Gatlinburg Here We Come....

So, I am typing this as we are driving down I59 headed to Cheerleading competition. Neither of the kids feel great so this should be an interesting trip. If all goes well, we are planning on letting Kaylee compete tomorrow. Her ear doesn't seem to be near as sensitive as it has the past couple of days so hopefully she will be much, much better tomorrow.

She competes around 11:00 a.m. Saturday and we will know the result standings by 1:00 p.m. and then she competes around the same time Sunday and the awards ceremony is at 12:45. Keep your fingers crossed that we do well. I will post again Sunday or Monday with pictures and the results!!

I will end this post with what her team says at the end of every practice:

High Fly Kitty Hawks, Shake it, Work it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Elf Has Arrived................

And his name is: Bernard!! I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the "Elf on the Shelf", but Santa sent us one and he arrived here yesterday. The whole concept is absolutely precious. Santa sends him to live with your family after the Thanksgiving Holiday and he sits quietly on a shelf all day and listens / watches the kids and then travels back to the north pole every night to report to Santa whether the kids have been good or bad. He returns before the kids wake up the next morning and he is in a new spot. The kids have to try to find him every morning. The most important rule is that the elf cannot be touched or held by children because that could cause him to lose his "magic". Anyways, it is really cute and my kids are loving it so far. I am sure I will have some really cute stories to share as the days go by. If you haven't heard of this before, check the website. That is where I ordered mine. http://www.elfontheshelf.com/

Please keep Kaylee in your prayers. We found out today that her eardrum did in fact rupture. They gave her antibiotic ear drops and changed her oral antibiotic to something stronger. She had some pretty intense pain tonight. We hope she gets to feeling better soon. She doesn't want to miss her cheerleading competition in Gatlinburg this weekend, but we have told her we will just have to see.

V.I.R.U.S!!!!!!

Yes that would be stomach virus!!! Tyler and I woke up at around 4:30 a.m. Saturday with nausea, vomiting and EVERYTHING else that goes along with a stomach bug. We were spending the night with some of our out of town friends when it hit us. My poor husband had to juggle Tyler and I while gathering all of our belongings, waking Kaylee up to get her in the car and not wake up our friends 3 sleeping children!! Don't forget it is now only 5:00 a.m.!! He did a great job. He got us home around 7:00 a.m. called his mom to come get Kaylee and proceeded to do laundry and clean out the car seat that Tyler puked in on the way home!! Tyler's "bug" only lasted for about 3/4 of the day Saturday but mine lasted much longer. I was finally able to get out of bed yesterday and by today I felt like a new person!! I am so thankful he took such good care of us. What I didn't know was that I would soon be returning the favor. Yes, he ended up getting it also. My fingers are crossed as I type this. I am just hoping the 3 of us are well and back to normal tomorrow.

As for Kaylee, her Gram took her to the Doctor Sunday afternoon with an ear ache. The Dr. said it was an ear infection but the tube had just recently fallen out and left a "large" hole in her drum. He said this wasn't uncommon but to have it re-checked in 4 weeks. No problem right? WRONG!! Her ear is now pouring green stuff out of it and she screams in pain if her shirt or anything even slightly brushes up against it. I am really afraid something is really wrong. This child has had tons of ear infections and never anything draining from her ear and she has never had any kind of pain.

Needless to say, we are headed back to the Doctor tomorrow to have them check not only Kaylee's ear but also Tyler's. He told me tonight he needed a band aid for his ear. I realize he is only 2, but the other times he has said that, we have left the Doctor's office with a diagnosis of an ear infection.

Illness would never be good timing, but let me just mention we are supposed to be leaving for Gatlinburg, TN Friday. Kaylee has her first cheerleading competition this weekend!! What am I going to do?

I am learning more and more every day that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I just feel like he thinks I can handle more than I really can. :o)

God Is Amazing!!

I returned from my Walk To Emmaus Monday evening. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I could sit here all day and tell you all about it, but I am hoping I will be fortunate enough to sponsor some of my firends and family to attend a walk and I don't want to ruin any of the surprises that happen during the 3 days. TK, my sister - in - law and I all went on the walk together. I am so happy I was able to share this time with them as well as about 50 others who I now consider my sisters in Christ.

To all of you who wrote letters, thank you so much. They all touched my heart more than you will ever know. I hope and pray I get to return the selfless gesture someday. My hope is for all of my friends and family who are willing to go on this 3 day walk to go and be able to experience the wonderful power of Gods love and grace. If there is anybody out there who is interested please contact me and I would be glad to get you more information.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

1 Peter 2:9

Daddy's Blog For The Day

As many of you know Julie has been gone on an Emmaus walk this weekend and I have had the kids for 4 days. It has been awesome. We have had so much fun and the kids have been great.

Today was the "Big Day." Today was Kaylee's First Flight and I could have never been so proud of her. I must say that today my "Little One" grew up and I had to let her go. She did fantastic and smiled so big. I am going to post the video from today. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Our day started at 10:30 with her make up and hair being done. Thank God for Coach Dylan. Without her today I might have never made it. We had pictures at 11:00 (I had to make a decision on what package to get, that was not as easy as one might think) and warm up at 2:00PM and the show started at 3:00. We had another treat today as our niece Jordan also performed and she and her squad were awesome as well.

We ended the day at Red Robin with our gang, Bryan, Paige, Charles, Lindsey and all our kids. Other than a couple of kids meals at dinner, there was only one other thing missing and it was Julie. Believe it or not my little Texas tornado, better know as Tyler sat in his chair and acted like an angel.

Julie, we missed you so much this weekend but we know you had an awesome weekend as well. You are a fantastic Mom and wife. We cannot wait to see and hear all about your experience this weekend. Although I am not sure I am ready for another 4 days without you or your phone.

Thanks to all of you who have helped me this weekend especially Gram and Poppy. We never say thank you enough but THANK YOU so much.

Shane

That was just a short message from Kaylee before her routine. She just wanted her Mom to know she was thinking of her.

My Little All Star

Most of you know that Kaylee is in competitive cheerleading. Well this Sunday is her "First Flight" which is an exhibition for friends and family before the competition season actually begins. I am so sad to say that I am going to miss her first event!!!! I will be on an Emmaus Walk Thursday - Sunday in Texas. Although I'm excited about my upcoming spiritual journey I am so sad that I am going to miss Kaylee's performance.

She had practice tonight so I took some pictures to share. These are just of practice so she isn't in her uniform or anything. As soon as the season gets started in December I'm sure I will be filling this blog up with all kinds of High Fly stuff. Her daddy and I are so proud of her. Although she is only 4 she seems to understand the concept of being part of a team. Tonight they dropped her out of one of her stunts and she cried for just a second and just kept going. She knew she couldn't just stop because she had other people depending on her.

She doesn't have her make-up on in these pictures but I want to go ahead and let all of you know that their hair and make-up is very intense. But Kaylee digs it. She thinks it is so cute. So, just don't be shocked the first time you see a picture of her with her make-up on.

Wow - It's been a while.....

So much has happened since my last post. Most importantly I am now 30!!!!!!!!!!!! Although I'm not excited about my "new" age I have to say it was the best birthday ever. My husband planned a very fun night out in Nashville last Saturday. It was supposed to be a surprise but one of my bff's is not too good at keeping a secret. It was fine that I found out - it actually gave me 4 days to look forward to it and I got to pick out a new "hot" outfit (complete with cowboy boots). I had all of my closest friends (from Alabama) and one of my favorite couples from Knoxville in attendance. The night consisted of dinner, a hypnotist and lots of drinking, dancing and laughing. We all had brunch together Sunday and then headed back to B'ham.

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special. I love you all!!

My sweet Granddad.....

I spent most of this past weekend at University Hospital in San Antonio. Granddad fell Friday afternoon and had major trauma / injuries to his head. After slipping into a coma he passed away last night. I have spent much of the day reflecting and remembering Granddad. I am so thankful that I have so many good memories. He was so funny and had such a great heart. I take comfort in knowing where he is now and I can't wait to see him again.

So cute!!

Every night when we sit down to eat dinner we say a prayer. Since Tyler has gotten a little older he likes to say the prayer also. We now have to let each of them say their own prayer. It really is sweet. I just wanted to share a couple of things the kids have said / prayed for recently.

Kaylee constantly prays for safe travel for Amanda. We have been wondering who Amanda was and just found out it is her teachers daughter who goes to school at Auburn. Apparently her teacher prays for her during their prayer time at school. Then the other night she said (and I quote) "Dear Lord, please help me eat my ham"!!!!! How cute is that?!?!

One night last week we were eating (after saying our 2 prayers) and Tyler screams "GOD MADE ME"!!!!! Holy cow - it absolutely melted my heart!!! And when he prays he closes his eyes as tight as he possibly can folds his hands and squeezes them just as tight and his prayer goes something like this: "God r Fodder, God r Fodder hmmm, hmmm, Amen"

My First Black Eye......

And it's from my dog!!!!!!!! O.k. - this isn't a very smart move on my part but it seemed fun at the time. Yesterday Shane and I were jumping on the trampoline with the kids and Chance (our 100 pound black lab) was barking like crazy because we were all jumping and not throwing the ball for him. So I decided to include him in our family time and I invited him up on the trampoline with us. Well, because he is so big he was having a hard time getting up there so I decided to help. He started to freak out because I was pulling on him and he started throwing his head around and my face ended up being on the receiving end of his big block head!!!

So here is a picture for all of you to see. I can't believe I am almost 30 and I have a black eye from a dog!!

Pictures

Tyler with his binky

Learning to blow bubbles - priceless

Kaylee looking rough from playing outside

Just Kaylee

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a week...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We have just been really busy this week but I'm not real sure exactly what we have been doing. I am still trying to recooperate from my Kids Market shopping experience Tuesday. Since I am working the sale this year I got to shop a week before the sale opens to the public and it was absolutely crazy!! I got there at 4:15 and didn't leave until 2:00 a.m.!!! For those of you who have shopped the Kids Market consignment sale before, you know how overwhelming it can be. Those of you who have not - you would just have to see it to believe it. They had over 2,400 contributors this sale so there is tons of stuff!! Anyways, I got lots of good stuff for both of the kids.

The kids and I are decorating the house with all of our Halloween stuff today. They are so excited. I remember when I used to look forward to that as a kid also. When you are a child even the little things in life are so special.

Kaylee and Tyler have been really good this week. They are starting to play together more now which makes it really nice for me. It is also neat to see them interacting with each other. When I see them laughing and playing together it melts my heart. :o)

What a Wonderful Weekend.....

Friday: Shane and I took Tyler to see Sesame Street Live - Elmo Makes Music. The show was great and Tyler loved it!! The 3 of us had a great night. Kaylee didn't go. Apparently 4 years old is way to old for Sesame Street. She opted to spend time with her Gram and they played putt - putt golf.

Saturday: We had a great day of BBQ, football and friends. We had a house full of some of our favorite friends (although some were unable to attend). All 6 kids were fabulous and played great together.

Sunday: Naps, family time and getting ready for the upcoming week.

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend also. I have been taking lots of pictures of the kids and will post them soon!!

Is three really a crowd??

Shane and I have been undecided for a while on whether or not to have another baby. I have always wanted 3 or 4 kids but sometimes I feel as if my 2 are just as much stress as 4. Tyler definitely keeps me busy as he is always up to something and Kaylee can be so sweet but so sassy!!

The past several months I have really been telling myself that I was completely happy with the 2 beautiful children God has given me and that three would just be hard. For example - when you have a third child and you have to get a hotel room where does one of the kids sleep? I know questions like that are silly, but those are the kind of random things I think about.

Lately I have had this overwhelming feeling come over me and every time I look at one of the kids, I absolutely fall in love with them just as I did the day they were born. I can't help but think of how wonderful it would be to have another child to love as much as I love Kaylee and Tyler. Next to Shane, they are absolutely the love of my life!!

So, as to whether to have another or not - still undecided. Any suggestions or comments??

My kids were extremely funny today....

Most school mornings in our house are an absolute train wreck!! This morning was no exception. The kids fought from the time their little feet hit the floor until Kaylee got out of the car at car line. Needless to say, I was a little frazzled by the time we left our house. I always have to fight with Kaylee about what she is going to wear. This morning she didn't understand why I wouldn't let her wear her new "dress up" dress we brought back from New York. I finally talked her into a cute outfit and got her ready. Tyler is usually my easy one to dress. However, this morning he not only insisted on doing it by himself, we didn't see eye to eye on the shoes he was going to wear. I had picked out Sperry's that went nicely with his red Polo shirt and khaki shorts. He picked out his green frog rain boots. Guess what - he won!! I guess he just caught me in a weak moment. The bad thing was when we got to school everybody told him how cute he looked!!!!!!! Ugh!!!!!

This afternoon after we got home from school the kids were outside playing and Kaylee walks in the door and says "congratulations mom, Tyler has poop!!!!!!!" Where in the world did she get that from?? Then tonight we were at Target and I asked our very pregnant cashier when her baby was due. She said she was having a boy and he was due in 3 weeks. I finished paying and as we were walking to the car Kaylee asked if it was going to be 7 or 10. When I asked her what she was talking about she said "mommy, her tummy was so big I didn't know if she was having 7 babies or 10 babies!!!" She is always coming up with funny sayings that make me laugh!!

I think days like today are just God's way of saying let them be little and enjoy every minute!!

I'm a Jersey Girl

At least for the next couple of days. We got to NJ late last night and so far I only have one funny story. After George picked us up from the airport I wanted to stop at Dunkin Donuts for a snack. I ordered munchkins and a large coke....... The man looked at me like I was absolutely crazy. I repeated it and he asked me if I was talking about calories?! I thought maybe he just didn't understand my "southern accent", so I asked George what they call cokes. After several minutes of confusion we realized the little man was confused because they don't sell fountain drinks. I settled for chocolate milk and then we were on our way.

We are just hanging out at George and Liane's house today. They are crazy enough to have all 10 of us "out of towners" stay at their house (which is beautiful by the way). We are cooking out tonight and just catching up.

Tomorrow the Newark FBI office is hosting a Memorial golf tournament for Jeremy. Over 120 law enforcement officers, special agents and supporters will come together to show their support. I know it will be a tough day full of emotions and I ask that you pray for TK, Cole and Jeremy's family.

Saturday morning we are headed to NYC. I am very excited. Since shopping is my passion (or addiction), I will be spending most of my time on 5th Avenue. TK will be spreading some of Jeremy's ashes in a special undisclosed location.

All in all it will be a crazy and emotional weekend....but definitely a memorable one. :o)

What does this mean for his future??

So, today I walk into the dining room and see Tyler wearing this pink tutu. His Dad freaks out every time he plays dress up with his sister. I'm not real sure what I think about it. Our house is completely full of "girl stuff". Believe me, he is not "girly" in any way, shape, form or fashion. So until I start to see him showing "girly" tendencies I will continue to let his sister have fun dressing him up - plus it will be great material to embarrass him once he starts dating.

Why???

While Shane and I were gone to Knoxville the kids stayed with their Aunt TK. We called to check in periodically and she said they had been really good. She took them to church this morning, I talked to her after lunch and she said that my kids had been great! They went home with their Gram and Poppy after church and we got there to pick them up late this afternoon and they too said the kids had been wonderful. But, it never fails the minute they see us they lose their minds and start acting terrible! Why is that??

Needless to say we appreciate them being good for others, but we would like to see that sometimes too. And really it doesn't make sense. More than likely the other people that they stay with would not spank them, so why would they act up for us? I know it is probably an age old question and I may never know the answer - but I am very curious.

I don't have a title for this one...

As many of you know I made an incredible life changing decision after Jeremy passed away. For those of you who don't know I would love to share with you that I accepted Christ. Although my journey is still very new I feel like God is doing incredible things in my life right now. Just this week I feel that He has surrounded me with certain people and circumstances. As I post this blog Shane and I are on our way to be with the family of little Aiden who passed away Wednesday.

This week I met a girl who's best friend's husband is very sick with a rare cancer. After listening to her and finding out the sick man is an FBI Agent, I told her that my best friend's husband was also and FBI agent and passed away suddenly in January. I just feel that God put us there together Tuesday to be with each other. I have read her friends caring bridge site and can't help but be awed by their faith. I ask that if you feel compelled please pray for the Watson family. He is 37 and they have 2 girls ages 10 & 3.

As I was in the middle of the above paragraph I received a phone call from my mom that my Grandfather in Texas has had a heart attack and is in ICU. Isn't it ironic that I was in the middle of posting about the different circumstances He has given me to handle this week....

I ask for prayers for everybody I have mentioned today. I will keep you posted on my Grandad.

Please Pray....

I received some very sad news today and I would like to ask for prayers from any of you who are willing to pray. One of my good friends lost a grand baby to SIDS yesterday. His name was Aiden and he was only 3 months old. This family is such a wonderful Christian family and they have such a unique and awesome story.

They are our age and have 2 little boys of their own that are 9 and 7. They have also adopted a 3 children. Two of them were infants when they got custody of them. One is deaf and the other was born to a mom with a drug addiction. Since then, they also adopted a very sweet 17 year old who happened to be pregnant. They made the most out of the situation and she had this baby in May and is an exceptional mother. Needless to say, everyone is in shock and broken hearted. Shane and I will be traveling to Knoxville Saturday for the service. I can't express to you enough how special this family is and they are just asking for prayers.

HELP!!!!!!

O.k. so this probably not news to many of my girlfriends who are moms, but getting ready for a consignment sale is HARD WORK!! I spent a total of 20 hours last week (with Ms. Betty's help) just getting everything hung up. That in itself is no simple task. Everything has to be hung a certain way, on a certain hanger and with certain safety pins. Such a pain. So, tonight one of my really good friends came to help me price my stuff (she just made like millions on stuff she sold at another consignment sale). We worked for 5 hours and only got 60 pieces tagged and priced!! And we worked really hard. The bad part is that I still have a ton more to do. I think the biggest problem is I am selling everything my children have ever owned, and trying to get all of that ready at one time stinks.

So, for anyone who would like to help me get everything ready for me to drop off next Tuesday (9/09) I would love your help. And I promise I will help you if you decide to do it. Or if you just want to come keep me company while I work on it - that would be great too. :o)

No Tears....

Well, today was the first day of school for the kids. Not real school but Children's Day Out from 9:00 - 2:00. So, we pull up to the car line to drop Kaylee off, and everything goes smooth. The teacher comes and opens her door, unbuckles her and she hops out. She proceeds into the church building like the big girl that she thinks she is. I was a little sad to see her act so grown up but I didn't tear up. Next, we go across the parking lot and park to take Tyler into his class. As we are driving through the parking lot, I saw several moms crying. I felt so guilty because I was so relieved to finally have them both out of my hair for 5 hours!!!!!!!! I felt like a terrible mother. I did miss them once I got home, but I got so much laundry and cleaning done!!

They both had a great day and I got good reports from both of their teachers. They are sound asleep now which is huge for us. They normally don't go to bed until at least 10:30. I don't think they have been in the bed and asleep by 9:00 since they were newborns. :o)

Missing Jeremy....

Many of you know that in January we lost one of our very best friends. There is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of what a great person he was and how much I miss him. This weekend being the opening weekend for college football, I have been especially sad because his third love (after his wife and his son) was AUBURN FOOTBALL!! He lived for anything Auburn. The last time I saw Jeremy was actually at the Auburn / Alabama football game in November. We had so much fun! We spent the whole game together. I can't help but picture Jeremy up in Heaven watching the game with his shaker yelling "War Eagle".

I know TaraKy has struggled with this being the start of football season without him however, she never ceases to amaze me. She has been and continues to be so strong. So, I just want her to know what a wonerful job she is doing being there for Cole and how proud Jeremy must be. I love you TK.

Lord, help us all......

So, today was "meet the teacher" at the kids' school. Kaylee was so excited she could hardly stand herself - Tyler on the other hand didn't care one bit. I don't think he even spoke a word to his teachers. He stood there with his finger in his nose and just looked down at the floor. I'm hoping this past week is not an indication of how Tyler is going to act at school this year. He bit his sister twice this week and made her bleed!! I am keeping my fingers crossed he doesn't get kicked out of his school at age 2! I'm just kidding. I know he acts better at school than he does for me. His teachers have told me they have never had to put him in time out. Hard to believe - yes, but at least I know Shane and I have at least been successful at teaching him how to act in public.

Shane has bought a new T.V. and it won't work above the mantle like he had planned. It is too high for our narrow living room. So, tonight after Kaylee got out of cheer practice we went to 6 stores trying to get an idea of what an LCD t.v. looks like mounted in the corner. It has been a big ordeal, and now I don't think he is going to be able to have it this weekend for the first weekend of football season. We may end up having to redo our entire living room (furniture wise) to accommodate this darn t.v.. I won't mind, I actually found a sofa and t.v. furniture at Pottery Barn that I love!! Wish us luck or feel free to give us any suggestions.

Oh, and one more thing - on our way home tonight we were in 2 cars. I had Tyler with me and Kaylee was riding with her daddy. She wrote all over his truck window with crayons!!!! What in the world is going on with these kids?! And she actually said it was an accident. I told her that a 41/2 year old doesn't "accidentally" write on the window. Good thing school starts next week. I think we all need a break.

HOLY COW!!!

This blogging stuff is hard!! I finally have a blog after a week of trying!! I am obviously not the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to technology. So, I have to say thank you to Angie and also to my sweet husband for helping me out. Hopefully I will be posting pretty regularly.