Crazy Caps and Concerts

     We had an awesome time yesterday at Festival in the Park...even though Chris Young (awesome performer, by the way) was great, I have to say that Jaron was my favorite out of all the performances!  He even signed Noah's hat...which was pretty cool, lol! *grin*  Noah did an absolutely fantastic job at the concert...he even fell asleep towards the end of it; the only child I know who can fall asleep during something so loud! :-)  It was just such an uplifting night for me, really!  I got to hear one of my favorite songs performed, "I'll Pray for You"  which I know is super mean, lol, but makes me laugh everytime I listen to it...there are just some people that always come to mind when you hear that song...*smile*  I'll be nice now! 

I'LL PRAY FOR YOU

     The rest are pictures of the fun we had last night!  :-)  I just love my family so much and I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for all of us!  Have a great Memorial Day everyone and let us remember all those who have served! 

Jaron and the Long Road to Love

The Band Perry

Chris Young

Our Very Long Weekend Full of Grins

     I am so excited about tomorrow!!!! We are going to Festival in the Park to see Chris Young with Rebekah and Milli...and Noah of course! *grin*  I absolutely LOVE my country music and so this is going to be so much fun. Plus, getting to hang out with my family is going to make it awesome! We have had a pretty fun weekend so far. Caleb didn't work yesterday because the state had their furlow day, which kinda stunk, but he did a magic show which made up for the cost of what he lost on his day off. :-)  We went to see my cousin Sara graduate from Preschool yesterday morning and then headed back over to Salem. We decided to kill some time so we took a walk to the Salem Library and got some DVDs to watch and then headed up to Elderberrys...YUM.  After that, we walked back home and I headed over to Craig, yet again, for Sara's graduation party...yes, my family has parties for everything, lol...which I find pretty cool. Caleb's magic show went really well (about 300 people were there, so it was one of his biggest shows yet) and after he got home we started a new TV show called Hoarders....and OH EM GEE, people?!?!  If you haven't seen this show, ewwwww....these people have a serious problem. They save like everything and clean up nothing due to a condition which I like to call laziness but psychologists call obsessive compulsive hoarding disorder!  It's a pretty cool show...kind of a mix between extreme makeover home edition and Kitchen Nightmares. The show kind of gave me the creeps and so we spent the majority of today cleaning and babyproofing the apartment!  :-)  So, we are having an awesome weekend so far and we stil have Sunday and Monday left to go. I hope all of your weekends are going great as well. God bless!

Loving the Way He Loves Me...DEDICATED TO MY HUBBY

     I know I've went kind of blogging crazy over the past couple of days...and to be perfectly honest, I don't really have a clue why, lol. I have just been so happy about so many different things...and when I get overly emotional (whether it be happy, angry, upset)...I WRITE!  And, this blogging thing has really been a way for me to just relax after a long day or when Noah goes down for his naps...anyways...the reason for this post tonight...I love the way my hubby loves me! *GRIN*
     There are so many moments that pass that I don't tell him that he just did something that made me smile. I know I don't always have to say it...as he can see the dopey, cheesey grin on my face, but, still..I think it's nice to take an occasional moment to do sweet things like that in your marriage...so babe, this one is for you!

Thanks for all the times you've made me smile when I didn't use my voice to tell you! The moments I've been washing dishes and you've came up, wrapped your arms around me, and kissed me on the back of the neck...for no reason other than because you love me. For all the dirty diapers you've changed and the bottles you've washed....without me even knowing it until after you've went to bed!  *grin* I walk back into the kitchen for that last glass of water and see that I don't have the dishes to do in the morning when I wake up...and then I smile to myself, and you don't see it!  This is for those moments...the times I forget to tell you that you made me smile, YET AGAIN! :-)  My favorite moments that you make me smile that I probably tell you about the least, just because it comes at the end of a long day is when I see you staring at our precious Noah laying in his crib asleep, and you smile....and I smile too! I wish you could know every time you have caused this to happen to me...but since you can't...this is for those moments! I love you, Caleb!  And thanks for giving me a life of smiles and laughter!

Raising Boys...Oh, the Things I Have to Look Forward To! *GRIN*

     Everyone keeps telling me that raising little boys is so much easier than little girls. But then, little boys do have a tendency to make more messes for Mommies to clean up...but, goodness, they just look SO cute with that "I'm sorry, Mommy" look pasted across their faces afterwards!  I first read the following on snopes.com but have also encountered it on several of my "mommy blogs" that I follow. Seems like everyone who is raising a boy that I've talked to has encountered something on this list, or at least something similar...I can't wait to see what kind of trouble my little Noah is going to cause!  :-)  I laugh now, because I'll probably cry later...*smile*

The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas ...



Things I've learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 2 inches deep.


2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.


3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.


4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.


5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.


6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.


7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.


8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.


9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.


10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old boy.


11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.


12.) Super glue is forever.


13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.


14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.


15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.


16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.


17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.


18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.


19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.


20.) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.


21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.


22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.


23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.


24.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.


25.) Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

Link: (http://inventorspot.com/raising_boys_hotspotmama)

Youtube Posts Continued....Kids Say the Darndest Things!

"ALL I'M AFTER IS A LIFE FULL OF LAUGHTER!"   

  Small children amuse me so here are some of my favorite youtube videos as a shout out to some of the cutesie things kids say and do. :-)  As soon as I get my video camera figured out well enough to upload videos to my computer, I will be posting clips of my own little one!  Hope you are all having a very blessed week.

     I absolutely LOVE youtube and it really cheers me up on those days when I'm in need of a smile. I have been meaning to post a couple of my favorite ones, which crack me up everytime...one even had my four month old laughing (evolution of dance). So, hope you enjoy!

My Life in Graphics

   I was bored and wanted to try something a little different tonight instead of my routine blogging. I love graphics so I decided to post some that really made me smile when I saw them for the first time...and most of them reflect a part of my own life in some way! I hope you enjoy this weird blog moment. 




Myspace Layouts

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IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO...


Myspace Layouts

Getting Great News Makes Life Greater

     Do you ever just have one of those days where something SO unexpected happens that it just takes you by surprise and you are absolutely floored? Well...I'm there, lol. Life has been going so well for us and it just got better! :-) *grin* I'm just so thankful to the Lord for each and every day and each and every blessing....and I can't wait to see what else He has in store for us in the future. Even though this life and moments of it can sometimes be scary, as long as we keep our eyes on God, He will lift all worries from us and then we are left with only hope, joy, and love!  Heres to thanking God for each moment!  I pray that each of you are having a blessed week too! :-)

Appointment Went Well

     Noah's checkup went really well...much better than what  I thought it would. :-)  He weighs 14 lbs 14 oz...so you can pretty much say 15 lbs now!  He is 24.5 inches long and his head circumference is 16 inches! I just can't believe how quickly he is growing. The doctor told us that when he goes back in July (which will be his 6 month visit) we can start feeding him "table food"!  He doesn't think very fondly of the baby food that you buy at the store, because "green beans shouldn't look like soup!"  I tend to agree *laughs*. So, that will be fun. The first part of the visit is always fun and Noah always does such an awesome job. Then, of course, we had to deal with the not so fun stuff, too....SHOTS! Let me just say, it ALWAYS breaks my heart to see those tears well up in my baby's eyes and to hear that heart breaking cry when they stick him. I picked him up and held him as soon as it was over....just kept whispering to him, "It's ok, sweet boy! It's all over with now and you did SUCH A GREAT JOB!  You're so brave!" He calmed down really quickly and was asleep by the time I was strapping him into his carseat. *sighs* He woke up long enough to tell his Nana goodbye when we got back home and then went back to sleep...and is still asleep now! I'm kind of glad actually, because I'm hoping he will sleep off a lot of the soreness and then when he wakes up I'm going to give him a bath, some more Tylenol, and then it won't be too long before bedtime! I just want to thank you all for your prayers today...they mean so much to our family! 

Four Month Checkup

     Noah has his four month checkup today with Dr. Beazely...which means more shots. :-(  I am not looking forward to that part of the visit but I can't wait to see how much he has grown, lol!  I always look forward to hearing how well our little guy is doing...his peditrician always tells us he is "thriving" so I hope we get another good report today! I will try to write another post tonight or tomorrow to let everyone know how is appointment went!  Please pray that he will handle is shots ok and that they won't hurt too bad today. I am going to give him Tylenol before we go just so that it will help to dull the pain! And my Mom took off of work half day today so that she could go with us to his visit, which was super nice of her. I wasn't looking forward to being there by myself when they give my baby his shots...makes me cry everytime! *tear*  But, Noah is waking up from his nap, so I will get off of here for now. Hope everyone is having a great start to their weeks!

Date Day With Hubbs

     Yesterday Caleb and I spent the day in the Lynchburg-ish area which was nice since we hadn't really explored the area before. Only got really turned around once and my friend Emily tells me that's pretty good since Lynchburg is an easy place to get lost in, lol. But, we had fun at Red Hill and it turns out we were the only ones there. They had a huge conference of some sort there early that morning and we got there just after they finished up, so we were literally the only ones on the entire grounds...:-)  It made me happy because we got to tour everything on our own.

     My favorite building there was probably the actual house itself, which wasn't nearly as big as what I had expected it to be...apparently Patrick Henry was much more humble than Thomas Jefferson as I was expecting the homeplace to be something comparable to Monticello...and it was WAAAAYYYY smaller. :-)  But still, it was a very nice trip. I will post more pictures of the grounds...oh, and I know I'm being a big scatterbrained but I keep remembering things I LOVED, like the BEAUTIFUL magnolia tree, which was HUGE!  I kept trying to take pictures of the blossoms but apparently they are like a haven for bees so I kept getting attacked everytime I tried to take a picture, lol. And, if you have read any of my previous posts you know that I have a major bee phobia, lol....it's seriously a major issue for me. :-(  BLAH!

     This one we took in front of the orange tree that grows in front of Patrick Henry's house. It is like, way huge...so big that they have ropes holding up some of the branches.

We took a lot more pictures while we were on our trip but these were some of my favortie ones. After we left here, we stopped by San Soucy vineyards and did their free wine tasting. I have to admit that they have created some extremely good wines with very unique flavors. There was definitely a good variety among them. We ended up purchasing a bottle of their blackberry wine, which was one of their sweet wines, as I don't really tend to like dry wines as much. But, their prices were reasonable and it was a nice addition to our trip...something we had not planned on but was glad that we did! :-)  After we left the vineyard we headed out to La Villa, a cute little Italian restaraunt...the food there was SOOOO yummy. We fell in love with it and will definitely be eating there again when we are in the area. It was a day well spent and some much needed quality time with the hubby.

Weekend Break

     Caleb and I are dropping Noah off with my parents in the morning and then heading up to Lynchburg for the day. We are visiting Red Hill....last Homeplace of Patrick Henry, I think?!  Anyways, I won the tickets at the Mother/Daughter banquet and we are just now getting the opportunity to use them...and we are both SOOOO excited. We definitely need a break...I love my little bug a boo SO very much, but a couple of days without spitup and teething issues is going to be magnificent, lol. I'm going to really miss my precious Noah though!  He will have a blast at Nana and Papa's house, as always...which puts my worries at ease. Anyways, pray for us that we will have safe travel and continue to pray that little Noah doesn't have too many teething issues while Mommy and Daddy are away for the weekend! :-)  I will post pictures and update about our trip, as always, lol...as I'm obsessive compulsive when it comes to photography!

Four Months Old

     Yes, that's right! I can't believe it's here but Noah turns 4 months old tomorrow! He is already able to hold his head up completely on his own, can make the crawling motion when doing tummy time, can hold/grab and shake his toys, smile, and our favorite milestone this month....LAUGH! It was truly wonderful. I can't even begin to explain the pure joy that comes with hearing your baby laugh for the first time. *sighs*  It was so weird driving the other day...because all of a sudden I heard this constant stream of babbling and laughing from the backseat and it was just SO weird...because it's just something that takes you completely by surprise. Today we went to Garst Mill Park and took pictures to celebrate Noah turning four months old...which also gave us a chance to get out as a family, which we haven't had a lot of time to do lately with Caleb working all of this overtime! :-(  It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and we all greatly enjoyed it! I can't believe how quickly time is passing by now that we have our beautiful little Noah Bug, but am thankful for each and every moment we're blessed with!

New Adventures Update

     I said I would update about taking Noah to the movie theater the other day. :-) He did wonderfully, lol. He fell asleep for half of the movie and for the other half he tried to talk to the babies on the movie screen, which was absolutely hysterical. I don't know if he actually understood them or not, but he was certainly carrying on quite the conversation, lol. The only time he got fussy was right at the end when he got hungry so we were both extremely proud of him.
     Caleb and I are going out of town this weekend...we are doing a little historical outing while my parents watch Noah Saturday and Sunday. We are going to Red Hill and possibly to Poplar Forest...and we are both very excited to get to spend some quality time with each other. It's so wonderful being a mommy but I miss just being able to get up and go...that spontanaiety that comes with having no children. :-)  Once Noah gets a little older, we'll be able to do that again, lol...and I'm sure he will like those kind of adventures. Just to wake up one morning and be like, "hey, noah, would you like to go to the water park today?!"  I like being spontaneous! It's so much fun. But, yes, we are going to have ourselves a little mini vacation now and then again in July for our anniversary! *grin*  A much needed break for both Mommy and Daddy!  Plus, after what happened with Wolfy this past week, it will be good for my parents  having little Noah Bug around...he just brings everyone so much joy!
     Please be in prayer for Noah if you think about it this week...he is having major teething issues and I feel so bad for the little guy. :-(  I'm pretty sure within a months time he is going to have his very first tooth...which will be adorable, but little man is in so much pain...it makes Mommy's heart ache for him! Thanks everyone!  Love you all!

Remembering Prissy and Wolfy

I am having a really rough night tonight. Mom called me a little while ago to tell me that my childhood pet, Wolfy, had passed away. My brother had just gotten home and found him curled up beside the house...went home to doggy heaven. :-) It was bittersweet for me, because he had been suffering these past few weeks and has been deaf for the past several months. But still, I got him when I was eight years old and he was there for me through EVERYTHING. I decided to post this on my Craig County blog as well, because when people ask me about my childhood, there are two things that immediately come to mind...my two dogs, and the beautiful landscape surrounding where I used to live. :-)

     Never will I ever, ever forget these animals...they knew everything about me. I can remember having horrible days at school sometimes and coming home, forgetting all about my homework, and just running outside and into the woods, Prissy and Wolfy chasing behind me. I would run to my favorite tree, throw myself to the ground and just sob, letting my tears soak the ground until my two best friends came up and nuzzled at me...and then I would hug them and let them soak up my tears instead! *grin* I can't stop the teardrops now as I write this blog...because it makes my heart ache. I never got to say goodbye to either of them, really. Prissy passed away a few months ago...infact, it was about two months before I gave birth to Noah Whately...and now, poor Wolfy is gone too. :-( It just hurts so bad to know that I'm growing up and the things that once were have changed, are changing, and will continue to change. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE change for the most part, but it's so hard when it means having to say goodbye. I know that most people who grow up in the country have at least one pet growing up...and if you're like my family, probably much more than one, lol. Our dogs were a part of our family and do you want to know something funny? They even had their own Christmas stockings...and YES, Santa visited them EVERY YEAR....because they were one of the kids too! :-) This has been really hard on my parents as well....even harder on them than me, because I got married and moved away...so I had in a way already said my goodbye a couple of years ago. It still hurts, knowing he's not going to be there to greet me the next time I drive up the driveway, but we will all get through this. I know it seems silly, getting this upset over a pet, but for those fellow animal lovers out there, you understand! :-) They become like another member of the family and when they're gone, a small part of your heart goes with them! Please say a prayer for our family this week if you remember...that God will take away our heartache! :-) For after all, doggy heaven is a much better place than doggy earth!

New Adventures

     Caleb and I had a LONG talk last night...mainly pertaining to the fact that we haven't done what we said we would do after having kids...going on a date at least once a week! Infact, we have been on two dates in the past four months, so, not so good, lol. We couldn't find a sitter at the last minute today and wanted to get out of the house for a while, so we decided that we would take Noah with us....our choice? THE MOVIE THEATER! Now, grant it, we are starting out with the Grandin, as it is never really very busy and are seeing the documentary Babies, because it is only like an hour and 20 minutes long...plus, not many people I know actually go and see documentaries, so hopefully it will give us some idea of how Noah Bug will do at the movies. :-) I actually think he will do great because whenever we go to Bdubs for dinner he is fascinated by the big screen tvs there, lol! :-) Anyways, I will repost later with an update of our day! 
     Then, there is the whole money issue and the fact that we'll never have any, lol, which is fine with me. We make it by, are able to pay our bills with extra left over...but it would be SO nice to just get away for a while. Even just a day trip. That is why I'm really looking forward to July...our anniversary! :-)  We are going to Busch Gardens and I am SO THRILLED!  :-)  I'm just praying that life doesn't take over and something unexpected comes up which prevents us from going. It probably will, lol, as it usually does. *sighs*
     Well, I guess I better get off of here. Noah is fussy and he wants his Mommy at the moment it seems. Sometimes he wants Daddy and sometimes he wants me....it's so funny! :-)  I pray that each of you has a wonderful day! :-) 

Gettin' My Ballet On

     Or, maybe just going to SEE a ballet today, lol! My beautiful sister Rebekah is dancing in the ballet in Craig today so I am very much looking forward to seeing that. She always does such an amazing job and after the week I've had, it will be nice to get to do something relaxing and fun! Let's just hope Noah doesn't make TOO much noise during the performance! *grin*
     Oh, for all of your peoples keeping up with this blog, I've started a new one about my life growing up in Craig County, Va. I haven't quite figured out exactly what I'm going to do with it yet....I'm thinking lots of pictures of places from around town that I used to visit a lot, stories of my childhood, interviews with the locals, appalachian arts and crafts, and keeping updates about events going on in the town. :-)  I've got lots of ideas floating around in my head, but getting them organized is going to be a bit more difficult. If you would like to check it out, it is called Cherished Memories; Craig County, Criks and Crawdads! 
     Caleb and I have lined up several mini trips we're going to go on this year and a couple of longer ones. Of course, we can't have any "real" vacations because little Noah isn't quite big enough to enjoy them yet. :-)  I think towards the end of this month we're going to take a couple of days trips; one day we're going to Tennessee to visit Peppers....it's this awesome store that sells all of these different sauces. We always save up for it because we end up spending a ton of money there whenever we go...it's just so yummy. PLUS, they have samples so you can try any of their hot sauces why you're there in the store...it's pretty awesome. Then, another weekend we're going to kind of do a history of Virginia thing and visit Red Hill, Poplar Forest, and possibly Monticello. I'm a HUGE history buff so this is right up my alley....then, for our anniversary in July, I've asked Caleb to take me to Busch Gardens. I would love to go to the one at Tampa Bay, because I LOVE Florida, but we might have to settle for Williamsburg instead. :-)  Last year I missed out on all the rides because I was pregnant and even when we went to the beach I spent the entire time with morning sickness....so not too much fun for me last summer. I'm really looking forward to this summer, though!  :-) 
     Well, I know this has been kind of jumbled, but I didn't really have too much I wanted to talk about today. Just really excited to get my new blog started up...keep praying for me. It's going to take some work to get it going but I know that once it is, it's going to be a lot of fun! :-)  Thanks for the support everyone!

"Breathe In....Breathe Out!"

----Looking at my little boy reminds me daily of God's PRECIOUS miracles.

----As we become adults...it's so easy to overlook them in our rush through the world! :-(

----My advice? SLOW DOWN..."breathe in...breathe out!"  Take a second to look around you!

----Blossoms in bloom, clouds floating effortlessly in the skies, a new born baby's cry.

----Wow, and again, simply WOW!!! God's hand has touched it all.

----It is our gift to "breathe in....breathe out!"

-----Our Joy...God's Joy....what He "breathes out....we breathe in"

----Ahhh, the miracles....THE mIrAcLe

-----Inhaling God into our souls through his MIRACLES!
          
      Just wanted to take a second to share what was on my heart....:-)  One of my stream of conciousness styles of writing...(the only difference is that I REFUSE to leave out punctuation, lol...I'm too OCD for that). Even through the hard times I'm just so thankful for God reminding me to SLOW DOWN and enjoy life to fullest. Even though this Earth is a temporary one, I know that He wants us to remain full of joy and happiness, and it's so nice to know that we have such a loving and uplifting Savior. I truly believe that nothing on this Earth is here without reason and that God has placed everything here because He has use for it...even if we silly humans haven't figured it out yet! :-)  Praise God for each and every day and blessing...and especially for blessing me with my own gift of Noah, who daily reminds me to slow down and enjoy this life, instead of rushing through it. I enjoy my current snail's pace and although I can't wait to meet Jesus one day I will continue to rejoice and spread His message so that others may feel this joy that I am so overwhelmed with day after day! I pray that each of your has a good and Godly week!

My Dear C.S. Lewis

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. ~C.S. Lewis

     Oh, how very true this is! In my opinion, Lewis is one of the most brilliant men to have ever lived on this Earth! :-)  I fell in love with Narnia as a child and have moved on to some of his more books for adults. I'm currently waiting for hubbs to finish reading Mere Christianity so I can read it too...:-)  Sometimes I wish I was as witty and as wise as Lewis, but then I think that God made me the way He did for a reason and then I smile, because I'm just so silly...and I like that God needs silly peoples like me here too! *sighs* I keep telling myself that even in the middle of sadness and confusion, God is right there...the beautiful beacon of light to my sinking ship! And that is truly a beautiful feeling! I know this has been random and sporratic (sp?) tonight, but I've had a lot on my mind and my writing tends to mimic what's going on in my mind. Before I end, though, I do want to note that I agree with Lewis to the fullest...I think it would make for a very dull and dreary life without friends...and although they're not a necessity, can you really imagine a world without them?

WHINE

     I am so very thankful for this week and the overtime Caleb is putting in, but oh my goodness...it is already Monday and I can see that I am going to have a rough time handling this. :-(  Please pray for me this week if you have a free moment...I just have such an amazing husband that any extra time spent away from him is just really hard! But, we are a strong family and this is just a teeny tiny microscopic pebble in the bump in the road, lol!  :-)  As you can see, I'm doing my best to have a positive outlook on things!  If anyone has some free time and wants to meet up for lunch or a coffee (I'm craving Starbucks, as usual) give me a shout out...I'm totally up for it! :-)  Ok, hope everyone has an awesome day! And I feel much better after getting my whine out, lol! Love you guys for being so supportive!  :-)

Singing the Blues

     I've only had the privilege of having two of my works of poetry published. I decided to post them on my blog as I realized I haven't included anything I have written on here...other than my daily ramblings. I hope you enjoy...

Maple T.

Apollo,
             Today, your golden rays instigate a metamorphosis.
             Months of beams burning
             through me
             have transformed my emerald exterior,
             as heat turns yeast to bread.
             What was once gilded
             with jades and sea greens
             is now burnt with orange, yellow, red.
             Beauty at its height, soon fading
             into death.
             Turn your light away from me, Apollo,
             as flesh recoils from flames.
             I will wither and die with more of your piercing
             radiance.
             Sickening, paling, fading
             from green to golden to gone.
             Pleading with you,
                            Maple T.

America's Patchwork of the Blues

Georgia nights

With their transparent skies

Stars

Windows for angel's eyes,

Gaze upon lovers on moonlit strolls,

Dead beat dads with bottles of booze,

And B.B. King singin' his blues.

"Say, did you SAY blues?

Blue is hue I sing true,

All the way to my soul baby!"

Daughter come back from college

Zora Neale clinging

To her enlightened lips.

America

'my country tis of thee

Sweet land of liberty

Of thee I sing'

Grumbles in the bellies

Of babies bawling from hunger.

My country is quilted

With pieces of the blues.

It covers

Americans

With

"Help the poor

Won't you help poor me?

I need help from you baby

Need it deperately!"

    Both of these poems were published in On Concept's Edge (08-09 ed.)

Mother's Day Part Two...My Day in Pictures

     Well, today was absolutely incredible!  I woke up this morning to Noah crying, as usual, but took it as him saying, "why, Happy Mother's Day, Mommy...thank you for always dragging yourself out of bed early in the morning to take care of me when you would really like to sleep in!!!"  Then, Caleb got up after I had fed Noah his banannas and oatmeal, which has become his favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lol. They were so excited to give me my present and I was so excited to open it! *grin*  So, I tear open the bag and there it is...MY BRAND NEW HD DIGITAL CAMERA!!! (which I totally needed because I accidentally dropped an opened package of baby wipes on my other one...and ruined the LCD screen when the liquid dripped on it!)

   Then, we headed over to Grace Baptist and heard an awesome sermon on The Prayer of Hannah's Heart, which was very uplifting, indeed!  We visited Caleb's parents and gave them their present from Noah which is the same one we gave to everyone (pictures of his footprints, along with his actual footprints).

     Then, we headed to my Granny Jones house where we got together with my Mom's side of the family and where yet again, Noah had an awesome time entertaining everyone, lol!

My Papa Jones with Noah Whately!

Granny and Papa Jones with Noah!

And then Caleb and I decided to be cute and take pictures of ourselves, lol!  :-)  I don't think we will ever stop acting like two people who just met and fell in love...and that's what I love about us!

I said he looked too "scrunchy"...and said "show your teeth"

We got this

Which he said "that was totally fake" and I said "you're Chandler from friends...I'm just going to have to face the fact that when there's a camera around, you get weird...then I laughed...because it was funny!"

Then, we headed back home where Mommy fooled around with her new camera, but got some pretty neat pictures out of it...and, I don't know why my blog chose to center everything...I tried fixing it, but gave up, because it got on my nerves and then decided I didn't really care anyways...quite random! :-)

Sooo....here we go!

Gotta love that smile! Even on the worst days...wow, it can just make you forget it all!

The shirt I made him wear...and that he immediately spit up carrots on!  Sheesh!

Mommy is SOOOOO silly.

Looking sweet before IT happened.....

....and there it is! :-)  Only a mom could enjoy a moment like this!

Tickling Noah with one of my roses from Daddy!

STEALING SUGARS!!!! *GRIN*

Noah comes from a family of chubby cheeked peoples...get used to it kid! :-)  And no, the pinching DOESN'T stop!

     My beautiful flowers from Daddy!  :-)  The next few pictures are just us being the silly people we are! No rhyme or reason...just enjoy!

Mother's Day Part One (Sunday's Sermon)

     This is part one of my Mother's Day blog. We went to church over at Grace Baptist in Craig this morning and heard Pastor Chet Roden preach...his message spoke to heart in so many ways and for many different reasons, so I thought I would post my notes on here. Now grant it, my Sunday morning sermons notes tend to go all over the place...so please bear with me. I thought about changing them and making them more organized, but then I decided I would rather they be exactly the way the message came across to me this morning...so here goes.

The Prayer of Hannah's Heart

Samuel Chapter 1 (and the beginning of Chapter 2)

1. -Prayer must be persistant (Hannah's was)

   - Hannah didn't have a child because the Lord didn't want her to have one (God shut up her womb), BUT....Hannah continued to pray and made the decision NOT TO GIVE UP, but instead, to BELIEVE and TRUST in GOD!

   -Verse 8 Hannah was persistant in spite of the priests (who themselves were not godly people)

   -Matthew 7;7 Ask and you WILL receive

   -NEVER GIVE UP HOPE!!!

   -We will receive according to God's will BUT we must remain PERSISTANT in our PRAYERS!

2. -Sincere prayer is problem driven.

   -God gives us problems so that He will hear from us.

   -Our prayers are most sincere when our problems are at their worst because it is in these moments that we rely fully on God.

   -Verse 11 Hannah even chose to pray for a baby boy...and GOD ANSWERED HER PRAYER!!!

   -Hannah made a vow to devote her baby to God if He blessed her with a child, and she kept that promise.

3. -Answered prayer is praise worthy!

    -Verse 11 Hannah said, "Lord, remember me!"

    -Verse 19 bible says, "...and the Lord remembered her!" Hannah made a commitment to God and He remembered her and gave her a child.

   -Verses 26-27 Hannah never forgot what the Lord had done and the prayers He had answered

   -Chapter 2  Hannah is praising God...she continued to praise Him even after God had answered her prayers!

     I hope that this message will be as inspirational and uplifting for you as it was for me. :-)  God is such a loving and caring God and even though this life is full of difficult moments, if we ask, WE SHALL RECEIVE!!! God bless you all on this Mother's Day!

Always Look To the Eternal

     Well, hubby's job is offering overtime over the next two weeks so disability services can catch up on all the cases they have in their backlog. What this means for me? OVERTIME...and a ton of it! Well, he is working today 7am-noon and is off tomorrow for Mother's Day (YAAAAYYYY!!!!! only 1 day left)...then, he works 7am-7pm M-F of this upcoming week, Saturday and Sunday of next weekend and 7am-5:30pm the week after next. It's going to be really hard on me because there will be some days that I will only be able to see him for a couple of hours each day...and that just makes me sad! :-(  I know we will get through it and we'll have a ton of extra money (enough to go on an awesome vacation for our 2nd anniversary in July!!!! so I'm not going to complain too much, lol) but still...I love my hubby so much, I hate it when he's away. But anyways, that's my little complain moment for the day.
     Today is pretty much devoted to rushing to finish up Mother's Day stuff for our Moms. The picture at the top of my blog of Noah's feet is the one we're going to use for the project...we're putting this picture along with Noah's actual footprints (dipping his feet in paint and placing them on paper) and putting it in a frame beside the photograph of his tootsies. :-)  Then, we'll probably buy hanging baskets or something like that as well, since both of our Moms are obsessed with plants, lol...but yeah, it should be a nice Mother's Day. We're going to church with my parents in the morning and then heading to my Granny Jones' for a get together with my Mom's side of the family. Then, probably heading up to Caleb's parents afterwards...I LOVE spending time with family...and I know I probably sound really selfish when I say this, but I was really hoping for just a couple of hours to spend with just my family on Mother's Day...you know? Just me, Caleb and Noah...I've never been a Mom before and I kind of want to start traditions with my own family...time probably won't allow and it's really not a huge deal, but I'm so sentimental when it comes to stuff like traditions.....we'll see how it works out i guess! :-)
     I hope that each of you has a wonderful Mother's Day weekend...enjoy the precious moments with your own mothers or with your children. Time on this Earth is fleeting and as Steph said at the Mother/Daughter banquet last night, "we need to always look and focus on the eternal for there is a time to live and a time to die!"  Enjoy each moment to the fullest and never forget Phillipians 4;13..."I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

Laughter is the Best Medicine

     I got to hear Noah really laugh for the first time last night. He has half laughed before..which was cute, but oh my goodness, last night was hysterical. I've had a rough week and this was just what I needed to get me on the path to making me feel better. Caleb kept tickling him and everytime he would do it...Noah would burst out laughing..and LOUD!  It was so precious..it brought tears to my eyes! *sighs*  God knows exactly the right moments when to bless us with such moments!  :-) 
     Heading over to Craig tonight for the Mother/Daughter banquet at Craig Valley Baptist..my Mom, Granny Jones, and Noah Bug will be there so it will be 4 generations of family..which will be so nice! :-)  I can't wait...and thanks for all my amazing friends out there who I know I can contact anytime day or night!  I love you!

God is ALWAYS Good

I'm so very thankful that I have such a loving, caring God. He gets me through the best of times and the worse of times...this life isn't an easy one, but at least when we're on the path of God...He can carry us instead of having to tread it alone!  :-)

Blessed but Definitely NOT Lucky :-)

     So, I have been trying to win the K92 secret sound for the past few days and hubby has been at it for the past couple of weeks. We both are like 99% sure we know it (which probably means we don't, lol) but you have to be caller 19 to even get a chance to answer. The closest I have gotten is caller 17 and I just can't seem to get any closer lol...BUT the winnings are up to almost $4000 which would be a HUGE help in paying on our bills....so we're going to keep trying. I am truly blessed but definitely NOT lucky!  :-)  This was random, but as I am a very random person...it works! *smile* Hope everyone is having a very BLESSED Wednesday...and maybe even a lucky one too!

Gotta Love the Milestones!

     Well, we've been slowly adding new foods to Noah's palette...so far we have tried two types of cereal; rice and oatmeal...and banannas and carrots! I was worried he was going to HATE the carrots, but surprisingly he has liked everything we have given him. What he really likes the most is when we mix the banannas in with the oatmeal and the carrots in with the rice and heat it up in the microwave for a bit...the one thing he DOESN'T like is cold cereal, lol. But, I can't really blame him for that, as I like my oatmeal and such to be warmed up too! 

   

       I really thought that Caleb would hate feeding Noah solid foods because of course, it's so messy...and one thing Caleb hates are messes. But, you know what??? HE LOVES IT! Infact, the other day, I had gotten Noah's cereal all ready to go....and was about ready to feed him, when Caleb grabbed the spoon and bowl and took over!  It just cracked me up...sitting there watching Noah and Caleb get covered in goo...Noah would laugh, then hubby would...and there was me, laughing right along with them. It was definitely an awesome moment for everyone! 

     Oh, and I've decided to post a picture on here of Noah's friend Henry, lol. We kept Henry the night his Mommy had baby Emilie...and when we got him up to get him ready the next morning baby Noah was still asleep, but Henry wanted to play with him...sooo, this is what we found him doing  *smiles*  peeking at Noah inside the crib...it was too sweet!  Children really are such an incredible blessing! :-)  







And finally....another milestone...but not a very happy one. Noah got his very first bug bite. We were at Longwood Park in Salem when a nasty mosquito bit him..bleh...but I took pictures of that too! :-) I'm obsessive about documenting everything lol. I guess I want to be THAT mom..you know, the one who when he brings home a girl can bring out the picture album and says "...and this was his favorite outfit....his first bugbite....his best friend....etc."  well, you get the point!

A Miracle is Born

     My best friend Becca gave birth to an adorable baby girl last night...Emilie Jane!!!  :-)  She weights 7lbs 2oz and is absolutely beautiful!  Caleb and I prayed through the night that Mommy and baby would be safe, happy and healthy...and PRAISE GOD...they all made it through perfectly! If visitors are allowed Caleb and I are going to go visit them this evening whenever Caleb gets off of work!  God is so very good and it's amazing to watch the miracles He performs each day! Please continue to pray for our dear friends that they will adjust to life with a 2 year old and a new born and that Mama will make it through postpartum without any issues!  :-)  It's going to be so much fun having a new little baby to play with...even my Noah Bug is getting so big...he's not really a new born anymore, lol!