Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Going again....

It looks like this:
Friday-we had a yard sale at my sister's....fun and tiring.
Saturday-cleaned house, Waterville that night with D's work.
Sunday-Church(with the toddler class), mowed in-laws' grass(with a flat tire), Wake at 6.
Monday-Bank, cut our grass, funeral at 2, Bible College at 7.
Today-packing for TN(to go see in-laws), library program with the kids.

Rest?-none!!!

Looking forward to eating whatever my mother-n-law cooks and having her help with Noah?-very much so!!!!

It's about an 8 hour drive I have to do (Derrick never drives because he has to drive so much with his work, I don't think he should have to drive anymore).....but the drive will be worth it.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Too much...

My life has way too much chaos. I do stuff all the time for other people, and all I get is bad nerves and an upset stomach. I just can not handle the big stuff. So, soon and very soon, I will be eliminating the problem. I don't mind to help people; because of how I have been raised, that's all I know how to do. But, I am not my mother, and I can not handle the pressure of outside circumstances. I just need things to be simple for a while.


But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.


Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

So much to thank Him for.....

My sister and I are having a yard sale on Friday. I am so excited. It will be at her house which is in Foley, about a block off of HWY59. Great location. So, I have been having to go through all of my stuff, and decide what to keep, and what to sell. In doing so, I have realized just how much stuff we have and how little of it we have bought!!!! Since we repainted the living room and kitchen, we are going to be doing something different, decoration wise, and hopefully we will make some money Friday to do that with! The goal is for the living room to look less dorm room (we managed to fit all of our Bama pictures into the Alabama room, except for Comes the Tide, it's staying in the living room!!!!) , and for the kitchen to look like Cracker Barrel. I'm very excited about all of this.

At my church, I am the "coordinator" of the Toddler Department (18-36 months) in the Children's Ministry. They gave me this fancy title, but really, all I do is teach the class every Tuesday night and make sure there are snacks and drinks in there. The lady who really got the Toddler class started is moving to Louisiana (which is where her husband is from and his family lives....I am so happy for them), and she was the teacher on Sunday mornings. So, I suppose until we find more help, I will be doing some Sunday mornings too. But, as silly as it sounds, and as much "big church" as I will be missing, I am so thankful for the opportunity to know these kids I have, let alone teach them the Word of God!!!! They are so attentive. It's not like teaching the older kids, these little ones are so impressionable. I love them so much. They each have their own little attitudes, and personalities. I have a lesson plan for the class (thanks T), and once they get the idea of stucture, they love it, but at the end of class, they just play. Last night, I just sat back and watched for a minute as these kids just played. Last night I had seven (4 boys, 3 girls) and they all interact so well with each other, for the most part. I can always tell who didn't get their nap that day!!!! Hahaha.

Last Sunday night, I went with my dad to church, he was visiting a church where he sings in a quartet. He actually sings in 2 quartets there, but Sunday night, they were singing, and I went. As I sat there and looked around at my family (the majority of this church) I all of a sudden became so thankful for family. I always have been extremely proud of my family, and who they are, but this was more of a thankful feeling. Especially when I saw my late grandmother's sister. Aunt E. is so much like my Na-Na was. They just remind me of each other, and I was so happy to see her. And her son told about how he and my dad used to go preaching and singing together some as teenagers, and it made me realize how sometimes cousins just aren't as close anymore. That's sad. But it still made me think of how thankful I was for family.

I have so much to thank Him for.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A tribute to all the Dads in my life!!!


To my husband....the daddy of my baby boy....I love you. You are the best dad I could have ever dreamed of for our boy. You put in so much time with him. You try to be more like God, because Noah tries to be just like you! You are wonderful. Truly wonderful, and that goes beyond a paycheck! Ha! You are great to both of us....and the dog too! Thanks D.




To my Daddy....you were/are a wonderful daddy. You have always had such a tender heart, and lots of compassion and caring for us. I have never been prouder to call you my dad than when I saw the pictures of your Ordination into the Ministry. You are such a good example and so good to my mom!!! Dad, you have been great and I love you dearly!




To my Poppy (a.k.a. father-n-law)....As crazy and stubborn as you are, and as remarkabley similar as we are....you are great! You did a great job with your own kids, and all the other kids you have helped along the way. Your stories never get old to me, and because of them, you are a wise man. Thanks for accepting me as me!




To my Heavenly Father.....thanks a million Lord. Hallelujah for all You have done! God, you never cease to amaze me, You are the Father above all Fathers, and You love and take care of Your children. Thank you for Your mercy, grace, and love. Thank you for all of the chances I have had. I belong to You, and You belong to me. You are Jehovah Jireh-my provider. I love you Father.






Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Hot summer fun

As hot as it is outside, I thought today would be a great day for the pool. While Noah was swimming and playing, I had the brilliant idea to give the dog a bath....it's a lot of work. When Noah saw me get the shampoo, he was ready to come help me. We started spraying the water and Buddy Boy (the dog) started to drink the water. He would chase it all over the porch and everything. A task that I was dreading became fun.



Earlier this morning, I was inside, just cleaning around a little.....nothing major (haha).....and I was taking the every day ordinary things for granted. Not many moms get to stay home with their kid(s) and have the time to take care of their home. I know how special that is. I have been trying to sort through piles of junk that I have just laying around. My sister and I are actually going to have a yard sale in about a week and a half, so I am really trying to go through some stuff to see what I am ready to part with. It's hard for me to let go of things for some reason. And the stuff I wouldn't mind getting rid of has been given to us by people and for "feelings sake" I can't get rid of it! The second I did, someone would come in saying, "Where is that ___ I got you?," and I am afraid of that kind of confrontation!!!! Hahaha. But, being able to be in my home, doing something half way productive, and then, merely because I have no itinerary, I get to leave it undone, go outside with my boy, and have a fun time playing. And I was laughing my head off the whole time....that dog is so funny....and Noah was laughing the whole time too!!! Now, I am worn out from the heat, and the work....chasing Buddy around with the hose is work!....and I need to finish the pile I was sorting through, we'll see!!! I may need another break!






Monday, June 15, 2009

It's all over...

So, after all the fuss about Jessica and Adam's wedding......just like that, it's all over. After a chaotic, stressful, humiliating (for me), and sweet weekend, it's over. They are married and on their honeymoon, and here I am, still alive. I was very hurt this weekend. I thought for sure things would have been different, but I was not the official photographer.....I was the official musician though...without a lick of music and having never played the songs before!!!! I guess it was ok. The ceremony was absolutely perfect.

I am 100 % tired of Satan's lies. I wasn't so much angry about the photographer thing, I was hurt. And, after all of it, I found out Jessica did want me for the photographer, the man just flat out told a lie to me about it, and I almost "very literally" had a nervous breakdown. I really was not cut out for it. I am so sick of all of the problems I have. Hopefully things will get better before they get worse. It's over now, and cannot be changed. Now, maybe things will calm back down, and I will be less busy and less stressed.

I don't know how I stay so busy though. I don't have a job. I am almost positive that people who work that know me probably think they wish they could stay at home like me. The truth is I stay so busy trying to do so much for everyone else. I enjoy getting out sometimes, I would go nuts if I never got to go, but every Monday night I have Bible college, every Tuesday night church, Wednesdays are free, Thursday night Derrick has drill at the fire department, and so far every weekend has been occupied by something. Maybe life will slow down though. I wish it could all be simple and sweet. Not so much chaos, but I don't know how!!!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The little bird


Yesterday afternoon, when I was outside watering my flowers, I kept hearing this really loud chirping. In each corner of our porch, we have bird nests (2 total) that have been there for about 4 years, and every year we get at least 2 families of birds per nest, so I assumed that's where the chirping was coming from. Then I realized that it was coming from the flower bed, and that a baby bird had either fallen or tried to fly. He was chirping so loud. And I of course had to go get the whole family. And Noah loved it!!! And Derrick tried to rescue it and put it back in the nest, but the bird jumped out of his hands back onto the ground. I felt so bad for the little guy. He did kind of look a little sickly, but they may all look like that, I'm not sure. Underneath his wings were yucky and bleedy looking. And after the bird jumped out of Derrick's hands into the grass, the little bird just sat there. I watched it and watched it. It quit chirping and everything. I guess it was tired. I thought it was gonna die right there, but then Noah said a prayer for that bird, and it started walking across the grass, and trying to flap it's wings. That reminded me that God can really do all things!!! He saw that bird right where it was at, and heard the prayer that went up for it. So a big lesson re-learned here. Much later, after I came in, I saw the momma bird trying to help her baby. It was so pitiful. Then, this morning, I went outside to find the little bird by the landscape stones, and just barely doing some labored breathing. It is still alive. There are a few ants circling around though. I just wish I knew what to do for the little bird. Either way, I am so thankful that God continues to show me things, and remind me of His love and His power. He is such a Mighty God. He helped that little bird, and He can and will help me in my times of need. I watched that bird last night for around 30 minutes, just me and the bird, and so many thoughts were going through my head. I am hoping to go outside in a few minutes and do either a rescue from the ants, or even see that baby bird take flight. Who knows what God has in store for it?!?!?

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Starting to stress a little.....

Our niece is getting married on Saturday. I am so excited for her. I am also honored that she asked me to be the "official photographer".....but the more I play around with my camera trying to take "professional shots" the more I realize that, as thankful as I am for my camera, I am only taking snapshots with it!!! The lighting in her church is really wierd and I am afraid that the pictures just won't turn out. Or what if the batteries go dead as she is coming down the aisle?!?!?!? This is scary. Derrick keeps reassuring me that I take good pictures, too many, but good ones. A photographer friend of mine once told me that as long as you love taking pictures and you are passionate about it, it doesn't matter what kind of camera you have. Hopefully she's right!

The other thing is she wants Derrick and Noah to wear pink. That's the color of her wedding, but Derrick and Noah are not in her wedding, so I am not sure why they should match. Either way, I went all over Malbis, Spanish Fort, and Fairhope in search of pink dress shirts and/or ties for my boys. Turns out, we are not millionares and cannot pay $25 for a shirt and another $20 for a tie!!! I did find Noah the full four piece outfit (shirt, tie, vest, and pants) for $7 at TJ Maxx. And it's even Van Heusen brand!!! I never could find anything for Derrick. I feel like I let him down. I know he didn't want me spending a bunch of money on it, but he did mention it would be nice to have a new shirt to wear on Father's Day, but he didn't have to. That's when I really started feeling bad. Noah and I had a very fun day shopping though. He was such a good boy as we went in and out of stores, looking at "Daddy shirts", such a good boy.

Even if we didn't find the shirt/tie (again we found them, just not at a reasonable price), and even if I did let Derrick down, I am just so thankful for the opportunity to hop in the truck, and spend an entire day going places with my boy!!! We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, which is a rare occurance, and while I was finishing eating and watching Noah play with the other kids, I was literally in tears because that is when the spirit of thankfulness came over me.....thankfulness to God, and thankfulness to my hard-working husband. He was off working in this heat today, reading hundreds of meters, having millions of numbers going through his head, and I was sitting in nice, cool Chick-Fil-A, where they bring you your food and refill your drinks so you don't have to get up!!! This makes me proud, happy, thankful, and sad all at the same time. I wouldn't trade my day with Noah for anything in this world, but again, I wish I could've accompolish said mission.

I love my husband, I love my Noah, and I love my God!!!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Very disappointed....

This morning I had a very rude awakening at the library program. I took Noah and my niece and nephew and we were excited about a happy time. They had a story teller who stuck with the theme of "Be creative", and she was very nice. However, she gave the kids a couple of ideas for a story they were gonna all write together as a group, and they picked one about aliens and ufos. Now, I know this sounds silly to a lot of people, but we are very particular with Noah and what he watches and hears, and aliens are a no-no to us. I know it's just part of make believe, and I know that outer space is real. However, I don't like the idea of such a controversial subject being introduced to such a wide range of kids. When she started telling the story, Noah and I just got up and walked outside until they were done. I found out that by doing this we are "weird". And it's not just about it being scary, although from what the other kids said, they cut the alien's head off and all that, but I just don't believe in aliens, and I don't want Noah going along with a story that promotes them. There are lots of other things we don't let him watch (Cartoon Network, FairlyOdd Parents, Spider-man, just to name a few) because my husband and I just do not agree with some of these shows and what they are teaching kids. I just cannot picture Jesus liking this story or these t.v. shows, and while I am not sure about this, I don't want to be held accountable for letting my child watch and listen to and see whatever he wants. I think that children pick up not necessarily bad habits or do bad things, but they pick up the wrong ideas about stuff. We do the Easter Bunny and Santa, not stressed a lot, but we do them, BUT, my child can tell you about King Jesus on the cross and about Baby Jesus in a manger. I am not one of these religious types who will push my beliefs on anyone, God sent His Son not to condemn the world....., and it's not about religion, it's about a relationship. And I don't feel I should feel like an outcast for caring about what my child is introduced to. And, everytime I think about this, I remember that Jesus was an outcast first. Hopefully, anyone who is reading this did not get their toes stepped on, but this is one place where I can say my feelings. I didn't tell any of the library workers or the lady telling the story that I was opposed to what they were doing, after all, I was the different one, but here, I get to actually say what I wanted to say to them!!!!! I believe that's called a flesh attack!!!! Hahaha! Next week they are having puppets, Noah LOVES puppet shows, and hopefully they will not be dragons, monsters, witches, aliens, or fairies!!!!!!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

A few fun times...

Yesterday and today have been two of the nicest, funnest, and yet relaxing days I have had in a while. I had absolutely nothing to do!!!
Friday, Noah and I went to my brother and sister-n-law's house. They have a little boy named Anthony, and they were also babysitting my niece Felicity. Noah was so happy to play with his cousins. We had hotdogs from the grill, just played in the yard, and relaxed. Then, we got the bright idea to walk to Burris from their house (only 2 blocks!) and get some ice cream, cobbler, and cheesecake!!! No, wait....I wanted to look at fruit and veggies! Hahahaha! It was a nice fun time. I got corn on the cob, bananas, apples, and cantoloupe. Biggest cantoloupe I've ever seen. The apples are gone, the corn has been eaten too, and there are 2 bananas left! Still lots of cantoloupe left!!!
Then we came home, and I worked some more in my flower beds. I love to work on those...that's a good thing as it's a never ending job!!! And Derrick and Noah came out and we just piddled around in the yard. Then we came in and ate, then it was back outside for good fellowship with the neighbors. They have a little girl who is Noah's age, so that's always fun. They rode bikes while we all visited.
Then this morning, we went to the dump!!! That's a family outing we take a few times a year and we take our branches and debris and any junk we may have picked up along the way. It doesn't sound to glamourous, but we always enjoy it! Then we went to the beach this afternoon. That's where the real fun comes in. I never really liked the beach too much, but watching Noah play in the sand and the waves makes it worth a trip!
So far, we have had just a great weekend. Oh yeah, and I haven't had coffee since Thursday morning!!! Some people smoke a cigarette after each meal, I drink a cup of coffee after each meal, but I really have been wanting to cut back. It really is harder than it sounds when you are used to 3-4 cups a day. And I have the oversized mugs!
Overall, a nice time. And it's so nice to have a blog to be able to document, but also just to say stuff I wanna say. I should've thought of this years ago! I am looking forward to church in the morning. I just feel like something good is about to happen!!!!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

There's power in prayer!

So, not to sound like a whiney-baby, I went to sleep last night with a horrible headache...and I woke up today with it. I just went about my business, cleaned the bathroom floor and baseboards, dusted the living room a little, pulled weeds in two flower beds, did a little laundry, made chicken and rice for supper, and took care of Noah. The whole time my head was pounding. I took some Tylenol twice today....which apparently I was just wasting my time. Finally, when Derrick came home, we had dinner and I told him I just had to lay down for a minute...I literally couldn't see straight. I did not want to lay down, or face the fact that I do not have a big "S" plastered on my chest and I don't wear a cape, but I really had to.

Noah came to my bedside and said, " Mommy, what's wrong?" I told him that my head was hurting. He then said, " It's o.k. mom, I'll say a prayer!!!" and he laid his little hand on my head and said, "In Jesus name, Amen." Then he told me, "It's o.k. mom."

I laid there about 20 more minutes, just to be sure, but then I got up and I feel fine. Of course.
It's like Noah remembered all the times that he has been sick, and I have sat at his bedside. What a role reversal!!! This event made me proud, but at the same time, a little sad. I thought I was the mom, and he was the kid I was taking care of!!! So let me take up some space on my blog to honor my boy....who has the faith to move mountains!!! These pictures are from March, when Noah and I were working in the yard....they are some of my favorite pictures.








Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Let the words of my mouth,
and the meditation of my heart,
be acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A different kind of day...

Today, I was reminded that Noah is still a work-in-progress, and I was reminded of how far he has come...developmental delay or not. I have been taking Noah to the library every Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. for story time. He has been the only kid there every week. He usually walks in, waits on the carpet for Ms. Cindy to come with the books to read, then waits at the table for Mrs. Runae and the arts and crafts time, then he pretty much has free reign of the library. Today was the kick-off for the summer reading program. When he walked in and saw the other kids there, and got his routine messed up, he just threw himself in the floor and started screaming. It was a brief reminder of how he used to be all the time!!! I took him outside and tried to reason with him, but the change of structure and routine for him was just to much. As much as he talks now ( a year-and-a-half ago he was totally non-verbal) he still is tormented by anxiety and communicating. He has been doing so good lately too, but today was different. Then he went into total baby mode: sitting in my lap, sucking his fingers, etc. Finally, he came around and things got better, but it's still so difficult for me to remember that he is different than the others. I still in my heart long for the day when he is standing in a huge church, filled with people, t.v. cameras rolling, and my boy says , " LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!!!"

He is going to have an awesome testimony. I stand on God's word that Noah is healed. That no weapon formed against him will prosper. That God has not given Noah a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a SOUND MIND.

He's come farther than the doctor thought he would anyway. The doctor thought Noah either had Austism or Aspergers and needed to be check by a neurologist. The doctor did not think Noah would ever talk, make friends, etc. Through God's divine will, I found out about the preschool program he goes to, and Noah can talk, sing, has friends, say his ABC's, read his ABC's (not words, just identify letters), write his name, he knows his colors, numbers, shapes, has all his motor skills...he can ride a bike, play ball, and swim...and so many other things. Before, Noah would not make eye contact with people, he would stay by himself in a room full of kids, he would not respond always when people spoke to him. I would say HE IS HEALED!!!

After we survived the library ordeal, my mom called and said she was having her car fixed, did we want to come pick her up and have lunch. And we did. It was so nice to sit down just me and my mom (Noah was playing...we were at Chick-fil-A) and just eat and talk. She normally works during the week, but her boss wasn't feeling good, so they got off early. We had a good time. Noah then fell asleep on the ride home, and is napping now. Hopefully, he will wake up better than before.

I have a few things to do around the house before getting ready for church tonight...I'm glad I prepared my lesson already...and yes, we have church on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays. So, I guess that's all I know!!!