Where Did The Time Go??????

Wow, I can't believe it... Where did all this time go? The past 5 years have come and gone in the blink of an eye. This precious little girl starts kindergarten tomorrow..... Let me wipe my tears before I even begin. It was just yesterday that she was born and Chad was all googly eyed over his new baby girl. I planed out her entire life as soon as they said "it's a girl" and wisped her away.... So far this spunky little fire ball has shown me she has her own plans, and I'm okay with that. You see that little smirk and those big blue eyes... usually that is all it takes. She has such a strong will and I know that will take her far in life.

When I think back to all the time that has passed, I am so grateful for how we spent it. I am so grateful I . have been given this time to be with her everyday. I am grateful for our snuggles and our giggles. When I get upset over something she has done, I try and remember how grateful I am for this gift of spunk that God put in our life. I am also grateful for what she has to offer others.

I always pray to make the right decisions for my children, especially when it comes to entrusting them with someone else. When I drop her off in the morning, with all my tears and anxiousness, I will know that at this point she is where God has laid on my heart for her to be. That may change at 3:45 when I pick her up, but as for now I know she will love it. I look forward to the next 13 years hearing how she has made new friends, how she has made others laugh, how she has made her teachers proud/frustrated, how she has succeeded in school, and mostly how her light has shined for others to see. Every time I question myself... should I attempt home school? She we attempt a private Christian school???  I always hear the song  "He is Mighty To Save" in my head....

Shine your light and let the whole world see, 
We're singing for the glory of the risen King... Jesus 
My Saviour, He can move the mountains, 
My God is Mighty to save, 
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation, 
He rose and conquered the grave, 
Jesus conquered the grave.

My Saviour, you can move the mountains, 
You are mighty to save, 
You are mighty to save.
Forever, Author of Salvation, 
You rose and conquered the grave, 
Yes you conquered the grave

The reason I hear this is because of the line highlighted. Shine your light and let the whole world see.... Sydney has such a light that attracts others. Perfect strangers will talk to her and she talks to them like she has known them her entire short 5 years. :) My prayer for her is that she will let that light shine for others to see. My prayer is she makes friends with kids who don't have a Church or know anything about Jesus and her share her love for Jesus with them. My prayer is for her to be able to pray with and for her friends in need. I pray that teachers who need Jesus will see the light in her little eyes and wonder what it is all about. I pray that even during the hardest times of peer pressure that Sydney can stand strong and not flinch when it comes to making the right decision and her friends will see that and follow...

I know it won't be all roses, Cole has shown me that... :) But while they all three are learning to live in this world and not be part of this world, I pray they are the ones that others look at and wonder what they have... and prayerfully they will come to know Jesus through them.

In the morning, say a prayer for me that I make it through the day.... I know Sydney will make it through, but I may not make it out of the parking lot....

What being a Parent is REALLY all about... My sweet Syd...

On August 24th, 2008 My husband and I both accepted Christ as our savior. What a glorious day that will always be. Not only because I know I will spend my eternity in Heaven, but because it set a foundation for my children and generations to come. 

After that day, I knew immediately  that it was more than my relationship with Christ that mattered. I knew it meant making a commitment to be in Church, be in the Word, and do all that I could to learn more and do more. My "spot" in heaven wasn't enough for me. Chad and I both knew in order for our family to experience the joys of eternal life, we had to live it out in front of our children. By NO means have we been perfect, actually far from it. But we have done the best we know how. 

On August 26th, 2011, Cole accepted Christ as his savior. It was so sweet. We were sitting at the kitchen table and Cole started asking me questions about Heaven. Our conversation led to Cole asking me when he could ask Jesus in his heart. I told him he could ask any time he was ready. He said he was ready. He wanted to wait for Chad, so that night when Chad came home, we prayed together as we were going to bed. I have rejoiced everyday since then. I have also double checked him on a frequent basis. I want to make sure he always understands and always makes decisions on his own. He is such a smart boy, and he has always made me proud to be his mama. 

So, here we are a year and a half later. 4/2/2013. Approximately 7:30pm....... Sydney loves the Easter Story. I actually let her watch the most recent episode of "The Bible" series on Easter night. It showed everything from his Crucifixion to his Resurrection. There were a few inconsistencies in the story, but nothing that would have made me not watch it. When Jesus rose, it shows Mary Magdalene going into the tomb and no one was around. We know in the Bible it says an angel was there and said to Mary and Mary Magdalene, for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified...   Sydney sat up and said, WAIT where is the angel? She is very aware of what it is about and what happened on that day..... SO back to tonight.... We have the resurrection eggs, which tells the story of Easter. (I highly suggest you get them if you don't have them.) Sydney asked if we could do the eggs, so we did. I think I love the story as much as she does... At the end, there is a white egg and it is empty. (All of the eggs have different things in them that help tell the story.) When I opened the egg, she smiles really big and says, "HE HAS RISEN! JESUS IS ALIVE!" I loved hearing her say that. The last sentence in the book is John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that who so ever believes in him shall not perish, but have ever lasting life.  After I read that, Sydney says He died for our sins. Your sins, my sins, Brycegullie's sins. (she loves bryce gullie.) I said, yes he did. She then says, "I haven't asked Jesus in my heart." I said, do you want to? She said, "yes, when can I?" I said, " When do you want to?" She smiled and said, "now." So... At approximately 7:30 pm my sweet girl bowed her head and prayed for Jesus to come into her heart.

 It was absolutely precious. Do you hear me???? Do you understand me???? IT WAS ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS! Not just because she is cute and it sounded cute. It was ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS because I know that my Jesus loves us so much that he works through us. I have had the opportunity to lead 2 of my babies to the Lord. I know it is not through me that they have gotten to a place where they love Jesus. We belong to the most amazing Church, with the most amazing teachers. They love on our babies and teach the the Gospel from Birth. They don't just go sit in a Nursery and are "babysat" while Mom and Dad are fed the word. They are learning the word too. They are hearing about Jesus every time those little feet pitter patter on the grounds of the Church. We host a Bible Study in our home and their little ears are always burning and hearing the adults talk, and they pick up on the love we have for Jesus. We pray together, we learn together, we PRAISE Jesus together...

I remember before August 24th 2008, I had a desire to know more, but my ears were not open to hear more. I am sure I had a dozen opportunities to accept my salvation. I passed them bye.... and bye... and bye.... If you would have asked me on August 23rd, 2008, Kendall.... do you know for sure if you died TODAY would you go to heaven? My answer would have been, well I think so. I mean I hope so???? I am a good person. I have a good heart. I have good intentions....So I mean, sure I think so.... I didn't know that thinking so wouldn't get me there.... If you "think" so, and you don't "know" so you can ALWAYS "know" so. It isn't your WORKS that get you to heaven. “NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5) .  Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.” Praise God it isn't of Works... When would we have "worked" enough to get us there? It is just by simple faith. SIMPLE FAITH. Not questioning if one is right or wrong, just plain faith. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. That's God's grace! Like it or not, you are just too sinful and wicked to save yourself—you CANNOT earn your way into Heaven. Isn't that Great? I mean really, ISN'T that GREAT! 

I know that my babies are still young. There is an age of responsibility (which isn't a specific age, it is an age of understanding) and if anything happened to my young babies before they could make this decision, we know they would be in heaven. That is why God asks us to have a "child like" faith. Matthew 18: 1-3 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. But PRAISE God, when my children are 15, 16 years old they will have known for most of their life that JESUS is where their faith is.

Being a parent is so much more than loving your children. It is more than making sure they are fed, and entertained, and educated and so on and so on.  Our Children are Blessings from above, and it is our responsibility to lead them to the ways of the Lord. Oh, what a blessing they are!

3 John 1-4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Ephesians 6:4  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord

Deuteronomy 6:7  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Do you have Child Like Faith? Or do you find yourself looking for answers and turning from the truth? Do you KNOW that you KNOW  that you are going to heaven or do you THINK that you HOPE you are going to heaven? It really is SO SIMPLE that even my little SYD can have faith and KNOW that she KNOWS. Just ask with your mouth and receive with your heart. It is a free gift, but you can't have a free gift until you reach out and RECEIVE it. 

It is obvious that I adore these sweet blessings, and I am forever grateful that God has let me borrow them for our short time here on earth.... and I am even more Grateful to know we will spend our eternity together....

I am thinking this is God's way of getting my attention

Once again, it has been a while since I have blogged about anything. Life gets so busy, and I barely remember what happened 5 minutes prior...as a parent, you know how it gets..as a Mom you don't remember what it was ever like before kids. I hear younger girls talk about a good book they have recently read, or "running" in the mall for a quick buy, or going to see a new movie that was recently released.... And I giggle to myself. My good books are children's bible stories,  my "run" in the mall for a quick buy would entail riding the train, wasting quarters on rides that barely move, and walking by the trampoline that cost 20 dollars a shot while dragging 3 kids by the hair explaining that daddy would kill me if I spent 60 bucks for 5 mins of fun :) and that good movie, maybe one day... But I wouldn't change it for a million dollars.

Also, (is that even a transition word to start a new paragraph???) as a parent, you are probably used to hearing a child say Mommy 1000 times. Our home sounds a little like this... mommy, I am hungry. Mommy, I want my breakfast. Mommy, is it ready yet. Mommy, my drink spilled! Mommy, I need a different shirt on. Mommy, I want a snack. Mommy, I need to go potty. Mommy, I need to wash my hands. Mommy, where is my train. Mommy, get him off of me! Mommy, can we go outside. Mommy, where are you? Mommy, mommy, where is Mommy? There are times when I feel suffocated. Times when I want to go hide in a closet and pray they don't find me. Times when I wonder why I chose to stay home. Times when I have more anxiety over hearing Mommy, than I would if they called me something different....

The other day, I had heard "Mommy" to a point where I was breaking. My hair had syrup in it, my shirt was stretched out from where Preston reached for me, I was hot, and I turn around and Sydney says, "mommy, Preston pulled my hair!" This is where I pause...... In the middle of almost crying because I had honestly had more than I could take, it was like Jesus whispered..... Why don't you need me like that? I literally stopped and said, I hear you.... And I wasn't talking to my children.... My children rely on me for everything. I know they are capable of helping themselves most of the time, but they still come to me for the final approval. They need me for things as simple as going upstairs to fetch a toy. Simple simple things. One day, they will grow up and not realize they need me. Not call on me for their simple things and maybe not even their big things.... I will be heartbroken, and miss them.... Just like God misses me...

What if.... What if I went to my heavenly father as often as my children come to me? What if I shouted, oh Jesus, help me.... As often as they ask me? It was as if Jesus whispered , I miss you, why don't you need me? Oh, Jesus, I need you desperately. I wouldn't feel so anxious or overwhelmed, I would realize my blessings and guide my children in the direction of obedience..... I wouldn't want to hide or want to change my name....

It was as if he whispered..... I am still right here, even when you abandon me,  I am patiently waiting for you to need me like they need you...

Thank you, Jesus. Your reminders are always on time...

Thankful for Good Friday

It has been a while since I have written a blog... Life gets so busy. I am usually spending most of my days refereeing a fight, kissing a boo boo and putting a bandaid on a non-existent scratch, picking up toys, cleaning spilled milk, scraping dried food off the wall, pulling children off of the counters, out of the refrigerator, closing snack drawers, coloring, playing with play dough, making a course for a bike ride or a power wheels ride, throwing baseballs, or catching basketballs before they roll in the road... That is just a glimpse of the first few hours of the day...BUT on today, Good Friday, I am making time to blog...

Good Friday isn't just a day everyone has off from school or work for a 3 day weekend... It isn't a day to catch all of the good sales at the Mall. Good Friday is the day that The Lord, Jesus Christ SUFFERED on the Cross for OUR Sins. As the day goes on, you can wonder what happened at each time, and how did Jesus feel as he was Bearing OUR Sins.... You should take some time to think.... have you accepted him as your savior? Or have you tried to take the thought out of your mind when it crosses it???

From Matthew 27-28

The Crucifixion of Jesus

³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[d]
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,^[f] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
⁶⁵ “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 28

Jesus Has Risen

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”



MY FAVORITE PART is Matthew 28- JESUS HAS RISEN!

This, I am thankful for. I am thankful as I lay in the bed with my 3 children knowing that he bears their sin as well. What have we done to deserve this? We have done nothing... What CAN WE DO to be thankful for this? SO MUCH. My first way of Praising him and thanking him is by teaching my Children the truth. Teaching them that Jesus is the truth, the life and the way. Back in August, Cole accepted him as his savior, and I am prayerful that Sydney is well on her way. She loves to talk about Jesus and what he did for us. She is all confused why we celebrate a Big Crazy looking bunny when Easter is about Jesus. So thankful she has that foundation.... And Preston, he loves to pray and with any question asked to him, he is pretty sure the right answer is always JESUS! And he is so right! Jesus is ALWAYS the right answer!

HAPPY EASTER!

A Prayerful Life...

I wish there was a voice option on this blog. I love hearing my children talking, especially when it is something so special....

At the beginning of the year, I wrote down more goals. I think resolutions are made to break, so I have goals with set guidelines. One of my goals this year was to make my prayer life more meaningful and impactful. As I was deciding how I would do this, I prayed about it. Smart huh?
So, that next Sunday at Church, Preacher Upchurch preached about Jabez and the Prayer of Jabez. I have heard this story a few times and had actually tried remembering to pray it, but never would more than a few days. Since one of my goals was to have a better prayer life, I thought what a great way to start.

Another goal of mine was to help my children have a better prayer life. Cole has always been a faithful prayer warrior. His prayers are always powerful and pleasing to hear. Sydney still says the Now I lay me prayer and tries to skip a few lines to get to the amen. Then she sings Praise and Worship songs with her version of how it should go. My favorite is, "Go tell it on the Mountain, over the hills and every Wheeerrreee, Go tell it on the Mountain, that Jesus Christ is 4!  Preston, loves to pray because I will say it first, and then he will say it after me. Sometimes though, he tries to "surprise" me by skipping ahead and gives me big eyes to say, hey! I bet you are proud of me... Then he smiles real big.

So, the other night I was trying to decide, How do I teach my children to Pray BIG when sometimes I fail at praying BIG??? Then it came to me! Teach them the prayer of Jabez. You can never be to young to ask God to Bless you, Bless you Indeed!

For those who don't know what the Prayer of Jabez is, here is a little synopsis. (I got this from http://www.allaboutprayer.org/prayer-of-jabez.htm)
The Prayer of Jabez comes from the Bible. In 1 Chronicles 4:10, we read: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested." The prayer is composed of four parts. First, Jabez asks God to bless him. Second, he asks God to enlarge his territory or increase his responsibility. Third, he prays that God will be with him and stay close. Lastly, Jabez asks that God keep him from harm so that he will be free from pain.

 Prayer of Jabez: Why is it important?The Prayer of Jabez reveals that Jabez understands what many people do not -- there is only one God and He should be the center of our work God wants to bless every life. But, we must first make the choice to invite God into our life and ask for His blessings. Jabez wants to succeed and increase his sphere of influence for God. The specific sphere of influence is not important. What is important is that when we want to reach for goals and accomplishments that we have God on our side. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." It is critical to understand and practice this in a close relationship with God. Further, it is equally important to stay close to God and rely on His continued support and guidance throughout life. Jabez clearly knows and prays specifically to the One who can protect him from evil and pain -- God. At the end of the verse it is clear that God approved of this faithful prayer by granting it. It is also important to see that Jabez was passionate in his plea to God: "He cried out to the God of Israel." God wants to hear that we need Him through passionate prayer.


I decided to start off and make it simple for the kids to understand. The say, Dear Lord, enlarge my territory and bless me, bless me indeed..... Cole, in such a mature way, says it and means it with all of his heart. Sydney has a hard time pronouncing territory, and as soon as she says it, she ask me what her territory is.... She is exactly like me. She has to know the reason behind everything before she agrees to do it. And my sweet Preston. I love to hear him say it. He tries his best. He says LOWD, bess me bess me deed. Pan my ter... ory. Amen. Love you Jesus, Inks. :) What a blessing it is. I just keep thinking how important it is to teach them more than, Now I lay me. I think it shouldn't matter their age. If you can teach them to words, the meaning will come...

Chad and I feel such a responsibility to raise our children to be God Fearing......  in Proverbs it says, "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life." If we don't plant the seed, how will it grow? Our Children will always see their parents be faithful.... If we skip a beat, they may too.... So, Lord.. I ask you to Bless my children... Bless them indeed... and please Lord Expand their territory and give them the desire to have a heart for you... Amen.

Thankful

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had! I absolutely love being with my family..... Everyone in my family.... The kids and I went to Greenville on Wednesday (Chad was working). Wednesday night, my brother came down and my sister and her family came over to Mama and Daddy's. Daddy made a fire and we roasted marshmallows and made smores.... Well, that isn't exactly how it went. It was more like this.... The 6 kids burned marshmallows, would bring them out, try to blow on them, but it wouldn't blow out... So they ended up in the fire. Then they would get the hershey bars and break off pieces of chocolate and eat a bite, and then give one of the dogs a bite.... And I made smores. I realized after about the 4th one that I didn't need to eat anymore....

Chad showed up really late Wednesday night, so needless to say, the kids waited until he got there. Preston has completely turned into a Daddy's boy. He loves everything about Chad. He kept saying, "I sleep RIGHT NOW with Daddy." But Chad hadn't arrived yet. Finally around 11pm, he showed up. Preston refused to go to bed until he got there. He follows Chad around like his little shadow. When you ask him how much he loves daddy, he smiles and says, "BIG!!!!" I just love him!

Thursday Daddy and Chad and Charles went and played golf, and Mama and I prepared our Thanksgiving lunch... Yes I said Prepared... My daddy had been cooking all week, so there wasn't much cooking to do. The food was soooo delicious! Cole absolutely loves the idea of being together with family. He thinks it is great to go and play with his cousins and have Poppi act "CRAZY" and have Mimi slip him soft drinks and candy.

Chad had to drive back to Fuquay Thursday night. He had to work on Friday and my poor Preston..... He cried as he watched Chad's truck pull away with our Golden Dodger, aka Bubba... He just cried, DADDY, BUBBA, DADDY, BUBBA! I tried taking him away from the window, but little tears just fell down his cheek. He just longs to be with Daddy...

Thursday night, Mama and Daddy babysat my kids and I went to the movies with Shannon and Charles. I LOVE my sister and brother. Some how when we are all together alone (not often) the most ODD subjects are talked about, a few foul noises are heard (from Charles of course), and MANY MANY laughs are had. Usually Shannon says something that didn't exactly make much sense, I am the one who calls it out, Charles shakes his head and we all loose our breath laughing.

We were able to catch a great deal and get into the movie for free... When we arrived, I thought it may be a private showing because we seemed to be the only breathing creatures other than the few girls working the snack stand. Charles refused to get popcorn because he swears the kids who run the popcorn stand probably pee in it at night... His face told the story... YES, he admits he had friends who did that when they were young.... hmmmm. Can I get a small popcorn with butter and a small coke zero.??? Thank you... Didn't taste like urine to me.... :) We get into the movie, and it is pitch black with no one in it... About 5 mins after it was supposed to start, Charles gets up to go tell them there is no movie... They start the movie and we were lucky.... They skipped the previews... Only Shannon would think that stinks.... She wanted to see the previews.... Our typical movie goes like this. Shannon- Oh wow! I want to see that!!! Charles- Shannon, don't be like Dad and talk through the movie... Me- Is somebody going to help me eat this popcorn???? Shannon- I will.... 10 mins later.... Me- You want popcorn? Shannon- Yes.... doesn't get any though... Shannon- What just happened? Charles- Stop talking in the movie.... Shannon- bust out laughing... Me- Is somebody going to eat this popcorn? Shannon- yes, me.... never gets any....

We leave the movie (which was great) and Shannon is ready to take a picture. I think we were definitely the only ones in the theater at this point. We are saying Cheese like 4 or 5 times and the pictures kind of takes but not great... Next thing you see, Charles starts running to the car....never really got the picture and he wasn't really worried about it... Typical man, typical brother.... love him so much!

 This is Charles and his wife Whitney.... Cole has a crush on her...

 My sister Shannon.... I call her Nae Nae

                                         Us as three little trouble makers and dirty mouths.

I sure miss my family. I miss my sister and brother and mom and dad. Charles lives in Richmond, Va and I only see him a few times a year. Wonder why? Because it takes 4 hours to get there... What a lame excuse. I've got to get better about that! He is my baby brother. Even if he is a 31 year old 6 ft married man.... Who I will add maybe one of the best looking men around...:) I miss my sister too. We have so much fun when we are together. We are polar opposites in almost every aspect of who we are, yet we understand each other better than anyone else ever could. Her kids are my kids best friends and I love that.

I can't wait for Christmas..... November and December are my favorite months of every year!!!

Birthdays

This past month has been filled with birthdays. Friends, family, animals, mine and Chad's. I have been thinking a lot lately.... What is a birthday? The dictionary describes it as the annual day of one's birth. But I disagree. I think beside the word birthday, it should have balloons, a cake, friends, family and pictures of good times. That is always what a birthday was to me when I was growing up. Some say, oh it's just another day.... Well, you are very wrong if you say that. A birthday is a day you make someone feel special and celebrate them being born. I think it is a day you should let that person know how grateful you are for them and what they mean to you..... Today is Chad's birthday,  and I know he felt the love of his friends and family. And I let him know specifically how grateful I am that he was born...

 All of the above is the "earthly" birthday we celebrate. Where I have put my thoughts are the other "birthdays" we should celebrate. August 24th, 2008 is the day Chad and I both accepted Christ and became "born again" Christians. We absolutely acknowledge this day each year, but next year I think we will really celebrate. I am going to get balloons and a cake, and maybe even have a party. This is the "birthday" I am the most grateful for. This is the day God wrote my name in the book of life. This is the day that I felt peace over me knowing I made the decision to accept Christ as my Savior and saved a spot for me in heaven..This my friend..... is a day to celebrate...

Another "birthday" to celebrate are the one's that are probably the hardest to celebrate. That day would be the day the ones we know that accepted heaven as their home and have already entered the Pearly gates. You know there was a party when they arrived. Jesus probably greeted them while the Angels were singing.... I think I will start to celebrate those days as well....

I recently started reading a blog my sister told me about http://byrdhouse-byrdsnest.blogspot.com
after many many tears and heartbreak, I realized they will celebrate too. What an amazing faith in God this family has. Her faith is unshakable through out the storm. I pray I too could be so strong.

All of these days are considered "birthdays," and I am ready to celebrate them all....

Below are some pictures my friend April Fraley did for me.... They were a gift to Chad for his birthday....