A Valentine's Day Visitor

Over the holiday weekend, Aunt Erin came for a visit. The kids were so glad to see her, and Matt and I enjoyed having a few extra eyes and hands to help with our kids. (Aunt Erin...notice I did not say "feet"!)

During her visit, the kids showed Erin their dance moves to their new favorite songs, Elvira and Bobbie Sue, they modeled the new outfits Mamaw Kat made for them, and we even had a candlelight Valentine's dinner together. Caroline also made certain that we took her to the Mexican restaurant (or Mehcan as she calls it) and Chick-fil-A. Thanks for coming to see us, Aunt Erin!

Making Valentines

This month we've been busy around our house getting ready for Valentine's Day. (I know I'm a little late in posting this.) We cooked all sorts of yummy treats and Caroline even put together some hand made cards. Here's a little peak into what we've been up to in our kitchen.

Prayer for our Nation

Okay...so the prayer below is something that really got me to thinking, so I thought I would share it. According to various sources, this has been stated to be Billy Graham's prayer for our nation. However, some refute it and say that it was originally from a minister named Joe Wright who offered it in front of the Kansas State House in 1996 and then someone simply added Billy Graham's name to it and started circulating it in July of 2008. Regardless, it is a great prayer, so here it is:

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tea with Lady Lots of Love

This week at the library, we had the pleasure of having "tea" with Lady Lots of Love (aka Ms. Lizzie). The kids enjoyed cookies and lemonade, their weekly parade, and making Valentine's. Nana was in town, so she got to experience all the fun with us.

My little roadster

Bless his heart, he can't wait until he's big enough to reach the pedals. Until then, he'll help his big sister get up the hills.

Feeding the birds

Since the weather is starting to get "just right", Caroline and I decided to make our little feathered friends a little Valentine treat. With a pine cone, peanut butter (which I had to remind her was for the birds), and bird feed, we made our very own bird feeder. Now if we can just keep Bama from barking at them, maybe they will come eat our little treat!

Oh, and don't you just love the outfit Caroline put together to wear? Such a nice blend of colors, don't you think?

Dixie National Rodeo

This past Sunday, we took the kids to the Dixie National Rodeo. Nana, Pop Buddy and even Pappaw Bill made the trip to Jackson to enjoy the rodeo with us. Before the rodeo started, we looked down a few seats in front of us and there sat the Beasons. Caroline was beside herself that Helen was at the rodeo as well. So, for the 1st half of the rodeo, Caroline sat with Helen and for the 2nd half, Helen sat with us.
While Matt enjoyed the rodeo, he was more excited about seeing the Oak Ridge Boys. They were the "half-time" entertainment. Matt and I laugh about how we both used to enjoy singing Bobbie Sue and Elvira when we were little, so I downloaded the songs for Caroline and Will to listen to before the rodeo so that they would be excited when we heard them at the rodeo.
When he saw all the others around us start to go down to the main floor for a close up view of the Oak Ridge Boys, he leaned over to me and said, "I'm going." You know what that meant...we all went. Who knew that we knew so many of the Oak Ridge Boys' songs? Unfortunately, though, they didn't play Bobbie Sue, which of course Caroline noticed. She told us that we would have to come back another time to hear that one. After the rodeo, the boys decided they needed to check out the tractors. As usual, Will had to do a test drive. Isn't he a cute little farmer?

Some battles aren't worth fighting

Yes, that is a t-shirt under her pajamas....yes, it is too small and no longer fits...yes, you can see her entire mid-section when she wears it...yes, I let her wear it to bed...and yes, she was tickled pink!

And my heart just smiles

Today when I went to pick up the kids from playschool, they were on their way back from playing in the church's gym. As I rounded the corner, I ran into them and caught a glimpse of my kids before they saw me. Will was strapped into one of those big strollers built for 9 kids (quite a contraption if you haven't seen one) and there walking beside him holding his hand was Caroline. My heart just smiled. Their teachers always tell me how much they love each other and always enjoy playing together despite having lots of other children around, but seeing it firsthand made all the difference.

As a parent, I pray that my children will love each other and take care of one another. Matt and I try to nurture their relationship, but I know that in the end it is up to both of them to determine how they will treat one another. Seeing them demonstrate their love and commitment to one another when I'm not around made me the proudest mom ever.

Looking back at my pictures, I stumbled upon these two that pretty much sums it all up. When we brought Will home from the hospital, Caroline grabbed his little hand and held it the entire way home. Ever since then, I'll often catch them holding hands as we're riding down the road. Caroline has loved her brother ever since she first laid eyes upon him. She is such a good example for him and now he is following in her footsteps. I'll catch him leaning over to give her a hug and a kiss without being prompted and she'll say, "that's so sweet broder". Hopefully, their loving relationship will grow and last throughout their lifetime.

A nice reprieve

Thanks to Mamaw Kat and Pappaw, Matt and I got a much needed reprieve this past weekend. During our free time, we made a trip to Philly to go on a nice trail ride with my Dad and some of our friends. The weather was perfect and all but one of the horses were perfect the entire ride. Unfortunately, Playboy may be looking for a new home in the coming weeks, because he has been living up to his name a little too much lately. After we finished riding, my Mom and I took Mammaw for a little ride up town. These days she isn't able to get out and about much, so it was great to be able to enjoy an early evening ride with her. She decided that for her next outing, she would like to ride in a brand new cadillac. We passed the news on to Pappaw, so we'll have to wait and see if he comes through for her. :)

We timed our return home Saturday night just in time...the kids were fed, bathed and ready for bed. After they informed us of what they did while we were gone (Bass Pro Shop, Chick-fil-A, played outside, etc.), we all hit the sack. On Sunday morning, the kids sported their matching outfits made especially for them by Mamaw Kat. Unfortunately, neither of my angels were much for taking a picture after church (as evidenced below).

After church on Sunday, Matt and I took advantage of our babysitters again and hit the courts...something we hadn't done in a while. We were again blessed with great weather and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Now don't get me wrong...I love my children and enjoy spending time with them, but getting a little break to spend some time with just the two of us is needed every now and again.



Thanks again Mamaw Kat and Pappaw! Come back again soon because we're getting our bikes ready for a nice ride down the Trace!

Getting a toddler dressed

Over the last few weeks, getting Caroline dressed to go somewhere has become quite interesting. Sometimes there are tears because I refuse to let her wear a t-shirt everywhere she goes. Sometimes there are tantrums because the t-shirt she wants to wear isn't clean which means she must wear a different t-shirt. (She even goes into the laundry basket to find the one she has in mind and then asks me to do a smell test to see if it is really that dirty and must be washed before it is worn again). Then there are mornings that she becomes a little monster because I won't give in and let her wear the t-shirt under something else that will cover it up (nice try for a 2-year old, hugh?). And last, but not least, there are those rare exceptions, like today, in which it is peaceful.

As usual, the first thing she did this morning was go grab a t-shirt and pair of pants to put on before breakfast. I informed her that she could put it on, but that we would be chaning before we went to church for our Bible study. She then replied: "Oh, that's right. God doesn't like t-shirts." I then clarified that God likes t-shirts just fine, but that we need to wear nicer clothes to church out of respect to God. Hopefully that sunk in a little...we'll see.

Once we were all dressed with no tears shed, it was time for shoes. She has really become quite fond of her new running shoes, so it's easy to get her into those. However, her socks MUST be straight before she puts on her shoes. They need to be aligned perfectly on her feet and there must be no wrinkles in them. Well, this morning I must not have gotten them just right because after I had her shoes on she said, "Mommy Reese Fisher, you know that isn't right". (For those of you who don't know...Reese is her middle name, so she just inserted my name in for Caroline to emphasize her statement.) Thankfully, we were able to get everything straight before heading out the door.