Flu...PLEASE GO AWAY!!!!!!!!

**I would like to clarify that this post is not part of "our favorite things" post!

Can I just say that I have discovered something that I HATE with a passion....the FLU!!!!!!! And I am sooooooooooo ready for it to find a new place to live! (Not with any of y'all of course! Maybe the devil!)

This precious little one has been one sick puppy for 8 days now~

And for those last 8 days, this is what she most often has looked like...

Thankfully, this one has not been sick with the flu, just a short stomach virus...

And a BIG time thank you to this Nan for EVERYTHING! I [We] are extremely blessed that our Mama [Nan] is not afraid to do whatever it takes to help, whenever the help is needed! She has been here {day & night} since Monday, and I honestly can say I have NO IDEA what we would have done without her! When it comes to her children/grandchildren, there is nothing she is not willing to do. Even if it means exposing herself to the possibility of the worst feeling sickness ever!!!! And PRAISE GOD she hasn't caught it yet!!!
She even had a birthday on the 27th. We "celebrated" as much as possible! And you would never believe how old she is! People still ask us if she is our sister and they tell my daddy he could get in trouble for hanging out with such a young lady!!! Happy Birthday Nan! We love you more than we could ever say!!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!


Thank you to all of you who have helped out in any way! We hope and pray to be on the road to recovery VERY soon! {IF not, I may be on the way to the NUT HOUSE!}

These are a few of our favorite things...

I realize everyday how quickly our little kiddos are growing and I wish I could stop time! I would love to remember every little bit of their sweet lives! That's funny because I can't remember what I did yesterday! Thank the Lord for a blog! So anyway, I was running through my mind what a day around our house usually consist of right now. I know that somedays I think it would really be great to just get out and go have an adult conversation and enjoy the "adult world" because my children sometimes can make me truly crazy! Just ask my husband and those who are around me the most! They can confirm! But when the day is all over and I lay two sweet babies in their beds, and look at their sweet, precious, faces it makes all the bad/frustrating thoughts and feelings go away, and all I can say is Thank You Lord for the opportunity to be a HUGE part of their lives! Of course, the days do sometimes get very long and I'm counting down the minutes until John gets home, but I wouldn't change a thing! I think I'll keep my job; I really like it~ When I look at these children, and we play the silly games, and do the silly, simple things all day that just make them laugh, I think the lady at church the other day said it best. She looked at me and John carrying our kids and all their stuff and smiled and said, "Y'all are so Blessed!" And you know, it's nice to be reminded of that sometimes!


So with that said...here are a few our favorite things...

Playing hide & seek...

under the pillow??


playing in the bathtub...


playing in Allie Baby's bed...



playing anything in the playroom...all day I hear, "come on Mama, play in my playroom, that'll be fun!"

Following mama around in the stroller. With a bottle somewhere very near, ofcourse...

Riding around with daddy...

More to come...

"Someday He'll Make It Plain"

"Someday He'll Make It Plain"

I do not know why oft around me, my hopes all shattered seems to be;
God's perfect plan I cannot see, but someday I'll understand:
Someday he'll make it plain to me, someday when I his face shall see.
Someday from tears I shall be free, for someday I shall understand.

Joni Eareckson Tada is a quadriplegic who has an outstanding testimony of faith and joy even through great adversity This song was sang by her mother today on her radio program, "Joni and Friends" www.joniandfriendsradio.org

I love to listen to Joni because she is sooooo uplifting and encouraging! Maybe someone will find some encouragement from this too...

Have a great day!

By-the-way, is it not TOTALLY AWESOME OUTSIDE! It reminds me of my favorite time of year...SPRING! It cannot get here fast enough!!!!

6 Months

Our Allie Beth is now 6 months old, today! Wow! I learned with John Luke that time really does flys by, but I think with the 2nd one, time is going even faster!! She weighs 14 lbs. 11 ozs. She has really started playing. She loves to be on the floor with all her toys, and it's even better when someone is playing with her! She doesn't miss a thing her big brother does. She is scooting around all over the place...it won't be much longer and this girl is gonna be crawling! Which is really not too exciting to me, because that just means she's getting bigger! Still not sleeping through the night... I just keep praying!I have threatened to let her cry it out, but I just can't bring myself to actually do it. (And her daddy really can't do it!) Today was the first day we have tried official baby food, and she is not a fan! Although she loves some chocolate chip cookie dough icecream! (she's got the same tastebuds as all her family members!) Her personality is really coming out...I'm afraid she is going to be a little demanding and just like I figured, spoiled rotten!!! In six more months, we will have a 1 year old! I really cannot believe it!

This morning I told John Luke that Allie Baby was 6 months old today. So when she woke up, and we went to get her, he climbed up in her bed and said, "Happy Birthday, Allie Baby!"

Christmas & 2009 in Review...

This Christmas has been probably the best yet. I just simply enjoyed everything about the season. Not to say that I don't usually like Christmas, I just had a really good time with every part of the celebration this year, from decorating the tree and looking at it each night (it's so relaxing just looking at the lights), to hanging the wreaths, to being with family, to watching John Luke be beside himself opening gifts (until he slam wore out!). I didn't get stressed out with any of it, and I'm so glad I made myself sit back and enjoy! I'm already looking forward to next year! I think it will be double the excitement!

So here is a quick review...

*(I didn't do so well with taking pictures this year. I was a slacker!)

Granny Sue & PawPaw Wayland's tree...not lacking in the gift department! This was gifts for 3 grandchildren! (And I cut 1/2 of it off!)
We had Christmas with them and Jessica's family Christmas Eve.


We had Christmas with Grandmother Dean & PaPa Gene Christmas Eve night. No pictures!

Christmas morning we did our gifts... still not enough pics...



Yes, Much to John's dislike, John Luke got a kitchen set, and for the record, he LOVES it! He cooks me and Allie Baby some delicious meals all day!



One day before Christmas, John Luke opened a drawer in the kitchen and saw some birthday candles. He said, "Mama, I wanna make a Happy Birthday Baby Jesus cake and put the candles in it. So after presents Christmas day, we made a "Happy Birthday Baby Jesus" cake. (He decided instead of a cake he wanted to make cupcakes). I think before it was all over, he and I pretty much ate all the dough so we didn't have too many actual cupcakes! Oh well, I would much rather have dough anyday!






Then Christmas night, it was off to Nan and Pa's.

This would be the coolest tractor ever! John Luke has played the music on it and danced so many times I think even I will never forget the tune!


A tired, present openin' little boy...

And this is what we decided we needed to do more of this year! (Not the T.V. watching, but the relaxing!!)


*And just to prove how much we have enjoyed our Christmas tree, it's STILL up! And yes the lights are on 24/7! Everytime I tell John Luke we have to take the tree down, he says, "NO! Please Mama, leave it up! Don't take it down. JuJu's still lookin' at it!!!!" I just can't break his little heart, so if you ride by and see our tree, you know why!

This year has been quite an adventure! Tomorrow will be exactly a year ago since John had cancer surgery! WOW! A year already! Praise God! And 5 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days ago HE gave us a precious,(rotten) little girl. Boy have we learned a lot about child rearing in just 5 short months! I can't wait to see who she becomes! And our sweet, little boy is getting smarter, funnier, wilder, & grownier everyday! I'm so, so thankful for his sweet, tender heart. He's rough, but sweet! I pray that God will continue to give him a heart that is full of grace and a sweet spirit!

I think HE has taught me more this year than any other! I thank HIM for the trials and for the joys! My prayer for this year is that I will not forget how to be grateful, to show kindness, and to walk humbly! "Surely the LORD has done great things!"

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8,9