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!

Birthday Invitations

Here are the birthday invitations I've been working on for Audrey's birthday.

ENT

Kathryn has been fighting ear infections since January. So, we are going to see an ENT on Wednesday. I'm so anxious to find out what he says. I hear that some ENT's put in tubes and some put it off. I just want Kathryn to feel some relief. She had thrush this week on top of her throat/ear infections. She seems so much better since the thrush is gone, but I think her ears are still bothering her. She has the sweetest spirit, despite all her issues this past week, she still had a smile on her face.
She is talking all of the time. It's so funny how she will babble something and look at you like, "do you not understand what I am saying?" She is crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything and anything.

Kathryn at 2 weeks

Kathryn at 9 months

Looking at these photos reminds me how fast time flies! Sometimes it is way too fast! :)

Little Miss Prissy

She thought she was something else when she realized she was standing up in the chair without holding on. She is getting too brave. :) In the last picture you should be able to see her first tooth just a shining!

PopTarts

If they ever stop making dairy free Pop Tarts, we are in trouble. Alex lives on these things. He loves them and eats atleast 2 a day. I thought it was only appropriate to scrap a Pop Tart page. :) I used Wildflowers by Shabby Miss Jenn.

Speaking of pop tarts Kathryn has had her taste of them and finds them quite pleasing. LOL..........She loves waffles/pancakes too! Her papaw was feeding her homemade ice cream on the 4th of July and she kept coming back for more. :) She is a busy little bee these days. She finally cut her first two teeth within a week of each other, she is crawling everywhere, pulling up and she is evening trying to stand up with nothing to grab onto. It's quite funny!

We were planning a trip to my sisters this week, but that has been derailed. Nearly her entire home was flooded this weekend. A pipe burst under her gameroom sink(which is upstairs) and managed to flood all the bedrooms and her great room over night. To say the least, she is a bit stressed and has no where for us to stay. Mom has her boys, so we may make a trip back up to North Little Rock this week.

I've got to start making plans for Audrey's birthday party. She is celebrating it with her best friend Maci. They want a Camp Rock party, so I'll see what I can do. :)