3 of my favorite christmas albums...just in case you were dying to know

JOHN DENVER & THE MUPPETS "A Christmas Together"
wow. i love this album...yes, i admit it. it brings back lots of childhood memories. my sister and i had the album and we had every song memorized. i especially enjoy miss piggy singing "ba dum dum dump" after singing "5 golden rings" in the 12 days of christmas. and i love hearing the sweet voice of john denver singing "when the river meets the sea". the muppet show was one of our favorite shows...so i guess it was inevitable that i would love this christmas album. i don't have the cd...i think i need it (hint hint to my dear loved ones).





HARRY CONNICK JR. "When My Heart Finds Christmas"
when i got married, this cd came into my collection (oh, wait, i had no cd collection back then...i wasn't that cool). and every christmas when rusty and i would start decorating the tree, this cd would be played. i love harry connick's music...his jazzy flair that he adds to all his songs is just coolness. my favorite tracks are "(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus" and "I Pray On Christmas". i'm sure there are other harry christmas cd's that are good...but this is the only one we have.





ED CASH, ALLEN LEVI & BEBO NORMAN "Joy"
this is another one that we listen to every year. i love the combination of all three of these talented musicians. my hubby grew up in the same town as allen and bebo and knew them both. we have great admiration for their music. my favorite tracks are the first and last..."O Come Emmanuel" and "Go Tell it on the Mountain" (complete with a full gospel choir).




other favorite christmas cd's:
Nativity Songs (this is an annual concert done by various musicians in atlanta...the concert is held at Intown Community Church)

Your King Has Come - Indelible Grace Music

if you have any other good recommendations, pass them on!
** sorry if you use bloglines and it told you i had several new posts...i had to revise this a couple times so the cd images would fit. sometimes blogger drives me crazy.

scary monster face

there's nothing more fun than your children making you laugh. and it's even more fun to get them to do their funny tricks over and over again to make you laugh more. a while back, evan came up to me and said "scary monster" and he made this funny face where his eyes get big, he makes his head shake, and does something funny with his mouth. it is so funny. since that day...we make him do it for us all the time. and we also like to make him do it for other people. we're all about entertaining others, you know!? it may not be as funny in these photos...or the video (this was NOT his best performance...he was being shy for the camera)...but maybe someday you will be blessed to see it in person! you will surely laugh out loud. it gets me every time. love that boy.

try, try again and again and again

i am so thankful for my digital camera. i always like to include a good photo of our family in our christmas cards every year. actually, i usually just take a picture of the kids. but this year i attempted to do all four of us since i had the luxury of snapping away over 100 shots to get the right one! and i am also so thankful for the continuous shooting mode where it lets you snap as many photos in a row that you want...and you can even set it on self-timer. very cool feature.

it was a challenge to get a great shot. we had numerous photo sessions with me setting up the camera, pushing the button, running over to the family, getting into position, and rusty and i attempting to get the kids to look into the camera and smile. it is rather exhausting! there were moments of yelling and moments of laughing. and it's amazing that out of 100 photos taken, that we had only about 3 to choose from that were decent! and i probably will even do a little photoshop work on the one i choose! we would look through the ones taken and say: oh...ella had her eyes closed, or evan has his tongue out, or ew, i don't like my smile in that one, or my hair looks dorky there, or rusty has sleepy eyes in that one, or ella's hand is in the way, or its out of focus, or evan is running out of the photo! CRAZY.

so here is a glimpse of how our photo shoot went. sorry, you won't get to see the final photo that was chosen right now!

um, as you can see...not a good one!


funny face on evan...


and yet another bad one.


me running over to grab evan...quickly!


typical toddler...after the first 10 photos...it was impossible to keep him still!

sniff sniff

i should probably buy stock in Kleenex brand tissues. i have a box in just about every room of my house. and the reason is because i am constantly needing them...therefore, i have them handy and keep them close. my allergies are not great and i feel like i am constantly sniffing. and it seems my whole family has needed them the past month with all the colds we have had.

anyway, i don't know if any of you are nerds like me...but have you noticed the new cool kleenex box designs? i LOVE them. it actually made me so excited to see them in the stores and even though they are more expensive, i still bought some! i would much rather pull a tissue from a cool looking kleenex box than those ugly grandma looking ones! i know, i know, it sounds rather silly. but for a product that is used that much in my house...i want it to be pretty and not an eye sore! go check it out for yourself. thanks kleenex!

white christmas

last night ella and i were having a little conversation about christmas. it went something like this:

me: ella, are you excited that it's christmas time?

ella: yes! so, mommy, is thanksgiving over?

me: yes it is. and now we are going to celebrate christmas. although christmas is not until december 25.

ella: YAY! but mommy (as she looks outside)....where is all the snow!?

so i guess not only is she dreaming of a white christmas, she expects it too! and even though she's four...i think its a pretty good question! considering everything out there that is advertising christmas usually includes snowmen, snowflakes, frosty, north pole...everything has snow!! so come on georgia, how 'bout giving us a white christmas this year and make my daughter happy!

thanksgiving recap

we got home last night from our travels for thanksgiving. it all started thursday morning as we ran around the house trying to pack up and head off for pine mountain, ga for my family reunion. this reunion has been going on for more than 33 years (b/c i went as a baby). this is my mom's side of the family...my gramma was one of eleven children (she is the last one living), so everyone there is all connected to her family. the 11 were: Mittie Bailey, Sis, Bud, Ros, Durand, Thelma, Happy, Vamie, Vivian, Erin (gramma), & Elaine. those are some interesting names! and everyone called their mother "Big Mama".

it was a little strange this year because neither my parents or my sister and her family were there. they went to the beach...without US! (they asked us, we just turned them down...we've been on too many trips lately!). but we still had a nice time. there's just something about being with that many people and knowing you have come from such a rich heritage...i love hearing the history of my grandmother's family. and it's great to see everyone still has enthusiasm about getting together every year for thanksgiving. i hope the tradition will continue...its a little strange to think that some day it will be all up to my generation and our children to keep it going.

after lunch, we headed down the road to spend a couple nights with r's family. their new house is finished and they are all moved in! its such a pretty house and the kids enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny they could find. every closet door and every cabinet door was opened. and ella was looking forward to finding out what surprise grandma and grandpa had for her and evan. it was a playground! rusty and his dad spent the next couple days putting it together for the kids. it was so fun to see the kids smiles on their faces as they played....and much more fun to see grandpa's proud smile watching them enjoy it so much!! thanks g'ma and g'pa!! here are some pictures...


grandpa used a tractor to level off the ground for the playground...evan LOVED watching him move all that dirt!

i love this picture...evan's little head just peaking out from grandpa's lap

ella said "grandpa sure did make a great playground for me and bud to play on!"...and then she gave him a big hug and said "thank you grandpa!" :)

giving thanks

i can't help but notice that there are many people who are already decorating their homes for christmas. we were driving around last night and saw several people outside hanging up lights on their houses and santas, reindeer and snowmen in their yards. it's kinda crazy to me. can't we just enjoy thanksgiving first? i feel like thanksgiving is getting robbed of all its glory. don't get me wrong, i LOVE christmas and honestly we should celebrate Christ's birth year-round, but let's just do one holiday at a time...you know?

i just got home from hobby lobby where they have had christmas things on the shelves for months now. and i must admit, i get excited looking at all of it...so...now i must focus, focus, focus. i must think about what kind of casserole i will make for our big family reunion on thursday and what kind of new yummy cake can i make. and i must think about how grateful i am to be living in a country where freedom surrounds us. and i will be thankful that i can worship the God of the universe and his Son who gave his life for me so that i may live! and be thankful for the founding fathers of this country who fought for these freedoms. and be grateful for my loving family, for the joy that they bring me and how they light up my heart in too many ways to count. and for friends that are so dear and so needed in my life.

it's just too easy to get caught up in how commercialized these holidays can be. i want to take the time to enjoy each one and try to focus more on what they each mean. so tomorrow, after my daughter has her charlie brown thanksgiving feast at her preschool and watches the charlie brown movie, i will attempt to help her understand what thanksgiving is all about (especially since she is already asking when christmas is going to be here!).

1 Chronicles 16:8
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

i don't want a shot...i don't want a shot...i don't want a shot

over and over and over again...screaming, crying and yelling "i don't want a shot". this is how it went this morning for ella. we actually were taking evan in for his 2 month check up but i wanted both kids to get their flu shots. before evan was called back, they called for ella. i didn't mention anything to her about getting a shot. we got her back into the room and she absolutely FREAKED OUT. nothing would calm her down. she had her legs wrapped around my legs. she was shaking, trembling, and so frightened of getting another shot. (she got one at her last check up in august and it was not a pleasant experience). the nurses tried to take her and set her down on the table...she fought HARD. i finally gave into her and told her she didn't have to have one...after using any kind of bribery i could think of and nothing was calming her down.

we went back to the waiting room to wait for evan's check up. i continued to try to talk to her about the whole situation. nothing worked. she continued to cry and yell and worry. evan did awesome for our doctor...at least i had one calm child with me. then...we decided to let the nurses do the dirty job without me in the room. i stood outside the door while i heard my poor little girl scream and fight and try to escape the needle!!! it was bad. but once it was done....she calmed down pretty quick and she actually didn't hate me afterwards. and the nurses even got a hug from her.

through all of this, i just kept thinking why do i have to force my child to get something like this that she is absolutely terrified of...when it's not absolutely necessary? it seemed like torture. the nurses reassured me that they have lots of children that react this way and that they just have to pin them down forcefully. it just sounds so brutal, doesn't it? but what ella doesn't understand is that this tiny, quick, sting will help prevent her from getting a longer-lasting, horrible sickness. so i guess its just all a part of parenthood...trying to protect our children. and i'm sure there are some good, deep, spiritual analogies that i could draw from the whole experience...but i'm too tired to think about it right now!

once that red sucker was in her mouth...the tears were gone. i just wonder what will happen next time!

no idea what to say

so i'm back from my week and i'm a little speechless. it's not that i'm at a loss for words...it's just knowing how to get them down on "paper" from my head. r and i had an incredible week and walked away with so much stuff that we are still processing through. we are so thankful for our time together and for what God did in our hearts. our time at Sonship was invaluable to us...

i'm trying to get back into the swing of life after having been away from my kids for 6 days! thanks to our parents for lovingly keeping them while we were gone!

so that's all for now. i'll have to write more later after i figure out exactly what to say!

a blogging hault

so i'm leaving town for another week...this time with rusty to a conference. won't be around blogging. but i'm sure i'll have plenty to blog about when i return.

my baby is 2

today we had evan's 2nd birthday party (he will be 2 on the 9th) and i REALLY can't believe that my baby is 2. seriously, where does the time go?!

we had a puppy party. is it torture to have a puppy party for your son who is terrified of dogs?! well we made sure there were no real dogs around. just cute little friends of evan who turned into puppies at the party. we made puppy ears, and played a game where they got to eat puppy chow out of doggie bowls, and they ran around and barked and woofed. i think they all had fun!

as for this occasion...the last 2 years of life with evan...i have loved tremendously. my boy has a huge hold of my heart and i don't think i could love him more. happy birthday my sweet, sweet boy!!

"tick or twee"

sticking with the tv show favorite around here...ella and evan dressed up as 2 characters from the backyardigans. the day i bought their costumes, they ran around the house in such excitement...it was priceless!! definitely worth the price of the costumes! ella was "uniqua" (or "uniq-you-a" as she says) and evan was "pablo" (or "tyro" as evan says cuz "tyrone" is his favorite character). i thought they were super cute! evan put on his costume for these pictures and then we took the costumes off to eat dinner. when it was time to go trick or treating....we had to fight to get his costume back on. he was SO enjoying running around in just a diaper! so after all the tears, i ended up having to carry him to the first few houses. and mama couldn't handle that for long! we took him back home and let him pass out candy with daddy. so ella and i enjoyed trick or treating together. it was a fun night.

california dreamin'

ella has already said that she wants to go back. she already misses her friends that she played with all week in california! so needless to say, we had a wonderful time away. we stayed with our friends katie and brian who have 3 kids. so with my 2 kids added to the mix, it was a crazy week! we did manage to have a few good conversations in between the chaotic moments! i think i aged a little through all the craziness...actually i did! i went to CA as a 32 yr old and came home 33! kate took me to a yummy tapas restaurant for my birthday. (thanks kate...we are all so thankful for everything and for hosting us for a week! i love you my friend!)

it would be hard to write about everything we did and saw. so i tried to narrow down the many pictures i took to help recap our time there. enjoy!


these are the friends we stayed with. all 9 of us together. the middle pic is me and katie. the last pic is me, wendi and katie. wendi had her baby the monday night before i got there!





in the bottom right photo are our friends that we met while at northwestern univ. in chicago 5 years ago. they live outside of modesto. they joined us at this place called "happy hallow" where they have a small zoo and fun kid rides.

in the very first picture there is a sea lion (i think) that i didn't even know was there until i uploaded my photos yesterday...very cool!

goin' back to cali

it has been almost 20 years since i was in california. we took a road trip out to LA one summer to see where my mom grew up. but i've never been to northern california. i leave tomorrow (well technically tonight since it's now after midnight!) for san francisco to visit my friends! i'm SO excited. and one of my friends is actually IN LABOR as i type this!! so i will get to meet and hold her newest little boy. i'm excited to see a part of the country i've never seen. but mostly i'm excited to spend time with my best friends for a whole week!

so after a long day...and an even longer day tomorrow...i'm headed to bed! be back in a week!

back to our regularly scheduled programming

my last post was kinda out of the blue and nothing to do with...well...what i normally post about, which is my family. although music is something i love and should be part of "my eleven". anyway, so i'll get back to my regular stuff.

tonite on the way home from the mall, we passed a pumpkin patch. they have those huge inflatable pumpkins, ghosts, frankenstein, and more pumpkins just begging for my children to yell "look mommy, pumpkins! pumpkins"...or rather "punkins, punkins!" and tonite, ella went on to say, "mommy, i love halloween and winter. it's my favorite part of the fourth of july!"

now that is a blog-worthy quote!

continuum

i have to give a plug for my boy john mayer. i treated myself yesterday at target and bought his latest cd "Continuum." it does not disappoint. his previous cd's i continue to enjoy..."Room for Squares" and "Heavier Things". they are the kind of cds where you never want to skip a song b/c all of them are super. and his latest is no exception.

his ability to pull you into his music is amazing. i love how jazzy, soulful, and emotional this cd is....its about life, love, politics and everything in between. he is an incredibly talented songwriter, musician, and singer. can you tell i like him? his gifts continue to just get better and better over time. collaborating with steve jordan and pino palladino (joined him for john mayer trio) have only seemed to push him toward broadening his sounds....and he has shown it in "continuum".

so there is my brief review for what it's worth. just go see for yourself.

a whole lotta "ba-gans" going on

if you don't know who these guys are, well come on over to my house and ella will be glad to introduce you. tasha, uniqua, tyrone, austin, and pablo seem to show up way too often around here. evan calls them "ba-gans"...the official name is Backyardigans. i'm having a hard time limiting their viewing pleasure to 2 backyardigans a day! they LOVE this show. and although i'm getting quite tired of the theme song, i actually think the show is pretty cute. these little guys can sing so well and they have some pretty sweet dance moves! ella's latest favorite episode is the new one, "Mission to Mars." and good thing we have our DVR, cuz i can let her watch it whenever she wants (well, not whenever she wants...i do say "no" on some occasions!).

anyway, so between "Eureka!", "Cave Party", "Quest for the Flying Rock", "Viking Voyage", "Tea Party", "Polka Palace", "Race to the Tower of Power", etc etc....it is actually encouraging my little one's imaginations and increasing their desire to sing and dance. and it brings smiles to their faces and lots of giggles. so i don't mind a little tv if it means those things.

does anyone know what kind of animal "uniqua" is?? i haven't quite figured that one out yet...i'm sure i could look it up, but it's not in my internet surfing plans right now...."now it's time for us to have a snack meet you next time wheeeeen weeeee're baaaaaaack with your friends the backyaaaaardigans!" :)

some pics from the wedding

the wedding was amazing...read my previous post to know what wedding i'm talking about! the location was beautiful...it was held at Frogtown winery outside of dahlonega. it was the perfect setting for this couple who LOVE the outdoors...they are avid mountain bikers, hikers, runners, etc)...so it just fit them perfectly. jenn looked absoulutely beautiful. the view was breathtaking. the food was divine. the wine was fantastic. it was a fun night. here are some pics...

pretty background, huh?


sweet kids...they had fun at the wedding. ella wondered why she wasn't the flower girl. :)


the happy couple

jenn and me

the other happy couple :)

amy (wisch) and me (another one of my bridesmaids)

the last one to tie the knot

so i know this sounds obnoxious...but i had 12 bridesmaids. i really wouldn't have had it any other way. half of them were high school friends and the other half were my college friends...plus my sister who was my matron of honor. and there would have been 13, but one of my college friends was living in japan at the time (i still say she was a bridesmaid even though she wasn't there)!

i was in 10 of those bridesmaid's weddings. oh what a plethora of bridesmaids dresses i have in my closet! pink, green, blue, black, etc. (still don't know what to do with them). here is the rundown of when everyone else got married (this is mainly for my sake to have it recorded when i'm old and can't remember anything!):

1. Jorja - August 1991 (she discipled me in college)
2. Tracy - April 1995 (H.S. friend)
3. Michelle - July 1995 (H.S. friend)
4. Stacy - September 1995 (sister)
5. Katie - May 1997 (college friend)
6. Amy - October 1997 (college friend)
7. Angela - November 1997 (college friend)
8. Sandy - May 1998 (H.S. friend)
9. Lori - September 1999 (H.S. friend)
10. Rebecca - May 1999 (college roommate)
11. Wendi - December 2000 (college friend)
12. Heidi - April 2002 (H.S. friend)
13. Jennifer - October 2006 (college friend)

and yes, jenn is the last one to tie the knot...TODAY!! it's pretty exciting to see that all of my friends are married and, for the most part, have happy, healthy marriages! its a miracle, really, considering the divorce rate these days. as i typed each of their names, it brings back many memories with each of them. some of them i keep in touch with more than others and i'm ok with that. most of them will be lifetime friends that i will continue to hang on to because they are so dear to me. there's a lot of history there in those relationships that helped define and make me who i am today.

last night i attended the rehearsal dinner for jennifer and the wedding is tonight in dahlonega, georgia....a beautiful outdoor setting in the mountains. a great celebration of my last bridesmaid to get married!

here's a photo of my wedding...it's a photo of a photo...my scanner is on the outs. so its not a great picture, but still wanted to post it.
amy, jorja, jenn, angela, katie, stacy, me, heidi, tracy, michelle, lori, sandy, rebecca

lost is back

i'm pretty excited about the LOST premiere tomorrow night. we haven't missed an episode of this addictive show. it will be interesting to see how this season compares with previous ones. the minute i start doubting if they can keep it exciting and keep my interest, the writers throw a curve ball and one of those shocking scenes that leave your mouth wide open at the end of the show. now that "the others" are being revealed and after capturing some of our beloved castaways, i'm so curious to see what will happen next. in my limited capacity for imagination, i just can't figure out how the show can keep getting better....but it has.

and i'm committed.

and i'll be watching tomorrow night!

will you?

sweet words of worship

haven't felt much like blogging lately. just been busy since i got back from columbus. enjoying some much needed family time.

worship this morning was really great...my hubby played some of my favorite songs (thanks honey!) :) this is one of my favorite hymns and we sang it this morning. i love the words and love the tune.

Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.

headed to the promised land

well i do behave like an israelite way too much, but this promised land i'm speaking about is Columbus, Georgia.

and for those of you who know where columbus is, you're probably saying, "huh?"....but for those of you who are from columbus, you know exactly what i mean!

when i first met rusty in college, there were several others, like him, who lived in columbus and they all referred to their beloved city as the promised land. i can't quite figure out why they all have such a high view of this city myself (sorry!), but i guess they have the right to think it anyway. maybe a few of you who claim this city as your own can comment and explain it to us!

so i'm headed down there in the morning to spend a couple days with r's parents. they are about to move into a new house that they are having built. there is lots of cleaning out to do in the house they are in...many many years of stuff that needs to be tossed, given away, or packed to move. so that's what i'm going to do! i'm on a mission (i really need to be doing this at my house, except the packing part).

so my mom and dad are coming to stay with the kids while i'm gone, since r will be working. it will be nice to spend some time with the in-laws. they are dear, dear people and the best in-laws i could ask for. i know without a doubt that they love me unconditionally. and i'm just thrilled for them and their brand new long-awaited house. i can't wait to see it!

puritan prayer

during the worship service this morning, we prayed a corporate prayer for our confession.

Gracious God,
Our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgement. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.
- from "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions"

and that is the prayer of my heart today.

san fran...here we come!

i'm super excited because i just booked a flight to san francisco. ever since one of my best friends from college moved there about 3 years ago, i've been wanting to go visit. it's about time i make it out there! and now, my other BFF from college lives there too (for the past year) and i can't wait to come visit! she is due with her 4th child in march...so i wanted to come before she got to the miserable stage of her pregnancy. and the other friend will be due with her 3rd child the week that i will be there...so maybe i'll get to meet this little baby boy...i'm hoping!

the kids are going with me...i'm a little nervous about travelling with them by myself. they have never flown. should be interesting. rusty is joining us a few days later and will fly home with us. whatever hassle it may be, it is all worth it to see my friends. they are DEAR to my heart and i just can't wait to see what their life is like out there on the west coast!!

so, kater, i'm comin my friend...can't wait to stay up late and chat with you, and watch our little munchkins play together, and just laugh A LOT from our goofiness. i'm giddy with excitement!

** we don't leave until October 17th (i guess i should've mentioned that!)

it's that time of year again

i do believe this is my favorite time of year. the weather has been perfect here the past few days. the sky could not be more blue, the air could not be more crisp, and the temperature is just right. i love it when we can start wearing longsleeves and need to bundle up a bit at night.

it's the kind of day when i long to take a road trip to the great smokey mountains. with the windows rolled down and the indigo girls blaring through the speakers as i attempt to sing harmony at the top of my lungs (because they do have the best road trip songs in my opinion!). or a little JT (and no, i don't mean justin timberlake) singing "carolina in my mind". just the thought of driving with no real place to go makes me smile. to be able to stop at any point and pick apples, pumpkins or eat a big bag of hot boiled peanuts...mmmmmm. and i love going to any kind of fall festival around. the music, the people, the arts & crafts, the food...it all just excites me!

and the leaves...the leaves changing in the mountains is a beautiful sight. i love to see the wonder of God's creation in hues of bright yellows, oranges and reds. only our creator could come up with something so amazing.

i remember back in college rusty and i would just take off and drive...with nowhere to go. i loved those trips...full of the unexpected...full of spontaneity. it's a little harder to do it with kids in the picture, but i'm sure we'll try! they are learning to enjoy the same things that mommy and daddy do and it's so fun to experience those things with them. so, here's to fall! i'm so glad it's here.

ok, finally!!

this better work darn it. i'm determined for you to see this video just for the sake of me figuring out how to make it work! and you better think its the cutest thing you've ever seen after all of this effort! :)

Giddy Up

ok, i'm having trouble with this video. hope it works now.

Happy 50th Post

ok, so i know it's tradition with your 100th post to list 100 things about yourself. this task seems a little too overwhelming and a little too much information about me that you just may get bored with. SO...since i'm only halfway to 100, and 50 sounds much more feasible, i will break it up and do 50 now and 50 later! so in honor of my 50th post...here goes!

1. i'm almost one month away from turning 33
2. born and raised in atlanta (and in the burbs!)
3. i was (and probably still am) the youngest person to go up in a hot air balloon. my father flew them for a living during most of my childhood. 3 days old, right out of the hospital, he took me up in his balloon with a huge banner on the balloon..."It's a GIRL!" and it had my name. we have lots of newspaper clippings from all over the country with the story. i guess that's my claim to fame
4. i have an older sister...she's 3 years older than me
5. my parents are still married...almost 40 years
6. next summer for their 40th anniversary, they are taking all of us on a disney cruise! whoohoo!!
7. i've only lived out of the state of georgia once in my life.
   
8. and that was when my husband and i moved to chicago for 5 months for him to go to school at Northwestern. very fun time for us. we lived in a studio apartment on campus right on Lakeshore Drive overlooking Lake Michigan.
9. i enjoy the city, just not the traffic
10. i don't think i could ever live in the country (i have to have a grocery store within a 5 mile radius....and a mall within 10 mile radius!!)
11. i was attached to my stuffed animal monkey when i was younger. i got him when i was 3 and took him everywhere i went. his name was "monkey" (how original). i even took him to college and my friends made fun of it. he is in my son's room now
12. my mom says i was always an active child...her social butterfly (that's where ella gets the "where are we going today, mommy?" from)
13. i was also very goofy
14. my favorite subjects in school were math and art (quite a combination)
15. my least favorite subjects were english and history. i never enjoyed reading or writing
16. i was TERRIFIED of dogs as a child. my mom told me one day that we were going to "Wendy's" to eat lunch and i asked "Does Wendy have a dog?"....i was NOT going if she had a dog! ha. i didn't know it was a fast food restaurant
17. i still really don't love dogs. i never had a pet growing up (except for my fish i had in college). so i'm not a pet lover. my husband really wants a dog, i just don't know if i can do it!!! (sorry for you animal lover's out there....don't worry, i won't be mean to your pets...i just won't touch them or love on them!)
18. i hated green beans growing up. they would literally make me gag. i still hate them
19. wow this is hard
    
20. all of these facts are so random
21. ok, so i cheated and got 2 freebies. i was a "good girl" growing up...didn't get into that much trouble
22. i was always an 'A' student
    
23. my dad built a tree house for me that i probably didn't use as much as i should have. probably b/c one of my friends fell through the ladder hole one time and it scared me
24. i always wanted a trampoline growing up and never got one. our friends loaned theirs to us when they moved to kentucky for about a year. then i had to give it back. i LOVED having it.
25. i used to love cutting the grass with the riding lawn mower (until i became a teenager and people could see me as they drove by...we lived on a very busy corner). our lawn mower had 2 levers to steer with instead of a steering wheel. it was so cool. i would drive it around in the woods behind our house on the path that my dad cleared out. great entertainment!
26. my family would go camping at least once a year to Deep Creek, NC...we would go with our friends from church who had 4 girls, 2 of the girls were the same age as my sister and i. we would float down the creek on inner tubes (sp?) and there were some pretty big rapids and falls at times. lots of great memories from those camping trips!
27. i was always blessed with lots of friends
28. i have 5 friends that i stuck with through high school and we are still great friends today
29. they were all in my wedding (along with my 6 college friends! yes, big wedding party!)
30. we all went to NYC for our 30th birthday trip a few years ago
31. we all went to school together and church together
32. i was very involved in church growing up
33. i sung in the youth choir, was on a mime team (i know, cheesy) and played handbells
34. i always went to youth camp (Centrifuge, LifeWeek)
35. i was baptized when i was 5th grade (i grew up southern baptist), but don't believe i really became a christian until college
36. i went to Berry College in Rome, Georgia
37. its the most beautiful campus (i think!) and it has 28,000 acres!
38. i was first a Decision Science major (Math, Business, Computer Science)
39. after i got my first 'F' EVER (i can't believe i'm admitting this) in Differential Equations, i decided that the major just wasn't for me!
    
40. i then decided to make up my own major....Interdisciplinary major, combining Art, Business, and Communications....i got to make up my own class schedule, it was great!
41. it was during my college years that i really grew spiritually as a Christian
    
42. was involved in a ministry called Campus Outreach
43. spent 3 summers on a summer beach project in Panama City Beach
44. and spent one summer in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
45. i have the most amazing friends from my college years
46. and a wonderful husband that i met there too!!
47. i worked at a bank in the super Walmart after graduation, hated it
48. then worked in the communications department of a very large church for several years
49. and then was hired by a graphic designer who owned his own firm, this was the best experience and i learned a ton from him
50. i now do freelance graphic design....in my spare time (which is NOT much!)

WOW. i can't believe how hard that was. i'm glad i have another 50 posts to go before i have to do it again! so thanks for enduring (if you even got through all of them)!!

Ella's bedtime prayer

Dear Father,
Thank you for this day, for the sun that'll care, for the love that's everywhere....that's why i say thanks every day. Because a grateful heart is a happy heart. That's why Jesus reminds somethin that you do everything that are wrong and right. For the trees and animals and grass.
Amen.

sidenote: she says this exact same prayer every single night. it started several months ago and has not changed. for you veggie tales fans out there, you may recognize the first part from the thankfulness song. anyway, i had to get this written down so i would never forget it. i wonder when she'll shake things up a bit and start praying a different prayer!

remembering september 11, 2001

it was five years ago. i have a horrible memory, but this day i will never forget. there have been a few of these days in my lifetime that i do remember...the space shuttle Challenger explosion with teacher Christa McAuliffe onboard, the tragic car accident that killed Princess Diana, the tragic plane accident killing JFK Jr... these are moments in history that i remember shook us all.

but nothing compares to the tragic events of september 11, 2001.

rusty and i had recently purchased our first home (just a few weeks prior). no kids. i was working for a small, private graphic design firm. that morning was no different than any other morning. i rolled out of bed after sleeping in as late as i possibly could and started getting ready for work. turned on the "Today" show as usual while eating my breakfast. all of a sudden....breaking news about a plane hitting one of the world trade center towers. wow...i thought....how could a plane get off course like that and run into a building? as i watched the footage, i called rusty to tell him what happened. i then called my dad to make sure he was watching and i also called my boss, steve, to tell him to watch. then, another plane hits the second building. my eyes were GLUED to the tv. this was no accident. this was intentional. i could not believe what i was watching. i was scared, i was shocked, i was numb.

i eventually made it in to work (late). we watched the news all day at work. needless to say, not much work got done this day. i remember how my heart literally felt like it was sinking as we watched both towers collapse. the chaos, the tragedy, the enormous disaster that was taking place was almost more than i could bare. tears rolling down my face as i thought about those lives that were gone. and then to hear about the other stories....the plane crashing in pennsylvania and the one that crashed into the pentagon. it was all just too much. was this for real?

for days following, i continued to stay glued to my television just like every other american. i knew my country would never be the same after that horrible day. every night for a few weeks i was scared to go to sleep. i was haunted by the images that i had seen. the fire, the smoke, the debris, the faces of those mourning loved ones, the people trying to find their loved ones, the massive destruction in NYC. and just the thought of these terrorists getting away with what they did....i was worried about what was next.

we have come a long way since then. i thank the men and women who have sacrificed their lives to help protect this country. and i thank the ones who lost their lives on that devastating day. we will certainly never forget that moment in our nation's history and we will never forget the heroic stories and tragic stories that took place....five years ago.

deliquent mom

i thought i was all prepared for this morning. i thought i had plenty of time to get everything done. it was ella's first day of her new K-4 class. a day that has been on the calendar for months and a day that we had been talking up for weeks.

8:30 rolls around...and of course, i'm rushing. am i ever on time? probably not. and this morning was no exception. real quick, i thought, i need to take a picture of her on her first day! get evan in his car seat, run upstairs, grab camera, run back downstairs, get ella out of the van, get her posed outside, say "cheese", crap...dead batteries. "hang on, ella, i'll be right back". run back inside, grab another set of batteries, crap....dead batteries again. ok, there is one more set (i know, yes we have 3 sets of rechargeable batteries...you never know when you are going to need them, ha!). put in the last set, CRAP...dead batteries!! UGH!

you would think i would be prepared and have all sets charged and ready to go for her first day of school photo. so we ended up getting the shot after we got home (a little anti-climatic).

anyway, in the van after her first day, of course i asked her all the questions every mom asks. she proceeded to tell me she really liked her new class and her teacher is "sooo nice". and she "wasn't scared at all because it wasn't very childy" (interpretation: i wasn't scared b/c there weren't too many children). i asked her if she met some new friends. she said there were some that she liked and others that she didn't like. got me curious...."why didn't you like some of the children?" she says, "some of them were kinda weird." "weird?" i said. "yeah, some just looked really weird mommy."

um, ok. i tried to take that opportunity to share some bits of wisdom with her (you know, the don't judge a book by its cover stuff and God makes everyone special and everyone looks different in their own special way stuff). but i couldn't help but chuckle inside.

the "even" of my eleven

well i have written so many posts about ella lately, that i feel it's time to introduce my boy. evan...my 22 mo old son...also known as buddy or bud mostly. but will also respond to big poncha (by big sister), little pedro (by daddy), boogie bear (by mommy). other names include big guy, big boy, butter bean, little bud, and i could go on and on!

this little man stole my heart the second i held him. there is just something about a mother/son relationship. i could literally eat him up he is so sweet. needless to say, he is so loved by us all. his smile will win you over the second he shows his teeth for you. if he's not smiling or using his hands for something, he is probably sucking 2 of his fingers...his first 2 fingers or middle 2 fingers, on either hand. and when he is sucking on them while trying to sleep, you will hear a big moaning sound every time he breaths out. i actually think its so cute.


evan is all boy. he is definitely showing this more and more as he gets bigger. first sign, he throws everything. there are so many moments through the day when we need to yell "head's up!". from balls, sippy cups, and books to trains, magnets, and really anything that he can pick up and throw! he has no fear...he will climb all over you and fall on his head and it won't phase him. he loves to wrestle. he loves to run (and oh is it soooo cute!). he likes to gallop like a horse....while doing this he says "up, up" (for giddy-up).

his favorite things to do are read books, play outside, and play anything with his sister. she will sometimes climb up into his glider and read book after book after book with him. one of those precious moments i don't ever want to forget. he also asks to watch his favorite video...he says "e-i-i-o?" it's a video of songs and the first song is Old McDonald...so hence that is what he has named the video. another favorite is trucks. every time we are in the car i hear "mom-mee, mom-eee, MOM-MEEEE!" "what?" i say. "ook, mommy, kuck!" (look mommy , truck!). he has a few books about trucks and these are the ones he wants read to him over and over. any kind of big moving object that he sees (bulldozer, big rig, pick up truck), he will yell "kuck, kuck!"

he is talking a lot more lately. the past few days he has been saying "ank-oo mommy" (thank you mommy) to me after i do something for him. melts my heart. when he and sister are playing hide and seek, he counts "nigh nigh nigh nigh nigh NIGH" and starts running. he says that whenever he is counting things too. several months ago he started saying "okaay". and whenever he asks "what dat mommy?" and i answer him....he just says "oh". i love it...no arguing!! :) he loves waving bye to anyone and anything...lately (if he happens to be in the bathroom with you) he will politely wave bye bye to the pee pee or poo poo that is being flushed down the potty! and he says "bye poo poo!". so nice, that boy!

i wish i could just freeze him at this age. everything about him is just so cute and lovable. i love everything about him...from those chunky little legs, his sweet bald head with bits of white blonde hair to his cute little giggles and his big, fat, juicy, open-mouthed kisses! L-O-V-E H-I-M!!

note to self

TO SELF: don't ever, EVER think that you are trying to be nice by warning your 4 year old daughter at her yearly check-up at the doctor that she will only be getting ONE shot. especially when she still has to have her hearing and sight screening tests done. just always remember to wait til the absolute LAST SECOND before the shot is about to take place. just keep in mind all the sobbing and drama that will take place over the FEAR of this shot. just remember how much you wanted to kick yourself for saying anything (and the nurses probably wanted to kick you too!).

-- poor little ella. she did survive though. was finally happy after getting that red sucker she really wanted.

-- poor mommy...sometimes she just doesn't think before speaking! we were finished with the dr. and i thought the nurse was about to come in to give her the shot. but NO...i forgot about the screening tests and that it would be another 10 or so minutes before the dreaded shot. poor ella was sweating from all the crying. glad all that is over. until another 6 months.

fun for all this labor day weekend.

each of us had our fun this weekend.

rusty got to spend numerous hours with his friend eric on saturday. they are both huge notre dame fans and they watched the game together and cheered their team to victory (with sad georgia tech fans surrounding them no less).

i got to go out and see a movie with a friend on sunday. and that means, no children were tagging along. oh the joy! we saw "Little Miss Sunshine" and i highly recommend it! it was thought-provoking, entertaining, great acting by great actors, and laugh-out loud funny. and that is a good mix of qualities to have in a movie in my book. so go see it!!

and today, we took the kids to one of their favorite places around...Bass Pro Shop. kinda funny, i know. but it is really great free fun. they have a HUGE fish aquarium that they just get giddy over....hence ella started calling the store "the fishy store" when she was about 2 years old. and at that age, she could literally spot the sign from a mile away and would start yelling "fishy store, fishy store!" (happened today too!). and since the store was hopping today with labor day sales, they had a scavenger hunt for kids in the store. good family fun right there. not to mention sitting on all the four-wheelers and letting rusty reminisce about his old country boy days and touring all the pontoon boats that we could only dream about buying.

and after a nice family outing, we later enjoyed a cookout at our friend's house and enjoyed some good ribs and good laughs in between the chaos of having lots of young children running around.

so lots of good fun for the whole family this weekend. and good fun means good food too....so i racked up the points today. oops. but its a holiday. that's my excuse.

points shmoints!

i've never been a disciplined person. and i've never been a dieter. until a year ago....well just the dieter part.

i joined weight watchers online this time last year because i really wanted to lose about 10 or more pounds. my mom had done WW and i knew several people who had done it and they were successful. the ONLY reason i chose WW is because it sounded fairly easy to do online and i could still eat the things i like to eat.

and remember, i'm not a disciplined person. so yes, it was hard to get into the swing of counting points and limiting my food intake. and oh do i love food. it really did help me to see how much junk i was eating and it helped me to replace those things with lower point foods. i lost about 8 lbs and felt really good about it. i hung in there with it for probably about 4 months...and then the holidays came. i threw WW out the window!

one year later, i have gained it all back. my new jeans i bought last year are fitting quite snug and it just makes me sad. you would think this would be motivation for me to get back on the dieting plan. i'm trying, i'm trying.

a few friends have just started WW and so it is pushing me to do it again. plus the fact that r really wants to do it again too. i'm just so over the points thing. i would just rather grab a hand-full of cheez-its whenever i want to and not have to keep track of the points! its a mental game as well. my mind and tummy are telling me that they would much rather munch on something yummier than rice cakes for a snack...and i often give in to my "evil side". and when we go out to eat, it just gets even harder. its right about now that i wished my favorite foods were fruit and vegetables. too bad they aren't. i love french fries....and they love me back. i love a big, juicy hamburger....and it loves me too.

and its also right about now that i wished i was a more disciplined person. i know the results of me getting my fat butt into those jeans will be worthwhile! and WW really does work. so...here goes. good bye fat biscuit!! (thats what we call butts in our family!)