Happy 2008!

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I hope everyone has a very happy and safe 2008! Adam, the girls and I are heading to Dallas today for the Cotton Bowl. Go Razorbacks!!! We are meeting MiMi and PaPa and the girls and I are going back to spend some time with them so I probably won't post very often. So until then...

Christmas 2007-Bethany's First Christmas

 

 

 

 

We had a very nice Christmas at my Mom and Dad's. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas as well. Shelby set out Reindeer food, made Chocolate Chip cookies for Santa and even wrote him a note. To her surprise, Santa wrote back! Bethany didn't know what all the fuss was about so she was just enjoyed watching Shelby and looking cute! I'm very excited to say that Adam got me a new camera!!! It's so much better than the one I had so now I can post better pics! My Mom and I fixed a huge meal complete with all the trimmings. We all enjoyed just being together and watching the girls in their excitement.

Meeting Charley

We had such a nice visit last weekend at Amanda and Cory's. It was a whirl wind trip to say the least. We were so excited to meet our new nephew Charley. He's a CUTIE!!!

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Baby Charley is Here!!!

Yay! A new precious baby! Charley Edward arrived about 2:23 this morning. He weighs 8 pounds and is 19 1/4 inches. Amanda says he is so beautiful! Mama and baby are doing great!

Away in a Manger

The preschool choir at church proudly presented Away in a Manger yesterday at church. It was absolutely the sweetest thing I ever saw! Shelby did wonderfully! She actually held the microphone and sang where we all could hear. She was so proud of herself as were her parents!

Sniff, sniff...

Ohhhhh, I think I'm getting a cold. My head feels all stopped up. My nose is runny but stuffy (I've always wondered how that could happen all at once!) I'm tired. I think it's the weather. One minute it's in the 70's, the next it's 40 degrees.
We've still got a few more gifts to get. I think we'll do that tomorrow. I love shopping and I must say I'm pretty good at finding good deals.
Sunday morning Shelby's Sunday School class will be doing a Christmas musical. I just know I'm going to cry. Shelby's going to play Mary and will be singing Away in a Manger with Joseph. My girls just make me beam with pride. I think I'll just pack some Kleenex along with my camera...

UGHHHHH!!!

I woke up with a horrible headache this morning. I attribute it to yet another night of interrupted sleep! I love my Beth but she has GOT to learn to sleep through the night! I know each child is different and I don't want to start comparing my children, but Shelby was sleeping through the night at 3 months! Well, I guess Beth will start in her own time.
I had planned that I was going to make Chicken Enchiladas for lunch today. I just felt so terrible. I called Adam and asked him to pick up something for us for lunch. He gladly did so and he also took off a half a day just to take care of the girls so I could get some rest! Isn't he a sweetie?!
I'm feeling better now. Adam is making homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for supper per Shelby's request. She thought her mama needed some homemade soup. My family is so sweet!

God is SO GOOD!

Wow! I just have to say that God is AMAZING!!! I have been praying that God would open my eyes and open my heart to what He has in store for me. He did today and I must say it is the BEST feeling ever! When this happens, it reminds me of how much God loves and cares for me. It makes me want to experience this joy over and over again. I have been struggling with the issue of forgiveness. I know it is the right thing to do but not always the easiest, especially when you feel justified in your anger. Anger and an unwillingness to not forgive not only leads to resentment, it also will harden your heart and leave you unreceptive to God's will. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Satan throws out anger and resentment and it's easy to take the bait, but Jesus constantly forgives us when we ask Him. There is nothing that has or could ever happen to me that Jesus has not experienced and forgiven me for. Therefore, who am I not to share God's loving spirit and forgive others?

Carol of Lights

Shelby and her preschool class sang in the Carol of Lights at Henderson Tuesday night. It was a chilly thirty-something degrees outside. The kids sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Shelby sang really loud because I could actually hear her over the other kids singing! My camera doesn't take very good pictures in the dark so unfortunately I don't have many good ones.

Shelby's Christmas Party

Shelby's Chritmas party at school was yesterday. They had lots of yummy goodies and even had some special guests!

Kindersong

Friday night we went to a place for kids in Hot Springs called Little Bitty City. Shelby played in the workout room and the theater. They were having a concert featuring Brian and Terri Kinder. They are so talented! They definitely have the magic touch with the kiddos. They were so fun and energetic. Shelby LOVED them! We all had such a good time! Shelby's favorite song was the Blinking Lights song. You can hear them on www.kindersongs.com.

How's Your Focus?

Last night was a particularly hard night with Beth. I have a strong feeling some toothies might be trying to make their grand appearance. I woke up to fussiness and crying several times last night. I was VERY tired this morning. So tired that I did not want to get out of bed and come to church. I'm so glad I did though. The message spoken today seemed to be aimed at ME. Don't you just love when that happens? I'd like to share a few points with you. The lesson was taken from the book of Luke, Chapter 9 verses 13-17. It's the passage where Jesus takes the five loaves of bread and two fish, gives thanks to God and breaks it. Before the apostles' and the hungry crowds' eyes, God provided an abundance of food for the people. So much that there were twelve basketfuls of leftovers!
There are a few things that can take away or lessen your focus from God: physical fatigue, other people, and place or position. But to keep your focus on God you have to: expect the unexpected (be willing and open to do what God expects you to do at the time He expects you to do it--no matter how you feel), stop making excuses, wait on and obey God's instructions (as the apostles did), watch Him work (as the apostles witnessed Jesus feed the multitude of people with so little), experience the maximum return (apostles picked up TWELVE baskets of leftovers). The speaker today urged us to pick up our baskets of thankfulness just as the apostles picked up the baskets of leftover food. We have so much to be thankful for and need to be aware of all that God has so graciously blessed us with!
I don't mean to sound "preachy" but this just struck a chord in my heart and it was just what I needed to hear in this busy stage of my life when my focus can stray in so MANY different directions. God needs to be first and everything else will fall into place.