First Food

My two very much loved Pollys:

How precious are these photos and the times we are able to spend together!

On our way home we stopped to play in Chattanooga. Eric let Elijah, Polly Jane, and me ride the carousel. Haven could have ridden too, but she started screaming when the (very loud) music began to play.




Have you done the riverwalk in Chattanooga? It is wonderful! The trail is just eight miles long, I believe, and perfect for strollers. Incidentally, Eric and I had a fight over when we should end the walk. I wanted to *finish* the trail, while Eric thought the cold weather, lack of jackets, abscence of food, three young children, and need to finish driving home that evening should make us call it a night. You'll all be glad to know, I went ahead and submitted. I'm not exactly sure what my problem is, but I have some kind of compulsion to get to the end of the trail. (Flashback: Table Rock. Mom, Ab, John - oh, the memories!)


We ended our long walk at Mellow Mushroom where Polly Jane enjoyed her first taste of solid food. What was it, you ask? Pizza crust, of course. (Praise the Lord we haven't been plagued with food allergies/issues with our kids!) Just a few days shy of six months, Polly Jane tore up her first food. It was fun (yet, disgusting) to watch her.


3.27.2011

Thanking God for...

{Gifts 432 - 470}

- My team of great helpers {and all the reminders to be cheerful in my work~:-)}
- "I want you to hold me, Momma. Hold me all the way." ~Haven Extended hugs from an incredibly rambunctious 2 year old.
- Laughter and kisses outside of CHS
- "Momma! Momma! Watch this!" An across the house slide from a little boy in Spiderman undies. "That was awesome!"

- Hugs from children at church
- A morning nap with Elijah on the couch! While Haven played quietly by herself! (A once-in-a-lifetime grace, to be sure!)
- An interview of Katie Davis by David Platt
- The love of God manifest in others
- Trampoline jumping with Sarah, Joshua, and Andrew

- Upcoming Women's Retreat - anticipating God doing great things!
- A refrigerator full of brown eggs
- Millions of books to read, much to be discovered! (Train whistles as a secret code!?!?!)
- Coffee with Bailey's hazelnut creamer
- The grace of seeing my own folly - not asking for prayer when struggling with Polly Jane's pregnancy

- Interrupted, good talks with my just-turned-27 sister
- Two new pairs of jeans for Elijah - $1.38
- Taking food to friends - the privilege of serving and the encouragement that this is less stressful than it used to be
- Crying - weeping rather - in front of friends
- Free food from a Dollar General return

- Birthday parties and playdates and all the great learning opportunities which lie therein
- God answered prayers: Elijah's courage to say no
- Mocha cheesecake
- Clean diapers
- Husband home

- Glimpses of the dire consequences of my sins - a grace pushing me even more towards...
- Jesus, who promises to make ALL things new
- Calm, wise words emitted from a frantic, scared-to-death, freaking-out mind. GRACE IN THE MOMENT!
- Little girl, wearing a hooded fleece, walking over to her crib - ready for her nap
- The Rag Coat & These Happy Golden Years reminding me of how much God has given us

- Lots of bright, sippy cup colors filling my dishwasher
- Washing machine humming before 6 AM
- Children reading to themselves, surrounded by books
- Jolly - super attached to Hug by Jez Alborough, and the entire family's ability to read it to her
- Disney movies from the library

- "Kiss me again, Momma! A Big Kiss!" ~ Haven
- Jumping with Jolly at Matthew's Pump It Up party!
- Friends for my children - an answered prayer of long ago!
- Tissues (what if I had to wash all these handkerchiefs?)
- Eric's help during a two buggy Costco trip

Thanking God for...

{Gifts 399-431}

- Inability to resist a friend's dinner invitation
- The display of God-given talents seen in this year's Christmas Spectacular!

- Hannah Gambill's recitation - beautiful, moving, and well done
- First chat with our mailman this Christmas season
- Excedrin migraine pills
- Rain - nourishing, slowly and steadily, the new trees
- A tight, dry, non-leaking roof

- "I have not seen the righteous forsaken or His children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously and His children become a blessing." Ps 37:25-26. Hope that God can make my children Christ-followers and a blessing to others.
- A history of saints refreshing each other's spirits (I Cor 16:18) and my own personal experience of being refreshed by the saints
- A real Christmas tree - delivered on a night when Eric wasn't working late
- My clean-up team
- Down comforter

- Raw iron
- Friends who pray for me
- Starting my 4th decade with Ab & family in town
- Recounting three decades of God's steadfast love to me(!)
- "What a night! What a dinner!! What a booth!!!" ~Elijah, upon exiting Red Robin after our first real date

- "Do you want to dance, Momma?" and dancing wonderfully, joyfully outside the restaurant
- Such a great addition to our family - Joe!
- Girls in princess shoes
- Coffee with Ab
- Having family I trust to care for my children

- "What did you get, Bella?" {pause...slow smile erupts} "My bloomers!"
- Miles' irresistable smile
- Polly Jane loving Joe
- Finding the three oldest children on the bed with Ab, listening to an adventurous tale
- Grace to see - without despairing! - my incorrect view of life

- Pressing through the uncomfortableness of discussing #425 - a blessed gift, indeed! {My job is to help ERIC, not vice-versa.}
- A list of books to read in 2012 - lofty goals
- Butternut Squash Soup - 1/2 made @ 2 PM for tonight's dinner
- The grand old oak outside my window - perhaps planted 112 years ago, right when our house was built?
- A cell phone - allowing me to connect with my Mom, my sister, and so many wonderful friends

- Beef - homegrown and more than enough to feed us

Great PawPaw Turns 86!

We ran down to Atlanta for a quick weekend trip to celebrate Great PawPaw. Aunt Donna, Uncle Dennis, and Uncle Dwight threw the birthday bash. Aunt Donna was, of course, amazing at keeping the children entertained.
They were so sweet and even included Haven on the cake~:-)

I love this!
Opening presents:
Elijah thinks James is super cool since he is PO-LICE! Here they are perusing a WWII picture book, gun in hand.
3.26.2011

A Ninja & A Fairy

Ha! Haven wore these wings again just this morning (3.5.2012).
Love these crazy kids!

3.25.2011

Hives

This round of hives popped up on Monday, March 21st, after a super fun weekend with all my college friends. These pictures give a tiny glimpse as to what covered my entire body, particularly my left eye with this case. A Medrol dose pack was ineffective. It took a 10 day course of Prednisone to wipe out this round.




These are the kind of pictures I take to the doctor. "Can you look at these? This happens to me about every six months....Oh, you've never seen anything like this?"
3.24.2011

Swinging Help

3.23.2011 {and trying to jump back in here, almost a year later...}