Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

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I pray that everyone had a Christ filled day yesterday! Our household was truly blessed with 3 happy boys and two excited parents. Larry and I love Christmas as much as the boys! We spent the weekend in GA with my parents and family. We had a fantastic time! I've posted some pictures to highlight our weekend.
Susan is very talented in many areas and once again she proved that her name should have been Martha! The grandsons loved having a red nose reindeer cake. Steven and Carson were very pleased to "hunt" up the antlers in the yard.







On Saturday, we all went to a friends cabin in the woods. We had a huge fire, roasted marshmellows, hiked, laughed, a game of capture the flag (in which the ladies WON!!), cooked hot dogs etc... Here is a picture of the boys playing very hard.















This is a beautiful family photo...Ha! We took a hike and sang Christmas songs to the cars that pasted! (We had a few weird looks!) I'm sure that I will get a few comments from those in the picture!

Hopefully you can see we do clean up nicely in this next photo. This was taken on Sunday after Colton Ross Hunt baby dedication. It was a beautiful service!

Here is a photo of the original Scarbrough family...

The grandsons...this picture was fun to capture!

I'll take a side note here on this next picture...I have been concerned about our dear friend Viola. She, like myself, has not been blogging as of late. This has had me and my sisters baffled until we came across her memorial. It was located in the hill of North GA in a cabin way up in the woods. I'm so sorry to say that it appears that she has been laid to rest. I do truly hope that we are mistaken, so if anyone has any information...please let me know!

A few final snapshots...this is my newphew Colton. He is one of the cutest baby's ever!! I know that you will agree. Sorry about him "laying" sideways...he's tired!Ha!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!! I think Steven is singing my praises for posting this picture! Be sure to check out Peyton's mismatched PJ's! He's a classic! Hope you enjoyed a picture of our holiday season. Oh, I failed to mention that we returned home from GA on Christmas Eve to attend Family Communion at church and enjoyed a fabulous day at our home together! I'll try to share a Christmas miricle on a later post! Thank you to all that sent Christmas greetings... we will try to pray for each one as the cards are put away after the season!

Is Anyone Out There...?

Dear Family, Friends, and Lurking Bloggers,

Wow! What a busy Fall we are having at our household! I am like many of you that go from early morning til night doing everything from mediation between argueing brothers to mediation between a neonatologist and his nurses. (I'll take the first, by the way!) Our days are filled with laundry, school, discipline, loving, playing, cleaning, etc.... and at the end of the day, I'm EXHAUSTED! I know this is sounding so familiar to many of you out there. I guess I say all that to say that I'm having a hard time finding time to sit and blog. Once I have gotten out of the habit, I realize how very far behind I am on everyone's life. I feel very sad when I think about how before this blogging thing....I WAS REALLY BEHIND! At night when all the house is quite and I might gather enough strength to click blogspot on my GOOGLE page...I'm too tired. And there goes another day not "communicating". This is a very long way to to say Sorry for not sharing my life with you and enjoying yours with you. I will try to stay up a little later tonight to catch you up on us....

We had the opportunity to join Larry on a business trip to Pigeon Forge. While he worked we went into Maryville to see my wondeful Grandmother "GG". We had such a fantastic visit! The boys love GG so very much and love playing with all her toys. They also love her food! I think she could serve crackers and mayo and they would think it was the best! I'm striving to reach that status!!! We also got to visit with Aunt Carol and Queen Essie!!! They are two of my favorite people in the world!!! Talk about having some good laughs!! I so wish we lived closer and had time to visit more often!

The next day we were still in Pigeon Forge in our hotel room, and Carson fell and chipped several teeth and knocked his two front teeth loose! It was a very hard and long day. We went to my parents in GA that evening, hoping to see the dentist, but to no avail. We did have a short evening with Papa, Grandmomma, Aunt Christa, Aunt Susan, Uncle Jeff and Colton! What a joy to be together as a family!! Colton is getting so big and is the cutest thing since my boys! Ha! Sometimes when I glance at him, I see Susan and then other times he is his daddy made over! He is a whopper thou! We Scarbrough's can grow 'em big! ha!

I have been extremely busy with work at the hospital. Our census has been at a level high for a few months now and we are all having to work more than we want. I am very blessed in loving my job, but I love staying home with my boys much more. The benefit of me working is that get one on one time with daddy...they all love it! I couldn't ask for a better "sitter"! Speaking of Larry, he is once again doing a huge cabinet job. We are so blessed that his is doing his first new home construction job. He is doing a fantastic job and loving every minute of it. His work is phenomenal! He does this in the evenings and the weekends so it makes for one tired man. I pray the Lord will keep him healthy. He would so love to be able to do this on a full time basis.

Steven's school is going well and Mommy is once again making adjustments. I think I have it .organized and something changes . Maybe I'll stop being so type A personality. NOT! Carson is starting to learn things in leaps and bounds also and is going to make for an exciting year next year for K5. Peyton is doing better also, now that he "understands" the routine.

I have so many pictures that I want to share with you all, but I think I'll wait until another night. I'm doing good to get this much written. I hope that I still have a few friends who miss me....thanks Kimber for the note!! I can't wait to get caught up with everyone!

He giveth and He Taketh Away.....

My dear friends...

My dear little foster niece, Alexis, is being turned over to her biological father. He has gone through all the legal actions to gain sole custody of her. Tomorrow, Susan and Jeff will have to watch her leave their home. They have had her for 19 months. The Lord is giving them strength in this VERY difficult time. He (God) has given Susan many promises from His Word, which I am very thankful for. My boys are having a hard time understanding how come she has to leave. Please pray that we will have the wisdom for this time. I am so grateful to Susan and Jeff for giving me the opportunity to love another child like my own. Alexis is a true Joy! As you think about her, please pray for her future and the seeds that have been planted into her heart. We pray she will take Jesus to her family.

The Lord has been reminding me of the song titled, "Blessed be Your Name". Here are the lyrics:

Blessed be your name

In the land that is plentiful

Where the streams of abundance flow

Blessed be your nameBlessed be your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,I turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, LordStill I will say...

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's all as it should be

Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name

On the road marked with suffering

Oh, There's pain in the offering

Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,I turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, LordStill I will say...

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away

You give and take away

My heart will STILL choose to say

Blessed be your name

This is what I am saying today...BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!

With tears and sobs, I bring you this post,

Marty

Carson's Big Day!

I thought I would share a few pictures from Carson's day yesterday.....

Larry took him to work with him for a little while since he had to drive to NC. On the way home, they found this real race car. Carson was so excited. He loves anything that is fast and furious. He is his fathers son! Enjoy the pics!

How cute is he?!!!!!

ENGAGED!!!!

Just a short blog to announce that my little, bitty, BABY sister is ENGAGED!!!! We are all very excited for her and her handsome fiance, David Fulton, Jr. David leaves this month for Iraq for 7 months. Please pray for him and his family!! They are planning on a August wedding next year....if the Marines will cooperate!! I'll try to have her send a picture for me to post!

I'm doing better...it's only been a week since the last post! ha!

A Few Pictures....

Dear Friends.....If anyone is still out there looking for update on our lives,

We are doing great! I have been very busy with Steven's school and running after an 18month old!!! Steven in loving the 1st grade and is progressing very nicely. The first few weeks were nothing short of NERVE RACKING to say the least. I have had to make some adjustment to my schedule and the school schedule so that our lives would be alot calmer....if that is possible. I read a blog recently about one's perspective of the daily interuptions that arise in our lives, THANK YOU for that reminder! (You know who you are!) Carson is also loving "school". I am not "officially" teaching him this year, but he is so eager to learn that I hate to pass up the opportunity. The other day, Steven played school with him and later made the comment to me that "Carson is really smart!" I do love hearing the boys quote their memory verses together as if they were "preaching" the Word. We have been trying to emphazise expression in our memorization so that they can understand what the verse is saying. Maybe we overdo it a weeee bit. Larry and I listened this morning and were overjoyed! Sometimes Carson may forget a word but he remembers the spots to go louder and softer. We are blessed that our boys have hearts tender toward God!

I'm going to try to post some pictures of some of our vacation this summer and some odd n edd picures as well! Enjoy!

Peyton LOVED the beach! Thankfully he has his mothers skin type so he doesn't burn and can stay ALL DAY LONG!!!

This is how Larry spends his time, a book, his MP3, a large tent above him, and food! He only goes to the beach for the mine and the boys sake! He's a great daddy! His loves are the mountains and fast bikes...well most of you know him well!

We took one day and went to Paris Island were David (Christa's boyfriend) trained to be a Marine! He is being deployed to Iraq this month and is currently spending time with his family in Florida. Christa joined him there for this week and they will both fly back to GA. He will spend a few days there and then on to NC before his deployment. Please pray for him, his dear family, Christa and us as we have grown to love him thru Christa! Anyway... here is a picture of the base and picture of them in training. The boys thought this was the best day of their lives....I hope I didn't plant a seed.....

We also went the Chocolate Facorty in Beauford. It smelled like what I imagine Heaven to smell like!! This is the store that "Forest Gump" bought his mother chocolate from in the movie Forest Gump! A very cute shop!Peyton loved seeing all the deer on the Island where we stayed. He would stand and look off the back patio for as long as the deer would stay. Here is Peyton going fishing off the back deck! That is until we found the alligator!!!

We would take the golf cart around and the deer would just follow you. We feed them old corn on the cob this evening and they were wanting more!

This is a picture of an old covered bridge about 15 minutes from our house. A couple weeks ago, we took a picnic one evening and let the boys play in the creek! It was great seeing them skip rocks! Brought back memories of my childhood!

Summer's End....

Hello Blogger Friends!



I'm sorry that I haven't had the chance to blog as of late. We have been extremely busy with end of summer activities. We had the wonderful opportunity to spend a week at the beach with a couple of friends. It was fantastic! I'll try to post pictures later of some of the fun things we got to do. When we returned we had plenty to keep me busy and away from the computer. Last weekend, we were blessed to have my Aunt Janet and little sis, Christa, to visit us. Aunt Janet was only able to stay overnight, but we made the most of our time. The three of us went to party in honor of Christa's friend who was getting married. Aunt Janet and I had known her since she was around the age of 6! Can't believe that I'm that old! It was nice to see old friends again. On Friday, I had to work so Christa kept the kids for me....they LOVE having Aunt "Trista" around to play with. Somehow she has more energy than I do!!! On Friday evening, Larry took the boys to see the Greenville Drive play baseball. (Our church had gotten tickets for us!) They had a great time with friends and watching baseball. Christa, Peyton, and I stayed home to catch up with each other. (And to make hot fudge brownies!!) It was a great evening! Sorry that I couldn't stay up later....but the alarm was set to go off at 5 am for another 12hour day at work. She and her friend, Seth, went to Rachel's wedding Saturday evening and to church with Larry on Sunday. She was able to stop by the hospital on the way out of town to say goodbye! She has grown into a beautiful young woman! I am very proud of her.....It is hard not to call her my "baby sister" thou!

This week has been busy getting ready for a yard sale on Saturday. Most people do their cleaning out in the Spring....I do it when I have time and a Saturday off! I am praying that we will have a great profit!!! I am doing it with several friends so maybe it will go well! I have also to get ready to start school on Monday! I have everything already, I've just got to get organized!

I have been trying to catch up on other's blogs lately and comment, but it looks like everyone else is just as busy! I'll try to post pic later! Have a blessed day!

Pictures....

Our Home on the 4th of July!
Our Family on the 4th of July! Our Blessings from the Lord!
Steven squinting from the sun!


Carson being his adorable self!

Peyton wondering why Mommy is always behind a camera!
This is the Rob & Cyndi...Larry and I's dearest friends!!! Words cannot describe how much we love this family. Our children are the same ages, Cyndi delivered my babies, she and I work together every other weekend, we go to church together, and Rob and Larry are HUGE Michigan fans!!! Cyndi and I are more than friends....we are sisters! (Thankfully, her mom and 3 sisters feel the same about me AND my mom and 3 sisters love her dearly! I wish you could meet this amazing family!


This is Edwin and Melissa and they are also such great friends. We have know them for over 10 years and have been friends since day one! Again, our children are very close in age so we have alot in comman! THE only thing "wrong" with this family is...Edwin is a Florida Sate fan! Here is a picture of some of the kids eating on the 4th of July! They picked the shade!



Jason and Amy Lane

This picture needs a little explaining....Larry had just arrived home from work and Peyton headed for the front door...in his diaper and Michigan hat. I opened the door for Peyton to dart out to meet Daddy! Here he is "telling" Daddy some big story! He is so cute!
I hope you enjoy catching a glimpse into our lives via pictures!

A little Catch Up.....

Happy Belated 4th of July to everyone!



My day started out early (@ 5am) to head of to work. Once again it was a holiday for me to work. I just keep telling myself that the Lord willing I will have Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day OFF!! After working about 8 hours, I was stopping by the grocery store for a few things for a cookout at my house. (We made those plans about 11a.m that morning!) After reaching home, I had brocolli salad and brownies to make. Larry had already baked some flag cookies...opened the package and stuck them on the pan kind of baking! Ha! But, that was one less thing that I had to do! I quick went searching for a red table cloth in my collection...found one! Then I found patriotic candles and my table was set. I had a large table in the back yard so that most of the mess was outside! Everyone showed up at 5pm and the party began!

We had a great time with friends and neighbors! After the food and dessert, we were off to see fireworks! I definetely have seen better, but we had a great time anyway. More of our church friends met us and we all watched together. To say the least, it was a very late night!

The weekend was filled with working around the house trying to get caught up on a never ending list! It was nice to be home as a family and not running to and fro! Sunday was a GREAT day in the Lord. Due to work and vacation time it had been....get ready for this......SIX weeks since I had been to my own home church! I HATE WORKING EVERY OTHER WEEKEND! Sorry...I'm over my explosion. I am VERY thankful for the job God has given me so that I CAN stay at home all the other days....That is what I focus on! Back to church...it was great being in worship with my friends and church family! I have missed it terribly. Our small group is starting a new study on Trust. I am very excited to see what I can learn on this subject! We spent the afternoon at the park and the boys had a great time!

On Tuesday, we had the great opportunity to have Jason and Amy (Kellog) Lane at our house. We had never met Jason and it was great getting to know the love of Amy's life! Amy and I roomed next door to each other at HSBC and have been long distance friends since. She and Jason are currently in New Mexico on a contract job with the possiblity of moving to Maine in the next few years. It was great catching up with Amy...same ole Fat Ames!!! Pee Wee she said to say Hello to you also!!! We grilled out for supper (after the thunderstorm) and had a great evening of games! I fixed a large country breakfast the next morning and they were off to their next destination around 10:30 a.m.! It is like we have never been apart! God has truly blessed me with great old and new friends!

We have finished off the week with Larry with a sick stomach, Steven with swimmers ear, and mommy working three days straight!! HELP! Ha! Please pray the rest of us remain healthy!

Also this week, My dad flew to Alaska to assist in a youth camp and help my cousin with some sheetrock! Unfortunetly, he was unable to be with Momma on their 39th Wedding Anniversary!!! I am sure Dad is having a great time....he dearly loves Alaska and his newphew, Andrew and family! (Vonnie, I would love to see pics of the best Daddy in the world!) Mom is home assisting Susan with the baby (not that she needs much, being a little Martha Stewart and all!!) and Christa with starting Nursing School in August. She also has company coming several times while Dad is gone... She will stay pleny busy!

Well, that's my few weeks in review! No great thoughts or ideas...Oh yes, I did read a book during this time also. I loved it! Three, by Ted Dekker....read it and let me know what you think or if you already have, share your thoughts!

I'll try to post pictures tomorrow...or ASAP!

Great Vacation!!!!

I'mmmmm BACK! Sorry, friends that you have had nothing new and exciting to read from our side of the fence in a long while. I'll try to update you on our last three weeks in a as short as book as possible! Ha!


First, an update on my friend, Kristi. (see post below) She is doing as well as to be expected. She has not gotten out for church yet due to the memories she holds so dear. She has emailed and said that she just needs time. I believe she is with her parents at this time. Please remember to pray for her. We have yet to get the autopsy report. Thanks you for all your prayer support! Thats what great friends do for each other!

Well, first of all we have been away to the north land for a couple weeks. It started out that we were going to Ohio for Larry's parents camp. As a surprise to them we held a 4oth Wedding Anniversary Party! We were to be gone for 8 days. The weekend before our trip, Larry received news from his work that he had a business trip he needed to go to in KY. Therefore, our trip was moved up 4 days. This meant alot of hurrying to get pack and finish plans for the anniversary party. On Monday of that week my parents arrived to load up the cabinets that Larry had made and deliver them back to Jeff. (my brother-in-law who has a cabinet business) It was a great day! The boys loved seeing Papa and Grandmomma for a few hours....as well as I! Mom helped me finalize my ideas for the decorations for the party. On Tuesday, we packed up and left home around noon. We went to GA and met Susan, Jeff, Alexis, baby Colton, and Grandmomma. Momma was letting me borrow some dishes for the party. Larry hadn't met Colton so we made a quick stop to say Hello! As you can see by the picture, Peyton was not happy that Daddy was holding someone else!! After a few minutes of playing in McDonald's playland, off we went to Owensboro, KY. It is in western KY. We arrived at our hotel about 10pm their time. It was a long day! The next few days were filled with Larry's work and me trying to find stores for my last minute items for the party. We were in a town that is located on the Ohio river so one afternoon we spent time at the river. They have a beautiful little town with a little park and benches, trees and a great breeze. It was very relaxing! During this part of the trip, Peyton started having diarhea again! We have had about 3 weeks without it and then it started up again! That's fun to be in a hotel with a baby going through clothes and diapers very quickly. We survived! On Friday morning, we headed toward Columbus, IN where my Grandfather lives. On the way, we picked up our niece from her Grandparents. Our plans were to take her to her mother who was flying into Columbus, OHIO that next day. Our plans changed slightly. We were going to see my grandfather who had just been put into a facility to recieve physical therapy. He is almost 89 years old and is declining physically and mentally. In a few weeks he will be placed into an Assisted Living facility. We had a great visit with Dad Burt and Aunt Janet for a few hours. Dad Burt was mentally "together" so it was great having him know who we were! After Peyton and Larry had a short nap, we headed to St. Mary's, Ohio were Larry's parents were at. Our original plan was to go to there house about an hour from there and spend the night, do laundry and drop off Kristin to her mom the next day, but , Granny (Larry's mom) insisted on us coming on up to the camp that night. She was very surprised to see Kristin and we had to tell a few lies to keep the anniversary party a surprise! On Saturday we did a lot of help for Mom and Dad getting things ready for conference and camp. Tim (Larry's oldest brother) and his wife and three youngest sons arrived and was a great time of family fun! You would have to know Larry's family to fully appreciate family fun! We are a great bunch of people to harrass each other over every little thing! You definetly can't have a sensitive personality and survive! That's one reason I fit right in!!! On Sunday, Larry's sister arrived and suprised his parents so much! She lives in Rhode Island and doesn't get to come home very often. Dan, Larry's youngest brother, and his family arrived in the late afternoon! We had another great day! The Lord has blessed me with fantastic in laws and family!!! Monday was the surprise anniversary party so it was very busy trying to act "not busy". My mother-in-law kept asking us what we were doing and we just said relaxing! Ha! Thankfully she was busy with their conference that she didn't have time to notice everything we were doing! The party was a great sucess and NOT a surprise! Thanks to Dad's brother who spilled the beans...unknown to us kids thou! Dad and Mom did a great job keeping out of things thou! They so appreciated everything that was done and loved having all their pastors and friends there to celebrate with them. The rest of the week we had a great time at there camp. They have such wonderful people who made us fill so very welcomed!! The boys played baseball several times a day and went to children's chuch. Larry played softball and realized how old he really is!! Ha! I even attempted to "play" softball a couple times. Everyone was so gracious as I struck out MANY times! But, we had a lot of fun! The services were great and since I work everyother weekend it was very much needed on my part. We left on Saturday evening and went to Larry's parents house and spent the night. On Sunday, we went into Cincinnati to pick up a girl from our church who was spending time with her grandparents. We then headed back to the great state of South Carolina! It was nice to breathe that stuffy air once again! Some days it was very cold in Ohio and we southern people are not used to that in JUNE!!!

OHHH, I forgot. One day while we were at the camp, Granny watched to kids while Larry and I went to Celina, OH to see the Lighthouse where we got engaged! We had a nice Italian lunch and a few moments without the kids! As I looked at that lighthouse and thought about the many things Larry and I have faced since that day, I could truly say with a excited heart that I would say YES all over again!! He is the best man the Lord could have given to me!





After all that LONG trip, I have been trying to catch up on laundry, bills, friends and now finnally blogging. I have tried to get "caught" up with a few of you, but it will take time! Thanks for taking time to read up on US!

A Prayer Request for a Friend.....

This post is written with a heavy heart. After only an 1/2 hour of sleeping last night, our pastor phoned us with a prayer request. One of our friends, Mike, has passed away. Mike was a Lt. Cor. in the United States Marine. He left 3 weeks ago for Afganistan. Last Sunday when I talked with his wife, Kristi, he was still in Kwait. He finnally reach Afganistan this week and passed away yesterday. The circumstances surronding his death are under investigation at this point. We have very limited information at this point. What we do know is that is was NOT in combat.

Mike was in the reserves as of recently. He has been a Marine for over 16 years. When speaking with him, you knew that he breathed being a Marine.

Please pray for Kristi. They did not have children.

Please pray for Larry and I as we try to minister to her at this tramatic time.

COLTON ROSS HUNT HAS ARRIVED!

Colton Ross Hunt arrived to the proud parents of Susan and Jeff! May 31, 2007 at 10:10pm, at 8lbs 10 oz, 14 1/2 inch head! He is the cutest thing ever! I think he looks like Susan in the mouth and chin and Jeff in the eyes up!

Susan went to the hospital at 4:30 a.m. for a scheduled induction...she was 9 days overdue! She so wanted to do the natural delivery so was worried about being induced. She had a wonderful friend who has has all her 6? children natural who was her coach. My sister Christa and I were also there for support. (Jeff poked his head in the door every once in awhile! ...as did my mom) My oldest sister Cheryl had an important drs appointment with her oldest son so was coming later in the day. Susan labored very hard and long...she was so very strong to dilate all the way to 10 with NO MEDICINE! She with God's help did a fantastic job. It is very hard seeing someone you love go through so much agony. I was happy to support her because this was the desires of her heart. She did amazing!!! After pushing for 2 hours she felt she could no longer do it and have the baby without anything. She choose an epidural. The doctor was already concerned about doing a C-Section for the baby's heart rate had dropped significantly during her labor to the point of an emergency C-Section. Susan also felt that the baby was not lowering so another reason for the epidural in preperation for a C-Section if necessary. The doctor and Susan tried very hard to birth the baby, but ended up doing a C-Section. Thankfully, Cheryl made it just in time to help pray her through the pushing and the C-Section.

Susan is a true trooper! She was so very nervous and scared, but God was so faithful to her in her time of need! It was beautiful to feel the Lord very real throughout the WHOLE da/y!

This day was also Larry and I's 10 year anniversary! Thank you so much for those of you who remembered our special day! We loved having each one of you there! Thank you for all the sacrifices each one of you made to be with us....Heather sorry you were so sick and had to travel all night after your graduation! I appreciate it sooo very much! Thank you Julia, Brent, and Jani for the beautiful music! Thank you for all who stood up with us and witnessed our vows.

I will say that these last 10 years have been THE BEST EVER!!! I am so blessed to have met and married such a fabulous man of God! (and such a HANDSOME one at that!)

Here are all the cousins...Steven, Carson, Ethan, Isaac, Peyton, Colton, and big "sis" Alexis. She is so very happy to have this new baby in her home! She is going to be a great help! As you can see, they were all "pleased" to be participating in this picture. They were more worried about who got to sit on the chair! Poor Colton!

This is Aunt Marty giving her first squeezes after a long hard day....I've decided it's easier to delivery to baby than it is to watch someone you love go through pain! I'm done being a mid-wife! Ha! NO....it was a GREAT honor to be asked to help her this day!! Thank you Susan! (Sorry, I don't know how to rotate my pictures in this blog world...any expertise Vonnie?)

Thanks for all who have been checking in and concerned about Susan and the baby!

Nephew Baby Boy Update!

I'll make this short....THE BABY HAS NOT ARRIVED!

Poor Susan, she is very miserable...if she has not gone into labor by May 30th they will induce her on May 31st...Larry and I's 10 year wedding anniversary! We are all hoping for an earlier arrival.

I'll post pics as soon as he's born!

Mother's Day!

Here is a picture of me and my handsome boys on Mother's Day. They are the sweetest angels ever! I am soo blessed with the children God gave to me. There are days....., but there are many MORE better days! Love that grammer! I had a great mother's day with Larry and the boys....they treated me right! Including the tray of assorted cheesecakes! What at day!

(Not so sure how Carson's shirt got left untucked and buttoned to the top?) Things you notice later....

This is the boys "new sport". Here's hoping that is one that comes and goes very quickly. Momma's not really into the skateboard thing....Steven loves it! He is doing great...or so the neighbors little boys say. What do I know?

I did want to tell everyone that I have just completed a HUGE milestone in my life. I have finnally finished K5 for the second time! I passed with flying colors! No, really, the Lord has been so very patient with me and has helped and strengthed when I, myself, could not do it! I have been frequently asked? "How do you do it?" I tell them that it all God's "fault"! Last spring and summer when Larry and I were determining what to do about Steven's schooling, I had ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NOOOOO desire, or willingness for that matter, to homeschool. I'll never forget what my mom told me one day. She said, "Marty, if God wants you to do this, He will change you and give you the ability to do what needs to be done!" I found this challeging! I didn't think my heart and opinion could be changed...so I told God, "Do it"! And guess what? He changed ME! He opened my heart and mind and made me willing to start this new adventure. HE is the reason that this year has been such a great sucess! Don't get me wrong, there have been many days were I "reminded" the Lord that He was the one who asked me to do this so He needed to "step up" and give me the help I needed. He is FAITHFUL to me. There were many times the Lord had to adjust my spirit and attitude, and I'm so glad I listened! I can't thank Larry enough either for the huge support and encourager he has been!

We are enjoying our first week of SUMMER VACATION! It has been a beautiful week here so far and we have a library trip tomorrow! Thankfully my boys love books as much as Larry and I!

My sister, "Sewer", went to the Doc today and is progressing right along. She is currently 1CM dialated! Hopefully, the baby waits til after I finish work this weekend to make his grand entrance! Papa and Grandmomma are also gone to FL for Christa's graduation! Unfortunetly, we were unable to attend. I can't believe that she is old enough to be in high school, led alone be graduating from college! She is going to Romania on TLC this summer, then a trip to Alaska with Mom and Dad, then home to GA to start nursing school! We are happy to have her living close again! My boys love their Aunt CHRISSA!

We are so very proud of you, Christa! Can't wait to meet David in a couple weeks! Make sure and warn him about us!

Farwell to all, and to all a Goodnight!

Happy Mother's Day!

My post today is in honor of my wonderful mother! I wish I could describe her to you so that you would see how truly blessed I am. Here are a few words that reflect my Mom.

Daughter. Sister. Niece. Wife. Daughter-in-law. Student. Teacher. Secretary................ Referree. Writer. Clarinetest...... Friend. Talented. Faithful. Reverent. Devoted. Sincere. Serious. Quite. Meek. Pianist. Aunt. Mother-in-law. Grandmomma. Babysitter. Housecleaner. Accountant. ....... Listner. Nurse. Singer. Gracious. Loving. Kind. True. ...............................Good. Hardworking. Provider. Driver. Strong. Thrifty. Gardner. Perceptive. Nightowl............. Flexible. Giving. Self-sacrificial. Seamstress. Godly. Paitient. Honorable. Wise. Blessed. Beautiful. ............Godfearing. Momma. CHRISTIAN.

I know I am leaving out some great word to describe you Momma, but this is just a start to the list. I love you very much and hope you have a wonderful day.

I stand and call you BLESSED today. Thank you for your example of Christ to me. I pray that God will mold me into a picture of you!

A Great Recipe!

Here is a recipe that people have asked about since referring to it on Tara's blog. It is a great summer treat!

Broccoli/Bacon Salad

Fresh chopped broccoli
fresh bacon bits (I sometimes by the "real" pieces in the store)
Mozzerella cheese (grated)

Mix 1 cup of mayo, 1/4 cup of sugar (or Splenda in my case), a dap of vinegar 1 TBL spoon?
Add the mix to your dry ingredients a few minutes before serving. If it sits to long it can get a little soggy! It is good either way! Hope you enjoy!

I would write more, but my little Steven is begging to play backyard basketball on the computer before bed. So bye for now!

Our Week

I'mmmm....baack! It has been a very busy week and I haven't taken the time to post. I have enjoyed reading about everyone else's lives. I forget sometimes who I have read, where I've posted comments, etc....there has to be some trick to structured blogging? Any suggestions for this unorganized blogger. It is driving me crazy! I am posting some pictures from our week. We went to 3 birthday parties, strawberry picking...again, crammed in tons of school, helped Larry finish up a job of cabinets, all this while Larry has been out of town. I was very happy that he got to come home a day early! Thank the Lord for BIG blessings!

Here are a few of the favorite sayings I've heard this week.

"honey, I'm home!"
"Kindergardens over its time to go home" (A little song they sing everday at the end of the DVD)
"Dear Jesus, bless Carson my very best friend" (A quote from Steven during prayer time!)
"Thank you for your help" (From Larry after banding, sanding, and staining doors for his cabinets)
"You are being so supportive"
"Good night"
"Night, Night" - Peyton's favorite word....he takes after his mother!

Our lives are so busy that I am trying to stop and think about the little wonderful things that happen each day that are so easy to overlook!

Last weekend we had 3 birthday parties to attend. I have posted a few pics. Some friends and I took the kids to the strawberry patch to get more strawberries. I froze 12 quart bags of sliced strawberries. We look forward to fresh fruit in the winter. I decided to share some photos of the 2 small cabinets that Larry just finished. He does a great job! I am very proud of my husband. He is putting down hardwood flooring in our living room today! He's one fantastic man! I'll try to post pictures of the finished product.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.....please scroll way way down to see my new pictures! Have a blessed day!

Our Zoo Trip!

I wanted to share a few photos of our trip to the zoo yesterday. It was a beautiful day that God gave us to enjoy His creations. As some of you may already know, I "hate" the zoo. I am not a big animal person and see no need to walk around and see animals chew their food, throw water from their trunks, and worst of all....the reptile house! With these thoughts in mind, I took my three precious boys to the zoo. Steven and I have been studying God's Plan for different areas of our lives and the world we live in. This week it has been God's Plan for the animals. I was needing to get a few field trips in so I decided I would suck it up and go to the zoo. We had a wonderful time playing at the park before the zoo opened. Hope you enjoy the pictures! The boys had a great time looking at the different animal that were exhibited. When we got to the reptile house, Steven was asking me to go in with them. My answer was NO! I told him if he wanted to go in, I would wait for him at the excit. He decided we could come back later. Whew!!! Got out of it! As we passed the excit, a lady came running out saying, "Where is a zoo keeper? There is a snake loose in their!" Once again the confirmation why I say NO to Reptile Houses! Steven and Carson were able to go in later and survived! It was a great morning and Peyton also enjoyed himself very much. I guess I'll have to try it again some time soon.

Today was a very busy day with Steven's school. We are getting very close to being finished with the school year! Thank the Lord! He has helped us so very much! After a few hours of school, my sitter came to watch the boys while I went to work for a meeting. It was very nice because it was finished early and Larry and I were able to go to Olive Garden for soup and salad! Wonderful! We take advantage of every opportunity we get to have a meal without the boys! It is very important for us as a couple. It was very nice. We were almost finished with our meal, when our sitter called saying that Steven had accidentaly hit Carson across the mouth with a metal baseball bat. She wasn't sure if it needed stitches because it did look like the tooth had come all the way through the lip. Needless to say, it was a quick trip home. After assessing the situation, I called the pediatrician who advised me to put a ice on it and keep it clean and see if it will heal on its own. How does one keep the face of a four year old boy clean? I think he is doing better seeing that he spent most of the afternoon and evening out playing with friends in the yard, street, neighbors yard, down the hill, up the street,....you get the picture! I'm glad I got some cute pictures of him at the zoo yesterday before the accident.

I also went this evening with my wonderful neighbor, Pat, to pick strawberries! Thought of you Kimber! I am planning on making some freezer jam tomorrow. The Lord willing I'll get everything done that is on my schedule for tomorrow. We have 2 birthday parties we also are planning to attend. Busy day ahead....but should prove to be very fun!

Ok, not having much luck with the pictures here, so scroll down for more!

Cowboy Theme Day!

Sorry that it has been a while since I've written....I've had a several days of the stomach virus running around my house. Unfortunetly, I don't think it has run its course. I am praying very hard not to get it! It is hard to be sick with a husband and 3 small kids. All you mothers know exactly what I'm talking about. Peyton, my one year old, has had it the worst. I was unable to work one day this weekend because of his illness. He is doing better...or I pray at least! He's good for a couple days and then another round will hit. This is one crazy virus!

Our day today in school was Cowboy Day. To say the least, Steven was soooo excited! Carson is spending the day with Larry at his work. Larry had to travel to NC for a couple jobs so Carson was sooo very excited to spend some one on one time with Daddy. With an arm load of books, his game boy, and three games, he headed to the truck!

I am posting some pictures of Peyton and Steven dressed up in Cowboy clothes and their horses. Steven is trying to look cool at the same time be Mr. Cowboy! He is THE funniest child ever. He can tell stories like none other! (Wonder where he got that from, Papa?) You will notice he has a carpet burn on his head...when people ask him what happened he goes into a 15 minute story never leaving one minor detail out! My good friend, Cyndi, used to love to ask him questions just to hear him talk, and talk, and talk. The Lord has recently paid her back. Her third child and last has the same ability to not leave one detail out of a story and talks non stop all day. She doesn't think its quite as cute anymore! I 'm happy to be the one laughing now!

I am enjoying geating to read about all of your daily lives. As ladies, I feel it is important to connect with other Christian ladies as much as possible. We can encourage each other with our thoughts and ideas. Keep up the good work! It is so nice to see that we have brought so many of our friends into the "fold"! Ha!

Retreat?....with NO Sleep? YES!

Is if possible to fill renewed, refreshed and ready to tackle your life and family after a weekend of very little sleep? Absolutely!!! That is what I had to the wonderful opportunity to experience this past weekend. Our church went on a ladies retreat to Flat Rock, NC. It was cold and beautiful! One might have thought that because our attendance was down from years past, that it may not be the same kind of success! Wrong, the Lord said that where two or three are gathered in MY name, their shall HE BE! We had a total of 26 women ranging from the 'way past retirement age' to the early 20's. Our particular Sunday School Class sent 11 of the 26 women. We had so many that wanted to attend, but were unable. Larry and I are very blessed to have a church with a large group of friends in our age group and in the same stage of life!

To back up a little...I was unsure that I was going to be able to go this year due to what I thought were circumstances that I had control over. But as the retreat drew closer, the Lord started talking to me about some issues that I need guidance through, issues of surrender and friendships that needed mending. I won't go into detail, but I grew excited about what God was going to do in my life. The more I made the effort to be at retreat, the more the DEVIL tried to put up roadblocks in my way. I realized that this was what was happening and was more determined than ever to attend!! Friday before I was to leave, was terrible! I can't go into detail, but thanks Mom for being there when I needed a shoulder to cry on! After such a bad morning, it was tempting to forget the whole thing! I was determined to go and see why the devil was fighting so hard to keep me home.

I can only say that I am so glad the the devil was once again defeated! Not only did I get wonderful fellowship with great friends, mentored by a Godly speaker, God MET with ME! I am so thankful for God's faithfulness. Have you ever had times when reflecting on your spiritual walk with God you have no complaints? Things going along well, faithful prayer life, daily Bible reading, growing closer to God...and wham! God opens your eyes! He showed me many areas where I needed to ask forgiveness, surrender to Him, and express my love to Him in a more real way! A CRAZY in Love with Christ. Remember when dating and your every thought revolved around your "friend". That is what I want in a relationship with Jesus! I want my family, friends, coworkers to "smell" the sweet aroma of Jesus when I am around. This is not something that I can create on my own, but His Spirit through me!

We had a great time staying up late, laughing at nothing, playing games, eating pickels, and more carbs than I'd ever admit! I will try to post some pictures soon of my weekend! It has been great reading all your blogs! I am greatly encourged by your lives! Keep up the good work...for seeing His face will be worth everything!

A Day in Review....

Hello friends and family...

Today I hit the floor running~ ok not literally but, I should have. We had a very full day of school with Steven...a little side track here. It was one of those rare days that Steven and I were not communicating very well. He was being rather lazy with his paper work and reading. We read, reread, and reread the same stories over and over again. I'm on 'My pet Pete' overload. He normally is a very good student with very few problems, I quess today was one of his off days. We finnally made it through school only to discover that we were at bare bottom of the pantry. I do have things in the freezer, but Larry has his completed cabinet stacked on top of the freezer. And dare I move them...so we loaded up and went to the Big Arch! McDonalds...ugh~ The boys enjoyed the indoor playground and so did I until....Peyton climbed to the top and I had to climb in after him. Here is a mental picture for your ammusement. The playarea was full of nice mothers and grandparents with their children. Here I am in old clothes, a shirt and the key thing, a very long jean skirt. Remember it wasn't my plan to do my shopping at lunch time! But rather later AFTER my cleaning was complete~ anyway here I am trying to climb up playground equipment with my older two sons laughing at me and pulling Peyton along only to make my journey longer. They had been teasing me that I would climb the equipment, and I said NO~ After reaching Peyton, he decided he would chase Steven to the slide and therefore my climbing was in vain. So now I have to backtrack down the spiral stairway with children rushing up to the top! It gave me a new appreciation of the phrase, "Excuse me, Pardon me!" I decided it was time for us to leave. I then drug 3 kids into ALDI and Walmart to get my needed items. Oh, when getting Peyton out of the van at Walmart, my skirt almost fell off. More humiliation! My boys have a great sense of humor thanks to my stupidity! We rushed home to try to get Peyton his nap and a birthday cake for Larry made. His birthday was last week and we were gone. The boys wanted to do something special for dad! Larry did get home early since he had a meeting at the house at six. Peyton never got his nap. The cake did get made. UMMM~ The meeting lasted til 8pm so supper was very late! For those of you who don't know me very well...I live by a schedule. Today I did not 'live'! Larry is now in the garage working on his cabinets and the boys are asleep....I think! I haven't heard the Odessey CD turned on again, so that's a good sign.

I have mention that Larry is building cabinets...He recently won a bid for North Greenville University Sports Center to build their cabinets. This has been a great blessing! He is hoping to start doing more of the same on the side and see where the Lord leads. He loves the computer field, but He does fantastic wood work. He has built some furniture and does GREAT! I have a very talented husband. I am very blessed to be married to Larry! When he finished the cabinets, I'll try to post some pictures.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. Some of you write such great blogs..I start to feel inferior...but then I reread them! Ha! This an attempt to make me feel better and I do!

I will be going on a Ladies Retreat with church this weekend...please pray for Larry and the boys....they won't even know I'm gone. They already have plans for Friday night and all day Saturday, Church Sunday morning and I return around 1pm!

Hope you all have a great weekend in worship!

THANK YOU

A BIG Thank you for all that have stopped by to see me...sorry you missed the warm cookies and milk!

I'll try to see if I can add a few more pictures...ENJOY!

Hello fellow bloggers...I am very unsure of how all this works, but I'm very excited about it! One bad thing that I have already discovered is....my grammer! Tara, please do not read what I write....only how I would say it if I were in you living room talking with you!

Thank you all in advance for listening to my ramblings of nothing. You will soon discover that I have a rather busy, hectic life that I love dearly!

As I am writing my fist post, the house is unusually quiet. Peyton is down for the night and Larry has taken Steven and Carson to Little League. Steven is the cutest player on the field! I'm not sure if he'll ever make it to the pros, but he sure looks good trying! Carson loves going to be the bat boy! (and to get a very moments alone with Dad!) I would love to write more and post more pictures, but I think I'm going to stop and enjoy blessed quietness!

Watch for more....