Big Big News

Nicholas Sparks has a new book coming out this year!!
Yes, THIS YEAR!

I thought he wouldn't becuase his new movie is coming out this summer but it is true!!

The Lucky One will be released on September 30, 2008!!
Guess what I will be reading on my maternity leave??
You can preorder it on Amazon.com for $16.49!

Yippeeeee!!! I am SO excited!!!

The Joys

Oh the joys of having a little person in the house.

We have a sectional couch. Chris accidentally dropped some shorts behind the corner of it when he was folding clothes. He asked Hannah if she would crawl back there and get them and she did! That saved us a lot of acrobatic work! Oh the Joys of having a little person in the house.

I come into the bonus room to see Hannah nice and comfortable under the recliner. I made sure Chris knew she was there so he would not put the recliner down and he said there was no way he could not know she was there. He could feel her feet kicking him on his tushi! Oh the Joys of having a little person in the house.
(Yes, you who are worrying, I did tell her that was dangerous and made her get up after I took the picture.)
(Yes, you who are looking at this picture closely, she is chewing on her nails. She does that when they are too long and Mommy needs to cut them - I have no idea where she gets that from and we do make her stop when we see her do that!)

The "Curse" of Being a Libra

I am really NOT into all the talk of your Zodiac sign. I really do not look up all the people I meet to see what their sign is to determine the type of person they are. I am not sure I could even name all of the different signs for you, or even half of them.

I have, however, come across information regarding my Zodiac sign and it really does describe me well. Not perfect - but well. See what you think...

Libra is the only inanimate sign of the zodiac, all the others representing either humans or animals. Many modern astrologers regard it as the most desirable of zodiacal types because it represents the zenith of the year, the high point of the seasons, when the harvest of all the hard work of the spring is reaped. There is a mellowness and sense of relaxation in the air as mankind enjoys the last of the summer sun and the fruits of his toil. Librans too are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring.

They have good critical faculty and are able to stand back and look impartially at matters which call for an impartial judgment to be made on them. But they do not tolerate argument from anyone who challenges their opinions, for once they have reached a conclusion, its truth seems to them self-evident; and among their faults is an impatience of criticism and a greed for approval. But their characters are on the whole balanced, diplomatic and even tempered.

I think some of the biggest things it doesn't talk about are my sensitive feelings but I really try to hide those when I can, anyway.

The "curse" part that I speak of is the part regarding the scales. I am a good person for impartial judgment and I try hard to be balanced. Just one example of this in my life is that I have been right there, face to face, with someone who shares in an upsetting time with me. I have tears in my eyes, they are about to run down my face and as soon as I see the other person with tears, "magically" my tears are gone. I can't cry even if I want because we can't both cry, things have to be balanced. I try to let those feeling go and cry right there with the person I need to be grieving with but I really physically can not do it. I will loose it later but I sure can't right then.

(By the way, this baby may be taking care of that problem. I seem to be able to cry anywhere and everywhere lately!)


So in my life I get frustrated with non-balance. It is something I would say I struggle with daily. Here are some of my thoughts.

#1
I don't like my job. I don't like to be there. I don't like what I do. I don't want to work 40 hours a week. However, I feel guilty because I feel I am lacking thankfulness for what I have by not being happy where I am. I don't know where the line is. I don't know how to balance thankfulness and unhappiness. So many would give up great things to have my job. And I am not happy in it. I feel horrible about it.

#2
I do not want to and I will not give up the things that my family does for and with the Lord's Church. I feel this is the most important thing I am here to do and I want to teach that to my children. But aren't I suppose to "keep the home?" Aren't I suppose to have this home in order? Isn't this something that I, as a Christian woman, am suppose to do? Why can't I get it all together? Where is the organization? Why can't I do both together? I must learn. This must be a priority.

#3
Is the abundance we all have somewhat sinful? I had a friend mention that to me as we were going thru some items that were donated by some members of our congregation. How do we balance living in this world with worldly things we want (and even feel we need) and not go overboard with abundance? How do I teach my children about abundance and why some have and some don't?

I feel unbalanced.
I am determined to make a life change to take care of this.
I will let you know about it soon.

Romans 12

Our Sunday Pictures

This is one of my favorite finds from the consignment sale that I went to a couple of months ago. I like the colors and style of this dress so much I wish I had one for myself.

She made lots of funny faces today for us.

A Post With Rules

RULE:
Anyone who does not like NCState, especially those who like UNC (Dad and Brian!) please do not make any comments regarding this debate on the best team. Please notice the beautiful girl you see here in these pictures!!

We were so excited that Hannah was able to wear her NCState outfit yesterday. It is a 2T and we have had it for quite some time. I think she looks so cute in Red. Daddy, in fact, even did Hannah's hair. However, she insisted on wearing her "pink" shoes with it. We got out all her shoes and she kept saying no and refusing to put them on. Finally we found the "pink" shoes Hannah was speaking of and we decided it was alright for her to wear them.

Yes, the picture shows her wearing her "pink" shoes.
(We did correct her and we are working on colors - promise!)

Hannah and Daddy's Outing

We just joined a new recreation center in town and they have an indoor and outdoor pool. So, while all the girls were at our house, Daddy and Hannah went to swim in the indoor pool at the rec center. She was a little scared at first but got use to the water and had a great time.

This is a picture of Hannah in her bathingsuit with her coverup on.

The look she is giving me is the "Mrs. Elizabeth just got here and I was about to giver her a hug and she was going to pick me up and hold me AND YOU, Mommy, want me to stop all that and look at you for a picture?? You are crazy!!" look.

17 Weeks Pregnant

Well, here it is. I am 17 weeks pregnant and I have a little pooch.

I don't fit into any of my clothes right now - maternity or not. I don't feel quite right and I am exhausted.

However, I am excited!!

More to Come....

Friends Friends Friends

It just can't get any better.

Tonight 12 of my friends came over and we ate, talked, loved, prayed, sang, and got to know each other a little better. It was so much fun. I had a friend in my home from 5.30 until 10.30 tonight and it was great!!

Tonight everyone brought their favorite songs and we tried to guess whose they were. There were 13 of us and the winner got 5 correct (that includes her own) so you can see -- we really did learn a lot about each other.

Some of the artist included Michael Jackson, Bette Midler, Colbie Caillat, Eagles, Tim McGraw, and Berlin. Ladies, this is going to be the best "mix tape" you have ever had!!!

1 Timothy 6:7-12

1 Timothy 6:7-12 (New International Version)

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Our Sunday Pictures

I have no idea why today of all days Hannah decided that showing her bottom teeth is a smile...... oh well.....

Nannah and Papa came to visit this weekend. It was so short but great to see them. The great part is that they got to be a part of the Sunday pictures this morning.

Mom and I are so jealous that Hannah looks good in yellow. Neither one of us can wear it.

During our pictures Daddy blew some bubbles. SO, you will also get bubble pictures along with typical "Sunday Pictures!"

I have NO idea how I got that last picture. I played with it a little. Crazy how some pictures just happen.

Thankful Thursday

We are thankful for our friends.
Hannah's friend Reese came over tonight while her Mommy and Daddy went on a well deserved date. Here are some fun pictures of the girls!

Hannah gets all of the balls out for them to play with - First Thing

I was a party pooper with the blocks.
I didn't want to clean them up so I wouldn't open the box.
I tried to make it better by taking a picture of them sitting on it...
Not sure they thought it was the same.

Thanks to the suggestion of my sister-in-law I went to the Target One Spot and got some hats for a dress up bin for the play room. They loved them.

They were both very very serious about feeding their babies.

I had them alone since Chris was playing softball so I was a little worried about how I was going to separate them and get them to sleep. I decided to start winding them down with a video. This is them at first - Very Excited.


This is them about 15 minutes into it with their Blankets in hand.
They got sleepy quick.
Lucky for me - that made things much easier.


We love having you, Reese.
You and your Mommy and Daddy are always welcome.

I Feel Pretty

I went and had my fingernails painted yesterday.

It was so fun.

How long the polish will last I have no idea!!

Tutty Frutty Tonga is the color.

Very Fun!

A Hannah Funny

There is a man who owns about 900 acres of land across the street from our neighborhood. He owns cows and has his land divided up into many pastures. SO, sometimes when we come home in the afternoons the cows are there across from our neighborhood entrance and sometimes they are not.

When the cows are there Hannah is very excited. When they are not and we ask her where the cows are she says that they are "night night."

Today we were looking at one of Daddy's Sports Illustrated magazines and we found a part that had lots of basketball pictures. Hannah really likes basketball. In each picture she was pointing out where the basketball was.

She got to one picture and could not find the basketball. So she looked at me and said very matter-of-factly "bahball night night." Since she couldn't find it, it had obviously gone night night!

It's the Little Things

Friday Hannah found inside her, her love for puddles.
(Truth be known, her mommy has a love for puddles also.)
Hannah also rediscovered her love for sticks!!
(The video that worked, did not show the sticks but there is a picture.)
What Fun!!

Here are a few Black and White shots of the event....

You have to see this one in color.
This is what happens when you fall in the puddle!!
The Fun Was Worth It!

A Hannah Funny

Sitting right beside Hannah in the back seat of the car, as we were driving home from picking her up at school, was her lunch box.

I pointed to it and asked "Hannah, what is that?" (of course I knew what it was but I wanted to hear her say it because I love the way she says it)

Hannah looked at me and answered "Hannah's!"

I again said "Hannah, WHAT is that?"

She again said "Hannah's!" (this is giving you a little bit of an idea of the attitude we are starting to develop!)

I said "Hannah's what?"

She finally gave me the satisfaction and said "Hannah's Lunch Babox."

Our Sunday Pictures

Seriously, she had a bath Saturday night before she went to bed.



Seriously, I had just fixed her hair before these pictures.



Seriously, I have no idea where the frazzeled hair look came from!

New Book

Chris says I am a little crazy because I got thru Hokus Pokus so fast. It is fast for me and him because we read slow or sometimes not at all but for others I know it wasn't fast.

Anyway, Fern Michaels got her imagination going again and it was great. Remember if you read these to be prepared for a little bit of language but I think when you have "good" guys and "bad" guys most people expect that. At the end it was definitely left open for another one in the series however it did not give a name or date of when another will be out. I will need to keep my ears and eyes open for it.

In a couple of days (after I get over thinking about this one) I will start Love's Healing Touch by Jane Myers Perrine. I am going light this time with one of the Love Inspired books. If you want something clean, feel good, and light, really, go for a Love Inspired book.

As always, I will let you know how it goes.

American Idol

As most of you know. I do watch American Idol. I was just talking with a co-worker and discovered something about one of the contestants.

Seriously, can't you see Jason Castro singing The Rainbow Connection?

A Beautiful Life

Sunday night, for our worship, we had singing night. We sang a song I felt like I hadn't heard in a while. I soaked in the words and have been thinking about them ever since.

A Beautiful Life
by William M Golden (1918)

Each day I'll do
A golden deed
By helping those
Who are in need
My life on earth
Is but a span
And so I'll do
The best I can

Chorus:
Life's evening sun
Is sinking low
A few more days
And I must go
To meet the deeds
That I have done
Where there will be
No setting sun

To be a child
Of God each day
My light must shine
Along the way
I'll sing His praise
While ages roll
And try to help
Some troubled soul

Chorus:
Life's evening sun
Is sinking low
A few more days
And I must go
To meet the deeds
That I have done
Where there will be
No setting sun

The only life
That will endure
Is one that's kind
And good and pure;
And so for God
I'll take my stand,
Each day I'll lend
A helping hand

Chorus:
Life's evening sun
Is sinking low
A few more days
And I must go
To meet the deeds
That I have done
Where there will be
No setting sun

While traveling down
Life's weary road
I'll try to lessen
Some traveler's load
I'll try to turn
The nights to day
Make flowers bloom
Along the way

Chorus:
Life's evening sun
Is sinking low
A few more days
And I must go
To meet the deeds
That I have done
Where there will be
No setting sun

I Need Your Help

Monday night I cut an onion.

I have washed my hands a million times since then - with soap.

I have taken 2 showers since then - with soap.

I still smell the onions on my fingers.

How do I make it go away?

Good thing is... I don't think anyone else can smell it... does this mean it may be in my nose?

It is driving me CRAZY!!

14 Week Doc Appointment

Yesterday we went to the doctor. Everything looks good.

Our little baby was a little shy and wanted to move around a lot but we finally caught up with the heartbeat and it was at a strong 156!! It is such a sweet sound.

The next appointment is May 13th and we will find out if the baby is a girl or boy. So if you haven't voted yet - get to it. You have a few more weeks to guess and then we will know!!!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!

Our Sunday Pictures

A wonderful lady at church handed down this dress to Hannah. Her daughter is older and she is finished having children. It is an absolutely beautiful dress but it is 100% silk. Yes, that is right - 100%!! Well, I told Chris that Hannah had to wear this dress sometime but she would not be allowed to eat in it.

Problem is.. we always eat out after worship on Sunday morning. It is in our budget. Ask Chris, Mommy is not as happy the rest of the week if she has to worry about cooking on Sunday afternoons!!

Today Chris played in a golf tournament so in order for us to ride to the church building together this morning we had to pick up lunch and eat it here at home. That made TODAY the perfect day for this dress. Both Chris and I thought it was SO precious on Hannah. We keep thanking the lady at church over and over for handing it down to us. When she saw Hannah in it today she said it brought back so many memories!!

Now, how am I going to clean this one?? NO food got on it - there was NO opportunity for that - I made sure of it.