Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Wednesday evening, we attended the big, annual Barr-Reeve vs. WHS game. It's the best kick off for the basketball season. Unfortunately BR lost in overtime, but considering we were missing two starters, the end result wasn't too bad. Braylee said it was ok for the Hatchets to win since her buddies Sydney and Elle are Hatchets. She's a good friend. ;)

Thursday, we drove up to Travis and Heather's house (my brother and SIL) for Thanksgiving. I love holidays...sitting around with full bellies telling funny and heartwarming stories about our families. And we definitely have a lot to be thankful for!! :) Braylee had taken her fishing pole along. We went out to fish for a little while, but it was too cold. When we left their house, we didn't make it very far...Alex's malibu (which you all know, I just love) broke down. It ended up being the fuel pump, I think. Anyway, while Alex and my brother worked on it, the girls and I stayed at Grammy and Gramps' house. I'm thankful the car broke down b/c it gave us more time to spend with them, including enough time for my mom and I to decorate their house for Christmas while we were there. Grammy ordered pizzas for us. It was so good to see Gramps eating regular food with the rest of us again. It was a long day, and the girls fell asleep on the way home. God has blessed us so richly and I'm thankful for another holiday season with my family.


It looks like Christmas around here. I have all of my trees up & decorated...all 14 of them. ;) I'm a little obsessed with Christmas trees. I have 2 on the front porch, one in each living room, one in each of the girls' rooms, 2 in the kitchen, and then 6 smaller (2', 3', and 4') decorative trees set here and there. Brynna's tree is our newest addition. Braylee's love for the UPS guy started last winter when he delivered her very own pink tree. Well, Brynna is old enough now to realize she didn't have one. Thankfully, I was able to pick up a pink one at WM. (I actually like Brynna's better...it's a softer shade of pink. But when I said something about it today in front of Braylee, she said, "But you still love mine, right?!" Oops!) I tried to convince Brynna to get the purple one since her room is lavender, but alas, pink IS her favorite color. It looks so cute!

This is for my friend Rose. Look at the socks...You think we have another Hannah on our hands?! :)

Williamsburg Vacation

Last week, we traveled to Williamsburg, VA with Alex's family. We had planned to go in July but decided to push it back after the big wreck in June. We had been told the weather would still be nice in November...and typically it is, but we experienced an unexpected cold front while we were there. :( It was 70 degrees the day we arrived and in the low 60s all this coming week...but somehow we landed there the week it averaged about 45. :( Regardless, we bundled up and had a good time.

Unfortunately, the girls were also both a little under the weather while we were gone. The first night there, Braylee woke up in the middle of the night crying that her ear hurt. I typically would have tried to wait it out, but I hated for Braylee's trip to be ruined. So, my friend kindly called in an antibiotic for us on Monday...good thing too since she ran a fever of 102.5 off and on the next few days. Brynna had a GI bug. It actually started before we left...I think she had a mild form of rotovirus. After she had stuff oozing down her leg one day, we started using diapers when we were out to prevent any embarrassing messes! ;) To top it off, they both had nasty coughs that woke them frequently. :( They were troopers and acted quite well all week even though they were sicky.

Sunday, we let the kids swim. Then we went to Jumping Joey's in the evening. It's a play area for kids with inflatables. The big kids had fun too. ;) Brynna was hesitant at first, but once she figured it out, she amazed us with her monkey skills. Braylee loved having Uncle Andre' and Uncle Adam hide in the mazes for her to find them.
Monday, the guys went golfing while the girls went shopping. Gramma took the kids back early, while Mandi and I did some power shopping! We found some great deals. Then we went out for dinner.
Tuesday, we went the Yankee Candle store. What a fun place for the kids! They sat on Santa's lap (Braylee asked for a Barbie. Brynna asked for candy!), petted the reindeer, watched the magical snow villages, danced in the snow, watched a giant clock come to life, and then dipped their own candles. Braylee loved it so much she made two...a Santa and a Christmas tree. Brynna made a pink pony.
Wednesday morning, we went to the Jamestown Settlement. The kids enjoyed the Indian village where you can walk into the houses (forget what they called them) and see how they lived...lots of furs, baskets, spears, etc. Braylee still says seeing the Indians was one of her favorite parts, but she was too shy to get her picture with them. (BTW, Braylee says she's glad the Indians do not live near us b/c she likes the deer in our woods and doesn't want them to kill them!) Then, we headed down to the bay to board a ship, very cool. (Did I mention it was cold?!) From the ships, we walked up to the fort. Alex did some preaching in the village church, and we watched a musket presentation. The kiddos were ready for naps, so a quick stop for lunch and then back to the condo we went. While the guys stayed with the kids, the moms did more shopping. :) For dinner, we went to a hibachi grill...a first time experience for the girls & Gabe. I loved watching Brynna with her chopsticks!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thursday, we spent the entire day in downtown Colonial Williamsburg. It's such a cool experience. Colonial townspeople could be seen walking around or going about their daily lives. Live dramas occurred throughout the day with the town as the stage. I loved walking in the old buildings and trying to imagine what life was really like back then. Several of the buildings we went in were original and had been used/stayed in by historic figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Friday, we went back to Williamsburg. Lou and I took the girls to the Governor's Palace, the church, and Merchant's Square. The guys went to the museum and more re-enactments. Mandi and Gabe stayed home to recuperate from our busy day on Thursday.


Now that we've been home a couple of days, my house is pretty much a disaster zone! ;) I was so anxious to start decorating for Christmas that I've been doing a little decorating while I've also been unpacking, catching up on laundry, visiting my family, etc. My Gramps came home from the hospital on Thursday!!! So, of course we had to go visit him yesterday! We also stopped by Aunt Trista's new place since we hadn't seen it yet. She has it decorated so cute. Braylee already asked when she can have a sleepover there.
Mandi watched my girls yesterday morning when I went to the orthodontist. They put on my bottom braces yesterday...my smile keeps looking worse instead of better! I'm hoping my teeth are feeling better by Thursday so I can enjoy some of the Thanksgiving feast at my brother's house. My mouth is hurting today. :(


Hope you enjoyed all of the pictures!

We're there!

We arrived in Williamsburg, VA last night. Overall, the roadtrip was a success since we arrived safely, but I'll say it wasn't the most enjoyable trip I've been on. Riding in a van with 3 men and 2 little girls...well, I spent the day listening to financial and sports talk and then the notorious, "Are we there yet?!" We all had a big giggle when only 13 minutes after pulling out of the driveway, we heard Braylee's first, "Are we almost there!?" :) I'll also say for all those minivan junkies out there...I still am not convinced. We rode in Marv and Lou's van. I realize it was a bit more packed than usual (although all of the luggage was in a trailer being towed behind us) with some blankets and snacks though. I'm sure I'll change my mind when baby #3 comes along in the future, but for now, I'm glad we went with another SUV.
The kids are all having fun, but Brynna and Gabe are both missing their puppies and have asked about them this morning. :) Ok, we're off for breakfast. Hope you all have a great week too!

"I can't help it!"

One thing I love about our church is that it's not a "feel good" church. Of course we receive love and encouragement from our sisters and brothers there, but the sermons aren't about making us "feel good"...they are about making us better Christians, better witnesses, making us feel convicted to strengthen our relationship with Christ. Well, Pastor Shawn's sermon spoke directly to me on Sunday morning. Ever find yourself saying, "I can't help it!" Such as I can't help it that I'm a worry wart or I can't help it that I'm easily angered or my personal favorite, "I can't help it that I easily get my feelings hurt." On Sunday morning, Shawn told us to turn to 1 Corinthians 10:13 and underline it if we hadn't already. I didn't even flip to it because that's one of the verses I've known since childhood...but I never really GOT it until Sunday! 1 Cor. 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And He is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. For when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so you can stand up under it." (That may not be exact since I'm typing it from memory.) Anyway, when I've read or heard this verse over the years, I always considered it a BIG temptation. But Shawn pointed out that this is referring to ALL temptations...the temptation to be angry, proud, jealous, worrisome (big kick in the gut when he mentioned this one), etc. And the biggest point Shawn made...We have no excuse! He promises us a way out! Suddenly, the "I can't help it; God made me this way." excuse no longer seems feasible. Granted there are things I will always be working on, but it will definitely make me think twice before I say, "I can't help it." again. We can help it! We receive help from Christ during any temptation! So, now if you hear me saying, "I'm really working on that!" you'll know where I'm coming from and can pray for me. :)

Autumn Leaves

The girls couldn't wait to get out into the leaves on Saturday when Alex got home. They loved running and jumping in the pile, which Braylee kept calling a leaf puddle. ;) Last year, Brynna was a bit scared of the leaves, so it was fun to watch her enjoy them this year.


I worked over the weekend at Quick Care, a convenient care center about 5 minutes from our house. Saturday was pleasant...Sunday not so much. The shift is 3 hours shorter on Sunday, yet I saw 5 more patients than I did on Saturday. We were late to Max's 3rd Birthday party...and I still had to go into the office yesterday to finish my charting. He seemed to enjoy his Captain Hook party. My girls sure did, even though they decided to skip the hayride. I don't blame them because I was trying to talk their Daddy into riding with them b/c it was COLD! ;)

Yesterday, the girls picked out their gift for Alex's birthday. I kept stressing to Braylee how it's a big secret. Alex had barely walked in the door when she ran up and told him we'd been picking out his birthday stuff! Thankfully, she didn't gab what the gift is! Today, we're spending a relaxing day at home and packing for our upcoming trip.

Back to Work

I made it back to work on Thursday. It was great to see my coworkers and hear what they've been up to. As the day went on, I kept having more and more pain in my right lower jaw. By 4pm, I finally called the orthodontist b/c I felt like something wasn't right. She had me come straight over...and worked on me for an hour. She said my right lower jaw was shifting to compensate for my top teeth being out wider now...and she was glad I didn't let the problem continue. She used some type of material to build up my teeth in the back...feels like I have big chunks of food stuck in my teeth. It has helped though...for the pain and I can tell my bite is better. Unfortunately, to prevent these pieces from breaking off, she put me back on the soft diet. :( Oh well, what's another couple of weeks of mashed potatoes and pudding?! ;)

Monday, we visited Jenn and new baby Brent. Then, Trista and Ava came home with us for a sleepover. The girls were sooo good! Brynna provided most of their entertainement...
Several people have asked about my Gramps...thank you!! He had surgery on 10/22 to remove his sternum. He remained in ICU on the ventilator until the following Tuesday when a plastic surgeon recontructed his chest using his own chest muscles. I think it was Thursday evening that they extubated him b/c he was fighting the tube so much. He stayed in ICU until a few days later. My Grammy said he was VERY confused at first but doing better now. He moved out to the regular cardiac floor a couple of days ago. I spoke with him on the phone this morning. He was up in the chair and talking with my mom when I called. There is another complication, and the doctors are considering another surgery to see what the problem is. Please be praying things resolve without surgery and he can come home soon. I keep praying he'll be home for Thanksgiving...and especially Christmas.

It seems like this was a long week, but I can't pinpoint why it felt like that. I was disappointed when Brynna had on different clothes after daycare on Thursday (meaning she had an accident) until Lori explained it was b/c they had forgotten to put a diaper on her at nap...so no big deal. I was still happy to see she had on the same clothes yesterday though...I feel like she's really potty-trained when she can do it for other people too! ;)

Some exciting news for us...we're meeting with the drafter/architect guy on Nov. 25th to start plans for our house!! We have had our lot since before we were even engaged. Sometimes it seems like forever since we started talking about our "dream" house...and then there are other times when it scares me that the time is really here! We're planning to start building next fall so the house can be done by Spring/early Summer of 2010...in time for Braylee to get settled in a little before kindergarten starts in the fall. Please be praying for us to make the right decisions during this process. I've always heard horror stories about how stressful building a house can be on a marriage. So far, we seem to agree on most things...or are willing to agree anyway. I'm praying we can be an exception and the entire process will allow us to grow even closer instead of causing arguments.

Alex went into the office this morning, but the girls can't wait for him to get home. He promised he would pile the leaves together for them...pictures coming soon!

Halloween Week

I have lots of catching up to do! First of all, I am feeling great...still have some swelling and of course the hillbilly smile is not much fun, but at least I am back to doing normal activities and haven't taken any prescription pain pills since Thursday!

While I was trying to recover last week, the girls' halloween costumes arrived. Brynna loved putting hers on and saying, "I fly, Mom! Flap Flap Flap!" as she ran around the house. Braylee's costume was beautiful, but such a pain! It made her neck itch, she was losing feathers all over the county and all of the tulle made it difficult to buckle her in the carseat. But, she sure looked angelic! One night the girls carved pumpkins. Brynna really enjoyed participating this year.

Tuesday night, Alex converted Brynna's crib into the toddler bed. She couldn't wait to try it out and slept all night through without problems. My little baby really is growing up...sniff sniff. She has had only a handful of potty accidents over the last 2 weeks. One night, we even forgot to put a diaper on her at bedtime and she woke up dry the next morning! Yeah! It dawned on me Thursday evening that I don't carry a diaper bag anymore...I needed a wipe for Brynna's hands and realized I didn't have any since I had only carried Braylee's dance bag into her class. It's kind-of strange to be out of that baby stage without another one on the way (And it's going to stay that way for awhile).
I'm not sure where Braylee's recent wedding obsession has come from, but after marrying Daddy last week, this week she asked me if I could pretend to be a boy for her. She did look awfully cute in her "wedding gown." Friday night while I was putting on her make-up for trick-or-treating, I said, "Braylee, you look so pretty. You'll have all kinds of boys wanting to date you when you get bigger." She replied, "Well, I'd need to get to know them a little first!" ;)

Thursday was my first venture back out into society after being a hermit for over a week. I was feeling fairly well considering how I'd felt with the thrush (and only having 3 hours of sleep...stupid insomnia!). So when Krista asked me about taking the girls to the newspaper to get pictures in their costumes, I decided we were up for the challenge. After pictures (which BTW, the girls all looked absolutely adorable and were so sweet posing for pictures), I took Braylee to dance class...didn't have much option since Alex had bball practice too. By the time we made it back home, I was really hurting. I took some ibuprofen and then gave in and took a half of a pain pill. When Alex arrived home, I said, "You are officially on Daddy duty." and then I crashed!


Thankfully after a visit to the orthodontist on Friday morning, I started feeling sooo much better. She modified my bite block (the retainer thing I have to wear over my bottom teeth...not sure what the real name is) and it has made a world of difference. She also said I could leave it out for short periods of time throughout the day. This makes it much easier to talk...which is good for me since I talk a lot! ;) The girls and I went trick-or-treating Friday evening with Abby, Lillie, and Karson. They live in the subdivision where we'll be building next fall. You can see our property in one of the pictures. We just walked down the main road, thinking it wouldn't take us too long. Still, we were all worn out by the time we made it back to Abby's! My new smile tricked a few people...they thought I had in Halloween teeth! :)

Sunday after church, we drove up to my brother Travis' house so the girls could show my family their Halloween costumes. My dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and some cousins were there too. The girls took a ride on their mule, played by their pond, and did a lot of Hannah Montana dancing in Emilee's room. We made a quick stop by the hospital to see Mamaw at work too. She had special treats for the girls. Then we went to Small Groups at Amanda & Jodey's. I had to give her a big thank you for making all soft foods! It was my first REAL meal in over a week, except for some chicken and noodles Mandy sent to me. Alex teased me when I went back for thirds, but I didn't care! When I went to the orthodontist on Friday, she also realized my right jaw was locking up a little. With a few exercises, it has really increased my ability to chew and I've been eating regular foods since Sunday evening. Yeah!! I'm sooo over pudding!

Tuesday, when I was in bed...thinking I might die and praying for Alex to come home from work early, I got up to check on the girls once and guess what I found?!! They were using nail polish to paint their wooden step stool! Luckily, I caught them before it became too big of a mess. For the most part, the girls were very good while I was trying to recover. I'm thankful they had each other to play with.

Life is feeling back to normal for me, even though I don't look very normal. ;) I'm excited to get back to work on Thursday, but I'm afraid I'll scare some of my patients! I'll be back to work for 2 weeks, then off for 2 weeks for vacation and Thanksgiving. Then, back to work for 3 weeks and off for almost 2 more weeks with Christmas and New Year's coming! My surgery came at a good timing because hopefully my smile will be looking much better by the first of the year. It will be nice to not have to explain my gap-toothed-crooked smile to too many patients over the next couple of months.