and Again...this time Nashville

Last weekend we packed up again and headed north to Nashville. This was an even shorter trip, leaving Saturday morning and coming back Sunday afternoon but we made the most of our time and squeezed a short visit in with more family. So off we were.



Ash's dad had called months ago asking if we would like to see Boz Scaggs in concert. Well, I said sure even though I had no idea who Boz was, so I did a quick google search and recognized a few songs. My parents were so excited for us, so obviously Mr. Scoggs is a little before my time. But none the less we were in and that was the main reason for our trip. We arrived Sarturday around lunch and ate and visited with Ashley's grandmother. And around 6, we made our way to the historic Ryman Theatre.



I didn't think camera's were allowed so I didn't bring mine in, so unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the show. In fact the only pic I have of the night is of Ashley's sister, Jessica and her date for the night, Jennifer.



Well the show was fun, but I think I had the most fun watching Ashley's dad. :) I think it's safe to say he was having a great time. And we did too. Thanks JD for the tix!!

After the show, we made our way to 2nd Avenue to have a drink and hear some more music, but somehow ended up at the Palm, which was dead.



But we enjoyed each others company and another drink before calling it a night. And thank goodness we have sense to call it a night when we did, because these girls of ours get up pretty early. We enjoyed the morning with Ashley's grandmother before packing up to head home. We made a quick top to catch cousin Jackson's baseball game.



Lucy mucked it up with the team for a while...



before making some other friends...



and then we were on the road again, back home for Birmingham. We are staying put this weekend, thank goodness. There is a ton to do around the house and Landon has a lacrosse tournament this weekend. Hopefully, the bad weather will push on through today and the sun will be back again tomorrow! Have a great weekend!

On the Road Again...

In the past month we have been out of town every weekend.  Ash and I start whistling Willy Nelson's "On the Road Again" every Friday as we pack the car...it has become our theme song.  Anyhow, after our Memphis getaway, we headed up the following weekend to Paris for a trip to grandaddy's.  We decided to surprise him (April fools styled) although we broke down an hour away and told him we were on our way.  We knew driving up it was going to be a quick trip arriving Friday night and heading out Sunday morning but we realized it had been six months since we had been up last and we were overdue for a visit.  In usual grandaddy style we were non stop the entire time.  The minute we got there, the grill was lit and the kids played outside...






These two couldn't quite climb the tree so they found the next best thing...



Lynlee just sucked her thumb and took it all in...



The evening was spent playing, eating, visiting, movie watching and enjoying the awesome weather.  At one point I spotted this!



It was a late night, but that didn't seem to matter...everyone was up and adam on Saturday ready for the day's activities...



Lucy is obsessed with stickers lately and somehow found some that morning...



We ate a quick bite and packed up and headed out.  Lucy and Landon got an extra treat and got to ride in grandaddy's new convertable...Landon thought it was pretty cool and asks us daily if we can get one...hmmmm.   :)



Our first stop was the skating rink.  Landon got the hang of it quickly....








Lucy tired quickly...



but nothing a snack couldn't take care of...



even Ash gave it a shot...



and got into it  :)



Afterwards, Lynlee and I headed to my sweet friends house so Lynlee could meet her new friend.


they were so funny sitting there...not sure what they are looking at...



We can't wait for more playdates with B!!!



I met back up with Ash and headed to another sweet friends engagement shower.  It was a blast from the past and I got to catch up with a lot of friends I havent seen in years.



The couple (plus one :))  T and B have been dating since high school and finally bit the bullet.  I am so happy for you two and can't wait for the wedding!




Ash and I had a late night but were again up bright and early along with everyone else...




some were harder to get moving than others...



We had a quick breakfast and hit the road by 9...we had a game to catch for this cutie



he is pretty awesome at this game and is loving it!



And we all love watching him...




look at this sweaty baby!



There he is #17.



He had 10 attempts that game and not one shot went in...however that all changed the next game!  But I am running late so I will post about Landon and Lacrosse another time.  I am off to get our day started...have a good one!

Our Days Here Lately...

...are nothing too exciting.  We have been in and out of town on the weekends which are always fun.  But our weekday is more or less the same.  Lynlee pretty much hangs out here...



...at least for the hour after she eats.  Otherwise, she's on her tummy playing.  But she spits up so much after eating that I force her to play in the exersaucer. She doesn't love it, but in her sweet Lynlee fashion doesn't give me a hard time about it either.  :)

Lucy has decided she wants to start using the potty.  But, I have no interest in potty training now, so what to do!?  Well, we keep a diaper on, because she's not really interested in potty training either...only if she wants to.  But for the past few days, thats all she wants to do.  So, she pretty much hangs out here...



And Landon stays busy doing this...




or playing this...



And I pretty much hang out here...



...getting clothes sewn and out the door.  If you placed an order, it should be arriving any day.  We have been shipping them out daily for the past week and should have them all out the door by the end of this week!  But for now, I'm off to get us out the door for Landon's game at 5!

Her Baby

My morning routine usually consists of me feeding Lynlee and then leaving her in her highchair with some toys while I grab a shower.  Yesterday, when I went to check on her, this is what I found...


Lucy was feeding "my baby" as she kept telling me.



It was too cute not to capture and Lucy did a pretty good job of feeding her baby.



Lynlee was a trouper...



...but kept looking at me to make sure I was aware that her 2 year old sister seemed to be in control of her breakfast.  :)



Sweet girl!



Giving thanks today for all my babies!

Testing Testing 1 2 3

Just a test while I design my blog!  :)

An Aha Moment

This past week has been such a poweful and enlightning time for me.  I have been struggling lately, and couldn't really put my finger on it.  I couldn't name exactly what I ws struggling with.  It has taking me six months and this book to figure out that I have been struggling with TIME! 





Not necessarily managing my time or running late, but there just wasn't enough hours in the day.  I know that anyone reading this has felt like this at some point or another.  I would wake up and almost instantly get in a bad mood when I would start to "plan" my day.  It was really affecting me.  So I started working out thinking I needed a stress reliever.  Well that only made things worse.  Although I feel great physically, it was just another thing to do in my day and one more thing added to the calendar.  Anyhow, time has been getting the best of me.


SO, I started this online bible study based on this book by Ann Voskamp. 



My sister asked me to do it with her and relunctly I accepted another item on my ever growing to do list.  You may be thinking I need to learn how to say "no"  and you could be right.  However, last week I read chapter 4, and the answer to this problem was staring me right in the face.  So I wanted to share with you with some excerpts from the book and this partiular chapter, chapter 4 'A Sanctuary of Time'

"Time is a relentless river.  It rages on, a respector of no one.  From the time the alarm rings and I stir on our pillows touching, stretch over his bare back and check those relenetless hands keeping time on that clock.  The time, always the time, I'm an amateur tring to beat the time...We race.  The barn...and hurry.  The breakfast....and hurry.  The books, the binders...and hurry.  In a world addicted to speed, I blur the moments into one unholy smear.  I have done it.  I do it still.  Hands of the clock whip hard.  So I push hard and bark hard and I fall hard and when their wide eyes brim sadness and thier chins tremble weak, I am weary and I am the thin clear skin, reflecting their fatigue, about to burst, my eyes glistening their same sheer pain."

{A little side note, so some of the above makes since, Ann Voskamp is married to a farmer and they have 6 children. }I can't tell you how the above excerpt hit home for me.  I have been noticing my patience dwindling faster than usual at my kids and always always when we were pressed for time. 

"The hurry makes us hurt...They say time is money, but that's not true.  Time is life,  And if I want the fullest of life, I need to find the time...I don't really want more time, I just want enough time.  Time to breathe deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You the glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done...I just want time to do my one life well"

How many of you are shouting "Amen" right now!?!?   I know I am.  :)   She continues...

"In Christ, don't we have everlasting existance?  Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting?  If Christians run out of time - wouldn't we lose our very own existance?  If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ-followers?"

Okay, that does make sense!

"When I fully enter time's swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here.  I can slow the torrent by being all here.  I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment"

I know, I know.  We have all hear this a million times from one another, in songs, poems, books, etc...But here is the rest of the answer and my aha moment...

"[the present] This is where God is.  In the present.  I AM - His very name...I AM so full of the weight of the present that time's river slows to a still...and God himself is timeless."

WOW!  I can't tell you how powerful those words were and are to me. 

"Giving thanks...is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention.  Thanks makes now a sanctuary...Thank God for the time, and very God enter that time, presence hallowing it.  True, this, full attention slows time and I live the full moment, right to outer adges.  I awake to I AM here.  When I'm present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God.  In HIS embrace, time loses all sense of speed and stress and space and stands so still...and holy."

This struggle that I had been dealing had such an easy simple answer...Enjoy and relish in the present, the only time I have.  Notice the smallest of things and give thanks to Him for every bit of it!  By the way, thats the premise of the book, hence the title...One Thousand Gifts.  I highly recommend getting a copy for yourself and taking part in her same journey!  I am very much enjoying the book and journey myself. 

Anyhow, I'm off to lay down with these sweet girls of mine...and giving thanks for sunny afternoon naps!!

Take 2

Ummm, yeah.  So my sister texted me last night to inform me that none of my pictures were showing up on my last post.  Instead of clicking save I clicked post, hence the crazy post from yesterday.  Anyhow, the pictures are now up and the post should make a lot more sense!!  :)  Sorry!