I was Reminded

Yesterday Abigail woke up in a MOOD. She was grumpy, fussy, and unpleasant. She yelled all the way to church. We kept going even though we weren't sure we would be staying once we got there. By the time we got to church, we ready to sell the sweet darling on EBAY. She was already wearing us out in just a short time. She was still wild during church adn had to go to the nursery earlier than usual. After lunch I put her straight down hoping a nap would cheer her up.

While she was down, I read a blog that I recently stumbled upon about a family who lost a daughter to ancephaly a couple weeks ago. Since the 20th week of pregnancy they had know their child would only live for a few minutes or hours. I have read this blog and cried and prayed for this family. Yesterday, I thought of their pain as I had been complaining about my child. Oh how blessed I am to have her here with me where she can whine, and cry and drive me crazy. I was reminded to be blessed and cherish every moment with my daughter, even the wild ones.

A Great Day

Today has been a wonderfully blessed bonus day. We had a "snow" day, but I'm not sure why. Somewhere in our county there must have been some ice. For me, it was just a day of good things. I don't know yet about making it up or fuloughing it or what, so for today, I can just enjoy. SOme of today's fabulousness included...

• Spending extra time with Charlie this morning. The three of us got to hang out in PJs for awhile.
• Very Few people at Walmart and super helpful bag girl. She let me run back to my car for my fogotten coupon.
• An amazing lunch of a grilled cheese on my mom's homemade Sourdough bread. I'm looking forward to another one when I get more bread.
• A Sonic drink :)
• Time to bake for my friends at school. I love to give away goodies, but without this extra day, it would not have happened.
• I got to read the Day on The Farm book 47 times.
• I spent extra time just watching Abigail.
• Dinner for tomorrow night is ready in the form of a lasagna waiting to be cooked.
• Slept til 7:15

Life is good and I am blessed. Pretending to be a stay home mom is fun. Tomorrow will be a day of corralling and trying to keep the wild ones semi settled. After that, freedom and two more weeks of home.

Almost There

Four days stand between me and freedom. I am looking so forward to this break. I am longing for the extra time with my husband and daughter. What I look forward to most is spending time sitting on the floor surrounded by toys and animal books pointing to the tiger, and elephant while making the noises. For two weeks, I get to be the one to get my daughter up and dressed in the mornings. I look forward to watching a movie with Charlie by the light of the Christmas tree all snuggled on the couch. We'll have time to sit with our daughter and play, all together. Extra sleep is also on the wish list for the time out of school. I want to cook and bake. My house is going to get cleaned. For a few minutes at least we won't look like a tornado has just blown through. Four days, four days four days, This week it seems so long. Next week those same four days will fly. So my mantra for the rest of this week is I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. AFter all the reward waiting at the end in the form of family is priceless.

Christmas Cuties

On my Thanksgiving break we spent some time with my family in TN. It was a wonderful few days of enjoying each other's company and watching young cousins love on each other. My mom and her sister had both bought super cute outfits for their own grandchildren for Christmas. Here is the result of our family photo shoot.

Granddaddy holding a lap of love with all 3 of his grandkiddos.

My grandmother doing her best to corrall all five of her grreat grands. Until March 2008, we had no great grandchildren. My how quickly we've grown.

These two are really starting to love each other.

We took many pictures, but this one turned out the best of all five.

My Little Tiger saying, "ROAR!"

BFFs

I've been trying to write this post for ever 2 weeks. Life has been super full and fun, so sitting down at my computer hasn't happened. My college friends and I had our annual weekend together, and we had a wonderful time. Seeing as long it's been since our weekend, I'll just give a basic recap. We had: lots of food, spa time, a movie out, pictures, yummy homecooked dinner, long walks, Cookie dough, good conversation, and more laughter than I usally have in a month. I am so blessed to have these friends even though I only see them once a year. God gave us something special when he slowly put brought us all together to be friends. Thanks, Ladies.

Thankful in November

On Facebook there is a Thankful in November campaign going around. I think it's a great idea to ask ourselves to think of a daily reason to be thankful. Too many times, I forget how truly blessed I am. I have not participated everyday because I have not had computer access every day. I'll put my lists here every couple weeks to keep myself accountable for finding something great in every day. I'll pull some of them from FB, but others I'll just have here.
1st- from FB I am thankful for my spaghetti covered baby.
2nd- a day off from school and the freedom to vote
3rd- thankful that Abigail spends her days with her Daddy or her Nana. I'm jealous, but I'm glad she's always with people who really love her.
4th- thankful for a weekend away with college friends
5th- thankful for a day spend reuniting and catching
6th- thankful for good conversation on an abundance of topics
7th- thankful a safe trip home to my family
8th- thankful for money to spend at the grocery store on food.

Stay tuned for more later.

Gentry Farm

Our family went to Tennessee this past weekend and had some good old fashioned family fun on the farm. We spent Saturday morning at the Gentry Farm. It's a pretty famous place around Franklin and Nashville. It's a family owned farm that goes back a long ways. We happen to know the family since we went to church with them for many years. They are a great family and run a great farm. The kids had a great time being outside and playing. for the parents and grandparents, it was great fun to see the kids so happy. A great morning was had by all down on the farm.

Lessons from My Daughter

Being a mother has taught me many lessons about the love of God. I don't claim to understand it, but I feel like motherhood has given me a greater understanding of the depth of his love for us, his children.



Abigail is at an age where words are a big deal. She's learning new ones and attempting to say a few things. Most come out as nonsense, but she's learning that words are a way to communicate and get a message across. The word that I of course long for is Mama. She has been able to make those sounds for months, but I think only recently has realized that I am Mama. The truth about that word right now though is that she only uses is when she's whining. She'll stand at my legs and whine mamamamamama. Of course has her mother I want to pick her up and comfort her and take care of her needs, even when she's whining.



Yesterday, I was struck like a ton of bricks by the parallels between this relationship with my daughter and my relationship with my heavenly Father. How many times in my life do I only go to Him when I'm whining. I go to him and pray (whine) that something isn't good, and I need Him to fix it or make it better. Of course as my Father, God wants to help me when I'm hurting or sad or something has gone wrong. But just like I long to hear my child say Mama just because she's happy to see me, God wants that from me too. Duh. I wait for the afternoon where I go pick her up and she says Hi Mama. My mama's heart wants her to be excited to see. When she's upset, I will run to her to help her, but I want my name to be spoken by her in joy.



God deserves that and so much more for me. If he cares when I am hurting, of course he also cares when I'm excited. He wants to hear it all. He wants me to talk to him. He wants me to be excited to see him and have a conversation. God just wants me to want to talk to him. He wants me to say his name and be glad to talk to him.

I'm so thankful for the little lessons that God allows me to learn through my daughter. I'm the one supposed to be teaching her, but often it seems like the other way around.

The Reunion

In just a few days, I'll be traveling home to go to my 10 year high school reunion. Wow, so many feelings and emotions are attached to it. First of all, it's been a long time. Ten years seems like a long time, but in other ways I feel like I should still be a Mustang dressed in my purple and gold gym clothes. Am I old enough to be out of school for 10 years, be married for 5 and have a young child? The answer is... yep. I'm there. I'm proud to be where I am. Since high school I have gotten 2 degrees, married a wonderful man, had a beautiful child, taught several hundred children, and enjoyed myself along the way.

High school had many good moments. Softball would have to be the best part. I was the worst part of the team, but I learned things there that I never could have learned in a classroom. As I think about going back, I'm flooded with memories of sleepovers, football games, JR./Sr, and all the rest that goes along with high school. Overall, high school was a good experience for me. I wasn't part of the top tier or the bottom tier, but hung out there in the middle. I had a good core group of friends who were great to hang out with and made life fun during those times. I am looking forward to seeing them and meeting husbands and children and such. The slightly strange part of seeing them for me though is that several of them remained friends after high school. I left for college in August after graduation and havn't really lived there since. They are all current on each other's lives, but I only know what's been posted on Facebook.

There are also parts of high school that I would love to never go back to; I don't really even want to reflect, but alas, I can't help but do it. Let me be a bit transparent here. In high school, I was very hard on myself. I struggled with my self esteem and self confidence. It was a constant battle for me. At times it still can be. Going back to high school scares me because I don't want to slip back into that old me. While I do still struggle to believe in myself and have confidence, I am in a much better place with me than I was back then. I don't want to walk into the reunion and immediately fall back into "mousy me". I don't want to feel inferior the way that I used to feel. BUt I know that it's going to be hard to step out of that car and walk in. Cute dress or not, High school me might come back out.

One difference this time is that I will have my fabulous husband by my side. He knows all this about me. My struggles with me, my need to conquor this reunion, my need for help in confidence. Plus I'll be proud to walk in with a hot guy on my arm. Let's face it, that didn't really happen much for me in high school. So here goes, classes of 2000 every where, Good luck with your reunions. Wear your new sleves proudly. Give people a chance to grow up, Be an adult, but enjoy looking back and seeing how far we've come.

What I Found This Morning

This was what I found this morning when I went to get Abigail to put her in the car. It was too sweet to not take a picture. I just loved that little booty sticking up in the air.

The Gift of Jury Duty

Whenever I have heard people mention jury duty, it has always been followed with groans. Well last week I had my first experience with jury duty and I can honestly say that God blessed me through my time served.



Monday was a reporting day. First of all, I got to sleep in a bit since I didn't have to report until nine. Another teacher from school was also there, and I enjoyed talking to him for awhile in the morning. Then I got to sit and read which is something I love to do, but rarely get the chance these days. I actually got selected to be on jury. While listening to the testimony in the case, I was reminded how blessed I am because of the husband and family that I have. Seeing how the court system works was very interesting. It was certainly a break from my normal day. During the HOUR and a HALF lunch break, I was able to run errands and eat out. I usually get 27 minutes. Another gift was the chance to sit in the sun and read my Bible. The sun on my shoulders was like feeling God's hand resting on me while I read.

I ended up being put on a jury. It was an interesting process which I am glad to know more about. The legal system surely has its flaws, but hearing and watching the proceedings was fascinating. The family involved has been on my mind and in my prayers since then. We left the court house at 5 on Monday and were to report back on Tuesday at 9. This mean another morning of sleeping a bit later than the norm. I'll take every few minutes I can get. I ended up being the alternate juror so I did not get to participate in the deliberation. I was sent to sit in a room and read for over 2 hours. It was amazing. FOr me the gift of time to read was so welcome. To me extended reading time is a luxury that is reserved only for summer and holidays. So what would have been torture for some was a heavenly blessing for me.

I had to report back on Thursday. This time I "knew" several of the women in the room, so we started chatting like old friends. We sat there for about an hour without being called to do anythign until we were dismissed. During that time I heard these women around me having various conversations about God, faith, churches, the Holy Spirit. It was completely uplifting to be surrounded by strangers talking about God. It was a reminder from God to me that He is alive, active and working. He's even at the court house. As we walked out we said goodbye and a couple of them women told me that they would be praying for me. How wonderful to have just met these people, but because of the love of Christ, we are connected. I have new "friends" out there lifting me up before the Father. I wish I did actually know these ladies. It seems like I would love to have lunch with them and learn from them. What a gift from a week that was supposed to be awful.

God gave me margin. We've been doing a video series in our Sunday School about margin in our lives which is basically have room around the edges. Lately I have been struggling to find margins with my time. There hasn't seemed to be any extra anywhere. So for me, God gave me the gift of Jury Duty which allowed for the gift of margin. Bits of time opened up. Hopefully I glorified God in the way that I used that time. God can use anything for his glory. He took a week that I had partly dreaded and turned it into a gift to bless me emotionally and spiritually. God is so good.

My Special Girl

I could probably fill up several posts about my sweet girl. She totally amazes me on a daily basis. Being her mom is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. She has brought so much joy and fun to my life. Of course being a mom has it's definite challenges too, but those seem to be outweighed by the joy.

I call her my joy spreader. That's the job God has given her for right now, and she does it so well. She spreads smiles everywhere we go. It makes me so proud to be her mom. We get comments about her smile and eyes from strangers on a regular basis. We say that we need to find a way to make some money off this kid.

She is changing all the time. She walks everywhere. So many people warned me about how she would be into everything once she started walking. She's been into everything for so long now that I don't really notice a change now that she's only on two feet.

Abigail can now point out noses. She can show where hers is and most peoples when she wants to do it. She knows what a puppy says. When we say Go Dawgs, she responds with woo woo. She's already a UGA fan when she wants to. My sweet girl is very loving. We ask for "loves" and most of the time she lays her head on us or hugs us around the neck. Recently she has started giving kisses. Let me tell you, you've never had a kiss quite like it. Her kisses are open mouth right smack on the nose. Sometimes she uses her tongue, and every now and then her teeth. It's always quite slobbery, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Her grin lights up her whole face and my whole world. I miss her terribly everyday when I'm away from her, but I enjoy my precious time with her so much. Yesterday she cried everytime I left the room. It's hard on Daddy, but it makes me feel good to be reminded that she does love her mommy. She knows love her too, even though I'm away during her days.

I could go on and on, but I'll end it here. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful child. I couldn't ask for anything better.

The end of the birthday cake
The first bite

Climbing into the toy basket. She's a wild one

family shot before the party

Posing with her new birthday wagon

New Stove!!

This may be silly, but I am quite excited about the new stove I got yesterday. Most people rave about their gas stoves and how wonderful they are. I had never been impressed with mine. In fact, I didn't like it. We finally figured out that it was the cheapest model and wasn't a great piece of equipment. What finally made us decide to get the new one was how hot ours got on the front. If Little Miss had touched it while it was on it would have burned those baby hands. So of course as good parents we got a new one. I am quite excited about this new stove. I can't wait to get it into action.

The drawer below the stove is my favorite feature. My old one didn't have that, now my baking pans are not going to jump 0ut of the cabinet every time I open it. Also, my future kitchen helper is pretty cute too.

Here she is....

Blessings

In the spring I wrote a couple blog posts about blessings that I wwas really feeling. Now I am feeling the need to do that again. My life is so incredibly blessed. God has given me so much, but for some reason I still tend to get down on things at times. I get down on me, and forget about
riches he has so lavishly poured out on me. So here's the run down from right now.

• I had a long conversation with a friend at work. We are very different in our beliefs, places in life, ages, etc. but found so many places where we are on the same page. Finding out that others feel the same way that I helps. It's nice to not be alone. Since she does have a few extra years experience on me, she has wisdom to pass down, but is not pushy with it at all.


• God is working, and I know it. I truly believe that he has his hand actively involved in several things right now. I'm not sure what he's planning, but I know He's doing something.


• Work is much better this year than last. My colleagues are great. My students are pleasant and fun to teach. They have a LOT to learn, but I enjoy them. We have a new program starting up that is going to require a good amount of work for us, but the start date has gotten pushed back which gives us a a little more room to breathe without the new added pressure.
• My daughter is learning new things all the time. She's changing constantly which is hard when I feel like I'm missing so much, but it's amazing to watch her. It's almost like she changes right before my eyes.
• My husband patiently listened to me tearfully trying to explain some feelings that I didn't quite have the right words for. He helped me by listening and loving and trying to understand even when I didn't exactly know what it was I was trying to say.
• I had an extra day off this week to enjoy my life.
• This will be my 6th week of keeping up with my exercise goal. We are talking morning running here. I even increased my speed and time. Yes, I'm a beast!

Wanting to Blog

I really do want to blog on this thingamajiggy. I even have thoughts sometimes. Life has been treating me well. We've celebrated a year of Miss Abigail's life which has been amazing. I truly love being her mother. We've had school, we played, we've worked. That's about the summary life. God is blessing me infinitely. He's working on my heart and answering prayers that had been kept down in my heart and only shared with him. We've had some good study at church. College football has begun. Abigail is walking everywhere. Life is so good and so full. I would love to write about each of these things individually, and I hope to at some point. Right now, this is all that time allows. My day off schedule has been full of reading kiddy books, playing on the floor and rolling the ball across the floor. It's been wonderful. I am trying to remind myself that the most important things, and the most urgent things are not always the same. At times, I focus on the urgent and forget the important. Dirty toilets will stay dirty as long as I let them, but toddlers grow at an incredibly fast pace. So here's to dirty toilets. Let's just view them as signs of good priorities and loving mommies.

It's been awhile...

School is off and running. Life has for sure kicked itself into overdrive as I once again try to find the balance in life as working out of the house mommy. I miss Abigail like crazy. The first week I was very brave. This week has been a bit harder. She's growing, changing, and learning so much. I miss lots of it and hurts. My heart still fears being forgotten. I guess that's every mother's fear though working or not. My sweet Abigail is happy and healthy and that is what's important. PLus I get the wonderful moment in the afternoon where she first sees me and totally lights up. It's pretty much the highlight of everyday. She'll be one next week, but that will have to be another post.





School is going well. We are having a much smoother time with this year's bunch. I'm working hard and enjoying my job. This year one of my major goals has been to have a good attitude. That's probably really helping. I might rather be at hoem with my baby, but I'm not. Therefore I must bloom where I am planted. School. God asks us to do everything to his glory. That's what I am trying to do. It's not easy every moment. Yesterday after fighting computers all day, I could have happily run away. Instead I chose to go back today, and it was a good day. God is blessing me through my job. I am surrounded by wonderful people. Enjoying my colleagues helps so much. Already we have many good conversations about life beyond school that have encouraged and challenged me.





Life is busy. Down time is not really part of my days. Last night on our way to church I breathed a big sigh. Charlie looked at me strangely, so I told him that I was enjoying my break. The drive to church served as my time to be still and relax.





Another accomplishment from the past few weeks is my new workout plan. I am getting up 3 days every week and running before school. Yes, 3 days a week is a small goal, but it's about all I can promise myself these days. If I made my goal to big, I would fail and quit. So far, I have met my goal for 3 weeks in a row. Other walks have been sprinkled through out the week too.





God is blessing me. My life is so full of good things. Here's a pic that will forever make me smile and will someday make Abigail cringe.

Complaining

This morning as I was running and preparing for the third day of this school year, a verse popped into my head. "Do everything without arguing or complaining." from Philipians 2:14. Well it kinda hit me like a ton of bricks. It says everything. It doesn't tell me not to complain when doing things I enjoy doing and then if I don't want to do something complain away. It says in everything. OUCH!! God put that one in my head here at the beginning of a school year to remind me to be his. Verse 15 goes on to say that we should do this to become blameless and pure children His. I know I want that part. We don't get to pick and choose which parts of the Bible we like or follow. God has asked us to follow it all. So since this verse came to me, I figure I need to tattoo it on my forehead so that I'll be reminded constantly. Well I probably won't be quite that drastic, but working on my complaining is now on the goal list for this year. If you are near me, feel free to call me out. (in a loving Christ-like way)

Half full and Half Empty

Tomorrow I head back to school. One of the good things about being a teacher is that every August, I get the chance to start over. A new school year brings a boatload of freshness with it. To help get myself in the spirit every year, I get a package of cheap Bic pens, cheap Bic Mechanical pencils, and new planner. Oh the joy of a new planner. It's empty no plans or dates, but it just waits to be filled with events of another year. And yes, I do keep them from year to year. I never know when I'll need to look back and see what I did on Tuesday October 14.

I also get to start over with kids. Yes, teachers do develop reputations that preceede them as new students come into the classroom, but for the most part it's a clean slate. I get the chance to start totally fresh. A new year is a chance to be a new teacher. I get to learn from last year's mistakes and triumphs. Things that are repeating get done over and over, but failures can be left in last year's dust. A fresh start brings renewed energy and feeling that this year will be the year i get more right than wrong. This year I have another to chance to make a difference for someone. This year is my year. Each year is different. New kids bring both new joys and new challenges.

That leads me to the glass half empty portion of this post. Each year we have to start over. Totally. Sometimes it seems like just when we get the kids where they need to be, the year is over and we are moving on. (I never mind summer interrupting us though.) We have to learn a new set of kids. we have to once again explain what life is like in our classroom. These kids dont't know what it means to be a student in Mrs. Nix's Language Arts class. It can be hard to start over every year and not have the feeling why don't you guys know this. I just told you how I want you to do things. I already opened your locker 15 times. The bathroom is right there!

But as I head into this new year, I have a determined spirit. I will work hard at seeing the glass half full. I will enjoy this chance to be new. I will be what I need to be. Here goes....

Baby Steps

Yesterday was a big day at our house. Abigail took her first steps!! The three of us were playing in her room with mom on one side and dad on the other. She was able to take several steps between multiple times. What a fun moment for us. It was perfect. We were just hanging out, and she did it. I immediately hugged her and began to cry. God obviously heard my prayer for peace. He delivered me from one of my fears. I didn't miss this big moment. Charlie didn't miss this big moment. The three of us got to experience it together. I have thank God a hundred times since then that I was there. Still today, it makes me tear up to think about it. God is good. Look out world, Abigail is on the move.

Praying for Peace

This week marks the end of the wonderful summer vacation we teachers get to enjoy. It has been fabulous. THe time with my little girl has been so blessed. My heart is already beginning to hurt as I think about having to leave her to go back to school. All my mommy fears are returning. Right now she is quite the mommy's girl. Will she forget me when she is away from me so much? Will I still be the one she looks to for comfort? Will we build a strong relationship when I am away from her more than I am with her? These questions might sound stupid to some, but to a working mom they are true fears from the heart. Last year I was still nursing all the time, so I had the connection and knew that I was the only who could provide that for her. That part of our lives will be ending soon.

I have been praying for peace for my heart. God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. He knows each fear listed, plus those that I won't even admit out loud. He knows that my heart hurts, and he hurts with me. God also knows that my child is in wonderful caring hands. She won't lack for anything. She will be showered with love and attention. My heart knows that, but ....God will take care of me. He will give me strength and endurance. He is the God of peace and all comfort. My God is bigger than all my troubles.

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 4

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious prescence without fault adn with great joy, to the only god our savior be flory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen"
Jude
That verse found me shorty after our miscarriage. I knew that God was the only one keeping me from falling. It remains true throughout life.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." PHillipians 4

I am so thankful for every minute that I have had with my sweet daughter this summer. It has been such a blessing that I know not all working mothers get. My favorite thougth here is the word guard. I picture God placing a little peace soldier at the door of my heart to knock out the fear and hurt that come my way. God is guarding my heart.

"I sought the Lord and he answered me. He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. Taste and see that Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. " Psalm 34

The Lord is good. My prayer is that he will be my refuge, He will be what I seek to be my strength. God is so good.

Oh Oh The Summer Nights

Summer nights are one of my favorite things. The peace and quiet of enjoying family and friends without pressure of rushing home to get ready for school and work. Even people who are not off for the summer like me seem to be more relaxed on those wonderful summer nights. The word linger comes to mind when thinking about these nights. They are a time to linger by the pool and just enjoy. Tonight was one of those perfect summer nights. We spent the afternoon at the pool. Watching my husband and daughter play in the pool makes my heart happy. I love watching them have fun together. My sweet Abigail enjoyed the water and giggled and laughed happily floating in her pool. The night was capped off with hamburgers on the grill and good conversations by the pool. No night at the pool is complete with out naked kids laughing and jumping into the water. School will be back soon, but until then, I hope to enjoy a couple more of these fabulous summer nights.

We Clean Up Real Good

For our anniversary my wonderful brother in law took some pictures for us all dressed up. We are both pretty casual people, so it was a good chance to get us both all dressed up. Here are a couple of the photos he took. For the rest go here http://dubois.smugmug.com/Portraits/Couples/Rachel-and-Charlie/12953678_yFSeC#936747271_GK4Aj

Beach Vacation... Well sort of

At the end of June we took our first vacation as a family of three. We headed out about 6 am in order to keep Miss Abigail asleep for as much of the trip as possible. This didn't work as we all as we had hoped, but we made it. Charlie and I are usually very quick with our stops. We get done what we have to and jump back in the car to reach our destination as quickly as possible. Obviously this was a little different this trip. Our usual 5 minute breakfast stop took a bit longer since we had to feed, change, and dress a baby. We also took another break at a rest stop to let her play around on the ground on a towel. It made our trip longer but helped to make a it much happier for our girl.

We took this vacation with our dear friends from Arkansas. We lived in their rental apartment our first year married. We hadn't seem then in awhile, so it was great to catch up and introduce them to Abigail.

We had a great first day of playing in the pool and eating dinner together. Sunday was our one really pretty day. We spent most of the time in the sunshine. Charlie even took kid duty and let me spend some time reading in the sun which is one of my favorite things to do.

The beach was different this time because of the oil spill. We were able to take walks but not get in the water. It makes me sad. I would have loved to be able to take my daughter into the water. It also scares me because it doesn't seem like this will be over or fixed for a long time. I wouldn't think that we even know the extent of the damage this oil spill will cause. We didn't get to enjoy the beach much of the ocean, but we still managed to have a great trip.

Abigail loved the pool and her new friends. The Anderson kids gave her more attention and playtime than she's ever had before. She loved all the attention. Overall we had a wonderful trip. We had good food, time with old friends, Daddy off work for a week, pool time. Vacation was good!!

A rare picture of Mom and Dad together

Abigail enjoyed splashing in these little fountains

Standing on the pier in the middle of the ocean

Walking in the sand with Daddy

Family photo op

Abigail and Sweet Caraline

She didn't seem to mind the sand between her toes.

A Fabulous Fifth

Friday Charlie and I celebrated our fifth anniversary. We really enjoyed our day together. We ditched the kid for the night and left her with my parents. She seemed to enjoy a little spoiling time with her grandparents, and we enjoyed a few hours of time for just us. We had dinner at fabulous restaurant in Downtown Nashville called Prime 108 which I would highly recommend. Everything we had was delicious. We splurged with appetizer and dessert since it was a special day. SInce we were all dress up for the special occasion we had my brother in law take some "engagement" type pictures of us together. I think we look even better five years later than we did on our wedding day. It was nice to have some time away for just the two of us, but I sure was glad to have Abigail back in my arms Saturday morning.

I am so blessed to have been married to Charlie for five years. God knew what he was doing when He gave him to me. The past five years have been great for us with just a few bumps in the road. God has given us a great gift in each other, and also in our little girl. I look forward to seeing where the next five years will take us.

Father's Day Fun

This year was our first for Charlie to be a father on father's Day. We are big into gifts for holidays, but I did get up a cook breakfast before church. Abigail handed her daddy a card just from her that I only helped with a little. He had work Sunday night, so after church we rushed home to put him to bed.

Abigail and I headed to Chattanooga to meet my parents and my aunt to spend time with them. My dad hadn't seen Abigail in awhile, so it seemed like a great day for some family time. The kid was great and slept almost the whole way to meet them. That makes for an easy and happy drive.

We got there and all hugged in the parking lot of blazing heat. Since it was miserable. We decided to get in my parents' car to cool off. Abigail loved the attention and crawled all over everyone and laughed and talked. She was enjoying herself, and I believe her grandparents were too. Here comes the really fun part. It was time for her to eat, so I was going to switch to my car for a minute to feed her. I turned on the car to get it cooled off forgetting that the door all lock when the car is cranked. Ooops. I turned back to their car to get the baby and then turned back to realize that I had locked the car with the keys in it, running. I was mad. Last time I met my mom in Chattanooga, my battery went dead. This time, I locked the keys in the car.

This is why my dad is great. He saved the day. I may be an adult with a child now, but it's nice to have Dad to the rescue sometimes. He quickly whipped out his AAA card and had them on the way in just a few minutes. He even tipped the guy who came. BY the time the car was unlocked, I was able to laugh about it. We did have a good time just hanging out in the car and being together.

One thing about my parents is they are givers. Here I was trying to do a little focusing on them which I know doesn't happen enough, and they help me. They then took Abigail to Toys R Us and bought her too much for her birthday in a couple months. They are constantly focused on us and what we need and want. My parent's are huge blessings to us. It was wonderful to me to get to spend a little time with my parents on a day meant to celebrate Fathers. God blessed me with a truly great one that I feel honored to call Daddy (even at 29 years old). Here's a parking lot picture from our afternoon together.

He's Here!!

My nephew arrived in the US today escorted by his mommy and daddy. It hurts me to say, but I wasn't there to greet him. They have all been on my mind all day. Abigail even wore her Go Seek Love shirt in honor of her new cousin. Mine is 3/4 sleeved and it's probably 90 degrees today, so I did not sport mine. I am very excited to go meet Benjamin in a few weeks. Hopefully by then, he'll be more adjusted and ready to play. I can't wait to meet him and introduce him to Abigail. They are almost the exact same age. Welcome home Benjamin. Your Nix family loves you very much.

A Few Minutes of Lazy

I absolutely love summer time. I love family time, reading, being out of school, summer foods, pool time, etc. There is just so much fun to be had. Before school got out this year, I knew that this summer would be different than any other I have had before. There would not be opportunity for hours by the pool lounging with a book, staying up late with another good book then sleeping late, random naps at any moment. It's been a different type of summer already, but I am totally enjoying it. We've been pretty buys with comings and goings and having fun, but this morning I am taking a few minutes for lazy time. Abigail is taking her morning nap, which is usually her only nap. In stead of working out and rushing to get "stuff" done, I am chilling. I tried to take a nap on the couch, but sleep wouldn't come. Now I am just doing things that I want to do. Not things that NEED to be done. I'm still in jammies today. I'm uploading pictures to facebook, posting on the neglected blog, and about to go read in the sunshine. We are meant to be active. God didn't intend for us to spend all our time being idle or lazy.We are made to work and be active, but God also values rest. So right now, I am taking a minutes of lazy and enjoying them to the fullest. The chores will wait and I can be busy later today, but right now, it's a few stolen minutes for mommy.

I have a Water Baby

Abigail absolutely loves her bath, so I had been really excited to take her swimming as soon as school got out and the weather warmed up. Last week we finally got the opportunity. As soon as she warmed up a bit from the chilly water, Abigail loved the water. She has a great float that makes her feel secure. She even went underwater. That part was not her favorite, but we'll keep working on it. Here are a few a pictures of our fun times at the pool.

Summer is Here!!

Today I am reminded of why I am teacher. Summer!!!!! Just kidding that is only one reason that I enjoy being a teacher, but right now it's a forefront of my mind. I am glad that this school year is over. It wwas very difficult to go back and leave Abigail. That won't be any easier to do when August does roll around again, but I will be armed with the proof and knowledge that my daughter knows and loves me. She knows that I am her mother despite me being gone from her so much. The next 10 weeks will be fully enjoyed and fully valued. This time with my family is so precious, so this temporarily stay at home mom is going LIVE IT UP!! There will be trips to the park and the pool, walks outside, playtime at home, as many cuddles and snuggles as Abigail will allow, and just time together. This will be a time to treasure. Being a teacher has many blessing rolled into it. Right now, I am truly thankful that I have this beautiful gift of summer. Three hours until it officially begins... Can I make it?

Blessings

This week my thankfullness for blessings centers around my health. I feel that I am a pretty healthy person. Last week I had a bit of a scare though. I have had for a couple months some kinda yucky looking bumps all over. My regular Dr. didn't know what it was. The dermatologist did a biopsy, scary word, and found it has a long terrible sounding name. It's quite rare. There was a chance that it would be something worse, even cancer. It's nothing. It's just a yucky looking skin disease. I am thankful that God is taking care of my health. I spent part of the week trying hard to trust God's care and be faithful, but also being scared that something was wrong with me. God is good to me.

This week I have also been reminded of how much of a team Charlie and I are. I could not get everything done with out him. He does housework, yesterday we made baby food together. Being a full time working mom is tough. How I spend my time often comes down to playing with my baby or cleaning. Since I've never been good at cleaning anyway, it's only gotten worse. He doesn't make me feel bad when things aren't done. He just jumps in to help. He takes care of both of us. He doesn't fuss when dinner isn't much or doesn't exist. I am tremedously blessed to have this man as my husband and teammate.

More Blessings

Once again this week I have been reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. My cup runs over with gifts from God. He has given me so much more than I can ask or imagine.

• My family was all safe during the flood in Nashville. It's very hard to be away from them during scary situations but I thank God that for our family everyone is safe.
• I have seen my family coming together to take care of one another. What a blessing to know that's the kind of family that I am part of.
• I am able to eat dairy again. It seems silly in the wake of the tragic flood, but I am excited for it and thankful that my little girl is no longer allergic.
• We had 49 people at our house last night for church get together. From what I could tell, everyone enjoyed being here and the fellowship was fun and uplifting for all. God has given us a good home, and we want to use it for his glory.
• I saw two teenagers in Walmart offer to help a lady in a motorized chair unload her groceries. They were just serving her because she needed it. Their mom has obviously done a good job.
• This year, I'm a mommy. Abigail has been one of my greatest blessings. Being a mom is wonderful.

My Dear Friend Dairy

When Abigail was about 6 weeks old we figured out that she had a milk protein allergy. This mean either stop nursing and buy the extra exspensive formula, or nursing mommy had to give up all dairy products. In the interest of trying to do what was best for my daughter, I gave up all forms of dairy products. Rice milk made cereal a possibilty and there was a dairy free frozen substance that took the edge off the need for ice cream. But as for pizza, there was absolutely no substitute. The upside to this diet was the inability to over indulge at holidays and parties. I had to be so careful to avoid dairy that I couldn't eat many treats which probably helped the baby weight to disappear faster. This was a sacrifice that I was willing to make because I felt like it was the best thing my precious little girl. I did not want to give up nursing her.

The good news is that we think she has out grown this little allergy. This is fabulous news for me since I am still nursing and also for the foods I'll be able to cook for her for the rest of her life. Last Sunday I ate one bite of ice cream. Let me tell that was some creamy goodness. We didn't have any problems. So on Monday I took TWO bites. I felt like I was doing something illegal, but it sure felt good. Once again no problems. We have slowly been increasing what I have eaten. Last night I even had cheese on a taco. As a side note, tacos with meat and salsa only are very boring. But alas, tonight is the big test, I am going out for birthday pizza. Just before we found out about this allergy a Mellow Mushroom pizza place opened up here in Gainesville. I have been waiting to go for 6 months. Tonight is the night. HOpefully, it won't mean that we are up all night with a crying, hurting baby. My dear friend dairy, I am glad to have you back in my life. I have missed you over these six long months.

We'll see how it goes.

Oh so blessed

I am an incredibly blessed woman. God has given me more than I could ask or imagine. Right now a goal that I have is to be more aware of God's presence and work in my life. This will just be a list of blessings in bullet form in no particular order.

• my beautiful daughter who makes me smile and moving all over the place, and loves to use mommy and daddy as obstacles
• anticipating a beach trip this summer with friends from AR that we don't get to see enough
• attending a marriage class this week, doing the homework will help strengthen my already good marriage
• a birthday lunch from Moe's with friends at school
• There are only 16 days left of this school year
• I got to take a walk with my daughter
• the weather is amazing and totally speaks to me of God's glory
• I got to cook dinner and eat at the table with my husband and daughter

God is good to me!

First Time In Sunday School

This past Sunday we finally decided it was time to take Abigail to her own Bible class. Since I am away from Abigail so much during the week, it's been hard for me to let go and not hold on to her during that that hour on Sunday morning. I'm trying to squeeze as much mommy daughter time into every weekend that I can. For the sake of our entire Bible class, it was time. Abigail is no longer good at sitting still and snuggling. She wants to talk and move and be free. Her Nana also happens to be teaching her class right now, so that kept Abigail from being nervous about being left. She was the only baby in her class this week, but I am praying that as the years go by, we will grow as a church family, and by the time she needs a strong youth group, one will be there. In the background of some of the pictures is her Aunt Bethany and Cousin Camille who will join Abigail in class in a few months.

I think they were talking about how God make our eyes. It was too cute not to share.
Looking at the Bible, I hope that as she grows she will continue to be interested in studying and exploring this book.

Chewing on the Bible.

Giving Mommy and Daddy a smile to say Bye before we left her.