Family Traditions

So as I was shopping for Easter gifts for a 4 1/2 month old I started thinking about how the Easter Bunny visited us when we were younger and I thought of all the things that Owen will get to enjoy thanks to my wild and crazy family :) I realized that growing up we had it pretty good, probably a lot better than we thought at the time, and we also got to do a lot of cool things with our family. Here are some of the things that Baby O will get to enjoy...

*Alabama Christmas...need I say more?!? Every Christmas morning we were lucky enough to enjoy listening to the Alabama Christmas tape (and then CD) while we were opening gifts and eating sausage balls for breakfast. This year while I was baking and Owen was only 10 days old he got to hear his first Thistlehair song!

*Early Christmas Calls: My sister and I would sleep together on Christmas Eve because she'd never wake up early and I'd always want to be up and opening presents at 2 am. We'd sneak in the living room, crawling on hands and knees, to see what Santa had brought. We'd always be the ones to wake up our parents, and many times they'd make us go back to bed and wait a few more hours. I remember the excitement and closeness we felt. I also remember that our Grandma would always call us to see what we got, she also calls to sing Happy Birthday on our birthdays :)

*Colored Christmas Lights: This tradition is thanks to my family and Uncle Sean. We are good ol' traditional colored lights family...except that each year I have to fight with my husband over it and this year I lost the battle because we bought a pre-lit tree with white lights...I'm still trying to find a way to blend in some colored ones! We also always enjoyed going to look at the lights at Hollywild and other places. I still remember this one house that had pigs in the yard (yes, Christmas pigs)

*Ironing Clothes: Somehow my sister did not inherit this trait, but I did. I can't stand for my clothes to be wrinkly and I have to iron everything I wear, poor baby O is in trouble!

*Wake Up Call: My dad has this crazy way of waking people up. You're in a dead sleep, nice and cozy, and all of the sudden you hear a high pitched voice yell, "Rise and Shine!" as the lights flicker off and on. So annoying, yet effective at the same time

*Sunday dinners: So we don't do it as often as we used to, but I really enjoy those Sunday dinners with the family. We always have good home cooked food (Grandma's hamburger and gravy with mashed potatoes!!) and we sit around all day nibbling on food and enjoying each other. I hope that Owen will get to enjoy this for years to come!

*Vacations: Every year my dad would try to think of a new place to go for vacation. As a young child we went all over the Southeast and at the time all I could do was think about how I wish I could have invited a friend along. Looking back I realize that we were blessed to get to travel to so many places and experience so many things (Even if I haven't been to Disney yet), but one of my favorite places was Garden City. We always got to go there and stay near the Pier. I have so many fond memories of Chocolate and Peanut Butter ice cream from the Yum Yum Shop and of course shopping in Waves...or Wings....or Pacific....for special gifts. I will never forget my sister's plastic seagull that squeaked when you squeezed it and of course her added sound effects made it so much better!

  I hope these memories help you think about moments you treasure with your own family and remember...
Life Lesson #6: Cherish life and those you share it with



Top 5 Reasons You Should NOT Come to Church With Me at Freedom Fellowship

So I've been thinking about how our Preacher Cliff said to tell your  own story to your own people about church and Jesus and here's what I came up with :)

Top 5 Reasons You Should NOT Come to Church With Me 

5. You have to get up early every day through the week and the thought of getting to church by 10:30 makes you sleepy

     Truth: I can handle it with a 3 1/2 month old and only manage to be about 5 minutes late. Plus, you can wear your jeans so you don't have to iron. My new motto is better late than never! Did I also mention that I have to drive 25 minutes to get there?

4. It'll be boring
     Truth: Our preacher is too funny and always manages to preach on my level and connect things from the Bible to my own life. Our church is far from boring, check out some of our messages online! http://www.freedomfellowshipsc.com/#/home  (Then click on the listen/watch tab)

3. You're worried about childcare
     Truth: I personally know the ladies and gents that work with the kids and they are all wonderful and have a heart for kids. Plus do you think I'd leave Baby Owen there if I didn't trust them? (they do have a pager system just in case...)

2. You can't sing at all, let alone remember the words to those good ol' hymns
     Truth: Only my first graders think I can actually sing and at church I sing with all my heart. I figure that Jesus doesn't really care how well I can sing as long as I'm worshiping him! Plus, we don't really sing those good ol' hymns, sometimes we sing some revamped versions! Our band (guitars, drums, keyboard, etc.) rocks out every Sunday morning and I dare to say they are sometimes better than the original version I hear on 96.7!

1. You won't know anyone there
    Truth: When I started at Freedom Fellowship I only knew my mom. Now, I know lots of people and have made wonderful friends. You will always know me and may even find someone else you know. I am often sitting alone when Marcus is working Sundays and I could use the company :)

 So hopefully my title drew you in and my truths helped convince you that I'd love to have you come to church with me next Sunday! If you have any questions about church or my relationship with Jesus feel free to call, email, text, or visit with me!

Life Lesson#5: (Stole from Preacher Cliff) Share your own story about Jesus with your own people!

It's dyn-O-mite!!

Warning: This is a post about my son's explosive diapers...If you get grossed out by this thought, STOP here...it only gets worse!
 So I've come to the conclusion that Pampers are the only diapers for us (Yes, if the big Pampers corp sees this post and wants to send some free diapers my way, I don't mind at all!). I've tried to be frugal and look at other brand and without fail my son's #2 diapers explode and leak all over his clothes.
  I am still amazed each time I change one of those diapers at how his poop gets in places I'd never think to look. I wipe him all nice and clean and get ready to put on a new diaper and then I see a spot on his leg or some random place. The attempts to change it quickly are foiled because he loves to kick around and stick his foot in it and then there's another place to clean! I am trying hard to convince my husband that he should be in charge of stinky diapers because he can't smell that good, but when I asked him he said "I can smell those diapers, especially when they're up close!" Hey, at least I tried :)

Life Lesson#4: Stick with what you know works best!

Superhero Mommy, Somebody's Gotta Do It!

    So my new motto is, "Superhero Mommy, Somebody's Gotta Do It!" I've been amazed over the past three and a half months at the things I have been capable of. I have worked full time, cleaned house, tried to cook, take care of a baby and sometimes take care of myself....all on way too little sleep! I've done things I've never thought I could handle, all because it had to be done. While overwhelming at times, I love every minute of being Owen's mommy and I wish that I could stay home with him everyday!!
   This past weekend I got up and fed Owen and put him back to sleep, leaving Marcus to get him ready and fed again for church. As I'm getting ready to leave (I had to be there early), Marcus says "I think you did this on purpose. You left him for me to get ready on my own and try to get ready myself too." As I give him the stare down, I think I see a little bit of his foot sticking out of his mouth...but it was already too late! I just smiled kindly, as a good wife should, and reminded him that I have to do it all the time. When he is working third, I'm on my own to get ready for work and get out the door by 6:40 AM. Needless to say, he and Owen did not make it to church that morning. As I'm thinking about how frazzled Marcus gets sometimes and how he still hasn't fully grasped life with a new baby like I've had to do, I realized another life lesson had taken place...

Life Lesson #3: You are always capable of much more than you think you can handle.