Thanksgiving 2008
We spent Thanksgiving in Montevallo with the Sawyer clan. Aunt Kathy came down from B'ham for the day. It is always a treat to see her. She always is excited to see us and the girls. She was surprised by how much they had grown, especially RuRu. This time she seemed very taken with Bama and wanted to hold him a lot. Of course, we also got to spend time with Granny Sawyer, Mimi and Grandfather, Aunt Lynn,Uncle Joe and Aunt Tina. Mimi single handedly prepared our feast. What a woman! We sure are thankful for her. There would have been some rumbly tummies without all her preparations.
Giving thanks is something we should do daily for we have much to be thankful for. God knew we'd need others to encourage and support us on life's journey. I am so very thankful, today and everyday, for family and friends who do just that. I am blessed indeed!
LOOOONG overdue update
My blogging was inter-rupted by Facebook. It became a little addictive leaving me little time for blogging. So now I am going to take a break from FB for a while to get the blog updated. Since it has been so long I am going to start by posting some pics from fall. Some of these were taken at the pumpkin patch and some at the Creepy Crawly Things presentation. I think you'll be able to tell which were taken where! Can you believe those girls holding the snake?! It is a corn snake and is harmless. It's name was "Candy". Get it? Candy Corn! Sadie Lynne's picture holding it was in the local paper. She loved her"15 minutes" of fame!Notice in the pumpkin picture the girls are each holding a "baby" pumpkin. They got to each pick one to bring home. Well, my plan of placing them in a creative display, on the porch with the large pumpkin we also purchased, was not to be. When we arrived home I was informed that they needed to give their "babies" a bath. Soon water was running and pumpkins were being cleaned. By bedtime Sadie Lynne had a bed made for her pumpkin, covered it with a blanket and possibly kissed it good night. When she dropped it (They carried them around like babies.I guess the egg project for psychology class won't be necessary for my girls.) and got a huge crack in it she cried like a baby. (Did I mention she's the one with a tender heart?) Needless to say we made another trip to the pumpkin patch when I told her we'd have to throw the cracked one away. We had a real battle on our hands when Christmas rolled around and it was time to get rid of the pumpkins.
I wanted to post some pics of them in their Halloween costumes, but can't find them. It appears a roll has been deleted from my files. I'm hoping Chris had them backed up. I'll catch you up on December next time.
Another year older
Well, I'm officially a year older today and I want to take a moment to reflect on the past year and my many blessings. The Lord has blessed me with wonderful kids. Yes, they forget their manners and make me crazy at times but they can be so thoughtful and loving.
Tonight I went to dinner with my neighbors (another of my blessings). When I returned home, the girls ( mine and my neighbor's) had decorated the house with banners and balloons (which they had sent my neighbor, Melissa, to get) for a surprise party. They were so cute and so proud. I got many homemade cards, jewelry, and an ice cream cake, flowers and a song performed by Sadie Lynne. My children are a gift and I thank God for them.
We moved into our new home back in November of 2007 and I couldn't have asked for better neighbors! The Lord was faithful to provide people to be a support to me and also provided friends for the girls. We love our neighborhood and I know there are several people I can call on if I have an emergency while Chris is away. I am blessed, too, because they are not just neighbors they are also my friends.
This year was also fun because I've reconnected with friends from the past via Facebook. I was blessed today by all the messages I received from friends both old and new. I am thankful for all the friends God has blessed me with through the years. With growing families and busy schedules it can be difficult to keep in touch. Facebook sure make it easier. (The cards and calls I got were a great blessing, too. Thank you for remembering me!)
This year was also one to remind me of the brevity of life. We are not promised tomorrow, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my friends and family for loving me flaws and all! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life and for sharing yourself with me. I am blessed to know you!
I am blessed to have parents and in-laws who love my children and long to spend time with them. Okay, sometimes the girls come back a little spoiled but, who doesn't enjoy being spoiled every now and then?!
I'm sure I could go on until morning if I listed every blessing in my life so I'll close with this one. Chris, my dear husband, is a blessing to me. I am so thankful to have him to support and encourage me through difficult days and to have him to make me laugh as we enjoy the good days. He is a hard worker and I am thankful for his provision for our family, which allows me to stay home as I desire. I am thankful for the time he spends with us and how he loves me and his daughters.
The Lord has blessed me richly this year and I wait expectantly to see what He has in store for the year to come. I pray He teaches me much about himself.
Hot air balloons
We went to Callaway Gardens today for the Sky High Hot Air Balloon festival. We discovered we are too impatient to be ballooners! We did get to see a few lift off. We think the others decided to deflate and skip take-off. It had been hot all day with only one breeze to cool us the whole time we were there, until time for the balloons to lift off. It then became windy. The balloon that was tethered to the ground for rides blew so hard that the basket tipped over twice with lots of passengers in it. We had discussed letting the kids go up with me but decided the line was too long and also heard it only went 10-20 feet off the ground. It ended up that they never even let passengers go up on the tethered rides. When the first hot air balloon lifted off the ground there were lots of oohs and aahs, followed by gasps, as the balloon's basket hit the top of a magnolia tree. The balloon went right over our heads. The mishap caused a burn in the lower portion of the balloon and the basket was rocking pretty hard for a while before it settled down. This event was followed by RuRu running toward me and proclaiming, "I don't want to go up in the basket!!!" She had both fear and tears in her eyes. I couldn't help but laugh first, then we assured her she was NOT going on the ride. She was relieved to hear it!
When we gave up on the balloons we went for a swim in the lake then headed home. Although the kids had fun swimming, playing shuffleboard and doing the bungee bounce (RuRu decided to skip that too) the highlight of their day was when we made a quick stop to see the Tuleys and Womacks at the chalet where they were vacationing in Pine Mountain. They were thrilled to see all of Clem's cousins again (especially James- SL and A think he's "so cute!").
The highlight of the day for Chris was seeing a HUGE rattlesnake in the road on our way home. We both spotted it as we drove past, so he turned around and went back to get a good look. It "sat" in the road for several minutes before crossing over into the grass. We were stopped on one side of the road and another vehicle was stopped the other direction because the snake was blocking its path. Everyone was gawking at the size and snapping pictures. Check out the size of its rattle! It was 2-3 inches long.
painting fun
The older girls and I made this painting to hang on the wall over Sadie Lynne's bed. I had planned on doing it about a year ago when Chris didn't want me doing any stenciling or painting on the walls in Sadie Lynne's big girl room. Then we sold the house moved and life took over. Well, we finally got around to it. It was supposed to be a project for me and SL but she did end up letting Adelaide help a little. It is multi media and we employed various techniques (dry brush, washes, bubble wrap -the circles, corn cob rolling) and materials (lace, jewels, slick paint, beads, foam stamps, stencils and body glitter from Libby Lu!). They had a blast and with guidance on colors and placement I think it turned out pretty good. I want to paint some words on it but SL likes it like it is- of course she said that at each stage of the project, even when it was nothing but 3 shades of green brushed randomly over the canvas. It was fun and a great creative outlet. Adelaide is raedy to paint one for her room now!
SPECIAL BIRTHDAY MOMENTS
On the girls' actual birthdays I do something special with JUST the birthday girl. They get to choose what we do or where we go (within reason). Mom usually keeps the others for me unless Chris is home. Thanks, Mom, for helping to make this special time possible!This year on RuRu's birthday I took her to Libby Lu in Montgomery. She loved the attention and getting all dolled up. Adelaide also chose Libby Lu for her special day. As usual, she picked out her goodies with her sisters in mind, taking great joy in having something special to give them upon her return. Sadie lynne decided to forgo the trip to Libby Lu and get her ears pierced at Claire's instead. I still can't get over how brave she was! She didn't cry or even flinch. Which reaffirmed what I already knew- most of her former tears were worthy of an Oscar- DRAMA QUEEN! We followed up the piercing with Chick-fil-a and a heavily iced cookie form Great American Cookie. Thank you, Lara, for watching the others for me that day.
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