Because of Grace

Day 11 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-11T20:53:00.000-06:00

Thankful for trips down memory lane....

When I was a teenager I used to sing this song in my church at just about every church singing we would have. It's really neat to look back now and read through these lyrics that I sang so often and see how God has used them throughout my life.

God is so faithful and I stand in awe of Him right now!!

Here's the lyrics to the song:

God will make this trial a blessing

I’ve just come into a valley one like I’ve never been before.
I keep searching for a way out seems like pad locks are on the doors.
Oh ther must be another sunrise another sunset that I’ll see.
God will make this trial a blessing that’s the love he has for me.

I was not the first one to come into this place.
You see every child of God this test you must face.
It is here that God will mold you and make you what you ought to be.
God will make this trial a blessing just be patient you will see.

Now I’m standing on a mountain lookin back I can see.
When I was in that lowest valley his strong hand was leading me.
Oh its good to see the sunshine and to taste sweet victory.
God has made this trial a blessing oh the grace he gives to me.

chorus

God will make this trial a blessing tho it sends me to my knees.
Tho my tears flow like a river yet in him there’s sweet relief.
There’s no need to get discouraged there’s no need to talk defeat.
God will make this trial a blessing and the whole wide world will see.

Day 10 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-10T19:00:00.001-06:00

Thankful that "there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus!"

Day 9 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-09T15:05:00.000-06:00

THANKFUL for a wonderful LifeGroup to share life with. Our LifeGroup has been meeting for a little over a year now and it's so neat to see how we've all grown closer to one another and to Christ through our Bible studies and other life events. They were truly there for me, Rodney and Joshua during a rough time we were forced into by an individual earlier this year. I can't put into words how much each of them mean to me and how much it meant for them to really reach out and care for us during that time.

Looking forward to beginning our new study tonight and seeing how God will use it to bond us and our children even closer together.

Day 8 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-08T20:11:00.000-06:00

Today I am very thankful for freedom and to have been born in America. I'm also thankful for the faithful ones that have protected our freedom and sacrificed so much so that we can live in a free country.

I watched a video and read an article today about a lady that spent 28 years in a Korean concentration camp. She was captured at the age of 13 and just a few years ago she escaped. She lives her life "under cover" now. She still has family members in the concentration camp and doesn't want harm coming to them because of her escape.

As thankful as I am to live in the freedom of the USA, I'm thankful that God sees beyond our borders and He cares for the World. His heart yearns for those in capativity to find freedom and for those being persecuted to find rest. I'm thankful that God sees each one of us individually, no matter where we are, and that He has not forgotten a single one of us. I'm thankful that this dear Korean lady has found freedom from her captivity and my prayer is that she will turn to Christ and realize that it is Him that has truly set her free. I pray for her healing, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. I'm sure she has a lot to overcome from her past and my prayer is that she will find peace and healing.

I'm also thankful for the ability to pray and to be able to pray openly and boldly to the Lord, knowing withouth a doubt, that He will answer.

Day 7 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-07T19:54:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful for quiet moments like tonight. Joshua is tucked into bed for the night and Rodney is sleeping and I'm just enjoying the silence of our home. I used to HATE silence and it would drive me nuts, but here lately I love sitting in a quiet room and just being still with nothing to do and absolutely no agenda. The rest of my life is so loud and busy and I love every minute of it, but nights like tonight are one in a million and I'm thankful that right when we need them they come along.

Day 6 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-06T19:16:00.000-06:00

Today I'm thankful for my awesome church family! I'm so blessed to be a part of such a great missions minded church that truly reaches out to others!! If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be a member at Gateway I would have laughed at you. I distinctly remember having conversations with Rodney saying I would NEVER join Gateway. My only reason was that I didn't want to join his home church and that I wanted to go somewhere that neither of us had been before. Needless to say, I'm so very thankful that I gave in and followed the Lord's leading, along with my husbands, and am now a part of such an awesome church with some of the best people in this world!!

Day 5 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for my parents. I read in a book recently that, "it doesn't matter whether your parents are good, bad, or indifferent. God knew that those two individuals possessed exactly the right genetic makeup to create the custom 'you' he had in mind. They had the DNA God wanted to make you."

Me and my momma!! We're closer now than I think we've ever been and I appreciate her so much. We've been through a lot but she's my momma and I love her so very much! She's always been there for me and I know without a doubt that she always will be.

Me and my dad. I've known my dad for 14 years now and although things aren't exactly how I would like them, I am still thankful for him. The times we have spent together and the conversations we've had are very special to me.

I am thankful that I'm here because of these two individuals and I'm thankful that my momma never gave up on me.

Day 4 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-04T09:42:00.000-05:00

I'm so very thankful for having a personal, one on one relationship with Christ. I've been a Christian since I was 11 years old and although there have been times where I've ROYALLY messed up, God has stayed consistently with me and has showered me with overflowing forgiveness and compassion. Looking back at some of the things that have happened to me I often wonder where I would be had I not known Christ during those times. Even imagining it makes me shutter and scares me half to death because I know, without a doubt, I would NOT be the person I am today if it weren't for Christ. I'm so very thankful that He has saved me from myself and I'm thankful that He has not left me hopeless. He has given me a firm place to stand and dignity to hold my head high.
I celebrate in the confidence I have in Christ that I belong to Him and with Him I'm eternally secure!

Day 3 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-03T07:07:00.000-05:00

With much confusion and pain that I still feel in regards to this sweet baby girl, I am thankful for her! My January 1, 2005 New Year's Baby Girl - Renee Grace - didn't make it to see her 2nd birthday, but she made a lasting impression in a lot of lives, including my own. And, though I would much rather have been able to bring her home and see her grow up with Joshua I am thankful that people that didn't have a relationship with Christ now do because of her. Rodney and I had began looking to adopt a baby from Nicaragua and shortly after beginning the search we recived a phone call on January 3, 2005 asking if we wanted to adopt a baby girl that had been born January 1, 2005. She had not even been named yet. We said yes and named our precious little girl Renee Grace. She now lives on in our hearts and in those that have come to know the Lord because of her.

Day 2 of Thanksgiving

2011-11-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

MY SWEET, SWEET JOSHUA!! The miracle of how Joshua came into my life still leaves me teary eyed and so very thankful each and every day I look into his sweet little face. When facing the dark path of infertility there is little room for hope. You see those around you beginning their families and it makes you envious, sad, scared, hopeless as to when or even if you'll ever have the same.

Rodney and I began looking into the possibility of adoption when we were approached by a friend asking if we would like to meet a lady he knew who was pregnant and wanting to give the baby up for adoption. Looking back I see how God's hand guided each and every step of the process and how he very intentionally placed Joshua in our lives. I am so grateful for my little boy and can't even try to put into words my love for him. He is a joy and brings such excitement to our lives.

Seems like it was just yesterday that he was this little. He loved laying on his changing table and checking out all the fun stuff on his wall.

NOTHING BUT PERSONALITY!!!! He's such a happy boy!

Kicked back and enjoying a little vacation time.. :) I love this picture of him.

The most recent picture of Joshua. He is 6 years old now and is growing up way too fast for this momma.

I'm very thankful for Joshua! He is one in a million!

A Month of Thanksgiving

2011-11-01T08:48:00.010-05:00

I'm going to give it my best effort to blog each day this month about someone/something that I'm thankful for.

Today I am thankful for my wonderful husband. I often say that God knew exactly the man I needed in my life when he put me and Rodney together. Rodney holds me together more than he probably realizes. He is my rock and he is the one person in my life that I know without a doubt will ALWAYS be there for me; no matter how horribly I might mess up. Two of my favorite things about Rodney is how forgiving he is and how VERY patient he is. Trust me, with me as a wife, he needs A LOT of patience and God has definitely given that to him.

Rodney stands behind everything I embark on. He is always there to support me.

I'm a lucky girl to have Rodney in my life. It's so hard to believe that we've been married for 11 years and I'm so excited about what the years coming have in store for us. No matter what it might be, as long as we are together, I know we will always have exactly what we need.

C.R.A.V.E

2011-10-26T10:46:00.001-05:00

Our church has just gone through a 6 week series titled, "CRAVE". It was a very timely series for me and God has stretched me and taught me so much more than I went in to it thinking He would.

We talked about 6 different things that each of us tend to CRAVE in our lives.

1. Direction
2. Significance
3. Relationships
4. Belonging
5. Anwers to Why
6. Hope

1 Peter 2:1-3 - "Therefore"
The "therefore" refers back to 1 Peter 1:23-25 where it states, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you."

Because we have accepted salvation through the Word of God and because this Word is living, active, and will stand forever we should do what it says in 1 Peter 2:1-3, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

I'm hoping to blog about each of the 6 points above over the next few days/weeks and really dive into what I've learned from each point. But, for now I'll share the place where I'm starting. In craving - direction, significance, relationships, belonging, answers to why and hope - I must first begin with craving Christ himself. He is the answer to each of these six things. In order to satisfy our cravings we NEED Christ. Left to ourselves we tend to be misguided but when guided by Christ we find direction, significance, relationship, belonging, answers to why and hope.

Isaiah 58:11, "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." If we chose to guide ourselves we will be the complete opposite of what this verse offers. We will be dry and weak. And, that is not God's design for us. I don't know about you but I want an overflowing, purposeful life and that is exactly what God is offering.

I find myself in a really neat place spiritually where I'm truly craving more of Christ and I'm eager and excited about lies ahead. I'm excited about progressing to this next level of maturity and closeness with Christ.

Happy Birthday to my Granny

2011-07-10T21:04:00.003-05:00

We spent our Saturday up in Lancaster throwing a surprise birthday party for my granny! She turned 80 years old this past Friday. She amazes me with her strength and her determination to keep on going. She's an awesome lady with a huge God-story!! Her faithfulness to the Lord and total reliance on Him is inspiring. I love her with my whole heart!!
Uncle Mike (momma's oldest brother) fixing up some yummy food!! He deep-fried fish, hushpuppies, and french fries. He made catfish stew and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for everybody. It was some yummy yummy eating!!! :)
Granny gets her water from a well and her pump went out so I had the job of carting whoever needed to go potty up to my Uncle's house.. LOL.. :)
Granny, Momma, Uncle Alan, Uncle Mike and Uncle Donnie!! My good-looking family! :)

That's what I'm talking about!! YUMMY Hushpuppies!

My Uncles fixing granny's well pump.. luckily they had it all fixed before the end of the day.

AWESOME NEWS

2011-07-03T18:37:00.005-05:00

I've been interviewing for a new position at the SC Baptist Convention for the past couple of months and I'm SOOOO HAPPY to say that I've been offered the position and have accepted!!! I will now be working for the Executive Director of our Convention as his Executive Assistant. I will be beginning in the next week or so and really can't wait. This type of work will be similiar - but different - from my work in Dean of Theology's office at Southwestern Seminary. I have missed this type of work so much and although I'm going in knowing that there will be challenges I am still extrememely excited and thankful that God has provided this position for me.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-03T18:23:00.007-05:00

We headed out to Dreher Island at Lake Murray last night to watch the fireworks show and spend the day playing at the lake. We had a blast hanging out with friends and spending the day relaxing. The kids played so hard and swam all day long until it was time to get cleaned up and watch the fireworks show.

Here's the kiddo's all cleaned up, eating some watermelon and playing before the show started.The kiddos playing in the lake. One lady there had her dog and the boys LOVED playing with her dog in the lake. Joshua enjoyed throwing his tennis ball and watching the dog swim to get it.The kids found a dragonfly. It was HILARIOUS!!! The only one willing to pick it up was the little girl and when she went to pick it up the boys screamed and jumped back.Rodney waiting for the show... Me enjoying the time to just sit and watch the kids play!FIREWORKS!!! It really was an awesome show and Dreher Island is the place to see them at the lake. They shot them off right in front of us. You could see the sparks on the ground from where they shot them and when they went off they were right over us. It was GREAT!!!

Beach Vacation

2011-07-03T18:04:00.007-05:00

We just got back from an awesome family vacation with my side of the family. There were 16 of us which included my uncles, cousins, granny, momma, me, Rodney and Joshua. We had a BLAST hanging out with everybody and enjoying some time on the beach. This is the first time ever that we've all been able to go on a big family vacation and it's the start of many more. And, hopefully next time even more of the family can come.

My Uncle put up a volleyball net ouside the house we stayed in and we enjoyed a bunch of "friendly" volleyball games... LOL.. My poor team had a blast playing but we didn't do so well on the winning part... It was so much fun though.

Here's where I'm doing exactly what I LOVE to do at the beach... We would lay out for an hour or so and then go play in the waves and come back and lay down more and do it all over again. A few cute family shots! I can't pass up photo opportunities. :)

Me and the love of my life!

Me and the other love of my life!

My Momma!Playing Just Dance on the Wii with my uncles girlfriend. This was A LOT of fun with everybody sitting around watching. We had a group of us rotating in and out and playing the winner of each round.

My cousin Chris and his dad's girlfriend competing.

Martina, Granny, Uncle Alan and Joshua

Me, Amy, Martina, Granny

Joshua and Uncle Alan

Granny, Amy, Chris

Uncle Donnie soaking up some sun... a little too much I might add because he was quite sunburnt and hurting after this day. :)

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T15:14:00.008-05:00

We started off Rodney's father's day weekend with a father/son home depot project. They made a really cool mini tool box together.
After doing the project and grabbing some lunch we decided to go downtown to Riverfront Park and spend the afternoon hiking and playing down by the river. Every time I go down to this park I wonder why I don't visit it more often. It's a lot of fun and a really nice place for Joshua to explore. Joshua had a blast going on the trails and using his binoculars to find things.

At the very end of the trail there's a neat place you can go out into the water at. There's a little spillway there (Joshua says it's a waterfall) and the water feels amazing after you've been walking and hiking out in the hot sun. Rocket was extremely happy for us to finally sit still and let him rest in the cool water.
Here's a few snapshots of us on the trails...

Rocket totally protesting the walk back to the car. It's 2.5 miles to this part of the park and then you have to turn around and walk 2.5 miles back to the entrance. Next time I think we'll just park down at this end of the park and play in the water instead of hiking. Joshua and Rocket loved this part of the day.

A very happy Joshua!! Any time he can get near water he's a happy boy! :)

After we took our nature walk for the afternoon (which ended up taking 3 hours) we headed home to get cleaned up and took Rodney out to dinner at his favorite restaurant and then went out for ice cream. We had a blast hanging out and just being outside together and are planning to head up to the mountains some time soon to see some more cool trails. We want to find a nice place where we can hike to a waterfall. So, if you have any cool places that you've been to let me know.

Happy Father's Day Weekend everyone!!

here lately....

2011-06-16T14:42:00.009-05:00

Hello Everybody!

Summer break (for Joshua) is well under way. He started summer camp at our church this past week and has had a really good time so far. Except for the one day he decided he was not going... but, what do you expect when he's getting used to a new place? Just got to take some of these things as they come and get over them when they're done. No need hanging on to them and making a bigger deal out of them. I have to remind myself of this, pretty much daily, so that I can remain as sane as possible. (haha)

ANYWHO... Like I said Joshua is going to summer camp at our church and he gets to go on weekly field trips, and he gets to go swimming at the country club once a week. They have an awesome program set up for the kids where they can really have fun and experience a little summer fun and not just be in their classroom all summer long. This past Tuesday he got to take his scooter to camp with him and they had a time for the kids to ride them out in the open parking lot and had some police officers come and talk about safety. So, I'm pretty excited about him being in the program and having the kid interaction over the summer.

This past weekend we went up to see my mom and celebrate her birthday. We spent the day doing her favorite thing.. fishing! We went down to my uncle's land and fished, rode 4-wheelers and then went swimming a little later down at his house. It was a nice relaxed, laid back kind of day. I've posted a few pictures.

Rocket had a blast playing with my uncle's golden retriever. It was cute watching them play. Joshua didn't like it AT ALL at first because he thought Daisy was trying to hurt Rocket. I had to convince him that's just the way they play.
Joshua chilling out, waiting on us to catch a big fish so he could claim it as his. He cracks me up!
I love this picture. My momma is so fun and laid back. She was just laying there and waiting for a fish to bite her hook and the dogs came over to play.
Rocket trying to figure out what to do with the fish!!
Rocket checking out our catch for the day!
Here's the only thing I caught.. LOL... just my luck
Me and Joshua riding around on the 4-wheeler.
We had a fantastic day. Of course we always do when we go up to visit momma. It's so much fun there with all the different things we can get into. But, I'm most thankful that I got to spend her birthday with her. Those years we were in Texas were hard when we missed these celebrations with family. Being able to do these things really makes me feel blessed since I know what it feels like to miss them due to distance.

Been quite a week.... ready for the weekend!

2011-06-09T13:39:00.006-05:00

We have had a crazy week and I'm so thankful that today is "my friday" at work because I'm so ready for this week to be over! Joshua has been sick since Monday morning, running a fever everyday this week so far. We went to the doctor and they, of course, said exactly what I knew they would. "It's viral so you just need to treat the fever and wait for it to work it's way out." I HATE that answer and I HATE that he's had this fever all week. I'm ready for my little man to feel better and be back to his normal, active little self. Here's a picture of what he's had to do all week.

He's definitely getting tired of having to lay around and he's ready to be back in the pool and outside with his friends.

With Joshua being sick it's thrown our week completely off and our sleeping has been almost non-existent. So, needless to say, we are exhausted and ready to relax. We are suppose to be heading up to Lancaster to see my momma on Saturday. Saturday is her birthday and we are going up to spend the weekend with her and celebrate. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that whatever Joshua has will get up and go so he can have a good time with her this weekend. I guess we'll see how he is tomorrow and make our final decision on what we need to do.

On a lighter note our cute little puppy, Rocket, is doing great. He is GROWING and getting to be an active little guy. He's starting to get really curious and is finding all kinds of stuff around the house to get in to. I guess it's time to "puppy proof" the house.

The first picture below was taken on May 27th and the second one was taken on June 7th. This is just how much Rocket has grown since coming home. I was SHOCKED when I compared the pictures. I did not realize how much he had grown until I put them up side by side.

Let the Weekend BEGIN

2011-06-03T14:36:00.003-05:00

Right here is where you can find me if you need me this weekend. I plan on baking in the sun as long as I possibly can! I bought me some good tanning oil to try out this weekend so I'm hoping to get darker and get this summer tan worked on.
My toes aren't blue anymore.. instead I have a nice rose color to enjoy.. (LOL) I know, I know... way too much info!! (hahahaha) But, that's just me... silly ol' Courtney.
Have an awesome weekend!!! :)

Lunch by the Riverbank Zoo River

2011-06-02T12:19:00.003-05:00

Rodney, Joshua and Rocket came down to have lunch with me today! We ate by the river and then went on a little nature hike before I had to go back to work.
Even Rocket brought his lunch with him. He ate better than Joshua did. (haha)

Joshua says he's headed straight to the pool when he gets home and poor little Rocket crashed out in the backseat before I even got back to work. Rocket will be glad to have some time alone this afternoon, I'm sure. (haha)

Last Day of Kindergarten

2011-06-02T07:55:00.011-05:00

Joshua heading out for his last day of kindergarten!! My little guy has had a big year and I'm so proud of him for all the progress he has made and all the new things he has learned. Hard for this mommy to believe I'm going to have a first grader in fall. I thought having him start kindergarten was hard and now I'm thinking first grade is going to be ever worse because it just sounds so much more grown up than kindergarten. (LOL) Needless to say, this mommy wants to enjoy every single split second I can of Joshua being young! They grow up so fast and I don't intend on rushing it at all. I want to live in every single moment of it and enjoy it to the fullest.
Here's Joshua coming out of school today!! All done with kindergarten and moving on up!
Joshua called me when he got out of school today and the first thing he said to me was "MOM, I'M A FIRST GRADER NOW!" That kid just can't get any cuter!! Now, I'm patiently waiting on him, Rodney and Rocket to come have a picnic lunch with me so we can celebrate the last day of school. I'll take pics and post this afternoon. :)

Fresh Start

2011-06-01T07:47:00.021-05:00

HELLO BLOG WORLD!!! OH, how I've missed you! I cannot believe it's been a whole school year since I've last posted so needless to say, I've got a lot of catching up to do. My last post showed Joshua starting kindergarten and tomorrow is actually his last day of kindergarten. We're entering the big world of First Grade next year and he's been pretty excited about that. Although, he's looking forward to his summer too so "school can wait." (LOL) I will definitely have a post tomorrow about his last day with pictures to celebrate!

We have had quite a year this past year and I can happily say that as I sit here today to tell you about it that God is good and we are at such a great place in our lives. God is faithful and knows exactly what we need at the exact moment we need it and my life is a complete testimony to that from everything we've experienced and gone through this year.

One of the sweet things that God has provided at the exact right time was a special little friend for Joshua. He has been wanting for a dog for the longest time and we have gotten to a place where we could surprise him with this and it was amazing at how same time we started looking for a dog we found out about a litter of golden retrievers that had been born and were able to go meet them and let Joshua pick one out.

Here's a few snapshots of our visits with Rocket over the 6 weeks we had to wait for him.

Here's Joshua meeting Rocket for the very first time. Rocket was only 5 days old in this picture.

Rodney and Rocket meeting for the first time.

Meeting Rocket's brothers and sisters.

Mommy and Rocket. Rocket was about 3 weeks old in this picture.

Rocket was almost 6 weeks old in this picture.

Joshua visiting Rocket one more time before he gets to come home.

We brought Rocket home on Memorial Day and him and Joshua have already become such great buddies. Rocket follows Joshua from room to room. Anywhere Joshua goes, Rocket is not far behind him. Joshua had to take a bath before school this morning and Rocket decided that if Joshua was taking a bath that he was to so he jumped right in there with him. It's so cute to watch Joshua and Rocket and I'm so thankful we were able to get Joshua a dog. It's going to be really neat watching them grow up together

Here's a picture of Joshua and Rocket on the way home this past Monday.

And, here's a picture of them hanging out. Anytime Rocket is asleep Joshua tries to curl up next to him and wait for him to wake up.
They are extremely cute!!!

So, this is a little/big part of what we've had going on. Stay tuned for a lot more updates!! :)

YAY, for blogging again!!! :)

First Day of School!!!

2010-08-20T20:13:00.005-05:00

Today was Joshua's first day of Kindergarden!!! Here's a picture of my handsome little man getting in the car to go to school this morning.

I really like how his teachers had things organized for these first days of school. Yesterday was the official first day of school but they split the class and had some of them come yesterday and then the rest of the kids came today, and the ones that came yesterday stayed home today. This way they could help the kids go through the routine slowly and really comprehend what they will be doing on a day to day basis. The whole class will be together on Monday, so that ought to be real exciting. Joshua has 17 kids in his class.

This sign was right outside Joshua's classroom this morning welcoming the kids to school. They lined up the kids and parents outside the classroom door and brought the kids in one at a time. They would go in the classroom (without mommy and daddy), find their cubby, put their backpack and lunch box away, and then they would come back to tell mommy and daddy goodbye for the day. I thought that was a pretty neat way to do it so you don't have 10 kids running in at one time trying to find their stuff.

I managed not to cry at the school, but had a few teary eyed moments once I got back home. I think the hardest thing was first of all, realizing my son is growing up FOR REAL! It's easy to think of them still being babies when they are 4 and younger but boy that first day of real school will shock you as to how much they have grown up.

I missed Joshua so much today. The house was so quiet and I just didn't know what to do with my time. The day seemed to go by sooooo slow and I could not wait to go pick up Joshua.

FINALLY, it was time to go pick up my little man!! Me and Rodney went to get him and had his favorite drink (SWEET TEA) and snack (M&M's) ready for him in the car.

We heard the announcement over the intercom dismissing the car riders and moments later we saw JOSHUA!!!! (That's him with the blue lunchbox) He walked out and when he spotted us he started waving and had a smile on his face from ear to ear! He was so stinkin cute!!!
YAY!!! My little kindergardener had a great first day! I'm so proud of him!!
We surprised Joshua by having a "WAY TO GO JOSHUA" cake for him when he got home. We wanted to celebrate him being such a big boy and going to big boy school today. He LOVED his cake. He said, "WOW, is that whole cake for me?" And then he put his finger in the icing and as you can see below he started eating it up. There was no need for forks. He said to me and Rodney, "Thanks Mommy, Thanks Daddy for the cake. It's delicious."

I asked Joshua what was one thing he was looking forward to about going back to school on Monday. He said, "I'll get to walk in all by myself. You and daddy will stay in the car next time." SUCH A NUT!!! He wanted to walk in by himself this morning, but mommy was not ready for that and I didn't want to miss his first day so he agreed to let me go this one time. (haha) He's growing up so fast and becoming so independent. I'm looking forward to this school year and all the fun times it will bring. I know there will probably be some tough days too, BUT, I choose to focus on the good and stay positive. You only get to go through this stage once and I want him to enjoy it to the fullest!

Well, this mommy is off to bed now. It's been a very draining day... getting up earlier than usual and being emotional will exhaust you. :)

Tomorrow's The Big Day!!

2010-08-19T19:49:00.002-05:00

Well, tomorrow's the big day. Joshua starts kindergarden! WOW, it just doesn't seem real yet. Of course I'll have tons of pictures to share with everyone tomorrow of him getting in the car, out of the car, in his classroom, walking to his classroom and any other special moment I can capture. (haha) I put him to bed tonight and he said, "sleeping just takes way too long. I'm ready to go to kindergarden." SWEET! And, then he reminds me before I leave his room that he doesn't need me to walk with him into school. He said, "I know where my classroom is and can get there all by myself." He's definitely ready for this, but I'm not sure if I am. But, ready or not here we go.

Pray that everything goes smoothly tomorrow and that it's an easy transition. And, of course pray that I don't cry too much... (haha)

I'll report back tomorrow!! :)

Kindergarden Orientation and Tons of Rain

2010-08-18T21:15:00.006-05:00

Joshua's kindergarden orientation was this past Tuesday night. We went to his school and saw his classroom, met his teacher, and filled out A MILLION forms (haha). I can't believe the amount of forms we had to fill out for him and I felt like I just kept writing the same information over and over. It was crazy, but it was fun too. It's pretty neat knowing that my little man has grown up and is entering school. I'm a little nervous but excited to. It's the beginning of a new chapter for us and I'm looking forward to it. I volunteered for just about everything they would need a parent to do at the school so I'll probably be at the school just as much as Joshua is. (haha) At least I'll be able to keep an eye on him and know what's going on.

Here's a picture I snapped of him and some of his classmates in his classroom at orientation last night. He loved playing with them and didn't want to leave.

Joshua's teacher is AWESOME! She has been teaching kindergarden for 13 years and has two grown sons so she knows all about little boys and how they are so that's great. She was also very engaging with the kids at orientation. She got down on the floor with them and any time she spoke to them she got down on the same eye-level as they were. I was very impressed. She also seems very structured and routine oriented which is right up Joshua's ally. He LOVES and thrives off of a routine. His teacher also showed Joshua a picture of her dog and told him that she brings her dog to school every now and then for the kids to see and play with. She stole Joshua's heart when she told him that. He loves dogs! I'm looking forward to a great school year and know that we will have struggles and learn a lot, but that it will be lots of fun too.

Now, for a little bit of a topic change... RAIN!! It's been doing some serious raining here since Sunday and we've seen a lot of flooding. Me and Rodney took a drive tonight to see some of the flood areas and snapped a few pictures.

Here's a shot right down the street from where we live.. this was flowing right down beside the road.

This is an overflow area that usually has water in it, but not like this. You can normally walk to the other side and it's not deep at all. As you can see, I was a little SHOCKED from seeing soooo much water.. (haha)
Taking advantage of a photo opportunity. You know me, got to capture those moments. :)
Water rising under the bridge.
Another look at the overflow
Pretty rainbow...
After driving around we decided Starbucks sounded wonderful and when we got there we saw that the Heavens agreed with us.. (haha) I had an amazing Grande nonfat/no whip Cafe Mocha!! YUM YUM!!

Cancelled Swim Lessons = Trip to Zoo

2010-08-13T20:57:00.006-05:00

We got to the YMCA this morning for Joshua's last day of Eel swim lessons and they had cancelled them due to the pool having too much clorine in it. Joshua was very disappointed. He LOVES going to swim lessons!! So, we decided since we have a zoo membership that we would head there for a couple of hours.

Here a good shot of Joshua swimming all by himself during his swim lesson. I am very proud of him. He's come a long way with his swimming this summer. We will start our 3rd session of swim lessons (stingrays) next week and then we'll hopefully be ready for the YMCA swim team.
We were the first ones into the bird feeding area this morning and needless to say, those babies were HUNGRY!!! It was hilarious! As soon as we walked in and they saw we had food they flew straight to us. One of the birds landed on Joshua's head and before I could take a picture he had knocked it off his head and poured out all his bird juice and told the birds, "I ain't feeding you if you land on my head!" Me and Rodney laughed soooo hard! He was serious and definitely gave those birds a nice lecture about leaving his head alone. So, since Joshua would not feed them the birds decided that they would go after me and Rodney. One bird started nibbling on Rodney's ear (picture below). I had two or three birds on my arm and still managed to get a good shot of the bird nibbling on Rodney's ear. Shortly after I snapped the picture of Rodney a bird decided to land on my head. All I could think was "oh crap, it's going to poop in my hair." I'm very thankful it did not!!

Here's a good shot of the birds being nice and eating the way they are suppose to. :)
Of course we had to stop and pose for some "photo moments".

Telling Rodney to LOOK at that big tiger!! It was a real one.. (haha)
Joshua, the Lion Keeper
We have been trying to get Joshua to climb this rock wall at the zoo all summer long and he just decided on his own that today was going to be the day. It was sooooo neat watching him climb this thing and do as well as he did. I was very impressed. Luckily, there was hardly nobody at the zoo today so he got to play on the rock wall as long as he wanted to. He really loved coming down off the wall. He thought it was cool to "fly" down.
Rodney decided to race him to the top. Joshua loved trying to beat him. And, of course I had to give it a shot!! I went about half way up with my flip flops on. Although I've been bungee jumping before, the height still gets to me and I chickened out and went back down.
Taking a ride!! Everytime we go to the zoo Joshua gets excited about one particular animal. It's always a different animal, but he will talk about whatever animal he happens to pick that day all the way through the zoo. Today's animal was the koala bear. We visited that exhibit quite a few times today.
The new kangaroo exhibit is really cool. You walk down a path and they are just jumping around all around you.

Gone Fishin'

2010-08-12T20:29:00.005-05:00

Today was FISHIN' DAY with my momma, Rodney, Joshua and my aunt Dianne! We have really gotten into fishing this summer and really enjoy it! It's so relaxing and fun to sit and fish, laugh and poke fun at each other. Joshua thinks it's so cool to go fishing and he's a blast to watch when we are realing a fish in. He gets so excited!! He runs and grabs the net, gets the fish, goes to the bucket and dumps it in there. He'll sit still some and actually fish...but he gets bored with it after a while and starts exploring and waits for us to tell him we've caught a fish. Then he runs over and gets the rest of the job done.. (haha)

Here he is with his net, waiting on meme to catch a fish..

Daddy caught a big fish and Joshua was to the rescue with his net. He was really impressed with daddy's big fish.
I was doing so good catching brim fish. I actually caught 12 of them today (some were small so I threw them back) but I was so excited to catch my 12. Then, my mom and Rodney started catching BASS and showed me up with their BIG fish! So, Rodney was "sweet" enough (cough, cough) to let me wear his hat and said it would bring me good luck so I could catch a big one.. TOTALLY DID NOT WORK THOUGH!! (haha)
Joshua got brave enough to hold a little fish I caught. But, he said he HAD to wear gloves to touch it. He held on to this fish until we got back down to granny's house and proceeded to walk right in the house with it and sat it down on granny's kitchen table to show her his fish!! (hahaha) We definitely got a kick out of that.
A cute snapshot of Joshua and Rodney fishing together. I imagine they were discussing the deep things of life as they sat there .... NOT (haha)
Joshua reflecting on his 5 years of life.. (hahaha) Or, it's just Joshua resting and watching his fishing pole to see if he could catch something.
Momma and Joshua. Joshua was getting just a little tired at this point.
I totally LOVE this picture. Rodney had just caught his first bass and Joshua had never seen a fish this size. He thought it was sooooo cool. He's giving his "check out dat awesome fish" pose.
Me and my hunny fishing...
Time to clean the fish.. Joshua walked up to the table and said "awe, look at those poor little fella's." Needless to say he did NOT like it when the cleaning process began. We had to "walk away" to prevent a massive melt down.
We had a great day and made some lasting memories today! I'm loving all the time we are getting with family since we've moved back from Texas. We're making up for the 3 years we missed with them while we were there and plan on spending a lot more time together. At the end of the day, there's nothing like family and I thank God for all of mine.

Profound Truth!

2010-07-17T20:53:00.004-05:00

The Lord does not take lightly what we have gone through or are currently going through. He sincerely and deeply cares!!

Joshua's Last Day of Preschool in Fort Worth

2010-04-30T16:53:00.005-05:00

Today was Joshua's last day at his preschool here in Fort Worth. This preschool has been so good to Joshua and he's had the best teachers. When Joshua gets up in the mornings he can't wait to get to school and play with his friends. We have been so blessed to have a preschool that Joshua really loves and that has such great teachers.

Here's a picture of the sweet things he brought home today. We have his preschool graduation diploma and a sweet, sweet card that his teachers and friends made for him today.

Inside the card all the teachers wrote a note to Joshua and his friends drew pictures for him.

Here's the note from his teacher this year - Mrs. Torres
A note from Ms. Lisa A note from Mrs. Lyons

It's so true that you don't realize what you have until it's gone. When we moved to Fort Worth I remember missing our family soooo bad and it just hurt all the time. Over the course of the 2 years we've been here we've been blessed with such great friends that have become family to us. As excited as I am to be moving back to South Carolina to be with our family, it really does hurt to leave the great friends we've made here. They have made our time in Fort Worth special and they will not be forgotten!

Sunday Afternoon Fun

2010-04-25T17:52:00.006-05:00

Joshua spent the afternoon riding around on his super, duper big wheel! He loves pretending he's in a fast race car and speed through the playground.
He has discovered a new fun way to scare mommy!! He thinks this is a cool "TRICK".
He comes around the corner so fast that he usually ends up spinning around.. when he does it he screams out "oh man, that's so awesome". Such a cutie!

After wearing himself out on his big wheel I had him work on his letters. He actually enjoyed doing it and was quite proud of himself for doing so good.

We are working on spelling and reading words now too.
Great Job Joshua!!!! :)

Race Day Videos

2010-04-17T20:38:00.004-05:00

Warm Up #1 - Me, Amy and Tricia decided to join in on the warm up before the race.

Warm Up #2

Starting the Race (keep watching and you'll see us) Joshua cracks me up in this video. He HATES when I start the race because he wants to go with me soooooo bad!He's such a nut! But, when you watch the finish video you'll see how I made it up to him.

Sharing a SWEET finishing the race moment with my baby boy!!! SOO PRECIOUS!

10K Fort Worth Zoo Run

2010-04-17T17:12:00.006-05:00

Today was the Fort Worth Zoo Run. We put together a team of 10 to run the 10K and had a blast together this morning. The crowd was so big we didn't get to see our whole team, but here's four of us that started together and rallied each other through the finish line. And, oh yes it was still DARK when we got there this morning. The race started at 7:00am so we had to get there and get parked early so we could be in the starting line on time. We got there around 5:45am. The parking lots fill up fast so you have to get there early so you don't miss the race.

Striking a stretching pose before the race. :)

Jumping Jacks

Playing with Joshua before the race. In the starting line with some of the rest of our team. We were only missing 3 team members.
Let's Go! RUN RUN RUN! Starting the race.
The Finish Line was in sight!! Joshua was waiting to join me on the last little stretch of the race so he could cross the finish line with me. It was a very precious moment!
Look close and you'll see me and Joshua crossing the finish line. I can't wait to see the close up pictures the race officials took! I'm going to definitely have to order one of those.
After the race - all hot, sweaty and WET! It rained on us during the last mile of the race.
It sure did feel good though.
Me and Tricia! This was our last race together! We've run all our races together since we both started running and we've trained together just about every Saturday morning. Since we're moving back to SC in May this was our last race together. It was very bittersweet! I'm going to really miss her encouragment and our running times together.
Being silly with Amy and Brian after the race!
Oh yeah! You know we rock!! :)

Pondering Past Accomplishments

2010-04-13T20:47:00.008-05:00

Many of you that keep up with me know that I began my weight loss journey June 5, 2008. I joined Weight Watchers and started with being 204 pounds. Before joining weight watchers I lost 10lbs so I actually started out at 214lbs with my journey. I remember very vividly feeling so defeated because of my weight. I was unmotivated and such a shy, self-conscious person. I HATED how I looked but at the same time I felt like the weight had beaten me and taken away any hope I had to get thinner. WELL!!!! Needless to say, I started Weight Watchers and I started changing my eating habits and I'm a completely different person now. I've earned the nickname of POINTS NAZI at work!! I still count my points for every single meal and log everything I eat on a day to day basis.

The reason I am blogging about this tonight is because I'm 1.2 lbs away from hitting my overall weight loss goal. As of this morning I weigh 136.2. My goal has been to hit 135lbs and I'm ALMOST THERE!! I'm am beyond excited and I'll never stop being proud of myself for how far I've come.

As of today I've lost a total of 77.8lbs and that's something to be proud of.

Here's a few pictures to show you how far I've come!

BEFORE - Starting Weight - 214lbs

Running my first Half-Marathon - Feb. 27, 2010 (Weighed 140 here)

March 19, 2010 - Weighing in at 138lbsI will post a new picture in a couple of days when I hit my nice round number of 135!!! YAY!!
I'm almost there!

Ice Skating

2010-04-10T20:41:00.003-05:00

We took Joshua over to The Parks mall tonight to try out ice skating for the first time. He was all for it and did a great job staying balanced on the skates until he hit the ice (haha). As soon as he realized how slick the ice was he got nervous, but he stuck with it and got out there. I told him just to hold on to the sides so he could keep his balance. He did great and I was really proud of him for trying it.
Not really sure he wanted to try this.... but he did and did great!

A Birthday Surprise for my Boss!

2010-04-06T16:00:00.004-05:00

Today is my Boss's birthday and I've been trying to come up with a good birthday "surprise" for him. So, we set up a "fake appointment" so Dr. Allen would be in his office at 2:00pm and we got the Theology Faculty and Staff together in the faculty lounge to surprise him. The guy we had set up to meet with Dr. Allen tricked him into coming to the faculty lounge where we were all waiting to surprise him!!!

I took video of him opening up his birthday present. ENJOY!!!! :)

My job is so much fun!! I absolutely love working for Dr. Allen and the School of Theology faculty. They are a great group and I'm going to really miss them. We get to have a lot of fun! :)

The guy that popped out of the box is one of our School of Theology faculty members. The faculty love playing tricks on each other from time to time. It helps break up the work day and give you a good laugh! :)

All Dressed Up

2010-04-04T13:50:00.006-05:00

After church we went down to the Botantical Gardens to take a few pictures of Joshua all dressed up. He looked so handsome and grown up in his Easter Suit.

My Guys!

I love this picture of Rodney and Joshua. They look so much alike!
Me and My Sweet Son!
He looks sooooo grown up in this picture. I told Rodney it actually looks like he's standing there waiting for his bride to walk down the aisle. We are definitely NOT ready for that to happen. :)
Now, there's JOSHUA!!!
Mr. GQ Fashion Dude!
Trying to get a couple of family shots. :) Joshua was ready to be done with the pictures by this point, but he hung in there for a few more shots.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

The Easter Basket Search

2010-04-04T13:42:00.003-05:00

Joshua in search of his Easter Basket!

He searched and searched and FINALLY discovered he had not looked in the downstairs bathroom. He was so excited to find his basket.

Already tearing into the candy. :)

Dying Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T19:06:00.004-05:00

Joshua giving us a cheesy smile and getting ready to dye easter eggs

Being very careful putting the eggs down in the dye

Now, he's trying to be very patient and wait on the eggs to change colors Pausing for a cheesy smile while the eggs change colors
YAY! We can start taking the eggs out. He did a great job taking the eggs out carefully.
Time to put more eggs in.
Cheesing with some of his eggs
Showing mommy how to dye easter eggs. He had to give me a play by play.
Drawing a picture of an easter egg while waiting for the eggs to dye.
TA DA!!!! The final product! Joshua is very proud of his easter eggs.

A Rough Morning Run

2010-04-03T14:44:00.003-05:00

Me and Tricia meet around 10 every Saturday morning to go run the Trinity Trails. We've been doing this since the end of January and have a great time running together. This morning, however, was ROUGH for me. Our goal was to run 5 miles. When we had just finished running 2.5 miles I hit a wall, BIG TIME. In all the time we've been running together I have NEVER stopped before we hit our target mileage, but I had to stop today and walk for a little while. I was so mad at myself. Tricia was so sweet and kept encouraging me.

I've been sitting here trying to figure out what went wrong all morning and it's driving me nuts. I really let myself down by not finishing out the run. I did end up running 3 miles and walking 2 miles so we were able to hit our 5 mile goal for today, but having to stop and walk some of it has me really flustered. Even though I know it's stupid to feel bad about this... I feel like a failure when I have to walk during my run. But, at least this is the first time it's happened.

Today is the first day I've run in weather hotter than about 50-55 degrees, so I think that may have had a lot to do with it. I had my water with me, but I think the heat was zapping the water out of me faster than I could get it in. I also overslept this morning and didn't wake up until 9:30 and was meeting Tricia at 10, so there was no time for breakfast. I usually do fine on runs less than 6 miles without having breakfast but there were too many other things going on and it just made it worse.

Our next race is in 2 weeks on April 17th. Me, Tricia and about 7 other people from work are running the Fort Worth Zoo Run together. I'm super excited about it and so glad I get to run one more race with Tricia before we move back to South Carolina. I'm going to really miss my running buddy.

Me and Tricia after we finished the Cowtown half-marathon!

Me finishing the Fort Worth Half-Marathon
And, trust trying to remind myself that it's okay to have a bad training day every now and then! At least I'm pressing forward and not giving up. And, if I can run 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 17 minutes I know I can keep going!!!!!

Rice Krispie Treat Easter Eggs

2010-04-02T20:23:00.004-05:00

Joshua rolling up the rice krispie treat into an easter egg shape
Dipping the rice krispie treat in chocolate

and then rolling it in the sprinkles

TA DA!!!! I think they turned out soooo cute!
Here's Joshua being sneaky and turning up the sprinkle bottle and eating as many as he could.. silly boy
eating up one of his rice krispie treat easter eggs
Tomorrow we will dye easter eggs and read the easter story to continue our Weekend Easter Celebration!

Some Friday Fun

2010-04-02T19:19:00.005-05:00

It was so nice waking up this morning and not having to go to work. I love loonnngggg weekends. We all slept in and then decided to head to the mall for some lunch. We also got Joshua a really cute suit to wear for church on Sunday and for Rodney's graduation in May. I can't wait to post pictures of him in it - he looks sooooo CUTE!

Here's Joshua enjoying his pizza for lunch.

Playing on the playground at the mall. By the time I took this picture he was sweating like crazy. We got back home this afternoon and me and Joshua had a nerf gun war. Here's the sneaky little dude hiding and waiting for me to round the corner.

Oh Yeah! Mommy is after Joshua now!
Oh no! Mommy has been shot in the eye. I mean, he could not have had any better aim. Thankfully my eye was shut when he hit it. Mommy has been injured. Game is over now. :)
Really, he didn't hurt me too bad. Thank Goodness! Nothing like the time with the lego and I had to go to the eye doctor.

We just ended the game to go in and eat dinner and relax for the rest of the night.

Happy April Fool's Day

2010-04-01T22:21:00.004-05:00

Well, as you can tell I've had a blast fixing up my blog tonight. I'm really happy with my new background and I have to say I'm proud of myself for fixing up my snazzy new banner. It took me about an hour to figure it out, but I was determined to get my logo.. BECAUSE OF GRACE on it.

We've had a fun April Fool's Day! My hubby began the day with the first prank - Joshua has these really cool crayola water tablets that turn his bath water different colors so Rodney thought it would be funny to sneak one in the shower before I got up this morning. I went in to the bathroom to begin my morning routine.... I turned the shower on so it would get warm before I got in and then got ready to get in. When I pulled the curtain back to step in the shower the water was BLOOD RED!!! SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH! He was very proud of himself for that one and after his little prank I was ready for some revenge.

Rodney had to work tonight, but I knew he would come home around 6:00pm for his dinner break. So, I snuck out in the parking lot and moved his car from where he had parked it. Me and Joshua hid in some bushes nearby where he had originally parked his car and watched him as he came out and couldn't find it. It was hilarious. Joshua was waiting for me to give him the go ahead so he could run out of the bushes and blast daddy with his nerf gun. It was GREAT!

Then, Rodney tried to beat us back home and had set up a bowl of water over the kitchen door to splash me when I came in. It didn't work though. (hahahaha)

We also had a little April Fool's fun at work today. Throughout the day we took random items off one of our co-workers desk. Things like his business cards, name plate, phone receiver, tissues, etc. Then, close to the end of the day we took all of the stuff we had gathered from his desk and wrapped it up in a box. His birthday is next week so we played it off like it was his birthday present. When he opened the box he discovered all the items that kept disappearing throughout the day. It was SOOOO FUNNY!

We are looking forward to great looonnnnggggg Easter Weekend! Hope yours is great too!

Easter Bunny Picture

2010-03-31T21:28:00.002-05:00

We decided to go visit the Easter Bunny at the mall tonight. Joshua was so funny. He walked up and stood about 10 feet away from the Bunny and showed the bunny his "tickle fingers" and then ran up to him and started tickling him. It was hilarious. I think the Bunny was afraid Joshua was going to pounce him. (hahaha)

Here's Joshua giving us a really good cheesy smile. :) He's such a cutie and a great show off for the camera.
After getting his picture taken with the Easter Bunny he rode on one of the little rides they have in the mall.

The race car has a screen in it that showed him racing down the street.
The race car was so cool. It would rock back and forth as he raced.
We are beyond thrilled that this is the last holiday we will have to spend away from family. We are so excited to get back home to South Carolina and spend all the holidays with our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA

2010-03-03T12:38:00.007-06:00

Well, my little boy turns 5 years old today! It's so hard to believe and brings tears to my eyes every time I think about how much he has grown up. He's such a special, amazing, loving, FUN little boy and I'm so blessed to be his mommy!!

Here's a peek into his birthday celebration this year!

Me and Rodney decorated the kitchen last night so that when Joshua woke up this morning he would be surprised with his birthday decorations! I think they turned out soooo CUTE!

Here's the birthday boy!!! He was SHOCKED! He rounded the corner and saw the decorations and said, "OOHHHHH MY, Look at My Decorations. They are soooo cool." SOOO CUTE! :)

Checking everything out! :)
Birthday Breakfast!! Of course, it's ICE CREAM!!! When else can you eat ice cream for breakfast (haha).
THE BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! We did the whole Monster Truck/Hot Wheels theme this year. He's sooooo into Monster Trucks and loves anything to do with racing so we thought we would combine the two this year.

We surprised Joshua by bringing him a Wendy's Happy Meal (his favorite) and his Monster Truck cake to school today!
Joshua liked playing with the cake and wasn't interested in eating it. We had to convince him that his friends would really love to share his birthday cake with him! :) He's so funny!

Blowing out the Candle!!!

Playing with the cake decorations.. of course :)

Joshua has had an amazing 5th birthday so far and the festivites are not even over yet. He's having 3 of his friends over Friday night to play, eat pizza/cake/ice cream. And, one of the friends is going to spend the night with him for his first spend the night party. Another part of his birthday celebration was that we took him to the Monster Truck Jam last Saturday night. I know that's A LOT of celebrating... BUT.. you only turn the big 5 once and he's worth all the celebrating!!! :)

Chucky Cheese

2010-03-03T12:23:00.006-06:00

Joshua was invited to go to Chucky Cheese last night to celebrate Pepper's 5th Birthday! They are so cute and just have a blast together! Here's some pictures of their fun Chucky Cheese night.

Joshua doing a "TRICK"! He's such a little dare devil. I'd hate to see what he would do if he ever got a real one. (haha)

Joshua spent half of his coins on this game. It's a Star Wars game and he loves blasting the droids. He's so funny!

Joshua's Homemade Monster Truck Jam

2010-02-28T21:30:00.002-06:00

Joshua is still revved up from the Monster Truck Jam last night. He created his own Monster Truck obstacle course this afternoon. He's so cute!!! I love how he uses his imagination and plays. He had his trucks doing all kinds of tricks and crashes. It was great!

Scavenger Hunt for the Big Surprise

2010-02-28T12:05:00.006-06:00

For Joshua's 5th Birthday Present this year we surprised him with tickets to the Monster Truck Jam in the new Cowboys Stadium! Joshua LOVES Monster Trucks and has tons of them that he plays with all the time so we knew he would love this surprise.

We sent him on a scavenger hunt to find the tickets.

His first picture took him to the top bunk of his bed.
FOUND IT!
Now to the train table!
To the hamster cage......
To the batman cave....

To the Wii
To the BBQ
back inside to the dishwasher
back out to the mailbox

from the mailbox to the fan in his room
down to his blue chair
under the hand vac. in the bathroom
to the footstool
to the microwave

to the trunk of the car
to the gater
AND SURPRISE!!!! We put his TV in his car seat. It was playing a DVD of an actual monster truck jam and then I put several of his trucks and headphones in the seat as well... When he saw it me and Rodney yelled SURPRISE - you get to go to the MONSTER TRUCK JAM TONIGHT!!! He was sooooo happy and jumped right in the car and was ready to go.

Race Day Injury

2010-02-27T13:38:00.003-06:00

I have to show off my race day injury! (haha) I have a huge blister on my right pinky toe! OUCH! It hurts but is totally worth it to accomplish what I did today.

It's Race Day

2010-02-27T12:15:00.005-06:00

The race was AMAZING today! I went into the race thinking it would take me 2 hours and 50 minutes to finish based on my training times. I actually came in at 2 hours and 17 minutes! Totally can't believe I beat my time by that much! I'm soooo proud of myself!

This is me at home this morning before we left for the race!
Hanging out in Barnes and Noble before the race. It was cold outside!
My Biggest Fans! I love them so much!
Let the Race Begin!!!
Starting the race! See you in 13.1 miles!
Joshua and Chris! Joshua loves Chris! He met him at vacation bible school last year and has been his buddy since. :)
Crossing the finish line!!!! You can see me there with my hands in the air! It was quite an emotional moment accomplishing this. I have to admit to did cry! :)
GOT MY MEDAL!!! :)
Me and Tricia! The best running buddy ever!
Me, Phil and Tricia! The best TEAM ever!!!

My Sweet Co-Workers Encouragement

2010-02-26T08:50:00.005-06:00

I've had a countdown going in the office all week! Only 1 more day now until the Half-Marathon!
I came in to work this morning and my sweet coworkers had made me a "finishing medal" and a mobile with encouraging notes from each of them. They are so sweet and were just encouraging me and telling me how proud they are of me for doing this.
Here's one of the cards one of my coworkers made.
The race I'm running in is called "THE COWTOWN." Fort Worth is known for their stockyards and rodeo's so that's how they got the name.
Another Card! So Cute!
Here's a shot of the whole mobile!
Another encouraging note from a sweet friend.
Me wearing my finishing medal and standing next to the mobile. :)
More Notes/Cards

I'm so blessed to have such sweet friends as coworkers! Having this encouragement from them and knowing that they are proud of me and believe in me means a great deal!

A Tough 12 Miles

2010-02-13T20:54:00.004-06:00

A run down of my 12 miler today.

Started out fast and strong. Actually ran a 10 minute mile in the beginning of the run. And, for some reason that I haven't figured out I got weak FAST! Last Saturday when I ran 10 miles I felt so strong and felt I could have ran longer but this week I started fading around the 5 mile mark.

The trail was a bit frustrating this week because of the snow. It was melting and left water puddles everywhere. I was running with Tricia and both of our shoes and feet were soaked. The bottoms of both my pinkie toes are blistered from running with wet feet. (OUCH) We also got to a point in the trail where they were doing repairs on it so we had to take a detour. That was frustrating because where we had to run there were no sidewalks. We had to cross a lot of roads and watch out for stop lights. Definitely not ideal for a long run.

I had my sports beans with me and had to start eating them around the 5.50 mile (that's 2 miles earlier than I needed to start eating them last week). AAARRGGHHH!

I finished the run, but not as strong as I would have liked to. Towards the end I started feeling really sick. I drank some water and headed home with my tired body, wet feet, blistered toes, sore knee and aching tummy. NOT FUN! I made it home right in time... ran in.. went straight to the bathroom and threw up twice.

I'm pretty sure one of my "dumb" moments today was deciding to leave my water bottle behind in the car. I didn't want to carry it for 12 miles because it gets heavy and hurts my wrist. But, when you eat the sports beans you're suppose to drink lots of water after you eat one. I thought since I did so great with only 2 sports beans last week that I wouldn't need to eat any more this week. But, I did drink water during my run last week so I know that's one reason I was so weak. The other reason I think I was so weak was because I was coming off of my knee injury so my endurance was down some since I missed 2 days of running. And, the trail was a mess with water and snow. All these factors broke me down quickly.

The half-marathon I'm running is in TWO WEEKS and I know without a doubt I'm ready for it, just got to be smarter with staying hydrated and listen to my body!

I wanted to post about my hard run because although I'm exhausted and this wasn't the most fun run I've ever done I STILL FINISHED!! I didn't stop and pushed through the pain. And, sitting here right now I feel so much better since I've eaten some substantial food and drank lots of liquids. I only have a little bit of soreness in my knee. The worst part right now is the blisters on my little toes, but that's ok. It will heal and I'll get back to it!

Click on the link below and you can see a map of my run!

MapMyFitness.com View IMapMyRun : Feb 13, 2010 3:49 PM in Fort Worth, Texas

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soooooo tired

2010-02-12T19:05:00.003-06:00

After spending 4.5 hours out in the snow today we are exhausted! We are going to rest and watch the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics the rest of the night and try not to fall asleep in the process!

I love cuddle time with my Joshua!

Yep, MORE SNOW PICS!

2010-02-12T17:18:00.004-06:00

We went out and walked around in student village this afternoon and found this cool snow fort some other kids built. It inspired us to go home and build something ourselves.
The beginning stages of the Igloo.
Joshua gathering snow for the igloo
Joshua pretending to pow the bad guys with his super duper snow machine (a.k.a - basketball goal)
The Igloo!!!

Joshua pretending to be a snowman with a carrot nose

Snow Day #2

2010-02-12T12:10:00.007-06:00

We woke up to 12 inches of snow this morning!! SOOO COOL!!!

This was the view from our living room windown. The tree doesn't normally block our view.
View from the kitchen window.

SLEDDING at the park!

Joshua getting ready to go down the big hill!
He's sooo cute!

Joshua's favorite thing to do is wrestle in the snow.
Feeding the ducks at the park.

This is an empty parking lot on the SWBTS campus. Rodney decided it would be fun to do donuts in the parking lot! Joshua LOVED it and I have to admit after I got done being scared that we were going to flip over I had fun too! :)

Look how deep the snow is.. soooo cool!

More Snow Pics

2010-02-11T16:13:00.005-06:00

We went back out for another round of playing in the snow. Some guys in the college at southwestern build this huge snowman so we went over to enjoy getting our picture taken with it. :)

Joshua couldn't wait to have another snowball fight!

Sliding off the big snowball
Joshua joined in with some other guys having a snowball fight. He would play with anybody that wanted to throw snowballs! He had a blast!

SNOW DAY

2010-02-11T13:55:00.006-06:00

We actually got snow!!!! I am still sooooo surprised but LOVING IT! It hasn't stopped snowing all day today. We're up to 5 inches so far and they say there is more coming!! YAY!!!!

Joshua has been waiting so long to be able to make a snowball and hit me with it! He LOVED being able to have a snowball fight!
Joshua's Preschool. The roads weren't bad this morning so his school still had their valentines party. We took him and let him have his party and play in the snow with his friends for about 2 hours.
The snowman Joshua and his friends built at school today.
Getting ready to build a snowman at home.

SNOWBALL FIGHT
Joshua eating the snow. He kept saying, "yummy, this taste as good as vanilla icecream!" (hahaha)

SUNSHINE AGAIN!

2010-02-05T16:59:00.004-06:00

We finally got to see some SUNSHINE today and the weather was up in the 50's instead of the 30's so we headed OUTSIDE!!! YAY!!!

Joshua always has to stop and talk to Jesus when he goes over to the campus. :)
Joshua started walking up to this building and I told him this is where the girls live on campus. He turned around so fast and said, "I've got to get away from here. I don't want those girls to get me!" (hahahaha)
Playing and Splashing in the water with his "PRETEND DOG"
YAY! He made it to the other side without falling in.

He just couldn't resist! He had to go in with both feet and splash as hard as he could. He told me his "dog" made him do it. (haha)

Even more water to splash in.
Headed back home! :)

Fort Worth Nature Center

2010-01-18T18:47:00.006-06:00

For our day off today we decided to go to the Fort Worth Nature Center and go hiking the trails they have there. We saw buffalo, prairie dogs, deer and so much more. Joshua enjoys the outdoors soooo much and didn't give us a minutes trouble the whole day. When he would get tired he'd just sit down for a minute and then be ready to go again.

He insisted on being our tour guide. (haha)

We started out down by the lake/river and then hiked up to the top. It was so gorgeous looking out over the park.

Prairie Dogs - they were soooo cute!

You have to look really, really close - but there is a deer back in the trees. We saw about 5 of them run through the woods. Joshua thought it was soooo cool and wanted to chase them.

Feeding The Ducks

2010-01-17T08:08:00.004-06:00

While I was running in the park yesterday Rodney and Joshua fed the ducks and played on the playground. Joshua had a blast feeding the ducks and already has plans to go back.

Joshua's First Bowling Experience

2010-01-15T22:25:00.003-06:00

We decided to take Joshua bowling tonight and he had such a great time and of course, we did too! Here's some snapshots of our fun family night out.

After bowling Joshua and Daddy went racing!!!

STAR WARS Pod Racers --- Joshua's favorite

Going out for our 10 Year Anniversary!

2010-01-09T10:13:00.002-06:00

The happy couple going out for our 10 year anniversary! I love this man more than I can say and can't wait to see what the next 10 years have in store for us!!

Edventure

2009-12-31T21:29:00.007-06:00

SNOWVILLE at Edventure
Ice Fishing

Playing on the Playground

2009-12-29T15:30:00.008-06:00

Visit to Lancaster to see my family

2009-12-27T20:44:00.004-06:00

Playing at Granny's house
Joshua playing with Daisy (My Uncle's Golden Retriever)

Me and My Mom
My Aunt Dianne, Me and my cousin Kaylin
My Aunt Dianne, Me, and Beth
My Granny, Me, and Beth

Playing with Joshua's Christmas Toys

2009-12-26T14:17:00.003-06:00

Joshua riding his scooter and showing me how he can do "TRICKS" (hehehe)

Racing Joshua!

Christmas Afternoon

2009-12-25T17:53:00.003-06:00

Joshua riding his big wheel in the garage since the rain wasn't letting up outside.
Joshua and Olivia Grace chasing and dodging Joshua's remote control car.

Dinner Time!

Christmas Morning

2009-12-25T11:06:00.005-06:00

Joshua made it downstairs.. didn't even notice all the toys and got on the couch - went back to sleep for 2 HOURS - and then got up and saw that Santa came.

Joshua's Radio Flyer Big Wheel

THE ROBOT!!!! He has been asking Santa for this robot since Thanksgiving and he was soooo excited to get it!

Making sure Santa didn't get stuck in the chimney

Playing with his new Hotwheels track
Playing his new Madagascar racing game and his new Mario and Sonic Skiing game on the Wii.
His remote control car he got from Santa is over by the chimney.
MY IPHONE!!!!! SOOO EXCITED!
It's raining like crazy here today so Joshua decided he would ride his big wheel through the house!

The Night Before Christmas

2009-12-24T20:19:00.006-06:00

Making cookies for Santa
Joshua cracking the eggs!

Icing the cookies
Joshua would put some icing on the cookies and put the rest in his mouth.. (such a nut) haha

Putting Santa's milk out.
Putting Santa's cookies out!
Reading "The Night Before Christmas"

Taking a quick trip around the tree before bed.

Grand Prairie Christmas Lights & Vist with Santa

2009-12-06T21:14:00.009-06:00

Joshua and Santa!! Joshua ran right up to Santa and gave him a great big hug and told him everything he wants for Christmas! He was soooo CUTE!
Driving through the Grand Prairie Lights

The really cool tunnel of lights we got to drive through.

Santa in a tank
Another drive-through tunnel

Joshua helping daddy drive through the park to see the lights (it's ok.. lots of people were doing this) :)

You drive halfway through the lights and then come up on a little carnival set up

Inside the spinning bears...
Then we got to walk through a forest of lights

Joshua being silly.. waiting on the show to start
They did a really cute little music show where the lights went along with the music

It starting "snowing" during the show

Lowes Workshop/Gingerbread House

2009-12-05T16:01:00.005-06:00

Working really hard
The Finished Project
The roof opens up so Joshua can put stuff in it... SOO COOL!!

Thanksgiving Day Fun

2009-11-26T13:25:00.005-06:00

Waiting for Santa to show up at the end of the Macy's Day Parade. Here's the Thanksgiving float.
YAY! SANTA is in town!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!!!
Figured we'd climb some trees... :)

Look at that crazy monkey
and his wife

Racing!!!! Joshua's favorite thing to do.

Joshua crashing into mommy

Joshua drawing outside.. Here's his name.. he still has some issues with the letter "S"

This is his SHARK!

Making Thanksgiving Cookies

2009-11-25T21:52:00.005-06:00

We started making our goodies tonight for tomorrow's all day eating feast. (haha) Rodney made his amazing homemade apple pie and we all made sugar cookies and frosted them.

We'll be spending Thanksgiving here in Texas, but will get to go home at Christmas so it will all work out. We plan on getting up in the morning to eat breakfast and watch the Macy's Day parade in our PJ's. Then we'll probably go outside and play for a bit while the turkey is cooking away in the oven. Then once our thanksgiving dinner is ready we'll eat and have a family movie night. We'll watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving show and then we'll watch Santa Buddies (a new christmas show with dogs in it. Joshua is very excited about that). It's going to be a nice relaxing, quiet day for us but it'll be great!

We'll get up and go out in to the fun Black Friday stuff the day after Thanksgiving. Then we'll head downtown Friday night for the Parade of Lights and Santa's entrance into town. (More pictures will follow) :)

The very yummy homemade apple pie my hubby made!

The Thanksgiving centerpiece on the table.
Making Cookies

Frosting and Decorating Cookies
Working really hard on his cookies

Concentrating really hard to make my cookies pretty (haha)

Sneaking a lick of his frosting
Getting to eat one cookie before bed

Cookout at the Pearson's

2009-11-14T22:08:00.004-06:00

Mrs. Pearson is my table leader at Metochai(student wives club that meets once a month) and I actually work with her husband in the School of Theology. He is one of our preaching faculty. We had a Metochai fellowship/cookout today at the Pearson's house.

As you can see Joshua found one of the neighborhood dogs right away. Dr. Pearson assured us that this was the sweetest dog and that he actually gives the dog a treat everyday.
Dr. Pearson also showed Joshua how to pick tomatoes. Joshua thought it would be a good idea to feed the tomatoes to the dog so he would run over and get a few and then run them over to the dog. The Pearson's thought it was really cute and didn't mind at all. (thank goodness) :)
Mrs. Pearson is sitting in the middle of the swing and two of the other ladies that sit at our table are in this picture as well.
The boys were having fun asking Dr. and Mrs. Pearson how the grill works.

Some Saturday Pictures

2009-11-14T12:00:00.005-06:00

First item on our agenda today was to go to Lowes for the Build and Grow Workshop.

Joshua built the #48 race car and a garage.

The Finished Project. SOOOOO COOL!
Then we came back home and played some Mario Cart on the Wii. This is Joshua's new favorite game.
Joshua and Mommy racing!
Concentrating really hard so he can beat mommy.
Joshua and Daddy's turn to race.

Next item on this Saturday's agenda is a cookout at Dr. and Mrs. Pearson's house!

Our New "Used" Car

2009-11-07T15:48:00.004-06:00

We are now back to being a 2 car family! Praise the Lord! It was getting pretty tough having to swap the saturn back and forth and now we don't have to worry about that anymore. Rodney is also starting his externship in December and it's off campus during hours that I would need the car, so this all happened at the perfect time.

The car is in great shape. It's a 1996 Toyota Camry. We bought it from one of the professor's I work with at the Seminary. He took amazing care of this car. He never let his kids eat/drink in it and he logged every oil change/tire rotation/etc. etc. etc. the car ever had done. We are so blessed to have found such a great, reliable car.

Thanks Mom and Dad for all your love and support to us! We appreciate you more than we can say!

Hey Look.. It's a car! (haha)
What's UP!!!! Check out our new ride. :)

The Trunk!
I think I'm going to make Rodney let me have the Camry. It drives sooooo good!
The backseat. Joshua made us put his booster seat in the Camry because he doesn't want to ride in the Saturn anymore. (haha)
oohhhhhhh.. the engine! A picture for the boys! :)

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

2009-11-01T19:26:00.002-06:00

We put our Thanksgiving decorations up tonight. Joshua was so excited to help and did a great job putting the leaves on the tree.

We are going to clip things we are thankful for to the tree throughout the month of November until Thanksgiving day when we decorate the tree for Christmas.

A picture of our decorations under the tree. Joshua has been having a blast playing with the Pilgrims and Indians.

My Creative Son

2009-10-31T21:57:00.003-05:00

Joshua was playing down in the floor and he said, "Hey Mommy, look at what I did." He had made the J and the O in his name out of his hot wheels cars. He asked me to help him make the S and then he did the H with a little bit of my help. I am very impressed with his creativity.

2009 Trunk or Treat

2009-10-31T19:48:00.006-05:00

Mr. Bumblebee Transformer had a blast at the Trunk or Treat our church put on tonight. He played lots of games and got tons of candy! He's a very happy boy tonight. :)
Playing Games

Candy Break
Trunk or Treat time

Sporting my shirt from the run today. :)
Me and my little Transformer
Oh no, Bumblebee got caught by the Cops. (haha)
Batman and Bumblebee
Oh wait, it's just Michael and Joshua
Our Happy Family

Whaz Up!! :)
Playing more games
Wearing his mask backwards..
Back at home for our picture next to the Halloween Tree! :)

My First 5K

2009-10-31T12:02:00.005-05:00

I ran my very first 5K this morning! I ran it in 32 minutes and feel SOO PROUD for accomplishing this.

Joshua playing in the bounce house before the race.

Me and Tricia before the race.
Stretching before the race. VERY IMPORTANT!

Joshua and the KAT Mr. Ripples!
Opening Ceremony
At the starting line.
Joshua and Rodney played down by the river while I ran and took some cute pics.

Crossing the finish line. (got some crazy hair going on) You can see Joshua running in behind me. He met me right before the finish line and ran through it too. It was so cute. Everyone was cheering him on.
Me and Tricia after the race.
At home after the race showing off my t-shirt and certificate.
VICTORY DANCE! YES, I did it!

Our Halloween Tree

2009-10-26T18:21:00.003-05:00

Me and Joshua put together our Halloween Tree tonight. We made ghost and found some other fun halloween stuff and a green snake to put on our tree. I decided it would be fun to decorate the tree for each holiday these next couple of months. After Halloween we are going to decorate the tree for Thanksgiving by making fun Thanksgiving crafts and by clipping words to the tree of things we are thankful for.And, then of course we'll decorate for Christmas.

ENJOY our Pictures!

Joshua is going to be a Transformer for Halloween this year so we decided to use his mask as our tree topper.

Joshua's School Picture

2009-10-24T15:56:00.002-05:00

Check out my little man. He looks sooooooo grown up in this picture. This is his 4 year old school picture and I just can't believe how big he's gotten. He's such a blessing to me and Rodney and definitely one of the most awesome gifts that has ever been given to us by our Amazing God!

Playing in the Rain

2009-10-21T18:32:00.005-05:00

When we got home from work and school today the bottom dropped out and it started pouring rain. So, we decided to have a little fun playing in it. :)

Joshua dancing in the rain.

Back in the house all dried off.

The water was just rushing through the sidewalk.
The rain started back up so of course we had to go back out in it. It was getting pretty deep in front of the townhouse.

Joshua riding some little girls scooter through the rain.
Having a blast!!! He didn't want to come in.

Package Time

2009-10-19T20:24:00.002-05:00

Joshua received a special package in the mail today from Nana and Papa. He was so excited to get the Geo Trax gas station and rock quarry. We figured out how to connect it with the rest of the tracks and played with the train set for at least an hour and a half tonight.

Thanks Nana and Papa!