Collin's Debut

This past Sunday our family witnessed what we once thought would be impossible. Collin stood up with his church preschool friends in front of a full congregation and sang with no tears, no clinging, and apparently no fear. Just goes to show you that you never know with little ones. They ALWAYS do the unexpected ;) What surprised us more than anything was how much he loved the whole experience. The kids sang Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Then we got to watch the children's department perform their program, which was excellent!


On stage and ready to perform!


Collin and Blair hanging out before the big performance

Brantlee enjoyed the show and snacked through the whole thing. She clapped and squealed along with everyone else... just her usual little self :)

Fischer is ONE!

One year already??!! Gracious me how time flies! Looking at these pictures- I just can't help but think back to the day he was born. I will remember Fischer's birth as well as will I remember my own children's. It was certainly much more eventful. On December 15, 2008, Casey was shopping in Hattiesburg when she "thought" she was having some labor pains. As calm as only my sister could be, she calls me to tell me she thinks she is going into labor... without the slightest bit of anxiety in her voice mind you. When she and Derek got to the hospital, she was told it was the real deal. Most of the family raced to the hospital soon after she checked in. Little did we know, Fischer wouldn't make his grand entrance until much later the next morning. Most of the family camped out in the waiting room while Casey endured some very intense and painful labor all through the night. Not to mention, Fischer's heart rate continually fluctuated and kept everyone on edge. Finally the next morning, Fischer was born!!! We got a quick glimpse of the little miracle before he was rushed back into the NICU because he wasn't breathing well. Apparently, the umbilical cord had been wrapped around his neck during labor along with some other complications. WHEW!! But he recovered quickly and we were so grateful to God for getting him here safely and for protecting his mommy in the process.

So far the little stinker still keeps us on our toes. He is such an active little man with a fun-filled spirit. He loves to be the entertainer and knows how to "turn it on" for the camera. He is very vocal and is already saying a lot for his age. Fischer took his first steps weeks before his birthday and is walking more and more everyday.

The Big Party!!

Lolly and Poppy hosted the party, and close to 60 people came. Despite the torrential rain that weekend, the party was a huge success!! Everyone, especially the birthday boy, seemed to have a great time. Happy Birthday Fish!!!

14 Months Today

Today my Sweet B is 14 months old, and Miss Priss is becoming less and less of a baby every day. She now answers "Uh huh" to everything you ask her, loves to dance and jabber. I had it set in my mind that this child would be laid back and roll with the punches. But we have been proven wrong over the last few months. In typical female fashion, it is her way or the highway. She has recently discovered that stomping her feet while screaming is a good way to get what she needs, as well as falling down in the floor and covering her eyes with her hands. She wants everything her brother gets including blue sippy cups, tractors, and cars. (I try to get her to love on her baby dolls, but she just doesn't like them...yet) She refuses any help with her food. Do NOT try to feed her from a spoon or give her small baby bites. This will only result in excessive crying that comes to an abrupt stop the moment you do what she wants. Her ability to turn her emotions on and off amazes us and keeps us laughing. She is certainly growing up and this does sadden me. I realize looking back over the past year how much more I babied her versus Collin. But we love seeing her personality unfold more and more everyday. Such a precious age!

Surprise surprise!

This is going to be a long post... lots of fun things to report since last time.
This past Thursday I had to work the gate for LCHS basketball games, and Collin and Brantlee tagged along. It was only for an hour but I still enlisted the help of a foreign exchange student that I teach, to help me with the kids at the game. They both just love her. Neither child cared too much for the basketball part, but she certainly earned her money chasing my two around the school.

One thing worth mentioning here is that this girl, like most people from China, is not a Christian. She currently lives with a family that faithfully attends church, and she obviously goes to a Christian school. When I asked her about religion a while back, she told me that it was hard to
go against something she was raised in. Recently she told me that she wanted to change her mind about her religion. She said, "Everyone is so nice here, and I think that God is the reason why." WOW! It is such a blessing to me to see God working in her life. It's also so reassuring to know that someone sees God in the people around them. We hear so much negativity, even in church, about how America has slipped away from Christianity. And it certainly has!! But this small situation just reminded me that God is still at work!

Thursday also brought a nice surprise.... a day off... again! All high school teachers were supposed to go to a meeting in Jackson on Friday. But for some reason our principal decided not to make us go...sweet! He gave us the news along with an envelope from the PTO with a nice little bonus inside...even sweeter!! Great start to a wonderful weekend ;)

Friday night, the whole family went to Hattiesburg to do some quick, and I do mean quick, shopping. Then met Kyle's parents for dinner at Logans. We hurried home to beat the "winter storm" that was headed our way. The next morning, we opened our eyes to this surprise...


Yay for snow!! This is the 3rd year in a row for it to snow here. Global warming?? Really?? Below are some pics of us briefly playing in the snow.







She just couldn't resist... she HAD to eat the snow.


Because it was so cold, we decided the night before that we would not make the parade this year. But my festive self couldn't stand it. Thirty minutes before the parade started, we bundled the kids up and dashed for the truck. (No one had time to shower -not to mention) We had to go to Wal-Mart anyway, so we figured we could catch at least a little of the parade.



As soon as we got home, Collin and I had to quickly regroup and go to a birthday party for Collin's church friend Matthew. Brantlee desperately needed her beauty rest, so she slept through it. His party was fabulous! Probably one of best planned party I've ever been to... props to his mommy Jennifer :)



Later that evening, Lolly and Poppy dropped by for some chilli and football. Poppy decided we needed dessert, so he and Collin made "monkey bread."


Days like this day will wear a boy out!



This morning I wasn't feeling so good, so Kyle took the kiddos to church solo... bless his sweet soul. Here is a picture of my festive bunch just before they left.

They all returned in one piece, but with another surprise -some sad news. Our pastor David Allen resigned today:( We are so sad to hear about this. He has been so encouraging to us, especially when we were struggling when we first starting going to WEBC. We are going to miss him, but we know that God has something great in store for him and his family.

That's it for tonight. By the sound of things in the other room, Kyle desperately needs me to be a parent right now. Got to get ready for a busy week!! Lots and lots to do! Til next time...

Things I'll miss... and those I won't

You know there are just some things in your day that stop you dead in your tracks and make you smile and even laugh out loud. There are certainly some things that when I stop and notice them, I realize they are things that I will cherish forever and will certainly miss when they are gone.

The sound of laughter and squealing when Kyle is tickling the kids in the living room.

The sight of Collin's freshly combed & styled hair after a bath- especially since Kyle takes pride in styling it so ridiculously that I have to hold my breath to keep from laughing at it (all the while Collin thinks it looks "handsome")

Brantlee's grateful smile when we get her out of bed in the morning- she is always so proud to be awake and watch Blue's Clues

The excitement and anticipation in my childrens' eyes when they realize I am headed to the frig to get them a popsicle

The expression of satisfaction on Collin's face when he finishes using the potty, flushes it, and understands that everyone is watching and cheering him on

The way Brantlee twirls my hair and plays with my fingers when I rock her before bedtime

On the contrary, there are a number of things that are equally as memorable, but perhaps not as pleasant.

Like the fact that we now have to punch the "p" key on our computer just right so that it will work (thanks to some little hands that took off 4 or 5 keys on the keyboard in the time I was changing Brantlee's diaper) Never realized how many words have the letter p until this minor ;problem arrived. See what I mean!!.....

Or that mac & cheese vomit only winds u;p (ugh!!) on the berber rug and not the hardwood or tile.

Also the fact that by the time our family gets in the car to leave for church we are more exhausted and ill than before we went to bed the night before... not to mention the state of our house!

Seeing poor Brantlee walk around whining with her fingers in her mouth because she is cutting her molars and realizing she has yet to cut one of the four.

Scraping yet another poo out of Collin's big boy underwear because he can't, for the life of him, remember to tell us he needs to go :(

But, if I am totally honest here, even things I find so frustrating now will probably still make me smile in years to come. Who am I kidding? I am smiling about half of them as I ty;pe :)

Thanksgiving '09

Words cannot express how wonderful this past week has been! Yay for Thanksgiving Break!! I especially have enjoyed being out of school and spending all day at home with the kiddos. We have been so busy this week visiting, decorating, shopping and relaxing (if that's possible)ha ha. I have posted below lots of pictures from the past week and of course Thanksgiving Day.

Playdate & Potty Training

Over the week, Karson came to visit and play. The boys had a fabulous time and played so well together. Karson has recently potty-trained and is wearing big boy pants now. Collin has been using the potty often, but not enough to transfer to real undies. Since this playdate, Collin has been inspired to wear only pull ups and big boy undies. So far we've had several accidents, but I think we are off to a good start! Thanks Karson for giving us some motivation in this area :)

Deck the Halls....




Collin and Brantlee were festive in their Christmas pj s while they "helped" me decorate the tree. So far, the tree hasn't fallen... it just loses a few ornaments here and there.

Time for turkey!!
Our first Thanksgiving stop was at Nana and Papa's for lunch. Just about everyone from that side of the family came, including the LA crew. Benjamin (almost 3) and Nicholas (15 mos) got to play with Collin and Brantlee. We haven't seen them in 2 years!! So this was a very exciting time for everyone :) The food was delicious... as it always is. And we had entirely too much... as we always do. It was just so nice to catch up with people after so long, and to discover that so many things/jokes never change! Fun times!!


Brantlee's "cover girl" pose

Too many M & M's in her mouth to smile


Resting after a game of football

Run Collin Run!!

So cold, but such a BEAUTIFUL day to celebrate


Looking for snakes and bugs in the woods

Nick, Collin and Ben dancing to the Wiggles!

Then to MeeMaw and Paw Paw's...

The men discussing the game

Typical Thanksgiving eve ... cards, egg nog, football, and leftovers from lunch. This year several people were able to come that don't always get to, so that made it even better.

It's funny that no matter how many adults are around, the focus is always on the little ones. These three great grandkids certainly don't mind the limelight that's for sure! I can't wait for Christmas!!!

A Time for Thanks

Just like most people right now, I am thankful for so many things. Our family has been blessed beyond measure. And while EVERY day we should count our blessings, Thanksgiving Day and the whole holiday season is the time I most realize just what God has done. So, thank you God for these things:
Our family - We stress about all the places we have to visit on the holidays, but what an awesome "problem" to have... shame on us!
Our parents - Unconditional love, support, and HELP! Thank you!!
My husband - So much patience and understanding in this one man. He is the glue that holds our little family together
Our children - What precious blessings!! May we never forget or take for granted these gifts from above and the privilege it is to raise them.
Our friends - The people we can laugh with
Our health - By God's grace we are healthy as can be.
Salvation - And most of all.... if one or all of the above things is taken away, we can still look to our Heavenly Father. He hears our cries, knows our hearts, catches us when we fall, and forgives and loves us UNCONDITIONALLY. Thank you, Lord.