MERRY CHRISTMAS

I love Mannheim Steamroller. As for many, music moves me emotionally. Everything was quiet as I was cleaning up and getting ready for Christmas Eve. I was listening to my favorite Mannheim Steamroller tunes on my Ipod. When Stille Nacht(Silent Night) began to play I stopped for a moment and thought about Mary and Joseph. travelling on a donkey 9 months pregnant? Knowing that our LORD and SAVIOR, our REDEEMER, the one who brought HOPE into our lives was turned away. He was born in a stable. I'm just in awe of HIS humble beginnings and his humble life and what GREAT REWARD HE was and is to our lives! Thank you God for loving me enough to create such a beautiful story within Jesus that I might be saved and live with you forever.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Happy Thanksgiving

Oh I'm so thankful for many things. Most of all........my family. I'm so thankful to have a precious sister that means the world to me. I have an adorable baby brother, who is finishing up his senior year at the University of Arkansas. I cannot believe it. I'm so proud of him!!!! It has been such a wonderful week here in Little Rock. We have already shopped and had, umm, yes a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks(yumarama). My sister and mom are steadily baking and cooking in the kitchen, as I sit here and play on my laptop. And let me tell you it is smelling delicious. My wonderful niece, Natalie, colored my hair Tuesday night. Yes, with a $3 box from Target and I think she did a fabulous job. Thanks Nat!!!!! Natalie is a junior at the U of A, too. She is getting a degree in Elementary Education(taking after her aunt) *wink* So proud of you. I'm so thankful for this time I'm getting with my family. We are having such a wonderful time together. We are planning for an early morning outing tomorrow to get ahead on those FAB deals. Wish us luck!!! I hope everyone is having a marvelous Thanksgiving. I'll leave you with some pictures of these great people!

Natalie

Amy, Bennett and me

Amy and me

This says it all...............

Frenzy of Festivities This Week(well 2 weeks ago)

I started this post 2 weeks ago and well, here it finally is.

This was one busy week! It was Red Ribbon Week at school, so we had several fun days planned at school. It started with soldiers against drugs (camo day), we had sock it to drugs day(crazy socks) and drugs are scary (scary hair day). The kids and I carved a pumpkin on Sunday, because I was carving two on Monday with with my classes and I needed a little practice. They had a ball! We had a terrific time at our fall festival at FBC!!! WE love our church and thank you to all the wonderful people who helped make it such a huge success. Thanks to Brian Brooks, our youth minister, who has taken on so many extra responsibilities, since we do not have a minister or a minister of education. We appreciate you so much!! :) I know that most of what goes on would not take place if it weren't for you and the time you give to our church. Thanks to you and Julie for the time you give to all of us! We had parties at school for Halloween and that was so exciting. The kids were pumped all day long to celebrate that afternoon. We listened to Halloween music all day and my classes wrote some terrific Halloween stories. I was so proud. :) Several families meet at our house for neighborhood trick or treating! We always have such a good time. The kids were having a ball and they were literally racing from house to house. It was wild!!! Kathryn had such a wonderful time watching all the trick or treaters.

Kickin' it with the Kinley's and ramblings about good friends

Can I just say that this family has been a true blessing to us. We love them so much. Alex, Audrey and Kathryn enjoy playing with them. And, well..........Jim and I enjoy playing with Benny and Tambrey too. (wink) Benny and Jim have become really good friends and that has been so awesome. They get to share their music together and Benny has been travelling with Jim, too. That has been such a gift from our Heavenly Father, who always has the details worked out. So, this all works for the benefit of Tambrey and me. (wink wink) My dearest friend Suzanne moved away several years ago and she was my workout buddy. She always held me accountable. The fact that Suzanne and I were bestest friends was just the bonus. I've been in a lull since she moved, I was still working out but not like I did when she lived here. (BTW......miss you Suzy) God placed Tambrey in my life and so many gaps were filled. WOW!!! Am I working out again?? This girl could motivate the dead!! I love ya sista!!! :) Thanks for getting my rump moving and motivating me to run this 5K.

I never in a million years dreamed I could run and here Autumn and I are running 4 miles together. Autumn is a precious treasure, as well. She and I have been dear friends for years. Our friendship started when Alex was born and I cannot say enough about the friend that she has been. I love you girl! We've shared alot in those 5 years and I'm so thankful for her place in my life. My family ADORES her and her family. Alex is crazy about Jason. He always plays with him and gives him so much attention. (wink) Thanks Jason for always making Alex feel so special. Autumn and I are going for this 5K in Memphis and were stoked about it. If you do not run, you should try it. It is so exhilirating!!!!

Thanks Julie Brooks for pushing me on, you have been such an inspiration to me. To watch you go from running a little to running 12 miles is encouragement enough! You have been a light in my life. God placed you in my life perfectly. I know how he used circumstances in your life to help guide me and push me on and encourage me. Thank you for sharing with me and being a beautiful Christian. Thank you for who you are!

I'm so excited about the friendships God has brought together through exercise.............I love my workout buddies Julie Bridges, Connie, Autumn, Julie Brooks, Tambrey(our leader) and look so forward to seeing your precious faces at 5am.

Just thought I would leave this post with a funny picture. The Kinley's were over for supper one night and Audrey was dressing Alex and Kole up in all black. They were so funny. She put Jim's black socks on them, some of Alex's black shorts and her black tops. She had on her witch dress. They were playing hide n seek and scaring each other. Too silly. This picture was the best I could do. They wouldn't sit still for me to get a picture.

And it just wouldn't be right if I didn't include a picture of Kathryn and Kate!!

Here is a page I worked on yesterday. I created a blogheader for a friend and started Kathryn's 1st birthday page too. I'll post her birthday page when I finish. :)

A Walking Baby

This is just a picture of Kathryn's "classic" look. She'll look at you for awhile as you are acting silly and she has this exact look on her face, then she either smiles real big or giggles out loud. She is definitely her own little self, with a touch of her daddy's wit. BTW....she is a daddy's girl. This morning I tried to give her some lovin' before I left for work and she was all about her daddy. :(

It's official!

No turning back now! I registered for the St. Jude's Memphis Grizzlies House 5K today!!! WHOA!! I'm super pumped. I originally planned to run the half marathon with all my precious buds, but it just didn't work out. I went back to work and the mental pressure was more than I could handle. I just couldn't log the hours needed weekly, plus work, plus take care of my family and all the other stuff. ????Maybe next year???? This past weekend Ash, Autumn, Julie, Connie, Julie, Tambrey and some other wonderful people from our church ran the Wiggins Cabin Festival 5K. And boy did that motivate me! Tambrey has been such a blessing and encouragement to all of us women. Love you girl!!!! So, I'm pressing forward and setting some goals for this 5K Dec. 6. OH I'm so excited just thinking about it. Autumn is going to join me and I'm ready to see what we can do.

A time of Firsts and Fall is in the air

Audrey had her first BIG campout last night in a tent!!!. She had a blast!!! She was so happy and bubbly when she got home at 8:30 this morning. They stayed up all night long. They did so many cool things!

tie dyed tshirts
made trail mix
made candy necklaces
kandy kisses
carved pumpkin faces in orange candles (soooo precious)
made a cardboard oven and baked brownies in it (how cool is that?)
made smores and cooked hot dogs over the fire

Audrey is in Girl Scouts and has thoroughly enjoyed it. Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Krista are her troop leaders. :) Mrs. Autumn used to be troop leader with Mrs. Darcy, but she is now Membership Marketing Specialist for Girl Scouts. Mrs. Autumn still does so much to help out here and we love her so much for that!!! :) Thank you Mrs. Autumn, Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Krista for making Girl Scouts such an awesome experience for these girls! We love you!

this was audrey from 10am - 4pm today. she crashed!

Alex is playing football for the first time this year and he loves it. However, he wants to be a running back really bad, but daddy just want give him that position. He is one of the youngest players on the team, with 2nd graders being the oldest. He plays center mostly(as pictured above). Hopefully, I will get some better pictures this week.

Kathryn had her 1st birthday today! I cannot believe that she is ONE!!! We will celebrate Monday night with family. We planned to today, but papaw was not feeling well and Kathryn has pink eye. :( It is so much better today, but yesterday morning was quite frightening looking. Jim and I had a much needed night out to Monroe last night. We bought Kathryn her big girl car seat. She has been rear facing for a full year and she is so ready to face the front. :)

Alex and Kathryn stayed with dede and papaw last night, so that gave me some time today to go grocery shopping, purchase some McCain/Palin signs, get our supper going and pull out my scarecrows and put out some mums. I love this time of year...............cool mornings, beautiful days, mums, pumpkins, football, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, halloween costumes.......the list goes on.

I came across the serenity prayer today and it really put so much into perspective for me. It spoke volumes to me and gently reminded me that God is in control.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Wow those words really spoke to me.

One year ago today.

We were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kathryn Olivia. We were counting down the days, because it was just two weeks away. We were still deliberating over where she would sleep. Yes, a decision that major was still up in the air. Mamaw Boas and DeDe were helping me prepare, they washed tons of baby clothes, towels, burpcloths and bibs. Stroller was put together, however the carseat was not installed. The baby bed was put together, but we were missing one very important part, which we discovered later the company closed it's doors and not one single part could be located anywhere in the U.S. We were frantically making room for this precious little angel.

Who would she look like?
What kind of personality would she bring to our family?
Would she look like Audrey, Alex or her own little self?
What color hair would she have?
What color eyes would she have?
How much would she weigh?
Would she be a good sleeper?

Oh the questions and thoughts that ran through our minds..........And here she is 2 weeks shy of one year later. What a joy she has been to our lives! She is nearly 1 year old.

Random Happenings

When Alex has a skin contact exposure this is what it looks like. And it itches uncontrollably.



I had some time during our days out of school(due to heavy rain, flooding, lack of electricity) to stamp. I haven't stamped in quite some time and it was so much fun! I ordered these stamps from PaperTrey Ink, along with her wonderful paper and ribbon. I have some very special women in my life that I needed to send notes to and I wanted to make sure they were home made from me. :)

Kindergarten, 3rd grade, 4th grade and a Bathing Beauty

Well, it's official..... I have stepped back into the classroom. No, not to take my kiddos to school, to teach again. I joined the wonderful staff at Anderson Elementary School just a week before school started. I was thrilled to accept this position, as I totally believe God's hand was in it. I have the best class and I'm so excited to be teaching school again. I consider it a huge blessing. :)


So, on August 18, Alex started kindergarten, Audrey started 3rd grade and I started 4th grade! It's been great ever since. Alex thoroughly enjoys his class. He loves school. He is ready to go back the minute he gets home. He's made lots of new friends. Audrey is having an excellent year, as well. She is quite happy that her mama is at the same school with her. I have to say, it's been a treat, having that special time with her in the mornings and the afternoons. We're all happy and doing great!

Here is my bathing beauty that will turn 11 months old tomorrow. Where has the time gone? She is so excited about everything. She is such a happy baby and quite adventurous. She is everywhere and into everything. She leaves no stone unturned. If it's out she's gonna find it and check it out. She has magnifying glasses for eyes, cuz I tell ya that girl can see the tiniest things ever on the floor. ;0 She loves any table food her little gums can chew, she loves her bed. she is crazy about her daddy, she still only has 2 teeth, she isn't walking yet, she has said mama, daddy, baby and bottle.

Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever

This was from my morning devotional. I wanted to share this because it reflects a lot of what we have been discussing in our Sunday School class. I'm striving to glorify God in all that I do. It all goes back to the WWJD bracelets......... I am working at asking myself that in every single detail of my life (what would Jesus do? what would He think? am I truly reflecting Him?). It isn't easy, but I have to start somewhere.

http://christianwomentoday.com/

Today's devotional for beth
KNOWING AND ENJOYING GOD
by Katherine Kehler

** Are you enjoying your relationship with God today? http://thelife.com/study/knowjesuspersonally.html

"The people who know their God will be strong and do great exploits" (Daniel 11:32).When the Lord began to open my eyes to the importance of knowing God, I started to study His attributes and names. I learned many great truths about God and was tremendously blessed. One of the things I learned on the way was that according to the Westminster catechism, our main reason for being is to "glorify God and to enjoy Him forever". I didn't know that.

About that time in my spiritual journey, God sent a young man to live with us for several months. He talked a lot about enjoying God. Following his example, I began to make it a habit to enjoy my relationship with God more. I invited Him into every part of my day-not just when I had my quiet time and not just when I had a challenge I needed His help on.

Gradually, I began to change. Instead of my relationship with God consisting of just asking for things, I began to discuss everything with Him. I began thanking Him everywhere ? when I drove the car, when I went for a walk, at work, when I went shopping - anytime, anywhere. Talking to God all day long became a habit-a good habit.

Since then, I have enjoyed my relationship with God so much more.Are you enjoying your relationship with God today?

~Father, what a privilege to know that You delight in our fellowship-which You are actually waiting for us to come to You for. What deep, deep satisfaction You give. Thank you so much for the privilege of knowing You. Teach me to enjoy my friendship with You. Amen

Tambrey Kinley has taken over Mrs. Susan's job as our Sunday School teacher. We are so blessed to have her. I just thought I would include her a little note here. (I hope she reads it) *wink* She has become a very dear friend of mine at a perfect time in my life. Isn't that just like God to have every single detail worked out perfectly. I feel so honored to be her friend and a member of her Sunday School class.

Thank you Tambrey for doing such a beautiful job teaching our Sunday School class. Thank you for taking up that responsibility, you are perfect for the job. You are an amazing woman at such a young age. I hope you know just how much God works through you. Thank you for surrendering yourself to the LORD and so willingly doing His work.

Kathryn thoroughly enjoyed all of the attention from the nurses at the surgical center. They couldn't get over all of her rolls. The funny thing is, she is less chubby than Alex and Audrey were. HA!! :) She was a great patient. She actually didn't have much trouble waking up from the anesthesia as I was warned about. She would cry out every now and then, but no screaming or freaking out. So, that was a bit of a relief. However, the day would tell a different story, for me that is. Her fever went up to 104.7, with no other explained symptoms. I've never had that happen with my other two, so I was a bit frazzled. She responded well to tylenol, thankfully and the fever never appeared again. The many mystery fevers that we moms experience with our little tots. Kathryn has a little blanket with a bear on it (in picture below), my dad gave her when she was born. It is her FAVORITE lovey. She sleeps with it and loves on it all day long. It is so precious when you ask her to love the baby, she wraps her arms around it and gives it a big hug and lays her head on it. :) So so sweet! It's so hard to believe that my baby is 10 months old. She weighs 21.5 lb and has 2 teeth.





Audrey and Alex have one more week of summer. I cannot believe that summer is over. I'm a little sad. I know I will miss them tremendously, especially Kathryn. It is going to be very quiet around here. The summer has been way too busy..... much more than I anticipated. I haven't even put my hands on a single stamp all summer. I'm anxious to get in there today. I have some cards I need to make today for some very special people. :) We took the kids to Wild River Country this past Saturday with Aunt Livi. I will post pictures as soon as Aunt Livi emails them to me. (hint hint) Mawsie kept Kathryn so we could devote the whole day to the big kids and do all the slides with them. They had an absolute ball! Alex was in heaven doing every slide there except for the vortex. :) He didn't want to stop. However, he says his favorite ride was the wave pool.

The day is planned around adding things to my ebay store, stamping and getting that dessert up to the junior high. Our church sponsors a back to school lunch for all the teachers their first day back from summer. Guess it's a good day for all these indoor activities since it's raining cats and dogs here!

Inspiring Testimony of Art Monk (inductee Pro Football Hall of Fame)

Please click on the picture below to hear the testimony of his salvation. The video is about 20 minutes, but please take the time to listen it is SOOO worth it. It's not everyday you hear a pro football player or any athlete for that matter share the way this man did. I hope you find inspiration from him and become encouraged in your christian walk!

Kathryn is doing well today. Everything went smooth with her tubes yesterday, except for the spike in fever yesterday afternoon. She had me a little unnverved with a fever of 104.7. I've never had that with Audrey or Alex, so I was a bit unprepared. But, she is fine and both dr's agree it's something viral. She has had no fever today. Thank you for your prayers and for checking in on us. I appreciate you all so much! :) Big Hugs. Now, go check out that video.

Tubes on Tuesday, 3 Blessings and 11th Anniversary

When we had Kathryn's ENT consultation, we discovered Kathryn has one ear with a closed eustachian tube and the other one is covered in fluid. So, she is having her procedure on August 5. She will be 10 months old on Monday. I know her world will open up dramatically after her surgery. I specifically remember, at the age of 7, getting in the car after my tubal procedure and hearing the car start for the first time in my life. It was quite a profound moment for my parents and one that would later help me understand for my child the need for tubes. We so take for granted the little sounds that are so important to the language and understanding of a little baby or child. I'm quite excited to see the wonder that will open up for her next week. :)

A couple of weeks ago before church I was attempting to take pictures of my children. Why I would ever try and take on such an arduous task right before church is one I cannot answer? LOL :) I posted this picture of the 3 kiddos, so one might see, just how hard it is to capture a great picture of 3 children. This was the best I could do at that moment. :0









My precious husband of 11 years took me on a wonderful 4 day trip to Dallas. He surprised me with a marvelous stay at the Westin Stonebriar

I haven't been away like this in atleast 8 years. Any other time Jim and I have had away it's always been on business, never pure relaxation with no other obligations. :) Thank you honey for an amazing time. We acted like silly teenagers in love. We ate lots of wonderful food (Mi Cocina, Fireside Pies and Cheesecake Factory) and slept and shopped (a little). I got to spend quality uninterrupted time in the Bible, for me, that was well worth the trip! As a mom it's so hard to fit in my quiet time to it's full potential. Getting that time alone with God means more to me than anything else. Thank you Lord, for blessing Jim and me with a weekend we will always remember. You are so good! :) Thank you Jim for the man you are, one of integrity, honesty, faithfulness, devotion to your family, hardworking, loving and most of all a man of God. I am so blessed to call you my best friend, my husband and the father of my children. I am so proud of you and your ministry. You have a heart for God and that makes me smile. Our children are blessed to have you as a daddy. Happy 11 years and I so look forward to growing old with you and rocking our grandbabies on the front porch together one day. But, for now, I will absorb the moment and be thankful for it.
We went to dinner with our precious Aunt Tosie. She took us to the Bass Pro Shop for a delicious supper, overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard. The food was delicious and the view was marvelous! Lil Bit, her precious baby. was posing uncandidly for the camera. She was more than willing to have her picture taken that night. :) Thank you Aunt Tosie for a wonderful evening, we so enjoyed your company. We miss you!