What were you doing 4 years ago today?

Not many people will remember what they were doing four years ago today, but I do. I was running around like a chicken without a head. I wonder how that saying started??? If headless chickens do run around, then that's funny.... and weird!

Anyways, This time 4 years ago, I remember sitting on my washing machine having my pre- wedding melt down. It was the night before our wedding and I was a mess. I assume that all brides go though this. I've seen some on Bridezilla, but refuse to believe I could ever act like that ;)

My house was full of family that had come in from out of town. So to have what I thought was privacy, Larry and I went into the kitchen to talk. Since then my sister told me she heard our whole conversation while she should have been sleeping on the couch. Oh well, so much for privacy.

The conversation went something like this: I can't believe how much isn't done. There were all sorts of things that I wanted, things that right now I can't remember what in the world they were, but there was a lot of them. So you know they must have been crucial if I can't remember them now right?? :) I started to Squall, a word I have recently learned living in the country. "Squallen'" means you cry so hard that your eyes turn red and puffy and snot begins to run uncontrollably down you nose. It's a pretty gruesome sight, especially to a groom-to-be! The "for better or worse" wasn't supposed to start until the next day, But boy did Larry get a full dose of worse that night!

So as I'm squallen', I'm thinking this man has no idea what to do with me right now! And bless his heart, he didn't. BUT THEN, (I love BUT THENS in stories) he hugged me and said everything would be OK. He asked what was bothering me and what he could do to fix it. Then there was some pretty serious conversation about running off to Vegas and finding an Elvis to marry us and to heck with all the unfinished details!

After laughing through that thought. I calmed down. Larry spent the next 20 minutes convincing me that the important thing was we were getting married. The silly things I was worried about were just that, silly things that were not important. What was important was we would stand before our friends and family.. and GOD and declare our love to one another for the rest of our lives. Those silly details compared to our lifetime together wasn't enough to get that upset over. Wow! Perspective! Speaking Truth in Love. Maybe this man did know what to do with me after all.

So we got married. :) There were things that didn't go right, but I don't think of that now. What I do remember is the look on Larry's face as I walked down the isle to him. I remember laughing through our wedding (we haven't stopped laughing since then.) I remember thinking I had waited so long to meet the right man and get married. Wow! He was worth the wait!!!! God gave me a wonderful man whom he had been sculpting and growing for years. Then he gave Him to me. Next to my salvation, Larry is the best gift I have ever received.

And as these past four years have flown by so quickly! We have had to deal with so many BIG life changes in such a short amount of time. I figured it out recently, I have been pregnant or nursing for 43 of the past 48 months! So much for having the wife of your youth!

Having 2 children, one with a heart condition, Finishing grad school, moving to the country, starting life in the ministry and just living life together daily has been challenging to say the least. But just like the night before our wedding, Larry has been right by my side. Loving me, speaking Truth to me, making me laugh all the time, Loving me like Jesus would.

Are we perfect? Nope. Are we best friends? Yep! Are we so in love with one another that it hurts to be apart? You betcha! Is marriage hard work? Most defiantly yes! I have know nothing else in my life that has shown me my own sinfulness as much as being married has, But I wouldn't want it any other way. Because I have also known love so purely and deeply that I can only compare it to God's love.

So to my husband,

I love you more today that I ever thought possible 4 years ago, I can only imagine how deeply we will love one another 50 years from now. :)

And I have so many things to thank you for, Thank you for taking your vows seriously. Thank you for cultivating tender affection for me. Thank you for looking at me with that twinkle in you eye that melts my heart and makes me fall more deeply in love with you each time we touch. Thank you for providing our family a wonderful home and the financial security that enable me to stay home to raise our children. Thank you for making me feel like our marriage and family are your first priority behind your relationship with God. Thank you for honoring our marriage and holding it in such high esteem. Thank you for forgiving me and loving me though my many faults. Thank you for not keeping a record of my wrongs. Thank you for the countless hours of discussions we have had about our Lord. I know Jesus better now because I'm married to you. It makes me happy to know that when God sees us He sees the two of us together as one. Thank you for loving me like Jesus would. I am a blessed woman because of you. I am always your Beloved.

My Little tinkerbell

Eden has recently switched her favorite character from Dora to Tinkerbell. I think the costume that Aunt Abbey gave her has helped a lot. As a treat from her potty training I've been letting her wear her costume all the time. As we all know, You aren't allowed to pee-pee in your Tinkerbell costume, and it has worked. :)

The other day Eden spotted some deer across the road. Or as I've been recently informed the Blacktop :) So we ventured outside to search for the deer while Eden was wearing her costume. I thought it was so cute I had to get a few shots of it.


I've also started playing around with my CS4. These are a few of my favorite pictures so far. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm having so much fun learning :)

Eden made a sword just in case we needed to fight off some wild animals :)
We found a ladybug and I was so surprised that Eden wasn't afraid of it.
She wanted to hold it, "All by myself" which seems to be her mantra lately.

Looking for the deer

Eden found a flowering weed that she picked and then pulled apart. I think she still to young to do the, he loves me/ he loves me not flower petal pull. Of course, I'll always think she's to young for that :)

Toddler chores

It seems at this age my children love chores. Maybe it's because they are with me all day long and see me doing so many neat things like washing dishes and sweeping the floors that they think it's interesting (feel free to soak in the sarcasm). Or maybe they just want to do grown up things. Maybe they just want to play in the water? Who know? All I know is they love doing things along side of me, which for now can cause more trouble than help. However, I'm striving to teach them to see things like washing dishes and sweeping the floor as fun things we can do to praise God!

1 Cor 10:31 tells us we should do all things to the glory of God. Which means washing dishes, brushing our teeth and folding laundry should all be done to glorify God. Have you ever thought about what it means to brush your teeth to the glory of god? Even better, have you ever tried to teach it to a 2 year old?

And Phil 2:14 instructs us to do all things without complaining or grumbling. What great verses to be teaching my children. What a great verse to learn myself! It seems the things I'm trying to teach them are the same things I struggle with!!!!

I think God has a great sense of humor. When He created marriage and parenthood, I can imagine Him smiling playfully. He knew they would bring great joy, but they would also do more. Marriage and parenthood are the mirror in our lives that demonstrate the sinfulness of our hearts. I realized when I married Larry, that I had someone that could see the real me every day. Who you really are and and your sin nature can't easily be hidden from your spouse. Now I have children to add to that mix. They watch and mimic me all the time. What a huge responsibility!

It sunk in the other day that I have 2 sets of eyes watching me all day, every day and that my attitude towards life and God is shaping their hearts. I can't just say, we should do all things for God's glory, I shouldn't say not to grumble and complain to my children then turn around and do it myself. I have to LIVE it out in front of them!!! I have to ask myself on a pretty regular basis if I'm living out 1 Cor 10:31 and Phil 2:14 in front of my family. This parenthood thing is hard, but so very very good!

What are they planning?

Now I know my kids look innocent, but looks can be deceiving. I think I caught a plan in action with these two. You can see Eden's mind working......

Let make a plan.....I've got this awesome leopard purse, a squirt gun and a rubber ball. What kind of trouble can we get into?

Potty training shoot-out

I laughed so hard looking at this picture that I needed to go potty. This is yet another reason why I love my baby girl so much. She's a little nutty like her momma. Don't ask me why she thought goggles and a water gun were necessary for her to go potty, but she did. I try to have a philosophy of not sweating the small stuff and allowing imaginations to play freely. So having a shoot out in the bathroom is just a lot of fun. Whatever works right? :)

Reading with Yaya

Thankfully our children love to read. They also love their Yaya. Here are a few quite moments from our trip to Florida visiting Yaya and PawPaw.

Shhh Josiah, It's time to read
Really Yaya, what happened next?

Snuggling and reading about Jesus. Good times, Good times!

Uncle Brian

Looking back through our trip to Florida, I can't help but see why Eden loves her Uncle Brian so much. Some how he has captured her heart and she LOVES him. It's a running joke at our house that when it's time to be quite we say, "shhh" and Eden says "Brian's sleeping." She thinks he's narcolepsy :) He's not, he just works nights. When we visit we have to tell Eden to "shhhh, be quite b/c Brian's sleeping." Now the two are link in her mind. :)

While visiting Yaya's and PawPaw, Brian asked Eden if she wanted to go on a boat ride. Without hesitation she said yes and followed him. I think he could have asked her to go anywhere and she would have said yes, just to spend time with him. She thought she was such a big girl in her life vest and riding along side of him. She still is talking about her boat ride weeks latter.

So to my the man fortunate enough to have married my baby sister, You are blessed. My daughter loves you very much. And soon enough your daughter will be looking forward to going anywhere with you, just to spend time with you. If these women think of you so highly, there must be something special about you. :) I am happy that you have become a part of our family. I look forward to watching you grow into fatherhood as you lead Abbey and Peyton. You are a good man, and I'm proud you're my brother.

More of Peyton

Here are a few more pictures of "Baby Peyton." For some reason Eden will not just call her Peyton. It's "Baby Peyton" as if that's her first and last names. Which I think is really cute.

Another thing I think is really cute are these pictures of my niece. I talked with Abbey about posting these because they show Peyton's brace. When Peyton was born the pediatrician found that her hip was out of placement. Thankfully, it is not believed to be a major issue. However, as a new Momma, being told there is anything wrong with your baby can be incredibly difficult. Abbey handled it with grace and a wonderful this is what it is and how we'll deal with it attitude. It is another reason why I am so proud of how she has adjusted to motherhood.


Peyton's prognosis look very good. Her last MRI showed the bones growing properly. The doctor was very impressed with her improvement. If everything continues to grow properly, she will only have to wear the brace for a few more weeks.


When I took these pictures I asked Abbey what she thought of letting her brace be seen. Peyton wears her brace 24/7. So we couldn't take it off for pictures. Abbey didn't really know how she felt about it, but let me take some pictures in different outfits and in just the brace. I e-mailed her some of these and she loved them! These pictures capture Peyton and she said she was fine with me showing off her little girl :)

So here she is....... Baby Peyton :)

Sleeping beauty
Blue eyes

check out my super girl muscles!

Where is my thumb???

Cowgirl in the making

Corn on the cob

If this doesn't make you look forward to fresh summer veggies, you probably buy your corn in a can :)

Peyton's Newborn Pictures

This is a special Mother's day tribute to my awesome baby sister. Today is her first Mother's Day. Abbey gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Peyton Olivia, on April Fools. She has done so well adjusting to motherhood. Abbey has brought pride and joy to our family as she loves our newest addition. You are a blessing to us. I am so proud that you are my sister and best friend. Happy Mother's Day. I love you baby sister :)

This is an Inside joke for our family. I went to Florida State; Abbey went to University of Florida. Though I believe deep down Abbey is a Seminole at heart, I want to make sure Peyton is taught properly from the start. :)

This is one of my favorite shot of the bunch.

I love how sweet Peyton looks as she's resting, And check out those lips!

Momma's love.

I don't think Abbey intended to be in the shot, but she just wanted to kiss Peyton. Can you blame her? I would snuggle with her all day long if I could.

Stolen Kiss, Irish Cream and

Couch covers were in the wash.

Dancing green are the names of the colors we painted our living room and Eden's and Josiah's bathroom. I wonder how you get the job to name things like paint colors, or nail polish and lip sticks? That would be a cool job! You could sit around all day and think what does this color remind me of??? You could just make up stuff. Who really knows what shade of red stolen kiss is? I wonder why this particular shade made the namer think.... oh yeah, this looks like stolen kiss red!! Check please. :)

I digress, I have wanted to paint my walls red for years! I think it's my mom's fault. :) She let me paint my bedroom purple when I was in middle school. From that point on, I just thought walls should be painted a color. During college I lived in apartments and houses with roommates. I was not allowed to paint because it was a rental. Stark white walls scream to me, "temporary housing. Don't get comfortable, you're leaving soon!" They don't literally scream that, that's just how I felt living there. Then I moved to Wake Forest and lived in a duplex for 5 years. I had the most amazing Landlords who let me paint everything any color I wanted. So began my love for color.

Then we moved here, and we hit the ground running. The deacons painted our bedrooms for us and left white wall for us in the living room area. After moving in, we got pregnant and I didn't feel like I ever had time to paint. With a one and two year old I barely have time to take a shower every day much lass paint such a big room!

WELL that all changed this weekend. I finally got my red wall for Mother's Day. I decided because of our layout to just paint one wall red. The others are a yummy light toffee color called Irish Cream. It feels like home to me, warm, comfortable, colorful. Now my living room says, "come on in, sit down, curl up in this comfy room and lets hang out." I love that it says that! :)

I owe a great big thank you to my awesome in-laws. They came Thursday to visit, but to also help Larry and I while we painted. We had a blast. The Kids LOVE their Grandmamma and Big Daddy! I love when they visit. It's always a special treat. David is also my go to guy for painting. He does such a good job and will hang curtains afterwards. So we put them to work. Eden will always think of her Big Daddy in her Dancing Green Bathroom. Thank you so much for all your hard work. It looks GREAT :)

And to my AMAZING husband, thank you for working hard this weekend to make our home something I am proud of. You did an excellent job. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I am so happy with the end result. I am blessed to be your wife and the mother of your children. And be on alert, I'm going to try to steal some of your kisses, just so I can see if what stolen kiss red is suppose looks like ;-)

Coupon Princess at it again :)

On the last day of triple coupons I woke up and thought I HAVE to go to town! It was this crazy need to coupon shop that would cause the world to fall of it's axes and spin out of control in not fulfilled. No not really, But close to it!

Larry was planning to visit someone at the hospital anyways. So I thought we could spend some time together on the ride, I could drop him off and I could shop :) Win Win! And yes, we did bring the kids, who did GREAT!

I was happy to find most of the item I had coupons for were well stocked. I also had a coupon from BabiesRUs for a free case of diapers. Which was worth $41.99 :) So My total was $189.37 minus the 135.12 in coupons and VIC savings for a total oop (out of pocket) $55.25! CHA-CHING! I saved $134.12!