Our Full Life

Fresh Faces

2009-07-05T16:04:00.003-06:00

Landon and Lanie Ann were chosen for a "Fresh Faces" session with a local photographer to update her profile. Lanie Ann was very shy and wasn't going to get off my hip and Landon was excited he was going to be famous and posed like a professional. We had fun and May was so sweet. She has posted a sneak peek on her blog, so go check it out!
http://mayharrison.blogspot.com

We did it!!!

2009-05-27T21:46:00.007-06:00

Our family made it through Kindergarten. You may remember, the beginning was rough! Well, by the grace of God, our family and friends prayer and support, & Ms. Cockrell's patience we made it through that tough time. I remember thinking if we can just make it to... and now it's over! Where did it go?
Landon has come so far emotionally, physically and intellectually. We are so proud of him!
He had a great last day and a wonderful Graduation tonight. I have to admit, Nana, Grandmother and myself were torn up, borderline ugly cry. It's just hard for mother's to watch as their little ones grow up.
Wr appreciate our loving family coming to support Landon in his achievement and help us celebrate!
Congratulations, Landon! We Love You!!!

And the winner is...

2009-05-21T16:02:00.003-06:00

Our little (well not too little) boy was honored today at his school awards day by receiving the "Citizenship" Award. I can't tell you how proud this makes a Mom and Dad! I had to fight back the tears as I saw the biggest smile on his face and as I explained to him how proud this award made me. It showed that he puts others first, treats children and adults with respect and makes good choices. As we all know, this isn't an easy task. It is a lot easier to get frustrated, say exactly what we think and not put others first.
Of course we want Landon to be a bright child, learning all that he can, but most of all, we want him to love others like Jesus.
We are so blessed to have a child that has a heart for others. I can't tell you what it meant to me today to be stopped by other parents, teachers, guidance counselor, even a substitute teacher and told how much my child deserved that honor.
We love YOU, Landon Cooper!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lanie Ann!

2009-05-18T19:23:00.006-06:00

Lanie Ann, You are two and we don't know where the time has gone! You have made the last two years such a joy. You add that sweet little girl touch to our family that we were missing. Your Daddy, Bubba and Mommy so enjoy watching you take such good care of your babies. You are the best little mommy I know.
The relationship you and Bubba share is simply precious. You both have such a deep love and adoration for each other.
Words cannot express what you mean to us and how much we love you! We are so thankful God blessed us with you!

You are so special and we wanted you to have a very special day doing exactly what you love. Ba, Nana, Grandmother, Granddaddy, Mommy and Daddy worked so hard to create the best "Little Mommy" Birthday party I've ever seen. Complete with strollers, carseats, changing table with real wipes and diapers, and diaper bags with your friend's baby's name on them.
Ba painted your nails for the first time and then we "played" mommy and opened presents. You were the cutest thing, screaming out with excitement when you opened each gift, especially the babies.
You sang "Happy Birthday" to yourself and blew out your candle.

Happy Birthday, precious girl! All our Love!

Lanie Ann is TWO!!!

2009-05-17T20:48:00.001-06:00

Our precious baby girl turned two today. We had a perfect day! More to come soon!
We Love You Precious Girl!!!!

Easter at Nana & PawPaw's

2009-04-12T20:52:00.000-06:00

We spent our Easter evening at Nana & PawPaw's. We had a great easter egg hunt and I'm not sure who had more fun, Landon, Lanie Ann or Granddaddy.
The children had fun digging through their baskets and we had a delicious meal. Easter is such a special time for Christ followers, it's about so much more than the eggs, baskets and bunnies. That is all so much fun, and especially to watch the children's excitement. But most importantly, we get to celebrate the One who died on the cross for our sins and then rose from the grave!

Easter Brunch

2009-04-12T20:48:00.000-06:00

We went to meet Papa Jerry and Nana Sherry for brunch Easter morning. We didn't get a group picture this year, but a good time and full belly was had by all.

Easter Morning...

2009-04-12T20:09:00.000-06:00

We had a fairly relaxed Easter morning. The children had fun seeing what the Easter Bunny brought. We tried for a few pictures, which isn't as easy with two. Then we headed off for brunch an hour early. A great start to a great day!

Easter Eve

2009-04-11T20:30:00.000-06:00

We spent Easter eve with Nonie and Pop. They delivered the children's Easter baskets, which was so much fun. Then we went to our Saturday night Easter service. We had a wonderful service celebrating our Risen Savior. Lanie Ann wore a beautiful dress that Nonie made her.
Next, off to a late, but delicious dinner at Outback. Thanks Nonie & Pop!

Good Friday

2009-04-10T20:10:00.000-06:00

Well we didn't expect to spend Good Friday this way, what an experience! We are very thankful for two things: first our Savior who died on a cross for our sins and Rose again, and second, our safety through this storm. We spent two hours locked down in the fitting room at Kohl's, We were shoulder to shoulder with strangers and it was hot. We were amazingly calm as we would get word of where the tornado had touched down and where it was headed. This picture of the children is after they moved half of the people to another fitting room and we could actually sit down.
The picture of the tornado was sent to me from a friend.

Easter Egg hunt

2009-04-09T15:23:00.000-06:00

We had a great neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt the Saturday before Easter weekend. The children were divided by age group, so Joey went with one and I went with the other. Both armed with a camera and then we switched. It was so much fun! Lanie Ann did great and was so excited they had "tandy" in them. Landon was very motivated and methodical, having a game plan he and his Daddy devised. He hit the back yard first, while all the other children ran straight for the front. So fun!

Tooth #5!!!

2009-03-15T19:30:00.003-06:00

Today after church, we were having a quick hot dog for lunch. Landon jumped up and started screaming, letting all of his food fall out of his mouth and onto the floor. Apparently he bit on his loose tooth. Well, it was all over after that. Mom had to step in and take control of the situation. I used my "pinching" technique pretty aggressively, because I knew I only had one shot. So, as you can see, our boy has now lost FIVE teeth!

Prayer Please!!!

2009-03-13T22:41:00.002-06:00

Please be in prayer for our dear friends, Alison and Brad and their sweet girls. You can go to Alison's blog to read about baby Charlotte. www.adoptionphotoblog.com
Alison and Brad are so precious to us. We ask you to commit to pray for their family with us.

Red Envelope Project

2009-03-06T17:47:00.002-06:00

I read about this on a friends blog and I was immediately in!!! If you know me, you know I have always been passionate about SAVING BABIES, NO ABORTIONS!!! Well, as we all know, our current president doesn't support this belief, but quite the opposite.
This site challenged me to do the following:

"Here is what I would like you to do:
Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington , D.C. 20500
On the back, write the following message.

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.
Put it in the mail on March 31st, and send it. Then send this website to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

Warmly, Christ Otto

Let's Send 50 Million red envelopes (and Counting) to the President!"

The website is below, if you would like to read more about this.
www.redenvelopeproject.org/index.php

Please join me in this effort. It can't hurt!

Happy 6th Birthday, Landon Cooper!

2009-03-06T06:35:00.000-06:00

Landon, I cannot believe that you are six years old today! Six years ago, at 6:04pm, you surprised us by making a grand entrance to say the least! Five and a half weeks early, God decided it was time for your Mommy and Daddy to meet you. What a wonderful time it was! You made me a Mommy, which I had always wanted to be. You were the most precious, big(8lbs. 5oz.) baby boy with a head full of dark hair. You were beautiful! You still are, inside and out! You have such a tender, loving heart. You have been complimented for being so kind and such a gentleman at school. You work so hard and give 110%! You also work hard to make good choices, which makes Mommy and Daddy even more proud of you.
You are the best big brother I have ever seen, loving your baby sister unconditionally. She adores you and follows your every move.
I have to admit, it's hard to "let" you grow up, but it has been such a joy to watch you become the boy you are. I am so thankful God chose me to be your Mommy. I look forward to seeing the huge plans He has for your life.
We love you with all of our hearts!!!!
Happy 6th Birthday, Landon Cooper

Leaves!!!!

2009-02-18T21:14:00.003-06:00

We went to Cannonsburg a couple of weekends ago for Ba to take some pictures for her media class. We decided to tag along and enjoy the warm, but windy day. While Ba and Landon were busy with their photo shoot, Lanie Ann and I tried to snap a few pictures. We enjoyed the day and laughed a lot, which is always a much needed thing!

You've gotta check this out!!!

2009-02-17T22:41:00.002-06:00

You must pop over to this site and check out some beautiful jewelry! My friend, Monica, has a talent and it shows. Not only does she make beautiful jewelry, but she is making a difference in the lives of others. She gives a portion of the proceeds to The Common Bond foundation. This foundation focus' on offering encouragement and assistance to mothers and families who have children battling life threatening illnesses.
I've already made my wish list, now go and make yours! ;-)
www.imagejewelry.blogspot.com

21 Months!

2009-02-17T21:20:00.000-06:00

Lanie Ann, You are 21 months today! My, my time goes faster every month. I could go on about you forever. I will say, you are the prettiest, sweetest baby girl ever! I get such joy watching you play babies all day long. You are such a good mommy to your babies, taking better care of them than some adults would. You are such a nurturing and caring child, and that is a blessing! You may be tiny, but you have a huge personality! You are talking so much more and you sing! Oh, how precious it is to hear you sing "Jesus Loves Me" to your babies like I did to you. Fortunately, it seems you got your Daddy's rhythm and love of dancing. You can cut a rug!
I am so thankful for you and all you add to our lives! God certainly blessed us when he allowed us to be your family. We Love You baby girl!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2009-02-14T23:03:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Valentine's! Mine started off with beautiful Red Roses and a wonderful evening with my husband and friends at Romance and Roses. It was our 10th annual R&R and it was incredible! The setting was amazing, delicious food, great company, awesome music, great "couple time," and an incredible magician with an even more incredible testimony.
The we continued celebrating today with our annual family dinner with the Bynum's at our local Japanese Restaurant. It was delicious and the company was even better! We capped the night off with dessert and Rock Band at our house.
What a wonderful weekend celebrating love and our marriage, which we are so thankful for!

Brushy, Brushy, Brushy

2009-02-04T11:56:00.004-06:00

Lanie Ann has been so good about brushing her teeth morning and night with Mommy. This morning she came in with her stool, which she carries around with her everywhere. I thought it was so cute and had to grab the camera. Notice she took her "pass" out long enough to brush and then put it right back in.

Bubba and Sissy

2009-02-04T11:52:00.002-06:00

These two are inseparable and I love it! They are so precious to watch and listen to. "Do you want Bubba to pass ball with you "prinsuss?""
"Hi precious girl!"
"Bubba, Bubba, Bubba"
Here are a couple of sibling pics.

Random Lanie Ann cuteness...

2009-02-04T11:49:00.001-06:00

Jack of all trades!

2009-02-04T11:42:00.003-06:00

You've heard the saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none." That pretty much sums me up!
This is my latest hobby, sewing dresses. I am having a blast!
Here are a few I've made. I kind of went a little crazy and bought a lot of fabric, so if you see one you would like a dress made out of let me know. Oh, and they are reversible, two dresses in one!
Just leave a comment or email me for more info.
Also, if you have a friend that may be interested, please pass along my info. Thanks!

I've Lost my mind!!!

2009-01-21T21:06:00.002-06:00

Well, let's just say I can't say, "No."
A mom at school asked me if I could take an adult apron and cut it down to make a child's apron and use the scraps to make a bonnet so her daughter could be "Little Bo Peep" Friday for school. Me, being me, said sure! I will come up with something.
Well the adult apron couldn't be used, it was huge with pockets and buckles, useless.
I decided to cut my white tablecloth and use scraps from the recent dresses I had attempted to make and make an apron and bonnet. No pattern or a clue what I was doing. SO needless to say, Nana got reeled in. A couple of hours and a lot of laughs later... this is what we came up with.

A VERY Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-29T21:17:00.007-06:00

We had a very Merry Christmas, blessed by family, friends, wonderful gifts, but most of all being thankful for the gift of Jesus!
It is easy to get caught up in the getting and giving (for me, I get too into what I am giving!).
We have been very busy and I am behind on blogging. I'm going to try to give you a quick overview of our Christmas. We hope you had a great Christmas!

19 Months!

2008-12-17T00:45:00.003-06:00

Lanie Ann is 19 months today! It has been a rough month, but we're on the mend. She has had multiple ear infections, a stomach virus and strep throat. We ended up getting tubes on the 15th, so hopefully that will end or at least decrease the ear infections.
Lanie Ann, You make everyday worth while. You give us that sweet smile, tilt that little head and say "Peese." Who could resist that? You are becoming the best little mommy and I love to sit and watch you take care of your babies and talk to them. You are going to have so much fun this Christmas, I can hardly wait!
You are such a precious gift and we are all so thankful for you!!!
We Love You, Baby Girl!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-27T19:14:00.006-06:00

This has not been a traditional Thanksgiving for us. We have had lots of sickness, particularly, Lanie Ann. For the past 6-8 weeks she has had one thing after another. We were planning on laying low today to prevent her from catching anything else from loving family in a crowded house. She had a different reason in mind to lay low. She woke us up last night at about 12:45am with a fever close to 103 proceeded by vomit! She was so pitiful and I was very concerned. Needless to say, we had a pretty miserable night. We've stayed around the house today and Ba and Nana came out to cheer us up a bit. We are headed to the doctor first thing in the morning.
In the midst of this time of sickness, I am still so very thankful for so many things. First and foremost for our Lord and Savior and our salvation. Also for our family, my loving husband, our beautiful children, friends, our freedom, food and shelter, safety and the list is endless... Wow! God is so good to me!
I hope that you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving, however you have spent it!!!

Thanksgiving Play!!!

2008-11-25T19:48:00.003-06:00

Landon's Kindergarten class did such a wonderful job at their Thanksgiving play. As you can see, Landon was a Pilgrim boy. Daddy, Mommy, Sissy, Nonie, Nana and Ba came to enjoy the festivities!

She still loves her Vols!

2008-11-25T19:13:00.003-06:00

Despite the discouraging season, Lanie Ann is still a fan!

18 months!!!

2008-11-17T16:11:00.006-06:00

Today, our precious baby girl is 18 months! I truly cannot believe a year and a half has flown by.
Lanie Ann, You are just the most precious baby girl ever! You have the sweetest, yet funniest personality. You know how to melt us in the palm of your hand and make us crack up with laughter. You have become more and more "girlie" if that is possible. All you need for entertainment is a baby doll and diaper bag, or a couple of purses, or a tea set. You love to feed your babies, carry a purse or diaper bag on each arm, and pour and drink tea out of a tea set.
I think you realize it, but you can have ANYTHING you want if you just ask your Daddy or Granddaddy. You pretty much have them wrapped, along with the rest of us.
You are still so little, and Daddy calls you "tiny."
I can't wait to watch you enjoy Christmas this year and begin to explain to you that it is our Savior's Birthday!
We love you so very much and are so thankful you are a part of our family!!!

No More "Landon Long Tooth!"

2008-11-17T15:55:00.005-06:00

Well, today at lunch tooth #3 decided it had held on long enough! Speaking of long enough, Landon had become known as "Landon Long Tooth."
His front tooth kept getting longer and longer the more lose it became.
Ms.Cockrell took good care of Landon! Fixed his tooth on this card and put his name on the chart in their classroom.
I couldn't believe when he got in the car and smiled at me.
Doesn't he look cute?

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cooper!!!

2008-11-15T20:52:00.004-06:00

We had the pleasure of celebrating Cooper's 2nd birthday tonight. HE had such a fun party with family and friends. Delicious food and yummy cake! Cooper was so excited about his cake and has wanted it all day. He had fun opening all of his presents, but his favorite part was a card that made a monkey noise. He ended the night with a cool John Deere tractor from Mom and Dad!
Thanks for having us guys! We had a blast!

Is it just me, or does it look like Lanie Ann doesn't want me to take her picture while Cooper is hugging her?

Welcome Caroline Cate!

2008-11-15T20:31:00.003-06:00

Kevin, Ashley, Jackson and Cade welcomed Caroline Cate into their family last week. They are blessed with two boys and now a precious baby girl. You guys are in for a treat! Congratulations!

I love my flip flops!

2008-11-10T19:42:00.002-06:00

Can you imagine not having any shoes?

"How bad do I really need that Frappuccino?
November 10th, 2008
I just bought some shoes. For $5.00. TWO pair.

No, I didn’t go to Goodwill. I went to www.50000shoes.com. You too can purchase 2 pair of shoes for $5.00. That is FOUR shoes for $5.00. What do they look like? I have no idea, but that’s ok. You see, they aren’t for me. They are for someone who has no shoes. Think about that. No shoes. NADA. Cold toes. Cut up soles.

Go. Now. Buy a pair TWO PAIR of shoes for $5.00. Then tell everyone you know to do the same. The goal is to raise 50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days. It’s easy. It’s inexpensive. It’s cool.

For the price of a coffee drink, you can give shoes to TWO people. You can warm their toes and bless their souls!"

I copied this from a friends blog. She inspired me, I hope hope it will inspire you. Go, buy MULTIPLE pair of shoes!!!

A Nonie will do almost anything...

2008-11-05T23:11:00.003-06:00

for a good smile! :)
We slipped off to our favorite photo spot today to try to get a few pictures of Lanie Ann. She hasn't had the photo attention that her brother has had, being the second child.

To explain what is taking place in these pictures. I was just snapping away, not knowing what was taking place behind my head. Then Nonie leans down to Lanie Ann and, well, you see why I was getting the expressions Lanie Ann was giving me! Lets just say, I laughed and laughed! What trick will Nonie have up her sleeve next time?

Thank you, Nonie, for all of her hard work today!!!

Halloween!!!

2008-10-31T20:57:00.002-06:00

What a fun day we had!
We started with Bubba's Fall Party at school. It was so fun and unbelievably organized. The children all had a great time!
Then we got ready for some trick-or-treating! Bubba was Indian Jones and Sissy was a lamb.
Nonie and Pop came by to visit and give Landon and Lanie Ann their goodies. Then we headed to Nana and Paw Paw's for a little get together and trick-or-treating. We finished up the evening by going to see Aunt Cheryle and Steve, and Grandmother & Granddaddy. It was so fun seeing everyone and getting so many goodies!
On the way home our little lamb and Indiana Jones were tapped out!!!
(Please excuse the order of the pictures, I even uploaded them twice trying to fix it.)

It's in her blood...

2008-10-29T20:18:00.002-06:00

Lanie Ann must have been cold, or just wanted to layer. We had gotten all ready for bed, Lanie Ann so proud of her princess pj's, and first she brought me this clean sweater from the laundry room. She wanted me to put it on and she proceeded to try to take off her shirt and pants. I convinced her to stay dressed and put the sweater over her clothes. The next thing I knew she brought me Bubba's socks from "crazy socks day." She wanted one on each foot, over the socks she already had on. This was the result. And, this is her latest picture pose.

Congratulations, Matt & Sara!!!

2008-10-27T11:00:00.002-06:00

I am so very excited to announce the birth of Ellianna! She is such a blessing and answer to so many prayers! She is precious! So perfect and tiny.

In the word of the proud Daddy, "because I'm a doting father, she was born 10/23 at 12:23 pm. Her magic numbers were 4 pounds, 15 ounces, and 18 inches long. Sara's doing great and we're both completely smitten. She's so tiny, yet she's already conquered our hearts."

Congratulations, Matt and Sara! Praise Him!!!!

Lanie Ann & Landon's Open Closet Sale!!!

2008-10-19T19:31:00.003-06:00

It's here!!! Lots and Lots of clothes and shoes!!!
Pre-sale for friends, Thursday 10/23 by appointment.
Advertised sale Friday 10/24 by appointment, Saturday 10/25 8am-noon.
Please feel free to pass this along to friends and family and advertise on your blog.
You can leave me a comment or call at 578-2387 to let me know you are coming or for directions.
Thanks! I look forward to seeing you!!!!

17 months!!!

2008-10-17T20:52:00.002-06:00

Lanie Ann,
I can't believe you are 17 months today! What a fun month it has been! You are just so much fun! You love to play house, baby dolls, tea party, sound effects and all. You have quite the imagination! You love to sing and be sung to. You are such a precious daughter and baby sister! I don't know how, but you get sweeter everyday. We could all eat you up!!!! You are so beautiful, in and out. You have proven you can talk and say about anything you WANT to say, but you prefer to point and and mumble behind your paci and we jump! Needless to say, you've got us all right where you want us. :0)
You make each day brighter and everyone you come in contact with happier. You give the best puckered up kisses and sweet hugs. We Love You so much and are so thankful God blessed our family with you.

Welcome Charlotte Marie!!!

2008-10-07T11:58:00.000-06:00

Our dear friends, Alison, Brad and Norah just welcomed home their baby girl, Charlotte Marie! We couldn't be more excited for them. We went over to meet Charlotte and get a few snuggles and kisses on Tuesday. Norah is so sweet with her and I was fascinated at how she seemed to know from the minute she met Charlotte that that was her sister. She immediately kissed her on the forehead and did the same thing when I took a picture of the happy family.
Charlotte is so precious, tiny and beautiful! Congratulations!!! We love all FOUR of you!!!

Fall Break begins!!!

2008-10-06T12:10:00.004-06:00

On Monday we hit the trail running! Landon was so excited to be on "Fall Break." He wasn't sure what to expect. Monday morning he slept in a bit and came out of the bedroom with bedhead and a grin on his face. I started the day with a big "welcome to fall break" hug. Then I fixed him some breakfast. He said, "I didn't know this is what fall break would feel like. This is like the other 5 years." (meaning his first wonderful 5 years of life, where he woke up at his leisure, his mommy fixed his breakfast and he ate on the couch while he watched his favorite shows)
Then Nonie came over and we headed off to McDonald's for a quick lunch. Sissy had her first dipping in honey experience. (Thanks Nonie ;0) )
Then to the park for an afternoon of fun in the mulch, sun and slides. We had a blast!
Landon took a few "men of the dirt" tools and quickly made several friends. What little boy doesn't like to dig, fill up a dump truck and dump it?
Sissy decided she likes mulch much better than sand! ;0) I guess next summer we need to find a beach made of mulch.
Fall break was off to a great start!!!

Happy Birthday, Papa Jerry!

2008-10-05T12:04:00.000-06:00

We had such a wonderful evening celebrating Papa Jerry's Birthday with a meal made especially for him. I tried to include all of his favorites, barbque chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh sliced tomatoes, and homemade carrot cake with cream cheese icing!
We had a great time visiting and eating! :0)
Happy Birthday, Papa Jerry! We Love You!!!

I'm going to be an Auntie AGAIN!!!!

2008-10-02T19:02:00.003-06:00

Our dear friends, Alison, Brad and Norah have an awesome opportunity to adopt Norah's blood sibling. It came out of the blue and he or she could be born any day. Please go to their blog to read about their story, http://adoptionphotoblog.com.
Please commit to pray for them and all involved daily. Thanks!!!
Congratulations Guys!!!! We Love You and can't wait to meet Nate? or????

Ram Run!!!

2008-09-28T19:47:00.004-06:00

Friday, Landon had awards and the Ram Run. This is a fun time where the children get donations for the laps they run. The first part of the Ram Run Landon was pretty upset, worried that I was going to leave him. It took him a while to settle down, but he did and had a lot of fun. Here are a couple of pictures from the day.

A wonderful step back in time!!!

2008-09-28T12:41:00.004-06:00

This morning we had the privilege of joining the Green Hill Baptist family in celebrating their 60th Homecoming and dedication of their new education building. I was reminded that it doesn't matter how we worship our Father, with current praise songs we read from a screen or beautiful hymns out of a book we used to call a hymnal. Whether our pastor is in khaki's or a nice suit. If we sit in nice folding movie seats or on a pew. All that matters is that our Father is glorified!
This is such a sweet church, so welcoming of our family and so thankful for what they have.
Joey and the Dow Smith team just finished the addition of their education building. The pastor, Bro. Leonard, had such wonderful things to say about Joey and everyone at Dow Smith. I have to admit, it made a wife proud! Not because they had done an excellent job, which they have, but because of the manner in which they did it. Bro. Leonard stated in the sweetest card of appreciation to Joey, "Your leadership, insight and creative ideas have helped us achieve our dream. It has truly been a pleasure working with you and all of the Dow Smith team. You have exemplified Christ every step of the way. We could not have asked for a better experience."
I thought this was such a nice thing to say and I am so thankful to have a husband that does his job well, with dignity and gives glory to our Father!
We enjoyed a wonderful service, special time of dedication where they buried a time capsule under the bell from the original church, and then a delicious meal. This was such an emotional, special time for this church family and it was so nice to celebrate with them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

On a funny note... This really lets you know times have changed. Not long after we got there, Landon leaned over to me and said, "Mom, I've never seen seats like these before." :0)
Also, in the third picture, Lanie Ann is sporting her nice bruised forehead from a collision with Bubba on the driveway.

Grands 2008

2008-09-27T22:03:00.003-06:00

Every summer, we take pictures for Nonie's birthday of the grandchildren. We're a little late this year, but we got them done! It was nice that it was cooler. It is always a challenge, but we will be glad we have this record of the children's growth each year. Here are a couple from our day.

I don't know

2008-09-23T20:11:00.003-06:00

I don't know if this is true, but I know one thing. Obama can't be voted in as our next president. It is frightening to think that he has a chance. As a Christian, there is no way I could vote for this man. He doesn't stand for anything that I believe in or value. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I ask you one thing. Please don't vote because of the party this election. Dig deep, study what this man BELIEVES IN, and VALUES. I don't feel it is AMERICA, OUR SAFETY or MORAL BELIEFS.(There is MORE to this than just abortion, which is very important, because that shows how you view human life) Take a minute and read this. It couldn't hurt to be aware just in case he would try to pull something so deceitful.

Subject: Don't Be Surprised if this Really Happens!

I just received this from a man who generally checks things out before
sending.? Thought this was important enough to send along to like-minded
people, especially in light of Biden's unbelievable statement the other
day about Hillary should have been chosen as the VP candidate.?

On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket,
citing health problems, and he will be replaced by Hillary.? This is
timed to occur after the VP debate on 10/2.

There have been talks all weekend about how to proceed with this info.
Generally, the feeling is that we should all go ahead and get it out
there to as many blog sites and personal email lists as is possible.? I
have already seen a few short blurbs about this - the 'health problem'
cited in those articles was aneurysm.? Probably many of you have heard
the same rumblings.

However, at this point, with this inside info from the DNC, it looks
like this Obama strategy will be a go.? Therefore, it seems that the
best strategy is to get out in front of this Obama maneuver,? spell it
out in detail, and thereby expose it for the grand manipulation that it
is.?

So, let's start mixing this one up and cut the Obamites off at the pass
- send this info out to as many people as you can - post about it on
websites and blogs - etc.

Just a thought!

2008-09-19T06:58:00.003-06:00

I am thinking about having a "Lanie Ann's Open Closet" for friends to come shop. I would much rather friends have Lanie Ann's sweet clothes than people I don't know at a consignment sale. Just wanted to throw this idea out there and see if you would be interested. email me or leave a comment if this sounds like something you might like to do. Thanks for your feedback!

Open House!

2008-09-18T20:50:00.000-06:00

We had open house at Landon's school. It was a great opportunity for him to show off his classroom. You can tell how proud he is of his class and how much fun they have. It really is an awesome school and we are so thankful he is there. We are also so very thankful for his teacher! She is a sweetheart and she seems to think Landon is too! :0)
On a proud note, the guidance counselor stopped us to make sure we saw the "Kindness Board" in the hall. This is a bulletin board to recognize kind students for the entire school, K-8th grade. Landon was one of only two students on the board. Landon was proud, as you can see in these pictures and we were too! We almost had an emotional moment when we read it.
Lanie Ann had so much fun seeing Bubba's classroom and friends. She is pointing to her mouth in one of the pictures showing that Daddy shared his gum with her. She actually chewed it most of the time we were there. Great habits we are starting!

Boys will be boys!

2008-09-17T20:50:00.002-06:00

We met up with our friends, Kevin and Ashley and their boys Saturday evening for a good meal at Demos' and some "udderly" delicious ice cream at Maggie Moos. As you can see, the boys thoroughly enjoyed their ice cream, Kevin did too. I wish I had a picture of him. I think he had as much ice cream on him as the boys did. All I can say is I hope you have a gallon of Shout, Ashley!

16 months!

2008-09-17T07:52:00.000-06:00

Lanie Ann,
Where has another month gone? You are 16 months old today.
You are becoming more of a little girl everyday. You love shoes, purses, jewelry and especially your babies. You walk around with your hands on your hips, I don't know where you see that! You are talking more. Daddy has become "DaDo" and you have him even more in the palm of your hand if possible. You have started saying your name and "NoNa" for your friend Norah. The highlight of your day, and Mommy's too, is when we pick up Bubba at school. You get so excited when you see him, you can hardly contain your self. You love to cook in your kitchen and wash your hands in the play sink. You are such a good eater and eggs are your favorite. You still won't drink milk, which keeps Mommy busy with cheese and yogurt.
You announce when someone burps and make the cutest "cute face," "funny face," and "mean face."
You motion for us to come with you and pat the floor for us to sit and play with you.
All of this is so fun, but most of all you bring us such joy. You are so loving.
We pray for you and your future daily. You are so special and we know God has big plans for your life.
We Love You so much, Baby Girl!!!

Homework gone bad!

2008-09-16T20:36:00.002-06:00

Daddy and Bubba were working on homework the other night and Sissy wanted to do homework too. It started off fine and then she reached over with her crayon and wrote on Bubba's homework. He is very particular about his work. He went nuts and was very upset. This hurt Sissy's feelings and she cried and cried. Daddy wrote a note so his teacher would know what happened. Everything was fine. :0)

Celebrating Baby Ellianna!!!

2008-09-13T15:06:00.003-06:00

We had such a wonderful day celebrating with Sara. We are so excited and thankful for this precious gift that is on the way. We had some delicious food and a great time visiting with friends and family. Matt and Sara received so many nice gifts.
Congratulations, Matt and Sara! We can't wait to meet Ellianna!

SOLD!!!!

2008-09-11T11:47:00.001-06:00

The precious porta crib now has a new loving home with some grandparents! :)

OK, OK...

2008-09-09T10:11:00.002-06:00

I know I am having way too much fun with this, but look at these. Is this wild or what?!

Be careful...

2008-09-09T07:17:00.003-06:00

You'll get hooked! I saw this on Allison's blog and had to play. www.yearbookyourself.com
What if we met in 1974 or 1976? This is fun stuff!!!

ANYTHING can be a purse!

2008-09-08T19:49:00.002-06:00

This girl can make anything into a purse. A bucket, a gift bag, you name it. If you can put things in it and put it on your arm, it counts. :0) Oh, and one other thing look who's in a color other than pink. It was hard for me, but Lanie Ann looked cute in yellow too!

My own Mike Delfino!

2008-09-08T19:43:00.004-06:00

That's right, I have my own, but mine is better!!!
I have been wanting a new kitchen faucet and look what I got!
Here is before, during and after. What do you think? He did pretty good, didn't he?
And notice his little helper carrying music for Daddy.

Bath time Fun!

2008-09-07T16:06:00.003-06:00

Just cute! That's about all you can say about these. Oh, and we did have one "accident" on the carpet while Mommy snapped a few too many pictures with no diaper. OOPS!!! :0)

Fun with Daddy!

2008-09-07T15:57:00.002-06:00

Lanie Ann has started really enjoying goofing off with Daddy. She thinks he is so funny. Watching them together reminds me of Landon and Daddy playing when he was a baby. I am so thankful for their sweet relationship. He has a big job ahead of him and I think he is doing great!

Can...?

2008-09-07T15:47:00.002-06:00

This is the beginning of a phrase that we heard a lot this weekend. Saturday started with "Can Caleb go to Waffle House with us?" and didn't end all day until "Can Caleb spend the night with us?" This was Bubba's first over night friend. I'm not sure who was more excited, the boys or Lanie Ann. Needless to say, they had a blast and we are all exhausted!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

2008-09-06T23:11:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Nana's Birthday! We started off with a yummy meal at the Omni Hut and finished with strawberry shortcake and gifts at our house. It is always so fun to be with family. Landon and Lanie Ann entertained everyone the entire evening.
Nana we love you so much and you are so special to us! We hope you had a wonderful birthday and felt loved!

UN SOLD!!!

2008-09-03T14:06:00.005-06:00

The pink toile car seat is back up for sale. The friend who claimed it a couple of weeks ago has now backed out. If you are interested please let me know. It's $35 and It is in GREAT condition!

SOLD!!!!

2008-09-03T14:06:00.001-06:00

The Medela Pump in Style and Pink Bouncy seat now have a new home! :0)

SOLD!!!!

2008-08-29T09:51:00.000-06:00

The Jumperoo now has a new home!

Our First Homework!

2008-08-28T16:18:00.002-06:00

As you can see, we all had our first homework on Monday night. Daddy and Landon worked on his first assignment. Landon was so excited to have homework just like Ba. Then, about half way through, he was tired of being corrected and got frustrated and wanted his Daddy to finish it. :) Not a bad idea, but of course he didn't.
Then I worked on my assignment, his "All About Me" poster. I enjoyed doing it, but had trouble adequately covering Landon on an 8x11 piece of card stock. :0) I think it turned out pretty good. Sissy liked it too and was showing me that she and Bubba were on there.

Oh My!!!!

2008-08-28T16:12:00.002-06:00

I looked the other way for 2 seconds while cooking the other night and when I looked back, this is what I saw! At first my heart sunk. If she fell straight back on the tile floor, it wouldn't have been good. Then I had to grab my camera before i got her down. She looked at me like, "Mom, I just wanted a carrot!"

SOLD!!!

2008-08-27T20:19:00.001-06:00

Good bye stroller!!!

The First shall be Last!

2008-08-27T19:56:00.002-06:00

This is a story of an over achieving mom who fell short of the mark. :)
I strive each day to get the "gold" or be the first in line at school to pick Landon up. I at least want to be in the first five cars, so he will see me when he comes out and won't panic. In order to do this, I have to get to school 45 minutes before he gets out. Well, Monday I was there an hour early and it was cooler that day, so I could crack the windows and not leave the car running. I also had Lanie Ann's CD playing and the lights left on. We were singing along to "Victor Vito" not knowing what was about to come.
The children come out, get loaded into the first 12 cars and we wait for about five extra minutes for a little girl to come out to the car next to me. Therefore, we were all ready to move! I go to start my car...and it won't do a thing!!! I whisper to my Mom, "Mama, my car won't start!" (because I didn't want anyone to hear me :) I PANIC!!!! The entire line is behind me, the mom that had to be here an hour early and run her battery down! I call Landon's teacher over and tell her. She is so cute and sweet. She reassures me, "It's Ok, it happens every year." Well did it have to happen to me? She says "put it in neutral and I'm going to push you." What? She is the size of a stick!
She calls the assistant principal over, which you can tell isn't happy with me. He wants me to pop my hood so he can check something. Well, another problem, I kept pulling the brake release I was so shook up, so the hood wasn't opening. He had to come pop the hood. And in the meantime I'm thinking, just push me out of the way, Joey will fix it. In the middle of all of this I call Joey and quickly fill him in, so he is now on his way as well.
The assistant principal tells me to put it in neutral, they're going to push me over to this parking place and a kind lady pulled up to jump me. In case this ever happens to you, NO POWER STEERING makes it very difficult to steer into a tight, immediate right parking place AND your brakes don't want to work. I am thinking, OH NO, I'm going to hit that Red Camaro and run through the handicap sign and into the building. Finally, I stopped threw it into park and took a deep breath. The assistant principal comes over and jumps the battery and we can leave this very humiliating experience.
If you were behind me in line, I AM SO SORRY!!! All in all, I didn't hold the line up but maybe two minutes, but it felt like two hours. :) Needless to say, yesterday, I made sure everything was turned off for my 45 minute wait and then just in case it happened again, I turned the car on in plenty of time to take care of it before the line was ready to move.

Lanie Ann's 1st trim!!!

2008-08-24T19:15:00.006-06:00

In the season of taking care of things I needed to but didn't want to, we gave Lanie Ann her first trim! She had some really long hair in the back that was the original baby hair. I knew it would look better to trim it, but it's hard to give in and cut it off. You know me, I get emotionally attached to everything, baby items, breastmilk, and especially my baby's hair!
We'll while we were in the spirit of getting things done, Daddy said let's do it and gave me that push that I needed. We sprayed it down and I started trimming. Bubba was collecting the hair in a baggy and videoing. Daddy was taking pictures, took over the videoing and had the most difficult job, coaxing me to do it.
We did very good, and I think it looks really cute! See what you think...

SOLD!!!

2008-08-24T18:57:00.002-06:00

The carseat has already been claimed! Hope you didn't have you heart set on it! ;0)

It's been an emotional day!

2008-08-24T16:36:00.002-06:00

That's right! Not only have I decided it's time to part with some baby things that we no longer need. I also decided, with a little encouragement, that it was time to throw away the freezer FULL of breast milk. You have no idea how much work went into all of those little bags of "liquid gold." Lanie Ann was just the opposite of her big brother, and she would not take a bottle. Therefore, I had a lot of milk that was not used. I looked into donating it, but that is quite an ordeal. You have to have blood test done and find a milk bank to ship it to. Needless to say, I just hung onto it.
So at some point I had to come to grips with it and load up the trash bags.
One good thing, we have our garage freezer back!

It's that time!

2008-08-24T16:31:00.003-06:00

Time for me to clean out some baby things. You may be expecting a baby soon or may know someone who is. Please let me know if you are interested in any of these items before I list them on Craig's List. They are all in VERY GOOD CONDITION. If you know me very well, most of them weren't even used.
Please feel free to forward this information to anyone that you think may be interested as well. Thanks!
Items are as follows:
*Pink "Bright Starts" Bouncy seat that vibrates and plays music $15
*Medela Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump with shoulder bag and two extra sets of cones and bottles (this is like new! I took advantage of the one year warranty and they sent a new pump) $150
*Graco Snug Ride Infant seat w/base Pink Toile, also includes pink head rest $35
*Delta Love Portable Crib w/ 2" mattress and pink bumpers and 1 pink and 1 white fitted sheet (infant to 40lbs.) $90
*Pottery Barn Blue Gingham Ric Rac Bedding (Bumper Pads, Dust Ruffle, tabbed curtain, rocker cushions, diaper stacker and wooden hanger, lamp shade, 2 gingham sheets, gingham organizer) $125
*Rainforrest Jumperoo $55
*Baby Trend Stroller $15

Look at these bellies!

2008-08-18T16:55:00.001-06:00

Monday, after school Landon decided his sore tummy was better and he was ready to slip n slide again. I got it all set up and thought the girls need some water to play in. So I got out the little purple pool and that's where everyone ended up. We thought it was funny to put the girls in these cute little 2 piece suits. Sorry Brad, I later found out Norah wasn't to wear a bikini. Oops! They were awfully cute though.
The funniest thing about the entire event was Landon in this baby pool with his new goggles on.
It didn't last long, after all that trouble changing clothes and lotioning up with sunscreen, but it was worth it to see those bellies!

More school gifts!

2008-08-18T16:40:00.000-06:00

Nonie and Pop were so nice to give Landon a gift card so he can go shop! He is excited to pick out just the right toy. Nonie also made Landon a neat nap mat that rolls up with his name on it. We enjoyed getting to see you. Thanks Nonie and Pop!

15 Months!

2008-08-17T07:36:00.000-06:00

We can't believe our baby girl is 15 Months!!!
Lanie Ann, You continue to brighten our days, which have been a little tough lately. You seem to find a way to make us laugh when we need it most. You are one busy little girl! You walk everywhere, and seem to have a little bit of a priss about you. You love to carry a purse and can make about anything a bracelet, a ponytail holder, rubberband, bubba's silly teeth, you name it. You are such a sweet little mommy to your babies and love to push them in your shopping cart. You feed yourself with a fork and do quite a nice job.
You even answer the phone, "Hi," listen and smile and then say, "Bye." You and Daddy are becoming quite the buddies, which he loves. You have him wrapped!
I think Bubba is still your favorite person. You two are something else! You are so sweet to each other and truly adore one another. You have been loving on your Bubba and giving him the sweetest hugs and kisses when he is upset about school.
We are so thankful for you and thank God countless times daily for you. You are such a joy to us and so many! We Love You, Baby Girl!

Happy Birthday, Chad!

2008-08-17T06:50:00.001-06:00

We had a great time celebrating Chad's birthday! Dinner was delicious and dessert, well you can see...It was "Powerful Stuff!"
Lanie Ann enjoyed her cupcake and had it everywhere! She insisted on hugging Bubba up tight for a picture and then patted his back. Icing was everywhere!
Chad, you are so special to us all! We love You and Hope your Birthday was a special one!

Gifts and fun!

2008-08-14T20:09:00.000-06:00

Landon was showered with gifts for his first day of Kindergarten. We headed out to see Nana because she wasn't feeling well and was so sad to miss Landon's first day of school. Grandmother and Granddaddy came over to see the school boy and give him a special gift as well.
Nana gave Landon a Star Wars gun that he has been begging for and a squeegie, which is kind of funny, but he loved it and cleaned and cleaned. Grandmother and Granddaddy had him the cutest Columbia fishing shirt just like Granddaddy wears. He will have fun wearing that for sure.
After we went home and got Sissy a nap, we headed out again to Chuck E Cheese. We met his Buddy, Hunter there and boy did they have fun! I don't know how they had that much energy left, but they played and played! Whew! What a day!

Meet the newest member of our family!

2008-08-14T19:57:00.000-06:00

That's right! Peyton Manning has come to live with us. Not by his choice, he was chosen by Landon. It was so fun looking at all the fish and aquariums at the pet store. Landon was so excited about his gift and told each person who helped us, "Guess where I've been? To Kindergarten."
He carefully picked an orange beta and a nice blue aquarium. He instantly named him Peyton Manning.
He and Daddy had a great time setting it all up and transferring Peyton into his new home. Landon is so proud to have a live fish!
Oh, and Sissy is mesmerized by him. She gets so excited when she sees him!

1st day update...

2008-08-14T19:08:00.001-06:00

We could not wait to pick Bubba up from kindergarten! We were 30 minutes early and the first in line. We were so anxious to see that sweet face and sure hoped it had a smile on it. Well, it did! He came out looking happy and relieved to see us. We're feeling pretty good about things and then his teach is talking to us and apparently he didn't stay happy after we left. She said he did good, but cried the first hour to hour and a half. She said he is a sweetheart and she is so glad he is in her class. This made us feel better and we are thankful she is caring.
The first thing Landon wanted to know was when we were going to get his fish. So we headed straight to the pet store, and then got a bite of lunch. Glad that 1st day is over, but we still need the prayers!!!!

1st day of Kindergarten!

2008-08-14T07:38:00.004-06:00

Wow! Where have FIVE years gone?
We had a good morning. We all held it together.
Not to say it was easy, but we definitely felt all of the prayers! Thank You!
We were so proud of Landon. He did unbelievably well. He got a shower and ready without much complaint. I am so proud of Daddy! He held it together for all of us! I did pretty well for me. I only had one breakdown before we left, which I managed to have to myself on the opposite side of the house.
We decided to go ahead and let him open his first day gift this morning to help him through the day. In his card he had a paper fish. You can tell in the picture, he is trying to figure out why we would give him a paper fish. When he realized he is going to buy one after school, he was so excited! We took a few pictures of course and then when we tried to take one with Sissy, she insisted on a hug instead. That about got me!
We all managed to do Ok on the ride to school and Daddy said a sweet prayer for us. (Which about got me again) Landon was not wanting to go at this point, but no tears. We parked and went in school with the masses. We said quick goodbyes at the classroom door and Landon teared up not wanting us to leave. We knew it works best for him to make it quick and not drag it out, so that's what we did. The power of prayer is amazing, this is the point when I would love to scoop him up and run home, but we had God given strength and held back our emotions and walked out. And I officially lost it! (as a matter of fact, I'm having trouble finding it) But that's ok. Landon didn't see me and I'm a Mommy, I can do that! :)
We waited outside for a minute and then Daddy did a secret walk by and Landon was already fine and talking to a friend.
I am counting the minutes until I can leave to go get him! Thanks again for your prayers and for checking on us. Fish pictures and updates to come!

One last Splash!

2008-08-12T18:52:00.004-06:00

Today we met up with Landon's good buddy from MDO, Hunter. They have missed each other so much over the summer. Hunter starts kindergarten tomorrow, so we took advantage of one last day. We started out with some fun, lunch and ice cream at Chick Fil A. Then we headed over to the Splash Pad for some wet fun. It was a nice day, not too hot. I think the water was a little cold, though. Landon and Hunter had a big time and found time to shoot his rocket as well. Of course, the ice cream truck came by and they needed another treat! Sissy enjoyed herself too.

Neighborhood Picnic

2008-08-10T17:41:00.001-06:00

To continue our extremely busy weekend, we went to a neighborhood picnic on Saturday evening. Some friends from church hosted a cookout for our friends from church that live in our neighborhood. It was so nice to meet people who live right around us that also go to church with us. We had beautiful weather and lots of yummy food! Landon had so much fun playing with all of the children and Lanie Ann watched. Joey played basketball with the teenagers and I talked, of course. Lanie Ann also received her first nickname! A little girl that lives across the street from us, Sidney, nicknamed her L.A. :)
It's always nice to visit with other Christ followers!!!!

Look Mom, No training wheels!!!

2008-08-10T17:33:00.000-06:00

That's right! Landon can officially ride his bike without training wheels. You're probably thinking what I thought, "Learning to ride a bike on concrete?" But hey, it worked for them. Landon was riding the entire length of our driveway with no help and no accidents! Which made a nervous mom happy.
The pictures aren't the clearest and I had put the camera up by the time he was riding off on his own. It's tricky with one on your hip. :)
Sissy and I were cheering him on on the sidelines. We're proud of you, Bubba!!!

Happy Birthday, Spencer!

2008-08-09T17:26:00.000-06:00

Saturday we were so excited to see our old neighbors, Randy, Kim and Spencer. We have missed them so much! It was Spencer's 7th Birthday, and he wanted Landon at his party! He was so excited to see Landon! It was a skating party, which isn't Landon's forte! He gave it a try, but enjoyed the games much more. The funniest thing of the party was when a little girl was giving Landon a hard time, Spencer came to his defense, "Leave him alone! He's my BFF!" I haven't heard that one in a while. :)

Friday Fun!!!

2008-08-08T17:10:00.001-06:00

We started the weekend off right! We had fun on Friday evening with our friends Allison, Jeremy and Cooper. It was so fun to watch and listen to Cooper, who is almost 21 months. He reminds me so much of Landon at that age. Cooper is very vocal and articulate. He came in and said hi to all of us by name, which was amazing since we haven't seen him in a while.
He ended our blessing with "Amen." I decided to try my hand at homemade lasagna. I guess it turned out ok, everyone cleaned their plate. :) Cooper and Landon entertained us while we enjoyed dinner.
While we were cleaning up, Cooper sang his entire ABC's. Allison and Jeremy were tickled, Cooper had informed them on the way home from school that Emma bit him. He would say, "No No Emma. No biting."
We thoroughly enjoyed the opening ceremonies along with some coffee and chocolate cake with fudge sauce. Allison and I love our chocolate, the more the better!
The most fun was watching Cooper and Lanie Ann flirt. I think our daughter is smitten! :)
We'll have to get together soon, before Cooper is reading and writing. :)

Kindergarten Orientation

2008-08-08T16:59:00.002-06:00

Well, we made it! Kindergarten orientation went well! We were all very nervous and Landon had one break down before we left the house, but other than that, he did great! We really like the school and love his teacher. She seems to be a sweetheart. As I told Landon, I feel like he is right where he is supposed to be. A lot of friends and family have been praying for this time in Landon's life. I believe God placed him in the class that will be the best fit for him. His teacher is very warm and kind, greeting each child with a hug. Her class is very organized and FUN! She said she is very structured, which is great for Landon. I actually had classes with her in college, so that is a neat connection.
On a funny note, she looked pretty and Landon noticed. I was telling Grandmother on the phone that she had pretty long hair and had on a pretty yellow dress and in the background I heard Landon say, "Yes she did." :)
Thank You for you prayers and support and please, please keep them up! Our biggest days are still ahead!

Please remember us...

2008-08-07T20:19:00.002-06:00

We start out on a new adventure tomorrow morning. We go to meet Landon's Kindergarten teacher. We are very anxious, nervous, teary, you name it. Landon says he is "crazy excited" in his fake voice that he uses when he is trying to convince himself and us of something. I feel he is going to be in exactly the place he is supposed to be, school and teacher. We prayed long and hard about this before deciding where to send him. This is going to be quite an adjustment for all of us, Mommy, Daddy, Bubba and Sissy. She is going to miss him as much as I will. Please remember us in prayers over the next couple of weeks. Specifically for Landon's safety, emotional state and his teacher. Thank you for your love and support as always.

More beach fun...

2008-08-06T19:51:00.003-06:00

Here is a bit more of the fun we had at the beach, Lanie Ann with her feet up to ears to avoid the sand. Landon and Daddy having so much fun digging. But best of all, everyone happy in the pool.

And more...

2008-08-06T19:30:00.000-06:00

These are some random photos... I thought I could trick Lanie Ann by putting a towel under her on the beach. It only worked for about three minutes. The Nemo pool by the pool was a life saver! You could tell Nana had done the beach thing with a baby before. She brought this great surprise with her. Lanie Ann would play for about an hour in there, and fortunately you can't see me sitting in the pool with her. :)
Landon and Daddy trying to give Mommy a heart attack with their famous flips and dives.
Out to eat one evening. Lanie Ann in a cute outfit her Nonie made for her.

Summer fun!

2008-08-06T19:19:00.007-06:00

While I had Lanie Ann in the bath tub this morning, words came out of my mouth and I don't know where they came from. "Landon, do you want to go over to the Splash Pad?" Did I just say that? It is almost 100 degrees out today. Well you know how it is with a five year old, once the words pass your lips, there's no turning back. So I got Lanie Ann out of the tub, dressed her in a swim diaper, bathing suit and coverup. Tossed Landon his swim trunks and a shirt and begin to gather all of the necessary gear. We stopped in for some not so healthy, but oh so delicious, famous, little, square cheeseburgers. Then we headed off to the splash pad. This was only my second time to take Landon, and my first time to take Lanie Ann, and on my own at that.
I was skeptical about the situation I had gotten myself into, but I must say I am proud. We had a great time and exceeded my promised time of 30 min, by an hour and fifteen minutes. Lanie Ann had fun watching and then ventured into touching the water and then walking around a bit. Landon had a blast and waited so patiently for the water guns(like 15 min a turn). Once, he had to straighten a little girl out that was cutting the ever so long line. :)
We had a great time and I enjoyed watching Landon have fun. Lanie Ann fell asleep before we even got down the street from the park and slept two hours.
Summer fun! I tear up thinking that summer is drawing to an end. I haven't had to think about that with my children yet and it is hard to believe. Landon's about to start a long adventure!

Pass the potato salad please!

2008-08-05T16:18:00.004-06:00

We had a great evening Sunday with Alison, Brad and Norah. We enjoyed some yummy burgers and the best potato salad I think I've ever had. We didn't have such a good experience with our homemade sherbet, but the sugar cookies came through in the end. :)
Brad brought over his drum that he bought while in Africa on a mission trip. Landon was instantly in love and can't wait to go get his own. We'll have to start praying for Mommy's nerves for a trip to Africa. :)
Lanie Ann and Norah had fun playing. Norah was walking everywhere and exploring. I think that helped Lanie Ann to take the plunge Monday night and take off herself.
There's just something special about time with "old" friends. Alison and I will be celebrating our 20 year friend-iversary this month. More to come on that. :)
We had a great time guys! We will do it again soon, oh and feel free to bring more potato salad!

Guess who's walking...

2008-08-04T22:02:00.002-06:00

EVERYWHERE! Lanie Ann decided to stand up from the middle of the kitchen floor tonight and took off! She's been taking 4-6 steps at a time since the night before we left for the beach, but we didn't really encourage it while we were gone. I didn't want to increase our chances for a boo boo while we were away.
Since we have been home, we have let her "walk" between us a time or two at night, but that's about it. Well, I guess she decided tonight was the night. It is so cute to see her toddling around with her arms straight out in front.
Bubba was so excited and had fun following sissy and video taping her in action. She is so proud of herself and we are too! I can't believe our baby girl is walking! Thanks for the encouragement, Norah!

A short term visitor!

2008-08-02T16:31:00.000-06:00

We had a short term visitor at our house. Landon caught his first frog. Daddy mad him catch it himself, which was entertaining to watch. Lots of jumping around, begging for help, a little crying and them he finally gathered enough courage to get it himself. He was so proud. He even went out back and killed a pretty good size bug to feed him. Lanie Ann was just as amused as Bubba was. I didn't want to keep him because I felt bad to take the little frog from his family and hold him captive. And on a more selfish note, I didn't want him to stink up the house.
When Landon came in from church Sunday morning, he couldn't get the frog to move. Landon and Daddy shook him, tapped on the glass and couldn't get any movement. We thought he was dead. So they took him out in the back yard and poured out the jar and the frog hopped off. I guess playing dead worked to his benefit! :)

1st morning at the beach

2008-07-31T19:50:00.005-06:00

The first morning is always so exciting at the beach. Landon and Lanie Ann were so cute looking out the window and pointing at the beach when we woke up. I couldn't wait to see if Lanie Ann liked the sand and water as much as Landon did. Wow! Little girls are different than little boys! Lanie Ann didn't wan the sand anywhere near her. These first pictures of Lanie Ann standing in the sand are some of the few we have of her on the beach at all. We found out quickly that she was happier at the pool.
Landon on the other hand loves the sand and ocean. He had so much fun digging with his shovel. It's so fun to watch him.
As you can see, Joey and Ba were very excited to finally be in the ocean. They have been scheming all summer to plan this trip. :)
We were so fortunate to have Nana and Ba with us for the first time this year. They were a hug help and we made lots of great memories.

Headed to the beach!

2008-07-30T20:21:00.005-06:00

Bare with me, I'm sure it will take me a while, but I am going to try to blog our trip.
Here is an overview of our trip down. We left our area about noon, met Ba and Nana and started on our way.
We made several stops along the way. One was at Peach Park. We can't pass by without getting some homemade ice cream and delicious peaches for the trip. At each stop, Nana had "presents" for Landon and Lanie Ann to help entertain them until the next stop. That was exciting and a HUGE help!
We has planned on driving part of the way and staying over night to break up the trip. To our surprise, we made it the entire way! Thanks to Nana's gifts, snacks, DVD's books, etc.
Our room wasn't available, so with a screaming baby, we had to search for a place with a vacancy. We finally found a two bedroom, and snatched it quick.

1st trip to the Dentist

2008-07-30T15:06:00.004-06:00

Landon had his first trip to the dentist today. I have to say, I am so proud of him. He did an awesome job and was so brave AND he got a great report, which made this Mama proud. No cavities and a beautiful smile! Obviously, he is a bit ahead of schedule. They said that is normal since his baby teeth came in a little early. His 6 year molars are right under the gum, ready to pop in and his top front teeth are loose as well.
The staff and dentist were WONDERFUL!!! Landon left with a picture of him for Mommy and Nana's fridge, a monkey with a little shirt, a frisbee, a motorcycle from the toy cart and a goody bag full. They even gave sissy a toothbrush. As you can tell, he had so much fun, he didn't want to leave. It was such a great experience and for that I am so thankful!
Thanks, Becca, for recommending them.

Another one bites the dust...

2008-07-27T23:13:00.000-06:00

tooth #2 that is! Landon lost his second tooth and with no tears this time!!! I think he's figured out, Mommy knows a special trick. :)
The Tooth Fairy left some loot!
Way to go Bubba!!! Big Brother's are so Brave!

Happy Birthday, Nonie!

2008-07-27T23:07:00.000-06:00

Nonie, We want to wish you a Happy Birthday filled with goodies and lots of love! More celebrating to come!
We Love You!!!