Lorie's Place

Eve LOVES to Swim

2009-06-09T12:19:00.005-05:00

I guess it would be more accurate to say that she loves the water since he doesn't actually swim. She LOVES the water. We took advantage of some together time, while David is at Parents' Day Out, out in our back yard in the toddler pool. See how cute!

Eve

2009-05-23T22:35:00.005-05:00

First time in big bath tub.

Pretty girl.

David loves to get in the crib to entertain her after a nap.

David

2009-05-23T22:26:00.001-05:00

With best friend Jackson.

Bunny face

Scootin' around

4 wheelin'

We love to make baby girl laugh

2009-05-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

Army Crawl

2009-05-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

Eve just did the Army crawl toward a toy she wanted.

Growing, Growing

2009-04-23T13:44:00.003-05:00

Thanks, Nana, for the cute spring outfit, but this will probably be the last time I'll be able to wear it because I am growing SO BIG. Hooray! Don't worry, I have lots of other cute clothes to grow into.

Look Whose Eating Now

2009-04-21T12:38:00.003-05:00

I started feeding Eve on some cereal yesterday. I think she did pretty well for her first time.

Raising for Hope

2009-04-15T12:51:00.001-05:00

Please read this blog post for information regarding a yard sale to help raise some funds for our dear friends' adoption. Thanks!

http://raising4hope.blogspot.com/

He is Risen Indeed

2009-04-13T14:11:00.003-05:00

Easter morning came bright & early for the Collins Family. We had just arrived home from a trip to Gatlinburg on Saturday morning. So Sunday morning was a frenzy of bathing & dressing for church. We ate breakfast in the van. Amazingly we were only about 15 minutes late for church.
We had a great worship service first hour. Second hour we did our normal volunteering in childcare. After church we hurried to the Cherry's. They were waiting on us for the egg hunt. All the kids made out with lots of loot. And lunch was great. Thanks Cherry's!
Then it was home for naps. David decided not to take one & Eve slept for 3 hours. Geoff mowed the yard & my nap was constantly interrupted.
All in all it was a great day.
I'm very thankful for the Resurrection of our Lord & Savior & knowing that I reside in His grace is a great relief. Now if I can just remember that every second of every day I think I would have a more peaceful life.
Happy Easter everyone!

Where do you live?

2009-03-31T21:10:00.002-05:00

me: David, where do you live?
D: at school
me: umm...no, silly. where do you live?
D: at the Y (he says with excitement)
me: try again. where do you live?
(3rd times the charm, right?)
D: at home
(HA!)
me: say "I live in Nashville, TN."
D: I live in Nashville, TN.

This is the conversation we had on our way home from the Y today. David knows his whole name, how to spell his first name, & when his birthday is. Now, we're working on where he lives.

A Mom's Right to Brag

2009-02-19T14:27:00.003-06:00

David & I were eating lunch when Eve woke up from a nap & began crying. It was time for her to eat so I gobbled down the rest of my lunch, left David at the kitchen table to finish his lunch, while I went to the living room to feed Eve. I don't like doing this because I can't see what David is up to. In the middle of the feeding I get a phone call. So now I can't see OR hear what he might be up to. I hear some russeling around, put my friend on hold to tell David to come tell me what he was doing. He came to the living room & said, "I'm just cleaning up." I was a little concerned about what that meant so I stopped feeding Eve to go investigate. That child was indeed cleaning up. For lunch we had celery & carrot sticks, peanut butter & crackers. He was busy putting everything into the frig (even the peanut butter & crackers). Needless to say, he got double check marks on his chore chart for that great deed.

After putting David down for his nap Eve & I came to the living room. She was busy playing on the floor & I was right here on the couch searching out some great deals a friend just told me about. I look up just in time to see Eve roll from her back to stomach. Now, she's done this once before right after a bath when she was VERY upset, but she hadn't done it in several weeks. It looked like she was trying to roll back over, but she was kind of stuck on her playmat. I rolled her to her back & grabbed the video camera. And I caught it on video! She rolled from her back to her stomach & then to her back again. I was going to try to catch it with our digital camera so it would be easy to put the video on here, but she was done for now. Maybe next time. But I did get some pictures of her on her stomach.

In this one you can see her trying to get up on her knees. In the video I took you can see her actually pushing herself forward a little bit trying to reach a toy in front of her. How awesome is that.

Woohoo! THIS is a good day! Thank you God!

Blue Jeans & Pearls

2009-02-03T19:11:00.002-06:00

1 Samuel 1:27-28 NIV

2009-01-26T09:15:00.006-06:00

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give her to the LORD. For her whole life she will be given over to the LORD."

The Lord brought the story of Hannah to my mind only, at the time, I didn't know it was Hannah. I was only able to tell Geoff that it was a story of a barren woman who God finally granted a son to. Hannah promised God that once Samual was weaned she would give him to the service of the Lord.

Several of you asked about the dress Eve had on. My grandmother made the dress for me when I was baptised as an infant in the United Methodist Church 37 years ago.

Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey

2009-01-24T15:10:00.003-06:00

Thanks, Nana, for sending us to the circus! We had a great time!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-01-20T15:44:00.003-06:00

David was helping Geoff make a cake for my birthday.

She Did It!

2009-01-17T18:58:00.002-06:00

Our baby girl rolled over from back to front this afternoon. After her bath I laid her on the floor to dress her, she was so mad, cause she hates baths, she was pushing herself onto her side with her feet, & she pushed hard enough that she rolled right over. Of course, that only made her even more mad. And putting her clothes on over her head made her mad again.

Finally Caught a Picture of Eve's Big Smile

2009-01-16T19:07:00.002-06:00

Collins Christmas 2008

2009-01-03T11:08:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Playing in the Snow (before it melts)

2008-12-12T10:55:00.005-06:00

What must you wear outside in the snow when it's 30 degrees & I'm your mother?

2 pairs of socks
tennis shoes
jeans
long sleeve t-shirt
heavy sweatshirt with hood
heavy coat
hat
2 pairs of gloves

She's Growing!

2008-12-11T07:33:00.003-06:00

Eve is growing! Now, you might be wondering why this is SO exciting for me. When David had his 2 month well visit with our pediatrician he had lost 3oz. 3oz doesn't sound like a lot but when you're a newborn it isn't good. So, the doctor suggested we begin supplementing him with formula. In hindsight I think this was a really bad idea. It began a vicious downward spiral of my milk supply. He ended up getting more & more formula & by 6 months old most of my milk had dried up. So, the fact that I'm exclusively breastfeeding Eve & that she's thriving is very exciting to me. Here's proof that's she growing. I don't know how well you can really see it in this picture, but her feet are straining again the ends of this sleeper that was a little big on her when we left the hospital. Also, the Pampers Swaddlers newborn diapers are getting a big snuf. We're going back to the doctor tomorrow. I'm excited to find out how much weight she's gained in the last 3 weeks. Eve is also beginning to smile & trying to make sounds (besides crying).

Evelyn Rose

2008-11-19T16:28:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

Sharing

2008-11-14T09:49:00.002-06:00

This morning David tried to share one of his blankets with Eve. If you know David & his blankets you know that this is a very big deal. He's a great big brother.

(I'll try to get more pix up ASAP.)

2008-11-06T14:48:00.003-06:00

Welcome Evelyn Rose to the world
1:15 pm
7lbs 14oz
20.25"

Momma and baby are doing great.

I'm helping!

2008-11-03T21:04:00.006-06:00

So, last night I came home from Bible study to find this:

David was helping Poppa put together the cradle for baby Eve. Very sweet. I just had to snap a couple of pictures. This was my cradle when I was born & David slept in it, too.

David the Dragon

2008-11-01T20:06:00.004-05:00

David had a great time trick or treating this year. We started preparing a couple of weeks ago by checking out The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and a couple of Halloween books from the library. He learned that after ringing the doorbell he was supposed to say "trick or treat" and after they handed out the candy he was supposed to say "thank you." Well, instead of going door-to-door we ended up at Judson Baptist Church for their Trunk or Treating. We had a lot of fun & he got a lot of candy. He did okay saying "trick or treat" & really well saying "thank you."

David the cute dragon.

Nana bought him this great dragon costume. Thanks, Nana!

Our friends', the Murphy's were having a little Halloween party, so we decided to stop by for a few minutes. Here is David & his friend, Jackson, who was a train engineer.

And the sleepy dragon. He actually fell asleep between the church & the Murphy's.

The loot! Look at all this candy from Trunk or Treating.

Baby Eve FYI

2008-11-01T10:45:00.003-05:00

If Baby Eve doesn't make an appearance before Thursday morning, November 6 we will be heading to Vanderbilt Hospital for a planned c-section. For those who may not know or remember, I ended up with a c-section when David was born. So, the doctor who is over my midwife has recommended a repeat. We're excited to know when the next phase of this journey will begin. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Question

2008-10-31T07:25:00.002-05:00

I was just looking through some of the Toys R Us Big Book & I have a couple of questions:
Since when does a toolbox (Home Depot) need to talk?
And why do need TinkerToys need to be pink? What's wrong with the primary colors? And they're plastic instead of wood. Why is that better?

Pregnancy Now & Then

2008-10-30T21:55:00.002-05:00

Throughout this pregnancy I have been wondering how women did it in the "old" days. I'm talking about women as far back as Jesus' day & beyond. I realize that many times these women had multiple generations of family living with them who probably helped a great deal. But you know there were women alone, with other children to care for, while their husbands were gone for long hours every day or even gone for days, weeks, or months at a time trying to make a living for their family. These women HAD to cook from scratch or they didn't get to each. I'm sure many of them had to slaughter their own meat, milk their own cows, & grind their own flour. My first trimester I was so tired & sick that I didn't know what I wanted to eat. During my second trimester my back hurt so much that if I did one thing wrong it would hurt for the rest of the day; this includes standing on my feet for too long trying to cook a meal. Now, in my third trimester my belly is in the way of me bending over or getting to close to the counter.
During this pregnancy I have let my house go & we have been eating more convenience foods. I don't know how many times Geoff came home from work & I would announce that I had no idea what was for dinner. He's pretty good at whipping something up when I need him to, even if it's as simple as breakfast for dinner (thanks, honey). I'm sure it's going to be a while before we find our new "normal" but I'm ready for the next phase of our life to begin.

Update on "Blessings"

2008-10-30T21:48:00.003-05:00

As it turned out the $10 wasn't lost. I had completely forgotten that I'd given it to Geoff to pay for David to get into the play area at the pumpkin patch. Then we didn't even need it because our friend Sandy paid for him to get in (Thanks, Sandy). Geoff just forgot to give the money back to me. Talk about pregnancy brain. It's still a blessing because since I didn't have it to spend on goodies I ended up using the money for groceries like I needed to.

Full of Blessings

2008-10-18T14:47:00.005-05:00

Last night, about 9:30, Jim Becker called to invite us to go to Walden Farm with them this morning. I really wasn't sure about going given that we had all had a long week, I'm almost 38 weeks pregnant, & the list of reasons for not going could go on & on. I knew Geoff wanted to go to Barcamp today & I didn't think I could keep up with David on my own. I felt that Geoff needed to go to Barcamp since it was a free conference & he's transitioning to the IT world. However, after looking at the schedule for the conference & finding out that Walden Farm opened at 9, Geoff suggested that we drive both vehicles, he'd be able to stay for about an hour & a half, & at that point I could decide for myself if David & I would stay longer or just head home.

And this is where the first blessing of the day comes in. I'm very blessed to have such a thoughtful husband. I had given up on being able to take David to a pumpkin patch this year because our budget is so tight & because we're running out of time with Halloween being just 2 weeks away.

I think since my due date is so near I've become somewhat of a homebody & haven't gone out of my way to make time to hang out with friends. This is blessing #2. We saw many friends there. Not that we had a lot of time to chat since we were chasing after kids, but it was so nice to see everyone. We, of course, saw the Beckers, but we also saw the Cherry's. There were several other families from church there too: Shive's, Betterton's, Hollis', Alexander's, &I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.

Even the worst part of the morning I'm seeing as a blessing. I lost a $10 bill there. Normally this would have pretty much ruined my morning. I would have fretted over that $10 for the rest of the day, if not the rest of the weekend. Instead I think God has opened my eyes to see the loss in several other ways.

1. The lost $10 was well spent in the time I had with my family & friends. David had such a good time, which we all needed after such a long week.

2. I think, in a way, I was hoarding the money. Geoff had asked me for a few bucks in case he needed to pay for parking downtown. I had 4 $1's & the $10. Which did I give him? The 4 $1's. Why did I just give him the 4 $1's? Normally I would have said something about using the rest for groceries this week, but what I really wanted was a nice baked treat or two that they were selling at the farm.

3. I think God was telling me I didn't need to use my pregnancy to get yet another treat.

4. I pray that whoever found that $10 needed worse than we did.
Another blessing is that we had already bought a pumpkin. Given our tight budget that was something else I didn't see buying this year.

I guess because I've been reading so many other blogs lately, I've been wishing I would take the time to blog more. I definitely have things on my mind to put down. I don't fancy myself as a writer at all & I think that's one of the things that's been holding me back. I think this may be the longest post I've ever made. So, if some of it doesn't make much sense or if it feels like I'm rambling, I'm sorry. I'll still probably mostly post pictures of my family, but I hope to try to fill this space with more of my thoughts, too.

They don't make things the way they used to.

2008-08-26T14:47:00.004-05:00

Why don't they make things the way they used to? When Geoff comes back into the bedroom this morning to kiss me goodbye before leaving for work, he informs me that the coffee pot is broken. I suspected as much. I tried a couple of times yesterday morning to brew a pot & it never brewed. Now, this coffee pot is less than two years old. I don't know what brand it is, but I expect even a generic coffee pot to last several years, say at least five. My mom gave us this one for Christmas 2006. So, for now, we are without coffee at home. I can handle this because I usually drink only one cup a day and I can get by with tea. Geoff, on the other hand, will have to make do with the coffee they have at work.

David's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-08-23T22:30:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came out for David's 3rd birthday party. It was a huge success.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Row, Row, Row your boat . . .

2008-08-21T13:28:00.001-05:00

. . . gently down the STREET . . .

Ba ba black sheep have you any wool?
one for my CAT
one for my DOG
and one for my BED!

These are just a couple of examples of David's creative wording on popular nursery rhymes. And Ba ba Black Sheep can be sunk in a row, over and over and over again, as can Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

And McDonald's is now Old McDonald's as in Old McDonald had a Farm.

Remember that Storm? Remember our Tent?

2008-08-01T21:35:00.001-05:00

Way back on July 9, I only know the date because it's on the pictures, we had a pretty good storm come up in our area. Some of you may remember the tent we had up on the deck at the Memorial Day party, well, we never took it down. Since we have no shade on our deck without the tent, we like to keep it up. Well, the storm pretty much took care of it for us. Geoff had to cut some of the branches out of the tree and get up on the roof to get the tent down. Needless to say, we have no more tent. Most of the poles went into the trash and those tarps had seen their better days anyway. So, no tent for now, until we can afford to buy new poles. All the connecting pieces are fine. It's a wonder one of those poles didn't go through a window - with one of us standing there admiring the storm like we tend to do.

Whatcha doin'?

2008-07-30T22:55:00.001-05:00

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

The Vinegar Institute

2008-07-25T11:43:00.004-05:00

Until I found this site I had no idea just how versatile vinegar is. It's good for so many things from household cleaning to recipes. You can find out all about vinegar at this web site. I love it because it's a cheap, natural product that isn't harmful for us.

IT'S A GIRL!

2008-07-02T21:30:00.004-05:00

woohoo!!!!!!!!! Thank you, God, for Evelyn Rose!

Geoff: Where's the monkey?

2008-06-20T21:14:00.001-05:00

David: In momma's belly.

Did you know?

2008-06-18T13:09:00.003-05:00

Did you know that you can receive a FREE Kraft magazine four times a year full of great, kid-friendly recipes?
Publix also has FREE programs you can sign up for including a family magazine with recipes.
On Wal-mart's site you can sign up for FREE samples of products; everything from shampoo to pet food to diapers and everything in between.
Sign up to get emails from Walgreens and they'll periodically send you an email for an offer you just can't refuse like a FREE 8x10 (glossy).
Are there FREE programs that you take advantage of? Let me know about them and I will try to post them so we can all take advantage of them.
Thanks!

That Kid Says the Darndest Things

2008-06-17T20:59:00.004-05:00

Things David has been saying lately:

"Oh, that's clever." We have no idea where he picked that up.
"Actually . . ." He doesn't use it correctly and most of the time he doesn't even finish the sentence, but it's so cute hearing him say it. I think he got that from me.
"There, it's perfect."
"Come on." David says this in the mornings after Geoff has told him it isn't time to get up yet.
"Of, course."
"I love . . ." Tonight at dinner it was, "I love eggs."

He also seems to be developing quite a thick accent:

cauaw = cow
bayounce = bounce
theyair = there

We've also noticed how he seems to be picking up on a lot more concepts. Of course, I can't think of an example right now.
He's starting to make his own jokes and laughing at himself.
As I was putting his pj's on one night then walked my fingers across his belly to tickle him. He told me not to be a spider. I don't know if someone else told him that or if he came up with it on his own; I know I didn't tell him.
It seems he's beginning to develop some wit.

Mid-South Live Steamers

2008-05-05T15:10:00.002-05:00

Our friend, Jill, told us about this awesome FREE event in Columbia. It's a train club, replicas of actual trains in miniature form that you can actually ride. We had a blast! Check out the slide show. Thanks, Jill.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hollis Adoption Yard Sale

2008-04-28T18:15:00.003-05:00

Our friends, Katie Jo & Steve Hollis, are raising funds to adopt their 2nd child. To keep up with the adoption detail please visit their blog, Hope for the Hollis' . Below is information regarding their yard sale fundraiser. I will be happy to help collect items for this sale so please feel free to contact me if you have items to donate. We would also like to have baked goods, soda, & water to sell.

This is a very sweet, loving family who love God with all their heart, mind, and soul. They want to share this love with a child.

Thank you very much for your help. Lorie

Yard Sale donations are now being accepted.

Donated items will be sold at a yard sale at our house on May 24^th. When we adopted Sophie, our last two yard sales raised a combined total of $1,600!! I can’t wait to work hard and see what God is going to do this time. The neat thing about our yard sales is that other people are blessed by all of your donated items. I sell stuff cheap to bless them and trust that God will supply just the right amount of money for our adoption. If you have never helped with a sale, this is a fun time to come and fellowship with friends. After the yard sale I will distribute left over items to people I know who could use them & then the rest will be donated to Thrift Smart.

Here’s some information for anyone wishing to participate:

Contact Katie Jo at kthollis@comcast.net

Clothing items must be spring & summer clothing only. (children’s clothing sells the best)
DROP OFF DAY FOR THE SALE IS MAY 23^th.
Consider giving items that are random like Clinque samples, or bottles of shampoo you didn’t like. Don’t forget stuff for men to look through. Men love a bargain on tools and gadgets.
Remember to look through your garage for stuff to donate.
You could donate cans of coke or bottles of water for us to sell and drink. What about pizza gift certificates for everyone working at the sale? Baked goods are always a hit for early birds.
Please do not donate any collectible items that you think are worth money. It is unlikely that a yard sale customer will recognize it’s real value.
If you have large items to sell please arrange for a truck, as we do not have one. Let us know about it ahead of time and we can try to locate one for Friday.

Who is your best friend?

2008-03-06T17:38:00.000-06:00

Geoff asked David this question tonight at dinner.
His answer: John Martin, Sophie, and Jackson.

Books From Birth

2008-03-02T16:46:00.003-06:00

Books from Birth: Every child in Tennessee can receive a free book each month from they day they're born until they're age 5.

Farmer David

2008-02-17T17:24:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T12:20:00.000-06:00

So True!

2008-02-13T20:46:00.001-06:00

Purity Dairy

2008-01-19T17:59:00.000-06:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Scrapbooking Tote

2008-01-19T13:58:00.000-06:00

For Christmas I got this great scrapbooking tote from my mom. I love it because it holds ALL of my supplies. It's even big enough that I could haul David around in it, if he would just dunk his head down and curl up into a ball I could even zip it closed with him in it! Thank goodness it has wheels and a handle like a suitcase does.

Christmas 07

2008-01-06T15:02:00.000-06:00

So I came across this digital scrapbooking site. Some of the services on the site are free and others you have to pay for. The site is called smilebox.com. I would recommend you check it out. You can add slideshows and pictures just about anywhere: blogger, Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo, etc.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Free Pancakes

2008-01-01T20:45:00.000-06:00

IHOP

Feb. 12!

Publix Tour

2007-12-31T14:12:00.000-06:00

In early December our friend, Michelle Acton, arranged for our playgroup to tour one of the area Publix stores. I really wasn't too sure about taking a 2 year old to tour a grocery store, but it turned out pretty good. In the first picture we're in the bakery where all the kids got to sample some frosting.

Later on in the tour all the kids got to touch one of the lobsters. David's reaction is great!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-30T22:08:00.001-06:00

Christmas 07

We pray that everyone had a blessed Christmas. To view more pictures just click on the picture of David.

Preparing for Christmas

2007-12-22T19:07:00.000-06:00

These last few weeks we have been busy preparing for Christmas and doing all the traditional things we like to do.
We cut down our own tree at a nearby farm & decorated it,

we have made & decorated cookies,

we have been to see the lights,

we have visited the Opryland Hotel,

and we had a birthday party for Jesus with some of our friends.

Christmas Day is quickly approaching and we're all excited. Let us remember why we're celebrating - our Savior has been born.

No, not yet.

2007-12-13T07:14:00.001-06:00

That's David's answer to everything this morning:

Are you ready to change your stinky diaper? No, not yet.
Are you ready to put clothes on? No, not yet. (I've let him get away with that one, for now.)
Do you want juice? No, not yet. (Then proceeded to drink it all.)
Are you ready to get down (from the breakfast table)? No, not yet. (Then proceeded to whine when I didn't push his chair back because he was ready to get down.)

I was in the bathroom and he yells, "Mom, where are you?" So, I yell back that I was in the bathroom. He says, "No, not yet."

The last few days he's answered yes to just about everything; I guess we've moved on to "no, not yet."

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T20:29:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Geoff, David, and I spent a few days near Orlando visiting Geoff's grandmother. She loved seeing us, especially David. And I cooked my first turkey using Patty Anderson's recipe (mostly). It was delicious. We spent a couple of hours at the beach on Saturday. I wish we had gotten there sooner and could have stayed longer. I think I like the beach better than I thought I did. At first David wasn't sure about the big waves and the wet sand on his feet, but he loosened up after we took a little walk.

You might be a redneck if . . .

2007-11-08T13:30:00.001-06:00

. . . you play on the front porch in just a diaper and tennis shoes.

Feel the Cool Crisp Air

2007-11-04T20:53:00.000-06:00

Fall is here and it's beautiful! Normally I dread this time of year because I know that it means in just a few more months it could be bitterly cold and I HATE being cold. But for some reason this year I'm not dreading it quite as much as I used to. Maybe after enduring the dreadfully hot summer that we had I'm ready for the cool weather. Or maybe having David is giving me more to look forward to as I see things through his eyes. I wonder if he remembers how much enjoyed playing in the piles of leaves I would rack up for him last year.

Saturday afternoon/evening we took a lovely drive through part of the Natchez Trace. A lot of times when Geoff wants to take a drive I have a hard time relaxing and enjoying it. I don't think I've ever been good at taking drives just for the sake of driving. I want to reach the destination. Of course, this time, there was no destination. We had a picnic for dinner, soup and grilled cheese. Then David and I picked out some pretty leaves together.

David was getting quite antsy so since we were near the Bellevue Mall we decided to stop there to let him play for a while. He had the best time running, jumping, climbing, and sliding with all the other kids. Too bad that play area is so far from us.

Rooar

2007-11-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! David really started to get the hang of trick or treating when he realized he was getting candy. He kept stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to try to open a piece, which he finally succeeded. He also kept trying to go into people's houses and helping himself to the candy. Thankfully everyone was really nice about it. Thanks Robin and John for letting us join you.

Songs for Teaching

2007-10-26T13:08:00.000-05:00

I came across this web site, Songs for Teaching, and thought some of you might find it helpful. I haven't looked through it completely but what I have seen looks awesome.

A Question

2007-10-20T13:16:00.000-05:00

How do you put the fear of momma into your child? You know, so that all you have to do is give your child THE look and they know they had better not do whatever it is they're about to do that will most certainly get them into trouble.

It's finally happened!

2007-10-18T20:02:00.001-05:00

David has figured out how to open the bedroom doors! Yikes! We're actually kind of torn about this new development. On the one hand he can let himself out of his room in the mornings when we aren't ready to get up and, hopefully, he'll go play in the living room (and not bother us for a while). On the other hand he'll be able to get out of his room when he's supposed to be sleeping or into another room that we don't want him to go into. Oh, well! Hopefully the novelty will wear off soon and it won't be much of an issue.

Jumping

2007-10-04T18:07:00.000-05:00

As I type this Geoff is sitting in the recliner with the footrest up. David is climbing onto the footrest and jumping off. Over and over and over again. This is something that his Nana would NOT like to see him doing. After he jumps he says, "I'm alright," then stands up and claps and cheers for himself - very cute. I tried to get the video camera out to capture this on film, but the darn battery is dead, which is a constant source of frustration to me.

I'm 2! (trying to hold up 2 fingers)

2007-09-09T14:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right! David is now 2! Hard to believe. He's a little boy!

As you can see in this pictures he's got quite a shiner on his cheek and forehead. The morning of his birthday was spent at the Becker's house where they were celebrating Justin's 4th birthday (Aug. 28). As we were leaving David took a tumble down the aggregate steps. That was not fun, but, thankfully, he's alright and has completely healed.

We celebrated David's birthday at home with an ice cream social with some of his friends. Everyone had a great time!

Time Flies

2007-07-09T15:30:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already July and we've been back from our trips for over a week. While Geoff was in Greece on a missions trip, David and I visited a couple of my girlfriends that I hadn't seen in 2-3 years. We had a great time but we're very glad to be back home with Poppa.

Teri and I went to college together. These are her two children, Christina and Andrew, with David.

This is David and Penny Pine Dove's daughter, Natalie. You can't tell it very well from this pictures, but Natalie is in a walker and David quickly learned how to stand on the back and hitch a ride.

Dying Easter Eggs

2007-06-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

So, I know that Easter is long gone, but I don't think I ever posted pictures from Easter. I'm finally getting around to ordering some prints so thought this would be a good time to update the blog. David and I dyed Easter eggs in the bath tub. I got this idea out of one of the parenting magazines, but I can't remember which one. All and all I think the experience went real well. Although his feet were dark green by the time we finished, most of it had vanished by bed time. I would love to post all the pictures but I think that would be a bit much so here are a select few. We had a lot of fun!

Thanks for the pool, Nana

2007-05-16T17:01:00.000-05:00

Nana (my mom) bought David this great pool with a slide. It was warm enough a few days ago that we tried it out. He loved it! He loved the slide too, that is, until he slid down once right into the water and went under the water. He hasn't used the slide since. We'll have to work back up to that.

Thanks, Nana!

Play Time With Poppa

2007-04-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

One of David's favorite games to play with Poppa: he climbs onto the recliner when the foot rest is out and climb up Poppa then falls down onto Poppa with a big hug.

Love you, Poppa!

Just Singing in the Rain

2007-04-04T19:43:00.000-05:00

The other day is was raining, but not lightning, so I decided to take David out in the rain rather than stayed cooped up inside all day. It was great!

He learned how much fun it can be to stomp in puddles. Now I know that most rainy days I won't want him to stomp in the puddles, but you have to do it every now and then. I'm glad I had dry towels waiting for us on the porch. I stripped him down to his diaper right on the front porch then took him in and put dry clothes on him. We had a lot of fun and I got some great pictures for a great scrapbook page.

In Loving Memory

2007-02-06T12:19:00.000-06:00

My grandmother (Memaw), David's great-grandmother, Bessie Sutton, passed away this morning at 10:50. She had a variety of health issues for a good part of her life including rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Most recently she had been having seizures, but they couldn't figure out why. About two weeks ago they put her in a medically induced coma to see if that would stop the seizure activity that was continuing in her brain. When they took her out of the medically induced coma she never woke up. They took her off the respirator this morning and I guess she just slipped away.

I'm doing fine right now, but would like prayers for traveling as we will be going to Paducah in the next couple of days. Please pray for my family. She leaves behind two daughters and two son-in-laws, 4 grandsons, 1 granddaughter (myself), and several great-grandchildren (6, I think). She also had a son, my dad, who passed away in 1984. Her husband passed away in 1995.

Since David was born I had gotten pretty good about taking pictures every time we went to see her. I'm so glad that I remembered most of the time; now we have several pictures of David with his great-grandmother.

I don't know anything about arrangements, yet, but will post those, in case anyone is interested, as soon as I do know.

Thank you for your prayers.

Did you know . . .

2007-02-03T13:42:00.000-06:00

. . . that you could sign up to receive a FREE Kraft magazine with lots of really yummy recipes? Dyann Murphy gave me her copy to try. I put myself on their mailing list and can't wait to receive my own copy.
Thanks, Dyann.

FREE Samples

2007-02-02T12:54:00.000-06:00

Get free samples from Wal-mart. They have new items every week or so.

FREE Pancakes

2007-02-01T20:03:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, February 20 is National Pancake Day and to celebrate IHOP will be giving away free pancakes! Sounds yummy!

Scott Andrew Becker

2007-01-26T20:49:00.000-06:00

Scott Andrew Becker was born on Tuesday, January 23 at 11:48 am, 8 lb 12 oz, 20.5" long, 14" head. This little baby, and the whole Becker family, need our prayers. Scott is having issues with fluid in his lungs. I don't know all the details and don't understand the few details that I do know. I know that he's in critical condition and needs our prayers. I don't know what else to say, except pray.

Some Helpful Tips

2007-01-03T10:53:00.000-06:00

It's time to go through all your children's clothes and toys; the spring consignment sales begin next month. Here is a great web site that lists a lot of sales: http://www.midtnconsignmentsales.com/index.html.

The first Sunday of every new year this are 4 inserts of coupons in the paper. Don't forget to get your copy.

And last, but not least: Check out The House Fairy; she can help your children keep their room clean. This comes from Pamela I. Young who also does The Brat Factor. It may seem silly but who care if it works. Pamela is friends with FlyLady.

Monkey

2006-12-31T20:53:00.000-06:00

So, yesterday evening I was in the bathroom when I heard a commotion from the kitchen. Unfortunately, I was not able to hurry up too quickly to find out what was going on. We have a gate up at the bathroom door to keep David out, but to let the cats in as that is where their litter box and food are. Usually when I'm in there David is right there talking to me and throwing stuff in to me. Not this time. When I finally made it to the kitchen I found him standing on the kitchen table. I was stunned.

My Little Kitchen Helper

2006-12-24T22:07:00.000-06:00

David had the best time helping us "bake" the other day. Geoff and I were both busy in the kitchen working on a batch of cookies when David woke up from his nap. Now what? How were we going to get these cookies baked? By letting him help us! That's how. I taught him how to turn the mixer on and off. Of course he wanted to touch the whisk as it was going on high speed. Then he discovered the sink. Water! What joy! It's so much fun watching them discover new stuff. Of course, now he wants up there all the time. Oh, well, what do you do?

What does a hat, a lampshade, a stocking, a mirror, & a pair of underwear all have in common?

2006-12-18T21:58:00.001-06:00

DAVID!

I guess he was feeling pretty silly today.

I love you, man!

2006-12-14T21:05:00.000-06:00

Jackson Murphy came over to play today. They had a great time sharing toys and their lunches. But Jackson wasn't so sure about the hug David gave him. This is the first time David has hugged another kid like this, at least that I know of. He has been really huggie the last 2-3 days. It's a lot of fun for Mom.

My Poor Baby

2006-11-30T23:18:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was quite a traumatic day for David. First we went for his 15 month doctor's appointment where he received two shots (30.5" tall, 22lb13oz). Then yesterday afternoon we took him to Geoff's barber shop for his first haircut. He cried longer and harder at the barber shop than he did at the doctor's office. Of course, it took a little longer to get the haircut than it did to get the shots. Poor thing. You can't see it in this picture, but he had on a red shirt. His face was as red as his shirt. But he held still long enough for the barber to do a pretty good job. I would have liked it to be a little shorter just so we wouldn't have to do this again for a little while longer.

The Bagel Experience

2006-11-20T09:17:00.000-06:00

What happens when you leave a bagel too close to the edge of the table?

And he ate 3/4 of it!

Free Chick-fil-A Breakfast

2006-11-15T15:30:00.000-06:00

Go to Chick-fil-A to receive your free breakfast!

MOMS Club

2006-11-12T20:27:00.000-06:00

Leslie Becker discovered, much by accident, that there's a MOMS Club in SE Nashville. With the way David's nap schedule is right now I haven't been able to attend any of their gatherings yet, but I have corresponded quite a bit with Rhea, the VP. She seems very nice. The group is always looking for new members. For info. just contact Rhea at reanna11@comcast.net.

Shop to Make a Difference!

2006-11-11T21:38:00.000-06:00

Shop to Make a Difference!

Manger Marketplace
Saturday, December 2
9 a.m. – 12 noon

Here is your chance to do your Christmas shopping and make a difference in the lives of people around the world who are in need of help. Join us as we offer alternative giving opportunities and celebrate the joy of God’s gift to us. There will be activities for children and adults as well.

Hillcrest United Methodist Church
5112 Raywood Lane
HUMC@bellsouth.net
832-0157

What a Great Day!

2006-11-06T20:18:00.000-06:00

We had a really good day today. I was productive this morning and got a lot done, including my FlyLady mission. After David had lunch I went grocery shopping, fixed lunch for Geoff and I, then David and I went outside to play in the leaves (there are more photos on Flickr). It was so warm.
It seems strange to me how there are days when I'm able to get so much accomplished and then other days when it seems so hard to get anything done. I know part of it is attitude during the different times of the month, how tired I might be, how tired David might be. I'm sure there's a whole lot of reason why I might feel this way from time to time. I guess it's just how life goes.

Black Friday

2006-11-06T10:21:00.000-06:00

Here is a web site that I think most everyone would be interested in: www.bfads.net. They list the sale ads for as many stores as they can for shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving. If you're looking for specific items this is one of the best times to buy.

Halloween

2006-11-02T21:54:00.000-06:00

Here's my little leopard.

And the pumpkin that we carved.

More photos are on Flickr.

Krispy Kreme

2006-11-02T21:42:00.000-06:00

On Friday, Oct. 27 I took David to Krispy Kreme for a pumpkin shaped donut. He ate the whole donut. I was surprised. Do you think he enjoyed it?

Growing So Fast

2006-10-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

As you can see from the pictures, David has been quite busy.

Playing peek-a-boo: he puts the back of his hands over his eyes, presses so hard that he makes his eyes red, and he won't move his hands until you say, "Where is David?"

He's a multi-tasker: drinking his milk and pulling the puppy at the same time. Until just recently he hasn't been pulling the puppy but rather picking it all the way up off the ground by the string.

Checking out the leaves at the Scarritt-Bennett Center.

Pulling guts out of the pumpkin that we got at Waldon Farms. He was actually quite helpful, but he did try to eat the raw seeds.

And the final picture: he has learned how to get on and off of his riding toy (this picture is actually from July when we had to put him on the toy).

Lately, it seems like he's just exploded with new development. It's so fun to watch him. I love to just sit and watch him play, figuring something new out for the first time.

Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

Today we took David to a pumpkin patch, Walden Farms in Smyrna. We had a great time. We got to pet animals (goats, sheep, pigs, turkeys, etc. David called the turkey a duck.), walk through a small pumpkin patch, go on a hayride, and eat some yummy pumpkin desserts. The farm is great. They have a lot of activities for children of all ages. There's a small maze made with hay for the kids and a big corn maze for those who are more adventuresome. There were riding toys for the kids, face painting, cotton picking. The list just goes on and on. My plan is for this type of outting to be one of our family traditions each year. I can't wait to see David's reaction as we go to pumpkin patches through the years. We took lots of pictures and I had a hard time deciding which one to post here. If you would like to see more just go to Flickr. Enjoy!

FlyLady

2006-10-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

What is FlyLady? Check out www.flylady.net.
FlyLady is teaching me how to keep my home in order. She teaches you how to establish morning and evening routines for the things that need to be done everyday, weekly routines for general cleaning, and monthly routines for deeper cleaning. Since I became a SAHM (stay at home mom) she has been a life saver. When I first started staying home I was having trouble getting into a routine and I didn't know where to start, there was so much to do. FlyLady taught me that I can do anything in babysteps, fifteen minutes at a time. Since then I have begun decluttering our home and I'm always fifteen minutes away from being able to accept company into my home. What a wonderful feeling that is. We still have some work to do on the decluttering, but we are on our way.
I would like to thank Becky Sekeres for introducing me to FlyLady.

Communicating

2006-10-10T16:17:00.000-05:00

David seems to be picking up quite a few words lately. Today while at the grocery store he said balloon. He only said it once, I couldn't get him to say it again, but it was very clear. This weekend my grandmother taught him to say and sign fish. So now he's constantly looking and saying fish.
He's also started using the sign for more. I hope he will begin using more signs.

Keeping Up

2006-10-02T08:35:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a whole month and a half since I posted anything. Time sure does fly. My apologies. I'll try to do a better job at keeping you updated on what's going on in our world.
David is doing great! Last night I think Geoff counted that he's saying about 7 words, that we can understand, including out, down, and duck. He's also walking down the steps by himself, holding on to the posts.
I think he's going to be a computer geek like his Poppa.

I think I can, I think I can

2006-08-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

David is trying to walk on his own. Yesterday he took 3 steps by himself and today he took 2. He's walking really well by holding on to just one of my fingers. Maybe he'll be walking by the time he's one (in just two weeks).

7 Teeth, Climbing

2006-08-10T20:07:00.000-05:00

David is getting his 7th tooth. Unlike all the others, this one was through the gums before I even realized it was close. He had been drooling a lot off and on, but he hadn't been as cranky as he had been before all the others broke through. He has been more cranky since it's broken through. I don't know, perhaps the one on the other side is trying to push through, too.

Tuesday night we went out to dinner with Geoff's mom. She spent the night with us before flying out to Oklahoma to be with Geoff's sister, who is about to have her 3rd baby. Anyway, while we were eating dessert David decided he was going to try to help himself to another piece of cookie and stood up in the high chair. I know, it was dangerous, he could have fallen, but Geoff was right there and I just had to snap a quick picture. You can see that he has his eye on that cookie.

Then yesterday he decided to climb on top of the ottoman. It has now been moved to another room.

Back Home

2006-08-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

David and I got back from visiting my Mom in Paducah yesterday. I like visiting, but for some reason it wears me out. I stayed up last night waiting for Geoff to get home so we could have a proper hello. I got to sleep at about 11:30 pm and slept soundly until David woke us up at about 7 am. Later this morning Geoff watched David and I took a two hour nap. Whenever I take a nap I usually only sleep for 30-45 minutes, maybe an hour. Usually I have too much on my mind and can't sleep. I don't know what it is about going to my mom's that makes me so tired.
While in Paducah I got my hair cut. Anyone who really knows me knows that this is a big deal. I usually end up getting a big trim every spring. A trim for me is at least 6" cut off and it's just straight across. This time, I don't know how much she cut off, but it's just past my shoulders and it's layered. I really like it. Then Saturday night Mom helped me to put highlights in my hair. I've never had highlights before. Again, I really like it. Geoff thinks it's sexy.

Communication

2006-08-05T21:45:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen Mr. Holland's Opus? I have, but it's been a very long time. In the scene I just saw the little boy is wanting something off the top shelf, but his mother can't figure out what he's wanting. At the same time the mother is having a conversation with the father regarding a special school for the deaf boy. The boy and the mother are both very frustrated and angry that they can't communicate. My first emotion was that I couldn't imagine not being able to communicate with my son. We would both be missing so much. I had to choke back tears. As I've been sitting here writing I was struck with how the mother and father were also having trouble communicating even though they can both hear and speak. Are you some times frustrated because of the lack of communication? Are you listening to each other? Really listening? Actively listening.

My First Blog

2006-08-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog. Maybe this will help me keep you updated on what's happening with David, Geoff, and myself. This is just a quick note to say "hi." Right now Geoff and David are playing together in the living room while I get a little computer time. This afternoon David and I are heading to my mom's house in Paducah. We'll be there until Sunday. Unfortunately, Geoff has to work so he's staying home alone. He'll miss us terribly, but he'll keep himself busy and will love on us a lot when we get home.
For now, if you would like to view pictures of David just go to www.inklingx.com. Right now there are a couple of really cute (short) videos of him there.