are good. "This cafe has outstanding peach pie! That was delicious." "I just love the way you have planted your garden. It is beautiful!" Gracious people look for the good.

Jim Martin
Preacher of Crestview Church of Christ

WE HAVE ANOTHER NEW NIECE!

Hailey Fay Osborne was born last night around 8:10!!!

She weighs 8 lbs, 9 oz, and is 21" long.

Congratulations, Chris and Lindsey! Thanks for making us an uncle, and aunt, and cousins again!

carley's first worship experience, TT&R update and praise report

she couldn't have done better. :) yeah!!

she slept all the way through the service, even when she had to go up onto the stage with mr. eddie--and reagan--for mr. george to pray over her and ask the congregation to love her and be a support system for us as we raise her. (they do that with all the babies their first time to church and it's wonderful and so special.) i woke her up to feed her during class and she was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (even smiling at people) until lunch, when she fell asleep again.

thank you, Lord, for happy babies and loving church families.

updates on the other crazies: tyler and taylor have started basketball. it's fun and not always fun. their teams haven't had much practice and the school can't afford a coach yet so they're not learning too terribly much. this makes scott almost spontaneously combust but he's being patient and we know they're only in the sixth grade. they're both really quick, though (should we credit their dad or their papa?), and will be good ballers in the end. you wouldn't believe what scrappers they are. tyler has gotten a lot more aggressive than in baseball, which is great. taylor is a little stealer and she's so fun to watch.

reagan got into the communion bread and juice at church last week. ask him about it sometime. no wonder he kept saying he had to go to the bathroom. he's the crazy one. he got a new football friday night and i said, "another football? that makes about 17." he said, "mom, i haven't had a new one since 1983!"

and now for a praise report! bear with me. it's worth the read. (at least it will be to will and mel.)

i have been praying and have asked others to pray about our going home to alabama for christmas this year. it's not our year to go but we have a new baby, emily has a new baby, and my cousin has new twins. scott said friday that we can go (yippee!!) BUT airfare is really high right now (even southwest is almost three times what we usually pay) and driving uses up two days (and way too much energy and patience). so, we keep praying.

well, mom calls today and tells me that she has just received a free rapid rewards award that we can use. YEAH! that's a free ticket. thank you, Lord.

i know that we have a free one coming because of our american express points so i log on just now to get the points transferred over and we only lack 7 points. YEAH!!! that's free ticket #2. thank you, Lord.

next, however, when i log on to scott's southwest account, i see that he already has a free ticket that i didn't know about...BUT it expires on november 25!! i was just sick.

THEN i do a little more research and find the words"reinstate award."

come to find out, for a $50 fee, you can have them extend the expiration date another 12 months!!!

YEAH!! that's "free" (well, technically $50) ticket #3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU, LORD!!!

so, now we only have to pay for two tickets!

i think i'll hold out for two more free ones.

as beth moore would say, "Lord, please show up and BE BIG!"

Just some new pics

My crazy little man...

Our sweet baby girl...

Believe it or not, these children all belong to only two familes! Ella (3, with her Disney Princess hair from Magic Kingdom), Taylor, Carley, Emma (12, who was three the last time I saw her), Britton (9, for whose birth I spent all night at the hospital), Brayden (6, who doesn't like butter but "loves sour cream"), Reagan and Tyler

Thank you, Callan, for letting us borrow this sweet outfit!

Look how fun!

Scott's sister has a baby shower at work tomorrow so Mom and I made this diaper cake for her tonight. I'm just a little bit excited about it. lol (Just ask Mel. I made her pause ER to look at pictures.)

Goings on...

Yes, I'm blogging when I should be cleaning my house!


For the month of October, Reagan was chosen as the student who most exhibited the month's studied character trait: kind. He might not face the front like he should and he might be too rough on the playground sometimes and he might actually hit someone on the head with a block accidentally, but he's apparently kind. :) They gave out the award in chapel today.

Happy Halloween!

Darth Vader was in full effect on Halloween. He had to get a flu shot but the rest of the day was great because he got a good report at school and got to wear his costume everywhere, including to the doctor (for said shot) and to Smokey Bones for BBQ! :) Carley's bear costume was so huge and she just wanted to eat it so she ended up smiling and sleeping in the stroller while Darth Vader begged for candy (and lamented all the chocolate donations). Tyler and Taylor are in Alabama. We are so excited that they got to be with Nana and Papa during the Storytelling Festival but we missed them terribly. Before they left, we made a Gingerbread Haunted House. Not pretty but lots of fun.

And last, but not least...

HAPPY FALL, Y'ALL!

WORLD SERIES BOUND!

GO RAYS!

Yes, I'm up at midnight watching the Rays beat the Red Sox!!!

DR. BROWN ROCKS...so far

Carley had gotten fussier and fussier over the last two weeks and then had a rough weekend and a horrible day Tuesday (four hours of crying almost non-stop). Of course Scott is out of town.

The doc called me back yesterday and, assuming it's reflux or just colic (did I say JUST colic?!!), recommended Dr. Brown's bottles. I pumped immediately and flew to Target (while she screamed the whole way) to get the bottles, then fed her in the parking lot.

Believe it or not, she's been a different baby in the last 18 hours.

Thank the Lord. Pray it continues...and GO GET SOME DR. BROWN'S BOTTLES!

Oneness of Identity

"Who is this coming up from the wilderness Leaning on her beloved?" ~ Song of Solomon 8:5

In the book of the Bible, The Song of Solomon, there are several aspects of faithful commitment. The first is a oneness of identity. The question is asked, “Who is coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” (Song 8:5)

Solomon’s wife was unrecognizable as being distinguished from Solomon. They were one in the flesh and one in their place in society. Nobody perceived them as being apart from each other. That does not mean that Solomon’s wife lost all her identity as a person; it meant that nobody would dream of inviting Solomon to a social engagement without also inviting Solomon’s beloved wife, and nobody would think of flirting with Solomon because Solomon was committed to his wife and she to him.

We have all known couples who seem to go their separate ways even though they are still technically married. He does his thing, she does her thing, and the two of them rarely do the same thing.

That is not a faithful commitment. Marriage calls a person to a oneness of identity with another person.Paul urged, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church…Husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies” (Eph 5:25,28). This type of love is very personal. It requires a certain loss of self to take another person so completely into your own life that you make the other’s concerns equal to your own. That is a faithful commitment.

Does your marriage or relationship look like Solomon’s? Do you and your mate have a oneness of identity?

What are 2 ways that you could improve the unity in your marriage or relationship?

Will you commit to communicating these things to your spouse or significant other this week?

--Tommy Nelson

On a side note, please pray for my baby. I'm thinking she might have reflux. She has continued to get more and more fussy throughout the last week but it's been a really rough two days...

C&C

Will, Mel and Callan are here and it's so fun. Our lives have changed drastically--no more quick trips (or long trips) to Target or Classy Consignment without bottles, carriers and diapers--but we wouldn't change it. We so look forward to the girls playing "dreth-up" together one day. So much so that we put their pumpkin hats on and tried to take a picture. These are a few of the better ones (out of about 100). It is NOT easy to take pics of babies but it was fun.