The Headley House

Happy Birthday, baby girl!!

2012-02-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

So for any of you who keep up with these things, yes I do know that my daughter's birthday was on January 1st not February 1st. I have had these pictures loaded for a while, but I just couldn't find the time to sit down and finish . . . ooorrrr maybe I couldn't admit that she's getting further and further away from being a baby (sniff). The first year of both my second and third have seemed to fly by. It's so much harder to stop and enjoy the little things when there are two others to keep up with and pay attention to! I am thankful though for al the fun we had the first year and all the fun to come!

She was so itty bitty in comparison to the boys and has most definitely stayed that way!

New Years will never be the same again because I will always remember our first new year with you!

You always have a grin on your face when someone you love is in view.

You smile so big that it sometimes seems like it might stretch right off your face! : )

Your fly away hair, with your grandpa comb over, cracks me up!

I don't think you're going to be shy at all! You're loud, probably to be heard above the boys, and friendly to almost everyone we see!

Did I also mention messy??

You love to do everything your brothers do! You hate to be left out and you are very observant. It's not often that I hide something from you baby girl!

You have very animated facial expressions, to say the least. : ) You are quick to let us know when you like something or hate it! There is plenty of spunk in that little body!

I'm so glad you've kept your baby blues like your Daddy and Grandaddy. While you look like your Granna some days, the blue eyes and blonde hair really just give you your own little look.

Libby Lou, Lou Lou Belle and Lou Lou are just a few of the names we call you these days, but you'll always be my baby girl. I love my boys, don't get me wrong, but there's just something different about a little girl. You have captured the hearts of everyone in our house, including your brothers who adore you! Mommy and Daddy love you Elizabeth Caroline and we pray that you will grow up to be a more beautiful girl on the inside than you are on the outside through a relationship with our Savior!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Gotcha Day!

2012-01-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

On this cold morning, I'm sitting in front of the fire with cofee in hand, listening to the clanging and banging of boys playing trains and the happy squeals of a little girl watching (fear not, it's not always this peaceful in my house! At some point I'm sure to hear screaming and yelling about how that train is "mine" and to "give it back" but for now, it's calm : ). However, on this particular morning, I'm remembering days when I longed for these sounds, days of feeling that I would never hear them in my house and a day when I finally came to a place where I could honestly say that if it never happened, my Lord would still be ALL I needed. And then I remember that this was the day the Lord saw fit, for His glory, to answer that prayer and bless us with this tiny little baby. I can still remember the events of the day and everything I did trying to get my mind off of the drive we would have to make to pick up our sweet baby boy. I vividly remember walking up those stairs, into the room and seeing the back of that beautiful head for the first time. As long as I live, I will never forget the first time he was placed in my arms and the extreme emotions that I felt, or the look on my husband's face the first time he held him in his arms. Those are all memories that will stay wtih me as long as I live. While they are all precious to me, the thing I never want to forget is the work the Lord did in my life through that process and everyday since becoming a mom. The road was not an easy one, and still isn't for that matter, but the truths of who God is that were forever printed on my heart and mind were worth every minute; I wouldn't change a thing. So this morning as I remember, I pray for those of you who wait and are unsure about what the future holds. My hope for you is that you wouln't sit in a holding pattern waiting for something to happen, but that you would "fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Birthday Boy

2012-01-01T19:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, my sweet big boy! I can't believe you're FOUR years old! This year I've seen you grow and develop by leaps and bounds. You are still the most energetic little boy I know! You are kind, sweet, all boy, inquisitive, smart and most of all still an enthusiastic extrovert! You love anything that has to do with people and always want to go, go, go (sometimes a good stretch for this introvert momma : ). You love preschool and all of your new friends. I hope this trend continues and that you continue to love school as you get older.

You are starting to understand when things are funny and trying to make jokes, which cracks your Mommy and Daddy up, especially when you start laughing and can't stop! You are so fun to be around that even the older kids at the playground look forward to you coming to play.

You still LOVE anything outside. You're learning to ride a bike, how to pump your legs on the swing and how to do chores, like folding laundry. They all seem like very big boy things to your mommy and some days I'm not sure I'm ready for all that. : )

You love to entertain anyone who's looking, but especially your brother and sister, who pretty much think you hung the moon. They would follow you just about anywhere, I feel certain.

Knowing all of that and seeing your desire to know more about the Lord, my prayer for you this year is that the Lord would continue to give you a hunger to know about Him. I also pray that He would use that new found knowledge to tug and pull your little heart to Him, giving you an understanding of your sin and the only one who can save you. You are a special little boy and I pray that the Lord would use your enthusiasm and love of people as a tool to draw others to Himself one day.

Life would be so boring without you in it my little buddy! Mommy and Daddy love you William Sawyer and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank the Lord for you!

Randomness

2011-12-05T15:37:00.000-05:00

So welcome back to the Headley neck of the woods. We've been up to quiet a bit trying to keep up with these three! We're having fun and trying to keep our heads screwed on straight while we're doing it. : ) Here's just a small glimpse of some of the cuteness these three have been up to lately.

Grandpa gave the boys these masks when we were at the beach and they are often seen running around our house with them on pretending all sorts of things!

Libby Lou got a swing put up in the backyard so gone are the days of the boys going to play outside by themselves while I cook. If they do go outside, then this is what I see.

Cutie boy with his baseball hat and glove.

She loves to be outside!

Sweet boy!

Silly Willy!

Mom found these costumes at a yard sale. Jack likes the idea of them but usually doesn't want to wear them. Sawyer, however, loves them!

Stay tuned for more pictures to come! We've got to catch up on the SC State Fair and mommy's photography class. : )

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 17

2011-10-17T15:02:00.023-04:00

Well, I had good intentions, so that should count for something, right? To make a long story short, I had to give up my computer to our church secretary for a few days, leaving me no way to blog! Oops! When I got it back, I was just out of the habit, and didn't take the time to sit down and catch up. I'm not going to try and go back and write 6 blogs, but what I will do is write 2 recipes each day for the next 5 days so that we're back on track at least for that part. It amazes me how quickly we drop back into old habits, even when we were doing so well with the new ones! It can be true for any part of your life, so just remember that when you're cooking! Just like it would be so much easier to sleep in than to get up and go running (for those of us who are NOT runners!), the same is true for cooking! If you don't regularly cook for your family, then trying to make that a habit isn't going to happen over night! It's going to take discipline and the understanding that you're going to stumble a few times. Just like we tell our kids, you've got to keep getting back up and trying again! You can do it! It would have been a lot easier for me to just quit blogging, but it's something I started and I want to finish it. If you've stopped cooking for a few days, get back in the saddle and finish the month! It's better than nothing, right?! To give you a little inspiration, here are two new favorites in my house, Stuffed Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup.

I have a new love interest that shows up often at our house recently. Ian wasn't so sure at first, but now he's more than ok with it. Who? No, it's a what, goat cheese. I LOVE it! It's got such a great tang, but it's soft, which makes it great for so many things, like stuffing chicken breasts!

3-4 chicken breasts (as many as your family needs)
2-4 ounces goat cheese
spice blend (Italian, steak seasoning, Greek, whatever you have!)
chicken stock
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter

Ok, so you can do this one of two ways, and it's totally up to you. You can cut a slit in the middle of your chicken breast (the length of the breast, not the width) to make a pocket in the majority of your chicken or you can pound it out thin and roll your cheese up inside. I made the pocket, because I don't have a mallet for pounding and have to use my rolling pin. That gets old, so a knife works much better for me. : ) If you roll it be sure to skewer to hold it closed and brown all sides. Bring a skillet to a medium high heat. Stuff each chicken breast with about an ounce of goat cheese and be sure to spread it into all the corners and crevices of the pocket. Now sprinkle one side with a little bit of salt, pepper and your spice blend. You won't the chicken to be lightly covered in spices to give plenty of flavor. Now, lightly coat your skillet in olive oil and put the chicken spice side down in a skillet and let brown for a few minutes. You want a nice caramelized brown before flipping. Flip and do the same on the other side. As soon as it's browned, turn the heat down to a medium low, cover and let it finish cooking for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken. Now set your chicken aside and put your reserved liquid into a bowl. Turn the heat back up to a medium heat, then put your butter in the pan and let it melt. Next add your flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Don't let it burn, but make sure to whisk up the little browned bits in the bottom of your pan. Slowly add the reserve liquid into the pan, whisking as you pour. If it is too thick, then continue to thin with chicken stock. This is the sauce to go on top of your chicken so make it as thick or as thin as you want it. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, then lower the heat and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some wine or lemon juice to your sauce for a different taste.

I will admit that this one is a little more time intensive, but oh so worth it! This soup is wonderful, hearty and screams fall in a bowl! : ) You can also add chicken to this, if you have some leftover roast chicken in the fridge.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 slices of bacon
salt
pepper
6 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup rice
1/2 of a smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup corn kernels
3/4 cup half and half (or milk)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 1 cup of the chicken stock. When smooth set aside.

While the squash is roasting, bring 2 cups of chicken stock and a 1/4 cup of onion to a boil and then add your rice, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, then set aside. In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Pull the bacon out and leave just enough bacon grease to cover the bottom of the pan. Saute the sausage for about 3 minutes. Next add the onion and corn, lightly salt and pepper and saute for 3 more minutes. Add the remaining chicken stock and squash puree (as well as cooked chicken if you're using it) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes, skimming off any fat that rises to the top. Add the rice and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add your half and half (or milk and stir until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 11

2011-10-11T23:17:00.000-04:00

So it's Tuesday which means some more Tips in the Kitchen. So I'm going to give you a run down of my essentials for three different areas in my kitchen: spices, pantry and the fridge. Today I'll cover spices and then we'll hit the others in the days to come. Spices are often expensive and you aren't going to want to buy them all at once. They do go on sale, so watch for it and buy a few at a time. The holidays are generally a great time! Here's my list, but keep in mind that I also do a lot of baking so some of these won't be as critical in your pantry.

- oregano
- basil
- rosemary
- cumin
- corriander
- garlic powder
- thyme
- ginger
- nutmeg
- cloves
- celery salt
-cinnamon
- paprika
- chili powder
- bay leaves
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- steak seasoning
- greek seasoning
- italian seasoning
- baking soda
- baking powder
- corn starch
- cream of tartar

Now I realize this is a long list, and you won't use these every one of these each week, but having them around will allow you to try a multitude of new recipes without having to run to the store each time! Hope that helps and we'll get to the rest soon, I promise!

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

So my hubby loves pork chops. I like them periodically, but I always had a hard time over cooking them. I discovered that crusting them in cheese and bread crumbs really helps that. : ) Also, if you don't like pork, you could easily do this with chicken. It's an easy recipe and goes with just about anything.

2 eggs
1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (or italian blend if that's all you have : )
4 - 1/2 inch pork chops
salt and pepper
olive oil

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate until blended. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate and the cheese in a third pie plate. Generously sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper on each side. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the pork chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere. I know this order may seem strange but gently dip and pat to keep as much cheese on the pork as you can. This is part of what keeps your cheese on the chop, keeping it moist.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, be sure not to crowd the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes per side.

Tomorrow we'll take it up a notch on the degree of difficulty and share a new favorite in our family, Stuffed Chicken. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it's stuffed with. : )

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 9 and 10

2011-10-10T22:28:00.000-04:00

So yesterday was a crazy day for us, but I'm hoping that this will be the last time we do a two for one blog post. : ) I'll try my best!
So let's just get real for a minute shall we? Tonight I was reminded of how my evenings don't always go as planned and sometimes dinner doesn't get on the table "on time" and my circumstances aren't always ideal . . . and that's OK! I got home from running some errands a little late this afternoon and I needed to go ahead and get something in the oven so I just left the groceries on the floor and started peeling some apples. While I was doing this Sawyer started "helping" unload the groceries for me and when I turned around all three of the kids were in the middle of the floor and the rest of the floor was literally covered in groceries and empty bags. Yep, I've got some great helpers. : ) We all have moments like this, and often during dinner preparation. In these moments we've got a choice to, out of frustration and pure self, send the kids out of the kitchen and proceed to clean up in a huff or gently guide and direct our kiddos and teach them to put away the groceries and really help. Which do you choose? After a long day, I know sometimes I'm way to quick to make the wrong choice, instead of letting the Spirit work through me to teach my kids. For you, maybe it's a co-worker that leads you to the breaking point, your husband or another family member. It's hard, but when I'm tempted to be short, or when I have been short I can't help but remember this encouragement from Isaiah 40:11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Doesn't that melt your heart and give you such a peace? If you have been bought with the blood of Christ, if you are part of His flock He carries you close to His heart! I hear those words and it makes me feel cared for, loved and cherished. He gently leads me, and He, more than anyone, knows how much I need it! Lord, let me gently lead my babies the way you lead me!

Well, since I can't figure out a good transition, I'll just leave you with two recipes. : ) We'll do one for breakfast and one for dinner.

My kids love oatmeal. I love the idea of oatmeal. I love the health benefits of oatmeal, but I really don't care for the texture of oatmeal. That is, until I tried baked oatmeal. This I love! It makes a lot, but you can keep it in the fridge and then reheat in individual bowls the next morning with a little bit of milk or water.

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 (18-oz.) container regular oats

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Toss 2 cups blueberries in 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Combine oats, next 9 ingredients, and remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Mix gently with the blueberries and pour into a greased, 9x13 baking dish. Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 more minutes or until golden brown and set.

Variations: You can switch the blueberries for peaches, or a 1/2 cup toasted pecans and 4-5 chopped Granny Smith apples.

One of our family's favorite recipes! This is such a nice change from plain old barbecue sauce out of a bottle.

White Barbecue Chicken

1 pint mayonaise
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons pepper
6 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 package bone-in, skin on chicken

Blend all ingredients until smooth. You can cook your chicken in the oven or on the grill. If you choose to grill it, then partially boil it first so as not to burn it or over cook it. Either way, you'll want to start applying your sauce the last15-20 minutes of cooking. Brush sauce on, let cook for a few minutes, then flip and brush the other side. Continue doing this coating each side 3-4 times. Remember, there is sugar in the sauce, so it will burn if you cook it too long. If done on the grill, you may want to move it to indirect heat while applying the sauce.

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 7 & 8

2011-10-08T22:24:00.000-04:00

So how was your first week of October and the challenge to cook everyday? Did you do it? I'd love to hear what you cooked this week and if you tried anything new! If you didn't make it all week, then try again this week! I didn't make remember to blog everyday, but there's always this week, right? : )

So I thought that to round out the week I would share two more recipes that are easy and another good use of leftover chicken. The first is my all time favorite chicken salad. I used to hate chicken salad. I'm really not a fan of celery in my food. I feel that it is a crunch I don't really want in my sandwich, and it seems that chicken salad always has it. Well, if you like celery in your chicken salad, you can always put it in, but this recipe doesn't need it! Also, I usually just trim down the recipe based on how much chicken I have leftover.

Chicken Salad

- 4 cups chicken (diced or shredded, depends on how you like it)

- 1 cup dried cranberries or sliced grapes

- 1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans (walnuts are also great)

- 1 1/4 cups mayo

- 1/3 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix the chicken, berries and nuts together in a bowl. Mix the mayo, honey, salt and pepper together until well combined then pour over the chicken mixture. Gently stir until well coated. Serve on bread or eat with crackers.

This second dish is really easy and if you don't have enough meat, you can always add some sausage to bulk it up a bit. If you don't have leftover chicken or choose to use some sausage, then you can cook it before the onions and garlic.

Italian Chicken Pasta

2 cups cooked chicken

1/2 a box of pasta (whatever you prefer)

2-3 strips of bacon

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white wine (can substitute chicken stock)

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup italian blend cheese, plus more as needed

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta. Cook the bacon in a large saute pan and then set aside. Leave just enough bacon grease in the pan to cover the bottom. Saute the onions and garlic on a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, but be careful not to let them burn. Deglaze the pan with the wine and let reduce for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and spices and continue letting it cook for about 5 minutes. Take out the bay leaf, slowly pour in the half and half and then whisk in the cheese. Let this simmer for a few minutes and then add more cheese if needed, as well as checking your spices. Add your drained pasta and chicken to the sauce then top with a little more cheese and run under the broiler just until brown.

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 6

2011-10-07T08:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delayed post! We had some technical difficulties, but I think they're worked out . . . at least I hope so. : )

Since I'm trying to play catch up here, I'm going to give you a link to today's recipe and then my thoughts on it. I think spaghetti is one of those things that every mom cooks at some point during the month, some possibly once a week. : ) Growing up, I really didn't care for spaghetti. I would eat it because we were taught to eat what was on our plate, but I never asked for it. Then I got married, and my husband asked for it often. I think he could eat it twice a week and be perfectly content. Since that was the case I started experimenting and trying to come up with different ways to eat it, so I wasn't forced to eat something I really didn't like. Well, I happened upon this recipe and I could definitely eat it at least every other week. : )

Cowboy Spaghetti

First of all, I would definitely try it with the beer at least once. I can't stand to drink beer, but I love to cook with it. It adds such a unique flavor, so give it a try. Second, I would have an extra can of sauce around just in case. I like my spaghetti with a little more sauce, so I always add a little more. Third and last, you can definitely change up the meat and try it with ground chicken or ground turkey. It will have a slightly different flavor, but still great. This is one of those recipes that's so great, you don't really need to change much about it, so go give it a try!

Later today, let's look at another use for that roasted chicken and try my absolute favorite chicken salad! Great for a wonderful fall weekend!

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 5

2011-10-05T20:08:00.000-04:00

For this Wednesday I thought a little Word Filledness was in order. I've been doing a study at our church, with a bunch of other ladies, on Isaiah. It's a Precept study, which in short is a very indepth method of studying the Bible. As a mom I think finding time to study scripture is probably the thing a lot of us struggle with the most. We can read for a few minutes maybe, and pray for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but really study? Does that happen everyday in your house? There are always things that seem to take precedent over it; kids have to be fed, diapers need to be changed, you have to take little people to school/sports/music, and the list goes on and on. Well, for me it was very hit or miss, but as I've done this study (sometimes feeling like I was getting kicked in the rear the whole time) I realized how desperately I need it. This week one of the passages we studied was Isaiah 55. The beginning of the chapter says this,

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David."

Our study of the Word is part of what it means to "eat what is good". Other things you do are just striving in vain and laboring for nothing if you aren't filling your soul with the gourmet fare the Lord provides. Feast at His table so that you can do your daily tasks with a joy filled heart that's overflowing!

And because I promised, here's another recipe. : )

One of my favorite things to make with my kids is pizza. It's super easy to put together, and they will eat so many things piled on their pizza, that they might not otherwise eat, just because they helped! It may not be perfectly even, but it's fun and it still tastes good regardless. Of course, if you want your pizza to look nice and neat, you can always make little personal ones for the kids. : )

Pizza Dough and Sauce

3 cups flour
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1-2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 cup warm water

Combine water and yeast and let it get nice a bubbly, should only take a few minutes. While that's working, mix your dry ingredients and whisk them together. Stir in your oil and water/yeast mixture until completely mixed and dough forms. At this point you have two options, if you're in a hurry, just spread it out on a pan and top with sauce and toppings. If you have a little time to spare, throw it in a bowl that has been brushed with oil, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place (I like the oven, turned off, but with the light on). If you can let it rise for an hour, that's great, but any time is better than nothing. Once risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and work it into the shape you want. The longer it sits the stretchier (I know, it's an awesome cooking term : ) it's going to be, so it may take a little work. You can break into two pizzas or one large one. Brush the edges with a little bit of olive oil and top as you see fit. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until crust is done and the cheese starts to brown.

Sauce

one can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt

This is the easiest thing you'll ever make. Are you ready?? Put it all in a jar and shake it up. That's it. The longer it sits the better it gets, so store it in the fridge if you don't use it all.

Tomorrow, in keeping with our weekly theme of easy, seriously jazzed up spaghetti, cowboy style!

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 4

2011-10-04T16:18:00.001-04:00

For the rest of this month we'll spend Tuesdays doing Tips for the Kitchen. I know, really clever, huh? : ) Today's tips may seem a little basic and common sense to some of you, but I think it's very needed. If there is one question I get asked the most, it would have to be, "How do you coupon, spend so little on groceries and plan your meals?". Well the answer is pretty simple, I use what I have. Ok, let me be a little more detailed in case that was about as clear as mud. : ) I go shopping each week, and I always make a list so I know how much I'm spending when I go into the store. When I'm looking at the sales, I always start with meats. I try to buy enough meat for the week, so I look at our week and weekend to see if there are any events or plans that would alter that (i.e. going over to someone's house or a meeting). If there's a really great sale on something that I use often, like chicken breasts, then I might get enough for two or more weeks depending on how sales run. Once I've picked out my meats then I look through the sale items for things that I will use. If I see things on sale like tortillas then I'll make sure that I have stuff to do fajitas one night before I finish my list. I don't always plan every meal, I just make sure that I keep my spices well stocked and plenty of the essentials (we'll go over this in another post). I usually make sure I have meat out the night before, and if there isn't something that jumps out at me right away I start searching. I'll flip through my recipe book first, and then I will usually go to foodnetwork.com or allrecipes.com. My goal is always to try one new recipe a week. I look for recipes that have 5 stars and lots of ratings. If that doesn't seem to really work for you, then just e-mail or call a friend that you know as a good cook and ask them what you can do with the ingredients you have. : ) Make sense? If you need more detail about something, or if a portion of that didn't make sense, then just ask! So on to our recipe!

Today, I wanted to give you something to put on the side with your chicken and something that will probably be a new favorite in your house! Seriously, my children love this super easy recipe! About a year ago, I was looking for something new to do with sweet potatoes. I love a good baked, sweet potato, but I was getting a little tired of them. I love sweet potato casserole, but there is no way that can be a regular attendee at my table! Well, then I found a recipe that I changed up and I think it might be better than sweet potato casserole and definitely better for you!

Honey Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes

- 4 sweet potatoes

- 1/4 cup melted butter

- 1/4 cup honey

- 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cut your sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes then place in a bowl. Melt your butter then stir in the honey and cinnamon. Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes and then mix until evenly coated. Put in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until tender. You can serve as is or sprinkle a little sea salt for that salty/sweet combo.

Note: you can roast these in the same oven with roast chicken, just cut the cook time a bit and make sure to watch them so your sugar doesn't burn! Also, excuse the little bit of missing skin on the chicken. I may have nibbled a little bit before I thought to take a picture. : )

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 3

2011-10-03T16:19:00.000-04:00

So, I was thinking about it, and I'm pretty sure a large portion of my favorite day-to-day memories were made in the kitchen. This particular memory has absolutely nothing to do with my recipe, but I thought I would share anyway. : )

Growing up, my Dad's parents lived in Florida so we didn't get to see them often, but when we would visit we would stay for a week at a time. My grandparents were very active then and would get up early for breakfast and then go walking or riding their bikes. Getting up to eat breakfast with them was the highlight of my trip! Now, you might think that would be because of the wonderful breakfast food we ate, but it wasn't the food that made it special. It was normally a bowl of cheerios or raisin bran in these little plastic bowls in muted pastel colors. I would be so excited about joining in that I would usually wake up before them and then sit on the step in the dark, looking in the direction of the kitchen, waiting for the light to come on. As soon as I saw that light I would make a beeline for the kitchen where I always got a hug, a bowl of cereal and some juice. We would sit, eat and Grandma and Grandpa would ask me about my little world. The best part though, which I can remember as though it happened yesterday, was when breakfast was done. Grandpa would get his Bible out and Grandma and I would sit on his lap while he read. I remember feeling so special in those moments. Now that I'm older, I look back on the love that they had for one another and I'm grateful for another wonderful example of marriage that the Lord gave me starting at that kitchen table.

Well, like I said, that story has nothing to do with my recipe, but that's ok. Chicken Enchiladas can go with anything. : )

Ingredients:

- 2-3 cups shredded, cooked chicken

- 1 package mexican blend cheese

- 2 cans cream of chicken soup

- 1 16 oz container sour cream

- a few shakes of ground cumin, coriander and chili powder

- tortillas

Now before I get started, let me say that this makes a lot! I usually do one of two things, make it and freeze some for later or cut the recipe in half.

So this is one of those super easy recipes that you can use when you need something fast! You can use the lowfat version of everything and it tastes the same to me! Mix all of the ingredients together, feel free to add some black beans or green chilis if your family likes them, then put several spoonfuls in your tortilla and roll it up, making sure to tuck in the ends and edges. Once they are all wrapped then you can either brown them in a pan one at a time with a little bit of oil, or line them up in 9x13, brush them with oil and brown in the oven. While they are browning, you can cook the sauce.

1 1/2 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon flour

1-2 tablespoons chili powder (depending on how hot you like it)

8 ounces chicken stock

5 ounces tomato puree

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cumin

salt to taste

Heat the oil in a saucepan and then whisk in your flour and cook for one minute, but be sure not to let it burn! Add your chili powder and cook another 30 seconds. Whisk in the rest of your ingredients and then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, then ladle over enchiladas before serving. For a twist you can add some lime juice.

Note: you can use the leftover bones and skin from your chicken to make some stock!

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 2

2011-10-03T07:25:00.000-04:00

So I'm off to a great start; I completely forgot to blog DAY 2 of this series. Awesome. : )

I'm sure that a lot of you think of Sunday as the day you had a huge family dinner after church, and while that happened often in our house, I think big breakfast (even as dinner sometimes) were more common. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE a big family dinner but on Sundays sometimes easy is where it's at! For the majority of our married life I've worked a job that has allowed me to work from home but requires that I work on Sundays at our church. Awesome for our kids, but not very conducive to cooking lunch or dinner for that matter. Since I didn't want to eat out a ton, we started doing breakfast for dinner on Sundays. More often than not, it will be pancakes, eggs and bacon. What's the best part about it (besides how easy it is)? Little people really can help! Since Sawyer was little he's helped dump and stir and now I have two little helpers. : ) One gets the dry ingredients and one gets the wet and they can stir to their little hearts' content. I love that my boys love to help (at least most days) and while it may take a little bit longer, the time we spend together is worth a little extra flour on the floor, milk on the counter and batter on my clothes.

So Day 2 is Pancakes!!

Ingredients:
1 cup self-rising flour, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup buttermilk (just add 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to milk)
3 tablespoons melted and cooled butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl mix your dry ingredients until well incorporated and there are no big lumps of flour. In a separate bowl mix the milk and butter, then whisk in your egg and vanilla. Once mixed well, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Now, here's the important part DON'T OVER MIX IT!! The temptation is always to try and make it a smooth batter because you don't want to have clumps of flour, but if you do that you will have flat pancakes. I usually whisk it briskly while counting to 20 and then make yourself stop. Obviously, you don't want huge lumps of flour, but you will have some small ones and that's ok. Put your batter in the fridge while your griddle (or pan) heats up to a medium high heat. On my griddle that's about 375, but just play with your settings. When you get your batter out you should see lots of little bubbles on the top. Don't stir it up again, just be sure that you scoop down deep into your bowl to get some of the bottom and the top layer. Pour it on and watch those beautiful pancakes fluff up! Yum!

Come back later today for some ideas for that leftover roasted chicken!

The Wheels on Mommy's Van . . .

2011-10-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

go round and round, round and round, round and round

the wheels on Mommy's van go round and round,

all the way to preschool!

This sweet little boy started preschool earlier this month, and to say he loves it,

well that's putting it mildly.

He was so excited to go on the first day and play with all his new friends and his very sweet teachers! Jack thought it was all great fun. He got to get new shoes too, eat a special breakfast and smile for the camera.

Until he realized he didn't get to go. : (

For the first two weeks, every few minutes all I heard was, "Mommy, we go get Sawyer now?". It nearly broke my heart the first few days, but then I realized how wonderful it was. My boys love each other so much that they're sad when they're apart. What sweet, brothers they are!

The time apart has been good. My little social butterfly loves to mingle at school, which gives the middle child some time alone with Momma; that's never a bad thing. : ) It makes the time together even more fun and exciting, and Sawyer is quick to share all his new knowledge with his brother and sister.

So here's hoping that this Mommy can make the most of every day and every moment this year with my three babies as the wheels go round and round.

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 1

2011-10-01T14:45:00.000-04:00

For me, the kitchen is a warm, wonderful, homey, loving, fun-filled, creative outlet kind of place. I know it sounds cliche, and it probably is, but it's true for me. I love being in my kitchen. Coming up with new recipes and ideas for foods I love is really my creative outlet. I will scower the internet for hours looking for recipes and then tweaking them to make them something I think will be great. Now, don't get me wrong, it doesn't always turn out that way, but I love to give it a try!
Some might say that it's just genetic, like mother like daughter, and there's probably some level of truth to that. My mom is an amazing cook and she definitely passed on a lot of her knowledge to me. I think my love for the kitchen is more than just having a mom that cooked all the time. Mom didn't just use the kitchen as a place to teach me how to cook so I would be a good little wife and mother. The kitchen was the place where I learned to work hard to achieve something, and while I was doing that, I was having heart-to-heart discussions that the Lord used to shape much more than my cooking skills. Anyone can cook, and anyone can learn to cook, but learning how to both cook and be a Godly woman, that's what makes the kitchen a special place for me!
So here's my plan. I know there are plenty of cooking blogs out there, and I'm not going to try and turn into one of them. However, for this month, I'm going to do two things: I'm going to share more of my memories and thoughts on how to make the kitchen a special place for your family and while doing that, I'm going to share a new recipe everyday. I don't have any particular plan for the recipes, just different ones I like on varying difficulty levels, so if you have something you want to learn to make or a general concept you want to hear about, just let me know!  Blogging everyday is going to be a huge challenge for me, so here's my challenge for you, cook everyday for the next month. It can be as easy as scrambled eggs for breakfast, or a 3 course meal for dinner. I don't care what you cook, just try it!

To kick things off we're going to start with one of the easiest things you'll ever make, and that you can use in TONS of different recipes! Roast Chicken is probably the number one go to on my list of dinner items. Some of you may look at the cook time and think, why?? Well, I can roast an entire package of chicken (side note, I can get said package for $5 when on sale) and then use it for multiple meals throughout the week. The possiblities are endless! So without further ado, Roast Chicken.

Ingredients:
- bone in, skin on chicken breasts (however many you want or will fit on your pan)
- salt (I prefer sea salt)
- pepper
- extra virgin olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Rub both sides of your chicken with the above ingredients and don't be afraid to give it a good sprinkle of salt!  I probably use about a tablespoon of salt (maybe a little more) for an entire package (5 very large breasts), about a teaspoon of pepper and maybe 2-3 tablespoons (give or take) of olive oil. Rub it all in good and then place them on a roasting pan or a cookie sheet, whatever you've got will work. Be sure they aren't overlapping or touching, so they will cook evenly and get a nice crispy skin. Cook for 1 hour and then you're done!

I like to add some carrots and potatoes (cut into about 2 inch chunks) rubbed with the same ingredients and dinner is done.  The sky is the limit for variations. Switch up your spices and add some rosemary and thyme, greek seasoning, italian, cajun, or brush on barbecue sauce for the last 15 minutes of cooking! Whatever you don't eat, you can pull off the bone, stick in a ziploc and freeze or refrigerate for another meal later.  I promise, you can do it!! Now go cook! : )

Beach Trip Part 2

2011-09-15T13:26:00.000-04:00

So here's some more cuteness for your viewing pleasure. : )

Note that there is NO ONE in the background! That is a lot of empty beach which made for an extremely peaceful trip.

Sawyer was up building castles with Daddy and had no interest in joining us in the water for some pictures. However, these two were being super cute together.

Thanks to our sweet babies, we were up to see the sunrise from our porch every morning. At least we had a great view! :

Snugglin' for a movie before bedtime!

This big boy was all about digging, building and exploring! He didn't stay still for very long!

My little blue-eyed girl loved every part of the beach from the second we put her in the sand and water. The only time she fussed while we were out there was when she was hungry and as soon as that belly was full, she was back to enjoying the sand, sun and water.

The kid in Ian still loves to explore, so he and the boys would take off everyday to check out the island. For some reason every time I see this picture, I hear the song from Peter Pan,

"We're following the leader, the leader, the leader. We're following the leader wherever he may go" : )

Lovin' the taste of salt : )

Jumpin' the waves!

Watching the fish boats come in and ready to go!

Digging and more digging!

So the last day we were there I tried to get some pictures of my beautiful babies. We didn't end up with perfection, but it's better than where we started.

We started with playing and eating some grass . . .

And then some less than enthusastic facial expressions . . .

What's that, Mom?? You want me to smile???

Maybe next time. I'm outta here!

I hope and pray we always love to spend this much time together! Can't wait for next year and many more family vacations to come.

Beach Trip

2011-09-14T19:55:00.000-04:00

Last week we went on vacation to Harbor Island and had a WONDERFUL time. It was the perfect beach for little ones and it was almost empty this time of year. To say we enjoyed it would be an extreme understatement. The boys had an absolute blast and Libby is a beach baby for sure! I tried to narrow down the pictures, but it's still going to take two posts. : )

Marching, Marching

There were several people fishing down the beach so Sawyer decided to get in on the action.

Here fishy, fishy!

Nothing like a yummy, sandy snack!

We built a sandcastle . . . or ten! : )

I tried to get the boys to look at me, but who wants to look at the camera when you can put sand on each other's heads!

The best we could get with a family picture . . . 3 out of 5 looking at the camera and smiling isn't too bad, right?

This particular island stretched for miles at the same depth, so when the tide went out you were left with little tide pools everywhere. So fun for little ones!

Two things about this picture. First, I just love that she's all prissy with her legs crossed even though she's covered in sand. Second, any idea what she's looking at?

The beach was so empty that the boys would draw lines down the beach and have races.

On your mark get set GO!

One particular little boy in our house is very fast : )

She's got her eye on the bubbles . . .

Now get 'em girlie!

Where did they go Libby Lou?

Mom, this is the life! Can we just stay here??

Silly Willy!

Giveaway!

2011-09-12T15:12:00.000-04:00

I almost didn't post this so that I had a better chance of winning! : ) My friend Kitty is doing an awesome giveawy on her blog for a cooking class here in Columbia! Go check out her blog to get all the details and find out how you can win (or me : )!

Cool Dude

2011-09-05T20:36:00.000-04:00

We play outside a lot and when I say a lot, I mean 4-6 hours a day, sometimes more when the weather isn't so hot! Well, Jack refuses to wear sunglasses but seems to really be sensitive to the sun in his eyes. I figured I would buy them new hats (since my child with the large head can't wear his toddler hats anymore!) and see if he would wear that.

They wear their hats alright, just the wrong way to do any good with the sun! : ) Everytime they put them on backwards Sawyer says, "Cool Dude!" and of course that's the best thing ever to Jack, so there is no other way to wear a hat in his mind. I think Uncle Josh will have to be brought in to make the other way cool.

If you know my sweet, cuddly little 2 year old, then this face just makes you laugh! Doesn't he just look so tough?!

And . . . if you know this crazy kiddo, then you know this picture is EXACTLY his personality!

Too funny!

I love you my "cool dudes"

If You Take Two Boys Outside . . .

2011-08-27T12:28:00.001-04:00

If you take two boys outside after nap time, their going to want to have a snack at their picnic table.

While they're eating, they'll see their toys and decide it's time to play. When they're playing, they'll run around and pull each other in the wagon.

It won't take long until one of them sees the big puffy clouds in the sky, which reminds them of bubbles, so they'll ask for their bubble guns.

They'll start by blowing bubbles in the wind, but it won't take long before "little boy mischief" sets in

and they start blowing them at each other.

Then a little sister will start to cry and it will be time to start dinner, so mommy will go inside and stand in the kitchen where she can keep an eye on the two little mischief makers. However, it won't be long before two things happen, blowing bubbles gets boring and the bubble bowl spills. So being the best little mischief makers around, they will decide it would be WAY more fun to make bubbles on EACH other while mommy is busy over a saute pan.

This will lead to hysterical giggling, which you can't help but join in.

And after you've sprayed them off with the hose and taken them inside,

they'll probably ask to go back outside. : )

total slacker

2011-08-22T13:51:00.000-04:00

So I realize I've been a total slacker the past two weeks with posting, but I promise we haven't fallen off the face of the earth! I took on a small part time job helping with the children's ministry at our new church plant. We just launched this week, which was super exciting, but required a TON of work. Now that we're over that hurdle and things are slowing down a bit, I'll have a little more time to blog. Stay tuned for the next installment to a much loved series. It's entited, "If You Take Two Boys Outside". : )

Guest Post

2011-08-03T11:18:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all! Today I'm guest posting over at This Life I Live . My friend Danielle is the usual blogger for this site and one of my best friends. She was the first person to talk to invite me to something at our church (which is no surprise if you know her!) and we've been through lots of awesome, hard, crazy stuff together. We are complete oposites, but that's what makes it fun. : ) Go on over and check her out and you can read my post while you're at it!

Summer Time

2011-07-24T22:05:00.000-04:00

and the livin' is easy. Ok, I know it was cheesy, but I couldn't resist! : ) Summer used to be my least favorite time of the year. I really don't enjoy hot weather and much prefer to bundle up with a blanket, a fire and a cup of hot chocolate! However, with little people running all around, I've discovered that summer is a lot of fun for them, and for me! We've had so much fun doing all kinds of outside activities (not really including this last week of the heat wave!).

Little miss likes outside, but we're still working on all of our tricks inside, like sitting up and figuring out these toys!

We went to pick blueberries in Darlington, and as you can imagine there was a lot of this . . .

and this . . .

There were some very satisfied little boys walking around those bushes.

A lot of silly, clean fun after splashing all morning in the pool

Jumping "all together" as it's called in our house, is way more fun! What you don't see in this picture, is the little fish that this boy has become. He can jump off the side of the pool, turn and swim to the side all without any help! When he decides he's going to do something, there's no stopping him!

This guy likes the pool and the water, but he's just as content to sit and have a snack . . . or two or three. : )

We've also had fun inside at some cool places like Edventure. My camera died, so I didn't get many pictures, but we had a blast! We probably could have stayed another hour or two, so I think another visit and a membership will be in order for a birthday!

Snack is always more fun when it's outside at the picnic table!

And of course, what's summer without a popsicle?!

Thanks to Grandma, we've made our own posicles almost every day with these fun twist pops!

And pretty much any time of year is good for some bubbles!

What about you? Have you enjoyed your summer as much as we have?

Awesome Adoption Giveaway!

2011-07-18T15:31:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all! Some friends of ours are trying to raise money for their second adoption and as part of this process they are hosting a great giveaway on their blog. If you're interested in their story, you can read more about it here. Go check out an awesome giveaway and support this sweet family and help them bring home their baby!

Moments like these

2011-07-07T20:42:00.001-04:00

Recently we've had a few frustrating days in our house. As parents, you're going to have them, probably every day! I've struggled the past few days with how I'm handling things and just wanting to find a way to "fix" it all.

But then, I layed in bed with you tonight and you asked me to "tell me a story about when you were little" and we layed nearly nose to nose while you hung on every word. You smiled so big I thought it might get stuck, and asked for another as soon as I was done.

And, you sweet girl, snuggled with me and I kissed your cheeks again and again. I mean, how could you not want to kiss THOSE cheeks??

And in the car, I listened as you and brother sang, Matthew 19:14 from the Hide 'em in Your Heart CD. Your sweet little voice could be heard above the chatter of everyone else.

and that's when I realized it's moments like these that I love being your mom. I needed that little encouragement and a reminder that you are each on loan, my gifts from the Lord.

Time Flies

2011-07-05T11:36:00.000-04:00

When you're having fun, so they say, but I wish time would slow down just a bit! I can't believe my sweet, baby girl is 6 months old. I feel like it was just a few weeks ago that we brought her home from the hospital! I remember feeling like time was speeding along with Sawyer, and even more so with Jack but with number three it seems to be going by at warp speed! So, even though I'm an ultra schedule momma, and love to get my kids in bed early, I've learned the joy of keeping her up a little later for some extra snuggles. I can't get these days back and I'm going to enjoy every minute while I can my little, blue-eyed love.

You are definitely a happy girl, once you warm up to people. You're becoming a bit of a Momma's girl, but I won't complain!

You can make some funny faces my dear, but they're always super cute!

You've only grown to love those brothers more and more, and the same is true of them. They love to make you laugh and smile and are the first to let me know when you're not happy.

They also think all the new skills you've learned are things they need to copy too.

The three little amigos!

You weren't a huge fan of cereal the first go round, but you've warmed up to it nicely, thanks to your friends Ms. Apple and Mr. Banana. : )

You're not a huge fan of the flash on the camera

But you eventually warm up to it!

You're becoming more curious by the day, and I think you might be a little extrovert like your brother. You're not a huge fan of being left alone and Sawyer, since he feels your pain, is the first to run back to keep you company.

So here's to hoping that the next six months go as slow as molasses in January! I'd like to keep my baby girl for a wee bit longer. ; )

Celebrating Us

2011-06-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

On Sunday Ian and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. Since a lot of things aren't open or close early on Sundays, we went out on Friday to celebrate. We had a nice relaxing dinner, got coffee and had hours of uninterrupted conversation, which was just we wanted and needed. Every year Ian has tried to be creative and get me something to do with the symbolic gift for that year. Did you know that year 7 was wool and copper?? He searched and found the cutest little copper tin and a pair of wool socks. : ) Super sweet if you know my icy cold toes and love for storage bins. Ok, some people may roll their eyes at the thought of those things actually being a good gift for your anniversary, but after having been together for 12 years he knows what I like and what he's good at buying. : )

Well, in honor of these 7 years here are, in no particular order, 7 things I love about my hubby!

1- I love that I always get a kiss before he leaves (even if it's 4 am) and a kiss when he gets home! It's a simple thing, but it says, "I still love you and you're special to me!".

2- I love how he loves our babies and how much they love him! It's like a party when Daddy comes home. He plays all sorts of games and funny things, but one of my favorites as of late is story time in the bathtub. He gives the boys their bath and after they get clean he uses their bath toys to tell stories. They usually involve a hippo and an elephant. : )

3- I love the way I can look back over the last 7, really the last 12 years, and see how the Lord has worked in his heart and life to cause growth. Recently, I've seen a man who never thought he was called to do anything overseas, being pulled and tugged towards an unlikely country and trying to figure out what his role should be in seeing the gospel spread to all nations. Awesomeness that only the Lord can do!

4- I love that we're a little old couple together. : ) A friend of mine says periodically that I'm "a little old lady in my heart". Well, it's pretty true of me and of Ian too and I wouldn't change a thing. (Ok, he's a little old man, not a lady, but you get the point, right?)

5- I love that he is so intelligent. He's always handy to have around during trivia games. : ) Ian would never boast about it though, which makes it all the more endearing.

6- I love that our interests are so different. The Lord has definitely used our differences to balance us as a couple and stretch us personally.

7- I love that he loves to laugh, even at himself from time to time (like when his wife convinces him that someone stole our van. : )

There are plenty of other things that I love about my hubby, but for now I'll leave it at that. Happy anniversary, Hubs and I can't wait for many more to come!!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-20T15:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to two of the best Dad's anyone could ever ask for! Hubby, you're such an awesome dad to our three kiddos. They love you so much and it's obvious to anyone that spends even a few minutes with all of you. You wrestle, snuggle and everything in between. You work hard for us and pray diligently for our sweet babies. I love you and feel so blessed to have you as my partner and the Godly leader of our home. We love you!

There's something special between a Daddy and his girl, at least this girl and her Daddy. I've always been a bit of a Daddy's girl. Don't get me wrong, my Mom is one of my best friends, but as any daughter knows, there's something different with your Daddy. Growing up, I saw a real life example of a Godly leader played out in front of me day in and day out. He was never perfect, and was the first to tell you that, but used those imperfections to teach us and help us learn from his mistakes. While he may be a little more tender hearted when it comes to his grands, I say he's still the same lovingly, consistent dad I had growing up. The Lord continues to use him (and my mom) to teach me things, and I hope that doesn't stop! I love you, Daddy!

Like Me!

2011-06-01T20:39:00.000-04:00

I've discovered that parenting is a road you walk down and sometimes you feel like you're in the dark. You've asked for help and read the books and, well, the light you've been given still doesn't seem to help you miss those pot holes! Sometimes, the road seems to turn and bend and you just didn't see it coming. A few days ago, was one of those days. I've heard other adoptive parents talk about it, and I knew the day would come, I just didn't realize it would be this particular day. A few days ago, we had a friend over for dinner. They have a little boy that Sawyer has seen on numerous occasions. Well, on this day, as soon as Sawyer caught sight of baby Marcus coming out of the car seat he said, "Oh my gosh (don't worry we dealt with that later : )! Mommy, he looks like me!!!!" I just stopped and looked at him! Up until this point he has seemed oblivious to this fact. He then went on to talk about his hair and his skin and how he and Marcus were both chocolate. : ) The next morning, he was sitting in bed with Libby and me, looked down and said, "Oh my goodness! Mommy Wibby looks like Jackers!" Since then, it's come up in conversation almost every day! There's never been any sadness about it, just stating facts.

There's a part of me that wishes he could go on with life and never notice. I know there is a very real possibility that at some point in his life his story may cause him sadness and as his mom I wish I could keep it from happening. We will always do our best to help him see that there are many kids and families that are "like him". I'm so thankful for the famillies that God has brought into our lives who have already adopted and those to come. I will try my best to help all of my children see that they are special just the way God made them and that He doesn't do anything by accident. As much as I want him to feel secure in who he is and the family God's placed him in, his real need is another adoption! So while I will pray and try to help him feel secure, I'll be praying harder for him to see his sin and need to become a son of the King. It's then and only then that he'll find true security and identity . . . and more people "like him".

Terrific Twos . . . again!

2011-05-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I have another baby who's turned two! I still remember the day he came into the world like it was yesterday, and even though I know it wasn't, I sometimes feel that it was. I love all of my children, and they each hold a special "only" and "first" spot. Sawyer was our first baby and our first adoption. That makes him pretty special! Libby is my first (and for now the only) girl. I love having a sweet little girl to dress up, and know that I'll have someone else to do girly stuff with one day. That definitely makes her special!

And then there's Jack. I thought for years that I would never give birth to my babies, and I was ok with that! The Lord had different plans however, and boy am I glad he did! I can't imagine our lives without Jackers and Libby Lou in the mix! Jack was my first belly baby and to top it off, born on my birthday! I'd say that makes him pretty special too!

So without further ado, here's a little about Jackeroo!

You're very intent to little details when your working hard on something you find important. Whether it's hitting a ball, building a tower or coloring. You won't be distracted by things around you when you're hard at work. A lot like a certain Daddy I know!

You're a wee bit messy when it comes to food, but we love you anyway, and at least for now I can always tell what you've been into with a sweet little kiss. : )

You're not the fastest about doing things (some might say you get that from your Momma), but boy do you enjoy things as you go!

You love food and can out eat your brother any day of the week! This helps to make you my chub-a-love. I must say, I'm a little nervous for you to hit the teen years!

Even though you like to play by yourself sometimes, you LOVE to do whatever brother's doing. While you may be cautious about trying many things, if you see brother do it, you'll probably give it a try.

You make the funniest faces, my silly boy, especially when you're looking at your brother. ; )

You're all boy! You love a good puddle to jump in, trying to touch lizards and dumping dirt on your head. I think I could bathe you 3 times a day!

You love music and currently sing the last word in each line of a song, which cracks your Daddy and me up! We love to hear you sing and I hope you always love it too!

You're my snugly boy, who is content to sit and read books for as long as my voice will last. You're quiet in new places, but once you warm up, you can talk any one's ear off! Right now you look like your Daddy and act like your Momma, but we'll see as you continue to grow. : ) One thing I know for sure . . .

You were made for us, my sweet little boy!

I love you and pray that you will grow into, just like we pray every night, "a young man who will grow up to love Jesus and never stop loving Him".

Best Buddies

2011-05-17T12:58:00.000-04:00

These two are the best of friends! Sure they have their moments, like all siblings do, but they would rather be together than apart, and right now they would choose to play with each other over just about anyone.

Exploring is always more fun with a partner in crime!

Why feed yourself when you could feed each other?!

Fun in the rain or sun!

Silly side by side fun.

Books are always more fun together.

I hope these two little stinkers always love each other as much as they do now!

Mother's Day a few days late

2011-05-17T11:18:00.000-04:00

So I had a wonderful Mother's day post written and I was trying to fix something with the font, when the darn thing got deleted! I hate when that happens! Of course, if I had used half a brain I could have just closed the window and it wouldn't have saved my changes, but did I do that? Nope! Anyway, here is what I can remember of what I wrote. : ) These are my thoughts on Mother's Day this year, in no particular order.

- This year my heart was particularly heavy for my friends and family who are waiting to be called mother. I know so many people in that position and I know how hard it is! I know that words can't do much but I want you to know, if that's you, I was praying for you on Mother's Day!

- I think the more time I spend as a mom the more I appreciate and have come to understand all that my own mom did for us! Being a mom, stay at home or not, is HARD work!! It's rewarding in ways that you never even realized, but anyone who tells you it's easy is lying through their teeth! : ) Year after year, I'm realizing all that my mom sacrificed for us. I know she wouldn't change a thing, and I'm thankful for all she taught us and continues to teach me. She's an awesome mom and Granna, someone that I'm blessed to have in my life and now someone I call my friend. I love you, Momma!

- And of course, last but certainly not least, the reason I can celebrate Mother's Day, my beautiful babies. They bring such joy to my day even in the little things.

Libby smiles with her whole body the minute my face comes into view. I could just snuggle her all day long!

Jack yells my name and comes running to hug my legs anytime I walk into the room

and Sawyer is ready with a kiss and a hug at all times during the day.

What love I have for you three!

May I be the mother the Lord has called me to be, so that in our daily walk together, you will see Him through me.

Monday, Monday

2011-04-25T20:45:00.013-04:00

So I was going to try and link up with another blog for Miscellany Monday, but I couldn't figure out how to do it! Ha! Someone will have to explain it to me, so I can try next week. I thought it would be a great link since I feel like that pretty much sums up my life most days, miscellanious! So, I'll just do my post anyway! : )

1. Randomness via my children
What they say is so true, kids really do say the craziest things! This afternoon, when Sawyer WASN"T taking a nap, he was having some alone play time in the playroom. I was in the living room and heard him growling in frustration, so I asked what was wrong. He came in and said, "Honey, I tryin' to get the bears in the bag!!" Hilarious!

2. Not So Happy Easter
Well, we had the best of intentions for Easter this year. We were going to have a house full of people, 19 to be exact, for lunch, that is until the sickness hit. I don't know that I've been so dissapointed in a while. First, Jack got sick, and then Sawyer, then Ian and me. Libby sounds like she may be getting it too, so we'll see. I was so looking forward to this weekend and all the fun we would have with friends, but also talking to Sawyer about what Easter was all about. He takes so much more in these days and I just had these wonderful visions of sitting around as a family telling the story of Jesus' resurrection. Let's just say that did NOT happen. I realized today though, as cliche as it may sound, the Easter story is not just for one day. I can read it to them everyday if I want (and I just might!) and talk about it just as much! I want my kids to be in awe of what Christ did on that cross and what it means for them.

3. Flowers
I love flowers. I love having them in my yard, on my table, and seeing them around town. I do NOT like all the up-keep that comes with flowers. I have decided that I'm going to stick with perennials and bulbs because they are my cup of tea!

(These are a few of the beauties that were blooming at the zoo recently!)

4. Jack and Giraffes

So after this little incident at the zoo, Jack is not too fond of giraffes. Can you tell why?

5. Libby aka Wibby Woo
I call Libby, Libby Loo a lot and Sawyer picked it up, but Sawyer has given it a new spin, Wibby Woo. Needless to say, it's so cute that it stuck. I mean, I think it fits that sweet little cutie pie in the sun hat.

February Flies by . . .

2011-04-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

So, yes, I DO know that it is April now! I promise, I'm not that behind. : ) There were just so many pictures in my February file that I couldn't let get by without a post. So here you go!

February was filled with lots of cute boys playing . . .

A little girl and dedicating her to the Lord. She is not ours, but a gift from Him that we are entrusted with. A really cute gift!

A lot of play time outside with all of the

nice weather . . .

Picnics as well . . .

Rockin' on our guitars . . .

learning more about being good big brothers and teaching Libby all sorts of things, like how to play with her toys . . .

Lots of time spent being firemen . . .

and being silly . . .

a fun Valentine's date for Mommy and Daddy . . .

and of course, there's always time for books . . .

Oh, how these little loves have my heart!

Word FIlled Wednesday

2011-03-30T13:57:00.006-04:00

So I always see cute pictures on other blogs for Wordless Wednesday and I think to myself, "That would be so easy. Why don't I do that?" Well, the answer to that is because I can't resist adding a caption to that picture. : ) I figured since that's the case, I should just title mine Word Filled instead! Since I'll be filling this post with words, I thought I would share something the Lord has been teaching me recently, in hopes that it will help you wherever you are!

A few weeks ago, I was really feeling pretty good about how things were going in our house. I was keeping a clean house, getting dinner cooked, keeping a good schedule for all three kids, basically feeling pretty good about myself. I was giving myself a pat on the back and congratulating myself on a job well done when it all came crashing down (I mean, you could see that one coming, right?). One little person got sick, and then another, and then another and then a big person. Needless to say, we spent almost 3 weeks dealing with sick, cranky children which meant all my hard work went down the drain. The TV became my babysitter some days, dinner didn't always make it on the table, and you wouldn't have wanted to walk in my bathroom! I was pretty frustrated about it all, when I realized exactly WHY I was so frustrated. I had been relying on myself to do it all. My pride had tripped me up and I had fallen on my face, instead of living on my knees in need of my Father daily. If you know me well, you know that my "independent" streak is something with which I constantly struggle. As frustrating as it was to realize, there was also a sense of hope in that realization. I was much quicker to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and see the places I needed change. I still try to have dinner on the table every night, a clean bathroom, and a schedule for the kids, but I know that without a constant reliance on the Lord, it will end up in shambles around my feet. My goal is not to pat myself on the back with how great I am, but to recognize my inability to do any of it without Him. Trust me, my inability is daily put before me with these three! With all of that said, my small group has been memorizing a verse every two weeks and so I chose James 3:17 "For the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." That is not the wisdom that naturally comes out of me, but it is the wisdom that I need to deal with all that is thrown my way each day!

And because I love them, and I know some of you just really want to see pictures of my three beauties, I'll leave you with my little loves.

Wait, when did this happen??

2011-02-16T14:17:00.000-05:00

That's what Ian and I have been asking ourselves a lot lately. We look around and say, "Wait, when did we get THREE children??" and, "How is it that we're old enough to have a THREE year old?". Going a little bit backwards here, Sawyer turned 3 at the end of December! I really can't believe he's 3. I still remember bringing him home and and the joy we felt over every little thing he did. Well, we still feel joy, along with a few other emotions from time to time, over the many things he can do now! Just for my own sake, here's a small list of things he's doing now.

Favorites games/activities: Sawyer loves anything that involves full body activity: football, soccer, sliding, swinging, pretty much anything outdoors, dancing, singing at the top of his lungs (bet you didn't know that was a full body acitvity!), and tackling (it's a Daddy thing) to name a few

Favorite books: anything with Curious George or Thomas the Train

Favorite foods: Sawyer loves any fruit and vegetable. I honestly don't think I've found one he won't eat! From peppers to mangos and everything in between, he loves them all! Not as big a fan of meat, but he'll eat it. : )

Favorite sayings: At this age kiddos are full of funny sayings, so here are a few of his:
- mixed up blessing - "God our Father, God our Father, where are you? Where are you? Everyone is waiting. Everyone is waiting. Start to fall. Start to fall."
- calling is brother Jackers and his sister Wibby : )
- in his most dramatic voice saying these like, "Awesome, dude!" and "Stupendous!"
- talking to strangers (I mean anyone we pass in any store!) "Hi there! I'm Sawyer. Who are you?"

If I could describe Sawyer in three words, I think they would be passionate, physical, and loving. Everything Sawyer does, he does with passion. Whether it's running around the yard, reading a book or getting upset, it's all done with gusto. : ) He's also extremely physical in all he does. He runs just about everywhere he wants to go, is really great at anything resembling a sport, and shows he loves you with lots of hugs and kisses. On the flip side of all that, he has a sweet and tender side that really comes out with his Mommy and his Sissy. Often times he'll just walk up and put his hands on my cheeks and give me a kiss or say he loves me. Libby gets more kisses than the law should allow and the way he pats her is in stark contrast to the way he does almost everything else. He loves her so much and I hope that never changes!

Ian and I joke that there is no way our genes could have made his personality, but we know he is EXACTLY who we needed and wanted as our firstborn. I can't imagine life without him and the fun he brings to everything. I love you William Sawyer Headley and I always will!

Elizabeth Caroline

2011-01-20T15:08:00.000-05:00

Little Miss Libby is here! She made her grand entrance on New Year's Day (1-1-11) at 10:11 weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz and measuring 20 inches long. This time around was so different for me. For starters I knew more of what to expect. Her birth was different than Jack's in several ways, but I felt more sure of myself knowing what would most likely happen with each step. My labor started at 3 am on New Year's Eve, but was very sporatic all day long. Finally at 2 am on New Year's Day things really got under way and we called my parents so we could head for the hospital. Things went much quicker than with Jack and it only took 2 hours to get my epidural as opposed to the 4+ hours that it took with Jack. Lovely! To make things even better, we had the same nurse and doctor who delivered Jack! It was so special and comforting to have them both their, along with Ian and Mom. Jack had to be seen by a specialist as soon as he was born and that plus some complications on my side, meant I didn't get to hold him until much later in the day. With Libby I got to hold her right away and then keep her for a couple hours before she went to the nursery. It was so calm and special. All in all, I have to say that number two was a much better experience. : )

Libby has been a wonderful baby! She sleeps great, eats great, and doesn't mind being jostled a little and poked by her brothers. : ) Speaking of those two, they have done so much better than I imagined! Sawyer calls her "My Libby" and wants to hold her multiple times a day. He kisses her and shares his toys with her. I honestly couldn't ask for a better big brother. I've really seen him jump into the big brother role recently as well. He's done so great helping me by going to get things when I ask or cleaning up toys. He's even trying to show Jack how to do things to be a helper too. I love my sweet, affectionate boy!
Jack doesn't have a whole lot to do with Libby, but he's very sweet when he remembers that she's there. : ) He's more concerned with keeping up with Sawyer and playing with trains, trucks and all things boy! Just like Sawyer, he's become a little more attached to Ian over the last few weeks, but he's still a Momma's boy and I have to say I don't really mind!
Here are a few pictures of our life recently, and I'll try to come back and update with the rest of Christmas, Sawyer's birthday and our snow days. Who can believe we had two in less than a month! I had to ask myself if I was still living in SC!!

Merry Christmas, Darlin'

2010-12-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year too! Ok, so I realize it's not New Year's yet, but I'm kind of hoping we'll have a baby by that point, so I'll go ahead and say it. : ) I did the majority of our Christmas shopping online this year, so our Christmas season has been full of family fun, which I have to say is definitely the way to go!! Since our kids are still fairly young, I decided that we would wait one more year to start any of the fun things I've seen around and just stick with learning the Christmas story. We have several nativities around the house, two of which are just for the kids. Every day we've tried to sit down at some point or another and tell the story of Jesus' birth (the short version : ). Some days they sit still and listen as though it's the best thing ever, and others, well other days we throw pieces and could care less what Mommy is saying! Ha! That's the way it goes with two little boys sometimes. Thankfully, Daddy also has two weeks off of work, so the boys have been enjoying lots of wrestling, tower building, piggy back rides, and all the things that only Daddy does at our house. : )

In keeping with tradition, we went and picked out our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. The boys actually had a lot of fun despite the sour looks on their faces.

Here's proof that they really did like it!

Sawyer was quite taken with the power tools and watching them shake the tree.

And we had to smell the tree for some reason.

This year we got our tree from the lot that was on the property of White House Florist. For those of you familiar with the big white house, you probably also know the red carpet they put out at Christmas. Well, for me that red carpet and that house hold special memories. The big white house, and the brick one behind it, belonged to my best friend and her grandparents. Growing up, I think I spent most of my summer by their pool every year! We always took a picture on the front porch as a family, and then took prom pictures their as well. My bridal portraits were even done on that front porch and around the house! Needless to say, we had to try for a family picture on the porch. The boys were done with picture taking by this point, but we had to try, just for old times sake.

Aunt D came for a visit and of course the boys convinced her to read a few books.

Plenty of blocks and tower building have been found around our house recently.

and time with Daddy

and finally the Christmas tree decorated and full of lights! I love sitting in the dark, quiet and looking at the tree. Apparently, so does my oldest because I find it plugged in all the time, when I didn't do it. : ) The day we decorated, we brought it in and put lights on while the boys were napping, or at least we thought they were napping. Sawyer had apprently sneaked down the stairs to see what was up, but couldn't keep quite once he saw the lights come on. As soon as we plugged it in to check the lights we heard, "WOW, it's amazing!!!" It was kind of hard to be stern after that. : )

Christmas cookies at Granna's house

Sawyer, the old pro, showing Jack the ropes

Jack trying to "sneak" some dough.

After that, Granna thought it was just easier to give him a cookie than to fight about eating dough.

Cheesing it up for the camera in our Christmas pjs

Also, cheesing it, but not willing to look at Mommy for some reason

And the best thing to happen so far in the lives of these two little boys is the construction of a swing set in the back yard. Grandaddy, Josh and Daddy spent a Saturday putting it together and since that day they ask to go outside about 20 times more than they did before! It doesn't matter that it's been freezing cold most days, they will put on hats, coats and gloves as long as they can get on that slide and swing up high!

But of course, when it gets to cold, coming in and warming up by the fire is a pretty appealing things too!

Doing some chalk drawing on the porch

climbing up to slide and looking cute as can be!

head first is always better

or just crawling up the slide the wrong way : )

Well, I hope you're enjoying your Christmas holidays as much as we are, and we also hope you're able to slow down and spend some time thinking about and celebrating our Savior's birth. With out that event, we would still be lost sinners, something for which I am truly grateful!

We've also had a bunch of family Christmas get togethers, so check back later for some pictures and stories about those. It's always a barrel of monkeys when you get a bunch of family in the same room. : )

Splish, Splash

2010-12-05T21:51:00.001-05:00

We were takin' a bath and havin' lots of fun in the tub!

Silly faces for the camera

Life Lately

2010-11-17T15:02:00.000-05:00

Well, we've been enjoying the lovely weather around our house which included the SC State Fair, Halloween festivities and lots of outside time.

First on the list of rides was the carousel which Sawyer has been on several times. Jack on the other hand can't stand it, so we sat on the little seat. He wasn't thrilled, but he stayed. : )

From there we went on to the train, which Sawyer got to ride all by himself!! Big step for the big boy, especially since mom was a little worried he was going to jump out at some point.

This cutie, stayed put with Daddy and watched while brother went round and round.

Next, we had to see the animals. Llamas, goats, cows, horses, and the list goes on and on. Sawyer was right in the middle of it all, while Jack was a little more willing to watch from a distance.

Of course, once Sawyer saw this roller coaster he HAD to ride it! You can't see him because he's squashed beside daddy, but you can bet he enjoyed himself.

And then we found Jack's favorite part (and Daddy's), the food!! Hip Hooray for Fair food!

And just so we can remember what we looked like when our kiddos were little. : )

Our family before little miss gets here!

Of course what's the fair without a stop by the tractors?

One last train ride and then on to Halloween where we continued the train theme with conductor outfits!

My camera, for some unknown reason, wasn't set right so almost all of my pictures came out fuzzy. : ( You can tell though, that someone definitely enjoyed the fun of getting candy!

Outside fun is even better with pint size chairs and a snack outside.

Ahh . . . this is the life!

New Babies

2010-10-18T15:21:00.000-04:00

This weekend, some friends of ours welcomed home their sweet little baby boy, Liam, and we are so excited for them! This is the sixth family, within our church family and friends, who have adopted and there are several more to come! Not only does it make me excited to see their happiness and to know, from personal experience, the awe struck wonder you feel at seeing God work such a miracle in your life, but it also makes me excited to know that there will be someone else that Sawyer can see who has a similar life story. He won't be the only one, and there are people he can talk to or hang out with that understand.
Well, since my parents jokingly call Meg and Joe their adopted kids, then I guess I can call myself an adopted aunt, right? : ) Meg and Joe, we're so happy for y'all and we'll be praying for you as you start this awesome, challenging journey into parenthood!

a sweet picture that I borrowed from http://thepittsfam.blogspot.com/

Catching up, sort of

2010-10-09T21:40:00.001-04:00

Since I just posted an entire blog of nothing related to my children, I figured I should throw one up with some cuteness in it. What better way to do that then to put up some pictures that never made it to the blog in a timely fashion?? So I give to you Summer in Fall. : )

When we weren't at the pool, we spent a lot of mornings in the backyard at the water table. Jack was content to sit and play as long as you would let him.

Sawyer loves the water table as well, it's just that his idea of fun and Jack's are two different things. : )

We decided to head out to the peach festival this year, and it was a great year for it! It was probably one of the coolest on record, and even better because we found a great tree to sit under. We tried, once again for a family picture, and well, you see what we ended up with. Oh well, one of these days!!

Waiting for the parade to start.

Waving at all the people going by. He's such a good little politician.

Back to the shade and our wonderful spot!

And then we discovered that these people gave out candy!! We had to start hiding it so they didn't both end up with upset stomachs and cavities. : )

Finally done, and someone was super tired and ready for a nap. He was such a trooper and we all had fun!

We all went out to Cotton Grill for mom and dad's anniversary. My sis-in-law and me. I'm not sure we've ever taken a picture together other than at their wedding! Ha!

All of us, some happy, and some not so happy. : ) There were a bunch of turtles swimming behind us and the boys were not interested in having their pictures taken unless they could do it while looking at them.

My brother and his beautiful new bride

Mom and Dad, pretty sweet after 28 years of marriage

Grandaddy and his boys, still looking at those turtles

chillin' before we eat

Well, that's by no means our entire summer, but just a taste of a few things that I missed earlier. I'll try to get another post in the next week about what we're up to these days. Busy little bees live in my house if that gives you any idea.

Ebates, Swagbucks, and Coupons

2010-10-09T21:05:00.000-04:00

So a friend of mine recently posted on her blog about her disdain for all things coupon related. I on the other hand LOVE coupons and all things related to them. I'm not saying they're for everyone, but for those that need to save the money and/or have the time, I think they can be done in a very minimal way so as not to consume hours of your precious time.

First on the list, Ebates. I love to shop online these days. Pretty much anyway that I can get great deals and not have to drag my two, soon to be three, children around a store is GREAT with me! I shop the off season sales to get awesome deals on stuff for the next season and I use as many online coupons as possible. One of these ways is to use a website called Ebates. All you do is sign up on the website and then use their link to navigate to the website from which you want to shop. It's that simple! Every few months they will send you a check for the money that you got back from your purchases. If you're die-hard, and I'm not, you can even follow when places double their percentages and make even more money. Last year, just by doing my regular shopping online I made over $50! I'd say that's worth the extra click, wouldn't you? If you want to sign up, just follow the link below and you'll get $5 when you make your first purchase through the site!
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=QrHUEi12cvE7mDb7GOmKmw%3D%3D

Swagbucks are another on the top of my list. They are a search engine that rewards you with "swagbucks" or points for searching the internet. You just use their search engine and then you can redeem your points for prizes, the best of which are gift cards to places like Target, Amazon, and Starbucks. By the end of this year, I will have bought 1/2 of my boys Christmas presents with gift cards from Swagbucks! If you want a referral or more info, just let me know!

Last, but certainly not least, is my love of coupons! This is a topic that I could go on and on about, as could most avid couponers. I won't bore you with all the details, but since I am a stay at home mom, I felt like it was something I needed to at least try and now I will never go back. It took me a long time to find the perfect way for me to do it, and I think that is key. For my friend, Danielle, it meant not using any coupons but just shopping the sales (which according to Southern Savers is an average of 60% of your savings). For me, it means checking the adds for the 3 stores nearest me, deciding which list is the best (sometimes I do choose two stores), making my list, checking to be sure I'm buying things we need, being sure I'm under budget, and clipping my coupons. This process takes me about an hour, but I usually save 50% or more, so it totally makes up for it. I spend, on average, $45-$55 a week for our family of four. That includes food, cleaning supplies, laundry stuff, hygiene products, and pretty much everything but diapers. There are obviously a lot of other things that you have to figure out, like meal planning and how to decide what to buy, but for our family it works and works well. Just let me know if you want the nitty gritty sometime. : )

Little Scientist

2010-09-13T21:13:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine works for USC publications and called me several weeks ago saying that they needed a child to photograph for an upcoming shoot. At the start of the shoot, the photographer said he needed Sawyer to pretend to draw without touching the whiteboard, which as you can see is covered in drawings and writing. I got a little worried at this point, knowing my son, but it ended up working great and they got some pretty cute shots, if I do say so myself. : )

Sugar and Spice

2010-09-01T16:02:00.000-04:00

and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of! That's right, we're having a girl! Praise the Lord, everything looked great with her development and we don't have to debate boy names! : ) We're going to name her Elizabeth Caroline and call her Libby. If anyone has seen baby body armor or a fully covered bouncy seat, we're on the look out to keep her safe for the first few months anyway. : )

Funny Faces

2010-08-20T10:31:00.001-04:00

We have an awesome group of friends that we love to hang out with, but who also help to keep my freezer full of meals. No, they do not cook for me out of the goodness of their hearts, but rather help by being a part of a meal swap. We have dubbed it "Meals in Heels" just for fun. : ) There are 10-12 of us that try to swap freezer meals every 6-8 weeks and it is the biggest help, especially on those days when you feel like you're barely keeping your head above water and can't even think about what to make for dinner (if you want more details just ask and I'll explain the rest!). Well, several times we have gotten things that aren't exactly the type of food that I would usually cook. It's almost always good, but as you might imagine the 2 1/2 year old that lives in my house doesn't always know what to think. Last night was definitely one of those times. One of my friends had made a veggie lasagna, which tasted great, but Sawyer was less than impressed with it's looks. I cut up the lasagna just like I normally would and put it on the boys' plates. Jack, as usual, dug right in and ate without complaint. Sawyer on the other hand, got in his chair, looked at it, wrinkled his nose, and said "I don't like that" in a very hilarious tone of voice. I tried not to laugh and told him it was lasagna with cheese, and that he had to take at least three big bites before he could get down from the table. It took him quite a while to make the decision to try it, but after the first bite he said, "Umm . . . tasty!" Just goes to show that it really is better when Mommy and Daddy are in charge! : ) I didn't force it down his throat, but gave him the choice as to when he would eat it, even if it took all night, and in the end he liked it!

Anniversary a little late

2010-08-19T09:43:00.000-04:00

So last year was our five year anniversary, and I think the year that most people probably try to do something extra special. Well, since we had a one month old, we went to dinner and stayed out for about 2 hours and that summed up our anniversary! : ) This year we decided we would go somewhere. However, I had the feeling that I would probably still be in the "yuck" stage or pregnancy so we decided to wait until the weekend after the 4th to head outl. The boys stayed at my parents house, which they were all more than ok with. : ) Of course Sawyer (the late sleeper) got up at the crack of dawn both mornings, while Jack (the early bird) slept late both mornings. Go figure!
Well, while the boys had fun at Granna and Grandaddy's house, we headed off to Charleston. Being the avid photographer that I am (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice yet??) I took not one single picture! Yay me!! Thankfully, we had such a great time that I don't need pictures to remember! We stayed at the Plantation Oaks Inn in Mt. Pleasant. I was a little skeptical, because there were only 6 bedrooms and I was afraid it might be a little strange, but it was wonderful! We were right down the road from Pawley's Island and they have chairs and a pass you can use to go to the beach, so you don't have to pay to park! The best part by far, was the breakfast. A couple owns the place, and the husband is an amazing cook!! In fact, I think amazing food may have been one of the highlights of the trip. We went to Ile Cortile Del Re for dinner one night. It was a hole in the wall, but I think it was some of the best food I've ever eaten!! I didn't know spinach could taste that good! Awesome fish and pasta! Just wonderful!! Other than eating, we spent most of our time sitting on the beach or reading books. All in all, it was exactly what we needed and an awesome time together! I love you, hubs and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the rest of our years together!!

Best Laid Plans

2010-08-16T20:31:00.000-04:00

So I had the best of intentions to blog about the things I mentioned before, and I'm still going to do that, but of course my computer died just a few days after my last blog! Isn't that always the way it goes?! Now that I have a new computer, I'm going to try and get my pictures switched over and get a few blogs in as well. However, this blog has nothing to do with any of the topics I mentioned before. : ) I had to share a recipe with you! I know I don't usually blog about much other than my kiddos, but I really do love to cook and try new recipes. One of my favorite new blogs is http://www.myfirstkitchen.net/ . She has some great recipes if you have a little time to look around. Well, I really wanted to make some cookies today and couldn't decide what to make when I randomly remembered a recipe I had seen at my first kitchen and decided to give it a try. What is this recipe worthy of it's own blogpost you might ask? Homemade Oreos!! I know some of you reading this, maybe most of you, are thinking, "Why make them when you can buy a perfectly good version at the store?". My answer to that is to try these once and you'll know exactly why!! They are greatness on a plate, so I strongly suggest that you try some soon! And if you're not the cooking type, but you're my friend, you might just be lucky enough to see these at our next get together. : ) http://www.myfirstkitchen.net/blog/2010/5/24/homemade-oreos.html

Still kickin'

2010-07-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

Yes, we're still here! I know it's been forever, but life has been crazy, just as I thought it would be. We have officially moved and love our new house! Now that the morning (all day) sickness has finally disappeared, I'm feeling more like myself and wanted to decorate and do more than unpack my boxes. : )

I won't try to update you on everything that has happened, but I promise a post about the following over the next few days: Jack's birthday, our anniversary trip, and the new house. Here are a few pictures that a friend took of our family recently. Amy is an amazing photographer and has outstanding packages, so go check her out here.

The two faces of Jack: fun and happy or unsure and curious. : ) I love those big eyes and that toothy smile. I'll be sure to post more about what this cutie can do now in his 1st Birthday post.

Our two, adorable boys. While they have their moments, the sure do love each other and laugh and play together most of the day.

So, when Sawyer was little we started something we called, "the Sawyer sandwich" where we would hug him in between us. Well, now that there is someone else, it has turned into a group hug. Sawyer decided we needed to have one in the middle of pictures and Amy got it on film! : )

And, since we haven't had a picture taken of just the two of us by a photographer since we got married, here's one I love. I can't believe it's been 6 years since I married this wonderful man. I also can't believe that in a few months we will have 3 kids. Wow. It's a good wow, but a slightly overwhelming one. : ) If there is one thing I've learned with each of our children, it's that I know even less than I did with the one before. With each one I realize that if I am to raise these beautiful, babies the way the Lord would ask me to, I must fully trust Him for everything. More on that thought later.

Well, there's the short, version and look back soon, because I promise to have more thoughts and plenty of pictures!!!

The fast lane

2010-05-13T15:40:00.002-04:00

That's where I feel like we've been living life for the past few weeks. Just to give you a quick recap since the last time I posted, we have . . .

potty trained Sawyer (yay!!), sold our current house, put a contract on a new house, gotten ready for Josh's wedding, packed boxes, packed some more boxes, and some more boxes, and the big kicker . . . found out we are expecting number 3 in December!!! Now if that doesn't make you tired I don't know what will! Josh gets married this weekend and then we close on both of our houses this upcoming Thursday. I don't know if we could get anymore busy if we tried! So far everything's going well with number 3 and other than being tired and a little sick occasionally, I can't complain.

The boys are doing great and becoming better friends all the time! They play so well together, which is something I know I will be grateful for even more in the coming months. Sawyer is talking up a blue streak and cracks us up daily with the things he comes up with. My favorite one so far actually happened this morning. Jack was crawling around and I was trying to get him dressed. He kept following Sawyer, making my job all the more difficult, so I yelled to Sawyer to run into Mommy and Daddy's room so Jack would follow. Sure enough in runs Sawyer and truckin along behind him comes the little tank (trust me, if you could see him crawl you'd call him that too : ). As a little side note, I've realized that because of the stage that Sawyer is in I'm correcting him a lot, so Ian and I have tried really hard to find moments where we can praise him for obeying the first time, being sweet to his brother, or other things like that. Well, we got Jack to clap for Sawyer and we told him what a good big brother he was. His response to this was to say "Thank you, thank you, thank you" all while holding his arms out and doing little bows. HILARIOUS! I have no idea where he got this, but Ian and I about fell down on the ground we were laughing so hard!
Jack, or Jackers as we often call him, is becoming very expressive with his vocal cords, facial expressions and hand motions; pretty much anything he can do to try and get his wants across. He's pretty laid back and a lot more cautious than Saw, but I think that will make for a good pairing as they get older.
Well, I just wanted to give a quick update and let you know that you might not see too many posts in the near future, but I promise it won't be too long. Oh, and all my pictures are on Ian's computer, so I'll have to download some tonight and put up a few new ones. We all know that's really the only reason you check this thing, right?? : )

Manic Monday

2010-03-30T14:13:00.003-04:00

So I'll just warn you up front that there are no pictures with this post. Trust me, once you read the story, you'll understand why!

Yesterday, we had one of those experiences that I think every parent has at one point or another, but it is so memorable for me that it warrants a post. Lately, Sawyer has been a little, shall we say, overly destructive. For example, one day I walked into the living room to find him running out of his room, yelling "Momma, come look!". Well I was super excited that we had put 3 words together in a sentence, so of course I went to look with great enthusiasm. What I found left me less than thrilled. He had drawn ALL OVER the wall, from one end to the other, with strokes that were as long as he is tall. He jumped on his bed, threw his arms out and yelled "TaDa!". Needless to say, we had a nice talk about how we only draw on paper. : ) Another morning, a few week ago, I went in his room to get him up and what I got was quite the surprise. He had no pants or diaper on and had wet his entire bed! Well, yesterday takes the cake. We've been doing what I like to call "quiet read time" in th mornings during Jack's nap. I set the timer for 10 minutes and he sits on his bed and "reads" books to his animals. I usually go jump in the shower at this point and then come back and we read together when his time is up. Well, yesterday I heard the timer go off and a minute or two later Sawyer comes running through the house, with no pants or diaper, carrying a little present in his hand. Oh yes, that's right! I promptly had him throw his "present" in the toilet and washed him off before putting him on the couch to watch Sesame Street. With great dread, I entered his room and to my dismay, his "present" had gotten on his sheets, his comforter, blocks, cars, and the carpet! Oh the joy! I spent about 30 minutes cleaning it all up and tomorrow we will start potty training. If you know you have to go to the bathroom and take your diaper off to do so, then I say it's time we try to put it in the potty! That being said, if you think about it, say a little prayer for me. : )

Bath Buddies

2010-03-29T21:09:00.002-04:00

So all you have to do in our house is mention the bath tub and you have two little boys high tailin' it to the bathroom! They love to take a bath! They also love to help me mop the bathroom floor by getting water all over the floor. : )

This little one used to hate the big bathtub, but now he loves splashing and all his toys.

For some reason, Sawyer loves laying down in the bathtub. He lays like this, with a huge smile on his face, and then rolls over with his whole head under water before pushing himself to a sitting position. So funny!

These two are becoming best little buddies and love to play, but bath time may still be their favorite time together!

Fun Times with Friends

2010-03-29T16:43:00.002-04:00

So my best friend from the age of 4 just moved 45 minutes away from my house with her family. Our oldest and youngest are both 4 months apart, which makes for lots of fun when we get together. Kate is the only girl, but for now she doesn't seem to mind too much. Here are a few pictures of a fun day we had at Jenn's house a few weeks ago.

Jack loved having so much at his level to chew on.

Graham and Jack had fun sitting on th floor and playing togther.

Graham got brave and ventured to play with the big kids. Sawyer is very into trains right now and making everything into a train. Thankfully, Graham and Kate were more than willing to be on a train for the day!

These two were so sweet playing in the kitchen together and then all of a sudden they both just turned around and looked at me. Too cute!

Thanks for having us over for the day Aunt Jenn! We had so much fun!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T17:51:00.002-05:00

Ok, maybe just two words . . . cute piggies

stomach bugs and snow

2010-02-15T15:22:00.007-05:00

Those would be the two biggest things in our house from the past few weeks! About 2 weeks ago we were plaqued with a stomach bug that lasted for a week and half. I had it (twice!!), Ian and Jack both had it, but Sawyer never did! Praise the Lord, I think it's done and over with! This weekend, we got about 5 inches of snow, which is huge for us southerners. : ) To say that Sawyer loved the snow, would be an understatement! He thought it was the best thing since sliced bread and probably would've stayed out all day if I had let him. Here are a few pictures of what we've been up too, including the snow.

As soon as Sawyer walked out he tried to walk in the snow and promptly fell. It didn't bother him, but he was a little unsure about the snow stuck to him when he got up. : )

See the concern . . .

Why does it stick like this??

Well, after we got up on Saturday, right before our coffee had started brewing : (, the power went off! It stayed off for several hours, so we decided to brave the roads and head to Granna and Grandaddy's house so Jack could take a warm nap. Sawyer was extremely happy to see everyone, and I think Uncle Josh was happy to have someone to play with in the snow. : )

Josh rigged a little sled with a box, a plastic bag and a dog leash (can we say a little redneck?? : ). Sawyer thought it was great and would say "again" as soon as they stopped.

Waiting patiently for someone to pull him.

Walking back up the hill . . . again.

This one was more than content to sit inside in someone's lap and stay warm. : )

This face shows exactly how Sawyer felt about the snow . . . LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Throwing a snowball

This was on Friday when the snow had just started.

Painting has become a new favorite in our house. He's partial to red and blue for some reason.

He was helping make biscuits again and decided to kiss his biscuit. When I asked him to smile, this is what I got! Hehehehe!

Sawyer got a tricycle for his birthday and he likes to "fix" it with his tools.

learning how to ride, inside, since it has been so cold outside!

The sweetie pie that lives in our house! He loves to laugh and smile, especially at brother!

This little bug is crawling now and he has 3, almost 4 teeth! I can't believe how quickly he's growing! I just need him to slow down a bit so I don't forget something!!

Granna and the sweet boy!

Uncle J with his boys

We went to Atlanta for "Christmas" at the end of January and the boys had a great time!

Ms. Areatha got Sawyer a birthday cake and he was clapping because he blew the candle out all by himself! : )

My cousin, Erik, has been overseas so this was the first time he had seen Jack. Sawyer thought he was pretty cool.

Sawyer loved Erik's hat and glasses. He also loved all the long windows in Gran and Grandpa's (or Papa to Sawyer) house. He could see all the animals, especially the dogs. : ) That boy loves his doggies!

Papa, am I cool or what??

We always stand around in a circle to pray before meals . . .

and Sawyer thought this was the best! Sawyer loves to pray! He usually wants to say the blessing 2 or 3 times at the table, and then again multiple times before bedtime or nap. I wish I could take credit for that, but I can't! Hopefully, though we can continue to encourage that and raise boys that learn to pray about everything!

Sawyer is teaching Jack how to patty cake, with his hands and his feet! Obviously, Jack doesn't mind. : )

Reading with Grandaddy and laughing at somebody!

Ian got me a new vacuum for Christmas and it is light enough that Sawyer can do it all by himself. I know, how lucky am I that he LIKES to vacuum?? Now, if I can just get him to do more than a 2 foot section of floor! : )

Terrific Twos

2010-01-19T14:13:00.004-05:00

So, it's a little late, but Happy Birthday to my big boy! I can't believe Sawyer is two already! We've talked to a lot of people recently about adoption and when we do we always tell the story of going to pick him up, which I still remember as though it were yesterday! I can still see that sweet little baby who was SO tiny and precious. He is equally as precious, and still fairly tiny : ), but he's changed so much since then! My hope and prayer for this year is that we will continue to try and raise our boys to know and understand that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them more than we ever could. I want to look back and say that this year was the "Terrific Twos" versus the terrible twos that so many people discuss. Well, for my own memories and for those of you that want to know, here's what Sawyer is doing now.
Just for my peace of mind, a few weeks ago, I made a list of all the words Sawyer could say. I won't list them all, because it was over 200, but it made me feel so much better. Sawyer has been a little slower to develop his verbal skills, probably due to all of his ear infections, but has really blossomed lately. A lot of it is only understood by those of us around him on a regular basis, but it's so cute. A few of my favorites are: "wait, wait!!" (This is usually said while running after me when I'm moving from room to room : ), when he will say something that he wants, like "watch choo choo?" and then answer himself "yes", "hunney" this can be either Hundley (the dog from Curious George) or honey when he's talking to me (usually when he spills something, I have a tendency to say "Oh honey!" and he has picked it up and started saying it back to me : )
While Sawyer's verbal development has been a little slower, his gross motor skills are more advanced. He loves to ride his tricycle, shoot baskets (see below), and hit golf balls.
The newest things that we've started doing are painting and playing with playdough. I didn't think he would enjoy it for very long, since he's so active, but that boy can sit for an hour and play with playdough! It's amazing to me, considering the fact that he NEVER sits still, but he loves it! Well, that's about it for now, so on to his birthday!

We decided to go to Monkey Joes the day after Sawyer's birthday and it was a huge hit. The boy has no fear and will run from one thing to the other not minding the huge children that are playing beside him. : )

This was about as close as Jack got to bouncing, but he was just fine with that!

He spent most of his time with Granna which suited both of them just fine!

sliding with Daddy!

He didn't stay in the toddler section very long : )

Enjoying outside toys even in the cold!

The boys love Uncle Josh. I get asked atleast twice a day where Uncle Josh is! : )

Since Sawyer's birthday is so close to Christmas and because he doesn't really know the difference, we decided to do a family birthday. Sawyer's favorite thing to eat is pancakes, so what better way to celebrate! I thnk he ate 5 that morning. : ) He also sang Happy Birthday for the next few days, or as Sawyer would say "Happy to you!"

Loving his basketball goal!

Grandaddy and his boys. If you look hard you can see a pencil behind Grandaddy's ear and crayon behind Sawyer's. : )

Grandaddy turned 50 this year, so we had dinner at home to celebrate. Sawyer was sick, so Jack and I went while Daddy stayed at home with Saw. Jack was more than happy to take in all of the attention!

Happy Birthday, Grandaddy!! We love you!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-01-01T14:33:00.008-05:00

I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years! We had a ton of fun and great time with family. Sawyer really enjoyed Christmas this year and all the activities that come with it. Jack was just happy to have hands to hold him. : ) Here's a look at just a few of the things we've done.

Baking cookies with Granna means helping with everything! Rolling dough . . .

Putting on the sprinkles . . .

And watching the cookies bake. This boy loves the kitchen and helping with anything and everything!

Not really anything to do with Christmas, but he just looked so cute in his bath, I couldn't resist!

Daddy showed him how to put a "beard" on with bubbles, and he thought it was hilarious!

Christmas Eve in Darlington with Mom's side of the family. Sawyer thought playing with the big boys was wonderful!

"Helping" Daddy with some of his new tools

A sweet boy playing in his room while the big boys were outside in the cold.

Such a cutie pie!

To say this boy loves dogs would be an understatement! My Dad's dog, Cady, gets to come inside at night and if Sawyer is over he loves to play with her. The other night he decided he should get in the crate with her. : )

He loves Christmas trees and decorations almost as much as his Momma!

Sawyer has watched Grandaddy train just a few times and is quite bossy when it comes to Cady. My favorite is watching him throw that little finger up when he tells her to "Sit!"

Cady loves to give kisses and Sawyer doesn't mind . . . a match made in heaven!

As the boys are getting older I'm starting to see that I think these two are going to be fairly different in personality. Jack loves to get up early and is happy as a little lark to sit and chatter away. Sawyer, on the other hand, loves to sleep in and wakes very slowly. The other morning Ian went to get Sawyer up and took Jack with him. Jack was all too happy to be in bed with Saw, but Sawyer wasn't ready to get up! Look at that face!!

Reading with Daddy is a favorite before bed or anytime he is home!

Two little boys sitting on the couch. One skinny boy and one, as my mom would say, "squishy" boy : )

On Christmas morning Sawyer got up a little earlier than normal, but wasn't in the best of moods. As a result I didn't take a ton of pictures that day, but I got a few. One of Sawyer's gifts, that Ian picked out, was a soccer goal. The boys found another use for it, however, and had a great time making trumpet noises! : )

It finally got put together and used for it's intended purpose.

Daddy and Jack waiting on Sawyer to get up. As usual little mister was up before the sun!

Well, that's it for now, but I will post soon with pictures from Sawyer's birthday. I hope you were able to slow down and celebrate our Savior's birth, but more than that, I hope you are able to grow closer to Him throughout this new year!

O Christmas Tree . . .

2009-12-17T14:32:00.004-05:00

So these pictures are going to be a little out of order because I can't seem to move them for some reason. We went and picked out our Christmas tree as usual this year, and Sawyer, unlike last year, really enjoyed it. He loved looking at the trees and decorating ours.

The guys at the tree lot made a fresh cut on the tree before they loaded it up on the car. Well, Sawyer was all about watching the chain saw and then Grandaddy let him go touch the saw dust. : )

Finally a picture where everyone is looking at the camera!

Isn't this the cutest picture of the two of them? I definitely see a little daddy in this boy! Granna and Sawyer looking at trees!

Is this a mischievous look or what??

Sitting with Daddy during the USC/Clemson game. We were suppose to go but as you can tell, Daddy wasn't feeling very good.

The only good part of the game when we thought the tigers were going to beat up on the gamecocks.

Family time and new traditions

2009-11-25T14:06:00.008-05:00

So once again it's been a while, but I'm not going to stress about it! : ) We've been having tons of fun in our house as the boys are both growing and changing almost everyday! Sawyer is always adding a new word to his vocabulary and Jack has learned to sit up by himself. Before you know it, he'll be crawling! I just can't believe how quickly it's gone by this time! It feels like we just brought him home a few days ago. As a result, I'm trying to enjoy every minute with my babies since I can't get this time back. While, they won't remember these days, I know I will never forget the joy of getting to stay home with them! Anyway . . . I started this post to show you what we've been doing lately!
We had a birthday part this past week for Sawyer's friend, Sophie! We "decorated" cupcakes, which turned into the kids eating the sprinkles and m&m's while mom put on the icing : ), and then went to the playground. Jack sat and played with one of the other little babies, while the big kids had cupcakes. All in all it was a fun morning!

Our little chef!

Jack in the exersaucer. Someone found himself in the mirror!

This past weekend we had my dad's side of the family over for an early Thanksgiving brunch. It was a short visit, but we had a lot of fun seeing everyone. While the boys enjoyed seeing everyone and had fun playing and being loved on, there were two people who were still being talked about come Monday morning, Jo Jo (my cousin Joanna) and Grandpa, or as Sawyer has decided to call him, Papa. Monday morning I was changing Jack's diaper and Sawyer walked in and said "Jo Jo, go?" and then followed it with "Papa, are you?" : ) You are both loved in our house!!

Also, this year, we decided to start a new family tradition. Instead of buying each other stuff that we don't really need we decided to put all of our money together and do something for people who are really in need. Every year a different family will decide what we spend it on, but this year it will be for Samaritan's Purse. If your family is like mine, and you don't really need the gifts, why don't you try something new and help change the next generations way of doing Christmas! I want my boys to think of Christmas as a time to celebrate Christ's birth, but also his ultimate gift! Giving to others who truly need it is a good way to remind us of that. Just to give you something to think about. : )

Apparently something that Jack was doing was very funny to Aunt Hannah. : )

Jack and Aunt Elizabeth!

looking at Jo Jo's computer and helping with her homework, I'm sure!

sitting with Grandpa. Not the best picture, but I had to put it up since he was one of the highlights of the weekend for a certain little boy.

Gran loves the grandbabies and they love her!

Sawyer will try to talk anyone into reading a book with him, especially if it's Thomas the Train.

He still likes reading to brother, too.

Some evidence that Jack can sit up.

Baby dedication, we started in Daddy's arms and then fell asleep in Mommy's : )

We all went to lunch after baby dedication

The Keesey's

They Headley's

The boys dressed up for Halloween. There is a story behind this. I had grand plans of dressing us all up as characters from the Wizard of Oz (Dorothy, Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow). I knew I couldn't make the tin man costume so I bought that one, and then I was going to make the other ones. Well, that was before we all got sick with the flu!! So, I went through Sawyer's closet and found what I needed to make him a "classic golfer" and just put the tin man costume on Jack anyway. : )

At Harmon's Tree Farm to get a pumpkin and see a few animals! Sharing stuff with friends is always fun!

This little horse was a better attraction for the kids than the pumpkins or the animals. : )

sitting on the pumpkins with Bella and Sophie. This wasn't the whole group, but that was a little too hard to capture in a picture. : )

So I'm working backwards here, and I'm going to end with our trip to the zoo for Josh's birthday (yes folks, that was in September : )

Someone please tell me why my brother and soon to be sister in law can take a better picture with my boys than we can?? : )

The whole crew, and yes, Jack is there. He was asleep at the time, and I was NOT going to wake him up just to take a picture!

Twice the fun

2009-10-08T15:57:00.006-04:00

Well, I thought I was doing so good about updating the blog and then I let a month go by without a post! Well, I guess that's what happens when you're trying to keep up with two busy, little people. : ) So for my own personal recollection, here's a little bit of what both boys are doing these days.
Sawyer can still loves books and playing with anything "boy" . . . balls, trucks, dirt, etc. He can say more words than I can count, but the stuff I love right now are: "wuv oo" (there's not really a "yuh" sound to his "you"), "are oo" (where are you?) and "tank oo" (thank you). He knows almost all of his animals and their sounds. He is sleeping in a big boy bed and we've yet to have any problems!!! WooHoo!!!
Jack can roll over both ways and LOVES to roll over onto his tummy. He coos and giggles when you tickle him. He still loves his feet and his hands now. He has the biggest smile ever, which makes me think he's going to smile like his momma and his Uncle Josh. He especially lights up whenever his brother is in view. He LOVES his brother! He loves to sit up in the exersaucer or the bumbo so he can see what's going on.

Well, that's all I can think of for now, so here's a picture walk, in no particular order, of what we've been doing recently!

Trying rice cereal! That's right, folks, our baby is 4 months old!!

As you can tell from the picture, he's not a fan yet, but I'm sure he will be soon!

Like mother, like son! He loves to play the piano! He doesn't bang on it, but sits and plays!

A prodigy in the making. : )

No, that is not a funny angle, he is actually sucking/chewing on the toy that is on his playmat! I left him there the other day and came back to find him doing this. So funny!

The littlest one has discovered his hands and loves to suck on them, look at them, and occasionally scratch himself. : ( He's even started sucking his middle two fingers, just like Sawyer! We'll see what his final decision is later.

Our BIG boy! Right now he is the same size that Sawyer was when he was 6 months old! Looks like he got the Keesey genes. : )

Sawyer has gotten really into "helping" with everything! He love to help make the bed, put the dirty clothes in the hamper (my personal favorite), vacuum (not exactly my favorite, but sweet nonetheless), and cook. The other day I temporarily lost my mind and thought it would be fun to let him help make biscuits! Doesn't that SOUND like fun??

This is how we met daddy at the door when he got home! He had dough ALL over his hands, flour in his hair, and all over the floor, but he loved it!! I think we'll stick with helping to stir the pancakes!

Sawyer loves books and now he tries to "read" to himself as well as Jack. I walked into the living room one day to find this on the couch. : )

Sawyer was watching baseball and copying the outfielders when they would catch a ball.

Jack in the lion towel from Aunt D!

So we've worked on doing things by our self, but pudding was a little too difficult when we first started. I am proud to report, however, that he can now do it without spilling a drop! I'd say that's progress from where we started. : )

Vacation . . . or something like it!

2009-09-02T17:33:00.006-04:00

So this year, once again, we went on vacation with some friends from church. We had double the children from last year (6 and two pregnant ladies), so we brought my mom and cousin to help with the kids. Overall, I have to say it was a great vacation and we had a lot of fun, BUT there were a few less than wonderful moments! Monday started with Sawyer running a fever so Ian and I took turns staying in our room with him, so that we didn't spread germs to anyone else in the house. His fever was gone by the evening, so we thought it was just a little cold. The next morning he woke up with a 103.2 fever, so we decided to find a pediatrician to take him to in Myrtle Beach. Thankfully, enough it turned out to be a bacterial infection so he wasn't contagious and after a day of meds he was back to normal. Well, the day that he was back to normal (Wednesday) we discovered that our house was infested with bed bugs! That's right folks, bed bugs! My poor mom was covered in bites, and Joanna had some as well, but no one else did. Well, after a day of packing our stuff in plastic bags and doing ALL of our laundry, we got moved to another place and settled in. We were able to enjoy the rest of our vacation and will hopefully have a less eventful vacation next year!

Ian and Sawyer walking around waiting for our table.

Sweet kisses for little brother.

Cutie pie!

A little snack before dinner!

A family picture . . . the best we could get!

Napping on the beach! It's the life!

Strong boy carrying his water bucket all by himself.

Knocking down sand castles.

Playing with friends!

Playing bocce ball with the "big kids".

Getting a better view.

Sitting with Granna.

Jack in his tent.

Hanging out with Mommy.

A little pool time with Daddy and our friends.

Playing in the shade.

Reading with Daddy.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

2009-09-02T15:46:00.005-04:00

So my grandfather turned 80 this year and we went down to Georgia to celebrate. It was a bit of an ordeal traveling with a newborn and a toddler, but we all made it there and back in one piece and even managed to enjoy ourselves! We went to the lake for the day on Saturday, which was great. They have a house on their property that has one bedroom and then a big kitchen/dining room/living room where we can set up lots of tables and chairs. It was the perfect place to put Jack so he didn't get too hot, and of course there were plenty of hands to hold him. Sawyer loves swimming so he thought it was the perfect day, and he got to ride on a boat for the first time!

Sitting with Uncle Josh and being sweet!

Our family : )

All of Grandpa's grandchildren and great grands.

Unfortunately, Sawyer hadn't had a nap all afternoon, so about 5 minutes into the boat ride, this is what he looked like!

Here he is in the first 5 minutes with Granna, Grandaddy and Dandy.

Helping Grandpa blow out the candles.

Riding the kayak with Uncle Josh was definitely a highlight for Sawyer!

Swimming with Jo Jo!

Cuddling with Uncle Doug.

This wasn't at the lake, but it's so cute I had to put it up just so you could see his sweet smile!

6 weeks

2009-07-05T16:08:00.004-04:00

So, I can't believe my baby's 6 weeks old! Sometimes I feel like we've always been a family of four and other days I just can't believe he's actually here! Sawyer is still adjusting, but doing better than I could have dreamed! He has become such a little helper boy as though he just knows that he's the big brother. He likes to try and give Jack his pacy and cover him up, which of course I have to pay attention to or he tends to smother him a little. He also likes to help with take the dirty clothes to the laundry room. This usually ends with mommy retracing our steps to pick up everything that got dropped! : ) He's gotten really good at following directions and understands so much. I must say it's so fun to ask him to go get something or tell him to do something and watch him process what I'm saying and then run off to do it! It doesn't happen everytime, but more often than not! We're getting tubes put in Sawyer's ears on July 20th, so if you think about it just say a little prayer that everything goes well. I'm really hoping that this provides some relief for him and has the effect that so many people have told us about. So I accidently uploaded pictures incorrectly and don't feel like changing it. Take a look at these pictures and then find out about Jack at the bottom of the blog. : )

Visiting Nana and Papa in Darlington for the first time

Reading with Nana

meeting Papa for the first time

Sawyer is in love with this backpack. He likes walking around the house with it on and feeling it hit his legs.

What is summer without corn on the cob? Sawyer has discovered a love for corn especially when he gets to use the corn holders.

Playing with daddy!

A bubble mower from Grandpa and Gran. He loves being like daddy and "mowing" the grass.

Jack is growing like a weed! He's somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 lbs now. Let's just say he's a good eater! He still hasn't lost any hair, and it's still dark brown. I think he's looking more like Ian, but he's definitely got some features that look like my side of the family as well. He has been sleeping so great at night, from 10:30 until 6:00 in the morning! I definitely did not expect to be blessed with another good sleeper, so I'm counting my lucky stars for that one. Overall, this transition has been so much easier than I thought it would be and I can't complain about anything!

Pictures as promised

2009-07-05T15:40:00.004-04:00

Just a few minutes old!

One week old!

Our first family picture. . . not the greatest, but one to cherish anyway!

Sawyer loving on Jack the first time he saw him. Just makes you want to cry . . . in a good way!

One month old already! Cuddling with mom after being away for the first time.

Another try at a family picture. This time Sawyer was too busy looking for planes. : )

This boy is so attentive and full of smiles!

grinning and talking!

sleepy boy

Jack Hamilton Headley

2009-06-25T15:46:00.003-04:00

Well, I thought I would post this blog much earlier than I have, but as you might imagine, I've been a little busy. : ) Jack was born at 10:15 on May 26th. He weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. On Memorial Day (May 25th) Ian decided we should go walk around the mall with Sawyer and go to lunch to try and jump start labor. Well, according to Ian, it worked and I started having contractions at 4 o'clock that afternoon. We finally headed for the hospital at about 8:30 and found out that things hadn't moved along quite as quickly as we had hoped. It took a couple of hours, but I finally made some progress so they decided to keep me and I finally got my drugs at midnight (happy birthday to me!). Again, we thought I would deliver earlier than I did, but thankfully enough, he came just in time. Jenn, my childhood best friend, was in town for a job interview for her husband. She was able to come to the hospital and even see Jack make his grand entrance. She had to leave by 10:30, so we just barely made it. : ) Seeing that head full of dark hair and that big boy for the first time was so special and hard to explain. Ian and I talked about it later and we both felt that it was such a different experience from seeing Sawyer for the first time, but the same emotions were there. One of my favorite things was seeing Sawyer with Jack for the first time. No one told him what to do, but he immediately leaned over and gave him a hug and a kiss! It was so sweet I wanted to cry!

Since coming home we've done pretty well! Sawyer has had some adjustments, as I knew he would, but he loves Jack and still gives him kisses and hugs most of the time. He loves to try and give him his passy and occasionally gives him a little "love pat". Jack does not appreciate these pats and we're trying to learn how to be gentle with our baby. : ) Jack sleeps and eats better than I could have imagined! He will be a month old tomorrow and he sleeps 6 hours at night and goes 3 hours between feedings during the day. He is smiling up a storm now, but I haven't been able to capture it on camera yet. As soon as I do I'll post some pictures. Well, I've got a big boy getting up from a nap, so I better stop here, but I'll come back and post pictures soon. Hopefully, I won't wait to long before posting again! : )

Time for One More

2009-05-10T16:47:00.006-04:00

So I figured I had time for one more blog before baby Jack gets here. We have been so busy lately with trying to get everything ready at home and work before Jack gets here, as well as just living life. Here are a few highlights of the past few weeks.

Easter

This year Sawyer got to hunt Easter Eggs for the first time! He prefered taking them out of other people's baskets, or throwing them until he discovered that there was candy inside. : ) We do an Easter Egg Hunt at church every year and since I am in charge of it, Daddy followed Sawyer around helping him. That also meant Daddy gave him the candy too. Let's just say he tried a little more than if Mommy had been in charge, but he lived. : )

Daddy showing him what it's all about.

Taking eggs from Ben's basket. Luckily, Ben was willing to share one. : )

Looking at the egg he just took with Ben and Ms. Carrie. : )

Happy boy . . . a room full of all the people he loves. Does it get any better?!?

Picking up Easter Eggs in the front yard, and for those who care, a shot of my big ol' belly. : )
Sawyer in his great Easter outfit.

Our family in our Easter best.

Play group
Well I don't have any pictures from this, but I'm sure I will before the summer is over. We've been doing a play group on Fridays and it has been so fun. We've been rotating houses and the park and it's just so fun to hang out with other Mommas and kids. Most of the kids are around the same age, so it's fun to watch them interact and learn how to play with each other. One of the little boys in the group is a few months older than Sawyer and his sister LOVES Sawyer. She went through a phase where she told everyone she was going to marry him. : ) Well, everytime we get somewhere, she comes running to greet us, yelling Sawyer's name. It was so cute because this past Friday her brother picked up on it and came running yelling "Saw" because he couldn't say his whole name. So cute!

Well, since I haven't done it lately, I thought I'd write out a few of the things that Sawyer is doing right now.

Words that he can say/sign: Please, thank you, more, up, all done (by far the cutest), Dada, Momma, Gada (Grandaddy aka My dad), J (Uncle Josh), dog, woof, duck, meow, rock rock, num num (anything related to food), night night, di di (diaper), bye, eye and there might be more, but for now that's all I can think of.
Favorite Books: That's Not my Puppy, 10 in the Bed, Baby Blessings Bible (especially Zacchaeus and Jesus Calms the Storm), The Saw Book (funny, I know)
Favorite activities: going outside, sand/water table, throwing any kind of ball, reading, playing with Whit, dancing and chase
Favorite foods: any fruit or veggie and cookies : )
He still loves his Whit dog, and now if Whit is lying on the floor he sits on him like a horse. : ) Whit is such a good sport and lets him lay all over him, pull his ears, poke his eye, and countless other things without making a sound. He's such a good dog!
Sawyer loves music! He loves to dance whenever he hears music and it's even better if there's a crowd of people to watch him and clap. Lately, however he's actually "singing" some of the songs to the point that you actually recognize the tune! I'm so proud! : ) Well, I think that's about it for now, and I'm guessing my next post will probably be filled with pictures of baby Jack and updates on how we're all doing, so stay tuned!

Fun in the Sun

2009-04-12T21:40:00.005-04:00

Well, while we've had a lot of rain lately, we've also had some really nice sunny days and have been able to spend lots of time outside! Here are a few pictures of the fun we've been having!

Our church had a Palm Sunday Service at the park last week followed by a picnic. We had a band that some guys from church are a part of playing during and after the service and Sawyer LOVED it! He just danced and danced everytime they played. The college group also had the great idea to serve ice cream cones which was definitely one of Sawyer's favorite things. : )

Several of my friends are teachers or have kids and stay home, so we decided to take a trip to Charleston during Spring Break and we chose a great day! It was warm enough to be comfortable in a bathing suit, but not cold. The kids loved playing in the sand and building sand castles that promptly got demolished. We all learned how to pat the sand down and flip it over. : )

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but Sawyer got covered in sand. I don't mean a little sand on his legs and arms from playing, I mean covered to the point that when we walked past people I could hear them laughing at the sight of my sun covered from head to toe! He kept trying to eat it, so it was on his face and hair and of course he rolled around a fell quite a bit. Oh well! I figure that's all part of having a boy.

Here's a fun video of the kiddos helping me build a sand castle. Once I started they all wanted to do it together and were so cute. I didn't realize, until having kids, how much they repeat what you say. Can you tell what I kept saying??

Little Marine

2009-02-26T16:40:00.004-05:00

At least that's what Daddy called him when I told him where I found Sawyer today! I saw Sawyer go into our bedroom, which isn't uncommon, but I was finishing an e-mail so I didn't follow him. Well, after a few minutes of not seeing him, I called his name. When he didn't come the second time and I didn't hear something, I figured I should go look for him. I checked the bathroom first, since that's the best place to get in trouble, but he wasn't there. I then looked in the closet, since he will sometimes close himself in there, but again no Sawyer. I called his name again, and this time I heard little muffled, grunts. I knew he hadn't left the room, but I couldn't figure out where he was. For some reason, I looked under the bed, and what do you know, but there he was! He had crawled all the way under our queen size bed to retrieve a lost toy! Once he saw me he turned around and came back out, but I just couldn't stop laughing. He was already coming back out by the time I got my camera, so you don't get the full effect, but here ya go! Don't look too closely at the other stuff in the picture, just keep in mind it is under my bed. : )

Boooo, Boooo

2009-02-26T16:25:00.003-05:00

So if you think that says "boo" as in trying to scare someone, you would be wrong. That is Sawyer's version of "book". Basically, "book" without a "k". : ) He is VERY into reading books and if he brings one to you, he expects you to drop everything and read to him that moment, so we're working on patience. : ) His favorites right now are two Peek-a-boo, touch and feel books, ABC's by P.D. Eastman, Big Trucks, and 10 in the Bed. Ian and I have these books memorized, and I actually found myself quoting one to try and fall asleep! Here are a few pictures of Sawyer sharing his books with Daddy.

Reading the Big Truck Book. You can see under the coffee table that he has a pile that he keeps in the living room. : )

He will sit and look at every truck on the page, over and over again! Mommy loves that he loves to read and hopes it stays that way!

Feeling better and being outside

2009-02-17T16:13:00.003-05:00

Well, for the past 3 weeks or so we've been battling a double ear infection. We are on our second round of antibiotics, and I can finally see that Sawyer is feeling like himself again. He's also cutting his molars so he's been a little bit fussy to say the least. The past couple days have been great and he has been so much fun. Yesterday Sawyer and I enjoyed having Daddy at home since he had President's Day off from work. Sawyer loves his Daddy so a day at home with him, other than Saturday and Sunday, is a wonderful treat!

Today we went outside once it warmed up a bit and played with some of our new outside toys. Some of Sawyer's favorite things right now are cars, trucks, and balls. We have some for outside and inside so I don't have to worry about cleaning them off constantly. Today I also got out the bubble gun, which was a HUGE hit! Here are a few pictures of our fun in the sun.

Playing with his truck. Notice that he's also missing a shoe. : ) The Velcro finally bit the dust, so we'll be going to get a new pair of shoes soon!

Dumping everything out of the back!

Now let's put it all back in. : )

Bubbles, Bubbles everywhere!

He wanted to take the gun, but couldn't quite figure out how to use it. He loved chasing them in the wind and watching them fly!