| The Little Lott Brothers | Last Updated: Jul 27, 2009 |
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Beau
Judson |
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Stories 6/22/09 Well, Judson will be officially 3 one week from today. We had so much fun at his party. There were wet kids running around everywhere! (except our own, of course...they still don't care for the pool) haha, anyways, we had a great time, and I'm pretty sure Jud enjoyed all the attention. Not to mention the presents and cake. The heat outside was insane, but it made for a perfect pool party! Thankfully, Gramee and Grampee were able to make it down from PA for his special day. They headed home this morning, and both boys were very sad to see them leave. :( Other than the party, I can't really think of any other news to write about! Oh, we have some NEW PICTURES thanks to Gramee bringing her camera!
Ok...I THOUGHT I was going to sneak some pictures on here from facebook, but I wasn't able to. I'll keep working on it, maybe I'll figure it out. 6/15/09 Hey, I did a little better this time...it's only been half a month since the last update! Still no camera, but I did steal a couple pics from my friend's facebook so at least I have something to put on here! Tim returned last night from a trip to Panama City with his work. He came back very tan, and very irresistible I might add! :) oops, maybe a little too much info for a children's website! Anyways, I am thankful that he had a great time and came back to us safe and sound. :) While he was away....I got to play! (For a wedding that is) Our friends Elizabeth and Jared were married this past Friday. Their wedding was beautiful. It took place at one of my favorite locations ever...Whitestone! (you can google it to see pics, but it's 10x's better in real person!) Since Tim was gone, I was lucky enough to get some of the Duggar's and the Bates to babysit for me! Talk about the best babysitters ever. Not only did they absolutely refuse money, but when I returned each night from the rehearsal and wedding, my house was spotless! I just love those girls! They said they felt like they were on vacation getting to watch movies, use the internet, and go swimming! I don't know what I would've done without them. Also, Bethy Scheving (the Pastor's daughter from Fargo, ND) flew in to be the wedding photographer. She stayed here one night and we had a great time! It was so fun to see her again. I can't wait to see the wedding pictures....she's amazing! Well, Judson's going to get his 1st birthday party this weekend! 3rd birthday, 1st party! Better late than never right? I wish I could afford to fly all our long distance friends and family here for his big day. ;) He's asked for a "puppy dog cake". A friend of mine that does cakes, is going to make him one. Hopefully the puppy theme won't be too difficult to pull off. They make puppy party stuff right? I'll find out later today when I go shopping for it all. Well, I think that's all for now....TTFN (ta ta for now)
5/28/09 Whew! What a busy month it has been over here! I feel like I am just now catching my breath. (and catching up on housework- mainly laundry!) We were so privileged to get to spend some time with my cousin Rebekah, and her 3 children! Rebekah's husband, Grant, had to be away for 6 weeks for work, so she and the kids packed up and made the loooong trip over here to Knoxville! They came all the way from League City, Texas, which is about half way between Galveston and Houston. Bless her heart! (a southern phrase I have picked up and now use quite often) The Minnesota term for that would be "Uff Da!" Anyways, she was a brave strong woman to travel that far with a 4 yr old, 2 yr old, and a baby! We had a great time with them and the boys still talk about Haakon, Marit, and Thor! Thanks for making that long trip for us, Rebekah! We love you guys! Some other fun things we have recently done are.... *Celebrated our 6th anniversary! *Met and spent an evening with the Duggar's and the Bate's. (The Duggar family has the show "18 Kids & Counting" on TLC *Made a trip to Nashville with a couple other girls to record a cd for our church. The recording studio was absolutely amazing....I wanted to move in and live there! I got an opportunity to play and record with a famous musician and recording artist, Wanda Vick. (google her name for more details) CD should be done and ready to buy shortly! One of the saddest moments for me recently, was having to say goodbye to my best friend, Heidi, her husband, and their 3 beautiful children. They have moved to Fargo, North Dakota, to work in the church where she grew up. I am proud of them for following the Lord's will for their lives. I know the Lord will bless them for it! But, we will miss them greatly. The boys still don't realize that they won't be seeing their buddy Carter anymore. It makes me so sad to think about that! Hopefully we can visit each other as often as possible. ~love you guys~ Now, for upcoming events..... Judson's 3rd birthday! Poor little guy has never had a birthday party, so we are throwing him one this year! Shortly after his birthday, we are heading to Disney World for vacation! I can't wait to see the boys' faces when we get there...they will be in heaven! (we better get a new camera before that trip!) One more thing.....anyone want to come and stay with us June 11th and 12th to take care of the boys for me? Tim will be in Panama City for a company trip, and I have to play for a wedding about an hour away. My babysitter has moved to Fargo! Hopefully I can figure out what to do with them....if they were a little older, and had a little more self control, I would just take them with me to the rehearsal and wedding. However, I don't think that would be a wise idea at this time. :) Sorry for the incredibly long and boring journal entry today! If you are reading this, then..."bless your heart"! You deserve an award for sticking with it this far. :) Ta Ta!
4/26/09 Yesterday, Tim and I and the boys were invited to a birthday party for Tim's coworker's little girl at the Bounce House. I think we have found a new favorite place to take the boys! ( well, besides Dollywood ) It was so much fun and I wish I would've had a camera to capture the huge smiles on the boys' faces! The Bounce House is a huge place with indoor inflatable slides, obstacle courses, and jumping pits. Everything was inflatable so that meant NO OWIES! The people that invented that place must have had small chidren. Today was "Baby Day" at church. It's for every family with children ages 3 and under. We only had one child to parade across the platform today. :( My babies are growing up so fast. I will admit that I may have recently had a case of baby fever, however, when I think about all the fun things we are just now being able to do as a family, it makes me think twice about wanting another one. (for now anyways) I loved meeting and holding Heidi's newest addition....Parker Kade Schatz. He is so sweet and precious! Congratulations Dan and Heidi! God has blessed you with a beautiful little family! In a couple months, I'm going to start watching a little boy at our house. He was just born a couple weeks ago and I'm so excited to take care of him. Beau and Jud will love it. They absolutely adore babies! We have been thoroughly enjoying summer! It has been in the mid to upper 80's here and we've been living and eating outside whenever possible. Tim and I hope to teach Beau how to swim this summer. It would be nice to have one less child to worry about around the pool. I will feel much more at ease when they both know how to swim. Well, that's what we've been up to! Sign our guestbook and let us know what YOU have been up to! Love to you all... ~The day before Easter~ Easter has to be one of my favorite holidays! I love all the pretty pastel colors in the decorations and of course all the candy! Of course another reason is because we are celebrating the fact that our Lord has risen from the grave! I rejoice in knowing that my Savior is alive and His journey from the cradle, to the cross, to Heaven, was for ME! What a sight that must have been for those who discovered His grave was EMPTY! I have no new pictures...:( Our camera took a hard fall on the wood floor thanks to two crazy little monkeys! It is beyond repair, so I will just have to settle for new stories until we get a new one. Today is going to be a day of preparation for tomorrow. I have bun dough in the bread machine and I have finished my grocery list for Easter dinner. When Tim gets home from work, I will be on the "hunt" for some special little Easter surprises for the boys. We may be having company tomorrow, but if not, we will have a special ham dinner for just our family on some pretty china! One of my favorite memories as a child was of our annual family egg hunts at my grandparents house. I remember running as fast as I could all around their huge yard trying to find as many eggs as I could before the "big" kids got them! Also, I remember one Sunday morning mom had set the dining room table with pretty dishes and a big chocolate bunny at each place setting. When we got home from church that morning, all the bunnies had melted from sitting in the warm sunshine! I hope to make some special Easter memories for the boys...starting with tomorrow! We just wish we could share the day with family too! ~Sending you all lots of chocolate covered hugs and kisses~ P.S- I have to jot down a couple things that boys have been doing recently so I don't forget these precious things.... Beau tells me every day (at least once a day) that I'm his best friend in the whole world! Then he follows it with, "You like it when I say that right? That makes you proud!" Judson has started asking for hugs and kisses every time we're going to be away from each other. Even if it's only for a moment while I take Titan outside on the leash. His hug and kiss routine involves a kiss on the lips, one on each cheek, a kiss on the forehead, two hugs, and "daps" and fives! It is the same every time and although sometimes I might be in a hurry, I try to remember that this is precious and someday I will miss it! Another thing I am cherishing right now is the sound of Beau praying. He prays so well and it brings joy to my heart to hear him thank the Lord for all his blessings. He also tends to pray for us to go to Dollywood a lot! :) Gotta love prayers from a 4 year old!
03/05/09 Oops! Can't believe it's almost been a month since I last updated! Since my last post, Tim and I had an amazing little "getaway weekend" in Gatlinburg. Our church hosts a "Couple's Retreat" once a year in the Smokies. We got some babysitters to stay at our house with the boys while we enjoyed some alone time! Today, the boys and I took advantage of the beautiful day and headed to the park, McDonald's, and then the duck pond. All that activity made for a great nap once we got home. Once we got to the park, I realized my camera only had about 2 minutes left of battery power. So, I managed to get as many pictures as I could before it died. We also had a great time with Tim's Aunt Pat! She was on her way back to PA from Florida and was able to stay with us a couple days! The boys miss her already! (we do too) :) Thanks for coming Aunt Pat! You're welcome here anytime! We love you 02/07/09 What a day! Beau is 4 years old!! (well, at 10:02 pm tomorrow evening he will be!) We celebrated his birthday today since tomorrow is Sunday. He woke up and opened his presents, played with them all day, then we had icecream cake from Baskin Robin's and went to Chuck-E-Cheese! We thought we'd take him there instead of having a traditional birthday party at the house. Boy, was that CRAZY! Seems like everyone in Knoxville decided to go there at the same time. I have come to the conclusion that Chuck-E-Cheese is a germ infested, money robbing, child heaven! Kids love it, parents hate it! Beau had fun though, so it was worth it. I think he must have climbed up and down the indoor gym thing 50 times. He also must have been a monkey in some previous life. No other child that I saw, climbed up and through the tunnels, and slid down the slide faster than Beau. I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to all the other parents whose children got trampled and pushed out of his way! J/K, he was actually very considerate and friendly to all the other kids. Anyways, it was a great day, and both kids and parents are exhausted! I'm thinking that Beau might be coming down with a bug. Since waking up this morning, his eyes have had red circles around them and his face wasn't nearly as bright and clear as it always is. Don't worry Grandma, I promise to give him lots of vitamins! :) It was 64 degrees here this afternoon. Quite a bit warmer than it was last week when we got a bunch of beautiful sparkly snow! Tim took the kids out to play in it, and I tried to get some pictures through the window, but everytime I'd open the window to get a shot, Tim would throw a fast snowball aiming right towards me and the open window! Some other news....Tim and I have taken our house off the market. We had a whopping 2 people come to look at it in the 2 months it was on the market. (and they were husband and wife) But, to be honest, we are glad it didn't sell. I can't tell you how many times the Lord has proven to us over the last few months, that He is taking care of us and meeting our needs. It is so comforting to know that even in difficult times, we have the Lord and He is all we need. I can't praise Him enough for the things He has done for us! Our little worries and concerns are so tiny when compared to His strength, His love, and His faithfulness to us. Hope everyone has a fabulous Valentine's Day next weekend! Love, hugs, and kisses to all our dear sweet family and friends. P.S- Last Friday was a very cold and snowy day here in Knoxville. It was also Belle's 5th birthday. Some probably wouldn't use the term "birthday", but I like to think of it as that because she was born in Heaven. The very first face that she saw, was the face of Jesus! The Lord gave me a wonderful peace in my heart last Friday. I think it's probably the first year that her birthday hasn't been difficult to get through. Although I miss her dearly, the Lord allowed me grace to think of the sweet memories we had with her, and not all the pain and sadness that surrounded that time. I want to share with you a portion of what Tim wrote to me in a precious card that day. "...It's nice to know that on this cold day, Belle is wrapped in the warm arms of our Savior..." Of course I couldn't get through the day without tearing up after reading that! I am so thankful for a precious husband. He is my rock, my much better half, and my best friend. Love you honey!
1/16/09 We had our violin recital last night. I thought I'd post some pictures of all my students. (except 3 that were unable to make it) Everyone did great, I was so proud of them! It was cute to see how excited and nervous they all were! Brings back memories of my own recital days! Since 3 of my students were unable to be there, I asked the Bates family to sing and play in their place. This is one of the most amazing families I have ever met! They have 16 children....yep...16! I have the priviledge of teaching 4 of them. You may have seen them appear on TLC with the Duggar family on their show, "17 Kids and Counting." (Now the Duggars have 18) The Bates will be welcoming #17 in August. Anyways, the recital went very well, and I was showered with gifts and flowers from my students! I'll try to add a video clip....might take me a while, I'm not quite sure how to do it.
01/08/09 In exactly one month, I will be the mommy of a 4 yr old! Can you believe that!? I can hardly remember what life was like before Beau. It seems as though he's always been with us! When Beau was a baby, and even up to around 3 yrs old, he would NEVER fall asleep with us in our bed. Even if it was just a Saturday afternoon nap, there was no way that he would actually fall asleep. Now....we can't keep him OUT of our bed! He started this about 2 or 3 months ago. In the middle of the night, he would wake up, come into our room, and crawl in bed with us. The first few times he did this, he said he was scared of something. Tim and I willingly let him crawl in bed with us the first 3 or 4 times. Now, it is nothing more than a bad habit we allowed! Like clockwork, he wakes in the wee hours of the morning, and very quietly and carefully climbs in bed. He got so good at being quiet, that 90% of the time, I wouldn't even realize that he got in bed until I woke up in the morning! Last night, I thought I'd try something different. I told him he could sleep on the couch in the family room, if he promised not to come into our room anymore. He said, "Mom, I don't need to come into your room if I'm sleeping on the couch, because I won't be scared in here." Sure enough, he kept his word and slept great on the couch. Tim and I are debating on just letting him sleep there as long as he wants until he gets over his issues! If that's what it takes to keep him out of our room and bed at night, then I think we're gonna let him! We just had a HUGE answer to prayer today! To make a long story short...we have had a good amount of damage done to Beau's ceiling and walls due to all the rain we've been having here. Part of the damage even extended to our family room ceiling, walls, and floor. I was told by the insurance company that it probably would not be covered, but that they would send in inspector out anyways just to be sure. Well, the guy came today, and said that he would give us the benefit of the doubt and just call it wind damage! So....the repairs are going to be covered!!! Thank you Lord! I think the guy knew that the damage was not caused by the wind, but rather the way the addition was built, but he was very generous and I'm so thankful! What a huge relief. We had no idea how we were going to afford all the expenses of getting those things fixed. But, with our house on the market, we couldn't afford not to either. No person in their right mind would agree to buy our home after they saw all the water damage that had recently been done! I believe the verse that says, "And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love the Lord!" We're planning to hire our good friend Ben who is amazing at his carpentry skills to fix it for us. 12/29/08 Christmas 2008 was everything we could've wished for and more! We had a very special time with family up in MN! We made it all the way up there and back safely! It was a very loooong drive, but well worth it! The boys were fantastic and Tim and I were so proud of what great lil troopers they were through all the many car rides and adventures we had up there. Thank you sooo much to Grandma and Grandpa C for taking such good care of us while we were up there! The boys are still talking about everyone they got to see and everything they got to do! We couldn't have asked for a better Christmas! See you all again for Christmas 2010! Now, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Tim's family for the "Lott Family Christmas"! We will be spending the next few days together and ringing in the New Year with the Lott's! The boys won't even know what to do with so much fun and celebration all in such a short time! 12/19/08 This will be one of my last updates for 2008! Unfortunately, I don't have any new pictures, but I'm sure I'll have a whole camera full by the time we come back from MN. The boys are doing well....they are looking forward to going to MN to visit Grandpa and Grandma. I'm just not sure they're prepared for how long they'll have to sit in their carseats during the trip! Actually, they probably won't mind it as much as Tim and I! Judson's face is doing much better! He was making quite a mess of his cute lil face by picking at his dry and itchy skin! I am almost positive it was due to how dry our house was getting from the fireplace. Whenever we go a few days without burning a fire, it seems to clear up almost immediately. I guess he is a sensitive boy inside AND out! Beau has become quite the little whistler! He has been whistling for a good while now, but lately he has started whistling complete songs! His favorite song to whistle is "Twinkle Twinkle". I'm a little jealous, I can barely make whistle noises, let alone whistle a song! (wow, how many times did I use the word, "whistle" in that paragraph! lol) Our house has been on the market for over a week and a half, and still no showings! I can't say we're surprised, but I think we're remaining hopeful that just the right person will come along and choose ours over hundreds of others on the market for the same price! The market is saturated with homes, and banks are not doing 100% financing anymore. So, hopefully somebody with a good chunk of cash will come along! We know it's all in God's timing. The Lord has proven to us through different situations that He is going to take care of us, and that's more than enough for us. As for our upcomig trip, we had planned to leave tonight, but it seems that some bad winter storms wanted to get up there before we did, so we're going to wait it out here at home and leave before the sun comes up Sunday morning. Hopefully we can bypass all that nasty weather and have a nice drive up there. The temperature is supposed to almost hit 70 here today! I have the windows open and a nice fresh breeze coming through the house. I can't believe how warm it is for the week before Christmas! I will say though, we haven't seen the sunshine in days! It has been raining in Knoxville for what seems like a month now! Ok, I think that's pretty much everything that's been going on down here.... Oh, please keep my Grandma Vi in your prayers. She is in the first few stages of Alzheimer's (sp), and recently suffered a stroke. She has been in the hospital and is hopefully coming home today. Mom and Dad have been trying to decide what to do since she is no longer able to live on her own now. Please keep them all in your prayers, as there are many difficult decisions to be made in the near future. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a vey Happy New Year! May you be surrounded by those you love, may the memories you make this Christmas be ones you'll cherish forever, may your toes and nose stay warm, may your hot chocolate be full of gooey marshmallows, and may big fluffy snowflakes fall on your eyelashes! (lol, ok I'm done now!)
12/04/08 We are wishing our Grandpa in Minnesota a very happy birthday today!!! Wish we could be there to give you big birthday hugs and kisses, but we'll see you in a couple weeks! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time visiting Tim's family in Pennsylvania. Holidays are so much more special when you get to share them with those you love. It was great to see all the Aunts and Uncles and Tim's cousin and his family too! My sister in law, Niki, and I got up at around 4:15 on "Black Friday" to do some shopping! We had such a great time, and I think it's going to need to be a tradition for us from now on! We so loved getting to see our niece, Halle too! I can't believe she is already one year old. She's just as precious and pretty as can be. We enjoyed all our time up there, and want to thank everyone for making it fun and extra special for us! Oh, I almost forgot...Tim got to go hunting the morning of our last day there, and he got a deer! Well, it is no suprise to anyone what the economy has been like lately. Tim and I have been praying about some things, and putting our house on the market seems like the best thing to do right now. We have an agent coming over tomorrow evening to list it for us. Neither one of us ever would've imagined that we'd be doing this just 18 short months after we moved in! But, we know that there was no way to tell what the economy was going to do. So, we're just rolling with it and making some changes to adjust. It will be a little sad to leave, but I'm sure there's another place out there that we can call home. Now, we will just have to pray that God will send a buyer our way! In the mean time, trying to keep the house "picture perfect" is not going to be easy! It seems almost impossible for every single room of the house (basement and garage included) to be clean all at the same time! But, I'll do my best and just hope that whoever comes, has small children or grandchildren so they understand! :) ~Goodnight and sweetdreams to all our dear sweet loved ones . *UPDATE* -Make that FOUR times on the potty! What a quick learner! I'm so proud of him! Seeing how quickly he's caught on, makes me wish I would've tried to potty train him a while ago. :) November 15th, 2008 Just had to jot down a major milestone...Both boys took giant leaps today in the potty training journey. Judson went pee pee on the potty twice today! This was his first (and second) time ever! Beau also made it through a whole nap time wearing underwear and stayed DRY! This was actually my first day of really working with Judson. I've sat him on the potty before, but mostly just for the sake of getting him used to it. Today I let him wear big boy underwear and really encouraged him to make something "happen" on the potty! I know he'll probably catch on fast, so it's going to be up to me to make sure I'm faithful with working with him. I worked in Judson's nursery room the other night at church, and I was happy to see that none of the boys in his class are potty trained yet. At least we're not behind schedule! November 13th, 2008 The seasons are changing! Tim and I are enjoying the cost saving benefits of wood burning fireplaces. Some days, the weather is still fairly nice, then other days the temperature drops and I wonder how on earth I ever survived Minnesota winters! There is something about the sight and smell of a fire that makes me so anxious for Christmas! Is it time to decorate yet? I've been thinking about it, but so far all I've done is hang our Christmas wreath on the door. I'm afraid some people might think I've lost my mind trying to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving! I already have a reputation for rearranging and re-decorating just about on a weekly basis. My violin students tell me that they look forward to coming each week to see what changes I've made since the previous week. :) I can't help it, I love to be a "keeper of the home"! My mom and I were reminiscing the other day of how even when I was a little girl, I would push my bedroom furniture around and dig through closets to find a different comforter for my bed. I did that so often! A couple times I even got myself into trouble by dragging all my parents Christmas decor out of storage, and trying to decorate for Christmas around the middle of October. (sorry, mom!) See, they should've taken that as a sign and gotten me help while there was still hope! :) Being a stay at home mom definitely has it's benefits. Someday when the boys are older, I'm sure I'll have an actual money earning job, and I won't get to putz around the house wasting time deciding on paint colors and furniture placement anymore. On a different note.....the boys are CRAAAAZY! If I could bottle up their energy and sell it on ebay, I'd be a millionaire! Do they make kid sized treadmills? Maybe that would help wear off some energy and calm them down a bit! If they aren't screaming and hitting at each other, they are acting as one another's accomplice. Beau is the instigator. He gets Judson to do things that I know Jud couldn't think up by himself. I know all too quickly, these days will come to an end. I'll be old and gray, and wishing I could go back in time to relive some of these crazy yet beautiful days. I'm sure if given the opportunity to go back in time, I would also remind myself to do things a little more calmly and with a little more patience too. Well, it has taken me about an hour to write this journal entry. I've had a couple little boys interrupting my concentration and averting my attention. :) Well, I hope you don't mind me rambling on about day to day life. Feel free to skip over these random jumbled up thoughts and just take a look at the pictures. Miss and love you all! P.S - When I have a little more time, I'll have to jot down the boys' first experience at the library the other day. Let's just say it ended up with Beau getting a spanking as soon as we got back to our car! 11/01/08 Today has been all about change!! So much change for one day, and it all has to do with hair! Tim, Judson, and I all got haircuts! I'm not quite sure what came over me, but for some reason I decided to cut Jud's remaining curls off! Some would say it is a cut that was long overdue, however, it took me quite a while to come to this conclusion! I did love his pretty curls, but I think he looks adorable with his "big boy" haircut! I do hope I didn't rid him of his curls forever. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they come back when it grows a little longer! Maybe this was so hard for me since I do not have a little girl who's hair I can play with. Judson was in essence, my little "girl". (hmmm....that kinda sounds weird) Anyways..... I also took the "plunge" and let a complete stranger chop 8 inches off my hair today! I'm really enjoying the new length so far. We'll see if I still feel the same way when I wake up in the morning! Oh, and yes, I am trying out a new color and seeing what it's like being a brunette! I do plan to get some highlights to blend in a couple lighter colors with it, but I think I'll wait a week or so before I do that. This morning, Heidi, Nicole, and I went to this fun hair place called Salon Azure. They give you hot tea, or coffee, while you wait in the lounge. Then, before you get started you get a nice little head and shoulder massage. What a nice little morning of pampering! Heidi also cut about 8 inches off her hair and added some bangs! She looks great! Last night, Tim and I had some friends over for a bonfire. We had such a great time and we all enjoyed having adult conversations without all the little kiddos around! I thought it was funny how we happened to have a bonfire on Halloween night. I hope our neighbors didn't think we were conducting a sayonce! (yeah, I have no idea how to spell that) I actually forgot that yesterday was Halloween until around 2:00 in the afternoon! I ran to the store and got some candy for the little neighbor kids. Well, I am REALLY starting to miss my Bubba! I'm ready for the craziness to start back up again once he comes home. I did enjoy my one on one time with Jud. This is probably horrible to say, but Tim and I both feel like we got to know Judson a little better without Beau around. I think Beau just has a way of taking up so much of our time and attention. Alright, I have rambled on about nothing for way too long now. Time to go to bed! 10/28/08 As of yesterday, our dear daddy and husband is now 29 years old! Tim informed us that this was his last birthday! (he's not too thrilled about turning 30 next year) We had a wonderful time with our friends Heath and Becca. They flew in from Wisconsin for their annual October trip to TN! It's always fun to see them and to get to spend some time with them. Thank you guys, for the great time! I didn't get very many pictures, but at least I got some! Beau is still livin' it up in PA with Gramee and Grampee! I think he might be coming home this Sunday- not sure yet. As long as he's enjoying himself up there, I'll be taking advantage of the unusually quiet and peaceful house! Judson has taken on the role of "Man of the House" since Beau's been away. I think he's enjoying all the extra attention and free reign of all the toys! I found some pictures of the roses that Tim got me for my birthday back in August. I forgot to put them on here, so I added a few. I love love love to take pictures of flowers! They're so captivating! Well, it's Tuesday, and normally I'd be half way through teaching violin lessons by now, but I had a few cancellations, so I'm using this free time to update the website! Aren't you proud of me!? Enjoy! 10/21/08 Beau is sooo excited to go to PA for a week to stay with Gramee and Grampee! We are getting up fairly early to leave and meet Grampee half way in West Virginia tomorrow morning! Grampee will take Beau the rest of the way to PA and he will stay with them for the week. As I was packing Beau's suitcase tonight, he told me that I should pack 3 spanking spoons! LOL! I hope he's not planning on being extra bad while he's away! :) Thank you to Gramee and Grampee for volunteering to take Beau for us while our friends, Heath and Becca, come to stay with us! We will have a lot more freedom to go out and do things with them if Beau is not here. Beau is always the life of the party wherever he goes, but along with that comes "high maintenance"! I cannot imagine life without our Beau. Often times, I think he is way more work than most of the other young children I know, but then again, he is probably way more fun too! His personality keeps Tim and I either laughing non-stop, or about to pull our hair out. Whether we're laughing or pulling hair, we're always on our toes with Beau around! Oh I love that little boy more than I could ever put into words! What about Judson you ask? Judson is a sweet bunch of pleasure and goodness! He is such a joy to have around. It's nothing out of the ordinary for him to come up to you and give you kisses and hugs. (always 2 hugs, to be exact!) For some reason, he doesn't like to just give you one. :) I pray that his tender little heart will always be just that- tender. I long for both my boys to grow up loving our God, and desiring to serve Him with their lives. God has created their different personalities for a purpose. Each of our sons could play a different but important role in the work of the Lord. Beau, most likely, will become a leader in some way or another. (I'm not suggesting that I think he's going to be president of the United States or anything) As for Judson, I'm not sure what he'll choose for an occupation, but I think he would make an excellent husband someday with his sweet soft heart. Only God knows their futures, but I pray that He will help me do my part in raising them and directing them in the right path. It is almost overwhelming at times, to think how important my role as their mother really is. The things that I teach them now (or not teach them) could ultimately determine their futures and whether they choose to live for the world, or for the Lord. If I don't instill Godly principles and values in their little minds and hearts while they're young, what would make them want or choose those things when they're older? Tim and I have a crucial role to play in their lives. I want so much for my children to look back, and think of their mommy and daddy as people who loved the Lord with their whole hearts. "Lord, please grant me wisdom and discernment in the way I raise our children. Give me courage and strength to be the example a mother should be. Help me turn their hearts toward You, Lord, while they're young, so that when they leave my care, they will continue in Your's." I don't know why my heart is so heavy tonight. Perhaps it is the upcoming election and the frightening way our country is headed. I believe it is harder now than it ever has been, for Christian parents to raise their children up in this world. I have been thinking about things like this so often lately. It is more clear to me now than ever before, how important it is to walk with the Lord, and to stay close to Him. All around us, the devil is doing his work. Marriages and families are falling apart left and right. Presidential candidates are calling "murder" a "woman's right", and someday, humans will probably have the "right" to marry their dog! And, by the way, since when has murder become anyone's right!? Sorry, this could lead to an exremely long topic that I probably shouldn't even get in to right now! Anyways, I have a huge mound of laundry to tackle before company arrives, so I guess it's not going to get done unless I get off the computer! :) Sending out lots of love and prayers for our dear friends and families tonight, Kels 10/11/08 Before you say or think anything.....I know I've been slacking on the updates! I take full responsibility for not keeping our long distance friends and family updated! I wanted to share our "car story" with you guys. We are blessed to know that the Lord is watching out for us and His hand is upon our lives. Lately, our beloved Saab, has been proving to be not so "trustworthy". Although it was extremely fun, fast, and sporty, we felt it was time to get rid of it, in the hopes of avoiding some serious repair expenses in the near future.(We found out that Saab's are not cheap to fix!) Thankfully, the car was still completely under warranty and we haven't had to spend any of our own money.......yet. With the warranty about to expire in the next 2,000 miles, Tim and I started praying every night together that the Lord would show us what to do, and point is in the right direction as far as looking for a different car. Tim started driving through car lots, and searching ebay and craigslist. He found a car that seemed to be "too good to be true" and everything we were looking for, the only problem was the "SOLD" sticker on the window! Disappointed, he continued his search. We thought we had our future car narrowed down to 2 options at another dealership. We carefully inspected them both, and decided on one of them to take home with us for the evening. Well, Tim didn't even get out of the car dealership parking lot, and the car died on him! (The poor salesman couldn't believe what had happened!) So, needless to say, we turned around and took option number 2 home that night. We drove it around, took it to dinner, and the next morning Tim planned to go in and "talk numbers". Well, when Tim got there the next morning, the salesman realized he had made a huge mistake. The price he had quoted us, was on a completely different car. He had typed in the wrong vin number in their computer system. The car we had taken home, turned out to be quite a bit more expensive. So, we took that as a sign, and decided to "pull the plug" on that deal. After learning what had happened at the dealership, I decided to call on the car that we were first drawn to. (the one at a different dealership that was "SOLD") The salesman informed me that the deal had just fallen through because of the other couple's financing, and the car had just become available again! (Can we say, "answer to prayer!?") I have no doubt that the Lord arranged all that to hold it for us. He also arranged for the completely reliable car to mysteriously "die" in the parking lot, and for the salesman to type in the wrong vin number on the other car. People might say that these little things were just coincidences, but Tim and I believe in the power of prayer and the mighty hand of God. So, we have said goodbye to our "totally fun-but-completely unreliable" Saab, and hello to our new "hopefully last forever- and- have no problems" Acura! Other than that, we have not been up to a whole lot! I'll try to take some new pics of the boys so you can see Judson's new haircut! Yes, I actually cut his hair more than I ever have before. It's still curly so I'm happy. I think we're going to make our usual Saturday trip to Dollywood once the boys wake up from their naps. Love and kisses to you all!
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