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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Our Family


My dear friend, Amanda Zabrocki, took pictures of our family a few weeks ago. There are lots to come, but here is a sneak peak! Check out her website. Thank you Amanda, for a wonderful day! Will be posting more pics soon, so check back!!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Ed






We spent a very rainy morning at Edventure today
with great friends! We love that place, and we love our friends!

BIG BIG NEWS!!!

No, I'm NOT pregnant. Let me just get that one out of the way! HA! I do have big news though....at least, it's BIG to us! Have you ever heard of MckMama? Did you pray for her son Stellan? We did. We wore his orange bracelet and prayed for him through surgeries and many scary times. I don't even know this mother of five, as she lives far, far away, but we prayed for them and have for over a year now. I have faithfully followed her blog, tried her recipes, adopted some of her parenting techniques, and entered her contests. I love her faith and just how "real" she is about her life. So....what's the news? She's a professional photographer, traveling around the United States as we speak and OUR FAMILY will be having a photoshoot with her in Charlotte NEXT FRIDAY!!! Want to know more about her? Click here and enjoy their family as much as we have!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

LFL

This book keeps popping up in my world, so I just ordered it. One of my favorite mommy bloggers just posted about it, so I'm sold. It will arrive at my doorstep very soon!  It's on sale at http://www.visionforum.com/ for only $10.80 (it's 55% off!).  I guess we don't have what is considered to be a "large family", but from what I understand, the tips and practical how-to's, can help any busy family with children. Her organizational system is designed to bring honor to God, by building up family relationships. Check it out and see what you think!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Back in Business!

Not sure why the pictures in my last post didn't save, but we are back in business! Enjoy the post below, "Compassionate Weekend" (this time, with pictures!).

Sunday, March 27, 2011

"Compassionate" Weekend

Meet Jeff from Kenya and Napheterline from Haiti. We sponsor these beautiful children through an AMAZING organization, Compassion. We started sponsoring Jeff last year and then today, Addie chose Napheterline at a Compassion booth at our church. Let me back up and tell you more of the story.....



When we got to church today, there were tables set up at the entrance from Compassion and His Little Feet. We love Compassion. In fact, the bumper sticker is on my car. Needless to say, when there is a booth set up, Brad and I are anxious to visit it! The representative told us that the children's choir, from His Little Feet, were going to sing during the service this morning. Well let me just say, Brad and I have talked about the service most of the day today. It was one of the most moving services I've been to in a while, and God's fingerprints were all over it. The Lord was IN....THAT....PLACE. He was in the faces and hearts of these children singing to us and reciting scripture. It was amazing. During the service, I wrote on a sheet of paper, "Why don't we let Addie choose a Compassion child from the table outside, and we'll sponsor this child through some of our tithing money". I handed the paper to Brad, and he gave me the strangest look. Then he said, I was just thinking the EXACT SAME THING! Well, God was clearly speaking to both of our hearts. We ran down to get Addie out of church nursery before the service even ended! She said she wanted a girl and she chose 10 year old, Napheterline. Addie knows that she is our new friend and will participate in putting together what we mail her. In fact, she colored her a picture today. When Carlie gets a little older, we will encourage her to choose a friend as well. Want to know more about Compassion?  Click here. Want to see the faces of the children's choir that came to our church?
Please take a minute to look at these precious faces.

We were all in the best mood after church today!


What about the rest of our weekend? I spent Saturday morning making buttermilk biscuits!



Then, we left our house around 10:00 to attend the Spring festival at the Botanical Gardens. Addie had a great time at "Mrs. Spider's Tea" at 11:00. They had snacks, books, and made a spider craft!



Carlie had a great time playing too!




Addie's first "tattoo"!



What is Carlie doing?

Eating lunch and listening to the band!

It was a great weekend!

Friday, March 25, 2011

In Sickness and In Health

Yesterday morning started pretty early for all of us. Carlie had her 1 year well-check at 8:30am (they want you there 15 mins early) and Addie needed to be at preschool at 9am, so it was a rush out the door with mommy and daddy dividing up the babies....ahem....I mean, the baby and the "big girl".


 Weight: 19lb's, 4 oz's (38%)
Height:  30 inches (72%)
Head:  46.5 cm (86%)


 The wonderful Dr. Bruce!

Brad and I have talked about everything with him....from church, to Disney World, to discipline.

We are so thankful for Sandhills Peds!


Three shots later (poor baby!), we all needed a treat.
Bruegger's Bagels, we love you!

Oh, and yes, I'm still not drinking my iced coffee's, while observing the season of Lent. Remember this post? Instead, I choose the French Toast hot coffee. What else is great there? Click here and see. We love it all!

Look at that sweet boo boo bandaid!


Daddy makes everything better.


 Speaking of daddy.....it was our ANNIVERSARY yesterday!!! For those of you who don't know, Brad and I got married when we were 30, and celebrated 4 years yesterday! Oh, how I love this man! What did we do last night? Well, since we celebrate all holidays with a budget, this was no different! We went here with a coupon and could not have been happier. We talked about it all day and even looked at the menu online, the night before. For us, it's not about "where", it's about "who", and all we needed that night was the two of us! We can find joy anywhere, when we are together. So, Mrs. Stacey, Addie's beloved PMO teacher last year, and her ADORABLE daughter Savannah, came to keep the girls and off we went!


 Sadly, the night was cut short. I ended up at the doctor today, after a rough night last night, with a sinus infection on both sides. Thank you Publix for FREE Amoxicillin!

 I'm so thankful Addie is crafty and can sit and paint on days
when I need to rest.


Well, there you have it. Our life over the last 48 hours. What are we doing right now on this wild and crazy Friday night? Eating homemade nacho's on the couch, in pajama pants! Life is so good! I plan on feeling MUCH better tommorrow, to cook some yummy food out of this FABULOUS magazine! Mom gave me a subscription for Christmas. Is it just me, or are magazine subscriptions the BEST gifts in the world? Anyway, on the line-up for the weekend:  Buttermilk Biscuits, Rosemary Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Chicken Taco's, Corn on the Cob, Strawberry Shortcake, and Split Pea Hummus with Pita chips for snack....YUMMERS!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wednesday Babble

Vaccuming her big girl bed, wearing two sets of pj's, speaks volumes of our Sunday morning, before church. In other news, we met my mom today at the mall. "Mimi" bought Addie a bikini for Wiggles (her Build-A-Bear) and a shirt for Carlie's Wiggles. Yes, they are both named Wiggles. We potty'ed three times, and had one accident after the carousel ride. Ever feel like you're living in public bathrooms? I'm so proud of her for her quick potty training though, I must say. She's done great! During naptime I was reading some mommy blogs and saw that one mom offers a Potato Bar for dinner each week. What an easy, fun, great idea! That will be in the line-up now for sure! Happy Wednesday!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Thoughts....

Can you tell we're in deep thought over here?

Thinking about the fact that some mornings I wake up feeling like Superwoman and other mornings feeling like I can't even tie my shoes! This morning was a "Superwoman" kind of morning. I took both girls by myself to the zoo and had a picnic lunch right beside the monkeys. No friends, no husband, two hours, just me and the girls. Believe it or not, it was one of the most peaceful, enjoyable, and precious times the three of us have had together. It was almost relaxing, to some degree. Addie was our "line leader" and took that role to heart. Then after nap, we met friends at the park. These days, the park tends to make me a little nervous. Carlie is definately over the "I just want to sit and watch" phase. Oh no...she wants to be in the action, as she should! Sometimes it's hard to monitor Addie climbing, running, etc, and entertain Carlie. Today, we did it.....and it was good!
Thinking about how much this sweetpea has changed over the last few weeks. She is so stinkin' sweet I can't even find the words sometimes. She's also VERY busy, very interested, and very smart. She surprises us every day with something new she has picked up from watching that big sis of hers. Today, I looked over at her and she had pulled the chair out from the activity table and was SITTING in it with one foot touching the floor. I had no idea she even knew how to do that! She is also becoming very verbal and somewhat strong-willed. She wants her toys, she wants to play, and she does NOT want you to stop her. Ahhh, the first signs of independence. Honestly, I can't even remember life without her.
Thinking about how important true friends are in this world, even at a young age. They are your support systems, your listening ears, and your encouragement. They can be your biggest fans, great role models, and teachers.

 "A friend loves at all times" -Proverbs 17:17

"As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend."
-Proverbs 27:17
Thinking about how this season hasn't slipped by without a few rough patches of jealousy. In fact, I have recently talked with friends about this "phase", as we are really working hard on our "gentle hands and voices". However, today at the park, I looked over to find Addie feeding Carlie her sippy cup as gently as she possibly could. I'm pretty sure she offered Carlie her cup before she drank her own. As I snapped that picture, my camera battery died, so I'll post this one. Look at Carlie's eyebrows....she WANTS that cup back!

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." -Romans 12:10
Thinking about these mommy's and how thankful
I am to know them!