Today we had our first experience in which Cord made a mess because he can move around now. I had him sitting on the floor next to his toys and he was playing happily. He was throwing things out of the toy basket and slowly moving himself to other toys. He doesn’t really crawl; he just gets himself places by scooting or reaching and pulling. Well, I had a stack of things that were gifts from Christmas that I was looking forward to using in our hall bathroom. One was a lovely cross that a lady gave us for Christmas that I have been so excited about getting up on the wall. I had just resuced a small red marble from his hand and put it on the counter when the thought went through my head that he was really near my new breakable cross. About that time I heard it fall to the ground on the tile and it broke into three big pieces. Oh little man! At least no one was hurt and I am hoping that glue will repair it. But it is giving me nightmares about what is heading my way!
Lucy Elizabeth January 28, 2008
Well it didn’t take us long to come up with a name for our new little one coming- Lucy Elizabeth has always been a name that I loved, but thought that a Lucy sounded like the fourth child. Strange- i know. It just seems like a lucy would be the caboose. I am getting used to the idea of her coming and my mom is bringing the girl nursery curtains and bumper pads up from her house. I had tried to sell them in a garage sale and loved them so much that I probably priced them too high. Thank goodness because now I can still use them! So here we go one more time with the baby green toile and my white sheers with pink rosebuds. At least all of my mom’s hard work has been well used and loved. thanks mom.
one more wedding January 25, 2008
Eric and I found out today that we are having a little girl on June 10th. We are still a little surprised. It looks like Cord and Eric will be outnumbered by the four girls in the family. I guess we will have more dance recitals, dress up clothes, and doll babies than we did before 
She looked very good and healthy and we are thankful for another little one to join our family soon!
such sadness January 23, 2008
If you are from the South you might have heard of the radio personalities Rick and Bubba. They are believers who bring great joy to listeners as they share about their family, their friendships, and their lives. I have listened since they were out of Gadsden and you could barely get them in Birmingham. Over the weekend, Rick lost his two year old son in an accidental death. The tributes over the radio the past two days have consistently brought tears to my eyes as I think of this sweet family and what they have lost. How is it that people you listen to become such a part of your everyday world that you grieve with them as if they were in your circle of friends?
Not only has it made me heavy hearted, this death has challenged me as a mom to love my own children with more patience and gratitude. Today it entered my mind that I have them in my house making noise and interrupting everything I do- and it usually makes me so frustrated, but today as I thought about the Burgess family it made me really humbled and thankful that I get to see them. It shouldn’t take an extreme to make my heart remember how valuable these gifts are and how fleeting our time together will be.
holiday January 21, 2008
The girls are out of school tomorrow so we are going to try to use our day wisely. First thing in the morning I am freezer cooking! This was one of those times when I used up all the meals just in time to refill the freezer again. I am always so grateful to have a full freezer. As soon as that is over, I will head home and Eric will head to work on his sermon for next weekend. The girls have dance and eric has a session meeting, so it should be a full day. Somewhere in there Cord will have to be fed and have some kind of nap.
All this craziness makes me wonder where the fourth baby will fit in- I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that soon there will be another baby in this house. We find out Thursday whether we have a boy or a girl. I think that will help me jump into reality a little more. Any bets one what it might be?
Sweet surprises January 20, 2008
I love getting mail- and the past few days have included a few surprises in the mailbox. One of my dear friends from seminary days, Becky, sent us a precious outfit for Cord that he can wear this summer. She wanted to share the “southern outfit” with someone she knew would actually let her boy wear it- It is so cute and I am looking forward to seeing his chubby little legs coming out of it when the weather warms up. The second surprise came today from dear friends that we knew in Birmingham and in seminary days, the Edemas. She sent Cord a baby bib with his name on it and a book- not only did she celebrate Cord, she sent play dough, cookie cutters, and lollipops to the girls. What a wonderful surprise.
At church we just began a monthly bookstudy and we are considering Andi Ashworth’s book Real Love for Real Life. It is an encouraging look at the art and work of caregiving. One of my favorite quotes from her work is that caring is “love in the midst of extraordinary dailiness.” She also reminds us that “God is a caring God. We care because we are made in his image.” I am looking forward to next month already and now I have two more great examples of someone in our lives who has cared for us and ministered to us. thanks becky and abby!
jammin’ jeep January 17, 2008
The girls got a barbie jammin’ jeep for Christmas from Grammy. They love it. Olivia immediately jumped in and started driving it. Emma, however, is a little more cautious. She wouldn’t even ride in it during the Christmas holidays. It wouldn’t fit in our van for the ride home from the holidays, but Grammy delivered it this past Saturday and they have been riding ever since. I love that the backyard is fenced in because they can ride while I look out the window at them. We had our first “wreck” yesterday. Olivia accidently ran into the down spout on the house and broke off the end. We haven’t figured out how to put that back on, but at least no one was hurt You know your children love a present when they wake up and it is the first thing that they ask if they can do- before breakfast, in their pajamas, in 30 degree weather. Thanks Grammy for hours of fun!
odd stage of life January 12, 2008
You think that would be a quote from me- but it wasn’t. Tonight, as we were driving to a high school basketball game, Olivia said,”Mommy, I am in the oddest stage of my life.” I had to stifle a laugh and ask,”You are?” She said,”Yes. I like TV shows that are older like Hannah Montana and Cars, but I am not allowed to see them, and I am tired of the ones that are younger than that.” Side note-she is allowed to see Cars. We own it! Anyway, we agreed that we were both in an odd stage of life right now and I smiled the rest of the way to the game thinking of all the fun quotes that are ahead of us from that funny little girl!
can’t quit changing January 10, 2008
I have now changed the look of this website twice in one week. I thought I liked the idea of a little winter scene- maybe taking down the Christmas decorations made everything just too plain, so I thought I would decorate something else. Well everytime I looked at it, I was a little annoyed. So today I changed it again. This is very unlike me. I usually know just what I like, pick it the first time and never change it. My house looks the same as it did when I first got married. You would think there was enough change in my life already with a 5 year old, a 3 year old, an 8 month old and a new one on the way. Tomorrow I go for my 18 week appointment, but my doctor is making me come back in two weeks to find out what we are having. I think I felt the baby for the first time yesterday- it is always hard to tell if those little flutters are the real thing. Pray now that all the members of our family are thankful for whatever it is that God has planned for this baby to be- one little girl wants a sister and the other wants another brother. I guess someone will be happy.
