Tuesday, July 31, 2012

COMPLIMENTS


Compliments are hard for many to accept.  It is hard for someone to be gracious and accepting of kind words, and I wonder why this is?  Do we so often hear the negative that when someone comments on our positive attributes we really don’t know how to deal with it?  Graciously accepting a compliment is not an easy undertaking for many.

Tonight I received a compliment.  I was commended for being who I am.  Those who know me know what this means to me!  I am sometimes loud, a lot of time opinionated, and always certain that I am 100% correct in all things.  Well, maybe not all things, but at least 99% of them!  I pray that I was gracious and accepting of the compliment.  It was a delight for me to be told that this person enjoyed me for being ME!

Oh, and I did come home and tell my wonderful husband what was said, and he agreed!  What a night!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

VACATION


I need a vacation from my vacation!  Don’t get me wrong, we all had a wonderful time!  The kids thought that the hotel was awesome, Du Bois Park was tons of fun, and playing tourist in another part of our state was so exciting.  BUT, for me it was more work someplace else.  Like Robert said, VACATIONS WITH LITTLE ONES ARE JUST FOR THE LITTLE ONES! 
Getting everything ready!

I only had 4 lists to work from!



Everyone at Du Bois Inlet Beach!

Playing tourists!

Yes, Robert was brave and climbed it!  He was the only one too!

Maybe one day I will get my vacation!  Until then, I will give my children their vacations!  This is, after all what being a parent in the summertime is all about!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Dear Mom......


Dear Mom,

          I wanted to take the time to thank you for all that you did for us growing up.  It is often said that one does not appreciate their mother until they have children of their own.  For me, this has really become true.  The more children that God gives me, the more I thank Him for the gifts that you gave to me. 

          Specifically today I want to thank you for the time that you always gave to me to talk……..and you were always in the tub or the shower.  Oh how I never realized how precious alone time in the shower was until I had children.  You will be happy to know, Mom, that your Bill Cosby curse worked…..I do have one just like me in the fact that they only want to talk while I am in the shower!  UGH!

          This morning I was blissfully alone for all of two minutes before the door opened and in came my Ethan.  He wanted to check on me.  He wanted to talk to me.  He wanted me to get out of the shower (right then and there) and get him something to drink.  I told him that I was fine, I couldn’t hear him that well when I washing the shampoo out of my hair (I always close my ears when I do this, always have!), and that he could get a juice box until I was done.  He walked out of the bathroom and I returned to silence…..for a minute.

          The next thing that I knew the shower door was flung open and he wanted to know why I was shaving my legs.  I told him to shut the door, the air was getting me cold.

          “What Mama…..your cold?” 

SLAM went the shower door.  The next thing I knew the water went from blissfully warm to scalding hot.  The shower door slides back open and there is Ethan with a proud grin,

          “I flushed the toilet for you so you wouldn’t be cold anymore Mama!” 

          Gee thanks son!  Now I don’t need to shave that leg anymore, all the hair has been scalded off!  I politely asked him to leave and told him that I would talk to him when I was done, AFTER my shower.  He checked back twice to see if I was really hurrying up.  What did he want to talk about…….what cartoon could he watch when he was finally allowed to turn the TV on this afternoon.  That was a very important discussion I know!

          All kidding aside Mom, thank you for being there for me and continuing to be there for me whenever I need to talk!  WE actually just hung up from my important question about raising a baby!  I hope and pray that I am half as good of a mother to my children as you were.  Yes, even if they interrupt my showers!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Food of the Fourth


Our menu was altered some for July 4th, but it was still oh so yummy!!!

Our morning started off with Robert making some jalapeƱo poppers stuffed with cream cheese and beef or chicken.  Of course everything is better with bacon.  Robert also grilled some sirloins, T-bones, and hamburgers!  Maggie and I made some potato salad after the boys helped us to peel the potatoes.  Truthfully Maggie made most of it, I did supervise though!  I made John Robert’s favorite Cowboy Beans.  Maggie baked the cake, I made the frosting, and the boys decorated it!  All in all, it was a super yummy day! 
You need gloves when working with hot peppers!

MMMMMM, bacon!

Poor E-Man, his hands werfe just too little to peel the potatoes fast!

John Robert was tired of peeling, he started drawing!

Making the beans.....this is only 1/2 of my ingredents!

Mag's making the potato salad!

Mama making the frosting so......

I could frost the cake!

Once the cake was frosted John Robert started putting on the blueberries.

Ethan got to put on the strawberries!

YES...it was as yummy as it looked!

Setting everything up, yes Robert was napping!

Poppers and burgers!

The steaks!


See, I told you it was a yummy day!!!!

July 4th!




What a privilege it is to live in America and be able to celebrate the day that our Founding Father’s took the stand to create this nation.  Their strength and courage of conviction was sheer amazing, it is indescribable to me that these men and women were willing to stand against the cultural norm and create the nation that we have today.  I really saw things differently this year after watching a documentary on the Inspire channel with Kirk Cameron.  It made me want to celebrate American more!!! So, we did!!!!


We did a little bit more than we normally did.  We had my parents and Robert’s grandparents over to eat.  We enjoyed some time together as a family and being the good Southern family that we are, we celebrated with food.  Robert even headed to town after our company left to get fireworks for the big boys and Maggie to enjoy, Cole and I stayed inside so he could go to bed on time!  The kids really enjoyed their day.  Robert and I enjoyed it too, not just because of the food and fellowship but because of the lessons that we were able to teach our children about the people that made America so great!
Wearing our Red, White, and Blue!


I love this shot of Ethan and his sparkler!

I think that Daddy did good, these pictures are too cool!

The kids really liked the fireworks, thanks Daddy!

Time for silly faces!

Had to share these, I love my 4th of July shoes!