Praise Almighty Lord

PALS is done and I survived once again. I am so glad to have it behind me and thank GOD that Dede and I are done again for another 2 years. Of course that leaves ACLS in March, but I'll think about that another day.



Another great thing that I am SO thankful for is that our speech therapy facility is opening another office and it will be 1o minutes away and I won't have to drive to another town 2 days a week. We will probably end up seeing another therapist and that makes me sad, but oh the joy of not having to spend 2 days a week driving to speech and throwing off the entire day. If you are a local reader and you have a child or know someone who does that needs speech, this is a great place and it will be LOCAL. I am thrilled.



Ashton made it home from church camp Monday and absolutely had a blast. He couldn't say enough good things about it and how much fun it was and how much he enjoyed it. It wasn't just the fun stuff that he enjoyed, he really was touched by the services and their Missions work. I was so proud of him when I picked him up and asked him if he had eaten lunch. He said "well, they stopped but I didn't have any money. I had $20 last night but I put it in the missions offering for India because did you know that for $20 you can provide food, water, shelter, and send a child to school? He also commented on crying while watching the videos. This child doesn't show emotion very well and I was stunned. I couldn't be more proud of him right now and I am hoping that the alien that came home will continue to live in our house. However, the youth director for the church that he attended with came home with a black eye thanks to Ashton. Apparently there was a tubing mishap, or at least that is what Jason is saying.....




Brady has been gone all week and will be home tomorrow. I am sure that he will be exhausted but will have enjoyed himself thoroughly while away at band camp.




So that about wraps up my life. I am surrounded by clothes that I'm preparing for consignment and I have to get those finished in the next couple of days. That too is going to have to wait until tomorrow because I am exhausted and about to lay down on the couch and rest for a while. I have earned it:)

Mechanics Beware

Let me go on record as saying it has been one of the hottest weeks EVER in the great Southeast. That has not phased our daughter who discovered her coat in a stack of clothes that are about to go to the consignment sale and decided she should wear it instead. She has worn it for the last few days over her shorts and her bathing suit. The girl has some major fashion issues.



A hard hat is always a good thing to wear when working on your truck.

Emma hasn't felt great this week, but I'm almost convinced she may have been cutting another tooth. Do they do that at 3 and 4? She seems back to normal today and hopefully over it.

She is really beginning to have more pretend play and is so cute when she is cooking and working around the house with her apron on. She loves for me to eat her "food" and she has just gotten so busy. I watch her and think just how blessed we are to have her and how incredibly awesome God is to bring families together the way he does.

The weekend is another busy one. I have to work Friday and Saturday nights so Bo gets to be Mr. Mom. Brady is preparing for band camp and is very excited about that. I'm sure that Ashton is having a great time at church camp. We have not really heard from him and don't expect to.

Have a great weekend.

Keeping Her Distance

I realize that my girl isn't in much of this because she only wanted to be next to us. However, the little one in the green dress is suffering from horrible stage fright as you can plainly see:)

A New Cousin

This is Miss Sophie and isn't she adorable. She is the newest member of our blended family and Emma wasn't so sure about her.
Can you believe that her parents actually say that she doesn't sleep well at night? Please.....

Emma was more interested in the car seat than the baby at first.

I don't think that Emma pinched her.....but look at that face.

Uncle Josh and the girls.

Pap and his girls. Emma is holding Sophie's hand.

I love the face that Emma is making. I would love to know what she is thinking.

A sweet little kiss on the head. At least we hope so.

Nanny and Sophie.

We had dinner at my mother's house last week and finally got to spend some time with the latest addition to the family. She is adorable and practically slept through the entire evening.

VBS is over and I will attempt to post a video soon. Emma didn't want to stand too close to the other kids so it was a little more difficult to get a good video. She loves singing and doing the motions to the songs.

A cute little side note from VBS. There was a little girl that Emma was partnering up with one night and I noticed the little girl just rubbing Emma's finger and looking at it. Then I noticed Emma rubbing the little girl's hand and looking at it. I'm sure she was wondering what on Earth was wrong with that girl. It was a very sweet and innocent moment.

Brady is busy with "Rookie Camp" this week. I can't believe my boy is a Junior and is actually "helping" the rookies. That is scary stuff.

Ashton is leaving for church camp tomorrow and will be gone until Monday. He is so excited and I am really hoping that he enjoys it. It isn't our usual camp, but is supposed to be even more fun if that is possible. I'm hoping that he really gains some insight from this trip. Being 14 is a not an easy task. Being the mother of a 14 year old is even harder.

Emma isn't feeling just right today. She woke up sneezing and has a runny nose. She has been more clingy that usual and has not allowed me to study that much today. I have been trying, honestly! She just wants mom around to hold her a lot today and who am I to turn that offer down.

Emma and her Tricycle

Time Flies When......

Emma has fallen in love with the 4-wheeler and all she wants to do is ride. She just begs Bo all the time to "ride". I came downstairs this morning to find her in her helmet while watching Toy Story on the computer. You can never be too careful.

This is not a good picture by any means but I love that Emma is looking up at Bo with the expression that she has.

As usual we have been very busy. Bo was off last week and we just stayed home and did things around here. We did manage to have some friends over Saturday night and enjoy our new deck while all the kids swam.

The boys and Emma :( will be starting school in a couple of weeks. So where has the summer gone exactly? Brady has 2 weeks of band camp coming up and that will keep him totally busy. Ashton has mastered laying around and playing Call of Duty and eating everything in sight. Can I just say I'm about ready for him to go back to school.......

We have been going to VBS this week and Emma has enjoyed it. The first night she kept saying "READYTOGO". Of course no one but me knew what she was saying. She just runs it together and says it over and over and over and over.........It could drive you crazy if you let it. She is liking the music and the movie that they are playing at the end. She likes the crafts as well. It's been pretty cute to watch the kids.

So between EVERYTHING that is going on and attempting to study for PALS (pediatric advance life support) which I have to be recertified in every 2 years, I am pretty much exhausted. I have 2 weeks exactly to study and I am not doing very well. I could NEVER go back to school. I find myself daydreaming while attempting to study. Well, if you consider thinking about all the things that need to be done and the bills that need to be paid and the calls that need to be made and the cleaning, laundry, errands......well, you get it. It's not exactly exciting daydreaming like it was in high school.

I hope to get back on a regular blogging routine soon but who am I kidding. That's not likely to happen and we all know it.

Happy 4th!

In reverse order no doubt. This is what way too much family reunion looks like.

Not a great picture, but look at poor Ashton. He and Emma were exhausted.

Uncle Floyd and Emma.

Playing at the creek with cousins.

Throwing rocks in the creek.

Lily had to find the best rock to throw.

Emma and Lily having a tea party.

Mary, Hannah, Anna, and Holly. You couldn't get the smiles off of their faces because their brother/daddy/husband had made it to the states home from Iraq! He should be home Thursday!!!

Aunt Doye and Aunt Frances.

Uncle Harvey and Uncle Floyd.

This is one of the twins and I have no idea which one. Notice the black eye!

Max and Sam. These boys were full force.