From swim trunks to snow boots

   What a different, but great Christmas we had this year!  Terry's parents, sister, and ourselves decided to make use of their vacation club membership and rent condos in Pompano Beach, Florida the week of Christmas.  I knew this would be quite different for this Northern raised girl, but I was looking forward to getting away and to the warmer weather!  We stayed at a place called Wyndam Palm Aire Resort and it was very nice.  We each had a 2 bedroom condo that were a good size.  The resort had 4 heated pools, a small put-put golf course, playgrounds, a spa, and an activity center for kids.  I have to make a little side note here to explain what we did at the beginning of the week.  I love Christmas and everything that goes with it, decorating, baking, looking through toy catalogs, shopping for others, and the anticipation in our kid's eyes as well as getting and decorating a live tree.  So, before we left I got out our Christmas decorations and I so wanted to get a tree, but I told myself that it didn't make sense to spend money on and put up a tree when we were going to be gone before, during, and after Christmas.  I told Terry how much I wanted a tree and he assured me that we could get one in Florida.  So, that is what I wanted to do the day after we arrived in Florida.  I wanted to get it as soon as possible to get more into the Christmas spirit and to be able to enjoy it all week and so we did.  I don't think Terry was thrilled about going through the hassle of putting the tree on the car, lugging it into the condo, etc. when we would only be there for a week, but he didn't complain. He followed me around as I picked out a tree, a stand, a tree topper, and lights (I brought ornaments from home) because he knew it would make me happy!  I love him so much!  When we got the tree set up Mimi, Papaw, and Aunt Lauren came over to help us decorate it.  It was great!  A favorite memory.
   It wasn't quite as warm as we hoped it would be, but of course we didn't complain because we knew it was a lot colder back home.  One of the reasons I was hoping for warmer weather was so that Isaac could do what he loves to do, spend a lot of time in the pool.  The mornings started off in the 50s or low 60s and eventually warmed up to the high 60s or low 70s.  Those temperatures aren't too bad, but it was also windy most days so it seemed even cooler.  We did still go to the pool some since they were heated, but we usually didn't stay much longer than 30 minutes if that.  Besides playing with Isaac and Hayden in the pool I also wanted to get some sun so one morning while Mimi, Terry, and the boys went to Walmart I laid out. It was pretty warm that morning and it was great to just relax by myself.  We didn't spend a lot of time at the pool, but we found plenty of other things to do.  One afternoon the resort was serving ice cream sundaes by the activity center so Isaac and I got one and then he made a craft in the activity center.  He painted a soccer ball bank. We then watched the 2nd half of a movie that they were showing.  That was one of my favorite afternoons because Isaac and I got to spend so much time together just hanging out.  At home there is just always so much to do that I rarely get to spend that much time with him one on one.  One day Isaac, Hayden, and I made our first annual Christmas train.  Last year we attempted a gingerbread house which turned out to be a disaster.  It was so hard to get the sides to stick together, Isaac took a bite out of one side before we got it put together, and it was just hard to manage so this year I wanted to try something different.  I had found a cake pan that made different train cars. We made a train track with black licorice and then put the train cars on it and decorated them.  We used gummy life savers for wheels and gumdrops, licorice, and sprinkles to decorate the cars.  I was happy with how smooth it went and how well it turned out.  That is also another favorite memory of the week.  Another favorite memory was watching Hayden light up on different occasions, try new words, and sing la, la, la, and ho, ho, ho to different Christmas songs.  His ho, ho, ho was my favorite!
   One morning we all went on a sight seeing boat called the Jungle Queen.  It took us by million dollar homes and to a small island where they had alligators, exotic birds, and monkeys.  It was a little chilly on the boat, but we had a good time.  That afternoon the resort had an animal show.  Terry, the boys, and I went to that.  They had a lot of different animals and the boys really enjoyed seeing them all up close.  During the show we ran into a family that Terry knew that used to live in Atlanta and were vacationing there as well, small world.  Wednesday night Terry and I had a date night thanks to Mimi, Papaw, and Aunt Lauren.  We debated about what to do, but in the end decided that what we always enjoy is just a nice dinner out.  I asked the concierge desk for recommendations and got several.  I looked at all their websites and chose a restaurant called Sea Watch.  We had a good dinner and a nice evening together.   Thursday afternoon Terry, the boys, and I went to the beach.  It was probably in the low 70s this day and the wind wasn't too bad.  This was really Hayden's first experience at the beach.  The only other time he had been to a beach was when he was 4 months old (Daytona Beach close to Thanksgiving), he wasn't feeling well, and he stayed in my arms the whole time.  I took his shoes off and let him walk and he seemed to like the sand, but when we got to the water and saw some small waves he wasn't too sure about that.  When the water hit his feet, he started to cry a little bit, and backed up.  He was content to play in the sand for a while, but after I coaxed him to try it again he got used to it and seemed to like it although he still needed us close by for reassurance.  Isaac saw a young man playing a banjo and wanted to go by him several times so that he could see him playing.  We stayed for about an hour and then needed to get back so that Hayden could take a nap.  On Friday Terry went fishing out on a boat with his dad and uncle.  Terry is not a big fan of fishing, but his dad loves to fish and so he went to spend time with him.  They left early and were gone all day.  Terry is a good son!  Apparently Terry caught his first fish when he was sleeping!  Then he caught a couple more.  While they were fishing Marjorie and Lauren wanted to take me and the boys to a mall that they had discovered the day before.  It was called Sawgrass Mills Mall.  It was a huge mall and it had this play place for kids that was like nothing that we had ever seen before.  It was called Wannabe City.  It was basically this huge indoor city for kids where they can try out different jobs.  They could be doctors, photographers, firemen.  I can't even explain it well enough to do it justice.  I have been to hands on play areas for kids before, but this one was better by a long shot.  It also had a city fair where there was rides.  Marjorie and Lauren took the boys to it, while I finished up some Christmas shopping.
   Christmas Eve I made Italian Sausage and Tortellini soup, we made sugar cookies for Santa, sang a few Christmas carols, Marjorie gave us each an ornament that we put on the tree, and the boys watched a Care Bears Christmas movie.  Saturday morning Hayden woke up early like he had been doing pretty much all week, but I was able to get him to go back to sleep in bed with us.  We ended up sleeping until 7:40 which is late for us.  I had Terry stay in the bedroom with Isaac and Hayden while I made sure everything was ready (Marjorie was going to add some things to everyone's stocking).  Terry said that while I was doing that Isaac said "I don't understand why we have to stay in here.   Most kids just get to run out.  I guess it is because we are in a condo."  We had a fun morning opening presents.  Santa Claus was good to everyone.  Another nice part of this trip was that I got to meet and spend time with quite a few people in Jim's family that I had heard about, but never met.  Jim's mother lives with her daughter and son-in-law and we went over there for dinner one night.  That evening one of Jim's brothers joined us for dinner.  Another evening Marjorie and Jim had Jim's mother, sister, and brother-in-law over for dinner and another brother and his wife came as well.  Christmas day we went back to Aunt Sharon's house and there I met her daughter, son, and some of her grandkids.  Isaac especially hit it off with his new cousin Taylor who is 6.  Isaac also liked their dog Max, but Hayden wasn't too sure about him.  After we got back to the condo we had a small birthday celebration for Isaac.  We put candles in the train cake and sang to him and he got a few presents.
   We took off early the next morning to head home.  On the way to Florida we broke up our trip into two days, but on the way home we decided to do it in one day.  Most of the time I don't get motion sick, but a couple times in the past couple years I have when I have been on a long trip, looking down, and moving around to give things to the boys.  I had taken a Dramamine the first day of our trip to Florida, but not the second and I was fine so I didn't take one before our trip home and I thought I would be fine. I also had packed everything up and didn't know where it was.  Well, that was a mistake!  It was very windy on the way home and after just an hour or so I started getting a headache and feeling nauseous.  After just about 2-3 hours I started throwing up and did so a total of about 5 times over the next few hours.  I couldn't believe I was so sick and we still had such a long ways to go.  Terry asked if I wanted to stop somewhere for the night, but even though I didn't feel well I just wanted to get home.  I had eaten breakfast before I got sick, but I didn't eat anything the rest of the day.  We had heard that there was snow in Atlanta Christmas day so we weren't sure what the roads were going to be like.  As we got closer to Atlanta we could see a little bit of snow and Terry said he could see some ice, but the roads weren't bad.  Isaac was excited to see the snow and touched it as soon as we got out of the car.  We got home about 8:15 and got the boys right to bed.  We had a great time in Florida, but were glad to be home.  It is true that there is no place like home!  When Isaac went to get in bed he said "My bed is lower."  He has a low car bed and he had been sleeping on a regular bed at the condo.  I have to mention something else cute that Isaac said, on the way home he said "Am I 4 now?" and when I told him that he was he just got a big smile on his face.  The next morning he asked the same question and when I said yes he said "But I am the same height"  I assured him that he has grown a lot in the past year.  That morning the boys were eager to go out in the snow even though there wasn't much on the ground.  We couldn't find Hayden's gloves so his poor little hands froze when he touched the snow.  I eventually put socks on his hands so his hands would at least be a little warmer.  We had a great vacation and Christmas and now we are unpacking, doing laundry, and packing for our trip to Nashville!

Another Successful Birthday Party!

Yesterday we celebrated Isaac's birthday a couple weeks early with a great music themed party with family and friends!  Since Isaac's birthday is Christmas day we usually have his party a 2-3 weeks before Christmas to separate it from Christmas and to have it at a time when people aren't quite so busy with the holidays and can join us to celebrate Isaac.  This year as Isaac and I were talking about what the theme of his birthday party should be we talked about either cars or music.  I think at one point he asked if we could do both, but I told him we needed to pick one and he chose music which I was excited about because Isaac has always been all about music!  He loves to sing and he loves all instruments, but especially the guitar and drums.  I thought it would be fun for the kids to have a parade with instruments.  So, I had a banner that said Happy Birthday Isaac that the kids could decorate for the parade.  They had fun doing that and it looked really cute.  Then they got their coats on, each picked an instrument, and headed outside.  I tried to get them to line up on the side of the house, but it was a little chaotic with 9 kids as I expected it would be. None of the kids (except my niece, Kate) wanted to hold the banner because they were all holding instruments.  I needed to hold Hayden so he could keep up with the bigger kids so one of the moms helped Kate hold the banner.  They walked down the sidewalk playing their instruments, went across the street, and back towards our house.  It was a short parade (pretty cold out), but hopefully the kids thought it was fun.  Then we had lunch which consisted of pizza, chips, and fruit salad followed by cake.  I debated about whether to have Isaac's cake made or make it myself.   I thought that I wouldn't mind making it, but that I wanted it to go along with the theme and I didn't think I would be able to find any cake toppers that were instruments.  I looked around and as I thought I didn't find any so I decided to order a cake from Publix and let them draw a guitar and drum set on the cake.  Then when I was looking for decorations a man that worked at Party City suggested that I go to music store that sold instruments to see if they had anything that I could use for decorations.  I went to a music store in Buford and didn't find decorations, but they had instrument ornaments!  I saw a drum set and guitar that I knew would work perfect for cake toppers and cancelled my cake order at Publix.  It was so cute to see Isaac's big smile as all his friends gathered around he and the cake and sang Happy Birthday to him.  Isaac then opened his gifts which included two saxophones.  He also got a microphone from grandma and grandpa which was perfect for our boy who loves to sing!  A while back he had told Mimi (Terry's mom) that he wanted drums so she told him that she might get him a drum set for Christmas.  This was a big deal and something that came up often in conversation from that point on.  He was so excited and just couldn't wait to get his drums at Christmas!  Well, Mimi and Papaw decided to surprise him and give him his drum set for his birthday.  He was very excited and sat right down and played.  All the other kids then took turns.  It was funny to see some of the kids holding their ears, it was quite loud!  All in all I would say it was another great birthday celebration.  I have to say though that during the planning for it as well as at times during the party I was a little frazzled.  This year more than any other I have felt a little stressed trying to plan his birthday party and get ready for Christmas (as well as getting ready to go out of town in less than a week)  We have thought about the idea of having his party on his half birthday in the summer or waiting until January to have his birthday party.  We will see which he would prefer, but I need to remind myself not to do it in December again.

So much to be thankful for

Well, I am going to try to recap the last few days without writing several pages.  I tend to be wordy and detailed when I am recalling events.  I want to try to capture events without being too lengthy with my posts.  It was great to have my parents and my sister and her family at our house this year for Thanksgiving!  I really like having family visit.  The boys loved spending time with their grandparents, and aunt and uncle, and had a blast playing with their cousins.  When family visits the house is filled with love and laughter!  Everyone arrived on Wednesday and settled in.  Thursday morning Mom, Angela, and I started cooking.  We had discussed what we would have ahead of time and each had our dishes that we wanted to prepare.  The kids were having fun playing at the house, but since we weren't planning to have our big meal until 5:00 we knew that it might seem like a long time to them if they didn't get out of the house for a little while.  Okay yes, we thought some peace and quiet for a little while might be nice for us as well.    Dinner ended up being closer to 6:00, but it was well worth the wait!  After dinner we went to the Gwinnett Fairgrounds to see a Christmas light show that we had read about in the newspaper.  When we got there we were directed to turn our radios to a certain station and the music for the light show was played.  The lights were synchronized to the music perfectly and it was really neat.  After the light show we parked and got some cotton candy and hot chocolate.  William and I went on a train ride with the kids.  It was basically a tractor pulling something that kind of looked like a train and basically did circles in the parking lot.  The kids enjoyed it, but it was kind of comical.  Santa Claus was also at the light show, but the kids didn't seem to eager to sit on his lap so we decided that we would do that another time.  Friday Mom, Ang, and I decided to check out the Black Friday sales.  We like to shop and appreciate a bargain, but were not willing to get up at the crack of dawn to stand in lines.  We left about 10:00 with no big agenda other than just looking around and enjoying a mother-daughter day.  We each got a little bit accomplished as well.  Saturday about noon we met our friend Sara who is a photographer at park to have her take our picture.  We have never taken a professional big family picture and thought it would be nice to have.  The sun was shining, but it was only in the high 40s and windy so we were pretty cold.  Of course it was hard to get all the kids to look at the camera and smile at the same time, but the kids did well and there were some pictures that turned out very nice.  After the photo session the boys and I took my dad to the airport and Mom and the Cliffords went to IKEA where we met them after the airport.  After a long afternoon and evening at the IKEA the kids were tired, but Isaac said something about roasting marshmallows.  Well, I had forgotten, but of course Isaac hadn't.  When we went to the light show some people were roasting marshmallows and Terry promised the kids that we would do that at our house one night.  So, Terry made good on his promise.  While we were at IKEA Terry went to Walmart and got marshmallows and coals.  We set up a fire on a small grill on our back patio and the kids were delighted!  My mom and the Clifford went home after lunch today.  It was really a great 5 days with family!  As I am sitting here typing and thinking about our time together I am finding that it is hard to put into words how much we enjoy being together and the memories that we made.  It is really fun to watch all the kids personalities grow.  We were constantly commenting on something one of them said or did.  We always love being together, but it was especially nice to be together for Thanksgiving.  In Bible class this morning Terry had us share what we are thankful for and as he said we could go on and on and on about all our blessings!  I am thankful for so much, but right now I am thinking about all our wonderful family, those we were just with and those we weren't with, but are always in our hearts.  I will be posting pictures soon.

Furlough days aren't all bad

As economic times are hard and everyone is trying to find ways to cut corners to save money, school systems are cutting days off the school calendar.  The down side is obvious, a cut in pay, but the upside is more time with family which I love and in my opinion you can't put a dollar amount on!  Due to fewer school days, Terry and I have the whole week off for Thanksgiving this year.  Since we are both so busy during the school year we always have a long list of things that we want to get done given a free day or two.  On the top of Terry's list was cleaning out the garage which has become more of a storage for junk then cars.  So, on Monday I took care of the kids until 2 so he could sleep in and then clean out the garage. Then I took off for a while and looked around at the mall.  I wanted to see if I could find a new top for myself for the family picture we are going to take on Friday as well as possibly buy a Christmas gift or two.  I found a sweater that I may or may not wear for the picture, got a Christmas present for a family member (I can't let out any secrets) and got a Christmas present for Isaac.  His present I can talk about since he can't read yet and therefore won't be reading this.  I am having a lot of fun thinking of ideas for him this year because there is so much he can do and so many things he likes.  Of course I can't get him everything he points to in all the catalogs that come in the mail, but one thing that he has consistently asked for lately is an Ironman mask and glove.  The funny thing is that he has never seen the movie and doesn't even know who the character is, but since it is a popular thing right now he has seen it often in stores and catalogs and I guess something about it attracts him.  I had  a moment where I thought I don't really want to get this for him, but once again I had to remind myself that it is not about me.  My thoughts quickly turned to how excited he would be to get this so I put it in my shopping cart.  Today it was my turn to sleep which was a real treat.  My two main goals today were to clean and to go to Walmart to get all that we would need for Thanksgiving and for the next few days.  I asked Terry to take the boys somewhere for a couple hours so I could really clean.  He took them to an inflatable place at Discovery Mills Mall.  It was wonderful to have the house to myself where I could concentrate on cleaning.  The 2 1/2 hrs that they were gone went by so quickly!  I didn't get all my cleaning done, but I did get a lot accomplished and I appreciate Terry so much for taking them!  He is always so great to take care of the boys if I need to run errands or if I need him to take them somewhere so I can get stuff done.  He is an awesome husband and daddy and I am so blessed!  When they got back it was nap time for the boys and time for me to run to Walmart.  When I got home I unloaded the groceries and made dinner while Terry and the boys continued to play.  After dinner I cleaned a little more, but also got in some play time.  It has been a busy couple of days, but we amongst our busyness we have also spent some time playing together.  Last night it was fun to watch as Terry and Hayden chased each other around.  Terry would hide behind corners and Hayden would laugh.  This morning the boys and I played hide and seek.  I hope we get the whole week off again next year!
Tomorrow Mom, Dad, and the Cliffords arrive and I am so excited!  This is the first Thanksgiving at our house.  It will be so great to all be together!

Recap of the week

I need to find time to write more often.  I really want to capture our daily life and reflect on as many moments as possible.  The problem is finding the time and the energy.  There are usually so many things that I want to get done during the day that I put off writing until the boys are in bed.  By the time the boys are in bed I either have things that I still want to get done before I go to bed and/or I don't have the energy to write.  I enjoy writing, but it is a process for me that takes time to think through.  Enough ramblings about that.
This past week was a good week, but difficult because Hayden has been sick since Tuesday and Isaac also had a day on Wednesday that he ran a low fever and wasn't feeling well.  Hayden really started having a yucky nose on Monday, but by Tuesday he was definitely sick.  Tori said he had a hard day and was just coughing and puny.  Wednesday morning Isaac woke up and felt warm and complained of his head hurting which he never does so I knew something was up.  I took his temperature and it was 100. something so I decided to keep him home from school.  Throughout the day he ran a low fever between 100  and 101 and complained of his arm and leg hurting.  I guess he was just achy from the fever.  Hayden continued to cough and have a yucky nose and ran a fever at about 100.  Since the boys both had a low fever I decided that I better stay home from work on Thursday.  Thursday Isaac wasn't quite 100%, but he was much better.  Neither one of them ran a fever, but Hayden was still coughing.  I debated and debated about whether to take Hayden to the doctor.  I have this debate with myself every time the boys are sick!  I know that it is probably just a cold that has to run its course, but then again I don't know for sure and question whether it could also be an ear infection or something else that is treatable.  I just hate feeling like I can't do anything to help them to feel better and if there is even a slight chance that something can be done I want to take them in.  Well, Thursday morning I made an appointment for Hayden for 11:30 and then at 10:00 I cancelled it because I had decided that it was probably just a cold that they couldn't do anything for and he had been acting better as the morning went on.  Well, when he woke up from his nap at 11:00 he seemed worse!  I decided I would just wait and see how he was before thinking about making another appt.  I decided to take the boys to Discover Mills Mall because I just needed to get out of the house.  I don't know if that was the best thing to do, but I decided that since they weren't running fevers and weren't going to be interacting with other kids it would be okay.  Since Hayden wasn't getting any better and if anything seemed worse I took him to the doctor on Friday.  Before going to the doctor though we stopped at Isaac's preschool for their Thanksgiving lunch.  Again I debated about whether to do this since Hayden had a pretty nasty cough, but didn't want to not be there for Isaac and decided I would keep Hayden in his stroller.  Isaac seemed happy to see us and we enjoyed having lunch together.   Then Hayden and I dashed off to the doctor which luckily is just down the street from Isaac's preschool.  As I originally suspected, the nurse practitioner said that Hayden had a cold that just needed to run its course.  She said he didn't have an ear infection and his lungs were clear.  I was thankful that he was okay, but not happy that there wasn't much I could do to help him feel better.  Saturday morning Isaac and Terry made their weekly run to Walmart and went to SAMS as well.  Have I mentioned that I love that they do the weekly grocery shopping each Saturday?  While Hayden took his morning nap I started cleaning out the van.  I got some junk cleaned out, but I didn't get a chance to finish before Hayden woke up.  He hasn't been napping long because his coughing wakes him up.  The rest of my day consisted of cooking.  Our Bible class had a potluck after church this morning so Saturday I made a macaroni salad and an apple caramel cake.  Then I made a lasagna for dinner.
Okay, so now we are up to date.  We took Hayden to Bible class with us this morning because I didn't want him to cough on all the other little ones.  He and I sat in the back while Terry taught and he was pretty good. He wasn't loud, but he just never stopped moving!  He is a very active little boy even when he doesn't feel well!  After church our class had a potluck.  I always enjoy potlucks however it was a little bit of a struggle with Hayden not feeling well and being tired by this time.  Hayden had woken up a couple times in the middle of the night so I was tired as well.  So, on the way home I told Terry and the boys that I wanted a long nap for my birthday and that is just what I did. As soon as we got home Terry took the boys outside and I laid down.    It is very unusual that I take a long nap and it was very nice!  After dinner we went to PF Changs for my birthday.  I love their calamari, the honey shrimp, and the banana spring rolls for dessert!  Hayden was fussy at times, but Terry was sweet and took both boys outside towards the end of the meal so I could have some peace and quiet and order dessert.  Once we got home Terry and the boys gave me a card with a homemade gift card in it good as any store.  Gotta love that!  It was a good birthday.
So, this past week wasn't real exciting and it has been difficult at times because Hayden doesn't feel well and it shows!  But this week is going to be wonderful!  Hayden I'm sure will start to feel better, Terry and I have the whole week off from work, and mom and dad and the Cliffords are coming Wednesday for Thanksgiving!

Soaking It All In

I am enjoying taking it easy this Saturday morning.  I have a million things to do, but for now I am just going to take it easy and enjoy our two precious boys!  This morning started with my early riser getting up at 6:20 which is actually sleeping in a little for him.  He ate breakfast and then we played in the playroom as we always do.  As soon as Hayden hears daddy or Isaac coming down the stairs he gets so excited.  Isaac was first this morning at 6:50.  As Isaac started walking toward the playroom Hayden ran to him and gave him a hug.  He loves his big brother!  After Isaac ate breakfast we played in the family room.  At one point Isaac said to Hayden "I will always take care of you Hayden"  Later he told Hayden that when we go camping that they will be in the same room and he will take care of him.  They have their share of fights, but it is great to see how much they love each other!  After we played for awhile Isaac decided to make pictures for those who will be coming to his birthday party.  He wanted to write their names on each one so I helped him with how to spell each name and write each letter.  He knows how to write some letters (A,T, L, I, O, M, C, S, H, J), but still has a lot to learn.  I love that he is so eager to learn.  Daddy came downstairs about 8:00 and the boys were delighted to see him!  They both wanted to help him make coffee.  Terry usually plays with the boys in the mornings and then takes Isaac with him to Walmart, but this morning he has a deacon's meeting.  I am very proud to say that Terry was recently asked to be a deacon at our church.  I am very blessed to have two precious little boys and a wonderful husband!

Hayden's words & Rockets

Hayden will be 17 mths old in two days and still has a very limited vocabulary.  What he can say is mama, dada, and uh-oh.  He also says Isaac, but I don't know if anyone that didn't know us would know what he was saying.  He can also tell you what a sheep says and what a dog says, but I guess those aren't technically words.   He is pretty good at saying the beginning sounds of words.  If you tell him to day ball, he will say ba, or dog is da, but I am pretty conservative when I count the actual number of words he can say.  I don't want to rush time because I know that before I know it he will be asking to borrow the car, but we are all getting a little eager for him to learn at least a few words.  There is mutual frustration when he can't express what he wants, doesn't want, or how he feels.  His frustration is expressed in quite the loud scream at times.  When I got home from work today I was quite surprised to find out that he had said two words together!  Tori's mom stopped over and when Tori saw her mom at the door she said "Tessa's nana is here!"  and Hayden said "Tessa's nana".  We tried to get him to say it again, but of course he wouldn't.  I was sorry that I missed it, but was glad to hear that he is starting to say more words.

One of our weekly traditions is to go out to eat before church on Wednesday nights.  Nothing fancy, just fast food, but it is one less night that I have to cook and it is convenient.  Terry usually works late on Wednesdays and then meets us somewhere.  We take turns picking the restaurant.  Terry's back and shoulder have been bothering him lately and he recently felt a knot in his back so he decided to go to a chiropractor.  The appointment wasn't until 5:00 and took awhile so he wasn't able to meet us tonight.  It was my turn to pick the restaurant tonight and I picked McDonalds so that the boys could play before we ate.  On the way there Isaac pointed to the sky and said  "Look Mom, a Rocket!"  I told him that I thought it was a plane, but he assured me it was a rocket.  I decided not to argue with him.  I thought he's a 3 yr old little boy, of course that's a rocket and how fun that is!    As we drove along he saw more and more and kept pointing them out, so excited and I got excited with him. :)

Isaac's wheels are always spinning, he is always thinking about something and I love that about him!  Just as I was starting to write this blog entry he came into our room (Terry had just put him to bed about 10 minutes prior) and said "When you eat fish, what about their eyes?"  I explained that you don't eat the eyes and he then responded "So, do you just throw them back in the water?"  As much as I wanted him to get back in bed and go to sleep I couldn't help but smile at his questions.  I wonder why he started thinking about fish?  So many things to ponder, I hope he never stops!

Reenergized!

                                                                    

What a wonderful blessing to be able to rest and reflect!  That is what I was able to do this past weekend!  A few months ago God placed it on my heart to plan a ladies retreat for our Bible class.  I knew that this was something I needed and was sure that many others needed some time away from their busy lives to relax.  So, 11 of us spent the weekend in Mineral Bluff (by Blue Ridge), GA.    Nine of us arrived at the cabin Friday evening.  We all had a little bit of trouble finding the cabin as we were traveling on narrow roads, through the woods, in the dark to an unmarked cabin, but we eventually all made it safely.  We joked that it was like a scene from a Halloween movie.  After everyone arrived we played Two truths and a Lie.  We learned a little bit more about each other and enjoyed some laughs.  After our game, Cynthia our wonderful mentor and friend lead us in a devotional time.  We first spent some time singing together which I love to do.  I don't consider myself a great singer, but I enjoy it nonetheless.  Cynthia told us that she wanted to be mom to us this weekend and for us to be the children.  She then told us that she wanted to read us a couple stories.  She had us first put our pjs on and then she had us take turns giving each other massages as she read.  One of the stories she read urged us to disregard what other think of us and to fully embrace God's love for us.  After the devotional we sat around and talked, and talked, and talked some more.   There is something so great about talking to friends who are at the same stage of life, share the same values, and experience similar struggles.  It was 3am when I finally went to bed.  It is funny because I dread being woken up in the middle of the night, but yet I gladly stayed up til the middle of the night to share stories and enjoy this rare moment.  Saturday morning we leisurely started the day with breakfast and then another devotional by Cynthia.  She spoke to us about the only 7 verses in the Bible that specifically speak to women.  Of course there are many verses that speak to how all Christians should live, but she pointed out that there are only 7 that specifically speak to women.  After the devotional we had lunch and then we went to a spa in Blue Ridge.  I wanted everyone to have some free time on Saturday to go and do whatever they wanted to do.  I had looked up some different things to do in the area and told the ladies what I had found.  I told them that they might want to go shopping or go hiking to a waterfall or enjoy some time at a spa.  When I mentioned the spa this seemed to interest everyone.  As moms and wives we rarely take the time to pamper ourselves so this was the perfect thing to do during our weekend to relax.  Some got a massage, some got a manicure, and some got a pedicure.  It was a small place, but the people who worked there were very nice and accommodating.  Since this was a small business it took awhile to fit us all in and we ended going straight to dinner from the spa.  I had looked at different restaurant possibilities online and then Cynthia told me that she had a friend that lived in the area and could recommend some restaurants.  Serenity Garden Cafe was one of the places she mentioned.  There were a couple other restaurants mentioned as well, but they were more expensive and we wanted to make sure where we went was affordable for everyone.  Well, unfortunately the restaurant was not good.  Our first red flag was when the waitress mentioned that many of the items on the menu were frozen and not made fresh.  Two people ordered Chicken Cordon Bleu and it was burnt on the outside and pink on the inside!  I ordered shrimp scampi and it did not have much flavor.  We mentioned rolls because we had not received them yet, and when she brought them out they were burnt and pitiful looking!  I couldn't believe she actually brought those rolls to us!  I felt badly that the service and food were so poor, but everyone was very nice about it and chalked it up to a memory we could laugh about.  After we got back to the cabin we had another devotional.  We talked more about the scriptures for women and Cynthia also told us about a book called  The Lies Women Believe.  She read the lies and many of them started good conversation about how we struggle with these.  This night the devotional went in many different directions, was heart wrenching at times, but was wonderful.  Cynthia has raised two wonderful children, has been through a lot in her life, and has a lot of wisdom to share.  I also found that we all have a lot of helpful insight to share with each other.  Some did not stay up quite as late this second night, but of course I did.  I just love to talk!  Sunday morning we once again took our time getting up, getting ready, and having breakfast.  We then spent some time in worship together.  We sang, had communion together, and listened to Cynthia read what God has to say about discipline in our family, patience, and prayer.  After worship we presented Cynthia with a gift for leading our devotional times and for everything she did to help with the retreat.  The ladies then presented me with a gift as well.  This was a nice, unexpected surprise that I really appreciated.  Then Hong set up her camera so we could get a group picture.  I think we all wanted to capture this weekend with a picture we could look back on.  We then ate lunch together and then packed up and headed home.  I thought about stopping at some places on my way home, but decided I was too eager to see Terry and the boys.  When I got home Isaac and Hayden were both napping.  Isaac seemed happy to see me when I woke him up and I shared some fudge with him that I had bought in Blue Ridge.  When I woke Hayden up he was happy to see me, but then wanted daddy.  I enjoyed hearing about their weekend and was happy that things seemed to go so smoothly.  Terry is such a great daddy and he did a great job flying solo for the weekend.  I was quite impressed that on top of watching two active boys he got some dishes done, laundry folded, and papers organized!

One of the things I reflected on this past weekend is that I want to be a calmer mom.  I really want to try to keep my cool when the boys misbehave and not lose my temper and yell.  I also want to start each day by reading a scripture.  Some of the ladies talked about doing this and many of us talked about that how we are feeling sets the tone for how the day will go.  I know that if I spend even just a few minutes each morning reading God's word and talking with him I will be a better wife and mom.  I also want to work on being less critical of myself and of Terry.  I think Terry is an awesome, Godly husband and daddy, but for some reason being critical of myself (something I have always been) seems to transfer to being critical of him at times.  I am so thankful that myself and so many ladies were able to go on this retreat, that everything went smoothly and everyone had a good time, that I was able to get to know these wonderful women a little bit more, and that I feel reenergized to be the best mom and wife I can be!

Frankenstein and the Lion

          Well, I had planned to blog Sunday night after my little Frankstein and Lion got to bed, but I just didn't have it in me for two reasons. One is because my throat is still hurting!  I had fun with Terry and the boys despite my sore throat, but it is rather frustrating that it hasn't gotten any better.  I am going to go to the doctor this afternoon.  The other reason is because my primary focus this week is putting the final touches on our class ladies retreat which is this weekend (I will blog more about that another day).  So, here I am a couple days after Halloween, but better late than never, right!
          A few weeks ago the boys and I put up some Halloween decorations.  I am like a kid by the way when it comes to holidays!  :)  Christmas is my favorite, but I like them all.  It is such a treat to view the fun through your children's eyes.  So, we were putting up some window stickers and Isaac asked who this one guy was.  I explained to him that his name was Frankenstein and it was then that Isaac declared that he wanted to be Frankenstein for Halloween!  It is kind of ironic because Isaac doesn't like scary things, but our Frankenstein decoration was smiling and wasn't scary to Isaac so he didn't know any different.  I wasn't thrilled about his choice of costumes and tried to get him to think of other things that he might want to be, but he was determined to be Frankenstein.  Sometimes I have ideas about what the boys should do on different occasions, but I have to remind myself that it is not about what I want.  I need to embrace what they want to do and enjoy it with them.  I wasn't thrilled with the Frankenstein costumes I saw online (there were none in the stores I went to), but I ordered the one that I thought looked the best.  Isaac's costume actually turned out to be really cute!  I painted his fingernails orange as he requested (the Frankenstein on our decoration had orange fingernails) and painted his face green.  I also put some cardboard in the hood of his costume to make his head look more square.  Hayden was a lion.  This is probably the last year that we will be able to use one of Isaac's old costumes for Hayden.  Next year he will probably have an opinion about what he wants to be.  If not, you will see another little Frankstein :)  Hayden was an adorable lion!  He even let me color his nose brown and give him some whiskers.  I didn't know if he would keep the costume on, but he kept it on the whole time.
             Sunday afternoon we went to trunk or treat at Campus.  They had games, lines of cars the kids could go trick or treating at, and an inflatable.  The boys had a great time and it was fun enjoying the afternoon as a family.  Hayden really got into collecting candy.  He wasn't shy at all and he always made sure he had one piece of candy in each hand.  When I first started taking the candy from him to put in the bag he got upset, but then he quickly understood that when I did this that meant that he could go and get more candy!  I loved seeing all the cute kids and their great costumes!  I admire those who can make their own costumes and/or come up with something truly unique.  After we got home, had dinner, and rested I took the boys to a few neighbors' houses while Terry stayed home to hand out candy.  By the end of the night we had Tons of candy and two very worn out little boys!  What a fun day!

Lets Go!

Ready for Trunk or Treat!

Two very tired little boys!

Bummed

What started at the beginning of the week as a stuffy nose and dry throat has turned into a really bad sore throat.  So bad, that we had to cancel our plans to Nashville, bummed!  I gargled salt water, drank hot tea and kept hoping it would get better, but it hasn't.  As much as we were all looking forward to spending the weekend (especially Halloween weekend) with the Cliffords we didn't want to get any of them sick, but especially little Merritt who is only 4 mths old.  After dropping Isaac off at preschool this morning Hayden and I went by the take care clinic at Walgreeens.  I prayed that there wouldn't be a lot of people there so we could get in quickly.  We walked into Walgreens and over to the clinic and there was no one there, yay!  When the Dr. looked at my throat she commented on how red it was.  She really emphasized how red it was and some how I felt justified for just how crummy I have been feeling.  Unfortunately though she said it was viral and that antibiotics wouldn't help.  She did say that she would give me something to gargle to help with the pain.  That made me happy, but when I got home and measured out a tsp as the directions said I was surprised to find that it was as thick as honey.  The directions didn't say anything about diluting it so I thought okay, here it goes.  It was impossible to gargle and just made my mouth feel a little numb so I called the pharmacy and they said that I could mix it with water.  They should really put that on the directions!  Anyways, I tried it again with water, but it didn't help very much, disappointment.  Angela and I talked and as much as we wanted to be together and knew the kids were looking forward to it we agreed that it was for the best.  We dreaded telling the kids.
Even though I wasn't feeling well Hayden I headed back to Isaac's school after Hayden took a nap.  They had a fall festival today and parents and siblings were invited to attend.  They had games and crafts for the children to do and each child could pick out a small pumpkin.  Terry was able to come home a little early today and then I took a much needed nap.  This evening Terry and the boys went and picked up dinner.  I also had him stop by Wendys and to get me a Frosty for my throast.  I was just following doctors orders :)  No really, she said that something cold like ice cream would soothe my throat.  Well, I am going to end this for now and hope that I am able to write more up beat posts in the near future.

Sipping Hot Tea with Honey

I am sipping hot tea with honey as I type hoping that this cold and sore throat don't stay around for long.  I could tell the boys and I were getting colds when we all started sniffling over the weekend.  Then Sunday I woke up with a sore throat and I knew it was hitting me full force.  I am hoping that our colds do not get worse or last long because we are planning to go to Nashville this weekend.  We debated whether to stay here for Halloween since our church is having their trunk or treat on Halloween day this year (something that Isaac has enjoyed every year) or to spend Halloween with Angela and her family as we did last year.  As usual family time won out.  Kate, Harrison, and Isaac love spending time together (Merritt and Hayden love tagging along as well).  It is such a blessing that our kids are close in age, don't live too far away, and get along so well.  Terry, myself, Angela, and William always have a good time together as well.

Today the boys went to Tori's and I went to work.  This morning was a little chaotic as it always is as I fed Hayden breakfast, got myself ready for work, gathered up all our stuff, and got the boys in the car.  I usually get the diaper bag packed and lunches made the night before, but most Tuesday mornings I am finishing up their lunches by putting a couple more things in their lunch bag.  This morning I thought I was doing good because everything that needed to be in their lunch bag was already packed.  I didn't need to take it out of the fridge and put anything else in.  Well, the problem was just that, I didn't need to put anything else in it so I never took it out of the fridge!  I realized that it was still in the fridge when I was half way to Tori's, ugh!  I couldn't believe I had forgotten something so important.  Thankfully Tori said she had plenty of things that they could eat and would be happy to make their lunches.  I am very thankful for Tori.  When April told me that she would not be able to watch the boys this school year I didn't know what I was going to do.  A lady from church offered, but it just didn't seem to be a good fit and ended up not working out for her.  When I announced that we needed to find a babysitter just 5 weeks before I had to go back to work in August I prayed that the right person would come along and she did!  Tori is definitely an answered prayer and has been wonderful with the boys!  Today they made rice krispie treats and cut them into pumpkin shapes.  After I picked the boys up from Tori's Terry took Isaac to swim lessons.  Isaac loves the water and Terry taught him a lot this summer.  He really amazed me!  By the end of the summer he didn't want to wear his swim vest, would jump off the diving board, and would swim underwater after a toy that had been thrown.  Since he loves swimming so much we thought we would continue his desire to be a good swimmer with lessons.  During his first lesson his teacher called him a little fish.  After dinner Terry raked leaves for the boys to jump in.  I have a few pictures that I will have to post later (it is getting late).  Just another day in the life of the Beasleys!  I feel blessed.

Just a few thoughts today

I really want to capture as much of our lives as possible and so therefore I want to blog often.  I think if I am going to consistently do that then I need to allow myself to just jot a few things down on some days instead of putting as much time and thought into it as I will on other days.  Today is one of those days where I just want to jot a few things down. 
* It was a treat today to have my father in law with us for Bible class and church.  He usually has to leave out on Saturday to get back to Tallahassee to preach.
* I love when Hayden falls asleep on me in church.  By the end of service he and I are both hot and my arms are tired, but I love this cuddle time.
* I am excited about the ladies retreat that I am planning for our Bible class.  I can't believe that it is only two weeks away!  I am pleased with how everything is coming together, but am still stressing a little that it will be a wonderful weekend for everyone.  I pray that I will be at peace knowing that God is in control and is going to do great things!

Mimi, Papaw, and Aunt Lauren weekend

Although Friday was not an all together bad day, I was glad to see it come to a close because I had a headache All Day!  I get headaches at least once a week and over the counter medicine usually doesn't get rid of them.  So, Friday afternoon I finally went to the Dr. and was prescribed something stronger.  Once I got the prescription filled and took the medicine I was very happy with how quickly it took away my headache.  Anyway, enough about that!  Friday morning Lauren went with me to take Isaac to preschool.  She was able to meet his teacher and see his classroom.  After we picked Isaac up from preschool Friday afternoon we went to the park so Isaac could show Aunt Lauren his new remote control plane.  We always enjoy going to the park and Friday was no exception.  I want to make a side note here about how thoughtful Isaac is.  Right before we were getting ready to leave the park Isaac found a stick.  I told him we needed to go and when I was buckling him in his car seat he said "I found a stick and I wanted to bring it with me, but then I remembered that you had some things in the car from Target and I didn't want to get them dirty."  His thoughtfulness shows in many things he says, but that is just one example.  After we put the boys to bed Friday night I finally got relief from my headache and Terry, Lauren, and I enjoyed laughing together as we watched The Office.  Marjorie and Jim arrived very late after driving here from Tallahassee, FL.
This morning Terry made us a great breakfast of blueberry pancakes and eggs.  Then Marjorie, Lauren, myself, and the boys took off for IKEA.  Although Lauren's 22nd birthday was yesterday we celebrated all day today.  When I had asked her a couple weeks ago what she wanted to do this weekend IKEA was at the top of her list!  Isaac's goal was to get to the toy section, but he entertained himself along the way by pretending different display areas were stages.  Isaac loves a stage!  After shopping we took the kids home and us girls went to a spa to further celebrate Lauren's birthday.  I got a massage and it was wonderful!  Lauren got a massage and Marjorie got a facial.  Lauren chose a Thai restaurant for dinner.  I think we all agreed that it definitely wasn't the best Thai restaurant, but we enjoyed being together just the same.  Although it had been a busy day and it was getting close to the boys' bedtime we had to fulfill our promise to carve pumpkins.  The boys both had a lot of fun.  Isaac enjoyed getting all the goo (yes, that is the technical term) out and we found out that Hayden enjoyed trying to put the cut out shapes back in.  I am very thankful that we have had this family time this weekend!

Here We Go

I have been putting off writing my first entry because I feel like I don't really have time to spend a lot of time and really think through what I want to say, because I feel like I have a lot to learn about blogging, and because I don't have my blog just the way I want it yet.  Tonight I decided to ignore all those things, jump in, and figure things out as I go.  So, I am open to tips about blogging, suggestions about my blog, and blog name suggestions.  Beasley Life is just a temporary title.  My main reason for starting a blog is to journal our day to day lives.  I want to reflect on each day I am blessed with.   I am hoping that this will  help me to treasure each moment with my boys, my husband, and everyone I love.  Not that I don't treasure them already, but I think sometimes we just get so caught up in the busyness of life that we just zoom past little, but priceless moments.  I am going to wrap this up because I feel like this is a good place to stop for now and because I need to finish getting ready for my sister-in-law's visit.  She is arriving in tonight and Marjorie and Jim will get here tomorrow night.  We have a great weekend ahead celebrating Lauren's birthday and just enjoying family time.