In honor of Annie's birthday, I'm going back and looking at pictures of previous birthdays...It is so hard to believe how LITTLE she used to be! She was this chubby-cheeked little cherub that you just wanted to squeeze and hug. Jeremy jokes that I got what every little girl always wanted: a real live baby doll to play with!
And she definitely is that. I still enjoy her so much, and I thank God for her every day.
So, in honor of my sweet baby, here's the first of 4 photos:
2005
...to walk! We keep saying we need to get him a walker, but since we haven't yet, he made his own!
New Insight into this age old question. SARAH PALIN: Before it got to the other side, I shot the chicken, cleaned and dressed it, and had chicken burgers for lunch. BARRACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change! JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road. HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from day one that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me. GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here. DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun? COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road. BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken? AL GORE: I invented the chicken. JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it. AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens. DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems. OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens. ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road. NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks. PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American. MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information. DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told. ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone. GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough. BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road. ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road. JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace. BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted. ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken? COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?
Thanks to Leanne for sending this to me, and Mike for, well, making the pumpkin throw up!
I think the weekend finally caught up with us. The kids have been very cranky with each other (and mommy), and I have been cranky back. It took Matthew 2 1/2 HOURS to understand "column addition" in math today - and that was his FIRST SUBEJCT. We are having money issues, the house is disgustingly dirty, and we are way too busy this week. Can you tell I'm NOT having a good day?
Annie has NO FEAR! Our church's Fall Festival was held last Sunday, and she got up on the stage with her friend and sang - in front of everyone. She's dressed as a Ladybug, so that's why she looks funny.
All our kids - except Jake - made their own little hats and we painted their faces red with black noses. They wore matching white t-shirts, and we put their "numbers" on the back - M. Downs 1, A. Downs 2, A. Downs 3, J. Downs 4. Jeremy says we have first downs through fourth, and that's all there is!
I thought you would enjoy the video. This one may be a little bit small - I'll try to get a bigger one uploaded later this week.
I'm posting my answers - copy the whole thing and comment with your answers, too!
A) Four places that I go to over and over: church--bed--ballet--Sonic
B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly): Jeremy--Landra--Mom--Ryan
C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Tokyo--Pei Wei--Sonic--Crazy Jose's
D) Four places I would rather be right now: Nowhere--in a pool--with Jeremy--with my kids
E) Four people I think will respond: Rebekah--Mom--Sandy--Georgia
F) Four TV shows I watch: Heroes--Lost--90210 (OLD not new)--Home Improvement
This is the look on Andrew's face when he's really thinking about something. He's hilarious!
Matthew & Annie were showing off the holes they have in their mouths (because of lost teeth).
Andrew just wants to do whatever they do.
lol
For those of you who don't know, AWANA is a Bible-memorization program through our church. They have a program for 2 year-olds (Puggles), 3-4 year-olds (Cubbies), K-2nd graders (Sparks), and 3-6th graders (T&T). Right now, we have two Sparks and two Cubbies (including Madi).
Andrew has been having a rough time with the transition to Cubbies (and in his new Sunday School class, as well). He really liked the IDEA of Cubbies, but didn't actually want to GO to Cubbies! We had a couple of very stressful (especially for me) drop-offs, but last Wednesday night he went into his class with NO CRYING. Then, wonder of wonders, he did the same thing in Sunday School yesterday. I think he finally got 'comfortable' - he's like his Daddy, he doesn't do "new" very well.
Here's our 3-year-old Cubbie:
Annie was very excited to get her 1st-grade book this year. She really knows what is going on, and has really just jumped back in. My favorite thing is hearing her pray during Opening Ceremonies. Her sweet little voice just melts my heart, especially when she's talking to God. Here's our Sparkie:
Then there's Matthew. He's on his third (and last) year in Sparks, so definitely knows the program. He's ready to move on up to T&T next year - but Mommy is NOT ready!! He's an overachiever - it's not enough for him to memorize his book. He wants to finish it, complete the review, AND go on to the workbook (which is "extra" stuff you can do when you've finished your handbook for the year). He's a lot of fun to work with because he really takes it seriously.
Yeah! If you didn't see it, take a look at the hole they cut in my wall!!! Pretty bad, huh?
Well, they came yesterday and put in the sheetrock to fill the big hole they cut, and just left the little hole. This is what it looked like yesterday:
Then they installed the a/c...which is VERY COLD by the way!! (And necessary, since evidently our main a/c unit won't be fixed until Tuesday!!)
Then, this evening, we painted the wall and made it look pretty. You can't even tell there was a big hole!!
I just want to say thank you to our contractors (who worked really hard), to my husband (who worked really hard supervising and making sure everything was the way he knew I would want it). I also want to thank my God. He has not only provided for our needs, but also our comforts. Not only did he provide the a/c unit, he provided the person to put it in (quickly and well-done); he even thought to bring a cold front through to help us out in the other part of the house!
(Although, I do have to say, I think the cold front was for my parents benefit because the cool air didn't come through til THEIR a/c broke. God must like them better than He likes us.)
So, Thank you, Lord - You always do so much more than we could ever ask - or even THINK to ask!
To clarify: This is a forward I received, and did not really happen (to me).
Last week, I took my children to a restaurant.
My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said,
"God is good, God is great.
Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more
If Mom gets us ice cream for dessert.
And Liberty and justice for all!
Amen!"
Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby,
I heard a woman remark,
"That's what's wrong with this country.
Kids today don't even know how to pray.
Asking God for ice cream!
Why, I never!"
Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me,
"Did I do it wrong?
Is God mad at me?"
As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific
job, and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly Gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said,
"I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."
"Really?" my son asked.
"Cross my heart," the man replied.
Then, in a theatrical whisper, he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."
Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal.
My son stared at his for a moment, and then did something
I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and, without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman.
With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and
My soul is good already."
Okay, so I'm sure I have your curiosity piqued now, right? Yes, there IS a hole in my wall.
It started when our a/c went out - completely. We were trying to decide whether to leave or stick it out...Well, actually, Jeremy was telling me to pack and I was trying to find a way around it. We had been thinking (since the hurricane) of installing a window unit a/c in our game room anyway, so we decided now was as good a time as any.
We got the unit and temporarily installed it in our kitchen. Then, we had some friends come out and cut a hole to put it in our game room. They are halfway done.
| Isaiah 43:11-12“I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved. |
Will resume once the hole in my wall is filled in!!!! (Pictures to come.)
So today we went to church. We're having some issues with Andrew and Sunday School...mainly, he doesn't want to go. I asked him why, and the only answer I could get out of him was, "They make me play there. I don't like to play." Hmmmm.
We started a 40-day study in the book "The Love Dare" from the movie Fireproof. It will be interesting to see what each day's "Dare" is. I'll let you know each day what we're doing. Tomorrow is day #1.
Our a/c is out...again. What fun. We're going to stick through it tonight with a bunch of fans, but I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow. It will depend on how soon the a/c guy can get out here. (How would you like to have no name and only be referred to as "The A/C Guy"?)
Otherwise, just another normal week. However, on Saturday, we will be having a party. A football party. I know; anyone who knows me would say, "Lindsay? Football? No way." This is different, though. It is the
vs. the
The Red River Rivalry is this Saturday. We'll probably have to have a dividing line in our living room in the middle to separate the Sooner fans from the Longhorns. Family Feud is what it should be called. The kids can't quite decide which side to be on, so it's fun watching them cheer for one team or the other.
What is in store for your week? Comment and let us know!
| Isaiah 55:6“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved. |
| Proverbs 29:25“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved. |
You have FEMA's number on your speed dialer.
You have more than 30 'C' and 'D' batteries in your kitchen drawer.
Your pantry contains more than 20 cans of Spaghetti O's.
You are thinking of repainting your house to match the plywood covering
your windows.
When describing your house to a prospective buyer, you say it has three
bedrooms, two baths and one safe hallway.
Your SSN isn't a secret, it's written in Sharpie on your arms.
You are on a first-name basis with the cashier at Home Depot.
You are delighted to pay $4 for a gallon of regular unleaded.
The road leading to your house has been declared a 'No-Wake Zone.'
You decide that your patio furniture looks better on the bottom of the
pool.
You own more than three large coolers and need more.
You rationalize helping a friend board up by thinking 'It'll only take a
gallon of gas to get there and back.'
You have 2-liter coke bottles and milk jugs filled with water in your
freezer.
Three months ago you couldn't hang a shower curtain; today you can
assemble a portable generator by candlelight.
You catch a 13-pound redfish - in your driveway.
You can recite from memory whole portions of your homeowner's insurance
policy.
You consider a 'vacation' to stunning Tupelo, Mississippi.
At cocktail parties, women are attracted to the guy with the biggest
chainsaw.
You have had tuna fish more than 5 days in a row.
There is a roll of tar paper in your garage.
You can rattle off the names of three or more meteorologists who work at
the Weather Channel.
Someone comes to your door to tell you they found your roof.
Ice is a valid topic of conversation.
Your 'drive-thru' meal consists of MRE's and bottled water.
You spend more time on your roof then in your living room.
You've been laughed at over the phone by a roofer, fence builder or a
tree worker.
A battery powered TV is considered a home entertainment center.
You don't have to worry about relatives wanting to visit during
September.
Your child's first words are 'hunker down' and you didn't go to Ole
Miss!
Having a tree in your living room does not necessarily mean it's
Christmas.
You know the difference between the 'good side' of a storm and the 'bad
side.'
Your kids start school in August and finish in July.
You go to work early and stay late just to enjoy the air conditioning.
© Copyright 2009 Ladybugs & Stinkbugs
Converted by Wordpress To Blogger for WP Blogger Themes | Sponsored by iBlogtoBlog
