Adventures of a Not-So-Desperate Housewife

2011-11-03T13:33:00.000-05:00

As many of you know (and some don't), I have a page on Facebook featuring some of my crochet. It's called Dani Girls Deigns. I named it after Reagan and I. We both have Danielle as a middle name so we are Dani girls. :) Most are items from patterns created by others, but recently I've begun experimenting with making my own patterns. This one I used a pattern for something else and edited and added where necessary to get this cute little monkey!

I think it turned out pretty well! Head over to the Facebook page to check out more of my work. If you are looking for something specific and you don't see it there just let me know. I can probably come up with something or find a pattern!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Halloween! :)

2011-10-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

I've been away a while, I know. Sorry. :)

On to the subject at hand...

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!! I love the colors, costumes, candy, creepiness, but most of all...the decorations!!! I'm so excited about my mantel this year!

Ta-da!

Mom, Reagan and I went to the Reelfoot Craft Fair a couple of weeks ago and I saw these awesome Halloween apothecary bottles. They were $10 a piece. No thanks. But I took a good look at them and figured I could come up with something similar. Here are some of my results.

Aren't they awesome!?!?!? (And how cool is that skull I got at Big Lots?)

I used bottles and jars my mom and I already had laying around our houses. The covered bottles were made by using some old cut up t-shirts of Justin's. I brewed them in some tea to dirty them up, then wrapped them around the bottles using decoupage glue to hold it on. I covered the tops as well and then wrapped some jute gardening twine I had around them. The colored liquids are just water and food coloring. The moon dust is sugar and iridescent glitter. The only things I had to buy for the bottles were the spiders and gummy eyeballs that filled the jars and some green food coloring. The super awesome labels came from Love Manor. The labels are available here. You can download them from their flickr stream and print them on your own printer. How awesome is that?

I also made the wreath with a sign I already had and a wreath form and floral mesh I bought at the craft fair.

I love my mantle so much!!! I'm really excited at how well it turned out. I wanted it to be spooky, but not too scary. I do have a two year old after all. :) What do you think?

If We Never Meet Again

2011-08-05T22:32:00.000-05:00

Earlier tonight my dear sister in Christ, Susan Thomasson, left her earthly body behind. Mrs. Susan was a sweet and kind woman who loved her husband, children, and grandchildren dearly. Most importantly though, she loved her Lord and Savior dearly. Because she loved God, keeping His commands (1 John 2:3-6), I know that I will see her again one day. Mrs. Susan had cancer and knew that the end was nearing. When I found out that she would soon be moving into eternity I could only think of this song. So, I wrote her a message and included these words.

Soon we'll come to the end of life's journey
And perhaps we'll never meet anymore
'Til we gather in heaven's bright city
Far away on that beautiful shore

If we never meet again this side of heaven
As we struggle through this world and its strife
There's another meeting place somewhere in heaven
By the side of the river of life
Where the charming roses bloom forever
And where separations come no more
If we never meet again this side of heaven

I will meet you on that beautiful shore

Oh, they say we shall meet by the river
Where no storm clouds ever darken the sky
And they say we'll be happy in heaven
In the wonderful sweet by and by

If we never meet again this side of heaven
As we struggle through this world and its strife
There's another meeting place somewhere in heaven
By the side of the river of life
Where the charming roses bloom forever
And where separations come no more
If we never meet again this side of heaven

I will meet you on that beautiful shore

Mrs. Susan and Mr. Reggie at a Valentine's banquet in 2010

I once heard a lady say, as she was addressing a group of other Christian women for the last time, "If I don't see you again here on Earth, I'll see you in heaven." How wonderful to be able to say that to someone with confidence. Knowing that you both are living your lives in such a way that God would be pleased (1 John5:13). Earlier I noted 1 John 2:3-6. In case you didn't look it up it says,

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected, By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

What are God's commandments to us concerning salvation?

1. We must hear the Word of God--Romans 10:10

2. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God--Hebrews 11:6; John 8:24

3. We must repent of our sins--Acts 17:30

4. We must confess Christ before men--Rom. 10:10; Matthew 10:32-33

5. We must be baptized for the remission of our sins--Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21

6. We must remain faithful--Revelation 2:10

If you haven't done these things I would encourage you to study your Bible, see what it says yourself, and do those things. You don't have to be a preacher or have a special degree to be able to understand the Bible. It was written for YOU. It's not mystical magic, it's practical application. If you have any biblical questions feel free to ask! If I don't know the answer I'll study to find it. I also have a Bible correspondence course I'd be happy to send anyone interested. I would love to be able to think of you as well the next time I sing this song.

Mrs. Susan, I'll meet you on that beautiful shore!

They Should Have Invited Us to the Royal Wedding...

2011-06-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

Friday night we had Ladies Night Out. Our hosts asked us to wear hats decorated to match our personalities. It took me a while to figure out what to do, but in my usual crunch time moments of inspiration I got it done. :)

I found a hat that will actually make a really great beach/outside in the sun hat (minus all the junk) at Fred's for $5.00. The things hanging on the hat are little play garden tools, because I like gardening flowers, and crochet hooks. Crochet is probably my favorite hobby right now.

The shells represent my love for the beach. The XBOX controller is for my love of video games.

The flowers are for the aforementioned flower gardening. The jewels because I like shiny things (whether real or fake :) ).

Books because I love to read, glue gun because I love to craft, and a favorite family recipe because I love to cook.

And of course a kind warning that I don't do mornings. :)

When I was explaining all of my hobbies and got the the video games the ladies giggled. I said, "I know I'm a bit all over the place with my hobbies. I'm either an older lady or a teenage boy." lol

Ms. Dorris's hat cracked me up. She used a cut up shoe box, taped pill bottles to the front, and added a bow. She called it her pill box hat. :)

Mrs. Cynthia works at the county clerks office so she borrowed a license plate and turned it into a hat. She and I tied for 2nd place when we voted for our favorite hat.

Mrs. Elaine's hat had battery powered Christmas lights. :) There were lots of good ones I don't have room for, but if we're facebook friends they are on there.

Mrs. Irene won for best hat. It was great.

On the back it says, "Senior Citizens Special, by Senior Citizens, Inc." Good stuff.

We had an AWESOME time. We ate, talked, laughed, planned, prayed, sang, and heard from God's word. The singing was so beautiful. We have a great bunch of ladies at Ripley church of Christ!

My Love Story

2011-05-26T10:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of the day Justin proposed to me. It was most definitely one of the happiest days of my life. I thought he might never propose. :) Earlier in the day he had graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin and we were supposed to be going out to celebrate. Little did I know he had different plans. He called and asked me if I was ready. I said I was so he said he would be there in just a second. There was a knock on my door. That was strange because he usually just came on in. When I opened the door it wasn't Justin, but one of his fraternity brothers standing there in a suit holding a white rose and a card. He gave me the card which explained what was going on.

After I read the card he said, "On behalf of Justin Paschall, will you accept this rose." The slip that says Martin Church of Christ was attached to the rose to tell me where we were headed next. When I walked outside there was a HUGE limo at the end of my driveway. I about fell over. I had never ridden in one before. When I got in the driver told me there were drinks in the fridge/cooler...I don't remember which it had, and a bag of my favorite snacks from Justin. I was too excited to eat or drink anything though. I thought about calling my friend to tell her this was it. He was going to propose. But I changed my mind just in case it was just a really nice gesture.

We went to the church where another fraternity brother of his was wearing a suit and waiting with two pink roses and another card. He asked the same thing the first guy did and gave me the roses. We repeated this process all over the town of Martin. At the church the card said I was there because it was the first place he remembered seeing me. I came in late, of course. He said lots of sweet things then we headed to the next stop. We went to the KA house, the first place we actually spoke; the University Center, where we trained together to be PEP Leaders and he first let me know he liked me (he also told me he was romantic, to which he said I was skeptical, but he thought I believed now); E. W. James (a grocery store), because I am the first woman he had ever cooked for and he wanted to provide for and protect me; and his best friend Ed's house because we had become best friends. The card at Ed's said that dinner was served back at my house.

When I got there candles and rose petals covered the front porch. I walked in and saw this.

Sorry for the picture of pictures, but we don't have a scanner at the house. :) He had set up dinner in the middle of the living room. He cooked for me. As we sat down to eat he kept talking about how all his friends said he would have to come up with something REALLY good for whenever he actually decided to propose...

My heart sank.

I was still hoping he was going to propose, but was scared to get my hopes up. Neither of us really ate much. I was nervous and still excited from the "scavenger hunt" and he was nervous knowing what was coming. After we picked at desert he cleared the table out of the way and said, in very Bachelor type fashion, "I will now go get...the final rose." :) He handed me a red rose with a card attached. All the previous cards were signed, "Because I am Yours, Justin Paschall." This one had a bride and groom on the front and said "Because I am Yours." When I opened the card it said, "The honor of your presence is requested at the marriage of Micah Danielle Mullins to James Justin Paschall at a date and time yet to be determined." He asked me what it said, but I couldn't speak. He asked again and I said something like, "I don't know. Are you serious?" He got down on one knee said I was beautiful and I'm sure some other sweet things (I can't even remember and neither can he lol), and then asked if I would marry him. I said yes, of course. I ended up on my knees hugging him and kept saying, "This better not be a joke."

The first white rose symbolized our friendship. That's how we started out, just as friends. I was dating someone else when we first met. The pink roses represented the time we spent dating, and the red roses symbolized our future marriage.

He made all of the cards himself. He even put the ribbons on and sprayed them with his cologne. I think it's one of the best proposals ever. He is the sweetest and most thoughtful man ever. I am so lucky to be his wife!

I love you Justin!!!!!

Perspective From a Toddler

2011-05-15T23:01:00.000-05:00

Tonight as we were on our way to the church building for evening worship we told Reagan we were going to church. She said, "Yay, chuch! Yaaaaaaaay!" She was so excited. :)

WHAT IF WE ALL HAD THIS ATTITUDE?

"But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 ESV (emphasis added)

"Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:25 ESV

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." 1 John 5:3

Just a Little Trim...or a Big One

2011-05-14T19:35:00.000-05:00

Today we worked all day long on the outside of our home. Can you tell a difference?

Before

After!

We cut back the MASSIVE bushes. Right now they're nothing more than sticks, but the foliage will grow in over time. They were far overdue for a trim. We also trimmed up the trees in the front. There was actually a house behind all that green!

Justin also attacked the back yard.

Before(and during a big rain, our backyard becomes a pond)

After

The back looks SO much bigger without the big tree/bush and vines.

The brush piles when we were done.

We are soooo tired but it's worth it because we got a lot done. I wonder if we'll be able to move in the morning. We are both already sore.

Starting this project has also shown us that we have AWESOME neighbors! The other day I had cut a couple of the bushes back with a hand saw and was getting ready to start some more when our neighbor across the street came over and offered to bring his chain saw and help me out. We didn't get them done, but we got pretty far before it ran out of gas. This same neighbor had already come over and cut down a dead tree for us.

Justin bought us an electric chain saw last night so we finished cutting the bushes with it today. When we started dragging them to the curb a teenage boy that lives next door came out and asked if we wanted some help. I said, "SURE!" He was actually jogging to get the brush and then carrying it to the curb. We got done A LOT faster with his help.

Later a couple that lives down the road stopped and offered to loan us their pressure washer to get the green mildew off our bricks where the bushes were. They and the first neighbor mentioned both told us you can spray a bleach water mix on it then spray it off. They also mentioned that they noticed all the work we'd been doing. Our neighbors have been so helpful and nice. I love our neighbors!

We worked hard all day and are so tired, but there's just something good about hard work. It's great to see the pay off. It makes me feel proud. Not that I'd want to do that kind of hard manual work every day, but occasionally it's nice. :)

Wonderful Ladies, Wonderful Husband

2011-05-03T16:38:00.000-05:00

Saturday night the Ripley church of Christ had our monthly Ladies' Night Out. We had a great time eating and fellowshipping and had a great devo by Mrs. Ann. Thanks to her for hosting! I always love spending time with my fellow members of the church, but especially the ladies. It's always so much fun. But, this night was special to me for another reason. I got to experience something I wish all preacher's wives could. I got to sit and listen to a room full of women saying wonderful things about my husband. They talked about what a wonderful preacher he is. How he explains things plainly and connects verses in a logical way. How he has helped them to see that you can understand the Bible. It's all there in the text. They also talked about how sweet and loving he is. He's not afraid to show affection or say publicly that he loves me. How he's just so warm. How he helps with Reagan. Of course, I already know how great he is, but it's nice to hear others say it as well. And to know that your husband is appreciated. I love him. :)

Our Easter

2011-04-26T08:44:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a happy Easter! We had a great day filled with candy, eggs, and family!

First, we got our day started with Reagan's goodies left by the bunny. She was pretty excited. :)

We had 150 people at worship Sunday morning! Lots of family in visiting with various members. We also had some visitors, Jeremy and Blythe! If you don't know, they are friends of ours from Demopolis. They came in to Memphis to go to a concert the night before and then stayed at our house Saturday night and went to worship with us Sunday morning. It was so good to see them. We miss our Demopolis friends soooooo much!

After worship we jumped in the car and headed to Grandmommy and Grandaddy's (my grandparents) house. We had lunch with the great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and then celebrated the April birthdays. There are 6!

And, as you can see, they don't all behave for pictures. My grandmother said no one else is allowed to marry anyone born in April since we already have so many April bdays. :)

Then the main event, at least as far as the kids were concerned. The Easter egg hunt! Of course my mother had given Reagan a special egg hunting outfit with bunnies on it. And I put bunny ears on her so she will look back at pictures and say, "MOOOOooooom!"

It was her first time hunting eggs but she had lots of fun. She also had helpful uncles and a cousin who would carry eggs in their pockets and drop them near her so she could get some eggs. There was some fierce competition from her older fellow hunters. :) Some of the eggs had ants on or near them. She wouldn't touch them until we got them off or moved the egg away from them. Haha.

We had a great Easter! I hope you did too!

Happy to Me

2011-04-18T11:13:00.000-05:00

This weekend was also a weekend of birthdays. While in Smyrna we also celebrated my grandfather's 75th birthday. He's a big golfer if you can't tell from the cake. :) Reagan and Annabelle got to help him blow out the candles.

Saturday we went to cousin Drake's 7th birthday party. They had a swimming party at an indoor pool at one of the hotels.

Reagan had a big time. She loved her cupcake with green icing. It even turned her teeth green.

Reagan LOVES to swim! She had so much fun swimming with Daddy and Drake!

With all of this singing "Happy Birthday" Reagan learned something new.

She's so cute. She just randomly starts singing it now. :) I love her.

A Great Man

2011-04-17T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today I went to a service that honored my grandfather, Robert Mullins, for serving for 31 years as an elder in the Lord's Church. I've always thought my Pops was a great man, but it's amazing to hear others speak so highly of him as well. One of his good friends and fellow elders spoke about him. He used a Psalm to describe my grandfather. This Psalm already had a special meaning to me, but now I will remember it for this as well.

The 15th Psalm

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

How wonderful would it be to be described in this way? I hope I can be like him.

A Penny Saved...

2011-04-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I officially started couponing again. I'd let it go when we moved since I had so much going on and am just now getting around to doing it again. I'm not an extreme couponer like the women on "Extreme Couponing" on TLC or anything, not even close. I just clip coupons from the paper then check the internet to see what's on sale and has coupons that week. Then I go get the things we use. I don't buy things just because I can get a deal. I just use them for the things we would be buying anyway. Sometimes I will use them on a new product to give it a try. It only took me a little while to clip the coupons and look up the sales and I saved.....$9.35! That's not even counting that most of the items I used coupons on were already on sale. I know that's not some huge number, but if you do it every time it definitely adds up. I'll never be one of these women that spends hours couponing and planning and buys so much stuff I have to add a room to hold my stockpile. For me, saving a few bucks on stuff I will actually use is enough for me. After all, "a penny saved is a penny earned!" :)

Opening Day!

2011-04-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

On March 31st we did something that had my husband acting like a giddy little boy. We went to Opening Day for the Cardinals in St. Louis. If you know him you know how big of a deal this was for him. He loves the St. Louis Cardinals. As I mentioned before, one of the elders here at Ripley bought us tickets and reserved us a hotel room. We were so surprised and excited. It was a lot of fun to be there for opening day. It was crazy to see so many people there. I think there were over 46,ooo people there that day. Crazy. It was an awesome experience!

Me and my hunny at the game.

One of the greatest baseball players of all time, Stan Musial. Before the game they have hall-of-famers and all the coaches and players ride around the field.

Justin's favorite newer player John Jay

Albert Pujols battin

g. I don't know if you can tell, but he's doing his signature sticking the tongue out. :)

The team and coaches. The guys in the red blazers to the left are the hall-of-famers.

My March Madness

2011-04-07T15:37:00.001-05:00

Ok, so it's been a while and a lot of "madness" has been going on. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. :) I'll give you a few short posts to update on all that the Paschall's have been up to.

Towards the end of March I got a text that my lovely cousin Erin was in TN! I've talked about her before, but if you don't know, we were born 10 days apart and did a lot of growing up together. She now lives in NYC so we don't get to see each other much. Now that we are back in TN we get to see her when she does pop in. We went over to our grandparents' house so we could hang out for a little while. Reagan loves her as all children do. She's a nanny so she's great with kids. :)

It was sooooo good to see her! I'm hoping Justin and I can get up to NYC for a visit in the next couple of years.

While basketball fans look forward all year to March Madness I look forward to this even more. The last week of March we went to the Memphis School of Preaching Lectureship. We look forward to this week so much! It's such and uplifting week. We get the opportunity to listen to great men preaching the gospel and I love getting to be in the ladies' sessions. We always get our batteries recharged. I think most people don't realize that preachers need to be recharged just as much as the rest of us. They spend all of their time speaking and rarely get to be spoken to. MSOP has such wonderful speakers who are great students of the God's word. In fact, you can listen to the lectures if you are interested. The Online Academy of Biblical Studies has all of the men's lectures. I wish they had the women's as well so I could listen to them again and again. Justin actually got to speak at the youth day they have the Saturday before the lectures begin. The audio from it is on there too. He was awesome, of course. He's my favorite preacher. :)

It's also a great week because we get to see all of our friends that were at the school the same time we were, see other friends, and get to make new ones. It's always a blessing to be around people who are like-minded. They also have classes for children 5 and under so that mom's can actually sit and listen to a sermon for a change. Reagan had lots of fun hanging out with her future best friend and/or husband Benjamin. :)

When we took her to class we showed her that he was there and she said, "BEN!!!!" She adores him and I was so glad she had a friend in her class.

If Ben doesn't work out or she's into slightly younger men, there's always Brody! She loves him too, as you can see. :)

She also got to hang out with and meet new friends. She absolutely fell in love with Kenadie.

The great thing about this is that she only lives 30 minutes away so we will have to schedule some play dates!

I already miss my friends and wish we had more excuses to get together more often!

Another bonus to the lectureship is that many bookstores set up and sell books. I bought several books! I'll cover more of them as I go through them, but the one I am currently reading is "Loving Your Husband" by Patsy Loden. I've just started the study but it's been great so far. There is a lot of scripture and it's actually a workbook. You answer questions as you go, memorize verses, and there is even homework. I'm really looking forward to really getting into this study.

I always take away a lot from the lectureship, but this year I really got motivated to make some changes I've been needing to make for a while. It will take some time and a lot of effort, but what good things don't? Pray for me as I am working to be a better wife, mother, and Christian. I can always use it!

3 of My Faves: Dates, Lady Vols, and Shoes

2011-03-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had a great date night. We haven't been on one in a while. Don't get me wrong, we've gone out to eat without Reagan and spend almost every Friday night with her at my mom's. But we haven't just gone out and had fun together like that in a while. We went to eat at our favorite sushi place, Sakura. I LOVE that place. It's one of the best things about moving back to west TN. We tried a new roll this time, the Picaso roll. It had cream cheese, some type of seafood, and jalapeños and the whole thing is dipped in tempura and deep fried. MMMMMMMMM. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Justin poked the jalapeños out of his...sissy. ;) Then we did a little shopping to pick up some things I had been wanting to get the next time we were in Jackson. After that we went to play putt putt at the same place we went on our first official date. I beat Justin! Let this go down in history because I NEVER beat him at putt putt. He got me back in the arcade though. Ski ball and air hockey go to him. :) It was great to just spend time doing something fun and spending time together.

I'm a big Lady Vols fan. I haven't kept up much this year with the move and all, but I've been watching since the NCAA tournament started. Yesterday Reagan sported her Vols overalls Grammy made her to show her support. :)

Would you like to guess how much I paid for these shoes? $1 for each pair! Whoo hoo! I was headed to check out at Wal Mart when I saw a shelf that said "All Shoes This Shelf $1.00" Of course I was drawn in. :) The zebra print shoes need a little cleaning up, but who can complain when they were a dollar?! Yay for super cheap shoes!!!

Bonus: We found out yesterday that Justin and I are going opening day to watch the Cardinals play in St. Louis!!! Yay! We will have to leave the lectureship one day early, but we are going to opening day!!!!!! Justin is, of course, super excited to go see his team play. A sweet, sweet couple at church bought us the tickets and even got us a hotel room for that night. They are so kind and it will be so much fun! I can't wait! I can't wait for lectureship either so we can see lots of friends we haven't seen in a while. I'ts always a great week with lots of wonderful speakers and fellowship.

My Little Impressionist

2011-02-28T13:07:00.000-06:00

Reagan LOVES to ca-ca. That's color for all of you non-Reaganese speaking folk.

Once she discovered real markers she's not into the color wonder so much anymore.

She's very picky about the colors she wants. You must give her choices and if you don't have anything she wants she'll say, "Noooo," and wait for you to bring her more.

I think she is an art prodigy. Just check out this picture she drew for me!

Doesn't it look like a flower?! It reminds me of the Impressionist paintings.

I think she's going to be in museums one day. ;)

Weight Watching

2011-02-27T15:18:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in my last post that I have started Weight Watchers. I'm the type of person who needs to have something or someone to be accountable to. I'm not good at making myself do it. I need a coach. But not my husband as my coach or I get mad at him. :) I started the program on January 9. I took advantage of the free sign up when you pay for 3 months in advance. I think this offer goes for another week if you're thinking about doing it, by the way. It's around $19 a month. Paying for it makes me feel like I have to stay on it or I'm just wasting money. That's a good motivator for me. Who likes to waste money? It's a good program. You don't have to completely deprive yourself. In fact, they actually give you extra points in addition to your daily points to use over the week however you want. There are some days, though, when I wish I could drink a whole 2 liter of Dr. Pepper, eat a whole chocolate cake,

and not have it count. The points are based on fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. I've also been working out. I've done some toning/light weights, some walking (when it's been warm enough), and some Zumba. I ordered the videos with b-day money and it is definitely a workout!

So I guess you'd like to know how it's all going. In the first two weeks I lost 6 pounds, then another pound the third week. The next three weeks I didn't loose any, but I was definitely getting smaller and could feel a lot more muscle than before. It was pretty discouraging to do all this work and not see the scale move. This week I finally lost more weight, a little over 3 pounds. So far I've lost a little over 10 pounds and several inches. I've got 17 pounds more to meet my goal. If I can keep up my motivation I know I'll get there, eventually.

I didn't take an official before picture but here's one from Halloween. You can't see all of me but you can see from this one and the next that my middle is definitely getting smaller.

This was taken the other night. I couldn't wear this shirt before because it stuck to my "back fat." :)

This is from the summer of 08. I want to look like this again!

Weight Watchers and working out is definitely working. I wish I could just make it work faster! :)

Doctor, DMV, and a question for Mommies

2011-02-25T13:45:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we took Reagan for her 18 month check up. There was a little drama with them having us scheduled for today instead of yesterday, but they worked us in. She absolutely hated being stripped down to her diaper but finally got over it. I wish I'd had a video camera with me in the exam room because she was hilarious. There was a mural on the wall behind the table. She kept standing up and moving her hands all over it and talking like she was critiquing it or something. She is soooo silly. She is now 21.4 pounds and 31 3/4 inches. She's still a little thing but her length has caught up to the 50th percentile. Her weight is still between the 5th and10th and she still has a big head in the 70's. Hahaha. At her 12 month and 15 month appointments she had low iron and has been taking a supplement so we had to get that checked out. They drew blood so they could check for anemia and get iron studies done. Needless to say, she did not appreciate that. Thankfully though she only needed one shot to be caught up. Everything is fine with her iron. She doesn't have anemia and her iron levels were fine so we can stop the supplement. Yay! Here she is with her little bandage. She hated it and kept trying to pull it off.

She also appears to have banana face in this picture. lol

We also went to the DMV and finally got our TN drivers licenses. By the time we waited at the Dr.'s office, ate lunch, then went to the DMV she was ready for her nap so that was an exercise in patience and trying not to drive the whole place crazy with her whining. But overall it was a productive day because we checked a couple of things off our to do list.

Now for the question. Reagan still gets her paci at nap and bed times and occasionally during church when I can't get her to be quiet. I know it's time to start weening her from it. For you ladies with experience, what is your opinion on the best way to do this. I tried just not giving it to her at nap time today. When I left the room she kept saying, "Oh no," and then cried for a good 15 minutes before I went in and gave it to her. What strategies have worked for y'all?

A Day at the Park

2011-02-22T12:08:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I know I haven't posted since October and some of you aren't too happy about that. :) I get stressed pretty easily and kept feeling like I HAD to post all the time and it got me all worked up so I dropped it for a while. I think things have finally normalized enough after the move that I'm ready to get back to it. We are good and settled here in Ripley and are in a routine and everything now. Lots of things have been happening. I'm on Weight Watchers, Reagan just turned 18 months, we had lots of holidays, we moved...but you've probably still kept up with us on Facebook.

Friday we took Reagan on her first trip to the park. She had so much fun. We took lunch with us. She would barely eat because she was so excited looking at everything around her.

They have the cutest Cinderella carriage there!

She loved climbing on everything.

Taking a ride on a frog. :)

She loves her dada!

They both enjoyed the park. :)

"Weeeee."

And this is how she thinks you are meant to get to the top of the slide.

Riding on the merry-go-round.

She didn't want to leave. When I told her it was time to go she said, "No. Peeeee (please). Nooooo." We'll be visiting the park a lot this spring and summer. Apparently it wore her out. She stayed with Grammy Friday night and didn't get up until 9:30 Saturday morning. Hmmm...maybe we should go every day! :)

Ch-Ch-Changes!

2010-10-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

So...we are moving back to Tennessee! Justin made the (tearful) announcement to the congregation here this morning. December 19th will be our last Sunday here and we will be moving on the 20th. He has accepted a position at the Ripley church of Christ. We are so excited for this new opportunity to work with a great congregation and get closer to family. We will only be 20 minutes to an hour from all of our parents! Needless to say all of Reagan's grandparents are VERY excited to get to see her more often.

We are also sad though, because this means we will have to leave the WONDERFUL people here in Demopolis. We are going to miss them terribly. Justin says if we could just pick Demopolis up and move it to west TN we would. We've grown close to many people here and hate to move away from them. We have definitely made some lifelong friendships.

Now we have 8 weeks...8 WEEKS!...to pack everything, buy a house, and get everything set up in Ripley. I will probably start the packing stuff we won't be needing tomorrow. lol I just need to get going so I don't stress too much. Plus now I probably have carpal tunnel syndrome so I'll have to take lots of brakes for my wrists. (I go Tuesday to find out for sure). We are going to look at houses Friday so we can go ahead and find what we want and make an offer. I know the whole house buying process can stretch out for a while so we want to jump on it quickly. Also, this means no decorating for Christmas this year. :( But I think it's worth the trade off. :)

This is something we prayed, thought, and talked a lot about. We definitely feel it's the right move for our family. And for some reason I feel the need to break out in Tennessee by Arrested Development. "Past Dyersburg, into Ripley..." :)

Something I Needed to Share

2010-09-18T10:54:00.000-05:00

If you know someone who gets Christian Woman magazine (put out by Gospel Advocate) I highly suggest borrowing the September/October issue and reading the article A Journey for Truth: Rethinking the Pill by Lacy Crowell. She talks about one of the back up methods the pill uses. The pill causes changes in the lining of your uterus so that, should you ovulate, the chances of implantation of a fertilized egg are reduced. This means that it would be flushed out of your body. What she calls "in essence, a chemical abortion."

While Justin was at the Memphis School of Preaching we were told this. There was debate, though, if it was true. We looked into it for ourselves and couldn't find any information on it. I looked at the pill I was on's website and couldn't find anything. We talked to a member of the church who is a pharmacist and we were assured that's not a method the pill used. (I guess it's just not widely known.) Some time after we moved to Demopolis I was having a lot of trouble with frequent migraines, depression, fatigue, mood swings, etc. I was trying to figure out the problem and looked in to the side effects of the pill I was on. It seemed that it was the cause of those things. I also found a section on how my pill worked and there it was. A section on the back up method that could cause a perfectly good fertilized egg to not be able to attach to the wall of the uterus. As someone who believes that life starts at fertilization (Psalm 139:13-14), I was devastated. Had I unknowingly caused a chemical abortion? How many had I caused? Needless to say, I stopped taking the pill.

After Reagan was born I asked my doctor about it as well. I told her I had read that a fertilized egg could be flushed out because it couldn't implant and that I believe life starts at fertilization. She said if I was uncomfortable with that then condoms were the best choice.

I wish I had known this sooner. I wish I had shared this sooner. I don't know why I haven't shared this before.

I encourage you to check this out for yourself. Here is a link to the page for Ortho Tri-Cylen Lo. Click on Secondary Methods and it plainly tells you it impedes implantation.

I just want you to be informed.

A Whole YEAR older!

2010-08-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Guess who's back. Back again.
Well, back for today at least. I'll try to do a couple of updates later about our trip and everything. But today is all about this little lady.

It's Reagan's FIRST BIRTHDAY! I really and truly cannot believe that my little baby girl is now a crazy, busy, solid food eating, whole milk drinking toddler! We'll get to all that in a minute. I really can't believe that it has been a year since she was born. I'm so glad the nights of getting no sleep are long gone! When I go back and look at all the monthly posts it's crazy.

Here she is with her giraffe at the hospital, at six months and at one year. I can't believe how much she's grown!

She is getting so big and turning into this little person. She doesn't seem like a baby anymore. She's seems like a little tiny grown up. I know she's not nearly grown. She's just so much more grown up than when she came into our lives. It's so funny to sit and watch her try to figure stuff out. She is so busy. I can't keep up with her! I never know where she is because she's constantly moving. She is now officially off baby food. She either eats what we're eating (cut into little pieces) or eats a gerber toddler meal. She's also drinking whole milk now. While we were on our trip she stopped nursing so when we got home we gave the whole milk a try. She wasn't too sure about it the first two times but the third time she drank the whole cup and now drinks one at every meal.

She's starting to talk more and more. She can say hi and bye and waves at everyone she sees. When Justin comes home she screams "dada" and squeals because she gets so excited. Sometimes she'll say bible and she says duck. Sometimes it's directed at her rubber ducky in the tub and sometimes it's just random. She also randomly says yuck. :) She likes to watch me play super mario bros. When I die she'll go, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo." lol She's starting to say uh-oh as well.

She's so sweet. She will run (well, kind of run) up to us and hug our legs or pat us on the arm when we're holding her. She hugs her animals and baby doll.

I know I'm forgetting stuff but it's getting late so my mind is not working too quickly. I wanted to take her down to the river today to take pictures but it stormed off and on all day. But we were able to sneak out in the back yard between storms. Here's what you really want anyway. :)

A few from her party. (if you want more look on facebook)

Her monthly update pictures from the past year.

Overstressed

2010-07-25T22:38:00.001-05:00

I've been in some kind of funk lately. I'm not really sure what it is or what is causing it. I keep snapping at the smallest things (of course they don't seem small at the time...to me at least :) ). Justin asked me today if I needed some meds so I could calm down... He was joking of course, kind of. When I stepped in gum tonight in the Wal-Mart parking lot I actually said something to the effect of the universe was out to get me today. First of all, that's not even the type of thing I buy into. Second of all, give me a break self. The best way to describe what I've been feeling is overwhelmed and anxious. I feel like I'm not measuring up, not as good as I should be. At what, you might ask? Life. I dunno. I'm constantly stressed and it's taking a toll on my family. I'm not sleeping much or well. I know that doesn't help. I think I'm going to take a break from the blogging and facebook worlds for a couple of days just to remove those extra things. I think maybe I've just got too many things going on. I'm in the middle of about a million (ok maybe that's an exaggeration) projects. I need to de-clutter life a little and maybe I'll feel better. I'm very much looking forward to getting out of town here in a couple of weeks and even more so to an anniversary trip for just Justin and I in September. Hopefully time away from home will help...we'll see. But for now I'm taking a break from all this. I'll get back to the 30 days of music eventually. No promises about when I'll post again, but I'll be back.

Prayers are appreciated.

I Have Nothing Cute to Say...It's Too Late at Night.

2010-07-23T23:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I said Reagan had been teething pretty easily with these two teeth and now I regret it. She has had a horrible day. She was crying and cranky for most of it. I put her to bed early and used the time to make some more bows for her.

I know the navy may seem random, but it was made for a specific outfit. :)

In one of her non-crying moments she was playing in her room and when I went to check on her she was doing this.

I guess she's gonna start climbing everything. Uh-oh. She also likes to step up on the side of her activity jumper.

Day 21 of 30 days of music is a song you listen to when you're happy. I don't necessarily listen to this everytime I feel happy or only when I feel happy, but I think it's a happy song. How can you not smile when listening to it?

Days 19 and 20

2010-07-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

Had a migraine last night, hence another catch up post for 30 days of music.

Day 19 is a song from your favorite album. I have lots of favorites but one that gets played a lot is The Shade of Poison Trees by Dashboard Confessional. The song I picked from that album is Where There's Gold. It always gets stuck in my head and I'm singing it forever when it does. But that's ok....because it's a good song. :)

Day 20 is a song you listen to when angry. These days I don't ever find myself angry enough to need this kind of release. But, back in the drama filled days of late high school and early college this was a favorite of mine. I had a lot of things going on then that would build up until I couldn't take it anymore. I would crank it up as high as I could and ride down the road screaming the song at the top of my lungs. It was a really good release for me. I would use the song to get it all out. I actually still love the song, I just lead a much happier and calmer life now. Less need for screaming and such. :)

You Got to Rise UP and Think About Somethin'

2010-07-20T18:07:00.000-05:00

Sunday night was a rough night. I couldn't shut my brain off to go to sleep. When I finally started to go back to bed somewhere between 1 and 2 am, Reagan woke up screaming. Her gums have been hurting because her top two front teeth are still coming in. She went back to sleep after a while of rocking but kept crying out through the night. Around 4:45 am a dog got caught in a trap the dog catchers had out in our neighbors yard and he went nuts for a good while. I say all that to say I went to bed early last night so there was no blog post. :)

Yesterday's 30 Days of Music was a song you hear often on the radio. We don't really like the local stations and for a while didn't have xm in our car anymore (now we do thanks to an early bday present from Jeremy to Justin) so we mostly listened to cd's. But when we did listen we would here this song a lot and it's one we really like. I know it's not new, but I really like it!

Day 18 of 30 Days of Music is a song you wish you heard on the radio. Earlier in this whole experience I chose a song by Hanson and told you I'd show you some of their newer stuff later on. This is from their latest album. I really love their sound. And yes, that is Weird Al on the tambourine. :)

Today we made a trip to Tuscaloosa. In case you don't know, Tuscaloosa is the biggest town near us. It's about an hour away. If we want to do any shopping somewhere other than Wal-Mart that's where we have to go. We took the car in to get a switch of some sort replaced and to get it serviced. After that we went to the most wonderful place on Earth...Hobby Lobby. :) I bought some ribbon to make Reagan some more bows and then we went to Michael's to get the stuff to make her birthday present. We bought an unfinished rocking chair and some paint. We're going to paint it up in fun bright colors. I'm excited about this project! I just hope it turns out the way I see it in my head. But, the good thing about paint is that you can always paint over it! :)

Oh, He'll show alright!

2010-07-18T22:29:00.000-05:00

Day 16 of 30 Days of Music is a song you used to love but now hate. I don't guess I ever really loved this song. But when it first came out I really liked the sound of it. I'm one of those people who tends to listen to the sound of the music and voices more so than the actual words. Especially the first few times I hear a song. But once I caught about the third line of the song that was is for me. I chose Thnks fr th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy. The whole song really isn't good. It talks about one night stands and that sort of thing. But the line that really gets me is "in case God doesn't show, let the good times roll." As soon as I would hear the first notes of the song I would try to change it before that line played. The flippant attitude toward God just makes me angry.

Another Month Older:11 Months

2010-07-17T20:21:00.000-05:00

Reagan is 11 months old today! Wow. In just 3 weeks we will be having her first birthday party! That’s just crazy.

She is getting really good at mimicking words. She never gets them quite right, but she will try to repeat things we say. A frequent one is thank you. She also says something every time we say amen at the end of a prayer. While Justin was gone I said I love you and she parroted it back at me! I’ve not been able to get her to do it again though. Lots of times she will try to say the last word you say. She knows who mama and dada are and when we tell her no no she will shake her head and say, “nananananananana.” She’s so cute.

While Mom was here she got her some Nike tennis shoes. They’re so cute! She’s not real great in walking in them yet, but she’s getting better.

Her walking is getting better and better. She’s getting a lot faster and is using walking as her main mode of getting around. She still crawls some, but usually she walks. Here she is showing off how good she’s getting.

She has mastered the art of pouting.

She loves her bath time!

I love how she looks like she's up to something in that picture! :)

She’s growing up so fast, but she’s still tiny. Today her 9 month jeans were falling off while she was walking around the house. She’s eating like crazy though so maybe some growth is coming soon. She now thinks she needs to eat whatever is on your plate. Even if it’s something she can’t chew. She has eaten mashed potatoes, fries, green beans, and bananas. She gets about half a banana every night and loves it. Here’s a video of her eating green beans today.

Reagan had a great time playing with the zinnias today.

She was pulling the petals off one at a time.

I now have all the parts of Reagan’s outfit for the party! I had shown you the tutu and head band, but now I have some leggings and the embroidered t-shirt. The shirt came in today and it is sooo cute! I can't wait to see her in this outfit and take pictures of her in it! She's going to be the cutest little birthday girl in the world!

A Better Woman

2010-07-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

Day 15 of 30 Days of Music : a song that describes you. I love Christina Aguilera's voice. Unfortunately, most of the time the content of her songs is not very appropriate whatsoever and her clothing in minuscule. There is a lesser known song of hers called Save Me From Myself that I absolutely love. Probably a lot of why I love it is because I feel like it completely describes how I feel about the influence Justin has had on my life. He has saved me from myself in just about every way possible. I don't know where I would be today without him. I know I wouldn't have become the kind of person I am now. I love you babe!

Annnnnd of course, there is an immodest scene in the video so I found this one. The photos in it are really pretty.

Did you see this one coming?

2010-07-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had a double date with our friends Jeremy and Blythe. We took Reagan over to the Myers' house and had a couple of hours of grown up time. And what did we do with our grown up time? Went to see a children's movie, naturally! :) We went to see Toy Story 3 and it was really cute. I actually rolled my hair and everything. I haven't done that in a while and figured it was about time. These days all Justin sees is the natural curls. Scrunch and go, baby. That's my motto these days. But, I decided to give date night a little more effort after this week's Far Above Rubies post reminded me of how much my husband appreciates my efforts to look nice for him. If you haven't checked it out yet you should. We've been studying through Proverbs 31 and looking at what it means and takes to be a virtuous woman.

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So, Day 14 of 30 Days of Music is a song that no one would expect you to love. I had a really hard time figuring this one out because anyone who knows how random my taste in music is wouldn't really be surprised by anything I like. Since I like pretty much everything, it's not so unexpected. So for this one I enlisted the help of my hubby. He came up with this one and I thought it was pretty good. It is a song I love. And since I'm always saying how much I am not a fan of country you might not expect it. I consider it a classic. :) Listen and learn boys.

It's a random video because she's immodestly dressed in the official music video.

It's a Secret No One Knows

2010-07-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

Day 13 of 30 Days of Music is a song that's a guilty pleasure: Hanson-MMMBop. I don't feel guilty at all about liking this song. But my husband hates it and I do sometimes get made fun of for liking this band. However, if you haven't checked out any of their recent stuff (yes, they do still make music) you should. It's actually really good. They have their own label and do pretty well for an "indie" group. They're all grown up and married with kids. I've actually seen them live twice. Once in the Mmmbop days and then again a couple of years ago. Justin will actually admit that he enjoys their post teenage hysteria music and enjoyed the concert. If you stay tuned I will share one of their latest songs with you but feel free to check them out. In the meantime enjoy a flashback to my middle school days. :)

A Band I Hate

2010-07-14T22:56:00.000-05:00

Day 12 of 30 Days of Music is a song by a band I hate. This is a band I actually used to like, but now I just can't stand. I picked Nickelback. Back in the day (high school) I actually liked them a lot and really liked their sound. Now most of their songs are about "partying" and acting like idiots or it's full of cuss words. If they're not horrible in lyrical content they all sound the same. It's annoying.

This is actually one of their songs that I don't mind.

Coming Home Again

2010-07-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

Justin's home! Yay! I'm so glad to have him back home. After chillin' in the air waiting for weather to clear, waiting a while on bags to get through customs (because of the weather the baggage guys weren't working for a little while), and a Crackle Barrel run, Justin got home late last night. Reagan was already down so he didn't get to see her until this morning. When he did, though, it was so sweet. Usually she wants to get down and play and run around. This morning she just sat in her daddy's lap laying her head on his chest and snuggling him. It was the sweet thing ever. She missed him so much and she was so happy to see him home.

Day 11 of 30 Days of Music is a song by your favorite band. If I had to pick one band it would probably be Dashboard Confessional. I love all of their music, so I picked a song about coming home in honor of Justin's return. :)

The Most Scared I've Ever Been...and a Song to Help Me Sleep

2010-07-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

So today was just pretty much a normal day until around 6:00. Let me say right off that Reagan's fine, no harm was done. I was on the computer and Reagan was playing in the hall. I heard her get into my closet and start tearing it apart. "Oh well. Let her have at it," I thought. Then after a couple of minutes I heard tissue paper rattling. She'd gotten into some of my old pageant shoes and the shoes I'd gotten for my wedding. Then I remembered those boxes had silica gel packs in them. You know, those little paper things with the balls in them that are always in the boxes. The ones that clearly say DO NOT EAT. I jumped up and ran back there and of course there was a pack in her mouth and she was chewing it. I grabbed her, scooped it out of her mouth (which she hated), then came running in the kitchen for the phone book. I frantically threw stuff trying to find it. I called poison control thinking my child was going to die of poisoning and it would be all my fault. When someone answered and I told them what she did they immediately said, "She's going to be fine." Whew...then they got some information from me and told me basically all that's in those things is sand and the big worry is a child choking on them. I was told just to give her something to drink and make sure she wasn't coughing a lot or choking. As soon as I hung up the phone I started bawling. I felt like such a bad mother. The guilt mixed with the relief and I lost it. Reagan was looking at me like I was crazy. I called Justin and he told me it was ok, everything was fine. Reagan actually started laughing at me. I guess I sounded crazy or something. I really thought she was going to die or something and then once it was ok and the adrenaline rush was gone it all hit me. I just kept holding her and telling her I was sorry. Like she knew what was going on. She was just mad I took yet another thing out of her mouth. I don't think she even swallowed any of it. It looked like the little balls were all still in the pack but she had dissolved the paper around the pack. It's hard to explain...Note to self: move shoe boxes to the shelf.

On a happier note...

The top two teeth are coming in!

One is completely through the gum, but not all the way in and the other is still coming through some. She's been much better with these than she was with the bottom two.

Today I put her hair in pigtails for the first time.

I'm not sure I like it because it makes her look like a kid instead of a baby! (sniff, sniff) She won't keep clips in her hair (she pulls them right out) and I needed a way to keep her hair out of her eyes. These seemed to work out pretty well. She only tried to pull one out once. I think because she can't feel them as much she forgets about them.

She's getting so big!

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Day 10 of 30 Days of Music: A song that makes you fall asleep

I don't like to sleep with noise(other than a fan), so nothing really makes me fall asleep. But there are songs that are relaxing or could make me sleepy riding in the car at night. I picked Amie by Damien Rice. I love all the stings in his music and I love his voice and the voice of the girl that sings with him, Lisa Hannigan. I really like his sound. I think this song has kind of a dreamy feel to it.

9

2010-07-11T23:17:00.000-05:00

I'm tired so this will be short and sweet. Day 9-a song you can dance to. I didn't even know where to begin with this one. You can dance to anything really. So I picked one that's not so much actual dancing, but theatrical reenactment. I guess it could be considered lyrical dancing or something. :) Justin and I have quite a bit of fun listening to this one in the car. Our passengers tend to think we're a little bonkers when they see/hear our rendition. And of course in true Wayne's World fashion there is plenty of head banging...though not real head banging from the one driving...because that would be dangerous. Right? :)

Oh, and while searching for the video I found this gem.

Good stuff.

Justin comes home tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! =D yay!

My Sweet and Wonderful Husband

2010-07-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

I'm missing Justin sooooo much! I haven't seen him in a week! I'm anxiously awaiting seeing him Monday night. He is such an amazing husband. He always helps out so much around the house and is such a good daddy to Reagan. When he's home I rarely have to do the dishes or fold laundry and he always gives Reagan her bath and puts her to bed. Every night when I put her down I miss him so much because it's so sweet to watch him say prayers with her and put her down. He's always doing sweet things for me. Case and point, these are some of the notes and cards I've found or gotten in the mail since he left.

The cylindrical ones were wrapped around cans in the case of Mt. Dews in the fridge. :) One of the cards he mailed before he left. The others he orchestrated with a friend of ours to be mailed on certain days. There were also a bunch of notes left on windows and mirrors for Reagan and I. He's so cute. I don't know when he did all the ones around the house. He's sneaky sneaky. I underestimated his sneakiness. (I can't remember what that's from, but we say it all the time :)) He's so good to me!

I want my husband baaaaaaaaaaaack!!!

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Ok, anyway. Day 8 of the 30 days of music is a song you know all the words to.

I picked Stay by Lisa Loeb. I think I was in middle school when this came out and it's still one of my favorite songs to this day. It's a really pretty song. I definitely know all the words to this one!

Craftiness, Wealthiness, and Wickedness

2010-07-09T22:52:00.000-05:00

I know I didn't post yesterday's 30 days of music but I promise I'll get to it. Yesterday Mom, Reagan, and I went to Tuscaloosa to do a little shopping. We were in search of sleepers for Reagan. She's still too skinny for 12 month stuff but she's too long for her 9 month sleepers. She couldn't straighten her legs out in them anymore. We ended up getting some decent deals at The Children's Place. I'd never shopped there before because I had assumed it was expensive like Gymboree. They were having a really good sale so we got several things. Later we came home and watched Twilight and New Moon. Mom is reading the books and had finished the first two so I got her caught up on the movies. We were up late watching them which is why I didn't post last night. This afternoon we worked on some bows for Reagan. Earlier this week Mom bought her this outfit.

So I made this bow to go with it.

Mom also had made Reagan a dress and made this bow to go with it. I don't have a pic of the dress because it's in Reagan's room and she's sleeping.

I thought we did pretty good for our first shot at making bows! I really had a lot of fun doing it and it was pretty easy for me to figure out. We used tutorials to learn the different techniques. This is something I think I could really get into. Who knows, maybe I could sell some.

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So yesterday's 30 days of music song was a song that reminds you of somewhere. The place is a random spot on the highway between the interstate and Demopolis. You see, Justin accepted the position here in February of his second year in preaching school. We would drive down every other weekend. Making the drive that often can get pretty boring. Plus that section of road is exceptionally dull. Every time, to have some fun, I would play this song and force Justin to sing one part and I would take the other. :) Sometimes I still play it on that stretch if I have it with me. I at least think about this song most of the time we drive on that road. It's fun song that makes me smile...and now think about that boring highway.

If I Had $1,000,000 by Barenaked Ladies

(sorry about the random video but most of the live ones had poor sound quality)

Todays song for 30 days of music is a song that reminds you of an event. A while back Wicked (the musical about who the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz really was) was on tour and came to Birmingham. I informed Justin that I would be buying us tickets with my birthday money and we would be going to see it. He whined a little, like most men do about musicals, but still went willingly. :) Once we walked in and he saw the huge stage and set and the live orchestra he got a little more excited. He had no idea how amazing these productions were. Anywho, I was pregnant at the time and Reagan danced around in my belly the whole time. During this song in particular she moved around A LOT. Who can blame her, it is the best song in the musical. Marcie Dodd, the girl playing Elphaba (the wicked witch) was amazing. Any of Marcie Dodd singing on youtube are not good quality because they were done by people trying to hide their camera and record illegally at shows. I'm giving you the Glee version. The kids on this show can SING! It's a shorter version.

This is the version from the original cast recordings from the musical.

Day 5

2010-07-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

Day 5 of 30 days of music is a song that reminds you of someone. This is one of the first ones I thought of. It's kind of appropriate since Mom is here with us this week. When I was little Mom would always sing this to us. And embarrass us in front of our friends while we were trying to be "cool." Something I'm sure I'll take much joy in doing to Reagan some day. :) It became a running joke and every time we told her she was crazy she started singing it. I can't hear it without thinking of her. I'm sure she'll sing it to Reagan and all of her other future grandchildren some day and they'll think she's crazy too. :)

Mom, this one's dedicated to you.

Crazy by Patsy Cline

Reagan's Party and Day 4

2010-07-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

Reagan will soon be turning one (tear...sob) so I've been working for the past month or so planning her party. We are going to be doing it in TN so all the fam can come. It's not actually going to be on her birthday which is August 17th. We will be in TN earlier in August so we are going to do it then at my Mom's house.

I was having a hard time deciding exactly what to do, but I knew I wanted to get her a tutu to wear because they're just so cute and fun. When I found this one I loved it and decided just to do everything off of it.

The colors in the tutu will be the colors we use for decorations. We are also splurging and getting her a really nice cake with the same colors and dots and stripes. I promised Justin she wouldn't have another cake like this except maybe when she turns 16. When we were talking about it he said, "Well, she only turns one once...right?" As if to say, "you'd better not be trying to do this every year missy." :) I promised him either I would make her one or we would get a cheap one from wal-mart or whatever. I'm really excited about it! I've got card stock and ribbon to make her a sign and we are going to order a onesie with a big 1 and her name on it to wear with the tutu. I love parties and rarely get to plan birthday parties so I'm having lots of fun with this!

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Day 4 of 30 Days of music is a song that makes you sad. I thought for a while about this one. There isn't one in particular that I relate to a certain event or anything so I just started thinking about sad songs in general that I also thought sounded good. If you know me you know I'm not a huge country fan. But occasionally there is a song or group that I like. The Dixie Chicks is a group I was into especially the Home album. The songs on there are more stringed instruments, not overly produced, not too hillbilly and I love the way the girls harmonize. It's a song called Traveling Soldier.

30 Days of Music: Day 3

2010-07-05T22:11:00.000-05:00

Day 3: A song that makes you happy

My pick: "Grace Kelly" by MIKA

This was an easy one for me. This song can always make me happy. It just sounds so upbeat and crazy. It has a silly feel to it. You can't sing it without smiling and laughing at yourself. I love this song!

Happy 4th! and Day 2

2010-07-04T22:25:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

Reagan and I had a great day even though we miss daddy so much! We went to Bible class and worship this morning then over to the Myers' for some hot dogs and ribs...yum. We watched some hilarious home videos of the girls as wee ones. One in particular featured a 2ish Kristen walking over to Greg, who was laying in the floor, and purposefully stomping directly on his nose. Priceless!

Reagan and I came home and napped a bit then went to evening services and after we ate supper went to the city river landing to watch some fireworks! Kristen and Kaleb went with us then we saw Melissa and Michael so they sat with us too. Reagan absolutely loved the fireworks!

Edit: the really good part of the video is around the 1:50 mark!

My mom is coming to see us tomorrow! She's going to stay until Sunday so Reagan and I don't get too lonely with out daddy around this week. He is safe and sound in Jamaica. I talked to him earlier tonight and they were about to head to worship. The congregation was waiting for them to start since they were in the air during services this morning. There were supposed to be around 50 people going. They will be door knocking, or as they call it there yard yelling (most people have fences with gates so you stand outside the gate and yell), and they will be having a gospel meeting at night. I know they will do much good for the Lord while they are there.

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30 Days of Music: Day 2

Least favorite song: Lady GaGa "Just Dance"

I've had a little bit too much, much
All of the people start to rush, start to rush by
How does he twist the dance? Can't find a drink, oh man
Where are my keys? I lost my phone, phone

What's going on on the floor?
I love this record baby but I can't see straight anymore
Keep it cool, what's the name of this club?
I can't remember but it's alright, a-alright

just dance

Idiotic...

Need I say more?

30 Days of Music: Day 1

2010-07-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

A couple of friends of mine, Kristen and Carl, are both doing this and I thought it looked fun. Each day for 30 days you are supposed to pick a song that goes with the category for that day. This is the list:

day 01 - Your Favorite Song
day 02 - Your Least Favorite Song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds of you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you're angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you're happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you're sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

I always think it's fun to see what types of music different people are in to.

Favorite song was actually kind of hard. My favorite song can change daily, but I picked based on the fact that I love this song every time I hear it. For my favorite I picked "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson. I love this song so much! I can listen to it no matter what kind of mood I'm in and it's just a fun song.

Heaven on Earth

2010-07-02T19:12:00.000-05:00

Our group from Canal Heights

This week we went to Indian Creek Youth Camp. It's a Christian camp we go to every year. Our friend from preaching school, Billy Hayes, is the director of the week we always go to. Camp is always fun and uplifting and I always learn so much. It's always great to see so many friends we rarely see and to meet new ones. I love being around so many Christian people. When you are singing praises to God in a room full of 140 people sining their hearts out and as loudly as they can it makes you so look forward to singing praises with all the saints (Christians) in heaven one day!

Mitch being baptized for the remission of his sins!

While it is a week about fun and friends, the main purpose is to grow spiritually. This year the theme was the book of 1 John. I had never done any kind of in depth study of the book. I can now say that it is quite possibly my favorite book in the Bible. There is so much in 1 John about our relationships with each other and with God. This book is about love and how to know that we "have come to know him." One of my favorite passages is chapter 2 verses 3-6.

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

If we keep the commandments of God we are truly His children. I think that is a point so many miss. In order to know God, you must do what He says! If you have not done an in depth study of 1 John I would highly recommend it. It teaches us how we are to treat each other and how to love God. Those are two very important things for someone who is trying to be a Christian.

Studying for the Bible Bowl

We had a ladies class that was just awesome. Each day we studied a different chapter of the book. It was so wonderful to be taught by ladies who really did their homework and knew the scripture so well. Each night we had wonderful sermons on 1 John as well. All of the men did a wonderful job but, of course, Justin was my favorite. :) He did such a great job and I was so proud of him!

Chance Hicks preaching Sunday night.

We had to leave Thursday morning (camp ends Friday morning) but by the time we left there had already been 7 baptisms and 1 restoration! This doesn't even show the countless number of people this week re-energized and refocused on the important things. I know it definitely made me want to be a better student of God's Word.

Our Jungle Journey

2010-06-26T22:33:00.000-05:00

This past week the church hosted our Vacation Bible School. Our theme was Jungle Journey: Exploring the Nature of God. We averaged around 35 kids a day, which is great for a congregation that only has around 6 or so that come every week. We have more children than that but many don't come to class or church every week. We had a lot of fun and most importantly taught children God's Word.

These are some of the decorations we used.

A very talented member, Betty Stephens, did these with pastels.

She also did all of the decorations in the fellowship hall.

This is one from my room.

Another one from my room. The attendance charts and a pictures from our story that we added to the wall each day.

These are a few of my favorite pictures from the week.

The whole group (minus some who had to go to work, etc.)

Reagan had fun too!

It was a great week. We do classes for 3 years old and up so Reagan didn't go to class. I held her while Justin did the opening and singing and then he took her while I was teaching my class. We kept her pack and play in the nursery and put her down for her nap in there everyday. She did really well considering we were not in her normal place. We have put her down in there before when I was working on my decorations so she was somewhat use to it.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Indian Creek Youth Camp!!! I'm sooooo excited! I look forward to camp so much every year and miss it as soon as it's over. Except I don't miss the lack of sleep and being in the heat all day. Thankfully we do have air conditioned cabins! Camp is kind of like a big reunion for us. Many of our friends from Memphis School of Preaching will be there. And for most of them it's the only time we see them all year. I love getting to catch up with everyone. Most of all I love being in a place where most of the people are concerned with living a Christian life and bettering themselves. I love having Bible class and worship everyday. I love all the singing and being present for baptisms and restorations. It's an amazing thing to be a part of someone becoming a Christian and having their sins washed away. Camp is always so uplifting. If only the "real world" could be so wonderful. I'm thankful to have such a wonderful place to go every summer!

I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures and fun to share with you when we get back!

Bulletin Board: 1 Peter 5:8

2010-06-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

I did this bulletin board for VBS. I wanted to find something that went with our jungle theme but could be left up after VBS is over. This board was Justin's idea I just did the grunt work. :)

He found the font on the internet. I'm not sure where. Then I colored it with prismacolor

pencils. The lion head I found on the internet then blew up with a projector.

Down We Go

2010-06-22T14:46:00.000-05:00

Reagan is learning all sorts of new things lately. One of them is how to get down the step in the living room. She has been able to get up it for a while, but down is a whole other situation. A lot of times she will just sit there and scream at you until you put her on the lower floor. :) The other day though we caught her on video trying a not so successful route before getting it right.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-06-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

In case you can't remember this is what my flower beds looked like earlier this year. Here's what they look like now.

zinnia's coming up

I will do another post to let you see how huge the plants around the deck get towards the end of the summer.

I don't know if I'd mentioned it on here before, but I know I have on Facebook. We have a big problem in the front bed with poison ivy. We didn't even realize it until last summer. I was all huge and pregnant and couldn't deal with weeding in 100 degrees so shortly before Reagan was born Justin decided he would weed the beds for me. The next day he was covered in poison ivy. He had to wear long sleeved shirts and be careful how he touched her when she was born because he still had it when Reagan was born. Now he won't even get too close to that bed. Earlier this year I tried digging it up and spraying round up in the hole. No luck with that. Some of the poison ivy was growing through the lime stone that sits not too far below the surface here. There was no way I could get all the roots so it came back. This time I tried the round up that is specially made for poison ivy and got these results...

Success! I had to use a newspaper to shield the plants around it and it took a couple of weeks, but it definitely worked. No more poison ivy! Well, at least not for now. We'll see whether or not it comes back.

Today we started VBS and I will definitely get some pictures and such up in the next couple of days. VBS is the kickoff to what Justin and I are calling our summer marathon. VBS this week, camp next week, Justin goes to Jamaica the next 10 days after that for a mission trip, a couple of normal weeks, vacation to St. Louis for a Cardinals game and to TN, Reagan's bday party while we're there with family, the next week still in TN for a gospel meeting Justin's doing, a couple of normal weeks, possibly just the two of us going on a trip for our 5th anniversary the first full week of September (possibly Disney if we can get the money saved up), and a gospel meeting the next week here in Demopolis. It keeps going. Last Saturday in Sept. Justin's speaking at a youth day, 1st Saturday in October we have our annual cookout at the house, Justin's sister gets married the next weekend, then at some point we will have a Halloween party over here at the house. As much as we have going on the next few months will fly by...except for the 10 days Justin is in another country without us. :( Hopefully mom is coming to visit during that time so we won't get too lonely. We're going to be so busy but also having so much fun and hopefully doing some good for the Lord's church as well. It's going to be a great summer!

A Devo and an Art Show

2010-06-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday night the Ray's hosted a youth devo. Does it still count as a "youth" devo when only two people (3 if you count Reagan) there are under the age of 20? Anywho...

There was singing...

and speaking...

and eating...

and more eating...

hey, those girls look alike...

and Reagan got a pony ride from another big dog (this one would actually sit somewhat still for us)...

and there were cool old family photos...

(they look like mobsters!)

and some cool art by Matthew...

and even more cool art by Lynda!

This one is my favorite!

They are a very talented family! We had such a great time and really appreciated that they hosted a devo (with an art show to boot)! :) We've now added these devos as a monthly event. It is always such a blessing to spend time with our Christian family.

Another Month Older: 10 Months

2010-06-17T21:33:00.002-05:00

My little baby girl is 10 months old! She will be 1 year old in 2 months...once again, I just can't believe it. She is getting so big so fast.

On mom's last visit she bought Reagan a pool and we got out in it last week.

Reagan loved it! Look Mom, I even put her sunglasses on her so there....she does wear them!

We had some fun playing in the window today. She and Daddy like to look out the window together in the mornings.

She really studies everything. You can see the wheels turning in her head when she's trying to figure something out.

She's still a super friendly baby. She still goes to everyone but will cling to mommy or daddy sometimes.

She's taking more and more steps.

And is into EVERYTHING all of the time! Her favorites are the DVDs and the dog and cat's water bowl.

I've included a little progression of her eating skills. For the longest she would gag if anything that hadn't been pureed was put in her mouth. Then we moved on to this.

Then this.

And now...

She actually eats!

But sometimes this happens.

Now she shakes her head no when you tell her no no...it's so cute. :)

And she still loves her some Sesame Street!

She's just too stinkin' cute! I love that little sweet face so much. She's such a fun baby...usually. :) I'm so lucky to be Reagan's Mommy!

She's Her Mother's Daughter

2010-06-11T18:11:00.000-05:00

Isn't this a funny picture of Reagan with a wig on?

Oh wait. It's not Reagan...it's me!

I just had to post this to show everyone out there who thinks she looks nothing like me that she does. Granted I'm wearing a silly wig in this pic. I gave you a picture of Reagan below so you can compare the two of us.

So there people! :)

Baby Steps

2010-06-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

I promised in my last post to let you all see some video of Reagan's little baby steps so here it is!

She will take a few little steps every now and then but definitely isn't a walker yet.

Today Reagan and I were supposed to leave for Tennessee to help take care of my mom after her hip surgery. Instead, Justin took her to the office with him so I could rest for a while because I'm sick. :( I think it's a sinus infection. My glands are so swollen on one side I can't open my mouth up very wide. I have to squish my food flat to fit it in. Hopefully I will feel better soon. Prayers are much appreciated because I feel pretty miserable!

Reagan's New Toy

2010-06-03T09:52:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had a visit from my mom and stepdad. Mom wanted to get one last visit in before she has hip surgery Monday because she doesn't know when she'll be able to travel again. Reagan and I are planning on going up to Tennessee next week to help out some. Mom brought Reagan a new toy. It's one of those toys that the baby stands behind and pushes. Reagan LOVES it! Here are a couple of cute videos of her playing with it.

Here she is pushing it around...forward and sideways. :)

Here she is dancing to the music it plays, jabbering, and standing up on her own a little bit.

She's been learning lots of new things! She has taken her first few steps and I promise to post a video of it soon!

She's a Stand-up Woman

2010-05-30T14:32:00.000-05:00

And now, for Reagan's latest trick....

Tada!

She can stand up all by herself for a few seconds! She'll pull up on something and get to playing with a toy and just let go and stand there for a few seconds. When she realizes what she's doing she quickly grabs back on. I'm a little nervous about this...this means walking's getting closer and closer.

Meet Murphy the Horse...I mean Dog

2010-05-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Meet Murphy. He's my Mom's horse...I mean dog.

You might be saying, "He doesn't look like a horse." And to that I say, "Scroll on down for a little perspective."

He's ginormous!!!

Here I am playing tug of war with Murphy...

And here I am losing.

Reagan, meet Murphy.

Murphy really liked Reagan.

But he wouldn't give her a pony ride like I'd hoped.

Brettimus Gets His Diploma

2010-05-20T22:31:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we made a trip to TN to see my youngest brother, Brett, graduate from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He got a B. S. in Criminal Justice. We got to see lots of family. Both sets of my grandparents were there as well as my parents and the middle brother, Robby. Of course, everyone was excited to see Reagan...and I guess Justin and me as well. :)

And of course my youngest brother wears his sunglasses around his neck while graduating. lol I didn't even notice until I was going through the pictures.

Getting his "diploma." Also known as the fake little piece of rolled up paper that says "Congrats, your real diploma's in the mail." :)

He spotted his stalkerazzi.

Dad, Robby, Brett, Justin, Reagan (passed out), Me, Gran Gran, and Pops.

Brett with Grandmama and Grandaddy.

The only one of just the 3 of us where both boys are behaving. It's really hard to get them to act right for a picture!

Bubba, Mom, and the 3 crazies.

Brett's sweet girlfriend Caitlyn. She annoys me because she's always so cute in pictures. :)

Brett borrowed my cap and gown, which were actually Justin's cap and gown before that. Notice the year...2005. That would be the year I graduated from UTM. Brett was too cheap to go buy a new tassel. lol At least I bought my won tassel and didn't reuse Justin's!

Brett, welcome to the world of adulthood...oh wait, you have to get a job and move back out of Mom's house first. But then, welcome to adulthood. ;)

Another Month Older: 9 Months

2010-05-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

Reagan is 9 months old today! She's as many months old as it took her to grow in my belly...that's hard to believe.

This month we decided it would be fun to pull all the tissues out of the box.

She is just soooo cute!

She thinks it's fun to sit on Daddy. :)

This month she also got stuck under her stroller and, yes, I left her there to go get the camera and take pictures! :)

She also likes to look out the window.

She got her front two bottom teeth this month!

She is such a silly girl. She thinks just about everything is funny. She's so lovable and will go to just about anyone. But, recently she has gotten a little more clingy. Today when Justin had to leave to go back to the office after lunch he gave her to me. She screamed and reached out for him! It feels good to be wanted but I know it broke his heart to leave her too. I know I'm forgetting half of what I wanted to put on here but I'm tired. Mommy needs her bedtime! :)

100th Post: Videopalooza!

2010-05-11T00:08:00.000-05:00

I know...I've been a blogging slacker. I apologize. I've been pretty busy with a million different projects and just haven't made time for blogging. However, it is my 100th post! Yippee! In honor of this momentous occasion, I present to you Videopalooza! Here are several videos I've been meaning to post of all the different things Reagan is up to these days!

Reagan hearts popsicles.

She figured out a couple of weeks ago how to get up the step...not so much the getting down part yet.

Reagan likes to feel the wind in her hair :)

She has a crazy tongue!

She's pretty ticklish...and her laugh is just adorable!

Her new thing is clacking her tongue and moving stuff over her face to play peek-a-boo.

I hope you enjoyed them! We have lots going on these days. This weekend we are going to Tennessee. My youngest brother is graduating from the University of Tennessee at Martin. Also, Justin's cousin is graduating high school so we'll be able to see most of both sides of the family in 2 days...Yippee! I've got plenty of things to post about...maybe I'll get to it soon.

No promises. :)

What's More Important?

2010-04-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

What's more important, ball practice or Bible class?

What's more important, finishing homework or learning about the Lord?

What's more important, sleeping or spending time studying God's word?

What's more important, wearing something that's acceptable to our culture or wearing something that's acceptable to God?

What's more important, having an alcoholic drink to relax or relaxing for eternity in Heaven?

What's more important, showing your children that it's not that important to go to Bible study or showing your children that the Bible is eternally important?

What's more important, fitting in with your co-workers and friends or fitting in with Jesus?

What's more important, laying up my treasures in this life or laying them up in Heaven?

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 ESV

"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' " Matthew 22:37 ESV

Where will you be tonight when it's time for mid-week Bible study?

Just a Couple of Beach Bums

2010-04-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, people. I'm finally writing about our trip to Panama City Beach, Florida! :) My mom and my aunt Patti were planning a trip and were kind enough to invite Reagan and I along. The two of them came to our house on the 18th and we all drove down together the next day. What map quest said was a 5 hour 5 minute trip took us 8 hours... There was a ton of construction. We had to slow to 45 in almost every construction zone. Then add in stopping for lunch and feeding a baby, and not having a clue where the hotel was. Patti claimed to know the way. Next time we will have printed directions! :) lol Love you Patti!

Reagan and I stayed until Thursday and headed home after lunch. We did have a really great time. Traveling with a baby is never really relaxing, especially when your super helpful hubby is at home (boo). Reagan decided that she didn't want to sleep in at all. She woke up at 5:45 one day, 6:15 another day, and 7 the next. But it was good just to get away from the normal for a couple of days and play. Plus the fact that the beach is my favorite place on earth to be. Even if it's cloudy and windy it's still gorgeous. I think the beach is the most beautiful of Gods landscapes. It's one of those things you just have to see for yourself to appreciate fully. Pictures and paintings just never quite live up to how beautiful it really is. You can't ever capture the colors perfectly.

This was Reagan's second time at the beach, but the first time that she could do more than sleep through it. Here is one of the few pictures of her in her hat. She wouldn't keep it on for anything.

She really enjoyed looking around and taking it all in. It was pretty windy the first day and she loved it. For some reason she thinks wind in her face is hilarious.

She started crawling towards me and hit the sand. She immediately stopped and looked at her hands. She couldn't figure out what in the world that stuff was! :)

The water was I really cold so we only stuck her feet in for a minute. First she sucked her breath in when the water hit her. Then she said, "Oooh!" Then she fussed. End of ocean. :)

She absolutely loved the pool! It was the first time she's ever been in one. She was kicking her little feet like she was swimming. She can already swim better than her daddy! :) (He dog paddles feverishly then sinks to the bottom if he tries to tread water. I've seriously tried and tried to teach him but I think it might be impossible!) She loved it so much she cried when we took her out of the water.

And, of course, she wouldn't be Reagan without trying to eat someone's face!

The next day was much more sunny so we stayed under the umbrella!

This was the view from our balcony! We were 20 floors up.

Thanks Patti for letting us come along!

I have to talk about something I ate while we were there. I love food. When I travel food is always a big part of the experience. If I tell you about my trip to New Orleans I'll tell you about the red beans and rice I had there. If I tell you about my trip to New York City I'll tell you about this awesome brunch sandwich I had at a Mexican restaurant there. When I think about our time living in Memphis I think about all the great restaurants we went to there and my favorite dishes. I am a lover of seafood. Part of my joy of going to the beach is getting fresh seafood. We ate at a place called the Salt Water Grill. I highly recommend eating there if you ever go to Panama City Beach. I had what was quite possibly the best meal in my life. It was Pan Seared Diver Sea Scallops. It came with Parmesan risotto, fresh cooked spinach, tomato salsa, and extra virgin olive oil. I wish I had taken a picture of it because it was a beautiful plate! The risotto and olive oil covered the bottom of the plate. Four huge sea scallops sat neatly on top of the risotto with the spinach and tomato salsa (which I would describe as Italian pico) in the middle. When I took the first bite I literally groaned and said, "Wow, this is good!" I think every time I took a bite I said out loud that it was ridiculously good. My mom kept laughing at me because I was taking a breath and closing my eyes after every bite. The scallops were seasoned perfectly. The spinach was cooked thoroughly but was not mushy. The tomato salsa was amazing. The only thing I didn't finish eating was the risotto because I just couldn't fit it all in! I can still taste it right now thinking about it. It wasn't a cheap meal, but it was completely worth it! I don't mind paying for food when it's that good! I want to go back to Panama City Beach just to eat that meal again! I don't know what it is about food, but just thinking about this meal makes me feel so relaxed and satisfied...except for the fact that now I'm hungry because I've been thinking about it. Fortunately it's lunch time. :)

Busy Little Bee

2010-04-26T14:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been away so long. Since I got home from the beach Thursday night things have been super busy. I promise I'll post about the trip soon, but for now I'm just going to update you on everything that's been going on. Reagan and I got back Thursday night somewhere between 7 and 7:30. Friday I was sitting around, chillin', taking it easy, when all of a sudden, I remembered I had about a million things to do. You see, Justin and I clean the church building to make a little extra money, and it was still dirty. I also was in charge of decorating for a bridal shower that was to take place Sunday afternoon. I had not started yet. We had no food in the house, so I also was planning on getting some groceries. I was thinking I had all day Saturday to get it done. Then, I remembered that I was going to be gone all day Saturday. There was a teacher's workshop in Northport with Teah McWhorter and April Meacham. Justin cleaned the building, I decorated, then we just picked up supper. Saturday we left the church building at 7:30am. Have I mentioned I don't do mornings? :) The workshop was AMAZING!!! It was so educational, motivational, and encouraging! I wish more of our teachers had gone with us. I'm hoping we can get our elders to host a workshop here at some point.

Sunday was busy. We had am worship, shower at 2, clean up shower, come home for a little while, then pm worship. Needless to say, I'm still worn out!

So, dear blogging world friends, this is why I've not posted anything else yet. I will get to it soon. But right now I'm going to take a little time to chill while Reagan is napping!

Vote or die!

2010-04-22T20:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry, had to channel P. Diddy there. I entered Reagan in Parents magazine's cover model contest. While I was gone to the beach, which I will blog about soon, they sent me an email saying she was up for becoming one of there reader's choice weekly finalists. If she were to win she would go on to the readers choice semi-finals. Who ever wins in the end becomes of the ten finalists who will go to NYC and do a photo shoot and then they will choose a winner for the cover.

Anyways, we have until Sunday people! Vote! Please! And thank you! Here's the link!

Another Month Older: 8 Months

2010-04-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

What? Really? I know I always say this, but I really can't believe it's been 8 months! My little baby girl is getting big so fast!

In the past month Reagan has gotten even better and faster at crawling. She sees something she wants and just takes off for it. She pulls up constantly. Sometimes she just does not want to sit. She will crawl over to the coffee table, pull up on it, chew on it, and talk her little head off. She likes to hold our hands and walk around and is getting close to being able to stand by herself.

She is also teething like crazy. She keeps covering herself in drool! She chews everything and you can tell on her gums that the teeth are getting closer to coming through. She had a fever last night that the think was from the teething.

I'm not sure how long she is or how much she weighs now, but she can finally fit into size 3 diapers so she can wear cruisers.

She has become very attached to Mommy. She will still go see other people, but wants to come back to me after a minute. I can no longer leave her in the living room entertaining herself to run and do things. She's taken to screaming her head off when she sees me walk out of a room.

She's starting to figure out the waving thing. Usually she just randomly waves her hand at her self because she thinks it's fun. But sometimes she will actually do it at people who wave at her. It's really cute!

Okay, enough of hearing from me...I know what you really want...

She likes to pull up on the jumper to play with it now. Sometimes she'll sit in it, but usually this is what she wants.

She can roll her tongue!

"Helping" with the laundry

"What's this stuff?"

Tomorrow night my mom and aunt are coming in. They will be on the way to Panama City Beach and decided to invite us so Reagan and I are going to go down there for a couple of days! Yay! I'm excited to take her now that she's a little older. I'm wondering how many times I will be diving to stop her from putting sand in her mouth. :)

Justin Wrote a Sermon About What?!

2010-04-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning we were sitting in class about to start, when someone asked Justin if he had seen the title to his sermon on the handout...

That's right...it says "Great Thongs He Has Done."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Justin and I agreed that this was, by far, his best typo ever. One member asked him if his fingers were too short to reach he "i" key...hehe. In fact, the title was "Great THINGS He Has Done."

Also, Reagan's hair is most definitely curly. This is what it looked like after she had been sleeping in her room with the humidifier going. (she's been all snotty from sinus stuff)

When I actually enjoy being "lectured" at

2010-04-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

I told you previously that we were going to the MSOP Lectureship last week. Sorry I"m just now getting around to writing about it. We had such a great (but tiring) time seeing friends and hearing God's word. I think most people don't understand how nice it is for a preacher to be able to sit down and hear someone else do the preaching or for a preacher's wife to be able to sit next to her husband during a worship service. Another thing that is so great about the MSOP lectures is that the students' wives provide childcare during the day. I actually got to hear and listen to speakers! Except, of course, during the evening worship, during which Justin and I took turns taking Reagan to the training room and even to the car one night. Her schedule was so out of whack that by the night time she was done with sitting still or being quiet and was very tired. I also got to hear several wonderful women speak, something else I don't often get to do. They also have 30 minutes of singing every night. Monday night the entire place was full and the singing was amazing! Hearing that kind of singing and taking part in that kind of worship is always so uplifting!

It was also quite an adventure. I told you that our friends Carl, Kristen, and their son Benjamin were staying with us. The very first night we discovered that Reagan had lost her paci somewhere along the trip. This paci was the one they gave her in the hospital and the only one she would ever take. She always went to sleep with it. We tried, in vain, to get her to go down without it, but she just wasn't having it. Everyone else was asleep or trying to get that way so Justin and Reagan ended up going out to Walmart to try to find one she would take. After buying one and driving her around until 1:30 in the morning, he was successful. I guess when she has no other options she will take a different paci. :) We all took turns snoring and waking up Kristen. :) It was a bit crazy, but it was a lot of fun. The kids also had a lot of fun together!

Reagan was just so sleepy one afternoon she passed out holding her new Bible they gave her in class.

It was an awesome 4 days of fellowship and learning, but we were glad to get home and settled. Reagan is mostly back on her schedule (something for which I am very grateful). Now we all seem to have the crud...I think it's sinus/allergy issues from all the pollen that is coating every single surface outside.

Oh, I thought this was interesting on the way home.

Those aren't just black birds or something. Those are vultures. I'd never seen so many in one place at one time...were they waiting on a whole town to bite the dust or what?

Happy Easter! ...Oh, and by the way, you're fat.

2010-04-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday I wore my new "Easter frock" as my mom likes to say. I thought it was really cute and was getting lots of complements on it. In fact, lately I've been getting lots of complements on my getting back into shape. I've actually started to get a better self-image (something that I've struggled with my whole life but having a baby only made worse). That is, until yesterday morning. Someone so kindly decided to share this little gem.

Them: "Your gaining weight aren't you?"

Me: "No, actually, I'm losing weight."

Them: "Oh. Well you've gotten some hips then."

Me: "No, I've always had those."

Them: "Oh, OK."

UGH!!! I felt like they had taken a hunting knife to the small balloon that was my self-esteem. Lesson for everyone out there: Just because you think it, doesn't mean you have to say it out loud.

I know they were wrong. I know I'm not gaining weight. My scale and my clothes tell me I am losing weight. Plus everyone else was so nice and said really sweet things. I'm doing my best not to concentrate on the one negative person. I wanted so badly to say something ugly, but knew that would get me no where and wouldn't be the Christian thing to do. I think the way the dress poofs out must have made said person think I looked bigger or something. Justin continues to tell me I look great and that I looked beautiful yesterday. He's sweet like that. :) Anyway...

I hope everyone had a happy Easter yesterday!

Here we are in our Easter outfits. :)

Isn't that the cutest Easter Bunny you've ever seen?!

She wouldn't keep her ears on!

I hope you all had a wonderful day!

I'll try to post about our Memphis trip soon!

Workin It Out

2010-04-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Reagan has become a little work out buff.

She does push ups...

...one armed sideways push ups (don't think those exist)...

...downward facing dog...

...and more push ups!

Since she learned to crawl she will not sit still! During worship services it is a constant fight to keep her in my lap. She just wants to get down and roll and crawl around on the floor. I think I'm in big trouble when she learns to walk!

Fruit of the Spirit Bulletin Board

2010-03-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

I finally put up a new bulletin board at the church building! The last one had been up for a year. I was doing pretty well at putting up a new board every 3 months or so but then I just got too pregnant. lol! Now that I'm finally getting the hang of all things baby mixed with the rest of life, I was able to get another one done.

I did it on the fruit of the Spirit. I found the fruit online and then put the text on them. The fruits with different colors are done with the overlay technique. I blew them up on the copier and then copied them on the colored paper. If you want the fruit with the words on them just let me know and I can email them to you!

Coupon Clippers

2010-03-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

In our house...

...we clip coupons.

So far this month...

...we've already saved $14.70.

But some of us clip coupons...

...a little differently than others! :)

I definitely think it's worth the effort to clip! We also save money by buying the store brands whenever there isn't a difference in quality (which is a good bit of the time). We never buy diapers or wipes without a coupon, which saves us a lot. I also participate in a rewards program that our diaper brand does. We've been saving up points to get Reagan three Sesame Street board books. We should be able to get them as soon as I put in some more codes. There's also a really great site that I don't use often enough. It's called couponmom.com. She gives you links to online coupons every week as well as telling you which products both are on sale and have a current coupon. It helps you strategize to buy things at their lowest price. If I can get back on top of it, that will help save even more!

Do you clip coupons? How do you save money at the grocery store?

Reagan Has a Buzz Cut!

2010-03-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, well, not really...but look at these pictures!

This is what her hair normally looks like.

This is what it looks like if you lift up the long hairs!!!

It really does look like a buzz cut or something under there! She's got a ton of new hair growing in! It's making her look more and more blond. It kind of feels like a buzz cut too. I wonder what it's going to be like when it grows in...will it be curly and a little crazy like her baby hair? Will it be easier to make it stay put? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

On the Road Again

2010-03-27T23:39:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited about this coming week! We are going to the Memphis School of Preaching Lectureship. MSOP is where Justin attended preaching school. We spent the first two years of our marriage there and made some great friends. This will be our first time going back since Justin graduated and will be the first time we will see a lot of friends in a long while. I'm also very excited to meet Kristen and her son Benjamin! We knew her husband, Carl, while we were in Memphis. They got married after we had moved away. We became internet friends over the past year or two, but haven't ever actually met! They are staying with us at our hotel, which should be fun and interesting! Two babies + four adults = good times! :) You can even listen to some of the lectures online if you'd like at http://www.msop.org/. I've scheduled some posts so you won't completely be left hanging. ;)

It's getting late and I still have several things to do before I can go to bed so I'll leave you with a few pictures of another one of Reagan's new talents...

crawling over to the toy bin in the living room and completely emptying it! :)

...And Again

2010-03-25T22:13:00.000-05:00

So, just yesterday I showed you that last week Reagan had learned to sit herself up. Well, yesterday afternoon she did this:

At this rate, she'll be walking in a week! Actually, I think some teeth will come first. Her gums are looking whiter and whiter. I'll be excited for teeth, but I'll also miss that toothless grin!

Today we also had a play date with Harper. She is the granddaughter of one of our elders. We went over and spent the afternoon with Linda (aka KK) and Harper. She and Reagan are about three weeks apart in age. It was hilarious how little Reagan was compared to Harper! As soon as they saw each other they both started babbling, smiling, and reaching towards one another. They had a great time talking and taking toys from one another and rolling over each other.

Warning: Large quantities of cuteness below!

Hi!

But I want the book!

Linda had mentioned that Harper would always take her socks off no matter how many times you put them back on. I guess since she didn't have any she thought she should take Reagan's off as well. :)

Harper kept sticking her feet in Reagan's face...and Reagan kept trying to eat Harper's foot! haha!

Let me grab your face!

They had so much fun that Harper passed out during a diaper change! When Reagan and I headed home it was already past her nap time...she didn't even make to the house before she fell asleep. :) We had a great play date!

She Learned Something New...AGAIN!?!?

2010-03-24T11:12:00.000-05:00

One day last week, Reagan and I were playing in the living room floor. She's was laying on her belly playing with a toy. I looked away at something else and when I looked back down she was sitting up. I was a little confused. I thought to myself, "She was laying down wasn't she?" Later, it happened again, but I had yet to actually see her do it! The next morning we heard her blowing raspberries so Justin went to get her and he found her sitting up playing with her blanket. This is how we find her most of the time now when we go to get her out of her crib:

And I was finally able to catch some proof the other day!

It seems like since she has learned to crawl, she has learned something new every other day! I don't know if I can keep up with this pace...it just might be too much! What happened to my little tiny baby?!

A Little Change...Well Maybe Not So Little

2010-03-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

Well, today I had my hair died back to my natural color. Close to my natural color at least. We'll have to wait for it to grow out to see for sure. I'd been thinking about changing it back for a while. Ever since middle school I have highlighted or dyed my hair blonder. I would go through short periods of letting it go back natural, but it was almost always colored. It's been about 5 years since it was my natural color. I was just kind of tired of having to go get it colored every 8 weeks. I also thought it the amount of money I was wasting on it was silly. We could use that money for so many other things. I also had recently had a not so great coloring experience. The last time I got it lightened they couldn't get the color to lift (lighten) like it was supposed to so they just kept leaving me under the heater. I was sweating to death and my head was burning and itching from the bleach. They blamed it on my hormones still trying to balance out after having the baby, but I wasn't convinced. A few days after I got it colored, my head was super itchy, still burning, and my scalp started flaking really badly. That pretty much sealed the deal that I was going to go back to natural.

The before.

The after.

Slightly different don't you think? :) It's going to take some getting use to, but I like it just fine.

Oh yeah, LOST is on tonight! Whoo hoo! I'm excited to learn what's up with Richard Alpert! Who is he? Where did he come from? Why doesn't he age? Exactly how long has he been on the island? So many questions!!!

The Not-So-Good Ones

2010-03-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

I stole this idea from my friend Katie. I always show you the cute pictures of Reagan. Recently there have been some pretty funny not-so-good ones, so I thought I would share those as well. Do enjoy. :)

More food. Less pictures!

She's always moving...there are more pictures like this than anything else. :)

Huh?

I'm not sure what she's doing but it makes me giggle. :)

And finally...the one that makes me laugh hysterically and I can't stop laughing as long as I'm looking at it...

I was trying to take pictures of her watching Sesame Street. I think she got excited and turned to smile at me but I somehow caught this instead. I think it's pretty hilarious.

Bringing Her Up Right

2010-03-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Train up a child...

in the way he should go;

even when he is old...

he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Ok, so that is a slight misapplication. I somehow don't think that is exactly what the Holy Spirit had in mind when He inspired that verse. But it's still pretty stinkin' cute! :)

Another Month Older: 7 Months

2010-03-17T01:02:00.000-05:00

My little baby girl is seven months old today! That just sounds so old :( I don't know why but it does sound so much older than 5 or 6 months. She is growing so fast and learning so many new things. She's eating baby food like a champ now. The major thing this month was crawling. She's getting better and better at it too! Some of her other favorite things are:

Being silly with Daddy.

Drinking water out of her sippy cup.

Chewing on Mommy's phone.

Being cute.

Chewing her bottom lip.

Being cute some more.

Blowing raspberries.

Standing up against the couch or Mommy (and trying to pull up on Mommy).

Watching Murray and his Little Lamb on Sesame Street.

Wearing Daddy's hats.

Being cute while wearing Daddy's hats.

And trying to make friends with Tig (he is very interested in her and will get up in her face and lick and sniff her, but as soon as she tries to pet him or crawls towards him he growls and runs away :/).

She has so much personality and is usually such a happy baby. We are constantly working on our routine because every time we get it worked out she decides she wants to do it a different way. At the moment, we are getting up between 7:30 and 8, eating, watching sesame street at 9, then napping at 10. She will usually sleep until close to 12 so I try to work out, shower, do chores, whatever I can get done before she wakes up. around 12 she eats lunch, then plays until around 3 when she takes another nap. This one usually lasts until around 4 when she nurses. More playing ensues (especially once Daddy gets home from the office) and then she eats supper around 8, gets a bath, and goes to bed around 9 or so. I'm hoping this schedule sticks for a little while because it works pretty well. I'm sure now that I'm into the grove of it, it will change again. :) She is such a fun and sweet baby. Justin and I feel incredibly blessed to be her parents!

Happy 7 months baby girl!!!

Spring Bulletin Board

2010-03-14T22:15:00.000-05:00

This is a bulletin board I did last spring. The sunshine's face is a little strange, but other than that, I thought it was pretty good. The clouds are somewhat 3D ( and glittered...who doesn't love glitter?!). I just stapled one edge then puffed it out and stapled as I went. Sadly, it is still up right now. :( Having a baby kind of made me into a slacker on the bulletin board. I'm working on a new one though and should have it ready soon!

Nom, Nom, Nom

2010-03-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

I don't really know what to call these...

How about...

Delicious.

They are super simple to make. All you do is peel and cut up some potatoes. We like ours super thin because they get crispy and somewhat chip like. But you can do what ever thickness you prefer. You can also leave the skins on if you like. Coat with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Spread in a single layer on a heavy sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cook in a 450 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until desired crispness is achieved. Flip potatoes every 10 minutes or so for even browning. They are sooooo good and sooooo easy! I've been making them a lot lately. We've still got some potatoes so we might be having them again soon! :)

Playing Dress Up

2010-03-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

This weekend we made a trip to Tennessee. We left Thursday afternoon when Justin finished work and came home last night. It was a quick trip. We managed to see all 4 grandparents (which is a feat), even though we only saw Justin's mom for a few minutes outside of her work. The purpose of this trip was to pick out bride's maids dresses for Meeka's wedding. Meeka is Justin's youngest sister. She's getting married in October. She's the total opposite of a bridezilla. She let us pick whatever dress we wanted. We each (there are 3 of us) are wearing different dresses in the same color and a sash in another color. I love my dress! I took my camera but forgot to get someone to take a picture :( but if you are interested you can see it here. I will also be getting a short sleeved bolero jacket to wear over it so I will be comfortable and modest. It's really hard to find a modest bride's maid dress. When Keila (Justin's other sister) was trying on one that ended up being really low cut they said they can put in a modesty panel. If they would just make them modest in the first place you wouldn't have to worry about it! Moving on :)
The colors are the ones shown in the picture of the dress and the jacket will match the dress color.I had it all planned out before we went, but none of the dresses I had looked at online looked good on me:( I hate when that happens, but I'm kind of glad it did because I really like the one I picked out.
Meeka had planned to try on some dresses too just to see how different styles fit her. She had no intentions of buying. She had seen one dress on the internet that she liked and then saw another bride try it on while we were there. She tried it on and said, "I'm gonna get it. This is my dress." It was the only one she tried on because she was so in love with it. She got teary, her dad got teary, Keila got teary, and Justin got teary. It was so sweet to see them all so excited for her. I only took one picture all weekend and it is of Meeka in her dress so you can't see it! :)
Dress shopping was so much fun. I love playing dress up!!!

Can OCD Be Diagnosed in a Six Month Old?

2010-03-10T22:26:00.000-06:00

So my child has OCD...wonder where that came from!!! ;)

And Now Everything Must Be Moved Higher...

2010-03-08T20:07:00.000-06:00

Because...

That's right! She's crawling!!!

Yesterday afternoon Reagan just decided it was time to start crawling! We were playing in the floor with her and she crawled a couple of inches and fell. I ran to get the camera and Justin teased her with her favorite toy, my phone. :) She's getting pretty good at it already. This afternoon I put her in the floor and she crawled over to the coffee table and started trying to get the magazines on the underneath part. Crawling for one day and already trying to get into things and nearly hurting herself! Now she really will be a handful! :)

I love how she looks at Justin like, "Why do you keep moving it away from me, Daddy?!" And then, when I'm telling her good job and being all excited she just looks at me like, "What's the big deal?"