Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

It's official...

We have booked our first trip to Disney World and we are super excited!!!!

We are fortunate enough to have my mom go with us for the week and help with Graci so everyone should have a great time.



Watch out Disney, the Reeds are on the way!!!

Trip to Selma

The girls and I went to Selma for a short, but long overdue trip to Selma on Friday and came back tonight. We really did have such a great time. My sis-in-law is right though, Selma has to be the hottest place on earth! It was unbelievable!! We managed to stay cool by staying inside, except for a few photo shoots of course, and drink lots of sweet tea :)

Thanks Nana Reed and Papa for everything! We had a great time. Here are just a few (honestly it is just a few) pictures that I put into collages.

Emi

Payton

Graci

All of them :)

Paw Paw Update #2

So we went back to Tennessee to see Paw Paw. I went with my mom, dad, little brother and took Emi and Payton with us. The girls did great and I am so glad that they were able to go and be part of today. It was such a special time.



I handled today better I guess because I just saw him on Friday. I had explained everything to the girls and what to expect. It was such a special time today. PawPaw had a hard day yesterday and so we really didn't know what to expect. He had a "rally" day today. He ate a good lunch and was coherent and talkative to us before he napped.



Emi was soooo very compassionate and loving to him. She crawled up in the bed with him and took a nap next to him (see picture below). It was such an incredible thing to see and be a part of. She helped feed him and love on him and rubbed his hands and arms. The pictures are something I know I will cherish forever and I know Emi will one day too.



We also got to go out in their backyard where Jere has a disc rope swing and play on it. The girls loved it (and so did I). It's amazing how therapeutic swinging can be (even for adults). It was a special day and I am glad the girls got to go before PawPaw goes home to be with the Lord.



It was very difficult to say goodbye to him without knowing if I will see him again before he passes. Tears of sadness fell again....



I love my PawPaw and Jere.....
(i'll post some pics later on today)

Update on PawPaw

Well, daddy and I just got home from Tennessee and seeing my Pawpaw.


This is one time that I had my camera but just couldn't make myself use it. You see, the PawPaw I remember is one that was an overweight jolly fellow with the fluffy white hair and always ready to go play some golf. That is not what I saw today.


My mom and my dad had told me that I would be shocked at how he looked, but for some reason, I wasn't as prepared as I needed to be. He was soooo skinny and all you saw was his bones, sleepy/watery eyes, and exhausted body. This is not an image I wanted to save in my camera that I would look back and remember him by. I think I will stick with images I took the last trip and during his baptism.

He started running a temperature and coughing a good bit while we were there. The hospice nurse started him on some antibiotics and some medicine to help loosen the the mucus in his chest. He was wheezing pretty bad and is having to do breathing treatments about 4 times a day. He just looks so tired. I just crawled up in the bed with him and held his hands and rubbed his legs.

It was a sweet time that dad and I got to spend with him, but I can tell it won't be long before he gets to meet Jesus. We are trying to figure out a time when we can get everyone else in the family up there to see him.

Prayer Requests:
Jere - for her strength, her comfort, her energy and peace for her

PawPaw - for him to continue to feel no pain, that his passing would be quick (not soon), that he would comprehend what we are telling him about Heaven and that he would feel a peace that could only come from God

Daddy and the rest of the family - for comfort and peace and for everyone who wants a chance to see him that they would get there in time

Heading to Tennessee

I am headed to Tennessee today with my dad to see my pawpaw. Pray for safety and for our time with him to be a blessing. Will update when I get back.

Girls Night Out

I am so thankful for my closest friends (some of which were not in on this latest venture). We had so much fun going out and celebrating Jamie's birthday. I don't think I have laughed like that in a long time and I know I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Cara, Jamie, Caitlin and I went to Margarita Grill and had some chips and salsa, tacos, nachos and of course, some a.w.e.s.o.m.e. margaritas!!! I love you girls!!! Thanks for the laughs!! WOOHOO!!!!

Bowling (First post of hopefully many to come)

Not sure if all of you know or not, but you can sign up for bowling for your kids to get 2 free games of bowling a week!!! You can go to www.kidsbowlfree.com and it shows you the list of participating ones. However, Oak Mountain Lanes in Pelham is doing the same thing but you have to sign up through their website which is www.oakmountainlanes.com

Anyway, my friend and I took our kids bowling and we had a blast!!! The kids did great and even Graci enjoyed it. (Now please, I am not sure who the person is on the video talking because they are MIGHTY country, so please forgive them (wink wink)) Believe it or not, Payton came in first out of the crew and Graci even beat her big sissy!! Sissy is going to stick with gymnastics :)

Wordless Wednesday

Pool Time Fun at Nana & Paw's

Pray for My PawPaw Please....

I have so much I am trying to organize and upload and try to remember what I wanted to say but this takes priority over that all right now...

Please pray for my PawPaw, Dale Roberts. He was diagnosed with lung cancer on March 5, 2008. He has been fighting this battle very hard and has been doing a good job until now. The cancer is taking over. He isn't in any pain but they think it might have spread to his brain. He is falling a lot and cannot get up to go to the bathroom now and is having trouble feeding himself. His weight has dropped to 123 pounds from his normal weight of between 225 to 240. This is my only granddaddy. I have always been close to him and I love him soooo much!!! He lives in Shelbyville, TN with his wife, Jere, who has been a rock during this time. She loves him so much and I am so thankful that they have each other. Pray for her. This is her soul mate and this is hard on her too. Pray for peace about everything. Pray for strength. Pray for my daddy, Richard (he has both parents still living). Pray for PawPaw that his mind stays clear.

I am so thankful that last year I was able to go and see my PawPaw be baptized after finally committing his life to Christ after so many years. (see this post) At least now I know where he will be spending eternity. I am just not ready for him to go right yet.

Pray that I can work out the details so I can go up and spend the day with him this next week. I really need to go soon and I want to be able to spend some time with him, just holding him and hugging him. I need this before he does pass.

I think that is all for now, but I would appreciate the prayers.

Aggravation!!

Where in the world have I been?? I didn't realize I have been neglecting my blog as much as I have. So much has happened in the past few weeks I really don't know where to begin. I need to post pictures of graduation (emi's), end of year parties, sprinkler fun with the cousins and friends, our house freshly painted, how big my dog has gotten, and on and on.... guess I better get on that today... that is after I finish the dishes, the clothes, the cleaning, playing with children, grocery list making, playing with children, cleaning up after children, you get the picture (hopefully for real soon). Guess that is where I have been :(

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I most certainly did NOT...

* Do a diaper check on my 2 year old with my finger while at her sissy's gymnastics to find that the poop had gone up her back and then all over my finger. I did not then proceed to carry on the conversation with the other moms while playing it cool. I did not then go to change her in the car and only have 1 wipe to clean up all that mess. Not me!!

* Drive almost the whole way to my daughter's school (and actually on time) to hear her say "mommy, i don't have any shoes on"... to only have to turn around and go home and then back to the school. I did not curse under my breath and I did not lose my temper. Not me!!

* Crawl in the back of my surburban while at the park with all my children and use the potty I have in the back because my bladder would not allow me to walk all the way across the park to the actual bathroom.

* Put a pair of off brand spanx on so I could try and hide all the rolls coming out of the top of my pants and declare that I could still fit into a pair of pants that most certainly would not have fit without the aforementioned fake spanx :(

NOPE, NOT ME!!!!!

What's a Plauma?

That is the question I got tonight.
"Mom, what's a plauma?"
I told Emi I didnt' understand what she was asking. She kept saying it and then explained it...

A diploma!!!

She is getting her kindergarten diploma on May 14 but we are doing public kindergarten next year. So big and so cute!!!!

I Think I'm Losing My Mind

Okay, I know I'm not the only one, but I swear I think I am losing my mind!! I don't understand why I can't remember where I left something, what I was going to do when I get to where I'm going, what I went to the store for in the first place, and on and on. It is sooooooooooo aggravating!!!!

Here are just a few things I am talking about:
* - I CANNOT find where I put my birth control pills (okay, honestly this is VERY important - I cannot handle another child!!)
* - I lost a whole pile of mail, yes mail, and found it later in my Dollar General bag that I
had from the morning
* - I have gone to the store twice to get something and have come home twice without it (but
with other things I didn't go for in the first place
* - I call someone to ask or tell them something and then have no idea why I called when they
answer

Okay, that is enough embarrassing examples... I think you get the picture. I truly am losing my mind. Will someone vow to help me out when I am 80 and don't know my name!?!?!!?!!

Psalm 16:11

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.



This verse is one that my pastor, Dr. Les at Westwood Baptist, used in his service a couple of weeks ago and it is one that has had me thinking a lot lately.



"You make known to me the path of life" - while studying this one section so many things have been revealed to me. The path of life is one that no one, but God, has control over or knows the outcome of. There are so many things that I don't understand about life and death but I always know that God is in control. Even though I know that, sometimes it still doesn't make it easy for me to understand. My Paw Paw is not doing well. His cancer has grown and he is rapidly losing weight. I don't understand why cancer even exists. I don't understand why it has taken so many lives and has affected literally everyone I know in some way or another. I don't understand why there is no cure for it. But then I remember what Dr. Les was saying. God is a God of compassion, understanding, and love but he is also a God that brings His wrath down on a people that have constantly turned away from him. If we didn't have things such as cancer, there would be no way out to get to be with God in eternity if we didn't die. We have to die to be with Him. I then prasie God that my Paw Paw accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior last year and that he will get to be with Jesus in eternity when he does pass. This is so comforting. So this path of life that I am on is one that will be full of ups and downs and uncertainties and questions and unknowns, but if I continue to trust in Him and know that He is in charge of my life and really give that to Him, then there really is nothing for me to be concerned or worried about.



"you fill me with joy in Your presence" - again a part that I have been thinking about. There are days when I am just not joyful. Days when I really honestly can not fathom how I am going to make it through. Days when I feel like such a failure of a mom and wife and friend. Days when I want to just crawl up in a hole and go to sleep. Days when I feel I can do nothing right. But then there are days when the sun is shining and I am so happy. Days when it might be raining outside but there is joyful laughing inside my house. Days when all seems to be just "right". Days when my relationships seem to be working. Days when even when things go wrong, I seem to be able to handle them better. So that got me thinking. What is the difference in those days? (Yes I am hormonal and yes I am on medication....) But the difference in those days is when I spend time with my Lord and Savior and time praying and reading His Word. He fills me with His Joy!!! If I am not spending time with Him, he can't fill me. When I do, His Joy spills over in every area of my life. I have to be "in His presence" for Him to do this. Knowing that and putting it into actual practice is something I have to do. Something I want to do. Something that I need to do. Joy comes from Jesus and no where else.

"with eternal pleasures at your right hand" - eternal pleasures... not earthly pleasures, but eternal pleasures. Now that is what should matter. Earthly pleasures are nice and there is nothing wrong with wanting them. We are human and that is a natural fleshly desire. But when we really start to think about it, we are only here for a very short time. Where we spend eternity is where the pleasures will count. I know that I am a born again Christian and that I will be spending eternity with my Lord and Savior in heaven. So that means that I need to be concentrating on my eternal pleasures that will come from Him. Not my earthly pleasures that will be gone when I am. My eternal pleasures that come from being a mom and wife that God would have me be. This is where my focus needs to be. It needs to be on sharing my testimony and sharing Christ with all I come into contact with. Not being ashamed or afraid or embarrassed to share my faith with everyone around me. This is what will give me the eternal pleasures from Him.

Where do you stand? Let Him guide you and lead you and fill you with the joy that can only come from Jesus. Stop and think about this verse. It has a lot to offer and a lot to ponder. At least it did for me....

A new Easter Tradition

We went to my mom's house yesterday, Good Friday and we have officially started a new tradition with the kids. We dyed 36 eggs! They had the best time. We got to pray, sing praise songs, laugh and just share and be with each other. It was a blessed time!!

We also did something called Resurrection Rolls. I have heard of all the cookies and some bread but this recipe was shown to me by a friend of mine. It was easy and very easy to do and easy for the kids to follow along with. All you need is marshmallows, melted butter, cinnamon and sugar and crescent rolls. We read the Bible with each step of the process so the kids got to hear the story and use visual aids all at the same time. The fun thing was the final product, the empty tomb!! It was a very yummy treat to enjoy at the end too.

Thanks Nana for taking the time to do this and making it such a special day!! The girls had a great time!!! (except for Graci who just isn't herself her lately... :( )

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

How Times Have Changed

Emi was almost 4 when she started gymnastics ... so hard to believe that she has only been taken for almost 2 years. She has come along in so many ways. Here is a picture of her the month before she turned 4...
This sport is so time consuming and it is causing us to sacrifice in so many areas of our lives, but God has told me many times that she will one day use this to glorify HIS name and share her testimony. You can't argue with that! She was given a gift, a talent, from Him and as long as she wants to do it, and as long as we can afford it, we will encourage this area of her life. She literally counts down the days until her next practice. She doesn't walk to her room, she tumbles. It drives her daddy crazy since she is always flipping in front of the tv, but I have learned to just watch "around" her. It's a way of life for us, every minute of every day.

I found this video of her doing her backward roll by herself and it was too cute, not to put on here.



What will she be doing in 2 more years.... I'll post a backhandspring video when I can find it.

Her First Real Battle Wound...

My poor little Emi has her first major boo boo from gymnastics. She is on a new team at Alabama Starz and is loving it!!! She is having so much fun and being challenged with new things everyday. She has been doing her back walkovers on the low beam consistently without spot and she wanted to do what all the other girls were doing on her team. She wanted to do her back walkover on the high beam without spot... and she did.

This first video is her doing it on the low beam -perfectly!!

Here's the video of the fall.... ouch!

She was sooooo brave though!!!! I am one proud mama regardless of the outcome. She is the only 5 year old on her team and she was trying this!! I HAVE to brag on her!!!

Here's the after pics:

She is embarrassed about the bruises but I told her to be proud of her bravery!!

Words from my kiddos...

The girls are growing up so quickly. I can't believe that my first born will actually be 6 this summer!!! I am going to have a 6 year old... what is up with that??? I remember being 6 .... I am not old enough to have a 6 year old.... much less a 4 year old and a 2 year old.... that means I am getting old... but I wouldn't trade my life for anything!!

All that to say, they are saying and doing things that are so funny right now. I always say I am going to write that down so I will remember that... and then I don't. So while I had a couple of things that the girls are saying on my mind, I wanted to do just that. I am putting them down so I won't forget them....

Payton: mom, my naked is hurting me (translation, my neck)

Graci: I'm Baby G and my name is Graci and I'm 2, i'm not chorttack (shortstack is what I've been calling her)

Emi: Mom, did you know you can pet cows but not bullies (bulls of course)

Man, I love love love my girls!!!!! They are always bringing a smile to my face. Except for when Baby G throws her only Ked out the window on 119 and I have to go buy her shoes now. I still love that girl though.

Gone Trucking

Well this was the last year that B got to drive for Student Life Ministry. They are canceling the tour from now on. So the girls each got to go on one last trip with their daddy. Payton rode in the "big truck" to Atlanta but Emi just rode around Atlanta with him instead of riding home. They have so much fun doing this and I know they will miss it and I know for sure that B will .....

Atlanta Trip

I have so many pictures that I would love to put on her in a slideshow form, but they would probably be only entertaining for me... so I have spared whoever is reading this and put just a few together on a collage to share. We went to an Atlanta Hawks game, Georgia Aquarium, World of Coke and then lastly, but not leastly, American Girl. I will put up highlights from the trip with the pictures soon :)

Payton's Adenoidectomy

Well Payton had her surgery yesterday. After waiting for 3 hours for them to take her back into the surgery, things finally went quickly and with no complications. Dr. G said that her adenoids were a size 8 on a scale from 8 to 10. They were huge and needed to come out ... we are hoping this is going to be a major change for her with her coughing and breathing and infections. Thanks for the prayers.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

So much to catch up on...

There are so many things that I want to write and so many pictures I want to post, just for my sake of course, but I honestly don't even know where to begin. This year has been a whirlwind already. i can't believe it is the end of march already. that is just amazing to me.

i mean seriously, i don't even have pictures of our snow day, or emi's gymnastics meet, or birthday parties or anything!!! i can't keep up. it is going to have to be this or facebook..... well facebook is definitely something that i am "addicted" to and that my husband calls "the devil". because of my phone, i am always checking on what everyone else is doing and i truly become almost obsessed with checking on everyone all the time. i think i need to do something about that... blogging is healthy for me and helps me put stuff down so i won't forget it. i want to take some time and update everything. and i want to take some time to catch up on my scrapbooking. any one game for getting together to do this???? it of course would be more fun if we could have a girls time to scrapbook and talk and drink some wine, i mean grape juice of course ;)

blogging it is... hopefully by this weekend i can do this.

for now, pray for payton. she is having her adenoids taken out in the morning. not a big deal i know ,but still it is one of my babies and i love to know i have people praying.

Payton's First Soccer Game

She had so much fun. Didn't quite grasp the concept, but she ran and smiled and I think she will enjoy it.

Where does time go???

I cannot believe that it has honestly been this long since I have even written ANYTHING on this blog. So much has happened and so many pictures have been taken, and I haven't put a single one up on here :( So when I actually sat down to post something, I just kept asking myself where all the time went. These were just a few of things that I could come up with...

dreaming of sleep but not actually getting any
chasing kids around the house
gymnastics
soccer
Bible Study
cleaning the house (well moving piles from one place to the next)
laundry
laundry
laundry
looking at my sewing machine and the fabric i have to sew... but not actually getting to :(
facebook (i know i know)
my iphone (has spoiled me!!!)

so much more, but i want to really pull myself together and catch up on this blogging thing. i love doing it and i love looking back at things that happened and this is a great way to do so. so hopefully, with all the wishful and hopeful thinking i can have, i will be back on board with my blogging here in the next few days. :)

Reciting Scripture

I have been wanting to video the kids reciting Luke 2 for some time now. I am just now getting around to it. So here is each of the girls quoting their scripture. We are picking different passages each month for them to learn and so they will have it in their hearts for later in life. Will post videos each time we complete one. So here goes...
(and sorry Emi looks so funny before you press play....)

Emi


Payton


Graci

This Makes Me Happy

I don't know about you, but I have this one thing, mine happens to be this coffee cup, that just makes me smile every morning when I use it.

If / when something happens to this cup, I will be crushed.

This cup represents and symbolizes so many things for me.

* Strength
* Dependability
* Beauty
* A new morning
* A fresh start
* Happiness
* Joy
* A loving home
* Sacrifices
* Family Devotions at the breakfast table
* Love
* Friendship
* A special bond

You see, this cup was one that my mom used when I was younger. It is one that probably didn't cost much and probably didn't mean a thing to her. But because it was hers, it means so much to me. I am not and have never been a morning person... this cup, as small of a thing as it is, helps me to remember how joyful my mom was, and still is in the mornings. It helps me to remember all the sleep my mom sacrificed for me and my brothers. It helps me to remember the family devotions we did at the breakfast table at 6:45 before school. It helps me to remember all the small things and big things my mom did for me. I love my mom and I thank the good Lord above for her everyday. I appreciate her more and more the older I get the older my children get.

So mom, thanks for giving me this cup (it's been in the cabinet for years since I didn't drink coffee until this last year) even though you had NO idea it's significance. I use this cup almost every morning and the girls are seeing it now. I hope and pray that I can be half as great of a mom as you are!!!!!!

Hunting with Daddy

This is a very short video of PayPay's hunting day with her daddy today. Too cute not to share.

Boo and Sadie

Our new addition, Boo and our newly shaved Sadie - they love each other!!!!