Luke Eugene

My baby boy, Luke Eugene, was born on December 28th at 12:48 pm. He weighed 1 lb, 2 oz and was 12 inches long. We were able to hold him and love him for about 30 minutes before he went to be with the Lord. I know I am biased, but he is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.




Our friend, Robyn, took the picture of us with Luke shortly after his birth. I am so thankful she thought to bring a camera to the hospital to capture this picture and many more. I will cherish these pictures for the rest of my life.

In the days to come, I may share more about Luke's birth. But for now, I just wanted to introduce him to you. Please pray for our family. I'm not quite sure how we will get through this other than prayers and support from our friends and family.

Big News

I've been away for awhile, but I'm ready to get back into this. I guess it is finally time to reveal our big news. I'm pregnant! I'm almost 15 weeks along. The past few weeks have been pretty amazing and scary.

I've been pretty exhausted and tired most of the time not to mention feeling sick constantly, but I'm finally starting to feel better so I hope to be active on here again. I'd love to keep this blog updated so our baby will someday be able to read about our lives as he/she was growing in my belly.

I may post a belly picture on here in the next day or two. I have a little bit of a belly, but most of it is my pre-pregnancy belly. I've only put on 3 pounds, which I guess is good. But I'm ready to start showing.

There have been a few other things to have the past few weeks and I may go back and cover those things as well.

Labor Day Weekend

Our labor day weekend is spent at a nearby state park with T's family for an annual family reunion. Yes, we stay the entire weekend. We arrive on Friday night and leave on Monday morning. I know most people wouldn't want to be with their in-laws and extended family members for that long, but I can truly say that I enjoy it and wouldn't have it any other way.

My only disappointment from the weekend is that I did not attend the Ga/Ga Southern football game. T went, but I decided it would be best to stay out of the crowd and heat. The game was not televised either, so I had to settle for listening to it on the radio. I'm hoping next weekend will be a little cooler, so I can attend the game.

Stay tuned because we hope to be reporting some big and exciting news in the next few weeks!

Abby

This is one of our dogs, Abby. It is kinda hard to tell from her new haircut, but she is a poodle. I was quite shocked when I picked Abby up from the groomer looking like this with shaved ears. I've never seen a poodle with shaved ears before. We had to go to a new groomer because our old groomer is no longer working. I thought any groomer could groom a poodle, but I guess I was wrong. I take part responsibility in the new do. I did not speak to the groomer, but I gave a description to the receptionist. I said I like her body shaved, but still a poofy head. I never mentioned the ears. Next time I'll be sure to give a detailed description and will probably take in this old picture.

My Wonderful Husband

Yesterday I had a bit of a minor crisis. Looking back now, it wasn't too serious. But at the time, it seemed much worse. Anyhow, I called my husband at the beginning of this crisis and told him where I was going. He immediately said he'd meet me there, but I quickly cut him off. I told him that I would be fine and didn't need him to come meet me because I knew he had a lot to do. I know I probably sounded harsh and rude, but I really did not want to burden him.

Fortunately, my husband does not always listen to me. He ended up meeting me and I was so relieved. I truly needed him and he was there for me. Thanks again, T, for being there when I needed you. I'm sorry that I'm not always the sweet and loving wife that you deserve.

Me and My Hubby

I found this on Creative Momma's blog and thought it would be fun.


What is his name? Trey

Who eats more? Him, right now.

Who said I love you first? He wrote it first. I said it first after we argued about who was going to say it first. We both refused to be the first to say it, but I gave in first.

Who is taller? He is

Who drives most when you are together? He does and I yell at him a lot for his reckless driving.

Who’s more sensitive? me

Who does the laundry? For the most part I do it, but he does help when I need it.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does.

Who pays the bills? I do most of the time.

Who cooks more? He cooks more often than me, but I do cook some of the time.

Who is more stubborn? Me

Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Him. Remember I'm the stubborn one.

Who wears the pants? I like to make him think that he does. :-) Honestly, he does.

What do you like to do together? Watch tv especially Law and Order: CI and SVU, go out to dinner, go to sporting events, play trivia

Who eats more sweets? Again, me

Guilty Pleasures? Him-Sudoku Me-The Hills

How did you meet? Church bonfire

Who asked whom out first? He asked me out.

Who kissed first? He asked on the first date. I said no, but I eventually let him kiss me.

Who proposed? He did after a year and a half of dating. He proposed on the train at Stone Mountain.

His best features & qualities? handsome, great father, sense of humor, intelligent, he rarely gets mad at me even though I know I drive him crazy at times

Who I tag: Anyone who wants to do it

Bailey 1998-2008

Well, not a great day around the house. I went out this afternoon and discovered that one of our dogs had passed away. From all indications, it was as peaceful as it could be, but it is baffling as she had shown no signs of even being sick.

Cheri was amazed that I have never had an animal of mine die while I had them. This is the first time I have ever had to worry about burial, etc.

We decided not to tell A about it until tomorrow after school. We are gonna hold a short "memorial service" after we all get home. I worry a little about how she will handle it, but maybe her love of the movie "All Dogs Go To Heaven" will help us out a little.

So, I say goodbye to a good friend. The next time I pick up a tennis ball, I will pause for just a second and remember how many times you ran after any one that I threw and remember that I loved you.

Trey

Condo

T showed the condo to a prospective buyer this morning. They are meeting with him again right about now to look at it again. What an answer to prayer it would be if we could sell the condo! If you happen to read this in the next few minutes, please say a little prayer for us.

Wonderful Weekend

T and A went swimming, so I have a few minutes to blog about our weekend adventures. We had a very busy, but fun weekend.

Friday night we headed to Stone Mountain for the laser show. A was super excited. The laser show was good, but I was disappointed that they took out "Proud to be an American."

On Saturday, we met up with some friends at a nearby state park. We celebrated the 7th birthday of their son. A again had a great time and we only had to put her in time out one time. I'll try to post some pictures from the park soon.

Sunday morning, A woke up excited about going to church. This was a relief after some of her recent comments about not wanting to go to church anymore. On Sunday afternoon, we had a Sunday School ice cream social. It is so great to be in a Sunday School class with so many young children around the same age as A.

Family Devotion

We started our family devotions last night. I really like the book and think it is very age appropriate for A. The devotion has a short scripture reading plus a story to go along with the scripture. Then there are questions to ask after the story. Plus, we have a memory verse. This week's verse is Genesis 1:1.

A enjoyed our first family devotion last night. She paid attention, answered the questions and even asked some questions. She even repeated the memory verse for us a few times.

My only dilemma is when we should have our family devotion time. In the ladies Bible study group that I was in this summer, one of the ladies said her family does the family devotion at dinner time. So we had our devotion time at dinner last night. It worked out pretty well last night, but I wonder if we should just do the devotion at bedtime. We will probably stick with the devotion at dinner plan for awhile, but I'd love to hear from some others out there.

Do you have a family devotion time? If so, what time works best for your family. What devotion books do you use or have used with your family?

Beach and more

We made it back from the beach last Saturday. Overall, it was a great trip. A was a handful on the days when she did not get a good nap. So we learned quickly that she needed a good nap in the afternoon if we wanted her to behave during dinner. A is in almost all of the pictures, so I am only posting the one above. A actually took this one herself. She is getting pretty good with the camera.

It was so nice to get away for a week and relax. Life can be so stressful at times. I knew life would get more complicated when I got married in November, but don't think I was really prepared for how much my life has changed. Life has been stressful and challenging, but I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and stepdaughter.

Speaking of the stepdaughter, she told her daddy on the phone last night that she didn't want to go to church. Of course, that broke my heart. We've missed a few Sundays because of the beach vacation and July 4th weekend we spent with the in-laws. Plus, our church takes a break in the summer for children activities on Wed. nights. So I'm hoping once we get back in the swing of things, she'll be excited about church again. I also bought our family devotion book. We will be using Ruth Graham's Step into the Bible: 100 Bible Stories for Family Devotions.

Quiet Week

Well, it has been a quiet and slow week for us. We are looking forward to leaving for the beach on Saturday. It will be nice to get away for a full week. I just need to find some time to pack. We've packed the little one, but T and I still need to pack. I have Bible study tonight, but I'll probably get started when I get home. Please pray for safety as we travel this weekend.

For Sale

My condo is officially on the market. We were lucky that we were able to rent the condo the month after the wedding. Unfortunately, the lease ends at the end of July and our renter is not ready to buy. We are hoping and praying that we are able to sell it quickly.

Pictures from the weekend

Just a few pictures from the weekend. You will not see A in any of the pictures as I will not post any of her on the blog.





Papa and Trey playing in the pool.




Trey taking a nap with his fishy.

A took this picture of us.

Trey telling A not to take any more pictures.

July 4th Weekend

We had a great July 4th weekend. We left on Thursday evening for south Georgia to spend the weekend with my in-laws. I am so incredibly blessed to have wonderful in-laws that I enjoy being around. They have always made me feel like part of the family for which I am truly grateful.

It was a pretty relaxing weekend. We mainly played in the pool with A. On Thursday and Friday nights, we could see fireworks from the backyard. On Saturday night, we attended a party at the neighbor's house. It was a lot of fun, but I had to leave early because I did not feel well. When the rest of the family returned home on Saturday night, T and A had fun with the sparklers. A was scared of the sparklers at first, so T had to teach her how to hold them. Once he did, she had a great time with them.

A was a little grumpy on Sunday morning and didn't want to go to church. T's parents attend the 8 o'clock service, so we did have to get her up early. She was very well behaved during the service. She did act up a little towards the end of the service, but I was so proud of her for being good the majority of the time. She also got the hymnal out and started singing her own song with the words, "Jesus is my saviour." It just made my heart melt.

My favorite memory of the weekend had to be a conversation A and I had in the pool on Sunday afternoon. A has a habit of just randomly telling us that she loves us. It is very cute and sweet, but this time I expanded that conversation. It went like this:

A: "I love you, C."
C: "I love you too, A. Do you know why I love you?"
A: "Why?"
C: "Is it because you are so pretty?"
A: "No."
C: "Is it because you are so sweet?"
A: "No. It is because I'm your stepdaughter."
C: "Yes, that's right. And God made you my stepdaughter. And just like God will never stop loving you, I won't either."
A: "I won't stop loving you either."

The sad part of the weekend came on Sunday afternoon when it was time for T and I to leave. A is staying with her grandparents for a few extra days and her cousins are coming to visit as well. A was a little sad for us to leave, but she knew she'd have fun with her grandparents and cousins. T and I sure do miss her, though. We are looking forward to our vacation to the beach in less than 2 weeks!

Trivia

Last night, T and I played team trivia at a local restaurant. It was general knowledge trivia, so questions came from categories such as sports, music, movies, etc. I'll post some of the questions at the end of this post. Of course, anyone that knows T knows that he is a genius especially when it comes to useless trivia. I was able to contribute a few answers, though, that T claims he did not know.

Most teams were made up of 5 or more people, so I did not have high hopes of winning. I would have been thrilled with a top 5 finish. At the midway point, we were in 3rd place. However, going into the last question we had fallen to 5th. I did not have much hope at this point. On the last question, you could wager up to 20 points. We had nothing to lose so we went for the full 20. T narrowed the possible answers down to 2 and I agreed with him. I told him which answer I would pick and he went with that answer and turned it in. We were thrilled when we found out we had the correct answer. The MC said there was a tie for 2nd. T and I looked at each other and I said, "We must be one of the teams tied for second place." Then the MC announced the points total for 2nd place and we knew we had won 1st place! We won a $40 gift certificate to the restaurant.

It was a great night overall. Even if we had not won, I would still cherish the time I get to spend with my husband doing something we both enjoy.

Some of the questions from last night:

Sports: What NFL team led the league with fewest yards allowed?
Gems: What is the birthstone for July?
Athens: What is the highest exit number on the loop?
Sports: What kind of wood is used to make most baseball bats?
Presidents: Which president appears on the $2 bill?
Weather: What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon
TV: Name 7 of the top 10 most watched tv season finales. You cannot use Friends or Seinfeld.

Final Question: If you are standing in Pierre, South Dakota, what is the closest city with a professional sports team?

104.7 The Fish

Last week, Trey and his daughter were driving home when A said "Daddy, put the radio on 104.7 the Fish." This is our local Contemporary Christian radio station. When Trey and A arrived home, Trey told A to tell me her favorite radio station. She repeated "104.7 the Fish." I was so proud. I know this may seem silly to most people, but it gives me a lot of hope for the future. I pray that A will continue to choose God and His ways.

This week I plan to search for a family devotion book that we can begin using at dinner time. I am excited about being more consistent in a family devotion time and I know our family will be blessed.

Adding to the blog....

What causes one to blog?

Cheri has been asking me if I was going to blog on here, and I do, but what prompts someone to blog. Right now, it seems that life is just staying routine and normal for us, which is a good thing.

But when the time comes, you all WILL get my input and thoughts.

Trey

God's Will

God's Will has been on my mind a lot lately. In my Thursday night Bible study, this topic was briefly mentioned last week. One of the ladies had attended the funeral of a young mother and the pastor performing the service said something along the lines that her death was not God's will. This comment and the additional information shared has been bothering me since I heard it. How can a pastor that teaches God's Word not believe that God is in control of all things including death?

I pray that God will keep me and my family on the correct path.

CLB

Blogging

We have officially entered the world of blogging. Not sure how much we will post, but I was inspired to start a blog after browsing many interesting blogs this week. I hope we can keep family and friends updated on our lives as well as entertained.