LOLs

Here are a couple of things I've seen recently that make me laugh. I thought I'd share them with you.

• I know this is probably old now because my sis-in-law showed it to ME a couple of weeks ago. It may not even be cool anymore, but I have to share it with you - it makes me smile. Plus, I'm a mom now. I'm allowed to do "uncool" things, right? ;)

Hmm...video doesn't want to embed, so here's the youtube link.

http://youtu.be/eEWVwgDnuzE

• And then, of course, there's this lady. She always makes me laugh. And this particular post was very cute.

• I wish I could've had a video camera or at least a voice recording of my trip home with my kiddos this afternoon from preschool. Amelia Jayne was trying out her sounds, saying, "Ah, ah, ah, ah." Xander was starting to get frustrated, so I asked him what an "A" says. He laughed and said, "ah, ah, ah, ah!" Amelia Jayne loved his mimicking and she started giggling, which got him even more excited and into it. They were echoing each other back and forth and giggling at each other, all the while staring at each other and smiling. It was almost as if they were having their own conversation. It was one of the sweetest moments I can remember. I'll treasure that one in my heart.

• This next bit of information doesn't make me laugh, but it makes me very happy! My bestie, Isabel, and her family (husband and son) are coming to Charlotte tonight to hang out for the weekend! Yippee! She lives in TX and I rarely get to see her. In fact, I haven't seen her since October 2010. I'm so excited!

Thanks

God is so good. I don't always understand his plan or even his greatness, but I can tell you this is an absolute I am sure of - He is good. Do you ever just want to give up? Do you ever feel so overwhelmed and unsure of yourself and failure is at every turn? Yeah, me too, but because I know that God is good, I can continue on. He gives me grace. He loves me and forgives my iniquities. I'm not the best mom. I'm not the best wife. I'm not the best daughter, friend, sister, employee, or citizen. But God loves me and I know He will help me through and give me what it takes to be the best I can be. I am so thankful for the people He has placed in my life that speak truth to me and love me despite my shortcomings. Those people that I can be honest with and not hold back because I think they'll think less of me if they know the real me.

Mom, thanks. Thanks for listening even when I come to you with the same problems over and over and over and over... Especially when you've got a lot going on in your life, too. You're always there for me and I know that. Don't forget that I'm here for you, too.

KTG, thanks. You've got to be the coolest monster aunt ever! Thanks for being honest with me and helping me work through issues that have plagued me for as long as I can remember. Your words are always so encouraging, even when they're presented in the form of humor. Probably even more so. You're one of the few people that can make me laugh through my tears. Thank you. 


Isabel, thanks. Even though you're half a country away, I know I can call you up at anytime and chat with you. I can text you when you're in another country and you would consider getting on a plane to come see me right away. You're my bosom buddy. Thanks for sticking with me all these years.


Beck, thanks. You're not just a sister-in-law. We were friends long before that. You're one of those people who always lifts my spirits and supports me, even when you're not aware of it.


David, thank you. Even when you don't have the words, you encourage me to find someone who does. You live with my crazy and that's a big deal. You're my forever. "Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God." Philippians 1:3


There are others out there, too, but recently these folks have been the ones encouraging me when I'm down, and loving me when I feel unlovable. Thanks.

Decisions

I'm in a weird place right now. I feel like there are decisions to be made, inevitable changes and life is feeling overwhelming.

Have you ever been going along in life, continuing the mundane, not expecting anything out of the ordinary when all of a sudden someone says something that changes everything? Or an action happens that causes you to look at something in a completely different way? I know that sounds kind of vague, but you know what I mean. Right?

I have to make some decisions that I didn't think I would have to make at this point in my life. I suppose, honestly, I don't have to make them, but how can I go on through life and not make some changes? What kind of life is that?

Sometimes we're forced to make changes - like in 2009 when David lost his job. We were forced to make lots of changes. Sometimes we choose to make changes, like when David and I decided to start trying for a baby...and it happened. Twice. Sometimes we're excited and hopeful and full of wonder. Sometimes we fight tooth and nail to make things stay the same. And then sometimes there's that limbo. Should I do it, should I not? Should I try it, should I not? Should I ask, should I not?

That's where I am now. The limbo stage.

The sermon at Ridge on Sunday was fantastic. My friend, Patrick, preached about what it's like to have an amazing life story. He used Moses as his example. And what better guy to use? Who doesn't know Moses and all the amazing things God did through him? I want to make changes in my life that will influence others and show Christ to everyone I meet. When I get down to the end of my life, I want to have made some good decisions that will become an amazing story. 


So, pray with me folks. I'll be glad to pray for you, too, if you have big changes in store.

Encouragement

My friend posted this today and I just wanted to thank him. Thanks, Patrick!

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

A Newborn's Conversation with God

I found this the other day tucked away in a folder in my email. Somehow the words in this story mean something truly amazing to me now that I have one little man who is walking, talking, becoming more and more independent every day, and yet I still have this little baby girl who relies on me for everything. How special these moments are.

A Newborn's Conversation with God 

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?" 

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you." 

 

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have 

to do anything but sing and smile to be happy." 

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. 

And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy." 

 

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand 

 when people talk to me if I don't know the language?" 

 

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words 

you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will 

 teach you how to speak." 

 

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?" 

 

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach 

you how to pray." 

"Who will protect me?" 

 

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life." 

 

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore." 

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach 

you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you." 

 

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth 

could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave 

now, please tell me my angel's name." 

 

God said, "You will simply call her, 'Mom.'"  

Granddaddy and Nana

My dad and Karen are moving! It looks like they'll be in North Carolina in about 6 weeks. I'm so excited! Their new house in Hickory, NC, is absolutely gorgeous. They'll only be a little over an hour from us. That's a much better drive than the 7 hours (or 9-10 depending on traffic and children) we used to drive to their house in Murfreesboro, TN.

I know there will be some adjustments as there always are when things change, but we are really excited to have Nana and Granddaddy so close. That's the reason they're moving, I guess. They want to be more involved in their grandchildren's lives. My dad will be retiring sooner rather than later and I know he wants to be near his family. My aunt Karen (his sister) lives in Roanoke, VA, which is only about 3 hours from Hickory.

We are so blessed and happy to now have all of our families close enough for a weekend visit. Welcome home, Granddaddy and Nana! We love you!

Prayers

My boy is so precious! Yesterday as we were driving to camp, I was praying for our day. I prayed for Xander and Amelia Jayne and their teachers. I prayed for Daddy. You know, the typical things to pray for as you're starting out your day. When I finished the prayer, here was the next part of the conversation:
Xander piped up and said, "And thank you, God, for Mommy. I prayed for you, Mommy!"
"You did, Xander. Thank you. That was very kind of you."
"I love you so much, Mommy."
With tears in my eyes, "I love you so much, too, Xander."

Park Time

Here are some pictures I found from the beginning of the summer and never posted. Xander loved the water plaza and the playground equipment. Both kids loved the swings. This was the first time I put Amelia Jayne in a swing! Of course she would rather watch her older brother go back and forth, but I think she enjoyed the movement some, too. :)

The Three Amelias

Amelia Jayne is named after her grandmothers, as you all know from this post. Her paternal grandmother's name is Amelia. She goes by Ame (pronounced "Aim"). David also has a cousin who was named after her aunt Amelia - she goes by Ame (pronounced "Amy"). Now we have a little Amelia!! I just love this picture of the three of them. :)

GG

This is a picture I just love of Amelia Jayne and her great-grandmother, GG. This is David's maternal grandmother. Aren't they beautiful?

About AJ - Eight months

Amelia Jayne turned 8 months old on Sunday, June 24. She has started doing so many things this month!

She's mobile, y'all! She crawled, belly off the floor, for the first time the day before she turned 8 months. She's not real consistent with it, but she can now get where she wants to go. She also scoots and pulls herself around to get at what she wants. She sits up by herself from a lying position, which I find to be extremely helpful. Prior to her being able to do that she would roll over on her stomach and fuss until you helped her sit up. Now she can do that on her own!

She signed "more" for the first time on Sunday. I don't really know if it was a fluke because I haven't gotten her to do it again since, at least not in regards to actually wanting something more. It also looks a lot like clapping, so it's hard to tell :). If she starts doing it more consistently then I'll say she's really signing :).

I've always laughed and been slightly embarrassed by my baby who I call "The starer." You know what I mean - when strangers walk up to a baby and smile and laugh and tickle their toes to get a response, the baby just stares back at them. Stone-faced. Not cracking a smile or acknowledging the adults' silly antics. Well, Amelia Jayne is slowly growing out of that. Now that I've grown accustomed to it, I don't mind it so much and I accept it for who she is. Xander wasn't like that at all. He smiled at everyone and all you had to do was look at him to illicit a smile. So having a "starer" certainly took some getting used to on my part. She's much more inclined to smile at people she knows well and will almost always smile at a child, especially her brother. And she's not much of a giggler - the only person who consistently makes her giggle is Xander. And he's not all that interested in entertaining her. :)

She has four teeth and is about to add another. She has a gap in her teeth just like I did when I was little. They're very prominent. I lovingly refer to her as "Teeth."

The only pic I could get that shows her two front teeth.

I'm still nursing Amelia Jayne, although nursing in public has become a thing of the past. She can't nurse without exposing me or doing what a friend of mine calls gymnurstics. I won't go into that, but I will say that Amelia Jayne has nursed in every one of the positions in these pictures. That's all about that.

Since she's more mobile now, it was hard for me to get her to stay upright!

See what I mean?!

My baby girl is growing up so fast! I can't believe how time has flown. She's so beautiful and so fun! She makes our world even brighter. I thank God for her!