7 Things

I was tagged a couple of months ago, and I am now finally answering the tag. Enjoy!

7 Things...

7 things I plan to do before I die:
1. Make my funeral arrangements
2. Go to Disney World
3. Write a Book
4. Contact a couple of old friends that I have not spoken to in years
5. Cheer for Rowe at a Little League game
6. Teach Lee the proper keyboarding technique
7. Grow daily (not in size, I hope) as a Christian, wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend
8. Take singing lessons (I can add one if I want to.)

7 things I can do:
1. love
2. hug
3. dance
4. type using the proper keyboarding technique
5. laugh
6. write
7. think

7 things I cannot do:
1. sing
2. sleep well all night
3. stay away from my family for long
4. do anything without making a mess
5. focus on only one thing at a time
6. control my craziness sometimes (I get a LITTLE anxious sometimes, but I’m working on it.)
7. juggle without any arms

7 things I say most often:
1. All eyes on me (to my students, not everyone I meet)
2. Yes Lee, you do look HOT in that. Now quit changing clothes. (Don’t tell Lee about this one.)
3. I love you!
4. I miss you!
5. Do you think I’m crazy?
6. Rowe, please say MAMA
7. I miss my brother

7 celebrity crushes:
1. Jonathan Brandis (all time biggest crush, but he committed suicide five years ago. So sad!)
2. Joey McIntyre from the New Kids on the Block
3. Josh Hartnett
4. Zack Morris (Mark Paul Gosselaar) Who didn’t have a crush on him???
5. Edward Furlong
6. Nicolas Cage
7. Jonathan Taylor Thomas (I used to think, Mrs. Celeste Thomas. That was like fifteen years ago, not recently.)

7 People who I want to know these things about
1. Gabe
2. Lee
3. Jenny
4. Tori
5. Erika
6. Jenn
7. Heather
If you have already done this, just ignore.

Fly Again

Thirteen years ago today my grandfather passed away. I still have so many wonderful memories with him. A few months ago, my dad sang a song at church called Flay Again that I wanted to share with you. I'm not going to sing it, but I am posting the lyrics. My grandfather loved to fly his airplane when he was younger, so this song fit him so well. I hope these words touch you in a meaningful way.

Fly Again

His trembling hands held the church pew that day,
struggling to stand when they asked him to Pray.
With wisdom and strength his words were spoken.
but his body grew weary for his wings were broken.

But he will fly once again. He will soar with his wings unfolded
Hear the angels applaud as he rides on the wind to the arms of God.
And he will fly. He will fly again.

And on that day when he left for the sky
I saw him smile as he told me goodbye.
No more would he weep for missed tomorrows.
No more would he suffer in this land of sorrows.

But he will fly once again. He will soar with his wings unfolded.
Hear the angels applaud as he rides on the wind to the arms of God.
And he will fly. He will fly again.

I know that he’s in a better place.
I still dream of the day
when I’ll see his face.
Then we’ll embrace, and...

We will fly once again. We will soar with our wings unfolded.
Hear the angels applaud as we ride on the wind to the arms of God,
and we will fly. We will fly again.

What I've Learned Since I Got Married

Hamburger Helper does not come with the hamburger.

Frozen pie crust is not as good as cooked pie crust. I sometimes forgot to read the whole recipe.

Dishwashing Liquid soap is not made for the dishwasher unless you need to clean your floor.

If your spouse hunts, get a hobby. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

If you don't like doing certain chores, just say your allergic to dust and house hold cleaners. Now Lee or the maid does them. But, I really am allergic.

I have learned much more over the past five years, but I can't think of them all right now.

5 Year Anniversary Weekend

This past weekend we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in Birmingham. We wanted to stay close to home, but still have some quality time together. We had a blast with each other, our aunt and uncle who we are close to, and two of our prettiest friends.

Lee and I caught up on some much needed sleep, and a little shopping. We are so blessed to have family that is so willing to take care of our baby boy for us while we were gone. He has had a yucky cold which has been interfering with his sleep. My parents' house is Rowe's other home. He loves it there, so we had no worries all weekend. Lee's sister Trish watched him for an afternoon, and Rowe loved playing with her boys. Needless to say, even while he was sick, he had a fun weekend too, except the times he crawled to the door crying for DADDY. He still calls us both daddy, but ROWE IS DEFINITELY A DADDY'S BOY. Yes, that makes me jealous!

Back to our anniversary. I just want to tell you how much Lee has enriched my life over the last several years. He tells me he loves me and misses me at least ten or more times a day. When he gets home everyday from work, I basically tackle him with a hug and he does the same for me. He eagerly seeks God's will for His life and our family. He loves for me to tell him jokes, but he doesn't really laugh at all of them. I of course think they are all hilarious. Life is not perfect, but he is my favorite blessing in life. I do have to say also, he gets better looking everyday!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

11 1/2 Months Update

It is amazing how so much can change in less than a year. It is so disheartening to me that eleven months can go by so fast! I have not had enough time with my baby this year to love and kiss on him, to sing and read to him, or to just hold him, yet the year will pass anyway and he will grow up daily. This past year has not asked me if I would like it to slow down, nor did it slow down when I begged it to. I guess one of the biggest lessons I have learned this year is to not take any moment for granted. I shouldn't jam pack my schedule nor should I waste time being bored, but find the balance. I have never said, "I can't wait until...." because "until" gets here much sooner than I would like. I hate to sound so down and out, because I am also overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for what we have experienced this year with Rowe. God has truly blessed us beyond what we ever prayed for. I look back and want to kick myself for spending so much time worrying and lacking trust in God's will during the time of our miscarriages and trying to have a baby. I always trusted God to be able to do whatever He wanted which could include a baby for us or could not. I just didn't trust His will as being the best for us. If you facing a time right now where you aren't sure if you're ready to trust God's will completely, just take into consideration His track record. Has there been a time in your life that you trusted him completely and He didn't take care of you? I will be honest, I have not liked every way that God has answered my prayers, but I do know His answers are much better for me than my own in the long run.

Back to Rowe! Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. That little monkey of ours is PRECIOUS!!! Lee is still kissing him all the time, and I'm chasing him all the time. He is holding onto the furniture and walking everywhere. He only takes a couple of steps on his own and then dives face forward with a huge grin and his mouth wide open. He hits the ground announcing, "UH-OH."

His favorite toy is his Leapfrog Table with lights and music. He always changes it to the Spanish setting, and will not play with it if it is set to English. Such a little weirdo! He also loves any musical instruments. He loves playing his drums, xylophone, and he is getting an electronic piano for Christmas, but don't tell him. He has teeth marks on all of his shoes and most of ours. If he is sitting in a highchair, car seat, or most laps, his legs are swinging. He will kick you a million times while you feed him in his high chair. He no longer does his hands like he is cranking a motorcycle when he gets excited. I kind of miss that. It was his trademark.

He still has a sensitive tummy, and we have to be careful what we feed him. He still does not eat a lot of people food yet. There just isn't a big enough selection of organic food in Columbus, MS. The more I read and talk with his doctor, I think organic is the best way to go for our family. I don't think our parenting decisions are right for everyone or perfect, I just think they are best for us.

Rowe is saying "daddy" all the time. He also says "Missy," "Hey," "Mo" (more), and shakes his head no quite a bit. I don't think he knows what the head shaking means. He still refuses to say "mama." His first sentence was, "I love you." It was not pronounced perfectly, but he sometimes says it back to us when we tell him "I love you." He has also said it when we pick him up, because we always say it then, so I guess he thinks that is just part of it too. It will melt your heart. He loves for us to talk, sing, or read to him. At night, he snuggles his lovie under his head like a pillow and tucks his knees and hands under his belly with his bottom in the air. Too cute! He goes to sleep and wakes up singing. I love to hear his sweet voice over the monitor.

Meet Melvin

This is our sweet Melvin that I wish I could bring home with me. He is our sponsor child through World Help. Melvin is about six months older (he turned one in July) than Rowe and lives in Guatemala with his family.
World Help only allowS sponsors to send gifts that will fit into a 6x9 envelope or smaller. Well, sweet, little Melvin is in need of clothing items, so they are letting us send a one time box of clothes, socks, and shoes. It is warm there, so he doesn't need thick, heavy clothing, and since it is a one time deal, he needs clothes in all sizes that he can grow into. This is where I need your help. My family and I have bought him some clothes and socks already, but I would like to send even more. If you have a son that has outgrown any clothes that you would be willing to donate to little Melvin, please email me and let me know. I will pay for any postage or come get it if you live nearby. My guess is that boys clothing in sizes 24 months and larger would be best.

I also ask that you pray for Melvin and his family. Pray for their needs to be meet and that Melvin will come to know the Lord at an early age. Thank you blogistas very much!

Family Portraits

My mom has been wanting to have family portraits made of our whole family since we have added two new members over the last year. We finally had them taken by the very talented Addie Talley during Thanksgiving holidays. You can go check some of them out at http://talleyimages.blogspot.com/. Two of my favorites are the ones of my grandmother and Rowe and the one of all the guys together. There were some other good ones that are not on her site that I'll post soon.

On another note, at school today I met someone who reads our blog. I sometimes wonder if anyone reads it since so few people leave comments, so it was a nice treat to meet her today. If you ever see me out and about, please tell me you read our blog and give me your blog address so I can keep up with you too.