Our youngest, Zane, just turned 13 months old Saturday. He is hilarious ya’ll! He has so much personality. He is a naturally funny child. Well we call it funny, some may call him “THAT” child….
Zane is great baby!
Always has been.
He sleeps well. Takes 2 decent naps in the day, then retires to bed at 7ish and usually sleeps 12 to 13 hours!
Saturday he decided to rise at 6 AM!
Yes! I was not sure that there were really 2 sixes in a day…but there are!
Daddy got up with him!
Note to self: be good to daddy!
So daddy was in the living room with our little rooster, watching the Discovery Channel, we had Shark Week saved on the DVR.
Daddy had stripped Zane down to only his diaper, and so, that is what he was playing around in.
So daddy thought.
I got up.
Saw an un-manned diaper lying in the kitchen floor.
I followed the baby talk noises.
What did I find?
My little one naked as a jay bird! Well naked as a pine cone is what my Zoe calls it…she has developed her own southern phrases!
Not only was he naked, but he was tugging at his wee willy wonka!
I stood back and observed for a moment.
Then he crawled over to daddy.
Daddy was feeding him dry Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal.
So, Zane requested a piece of his “breakfast” like only he can, in that LOUD screechy squeal.
Daddy obliged.
Zane then did the “funny/THAT” thing! He smeared it all over his w.w.w.!
Yep!
Cinnamon and sugar all over HIM!
Then smiled at daddy and offered the piece back!
No!
Daddy declined!
THANK GOD!
What do ya do?
Laugh, I guess!
What was once my favorite “kid” cereal, will forever be changed in my eyes!
Monday, August 4, 2008
It’s like taking cereal from a baby…DON’T DO IT!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
time goes by WAY TOO FAST!
I was uploading some pics to an online source when I came across this one. It made me SO SAD! This picture of Zane and I was taken exactly one year ago today, July 13, 2007! My baby has grown up TOO FAST! I can hardly stand it!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A list for the kids….
10 things I can do because of my kids (in no particular order)
1. I can sing ALL THE WORDS of the theme songs for following shows: Hannah Montana, Suit Life of Zack & Cody, Drake and Josh. As well as most High School Musical & Camp Rock songs.
2. Get in and out of Wal-Mart in less than 15 minutes. This is mainly because we ALL end up in tears if we are in there too long TOGETHER!
3. “Fall” for the same trick/joke a hundred + times, just to hear “got you”!
4. Nurse an infant, iron my hubby’s pants & talk on the phone all at the same time! Oprah would be SO proud of my multi-tasking abilities!
5. Live on little sleep and lots of COFFEE. This was really only an issue with my oldest. It is quite ironic that THEN he required NO sleep and TODAY he is like RAISING THE DEAD!
6. Make almost ALL boo-boos better with my Magical Kisses!
7. Pass as a Zebra, this is because I am banded with stretch marks over a HUGE percentage of my body! Thanks kids!
8. Drink AWESOME sweet tea with little floating food particles! YES my tea is THAT important to me!
9. Properly place, adjust and tighten football pads and equipment. This usually is a Daddy Job, but it has fallen to mom a time or two.
10. Watch and or participate in endless hours of skating/biking tricks, dance routines, football plays, tea parties, Halo victories, “Where’s the baby? There HIM is” game AND MANY MORE precious mommy memories!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Happy Anniversary!
That's our date…July 6, 1996. A dozen years ago today we said "I do". And….WE DO! It has been an amazing 12 years. With smiles, tears, laughs, new lives, deaths, job changes, moves, basically…CHANGES! We haven't always agreed. BUT we have ALWAYS been best friends! Even more so today! This life, My Life, is precious to me….We may not have HUGE material things, but we have LOVE….and money can't buy that! Thank you Billy, for being mine….and giving me the best gift ever….YOU!
Friday, July 4, 2008
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
Thursday, July 3, 2008
hi from the middle of somewhere?
Well my little one turned ONE yesterday! As you can see he LOVED the party hat...well not actually but he did love the cake! I can't believe our little un~planned blessing is a year old! We are at an interesting place in our lives right now! I don't even know where to begin in the explaining other than...this has to be a God thing....that is the only way to explain this chaos!!!!!! So as my baby turns one, my little girl starts school and my oldest becomes more of a young man and less of a boy...I find myself asking God...WHAT IS NEXT...and that is almost a LOADED question these days! LOL
Friday, May 23, 2008
heaven on earth
My absolute favorite ME THING….is getting my toes done! It is indescribable! I love feet! I know…most people loathe them, in fact Billy won’t even touch his own! I am so serious! When he showers he pours soap on one foot and rubs it around with the other and then repeats the other foot! Maybe that’s a little too much info for a blog, SORRY! Back to feet….having a pedicure is such a treat! Billy knows he can NEVER go wrong with a pedi gift certificate! Through the winter/NON SANDAL SEASON it’s something that I don’t do often, BUT when warm weather gets here….I love it! See, I really don’t have beautiful feet! I can admit it, it’s true! They need all the help they can get, so it is a necessary purchase. One that boosts my self image! LOL! Not to mention it is so relaxing! I can (and OFTEN do) do my own pedicure…remove old polish, trim nails & cuticles, scrub, exfoliate, moisturize, and then apply a fresh coat of polish. But I just love the way they look when THEY do it! With a cute lil design and everything…it is wonderful! This morning Billy kept Zane so that Zoe and I could go have our nails done! Ahhhhhhhh now I have purdy feet! Thank you honey!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
my opinion on opinions
I remember my junior year of high school, which seems like ancient history, anyway, half way through our school year our cheerleading sponsor changed. I don’t exactly remember why, but that’s not the point of my blog. Our new sponsor set us down and had a “heart to heart”. I will never forget her little speech…well part of it anyway. She was accustomed to dealing with teenage girls and all the DRAMA that brought, so she wanted us to know right off that she wasn’t gonna deal with a lot of (fill in the blank) =) Her famous speech contained this little nugget… “Excuses are like butt ho***….everybody has one!” I didn’t realize at the time how profound that was! I have used the nugget myself but have made it a little more “G” rated…replacing the body part with BELLY BUTTONS….I don’t feel my version is as impacting/hilarious, but I use it mainly with my 2 oldest children and the other is not a term I wish for them to repeat!
Well over the years the EXCUSES in our sponsors nugget of advice could really be a fill in the blank…you know like Mad Libs (which I LOVE BY THE WAY)….it could be excuses, opinions, gripes etc.
My focus here is opinions. Opinions are like belly buttons everybody has one! It’s true! Opinions about politics, economy, style, recipes….in fact, isn’t it amazing how stressful Thanksgiving can be just because of OPINIONS…one likes nuts in a dish, the other doesn’t, one likes sweet tea (a blessing of God), the other hates it, one likes hot rolls, the other…WAIT…WHO DOESN’T LIKE HOT ROLLS??? You get the point…
So what do we do? About conflicting opinions I mean. Do we only hang out with those who think just like us? Do we only shop with those who share our same style? Do we only share a meal with those who are as “picky” as we? Of course not! I love the differences of others. Please don’t shrink me by thinking that I consent to all differences, there are things that my friends, family, and acquaintances do that I personally would not do. I have shared my concerns, in love, many times. Not in judgment, IN LOVE, but when I felt led.
That was sort of a side note…sorry, but I wanted to be received correctly.
Opinion Polls have been in the news a lot here lately. Billy and I like to watch Glenn Beck, a syndicated talk show host who basically shares his opinions daily concerning our country and its government. He has an awesome testimony to which he refers “only in America”. We are also faithful Fox News watchers. We usually drift off to sleep watching Hannity & Colmes or Bill O’reilly, and then “Fox and Friends” is what we get ready to in the mornings. But we don’t stop there. We are conservative Americans. And these programs best represent our views. But we also “venture” out…to CNN, NBC, MSNBC and others…why? To see what the main stream media has to say as well. No, we almost always do not agree with what is reported from these stations, but we value the OPINIONS of others…even if they are wrong….HAHAHA…sorry…I had to add that lil funny! Seriously, it is important to be informed, even if you don’t agree. Sometimes in order to know what you believe you must know what you don’t believe…let me explain.
Several years ago Billy and I were teaching the High School Sunday School class at our church. We were ending our curriculum and asked the students what subject they would like to discuss in the next quarter. One of our students suggested that we learn about different religions, what they believe, their leader(s), and how they differ from Christianity. WOW! That was an amazing quarter! Billy researched several religions and prepared the curriculum from scratch! We discussed the difference between an agnostic and an atheist, how these religions began how they compared and contrasted to our Faith and so forth. It was very interesting and the students really soaked up the information.
Back to my previous statement… “Sometimes in order to know what you believe you must know what you don’t believe” …..as Christians we are monotheistic (believe in only one God), and we believe that our God is the only way. John 14:6. As we studied these other religions, of which we do not follow, the students began asking questions concerning our beliefs. Why do we believe Jesus is the only way? Why are we baptized? With their whys were also “why nots”…. Why don’t we follow a kosher diet? Why don’t we accept writings said to be “holy” that aren’t contained with in the Bible?
This was an awesome, thought provoking time. Yes, we were “focusing” on other beliefs and followings, but in doing so we reinforced our own beliefs.
Some of the best conversations I have participated in have been with someone that I differ with on a subject. Both of us back and forth sharing our thoughts and our reasoning’s, and in the end feeling, alive…SHARPER…. Neither of us may budge a bit, that’s OK…it’s thought provoking! I LOVE IT!
So my challenge… for what it is worth…. don’t be afraid of the opinions of others. By hearing and knowing what you’re not, may help establish what you ARE!
Forgiveness
Don’t ya just love yard sales? Well, maybe you don’t, but I do! My mom does as well! Must be where my obsession comes from! Well, my mom came to visit a couple of weeks ago, she brought me a book that she had bought me at a yard sale…nice segue huh! I love to read Christian fiction novels. Francine Rivers is my favorite! This particular book was written by Karen Kingsbury… “Waiting for Morning”. It is a story of forgiveness. It is centered around a lady named Hannah Ryan who’s husband and two daughters were returning from an end of summer camping trip when they are struck by a drunk driver, killing the husband and oldest daughter. It is Hannah’s journey to forgiveness…it is absolutely beautiful! Come to find out this book is first in a series (Forever Faithful Series) of three, I have already visited my local public library and have book #2.
Back to forgiveness…. As a believer, our foundation begins with FORGIVENESS! It is a precious “gesture”, for lack of a better term. True forgiveness is not deserved, it is a gift! As I read the story of “Hannah Ryan” this fictional character I saw “first hand” how deathly the lack of forgiveness can be! Even though it is wonderful to be forgiven, no one wants to be on the “bad/out list”, being able to forgive, when you know that you were truly done wrong…is life changing! True forgiveness is hard, and really it has NOTHING to do with the other person! It has EVERYTHING to do with us…the individual forgiving!
I am not one of those people who thinks just because I like it ….you must like it as well. In fact, I like you being different from me, seeing things in another light and having conversations concerning our unique differences…I said all of that to say….I encourage you to read this book. I was not able to put it down, and I am finding the second one to be just as captivating!
I haven’t faced a heart ache like that of “Hannah Ryan” but I have harbored unforgiveness in my life, and have always felt an indescribable peace when I FORGAVE! Like I said before it is a gift that we give ourselves. Colossians 3:13
Monday, May 5, 2008
Oh my goodness! Zoe was invited to the most…let me find my words…looking for the most appropriate adjectives out there…PRECIOUS, ELABORATE, STUNNING, CUTEST, SWEETEST….birthday party ever! It was a Tea Party where all the little girls were to come dressed in there Sunday best. When we arrived at the “Rose Room”, a bridal banquet hall in Searcy, the little girls…referred to as Princess (fill in the blank)…were given a purse, hat, pearls, gloves and feather boas! They then mingled with several special guests….Cinderella, Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Alice in Wonderland and Snow White. I know! It was AMAZING! The moms were all just shaking their heads and grinning ear to ear. I think it was exciting for us as it was for our Little Princesses! They waltzed with Princesses, played group games, had their “tea” (strawberry lemonade actually) and cake. It was fun! The down side is as we left Zoe said, “mommy can I have a tea party for my birthday next year?”…..”Ummm…yeaaaaaahhhhh…” I replied….thinking maybe she will forget how HUGE this was…there were around 30 little princesses there! For us birthday parties are not as “BIG”! Carson, the birthday girl, is an only child; she isn’t “spoiled” like you would think. They aren’t an “uppity” family at all! They are a very sweet family, who LOVES to do BIG parties! Krista, Carson’s mom should so go into the Party Planning Business! She made the event a lifetime memory for many little girls! She (Krista) is a “giver”, she loved doing this for all these little girls! I know Zoe and I loved it!
When we arrived back home to our boys Zoe made her entrance, dressed in all her party goodies. She is so funny! She has no problem being royalty! She was made for it! Hahaha. She came in and began twirling in front of her daddy who whistled, ooohed and ahhhed over her! She LOVED that too!
It was a wonderful time. I am grateful to have been able to attend with my only little girl!
mommy to mommy
My baby is getting so big! For the month of April, Zane was only nursing 1 time a day, right before bed. As the month progressed the length of those feedings became shorter and shorter. The night of Monday April 21 was his last time to nurse. My baby is weaned! I know it’s harder on me than him! He basically weaned himself! I just put him to bed on the night of 22nd without nursing him and he was fine! What a big boy! He is now drinking from a sippy-cup! No more nursing, no bottles…just a big boy cup! I can’t believe it! He has 4 teeth now, well almost one of his top teeth has barely cut through the skin, he has 3 more trying to cut through….I want him to STOP! Knowing, he is the last little Pate around here, I want him to stay “widdle”. I realize that is impossible, but it has all just gone by too fast! He is such a loving little guy! When I realized we were expecting Zane, I was, to say the least, SHOCKED! I do realize “where babies come from” but, we weren’t “planning” him! Now that he is here, we are complete! I can’t imagine us any other way! He is a great caboose! What a blessing babies are!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Hokey pokey
I had a rather stressful day yesterday! I am a member of the local Junior Auxiliary Chapter. Junior Auxiliary is a national non-profit organization that encourages members to render charitable services which are beneficial to the general public, with particular emphasis on children! It is a beautiful program that I feel very privileged to be a part of. Saying that there are times when it requires a LOT of my time. For me and one of the committees that I am involved in (actually Chair) that CRAZY time is NOW! Which really is not a “good” time (if there really is such a thing) with family, FINALS, kids activities, FINALS, church, FINALS, I think you get the picture.
Well back to my yesterday. I was up way before the sun preparing for a committee meeting, getting all my materials together, dressing, make-up, hair, kids up, kids dressed, baby up, breakfast…ALL before 7:30 AM! I was what some may call a SPAZ-OID! Actually some do call…my hubby to be exact! See I really don’t deal with all that stress too well. I begin to shut-down mentally! I yell! I shouldn’t! It is inevitable that when I have to be on a schedule that my children seem to be “schedule-less” is this God teaching me patience? I get so caught up in “I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!” Do you know what I mean? Am I the only one?
The way I “handle” the situations really is unnecessary I realize that when I am “sane”, but when I am blinded by my schedule I am a spaz! All I can focus on is NOW! I always end up having to apologize to my family, especially Billy! He is so good to me all the time but he is especially good to me when I am CRAZY! He follows me around, doing for me, helping me anyway that I will “allow” him to! He tries to talk to me and help me to re-gain consciousness, but this usually does not happen. Then I am hateful to him, MY VERY BEST FRIEND. How awful is that?
See I saw a sign yesterday that was intended to be funny but rang so true to me it read “What if the Hokey-Pokey is really what it’s ALL ABOUT”
You may be saying “WHAT?” But, yeah, it was profound to me! The now, the crazy schedule, the deadlines, they aren’t WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT! If I alienate everyone that I care about to get things done then what have I accomplished? It, being life is bigger than now! I want to be productive, don’t get me wrong, but at what cost?
So, I am making a resolution, in April instead of January, to CALM DOWN! I want to be proud of my day at its end and not have moments of temporary insanity to apologize for! I am reminded of Mark 8:36 “What benefit will it be to you if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” Help me Lord.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Rabbit Trails
It’s funny how we are sometimes inspired. Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation with someone and asked “how did we get off talking about this?”, and then you back track through what I like to call “rabbit trails” of conversation to see just where you took that turn that ended you here.
A few days ago I was looking going through my friends’ pages on myspace catching up and seeing who was up to what. Well I came across the old song (on a page) by Tom Petty “You don’t know how it feels” (I assume this is the title). I’m not real found of the song simply because of the whole joint aspect but I do like the song, if that makes any sense. Anyways (rabbit trail LOL) when I heard the line “you don’t know how it feels to be me” it made my mind begin to “run”, which leads me to my blog!
If you watch any news, Fox News is a favorite at our house by the way (yet another rabbit trail), then you have heard all about Barack Obama and this whole race issue with his pastor Rev. Wright. My point really has nothing to do with politics, race, or the Democratic party so all of my liberal readers please don’t automatically shut me out. It’s back to the song “you don’t know how it feels to be me”.
Several years ago I enrolled (and completed by the way, another rabbit trail) in a leadership/coaching clinic. This was a great learning experience for me. Almost every time I am asked for advice and/or counseling I find that I pull most of my knowledge for the situation from that clinic. I learned all about personality profiles, paradigms and communication.
I still remember the analogy used to convey paradigms. Our speaker told us that if you set down to program a computer and told that computer that 2+2=5 then that computer was innocently told/programmed incorrectly. Its very foundation is ultimately distorted and wrong. You could argue all day with that computer that 2+2=4 but that computer BELIEVES differently, that is not what it was taught/programmed from its “birth”.
There has to be a “paradigm shift” a change in the programming/thinking. If we were computers believing that 2+2=4 then we will never know what it is like to believe that it equals 5. How could we, we weren’t programmed that way.
Which once again brings me back to Tom and “you don’t know how it feels to be me”, it’s true, YOU DON’T. Just like I don’t know how it feels to be you. I will never know how it feels to be a man, a person of color, a post abortive woman etc. Just as many of you will never know how it is to be a woman, Caucasian, child epileptic, from a divorced home, mother of a still born, and wife of a minister.
We all have a different story. That is what makes this world so wonderful. Surely we can find a common ground, chose to see the world through another’s eyes. I do believe in absolutes, please don’t get me wrong, but even in that I believe that the “greatest of these is love” 1 Cor. 13:13
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Why "Salt"
