Seasons

I Love the FALL! i think its because i grew up with a yard full of vibrant maple trees that came ablaze each autumn. Our family had friends drive from all over to visit each October...its a bittersweet season though, because although beautiful its short lived and is a sign of death.. (oops that sounded morbid)..But it makes me think about all the seasons of life. Seasons of places and freindships and family.

I am at my parents visiting this week as Ben in in New Orleans at a Photography conference. It was better than some very long without-Daddy-days at home by myself! As i drove past my old high school its seems another life ago. I think about just the changes in friendships in this past year of my life and how the dynamics of a family change with each additional birth.

Right now its seems impossible for my sister and i to have a conversation with 4 little ones under 4 between us. But i can remember times where the last things i wanted to do was have a conversation with my sister..I laid in bed the other night walking through my elementary school years..each teacher & a memory from each year-friends and how our family looked back then. I am SO thankful for my family and the way i was raised. I see God's grace & favor throughout those years. His mercy for not giving me what i deserved in my self centered state and His grace giving me good thing after good thing..What a Father!!

I am working on concentrating on that-truly meditating on ways God has shown Grace to me on a daily basis. Recognizing that ANYTHING and ALL things GOOD come from Him. So here goes for yesterday and today:

1. Brennan took TWO naps yesterday.

2. Last night while my parents were at revival both boys got baths and went to bed with no problem.

3. I got to encourage my sister on a bad mommyhood day for her.
4. Knox slept til 5am this morning

5. Brennan woke up joyful

6. My mom cooked breakfst for us all

7. Our family friend Paul Harbison took Brennan for a walk to see the animals in Papa's absence this morning (he is doing the music for the revival) so i could nurse Knox

8. Knox was happy while i bathed Brennan & got him down for the night

9. I had a few minutes to restfully type with all of my brain engaged in what i was doing (SUPER RARE!) while everyone is at revival.

10. God has brought songs and scripture to mind to bless me the last few days

A Day in the Life

HOORAY!!!! Brennan and I have been working on potty training. By saying both of us i mean BOTH. At first i had to set a timer to remind myself to ask him if he needs to go then i had the brainy idea that i should just put him on the potty while i go...hmm the stuff i can come up with to methodiize motherhood...a timer??really?? yes. welcome to my OCD-ness and years of training as a teacher whose job was to plan plan plan for success. Yes i used the timer A LOT in the classroom too!

Tonight at dinner Brennan looked at me and said "poo poo" then Ben (having learned from previous experience just how quick this took place) RAN him to the toilet. Brennan then commenced to poop an enormous poop all by himself! (not that anyone can help, but you get what i mean!)

Last Thursday Ben and i had our pastoral interview and on the way home he mentioned his cough was lingering and he wasn't feeling too good (for those of you that didn't know or read the blog-Ben had the flu about a month ago). That night he felt that it was returning and with more fierceness than before..he had a fever and all the symptoms. I tried not to panic and kept myself and the kids away. PRAISE GOD and what an expression of His Grace -we have not gotten it!!!!!!!!!!! I have felt kind of yuck. I ran a fever a little, and have had a teeny sore throat, but not too bad. We have been little cabin feverish though trying not to get sicker by playing in the cold and going out where we are exposed to more or expose others..

My mom headed up this way when she thought i might be getting sick and though i felt fine she came and stayed the day. Knox had his 2 month shots today so she stayed with Brennan for me.

I have been thinking for liek a week now that i couldn't wait to blog and there were 500 things i wanted to say, but now i am so tired that i can't think of them..so til i can..

oh..one of the things i wanted to say was that i had to cancel the hair cut last Friday so thats why there is no picture..BUT it IS rescheduled for THIS Friday! HOORAY!

So here it is..

The promised update look to the blog..Yes that is our precious son in the heading!  Ben has been designing some of the cover pics for the sermon series our church has been doing. Go here to learn more about the series on BLISS..

Meanwhile here are a few pictures showing my mommy hood bliss:

War Eagle

Brennan LOVES pimento cheese!

Knox was awoken by his boisterous big brother.

Knox was not enjoying our dinner music.

Story time!

Burr its cold outside! Welcome to winter...lets just skip autumn!

Gotta love that face!

New haircuts

So my sweet little Knoxy (as i have begun to call him to make it sound non-punk-like, haha) LOVES to grab my hair with his milky sticky fingers. He holds on to all things really tight-your shirt, Ben's chest hair, his grandaddy's Auburn Sweatshirt...and BOY does he have a grip!

These facts have confirmed my readiness for a haircut. For over a year now, i have been growing out my hair for Locks of Love (click for more info). I planned on donating my hair when i got it cut when we first married, but didn't. Since i didn't get to run the half marathon for St. Jude the past two years (bc i was pregnant) i was determined to do at least this. You can donate a 6 inch or 10 inch ponytail(..all you have to do is mail it in..) it goes to provide hair replacements for cancer patients. I have had many people in my life that meant a lot to me die of cancer and i saw them go through the painful expereince, all losing their dignity in the sense of hairloss. They hated it and wore their do-rags when they were alone in their homes wondering if it would ever grow back or if they would die first. I also weep everytime i here thesong sara beth by Rascal Flats and think of young girls losing their hair. 

I PRAY THAT HOPELESSNESS DOES NOT HAUNT YOU OR THOSE YOU LOVE, BUT THAT INSTEAD TO DIE IS GAIN! That the release into the eternal presence of a loving GOD is something that you long for. As i was challenged today in a sermon to practice daily a desire & intimacy with God that makes death a consumation of a long awaited union and ultimate satisfaction.

All that said i have researched a few cuts and would love your input on which one best suits me and my face shape..my appt is in two weeks so i have time to read through all your thoughts!

Yes, i know they are all very similar...

On the Farm

Brennan LOVED hanging out with his Papa!!

Each morning Brennan went on the walk of animals with my dad to feed them.

This morning was a little chilly so he had to bundle up.

Brennan looking at the wide wide world of the farm

Valentine- the Texas long Horn Cow..Brennan called it the "Boo"

Hot Shot the Horse and all the nameless goats..

A ride on Papa's tractor

A walk in Papa's shoes

Papa with almost all his grandbabies..Knox didn't quite fit in the picture yet..

Dixie shaking Brennan's hand

The "Quack Quacks"

The "Cluck Clucks"

Star-Anna Beth's horse

Do not be mistaken,though all these pictures are with my dad, Brennan built quite the attachment to his Nana as well. In fact he didn't want me to put him down for naps the entire time I was there. He followed her around daily and LOVED her cooking! I'm sure she was ready for a little break once we left. She remembered how taxing a little one (or two) can be. She was a HUGE help to me and it was nice to have some extra hands as well as some extra time to recover and adjust myself to having Baby # 2!

Our Tiny Trials

Hi everyone! Yes we are still alive..two weeks now with no post..you may have been wondering why.

WELL... the plan was that on our way home from Mobile Ben would drop me and the baby off at my parents. My parents had to be in Athens (where Ben and I live) to do a conference for a pastor friend of ours on Saturday. It had been on the calendar for months..

Ben dropped us and headed on home so that he wasn't missing more days at the office.  The next morning when we talked he said he wasn't feeling too good-a little achy and a cough..That evening when we talked it sounded like flu symptoms so he called our good friend Sam to see what he thought. He said that it sounded like the flu, called him in a prescription and said to quarantine himself for 4-5 days. So long story short, Brennan, Knox and me stayed at my parents an additional week. Brennan had now been on the farm for 10 days straight! He was beginning to need overalls!  I will try to post pics tomorrow he had the time of his life.

Ben is MUCH better. Still a cough, easy fatigue, and headache. NO FEVER though. We are all glad to be home. Ben said he was over feeling like a leper. His dad would bring him food to the back door and leave...he saw no one for about 5 days. That is SO tough. 

Praise God that Ben is feeling better! We pray he continues to strengthen (and that NONE of us get this!)

Brennan has had a significant increase in vocabulary this past week. (Ben says its b/c my mom talks non stop-hehe). Some of his new words are:

Papa (my dad)

Ope (my sister)

Boo (for cow-its supposed to be Moo)

tickle-tickle (from my dad!)

Oh WOW (from my mom)

truck

Yeah

Huh?

uh-uh

Quack-Quack (for duck)

Mmm (if the food is good)-[ if you've ever had my moms-you know why he learned this!]

Outside 

No no (not that he didn't already know this-its just become more adamant)

off

open

tity (for Kity)

This is in addition to the 21 words he knew before he left. When the pediatrician asked last visit if he knew at least 5-9 words Ben and I just laughed. What can i say? His Papaw was an auctioneer, his Nana infamous for her ability to talk and me..well I've never really lacked for words.

Knox is doing great! Growing like a weed. I am feeling much better with the whole nursing infections..still not through with my medicine..Its getting old having to medicate after each feed, then air dry..My poor Brennan is probably tired of seeing more of me than i hope he'll remember. Normally walking around topless might seem exotic, but not when you are often dripping with milk!! Not to mention that one of the things they told me might help me rid of the infection was to not wear deodorant..i feel like a juggle African woman-just strap my papoose to my back and give me couple of weird piercings.. haha..I did get to get our and take the boys on a walk today, because it has been cool and i wouldn't get too sweaty. So another Praise God for that! I'm ready to loose the flabby belly that hasn't gone away since Brennan was born..I feel like I've been prego or nursing for 2 years now..WAIT I HAVE!! Ha..just think of those saints who were one or the other for like 10-15 years! Wow! Saints for sure!

For now, i must go to sleep, for a 3-4 hour stretch of blissful rest!

The Bliss of Parenthood

I will be getting a new blog header in the next few days..it will be a donation of my hubby's wonderful talent.

I went to church for the first time this past Sunday. Our pastor has been doing a series on BLISS. Click here for this past week's sermon "The Bliss of Parenthood" based on Psalm 127.

Here is a rundown of what has been going on with us-
Thursday Ben got a photo shoot scheduled for the University of Mobile this coming week and asked me to go with him. Which meant we had to pack all of our things for (the FOUR-count 4!!! NOW) of us Saturday night-we were to leave Sunday after church headed all the way to Mobile.Saturday I woke up to discover i had a UTI along with enormously sore bosoms.I am now on 3 different prescription medicines...Dinner Saturday night was a pre frozen meal during which our oldest began pooping and when asked if he needed to potty ran towards it (hooray!) We thought he was finished so we began cleaning the baby toilet..... as he walked to his room without a diaper. Knox began to fuss, so leaving Ben with toilet duty, i went to comfort the baby...

After comforting the baby i went to empty some food that had overstayed its welcome in the fridge proceeded to drop it in the floor and was cleaning it up when it occurred to me that i never put a diaper back on Brennan..so i ran to his room to discover he had finished his pooping in his bedroom floor and was playing in it with his little toy dog. I walked in and exclaimed "Brennan!" to which he responded "ruff ruff" and held out his doggie..I had to laugh or else i would have lost my sanity.
We immediately put him in the bath even though it was an hour before his bedtime and the bath is part of the bedtime routine. So it took an entire hour for him to go to sleep. I was hurting pretty badly and couldn't even hold the babies or put Brennan to bed. Ben put him to bed like 5 times and ended up packing most of our things. The next morning we had to pack the car before church..we forgot diapers for both kids but other than that we packed it all!
I was so glad that i went to church like i said the sermon could not have come at a better time for our family. Though precious- these babies are not to be the treasure-Christ is. I am enjoying walking down memory lane at our Alma Mater remembering certain little things about Ben and my relationship in the early stages..wheeling Knox around yesterday I kept thinking and thats where we ( fill in the blank ). We met some freinds for dinner at the resteraunt of our first un official date. Brennan is with my parents on the farm having the time of his life. Ben is shooting some fabulous pictures that will help pay our bills for the next few months and i am resting in the hotel and meeting old friends for lunch. It has occurred to me in the last few weeks that with Brennan i felt like this newborn stage was the hardest, but really its one of the easiest. Knox just sleeps and eats & poops & pees.. pretty easy- no big sleep schelule to worry over-just naps when he's tired and eats when he's hungry..ahhh