Mother's Day

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Payton's BIG day!!

The angels in heaven are rejoicing because Payton prayed the sinner's prayer and asked Jesus into her heart this morning at church!! She's always known what it means to be a Christian, but I think she's at the age now where she really gets it. We are so proud of her and the decision that she's made and know that it's the most important decision she'll ever make in her entire life. Praise the Lord!!

Easter Sunday

2 posts in 1 week?? Yeah. Crazy, I know. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by how many comments were made on my last post. I thought everyone had probably given up on me at this point! Thanks for keeping the faith.

Here are pics from this morning. I guess we should've all put on our Easter clothes and taken pictures outside yesterday when it was 65 degrees and blue skies because today's weather was less than ideal. Actually, it couldn't have been much worse. So, here are our indoor pictures... No matter the weather, it was still a great day to go to church, spend time with family, and celebrate Jesus' resurrection!! Happy Easter!

This one's for you, Shannon!!

OK, so I won't even use the Facebook excuse this time (even though it is SO much faster and easier) or the too busy excuse...I'll just use the lazy excuse! I was inspired by my friend Leslie who is one of the busiest people I know, yet made the time to update her blog recently. Thanks for the motivation, Les. This is a very random group of pictures that goes all the way back to the first of the year, and because it's been so long since I've done a post, I've apparently forgotten how to upload pictures in the correct order, so these are most recent to oldest. Enjoy!!

This one would be from today, this most beautiful April day. And because it's going to be in the 40's tomorrow, I made Holland and her buddies, Marley and Emily, play outside while I cleaned the house. Holland came to the door calling for me and asked if it was alright if they made a mud puddle. I told her I didn't think that was a good idea at all, and she proceeded to tell me that they already had. Backyard, shovel and post-hole digger, water hose, oh yeah. They did it right! All I said was, "I can't wait until your dad gets home". So, as soon as Scott pulled into the driveway, she ran up to his door and told him what they had done. His response?? "Have fun". Can you believe it?? He came in and said, "Kids will be kids". Alright, if you say so. What's a big ole hole in the yard anyway?!

Here are pics from our spring break in Orange beach. We weren't expecting perfect weather, and it was a good thing!! We went out to the beach the first day and spent most of our time wrapped up in towels because the wind was so cold. The sun came out on the second day, so we all raced down to the pool. We got a good hour in before "The Perfect Storm" came rolling in, and it was still there when we left on Friday! We didn't care, though. The things I wanted to do most were sleep in, eat out, and NOT study, and that's exactly what I got to do.

Ah, the high-dollar aquarium.... This was a spur of the moment, dad out with the girls on a Saturday with nothing better to do than go to the pet store where the girls talked Scott into buying a real aquarium and 4 goldfish. And one-by-one they kicked the bucket. The first couple were somewhat traumatic, but when #3 started doing the backstroke, Payton was amused enough to take a picture. Yes, the fish was still alive when this was taken....but, not for long.

Oops.... more vacation pics. Told you it has been a while....

And I had to throw this one in here because I love it. Besties since birth!

Holland's 10th birthday party. And I survived yet another one!

The ONE and ONLY good thing about the great ice storm.... I was able to clean my fridge and get it looking brand new again! Libby so appreciates a clean refrigerator.

The unforgettable ice storm of '09

Well, there are no pictures to go along with this post (frankly, grabbing the camera was the farthest thing from my mind), but I thought I would still tell about our powerless, but fun, week. It all started a week ago Sunday when Scott and I went out with our good friends, Chad and Leslie. We went and ate at Hog Haus in Fayetteville, and then went to see Brian Regan live @ the WAC. What a funny, funny man!! It was such a great night....until 1:30, anyway... I woke up SICK. Some kind of stomach bug, apparently (I had made the comment that I had a "stomach of steel" just 2 days before this...). So, I stayed home from school on Monday and followed the weather and the storm that was rolling our way. The ice was definitely coming, so the girls' school let out at 2. Thankfully, Scott had waited to take his lunch hour, so he picked the girls up and brought them home (I was going to try to venture out myself, but still had the stomach stuff going on. Gross, I know.). This time the weathermen were right on - worst ice storm I've ever seen in my 32 years! School was canceled for all of us on Tuesday and I was feeling MUCH better, so I decided to make pancakes for me and the girls. As I was finishing up, the lights started to flicker. I thought, "I'd better take a shower before we lose power and hot water", and as I was stepping out of the shower - everything went dead. Wet hair still in a towel and not many options for fixing it. So, I put on my best sweats, put on a hat, skipped the make-up, and the girls and I took our places in front of the fireplace (which came on when I flipped the switch, thank the Lord!). And that is where we spent the entire day...me studying and the girls asking, "Can I have a drink? When is lunch? Can we go outside? When's the power gonna come back on? What can I do? What should I do? What time is it? When is dad coming home? Where are we sleeping tonight?" and on and on and on..... Scott came in around 5:30, listened to this for about 15 minutes, and started making phone calls. He was concerned that we didn't have power for the essentials like heat and refrigeration, but even more concerned that we didn't have power for entertainment, like TV's and computers and knew that he'd be stuck playing boardgames all night if he didn't find a way out! Luckily, our friend Blake called soon after and asked about our power situation. We told him it was out and wasn't looking good, so he and Beth offered to let us crash at their place for the night....and we stayed 8. No electricity in our house for 8 days. The worst part was the other street in our neighborhood was lit up like Silver Dollar City at Christmastime!! We apparently were the cutoff line for electricity restoration. So, we came home everyday with our fingers crossed, walked into a cold, dark house, and packed a bag for the next day. I know it sounds just awful and depressing, but it was actually a really fun week! Beth and I hung out and relaxed with the kids all day while the guys worked, then we spent the evenings eating out, watching movies, watching basketball...they even got us tickets for a charity bowl they were going to, and it was a total blast!! (I'll post pics of that later.) We loved the Hanbys before, but we love them even more now. They were the perfect hosts. So, while I was drying my hair Wednesday morning, Scott came in and showed me a text message on his phone - it was from our neighbor across the street saying that the power had come back on at 5:30 am. Hallelujah!! I didn't believe it completely, so I took the girls to school and ran by here to see for myself. Sure enough - there was light and heat! It's amazing how something like that can make you appreciate the things you normally take for granted. So...we're settled back in and have returned to normal life again. And now it's in the 60's....only in Arkansas....

What do you do when it's 70 degrees in January??

You go 4-wheelin!! Now, this is my idea of a good time!

Bringing up our girls the right way!

Everyone topping the hill.

I pretty much took over Dave's 650. I have the need for speed!

Payton's riding face.

Stacey mastering the clutch like a pro!

M'laine & Alyssa. Oh yeah, everyone in this family rides.

Oh so happy!

Dave on the dirt bike.

And now you see why I worry.

Scott sitting still....but, not for long!!

Christmas #4

We had our 4th and final Christmas this weekend with Scott's side of the family. We got together at Dave & Stacey's on Thursday night for eating and games, here on Friday night for eating and games, and Saturday for 4-wheeling (that'll get it's own post), present-opening, and even more eating. We are so blessed to have such great families and so many wonderful people to spend the holidays with!

Scott giving Oliver the ears. He was clueless.

Holland with her official Red Ryder BB gun. This one was M'laine's idea, and a pretty good one, I must say. Holland can't wait for it to warm up again so she can try it out!

Joy and Sullivan - his very first Christmas.

Payton with the Paper Recycling Factory she got from Uncle Seth & Aunt Joy. That's right - go green!!

Of course, a baby pic. How can you resist??

The 2 people that spent a great amount of time and money shopping for this crew. We appreciate you so very much!

Scott (holding the coveted 2009 family calendar), Dave & Stacey (and Seth in the mirror).

Scott's new clothes!

And the fam. We missed you, Shannon & Tony!