Don't Blink!!!

We went to our niece, Kaitlin's, high school graduation this weekend.  It brought up a lot of emotions for me about how life goes by in the blink of an eye!  Kaitlin was just one when Kevin and I got married.  I remember her just getting over the chicken pox when she was at our wedding.  Here is a picture of Kaitlin with her mom and dad at our wedding.

Here is Kaitlin at her graduation with her mom and dad.  She graduated as saludatorian, and got a full scholarship to Clemson.  We are so proud of you Kaitlin!

As I sat there and watched Kaitlin walk across the stage at her graduation, it occurred to me that we will be attending my girls' graduation before we know it.  I realized that it has been 9 years since Elia was born.  We have the same number of years, 9, before Elia is the one walking across that stage.  Of course, Ava will be right behind her!  The first 9 years have literally flown by!  This weekend was a good wake up call to me to hold my girls and give them my all every chance I can because they will be grown and off to college before I can blink!

Here is a recap of our weekend in Nashville:


The girls LOVE to take a trip.  It doesn't matter where we are going.  They just love to climb in the car, put the DVD player in, and go!  While they did sleep a little on the way to Nashville, they also acted silly along the way.

Once we got to Nashville, we went to a restaurant with the family.  Kaitlin opened her graduation gifts.

Then Kaitlin went home to get ready while we went to the Opry Mills mall.  Our first stop was the Lego store.  Elia was heaven!  That girl loves legos!  Unfortunately, she only had $20 of her allowance and that won't buy much in the Lego Store.

Ava used her allowance at Build-A-Bear!

Then  we shopped a little more.

The girls rode the tea cups!  I almost got sick just watching them!  They loved it!

Then we went to the graduation.  

After the graduation, we waited for Kaitlin to come back out so we could snap some Kodak moments.  We took these of the girls while we waited:

Here is a picture of Kevin and his two brothers:

And Kaitlin with the girls:

We drove back to Arlington the same night and got in about midnight.  Around 4 am this morning, Ava woke me up with a stomach ache only to be followed by a serious amount of throwing up.  We were supposed to go to Faith Arlington's new member lunch.  However, we didn't think we should take Ava and make others sick so we stayed home.  Poor Ava fell asleep on the sofa outside on the back patio.  She slept for a little over an hour.  Then I woke her up and discovered she was running almost 102 fever.  Poor thing!

She has her 1st grade awards program tomorrow so we are praying she will get better soon.  I could complain that she needs my constant attention right now but I will remember that I want to soak up every moment, even the ones when she is sick because there will come a time in the very near future when she may get sick but she will be many miles away from home without her mom to comfort her!  While at the graduation, I was talking to Elizabeth, Kaitlin's mom.  She said to me "I have a feeling she will never come back home."  What she meant was that she knows Kaitlin will come home on weekends and summers but she will never live at home on a regular basis.  She is all grown up now and ready to start her life on her own.  Love those babies as hard and as long as you can!!!!!!!  They really do grow up in the blink of an eye!!!!!!

Miley's Haircut

We usually take Miley to the groomers about every 4-6 months when she gets very "fluffy".  However, one day this month we were sitting on the back patio watching the girls play on the waterslide when I noticed how hot Miley was with all that fur.

I decided to get out the scissors and try to groom her myself.  She actually didn't seem to mind!  I think she knew I was trying to help her feel cooler.

This is what was left of all her fluff!  It almost looked like Miley herself lying there.

And here is the new and improved Miley.  She did have several bald spots, but they will grow back out.  At least she feels a lot cooler in this hot weather!  We LOVE our Miley!!!

Mother's Day Thoughts to Ponder

Mother's Day is a very emotional day for me.  It always has been, and it always will be!  Kevin and I got married in 1995.  We waited several years before we made the decision to start a family.  Little did we know at the time, God wanted us to wait a while longer.  For many years, I avoided going to church on Mother's Day.  In fact, I would make sure I didn't go anywhere near a church on this day.  I refused to be the one still sitting in the pew when the preacher had all the moms stand so we could honor them on that special day.  It was just too painful to have everyone stare and wonder why I was not standing.  

My thoughts about Mother's Day took a turn in May of 2001.  At the time, I was attending a special support group for women going through infertility called Hannah's Prayer.  This group met at Germantown Baptist, and the leader encouraged us to attend their church as a group on Mother's Day.  During the service, the preacher announced the moment I had been dreading when it was time for all moms to stand up.  I could feel my eyes filling up with tears as I waited for all those special moms to stand all around me.  Then the preacher did something that completely took me by surprise.  He asked all the women who were wanting to be moms to stand.  Our group, which filled an entire pew, stood.  I am sure young girls and women around us were making notes not to ever sit on our pew!  Ha!  Anyway, then the preacher had people around us lay hands on us and pray specifically that we would be moms by the very next Mother's Day.  Talk about the tears flowing!  There was not a dry eye on our entire pew not to mention the entire congregation.  

Well, May of 2002 came and went and I was still not a mom.  If I am being completely honest, I have to say that I was angry with God.  Why would he put me through something so traumatic, have people lay hands on me, and not answer this one little pray I had prayed for so many years?  Well, we serve a might God, and little did I know, I was a mom that Mother's Day of 2002.  You see, my sweet Elia was growing and developing in her birthmom's stomach thousands of miles away in the beautiful country of Guatemala.  Elia was born in October of 2002.  God does answer prayers.  He just chooses to answer them His way and in His time.

The very next Mother's Day was May of 2003.  Elia was 7 months old, and Kevin and I jumped on a plane to meet our sweet Elia for the very first time.  Talk about a special Mother's Day.  I would have to relate it to someone giving birth on that very special day and meeting their newborn for the first time.  The bad thing about this weekend is that we had to leave on Sunday to get back to work on Monday.  That Sunday happened to be Mother's Day.  That was bad planning on our part but it couldn't be helped.  I remember waking up before the sun came up that Sunday morning because I wanted to soak up every last second I could before we had to leave.  I walked over to Elia's crib in the hotel room and she was sound asleep with her cute little bottom sticking up.  Lying next to her in her crib was a card that said the word "Mommy" across the front.  Of course, when I read the card, I could barely see the words for all the tears that were falling from my eyes.  Talk about a bittersweet moment!  How can you have so much happiness that God has finally allowed you to become a mom but so much pain knowing that you have to leave this God given gift in just a few short hours?

The next Mother's Day was May of 2004.  Elia had been home for about 6 months, and we got to celebrate this special day dedicating her at church.  It was extremely special because Elia was the only baby being dedicated that day.  Yes, there were many more tears!  However, this time the tears were pure joy!  Not only were we dedicating this gift from God to the one who gave us this gift, but our other baby girl was also growing in her birthmom's belly in Guatemala.  Little did we know, I was about to be a mom again!

Ever since the Mother's Day when Elia was dedicated, I have new feelings about this day.  Of course, I don't miss church on this day and I proudly stand when the preacher asks all moms to stand.  However, I can't help but continue to feel so many emotions on this day.


What about the children or grown adults who have recently lost their moms?


What about all the other women suffering infertility?


What about the foster moms who take care of orphans but are never recognized as a mom?


What about the birthmoms who made the most unselfish decision to let another woman be mom?


What about the elderly moms who have lost their memory and have no recollection of their own children?


What about the women who have suffered miscarriages?


What about all the orphans who do not have a mommy to tuck them in at night or kiss their skinned knees to make them better?


We cannot let this day come and go and not think about and pray for all women and all the children!!!
Please take a minute or two and pray for all these situations as you remember your own mom on this Mother's Day. 

Here are the two loves of my life that made this journey worth every tear I shed over the years!

Here is a picture of me with Elia when we were in Guatemala.  I love the look of peace and contentment on my face!  It is amazing to me how a mother's love is instant!

This picture was taken at the Memphis airport when Elia finally came home at 13 months old.  You can see the love and emotion between my own mom and me.  I love the look on Elia's face in this picture!  She is not so sure she is ready for this crazy family!

This picture was taken when Ava first came home at 4 months old.  She barely weighed 9 pounds!

This picture was taken when Elia was in 1st grade and her class put on a Mother's Day program at school.

This is Ava in 1st grade when her class also did a Mother's Day program.

These two pictures bring up a lot of emotions.  These were taken at an orphanage in Guatemala.  The first picture is me holding two newborn babies who were just abandoned.  The second picture shows several of the toddlers at the same orphanage.  I cannot help but think of these sweet children who do not have a mommy to love them the way a child deserves and needs to be loved. 

If you are a mom, make sure you hug your children extra tight on this Mother's Day.  If you have a mom, make sure you hug her extra tight on this Mother's Day.  If you want to be a mom or you have recently experience heartache involving your mom, please know that you are not forgotten about on this very special day!  

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Soccer, Strawberries, and Slide

I love this picture of Ava!  She found some kind of bug and wanted to keep it as a pet!

                               

On Friday, Ava's 1st grade class had their Mother's Day program.  It was so sweet and special.  After the program, we all went outside for a picnic.  Thankfully, my principal is good about letting someone cover our class so we can be a mommy as well.

Saturday morning brought the girls' soccer game.  It was SO hot!  It is only the beginning of May and the temperature is already 90 degrees.  The poor girls were so hot but they played so hard.

After the game, we ate lunch at Cici's pizza.  Then we went to Jone's Orchard to pick strawberries.  We bought a Groupon for buckets of strawberries and 4 strawberry smoothies.

Then we headed home, blew up the water slide, and let the girls have some real fun!  They played in the water for about 3 hours!  I enjoyed sitting under the covered patio and watching them play.

Miley enjoyed sitting out there with me.  Of course, she made sure to stay cool by the fan.  Smart dog!

Once the girls got their showers for the night, we ate dinner and had dessert.  What else do you have for dessert on a day when you pick 2 baskets full of strawberries?  Strawberry shortcake of course!!

Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, and Skydiving

This weekend could be summed up with the word "Sports"! We started Friday night at Dalton's baseball game. Joel pitched for part of the game in his khakis and loafers. That is SO Joel!

Saturday morning brought the girls' soccer game. Ava had lost another tooth at school on Friday so I had to get a picture of her with 3 teeth on the top missing.

Then it was game time! We were playing one of the hardest teams in the league so we really wanted to win! The girls played so hard but we ended up losing the game 3-2. Elia scored one goal! Here is a picture of Elia with that determined look on her face.

I was so proud of how Ava played. Some of the girls on the other team were twice her size but that did not stop little Ava. She is small but mighty!

Here are both girls going after the ball:

And here is Elia after she scored her goal:

We decided to do something different Saturday night so we took the girls to a Grizzlies game. We started off on Beale Street.

The girls got to see the Beale Street Flippers.

Then we ate dinner at Miss Polly's.

Miss Polly's is known for their chicken and waffles. (I stuck to just the waffle part of dinner.)

Ava is my little carnivore who does not let the fact that chicken came from a live animal bother her one bit.

Then it was on to the Grizzlies game! The girls were so excited!

They had to get cotton candy and popcorn of course!

They also brought along their allowance to spend in the gift shop. Ava ended up with a stuffed Grizzlies bear, and Elia bought a Grizzlies basketball.

During the fourth quarter of the game, you could find Elia shouting and dancing in her seat.

And here is how you would find Ava at this point in the game:

Ava was fully passed out by the time we made it home! The Grizzlies won! Go Grizz!

We drove to Whiteville on Sunday afternoon to surprise Mindy on her 60th birthday. The reason we were in Whiteville was because Mindy was skydiving for her 60th birthday so we all met there to watch the big jump!

David Stalls was there with Sunny, and David decided to take the plunge as well. You gotta love the hearse they have parked out front!

Here is David coming in:

Here is David and Sunny after he safely landed.

After David's jump we had to wait a while because it started to rain. Once the rain passed through, it was Mindy's turn!

And her happy friends and family with Mindy who made it safely to the ground! Happy 60th Birthday Mindy!

The funniest thing from the whole day was the videographer who videotaped people's jumps. He is not only a sky dive trainer and jumper, but he is also an ER doctor and the town coroner. HA! I couldn't resist taking a picture of what was printed on his sleeve!

Brandy and I have made it our goal to sky dive on our 40th birthday! Look out!