new designs

so i've been busy creating some new blog headers and updating my other blog along the way. it's been fun meeting people through this internet world and making them happy with a new look for their blogs. you can check out my newest designs here.  

a milestone for my girl

well monday night my little peanut took another baby step into being a big girl. ella finally lost her FIRST TOOTH!!! it had been loose for a few months now and it was more than ready to come out (when you see the big tooth growing in behind it...that's a sure sign!).

so daddy decided that monday night was the night. she actually seemed a little excited and ready. there were no tears, just some unsure looks (like the one below).
here is daddy checking out the situation:

and here is daddy going in for the kill. he wiggled it around with the washcloth, pulled it out, and kept pretending like he was wiggling it to trick her. a few seconds later she says "daddy, did you pull it? did you pull it!? it's GONE, its GONE!!!" no fooling her!

and here is the final (bloody, sorry!) product.

i think she has told (and shown) everyone she has seen this week. the tooth fairy left a VERY generous $3! (what was she thinking!?). i assured her that the tooth fairy only leaves that much for the first tooth!! she is saving her money to buy a new webkins pony.

so you experienced moms out there, tell me...what have you done with your child's first tooth? did you save it in a little pillow or box? or what!? i like the idea of saving it...it is kinda cute afterall....but kinda gross at the same time! give me your feedback if you have any!

my easter top "eleven"

we had a wonderful easter. here's the countdown:

11-
hearing evan say "it's just what i wanted in my whole life!" after seeing his
Dora paint book in his easter basket.

10-
making "Resurrection Buns" with the kids for breakfast and hearing them ask all kinds of questions about Jesus and his resurrection!

9-
watching and hearing my big 5 year old sing about Jesus in front of church!
she did such a super job!

8-
watching the kids slide down the huge hill outside of church after our service! (evan's new pants were filthy and ella had scratches all over the back of her legs after this!)

7-
my cute boy

and my beautiful girl (if you look closely you will see her bottom
tooth sticking up...that is because it is about to fall out!)

6-
watching my kids love on each other while i try to get the perfect picture!

5-
a sleepy boy with very kissable lips on our ride to gramma j and hilly pop's house

4-
seeing all the cousins together in their easter clothes (evan's yellow vest would've fit perfectly if we had not changed him out of his muddy clothes from the hill sliding!)

3-
a fun easter egg hunt in my parents backyard

2-
giggles and smiles that bubbles bring

1-
celebrating God's perfect plan of giving up His Son so that we would be rescued and forgiven!! Happy Easter!

the funny things he says...

several things i need to write down before i forget! evan has had some funny quotes that i want to share.
1-
in the car, ella was reading a Miffy book about what makes Miffy happy. ella then asked me and evan what made us happy. i told them it makes me happy when i hear them giggle. then evan said, "it makes me happy when mama....(pause)....(i'm thinking he is going to say something oh so sweet).....goes on a trip." what?! um, ok then, i can have that arranged!

2-
the other night when he sat down at the table to eat, he looked down at his plate as usual and said, "mmmmmmm....looks yummy! but i don't think i like it very much."

3-
i was helping him go potty and i lifted up his shirt and said "what a big belly you have, bud!" and he said, "i know! i have a big belly! you have a big belly too mama!" i had to agree! :)

4-
i sometimes call him my "big boy" and as i was tucking him into bed the other night i said "are you my big boy?" he said "yes! and you are my big mama!" i don't think i want that term to stick.

dyeing eggs

i just had to google how to spell dyeing. is it dyeing or dying? speaking of dying eggs...as in baby chickens who just don't make it because we like scrambled eggs so much...reminds me of a funny conversation we had with ella about that the other day. we were eating chicken and she started asking questions about the dead chickens and i mentioned that we get our eggs from chickens. the light bulb went off in her head when she thought about it. and so she wondered where the baby chickens go in the eggs that we eat...? hmmm...i quickly referred her to daddy, the knowledgeable one in the family. he said that the eggs we eat are not fertilized yet so the baby chickens have not started growing. and that was the end of that discussion....thankfully.

and so, the DYEing of easter eggs....

we had fun today. evan kept saying, "when are we going to play with the eggs?" and we had to keep telling him that we were going to "dye" the eggs. we colored some of the eggs with crayons and it makes them look cute!

a ride in the park

sunday was warm and sunny and a perfect day for riding bikes in the park. since evan got his bike for christmas, he has not gotten to ride it anywhere but the driveway. he has finally learned to go forward and not push the brakes every second....so we thought he might be ready for the open road!

they had a great time riding on the pathway around the lake. after going down a small hill and riding her brakes the whole way, ella reached the flat area and took off....


and then little man had a hard time keeping up with sister and daddy...

while ella was swinging, she told me she loves closing her eyes because it makes her feel like she is flying!

i love how the park brings automatic smiles!!

10 years ago today

march 7, 1998 was my wedding day. actually as i'm typing this it is 3:30pm and that is when the wedding started!

but let's rewind to 11 years ago....march 1997. rusty and i were not together at that time....after dating for 3 years of college, after both of us said that we loved each other, and after R told me his intentions were to marry me. rewind several months before when the split happened. for various reasons, i was having doubts about whether or not i was to marry him. these doubts were big enough to cause us to go our separate ways. it was the most difficult thing we had experienced and the months following didn't get much easier. we were both pretty miserable. we weren't communicating and it seemed like all of our best friends around us were getting married. (like her / him and her and her / him). i couldn't stand not being with him. i missed him tremendously. but through our misery, God did such a work in my heart. and this is such a foreshadowing of our lives together.

thankfully, after about an 8 month break up, we were back together and on our way to engagement. november 1997 he proposed to me at Frost Chapel where we went to school. and 3 1/2 months later....i became his wife.

10 years of marriage has come and gone and i can hardly believe it. looking back on those doubtful times, i am so happy i can say that i'm more confident than ever that God brought us together. marriage certainly has not been an easy ride....how can it be with 2 sinners living together!? but if it weren't for God using R in my life, I would not be where I am today.

I'm in awe of what a gift R is to me. he has stood beside me and supported me through really tough times and he has celebrated with me and encouraged me through our happy moments. i would not want anyone else by my side. he forgives me over and over and over and loves me in my weakest moments like no one else can. i have never doubted his love for me (he probably tells me he loves me about 10 times a day!). watching how his faith has grown amazes me and makes me feel priveleged that he is mine. God has certainly used him in my life to humble me, to encourage me, to make me smile, to dig deeper into my heart where its so difficult to go, to show me the gospel of grace. 10 years is a lot of time to see each other's good and bad...and the fact that our love is more solid than ever is definitely because of God's grace.

i know this is getting on the sappy side....but 10 years is a big deal! :)

i really can't say enough about how thankful i am to have this man in my life. and how thankful i am that our children have HIM as their daddy! R is the hero in our lives....the rock, the support, the protector, the jungle gym, the light.....the LOVE. I love him beyond words...today...and for many more decades beyond!

my cousin

my heart is heavy right now with thoughts of my cousin, joshua. i've posted about him before...about how he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor last june. it has been a huge battle for him and he is still fighting. last week i got word that although the tumor had shrunk 29% (thanks to some really expensive Italian medicine), there is new growth on his spinal chord.

and today, he and his brother are fighting the stomach flu. it has gotten really bad and they are on their way to the hospital with josh. He is increasingly weak & lethargic, not holding anything in, and choking on fluids.

josh's parents are exhausted. this has been a fight for them as well. his mom is caring for him day & night.

and so, my heart is heavy. we are begging God for a miracle. that He would save this young boy's life. please pray with me...that ultimately, God would be glorified no matter what happens.

If you would like to read more about Josh, you can go here to see pictures of him and hear his story. And also, if you feel led to, there is a place where you can make a donation. Their medical expenses are outrageous (Josh's dad, Gino, is a pastor so you know he doesn't make much!) and they need all the help they can get to raise money for Josh's fight. There is a donation button you can click on and it will give you info. thanks friends.

back to reality

this is where i've been (amelia island, florida)...

































and this is the view we had each day...

















and this is who i went with...

















to celebrate 10 great years of marriage...

and we relaxed (this is post massage!)...






















and we rode bikes...






















and we ate fantastic food...















and this pretty much sums up our trip....no worries, all relaxation and good times. (thanks for a wonderful time, r....it was the best!)

a giveaway!

my "real life" friend, jen, over at "lots of scotts" is giving away a new blog header...designed by me! head on over there and leave her a comment and you just might be the big winner! and if you have never read her blog, you are in for a real treat...she has triplets and she has such a gift of writing and bringing us along in her journey of life! go visit her!

he makes us laugh.

so his newest trick is this:

funny how we treat him like a dog and make him do his trick. all we have to say is "bud, do your eyes". and OH is it funny when he does it and he cracks himself up as well! and now that he knows that it makes us laugh, he does it all the time for us. what a "good boy"! arf!

another blog

after designing several blog headers recently, i decided i needed a business blog to make it more official! go here if you are interested in looking (as i know you are, right!? all 5 of you.) anyway, and keep me in mind if you want a new look on your own blog, ok!?

a lovely day

happy valentine's day. we've had an eventful day! here's a photo recap:

we saw "Cinderella" (the ballet) at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. it was evan's first time to the Fox...and the ballet for that matter. he really enjoyed it, although he was disappointed that Jack & Gus (the mice) were not there....and nobody talked on stage. but he loved the stars on the ceiling and the moving clouds. ella liked the ballet as well but was really hoping to see Lucifer the cat. i guess there's too much of the disney version being watched at our house!


then my kids experienced another first..."The Varsity"...another historical landmark in Atlanta. there's nothing like saying "i love you" with a plate of greasy food. yummy! here's ella (looks like) smoking her french fry sporting her varsity hat...and eating her "F.O." (for you non-Atlantans, that's "Frosted Orange").


and here's bud with his "naked dog" (literally!) and slurping his "F.O." with determination.

and here is ella with her cute valentine lollipop flowers that we made for her friends at school. they say "if flowers were friends, i'd pick you". they turned out cute and we had fun making them.

hope you all had a "LOVE"ly day as well!!

role reversal

as we were driving home tonight, the kids kept jibber-jabbering for our attention. ella was asking me to say words for her to spell while evan was playing the rhyming game (he says a word and tries to think of one that rhymes...sometimes he is successful and other times he comes up with things like "plane and grass...they rhyme mommy!"). SO, i got weary of the constant talking and told them i was tired. so my little buddy then said "you need to go to bed, mommy? i will tuck you in, ok!?" of course i said "sure, bud! you can tuck mommy in!"

he remembered.

when it was time for him to go to bed he sweetly told me it was time for him to tuck me in bed. and i let him. i crawled into bed (in my jeans), he pulled the covers up over me and gave me goodnight kisses. i then had to give him instructions to go crawl in his own bed and wait for daddy to come tuck him in. so i waited until daddy was done and his door was closed. and then i got up...making sure that he went to bed knowing he tucked me in for the night. i will surely have sweet dreams tonight!

thanks to my apple peeps

i have been without my computer for 5 days. you may or may not remember that this happened to me last year...around the same time! my mac was having the same issues last week where it would power off for no reason...and then not turn back on. unfortunately, it's out of warranty. so when i took my computer into the "shop", they told me i needed to call apple and beg them to fix this issue. it is a manufacturer defect in certain iMac models...to replace the logic board was going to cost me $800. so i put on my fighting gloves and called apple. i thought surely i was going to have to talk in my firm, mean voice to get what i wanted. to my surprise, they graciously said they would fix it for me (and i didn't have to get mean!). the lady even gave me her direct number in case i continue to have this problem in the future.

so i'm writing all this (and i know that NONE of you really care) to give props to Apple. I have always been a fan and was a little concerned that this little episode was going to weaken my loyalties. i'm happy to say that i was thrilled with their customer service and so thankful not to have to dish out lots of money.

another new look

i finally had the time to change my christmas header. just before february begins! yay! so maybe all the flowers mean something...like i'm ready for SPRING!? while i loved the snow and all...i just don't do winter. i really don't enjoy the cold (unlike my hubby).

anywho, some of you have asked about these headers i design for my blog. and i'm now offering my services to you. if you would like me to design a personal header to help spruce up your blog (for a small fee), just email me at rustyandkeri@gmail.com....i'd love to help you out!

brotherly love

while the kids were with me in the restroom at the store today, evan said such a sweet thing to his sister. nothing like sweet moments happening in the bathroom of all places. he came up behind her and wrapped his short arms around her and squeezed tight. and as he gave her a big hug, he said "you're my favorite best sister!". so how sweet is that? ella then turned around and hugged him right back and said he was her favorite best brother. sometimes they surprise me with their kindness towards each other...because they certainly have those not so pretty moments of selfishness and just plain meanness. such is life between siblings. but i pray that they will continue to be friends as the years go by! their friendship is a joy to watch!!

rock stars

daddy was playing guitar. evan runs downstairs. and then we see him climbing up the steps with his guitar. with a huge grin on his face. he wants to be just like daddy. he already looks just like daddy...so he has that going for him already. now he doesn't quite sound like daddy when he plays his little guitar...it is a joyful noise. they had a little jimmy jam session right here...with me as their audience. and in between taking pictures, i was reading blogs and discovered this. i told evan to come look at it and he said "andwoo needs to come over and play guitar wit us!!". (i warned you about the joyful noise, i like to blame it on the out of tune guitar...and please ignore the redneck voice you hear coming out of my mouth. what was that!?)

hello snow. we're glad you're here. part 2

so when i wrote "to be continued" on my last post, i was planning on posting these photos of our fun in the snow the following day (thursday). the snow was quite slushy and melted pretty quickly.
i can't remember what he was pouting about here...but i still want to kiss that little face even when its pouty. :)

so i didn't know then that we were going to get MORE SNOW!! it has been snowing all day today! we went out earlier today to play in it. we have great plans to build a snowman later...we'll see how that goes!

hello snow. we're glad you're here.

it started at 6:00 tonight. the kids and i had a blast playing outside as the snow was falling.

by the time daddy got home after 7pm...it was covering the ground! it was the perfect snow for snowballs. we had so much fun.

after all the squeals of delight and little cold noses outside....we are enjoying the peaceful calm winter wonderland from inside our warm house. "good night snow. i will see you tomorrow!" (evan said this before bed!)

.....to be continued!