Just me and my boys...

MC & HNY!

2012-01-03T17:54:00.000-05:00

Everytime I hear the words "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year" I always think of the Run DMC song, Christmas in Hollis, and I want to add a "Dum, Da da da da Dum Dum!" Anyone else? Or maybe its just me.....

Either way, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas & Happy NY!

It was a WONDERFUL Christmas at the Jackson House! We began on Christmas Eve by going to Camden to visit with my dad's side of the family. The boys loved playing with their cousins on the farm.
Then to off to Leesville to the candle-light service with Gigi & Papaw and then Christmas Eve dinner.

On Christmas Day we woke up early and got to see our Santa! The boys were excited but Price was disappointed that Santa didn't bring him the Pig & Dog he asked for. I explained that Santa can't take animals in his sleigh because they would freeze. He seemed to understand......

Then off to Church for Jesus' Birthday Service!

Gigi and Papaw came to our house for Christmas Lunch, along with my best friend Kellie.

Then off to Meme's and Grandpa's for more Christmas Festivities.

Right before bedtime, Owen decided to tackle a toy and busted his head on our coffee table, so we ended our Christmas day in the Richland Children's ER. Not exactly the way I wanted to end our Christmas but it still turned out to be one of the best Christmases we have ever had.

Nothing could take away our Christmas Cheer! :)

Then the end of our Christmas break was a bust. Price decided to start the week off by throwing up all over Chick-fil-A! Yes! Not sure when I will show my face back there again. Did I mention there was only a million people in there?

He then kept a nightly fever of at least 103 so we decided to stay in for a few days.

But he got better just in time for the New Years.
Price & Owen went to spend their NY's with Gigi & Papaw and Josh and I enjoyed our New Years with a few friends!

2011 was a hard year but it ended on a good note.
I have all expectations that 2012 will be a phenomenal year!

To ensure this happens, I have a few resolutions I hope to keep!

#1 - Enjoy my family MORE!!! Sometimes I don't enjoy the small moments, I just let them pass me by. The boys are growing up so fast and I want to enjoy EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT! I spend a lot of time with the boys but I want to make sure we get to do more of that as a family and that Josh gets to enjoy all these moments as well.

(And just a side note, I went to Miyo's on New Years Eve Eve and my fortune cookie had this to say; "This year your highest priority will be your family." Yes, fortune cookie, it will!)

#2 - I am blessed with wonderful friends. Friends from High School, College, Church and Mommy Friends! Thankfully, most of my friends keep in touch with me, but I am awful at keeping in touch with them. I'm not a phone caller. But I plan on taking the time to keep in touch with with all the people I care about. Everyone is busy and that is no longer an excuse.....

#3 Being a better organizer of my time AND money! Those should probably be 2 separate resolutions since they are each so important but for time sake..... My time is valuable and I want to make sure I don't waste any of it. AND spending time doing the things I should will hopefully lead to my saving more $$. No more impulse buys and I will be making and doing things myself instead of rushing out and just buying it. I will also limit my lunch and playdates if they involve money. Feel free to invite us to a pic-nic in the park though!

#4 AND LAST but NOT LEAST, Making time to read my bible each day. That is always a priority every year and I do okay but I can ALWAYS do BETTER! The Lord has blessed me so much and I thank him EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! But sometimes I don't take the time to listen to what he says to me.

That's it folks! I'm sure there are a million other things that need to be a resolution but I am a work in progress and whatever I've missed, hopefully it will hit the list next year! Or maybe mid-year! Who knows....

I wish you all the luck in keeping your resolutions as well!

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas

2011-12-19T17:58:00.001-05:00

I'm sure most of you are enjoying this busy time of year. The holidays this year have been crazy. But I love every minute.....

We began by celebrating Thanksgiving with the boys in their school and Church programs and spending time with our families. Price's kindergarten had a Pilgrim and Indian Feast and Price was an Indian. Then the boys sang for the First Family Thanksgiving at our Church and Owen got to be the Indian and Price was a Pilgram. They were too cute and did a great job.

Then, we began moving into our new house on the day after Thanksgiving. We are finally settled (mostly) and ready to celebrate our first Christmas in our new house.

Price and Owen had their Church Choir Musical on November 30th where they preformed Max Lucados, "The Littlest Lamb" and Price was asked to be Joseph and Owen was a little lamb. The Lamb had a little trouble staying still but apparently everyone thought he was cute.......everyone, but me!

Then the boys participated in our annual Church Christmas Pageant. It was a committment because we practiced the entire week before and there were 5 shows that filled up our church all the way to the 3rd balcony, but the boys enjoyed every minute, and so did I. I am so blessed to be a part of such a special church and have such an awesome Church family. We had so much fun sharing in the pageant fun! They were the cutest little Christmas lights EVER! :)

Even Owen did a great job waving at the crowd and blowing them kisses during the parade! They made me very proud.

We also got invited to the annual Gingerbread party, hosted by my friend, Traci's, MIL. Price was in school but Owen had a great time making his gingerbread house with his best buds.

There is the finished product. He ate way more then he decorated.

This past week was busy with school festivities. Owens school party was first. The kids sang a little jingle for us and then we had fun eatting all the goodies.

On Thursday, Price's class did an Authors Showcase where they put on a little play, did a sing along and each one read a book that they had written and illustrated. It was so cute. Way more then I expected from a class of 5 and 6 year olds. In the little play, Price was the little boy in the "Gingerbread Man" and he did a wonderful job!

Then on Friday, Price had his class Christmas Party. I took Owen with me and it warmed my heart to see how excited Price was to have Owen there. He shared his craft with him, and included him in their sing-a-long and dance party and also got him to sit in his lap during their movie time. It was the sweetest thing.

Then we had the Josh's family Christmas on Saturday night and you'll never guess who showed up........That's right, SANTA, himself!!! Their Aunt Jessica knows him personally and asked him to stop by. The boys loved sitting in his lap and wouldn't leave him alone.

Meme and Grandpa even got in on the Santa action!!

This is our first day out of school and we have enjoyed it by sleeping in (at least I have) and we went to see the Chipmunk Movie with some of our best friends. We have lots of fun stuff planned for our break but mostly we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I hope that I can make sure that with all the fun things going on, the most imporant reason we celebrate is to remember HIM!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of celebrating with your family and friends as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

It's A GIRL!

2011-12-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

I'm sure most of you already know this, but IT'S A GIRL!!!

It took me a little longer to find out the sex this time because I was scared to get too attached, but you can imagine my excitment when I found out I would be adding a little pink to my life!

If you know me well at all, you know I have had pink dreams for a while......but obviously, I wanted a healthy baby first and foremost.

I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for this precious little one. The Lord is sooooo good to me. I feel more blessed then I deserve. I have prayed for this baby for a very long time and still have 16 weeks to go, so now I'm praying that everything continues to be healthy. I feel confident that the Lord is watching over us.

We have decided her name will be Carolyn Ann.
She will be named after my grandmother (Carolyn) and my mother (Ann). Two of the most wonderful women in my life. My grandmother passed away when I was pregnant with Owen and I know she would be so proud to have this sweet little baby named after her. She was the most Godly, kind hearted, giving, loving woman that I have ever known, and I can only pray that my Carolyn will be like her.
So, prayers still appreciated and more updates to come. Thanks for all who have continuously prayed for us on this journey.

Drs Visit Update

2011-11-16T21:10:00.000-05:00

Apparently I'm not doing my job updating my blog as I should! I didn't realize how many people read it! :) Well, I went to the doctor on Tuesday and the baby looks healthy. No signs of anything wrong at all.
I did not find out the sex of the baby, YET. But I will. I just guess I'm afraid to get too attached right now. I go back on December 1st and I'm almost positive I will find out then.
We close on our house on November 30th so I should have plently to do to keep my mind off overthinking things. I am so appreciative for each of your prayers. Keep them coming! I'm half way there!!!

Refiners Fire

2011-11-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

On Sunday at church, a sweet friend asked me how I was doing. I told her that so far, I was good but it was hard to feel confident in anything right now.
She proceeded to tell me that in her Sunday School class, they were talking about how God refines us to make us pure by turning up the temperature. And without struggles we wouldn't be who God wanted us to be. Just like precious metal has to be refined to make it pure, my heart needs refining to make it pure as well.
Although I have known this concept, I don't think I had ever thought of it as it applied to me....

It made me realize that the Lord is helping me! I have faults! Some of them are too deep, too embedded or even too painful to change myself. I know. I have tried. I struggle with and am aware of many of them. I just can't change them no matter how hard I try. But guess who can? And He is! Once I thought about it, I felt a sense of peace. I have changed. My heart might not be exactly where it needs to be, but its getting there. I'm getting better.
And in that, I know that no matter what lies ahead, I know its for my own good and to draw me nearer to Him! To make me who HE wants me to be, not who I desire to be.
So with that, I vow not to worry any more. Life is too short and there is too much to be grateful for.

I have always loved it when our choir sang "Refiners Fire" but now I have a new appreciation for it.

"Purify my heart

Let me be as gold and precious silver

Purify my heart

Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner's fire

My heart's one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You, Lord

I choose to be holy

Set apart for You, my Master

Ready to do Your will

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from my sin

Deep within"

Thank you, Lord, that my struggles aren't in vain!

Thankful!

2011-11-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

It's NOVEMBER! Can you believe it?
Time is flying by and we are excited about all that is in store for us this month.

First, the baby is doing good. I have had an ultrasound every 2 weeks since I was 8 weeks and everything has looked great every time. I'm trying hard to stay positive and not worry. I go back on the 15th and I will be 19 weeks then. I haven't found out the sex yet because the thought of getting too attached scares me but, maybe on the 15th I will be able to handle it. We shall see...... (Yes, I will keep you informed!)

And this month we will finally move into our new house. We have been told we could close before Thanksgiving but haven't actually been given a date. I am excited and anxious about getting everything ready for Christmas but hopefully my friends will come and unpack a box or two! (Hint, Hint!! :))

And THANKSGIVING! There is so much to be Thankful for. My Lord and Savior who keeps Blessing me beyond my wildest dreams (and way beyond what I deserve)! My WONDERFUL family! My Church Family! My fabulous Friends! I am so blessed and I couldn't imagine my life any different. I am sure each of you feel the same way I do!

I also know that there are many out there dealing with sorrow of some sort, but I know that the Lord has a plan regarding all situations and although we don't understand it, I am certain there is a reason. I hope that we can see the good over the bad, even when it's hard. Just "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5) Does anyone have the "Hide them in your Heart" CD? If so, you just sang that song while reading it and now it's stuck in your head. YOUR WELCOME!!

And, no post is complete without a picture of my adorable children, right?!? So here you go.....

Fun at the State Fair!

Thor & Green Lantern at the Fall Festival!

Preschool Choir singing at Festival.

I hope everyone had a Fabulous Halloween!!

Happy Fall!!

2011-10-18T17:01:00.001-04:00

Price had a few days off from school last week and we decided to go to Cease Farms with some of our friends. It was a great time and the boys had so much fun......especially on the slide. I practically had to drag them from that place. There is so much to do. I highly recommend a visit if you get a chance.

Then today I got to go to the Fair with Price on his VERY FIRST FIELD MGES Field Trip! I am so thankful to be able to share in such special moments with my children and Price was so excited to have me with him.

Everyone got to see all the animals and then they had several demonstrations and shows for the kindergartners. They even got to see the pigs get a bath. I think everyone had a great time and we are looking forward to going with our family on Thursday!

Calling all Prayer Warriors!

2011-10-12T23:29:00.000-04:00

Yes, I once again need your prayers!
We are expecting a sweet bundle of joy! Its been hard to tell people because as many of you know, the last 4 pregnancies haven't turned out as hoped and the last one was definitely very hard on me. I am ~~asking~~ BEGGING for your prayers, because I believe in the power of prayer. I don't know why I have such a desire for another child, but I do..... and I have to believe there is a reason for this. I know the Lord has a great plan for our family and I am excited and anxious to find out what it is. I just hope it includes this precious little one.
Please pray for our family. Everyday that passes gets harder instead of easier and until I can hold this sweet little one in my hands, I'm pretty sure its not going to get any easier.
I am currently 14 weeks along. Two of my miscarriages have been at 16 weeks and 18 weeks so this is a critical time. Josh and I are so blessed with such great friends and family and I know I can count on you all to be praying for us during this time. I thank the Lord for each of you!!!

Obessed.

2011-10-02T23:40:00.001-04:00

Wondering why I don't update my blog? Well, it's because I'm too busy spending my internet time HERE!

I'm obsessed. At first it was for decorating ideas for our new house. Then it turned into cooking. Then holiday ideas, photography, organizing and sewing. Then I began looking at friends posts and now it's for all of the above!

I love getting ideas! Currently working on my master bedroom even though Josh has put me on spending restriction. But a girl can dream, huh!?!

Just in case you need something to waste your time doing, just know I highly recommend.

New Beginnings

2011-09-12T18:06:00.000-04:00

We have been a busy bunch since my last post.

First, Price started Kindergarden! He is at Meadow Glen Elementary and LOVING IT. His teacher, Mrs. Catone, is fabulous and he has learned so much since the beginning of school already. I was so sad to drop him off on his first day. It was an adjustment to have him gone all day long, but it was much harder for me then it was for him. He adjusted very well and enjoys going to school each day. I am so proud of my little man. I can't believe how grown up he is. Today I went and ate lunch with him at school and he was so excited. He loved showing me all his new friends and telling me all about the rules. He is too funny.

Next, we moved out of our house. We are currently staying with my in-laws until our house is ready. They are so sweet to let us stay here because I know we aren't an easy bunch to live with. There is never a dull moment.......Our builder said the latest we could move in would be mid-November but it looks like it could be ours a little earlier. I am so excited about our new house and ready to get in and settled ....but I am patiently waiting. :)

Then Owen started 3 year old Kindergarden. He has Mrs.Dunlap & Mrs. Boyd who were Prices teachers when he was this age so we already knew how awesome they were. He has lots of friends from church in his class and is loving it. He also started speech at Meadow Glen and he loves it there as well. He is excited when he gets to go to "Price's school"!

And Price started his 4th season of soccer and had his first game this past Sunday. His coach is the best he has had and he has already learned so much this season. I hope he continues to be enthusiastic about his sports! :)

If you were wearing this color, you wouldnt be smiling about it either.

(And really, this picture doesn't even do this color justice!:))

We have a lot going on around here, but we are excited about all of it.
Thanks to all who helped us during our move, and for those of you who prayed!
We are really blessed with the most terrific of friends and fam!

We're Moving!!

2011-08-06T07:45:00.000-04:00

We finally sold our house!!! Although I am ELATED, a part of me will miss this place. This is the first house Josh & I bought. We came home from our honeymoon to this house. We brought our babies home to this house. We have a lot of memories in this house.
I know our new house will not have the nostalgia this one holds.
But I am certain there are new memories to be made. New adventures to be had. And I am excited for all that the future holds for our family.

One Whole Hand!

2011-08-06T07:26:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday my big boy turned 5 YEARS OLD! (I know, I know....Hard to believe I have a 5 year old, right? :))
I remember the excitement and unknown when he was born. I remember how scared I was to love something soooo much. I remember anxiously awaiting his arrival, when he decided to come 2 weeks LATE (In JULY, I might add)!!!
He is the one who made me a mommy. He is the one I am learning with. He is the one I get to share my "Firsts" with. He is my heart. I love this sweet, precious little boy more then words can describe. The Lord has been good to me, for sure!

My Sweet P only gets better with age.

Worry....

2011-07-27T15:41:00.000-04:00

I am a born worrier.
I wish I wasn't.
I know as a Christian, I'm not suppose to worry. I'm suppose to give it to the Lord & PRAY. But, The Lord knows he created a worrier, and so I just hope he understands that this is hard for me.
Some worries are big.......some small.
I am currently in a "worry state of mind".
I also want God's will to be done in all of this, and not my own. Sometimes its hard to determine the difference.
I know I ask for prayer constantly, but....
Please Pray.

O Update!

2011-07-18T19:48:00.003-04:00

We finally had Owen's Immunologist Appointment this morning and the doctor said that although what Owen has is very rare, he doesn't think it will cause him any serious problems. He did feel like it helped cause the hearing loss he already has, but he said his IgA levels are coming up and he thinks they will increase with his age. He said his IgM levels will probably always be very low but as long as we take proper precautions, he should be okay.
I have been praying for good news and what a Blessing! I feel so much relief. I am thankful for the wonderful friends who prayed constantly for my precious little O during this time. I am greatful for you all.

Birthday Boys!

2011-07-18T19:19:00.005-04:00

P&O had a FABULOUS bday party this year! It was easy to choose a theme since they both think they are little boys by day, Superheros by night!

All of our closest friends were there to share in their special day. We are definitly blessed with so many great friends and a wonderful family to share such special moments with.
Super Sarah Dippity came to the party and did face painting and a magic show, which the kids loved. She definitly made the party. I also gave out Superhero Capes as the party favor which seemed to be a big hit as well. I don't think things could have gone any better. It was a wonderful day and I'm so glad I only have to do this once a year! :)

I cannot believe my babies are 5 and 3. Time sure does fly......especially when your having fun!

O's 3 & Cute as can be!

2011-07-05T20:57:00.004-04:00

Three years ago today, I gave birth to one of the most precious little boys on earth! Owen is one of the most loving, affectionate little boys I know and I am so very blessed that God chose ME to be his Mommy!

7/5/2008

7/5/2011

I thank the Lord everyday for this precious little boy! I am sad my baby is growing up so fast but I look forward to the little man he is becoming.

Beachin it!

2011-06-21T22:05:00.004-04:00

We just got back from our family beach week and it was the best beach trip yet. The boys are at the perfect age to enjoy the beach......and for Josh and I to enjoy a little relaxing as well.
It was just Josh and I with the boys the first part of the week and we enjoyed spending some quality family time together.
We ate dinner with one of my college besties, Amanda, and her family on Sunday then went to play at their house. I'm sad to say we did not take one single picture.....
We also spent a day on the beach with Josh's best friend and his family....again....no pictures. I got better towards the end of the week! :)

On Tuesday night the Mitchells joined us the rest of our vacay and we had a blast. The kids enjoyed playing on the beach and making sand castles, flying kites and swimming in the pool. We also took a trip to broadway and then of course to Kirks Ice Cream....my fav.

It was a great week and we are already looking forward to going back with Josh's family over Labor Day weekend.

School's OUT

2011-06-02T16:25:00.011-04:00

Schools Out for SUMMER! And for Price, (Pre)Schools Out FOREVER!

Yeah, Yeah.....we all have Alice Cooper playing in our heads this time of the year.....

This was a very bittersweet time. Price finished his very last year of preschool at Lexington Baptist. He has had such wonderful teachers and this year was the best yet. Everyone at the school knew his name and greeted him each morning walking in......it's hard to imagine that he will be lost in the big crowd at public school next year. Not only has Price met some wonderful friends at Lexington Baptist, but so have I. I never imagined I'd meet so many great mommy friends at preschool and I will be sad not to see them every week. It's an adjustment for me, as well.....

Price is still unsure about BIG school. He thinks it's like getting to go to Lunch Bunch everyday.... He can't seem to understand that all his preschool friends won't be with him like they are now. I've tried to tell him that he will meet new friends but he just says that he will still see his old friends on the playground. Hopefully he won't be too dissapointed when he realizes I'm right....

Price is the one I get to experience all of the very firsts with. Thinking of his lasts are what makes me so sad. I know I have mentioned Karen Kingsburys book, "Let Me Hold you Longer" , but every time I read it to Price I tear up. He doesn't understand how special these times are yet, but I know one day he'll know exactly why I shed these tears.....

"Long ago you came to me,
a miracle of firsts;
First smiles and teeth and baby steps,
a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away
and leave me to your past,
And I will be left thinking of
a lifetime of your lasts....."

It's a special time for Owen as well. He just finished his first year at Lexington Baptist and he loved his teachers. They have been wonderful with Owen. He's a smidge needy.......not sure who he gets that from...... :) He has learned so much from his teachers this year and I am so thankful to have such wonderful, Godly women to be a part of my childrens' lives.

I can't imagine how I'm gonna feel when Owen is in big school too.

I took pictures of the boys on the first day of school and the last day. It's funny how much they have changed in such a short amount of time.

O's 1st day w/ Mrs. Woods & Mrs. Rush

O's Last Day! (Not sure where his smile was......maybe he was sad, too!)

P's 1st day w/ Mrs. Lambrecht & Mrs. Whittle

P's Last Day! (Ms. Whittle had carpool duty so she is missing.)

We celebrated the end of the year with our preschool friends at Corley Street Park. It was a great way to end the year!

We have so many fun things planned for this summer and I'm looking forward to cherishing every moment I have with them while I still can.

O update!

2011-05-22T17:36:00.004-04:00

Well, I always postpone an O update because I feel like all I really do is wait for answers, but I have had several good friends asking about him (and reminding me that I don't update my blogspot) so I'll inform you of what I know so far.

I was very persistent with trying to find a cause for all of Owens ear infections and hearing loss, and also the constant runny nose and yucky eyes. I thought for sure that he had some sort of allergy but all the tests came back negative. Still feeling that there had to be something more to all this, his allergist did some blood work to check his immune system. Dr. Coleman told me it would be very rare for it to come back abnormal, and as you know......Owen likes to be in the less then 1% category on all random things so of course, it comes back abnormal.

Apparently everyone has 5 Immunoglobulins. Two of his are very low.
His immunoglobulin M (aka IgM), which is your bodies first form of defense and largest antibody, is so low its undetectable.
His Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is also very low, and those are the antibodies that are found in the nose, breathing passages, digestive tract, ears and eyes.

Obviously this is not a good combination. There are apparently only 3 things that can cause a low IgM. They are multiple myeloma, leukemia, and auto-immune diseases.

We gave him a vaccine to see if we could build back up his antibodies and we are going to have bloodwork done on June 9th to see if that happened, and also test him for cancer proteins to make sure it isn't some type of cancer.

Since I have some sort of autoimmune issue going on, we are all assuming that is what it is. If that is the case, he will have to go to Duke to see an Immunologist to try to figure out what is going on. The good news is that he has probably had this for a while and he hasn't caught anything serious yet. We are just trying to be very precautious and keep his hands washed and away from the sickly.

In all of this, I know the Lord is leading us to an answer for Owen and hopefully it isn't anything too serious. I do ask that you continue to pray for little O while we wait on answers. I am doing my best to be patient and not to worry until I have a reason to, but those of you who know me, know that is very difficult.

I will update once the blood work comes back. Thanks in advance for your prayers.

Brotherly Banter

2011-04-29T17:19:00.002-04:00

In hopes to speed the car loading process, I have been telling the boys to race and see who can get in their carseat and buckle up first.
Today they run to the car, rush in and, of course, Price wins. (In O's defense he has way more buckles to handle)
So,Price screams "I WIN!!" And then Owen screams "I WIN!!" to which Price says "You didn't win, your the Loser!" I said "No, Price, Owen just wins second!" to which he replies, "Owen, winning second means your the first loser!"

Price is his Fathers child!

Our Easter

2011-04-29T16:02:00.008-04:00

We had a GREAT time celebrating Easter! Price and Owen are now master Easter Egg Hunters!

Our first celebrations were at thier preschool parties. It's hard for me because both of their parties were on the same day but I tried to spend a little time in each classroom. I think they had a great time.

Then my wonderful friend, Traci, always throws a fabulous Easter Egg Hunt and she knows the Easter Bunny personally, so he always drops by to visit with the kids. Price & Owen absolutly LOVED the Egg Hunt. THANKS TRACI!

Then Jackson Family had an Easter Egg Hunt but it was raining so it ended up being done in the gym. They definitly had a great time finding all the goodies and spending time with their cousins, aunts, uncles, grands and great-grands.

Then it was time for the Easter Bunny to come and visit us and he left some GOODIES!! Afterwards we went to Church to celebrate the real meaning of Easter, JESUS CHRIST!!

After Church we went to the zoo for their Easter Brunch. That has become our Easter Tradition with Gigi and Papaw and it's always WONDERFUL! I got to snap a few cute shots of them while I was there too!

Price had been counting down the days till Easter. Everyday he would ask me "How many more days until Easter, Mom?"
Now our next big adventure is when we go to the beach for a week in June! The countdown has already begun!

Guess who's POTTY TRAINED?

2011-04-29T15:46:00.002-04:00

THIS GUY!!!
`

MY ONE & ONLY!!

2011-04-23T20:14:00.004-04:00

Six wonderful years ago, TODAY, I married the greatest man I know!! It's amazing that he is the one I ended up with because we are almost different in every. single. way!

I spend money - he saves.

I love to go out - he loves to stay at home.

He's always early - I like to be fashionably late.

I love crowds - he doesn't!

He's responsible - I'm less responsible :)

He's smart - I'm fun.

(I'm smart and he's fun too, it's just that I'm less smart then him and he's less fun then me.......although I'm not sure he'd agree on that last one!)

He's high strung - and I'm easy going!

(Actually that one is questionable - there are times when I'm the high strung one and he's easy going! Thank Goodness we usually aren't high strung at the same time!)

All those things are what makes us so special! We blend well together.

He takes care of me and I love that about him. I need to be taken care of.

I know the Lord put us together because he is just what I needed. And I believe I am just what he needed as well.

Happy Anny to my ONE & ONLY!

I love you, Joshua Eugene Jackson!!!

Batter up!!

2011-03-21T21:26:00.007-04:00

We had a day full of Baseball last Saturday!! It was Price's 1st Dixie Youth Baseball game and we went to his 2nd USC Baseball game!

Price did great at his game! They played 2 innings and he got a good hit in. I am proud at how hard he is trying. He doesn't have to BE the best but I do expect him to DO his best!

He is really into baseball right now and I love that he wants to be like his daddy!

Price and Owen also had a fabulous time at the USC game. We had great seats and they got to watch all the players warm up. Price even got his program signed by Adam Matthews.

P&O with the Championship Trophy

Getting an autograph

Prayer before the game! I love this picture.

O watching the game

Price watching the warm up

Grrrr

Price thowing out his superhero sign!

And P even got to meet Sir Big Spur!

A great day at the Ballpark, for sure!

Why?

2011-03-07T22:39:00.005-05:00

Price has asked WHY for a lot of things. Normally I say "just because" if I don't know the answer......

But today was different...

Price has been having bad dreams lately.
He says he dreams of strangers taking him away.

I have told him that God is always with him. I have told him to pray about it and ask the Lord for comfort. I have told him that God will take away his Fears.

He knows every word to the Veggie Tales song "God is Bigger" (then the Boogie Man, he's bigger then Godzilla or the Monsters on TV. God is bigger then the Boogie Man and he's watching over you and me!..... just in case you weren't familiar.....)

But still.....he's scared!

Every night when he starts to get scared, we pray, ALWAYS asking God to take away Prices bad dreams and bring him comfort through the night.

But still......he has bad dreams.

When I told him to pray about it again, he said "God NEVER takes my bad dreams away so why should I pray?"

I stopped a moment and thought about it........ but I'm not sure how to answer his question. I'm not prepared. I'm unsure myself.

I, personally, have so many "Whys?" to ask the Lord.......a lot of unanswered prayers.

But it's all about faith! Right?

But I don't know how to teach a 4 year old about faith and trust. Especially when I struggle with my own sometimes.

But a very special friend taught me that my Faith in the Lord can't be circumstantial. That I must have the same FAITH thru the good and bad and TRUST that the Lord is in control and has a reason for the "Whys" of our life.

Struggling makes us stronger, and I know that the ups and downs of our life is all in His plan, so I will teach Price to trust that there is a reason for unanswered prayers. Maybe these dreams will make him stronger, braver, more careful around strangers....... I'm not sure. But I know there is a reason, and Trusting in the Lord will be my answer.

Update on O

2011-02-28T15:54:00.001-05:00

Just left MUSC and Dr. Meyer said that his MRI was clear except for inflamation on his right side. There could be several reasons for the inflamation but nothing major, just something to watch. Thank you for all your prayers. I am so releived!
The speech therapist @ MUSC also evaluated him today and they said he is so far ahead with speech that they would not recommend it for him. Yay! Praise the Lord!

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Let the Memories Begin!

2011-02-25T10:35:00.011-05:00

To say our Disney Trip was fabulous is an understatement! It was definitely one of the best vacations I have ever been on. The boys had a wonderful time! (as did the adults!)

We went to all 4 parks and Sea World so it was a busy week. We all got lots of exercise, for sure!

I was amazed at Price riding everything. He wasn't scared a bit! He did Space Mountain first, then the t-rex ride, Expedition Everest......and every other one he could hit up. His favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride @ Hollywood Studios. I must say, it was very impressive!

I think Owens favorite thing might have been the street party at the magic kingdom. He got to dance with Lucious and Mr. Incredible.

The boys LOVED meeting the characters, except the ones who looked like regular people......like the princesses. I had to pull Owen away from most of them.

Owen refused to remove his superhero cape which actually turned out to be quite handy. The characters kept coming up to him during the parades to give him a high five and thumbs up and pointing to his cape.

Price ended up getting strep the end of the week but thank goodness it was at the end and not the beginning.

We started our trip by eating dinner at Chef Mickeys, which is the best way to get pictures and autographs, by far!
Then we went to Cinderellas Head Table for Breakfast with the Princesses! (Yes, I made the boys endure this, but it was very good!)

The only things that I really wanted to do that we didn't make it to was the Electric Parade and Fantasmic. We will have to catch those next time.

I can definitely say that Disney is the Most Magical Place on Earth!

And we stayed at the Jambo House Villas @ Animal Kingdom, which I highly recommend. It was beautiful and we had a Savannah view. The boys loved going on our balcony and watching the zebra, giraffes, wildebeest, gazelle and other animals that were roaming around.

This was a baby giraffe that watched

and this was the view from our room.

Lobby of the Jambo House

This place will be missed!

We would like to thank Gigi & Papaw for the best. vacation. EVER! What a great time!

Update on O

2011-02-05T22:44:00.003-05:00

Josh and I took Owen to MUSC yesterday to meet with Dr. Meyer about Owen's ear. I am thankful that we were sent to Dr. Meyer because I definitely think he is the most knowledgeable, proactive doctor we have dealt with concerning Owen.
Apparently Owen's total hearing loss in his ear is very uncommon and he wants to do his best to find out what happened before deciding how to treat.
They will be doing a MRI on the 21st of Feb to rule out the chance that a tumor may be sitting on his nerve and causing it not to work.
Obviously this causes us great concern but we are trying hard not to worry until there is actually a reason to worry.
I do ask that you please remember Owen in your prayers and please, specifically, pray for a clear MRI.
We will go back for a follow up on the 28th but I am hoping they will notify me of results before then. I will keep everyone updated on the results.
We will be leaving for Disney World on Friday and look forward to spending an exciting week together with the boys and Gigi and Papaw! If I haven't already filled up your prayer list, then please add safe travels to it as well! :)

John 16:33

2011-01-30T16:25:00.004-05:00

"In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the World!"

On Thursday I woke up thinking that it was going to be one of the best days of my life! I was having my final anatomy scan and thought I'd finally be able to tell the world I was having a GIRL! I had already been told on Jan 5th and 12th that I was having a girl. I was so excited, that I really thought it was too good to be true. I actually had trouble believing it, which is why I wanted to wait until Thursday to be able to tell everyone. (Although I did have trouble keeping it a secret, because I was so excited!)
Josh and my mom met me at Dr. Browne's office to be there for the exciting time. When I layed down the sonographer started scanning my ovaries. From previous experience, I had to be the one to ask the question, "Is there a heartbeat?". She immediately scanned over where the heart was and told me "No!"
No? No Heartbeat?!?! Words can't even begin to explain how I felt at that moment. How could one of the best days of my life, turn into one of the worst?
How could I go from being so happy to heartbroken in a matter of seconds?
Most of all, I wondered how the Lord could LET this happen! I have done nothing but thank the Lord every. single. day. for this precious blessing!
My sadness turned to anger. I was too vested in this. I had already picked out a name, I had already bought clothes. Dr. Browne had told me that everything had been looking so great. How that less then 1% had miscarriages after the first trimester......
How could this happen? I'm still asking myself these questions, still wondering what the doctor missed, still wondering why the Lord let this happen.......
But I DO know that the Lord DOES love me. And I DO know he wouldn't give me more then I can handle. And I DO know that I CAN handle this.....although I wish I didn't have to.
I am feeling better everyday. I am still emotional but nothing that I can't get through.....
I have a wonderful husband and two precious boys and they help put a smile on my face everyday.
A smart person wrote me, and told me that grief, brokenness, hope and joy can all occupy the same heart, and I agree!
The words from Kutless' "That's what Faith Can Do" keeps playing thru my mind and I know there is a reason.
I haven't spoken to many people since Thursday, and that's just my way of dealing with things. It really does amaze me at all the wonderful friends who have reached out to me during this time. The emails, calls, texts, cards, flowers, dinners......I am overwhelmed at how loved I feel. Even if I don't respond, know I am very thankful for each of you. I am truly blessed with wonderful friends.

Our Christmas!

2011-01-11T09:55:00.008-05:00

We had a great December but it was pretty busy. Price was in 3, yes 3!, Christmas Programs. Once for preschool, one for church choir and then he was in our Church's annual Christmas Pageant which ran 5 times from Thurs - Sunday. It was a commitment but in the end we all had a great time. It was worth the time and effort and hopefully brought a few people to know the true meaning of Christmas. We appreciate all our friends and family who came to see Price! It meant a lot to him. Everyday he'd ask me who was coming to see him! I guess he likes the attention! :)
I have no pictures of Price in his choir performance b/c mom of the year forgot her camera. He was a donkey and they did their performance to "The Crippled Lamb". It was so sweet.
I didn't get pictures of his pagent performance b/c I helped and was up on stage with him, however, Josh did get it on video, so I'm thankful for that.

I did get pictures of him being in the "Heavenly Choir" for his Preschool performance. (Finally, I come prepared!)

Afterwards, at the cookie reception w/ 2 of his best buds.

P&O with the big man, himself!

O didn't want to get out of Santa's lap!

And we also got together with some friends and made Santa cookies.

I think this crew ate more cookies then they made!

The finished product

Santa Came!

This year Price asked Santa for just under a million things for Christmas. Luckily, he seemed very pleased with what Santa could fit in his sleigh.
Owen was pretty easy because aside from the pink leapster and Dora playset, he just wanted "presents"! (And in case your wondering, he did not get anything Pink or that involved Dora!) :)

Checkin' out the goods!

O loved his Toy Story Imaginext!

Price loved opening gifts. He loves a surprise!

And even though we didn't have a White Christmas, We DID have a White "Day After" Christmas! Thank Goodness we didn't loose power and Josh got to play with the boys in the snow for the FIRST time EVER!

We had a great Christmas!

I even got good news about my Risk Factor Screening. I have a very low risk of Downs Syndrome, any trisomys and my ultrasound looked great!

Today I am 15 weeks so only 25 more weeks to go. Please keep praying! I am going to see the specialist one more time on the 27th and if all goes well, he will release me back to Dr. Smithson. But so far, so good!
Thank you, Lord!!

Christmas Blessings!! (and prayer requests!)

2010-12-13T15:08:00.011-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Wow, I can't believe it has been almost 2 months since my last post. We have been so busy that it's hard to find time to update like I should but I am going to work on making this a priority since it is my only form of scrapbooking for my kiddies. Its so much fun to look back at my old posts and see how much my boys have changed. And let's face it, it's the only way I can remember things these days.

Well, this Christmas we have so much to be Thankful for and the first are these precious BOYS!!!
These photos were taken by my good friend, Micah Bolen.

I was so pleased at how great they turned out!

The next thing we are Thankful for is that on July 5th (Owen's Birthday) we are expecting a new addition! The 3rd and final Baby Jackson of the bunch!

Apparently we only make July babies! :)

We are very excited but also asking for prayers because we have had 3 miscarriages this past year and the doctors aren't sure what exactly is going on but think I have some sort of auto-immune disorder (such as Lupus) and are giving me prednesone to suppress my immune system and progesterone (actually, prometruim.....which apparently is a form of progesterone) to help stabilize the pregnancy. Today I am 12 weeks and go for a risk factor analysis tomorrow so please say a little prayer if you think about it.

Also, I believe in the power of prayer, so I would also like for you to pray for Sweet Owen. We found out he has no hearing in his right ear and are talking to ENT's about getting a Bone Anchor Hearing Aid (BAHA) put in. This is hard for us on so many levels but ultimately we want to do what is in the best interest of Owen. We are being referred to a new ENT who specializes in these and then I think we will go for a second opinion at MUSC just to make sure this is the right thing for Owens needs. We are also being accessed by Baby Net for Speech Therapy but so far I think he speaks very well for his age.

Ultimately, I want, for our family as a whole, whatever the Lord has in store for us. I pray that he guides us in what direction he wants us to go and I pray that we hear him when he calls. I also want to feel comfortable and confident in his decision for our lives. In fact, I want that for everyone I know... So many are struggling, but I hope that they are secure in the fact that the Lord is in control. That is my Biggest Christmas wish!

I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year!

Beach and School

2010-09-23T21:12:00.005-04:00

I used to be good at Blog updating but I think I had more time in those days.... Hmmmm.....

We went to the beach with Josh's fam the last week of August and had a great time. We got the sweetest pics of the kiddos that I wanted to post. The only one missing was Hunter.

We were sad to see the summer end but excited for another year of Preschool. I was really sad this year because it's Price's last year at Preschool and Owen's first so it was bittersweet. They did really great and I love their teachers.....and so do they!!

I'm enjoying every moment because next year Price will be in 5k ALL DAY LONG, 5 days a week. I am not ready for this......why do they grow up so fast!?!

Summer Lovin'

2010-08-09T23:16:00.002-04:00

Yep, It's SUMMER and I LOVE these boys!
I got a new Camera for my 30th Bday and so I took the boys to the beach for a little photo session! I think they turned out pretty good. I just need to learn more about my camera functions and then maybe a little photoshop wouldn't hurt either! :)
Side Note: I just realized Picasa is croping the posted pictures but if you click on them it will show you the entire picture. Not sure how to fix that at the moment.

Let's go Fly a Kite!!

2010-07-27T21:30:00.002-04:00

In June we always take a family trip to the beach to stay at our timeshare. It's nice to get to spend some quality family time with just us and the boys. We don't get that often.

Price got a kite for Easter and couldn't wait to try it out so off to the beach we went....

From June 2010

It isn't as easy as it looks.

From June 2010

Finally, Daddy got it up!

From June 2010

He was so proud of his Spiderman Kite!

From June 2010

Owen even got to hold it for a bit!

From June 2010

This was my best attempt to get the kite and the boys in a photo.

From June 2010

Such cuties!! Need I say more?

May

2010-06-14T23:13:00.007-04:00

May was a busy month! It was the end of school and beginning of Summer so we had a lot of special activities.

First we spend Mother's Day weekend with my mom @ the Poultry Festival. It's become our Mother's Day Tradition. Josh had a wedding to attend so it was just me and the boys w/ Gigi and Papaw. We did have a few friends come and join us.

O relaxing on the porch

P playing his first carnival game! He won a blow up sword which he used to hit bypassers while walking thru the festival. Needless to say, that didn't last long.....Not sure how that hole got there!! :)

My 2 favorite boys swinging together

Watching the parade

Having a picnic lunch with good friends! What a great weekend!!

I also took Price on a date! I get a lot of one-on-one time with Owen but not with Price, so one Sunday, while Daddy was with Owen, Price and I went to the zoo! My mom got us an explorer membership and we wanted to check out all the neat things we got to do.

First we went to the 3D Sea Turtle Movie

Then, off to feed the Lorikeets

Of Course, the Carousel

And the Train

Then he got to enjoy some "Camoflauge" ice-cream!

He also wanted to ride the Tram which allowed me some Garden Pics

It was nice to have that special date w/ my sweet little man!

Then Price's Preschool had a Mother's Day Brunch for all the Mommies!

It was very special and I had a great time. The teachers even served us! What a treat!

My next post should be about his Church Choir Musical but because I got a new Camera right before his musical, and I didn't know how to use it, I accidently deleted all of those precious pictures! But he did great in his "Praise Parade"!

And finally, his end of the year program at Preschool

Singing....kind of.....

Price with his best girls!

His teachers!

Price w/ his best little buddy, Tucker!

We sure are going to miss Mrs. Boyd & Mrs. Dunlap but look forward to our new teachers next year!

Strawberries!

2010-05-05T16:02:00.004-04:00

In the beginning of May we went Strawberry picking. It was Owen's first time getting to pick strawberries and but I think he liked eating his strawberries more then picking them. Price did a great job, although several of his strawberries were unedibleout!

Leaving Sease Farm! We were officially strawberried out!

Once we finished at Sease Farms, we headed on over to the Farmer's Shed. If you haven't eaten there, you should. They have the best butter beans I've ever put in my mouth. Even the boys ate all their veggies. A great way to end the day!

April

2010-04-28T15:42:00.013-04:00

In order to be a better blogger, I am trying to at least update monthly. We'll see.....

Okay, I'll start with SOCCER!!

Price just finished his 2nd soccer season and he did GREAT! I was very proud of him. He learned a lot of skill and even got "The Best Ball Handler" Award at his soccer party. His coaches were great and prayed before and after each game. We just signed him up for T-ball this summer but I'm hoping that we'll be able to play soccer again in the fall.

Anniversary

Next, Josh and I just celebrated 5 WONDERFUL years of marriage. Who knew that in 5 years we would have two beautiful children. I am so proud of us! Josh and I are definitely made for each other. We are very different in many ways, but like Paula Abdul and Kool Kat say, "Opposites Attract"! (Now THAT is showing my age!)

To Celebrate, we spent the weekend at a B&B in downtown Charleston and even got to visit some good friends in Charleston while we were there.

CUBBIES

When we returned from Charleston, Price had his Cubbie Awards at Church. This is his second year in the AWANAS program and Price learned over 30 bible verses this year in Cubbies. We practiced them every night before he went to sleep and I was amazed at how easily he learned them. I hope he always carries God word in his heart.

OWEN

Although Owen isn't involved in a much as Price, he is still a busy little boy. He wants to be just like Price and mostly that just annoys his Big Bro. He repeats what P says and LOVES playing with him. Price and Owen actually get along great most of the time. Owen has a very giving heart. When Price is upset about Owen having something he wants, Owen just gives it to him. That is why they mostly get along! :) He is also starting to hit the terrible twos and when he doesn't get his way, it sometimes causes a nice little fit. He's still way more mellow then Price ever dreamed of being. It's amazing how different two children from the same parents can be.

GYM

And LAST but not LEAST the GYM! I joined one! Golds, to be exact! I have been tired of the horizontal growing I have been doing and I must say that joining the gym is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I joined over a month ago and have gone at least 3 times, but mostly 4 times, a week. I take Zumba 3 times a week and go once for cardio and weights. If you haven't done Zumba, you should definitely try it. It's the most fun I've ever had exercising in my life. Reminds me of going out in College, minus the Happy Hour beforehand! :) Come join me, if your feeling up to it! And Sorry, NO pictures to follow this one up! :)

I think that's all for now. Hope everyone is doing great. When I don't update, I also don' t read blogs so I'll try to better on that as well.

Easter Update

2010-04-14T15:26:00.006-04:00

Apparently I'm the worst Blogger in the world b/c I can't seem to find time to update these days. Forgive me....

We had a pretty good pre-Easter but a not-so-good Easter.
We first had our Church Easter Egg Hunt the weekend before Easter and got to see the Easter Bunny. Price had a great Easter Party and Egg hunt at his preschool. Then the friday before my friend, Traci, put on a big Easter Egg hunt and also invited the Easter Bunny to come and visit.

The boys were so excited about hunting eggs and did a great job!

The Saturday morning before Easter, Josh started throwing up and Owen had a 102 fever. Luckily it only lasted 24 hours but we didn't get to go to Easter Services, which was a big dissapointment, or go to our yearly Easter trip to the zoo with my mom and stepdad.

I am very thankful Price and I never got sick. Hopefully the summer brings less sickness!

I hope everyone else had a Happy Easter!

Bribery

2010-03-07T21:38:00.005-05:00

Today Price sang in the preschool choir at church. I was worried he wouldn't sing (like last time) so I told him before church that if he sang pretty, he could have whatever he wanted for lunch!
His request: Donuts and French Fries! Lunch of Champions!! :)

Edventure & Bday Parties

2010-03-02T20:09:00.005-05:00

I took Owen & Price to Edventure last Friday with some friends. It was Owen's first time going and he absolutly loved it. The Fire Truck was his favorite!!

Price & Brice on the Fire Truck

O driving the Fire Truck
(I had to pry him out of that seat!)

Driving the VW. The boy likes to drive!

A rare picture of P&O together! :)

Pushing their buggys (would that be buggies or buggys? Oh, who cares....)

Apparently O thought we needed some clothes detergent!

On Saturday we had birthday parties to attend. Owen's friend, Manning, turned 2! She had the Columbia Marionette Theater come and preform a puppet show. Owen loved it. I was amazed at how attentive he was. I didn't get great pictures at this party but here are a few of what I got.

The Bday Girl blowing out her candles!

Price's friend, McKenzie, and her sister, Madison, had a double birthday party with Sarah Dippity. If you've never been to a party with her, your missing out. She does face painting and a magic show and really knows how to keep the kids attention. Everyone at the party had a great time. I tried to get Price to get a baseball painted on his face but he insisted he wanted a dragon.....so a dragon he got! He cried during bath time when I had to wash it off. (Most of it was already smeared off by that point but I couldn't bear to tell him!)

Price & McKenzie

P's Dragon

Magic show with the bday girls

These are my favorite kind of weekends!! :)

Owen's BFF

2010-02-18T23:48:00.004-05:00

I caught O putting a puzzle together with Sophie the other day. O loves Sophie!! He carries her around the house all the time, much to her dismay! I guess the fact that he shares all his food with her is worth all the torture he brings! Poor Sophie Dog!

Circus McGurkus

2010-02-06T22:51:00.003-05:00

Today we took Price to the circus for the very first time. He LOVED it. I think it was hard for him to see all that was going on so he was wide eyed in amazment the entire time looking back and forth trying to see everything.

We have been reading "If I ran the Circus" by Dr. Seuss so he has kept calling it the "Circus McGurkus" and kept saying he wanted pink lemonade and asked if Mr. Sneedlock was going to be there! :) Funny little boy! I'm sure he was surprised that the book was nothing like the real thing.

I think we all enjoyed "The Greatest Show on Earth!"

2 Thessalonians 3:3

2010-01-22T21:32:00.002-05:00

"The Lord is faithful. He will make you stong and gaurd you!" ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:3

That was in Price's Devotional Bible reading for tonight. I guess those arn't always just for the kids, they are for the parents as well! :) Just what I needed, right when I needed it!

Updating, finally....

2010-01-20T21:02:00.004-05:00

I used to be good at this blogging stuff but now that I enjoy sewing, it's making it harder to find time to update. Sooooooooooo, this will be semi-short and sweet.

Our house is on the market. Not one single person has come to look at it.....but I'm patiently waiting. Ideally, I'd like to move to this side Lexington, but we'll see!!!

P & O are doing great! O can talk so much now. His favorite things to say are "I want juice" and "I want Buzz" (as in Buzz Lightyear - he stole that line from his big bro!)
Since my MIL helps me out with the boys whenever I need help, O is also saying a nice Silverjax cheer...but Sorry, Deb! Don't get any ideas! :)

We also took O's paci away except at nap and night. So far, So good. Not looking forward to taking it away altogether. He might be in grade school before that happens. (JK!)

P got his progress report from school and I'm very proud to say he got ALL check marks, including a note at the bottom that said, and I quote:
"Price is a VERY smart little boy and one of our best singers in group time."
Never thought I could feel so proud. What an improvement from his behavior issues from last year. We've come a long way.

Our bible study group has just started back and we're doing "Effective Parenting in a Defective World" by Chip Ingram. Oh my.....so good! I will try to share some insight on here once we get into it more.

AND I'm thinking about starting the G-Free diet! Anyone have some insight?

That's about it!! Hopefully I'll do better about updating!!

And.........since my boys are so cute.......here's a few pics!!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

2009-12-24T23:58:00.003-05:00

Tonight we went to my Mom's house and spent Christmas Eve with Gigi and Papaw. Price's favorite thing about their house is their train that goes around their tree. He had so much fun playing with the train with Papaw.

Then we had to get back home to get ready for Santa. Price and I made cookies for Santa. I'm no cookie artist, but I thought Price's was really good for a 3 year old. The only help he had was with the sprinkles and a little help with the lips....otherwise, he did it all on his own. Santa is going to be proud!

The cookie I decorated for Owen

Price's Cookie
(Pretty good, huh?!?)

We even left Santa Chocolate Milk cause we know it's his fav!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a GOODNIGHT!!

Meet JuJu!

2009-12-24T23:53:00.003-05:00

This is JuJu. Our Elf on the Shelf. We have had a lot of fun looking for him each morning and I have enjoyed listening to Price talking to him occasionally. Tonight is his last night with us until next year. I'm not sure who's going to miss him more......me or Price......

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2009-12-21T21:31:00.005-05:00

My friend, Traci, personally knows Santa Claus and invited him over for cookies the other day, along with a few friends. P & O both were excited to see Santa and crawled right up in his lap. I was so glad that neither of them cried. I'm sure it helped a little that he was handing out a few presents....

Santa reading "The Night Before Christmas" to everyone.

Not a Creature was sturring....

Owen & Santa

Santa Love

Santa said they were very good this year!

Price crawled right up in his lap w/o me even asking.

Opening presents...

and showing them off!!!

Santa even let us take a little picture with him......so sweet!

Merry Christmas!!

Hope Santa's good to each of you!

Thankful!

2009-12-06T22:21:00.004-05:00

This Thanksgiving I had so much to be thankful for!

My husband! We are a TEAM! He takes care of me and makes me feel so secure!. I know with him I can get through anything. I depend on him for EVERYTHING. He is the most responsible man I know (Just like my grandfather!). He always knows what to do and I never have to worry with him by my side. He's a great dad and his only fault would be working too much, but I can't complain too much about that since I do reap the benefits..... I am a LUCKY woman to be married to him, for sure!

My two precious children! My beautiful boys! They are my life line! They make me smile on days when I'm sad. They keep me going when I feel like I can't go anymore. They make me miss the days behind us while still looking forward to the days to come. Motherhood is such an emotional and uplifting journey. I hate leaving them for fear of missing something but I am so very blessed to be able to stay at home with them and watch them grow everyday. I miss very little of their lives and I hope that I am always able to say that. As they go to school and become more independant I will miss the days at home when both are home whining and fighting. I have been praying for patience (I know they say not to do that) but I truly feel that I have gained an appreciation for the small things, even when they aren't so much fun!

My MOM! My mom is my ROCK! She takes care of me in more ways then I could ever explain. She listens to me when I need to be listened to. She supports me no matter what. I don't know what I'd do without her. REALLY! She is a great Gigi and I am glad to have such a close relationship with her.

Our ENTIRE Family! We have such a fabulous support system. They are right where they need to be when we need them. I always know we can count on them regardless of the situation. We are fortunate to live close to Josh's family who helps us at a moments notice. Who loves our our children and are a big part of their lives.

My FRIENDS! There are some old and some new.....What wonderful blessings each of you are! It's amazing how each of you add something special to my life.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my Family. We didn't do much but being at home gave me time to think about all I had to be Thankful for instead of worrying about what time I needed to be where. I missed seeing everyone but I am glad I had such a great family to miss!

I'm an only child and I can admit to being a little selfish at times. There are plenty of times I think of what I WANT way more then what I HAVE. If I never got another thing in life, I'd still be blessed beyond belief.

The Storm

2009-11-25T15:53:00.004-05:00

The lyrics to the Casting Crowns song, "Praise you in this storm" keep going thru my head. I am in the middle of a storm but I know that the Lord is in control and no matter how sad I feel, he knows what is best for my life and I trust him.

On Monday I went to the doctor for my 16 week OB Checkup and they couldn't find a heartbeat. I had to go to Lexington Medical Center for a dnc. I am recovering but I am sad.
My plan didn't work out. The Lord has another plan in store for our family, and for that I am thankful. But it is hard to see the big picture at the moment when my heart is so heavy.

I got to see the baby by ultrasound on Monday and it looked so perfect. Perfect face, perfect arms and legs. Perfect baby. I chose not to find out the sex because that would have made it more real. It was hard enough.

Thank you for everyone who has called, your cards, your flowers, your emails, and most of all your prayers. This Thanksgiving I will spend my energy being THANKFUL for the wonderful family and friends I have.

Soccer Season Ends

2009-11-05T17:57:00.003-05:00

Price's last game was this past Saturday morning. I can't believe how fast his season came to an end. He played in all 9 games and you could definitly see a great improvement by the end of the season. I am already looking forward to next season, and I think Price is as well. I am very proud of my little soccer player. A BIG THANK YOU to all of our friends and family who came out to support Price. We really appreciate it!

Below is video from his very last goal. The footage is thanks to my good friend, Micah! :) (Thanks, Micah!!)

12 Weeks Along

2009-10-30T14:54:00.001-04:00

I went to the doctor yesterday for my 12 week appointment and everything looks great. I asked if he wouldn't do an ultrasound next time because I know I'd be tempted to find out the gender so it will be my 20 week appointment that will be the hardest. I guess we'll see if I can do it then!
Wish me luck ! :)

God, You ARE my Provider!

2009-10-27T14:30:00.002-04:00

This week is stressful for me because I'm a HIGH stresser when there is a lot going on, although I thrive on it at the same time. This week I'm not feeling the greatest, hormonally, and so I guess that has contributed to my high emotions. Yesterday when I picked Price up from Preschool, he started singing:
"God, you are my provider, God you know my needs!"
This is a song learned in preschool choir and we have his preschool choir CD that we listen to often, but we hadn't heard it in a while and for him to sing this and remind me God IS in control was absolutly convicting.

God, You are MY provider! I know your in control! Thank you for your daily reminders!

Preschool Choir

2009-10-11T14:38:00.007-04:00

Ever since Price was a baby, I would tear up when the preschool choir sang in Church because I always thought one day Price would be up there praising the LORD, worshiping him thru his songs... Today was Price's turn. It was so wonderful to see him up there semi singing.....

It didn't go quite as I had imagined in my head, but he did alright. He doesn't go in the sanctuary often so I think he was in awe of how big it is, and he kept watching himself on the big screen. When he saw me he screamed out "MAMA" then "DADDY" then "GIGI". You can hear that on the audio. Everyone laughed and thought it was cute. I was laughing so hard I was crying.....but of course that's my child: "Mr. Personality"! :) He's like his mama in the fact that if he thinks it, He must say it!

He did sing a few notes and hopefully he will carry these songs and moments with him thru his life. Next time he sings, I'm sure he'll do even better.

"Worship the Lord with gladness; Come before him with joyful songs." ~Psalm 100:2

If you'd like to watch the worshipcast, click HERE!

Country Adventures

2009-10-08T22:03:00.004-04:00

We went with our Church to Country Adventures on Friday Night. It was our 3rd time going but O's first. Both boys loved it and we had a great time with our Church Family. Can't believe it's almost Halloween! This year is flying by.....

Introducing....

2009-10-04T20:29:00.004-04:00

The Third and FINAL Baby Jackson, due May 14, 2010!!

We went for our first doctors appointment on Thursday and got to see that sweet little heartbeat! Josh and I are excited and so far I am having a very easy pregnancy. (With both boys I was sick by this time so I'm crossing my fingers that won't happen!) AND I am hoping NOT finding out the sex this time.........We'll see if I can do it! :) I think that would be so exciting! No one thinks I can do it which makes me want to even more.....but since my doctor does an ultrasound at every visit, this will make things much harder on me. I am sorry to all of those who I didn't call to give the good news but I figured with my 3rd child there was no reason to make a big spectacle of things. Besides, you guys were expecting this soon anyway......right?!?

Josh's 30th Birthday!

2009-09-24T22:07:00.005-04:00

My wonderful, fabulous, awesome, incredible hubby turned 30 on Sept 11th! He didn't want to do anything big......well..........because if you know Josh, he's pretty low-key! Me, one the otherhand, not so much! I decided to surprise him with a bday party at Carolina Wings. I think he was VERY surprised and enjoyed the party even though he was against it! :) Thanks to EVERYONE who showed up to support my sweet hubby! We both are so blessed with great friends. You guys are wonderful! (I didn't do a good job of taking pictures so forgive me!)

First Day of School & First Soccer Practice

2009-09-01T22:18:00.005-04:00

Today Price started his first day of 3 year old Preschool. He did great! He woke up and asked if he was going to see "Miss. Ta-wa" and "Miss. Wiz" (his preschool teachers from last year) and I reminded him about his new teachers, Mrs. Boyd and Mrs. Dunlap, this year. He actually got to go to his class and meet them yesterday. He went in with no reservations and had a good day. Hopefully the good days will continue....

He also had his first soccer practice today. He is playing for SOAR and is on the Koala's!! It is his first time playing an organized sport and I have been so excited about this!! I'm officially a "Soccer Mom"!! :) I really like this team because they do a devotional at every practice and really emphasize sportsmanship. His first game is Sept 12th but I don't even think they really keep score at the games. Josh isn't going to like that part, but I'm sure it's better for all the 3 year olds to end the game as winners! :)
He did terrific at his first practice. He learned to dribble and stop the ball pretty good. We just have to work on his pushing the other kids out of the way.....

Roomie Reunion!

2009-08-31T14:17:00.004-04:00

This weekend Steph and I went to Greenville to stay with Suzanne. Steph, Suz and I were college roomies and it was so nice catching up with them and spending quilty time together. Since we have each gotten married and have busy schedules, it's very hard to find time to get together and catch up. As times change, your friends seem to change but it's amazing how close we have remained since college. It seems as though no time has passed when we get together. I think that there are few things in life more important than great friends and I am so very blessed to have these girls in my life!!

While I was in Greenville I also got to have lunch on Sunday with 2 of our very special couple friends; Maria & John (& Porter, too!) and Frankie & Steve! They used to be in our Sunday School class but both moved to Greenville so it was wondeful to meet them for lunch! It brought a great ending to my fabulous weekend. Thanks guys!! (I have no clue why we didn't take a photo opp. but hopefully next time! :))

Halloween Help

2009-08-25T14:43:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to figure out what to dress the boys up for Halloween. I want them to coordinate so I'm having a hard time figuring out what kind of cute costumes I want to get. Here are some ideas I've thought of:

P-Cowboy, O - Horse
P - Police Officer, O- Prisoner
P&O - Baseball Players
P- UPS Man, O- Mail Man
P-Pirate, O- Parrot

Please let me know what your favorite is or offer up some good ideas that I can use!!
I will totally appreciate your help!!

Most of you would probably just tell me to ask Price what he wants to be........but then he'd say something that I don't want to do, like "Lightening McQueen" or "Thomas the Train" and then he'd get mad when I said no! I'm just mean like that!!

Back to Reality

2009-08-16T22:39:00.007-04:00

We just returned home from our last Summer Vacation of the year. We spent the first part of the week in Surfside with my family and then headed on over to Edisto to be with Josh's family. We had a great time. Owen still doesn't care too much for the Beach but Price LOVED it! He's a total Beach Babe! We even got to go to our cousin, Benton's, birthday party at Wild Water and Wheels. Price had an absolute blast....except for the one little time we waited in a super long line for a super long time and got to the top for them to say he was an inch away from being able to ride down the slide! You can imagine the fit he pitched and the walk back DOWN all the stairs. It wasn't pleasant. Other than that, no major melt-downs.
Owen got a little fever (okay, a high fever: 104.4) while we were in Edisto. We took him to the doctor there and she pretty much said to wait it out which seemed to work okay. Luckily he didn't act like he was too sick and we got to enjoy our week without anyone else getting sick. I love that Price & Owen have such a large family and so many cousins to play with. It made for a great week with our wonderful family! I'm already looking forward to next year.

Good Bye Beaches!! See you again next year!!

Price is 3!!

2009-08-04T21:17:00.008-04:00

Can you belive my sweet baby boy is 3 years old. He had a great bday party at the birthday barn. This year he understood that it was HIS birthday and wanted everyone to sing "Happy Birthday" to him. He loved opening presents and kept telling me how much fun he had at his birthday party "yesterday". (Anything that has past is yesterday to him!) I'm so glad he enjoyed it. I love seeing him get excited!! It was a great day and the weather held out just for him!

My little boy is growing up so fast!!

What we've been doing!

2009-07-27T19:04:00.008-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post but we've been busy.....

Doing this....

(Edventure w/ our Florence friends)

And this.... (Birthday Parties - This one was Mily's)

And this....

(VBS)

(Price and Taylor singing at VBS)

(Price & Brice playing at the VBS Finale Night!)

And this....

(Getting together with old friends who have moved away!)

And this....

(Riding Ponies at Brice's Bday Party!)

And this...

(Bunco)

And this....

(Supper Club!)

And This...

(My new Addiction - An Embroidery Machine, thanks to my mom!!)

I'd rather sew and embroider then blog! So sorry! I'll try to do better!! :)

Lemonade Stand

2009-07-11T22:59:00.005-04:00

Last week I helped with a Preschool camp at church where we learned about missions around the world. Our group project was setting up a lemonade stand and raising money for missions. It was Price's very first lemonade stand and he was sooo cute yelling "Lemonade!! Cookies!!" He loved pouring the lemonade and taste-testing the cookies.

We even got a special visit from the Columbia Fire Fighters!

The Lemonade Stand decorated by the Lindler's

Price holding the sign

P pouring his first cup of Lemonade

Bradley luring in customers with her dance moves

Time for a taste test!

Price's favorite customers for the day!

Passing out cookies to the fire fighters!

We had such a great time and it was for such a great cause!

Sweet Owen is ONE!!

2009-07-05T21:23:00.005-04:00

Today is officially Owen's very first birthday. My baby is slowly growing into a toddler and it makes me very sad to think how fast the days are passing. He is such a joy to our family. His personality truly shines. I'm so proud to have him as my little boy and I thank the Lord every day for him. What a blessing! Happy Birthday, Owie!!!

Owen's 1st Birthday!!

2009-06-29T14:59:00.006-04:00

Owen's first birthday party was this past weekend. It turned out wonderfully! Thanks to all our family and friends who made it! And a special thanks to Cate at Little Bug Design who made his super cute birthday invitations. And also a big thanks to my Mother-in-Law for letting us have the party at her gym, SilverJax.

And, we can't forget Gigi for all her help (and the food)! Thanks, MOM!! YOUR the BEST!!

Everything turned out great! Next year he will have to share a birthday party with his brother so I hope he enjoyed his special day!! :)

His bday invitations (It has the wrong date but Cate redid them, I just don't have that attachment!)

His Birthday Cake! (Made by Vintage Bakery)

One fish! Two Fish! (okay, just one fish!)

Playing in the jumpy!

Waiting on his guests to arrive!

O with Mr. Zantastic!

He's not a big fan of cake!

Taylor and Price getting balloon animals

All O's little friends!

Owen will officially be 1 on July 5th! I can't believe it's already been a year! WOW!!
Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet baby boy!!

Beach Bums!!

2009-06-18T00:44:00.007-04:00

Well, we had a pretty good week despite one minor issue: Josh encountered poison oak while working the week before we left. Apparently he is highly sensitive to it and he had to go to the doctors care on our second day and get a steriod injection and he is taking oral steriods as well. It still looks pretty nasty but better then it was. He was told to stay out of the sun for a few days. GREAT! Beach and no sun......Not a good combo! BUT THANKS TO GIGI, we got to go on the beach!! She came down for a few days and helped me with the boys! Price loves the beach. Owen.........not so much! He hated the sand, the ocean, the sea shells. He likes the pool much better.

The first night we were here, Stephanie & Brent came over to our place for dinner and brought Katerine and Garrett to play with Price. He always loves playing with them and wants to do everything they do, including jumping straight into the pool with no floaties. He sunk like a brick and I jumped in and pulled him up. His eyes were huge and it scared him, so hopefully he won't do that again.

Garrett, Katherine & Price

O on the beach!

P on the beach!

O&P Together!

O in Gigi's arms!

Price loved the water park!

And the Aquarium!

This is as good as it gets!

At Broadway

We also got to meet up with some close friends of ours while at the beach. Ty & Amanda and their little boy, Austin! We had such a great time catching up and can't wait to get to do it again!

Owen, Price & Austin

Amanda & Me

Austin & Price showing off their pig balloons!

At the beach that night!

And finally, Owen decided that the beach wasn't so bad on our last day!

As we left the beach on Friday, Price said: "Bye-Bye Beach! I'll miss you!"

Time for Vacay!!

2009-06-11T21:33:00.003-04:00

This week has been busy, busy......getting ready for the beach, planning O's bday party and P's just a few weeks later!! (Silly me!! I should have done a double party! )
WHEW!!

We leave for the beach on Saturday and packing for an entire week seems to be a lot of work. I know why we don't do this more often!!

This is the very first time that Josh and I are taking the boys on vacation by ourselves. We thought it would be nice since we don't really get that much "family time" alone. Josh works all the time and barely gets home before the boys go to bed. Then on the weekends I usually have errands that I want to run w/0 the kiddos so this will be a special week. (Although we do hope that Gigi & Papaw come visit us a few days....please? please?!?!)

Please pray for us this week, as the place we stay is usually crowded (it's a timeshare) and with my wild men.........who knows what could happen. I'm already starting to get a little stressed! Price is fearless when it comes to water and that worries me but hopefully he'll have his "listening" ears on the entire time and I won't have to worry so much.

I can't wait to see what Owen thinks of the beach. I'll post some pics next week!!

Pajama Party

2009-06-08T14:05:00.006-04:00

I had the luxery of keeping MG on Saturday night for a bit and we had a pj party!! (She didn't actually spend the night, but we pretended!) They had fun eatting, reading books and watching a movie. I thought this picture was too cute!!

Before they got into their jammers, I gave them a bath. And then I remembered I had a cute picture of them when they were just little babes in the tub!!

Then:

Now:
My, how they've changed......

Price's Last Day!!

2009-05-27T15:43:00.003-04:00

Today was Price's very last day of 2 year old preschool. I was a little emotional about it, especially when his teachers gave me his scrapbook of the year showing how much he had grown and changed and his accomplishments throughout the year. Mrs. Liz & Mrs. Tara were wonderful teachers and Price loved going to see "Miss. Ta-wa & Miss. Wiz" on Wed and Thurs mornings. We are sure going to miss them. I can only hope his teachers next year will be so great!!

This is a terrible pic of Price with his teachers but it's the best I could get this morning!

Since this was our last day free, the mom's decided to do breakfast together to enjoy our last bit of time away from the kiddos. We had a great time and I'm sure we'll be seeing them over the summer for playdates.

We have a busy summer ahead of us, with church camps, sports camp, vacation bible school and our beach trips so I am hoping we get to enjoy this summer a little before August arrives again!!

29 and holding!

2009-05-27T13:27:00.002-04:00

My last year in my twenties is ahead of me. My 29th bday was Sunday so next year will be the big 3-0! I can't believe that my life has almost spanned 3 decades.

I have been around to watch Brittany & Justin on the Mickey Mouse Club, I was the biggest fan of NKOTB, I once was in the Alyssa Milano Fan Club, I know who ALF is, Full house used to be my favorite show, I used to see how high I could style my bangs using Rave #4, I remember when you could pay AFTER you pumped, I was around when it was cool to wear a beeper, My first cell phone that was the size of a small child.....the list goes on......

The good news is that my life seems to be getting better with age so I will enjoy my very last year in my twenties and embrace the thirties when they arrive............

My only fear: WRINKLES!!

Eating Habits

2009-05-20T21:39:00.004-04:00

Things Owen DOESN'T like to eat:

Mixed Veggies

Chicken

Pears

Squash

Oatmeal

Things Owen DOES like to eat:

Felt

Dog Food (and Dog Bones, and treats)

Can Tabs

Grass

Dust Bunnies

And.......

if you think he has cheetos in his mouth, well....WRONG!! That would be orange chalk!! ( I did take the actual chalk out of his mouth before snapping a photo.........I have my priorities straight!!)

I think he's part Billy Goat!!

My Treasure!

2009-05-18T23:34:00.003-04:00

These are my precious treasures:

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" ~ Matthew 6:21

Mommy's Day

2009-05-14T23:58:00.005-04:00

We spent Mother's Day weekend with my Mom in Leesville. The Poultry Festival is always Mother's Day weekend and always occurs right outside her house so we enjoyed all the festivities that came along with that. Price loved the rides and on Friday I took him to pick Strawberries. He had a blast! Only Problem: He only got the biggest, reddest, juiciest, most rotten ones!! :) He likes squeezing while pulling them off the vine, which made for a nice mess. His basket was inedible, but he had fun!! :) {That's what really matters, right?!?}

Josh's family came and joined us on Saturday and P&O had a blast with their cousins.
We had a great weekend with the ones we love!

P riding the Carousel

O watching P riding the carousel

Pony Rides

Strawberry picking

See? It's big!

O cheesing for the camera

O & Papaw (Don't have a clue why it's sideways.....I'll worry about that later....)

Aunt Jen with Price & Taylor

Another crooked one.....oops!

California Love

2009-05-12T20:38:00.003-04:00

One of my dearest friends, Erin, flew all the way from California to spend the day with me last Tuesday. (Okay, that isn't EXACTLY why she flew across country, but I'm sure it made her trip more pleasureable!! :))

She and Kellie (and Wes & Ella) came and spent the entire day with me and the boys. It was so nice to have Erin get to spend some time with us and actually get some time to know our children.
We have all been friends since high school and still get together at least twice a year to catch up. I'm so glad we haven't lost touch over the years. There is nothing like true friends!!

Piece of Cake!!

2009-05-06T15:30:00.003-04:00

It took less than 10 minutes for Dr. Bouknight to put Owen's tubes in. REALLY! LESS THEN 10 MINUTES! Piece of cake for mommy, daddy and Owen! He was fine after the procedure and fussed a little when I put him in the car. Otherwise, his normal, happy self!!

The worst part was missing Muffins for Moms at Price's preschool. It's so hard to have 2 children and not being able to be in 2 places at one time. Price's class did a little Mother's Day program that I missed and that made me soooo sad!! But I guess that's life with 2.....

Time flies....

2009-05-01T13:59:00.004-04:00

When your having fun?!?! Or when your super busy?!?! Either way......April flew by.....

I can't believe it's been so long since I updated. I have been busy with work and doctors appointments and our usual goings on!

I went to Nashville, Tennessee a couple of weeks ago for work. (For those who don't know, I do have a part time, work from home job.) It was so incredible! They paid for my flight, for me to stay in the Opryland hotel and ALL my meals. It was work but it felt incredibly like a vacay! We only worked 4 hours a day and didn't have to be there until 11am so I slept in every morning, got ready at my leisure, order room service every morning, watched the Today Show instead of Noggin! It was great! But, of course I missed the commotion and was welcomed by it when I arrived home!

Price is doing great. He is starting to do more things every day that amaze me. He now has a vivid imagination and runs thru the house trying to escape the "Monsters" that are lurking everywhere. He also has a new addiction: Toothpaste! We have called poison control twice in the last week because of him eatting tubes of toothpaste. Luckily for us they were both the kid sized, but he ate an entire tube of non-floride toothpaste and then half a tube of the floride kind (I guess he didn't like that one as much!). It has caused us a lot of upset stomaches this week.
When I ask how his stomach feels, he responds: "Like a ladybug!" Not sure what that means but I don't think it's good.....

Owen went to the ENT yesterday and we are getting tubes in his ears this Wed, May 6th. The doctor said she thought this would solve a lot of our sinus problems and I am excited to finally be rid of ear infections!! He is doing very well otherwise......He can cruise on everything and he is trying to walk by himself a little. He'll occasionally let go and try to remain standing but usually ends up loosing his confidence and sitting down. He'll be walking before you know it!

Last night we took Price to see Disney on Ice and HE LOVED EVERY MINUTE! He actually asked to do it again after it was over. Tinkerbell was a little long.....but he endured with no trouble. He loved the Cars! His eyes were huge when they came out! It was so awesome to see his excitement! We are looking forward to going to see Thomas the Train in June!

Easter Day

2009-04-13T21:45:00.003-04:00

We thank you, Jesus, for this day;

For the cross You overcame.

We meet to worship reverently

In Your holy name.

We pledge anew our loyalty,

Our gratitude and love;

We pledge our faith this Easter time

To the Father in heaven above.

We began our Easter Sunday at Church and then we met Gigi and Papaw at the zoo for lunch. It's become our Easter tradition. The lunch was fabulous and Price enjoyed getting to see the "aminals" after lunch. Hope everyone else had a fabulous Easter as well!

Our Fam!

Price's Sunday School Class

Price & Gigi watching the meerkats

Price LOVES the giraffe

Feeding the birds nectar

Papaw and Price watching the baby cubs

Owen & Price on our way out the door!!
Goodbye Zoo!!

The Easter Rabbit is coming!

2009-04-09T09:56:00.002-04:00

We have been busy getting ready for the Easter this week. My mom bought the boys these cute matching outfits for Easter. I was having a problem finding what I want because it's hard to get Price & Owen matching outfits since I was trying to get Price something other then a jon-jon but my mom found these and I decided that Easter would be the last time he wore them!! ( I said that at Christmas, too...but I mean it this time!) Josh doesn't like Price in them but he sure liked that we didn't have to purchase it! :) Thanks Mom!!

My mom and I took the boys to see the "Easter Rabbit" (that's what Price calls him) and to get their Easter pictures taken yesterday. They were perfect except Price wouldn't let sit in the Easter Rabbit's lap w/o me! Owen did great though.....

When you ask Price what he wants from the Easter Bunny he says, "I want the Easter Rabbit to bring me an apple, I don't want no carrot!!" So cute! I guess he thinks that since the Easter Bunny always carries a carrot, that is what he brings when he visits! Hopefully the Easter Rabbit will have some apples when he comes to visit Sunday! :)

Happy 9 Months, Owen!!

2009-04-07T15:09:00.003-04:00

Time flies when your having fun!!!

I can't believe that little Owen is already 9 months old. Seems like just yesterday I held that sweet little new born in my arms thinking how wonderfully blessed I am!

Right now he is pulling up on everything and he can stand for a pretty long while and is trying to cruise on the furniture. He says "dada" but hasn't quite mastered "mama" yet.....

He is still doing the army crawl to get around.....and, boy, does he get around. He's into everything but mostly likes to be where Price is so that means as long as I keep Price where he's suppose to be, Owen follows along.

Owen is on his 5th ear infection so yesterday we made an appointment to see and ENT and we will be getting tubes put in his ears soon. I am hoping this will help him sleep and feel better. He has had a hard time with all these ear infections and it's disrupting everyone's sleep. Poor thing.....

Only 3 more months till he's ONE!! Then he won't be a baby anymore.......

Owen & his peeps!

2009-04-01T13:25:00.003-04:00

I had nursery duty this past Sunday @ church, so I decided to sneak in Owen's classroom and get a picture with him and his Sunday School Buddies. Arn't they precious?

Sara Grace, Sam, Katie & Owen

And here's his bud, Anderson! Doesn't he have the most hair you've ever seen on a baby?

My Big Helper

2009-03-26T22:42:00.003-04:00

Recently Price has really developed a real bond with Owen. When he wakes up in the morning, he wants to go straight to Owen's room. He opens the door and happily yells, "Good Mornin' Owie!" If Owen isn't already awake, that usually does the trick!
He also is starting to play with Owen. He gives him a few cars and sometimes trades them out telling him how to roll them and doing the "vroom, vroom" sound. He also likes to tell him what everything is, "Dis is Wightenen McQueen, Owie. He's a Wed Car!"
And they are always laughing together...... Most of the time I'm not sure what they are laughing at but their laughs are contagious to each other and even though I don't get it, I love it!
Price also only wants to take baths with Owen now and loves being with his little brother! It melts my heart how awesome they are together already.

Price also loves feeding Owen cheerios and fruit puffs and today asked if he could feed him his baby food. Since he has been so good with his little brother, I joyfully obliged.

Owen's wondering what is going on...

I think it's so cute that Price has to open his mouth to feed Owen!

See, Everyone is happy!

Good Job Price!!

Prayers for Hannah

2009-03-26T09:37:00.001-04:00

Hannah got put in NICU last night because they fear she may have an infection due to her white blood count being high and her temp being low. Please pray for Hannah, Benjy and Emilie!!

Hannah has arrived!!

2009-03-25T17:41:00.002-04:00

My dear friend Emilie had her precious little girl, Hannah Elizabeth, this morning at 7:41am weighing in at 8lbs 5oz. and 21.5 inches long! Two hours after her arrival, Betsy and I went to the hospital to welcome her to the world! She is just beautiful!! Benjy & Em, You guys did a great job! Thanks for adding a new addition to our playgroup!! :)

Splish, Splash

2009-03-20T16:15:00.006-04:00

Price & Owens first bath together!! They had so much fun splashing in the tub with each other! Just the first of many more fun times together!!

First Baseball Game

2009-03-11T15:24:00.007-04:00

Josh & I took the boys to their very first Carolina Baseball Game courtesy of the Lindler Family! Thanks so much Kevin & Ashley, for giving us your tickets! We had such a great time and Price LOVED it! It was a 7pm game so I was worried it would be too late for him, but he did so good! I was very proud! He loved watching the baseball players and one nice man even gave him a foul ball to remember his very first game! One day I hope he'll be wearing his very own garnet and black baseball uniform!! :)

Price walking in!

P & MG bouncing in the Gamecock Bouncer

Eatting his corndog! (I know it's not a great pic but I had Owen so taking pictures wasn't so easy!)

An attempt at a family pic!

Me & Owen

Price & Josh before we left the game!

More Dresses

2009-03-02T11:14:00.001-05:00

Have I vacuumed my carpets, mopped my floors, dusted my house, done laundry or cleaned the bathrooms in the past week? NOPE!!

But I HAVE made 4 dresses, gone to 4 birthday parties and 2 showers, 1 supper club and made an Italian cream cake all in one week! That has to count for something, right!?!

Luckily, my husband doesn't mind the mess. He likes that I have a new hobby that I enjoy doing.....and it doesn't cost much at all!

I made 2 more pillowcase dresses last week, and then moved on to my first A-line.

I did this one thinking that those patterns would look good together but it looks too busy, I should have done a solid at the bottom.........I guess you learn as you go.

Then I made this smaller version of the first dress I made. I used the leftover fabric. That means that I can make 2 dresses, one size 3 and one size 1, for $5.00 (If you go to Hobby Lobby for your fabric, anyway!)

Here are the dresses together. Cute huh?

Since the pillowcase dresses turned out so good, I went to creative sewing and got an A-line Pattern and did this dress. It's actually reversible, but I used a thin broadcloth for the reverse side and you can see thru it. I'll have to get a thicker fabric for next time.

I must catch up my house this week but hopefully I'll have time for some more dresses. I have already bought so much cute fabric!!

Conversations with Price

2009-02-24T14:15:00.002-05:00

My morning conversation with Price went like this:

A- "Price, would you like to go to Leapin Lizards today to play with your friends."
P- (After looking at me rather funny) "Ummmmm..........Yes"

A few moments pass....

P- "Mama, I weady to go pway wif wizards"
A - "Well baby, we are going to go play with friends at Leapin Lizards, but there won't really be any Lizards there. Only bouncies so you can jump."
P- "Okay, I jump wif wizards"
A- "No, you'll only jump with your friends......No lizards!"

A few more moments pass....

P - "Mama, I want go see Daddy."
A - "You do? Where is Daddy at?"
P - "Daddy at Target."
A - "He is? What is he doing at Target?"
P - " Getting me wizards!"

Poor thing is going to be dissapointed when he finds out Daddy has no "Wizards" for him when he comes home......

Domesticated? I'm working on it!

2009-02-23T17:50:00.004-05:00

I made my first dress!!

I finally did it and I am proud that it turned out so well. Yes, there are some unstraight seams and the side seam may be about 1/2 an inch off.... but I didn't expect my first one to turn out quite so well. Hopefully I'll only improve!! :)

Poor Thing!

2009-02-19T15:03:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time, Owen never, ever cried.......Those days have past!!

One day I'll laugh.....

2009-02-18T10:21:00.003-05:00

This week has been pretty busy for us. Owen has a new found freedom and wants to explore EVERYWHERE. He can get on all fours and move like and inchbug, he also gets around rather fast by using the army crawl. It's keeping me on my toes, for sure!! Between him and Price, my days are pretty busy. No more of Owen sleeping all day....

On Monday, Owen proved just how much I have to keep my eye on him. We had our playgroup at a friends house who's daughter has one of those felt storyboards. Owen was in his carseat for a little while when I first got there and then I took him out to feed him his bottle.
He wouldn't really drink his bottle, which is unusual, so I sat him down at my feet. A few minutes later he began projectile vomiting (at least 3 feet in front of him). I jumped down to see what was going on and he looked like he was having a seizure. Then this red thing (that looked like his tongue) was hanging out and my friend Jennifer started screaming, "His Tongue, What's wrong with his tongue?" I started panicing and told her to call 9-1-1!! Then it fell out and we all screamed together. Turns out, apparently he got a hold of a red peice of felt and swallowed it! (It was rather large, as tall as my palm and almost as wide) I guess him vomiting like that was his body's way of getting it out. Since it was red, it did appear much more organ-like than a peice of felt! Once we realized everything was okay we told 9-1-1 we did not need their services anymore and I called my doctor to make sure that everything was okay. I was worried he may have swallowed more then one but I think one was his limit.
Once we calmed down, we did get a good chuckle out of thinking he threw up his tongue!! But now I have to keep my eye on this little fellow cause EVERYTHING goes in his mouth!!!

Then Price had a sucker yesterday....That is his ultimate potty-prize! He loves them! While the sucker is in his mouth, he decides he needs to go potty. He just goes without asking me. I hear him in the bathroom and run to make sure things are okay. Apparently he dropped his sucker in the toilet while pee-peeing and I caught him leaning over with his hand in the bottom of the toilet trying to get the sucker so he could finish eating it!! I refused to reach in there and pull it out so I just flushed the toilet. Price screamed for his sucker while I scrubbed his hands clean!
If I had not heard him, he would have put that sucker straight in his mouth after being in the toilet!! I guess then it would have literally been a "potty prize"!! :) In Price's favorite words, "EWWWWWW..............YUUUCKYYY!"

Valentines Day!

2009-02-15T21:41:00.005-05:00

What a great Valentines weekend! Josh and I had a FABULOUS Valentines Dinner on Friday night, after a 110 minute wait..... and P&O spent the night with Ome & Grandaddy. We don't get much time without the kids so it was so nice to enjoy some time alone!!

Josh is a WONDERFUL husband & father and I'm so glad he's my Valentine!

And in the spirit of Valentines Day, I'd like to show off Owen and his first little sweetie!!

This is Owen with Sara Grace! We went to visit our friend Kara and her new little boy, Cannon, last week and Owen and Sara Grace had fun together.

Here they are with sweet little Cannon!

And Kara giving little Owen some love!

Hope everyone had a great Valentines!

Parenting!

2009-02-05T11:21:00.005-05:00

I think I am turning into one of “those” moms.….The ones I used to roll my eyes at….. The ones I said I’d never be…..

The ones that don’t think it’s appropriate for a 2 year old to drink caffeinated drinks.

The ones who don’t want their children watching too much television.

The ones that try to feed their children semi-healthy food and not give them too much high fructose corn syrup. (Price still gets his fair share of sugary goodness, so don’t roll your eyes!)

The ones that don’t let their children skip a night of brushing teeth.

The ones that stick to a “semi-strict” nap routine. (I mean, there are some exceptions, right???)

The ones who rarely let their child stay up past bedtime.

You know the ones…..

Now, don’t get me wrong……Max and Ruby babysit Price occasionally. I know that having that on the tv will allow me to get some things done around the house. I’m not particularly proud of that, seeing as how I think Max causes some of Price’s discipline problems. (See, one of those moms who blames the tv for their childs misbehaviour!) I mean, WHERE IN THE HECK are Max’s parents and WHY doesn’t he listen when he’s told NOT to do something??
It’s Prices very favorite show, but I’m starting to think that I shouldn’t let him watch it often.

And what about the Mama Llama books? “Llama, Llama Mad at Mama” is missing the part where Little Llama goes home and gets a big spanking for throwing all those groceries out of the shopping cart!!

It makes me wonder, Does Price think it’s okay not to obey because Max doesn’t? Does Price think it’s okay to throw tantrums because Little Llama does it??

Maybe that’s putting too much thought into things …..... maybe.......

I’m really pretty laid back about most things, but this being a mom thing is hard….

Price is 2 and a half!!

2009-01-30T15:46:00.006-05:00

I can't believe he is half way thru his two's. It's amazing how much he has learned in the past 6 months.
He is pee-pee potty trained (even at night!) but still has yet to do the other in the potty! (One thing at a time.....we're currently working on that!!)

He knows all his shapes, (except the crazy ones) his colors, and most of his upper case alphabet. He can count to 25 and loves to count out everything but only likes to stop at decibels of 5 (this means if theres 12 - he can't stop counting until he gets to 15......don't know why....it's just the way he likes things, I guess!) He loves to sing and knows a lot of songs from preschool (some I don't even know) and knows a lot of nursery rhymes that he likes to repeat.

He loves to play on the "pu-ter" (Computer) and we usually sit down and do games at least a few times a week.

He LOVES me reading books to him and likes to repeat as I read.

His favorite toys are his cars, trucks and trains and he loves painting and playing with play-doh, which he calls "potato".

Usually everyday we call either Gigi, Ome or Lala (Lala is his aunt Courtney)! He asks to call Mary Grace but I think he's still too young to be calling girls. :) He loves to talk on the phone.

Once we finish saying our prayers at night, he always says he wants to "See da angels" which means he wants to "God Bless" his family and friends. I don't know where he got that from but I think it's sweet.

He knows that once we are finished doing our God Blessings, we go to bed so in order to stay up longer, once we finish with all of our family and friends, he then starts God Blessing the octopus, the dinosaurs, Dickey Mouse, The Yardigans.....you get the point!

We are definitely still going thru the terrible two's but he is learning to control his emotions much better these days. Sharing is still an issue but he is learning to take turns. Some days he is patient, others - well, not so much.....There has been a definite improvement over the last couple of months though.

He is also becoming a little jealous of Owen. He doesn't like for him to get too much attention at once. If I am holding Owen - he wants me to put Owen down so he can give me a hug. Sometimes when I am feeding Owen, he wants me to come over and feed him his food too.

He does love his little brother, though.....He often comes to tell me that Owen's smiling or trying to crawl. He loves to make him laugh and trys to tickle him occasionally. When he see's a big truck or train while we're driving, he'll say "Look Owen - Big Twuck!!"

So Sweet.....makes my heart melt!!!

I can't believe how fast time is passing. I am doing my best to cherish every moment.......

Owen's PERFECT!!

2009-01-26T21:52:00.003-05:00

Owen is PERFECT! He has a perfectly big noggin to hold his perfectly big brain!! :) That's all!

Today was a day where I felt everyones prayers with us all day. God's hand was in everything we did. It was almost like a warm, fuzzy feeling surrounding me today. There was a lot of emotion and anticipation but I was mostly amazed at how many people love and care for us. All the phone calls, text messages, emails.... I was overwhelmemed at how blessed we truly are.

We got to the hospital this morning @ 11am and they took us straight back. They dressed him in a tiny hospital gown and they gave him toys and hooked him up to all these little machines. They had these little probes all over him and a little blood pressure cuff, it was so cute, but so scary!

They went over all the bad things that could happen and made it clear that there was a fine line between too little medication and too much medication and that was making me worry!
The nurses came in to start his IV so they could sedate him and they couldn't get the needle in his little veins. They busted a blood vessel in his foot and then tried on his arms and he was screaming and I was getting upset....but it turned out to be a blessing! He hadn't had his morning nap so I knew he was tired. I asked if we could just get him to sleep, then could they just do the scan without sedation. After checking to make sure that was okay, they said they would try it! I got him to sleep but when I layed him on the CT machine he woke, but didn't move. He just watched and held my hand. HE WAS PERFECT!

Since he didn't end up getting sedated, we were able to go home right after that.

At 7pm tonight Dr. Dodds (who is a fabulous doctor and who I highly recommend) called us to let us know that Owen's head is perfect. There was nothing abnormal about his scan and he just has a big head! Music to my ears!!

PRAISE THE LORD! What an answered prayer! I gave this to him and he took care of it. I promised to trust him and tried hard not to worry and he took it from me and took care of it!

It's so amazing how much you can love your children. I love them so much that my heart aches. With love comes great joy, but also great worry! I am a born worrier. My grandmother worried so much sometimes it drove me insane, but now I understand. I once heard the qoute -

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart walking around outside your body."

It's such a true statement. Having a child means that you worry every single day about them ~ but it's worth every second!

Praise God from whom all BLESSINGS FLOW.....

Scan Tomorrow!

2009-01-25T20:58:00.002-05:00

Owen's scan is tomorrow. It got moved up to 12:30pm and we will be there at least an hour afterwards. I'll post if I find out any results tomorrow but we may not find out anything until Tuesday.
I'll keep you informed. Please say a little prayer for us all tomorrow morning. I know it's in God's hands and he is in control!
Thanks to everyone for all their phone calls, emails, support and prayers.

Brothers!

2009-01-19T10:29:00.004-05:00

Price is finally feeling like a big brother. He likes to show Owen how to do all sorts of things, like rolling over, doing flips and he is currently trying to teach him how to crawl. He likes to tell Owen about the things he is doing, Like "Owen, dis is paint! Pwice is pwainting!" At night he likes to help me get Owen undressed, help me bathe him and then help me get him dressed for bed. He also likes feeding him for a few minutes. I am sure they are going to be the best of friends and I am so glad they have each other to grow up with.

Scan Date

2009-01-14T16:11:00.002-05:00

The scan will be January 26th at 1pm at Richland Childrens hospital. We have to be there at 11:30am and he can't have anything to eat after 7am. That is a long time for him not to eat so I hope that he doesn't get too upset........then I'll get upset......

Please say an extra prayer for us that day.

Prayers Please!

2009-01-12T22:58:00.008-05:00

I debated about putting this on my blog since I haven't called anyone (except family) and told them about this, but because I believe in the power of prayer, I decided that I am going to ask for prayers and give it to the Lord instead of worrying. (Which I do a lot!)

Today we went for Owen's 6 month check up and the doctor was concerned about how much his head has grown in the past 3 months. At his 3 month check up, he was in the 98th percentile for head circumference. This time he was off the charts, way off the charts. His growth and development are both on target (and even ahead in some areas) but the doctor said that he wanted Owen to have a CT Scan to make sure he doesn't have Hydrocephalus. He said that 98% of him doesn't think Owen has it because he has no big symptoms (other then the large head), but he didn't want Owen to be that 2% and us not catch it now.
For this procedure, he will have to be sedated.
I am concerned for him being sedated, I am concerned about the radiation a newborn will get from a CT scan and I am worried about the results of the scan.

Please pray for sweet, sweet Owen and for peace for us as we wait on this procedure to get done. I'll update when I know a date for his scan.
Thank you in advance!!

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." ~Peter 5:7

The funniest thing about this picture.....

2009-01-11T21:18:00.007-05:00

is that I had nothing to do with the underpants on his head. Price did that all by himself!! :)

Little Owen is 6 months old!!

2009-01-07T23:26:00.006-05:00

Can you believe it??
Time is flying by and I am amazed my baby is already 6 whole months old.

Owen is doing so much now and his sweet little personality is showing. He is so laid back and doesn't get upset unless a) it's time to eat or b) his diaper is dirty! (And he does NOT like to have dirty pants on, no sir!)
He can sit up now and although he can't crawl yet, he can scoot himself wherever he wants to go.
He has 2 teeth now, in odd places. His bottom right I tooth and his bottom left middle tooth. He drools non-stop and puts everything in his mouth!
Owen loves his paci and can hold his own bottle already. (Look, it's survival of the fittest in this household!! :))
Owen also loves his big brother and often whines when Price is out of his site. He loves watching what Price is up to and laughs when Price talks to him.
Price also loves Owen and has been a great big bro!
Owen's favorite activites are sleeping, jumping in his jummpy (sometimes sleeping in his jummpy) eating his toes, playing in his excersaucer, riding in the car, bathtime and drooling.
Owen is also eating very well. So far he has had peas, sweet potatoes and applesauce and seems to like them all.
He sleeps very well, although we don't have a great daytime routine due to our busy scheudule. It's hard to keep him on a schedule when I have Price's schedule set. Poor, Poor 2nd child!
It has been a very easy 6 months and having 2 little ones isn't near as hard as I once feared. Being a mother is my greatest joy and Owen added so much to that!
Owen, what a sweet, sweet blessing you are!