The Lee Family

These are a few of my favorite things...

2012-01-26T10:04:00.000-06:00

The weather has been limiting our outdoor activities so I decided to compile a list of things that top the Lee house-hold charts so to speak....or maybe just my charts. Or maybe just something interesting for y'all to read with interesting being a stretch. Anyway, here goes--

1. The Blue Bottle of Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash

This stuff smells like Johnson & Johnson captured 1,000 sweet smelling babies who were singing the Hallelujah chorus with sweet braided lavender head-dresses and flowing white dresses AND BOTTLED IT! I love this stuff so much so that I filled my huge bathtub and submerged in a bath of pure baby-scented excellence. I really thought Johnson and Johnson could not top the purple bottle (Lavender), and then no one could top the Apples and Honey Johnson and Johnson, but this scent....TAKE ME AWAY!

2. Good ole H20

This is my new best friend.

And you might even say, that instead of hoarding paper-towels, I am hoarding water bottles because they accumulate everywhere around me. I guess it's a good habit. I should practice throwing them away more often, but still. At one point during our SSMTC celebration, Mom loud-whispered me and said, "Hannah, I don't think you have enough water." I had one in my purse sticking out and three bottles around my purse. Oh well. It is worlds better than Diet Dr. Pepper (Oh how I miss those!).

Which leads me to my next favorite thing....

3. Coffee

Community Coffee.

My co-workers brew this coffee like its the last pot that will ever be brewed. Strong. Smells like home. It manages to bring me out of my mid-morning stupor and I am forever grateful. Foreva.

4. Rio

My kids are LOVING this movie right now. And so are Nick and me.

Super cute, great music, and a great story. Would totally recommend it for your household-- no matter what it comprises of. Don't forget to drop it, drop it, drop it looooowwww.

5. Lululemon Run to Inspire Cropped Pants

Feels like butta' y'all.

These pants keep everything in, tight, up and in all the right places. Plus they keep you warm and have a great wicking fabric that doesn't weight you down. LOVE THEM! A definite staple to any runners wardrobe.

6. Sun-maid Raisin Bread

How have I missed this for so long?

I feel like I have seriously missed out on the best breakfast food. To say Austin loves this is an understatement. He wakes up saying "Toast! Toast!" And don't think Austin is the only one enjoying this-- It's 90 calories/slice. So I will toast it and put fat-free cream cheese on it or microwave an egg and put it in between 2 pieces. Awesome quick to-go breakfast.

Go get you some.

7. Psalm 139

Lindsey and I have committed to memorizing Psalm 139 and with 2 verses down, it is no coincidence that we chose this passage. Such wonderful precious promises from our Heavenly Father. I didn't work on my memorization like I should have last year-- mostly, I got intimidated by the volume of verses and words that accompanied it. But this passage is different. It is simple. Clear and precise. He knows us, y'all. And He loves us. Good stuff.

8. Mississippi Mud Brownies

Let me tell you.

I have been trying so hard to eat better. You know the whole garbage in, garbage out thing. Well, yesterday I folded. Baaaddd. And then there's Pioneer Woman with her amazing dishes and scrum-didly-uptious desserts and well, I made these bad boys. So very good, y'all. But so very rich. I really wasn't able to eat much since they were so rich, but my boys? They had no trouble putting them down.

9. A Trip Down Memory Lane

Oh bless it.

I love these women more than I can express and when I came across this picture earlier in the week, well....I teared up.

Not only did I realize how much Austin favors me, but I also saw my oldest nephews reflection in my Sister's face, my Moms love for blush, and how my Mom could also track down the biggest BONNET in the South. And let me tell you, even though this picture does not capture it, she could also track down the biggest bow in the Tri-State area. Priorities. All little Southern girls must have big bows and bonnets. Enough said.

10. Foot rubs

Whether you do it yourself with bandage tap and a towel,

Or, your 4 year old does it, with your husband smirking in the background,

it is HEAVEN-sent. Lord, love that baby for rubbing my feet. I wish I could go into detail about how long he was able to rub my feet, but once we got the fundamentals down about grip and position, he was done. Oh well. Don't think he won't be asked to try again!

That's all I got folks.

I am looking forward to some sunshine this weekend. And I know we need the rain, but I am getting a little claustrophobic these days. I find myself having to push through this cold, wet, rainy, dark days. This time of year seems to bog me down a little bit. But as soon as it comes, it goes, and I am really looking forward to a good sunshiney weekend!

Almost Friday, y'all! YAY!

A Beth Moore Weekend

2012-01-23T10:08:00.001-06:00

Y'all.

I had one of the best weekends.

My mom, sister Lindsey, her friend Allison, and Mom's best friend Mrs. Freida, headed to Houston after lunch on Friday to hear Beth Moore.

All I knew was that I had to recite some of my verses that I memorized, but what I did not know was the amazing word I would hear. And y'all. Did we hear it or what!?!?

Beth memorized the entire chapter of 2nd John. It's about 14 verses. The gist of the passage is about WALKING and abiding in the love of our Heavenly Father. Don't ever try to get ahead of God or be disobedient and not adhere to what He is trying to tell you-- Simply, abide in His word and walk with Him daily. Also (my favorite part) take back...and I mean...TAKE IT ALL BACK...the ground the enemy has tried to steal from us. I have fallen victim to his deceitfulness in friendships, my marriage, work, parenting...all of it. And God tells us, YOU TAKE IT BACK! My favorite verse from the weekend was one out of Psalms-

"Through YOU we push back our enemies, through YOUR name we trample our foes!" Psalm 44:5

And don't you worry, I am taking it all back.

Besides hearing an incredible teaching from Beth Moore (whom I adore to no-end) we got to get our praise on with Travis Cottrell and his worship team. That was simply amazing. I also got to share in some much needed girl time with 4 other precious women. I also got to meet Amanda Moore Jones and BooMama. Amanda, Beth's daughter, was precious and we have a mutual friend. BooMama was sweet as pie and as funny in person as her writing is on her blog. We stayed at the Omni which is beautiful and was located next to Memorial Park. I was able to get in my long run there on Saturday morning. It was great seeing new sites. The only bad thing was that it went by way too fast!

Sissy and Me Friday Night

Best Friends - Mom and Mrs. Freida

My Precious Mother Lala and Me

Beth Moore...I could have jumped in her lap if I wanted to. And boy did I want to! She is just amazing.

I came home to a steak dinner from Nick, 2 sweet baby faces, folded clothes, and a picked-up playroom. I may or may not have specifically prayed from this while I was gone. Such a wonderful, thoughtful surprise. Thank you and Amen.

Random FUN-dom

2012-01-19T10:56:00.001-06:00

I love to blog.

I love to write.

Sometimes I have specific things to write about, other times I am just reporting events. But today, I felt led to share a little bit about myself. So what does a person do that is spilling over with random tid-bits and fun facts? Well, she spills the beans. She lets it out. So here goes....

1. I can walk on my toes. No, not like pointe ballet all pretty and fancy. Curled-under bare feet-walking on-tip-toes talent. In fact, in my younger days I could JUMP on them while they were curled under. Pretty sure, pre-arthritic pains are surfacing right now.

2. I am a paper-towel-aholic. Yes, I have now admitted it. I love them. So now I need a 12 step program and a sponsor. Any takers? I obsessively wash my hands so every time I do, naturally, I grab a paper towel to dry my hands. Well, I never throw them away for some reason. I just let them accumulate on the counter and grab one when I need it for something. And I like to take them with me while I sit on the couch. Nick has found several piles of paper towels in the closet, stuffed in the couch cushions (what? how did that happen), in the pantry, refrigerator, and of course, mounds of them in the kitchen. Mrs. Susan even buys me my own special roll of paper towels when I come to visit.

3. My sister and I loved to eat popcorn with lemon juice and/or Worcestershire sauce on our popcorn. Why? Because it tastes good. How did we discover this? That's Lindsey's department. She was always coming up with unique things to eat when we had slumber parties growing up. One time, when I was about 5, I tried to serve her a fuzzy navel in a champagne glass. She was about 13. For some reason, she turned it down and then I got in trouble, but they were all laughing at me. Weird.

4. I like rap music. So does my husband. But I do like it a good bit. I have especially embraced the rap music's up-beatness now that I run. A few lyrics from Lil Wayne and P.Diddy are sometimes all you need to get you through a tough run.

5. I won the Memphis City Science Fair in 2nd grade. Like the whole city. I had won at my school in Memphis so my Mom took me to the city division and the day of the awards ceremony I walked in and saw my project up at the front. I didn't know why it was up there- I just thought it was because they ran out of room. Well, low and behold, my project on Decomposition won and I got a trophy that was about as big as me. Yep, I am a nerd and proud of it.

6. I won the Miss Corney Creek pageant in 2003 and if you ask my best friends, my victory was only because of my amazing response to the on-stage question-- "What is your favorite food?" Well, I pondered for a moment and then smiley responded with "Mashed potatoes, hands down!" My BFs sunk a little-bit lower in their chairs. What? I won, didn't I?

7. I love red wine. It is my absolute favorite. My red wine drinking has slowed down quite a bit from college, but I definitely appreciate a good glass...or bottle...with a nice dinner or after work on a Friday afternoon. But not now since I am running. I might celebrate with one after the half.

8. I was once attacked by a herd of deer. Do deer run in herds? Yes. In high school, one day after school, I went to check the mail and all of a sudden I heard a loud commotion. I turned around and darting from across the street a herd of deer came galloping toward me. I reacted by closing my eyes, turning to the side, and bracing myself for deer-impact, but they all scurried around me headed for the creek in our backyard. Crazytimes.

9. I have a permanent scar from where my foot slipped into the spokes of a bike. When I was about 4, I was riding my sister's bike with my sister...on the back of the seat (same thing happened to Jackson at the same age..weird, huh?). Well, we hit a bump, my little tush landed on the back tire and then my little foot slipped right into the spokes. I screamed bloody-murder and the whole neighborhood rushed out to help me. I was traumatized and Lindsey got grounded. (Mom and Dad had told her not to ride with me anymore that day.) Ha!

10. I totalled my first car with my friend (and now sister-in-law) Lauren. We were trying to put in the CD Hot Boyz (Yeah, yall know you like that song) and I crossed the middle line, over-corrected, spun out of control, flipped and then landed in a ditch. But get this, moments before, Sarah (we were following her) had just called us to tell us to put our seat belts on. They had been off. The 1996 Toyota Tercel was no more and we lived to see another day, by the grace of God. Lauren and I definitely bonded after that near-death experience.

11. I got married at 20. First baby by 21. Wow, I was a baby myself. But, God knows, I have loved every crazy second of it-- tough, fun, hard, wonderful, and all.

12. I am a PK on both sides. I grew up with a Dad in the ministry and now my Mom is. Most people think that means double-trouble and while, there were times, that might be true, I think I turned out ok. I think it's awesome. I know I am prayed for more than I can imagine and any spiritual dilemma can be handled with one quick phone call. Amen.

13. I am not a true Ruston native. My family moved to Ruston when I was 13 from the big city of Memphis. It was quite an adjustment since most of my classmates had grown up playing in the bathtub together. And well I was 13. AWKWARD. But, I found my nitch, made some life-long best friends, graduated high school and college from there, got married and started a family there, and now I consider myself "from Ruston." BAM!

Okay, that's it. Maybe I am more normal than I think. I don't know. Fun-times. Good memories.

Are you ready, ready, ready

2012-01-18T10:12:00.000-06:00

Ready to Run....

All I wanna do is have some fu-un un un uhhhnn. Thank-you, Dixie Chicks.

And we did, y'all! So much fun.

My husband looks mad in this picture, but I assure you he was not. We were so happy with our time and just the fact that we crossed that finish line!

28:13 was our finish time, hand-in-hand. We were thrilled!

When I started running in November my first goal was to get 3.1 in under 40, and then as time progressed I saw I could possibly make it by 30, and then by the end of my 5K training I wanted to get under 30. And I did it! Goal achieved!

That race environment is intoxicating. And inspiring. You see people from all different walks of life, different strides, different levels of running, kids, seniors, wives, mothers and fathers. One of the best memories I will take from participating in this race was seeing an 8 year old little boy run his sweet little heart out. I think he ended up finishing in about 33 minutes. It was precious and so inspiring.

My favorite memory, besides crossing with my hubby, was seeing the first marathoner cross the finish at 2 hours and 33 minutes. He didn't even look winded. And I heard that he had been significantly overweight and lost all his weight running. How awesome is that!

These precious ladies did great with their half-marathon. Mrs. Susan and Lauren inspire me so very much to continue to run and I was so proud to watch both of them cross the finish line! I will never forget watching them accomplish such a big goal! So very proud of y'all!

I have decided to commit to the Rock n' Roll Half-Marathon in New Orleans on March 4. I was a little nervous at first, but I am setup with a good training schedule thanks to the Natchitoches Run Club and have a great running partner! I have a time in my head I would like to cross at, but this race will be much different. In fact, I am not even calling it a race. It's a run. I want to cross injury-free feeling good. :) We will see.

Things are pretty much back to normal post-race....

Like scooching chairs clear across the kitchen just to get candy off the top shelf. What? Wait...that's Austin.

And look who showed up? Sister Mary Austin from the Tshirtonhead Convent...

Lord, love him.

Guess what?! I get to see Beth Moore this weekend. WHOO-HOO! With my Mom, her sweet best friend/family member, my sister, and her friend. Fun-times ahead. I can't wait.

Happy Hump Day!

Happy Birthday, Austin Randle

2012-01-11T10:30:00.000-06:00

Sweet Aussie,

It's been two years since you entered this world.

Our lives have been transformed due to your entrance. The joy, the happiness, and the blessings have all multiplied due to you being born and transformed our family of 3 into an incredibly blessed family of 4.

You were a spit-fire...right from the beginning.

Such an active baby! I seriously felt like a couple of days before your actual birthday you might kick yourself right on out. But there you stayed, until 3:50 p.m. on January 11, 2010. I cried at the sight of your beautiful face. What you didn't even know, that right at the moment, your Daddy and I grew closer together and a renewal of faith happened right at the very moment. You did that, little man. Your presence rocked our world and brought us all, the Lee family, closer together.

Your little personality is so intoxicating. How a small toddler can captivate the attention of a room and have everyone laughing is beyond me! But you can do it. You came out with a mission-- to get somewhere...and to get there quick. Crawling by 6 months, walking by 10 months...you were ready to conquer this world early.

You have such a sweet and kind spirit.

Determined and independent, but very loving. You say things like "Peees" and "Cank coo" and "Sorry" with hugs and kisses following. You are very aware of everything around you and very determined to participate in everything big brother Jackson is into. While some things like hitting a golf ball or hitting a baseball off a tee might seem a little tough, you take your best shot!

Yes, a little-man on the move is what you are.

You love hard.

And you let us know when you aren't feeling the love too much.

But most of the time you are one cool dude.

Thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives. I can't wait to see how you are going to be as a young adult. It really does excite me to see the gentleman you will become, but I do love this stage of your life. You make me realize how important it is to slow down, sit down, and soak up every precious minute of making memories. You are precious, Austin. And you are so loved.

We celebrated his birthday this morning with a little birthday french-toast, a little singing, and one big candle blow-out by the little man. Happy Birthday, Austin!

Love,

Your Momma

A Heavy Heart

2012-01-09T11:07:00.000-06:00

This weekend was wonderful. Our little Austin will be turning 2 on Wednesday (Someone, please tell me how that happened??!!!) so we had a party for him at a local church gym.

He was such a doll soaking up all the celebratory customs-- balloons, cupcakes, gifts, jumpy jumping, scooting on toys. He loved it! The little man joined us as we serenaded him with the Happy Birthday song, ripped open his gifts with such enthusiasm and gratefulness (He said "cank coo" for everything), and even blew out his candles on the second try. That blond head jumped and scooted around every inch of the gym and his little arms wrapped around every neck that came to celebrate with him. It was so wonderful to see him having so much fun.

Hours after the party ended and the car was packed with new toys, I reflected on the days celebrations. While joyful and a huge success, my heart felt extremely heavy. I think it was a combination of things, but the main theme behind all of it was how fast life goes. And with that speediness, how much life slips right through your fingers. And then when you let it slip, you mourn for the things you didn't say, the things you did, the relationships you didn't invest much time in, the moments you didn't sit down and play, all of it....and it just reared its ugly head in my heart last night and this morning making it extremely heavy. There it is- another year of life of Austin gone as quickly as it came. While I think 2011 was amazing, I still felt like I missed out on so much...

Recently, I have acknowledged my obsession with trying to keep a neat and orderly house and have worked really hard to let it go. I have been able to be more in the moment-- just be with my family and play. It will all eventually get done, but it does not have to ruin your day if it doesn't. My time is better spent playing with my kids than washing a dirty dish or a load of laundry.

I have also realized over the last few months how valuable time with your family-extended and all- is. When I was a newlywed, it felt like more of a hassle to juggle everyone else's schedule, but now, for me it is precious precious time with people you love unconditionally and who love you unconditionally. What could be better than that? I am extremely guilty of being selfish with my time and actions toward my family and it has been a diligent prayer of mine that God would shift my heart and realize every waking moment I have with them is a huge gift.

I find it so easy to take for granted the relationships that are right in front of your face- your child, your sister, your in-laws, your best friend, or your spouse. Do I really take the time and listen to what's on their hearts? Or help them out with something? Did I return that phone call? Instead of brushing him off, could I have sat there and colored that picture with him? Could I have helped her out with something around the house or with her kids? My time is better suited coloring a picture with my little man or having a heart to heart with my sister than watching Real Houswives of Beverly Hills.

Time.

It's a tricky little thing.

I want so hard to not take it for granted. While I want my days at work to be productive because that helps our family stay up and running, I want them to not wear me out too much to not be there FOR my entire family-- every extended member of it. A last name is something I take for granted so much. Since I am married I carry 2. Cooper and Lee. With those 2 little words, I am bonded together in a band of family members. My very own team. How awesome is that?! Lord, please help me realize how precious it is that I can walk through life with team-members that I can share my day with, play with their kids together, and share meals with!

God continues to bless Nick and I with a healthy family unit. We are not burdened by chronic illnesses, mental disability, or a physical inability. We have been handed a good life and while I am so thankful for that I feel like I let too much slip right through my fingers. So, I guess I have an addendum to my things Hannah-is-striving for in 2012--

5. I don't want to waste another minute of my time being stressed, being bitter, being too busy to love on all of my family. The precious commodity of time is like sand. There is the potential for a lot of it, but it can slip right through the tiny crevices of life and then it's gone...forever. Lord, help my focus to be on these precious faces....

Our very own miracles of God....

This wonderful Momma of mine and precious littlest niece....

My oldest precious niece and all of her family....

These rambunctious and tender-hearted sweet little men of God nephews....

My sweet sister and brother-in-law....

And a husband, father, mother-in-law, father-in-law, best friends, a host of grandparents....

And so many OTHERS that fill my everyday life. So blessed. So loved. So thankful.

Alright, y'all. I am taking my boots off now. I promise a not-so-deep post next time, but anyone who knows me knows, when the moment moves and I am thinking things through, I have to let it out. And I mean, bless my heart, my baby turned 2. And I may or may not have to come to grips with this might be the last child for us. It's a lot to deal with! Life is moving so fast and we are just hanging on letting God take us wherever He pleases. Have a blessed week.

So There's This Thing Called a Resolution

2012-01-03T10:21:00.000-06:00

Or something like that.

I am fearful of resolutions. Why? Because it's such a big fancy word and intimidating in nature and well, if you don't stick to your resolutions you fail. And then you feel miserable. And it's just a big ole mess so how about we use another word. Goals. Promises. What I am STRIVING-FOR in 2012. Yes, that's better.

So here it is....What Hannah is striving for in 2012--

1. Wean off the Diet Dr. Peppers.

I can't believe I just typed that. I am oh-so hopelessly addicted to these wonderful carbonated beverages that I can't believe I would choose to ditch them. But, yes they are becoming a stronghold. Like that McDonald's commercial where that man can't talk to anyone before his coffee, I am that guy. Rude, cranky, and will walk/drive/run in whatever element to get myself a DDP. When something in life gets that crazy, it might be time to back off.

2. Stop yelling-parenting...as much.

I am yeller. The blog community now knows. I so shamed. But sometimes, when you're tired and the piles of clean folded clothes have been knocked off the bed for the ump-teenth time because of little men jumping on your bed, and half a roll of toilet paper is now in the toilet sopping wet, and a bag of cheese crackers is now in tiny pieces because "They needed squishing, Momma"-- an ELEVATED tone of voice seems to sneak out every now and then. But see I know that silent-whisper tone is far more effective, but it just feels so good to get a little loud sometimes. But my boys don't need to see that and I definitely do not want one of them picking up the habit, so it has to go.

3. Run a half-marathon.

Another thing I can't believe I typed. I have been bitten by the running bug, and well...I love it. It has provided me with a type of therapy that even Dr. Phil himself can not provide. (But I am a huge advocate for good sound Christian couseling...oh yes...like Momma said, 11 out of 10 people need therapy)

I think Elle Wood's says it best in Legally Blonde-- "Exercise causes endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't kill their husbands. They just don't."-- Oh yes, Elle. It sure does help. With children, as well.

I see now what all of y'all running peeps are addicted too.

I will, hopefully by God's grace, complete my first 5K in 11 days at the Louisiana Marathon. Nick will be running by my side and a host of family and friends will be there. Ms. Susan, Lauren, and some other friends will be completing the half-marathon and I could not be more proud of them! Ms. Susan just mentioned to me a while back in November that they were going and maybe, if I wanted, I could run the 5K. At the time I was a little less than thrilled, but I started back running anyway. I originally started this whole running thing last May. So, I incorporated the Couch to 5K program (2 workouts at a time) and what felt good and now I am up to about 50 minutes of running. It feels good, y'all. I want to go further and hopefully get faster. There is a lot of freedom and peace in hitting the pavement and the physical changes (I notice and so does Nick, but other than that probably no one else does.) I know I will never be a stellar athlete and I am not wanting to go to an Olympic event, but I do want to be considered someone who takes care of herself in all aspects. And this hobby definitely helps me maintain the physical aspect of myself. Which I guess is the main reason I am continuing to run. Plus, I like to see how far I can push myself-- just 1 minute more, just to one more mailbox, just through one more song. And when you accomplish that, it feels good.

4. Fall more in love with my Father

It's easy, when life is taking you on an easier path to forget about how important your relationship with the Lord is. In a couple of weeks I will be attending a Beth Moore event at her former home-church, First Baptist Houston. In order for me to attend (since its free) I had to commit to memorizing 2 verses of scripture every month for the year of 2011. Well, my little spiral of verses is complete and I am very happy I did it. (My one resolution for 2011...eek. I don't like that word) Those verses seemed to choose me and helped me through some very low seasons during 2011. I am thankful when those seasons are over, but I find myself, when things are good that the relationship with my Heavenly Father takes a backseat. While I hope 2012 is full of high moments and good seasons, I hope it is all surrounded my an intimate relationship that is invested in daily with Him.

So....

I was thinking I needed to round off my list with another thing-Hannah-is-striving-for in 2012, but 4 is good.

I appreciate so much y'all allowing me to work through my thoughts, attitudes, groans, moans, and happy times on here. I hope that the feeling of a fresh-start finds you now and your slate can be wiped clean. I know One person that wipes it clean everyday, but allow yourself the true chance to start over. As a habitual screw-up, I take that opportunity every chance I get. Ha!

I wish each of you a remarkable 2012.

Happy New Years, y'all.

One Magical Christmas

2011-12-28T14:50:00.000-06:00

Now that I have adequately detoxed from the pies, Prime Rib, turkey and dressing, and cranberry sauce I think I can manage to gather my thoughts enough to update y'all with our Christmas-doings....

It was wonderful.

Just wonderful.

Our Christmas festivities began Friday. Nick and I both took off to finish up some loose ends before we headed for Ruston for the night. We started the Traveling-Triangle as I have now nicknamed it- as we traveled from Natchitoches to Ruston to Shreveport to Natchitoches to Ruston to Natchitoches to Shreveport. Whew. Y'all get that? Yes, it was a lot of running the roads, but it was soooo worth it.

Before I delve into the 23rd through the 26th, let me back-up and talk about a few adventures that happened the weekend before!

My oldest nephew Wade turned 7 and we celebrated with him. The boys had a blast playing with their cousin. It's hard to believe my first nephew is already 7. The day of his birth is permanently etched into my memory. I was one proud aunt. And to top off his already exciting birthday, it snowed that day! Now he is becoming a young man and his sweet little front-toothless self is almost too much cuteness to handle. As Exhibit A shows-

Next, I was so happy to host my best friend Sarah's 26th Birthday at our home. We had such a good time eating dinner at Mariner's and hanging out. Best friend Hillery joined us as well and we had a great time catching up.

We then wrapped up the weekend with our annual trip to my Mom's church in Chatham. The boys got to see Santa and my brave little Jackson even wanted to have his picture taken with him...with absolutely no encouragement from me....I was shocked.

Then, we started last week with Jackson's first Christmas program. He did such a great job memorizing his Christmas poem, saying James 1:17- "Every good and perfect gift is from above.", and singing his heart out to Jingle Bells. I finally got some video and pictures on my good camera, but for now these will have to do.

They are hams, aren't they. I love capturing these true brotherly moments on camera. They're hilarious.

So now, Christmas Eve rolled around and in our family that means one thing-- My Mom's Christmas Eve Brunch. Cue Calories, NOW--

Oh y'all. I hurt myself.

After that we traveled to Shreveport to see my Meemaw and take her to lunch. As always we have a blast with her. I am so blessed to have an amazing grandmother and that my boys have not only one great-grandmother, but three! Our family is blessed. We then wrapped things up with her and headed home to bake cookies, pop fireworks, feed the reindeer, and hang out as a family. The boys loved watching A Christmas Story-- a holiday-watching staple.

Then, you guessed it. SANTA CAME!

And the torn wrapping paper after-math quickly followed....

It was wonderful. Both boys were totally into it this year and as parent's Nick and I will never forget that. Especially being woken up at 5:00 am....

Nick grew up having blueberry muffins and bacon on Christmas morning and I grew up having a big breakfast spread so I morphed the two together this year and made Blueberry Breakfast Cake, Bacon, and Hot Fruit with a Brown Sugar Glaze. Yum.

I will leave you with some of the boys new Christmas presents in action--

Oh yes they do, Austin. And at times snotty noses when they come from a certain almost 2 year old...

Happy New Year, y'all!

Gingerbread Houses, Bucks, and Cookies with Santa

2011-12-12T10:52:00.000-06:00

Whew! We have been busy and it's only going to get crazier. But I love it! It is so fun to watch Jackson and how this holiday season causes his imagination to soar a little greater, his excitement to grow a little bigger, and how Christmas traditions become a little more important to his sweet little 4 year old heart. Austin is smack-dab in the middle of the holiday fun, as well. He just would rather watch what his big brother is doing and eat all the candy :). So with all the said, here is a recap of all our Christmas doings..........

We made a Gingerbread House

It was the cute little kit from Walmart that cost about $9. Easy steps, nice clean packaging with tons of candy. We failed to let the royal icing set-up for 15 minutes like we were supposed to before decorating so that made for some interesting building strategies. BUT, I was determined to have fun (as you can see on my face) , dang-it!

Big guy got after decorating, little guy got after eating the decorations!

Making progress with peppermints..........

And VIOLA! The finished product........... Look at the droopy heart gumdrop windows- Haha! It was a good attempt!

In other news, look who tied his shoe for the first time?! At Chili's nonetheless on Friday night! So we celebrated with the Muppet's movie, popcorn, and Goobers.

And Nick finally got his wall-hanger he has been searching for!

He was so proud of his 8 point, 202 pound deer.........

Our little men were especially proud of their Daddy. I guess we will never go hungry again...

Can y'all imagine having to really hunt for your dinner? Like hunting for the season was what your family depended on to actually eat dinner each night. Wow, talk about pressure. Thank goodness for Super-1 meat case. This will help us out, though :)

Then guess what we did? We loaded that bad boy in the back of my Yukon. Sacrifice, y'all. Check out my hot pink chair and the roll of toilet paper. HAHA! Oh my gosh, could it be true? A redneck is being born? Nope...just a hunter's wife who is ready to get home. I seriously was praying we would not have a moment like the scene in Tommy Boy where the deer in their backseat mysteriously awakens and tears their car to bits. Thanks goodness, he was indeed dead and we made it to the processing plant in one piece.

So from big bucks to Sunday afternoons with Santa, we took the boys to have cookies with Santa at the Prudhomme House right off of Front Street. It's a beautiful historic plantation home.

And you gotta love meltdown-photos with Santa. Austin wants absolutely nothing to do with him and Jackson thankfully can't get enough of him. Oh well, there is always next year!

So, we made reindeer food with the cute little Christmas Festival pageant princesses.....

And made bracelet bling........

And ended the visit with acrobatic attempts on really old historic Oak trees.....

I am so happy to report all our Christmas presents are wrapped 2 weeks before Christmas! This has never happened before.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Christmas is on its waaayyyy...yay!

2011-12-08T14:39:00.000-06:00

Ellington has landed...

And he is a lot more mischievous this year.

This may or may not have to do with the fact that I believe all recent elves had a conference on Pinterest before they arrived in our homes. Either way, it's pretty fun. Especially when he plays with the boys dump truck...

And makes a huge mess making snow angels on the kitchen floor....

AND is found neck-deep in the Reese's pieces bag. He really was made for our family-- busted in the sweet treats. The Lees have an affinity for sweets like no otha'.

Crazy Elf. No telling what he will do next.

And then I decided to get sick on everyone.

Real nice, I know. Thankfully it wasn't the Flu or Mono, it was just a really gross cold with horrible back pain and aches and fever. But I am 100% now.

Jackson had his first Starbuck's hot chocolate of the season! That boy is just like his Momma- loves a good overpriced Starbucks.

We also had bucket-heads arrive in the true spirit of the season...

And the laundry-basket brothers. Seriously a pair of brothers and a laundry basket...the possibilities are endless.

Can't wait for all the Christmas festivities and treats!

Turkey Weekend Wrap-Up!

2011-11-30T09:38:00.000-06:00

I have really got to get out of the habit of using my iPhone camera.

Not that the iPhone camera isn't great, but when you use it only to capture the tender moments of your young children's lives you feel like your coming up a little short (in my opinion). It just doesn't quite capture everything like our camera does. By the way, I have been really thinking about getting a nice new fancy camera...like a Canon Rebel or a Nikon d60, but goodness gracious. Quality don't come cheap. We will see.

Back to the story at hand-- What's been up, y'all?

We are doing really good. Engaging in lots of fun activities and of course running the roads like we do so well.

Having such a short work-week last week was Ahhh-mazing. It was just what the doctor ordered and we had a blast with all of our family.

Our family-- Wow. God has strategically and lovingly surrounded us with some of the most awesome and supportive family members. Nick and I are surrounded by people who support us, challenge us, take care of us, FEED us, and just plain love on us all the time. I am so incredibly thankful to the Lord for them.

Now, cue iPhone picture dump......

Nick and I getting ready for a Thanksgiving Feast! Saying I am thankful for this man is an incredible understatement....I am OVER THE MOON (and like around Saturn and maybe to the next solar system) thankful and so in love with Nick and for what he does for our family. Yep, he's a keeper.

Ms. Susan and I decided to do a little tablescape. Complete with fresh flowers, leaves (Thanks, Boys!), paper hand-print turkeys, and....

Mason jars with acorns and tea lights. So cute! We decided to bring a little outdoor in. I thought they turned our perfect!

Our littlest turkey is not thrilled about sitting still to get his picture taken these days. He is a month and a half away from being 2 (WHHHAAT?!) and Terrible-you-know-whats are starting to kick in. But Lord love his sweet little heart..

And look at what Ms. Susan did-- Yeast rolls from scratch! They were perfect and yummy. We gobbled them up! I was so proud. We had a lot of fun in the kitchen this Thanksgiving!!!

A little post-Thanksgiving feast playtime. We had to lose the long-alls. I think a combination of pink salad and turkey smashed on the front warranted the outfit removal.

Friday we had hopefully Part 1 of 2 our new annual Bake Day with my Mom and Sister. We had so much fun and had too many things we wanted to bake that we had to call it quits a little early. The kids needed naps. Here is Austin hanging with his Meemee checking out some scrumptious Reese's Peanut Butter cookies.

We started off Saturday with intentions to make it to the Tech game, but something about handling two rambunctious toddlers in the wet and cold just did not sound appealing when we could listen to it from the comfort of a warm, dry house. So that's exactly what we did. Jackson helped his Gannie put up her Christmas village. He loved it! Such a sweet memory made between the two of them.

And I was feeling particularly crafty this weekend and continued the craftiness from Thursday to Saturday by creating a complete paper-jewelry (Is there a more manly word for jewelry?) for Jackson- It consisted of a charm bracelet that included skull and cross bones, ghost, vampire, and something else manly; a green stone ring, and a Mr. Roboto necklace. It was real nice. Daddy was proud of his jewelries...yeah, right.

We did have a little piece of the awesome game that Tech won come to us, however. The princes requested frozen lemonade from the game so Rikki came to the rescue and brought our boys a little treat. Austin loved it.

Such a full and wonderful weekend in Ruston. We left early Sunday and got home in time to get some Christmas decorations up. I am so happy to say with the exception of $15 spent at Walgreens, I have not spent another cent on Christmas decor. I reused everything, but did a different setup and I loved the way it turned out.

Our Sweet Natchitoches abode...

25 Shopping Days until Christmas. WOW! How did that happen? Jackson and Austin say, "HAVE A GOOD WEEK!"

Time For An Update!

2011-11-21T10:30:00.001-06:00

I've been a little behind in my posting. I know you have been on the edge of your seats waiting for an update because my life is oh so...how do you say it? Riveting.

Not at all, y'all. Things have been pretty uneventful. Holidays are shuffling in and shuffling out quicker than I can drag out the decorations for! Tis the season and I am very much loving it. I especially love all the smells-- pumpkin spice, cinnamon, fresh rolls baking, making new treats and old faithfuls....such a great time of the year.

Two weekends ago we made a small road trip with our biggest little-- Mr. Jackson. We trekked to Oxford, MS to watch the Tech Bulldogs take on the Rebels. See, Oxford is where I was born. I don't really call it my hometown because I have been in Ruston since I was 13 and I really feel a strong connection toward it. Oxford, though, does have a lot of sentiments and memories attached to it and I just love going back. Nick nor the boys have been so it was a great excuse to hit the road! The town is just so Pleasantville-like, y'all. Especially downtown and the Square. And once you hit the Grove you realize a few things and you might even say some of the following--

"Are those real chandeliers?"

"How in the world did they run the lighting for all of that?"

"White linens and fine china, are they for real? I thought SOLO was fancy."

"Gosh, am I under-dressed?"

"I didn't realize people hired people to serve at tailgate parties, did y'all?"

Fancy. Real fancy. Oh and let's not forget glamorous. And it really is fun to watch all of this, because it's just not that way in our Tailgate Alley. But, oh how I love our Tailgate Alley! It's just neat to see how other people do it.

Anyway, we had a blast starting off the weekend visiting our closest family friends- The Randles (Austin's middle namesake). We are so blessed to have them in our lives and it was so good to reconnect with them. Plus, Dr. Tom can grill the best rib-eye ever. Yum. Saturday we hit downtown pretty hard and were able to catch up with some precious people at Soulshine Pizza (Awesome pizza and very kid friendly). It was great seeing Katie Hall and Suzanne Tyler during the weekend too. Oh how I miss my girls!

We then headed to our tailgate for Tech where Jackson completely passed out...at 4 o' clock in the afternoon. He was done, y'all. He perked up for maybe all of 10 minutes to scarf down some cotton candy at the game and then he was out again. See Exhibit A--

And B...

And then finally Exhibit C-

We were so blessed, though, because the stands were packed with Louisiana Tech fans except for right beside us. So he was able to lay down comfortably...I guess. People really didn't even notice him. A little blanket burrito. Well, he sure missed an exciting game. Our hearts were so proud and so excited to see Tech WIN! And then for them to beat Nevada Saturday was even better! Bring it, New Mexico! We got this. It was a great trip!

Last week brought Jackson's first Thanksgiving Feast-- He was so excited.

Nick and I dined in style with our little Pilgrim. We are definitely very thankful for this little guy. He brings so much joy into our lives.

Finally, we spent this weekend shopping for Christmas and kicking off the official turning-on of the Natchitoches Christmas lights. It was a lot of fun and the boys had a blast.

YAY FOR A SHORT WORK WEEK! Hope y'all are getting geared up for some turkey.... :)

I have already started playing Christmas Music...

2011-11-08T11:14:00.000-06:00

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

I do this every year. I get bitten by the I-NEED-CHRISTMAS-MUSIC-NOW bug and my iTunes radio cranks up those sweet Christmas jingles way too early. Well, I guess most people would say that, but I personally enjoy it. iTunes Radio has a great selection from old old classics to new Christmas music.

As my office fills with music, this gets my mind a-going trying to figure out what new and old Christmas/Holiday traditions our family will partake in. It's an absolute must (and extremely hard to avoid) the new tradition of seeing the Natchitoches Christmas lights. It began last year when I came down to interview for the job and it will continue this year. It was so wonderful watching Jackson's face light up as he got to see Santa in his house, eat funnel cake along the riverbank, and sip on hot chocolate as we walked in different tunnels of lights. It really is magical. I highly recommend it if you have not ever been- it would be fun to do with kids, as a couple, or even by yourself!

The ladies in my family also started a baking day so-to-speak-- My Mom, Lindsey, and I got together with the kids at my Mom's and let the kids go nuts while we baked various holiday treats that are absolute staples during the holiday season-- Trash, Puppy Chow, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. Yes, please! Can't wait for that!

I would really like to start some new Thanksgiving traditions this year. Something we can all do as a family- Anyone have any suggestions? Last year, I decided to invite ALL of our closest friends and family over for a huge Thanksgiving feast at our house a week or so before Thanksgiving. I guess it was more of a rite of passage for me- To successfully cook a full Thanksgiving dinner and I did it. We had about 40 people. And even though all I wanted was to cook, I didn't realize how blessed I felt getting to fellowship with all of our friends. I truly felt thankfulness for the relationships that have carried us through so many different seasons. BUT...with us being out of town now, I am not sure if that will happen. Any takers?!?!

I would love to know if any of y'all have things your families do during November specifically....

Before the holiday spirit took off, Jackson had his last soccer game.

It was so cold, y'all. I was very thankful Gannie brought Jackson this hat from Denver last year! Jackson has this new found fascination with Sock Monkeys, these days....

Snacks and trophies! I can't think of a better way to end the soccer season....

We ventured to Ruston this weekend for Mikey's birthday and had a great time celebrating with family.

They had such a great time with their uncle that they matured faster than we could keep up with--

Hilarious. Enough Said. Who would have known a paci would make the most awesome mustache-holder?

I also got to spend some wonderful sister time with Lindsey at Cedartown, got my hair done (it was way overdue), repeat performance with my sweet MIL at Cedartown, and then a huge gameday celebration for the LSU/Bama game at bestie Sarah's house. It was a great weekend. Nick is still looking for that big buck, but I know it will come all in good time.

Now, I am going to get lost in Ernest Tubb's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer...don't judge.

Clowns....A Frightening Subject

2011-11-02T12:03:00.002-05:00

A comment on my previous post from my sister, Lindsey, prompted the subject-matter for this post--

Clowns.

I recently shared with you that Austin has a phobia of all animals right now. And it was kind of tripping me out because I had never seen a child react so crazily to sweet four-legged creatures. Then, my sister's comment and childhood memories let the past-memory floodgates open wide. Wide, y'all. So much so, that copying these images to put on this post was down-right torturous and terrifying.

Terr.Ify.Ing.

I'll start of PG....

Bozo The Clown.

This clown was tolerable. I actually used to watch the morning show on TV when I was young. (When the TV had 12 channels that we had to turn by hand on the TV. Soon after this show I am pretty sure we got a remote. BIG TIME!)

I liked watching all the little kids play the games and secretly wished I could throw that little ping-pong ball in the strategically positioned popcorn buckets. But only if I didn't have to see Bozo. Freaky.

Mall Clowns.

Tolerable but getting a little out of my comfort zone. I remember seeing one particular mall clown at the Ford Park Mall in Shreveport back in the day. He was at the carousel handing out balloons. Fine, from afar, but the closer we got to him, the tighter I clung to my Momma. Then, our eyes locked and I LOST IT...No sir. No balloon from the clown mall for me. Done.

Then, there is this Stephen King beauty.

Mom and Dad wouldn't let me see this, but I am pretty sure I caught bits and pieces of It when it aired on HBO. Disturbing to say the least. It was like tossing straight gasoline on to my clown-phobic fire and I was traumatized.

Let me preface this part with a particular movie that my sister loved to torture me with. Kids will be kids, yes. But my sister had a HAYDAY with this particular movie, Peewee Herman's Big Adventure. A scary movie? Not at all. A scary part in it?

OH YES SIR-- Large Marge.

This image above is the very reason I believe I am so stinking terrified of clowns. Look at the clown resemblance? It is terribly similar.

So Lindsey, would LOVE to pause the movie on this particular part and let my 3 and 4 year old little mind be absolutely wrecked because of how disturbing Large Marge looks! Oh gosh, it's hard not to look at this now and bust out laughing, but still want to secretly run for my Momma! How weird does this chick look? HAHA!

And finally, the Most Disturbing Clown Moment of My Life, goes to......

Killer Klowns from Outer Space!

Please tell me someone out there has seen this terrible excuse for a movie?!?! This movie absolutely ruined me. How they abducted sweet little people and then turned them into giant cotton candies and sucked their blood out with long-loopey straws. WHAT? It was nuts. I am pretty sure I spent a month on my parent's floor.

See, y'all. I am ruined. I can't do clowns. Don't want to. Never. Please, shield your babies from the absolute weirdness of clowns. It can lead to a lifetime in therapy....

A Star Wars Halloween

2011-11-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

Yep. It's over. Halloween has officially come and gone which means only one thing....

The HOLIDAY SEASON has begun-- 53 shopping days until Christmas. Whaaatt?

Can y'all believe it? I can't. It was June 15th two days ago, I swear. And the bricks I have invested in are doing absolutely nothing to slow down the growth of my precious baby boys. So, all we can do is savor each second we have with these precious lives.

We hit up Front Street yesterday evening for Witch Way to Main Street. Why Main Street and not Front Street, I am not sure about? But I am a Natchitoches newbie so I just go with the flow. [A Little Word from the Not-So Wise: When Christmas Fest comes and y'all make your plans to come see the gorgeous lights...beware of the traffic. It's a beast. It took me 30 minutes to go less than 2 miles.] It's so worth it though!

Yoda made his appearance, finally....It only took a sucker and a fast-hand to catch him with all his gear on.

My Sweet Star Wars Clan....

Can y'all see the lights behind the boys? They are going up! The opening ceremony for the lights is Saturday, November 19th! Come see it! Come see us. We would love to see ya :) The event is free to the public...woo-hoo!

Clone Trooper and best buddy, AJ the Batman

AJ's sweet Momma, Ashlee...I have had so much fun getting to know her! She has been a great friend!

Family picture....somewhat....it was crazy and chaotic on Front Street. Beggers can't be choosers when patrons are walking all around you!

Spooky costume...

My Little Loves

Look at the river, y'all. So sad. They say Cane River is 8 inches deep at its deepest on the Front Street side. It has been nicknamed now Cane River Creek/Cane River Pond. People I have talked to who have lived here their whole life have never seen it this low.

Boo. Hopefully we will get some good rain this winter/spring!

Such sweet men! Nick is actually shielding Austin from the ducks, geese and dogs in this picture. He has a big phobia of animals right now. I was really starting to worry about it, but then thankfully I received an article yesterday that stated phobias are absolutely normal and short-lived in toddlers. Thank Goodness!

Hope y'all had a great Halloween! Now it's on to November...

Halloween Happenings

2011-10-31T10:11:00.000-05:00

Our Fall Bucket List is starting to gain some check-off speed.

The "Make Candied Apples" was checked off last Monday. I have never seen two little men so excited about dipping apples in a bowl full of caramel.

Don't you see the eagerness all over those faces? Oh and the wait for the caramel to harden....it nearly killed those fragile little candied-apple-desiring hearts. But they survived and I got to clean up the aftermath of a toddler and preschooler eating sticky caramel.

Jackson had his Harvest Festival at his school Thursday complete with a Trunk or Treat. Since we had a soccer game he was able to scooch in at the last minute to partake in a few games and a little face-paintin'. Mrs. Tristal, his teacher, manned the face painting both and we just had to stop by and see her. We love Mrs. Tristal!

We finished the school week last week with a costume party and pizza party at school. There aren't frilly costumes in this house-- Meet Jackson...The Clone Trooper. Yoda (AKA Austin) will be joining us this afternoon to make this Star Wars pair complete.

Upon arrival to Ruston this weekend, we decided no Halloween weekend was complete without being "Mummified". What we did not anticipate was how willing Jackson was to clean-up after this....except that he put the whole unrolled roll of toilet paper back in the toilet. And while this is where toilet paper goes, an entire roll might not be the best idea to try to flush.....So, I fished out the entire sopping-wet roll. That was nice.

We celebrated Nick's 33rd Birthday this weekend. There are no words to describe how I feel about this man, but maybe I will try--

Nick, there is no other person in this world I want to do life with than you. You are one courageous man who will fight tooth and nail for the family God has given us. I see God has His hand on you, on me, on our family and He has shown me just how blessed I am to have you as a husband. You are an incredible provider, and an incredible INCREDIBLE father. I see you work all day, commute long hours, then come home and play full-throttle with those boys until dark AND you still have the energy to help do bath-time, prayers, and make time to be a husband for me. There is no other human being on this world I love more than you. I can't wait to do many more birthdays with you!

We ate ourselves silly this weekend starting out with a wonderful "Oh My Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie". I polished off the last piece last night before we left Ruston. It is amazing!

Tonight we are attending Witch Way to Main Street on Front Street. The boys are pumped. I am sure we will come home nice and sugared up. Happy Halloween, Y'all!

Twenty-Six

2011-10-24T14:01:00.002-05:00

Well another birthday has come and gone...

One more year down, hopefully, God-willing many more birthdays to go!

This year brought about a whole slew of different emotions for me. Not the "I am getting closer to 30 faster than I think, let me savor each year I still have left to celebrate my late twenties" kind of emotions. I am talking gratefulness, being blessed, deep happiness, and overwhelming joy for what God has blessed me with.

See God has allowed me to go down some pretty interesting routes in my life...

Some pretty dark routes.

Each time the darkness was paved with my tears and hardships, but at the end of each dark route, God's glory has been brighter, bolder, and shining greater in my life that it had before. That's what He revealed to me this particular birthday weekend-- His Bright Light.

I was surrounded by so many people that love me this week and weekend. I started the week off early with a birthday lunch with all my co-workers. Precious people who wanted to make sure that even though the week was full of meetings and deadlines, they wanted to take an hour to celebrate me being born. Cards and gifts flooded my desk starting early on and then Friday came-- My bestest friend in the whole world and my wonderful husband partnered together to give me a birthday party with my best friends. Then Saturday, my actual birthday, I was serenaded by the three sweetest men in the world and given magazine-wrapped gifts. Then I was so blessed to spend the day with my two favorite women in this world-- My Mom and Sister. Family came in and out all day telling me Happy Birthday with gifts in tow. I finished my actual day of birth with a wonderful date with Nick. And then finally, Sunday brought about a lunch birthday party with Nick's wonderful family. Wow...my fingers are tired from typing all that. See, even though I was surrounded by people who showered their love through gifts, words, cards, cake, etc. the real celebration came from within for me-- God's love. I felt it more than ever this year. I loved my new cowboy boots and my new necklace and purse, but where-in years before that would absolutely MAKE my birthday, this year it did not-- It was the love God poured out all over me through the actual gestures of my friends and family.

It wasn't the stuff.

It was the thought.

It was the fact that they loved me enough to say so, to be there, to reach out, and to make sure I knew that I was loved and cared for. God did that. God showed me that. What I realized is that love and outpouring of emotion you feel on your Birthday-- that pee-in-your-pants excitement and euphoric anticipation only a Birthday surprise can bring is EXACTLY how God feels about me everyday. Every. Single. Day. What an incredible gift that is!

Bottom-line-- A Birthday will get forgotten sometimes. Someone you love and care for won't know the tug in your heart for their validation of your special day, but God ALWAYS will. As far as He is concerned, everyday is a huge celebration that you are His.

Feel His love today. Know that He loves you and will never forget a birthday. Your eternal gifts are waiting for you. Don't you want that-- I can promise you it's the best gift you will ever receive.

Love y'all so much and thanks for doing this life/blog with me....

We're Going Camping Now...

2011-10-17T08:40:00.001-05:00

We're on our way!

We're going to climb up that mountain,

and run and jump and play!

Y'all remember that song?

Psalty the Singing Praisebook? Oh my goodness above-- My sweet sister and I listened to that RECORD over and over again until our little Fisher Price record players couldn't screech out another note. Memories. We felt particularly fancy when we got to watch the actual videos on TV. I think my sister might have missed that since she probably grew out of Psalty by the time they made it to VHS. Wow, that was a long time ago.

Anywho, anytime I think about camping this song comes to mind! And y'all notice I said "thinking" not actual "doing". Oh no, I don't camp. A while back, my best friend Jeni gave me this on a laminated card--

Truer words have never been spoken.

BUT, when you become a wife and a mother, sacrifice follows in tow. So, that's what I did Saturday night. I took one for the team and camped out with the boys. In the backyard. With the bathroom close by. And the warm glow of the kitchen light shining through the window into our tent. No really, it was actually pretty fun. After picking up a tent, air mattress (oh yes, I don't camp on the ground...who does that?), and lantern we started our camp-out at about 6:30. The boys successfully pitched the tent around 7, hot dogs were grilled by 8, and by 9 we had read 4 different books and the boys were nestled in their sleeping bags. But y'all...it got cold FAST! I mean arctic temperatures and sweet little Austin and his rowdy self would not stay still long enough to get some warmth from his sleeping bag. So about midnight, I sweetly nudged the hubs and said I was taking Austin inside and I might as well just stay inside too. SO I MADE IT TO MIDNIGHT! Huge. HUGE. The boys loved it and I must say, my confidence has been reassured enough that I could do it again. But I am not sure about an actual campsite, yet. Well see.

Our camping adventure began Saturday night after a trip to Shreveport which included the following....

A trip to Lee Michael's so I could get my new anniversary band sized! Nick surprised me with this gorgeous 5 year anniversary band. I was speechless. I cried. I love it! Then I was a little bummed that it may take up to 2 weeks to have it sized right since my 3 and 3/4 sized finger can't quite fit into it. Sacrifice again, y'all.

While we were there, the boys tailgated....

And played on the best playground I have EVER seen....Leaps and Bounds I believe was the name of it...Seriously, not only could you lose your child in a heartbeat, you never see the same thing twice....

And then we did a little Mexican dining at Superior....

It was a great weekend slapped full with a lot of memories made. Now on to tackle another week....

My Courageous Pumpkins

2011-10-13T09:02:00.000-05:00

Is it possible for me to grow further in love with these little guys?

I really didn't think so... seeing as how I almost lose my breath thinking about how much I love them....

But then you see baby blues like these.....

And precious little grins like that....

And your love cup just can't help but run over!

Once again, thanks to the wonderful Crystal Garcia I have precious moments frozen in time. There is nothing like a pair of toe-headed children in royal blue shirts against bright orange pumpkins. Not to mention, the boys absolutely run themselves silly every year we attend the Pumpkin Patch at the Townsend House. It's almost like a magical pumpkin kingdom as the boys dart and hide between pumpkins. Pick-up and observe the intricacies of the small ones. And of course, like most boys will do, try to pick-up the largest one they can find...and then throw it.

These Boys are Our Lives.

Nick and I went to see Courageous recently. As our minds and hearts tried to keep up with the roller coaster of emotions that flood you, the message shook me to the core-- Fight For Your Family. No matter what happens, be courageous, and fight to keep your family centered around God. The story centers around 5different men and their struggle to maintain a household centered around God while the fears, trials, and pressures of the world and the enemy try to beat them, their children, and their wives down. While it did focus mainly on men/husbands, I found it extremely applicable to me as a wife/mother-- While our earthly fathers may or may not have let us down, we have been given an unbelievable privilege and strength from our Heavenly Father to break that cycle-- We can be good earthly parents no matter what has happened to us before. We are accountable to God for the way we raise our children and I really don't want to let Him down. I recommend anyone, in any stage of life, go see this movie. It brought about some healing in me as well as inspiration to keep the reigns on my family tight and centered around the Father that promises to never leave or forsake us.

No Fear

2011-10-12T11:58:00.001-05:00

"Trust me enough to let things happen without striving to predict or control them. Relax, and refresh yourself in the light of my everlasting love. My love-light never dims, yet you are often unaware of my radiant presence. When you project yourself into the future, rehearsing what you will do or say, you are seeking to be self-sufficient: to be adequate without my help. This is a subtle sin – so common that it usually slips by unnoticed.

The alternative is to live fully in the present, depending on me each moment. Rather than fearing your inadequacy, rejoice in my abundant supply. Train your mind to seek my help continually, even when you feel competent to handle something by yourself. Don’t divide your life into things you can do by yourself and things that require my help. Instead, learn to rely on me in every situation. This discipline will enable you to enjoy life more and to face each day confidently.” -Sarah Young

This passage could not better summarize the struggle that resides within my heart on a daily basis.

To simply, let go and let God do his Handiwork. And such a marvelous and beautiful thing it always is!

God is doing a fresh work in my life-- in my family's life. And while fear of the unknown is an option, it will not be my choice.

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens!" Psalm 68:19

"Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth, You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again." Psalm 71:20-21

While the fear can be almost crippling, the promises ring true everytime--

He will restore.

He will comfort.

He will bear any and all burdens we have.

Valleys

2011-10-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

Life can be very cyclical. And well, let's just throw in brutal at times for kicks.

One minute you can be riding a cloud so high that euphoria almost seems like a place of normalcy. In the next minute, your heart can sink into a sadness no living-breathing person wants to face. All the while, you are trying to manage life. Unload dishwashers, wash clothes, bathe children, take out garbage, sort through mail, pay bills. All this must be done no matter what season of life you find yourself in. Those things seem to get accomplished a whole lot easier when you are in a happier season, but they have to be done, nonetheless.

In between bill-paying and dirty dishes, why can't I make walking in the full trust of Him apart of my daily routine, no matter the circumstances surrounding my current situation.

Not too long ago, I found myself in a state of constant valley-walking. Crawling is more like it. I was trying to do life, treading water, while the storms of life seem to beat me down making my grasp for air short-lived and exhausting. While those valleys took me into some very dark places, I learned one thing- To Trust in Him....after I got what I wanted. To Trust in Him is such a simple phrase. Almost cliche in nature as it swirls in popularity around the Christian realm. But see what was different with me was that I only trusted in Him when things got bad. Really bad and then I would be delivered from one frightening situation, shout for joy saying, "LORD I TRUST YOU, YOU GOT ME THROUGH THIS!" And as wonderful as that is, it's not trust-- it's thanks. Which our Lord Jesus deserves every second of the day as far as I am concerned. Sure, the Lord delivered me from stinky, slimy pits only for my humanly nature to allow me to fall right back in. As life cycles brought sadness, I would then begin to Trust, be delivered again, only to fall right back. A horrible vicious cycle that only brought about insecurity, fear, and unhealthy behaviors. Does anyone ever find themselves doing this? Well I for one, am done.

It took some recent valley-crawling for me to understand that the only way to true happiness, despite the season of life, is to trust Him-- WITH EACH STEP. EACH MOMENT. I find myself waking up in the morning, asking the Lord to please guide each step I take, each breath I breathe, each word I speak-- that the very acts I control be first touched by His grace. Can I tell y'all how liberating this is? A simple popular phrase actually put into action before something good finally helps ease the pain. See because the Lord holds me, he holds you, in his palm during the storms and during the parties. All He wants is for you to hold on to Him. As I stroll along in life, I allow my fears to be calmed because God is guiding me. He has my full Trust, even in those dark valleys. Won't you let Him guide you? Listen, I came to this realization only after years of trusting Him after I was blessed with a happy moment. What I didn't realize, but He knew all along, was that He could bless me EVERYDAY, during every storm, if each footstep I took was taken in full Faith and Trust in Him.

A recent blessing rests with these guys-- I got to finally get some extra playtime with my little men. Something my heart desired and God granted.

My full trust in God also has brought about hearing some spectacular things through my children, as well- Jackson in particular. He recently learned Philippians 4:19- "My God supplies all my needs." To hear his sweet little raspy voice say that is nourishment to a very weak heart. See God is allowing me to see that while I can't see him, I can HEAR him through the voice of my children. All I have to do is Trust Him.

"You Lead. I'll Follow. Your Hands are my tomorrow! Your grip. Your grace-- You know the way you got me tenderly! ... . Just lead me on and on." Jamie Grace You Lead

A Baby...

2011-09-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

(No y'all. I am not pregnant. At all. Sorry, family. Please pick your hearts up off the floor.)

But I have been contemplating a blog post topic for some time now and after reading a blog I follows dare attempt to convey what I have been thinking about, I thought I would go for it...

I always knew my first-born was going to be a boy. I just knew it from the deep-depths of soul. And I knew I was going to have a Jackson. I can remember the first time I saw Steel Magnolia's and I saw that cute toe-headed little boy run across the screen. Jackson was his name. Oh he was so cute I could eat him up. That was only half of my infatuating reasons I loved the name Jackson. My wonderful Pawpaw was Andrew Jackson. I loved him so much. A man's man and I wanted to have a little boy just like him. Pawpaw was the other half of the reason I had to have a little Jackson.

And so there he was. Me and my little man.

As soon as he got here, I was so in love. I loved nursing him. I loved dressing him up. I was so privileged to have him at home with me for almost 5 months before I decided to go back to college. Since Nick was traveling a lot of the time, it was J and me. I took him everywhere-- lunch dates, dinner at Sundown, trips to my Moms, Walmart, shopping. If I wanted to go, Jackson went too. He was such a sweet-tempered baby. If I think hard enough I can almost smell that baby-smell...a mixture of Johnson and Johnson with baby powder.

Because we loved our little man so much, it wasn't anytime before we wanted to try to have another. By this time, people were saying, "You're trying for that girl, aren't ya?"  "It's time for a little girl, isn't it?"  "You need a mini-Hannah!" (Oh Lord, help us, know we don't! Ha!) Well, we had no idea what God had in store for us, but I knew I wanted another baby..

So we tried. First attempt little Austin was created....

As soon as we found it I was pregnant, I began looking for girl stuff.  The pregnancy was different. I felt different.  I thought it was a girl...everyone was pretty much convinced too so I got easily convinced. But in my heart of hearts, I knew God wanted me to have another little boy. I just knew it.

At 17 weeks pregnant, that ultrasound screen showed my precious little man and I was so smitten. I stared at that screen as tears streamed down my face, blown away at the life swirling around inside of me.

It wasn't anytime before people started telling me, "Aw, well, you can try for a girl for the next one." Or "Two BOYS! What are you going to do?" I remember being so blown away at the disappointment I heard in people's voices. Nick and I were elated and here I was confused because so many people seemed disappointed.

I almost felt bad for delivering the bad news that I was having another little boy.

I am the child of an only-daughter and a sister to one-only bigger sister. Girls are my life. Girls have been my life. I am as girly as they come. I have the closest group of God-fearing girlfriends that a sister could ask for, but here I am surrounded by boys. BUT I LOVE IT! Truth be told, if God were to never give me a girl and decide I needed to have 5 more boys, I would be the most proud Mama in the world.

Some people might have even thought that I had always wanted girls. But the truth is, my children are my life. My soul. My everything. All I want is a healthy life... Just like most of y'all think about your children-- They are yours- girl, boy. God decided to give you the gift of life. Whatever God gives me I will cherish.

Boys do possess a certain specific challenge, but this is the way I see it--

God has blessed me with the opportunity to raise some fine gentlemen. Granted, the pressure is overwhelming and I fail at it miserably most days, but when push comes to shove, God decided this Momma needed some boys. I hope and I pray that I can raise them to be good students, good friends, good husbands-- that they know nothing is possible without God being at the center first and foremost. My heart almost cracks in half every time I hear Jackson's sweet little raspy voice say Bible verses. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made," he will say. Yes, yes, yes you are sweetie.

Mother's of boys have a great and grand task ahead of them. I get overwhelmed thinking about it....

But God has entrusted this to me. And I for one am up for it.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

2011-09-26T10:13:00.000-05:00

...that's what this week and weekend was for the Lee family.

We have been hitting the soccer fields pretty hard and Jackson is LOVING IT! I am over the moon that he loves it and I am very proud that he has made several goals....never would have ever thought our family would have a little soccer player. Baseball player? Yes. Golf lover? Of course so. But soccer? I didn't think so, but I stand corrected!

So I am going to let the pictures do the talking....

"Four-Out" instead of "Peace-Out". I think the over sized-aviators give it a little something extra too, don't you?

Zi'm goings to driink za bloooodddd.... Ring pops with Vampire teeth? They have really stepped it up.

And then finally, bar hopping at Papa's...

I know. It's a little early. I especially like the elbow-proppin', half pirate-type Arrrgggg smile that he is sporting.

We started off our weekend with a Mommy/Son date to a Halloween-themed cooking class. This was Jackson's first class and my third. I love them! I am so glad that Natchitoches has a cooking store that does this....

Introducing....CHEF LEE!

Baked Apple Cider

Shrunken Skull...

We finished off the evening with a black chocolate cauldron with spiderwebs. He had a blast. Can't wait for the Christmas classes!

Austin wore his first "business suit" this weekend. Isn't this precious? Rikki got the boys these organic outfits and Austin can finally wear his. So cute!

Sunday morning started off with homemade donuts. Doesn't Jackson look thrilled?

Maybe not. But he was thrilled with the result. And so was I.

We finished off the weekend with a little front-porch sitting in between football games. I am slowly but surely getting all my fall decor out. We did manage to get some new hanging baskets with mums as well as some pumpkins for the porch. Maybe by Christmas I will have everything up....

Happy Monday!

Football and Organization...

2011-09-19T11:13:00.000-05:00

Take a look at this beauty....

Isn't she gorgeous? Isn't she lovely?

Oh my heart is melting over the grasp of family organization that is now mine. If you have not visited Erin Condren's website, you must go now...really go. I am not getting any form of compensation for this or have even been asked to mention this product, I just really like it this much. And I would be super selfish to not share it with all you precious people! It is a perfect size for my purse, sturdy laminated MONOGRAMMED cover, a zip-pouch, sturdy month to month calendars, and a personalized notepad! Plus I got personalized labels and stickers for gifts, books, etc. Sooo cute!

We spent the majority of the weekend centered around football.....

We headed to Ruston on Saturday morning and started the afternoon with Papa Bruce's 85th Birthday party and then headed over to tailgate with my beautiful sister. Of course, I did not get one single picture because I am the smartest person on earth. Or maybe it was because I was chasing a certain active toddler and being so terribly smitten with my 2 and 1/2 month old niece. Either way, I had no time for pictures. Which I am sad about because we were sportin' our Tech Blue proudly. Tech played a great first half of the game and I guess those boys were really bummed we left at half-time because they fell A.PART. I mean fell to pieces. I heard all of it on the radio on the way home. I was so sad! They had played so well and then lost. Oh well. We'll get 'em next time, boys!

I woke up to these precious faces Sunday morning....

And because they stole my heart, I made them chocolate chip pancakes.

Nick took off for the Saint's game with a buddy early that morning, so it was my littlest men and me all day. We had fun hanging out in our PJs, playing baseball, finding bugs to suck up into the bug vacuum (yes, its so cool...they have really stepped it up from the Bug Box I use to have growing up), and eating pizza for dinner.

Nick brought us all back souvenirs. I got a really cute shirt I can't wait to wear and the boys each got a football. This one did NOT want to leave his in the car this morning....

We are hitting the soccer fields pretty hard this week. Happy Monday!

Kicking-It Lee Style

2011-09-14T14:48:00.000-05:00

We are kickin' it on the soccer fields these days....

And we are lucky number 7 again! He was number 7 for WeeTee so I think we might have claimed a number already...

Littler man wanted to get in on the action as well. Such a ham!

Our soccer season has started off great. Jackson really likes it and is starting to get the fundamentals down. I know nothing about soccer. Nothing. Neither does Nick. So we kind of went into this sport blind not knowing what to teach him to do. Well, now it looks like Jackson can give us a few pointers. He picked it up fast and enjoys chasing that ball everywhere. However, he does seem to really get aggressive once the ball has already gone out of play. Oh well. He's working on that hand-eye coordination, or wait, foot-eye...I don't know. He kicks it just fine, y'all.

So besides learning to kick soccer balls, the Lee's have been doing a variety of fun activities:

Including, but not limited to.....

Seeing Beth Moore at her Lubbock Simulcast
Winning a Golf Tournament
Cooking everything Pioneer Woman style (Because She is Heaven-sent)
A Couple's Cooking Class

Y'all. Beth Moore's Simulcast was amazing. So. Amazing. I really need a tiny Beth Moore to put in my pocket to whisper words of wisdom and quote Scripture to. I never get tired of listening to her. NEVER. God has placed such an incredibly BIG gift inside the smallest cutest Southern woman I know. I have done two of her bible stuides: A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place, Esther, and am currently finishing reading So Long, Insecurity. I love her podcasts too and I also love that they are fo-free! I always walk away from her studies feeling truly armored with the Word of God. She has helped give me spiritually a true awakening. Love her. I think women come under attack by the enemy every day...especially working mothers. We fight such battles of insecurity and inadequacy and not being able to do it all. That's a devil's playground and us women with our sweet little tender hearts need some divine ammo. And let me tell you, most of the time, what you think is BULL. We are strong powerful women of God and we have to stick together. The only way I get new strength is when I go to the Word and spit out those Truths so clearly laid out for us on those silky silvery pages:

"Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to perserver so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36

The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord grants his people security." Psalm 29:11

"She is clothed with strength and dignity." Proverbs 31:25

Whoa. Could He have not laid it out more clearly for us? When we feel down because we can't do it all, do not feel discouraged because it has already passed through the precious gaze of Him. His hands have already touched it and now it to be His will. He promises to always take care of us. And the whole time, we have the strength to get through it ALL because He has promised to supply us with it, even in our weakest state we are the strongest in His eyes.

Amen. Amen. And Amen.

Now, I am going to pull it together.

Moving on, I have been cooking up a storm....

Pioneer Woman's Porkchops with Apples & Creamy Bacon Grits (I did Potatoes)

Boo Mama's Mamaw's Chicken & Dumplins

Possum Pizza

All three were so good. I promise you it really wasn't possum we used....it was chicken. I may be southern through and through, but I will never get that desparate. This was a dish we made at our cooking class so I attempted to recreate it for the Saint's game. Sooo good. Basically its a Garlic Chicken and Onion Pizza with fresh Mozzerela Pizza. The flavors collide with butter and chicken and it's heaven in my mouth. All of them were heavenly. Gosh, I wish I did not like food so much. I really thank the Lord everyday for allowing me to enjoy such amazing food. Especially being in Louisiana! It really brings me a sense of joy that just can't be normal. It really can't. I get way too excited about a good dish and a sweet treat. Oh well. It's there and I guess I am going to enjoy food as much as I can.

Happy Wednesday, y'all.

Thought-FILLED Thursday

2011-09-08T10:57:00.000-05:00

Do you think there will be a time, years down the road, when I will look back at this stage in my life and lives of my children and say, lovingly and tenderly to myself, "Gosh, I sure miss those crazy hectic days when my personal schedule is more slammed-full than my work schedule and I wonder if I will have time to shower and/or brush my teeth/put on deodorant (because some days it is a privilege), because I really REALLY like having to schedule in time to read/sleep."

I THINK NOT...

Especially when today looks like this...just today....

Yep, crrrazy. This is a sheet I fill out just about every morning just to keep my life on track on top of a monthly calendar/planner. I am almost giddy thinking about the Erin Condren Life Planner that is coming my way in a couple of weeks. Ahh, glorious organization! And it's not because I am OCD, it is because I literally cannot keep up with everyone's activities...Nick's Golf, Jackson's Soccer, Austin's Doctor Appointments, Friend and Family Time, Parties, etc. Let's not even think about keeping up with the laundry and cleaning the house because then I might just cry! Thank goodness for sweet Mrs. Mary that does a deep clean every other week for our family. HEAVEN!

Anyway, life is full. Slammed is more like it, but God's glory and presence is just as plentiful. I have started to feel the last week or so that my children are forgetting about me. Even though they see me every day, and I am very much contributing, but let me 'splain myself...when we walk in the door at 5:30ish I distribute snacks and the boys excitedly anticipate Nick's arrival (and so do I). I attempt to unload the dishwasher, with the youngsters crawling all around me, and start dinner. Nick gets home and then it really begins...I cook, pick-up kitchen, go through back-packs/diaper bags, start laundry, pick-up, and finally finish dinner around 6:15 to 6:45. This whole time Nick is with the boys playing outside or in, but he is so wonderful to play with them so I can get the household duties finished that keep the Lee household running. We eat and as soon as dinner is finished, I sweep the boys off to bathe and PJ 'em. Finally, after this, its about 7:45 we will have a few moments together as a family to play and I looovee it! Then it's bedtime around 8:00 to 8:30. So, you see, I keep em clean and fed which makes for a happy family, but I don't get the one-on-one time, all the time, that I would like and I am starting to feel forgotten and convicted that I don't get to "play" like I would like to with them. In fact, I broke down and cried on the phone to Nick about it.

Truth is, I miss them and I feel like some days it is a heck of a lot of work just to keep things going in a household that so much time is lost on tender-sweet moment with my children!

Well, God, heard my prayers and this morning I got the most amazing confirmation from our youngest family member. Nick got Austin up this morning and dressed him while I was finishing getting ready and getting Jackson ready. Austin is a BIG Daddy's boy right now and that's fine! I love to see that interaction and I know there is a bond between a Daddy and Son a mother just can't touch, but then, so is the bond with a mother and son. That little guy rounded the corner in our bedroom, let out a "MOMMA!" and ran and wrapped those sweet little squishy arms around my legs. I melted. Then he hugged me again! I died by that time. That is all the affirmation I need y'all. I was spent...

Family is the most valuable possession in the world.

[Editor's Note: I wrote this post last Thursday and I am just now getting around to posting it. I am happy to report this Thursday isn't as filled, but my love cup is flowing over! I love my boys more than ever!]

Sizzling Summer Summary!

2011-08-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe Summer 2011 is almost over and Fall is on its way...AGAIN...ALREADY!! Hobby Lobby is full of Thanksgiving and Christmas decor-- I swear they start prepping people for the holidays earlier and earlier. Those marketers sure are pushy. But smart, because I sure wanted to buy up the place. Anyway, this post is a collage of pictures and events we participated in through the summer. I have been updating y'all with pictures from my phone (I am sure you have noticed the stellar photography skills), but I thought (since the season is almost over) it was time to upload all the good camera pictures. So here goes....

Who can resist the bathtub shot?! Actually, truth be told, I have to condition the boys hair and use detangling spray on Jackson! Especially this summer since he has lived in the water...it drys out his hair terribly! Can't have dry, tangled hair!

We began the summer with a trip to the awesome Alligator Park in Natchitoches for best buddy AJ's birthday party. Such sweet boys.

Aren't they creepy?! And big!!!

Getting ready for the big show. We were soaked from sweat but it was a really good show!

Celebrated the arrival of Faith Ann Crawford by throwing my sister a shower for our first baby girl on the Cooper side!

Here we are getting ready for Miss Parker Elizabeth's 1st Birthday Party!

And of course, we can't forget the move we completed during the summer...Our third move to be exact! In six months...

But we did enjoy the peach picking...(Look at my little shirtless redneck baby...gosh I love him!)

Yummy!

Front porch picture getting ready for Jackson's 1st VBC Commencement Ceremony...

I don't know who was more proud?! Jackson....

Or me! He did so good and he loved every minute of it!

Then we celebrated 4th of July at the Higginbotham/Amacker Camps in Lake Providence. All the cousins love hanging...

Our Family with Daniel, Lauren and Parker Lee....we sure did miss you Mikey!

Getting a little grouchy because he would rather be in the water! Thanks Gannie for all your help!

Wrapped up our visit in Lake Providence with a joint bike ride. I know, I know all you mothers/grandmothers seeing this are probably freaking as I did. And trust me, Nick and I definitely learned our lesson because this is what happened next...

Poor injured Jackson! His little ankle slipped in the spokes of the bike got wedged, the bike flipped, Nick caught both he and the bike, I PANICKED TO SAY THE LEAST, Jackson's foot was stuck for what seemed forever (I was certain it had broken in half) and everyone apart of the fiasco got to see what Hannah looks like when she panics...it ain't pretty, y'all. But thankfully, Jackson was fine..no broken bones, just a few scratched. He milked it and we were sucked in and got him a new toy....Great Parenting, I know. Do y'all know I did the same exact thing to my foot when I was just about his age? I still have the scar to prove it!

Finished off 4th of July weekend with a stay at the Boardwalk in Bossier for a couple of days!

And of course we slipped and slided....

And swam....

And had naked little jaybirds running around!

We finally wrapped up the summer with a sweet bittersweet moment- Jackson's first day of Pre-K4 at his new school. It is a wonderful Christian school that goes to 8th grade and Jackson is loving it! Y'all he looked so grown up in his new uniform and back-pack that came down to his knee-caps. I was one proud Momma.

And finally, we gave Summer an adios with our annual Lee family trip to Orange Beach....

It was a wonderful summer this year full of many MANY memories. Can't wait to see what Fall brings!

We start soccer practice next week and I am hoping and praying the weather starts to cool down (yeah right). A special Happy Birthday shout-out to Mrs. Susan! We love you and are so appreciative of everything you do for us. You are a wonderful mother, MIL, grandmother, and woman. Hope you have a special SPECIAL day!

Getting a grip on Emotions...

2011-08-25T14:26:00.001-05:00

I am a huge mess and mix of emotions right now. And on top of that, I can't pin-point what actually sent me into this fury (as I live a life full of toddler temper tantrums, disgruntled employees, milestones that are hit too fast, and hormonal havoc), but I know part of it can just be chalked up to a whole heaping mess of womanhood. And motherhood. And work. And guilt. And sadness. Don't get me wrong I am so incredibly thankful for what God has blessed me with, but sometimes all of it, all of the pressures and expectations and duties just wear me slap out. So much so I can't get a grip on what emotions are rushing through my mind.

First and foremost, what rests at the beginning of my mind EVERY morning as soon as my alarm goes off and as soon as my bare feet hit that wood floor is guilt. I hate that word. And it floods every crevice available in my soul. Guilt for working and sending my children off to be raised by someone else. It eats as me.  I guess this is pretty apparent to y'all now since this is the second post in a short amount of time focusing on this subject. And in all honesty, it may not even be the working/being away from my children that eats at me, it's just the fact that I can't do it ALL. And I want to. OH HOW I WANT TO! I want to work, advance my career, better myself, contribute financially, but I also want to raise my babies, play silly games, take care of the house, and have a nice home-cooked meal and a clean house for my husband to come home to. Instead of my obsessing and stirring the guilt-stricken pot about this, I need to just face the facts. At this point in my life, during this season, I am contributing more for my family in what I am currently doing than I see. God sees. That is why He has allowed me to be where I am! And really, all of the above mentioned gets done, maybe not to my liking, but God gives me the strength and endurance to do it all.

In this quest for perfectionism (yes, I am a big girl, I can see that is what I am trying to pull off) I found something in Beth Moore's book, So Long Insecurity that shook me. Perfectionism is the biggest cover up for insecurities. What? I am killing myself to provide a perfect home, clean clothes, home-cooked meals, while balancing being a wife and working all to find out I am nothing but a big mess of INSECURITY. And then I got to thinking, Nick never demands this out of me, the boys never demand this out of me, God certainly doesn't either. The only thing He commands is that we put Him at the center of everything we do. So if my quest for a clean home makes me grumpy which in turn makes my family feel stressed and unappreciated which in turn makes my grumpy heart not turn to the One and Only than what I am accomplishing? I am only allowing my insecurities on being inadequate growing deeper and darker and their long dark claws take my heart captive. Why am I obsessing about stinking folded towels and clean plates when I have two beautiful boys who need me? I am torturing myself over domestic duties when my children need me more than ever. Then I start to think about all the time I wasted stressing over this stupid stuff, that I feel guilty about not doing something productive with my family! Is this just a vicious cycle that I will never see the light at the end of this guilty, pain-stricken tunnel?

See, I told y'all. I am a mess. So what does God provide us with that is a fool-proof way of getting out of messes. A How to Survive Life For Dummies so to speak. Scripture. It's there. Right there. Plain as day. And nothing can reel me back in faster than the EVIDENCE of faith. The tangible and glorious Word of God....

         "For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days keep his tongue from from evil and his
         lips from guile (deceit)." 1 Peter 3:10

         "It shall be done for you as you have believed." Matthew 8:13

        "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not
        overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will
        the flame kindle upon you." Isaiah 43:2

It is so easy for me to see Scripture like this and do a quick-glance over it, not taking a split second to soak in these precious words. Today, my soul needs nourishment and I pray that if yours is in need, that you take a closer second to read.  We are all a failure at worldly things. But the things that matter to the Father, we will never fail.  How easy it is to let myself be overcome with all the mistakes I have made, all of the hurt I have caused, all of the things I could have been better at, the times I could have given instead of receiving, when I should have listened instead of talking, when I should have walked away or when I should have run faster than ever. I can't go there, though. That's the enemy working double-time on me. If this happens to you, don't let it!  Our God promises to hold us in His hands and to give us a fresh start each and every day even when that day is spent trying so hard to do the right thing.  God promises to see us through any battle of insecurity, any bout of guilt, and feeling of inadequacy or being overwhelmed. All we have to do is believe.

"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint." Galatians 6:9

As long as God allows it, I will have opportunites to be a mother, wife, employee, and domestic diva! I pray that my spirit stays grateful for the ample roles I get to participate in and that I am broken from a stronghold of insecurity of not being able to do it all. Because I can. We can. Through Him, we can.

Date with Besties and Dentists

2011-08-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

The weekend started off with a bang as two of my Besties, Sarah and Paige, made the trek to Natchitoches. We participated in a cooking class at my favorite local store, Cane River Kitchenware. This particular cooking class was a Women's Only event and focused on local specialty cocktails and appetizers. We had so much fun! The cocktails featured a Blueberry Cosmopolitan, Pomegranate Martini, Jolly Rancher Martini, Watermelon Margarita, and Cane River Margarita. Hands down my favorite was the Watermelon Margarita with fresh pureed watermelon. And coming in at a close second was the Jolly Racher Martini with chunks of watermelon and crushed jolly ranchers that lined the rim of the glass. DELISH! We also had a wide range of hors d'oeuvres that ranged from a corn and bean salsa, freshly made crackers, canapes, and cream cheese pinwheels. Ah-mazing.

Featured above is my favorite cocktail- Watermelon Margarita. They also served Cajun popcorn with chocolate candies mixed in. So good. Dr. Ben's Belly Rub Cajun seasoning knocked my socks off. Definitely recommend if you need something with an extra EXTRA kick!

After much needed girl time, we started off the work week with Jackson's first dentist appointment. I think I was more nervous than he was because the boy did great!

After a thorough cleaning and a lesson in flossing, the fluoride treatment was a breeze!

Bless his heart. Attempting to cheese even with all that mess in his mouth! Such a sweetheart.

And of course, what better way to celebrate a clean mouth than eating cheesy pizza at Subway! Jackson was a trooper and got a great report. He is so enthusiastic about good dental care! Haha! Gotta love it. Maybe we will have a dentist in the family one day.

Lee Life Lately

2011-08-05T10:16:00.000-05:00

The last couple of months have been filled with lots of different things. These are just a few of the things going on lately in the Lee household.

Running the roads with this cuteness in the backseat....

Getting in a weekend-getaway and some WAAAYYY overdue alone time with the Hubs.....

Slip and sliding on weekday evenings to beat the heat....

Loving up on this precious sight, my niece, Faith Ann.....

Fitting in some "peace-ful" pizza nights with the J-man and the fam at the new local Johnny's....

Enjoying cooler evenings with the coolest littlest man I know....

And finally, rolling around in the deep LOVE we have for these wonderful boys...Sweet Brothers.

What's on the agenda next?

Jackson starts Pre-K at his new school...

Family Beach Trip to Gulf Shores....

Jackson starts playing Soccer...

Squeezing in weekly popcorn/movie nights with the Boys...

Getting to see My Besties this weekend and planning more girls trips....

Nick's annual Labor Day Golf Tournament...

The beginning of Tech and LSU football...

And finally, Fall is right around the corner!

Life's good, folks. Hope yall's is too.

Unexpected Awareness

2011-07-21T12:51:00.001-05:00

I was not expecting to come across this today....

A while back, I stumbled across a blog featuring DIY Pom Poms that I was going to use for a baby shower. I definitely didn't expect to scroll down today and find a story so earth-shaking and heart-breaking that I would soon find myself blogging about it today. The Busy Budgeting Mama lost her best friend, Shannon Lawrence, to Domestic Violence. Two words that frequently circulate the media. A term that is heavily loaded with accusations, pain, and hurt that some people have no idea about. Don't want to know about. When I stumbled across this familiar term today, it was laced with a story that hit me so hard I felt physically ill. Shannon had made many attempts to get the needed protection from the father of her children and ex-boyfriend and the courts and the system failed her. The failure ultimately led to the woman losing her life and her children, 3 and 1, losing a mother. Please read the article from The Examiner below and then click on the highlighted link to get the full story written by her best friend-

"A man was arrested Sunday after police said he shot the mother of his two children four times during a custody swap, then drove all three to his father’s house in Cumming. Mr. Christopher Erdman, 25, of Cumming, was in the Fulton County jail Monday charged with murder in the death of Ms. Shannon Lawrence, 25, of Canton, Milton police Capt. Shawn McCarty said. Ms. Lawrence was shot about 2 p.m. while her two children, 2 and 9-months-old, waited nearby, Capt. McCarty said. It was supposed to be a routine custody swap, something they did almost every other week. But investigators said Mr. Erdman changed the place where they normally meet to a shopping center across the street on Birmingham Highway. No one reportedly witnessed the man and woman arguing in the parking lot at 15780 Birmingham Hwy., and police don’t know why they were arguing. Then the man pulled out a gun, shooting the woman twice in the face and twice in the body, Capt. McCarty said. Investigators said Mr. Erdman placed the woman into his pickup truck along with his two children and drove 10 miles to his father’s house in Cumming. The children were left with a grandparent and Mr. Erdman’s father drove his son’s truck to Northside Hospital-Forsyth, about three miles away. Police weren’t sure how long Ms. Lawrence was dead before the three got to the hospital. Hospital staff called police who arrested Mr. Erdman shortly after 3 p.m. Police later found the gun they believe was used in the shooting at Mr. Erdman’s father’s house, Capt. McCarty said. He did not readily know the type of gun used. The two children have been placed with relatives until the state decides who should get custody. Ms. Lawrence's mother, Ms. Diana Macksey, said her daughter was attending Kennesaw State University and planned to enter the school's nursing program. Ms. Macksey told WSB-TV that Ms. Lawrence had a protective order against Mr. Erdman and the child custody exchanges were supposed to be supervised. She told the station that Ms. Lawrence and Mr. Erdman had planned to meet in a Publix parking lot, but at the last minute, he changed the location to a more secluded lot at the Wells Fargo bank in the shopping center. Capt. McCarty confirmed the last-minute change, but said he did not know why it was made. "Typically, they met at another shopping center across the street," Capt. McCarty said. But, investigators can't say if the shooting was planned. Ms. Macksey described her daughter as "the most beautiful, kind, loving soul."

BBM has written several posts about her beautiful best friend and I urge you to read them. Start with the first link in my post and then the one right before this sentence. If not only to keep the story alive about Shannon, but the possibility of bringing awareness of domestic violence to someone close to you who desperately needs to hear it.

It is not acceptable. Not at all. In any way, shape or form. I hope this story touches you as much as it touched me.

I normally do not blog about things like this. This blog is usually used to capture my life and the fun, frilly things going on inside of it, but the reality is that so many hard, cold things are going on in the world that need awareness brought to them. My eyes and heart have been opened more to this growing epidemic. I think this especially hit home because the victim was my age, 25, and I could not imagine losing one of my best friends. A Jeni. A Sarah. A Lindsey. A Mindy. A Hillery. There are so many other sweet girls I love and hold dear to me! My heart breaks and this story suddenly becomes so real for me. Please help spread the word and be a listening ear for someone who is or has been a domestic violence victim.

Let's Recap, Shall We?

2011-07-01T10:49:00.001-05:00

I have been promising pictures now for over 2 weeks and I am sad to report that my word is still no good.

Sort of. I have a few iPhone pictures I would love to share with you. And I will. So, let's recap what has been going on in the Lee household.

Yall know we moved and it is safe to say we love the house. It is just about as close to perfect for our family as you can get. It just feels right too. The other house was great, also, and being on the river was awesome, but...

(Not so awesome now since the river is the lowest these parts have seen in years. I kind of feel like I sound like a conversation that would take place in a Western movie. Yall come back now, ya hear? Okay anyway back on point).

But this house suits our needs for our family -- mainly since our kids run like crazy people outside and water sitting at your back doorstep is not at all suiting for a 4 and 1 year old. Just saying. The flow of the house works better too. Oh and I love the floors and the big laundry room. But we are moved and it's great. The Lord has provided and I am not sure why I doubt Him because He always delivers way better than I can imagine.

Our house in Ruston is due to close July 6. Can I get a big YYYAAA-HOOOO!? I am so happy to be at the end of this very stressful journey. And expensive. Goodness, we are like broke rockstars. 2 properties with NOTHING to show for it! Yes, dahling, come stay at my little-less-hotter summer home in Ruston. It's fabulous. Don't forget about the real summer home in Natchitoches. Geez. Have I told yall how much more humid it is down here? Well I swear an hour and a half more south makes all the difference. You walk outside and suffocate. And my hair suffers tremendously. Forget straightening. I am a stringy-crimpy wreck by the time I make it in the hospital.

Between moving and devastating hair-dos, we managed to squeeze in some family fun. We hit the Natchitoches BBQ festival a few weekends ago and it was so much fun. All the boys were entertained by sliding down the steepest hill in North-Central Louisiana in cardboard boxes. I tried to revive myself as I watched my giggling children shoot down the hill like greased lightening.

And I guess the fried Snickers helped. Yep. That is right. A huge plate of ooey-gooey friedness topped off with powdered sugar really helped with the panic run right out of me.

In other news, Jackson completed 2 weeks of swimming lessons at Northwestern's Natatorium and he did great! This came in handy when we tried out the new Splash Kingdom in Shreveport and the trips we have taken to friend's pools. It will definitely come in real handy when we hit the beach in August as well!

We sure eat a lot here. On top of the fried Snickers that sent me into sugar-bliss, I cooked Paula Deen's shrimp and grits when bestie Sarah came and visited me. It was amazing.

So to counter-act all the good food I have been eating, I have been running. I run to eat. Is that ok? Well it is with me! I started about mid-May and I am still going strong. I started with a run/walk combination and let my insides adjust slowly. Plus I had to scoop my lungs and guts off the sidewalk and have them surgically re-attached. It really was hard at first but now it is getting so much easier and I enjoy it a lot. I have this app LogYourRun and I am currently training for a 10K. I know 10K's aren't as popular as 5K's but I wanted to train just a little bit harder. See if I could push myself further. It has been successful so far. We will see. Austin decided to sport my new running shoes I got from the new running store, FitRight Active, in Monroe. Loved this store! If you are starting to run, have been running, or just need a good pair of shoes or workout gear this is the place to go, fo' sho!

We have made one trip back to home since May and we were able to spend sometime with family! Our niece, Parker, has grown so fast and loves to play with her cousins. Bless her heart. You can actually sit and be still with her. Just like a little lady. This is FOREIGN to me. So sweet Parker sits there all prettily as her cousins run a mock around her. Ah...how different girls are.

And the highlight of our trip last week, was getting to witness the birth of this Precious Little Miracle....

Faith Ann Crawford

6/27/2011 at 8:21 a.m.

7 pounds, 9 ounces, 20.5 inches

Oh my goodness I could just eat her up! I was in heaven getting to soak up my precious little niece. My sister Lindsey did great! And this baby girl finishes off the precious Crawford family of 5! I got to dress her in the outfit above. I was almost giddy getting to put that big ole pink bow on her sweet little head.

So that's a wrap folks. We have got some busy plans for 4th of July and I am ready! Hope you all are safe and have a wonderful holiday as well. Jackson has already started his celebrating....

"Look Mom! It's my Uncle Sam hat!"

Happy Fourth of July, Yall!

I'm Found!

2011-06-03T08:34:00.000-05:00

So, the comments from the last post really REALLY helped me a lot. I am not feeling nearly as lost as I was and actually I would like to consider myself somewhat found now. Although, I have a long way to go...but so does everyone else in America. I appreciate all of the sweet thoughts, prayers, and uplifting words. This girl can sometimes resemble more like a train-wreck than anything else but considering what all we have going on, I am going to give myself a break.

On a lighter more-found note, we got moved! CUE HALLELUJAH CHORUS! We had a few of my co-workers help us starting at 8 o'clock Saturday morning and by 11 we had most of everything in the house. I could not believe it! Gannie made the Natchitoches trek and was able to help us move some closets and pantry items. And then Nick went back Sunday morning to grab a few things left in closets, but all in all it was the smoothest move ever. The new house is WONDERFUL! (I will post pictures soon...I promise) It just feels homey-er. The paint colors are wonderful, I love the floors, the less-stress backyard of not being on a river with two small children, oh and the Peach trees. Yep, we got a little bit of Ruston right in our backyard. That warms my heart. You better believe we have been picking those little sweet treats. (Again, I will post pictures.)

The sell of our house back home did not go through after all. It was a blow to the stomach to say the least but I know God already has determined the new buyers and date and that brings me comfort. Like our realtor said, better this happen now than to happen right before closing. That would have been an even bigger disappointment. I do feel disappointment, as any struggling seller would, but I am firmly sure God is in control over EVERYTHING- time, dates, finances, emotions.

Lord, please remind me of this when I want to use bad language and my emotions are running sky high over the frustration I feel about this house. You are over this. You got this. Take it from us. We know You can and You will. Amen.

We had a great weekend filled with boxes, organizing, starting of VBS, and outings with new friends. Life is good-- busy, crazy, busy, stressful, did I mention busy?, noisy, love-filled, settling-down, and family-centered. Thank you all again for your outpouring of similar feelings and situations. They helped me feel some-what normal. Hang on for pictures, yall! Happy Friday.

A Little Lost

2011-05-23T13:33:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have those days when you just feel lost? Like lost on the grasp of emotions swelling and swirling inside of you. You might just burst into tears, have an insane bout with laughter, or maybe just maybe go crazy. Well today is that day for me. I don't know if it is the upcoming move that is worrying me or the surge of emotions that I am coming down from since Mom left the hospital or maybe the fact that I have felt nomad-like since we have moved to Natty because we just have not been able to settle. Oh and let's throw a lot-a-bit of homesickness in for kicks. I just can't get a grasp on how I am feeling.

I struggle all the time with feelings of inadequacy. I am an inadequate Mother because I can't build a ten story high tee-pee while juggling the mountain of laundry and crusted sippy cups that need washing ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I am trying so desperately to be a good Mother-- one that loves but one that disciplines. Raising a good husband is my top goal and I know it takes hard work to raise a man like that. Right now, I found myself constantly refereeing, grabbing arms and faces in a I'm gonna jerk you up fashion, attitude adjustments, etc. All I want to do is love them but I have to keep telling myself I am loving them through disciplining them. And oh my goodness it takes some serious consistency. Isn't it easier to just let them be bad? I almost think that some days. I know I would never let that happen, but the constant disciplining wears on me-- I hate how I sound, but I know it's necessary.

I am an inadequate wife because I can't get a grip on what communication style accurately portrays how I feel- thankful for a husband that is a wonderful father but lonely for one-on-one time with my man and us just being able to be husband and wife. It's amazing what that time being together alone can do for your marriage. It can bring it back to life. But when the heck are we going to find time to be alone? Not to mention the usual stress that comes into working parents lives on a daily basis due to the constant juggling of jobs and babies.

I am an inadequate Christian. My heart longs to be satisfied in ways only He can satisfy but I can't even find the time to devote a couple of hours on Sunday morning to become a church attendee. It probably doesn't help either that we are constantly on the go and have not had the opportunity to join a church-- something I LONG for. I pull out my iPod continuously and jam with the boys to my Christian/Gospel mix...something that helps warm my longing soul, but I want more. My night-stand is over flowing with half-read Christian self-help books because I am searching, reaching out for something more. I am constantly in conversations with my best girlfriends, sister, and mother about my faith and what it means to them-- something I am so blessed to have, but I have such a long way to go.

I am just inadequate. My mind swirls with projects-- continued writing, organization of my home, interior design, working my way to running a 5k, a second Bachelors or maybe my Masters. So many things I want to do, but I can't even get a grip on being a good mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, employee. This is real, folks. A cloud that is growing darker and deeper around my life, but I know it will lift. It is just a little darker today than other days. I know it is a real struggle for some others too so maybe my blog will come across a life that needs a little, "Oh wow, she feels that way too."

A huge praise is that our house is under contract and if all goes according to plan, we will close mid-June. If we can survive one more move this weekend, we have a gaurantee of being there a year and that brings me such joy. An opportunity for us to close out what is back in Ruston and being in a new home here-- Finally.

So I am feeling a little lost, but this I know is True....

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Hearing-loss Homecoming

2011-05-16T19:09:00.000-05:00

She's home! Mama Lala is home! Can I get an Amen?!?! And the church said, "AMEN!" Were a little excited, can't you tell. Probably not?

Lindsey and I could not be happier that our sweet Mama has been discharged from a 10 day stay at the hospital. A stay that I can now fully say involved a close call with us almost not making it home with her. BUT...She's here, BUT she can't hear.

Yes. This is true. When Mom arrived to the PCU (Progressive Care Unit) they brought out the big-gun antibiotic, Gentamicin. While it works to clear-up any huge infection (like my Mom's sepsis), which it did wonderfully, it can also lead to Gentamicin Toxicity. This toxicity can cause hearing loss. Well, unfortunately, that is exactly what it caused in Mom's ears. They were able to get her an appointment with an ENT right away. The specialist confirmed what Mom knew was happening all along-- almost complete hearing loss in the left ear and a small amount in the right. So, My Prayer Warriors, please hear me when I say, PRAY FOR A MIRACLE! I know God can touch my Mom and take this from her as soon as He allowed it to happen. And this maybe something she needs to have-- to make her ministry stronger, to make her testimony better. Heck, the woman already has a survivor-story and testimony that will blow you away, but hey, let's add a little bit more to this lady's spectacularness. Why not? Lala can handle it. This family can handle it. I grew up with a lot of different struggles, but one thing has been ever so constant. Ever so wonderful. My Mother. This lady would gladly sacrifice her life not only for her family, but for her Lord. She has an amazing story that she is not done telling and I am not about to let no-stinking hearing loss keep from shouting from the roof tops. And our God knows that. Nothing will stop, Lala for spreading His Word and her story. But it sure would be a lot easier if she could hear. So I am asking you to please pray this-- If her hearing is to not come back, allow this to open up incredible doors for her so that her faith can grow even stronger, her ministry even better, and the lives she touches even GREATER! If it does come back, let it be a blessing beyond words and let us never take for granted the senses God grants us. It is a bummer that her stay ended like this. With this side-effect. But such a minor hiccup in that her life is spared. She is here with us. Please join us in praying for a miracle.

A little overwhelmed..

2011-05-12T10:43:00.000-05:00

Over the last week, tt has been a flood of emotions to say the least. Tomorrow morning will mark the "I have a little pain in my side" beginning of the kidney-stone development. What we did not realize was that this kidney stone was going to develop into sepsis that nearly took my Mom's life. Wow. Something as small as an English pea almost took a life that NO ONE can replace. So please, for my sanity, let me recap:

Friday morning a small pain with nausea, Friday night she felt fine, woke up Saturday morning to horrible pain and horrible nausea, then a trip to the ER, see the stone and the infection, Saturday night moved to Med-Surg room, after hours of bottomed-out blood pressure and what was now becoming evident that she had sepsis the dreaded trek to ICU began, woke up Sunday morning to a "worse and worser" situation with a blood pressure that would not come up and an infection that was taking over her kidneys, Sunday afternoon blood pressure got back up enough for her to get a stint put in and now the draining of the infection could begin, ICU psychosis began that night and it was a night-mare, Monday in ICU and stable enough to be moved to a progressive care unit, Tuesday night was my first coherent phone conversation with her (I was in Natchitoches and hated every minute of it) but I rejoiced hearing her voice, Wednesday in the PCU where she started getting therapy, and here we are today--

It looks like a long road ahead. The sepsis took over her body ridding her of the ability to take care of herself. Now, anyone who knows Lala, knows that the woman is ALWAYS on the go. Juggling two jobs she loves, 2 crazy daughters, 4 grand boys, her dog-child Clyde, and managing the care her Mother-- our Meemaw. She loves being independent. She wants to be independent. But this illness has gotten in the way to say the least. We have no idea how long she is going to be in this unit and we have no idea how long it is going to take her to get back to being independent. So, she has an antibiotic treatment to get through as well as many hours of therapy to get back her ADLs (activities of daily living). This doesn't set to well with her. You can see her trying to jump out of the bones that are holding her hostage in that bed. The support from everyone is apparent-- a steady stream of visitors, phones calls, prayers. We are so blessed. And while we are so blessed, it is still so incredibly overwhelming to see my Mom like this. It is almost like she has jumped into this shell she can not get out of. She will eventually but we have no idea when. It is painful to watch her in such pain and to want to get up and go, but can't. A rehab stay? Some time in a skilled nursing facility? A miracle and she will get to go home? We painfully do not know. This is such a huge switch in our lifestyle. Please PLEASE pray that she will get to go back to her normal self, quickly. We want her to heal completely and we can work with that time. I just do not think she grasps how sick she was/is.

Oh Sweet Heavenly Father, HEAL MY MOTHER! Oh please! Please intercede for us and take the fatigue and the feelings of being overwhelmed from my sister and I. Because we are. Not because we don't want to help and we are tired of helping, but because the unknown is scaring us to death. We don't want to lose her. We need her and love her so much. The future we do know rests safely in Your hands. You have already determined when and where our Mother will be. Please help us to let go of the control and let medicine and Your will take precedence. We need you. Please help us to be good mothers, wives, employees, friends and sisters when the time allows, but right now please let us focus on her. Please touch and help stabilize any portions of our lives we are not able to give 100% to because we are focusing on getting Mom well. I know the storm will calm and life will resume and be normal (whatever that is) but please help us to be okay with the unknown. Help doctors heal her. Help Mom to be okay-- physically, emotionally, mentally. We love you Lord and trusting you.

Whatevers-Day **UPDATE

2011-05-10T08:42:00.001-05:00

This day is officially Whatevers-Day for the following reasons: 1) Since Saturday, nights and days, hours and minutes have all kind of smushed together. 2) I am painfully back in Natchitoches because I have this thing called a job that I need to do and there are some things I just have to get done today and 3) My Mother may or may not be leaving ICU. Thankfully, she is alive.

Last night, the walls began to close in around her. She has been feeling panicky, uneasy to rest, and fearful for her life. Lindsey, Freida, and I have just been holding on for the ride unsure of what each day brings. But I know, as long as she is breathing and the sepsis is clearing up I will be alright...She will be alright. The plan for today is to move her out of ICU, but when, I do not know. Mom has not slept or eaten since Thursday, a combination that would almost kill a healthy person, so just think what it is doing to her fighting body. It seems that her kidney function is improving and the infection is continuing to come out. Her white blood cell count remains at a critical level. We are hoping this improves today.

Please pray for continued healing. Pray for her body to rest, for her to be able to eat, and for her to see that her family loves her and ALWAYS be by her side. Mom, you are so loved and prayed for you! WE WANT YOU HOME!!!! Thank you for your prayers. They are working!!! We are almost there...

12:53-- Mom is being moved to a telemetry room! BLESS GOD! She is on her way to recovery. How long this will take, we are not sure. They know she will be there atleast another week- Maybe next Monday. After that, I am not sure what they will do. Right now, she has to get rid of the infection and has to build her strength back up. THEN, they will have to get that stone out! That dang-blasted stone that has been the source of all this madness. I swear we are having a burning of this stone once it comes out. I am happy to report she was able to sleep some-what soundly last night and that has helped with her mind. If anyone has ever been inside an ICU then you know how busy it is. Lights are always on, machines buzzing, nurses/doctors swirling in and out of the room-- It is not what you would call peaceful. Which is exactly what she needs. Peace. Lord Jesus, please bring her peace and healing.

A New Morning

2011-05-09T16:37:00.000-05:00

Blood pressure is up and her kidney function seems to be improving. We are all kind of taking a breath and hoping that she has turned a corner. There is talk of her moving to a regular room in the morning. That is music to our ears. She is off all Of her meds except the antibiotic. We are on our way to a full recovery. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Surgery **update

2011-05-08T15:48:00.001-05:00

Her blood pressure is up! Thank goodness the numbers are "beautiful" as her nurse said. A hurdle that we have jumped. Now, it's time to get that stone out. It looks like she will be having surgery this evening. The doctors have decided it needs to come out. With her vitals somewhat stable, we are even more reassured that she can get through this. Fatigue is starting to set in but my sister and I are staying strong. I will feel much more relieved after this surgery. Mom is anxious since her blood pressure has been where it's been. We are nervous. But it has to get out. The sepsis needs to go and the only way for that to happen is for that stone to get out. Please pray for surgery to happen and for it finish beautifully. Thank you for the prayers, comments, and visits. It means so much to our family.

7:00- She went in for surgery. Dr. Tanner put a stent in with no problem. The yuck that was/is making her sick is now draining. The next 24 hours will be closely monitored in ICU.

8:30- BP is low again. Here in ICU she's being taken care of wonderfully. But I'm scared. Watching her in a state I've never seen her before shakes me to the bone. She's fighting but not out of the woods. Please continue to pray. Our family greatly appreciates it.

An ICU Mother's Day **UPDATES AT BOTTOM

2011-05-07T23:54:00.001-05:00

I have been planning on what I was going to write about my Mother on this special day- Mother's Day. Well I'm here doing that, but instead of collecting my thoughts around the stillness of my house at this hour, I am at the bedside of my Mother who is fighting in ICU with an infected kidney stone. An object no bigger than an English pea, but an object that has caused some BIG problems in my precious Mother's life. After being transported here by best family-friend Freida (oh how we love you Mrs. Freida) to the ER, they quickly found the kid ey stone but it was now infected. This infection has caused her to become septic and bow we are sitting here monitoring her dropping blood pressure- 71/44. I have never seen numbers like this. Please be our prayer warriors and join us in praying for my Mother, Lala. Thank you.--May 7 at 11:45 pm.

**May 8, 2011 at 10:30 am- Can I just say Happy Mother's Day and like really mean it. But what a horrible way to be celebrating. Her blood pressure has got to get up. It's so low. Her Bp is too low to put her to sleep but the longer she stays septic the louder that knocking gets. Septic. That's a word I learned early in my career. A horrible nasty infection that most don't come back from. But my mom will. I know she will. She is between a rock and a hard place to see the freaken least. I think my career has allowed me to know too much. See too many scenarios on paper. But my Mom is different. She's strong. She's a fighter. She's the toughest old bird I know. Bottom-line - antibiotics have to kick in to make her less septic and she needs to get rid of the infected stone to make her less septic. So surgery or sepsis. Terrible. Please pray. She has new antibiotics and were waiting to see how they respond. Please pray for a miracle. I need her. Oh Mom how I need you. But Lord I need you even more. Heal her body. Please help her.

Real-Estate Rollercoaster

2011-05-05T11:35:00.000-05:00

So, we are moving again.

A little sooner than we had expected, but we knew it was coming.

See, we still have not sold our house back home. So we knew when we initially moved that we would have to lease/rent until the house sells. Well, we lucked up finding the house we are currently in-- new, lots of space, on the river. We only had a 3 month lease as they were trying to sell it. It sold. Thankfully, the new buyers are using this as their "winter home" and we do not have to be out until September. (Winter home? Must be nice, huh?) So we can breathe easy but I started contacting realtors as soon as we found out this house sold anyway. One realtor thought he knew of a home a few houses down that would be ready to lease at the end of May. A few houses down? Yes, Lord, please! So, Nick and I went and checked it out. It is on the other side of the road, but it is actually newer with finishes I love. The outside is right up Nick's ally because it backs up to a pasture with farmland on the side. (He invisioned deer stands and bow hunting almost immediately. From fishing to hunting, we jump from hobby to hobby around here.) Since we loved it, we decided to go ahead and bite the moving-bullet again! End of May, here we come! We will not have to worry about having another great house sold out from under us since we have a year lease! We won't get the pretty river views, but that is acutally comforting for me (and I know for a lot of grandparents) because we do not have to worry about the kids slipping and falling in. Now, they can roam free in the wilderness. Not really, but they will have plenty of water-free room to play. So, the house situation here worked out great, but we need to get things sold back home.

Please join us in praying about the sell of our house back home. I know the timing rests in greater Hands and ultimately it will be perfect when it does sell, but my worldly frustrations still bog me down sometimes-- finances, maintenance, etc. You get my drift. Still, the Lord is providing and we are happy and healthy.

Really Frustrated...

2011-04-27T13:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, so here is the post that made me realize something is not functioning right....

And here is the other post that holds my frustration with Blogger.

And now, here is the current post hoping that this shows up in my fellow blogger's feeds.

I have been googling, venting, and asking in several Help Forums what the possible problem is. A lot of people feel my pain but have no solution. I did read something about using a different RSS feed. Whatever the heck that is...

For those of who feel out of the loop, please click on my links in this post to get up to speed with the Lee's. I am hoping this post works!

Blog Mystery...

2011-04-27T08:35:00.000-05:00

I am posting this for two reasons--

1) Has anyone had a post not show up on your feed? This is totally annoying. I know all of you are on the edge of your seats waiting for me to update my blog, but come on! Really, in all seriousness, it is saying on my blog-friend's feed that my last post was 6 days ago. Wrong-O! I posted Monday night. With cute pictures and stories and a very special prayer request. So this brings me to me second reason for this current post--

2) Will this post be accurately represented in the feed? THIS IS A TEST! ONLY A TEST! If you click on our family blog name it will bring you to our latest post but it is still showing an old post title name as our most current update. Nope. Not right. But, hopefully this one will work.

Maybe I am making a mountain out of a mole-hill but it kind of hit a nerve with me this week! Especially when I have something special and important to say about people close to me. I will leave you with one little guy that is extrememly special and important to me-- My Youngest BayBay!

Easter 2011 And A Prayer Request

2011-04-25T18:32:00.002-05:00

Well the Easter Bunny came...

But not before we had some seriously hopping fun...

We took the woodsy trek to Chatham for their annual Easter egg hunt at Lake Caney. The weather was perfect and the eggs were hid. Complete in his Easter duds, Austin could not wait to get the Easter egg huntin' started.

If yall only knew how many times a day this Daddy gets tackled. Guess it comes with the territory!

It was really neat to watch Austin get into it this year. He would actually put an egg in the basket, but I will say he was a lot more concerned about what was on the inside. He definitely did not care about filling up his basket, but rather what goodies were hid inside...

Now, Jackson's was teaming with eggs! Here he is right before the "Ready, Set, Go!"

We started a new tradition this year, dyed Easter eggs. It helped to have an extra set of hands with this project. Gannie was a great help as we made the home-made dye-- water, vinegar, vegetable oil, and food coloring. The boys loved it!

And of course, no blog is complete without the wonderful Morning Of picture! The boys found every egg that crazy bunny hid as well as devouring the candy he brought, and ripping into the gifts he brought.

Even though this holiday was spent away from our home for the first time, we were closer than ever as family and friends surrounded us all weekend long.

The Easter holiday also took on a different meaning this year, as one of my friends, Mandy Cauley has spent the week in Sutton's Children's Hospital with their 5 year old, Harper. Harper started off with a cough that led to pneumonia. The pneumonia quickly took over her little body and her lungs were covered in fluid. Things quickly turned South as Harper was hooked up to tubes, monitors, and a breathing machine. I am happy to report that Harper has progressed. Mandy has documented the whole journey. She is an incredibly gifted writer. I got to know her through a mutual friend, Katie Hall, as well as my Mom since they are co-workers. I ask for all of you to please continue to lift this family up in prayers-- Mandy, Nick, Sweet Harper, and Baby Sister Baylor. Their doctor is very positive of a full recovery for Harper but the in-between has been earth-shaking for this sweet family. It has been hard to read through this journey that they have had to walk. Mandy, you are so brave! Harper, we are praying for you and wishing you a full recovery.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Easter holiday with your family!

Easter Frenzy

2011-04-20T18:36:00.001-05:00

It seems with the fast-approaching of the Easter holiday has come a surge of activities that have kept the Lee family busy, busy. I love it, though! We spent last weekend at home cleaning up our house that is still for sale (I know. Boo. Please join us in praying about this), getting ready for a close friend's wedding, and various family activities. The kids are LOVING getting to spend some extra time with their Uncle Mikey who has been living in Denver. The boys love their uncles and we are blessed to have such a large, close family. I hope they will always be close. Anyway, I enjoyed catching up with my besties as well as getting some alone time with Nick at the wedding. It was beautiful and we had a blast!

We also got to try out Ruston's new hot-spot-- Eskamoe's! It was amazing. And cheap. I am so used to local ice cream shops costing an arm and a leg to get a kid's cone but this place delivered on price and taste! I definitely recommend it. My favorite so far is the Crunchy Delight (which is also a great sushi roll at Ronin FYI). It is the equivalent of a Counter-Culture Humphrey but with way more fruit. AHH-MAZING. Sloppin' it up! A strawberry-twist for Mr. J.

Parker even had a few tastes.

And of course, no family outing is complete without a pole dance. :) Next weekend is slam-packed again with Easter egg hunts, a wedding, family dinners, and some great time with family. I will leave yall with some brotherly-love pictures. Oh and Austin's hair has its own zip code now. I can't bear to cut it though. He has baby curls! I know. I will pause for a sigh. Pause. It is out of control, but I love it. I might cut it. But I might not. Either way, only he could pull off a mullet. Night yall!

And finally...The A-Fro

Our WeeTee Opener

2011-04-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

Monday night equaled a successful night at our WeeTee opening game! The Little Caesar's fought the good fight and finished victoriously for the Monday night opener. Everyone showed up in their cute little outfits, I mean manly uniforms. Some of them swallowing their tiny little frames. Nick managed to successfully coach these rambunctious youngsters and the biggest accomplishment of the night was there were no major injuries. Just one minor as Jackson head-butted the catcher as he was headed home on his second run. No biggie. The best part was all the family that showed up to support our little man- Gannie, Rikki, MeeMee, Mrs. Freida (Mom's BFF), Papa Bruce, Wanda Woman, Aunt Lauren, Uncle Mikey, and sweet Parker Beth rounded out the Lee clan for the night. My heart was so full having everyone out there in support. It was also super hard to see them leave but let's not get into that homesick crap-- I am strong like bull. Anywho, each team successful played the field and batted twice. Me and two other brave souls manned the dugout which I believe deserves a medal for the year! I might switch with Nick next time.... CUE PICTURES! The dressing ritual. I have never seen Nick's heart swell so much after he finished dressing his son. Nick was grinning from ear to ear, and as you can see, so was Mr. Jackson. I know Nick has been waiting for this day for four long years. My husband grew up playing baseball and was really good at the sport. He would never say that but I have no problem bragging on him. It was only natural for him to hope that his boys would follow suit and it looks like the first one has for sure.

The finished product. Our Little Caesar.

Toting his gear. Oh my goodness, he looks so big here. Hang on let me collect myself...

Okay, here he is gathering in the dugout with his buddies. Let me just say that we got the shaft on the dugout situation. First of all, we faced the sun-- pretty but BRIGHT. Second, the fencing for the dugout was nicely rolled and placed right outside the dugout but not securely around it. Boo. Third, the bench was not even nailed down. It almost fell completely overall with a pack of preschoolers on top of it. Not so fun. But hey, who's complaining here?

Gettin' ready in the outfield!

We had a blast and can't wait for all the games ahead. I guess we are officially a baseball family. I promise you we have all the gear to prove it...Night yall!

Breakfast Boredom

2011-04-13T08:22:00.001-05:00

I wake up every morning scrambling to get out the door...a quick shower, make-up, outfit (now I can wear scrubs...thank goodness), Jackson dressed, Austin dressed, breakfast, and out the door. Let's not forget to mention that I have to bring a sippy cup and half a pop-tart/nutra-grain bar/whatever for the ride to daycare so that Austin does not scream his you know what off. I am not sure when this habit started but the boy must be parched and starving to death. Yall know he isn't, the man just loves to eat. So, in the morning madness, I try to grab something for breakfast. In my high school days and college days, I skipped breakfast. Always. No questions about it. But since I have entered into the working world I eat in the morning. I am not really starving in the morning, but I know eating breakfast is good for your metabolism and overall energy level for the day. I do not eat a full-course breakfast buffet, but I usually grab a nutra-grain bar or instant oatmeal or grits. These are things I can munch on right when I get to work before my morning meeting.

SOOO...this rambling leads me to this...

I am bored with my breakfast. I want something light but filling and tasty. Is that so much to ask? Now, when I feel real adventurous I will go downstairs and get their grits, bacon, and cheese...mix it all together and presto- heaven on a plate. I try to do high protein and low calories but that is hard for me. Do any of you have any advice? I need breakfast ideas FAST! I don't want to eat like my toddlers-- pop tart, baby oatmeal, you know. And, I don't want to go to the cafeteria everyday. It adds up plus it is a little higher on the calorie count than I would like to use but oh, it is oh so good. So, anyone got any week-day breakfast ideas they would like to share...

Post Evaporation

2011-04-11T07:58:00.000-05:00

Don't ya hate it when you post something nice and new with pictures placed neatly and organizationally (you know what I am saying) within your blog only to have it ZAP into the abyss of bloggy world. What the February? I mean, come on! Well, that happened to me and my spill about Blooming on the Bricks here in Natty went bye-bye. I also had in there about Nick coaching Jackson's WeeTee T-Ball team this year, but, nope, you won't read about it nice and neat. You are getting the short-gotta-start-work version. Oh well. I am not bitter or anything. But, COME ON! Deep breaths in and out. Well, anyway, our Little Caesar's team gets kicked off tonight and we have a whole slew of family coming. I could not be more excited! I will keep you posted with pictures of the coach and player! And if they delete, I might just scream....

Birthday Blowout Bonanza

2011-04-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

We made it. After four solid days of celebrating J-man's birthday, I believe the "extra attention" I wrote about earlier has been accomplished! Jackson had a great time and so did Nick and I. Because I am exhausted from all the celebrating, I am going to let the pictures do the talking tonight, kids. NOTICE: LOTS OF PICTURES AHEAD! Here goes... That amazing grin after we turned the corner into The Great Wolf Lodge. It was great by all means. I would highly recommend it to anyone! We had the swimsuit on in about 1.35 seconds. He was itching to go! The first successful slide of the trip. Oh and that smile. Priceless. Nick and Jackson on Day 2 after a big BIG breakfast. I think they are pretty cute. Do you think they are related? Pretty sure they are. Relaxing by the pool. They opened the outside portion of GWL and that made the trip for me. It was a beautiful 80 degree day and the wind was blowing. We got to work on our tan a little bit and enjoyed some gorgeous pools. Jackson and Me in front of Texas Ranger stadium The whole gang and the only picture of the three of us on the trip! We ended the trip Sunday with a sweet family celebration at Mrs. Susan's house (dugout). Whew! I am worn out thinking about all the we managed to do in 4 days but it was well worth it. I hope everyone out there in blogworld is doing well. I will leave you with pictures from the party. I promise to have more words and better insight at a later date...I am pooped. :) Happy Monday! Donna Strickland, you can visit her blog here at http://sweettreatsbaking.blogspot.com/, made the cupcakes and cookies for us this year. She has made cookies for me in the past for different occasions and every time she amazes me with her creativity! She is also super sweet! The Red Sox cookies made the party and the cupcakes were delicious. My cheesy baby. Isn't his birthday shirt cute? I wish I had a better shot of it. The sellers on etsy are the best! So creative, cute, and affordable. My baby. He was about 6 foot tall and speaking fluent Italian when we got back. No really, he grew an inch. He had a blast with his Gannie but he was definitely missed. A little gift-opening... And a little cupcake-eatin'.... Okay, maybe a lotta cupcake eatin'!

Check Check!

2011-03-31T10:52:00.000-05:00

Bags packed.... Check! Swimsuit packed.... Check! Red Sox tickets in hand.... Check! The Birthday Boy accounted for.... CHECK! CHECK! With the birth of Austin, the move, the job change, the changing of our wonderful babysitters and multiple other things, I believe our J-man has deserved a little extra attention and some fun for his big ole 4th birthday! So we are going to head out to the Great Wolf Lodge and to a Red Sox game! I have had many friends tell me how wonderful GWL is and I can't wait to test it out myself. This girl is pretty pumped about some water slides. On a much more serious note, my baby is turning 4. What the heck happened? But we are so very excited for him. Here is to you, Jackson Allen.... Jackson, you have been the light of our lives. Your strong-will, determination, and persistency are good characteristics to have and I am hoping that they will serve you well as an adult. Right now, however, they make for some interesting melt-downs. It's all good though, because I know your mind is growing and your heart is searching for what is right in this crazy world of ours. What you don't know is how much you have taught me. When you came in to this world, I thought I got this. Changing diapers, cute outfits, bonding as I nursed you. As you grew, though, so did my parenting. You have taught me patience. You have taught me that how things look are not important, but how they really are. You have taught me to be real. Dirty kitchens, lost sippy cups, toys strewn everywhere, laundry piled to the ceiling...that is real and that is okay. All of it can wait as long as I can have a few more moments to play with you. You have taught me to search deeper in my faith because I so want to be able to teach you the right things and so desparately want to be a good Momma. I want to be and will forever be your Mother. And dang proud of it! You are just so cute. That smile and that LAUGH fills up my love tank. I love watching you hit a baseball, I love hearing your "room room" your cars and pile up your army men. I see you trying to grow up-- loving your back-pack and wanting to show it off at school. You spell, you say the Pledge of Allegiance, your months, your days of the week-- It is all happening so fast and while I am so grateful, please slow down. Your heart is so tender and you are so precious. I love feeling those warm little toes in the morning when you have snuck into our bed. Thank you, Lord, that you are healthy and strong. We love you and are so proud of you, Jackson. Happy 4th Birthday!

Women are Like Spaghetti...

2011-03-25T09:14:00.000-05:00

And men are like waffles? A Lifeway study pointed out that men are like waffles and women are like spaphetti. Men think compartmentally...in one box at a time, much like the boxes in a waffle. When they are playing golf, they are playing golf. When they are fixing something, they are only concentrating on fixing it. When they watch TV, they are only watching TV and not thinking about what wonderful romantical gesture they can do for us. WHY IN THE WORLD NOT? I mean, come on. On the other hand, women think like spaghetti. We let our emotions, thoughts, and dreams smush together and become entangled with each other. It is much harder for us to focus on one decision/thought without letting another outside interference affect us. Let me give you an example of what goes inside my head (this is while I am at the stove cooking dinner), I hope I have not turned this sauce up to high because if it splatters on my shirt I am going to be so mad. I wonder what we are going to do this weekend. I am sure we will have to fit a golf game in there somewhere. Oh my heavens, the child has spilt his juice all over his shirt and has decided to stomp around in what is left on the floor. Niiice. I hope Nick enjoys his alone time because I am ready to pass off the kids and I am not going to feel guilty about it. But I really miss his face and I hope he misses me too. HELLO? I jumped from cooking to mothering to cleaning to marriage. I am all over the place. So what do you think the man might think, "Hey, this sauce smells good and I am ready to eat." Pretty much just in the lets-get-ready-to-eat box. That is it. I think it is important for me in my marriage to be reminded of how men think and how they rationalize. It is human nature for us to just assume everyone thinks like I do. And if they think like I do, they should rationalize like I do. Well, I will be the first to tell you that just does not happen. And when I let this lie come in to my marriage, it has been a recipe for a couple of fights. But when I embrace it, it has also been a challenge that has hopefully made me a better spouse. A more understanding mate that wants to be able to relate and grow stronger and closer in love with her man. So, there ya go. I am spaghetti and I am in love with waffles :). Isn't Austin a mess? I can't believe I caught this picture with my iPhone at the perfect moment! I love this boy so much it hurts.

Mudbugs vs. Stomachbugs

2011-03-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

Well, the boys and me (with the happy exception of sweet Nick) have been plagued with a horrible stomach bug. I am now officially feeling like I am back to the land of the living after having to deal with worshiping the throne (not the the good one) and nursing sick toddlers. It ain't pretty folks. I seriously had horrible flask backs of all-day sickness from my early stages of pregnancy. You know when you feel like you will be chronically nauseous? Oh, man...tough. And all I can chalk it up to is the awesome crawfish boil we attended out of town on Saturday. Now, Austin did not have any crawfish but he did eat a lot of bad things. Come on, they were handy and the boy loves to eat! Jackson and I did, however, eat a pretty good many. It may very well not have been the crawfish. I hope it wasn't because I really like those little critters and I know my previous stints with stomach bugs have led me shunning good foods I liked before. Do any of yall have any good remedies for toddlers and stomach bugs? It is unfortunately one of those illnesses you can't really treat the symptoms. I mean, it might be nice to have the possibility to give our babies a Phenergan but than again it might not...and that would be totally illegal. It can be heaven-sent for adults though. Stomach bugs are no good. Thank you Lord for healthy children!

I loathe Playdough.

2011-03-13T17:36:00.001-05:00

But I loved it as a kid. So naturally, I completely understand why Jackson wants to play with it, but I still have a pretty strong hatred toward the after-effects of it. The little crusty remnants that hide themselves in the deep crevices of your carpet, how they can never stay in the same-colored containers, how my toddling baby likes to chomp on the stray pieces he finds like appetizers, but I have to let all of that go for the sake of making precious-childhood memories with my children. I remember liking playing playdough, but I really don't have many memories of playing with it. I can dig-up a vague memory in kindergarten and a few moments with my sweet grandparents on their back porch. There ya go, playdough is an activity for grandparents...not parents! Yall wanna spoil them then give them back right? Well slip a little playdough playing in there while you are at the spoiling. Ha! Anyway, Jackson had been asking us to play with him so I swallowed my pride and said yes...but outside. So off we went. We had a really good time and it is amazing to see his little mind becoming more complex in thought. It is a miracle to watch those skills sharpen and become more prominent all in front of my eyes. We made a playdough playing station of the family washer-board. "This is Daddy's lunch, Mommy. Now let me go give it to him." Showing off his cuttin' skills with the stick from the popsicle we had finished right before our playdough-date.We had a blast and Jackson got his fix...hopefully for a while! Earlier this week, the boys had a Mardi Gras parade at their school. Of course, I could not miss this. This was the first time the boys had ever participated in something like this. Looking cute in his mask and beads. He had a really good time and the sweet kid thanked me for coming. Thanked me, yes. I was floored and then I teared up. It was a very sweet moment. And then, Austin's teacher got me and said, "Hey, I think Austin would like to see you. He is over here peeking out the window." They kept the bed babies in the room so they wouldn't get trampled in the madness and, well, this is what I found (look to the right)-- He was a little upset I had not made a stop by his room. If only his little mind would have comprehended I simply was watching brother first then going to come love on him. Oh my he was mad! I swooped in there, consoled him, only to tick him off even more when I left him again to go back to work. I am making light of it now, but those moments are really hard to handle as a parent. Your heart breaks into about 5 million pieces as your child screams bloody-murder because he/she only wants YOU. I think the only thing that saves me from full-blown-guilt is that he will be fine in about 2 minutes. But that moment in-between is killer. The season of longer evenings playing outside has began and I am thrilled that the longer periods of sunshine and spring are clearing out the cold, desolate days of the winter. Enjoy!

Out of Training

2011-03-02T18:52:00.000-06:00

I am so happy to report that Jackson is officially out of training....training wheels beGONE as of weekend before last! That little sucker took off, of course with Daddy close at hand, and pedaled like he had never pedaled before! Nick let go and the rest is history. I never thought I would experience this in year three of his little life. There are those moments you anticipate as a parent. Those rites of passages that life brings. They usually bring about a variety of emotions- laughter, crying, throwing-up, screaming, disbelief. I could really go on forever. Parenting does not discriminate in the emotion-showing department. This particular moment brought about incredible joy and a little bit of a crying-shout. Anyone know what I mean? I do those a lot when my boys hit their milestones. Anyway, Jackson pedaled like a champ and I am proud to say he is a bicyle-riding champ! I have tried to upload the video on here as I did not take any pictures, but it is not cooperating. Oh well. Later that day, our now little rocker wanted his hair spiked. Do you see the remnants of his eagle tattoo on his right arm? Oh yeah...He just had to have that...out of the machine...at the local Mexican restaurant. And of course he always likes to wear Nick's stuff. Here he is with Nick's hat and necklace. I think he kind of looks like some of the KA's I used to hang out with in college. Ha! Especially with the Polo shirt on. For some reason, the KA's always wore a backwards hat, glasses around the back of their neck, and Polo shirt. Staple items. I personally think's its cuter on my little man! Wade and Jackson having a blast at Eli's birthday party. BFFFL...totally. Sweet Austin has been growing at an astronomically fast rate these last few weeks. Taller, heavier, hair growing like crazy, but oh so sweet and cute. I could not be prouder. He makes my heart melt. And the biggest event around here has been the catfishing. Yes, there is no hope in my home for girliness. Especially now that we live on a RIVER! Oh well. Anyway, they caught 2 catfish tonight and Jackson was pumped. "Mommy, we caught a catfish and he is so big!" "Mommy, look I can touch it. They won't bite. Now, take a picture...hurry!" Half-way there, folks. Thank goodness. Happy Wednesday!

My Girls

2011-02-24T16:12:00.000-06:00

There are those people in life that come around and SHAKE your world. They completely turn your world upside down without any forewarning and you just have to deal with it. And it sucks. And you do not like it one bit. Period. But then, you have those people in life that come along at THE TIME. This is a time that cannot be a coincidence because it has passed through the perfect gaze of God's eyes and has been determined to be THE TIME. That is exactly who My Girls are. These girls came in to my life at the very perfect time. And while they did not shake my world, they held me together when my world was crumbling beneath me. Completely and diligently reminding me of God's presence and promises. I must tell you I have known these girls for a LONG time, but the recent regained comradery and closer-than-ever-before bond was no coincidence. We are all brides, half of us Moms, and ALL of us are huge sinners trying to fight off the force of the enemy. This last season of our lives we were all plagued with different issues and thankfully we had each other to lean on. Lean-on doesn't even touch it actually but it summarizes, I guess. I have to be honest and tell you that blogs sometimes portray a perfect little world. And here lately it makes me mad. That was exactly what I was going for when I started mine. "Hey, look at me, and my sweet little life with no problems and my clean, pretty little family." Well, I do have an incredible family but I also have incredible problems and need support. I feel the need to come out and say, "Life downright sucks, at times." Just in case you didn't know. I am sure most of you do. My point in telling you all of this is that, it is the people you surround yourself with and your own personal faith that pull you out of whatever wreck you are in. Thank Goodness for My Girls. During this last year, this was in deed THE TIME they were to be with me. Surround yourself with real. Real sometimes hurts, but real is truth. I pray that each of you find your support team, your biggest fan, your Kleenex wiper, and someone who would put your shoes on your feet if you just could not do it. Thank you sweet sisters for being there for me. Most people are lucky to have 1 and I know I have atleast 4 (sadly one is missing from the picture) that I could run to at any moment at any time.

Mardi Gras Madness

2011-02-18T13:14:00.000-06:00

This... Plus This... = Holy Moly Mardi Gras! Just come down a smidge from where we were located and it turns in to Mardi Gras Madness. I love it! The colors are beautiful, the people are fun! With the spring weather coming out, too, the town looks gorgeous. I decided to participate and got a huge Mardi Gras wreath. The town has a big Mardi Gras parade as well that people set-up tents for and their is a Mardi Gras ball this weekend. A new friend at work asked us to go but with all the things going on (moving, toddlers, keeping sane) we are not going to be able to go. It is a huge affair down here! Happy Friday FFFIIIINNNNAAALLLY...I need a break.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

2011-02-03T09:40:00.000-06:00

That is what little GIRLS are made of. I am so pleased to announce that my sister Lindsey and her husband Brent will be having a little GIRL in July!!!! Just like me, my sister and her husband have two sweet boys so needless to say we just all thought girls were not in the stars for us sisters! But God told us differently.... We are all so excited about the new adventures of what this little girl will bring us. I have already been blessed with one neice from by brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Lauren and Daniel. It has been so much fun buying Parker Beth dolls and cute frilly outfits. I know I will have just as much fun doing the same with this precious baby girl. I can't wait to meet her. Lindsey, I am so proud of you and love you beyond words. You are an incredible mother and I know this little girl will only bring us closer and stronger together! I AM SO EXCITED!!!! Now, we totally have to revamp our wiping skills....HA!

Guess Who's Coming to Town...

2011-01-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

So, Jackson moved us. And, Austin helped us. So, please meet the neighbors. The good thing about these neighbors is that they are very quiet and they don't leave any annoying junk in their garage. Ha! It has been so neat watching the sunsets and sunrises over the river. I know come Spring, the Lee's will be river-rats for sure. So now that you have met the neighbors, let's recap. Someone, just turned one on 1-11-11! What.... The birthday-boy Austin Randle Lee. Then, the clean-up. It was a great "Winter One-derland" family birthday party. We had a lot of fun and it was a great way to celebrate our baby's first birthday as well as say see-ya-later to all our closest friends and family. The move was as smooth as possible as well as the transition here. The move went so smooth all because of our wonderful friends and family. Two of my best friends, Sarah and Jeni, along with their husbands, Joey and Bryan, helped pack us up and un-pack us here. How great is that! We also had our great family members- Susan, Rikki, Lauren, and Daniel. We are truly blessed with wonderful family and friends. Thank you to all of you! The boys have transitioned nicely to their new daycare and I love my new job. We are ready for the weather to clear up and warm up so we can enjoy being outside, but all in all we are doing great. We already have visitors coming so I have to run. Here are some pics I wanted to add. All my love- Gannie and The Grandbabes Baby Boy, The always Full Mouth, and Me Sweet Parker Beth And finally, Wanda Woman, Papa Bruce and the GREAT GrandBabes!

With Changes Comes New Beginnings

2011-01-01T19:07:00.000-06:00

I think I have already come across the understatement of the year, I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO 2011! With the holidays brought the normal fun chaos, but we decided to add a little extra stress by announcing that we are moving! God opened a wonderful door for me and my career and I was offered an incredible opportunity at a hospital. Even though it would be a no-brainer to move because of the great career-change, there were lots of other things to consider- sell this house, find another house, lose the BEST babysitters ever in the entire world, find a new daycare that would never come close, leave our families and friends, be sensitive to the needs of Nick and the boys, but in the end we decided it was the best decision for our family. Year 2010 brought some incredible challenges, to say the least, and it was no coincidence that this opportunity presented itself at the closing of the year. The Lees are ready for a new chapter- new beginnings, new challenges, and new opportunities. Most importantly, we are looking to regain our family...a thing that most people overlook and take advantage of so easily. There is no doubt in my mind that my God is leading me step by step through this adventure. I am sad to leave the life I have known for 10+ years here, but times are a-changing and so are we. Plus, we are only going to be a hop, skip, and a jump away from here. Please pray for our family as we partake in this new adventure. There is lots of hopefulness, joy, nervousness, with a little bit of packing stress thrown in. Five minutes before I posted this, I came across the verse to begin my year 2011. Once again, our Heavenly Father is so strategic-- "He will be the SURE foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure." Isaiah 33:6, NIV AMEN AND AMEN AND AMEN! Love to you all...Oh, and guess who is turning one?!?!? Yep, check this out--

Our Little Punkin's

2010-10-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the fabulous and wonderfully talented, Crystal Garcia (www.crystalgarciaphotography.com), she captured yet again our boys at some very sweet moments. We used this opporunity for Austin's 9 month pictures to be taken in the Townsend House pumpkin patch of course, Big Brother Jackson wanted to cheese a little as well. Here are my precious ones.... And guess what.... I am a brunette! AHH! And, I love it. I was in need of a change and it was just what the doctor ordered. It took a little adjusting for some people...especially Jackson, "Momma, why is your hair so black? I don't like it." Ha! He warmed up to it really quickly though...about 10 minutes and he said I was pretty. Oh well, it is just hair!

A One of a Kind Experience

2010-10-10T14:46:00.000-05:00

Have any of you had the privilege of experiencing a moment when the Holy Spirit moves and you are completely aware of His presence? I have to admit that in my short life-time I have never had quite a moment of spiritual awareness than I did this morning at our worship service. It all began with the song that is playing now on our blog. Our youth pastor started his sermon with three very talented college students singing this song. Oh my goodness...3 seconds in I had full-on chill bumps and tears streaming down my face (full-on ugly cry). It is like God came down from Heaven and sang this song exactly for me. How selfish of me to think that? Oh my goodness, though, it rocked my world. Please, please take a moment and listen to these beautiful lyrics. Are you surrendering everything you have to Our Lord? I know I sure am trying... Dear Our Most Precious Heavenly Father, Please take me into your arms...let me sit on Your lap. Abba Father, you have delivered me out of pit after pit, but I still decided each and every time to allow myself to get back in them. Lord, how precious you are to be steadfast and forgiving each and every day of my life. Every minute of my life. You have given me such a beautiful family, Lord. OH HOW MARVELOUS YOU ARE FOR THAT! Please, Lord, I surrender everything to You. You are in full control of my life...take the wheel. How worthy I have NOT felt of your love and how ungrateful is that! I am worthy...you promise that, Lord. Thank you for the people in my life that are my prayer warriors, my biggest fans, and who love me unconditionally, who protect and love my family. Lord, bless them, keep them close to me and Lord, most importantly, please stay close to me. I love you so much. I can't even put it into words. Thank you Lord. In your most precious Son's name, Amen.

A New Beginning, A Fresh Start

2010-09-19T13:23:00.000-05:00

You know, God thankfully grants us a fresh start everytime we whole-heartedly ask for forgiveness. He grants us that. Each day. Every day. So, what is stopping me from allowing myself a fresh start...more specifically a fresh blog! I am sure a lot of you are wandering, "Okay Hannah. How can God's forgiveness come remotely close to a new blog?" Well actually it can't, but how ungrateful am I not to accept God's forgiveness as the precious gift it as and decide to steadily change things of the past. With that said, the old blog has a fresh face, a fresh start, and a new beginning. I have been depriving my fellow bloggers of the exciting things that have been going on inside The Loving Lee family and for that I am INCREDIBLY sorry. I know all of you have truly felt like something has been missing from your life ;). Well, maybe not, but I miss blogging...FOR SURE! My mother gave me a little taste of the incredible talent she has for writing and I have not been allowing that to be used like God would like me to so I am going to give it another shot... How can you not love a face like this? Better yet, how can you not see God's wonderful grace in a face like this? God has blessed us with two incredibly good babies. Now, in the middle of sleepless nights, spit-up covered clothes, and colicy evenings I could have told you something a little different. Probably laced with a little profanity. Ha! Our babies, though, have been truly a huge blessing. A blessing I would have never quite understood or appreciated until going through the year we have gone through. They have kind of been the mold, or the mortar that has held the Lee family together. Not something that has made us be together, but rather something that holds up and supports a bigger entity. They have given us a view into the closest view we can get to God's love-- the unconditional, agape love. A love the hurts, but is so pure. The central ingredient to leaving a devine legacy is godliness: to KNOW God, to WALK in His ways, and to TEACH future generations about who He is. Oh, Lord please help us to do this. There is no other way, but through your way. Our sweet 8-month old Austin has really taught me a lot this year. He was prayed for and the day we found out we were expecting I remember how excited Nick and I were. Today, I realize I took advantage of that moment. I let that new excitement and miracle of life slip right through my fingers and be forgotten. Not that he has been neglected...that is not what I mean. No yall, that child is rotten...just as it should be! I mean I let that joy that only our Abba Father can give us run right out of me. Everyday is a miracle. Everyday that I get to see my sweet family's faces is something God gazed over and decided before I even knew it. Please, Lord let me hold on to that joy. Life is so hard. Oh so hard. No one could have ever prepared me for the situations and the decisions I would face at the young age of 24. No one. Hey, but guess what? OUR GOD KNEW! He knew WAY before I did. And He knew I could do it. I am not sure of a lot of things right now. But I know God gave me a wonderful family...one I sometimes feel I do not deserve. He says I do, but I think differently. God knew this year would shake me, but He did it in an effort to draw me closer. If any of you are wondering what in the world you are doing in this life...why are things so hard...so tumultous. Just trust Him. In the darkest moments, He is drawing you closer, loving you harder than ever, and wanting you to be His child. "God is our living water--a supply that wasn't just for quenching temporary thirst, but of solid satisifaction that never quits giving and refreshing. God is your everyday supply. Of everything you need." The Love Dare

It's A Girl...FINALLY!

2010-05-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

We are so proud to welcome Miss Parker Elizabeth to the Lee family. Weighing in at a tiny 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 18 inches long, the long anticipated first granddaughter and niece on BOTH sides of my family made an appearance Friday afternoon at 12:27 p.m. Both Lauren and Daniel are doing great and will be coming home today. Lauren had originally thought she would be induced that Friday morning but when she went to her doctor's appointment earlier this week, our doctor (we share the same OB/GYN...he rocks) told her she better wait to lessen the chances of having a section. Well, Miss Parker decided she was coming anyway and Lauren's water broke around 5:30 and 7 short hours later she was here! A remarkably short and easy delivery for a first baby. Lauren did beautifully and Parker is gorgeous. I am so thrilled to finally have a niece and I can't wait to do all the fun girly things I haven't been able to do with the boys. Nick's middle brother Mikey was also able to be here for the birth. He usually plans a middle of the year trip to come visit his nephews and the family, but this time he got to be here! Mikey is a great uncle and Jackson loves him to death. We were so glad he got to be here to see Parker. It is always a miracle to see the birth of a baby. You never get tired of seeing that miraculous event occur. Going from womb to in the arms of the family, the birth of a child reminds you of the peace and happiness that is sometimes hard to find now in this world. Gannie is so in love with her first granddaughter! Mikey and Parker Me and my sweet niece! Ahh...I can't believe it. A female :) My second nephew Eli was born 6 weeks before Jackson was. They are great playmates and will grow up together and make many memories. Austin will also have this opportunity with my niece. They are 4 months and 1 week apart. I can't wait! Babies, babies everywhere! I love it!

A Beautiful Baptism

2010-05-13T16:43:00.000-05:00

I am blessed to have a Reverend in the family. My immediate family. My mother. Not only is she an amazing spiritual leader, but she is also a wonderful mother to me and my sister and a wonderful MeeMee to her grandboys. I was so thrilled when she had the opportunity to baptize Jackson on Nick's first Father's Day. I was even more thrilled when she was able to baptize Austin on my first Mother's Day with Austin here. It was a beautiful event. What made it even more special was that my Meemaw (great grandmother to Austin and Jackson) was able to come. She is so important to me and so very close to my heart. Also, Nick's grandparents, The Allen's, were in attendance. A baptism with four generations present was a huge HUGE deal. Mom delivered a wonderful message about Hannah and her prayer for Samuel. It was very good. I am so lucky to have such strong Christian women in my life praying for me through my ups and downs with motherhood. We all know a lot of prayer is needed and I am so lucky to have many women surrounding me, praying continuously for me and my family. We are so blessed. Beautiful Meemaw with Austin Meemaw and My Boys Prayer And the Baptism Begins A little spritz. I lost it after this. Gannie beginning to walk in order to give the "Baby Show." Such a sweet event. Nick and I were surrounded by many loving family members during this time and it meant so much to us. God is good all the time.

Umm, pictures. Please.

2010-05-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

Okay. So I (excuse the language) suck right now at blogging so I thought I better just give a fast and furious update about what has been going on in our world through the use of pictures. So here goes- This is Austin at 3 months. Gotta love the bathtub shots. And boy does he love his bath. My beautiful Bestie Sarah on her beautiful wedding day. Sarah was the most beautiful bride. I was so honored to be her Matron. What a wonderful and special day that was! The J-man's 3rd Birthday party. The theme was dirtbikes and he and Austin just HAD TO HAVE matching shirts. Duh. Of course, since Jackson is OBSESSED with dirtbikes we decided to get him a dirtbike helmet that topped off the dirtbike outfit his Gannie got him. HE LOVED IT. He didn't even want to take it off to blow his candles out. And then, I am pretty sure he slept in it that night. All the 1st cousins at the annual Chatham United Methodist Easter Egg Hunt. I am so glad they are growing up together. Nick, I know you really appreciate this one but I had to capture Easter morning. The Easter bunny came of course and Jackson bounced off the walls for the remainder of the weekend. If anyone would like any Easter candy I will be happy to send it your way. My butt and thighs hate me right now. Our azalea bush was BEAUTIFUL this year- covered in hot pink blooms. Had to get the little munchkin in front of it. Austin has definitely found his voice and loves to laugh, coo, and gurgle at us. A very happy baby. The first slip and slide of the year happened during Sunday of the Masters. Of course, Nick wanted to watch AND slide so we just rigged the TV outside of the window and did both. Me and The Hubs right before our 3rd wedding in a month. We always forget to take pictures together so Rikki captured this for us right before we left. Austin tried cereal for the first time this weekend. He is starting to develop a taste for it, but not quite sold on it yet. I am just happy to be moving toward solid foods. That boy loves some groceries. And finally, a picture of the sweet droller from today. I am SO HAPPY to report he is sleeping around 11 hours a night. Going to bed around 8 and waking up around 7. He sometimes wakes up around 4 for a little cry, but then goes back to sleep. HALLELUJAH! This has been a huge blessing since I am trying to juggle work and 2 kids by myself during the week. God is good. Jackson has been keeping us in stitches with his clever comments and definitely keeps us moving with his endless imagination and activities. I am very excited about this weekend because my sweet Mother will be baptizing Austin on Mother's Day. I know. There will not be a dry eye. Jackson was baptized on Father's Day and it just so happened to work out that Austin's landed on my day. I am LOVING being with my boys. My cup runneth over with all the love and blessings He has allowed me to have.

Underwear, Birthdays, and Sleepers - Oh My!

2010-04-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally did it... Jackson is an underwear-wearing, peeing in the potty, pulling his OWN pants down Big Boy potty trained Little Man. Oh we just could not be happier. And he did it just in time for his 3rd birthday! We had a great celebration with a dirtbike themed Birthday Party. Dirtbikes are Jackson's latest obsession. Quickly, this has transformed into an obsession for Jackson because his cool Uncle Daniel rides and races dirtbikes. He LOVES it. I am hoping that he is just getting this out of his system and is going to move on to a new hobby because I will be a train-wreck watching my precious one attempt to race dirtbikes. I went to my first competitive dirtbike race about a year or so ago. It was the most intense organized sport event I have ever attended. You have all the loud dirtbike engines revving up plus the fumes and exhaust taking over your senses, dirt is flying, people are yelling, racers are crashing...Whew, its intense. And my little boy loves it. Well, we will see... I am very happy to report that our Austin is sleeping atleast 8 hours now at night. In fact, two nights this week he has slept from 8 to 6! Holler! This is such a blessing because I have gone back to work this week and the extra sleep has really helped me out a lot. God is such a wonderful and smart God. He knew I needed that extra sleep this week and He provided it for us. Austin is such a wonderfully happy baby- always smiling and laughing. He did this a lot sooner than I remember Jackson doing it. All those moments of sleepless nights seem to be magically erased when your baby smiles....and sleeps of course :) It is truly a precious gift from God. Pictures are coming soon!

Hold the Phone....I'M BACK!

2010-02-21T11:20:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness, I am back blogging. I know alert the media. I sure hope some of yall are still out there looking at our family blog. If you gave up on me, I don't blame you. But, hey, I have been a little busy. So here is the latest... A wonderful wonderful miracle FINALLY occurred - Austin Randle Lee entered into our lives on January 11, 2010 at 3:50 p.m. weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds, 3 ounces 20 1/2 inches long. It was an easy and wonderful delivery. So precious and so special. He is beautiful and we just adore him. We just went to his 1 month visit and he is already at 10 pounds, 9 ounces. Momma's got some good groceries! Life around here can be pretty chaotic but it is wonderful. We have adjusted well and so has Jackson. He LOVES being a big brother so much so he might just love him to death. You know, squeezing his face and feet because he just is about to burst with his love for his little brother. We have to supervise these moments ;) I am currently on Week 6 of maternity leave and thoroughly enjoying being home with my babies. We have been going back and forth to Texas and that commute has been surprisingly easy with a toddler and newborn. Nick really enjoys us all being together and it has definitely made the transition to going from 1 child to 2 a lot easier. This is the "Year of the Bride" for me. I am in a wedding at the end of March(Bestie Sarah - Matron of Honor - whoop! whoop!), going to a destination wedding in April (Laura Walpole), and a bridesmaid in another wedding in May (Angie Gleason). So our weekends are slam packed with showers, birthday parties, and miscellaneous wedding activities. Nick really enjoys it ;). That was typed with a lot of sarcasm behind it. I love it, though. It is so wonderful seeing my best friends transition into the next stage of their life. I am so blessed to be apart of it. Well that is all I got for now. I managed to do this while Austin was napping and the other boys are outside. Now back to the grind! Love to you all! Check back soon. Here are some pictures of recent events - Trying to catch him when he was awake. 3 weeks old here. Great Grandma Wanda and her 2 great grandboys. Jackson will sit in her lap and read books with her all day. She is so wonderful. I caught this grin when Jackson was hitting range balls with his Daddy in Texas. Such a ham! See ya!

Not really sure...

2009-09-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

Most of you now know I have entered back into the full-time work world. This means what little time I have left for family time is precious and must be used to the fullest. With that said, my blog has been suffering tremendously. I guess it would be appropriate to say I am sorry for keeping most of you in the dark about the lastest Lee-happenings. However, I am spending my time the best way possible-- with my family and resting since I am entering into my 5th month of being pregnant. Life is wonderful and all news around here is good. So hang in there with me and I promise to keep you posted of the latest breaking news.... I also must confess I am kind-of in a blog funk and my creativity and writing skills are at a standstill. I still love all of you, though, and I really appreciate the comments and visits to our blog. We'll see what happens....

IT'S A....

2009-08-17T17:18:00.000-05:00

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited! Mr. Baby-Boy Lee looks wonderful with his entire 7 ounces-self. He is beautiful and I can't wait to hold him. Pictures will be posted soon-- I promise. God is so good and we are so excited that Jackson has a built-in playmate for life. Brothers are so special and I know this will be a wonderful and exciting adventure!

Fast and Furious

2009-08-16T17:18:00.000-05:00

This is a fast and furious update for all you precious people out there. Lots of things are going on around here and they are all wonderful! Here we go: 1. I GRADUATE Thursday at 2:00 and can't believe it. I have been anticipating this day ever since I enrolled at Tech and now it is here. I will officially be a Louisiana Tech University alumni after Thursday! 2. I have a JOB! I began training Thursday for my new job at Impact Healthcare Solutions. It is a roaming physician/healthcare facility billing and collection practice located in Ruston. I am a Billing Specialist and am really looking forward to the job. Lots of challenges but lots of rewards. My first official day is August 31st and I am pumped. 3. We hopefully find out if Jackson will have a BABY BROTHER or BABY SISTER tomorrow. I am starting to feel sweet little kicks in my belly so this one is very active! 4. We are going to the BEACH on Friday! YAY for VACAY! This is our annual beach trip with Nick's family and I am so excited. This vacation is long overdue and I am looking forward to relaxing, sunning (with sunscreen on Mrs. Lora), and shopping! Finally, with all this said, isn't our Heavenly Father amazing? AAAAAAMMMMEEEN! He has always taken care of our family and His timing is always so perfect and right. We are safely and wonderfully taken care of in His precious hands and I am so overwhelmed and grateful for the wonderfully reassuring things He has allowed to happen in our lives. I promise to post with the big baby news tomorrow. Love to you all.

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-07-25T15:11:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Adrian Seney from the Seney's Say (http://theseneyssay.blogspot.com) for selecting our blog to receive the "One Lovely Blog Award." I am truly honored. Now, because I have received this award I am to nominate 15 other blogs to receive it as well. Just like Adrian, I don't know 15 blogs but I will do my best. So, drum-role please..... The winners are: 1. Simply Sarah 2. The Stuart Family 3. Living, Laughing, Loving...Patterson Style 4. The Hall Family 5. The Thomas Threes 6. The Hancocks 7. Hello from Housper I think all of these blogs are great! I enjoy reading all of them and think they need some recognition. Now, all you have to do is gladly accept your award. Nominate 15 other blogs and post about your receiving of the award and who you nominate. Make sure you let your recipients know! Happy Blogging and thanks again Adrian!

Things are Just Peachy!

2009-07-05T14:51:00.000-05:00

TOTAL MELTDOWN! Obviously, I am not Jackson's pick for picture taking. A little better. Still not happy. Finally. A glimpse of the sweetness that is in my baby's heart! :) And aren't they the happy couple. It never fails. Jackson will be kicking and screaming in my arms then jump into his Daddy's and he is a ham. Oh well. These pictures were taken before Friday night's Peach Festival Festivities. Of course, it was hot but we really had a good time. Jackson got a chance to feed some animals and dream about riding a big red four-wheeler. We also got to witness Jackson and his buddy Jake cutting a rug during the Railroad Park Street Dance. I mean, how cute is that? He loved it! We then met Gannie, Kiki, and the Tyler's for the Peach Festival parade. It was so blooming hot and I am pretty sure I was sweating so much it looked like I had wet myself. Sorry. I am just trying to give yall a visual. We walked away with tons of candy, cups, T-shirts, scarves (yes, scarves courtesy of the beehive as well as bracelets and necklaces), and paper fans. We are set for life. I think the highlight of the morning was getting to test out of the tractors that Volvo put in the parade. Jackson loved attempting to test-drive it and could have spent all day out there I think. Ms. Susan took the tractor pictures for us because Nick and I had an ultrasound appointment. My doctor, who is awesome by the way, could not specifically tell me how far along I was so he wanted to do another ultrasound. I was amazed when the baby popped up on the monitor because it no longer looked like a shrimp. It looked like a full-blown real baby. After seeing all those early ultrasound pictures, it is amazing to finally see the baby's little human-like features start to develop. I WAS IN LOVE! At that moment, it did not matter if it were a boy, girl, dog, or turtle. It was a precious little life that Nick and I created and my heart just melted all over again. So, with that said, Baby Lee will make his/her appearance January 19, 2010! Whoo-hoo! I will be 12 weeks Tuesday and out of the first trimester! HOLLER at ya girl! It is safe to say I found out very early with this one and the weeks (especially in the 1st trimester) have gone by very slow. BUT!!! I am not rushing this like I did with Jackson. I want to absorb every moment I rushed along with Jackson. It is a miracle to even carry another human being and I want to relish every second of it again. I will finish my last clinical site EVER these next 3 weeks and I am so pumped! I have been praying diligently that if a job is to fall in my lap that it will. I have full trust in our Lord and am not stressing over this at all. His timing is perfect and it is in His hands. I am controlling what I can here which is to be the best wife I can, the best mother I can, the best friend, sister, and daughter that I can. Oh, and to make good grades. Thank goodness I am almost done with that part ;)