Life in the King-dom

Go Browns

2007-10-30T07:42:00.000-04:00

twas a somewhat difficult Sunday in the Kingdom with the Browns playing the Rams. When St. Louis went up by 14 in the first few minutes, I thought the badBrowns were back. Grumpy David was definitely back. But then Derek Anderson got hot! Quiet, subdued cheering from the recliner. Jill even was happy for me. I need to learn from her (again). All ends well as the Browns win and make the Rams look good too. (That's hubris, I know, but our defense could make Independence High look good.)

Our Quarterly Post Marathon

2007-09-29T12:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally have a real computer at home (it's d's work computer), and the blog is nice enough to give him a tool bar with which to post pictures, so here we go again. Since Emma's birthday we've had a lot going on. Let me try to catch you up, if you are at all interested (even if you're not, humor me here, folks!): There will be 8 posts following this one, so you might have to scroll to the next page to get everything. I worked backwards so the most recent will be the first post after this one. I told David, it's a good thing I don't have this computer all the time or the house would fall apart around me...it can download pictures in less than 2 minutes, which takes our home computer more than 15 minutes to do. Yeah for technology!! (Especially when I am this far behind!)

Future Lady Colt All-Stars

2007-09-29T11:16:00.001-04:00

We are having a family affair this season coaching volleyball. While I coach junior varsity and help David with the varsity, the girls are being true to their nature and becoming proverbial sponges. Emma now "sets" and "attacks" on cue and Aubrey has started doing the stretching and ball warm-up drills since she had already mastered the fundamental volleyball skills last season...ready position, passing, setting, attacking, butterfly, blocking, etc. Special thanks to Calie for her continual babysitting during practices and toddler juggling at the games.

Down on the Farm

2007-09-29T10:50:00.000-04:00

We headed to Clayton, NC for Labor Day weekend to catch up with Mike and Nancy Knight (and family). We had a blast as we always do (I even won a game of Settlers...accidentally!). This trip we were finally able to visit Misty and Barbie, their two trusty steeds (but as with most things involving Mike Knight, there's a story lurking there) and get in some riding time. Aubrey enjoyed tramping around in Hudson's extra boots and slurping on her very first can of soda. It was great to hang out with such great friends and visit the ministry that the Lord is growing there in Clayton. We pretty much broke even as we hauled home a free treadmill from their moving neighbors, even though a carwash did eat our side view mirror.

Shots at Random

2007-09-29T09:31:00.000-04:00

Here are a few miscellaneous shots of the girls that don't fall into any particular category other than mommy thought they were kind of cute. So humor me (again) and chuckle once or twice, then you can move on to the more fact-filled entries. As you can see, Emma has confiscated Aubrey's PeeWee hat and wears it any chance she gets. It's pretty comical to see her staggering around the house with the hat cocked to one side looking like a sailor that has had one to many!

Happy Birthday to You!

2007-09-29T08:56:00.000-04:00

Aubrey has definitely hit the "vivid imagination" stage. We survived the not so terrible twos and are headed pell-mell into the threes. I'm not sure if she was more excited about the bike or the attached balloon, but she now enjoys limping around the driveway with mommy or daddy in tow to help keep the bike moving (she hasn't quite figured out the whole pedaling process). It's finally cooling off where we can stand to be outside for more than 4 minutes at a time, so hopefully we will have pedaling success soon! She has also taken to striking poses at random (see first picture) and then exclaiming, "Ohhh, that's cute!" when she sees the shot in the playback screen. Not sure where that streak of vanity comes from!! And yes, we are in full dress-up mode (thus the new clip-clop shoes). Three going on 16 has taken on a whole new meaning!

Build a Birthday Bear

2007-09-28T21:25:00.000-04:00

We took Aubrey to B-a-B for her birthday and she came home with Buddy, another recipient of her affections while she sleeps. David is convinced that she is going to marry a 400 pound man since she hugs a minimum of 5 critters in her sleep each night. Not sure how her arms have any blood flow by morning, but she usually drags at least 3 of them out to the living room each morning as she rolls out of bed. The others include Nanner, Lammy, Lumpy, Katha (not sure where THAT name came from), Buddy, Tucker (a stuffed replica she received before the real live critter came to us)...you get the idea.

Tucker Buddy

2007-09-28T21:14:00.000-04:00

Well, here he is for all of you animal lovers that keep asking about him. Tucker is now 10 months old (8 months old in the pictures) and is loving life among his women. He has adapted pretty well to being outside the majority of the time this summer for which this mommy is very grateful. He seems to be over his gopher stage; however, portions of our yard now have chicken wire stapled down.

Back to our Roots

2007-09-28T20:45:00.000-04:00

While David was taking a 2 week class at BJ this summer the girls and I headed to IL to give grandma and grandpa a chance to spoil their 2 youngest granddaughters (they didn't need much practice!). After a bit of coaxing grandpa got to take them on a tour of the yard via John Deere, and then a chauffered push in the battery-dead Jeep. Grandma pulled out her old (gaudy) earrings which Aubrey latched onto without any prompting (see below). We didn't get any shots of the numerous trips to the ice-cream shop, but we sure didn't go hungry while we were there! We were also able to take in the finer points of Alton with a couple of trips to the ball diamonds to watch Marcus' baseball games. The ducks at mom and dad's burial site (don't ask) enjoyed our visit too. And then there was the shopping....we can't forget the forays out and about to find bargains (I got 2 skirts at JCP for $5.56 total).

A Day at the Ranch

2007-09-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

We headed west (kind-of) to check out the Lazy 5 Ranch and all of the goings-on. We got a kick out of being able to feed the animals up close and personal, some more so than others. (Suffice it to say the zebra about gave me a coronary, nearly necessitating a change in undergarments!) Emma apparently felt that she was missing out on a fine dining experience and tried to fill her gullet as well (see below).

It was hot and those driving through the trail were a bit more pokey than we would have liked, but all in all we had a lot of fun. It just might replace our annual trek to the zoo as the animals were much closer and accessible to the kids.

Happy Birthday, Itty Bitty One

2007-07-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure who had more fun with Emma's birthday...Aubrey or Emma. It was tough to keep Aubs OUT of the gifts and to keep Emma interested IN the gifts. But, at least the birthday (cup)cake was a smashing success (quite literally, as you will see). The Little People Noah's Ark has been a hit; Emma decided to share a zebra with Tucker the other night. Thankfully I was able to rescue the poor plastic critter before Tucker had a chance to do much more than get his slobber on it. Yes, Emma and Tucker have become quite the buds, until Emma decides she has had enough of his licks and can't escape his tongue. Then I hear a wail and see a tail wagging for all it's worth. Anyway, our little girl is one and my little bitty is growing up. (*sniff!* - and NO, I'm not pregnant!)

Pooh Power

2007-07-29T22:09:00.000-04:00

And then there's the ultimate photo

opportunity that comes knocking once in a great while. I had some great shots of Aubrey at about a year old in this outfit and decided to try my luck with Emma one morning. She turned on the charm and this is just a smattering of the shots I was able to get. I love her personality that is beginning to explode as she begins her quests of adventure. Aubrey often asks me, "What's Emma doing?" To which I reply, "She's exploring." While Emma enjoys watching Aubrey do her (many) thing(s), she is definitely her own person on her own missions at times. I have been heard telling my husband that this (Emma) is his boy. In all honesty, though, it is amazing to see how the Lord has given this creation so much personality and spunk, and is so similar to yet so different from her sister!

Bubbles and Bathing Beauties

2007-07-29T21:17:00.000-04:00

Bubbles were quite the attraction as Aubrey discovered the magic of the slippery, disappearing orbs. She chased and flung and twirled, pausing every now and then for a "CHEEEEEEESE!!" The greratest difficulty was keeping her out of the refill bottle as she insisted that SHE could replenish the bubble tray whenever she felt the urge. Which perhaps might have been true, if you consider the patio table, deck, shirt and shorts all part of the bubble tray (read between the lines here, folks: she managed to get it everywhere and even places that I didn't know existed!) And then there's pool time...we'll call it about anything just to have an excuse to splash (or at least get wet)! Don't worry...we have a larger pool now. We can't get too extravagant or Tucker will have a new chew toy.

(Aubrey and Emma, May 2007)

Southern Belles

2007-07-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

Here they are in all of their glory...well, at least most of their glory...ok, a bit of their glory.

I know that the matching outfit days are numbered, so I feel that I must take as much advantage of it now that I can while their objections are few. Several people actually asked me if I made these outfits...those of you who know me and my becky-home-ecky-less-ness can stop laughing now. (Actually, I bought Aubrey's dress last year at the end of the season clearance and discovered Emma's on sale this spring while Grandma was visiting...thanks, mom!)

(Aubrey and Emma, April 2007)

It's a Swing Thing

2007-07-29T16:42:00.000-04:00

Well, you get the idea. This little bitty loves her swing and will kick back in it for just about as long as I will allow her. It's a pretty rough life she leads, doncha think? (Emma Sophia, 10 months April 2007)

Happy (belated) Easter

2007-07-29T16:10:00.000-04:00

We were able to have a mini egg hunt (plastic eggs, thank you very much) this year as Aubrey finally got the hang of looking for them after I hid them. Emma just enjoyed chewing on the eggs, never mind the hunting part (too much effort, doncha know!). It was too cold to wear the Easter dresses bought for the occasion, so we went to plan B - dresses with sleeves (novel idea, I know). Oh, yes, I almost forgot Tucker...now 6 months old (as of mid-April).

No matter the windchill, we relished the opportunity to celebrate the meaning of Easter and all that the Lord has done for us.

On the Blog Again

2007-07-29T14:56:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I have a lot of catching up to do, to say the least. My wonderful husband was incredibly thoughtful and brought his laptop home with the blog loaded onto it so I could work from home this afternoon and see how much progress I can make in this overwhelming endeavor. In my blogspot absence I have taken to Facebook-ing, which has been a ton of fun catching up with former students and colleagues from years gone by. My very first contact (outside of Meredith who coerced me into joining the craze) was a little kindergartner I used to help cross the crosswalk when I was in high school. He's now in college and boy do I feel old! Anyway, that's what I've been doing in my blog-less time. Oh, that and taking pictures of 2 of my favorite people. So, I'll try to work my way back in my mind to April and keep things as chronologically organized as possible. Since being out-of-pocket we have (among other things) celebrated Easter, played outside, celebrated a first birthday, gone to the beach (as my husband mentioned earlier), experienced the Lazy5Ranch, and flown to visit grandma and grandpa in IL. Again, sorry for the delay, but it's great to be back, even if it is in a limited sense!

There's more than one way....

2007-07-12T15:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, so they won't give me a photo toolbar to work with on my home computer, so David has now taken matters into his own hands and is posting the pictures for me from his computer at school. So, thus we have pictures again...kind of. It's just going to take a while to get use to this new set up. Guess I'm going to have to take a picnic in and let him babysit while I post pictures from the last 3 months (we've been busy!) So, please be patient (if you haven't already given up on us), and I'll see if I can get something posted in the next few days. However, we are going to be out of computer pocket for a bit, so check back as you are able and I'll be in touch when things are up and running smoothly.

It's a King Thing

2007-07-11T11:54:00.000-04:00

Well, we had to go to the beach. My family (David's) always chooses to go to the beach for family vacation. (sigh) Last year we couldn't go because EmmaDarlin' decided to be born two days before vacation began. This year we had no such excuse.

So we had to go this year. Had to go down to the ocean each morning (sigh); had to go down to the ocean each evening; had to go to the NC aquarium; had to eat more food than we should have; had to take walks in the sand; had to play with the girls on the beach (and a very short way into the water). I am so glad that I am back at work.

frustration

2007-04-20T16:43:00.000-04:00

If anyone could give me some input as to why my toolbar has disappeared for posting icons (pics, font, etc.) I'd appreciate it. I've gone on their "help" site and come away with nothing (my compose feature is "on"). I'm about ready to create a new blog if this keeps up here. I'll post the new site address here if it comes to that.

Spring has Sprung!

2007-03-26T19:43:00.000-04:00

Well, even if it's not, we're making it official...spring has finally arrived south of the Mason-Dixon line. At least it was spring-like for a few days last week...and then it hit 90 on Sunday (we have very abbreviated seasons down here in case any of you northerners were wondering). So, we were out soaking up as many rays as floppy hats will allow. Now I understand why so many people were astounded when they'd see Aubrey in a hat when she was less than a year old. I don't know how many times I heard, "I can't believe she keeps it on!" Emma is very much less than impressed with the whole hat process. I have to be quicker than she is in order to snap a picture before the hat is flying through the air. Except for the hat I glued (just kidding) on her bald little head Sunday. She actually left it on! Aubrey was called the muffin man when she wore this outfit, and half a dozen people said they thought they were looking at Aubrey when they saw Emma Sunday.

Happy St. Patty's!

2007-03-16T11:05:00.000-04:00

In honor of one of my adopted Chicago dads, a special St. Patrick's Day wish to one and all.

(It's either this annual homage to the Irish, or naming one of my children after him. With my husband comandeering the middle name, I'm just not sure Patrick Boaz would work real well.)

So, kick back and enjoy the grins:

What brew was in your bottle, Emma??

As you can see we've started Emma on the Irish rogaine therapy in hopes of preventing a permanently shiny scalp.

And Aubrey is balancing the act with the protestant orange for the family.

We have our irish limits, you know!

Medic!

2007-03-13T16:43:00.000-04:00

While we were celebrating the accomplishments of our younger daughter last night (see post below) our elder decided to get in on the action as well. As she was bouncing and just being her general bubbly self she proceeded to launch herself head-long onto the floor. All of which would be fine, if the corner of my hope chest had not been between her head and her intended destination. (For those of you panicking, she was on the floor to begin with - I don't allow bungy jumping from any furniture or fixtures.)

Let the wailing begin. After she calmed herself down to a lower decibel I asked if she wanted the ice pack (silly question, mommy!). She retrieved it from the freezer and you see the end result. Don't worry...there wasn't any . She's just a drama queen.

Sooooo Big!

2007-03-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

Our favorite question for our smallest family member (that would now be Emma as Tucker ranks 4th of 5) is, "How big is Emma?" To which she grins and usually starts hitting her chest, but occasionally will throw her hands above head (the desired result).

Well, last night she surprised us once again. While David was folding some laundry he stuck her in the clothes basket and within a few seconds I heard, "Quick! Get the camera!" By the time I tracked it down I was afraid she was going to be too tired to perform, but she loved pulling herself up and then plopping down in the empty basket!

She is crawling now (GI Josie, but nonetheless)

and Aubrey is discovering that none of her toys

or books are sacred.

(Turn about is fair play, I say! =)

Oh dear, my little is growing up. And no, that doesn't mean it's time for another one. Lest you forget, we have a puppy.

Mr. Wonderful

2007-03-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

I awoke this morning to a surprise and reminder of one of the many reasons I love the man of my heart.

He left an incredible card and gift bag (Boyds Bears figurine) on the breakfast table, celebrating our engagement "anniversary."

It was 5 years ago today he proposed (sorry, didn't have a digital camera back then) and it's one of those strange sensations - part of me feels like it was yesterday and the other (older?!?) part feels like it was a lifetime ago.

It amazes me how the Lord really does save the best for those who wait (whether always willingly, I'd have to admit no) for Him.

I'm so thankful He saved me from myself and selfish desires and for David.

Had I known how incredible this married life would be I think it would have made the wait easier, but the lessons learned would have been fewer.

I'm also thankful for the challenges and difficult decisions He brings so that we can face them together now. And then there's the incredible blessings of Aubrey and Emma. Wow, how things change in 5 short years.

David, thank you for being you and for loving me

in spite of myself.

Lumtty, namat. Always

Emma Sophia

2007-03-02T17:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm going to give this post one more valiant attempt and then I'm going to throw things out the window if it doesn't work. As I tried to say last week when I first posted this, life has improved (at least my outlook has) since my fiasco-filled previous week. (Did I mention that I had a flat tire on last Thursday morning? At least it was in the garage and not on Independence Blvd!) Anyway, I finally took the time to roll around with my baby the other day and was able to grab a few shots (her scrap book is going to be a good bit thinner than her sisters, I'm afraid!). If you have a magnifying glass you might be able to see her two teeth that match the two toes dug into the carpet in this first picture.

It seems just like yesterday that I was doing this kind of stuff with Aubrey, and now she has moved on to bigger and better (at least in her way of thinking...see post below.) Em's on the verge of crawling and life will take another crazy twist. But that's ok! I have 2 beautiful little people that are healthy and love me more than I deserve. I can't imagine life without them and was reminded again how necessary proper perspective really is!

And then there's my thumb sucker/sleep any time - any where . Like mother like daughter, I'm afraid! But hey, all that scooting around is hard work, don'tcha know!

Aubrey Micaiah

2007-03-02T17:16:00.000-05:00

Big Sister and Big Dipper

Well, as you can see we love each other around here.

Daddy had the camera for some pastel hug shots (please ignore the morning lack-of -hair-do!!) Since adopting Tucker we have discovered that Aubrey is definitely an Alpha (fe)male. I'm just hoping she continues to direct it towards the puppy (who has gained 10 pounds in 4 weeks, thank you very much!) and not toward her little sister!

We have also ventured into the hallowed halls of potty training - serious mode. No more goofing around here, folks. We have gone more than an entire week now with no daytime diapers and only 3 -make that 4 - s to speak of. She can even get her little tuskus up on the potty without anyone's help. (She ally pushed the ring back when she climbed up for this attempt and mommy was mean enough to grab the camera.) And she LOVES her Curious George panties (David wants to know why they put Curious George on little ladies panties?!?!). We have made it through (among other activities) 3 church services, a Dollar Store and numerous Walmart runs, as well as to the vet and mommy's dr's appt (for the poison ivy! I know what some of you were thinking....NOT!!) Hopefully the trend will continue.

By the way...Any suggestions out there for getting them trained through the night? Her diapers are usually potty-logged by morning!!

AARGH!

2007-02-19T17:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, the answer to the riddle posted below ( " - - - " ) is: the letter after F, the letter after H, the letter after Q, and the letter after K.

Blog Type-O

2007-02-19T17:24:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else have difficulties trying to post certain words on their blogs? - - - will not appear in my entries if "the" is in front of it. Any suggestions?!?!? Read the entry below and you'll see what I mean. I've noticed it in my other entries as well.

A Day in the Life...

2007-02-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's been a while since I've read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but I'm just about ready to publish a sequel. I guess it's not that bad, really, but can I have just a momentary pity party...please?

David left this morning for BJ for the Principals' Recruiting Conference. (sniff)

I noticed I was scratching my jaw line a bit yesterday, but I chalked it up to dry skin (the skin on the tips of my fingers is actually splitting open this year - argh), until I woke up this morning scratching the back of my hand. I made it to the bathroom mirror to investigate and discovered I have poison ivy of some sort on my left jaw and back of my right hand. The only place where I can think of contacting it is in our "natural area" in the corner of our yard where we take Tucker to do his things. But I thought it was dormant this time of year!! I haven't had this stuff in years and it's right where my hair rubs and....

on to the next Alexanderish moment,

I was getting the s' things loaded in the car this morning for Emma's monthly / Aubrey's quarterly JCP photo shoot pilgrimage and when I was stepping through the doorway I heard a funny noise. I glanced around trying to put my finger on what this peculiar sound was and then realized that Tucker's almost empty bag of food was moving. You read correctly. It was moving. Horror of horrors, I realized that there was a MOUSE in the bag. After I got the A&E loaded up I took the bag out to the drive way and dropped it. (to which my mother replied - "What? You didn't hit the bag with a shovel or something?!?!")

My pride at the ingenuity of ridding my residence from the mouse was short lived when the mouse scurried out of the bag and did a U-turn toward the opposite side of the car, back into the garage. All the while I'm stomping my feet up and down like a three-year old having temper tantrum trying to scare him back out; a few of my neighbors' blinds went down on their windows and children were pulled back inside by their worried mothers. Aubrey and Emma just looked up at me form their car seats and grinned. They love me, no matter what.

Our 10:20 appointment (which we were on time for, in spite of Mickey, thank you very much) was delayed by 15 minutes because some mother was determined that her fussy children would have their pictures taken today, no matter the pouting, fussing, screaming, crying, and general lack of smiles.

If my memory serves me correctly, baby food was on sale again this week at Bi-Lo. So, Aubrey is thrilled because that means if she asks correctly she can ride in the "green cart." (Don't ask me why she calls them green carts...they are shaped like race cars [we're in NASCAR country, ok?!], the kid gets to "steer" and the carts are blue, not green.) After we trundle into the store in our over-sized "green" cart we discover that the baby food is NOT on sale after all. I pick up a few other things that are in the ad and I that I have coupons for (at least they double them up to 99cents), and we are now headed back to the cart. As I lift Aubrey out I discover that it's been a bit too long since we've gone potty or changed the pull-up.

No one at Wal-Mart knows where the mousetraps are shelved. I asked a stock lady near the house supplies and she confidently replied "Hardware Department!" So, we trek across the vast expanse of Super-Wally to go up and down every aisle in the Hardware Department, to finally find a clerk who looks at me and says, "I don't know. They aren't over here. I think they are over in the grocery department." I smiled and said, "That's funny...I asked someone over there and she told me to come over here to the Hardware Department." Not to be outdone by her co-worker, Hardware Hilda now conjurs up her inventory memory map and confidently calls after me, "Check aisle 10, over in grocery." (yah, right, like I'm gonna traverse this football field again!)

We made it home. =)

After I get Aubrey up from the table she disappears while I'm on the phone. I hunt her down after she has successfully emptied the entire contents of her second dresser drawer onto the floor.

A&E are down for a naps. Ok, it's Tucker time. Our beloved puppy discovers that the neighbors have some right tasty black liner and pine straw under one of their bushes. After I get that pieced back together I decided that was enough fun and games for the time being so I put him back on his tether. (Don't feel too sorry for him, it's actually a beautiful day.) Well, he decided that he wasn't quite finished with the liner and pinestraw so he goes bolting back that direction and runs right out of his collar, breaking off one of the locking prongs on it. Guess where we get to go after the s wake up from their naps....yup, Super-Wally.

Maybe I'll check grocery aisle 10.

Happy Belated Valentines' Day

2007-02-16T08:51:00.000-05:00

I Love You!

Looks like a Charmin commercial, if you ask me!

Love you like a sister!

Hope you each had a wonderful valentines' day!

I'm so thankful for the incredible family with which the Lord has blessed me. They (including my un-pictured husband) are something I've dreamed of since I was a little , but had pretty much given up hope of having during my "single duration."

As I've been reminded several times recently, God is good, every day, all of the time.

Manna!

2007-02-15T17:02:00.000-05:00

We finally awoke

to a North Carolina winter wonderland

(you must use your imagination with this one, ok?)

a few weeks ago

and some of us

(especially the ultra short people)

were mesmerized by the fluffy stuff.

After waiting for 42 years to be able to call a snow day,

David finally got his wish February 1st!

Mind you, it didn't last very long

(the sleet washed it away by early afternoon),

but hey, we'll take what we can get!

Our Latest Addition

2007-01-25T20:40:00.000-05:00

Well, we've done it. We've gone to the "other side." We're now "One of them." We have added a new addition to our family and we'd like you to meet: Tucker.

That's right, you read correctly, I'm mom to a 10-week old puppy. As if Aubrey and Emma couldn't keep me busy enough. I guess I could say that we had to get David another male on the premises. We've been hunting for our "perfect pup" (just humor me, ok?) for several weeks now and we (hope) found him last Saturday. He has been fostered (can you believe that?!?!) for a couple of weeks with a family that has small children and they say he's the best pup they've had in years. They have him crate trained and he has been "altered" (that's the new terminology for...uh-oh, all gone!).

David and I decided we much prefer having 9 months to hammer out a name than just a few days. He wanted something German (Zwingli?) since the puppy is a Doberman mix (probably shepherd or lab). Some of my rather stellar suggestions included Luther, Hans, Schnitzel...(at this point I was crying I was laughing so hard). We thought we had decided on Logan (I talked him out of German) and then the other night he said, "Ya know, I'm really looking forward to getting this little tucker home" and I about jumped out of my chair: "Oh, I really like that - Tucker!" So then began the proverbial struggle over the final name. I'd ask Aubrey what we should name our puppy and one time she'd say Logan, the next time it would be Tucker. So, for today he's Tucker.

What prompted this decision? Well, if you really want to know, give me a call as I can't go into detail here. Let's just say we hope this little guy will deter uninvited guests and repeat offenders, and his adoption was encouraged by both police officers who visited us.

So, if you're up for helping with fence construction in the next few months, let me know! We'd be glad to have the extra hands or you could kid (or puppy) sit while the rest of us dig!

New Year, New Adventures

2007-01-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to you! "We wish you a happy new year and a couple of grins."

Hope you had a wonderful holiday time with each of your families. We headed to IL on the 21st, stopping in Murfreesboro, TN on the way to see David's older brother and his family. While there, they announced that they are expecting #3 this summer...their s are 11 and 9, and Davina (the mom) is 43. After picking David up off of the floor we wished them (and still do) congratulations. They are still in the process of processing all of this. Can't say that I blame them!! (And I didn't drink any water while I was there, either!)

"I don't think I'll fit on top of the tree, but you can try!"

We arrived at my parents' on the 22nd to a house full of activity. With 12 people in one house (6 under the age of 9) it made for some...um....how shall I say....chaotic times. But Aubrey loved spending time with Kylie, Caleb, Colin, (he somehow managed to get her in the [pictured] angel costume all by himself!) and Kelah, as well as Kanga their Boston Terrier. Amazingly, she was fascinated the most by my aunt and uncle's horse - I mean golden retriever - Rusty [pictured]. She loved lying in front of or beside him and "talking." After a busy, non-stop visit (mom's have a way of filling up a "schedule" for everyone, don't they?) we headed home this past Thursday, again by way of Murf and landed at home Friday late afternoon. We spent the weekend recuperating and trying to get the s back on their normal routines.

"So, Rusty, what did YOU get for Christmas?"

Emma's new year's resolution appears to be sitting up without assistance, holding her arms up to be picked up, and waving hello (all of which have been perfected in the last 36 hours). Aubrey's resolution (not to be outdone by her little sister, of course) is to keep this mommy even more on her toes (I'm not a ballerina!!). This morning it seems (I'm not 100% sure that she actually did and hoping that I'm right) that she stuck half of a vitamin up her nose. I tried to have her blow "it" out, and then tried the flashlight/tweezer routine, but I can't see anything, and nothing has trickled out yet (I thought it might dissolve.) We've got a call in to the dr's office to see if mommy should be panicking, but as of yet I'm still calm. All of this and Daddy left for winter school camp this morning and will be out until Friday afternoon!!

"Please, just let me focus..." And then there's the normal, day-to-day operations which include potty training with our twin Minnie and taking our bottle which apparently no one understands how exhausting that task to be. "Ooohhh...Minnie did tinkles!" Hope you have a wonderful afternoon and that your new year is off to a great start!

Merry Christmas to All!

2006-12-20T12:21:00.000-05:00

Well, everyone else is getting their annual chronicle together and sending it out in their Christmas cards...except for me. Sorry to make you jump through hoops to catch up on our year! Outside of adding Emma to the mix it was a pretty low-key kind of year for us, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Let's see...in retrospect:

Aubrey and I flew to IL at the end of January to surprise my grandma for her 87th birthday. It was great to get to see the friends and relatives associated with a whilrwind trip, but boy, did we miss Daddy!
Emma Sophia embarked on her voyage into this world precisely at 12AM on her due date (June 22nd). We are hoping that bodes well fore her punctuality and prompt obedience throughout life! She arrived at 3:04PM and it would have been sooner had the doctor been in the room. Her labor and delivery were much more tolerable than Aubrey's (the epidural worked really well this time) for which this mommy was very grateful. Daddy's schedule was a lot less chaotic than it was when Aubrey made her debut (second day of school of his first year as administrator - I don't recommend that one!) so he was able to help out a lot, especially where Aubrey was concerned. Aubrey loves her little sister and has only endangered Emma's life once (that mommy knows of) as she was trying to pull her out of the recliner so she could "hold her." I stepped around the corner just in time to hurdle to the recliner and prevent disaster.
In July our 4th anniversary (has it really been that long?!) came and went without a lot of hoopla, seeing as we were still adjusting to life as a foursome. We are just grateful that we are still this much in love and having this much fun after 4 years.
For Aubrey's second birthday we headed down to Columbia, SC for her first trip to the zoo. Her favorite attraction? The merry-go-round, of course!! It was about 94 degrees and I had a sinus infection, so that put a bit of a damper on the day, but we are definitely looking forward to a return trip this coming spring or summer. We did get a bit of an education as we "enjoyed" (I use that term loosely and you'll understand why as you continue) the elephants. We were about 30' from the "herd," watching them swing their trunks and do other harmless elephant kind of things when all of the sudden one of them heard nature call and decided to answer (funny, I didn't hear a thing!!). And let's just say he had a full-blown conversation. Elephants might be known for having small brains, but the rest of their anatomy makes up for the lack of gray matter! This guy went, and went, and went, and went, and of course we had a front row seat for this phenominon. I looked drop-jawed at David, he looked at me (drop-jawed), and then we looked at Aubrey who hadn't taken her eyes off of this amazing turn of events. We were hoping this might help with the potty training, but alas and alack, not yet. So, for the next 2 months, whenever Aubrey saw a picture of an elephant she would emphatically announce to anyone who would care to listen, "POTTY!" Thankfully she has returned to calling them by their given name and now just says "potty" when you ask what an elephant does.
For Labor Day Daddy gave himself a birthday party with his power tools and built a swingset for the s. We love to "schwing" as a certain little someone calls it.
David coached both the JV and V s volleyball teams this fall and is already looking forward to next season.
Aubrey had her first haircut on October 31 at Jellybeans in Greenville. If it's the very first time their hair has been cut, it only costs a penny!! Don't worry, we kept it long enough to put into piggies!
We headed to a pumpkin patch in mid-October and Aubrey enjoyed roaming and playing with all of the little pumpkins.

That pretty much summarizes the highlights of our year. God has again proven Himself good and faithful, and for that we are ever grateful. We are so thankful for the friendships and family we call our own. If you are ever near Charlotte, please give us a call (704.821.2422/704.609.3484); we would love to see any and all of you (just not all at the same time, please!).

Have a wonderful holiday season!

We 4 (and holding) Kings Labels: Christmas

Rookie's Debut

2006-12-10T07:34:00.001-05:00

Well, here we are posting our very first blog. Not sure exactly how or if this will turn out, but there has to be a first if there is to be another, I suppose.

The Christmas holidays are well underway at the Castle (our home) with too many things left to do before we end up in January! David and I were talking through the next couple of weeks and it looks like we might have a night at home as a family once in the next ten days. Last weekend we were in Maryland where David officiated the wedding ceremony of one of his former students (in MD you do not have to be ordained to officiate...go figure!). So, we were able to see his old stomping grounds and meet and greet a lot of people he knew while he was there.

As to the s, Aubrey is loving life as a 2 year old and enjoying being a big sister with all of the joys and thrills that that title brings. She makes us laugh on a daily basis and is coming up with new antics to entertain us with. Yesterday it was singing into the "microphone" - the tripod we had used to attempt (yes, I said attempt...the Christmas picture cards might be a little late in arriving this year...) our family Christmas picture. She is counting to ten (minus seven and occasionally five, but who needs them?) and can find several letters (especially A for Aubrey and E for Emma) on the fridge and even store signs. I'm a little nervous that she is going to be passing mommy's mental prowess (what's that?) before she's 4! Speaking of "what's that," that's her favorite question to date. She hasn't hit the "why" stage, but I have a gut feeling it's just around the corner. Oh yes, and she wants to see anything and everything, including the wind. A typical conversation goes something like this: A: "What's daaat?" M: "That's the wind blowing outside." A: "I wanna see." M: "Well, we can't see the wind, only the effects of the wind." A: "I wanna see." M: "See the trees and leaves?" A: " It's blowsy!!" and then we are off to the next "what's daat" without even skipping a beat. My husband prayed for a curious child. If you ever have a prayer request that you need fulfilled, give him a call.

Emma is just smiley. She has discovered the world of solid food (can you really call cereal and stage one baby food "solid"?) and is loving it. Her toes are her favorite play things (and snacks when she's not eating) and who needs entertainment when you have a bathtub? I'm so thankful for a laid back baby. She's incredibly awesome and I can't imagine life without her.

Speaking of the munchkins I'd better close this thing. If my computer doesn't explode when I try to post this thing I might be able to do another one later (notice the broad time ramifications!). Have a wonderful holdiay shopping experience!

Jill for all