Hungry??

Okay, I need some help. Delaney is 7 months old and still will not eat. We went for her 6 month well-check and the Pediatrician said I could start feeding her anytime, if I wanted. So, I have tried giving her cereal three times and every time, she tightens her lips, rears her head back and uses every method she can to get that spoon away from her mouth. She hates it! Hayden was NOT like this. He loved to eat and was always ready with his mouth wide open! Is she just not ready? I think she is because she is waking up during the night hungry. I want her to eat...mostly because I want my sleep. Any ideas out there? I have tried giving her a bottle and she will not take that either. Anything that is not ME is not good enough for her and I don't know how to change that.

A Few Pics...

Hayden and his friend, Jessie Stanbery playing the keyboard in Daddy's office after spending the day at Kids Day Out














The Family all together on the couch (a.k.a. mattress) in our new living room watching TV after a long day




Our Little
Princess

















Am I a good wife or what?!? Yes, I bought these for my sweetie...

Perfect Day!

It is a beautiful day today! Around 70 with clear skies and no wind. Hayden, Delaney and I took a stroll over to the park and Hayden played for a while. How nice to get outside! Laney took a sweet little nap and I just enjoyed the feel of the sun. I look forward to more days like today.

Finally!

Good grief, where does the time go?!? I have to think about what has happened since I last wrote. We are slowly settling in our house...and I do mean slowly. We still have a mattress on our living room floor that we use for our sofa. It was fun for a little while, but I am ready for a real couch. Although, it comes in handy when I make Scott "sleep on the couch." Not so bad for him. Ha! Just kidding. But, he did sleep on it last night because I've been sick and he didn't want my germs. Love ya, too! We did finally get our chair, which I love. Our couch will be red to match the red in the chair. We still do not have a fridge. (We have our old one in the garage, but the freezer in it is broken.) Our oven does not heat. I tried baking salmon (yes, I know...I tried to cook), and after an hour in the oven, we were still able to take the cookie sheet out with our bare hands. Now, it wasn’t my fault that meal did not turn out. Our washing machine does not work. We thought our dryer was going to be the big problem because we had to change the plug out (from a three prong to a four), but that was easy compared to the problems our washer has caused. It was just one thing after another with it. We'd fix one problem and then something else would go wrong. And those of you who know us well, know that neither Scott nor I are really "fixer-upper" people, so really, it's amazing we've done what we've done.

I bought a dimmer switch for the dining room. I really wanted one because the house we were renting when we first moved here had one. I thought it would be no problem switching the old one out, boy am I a moron! Scott and the kids were in the living room watching a movie and I was in the dining room thinking I would get this all hooked up and Scott would be so proud of me. And he probably would have been...until he heard me scream from the sheer trauma of an electrical shock running up my arm. Yes, I'll say it again, I am a moron. #1 on the directions says MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE POWER SOURCE. I did not do that. I let the switch hang from a thread for a couple days before I got up the nerve to try it again. Actually, I was on the phone with my dad (the genius) and he talked me through it. It works perfectly now. Thanks, Dad!

Last Sunday, Scott and I took a trip with Josh and Angela to Orlando for the Metro One Music Conference for Worship Pastors and their wives. Delaney came with us and Hayden got to stay here with family. We had a good time and met some great couples that I'm sure we will keep in touch with. It was really helpful for us to meet other couples who are doing what we are doing. I know Scott really enjoyed just brainstorming and bouncing ideas off all of them. I enjoyed talking with their wives and getting to know them and what their life is like. By the end of our trip we were sure missing our little boy. It was good to be back home with him.

Blog, Blog, Blog

So, I wasn't going to blog today. Not because I didn't want to, but just because I really don't have anything to say. But, then I read Nobody's last blog and decided not having anything to blog about isn't such a bad thing! And really, I have a lot to blog about - we are in our new house! Praise God! Finally, we have a place of our own to call "home!" It is so nice...even through all the MESS at the moment, I still love it! Hayden had a rough couple of days while we were moving, but he has been doing great lately. He loves his new room, which at the moment is just toys, toys and more toys! (No wonder he LOVES it!) We haven't gotten any blinds or drapes on the windows yet (luckily there is no one living in the houses next to us, so we don't have to worry about peeping Toms) so Hayden is sleeping in our closet until I can get something up on his windows. Otherwise, he'll be up with the sun and anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a morning person. If he'll sleep longer in the closet, than that's where I'll keep him for now. And Laney finally has a crib! Uncle Blake and Aunt Sandy loaned us theirs...and what a deal, it matches all her furniture! We don't have bedding yet though, so she has yet to have her first night in the crib. I am looking forward to that! It's been hard keeping her on a normal schedule while she's been in the same room as us. But, it's time!

I love my little boy. Yesterday, he was playing by himself in the living room while I was making his lunch. While he was in there, I heard him start to sing. He was singing Jesus Loves Me. It was so sweet, and he knew the whole song. It was completely recognizable and he even sang the tune very well. It was a proud mama moment! I wished he never stopped. I love listening to him! Of course, once he finds out I am listening he gets embarrassed and starts goofing off. It’s those sweet little moments when he's off in his own little world that I love to spy on him!

Back to the house...we bought a dining room set! I am excited to get it. It is so nice! We still need to find living room furniture. Right now, we have our extra mattress on the living room floor and sit on that to watch our TV. It actually makes for a fun little transition time...we have it piled with pillows! It is the only piece of "furniture" we have in there. I think we might try to brave the cold and snow tonight and go look for some furniture. I can't wait to get his house in order! Once I do, I'll post pictures. It may be little while though...

What Are You Doing Up There??

At 1:30a.m. this morning, I awoke to the screams of a 2 1/2 year old little boy. I ran over to his room, only to find that he wasn't in his room. He had climbed the shelves of the pantry and was screaming because he could not get down. I carried him into his room where I saw "The Mess." Yes, it deserves its own title. He had emptied out every snack and cereal (with-in his reach) all over his bed. (No, I did not take a picture. I was way too tired and upset.) I had been having a terrible dream that he was destroying this house and no one could stop him. Little did I know that while I was sleeping, my dream was actually taking place just a few feet away. We have decided that in our next house (which we get to move in to on Friday!!) we are going to put locks on all the doors that are lockable. I do not know what else to do to keep him out of stuff. He is becoming sneakier and sneakier...and he is only two. Oh Lord...what is next?!?

The Last Few Weeks...

Okay...so it's been a little while since I last blogged. Here's my story in a nut shell...

Christmas was great! We celebrated it about a week late because Micah, Jaye, Gabe and Ella were coming to town and we wanted to wait for them. We had a great time. It was so much fun watching the cousins play together. Ella was so sweet with Delaney (and a big helper too!) It was great to see Jaye. I love spending time with her...I do wish we were closer.


Other than that...it's been houses, houses and more houses. But praise be to God...we found a house! It seems like it all happened so quickly! Tuesday, I went to our monthly staff wives luncheon and mentioned that we were struggling to find a house and only had until the end of the month to be out of the one we are living in now. Well, God is good and he prompted one of the sweet ladies there to tell me about her son who had two houses he was desperate to sell. Later that afternoon, we went to see one of them and fell in love with it. Short story even shorter, today (Thursday...two days later) we made an offer and he accepted! It is totally a God house...I am in awe of how amazing it all is! We owe it all to Him (and to the sweet builder gentleman who undoubtedly gave us an incredible deal...and to our realtor for everyting he did!), but especially to the Lord for this awesome gift of a beautiful place to call home.

Goofin' Off!
















Hayden some how got a hold of this weird looking hat thing. He thinks he's pretty funny when he wears it on his head. What a hoot! Of course, Delaney had to get in on the action too!

On the Move Again...

Well, the beautiful house we are living in has sold. Nobody thought it would happen so soon but they close on this one the 29th of January. So, for the last three days we have done nothing but look for houses. We haven't had too much luck yet...feeling the pressure of having to find a place ASAP doesn't help. We've found a few possibilities, but its hard to know if they are the right place for us. We are just praying for direction and wisdom. We know the perfect home is out there, we hopefully we find it soon!

Good Night Sweetheart

Scott didn't think I should put this on my blog...but it is so cute, how could I not?

Poor Miss Delaney has been without a bed of her own since we moved. The crib we used for Hayden broke during our first move to Lubbock so when Delaney came along, we used a cradle that some friends let us borrow. We really need to get her a crib, but until then, she is sleeping in our room in the bottom drawer of the dresser. She doesn't mind...she's quite cozy in there! And cute, too!

Hey Jen, recognize this blanket? I think it's yours! I found it in one of our boxes...sorry!

Lovin' the Veggies

Hayden’s biggest wish came true last night. We spent the evening with Bob and Wae-wee (i.e. Larry)! Yes…we went to see the Veggie Tales Live tour. We had awesome front row seats! We were so close in fact, that Hayden was terrified at first. The veggie characters were huge and came right to the edge of the stage, I thought Hayden was going to climb right over us. He slowly got used to them and by the second half of the show, he loved it! By the end, he was out of our laps in front dancing around. I was surprised he knew all the characters names (even some I couldn’t remember!). Afterwards, we had a backstage pass and got to meet Bob and Larry. He didn’t enjoy that part too much. He was very scared. The rest of the night he called him “Scary Bob.” He must not have been too scared though, because this morning he woke up asking to watch the “Bob moo-ee.”

The Last Month...

I feel like it has been so long since I've been able to get on-line! Finally I can write an update for my lonely blog. Although, I’m not sure where to begin…I’ll just give the long and short of the last month.

November 8^th – We loaded up the BIG truck and said goodbye to our friends in Lubbock. It was bitter-sweet, but we were looking ahead to the exciting future God had prepared us for in Arkansas. We didn’t arrive to Springdale until the 9^th, so one the way, we found a cheap hotel to stay in (you know how those can be). Hayden was very sick that night and woke up the next morning with an exploded diaper ALL over him and his bed. Not fun.

November 9^th – We arrived at our new home in Springdale and it is beautiful! A sweet family in our new church here has been trying to sell their home and in the mean time has offered to let us rent it from them. It is a very nice four bedroom home and the best part about it is they left it completely furnished. We could have come with just the clothes on our backs and been perfect. God is so good! And the best part, the worship ministries from both churches filled our fridge, pantry and gave us a gift card to Wal-Mart! Thank you! P.S. I told you that Hayden had been sick the night before, right? Well, we were so excited to see the inside of our house for the first time and right when we walked through the front door, Hayden threw up all over the floor. Nice. Luckily it was not carpet, so the clean up was easy.

November 14^th (Five days after we move in) – Hayden woke up around 7:30 am. One thing about this house is it has the handle door knobs that you push down to open the door. They are very pretty looking…they are also very easy for Hayden (who is two, remember) to open. I did not know he was awake until he came into our room and said “messy.” I then chased him out of my room to a pile of white mess on the carpet. Once I put my contacts in, I realized the extent of what “messy” meant. Hayden had gotten into the pantry in the kitchen, grabbed a bag of powdered sugar, carried it into the living room and dumped it all over the carpet. He had obviously been playing in it for quite a while because he was covered from head to toe and it was packed into the carpet. Here’s the best part, the day before, our vacuum broke so I had no way to clean it up. For two days we had to avoid a pile of powdered sugar in the middle of the living room until we could borrow a vacuum from a friend.

November 22^nd – Charis came over and spent the night because I was home alone (with the kiddos, of course). Scott went to the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game with Josh…don’t worry, I’m not jealous. We had a great time cooking Thanksgiving food ALL NIGHT! We made pumpkin cheesecakes, apple pie, cranberry salad with a cream cheese middle layer, turkey sausage stuffing with apples and cranberries, butternut squash casserole (always a favorite), apple orchard punch and two cheese balls (wink, wink to Charis). YUM-O!

November 23^rd – We went to Mamaw and Papaw’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a lot of fun and a lot of good food! Hayden had the best time wrestling around with his cousins! I think he has a new best friend!

November 25^th – Scott and I were on our way to do some Christmas shopping when we came across a garage sale. I bought a 7.5 foot pre-lit (white lights) Christmas tree ($5.00!), a large wreath ($1.00!), a box full of new-looking books for Hayden ($2.00) and a chandelier ($1.00). I know…I don’t need a chandelier, but who could pass it up? It was beautiful, just like new and only a buck!! All that stuff for under 10 dollars. That never happens to me!

November 28^th – We put our tree up! It looks so little in this big house of ours…but finally it feels like Christmas. And, I bought Febreze that smells like Christmas…yum! I love this time of year! We thought we would check out the after Christmas sales to try and get a good deal on a bigger tree for next year.

December 1^st – We got our first snow today! It wasn’t much, but it was pretty! Boy, is it cold! Scott and I went to Hobby Lobby today and got some fun stuff for Christmas. Everything was half-off! We picked up some stockings (a pink one for Laney, of course), cute stocking hangers for the mantle, some retro lights for Scott’s tree downstairs and a tree skirt. I love when Hobby Lobby has what I want on sale!

December 3^rd – We had our Christmas concert this afternoon. Because the church has been without a worship pastor, they decided to do music they already knew this year. There were several songs and Scott and I have been listening to them NON-STOP so we could learn them for the big day. It was a lot to learn but we did it and the performance was great! Everyone did a fantastic job and we had a great time!

Well, that sums up the month I’ve been away. I’ve missed you all! It’s good to be back!

Trick-Or-Treat

Despite the packing madness going on around here, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go out and get some pure hype-you-up, make-you-bounce-off-the-walls, sugar-filled candy, right? Just what we need around here. A two year old who can’t sit still. We dressed up in our favorite character (Superman) and hit the streets. Scott took Hayden over to the house of a sweet family in our church and they loaded him up! He decided to hit a few more houses in their neighborhood until he came to one house where a guy wearing a demon mask jumped out from behind his door and scared Hayden so bad, Scott had to chase him down the street! You know, that just ruins it for me. Its fun until somebody has to take it to the next level, dress like a demon and scare my little boy. What’s with that?

What's Up, Chuck?

Hayden has had a bad infection in his eye, so he has been on antibiotics. He loves to take his medicine, or “mae-sin” and usually is the one to remind me that he hasn’t had it a while. Last night, he decided he wanted some more. He pushed the chair to the counter and grabbed the bottle of amoxicillin. Somehow (not sure how because it’s supposed to be child-proof) he got the lid off and drank the rest of it. He then ran to Scott (who was on the phone), gave him the bottle and said “gone-gone.” Scott immediately got off the phone and we called poison control. They said he would be okay, that he had only had about a fourth of what they would consider a “dangerous amount,” but that his stomach would probably be upset. Well, they were right. At about 1:00 am, it began. Diarrhea, throwing-up…the works. It’s the first time he has really “thrown-up.” It was all over! All over me, the bed, the carpet, the bedroom door…everywhere. Scott got up and helped me. He took the bed sheets and blankets to the wash, got several wet towels for me and then held Hayden while I cleaned up the mess. Hayden let loose a few more times until it was all out of his system. He laid down on Daddy's lap and slowly fell asleep while Scott stroked his hair. It was a long night, but it's over and we all made it through. This morning, he woke up hungry for cereal with “mlk.” What a trooper!

Picture Day, Again

Well, we got the proofs back from our family pictures. The ones of the whole family turned out pretty good. However, the ones with the two kids and Laney by herself didn’t turn out as good. The photo place offered to retake the pictures at no additional charge, so we tried that. Yesterday we went to have them redone. Laney was in a sweet mood and making some cute faces, until…

Everyone was trying to get her to smile and Hayden thought he would try too. He accidentally scratched her face and she started screaming. She had a big red scratch from her forehead, in-between her eyes and down her nose. It started to bleed a little. I picked her up, calmed her down and then was able to sort-of cover it with make-up. By this time Hayden was getting tired and restless. (He hadn’t been feeling very well, anyway.) We were going to do one more picture of the two of them before taking the ones of Laney by herself. So, Hayden was seated in a big chair and Laney was supposed to sit in his lap. Only, when she got close to him, he took both hands, grabbed her cheeks and started quickly scratching over and over again. I have never seen him be so defiant while purposely hurting her. She started screaming inconsolably. Hayden was taken to the bathroom for a spanking from Daddy. Needless to say, after that we were done taking pictures (since our poor baby girl had scratches literally all over her little face). And I had to reschedule, yet again. Now we are going back on Monday to get hers done, once her face has had time to clear up a little.

Here are some of the proofs we received...

Photo Fun

We got family pictures today. For those of you who know me…that is a BIG deal! I haven’t gotten the proofs yet, hopefully I will be able to post them. Hayden did so well the entire two hours we were there. I was very proud! I was sure he wasn’t going to want to sit still, especially when the lady kept putting him in different positions…but he responded really well to her and did everything she asked. And then, on top of that, he actually smiled! Now Delaney…she wasn’t so cooperative. She would not smile at all! We tried everything. Then, after the first hour she started to cry and did not want anything to do with sitting or laying anywhere. I tried to feed her to calm her down and make her happy but all that did was put her to sleep…and she was OUT! We could not wake her for anything. Oh well…you just never know when it comes to taking pictures, I guess. I took a few shots of her when we got home (after she woke up from her coma) because she was in a cute mood (of course…now she is!). It was nice to have her out of her brace for a while today. She is only supposed to be out for up to one hour each day. Okay…so we went a little long today. I’ll be so glad when she doesn’t have to wear it anymore. For her sake, too…she does not like that thing!

Oh, by the way...can't you really see her red hair in this picture!? I told you it was turning red! Ha!

The Next Chapter

What a day today was. Hard to put it into words, but here it goes...

About three months ago, Scott received a call from Dr. Ronnie Floyd, the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. They are without a worship pastor and he was interested in pursuing Scott for the position. After much prayer and discussion, we decided that not exploring the possibility of it would be wrong. So, Scott traveled to NWA a couple times and then last month, our whole family went.

This has been a very long and difficult journey for me. (For Scott too, but this is my blog...so I'm sharing from my heart my own experience.) In the beginning I agreed with Scott that we needed to pursue this opportunity until we felt God telling us no. Who are we to determine it is not God’s will for us to move to Springdale. However, after Scott came back from his first visit, something inside me closed up and I became very negative about the whole idea.

I was struggling with several things, including the fact that we have not been here in Lubbock long. It feels like we just got here. Why would God take us away so quickly? And, I love Pastor Brad. I feel such a loyalty to him. I admire him and his leadership abilities. For so long we prayed for an opportunity to work beside Brad and Stephanie and it finally happened. Why would God separate such great partners in the ministry? And, Victory Life is so exciting! God is doing amazing things through his people here. This church is on its way to becoming a mega church here in Lubbock. The new building plans are awesome. The people are so generous and loving. Why would God take us away from all of this?

I still have questions and a great deal of confusion swarms all around me, but I know in my heart this is the right move for our family. A good friend reminded me that it’s okay to not have all the answers. It is in those difficult times that we have no other choice but to trust in our all-knowing Jesus. (Prov. 3:5-6) Scott has always been wise in knowing God’s plan. If he knows this is the right thing, I know it too. I will always be beside him and supportive of him. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to leave here…

Today Pastor Brad announced that we were leaving. I knew it would be hard, I just didn’t know how hard. I was afraid that people wouldn’t understand. That they would have a lot of questions and not find solace in the answers we would provide. The people at Victory Life were unbelievably gracious. They loved on us, told us they would miss us, but that they were very happy for us. God is so good. I hate to leave, but I feel comfort in knowing I am leaving family.

We are here two more weeks and then it’s on to the next chapter in our lives. God’s blessings are evident. Jesus, lead on…

Attention, Please...


I was trying to take pictures of Delaney today because she was in such a good mood and smiling so big. Everytime I would give her attention (trying to take her picture) he would do everything he could to get my attention back on him. He kept laying down next to her and being silly. He even went as far as to pull down his pants and start "crying." So, needless to say, I never did get a good picture of Laney by herself...they were all about Hayden! And, Hayden learned how to do a summersault today. I took some video of it. Maybe when I get brave eough to update and re-post my slide show, I will add that video to it.

Also, just for laughs...Hayden insists on calling me "honey" today instead of mommy. I was going to the bathroom he came running down the hallway calling "honey, honey..." So cute!

Let It "Snow"

So I woke Hayden up early this morning (or I guess its yesterday morning now) hoping that he would be more tired once his nap time rolled around and he would actually sleep. Well, needless to say that didn't work. I had put all of his toys (and anything else I thought might cause him to be distracted and not nap) into the closet. Apparently that just made him more bored and look for other ways to keep himself busy. We don't have anywhere else to keep this little blue love seat in our small home, so it stays in Hayden’s room, which has never been a problem...until now. When I went in to get him after his supposed "nap" this afternoon, I opened the door to find him grinning from ear to ear. He had created a masterpiece of white "snow" all over his bedroom floor. The cushions from the couch had been unzipped and the stuffing strewn about the room. What a mess! What am I going to do with him…I just can’t keep up!

Mouse in the House

Two days ago I was cleaning out our bedroom closet and found mouse droppings all over the carpet. Talk about giving me the willies! Everytime I picked something up off the floor, I hesitated knowing I could come in contact with him. Last night we were lying in bed and could hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet in the bathroom under the sink. Needless to say, tonight we are going to buy mouse traps. Squeek, squeek little mouse...you're a gonner!