Day 3 in Elko

We have been spoiled this week, well maybe I should say I have been so spoiled! This week has been busy seeing family, friends and just having plain ol' fun!
Today we were able to visit with aunts and cousins. We went swimming and enjoyed a lunch of pizza.






Here are some pictures of the boys gathering vegetables out of Papa's garden and picking blackberries. I think Judd ate as many as he picked, but isn't that part of the fun!

Day 2 in Elko

Today was another wonderful day in Elko. The temperature reached the high 90's and the humidity didn't fail us either.Early this morning, Mr. Bill came and got them and took all three kids to pick plums and play in his worm pit. The worm pit is always a highlight in Elko. He brought them back around lunch and of course the kiddos wanted to play in the water again.

Here goes Day 2 of slip n slide fun.

Watch out he will melt your heart!

Way to go Jake-man!

We tried to get some pictures of the three of them but they wanted to goof off!

Do you like the silly faces?

I left for a few hours to run a few errands so Anna Kate "needed" to call me on her phone.

When did he get so big?

Our day ended with a visit to some good friends house, Jim and Amber Cleghorn. We went to meet their baby boy, Parker. I did take my camera but I didn't get any pictures of the kids with Parker, maybe next time.

As a side note, Praise the Lord I was able to get 4 new tires today!

Day 1 in Elko

The kids and I finally made it to Elko after a 9 hour drive that should have only taken 8 hours. What took us so long you ask? A flat tire! Yes, three kids, one pregnant lady, 100 degrees, a quarter tank of gas outside of Pell City, Alabama with only three good tires. It was only after 20 minutes of sweating, trying to find the jack hidden in my car, keeping the kids contained in the car did a truck driver pull over to help. I must admit I was a bit nervous but I just prayed that the Lord would protect me, I was talking to Jim and an Alabama Trooper was on his way to help (However, he never showed up). This ordeal took about an hour and then we were back on the road. The tire blew out completely so I will be getting new tires in Georgia this week. It was crazy but the kids did great!

Today was our first full day in Elko. This is the first time we have been to Elko during the summer in quite a few years so the kids are enjoying Papa and Mema's water toys for the yard. The kids were up at 7, breakfast by 7:45 and in the yard at 8. It was way to early for me. I was wiped out and they were running full speed ahead.

First things first, check on the black berry bushes and the tomato plants. They seemed to be doing just fine. Oops, I think Anna Kate got a sour one.





Finally, at 10 we put on their bathing suits and set up the slip n slide. Let the fun begin.....






Just a few more from our day...

Happy Father’s Day to the love of my life!

Happy Father’s Day to the love of my life!

I am blessed to be married to such an awesome man that gets the honor of being called Daddy by three little people named Jake, Judd and Anna Kate. They adore him and love him more than I could have ever dreamed. He loves his family and he loves being a dad. He truly enjoys every minute. His energy is limitless, which has to be with all of them wanting to be under his feet at all times. He sings silly songs and has silly nicknames for the kids that make them laugh.

Most importantly, he loves his boys and baby girl and wants to see them love Jesus more than anything else. He puts there character building and godliness before worldly accomplishments. He isn't perfect, he will make mistakes and he will have regrets. However, my prayer is that our kids will always be proud to be called "Jim's son or daughter." I pray that they will always be grateful for the lessons that he taught them, the sacrifices he made, and that memories we are making will always be treasured. Jim thank you for your faith and how important it is to you to share it with the kids.

Thank you for loving us in so many ways. Thank you….

Cocoa Beach

Our family just arrived home from a spending four days in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Our youth were there for Beach Retreat and Jim and I were asked to speak to the middle school students. It was a great week and we were very blessed to be apart of the camp.

It was a LONG drive that divided into several days of travel. Our kids enjoyed Florida but I think Jake is the only one I can classify as a beach bum like his mommy. I wanted to share a few pictures from our "vacation."

19 weeks Update

This is a recap of the past few weeks.

June 1- Tonight Jim felt the baby kick. It was so fun. His face was priceless. This is the earliest that he has been able to feel any of the babies move. Keep kicking baby. I sure do love you.

June 4- This pregnancy is so very similar to my pregnancies with the boys. I think the only difference at this point is my eating habits. I really crave cereal for dinner most nights and nothing is ever appealing, not to say that food doesn’t taste wonderful it just isn’t appealing when I look at it or try to decide what to cook each night.

Today was my 19 week visit. We were able to do a sonogram today. It was so wonderful to see the baby again. The brain, heart, stomach, kidneys, and bone growth are all fabulous. We saw ten little fingers. We are blessed with such a healthy little baby and we couldn’t be more thrilled to hear the good news. At this point we know the baby is healthy and weighs approximately 12 oz., which is a little less than the boys but we also had the sonogram a week earlier. We can't wait to see if you are a boy or a girl!

Here is a 19 week prego picture.

Soccer Twenty-Ten Comes to an End

This year's soccer season ended in May after so many rain outs. I didn't know if we would ever be able to finish the season. The boys did great and Judd found his soccer position, GOALIE! He stopped 6 goals in the last few games. It was so exciting to see him stop the ball and kick it back on the field. He was so excited. I hope that I never forget his face the first time he stopped one, since I didn't get a picture. This is one of him getting ready.


We had the team party at our house and Judd finally received his first trophy! He has been asking for this trophy since the first practice. Does he look excited?

Look at Him Gooooooo!

Today was an exciting day in our home. Judd reached a great milestone today. We are so proud and so is he!

For a few weeks, Jim and I have been debating whether or not Judd could ride without training wheels. We believed that he had the balance but we weren't sure if his legs were long enough. Well today we had to work on his chain that kept coming off so Jim decided to remove the training wheels. Judd jumped on and with a little help starting he was riding down up and down the the drive way. By the end of the day, he was riding and turning around in the cul-de-sac. He is doing so well and we are so proud.

16 weeks

May 14- Today was my 16 week appointment with Dr. Miller. She said that I gained 5.5 pounds this month. I guess it was time to add on a few more pounds. I heard the baby's heart beat again and everything seems to be going so smoothly. As of right now, I am still wearing my regular clothes. I am sure that I will start wearing my belly band soon enough.

Motherhood is a Gift

As I was looking for pictures of past Mother's Day I realized that I am not very consistent at taking pictures on this particular day. It seems that I take them only when one of the babies are being dedicated. ( I am sure that I have one from 2005 but it is on a CD hidden away somewhere or was that before digital photography:-))

Mother's day 2007


Mother's Day 2008


I intentionally made everyone wait until we got home from church to take a picture with mommy. Of course, Anna Kate has already pulled her hair down and bow out, Jake's shoes are off and the sun is to bright for baby Judd's eyes.



This is the life of this mother and I would not trade it for anything in the world. The days are draining but the memories, hugs, kisses, and I love you mommy make it all worth it. Just as I say to the kids when I am praying with them, I am so thankful that God chose me to be their mommy. Motherhood is a great gift.

Secret Conversations

The boys started sharing a room in December and they absolutely love it. As they grow older, I know that they will share many secret conversations with one another, but last night Jim and I were privileged to over hear this conversation between the boys.

This is just a little background information. Last Thursday the kids and I were out running errands when Jake started talking about people going to heaven. This is the conversation:

J: "Mom, we they die they will all go to heaven."
M: "No buddy, not everyone goes to heaven?"
J:"I know, just the people that have been...baptized."
M:"No buddy, not just baptized. You know that."
J: " I know, just the people that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior."
M: "Yes"
J: "I have done that."
M:"Really, what did you do."
J;"I said a prayer."
M:"Really"
J: "No, I didn't say a prayer. I just did it I know I did."
M: "Well, when daddy gets home we will talk to him about it some more."
J: "Ok"

When Jim got home I told him about the conversation but we decided to wait until he mentioned it again before asking to many questions.

Fast Forward to Sunday morning: Jake was running a fever and we had family in town so I took him in the service with me. During the invitation he raised his hand. I asked him why he was raising his hand and he told me because daddy said to do it. I didn't say anything else. On Sunday night, he went back in the service with me and once again he raised his hand to receive Christ during the invitation. This time Jim saw him and told me to talk to Jake again. I asked him if he knew why he was raising his hand this time.

He said "Daddy said if you want to accept Jesus as your Savior then raise your hand."
I said "Do you want to do that?"
He responded "Yes"
Me: "Let's go talk to daddy."
Jake: "No" (He is very nervous about going in front of the church.)

Back to the secret conversation"
Jake and Judd are lying in the bed and we hear Jake say to Judd, “Do you love Jesus? Do you want to go to Heaven? Then you have to say this prayer. ‘Dear Jesus, I want to go to Heaven. Forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. I want you to be my Lord and Savior. I’m sorry for the sins I did. I love you Jesus. Amen.’” Jake was adamants that Judd say, “I love you Jesus.” Judd tried to say, “I like Jesus” a couple of times but Jake would not accept it. He said, “Don’t you want to go to Heaven?” Then, Judd tried to get Jake to repeat words after him and Jake said, “No Judd, I’ve already done that. I’ve already asked Jesus into my heart.”

At this point, we are still to praying that the Lord will continue drawing Jake to HIm. We are planning to sit down and talk with Jake in a little more detail very soon. This is just a very exciting time in his and our lives. Keep praying.....