A Merry Heart

Bathtub Fears

2012-02-10T08:37:00.000-06:00

I need to blog about this before I forget...

Monday night Lily was sick with a stomach bug. She only threw up once but was very lethargic all day long. When it was time for a bath, I had to do a lot...I mean A LOT... of persuading to get her in the tub because she was pitching a nasty fit about it. We talked about throw up germs and how nasty they are and how they crawl all over her body and if they aren't washed away in the tub she will carry the throw up germs to her friends at school and then all of them will get sick and have to stay home with their mommies and she would have no one to play with at school. How's that for a run-on sentence? Then I made a deal with her that if she would let me bathe her first, then I would stick my feet in the water and she could bathe my feet. She finally got in the tub and I had the cleanest feet I've ever had. I just assumed her not wanting to get in the tub was because she didn't feel well.

Wednesday night it was time for another bath. {We bathe her every other night unless, of course, she is just disgusting. Don't know if that's proper parenting etiquette or not, but that's what we do.} She watched the water fill up, but the second she stepped in the tub she starting screaming, stomping, and sliding all over the tub. She refused to sit down and after she fell twice, we decided that being dirty is safer than hitting her head on something.

Thursday night my mom kept Lily while Brent and I went to Bible study. I warned her about the dangers of bathing Lily lately but asked her to at least try. Again, Lily watched my mom fill up the tub and everything was fine until she got in the tub. The fit started again, so my mom pulled her out. Lily really needed a good bath so my mom filled up one side of the kitchen sink with tons of bubbly water and put Lily in the other side and bathed her in the sink like she was 10 days old. What did Lily talk about all night long after we picked her up? How much fun she had taking a bath in the sink! And once a child considers an activity fun it has to be done that way every time. I mentioned to Brent that we will just have to bathe her in the sink until she gets over this no bathtub season in her life. He said I was ridiculous to think we were going to start bathing a nearly 3 foot tall 27 pound child in the kitchen sink.

If there's anything I've learned about Lily, she pitches fits for two reasons: 1)She doesn't want to do what you've asked her to do, or 2) She is fearful of something. I knew her reasons for not getting in the tub had to be #2 because it's just weird that she would all of the sudden not want to play with her toys in the water.

On the way home from my mom's house I asked Lily why she didn't like to take baths in the tub anymore.

"Dairs too much haiw in it" {There's too much hair in it}.
Then she reminded me that the itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout, but when it rained, he got washed out.

My conclusion...she must think the hair that gets caught in the drain is the spider that washed out of the spout when we turned the water on.

We had a long talk about how hair and spiders are two different things, neither of which we need to be scared of. And I promised I would always check for hair in the drain and remove it before every bath from now until forever.

750 Feet

2012-02-07T21:34:00.001-06:00

...that's the distance from our apartment to Brent's office.

Umm, could it be any more perfect? Actually, yes.

We've been looking for a place to rent for a few weeks now. Looking for an apartment when you are single or married with no children is one thing. Looking for an apartment when you have a small child really narrows down your options to nearly nothing. Of all the ones we've looked at, there was only one place that we felt confident would be a wise place to move our family. And a hefty price came with it as well. So after dreaming of how cheery life would be if we moved there, we decided it wasn't practical...unless it's practical to never eat, in which case it's completely practical! :)

The hunt continued, spending more time on Craig's List and various other websites than I care to. Last week I came across a listing on Craig's List that had a catchy subject line, but no pictures. I NEVER look at listings without pictures. It's just a waste of time. I was drawn to this one though. I read the details, though it didn't give many, and immediately emailed the owner. We went back and forth for a few days and finally scheduled a viewing this past Saturday.

My mom went with us, to keep Lily entertained while we asked questions. At least that was our plan.

I was a little skeptical, with it being something from Craig's List. You never know what you will run into these days. I even told my friend Jessica the names of the owners just in case we disappeared. Turns out it didn't really matter because the owner had disguised herself as a married couple with made up names in order to protect herself. Ha!

The owner was hesitant at first to allow us view the apartment because she has always rented to people she knows and she certainly doesn't know us. Thankfully, my mom was with us and instead of taking care of Lily, God allowed her to be a part of a conversation that changed the way the owner felt about us. Apparently her youngest son is married to the sister of someone that used to go to our church. Crazy connection, but a connection nonetheless, that made the owner comfortable with us and has agreed to let us rent her apartment!

Get this:

1) Utilities are included in the rent;

2) Since we are moving out of our house in two weeks, but not moving into the apartment until mid-March, she is allowing us to move our furniture in early so we don't have to move twice/pay for a storage unit.

3) We said we wouldn't pay more in rent than what our mortgage is, and the rent PLUS utilities is the exact amount, even better!

4) The apartment is almost the same size as our house, accomodating most of our furniture and has plenty of closet space.

5) It's a basement apartment so we are safe from the 'naders! :)

Why do we ever worry that Romans 8:28 isn't really a promise ALL the time? Through this whole crazy process, God knew right where Brent would be working, He knew that we would be living within walking distance from his office (not to mention just a few miles from where I work), He knew the price would be perfect and affordable, I could go on and on and on. It's so amazing to me how He plans all the details.

A reminder for me today: His ways are perfect! I'm so thankful that I'm able to blog about this so we can look back and remember just how good He is to us! ALL the time!

This God--His way is perfect;

the word of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

2 Samuel 22:31

Things I Miss...

2012-02-01T21:20:00.000-06:00

This is a post I've been meaning to write for a long time, mainly so I will remember these things. They are in a completely random order and I'm SURE there are things I have forgotten.

Things I Miss about Huntsville/Madison/Athens:
1. Athens square, particularly Pimento's and LuVici's.
2. Our proximity to Franklin and Nashville
3. RocketCityMom
4. Kroger
5. Madison City Parks and the greenway
6. Lindsay Lane Baptist Church and all it's staff/members.
7. Lindsay Lane Christian Academy and all it's staff/students.
8. Dr. B and Cornerstone Pediatrics
10. Huntsville Hospital, not that we had to go that often but when we did we were extremely pleased and well taken care of by the entire staff.
11. The new Madison hospital, new Target, and new Walmart--I will never use them, but I'm sure I would have missed them greatly since all three are 5 minutes from our house.
12. Cheddar's, Sweet CiCi's, Bruegger's, Cafe 153
13. Valley Christmas Tree Farm
14. The scenic drive on 72 headed to Mentone to visit my grandparents
15. Our house, of course. I can't say much more about that or I'll start to tear up.
16. Rosie's Mexican Cantina...the restaurant that made me believe I could eat Mexican again
17. Playing with Lily in our house/backyard. (I plan to have a sappy little post about this).
18. The cheesiest morning news show in history (WAAY-TV) and making fun of Gary Dobbs outdated wardrobe.
19. Country Clinic (Sanibel's vet)
20. Madison City Library
21. Kountry Kids consignment in East Limestone

Things I Don't Miss about Huntsville/Madison/Athens:
1. Our neighbors who are the opposite of neighbors...all of them. Not kidding.
2. The pit bull devils next door.
3. The smell of a dead skunk every time I drive down Nick Davis.
4. Seeing a Dollar General on every corner.
5. Asian Cuisine...YUCK!
6. Traffic. I know this sounds silly since I'm now in a bigger city. Traffic is awful in Bham, I'm no idiot. It just seems there are more options in Bham to get places without getting on interstates and highways. Even the back roads in Madison get backed up and it is ridiculous.
7. Riding out tornadoes in our hallway. It was always scary, but I've never been more scared in my life than on April 27. A basement or storm shelter is a must have in my next house!

Things I Look Forward To in Birmingham:
1. Doodles (the best shaved ice and sorbets in the entire world)
2. Proximity to family
3. Saturday Burger Night at Granny Rosie's
4. Christ City Church
5. Tip Top Grill (where I like to pretend Brent proposed to me because it would have been more romantic than his parent's basement)
6. O'Carrs
7. No more packing to get to Bham for the weekend and no more late Sunday nights returning from a weekend in Bham
8. Being back in my hometown
9. James Spann as my weatherman. I can't trust anyone else.
10. Milo's (that would be Brent, not me). I don't care what the jingle says, everybody does NOT go to Milo's!
11. Summit, Galleria, Brookwood Mall
12. Being here for random/impromptu family events

I miss North Alabama a whole stinkin' lot! Prior to moving there, I had visited twice so I knew very little about it. As a matter of fact, I had never heard of Athens or Madison. Huntsville and the surrounding area is the place that Brent and I discovered together and welcomed Lily into together. It is a special place with sacred memories that only the three of us can share.

I miss it, not because I just absolutely loved being there, but because fond memories were made there and I will miss making the memories. BUT, new memories are being made right here at home :)

Ok, I'll stop being sappy. I'll save that for another post!

Lily's 2nd Birthday Party

2012-01-31T20:59:00.000-06:00

Well guess what y'all? It's about time I posted Lily's birthday blog! I'm such a slacker lately.

My dad, being the amazing photographer that he is, has all the good pictures. I'm sure he would send me his pics but he's hunting right now and I don't want to wait any longer. These are the pics from my camera.

The day began with attempting to get a chair pic with her "Two Years Old" sign. You see how well that worked.

While I ran a few errands, Lily played in the soapy sink at Nana's house.

Then, we took Lily to the Southern Museum of Flight. Lily is our little aviator and loves all things planes/helicopters.

I had to get a pick with my dead relatives...who I'm sure aren't actually related to me.

Flying the flight simulator with Daddy

Flying the plane with Aunt Allison. Allison and her husband Bryan drove to Bham just for Lily's bday!!!

Flying with Daddy!

And for the party...pink chocolate chip shortbread cookies. Thank you Pinterest!

A Dora cookie cake

A double doozie cookie just for the birthday girl

And the super cute banner made by my friend Ashley

Couldn't get the whole thing in one pic. I love that I will be able to use this banner year after year!

Ashley has an Etsy store with precious handmade items, including banners like these and cute button cover ponytail holders. Check it out!!!

All the Dora decor!

Cute sugar cookies decorated by Grandma Reese

~~Spitting all over the cake~~ blowing out the candle!

And diving right into the cookie cake, literally

TOMS!!!

Her baby's nursery. Oh yeah, and her favorite gift...the Piggly Wiggly shirt from Dadeville. Thanks Uncle Ben!

Happy 2nd birthday Lily!!! We love you more than you'll ever know and we look forward to many many more years to celebrate!!!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-22T21:27:00.000-06:00

Here's a plethora of pics from Christmas. Because I'm so behind and these pics are pretty self-explanatory, don't expect a lot of captions (which you probably appreciate).

*Update: I just told you a lie. I can't possibly post pics with NO captions. Silly me :)

Making Christmas cookies with Grandma

Church friends with matching outfits!

Christmas Eve at the Milstead's

All bundled up in her new winter jacket...I'm sure she'll get a lot of use of it in the 60-70 degree weather we're having around here.

I'm the one that looks like an idiot because I'm NOT making a face. No one told me, but I should have known that with these three it wasn't going to be a serious picture.

Wearing her new light up pink cowgirl boots. She LOVES them!

A beautiful Christmas morning picture

Driving her new car!

Cooking in her new kitchen...using LipSmacker chapstick spices :)

Dressed for church to celebrate the birth of Jesus! We went to Christ City Church. Instead of communion crackers, we had petit fours and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

The mound of presents at Granny Rosie's house. Not all for Lily! They were distributed among 12 people.

But all of these are Lily's. She's the first grandchild/great grandchild so what do you expect?

Showing Choo Choo her new MagnaDoodle

Playing Uncle Ben's new Fender guitar

That's our Christmas 2011 in a nutshell of pictures. I said I would see you again this weekend, didn't I? Honestly, I didn't think I would ever get around to this so I'm glad it's complete. Upcoming posts: Lily's birthday party, another post about our move, and our new church!

Until then...have a fabulous week!

Answered Prayers and Potty Advice

2012-01-19T21:50:00.000-06:00

For those of you that have been praying for Lily to adjust to being at daycare (by the way, I HATE that word), our prayers have been answered. Y'all just don't even know how awful the past 2 weeks have been for me. Lily starts crying 30 minutes before we even leave the house, cries the whole way there, and cries 90% of her time at school. No joke. And I can hear it all from 2 doors down. It's just absolutely horrible, enough to make me want to quit working and eat dirt and never leave the house so I don't have to spend money on gas or groceries.

You think I'm kidding.

I am so thankful that maybe, just maybe, I won't have to go to that extreme because maybe, just maybe, Lily is warming up to that word that I hate.

She didn't have a wonderful day, but she did have a better day. Meaning, she only cried 85% of the day. Ok, I'm kidding this time. She cried when I dropped her off, but seemed to do well after she got over that. My dad was even up at the church today and went by the playground to see her and she wanted to play instead of see him. Sorry for any hurt feelings Dad, but I'm really glad that she, just this once, didn't want to see you!

On another note, I'm still way behind on updating from Christmas/Lily's birthday. Maybe I'll have a post for Christmas in July? Ha! Hopefully I'll get around to it before then! Maybe this weekend?

I'll leave you with two funny "Lily-isms" from this week.
1. Brent and I were reading Lily's Bible story before bedtime last night. She was not into the story. Instead she was into repeating some potty advice over and over again, "Don't poop in the bed. Only poop on the potty." And the way her lips form to make the "o" in only is just priceless. She has never pooped in the bed so I'm not sure where that came from. And she's only pooped in the potty twice, so she needs to take her own advice.

2. Lily had an attitude tonight at dinner time. She only had a 30 minute nap today (remember, her day was better...not wonderful) so she was a little cranky. I picked her up to try to redirect her attention and before I could say anything she said, "Lily is ugly. Lily is ugly to Jesus." I don't know where that came from, but I'm thankful that she is beginning to understand that Jesus is the One we hurt when we sin.

Y'all, I love Lily so much I can't stand it!

Have a good night. Maybe I'll see you this weekend when I attempt to catch up on this blog! :)

Super Exciting News

2012-01-14T15:28:00.001-06:00

Brent got an email this morning from a guy interested in renting our house. He is from out of town and today is his last day to be in town. Brent called him and explained that he was in Bham and didn't mind driving up to show him the house (because our friend that has been showing our house is on his way to the Philippines on a mission trip) but he wanted to be sure the guy was a serious candidate before he spent four hours in the car today. The trip was well worth it because....

WE ARE NOW LANDLORDS!!!

God is so good! He works everything out perfectly according to His plan. We have been praying for a responsible person to rent our house and the Lord provided the perfect match. Our renter is in the same situation we are. He has been transferred to Huntsville, but can't afford to sell his house. His house recently rented and now he needs a place to rent for himself. He has great and dependable employment and the fact that he is a landlord himself gives us the peace that he will take care of our house.

Umm, can you say EXCITED!!!??? What a relief!

Our Move Part 2

2012-01-13T21:51:00.000-06:00

It's been one month and one day since we moved back home, so I guess it's time I give another update to our crazy situation. Since I last wrote about our move (read it here) this is what has happened:

We had a wonderful going away party by the youth at our church on Dec. 11 (that I still haven't posted pics of yet...sorry!). The day after we packed up some clothes as if we were going to spend the week away. We stayed at my parents house as Brent began the job search. At this point, we didn't know if we had officially moved or not. You're probably thinking, "Was it really that hard to figure out?" Yes, it was. We weren't sure what the Lord was doing, our house wasn't rented, and all three of us were crammed into my brother's room at my parents house. We were confused and crazy, but taking things one day at a time.We had plans to meet with the management company on Friday of that same week to go ahead with the rental process. Prior to the meeting, though, Brent, with the counsel of his grandfather who has a rental property, decided he wanted to try to rent the house ourselves first before we payed a management company to do so. We cancelled the meeting, but still went back to our house to take pictures and load up the rest of our winter clothes.

We returned that same day to my parents house and squeezed more of our stuff into my brother's room. It's not a small room, but when you add a pack n play and winter clothes for three people, you feel like you are living in a closet. And, oh, was my OCD-everything-needs-a-place self having a fit! At this point, it was a little more clear that we had moved. We listed our house in three different places and immediately received phone calls and emails. We were very encouraged that even though the management company told us it was a slow season for renting there was still some immediate interest in our home.

So, back to the job search. Brent scheduled an interview at a bank less than 10 days after he began searching. WOW! However, we weren't too excited about it because the salary was less than what we needed if I was going to stay at home with Lily. He went anyway because it was an interview, and well, interviews lead to jobs, and jobs lead to being able to put food on the table. He was offered the job a few days later and, again, we weren't too excited, but he accepted the job. The job didn't start until Jan 11th (and this was the week before Christmas) so he would just continue to look for something else.

In the meantime, Christmas, Lily's birthday, and New Year's came and went. In the midst of all this, Brent and I began to have a peace about this job he accepted, knowing I would have to work again. This may be a stretch, but I don't believe things are just a coincidence...between Brent accepting the job and starting the job, we heard two different pastors (David Nasser and Louie Giglio) use the banking profession as examples in their sermons. I have no clue anymore what the examples were and how in the world they related to the sermon, but it doesn't matter. It was as if God was speaking directly to us, assuring us that this was the job He wanted Brent to have.

Are you sure God? Because that means I have to work. Don't you remember what you called me to do this exact time last year??? To stay at home and raise Lily.

I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit's quick work in my heart. It took me me less than 24 hours to give up my stubborn will and agree to find a job. I still believe God has called me to stay at home and raise Lily and our future children. I feel almost certain that He wants me to homeschool. I rest in the hope that working again is temporary and that He has purposes for me while I work. Again, I am so thankful to know Him and know that when He commands us to do something that we don't quite understand or necessarily want to do, He at least gives us the assurance and peace that there is an underlying purpose to what He asks of us.

I actually started my new job before Brent did, which is just plain weird. The church we grew up in has a daycare and the job just fell into place perfectly. A teacher and a child Lily's age left in December, leaving a need for a teacher and a space to be filled by a two year old child. Funny isn't it how He just works it all out?As Lily calls it, we both go to "big school" everyday. Brent has also started the training for his job and will begin the actual job on Feb 6th.

We have been living with my sweet Granny Rosie for a week now. She has graciously opened her home and let us take over every room in her house. We are very grateful for my parents who let us crash at their house for 4 weeks and now we are very thankful to Granny Rosie who has let us move in with her until our house rents.

Please pray for Lily as she has had to learn to adjust to so many new things in the past month. Brent and I feel right at home because we are at home. On the other hand, we took Lily away from the only home she's ever known and she is very aware of it. She is having a difficult time adjusting to daycare, though she has fantastic teachers, and it absolutely breaks my heart that I have to do this to her. Pray that I will remember that it's temporary and trust that there is something the Lord wants to do in and through this situation, even if I never know what it is.

Sorry for the long and detailed post everyone, but be prepared for more this weekend! I'm WAY behind!

Where's the Velveeta? And why I miss Kroger...

2012-01-07T15:04:00.001-06:00

I think it's common for people to dislike change in their lives. I look forward to change, which is why I have enjoyed our move so much because things are unpredictable.

However, there is one area of my life that I wish could stay the same. Grocery shopping. I just spent too much time and too much money in a grocery store that I've never liked and knew I shouldn't have shopped there the moment I pulled into the parking lot.

I haven't grocery shopped/cooked in almost a month. I miss it. I'm a dork and I really love planning and preparing meals for my family. So I was pumped about finally getting to do it again. I am the opposite of an extreme couponer. I collect coupons, organize them, and pretend to know what I am doing with them. I don't save as much as I would like to, but my sub par strategy does save me some money. Needless to say, we've been all over the place since Dec. 12th so I have really neglected couponing. I had none to use today when I headed to the store, so I should have known the frustration would come when I spent more than I am comfortable with. The reason it frustrates me is I know if I had bought the same items even without coupons at my favorite store, I would have spent much less.

Can I just say, I MISS KROGER!!! Why are there no Kroger supermarkets here??? At least I have Publix...

To add to my reasons to never shop at this particular store again, I couldn't find the Velveeta and the bag lady had an awkward conversation with me about Lily.

BL: "She's cute. Are you going to have anymore kids?"

Me: "Yes, but I'm not sure when."

BL: "So she's your oldest."

Me: "No, she's the only child."

BL: "So, she's your oldest."

Me: "I guess so."

And what I wanted to say was, "If you want to look at it that way, she's also my youngest. But, you can't be the oldest or youngest to no one."

Here's to a better shopping experience next time and getting the coupons out of Sunday's newspaper!

Thanks for pretending just for a moment that what I have to say is important. I promise my next post will have much more significance and I'll be in a better mood.

How Great is Our God

2012-01-06T21:51:00.001-06:00

I feel like Christmas was decades ago. I'm so scatter-brained right now as far as blogging goes that I'm completely overwhelmed and can't begin to write the details of all that has happened since Christmas. Nothing life changing or anything...don't think I'm about to tell you some big news because I'm not, especially in this post. After Christmas we celebrated Lily's 2nd birthday, then traveled back to Huntsville to get some packing done and spend NYE with friends, I went to ATL for Passion 2012, and now we are sitting quietly at my grandmother's house for our first night in our more permanent temporary living situation (if that makes any sense to you). Hopefully sometime within the next week or so I'll update you on a few things: Christmas, Lily's bday party, Passion, and the job hunt (which I will tell you is OVER!). The details will have to wait. Until then, here is a clip from one of the most amazing moments at Passion. I cried huge tears in awe of how great our God truly is. Absolutely loved hearing this song sung in different languages and wanted to bring every single one of the precious Ugandan children home with me. It just gives me chills to watch it again! It's long but worth every.single.second. And after this was sung, #HowGreatIsOurGod was the #1 worldwide trend on Twitter!!!

Lily's Second Birthday!!!

2011-12-28T14:46:00.000-06:00

Our first picture together. I will never forget how I felt at this moment. I fought tears because it would have been unstoppable if I started. I couldn't believe I was looking at my daughter-an absolute precious bundle of joy.

And in two very quick years you have become a spunky little girl.

I guess we can say we have a full throttle toddler in our house now, though you've been a wild and crazy girl long before turning two. Here's glimpse into Lily at two years of age.

Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Food: Goldfish and pancakes
Favorite Character: Dora the Explorer
Favorite Drink: Milk
Favorite Song: Jesus Loves Me, ABC's, and MMMBop
Favorite Bible Story: Noah's Ark
Favorite Activity: Dancing and playing mommy with your stuffed animals
Obsessions: Chapstick and lotion
Nicknames: Lily Boo, Tippy Toes, Sweet Girl
Like Mommy: your independent "do by self" attitude
Like Daddy: your love for clementines and Mythbusters
Mommy and Daddy's Favorite: hearing you sing "fo da Bibuh tell me so" and how you never let us eat a meal without saying the blessing or go to sleep without thanking God for anyone and anything you can think of
You don't like: Santa Claus, help with anything, ice cream (you must belong to your mother!)
Funniest thing about you: Your incredible imagination! We just never know what you are going to do or say.
Too Smart: You understand and correctly use words like behind, beside, both, us, under, in front of, etc. You speak in sentences and can carry on a conversation. You can count to 10, but you usually skip 3, 6, and 8. You know your colors. Your Uncle Ryan has taught you to say onomatopoeia!
What we think you will be when you grow up: Musician or Engineer
Weight: 26 pounds
Diaper: size 4, but you will be in size 5 soon
Clothes: 2T, though some pants are way too big/long
Shoes: size 5

And for comparison...

The chair pictures have become progressively more difficult!

Lily,
Our strongest desire is for you to fall head over heels in love with Jesus. Our daily prayer is that one day you will recognize your need for a Savior and call upon Him to save you. We want to see you follow hard after Him. His plans for you are unique and are always good. You are loved by Him in a way that you will never truly be able to comprehend. You are also deeply loved by Mommy and Daddy. God has abundantly blessed us and we are just smitten with you. The past two years have been better than the many years before we met you. You have been our joy, our entertainment, and the reason for many happy tears, proud moments, and a heart full of gratitude. We love you in a way you won't understand until you are a mommy yourself. We pray for and look forward to many more years to celebrate the blessed day we met you.

-Mommy and Daddy

Mary's Favor with God

2011-12-23T10:41:00.001-06:00

Birth of Jesus Foretold
Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her,“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Before I start typing away, let me first say that I can't take credit for anything that you are about to read. We went to my parent's church this past Sunday and it is the church we will most likely join. David Nasser is the pastor and if you've ever heard him preach you know that you never leave the same. He can take a passage from Scripture, like the one above, one that you've read a hundred times before, and make it seem that you've never read it before.

Sunday he preached on Mary and what it really means to find favor with God. I guess since I am a mother and my child was born during the Christmas season, I am really drawn to Mary and even more so after Sunday.

Mary was from a devout Jewish family and therefore knew about all the prophecies foretold about the birth of her Savior. She knew He would be born of a virgin, she knew He would be a perfect sinless man, she knew He would be a humble servant, she knew He would be beaten, and she knew He would die the most grueling death for the sins of mankind.

So can you imagine the rush of emotion that fell over her as she heard the words of the angel telling her she was favored with God, was going to conceive and give birth to a baby, she would name the baby Jesus, and He would bring salvation to the lost?

Really. Can you even put yourself in her shoes?

In that very moment with Gabriel Mary realized that all the prophecies she was eagerly expecting to be fulfilled were going to be fulfilled in her womb. And that sinless baby was going to grow into a sinless man and be killed for the sins of others was her precious baby boy? That baby promised to be born to save her was going to be formed in her.

That's one of those things that just can't sink in all the way into my soul. It's too big.

Mary is told twice that she is favored by God. Favored? Then why was she chosen to give birth to a baby boy whose horrible murder she would live to see?

I thought being highly favored was finding the best parking spot in Walmart?

Favor with God does not mean favors from God.

For Mary, favor with God meant the loss of the reputation of herself, Joseph, and her family. Favor with God meant witnessing the pain-filled beating of her Son. Favor with God meant outliving her perfect Son.

Do we really want favor with God? Because if you do, be prepared for hardship and heartache. Do you really want favor with God?

You do, I think you really do. Because the alternative is no favor with God.

"I am your servant, let it be to me according to your word."

If you care to listen, here are two of my favorite songs this season:

Lily's First Wedding

2011-12-14T14:37:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday, December 10, a friend of my family got married in Huntsville. We didn't have a sitter...

hold up, we had a sitter, Kayla, but I told her a few weeks ago that we didn't need her because I didn't know if we (with all of our craziness) would be in town for the wedding.

We were in town so we decided to just take Lily with us. The wedding was at 4 and we had to wake her up from a nap to get there in time. I was a little worried about her being in a terrible mood, but she didn't seem to mind at all. We walked in just before the seating of the grandparents...3:59. Because Lily was still sleepy, she was very good while the wedding party walked down the aisle. She enjoyed the music which helped to drown out her whispering. We discussed on the way to the wedding that we have to whisper during the ceremony. She seemed to understand and I was so proud of her! Then the music stopped and the father of the bride gave his daughter away...

"LILY WANT FRUIT SNACKS!"

"Ok, Lily. Mommy will get you some fruit snacks. Remember we have to whisper at weddings."

And I quickly begin looking for those fruit snacks. It would be now that I have trouble with the zipper and have to remove everything from her bag before I can find the fruit snacks.

Meanwhile...

"LILY WANT FRUIT SNACKS!"

I find the fruit snacks and...

"LILY WANT FRUIT SNACKS!"

I grab her and we quickly escape the sanctuary.

We walked around for not even 10 minutes and the ceremony was over. Thankful for a short wedding since I was quietly entertaining a toddler in the hallway.

Then we headed over to the reception.

Lily was thrilled to see there were lights, music, and a dance floor.

Finally, I have someone who will dance with me at weddings!!!

Doing what she does best...the girl loves to dance!

Kristen, me, and Lily. Kristen is a sister of the groom. She is one of my best friends since 5th grade; we went to high school and church together. She lives in SC now and I miss her!!!

I guess if Lily were to get married now she'd want two things: fruit snacks and a DJ.

We're Moving! Part 1

2011-12-11T21:06:00.000-06:00

I wrote this post nearly a month ago.
Then I tweeked it a bit a week(ish) ago.
And I tweeked it again on Friday.
But the post had no end. We were waiting on the end to occur so I could finish the post.
The end came Friday afternoon and it left us frustrated, disappointed, and very discouraged. I deleted the whole thing. Actually, Brent deleted it for me. I didn't care to see the words ever again.

But I remember how it began and it went something like this:

I never thought I would leave Birmingham. Then I moved to Auburn, but only for a temporary four years. Then, Brent and I said "I do" two weeks after I graduated from Auburn and he moved me all the way down to Fort Myers, FL. 11 days later we were told we were being transferred to West Palm Beach. The answer was a very quick no and we asked for other cities. Our options were Birmingham, Mobile, Atlanta, Pensacola, and Huntsville. We chose Huntsville, just because, and four weeks later we were residents in North Alabama. After nearly five years, we are very thankful we chose this location "just because". And just like I never thought I would leave Birmingham, once I left I never thought I would move back. It's bittersweet news that we are moving back home!

This is where the details of Friday's story are now deleted. Because circumstances aren't what we thought they would be.

Brent is no longer selling insurance. He did everything possible by every means possible to make it happen. We don't know why God chose it to be this way, but it simply didn't work out. Sometimes that's just how the cookie crumbles. You can do all the right things but God will have His way. That's why you can't look at your failures and be embarrassed (unless you brought circumstances upon yourself due to bad decisions/behavior). The reason things didn't work is not due to anyone's inability; rather, things didn't work out because God didn't want them to. It's really that simple and that's really the only explanation we can give.

That's also the only explanation we have for what happened next.

Brent went through three rounds of interviews with a company in Birmingham. It's the same company he worked for in Fort Myers and Huntsville. He is definitely qualified for the position, seeing as how he had already done the job for three years then gained more experience at other companies. We had no reason to believe the job wouldn't be his and each time Brent left the interviews, he felt confident that he would be offered the job. Which would explain our complete shock when he got a call yesterday afternoon saying the job was not his. Again, it's a simple explanation. God didn't want it to work out.

So that's what brought on the frustration, disappointment, and discouragement. We were left speechless, literally. We didn't talk at all for about the next five minutes. We weren't mad at each other or anything like that, we just had no clue what words could be said. And when we did start talking again, we didn't talk a bit about this subject because we still didn't know what to say.

We feel like we are at the end of about ten different roads. We are fervently seeking the One who knows how to turn these dead end roads into a straight and narrow path. We aren't asking why, we aren't looking for answers, we are just taking it one day at a time--making sure each day is pleasing to Him. I'm not going to lie, our circumstances absolutely stink. However, I adore that I am learning to trust Him for my every single need. I would much rather be right where I am, rich in Jesus, than have answers to the unknown, a good job, and gifts nicely wrapped under my Christmas tree.

God is sovereign. His plans are perfect. His ways are good. He is faithful. I am His child. He will provide for me.

And my Savior is constantly whispering to me, Be patient. I am purifying you, making you holy as I am holy. And, oh, that is exactly what I want. What an encouragement to hear the great I AM speak directly to me. I don't know how people who have no relationship with Christ go through trials in life. What peace I have to know there is a greater purpose.

Brent read Psalm 127:1 to me yesterday morning, Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. We are not to build our family on money, comfort, or anything else this world offers, but on God's firm foundation. We relinquish all control to build our family and place ourselves in His able and loving hands. Brent read Job 12:9-10 as well. Job's friends are trying to bring some reason to the calamity that has fallen upon him. I love Job's response, Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. This is the Lord's doing, but it's not something we blame Him for, it's something we praise Him for.

I love what Randy Alcorn tweeted about a week ago, "We define our good in terms of what brings us health and happiness now; God defines it in terms of what makes us more like Jesus."

So what's next? Well, as Brent told me this yesterday, our goal is to thank and praise God for what He has done and what He will do. So, we take things one day at a time. We keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, in order for our circumstances to grow dim in light of his glory and grace. Practically? We are still moving to Birmingham, just not sure when the permanent move will happen. We are hoping to rent our house through a management company (oh...I didn't tell you that part...our realtor gave us an estimate of closing costs and fees. Sheesh! Selling our house is not something we can afford to do right now). We assume it's easier to find a job in Bham if we are in Bham, as opposed to Brent driving back and forth all the time. We are going to the Ham for this coming week and staying with my parents and the job hunt will ensue once again. And we'll go from there...

Sounds crazy, I know. But I don't mind crazy and I don't mind change.

No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:20-21

May we be fully convinced, just as Abraham was, that God is able to do what He promised. And may we be found faithful.

We will keep you updated...post coming soon of our WONDERFUL going away party at church tonight by the youth and youth leaders.

Lily Lately

2011-12-08T21:15:00.000-06:00

This is the last "Lily Lately" before she turns TWO! Can not believe it! And it's going to be a short one (if I can possibly do that) because she should be waking up from her nap soon.

Biggest Challenge: You've always been Miss Independent, but it is really starting to show. You say constantly, "Do it by self" with any activity. Many times we can convince you that you can not do it by yourself and sometimes you can and we are patient with you. However, you INSIST on getting dressed "by self", which is something you can't quite do yet and that, my dear child, is our biggest challenge right now. It can be bad enough to ruin the entire morning.

You love to: dance, play Mommy with your stuffed animals--it's so sweet to hear you talk to and care for them like I talk to and care for you, sing, play in your room with your door closed--you think you are such a big girl, watch Dora, look at pics/videos of yourself, cook with Mommy and Daddy, read your books, listen and dance to MMMBop, make a fort on the couch, watch planes from the backyard, lather on lotion and chapstick like there's no tomorrow, play in your bed

You can: TEE TEE IN THE POTTY!!! although you aren't interested in doing it all the time yet, call people from Mommy's phone, play "Doodle Jump" on Mommy's phone, count to 6, your vocabulary and memory amaze us everyday--you are way smarter than you should be at this age! Sometimes I forget that you aren't two yet!

Our favorite: When you ask for a "Mommy Daddy Kiss" and we both kiss you on your cheeks

Favorite Foods: meat, fruit snacks, oatmeal, green beans, carrots, cheese, lettuce (yes, you like to eat plain ol' lettuce), apples/peanut butter, bananas, goldfish, anything chocolate (just like Mommy). You call noodles, carrots, broccoli, and various other foods "army men" and we play a game to get you to eat your army men. Whatever works, right?

We went to Gatlinburg for Thanksgiving with the VKs this year. This is after dinner at the Old Mill Cafe.

Playing with Mommy's chapstick

Eating a banana in Grandma Ruby's lap

Love this pic of you. You went up and down the stairs at the cabin 3,876,409,175 times...which meant an adult did the same

Playing the game of Bubbles at the cabin

The family minus Papaw who is taking the pic

Reading a book with Papaw on the porch. You loved this porch. The weather was perfect in Gburg and any time not spent on the stairs was spent on the porch.

Riding the airtram to Ober Gatlinburg. You weren't scared of it, just didn't overly enjoy it. You fell asleep in my arms on the way back down and while my arm nearly fell off, it was so sweet :)

On the carousel just before you freaked out

Riding on the train all by yourself. Such a big girl! Adults couldn't ride and we weren't sure if you would enjoy it. You tolerated the first ride with no cries or smiles, just a look of "Uhh...what is going on?" The second ride I had to ask the guy to stop the train so I could get you off.

While Daddy and Uncle Ryan went down the Alpine Slide, you pretended to ride on this thing-a-ma-jig.

At a breakfast show, interacting with the guy on stage who was trying to get the audience to sing and clap along to a song.

You decorated a sugar cookie with Aunt Katie at the Christmas Shoppe

Then you wrote a letter to Santa

Then you turned red in the face and screamed when we put you in Santa's lap

On the NINE hour drive home (that should have only lasted 4) you got bored and covered yourself with stickers. You were such a good girl in the car. Thankfully, we had Aunt Katie with us to entertain you in the back!

We went to Galaxy of Lights back at home...an annual Christmas tradition for us. This is you playing with fake snow. You loved it!

The only picture we got together at Galaxy of Lights before the camera died. :(

Lily Boo we love you!!! Can't wait to celebrate your second year!

My Best Friend's Wedding

2011-12-08T13:59:00.000-06:00

I am so behind on blogging.

On November 19th, my best friend Allison got married to Bryan! Allison was my maid of honor and I was her matron of honor. The wedding was perfect and absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I have no pictures from the actual wedding, but I have plenty from the wedding weekend.

Allison and I met on the very first day of classes our freshman year at Auburn in Professor Blaufarb's class. You never really think about who you are sitting next to in an auditorium of about 250 people. Actually, if you can avoid sitting next to someone you don't know, you probably would rather sit alone. At least I would. But that first day of class back in August 2003 Allison and I happened to sit next to each other. I still remember that day. We exchanged the typical "get to know you" information and that was that. Then we saw each other at church and attended the same weekly Bible study. From there, Allison and I were roommates for three years. We played on the same intramural softball team (by "played" I mean we dodged the balls in the outfield), watched every single episode of Gilmore Girls, cooked many many meals, pretended to enjoy running stadiums at the coliseum, had most of our classes together, laughed hysterically, went on road trips, and made enough memories to last a lifetime.

Allison and I getting a pre-wedding mani/pedi!

All but two of the bridesmaids just before the bridesmaids luncheon. From left: Terri Leigh, Sarah, me, Kristen, Allison

Ha! We just received our bridesmaids gifts. Terri Leigh is super excited about her scarf and who knows what I'm doing/saying?!

All of the bridesmaids and sister-in-law: Grace, Terri Leigh, Kate, Callie Jo, Allison, Sarah, Kristen, me

Allison and I at the rehearsal dinner...I'm so relieved to have my speech behind me. Whew! I've been fretting about that since they got engaged!

Terri Leigh and me

Kristen and me...Kristen is Allison's sister/maid of honor

Auburn friends: Terri Leigh, Jessica, Allison, me. Jessica just told us she is prego and this is us after we calmed down from the excitement. She has a pic of our reactions before we calmed down. Priceless!

We got ready at Allison's aunt's house. She has a huge master bath and all of us did hair and make up in the bathroom together.

Allison's mom (who is SO talented) sewed this to the inside of the wedding dress.

The dress :)

Allison's mom and sister buttoning the dress

Being sassy just before she saw Bryan for the first time

Of course, the wedding wouldn't be complete without a dance reception including Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and Hanson's "MMMBop". I have no pictures from the reception :(

The wedding was beautiful and so much fun! Congratulations Allison and Bryan!

Black Friday Rules

2011-11-22T17:21:00.001-06:00

I am so sad to say that I am not going to be participating in Black Friday shopping this year. I will be in Gatlinburg with the VK's for Thanksgiving. Although I will go shopping on Friday at the outlets, it just won't be the same. I usually go with my mom and cousin and the three of us define Black Friday shopping. Someone needs to do a documentary and follow us around on Black Friday. Seriously. Our record is something like 16 hours. We are there when Riverchase Galleria opens and I'm pretty sure we surpass everyone else that walks into the mall. Have you seen the Target commercials for Black Friday? I love the Christmas Champ because I can relate to her. I am her. Target should have called me to do these commercials.

I've been saying for many years that I need to write a book. Let's be honest, there are some people that are simply not cut out for Black Friday shopping. I'll admit that I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to the task of shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Since I can not attend Black Friday shopping, I thought I would share with you a few of our (mom, cousin, and me) rules and expectations regarding the Black Friday shopping. We consider ourselves experts, so it's our responsibility to educate others. Consider it my gift to you. These rules are in no particular order.

Black Friday Mission: To complete most or all of the Wright/Milstead/Von Kanel Christmas shopping in one extremely long shopping trip by strategic planning and having a go get 'em/don't mess with me attitude.

This is serious business, y'all. We are trained professionals and we will stick up for ourselves. Yes, even if that means arguing with a stranger over a table at Auntie Anne's pretzels.

Black Friday Preparation:

1. You may NOT under any circumstance and by any means view sales until Thanksgiving day.

2. Sale ads can not be viewed until Thanksgiving meal is complete and the kitchen is clean. You will need the entire dining room table to plan.

3. All family members are required to turn in Christmas lists by Thanksgiving day if they plan to receive gifts on Christmas day.

4. Compile all lists, compare to sale ads, and make a game plan. The first 4-5 hours of shopping are critical as that is when doorbusters are happening.

Black Friday Shopping Expectations (While you do not have to abide by these, it is really a good idea that you do if you would like to avoid the evil eye and the snide comments from us, the experts.)
1. Get the free snow globe from JCPenney.

2. Going to JCPenney at 4am to buy 2 pillows and then leaving does not qualify as Black Friday shopping.

3. Your best shopping is not done at an outdoor strip mall. You must shop at a large indoor mall.

4. You are allowed to visit stores that are not found in a mall (such as Target and Toys R Us), but you can not do that until you have exhausted yourself at the indoor mall.

5. All shopping during Black Friday is for giving, not receiving. You may not shop for yourself, unless you are shopping for a gift that you will receive from someone else on Christmas day. If you are there to shop for yourself, you will only slow us down.

6. This day is not intended for leisure walking through the mall. We will run you over either with our bags or our bodies.
7. This day is also not designed for youngsters to love on each other in the wee hours of the morning. Black Friday shopping is not an event to which you bring a date.
8. Strollers are not allowed or those ridiculous rolling carts for storing shopping bags.
9. Since strollers are not allowed, neither are children. The age requirement for a kid is 13, must be without a sassy attitude, must be able to stand in long lines without complaining, and must understand the mission.

10. The success of our trip is measured by how many trips to the car we make, especially the amount of trips made before 9am.
11. Review your list hourly to ensure you are abiding by the strategic plan and not forgetting any gifts.

12. Meet at Starbucks in the food court when you arrive. I don't care if you don't drink coffee any other day of the year. You need it to endure the day.
13. After noon, the early morning crowd will quickly fade away. They will go home and take a nap. You, however, will continue to shop like a mad woman. You will get looks from "normal" people because you look rough and are getting delirious. It's okay...stay focused on the mission.

14. Lunch is at 9am at Chick Fil A in the food court, with additional meals/snacks at noon and 4pm. Dinner is at Granny Rosie's house where she has graciously pulled out all Thanksgiving leftovers and heated them up.

15. After dinner, unload cars and sort through gifts.
16. Pat yourself on the back. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are beautiful and those awful bags under your eyes are proof that you are a devoted shopper. Stand proud with a smirk on your face, you accomplished the mission yet again.
17. Go to sleep. It will all happen again in a short 364 days and you will need all the rest you can get.

*I can't believe I forgot this one: Get a pedicure at 2pm at the nail salon inside the mall. It is well deserved in the middle of the shopping day.

Exciting News!

2011-11-04T08:21:00.000-05:00

Not preggers.

I am a contributor for a local website called Rocket City Mom! The website is a great resource for North Alabama moms. I'm the recipe girl and every Friday (with exceptions like holidays) there will be a recipe that will hopefully make mealtime easy and encourage families to gather 'round the dinner table more often. I share family favorites and yummy recipes I find on food blogs or cookbooks. I am NOT a chef by any means. I'm just a wife/mom that loves to cook and share meals with my family.

Here's my first post.

So even if you aren't a "Rocket City Mom", check out the website on Fridays for new recipes and ideas to prepare for your family. Everybody has to eat, right? You can also like their page on Facebook.

Bragging on God

2011-11-01T20:37:00.000-05:00

I don't know what to think of myself, finding time to publish two posts in one day. I must be sick or something.

But this is something that HAS to be said, because it's AWESOME!

The month of November is welcoming some abnormal (but fun!) expenses to our already tight budget. My best friend Allison is getting married!!! And with that comes extra gas, food, gifts, showers, and what not. I'm certainly not complaining about it, I've just been a little concerned how these expenses are going to be covered. Allison was a HUGE help to me when I got married. She was my maid of honor and I am her matron of honor. We were living together when I was planning my wedding, so she was involved with all the details. Now we live nearly 5 hours away and it's not so easy for me to be a part of all her wedding planning. So I'm excited and honored to get to share in her big day in any way that I can.

Anyway, worrisome thoughts have flooded my mind a lot this week and I've been faithful to take them to God and let Him reassure me that He knows our need.

And He certainly does...

Apparently we over payed Lily's ER visit a couple weeks ago when she had the croup. We got a refund check in the mail today from the hospital. It brought tears to my eyes to see that check, as if the Father was speaking directly to me saying, "Brittany, I know your needs better than you do. I will not fail you. Continue to walk in My ways and you will have what you need."

Isn't He amazing?! I am just overjoyed and humbled tonight :)

Lily Lately

2011-11-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

Sweet girl, you are such a joy and blessing! You are a spunky little toddler that loves to play hard! You keep your mommy and daddy running around like crazy, but it's fun! It's hard to believe you will be two in less than two months! At the same time, though, we feel like you've been two for a while now since you are Miss Independent and can talk so well.

Favorite snack: "montee nacks" or "nana nacks" aka fruit snacks in the shape of Curious George or Veggie Tales
Favorite show/movie: Air Buddies, Dora, MM Clubhouse, Curious George, Thomas the Tank Engine, and anything with Elmo, cars, planes, or animals
Favorite color: You finally realize that yellow is not the only color. You can name green, purple, and orange as well.
Favorite song: ABC's, Amazing Grace, Our God, Itsy Bitsy Spider
Favorite book: Knuffle Bunny, Ten Tiny Tadpoles, and the Bible
Favorite activity: making a fort in the den, running around in the backyard, "drive fo a minit" aka playing in the car while it is parked in the garage, helping Mommy in the kitchen, going down the slide at the park
Favorite store: Target
Friends: Logan, Davis, Dusti Jo, Emma, and Samuel

You are learning your shapes and can pick out a circle, square, and octagon (thanks to a puzzle given to you by one of Mommy's students last year).
You can put your shoes on by yourself, assuming the straps are already loosened.
You talk in complete sentences, have been for a while actually.
You forget NOTHING, seriously. I might casually say something once and a few days later you will repeat what I just said and follow it with "memember?" Your memory is impeccable.
You love when Daddy comes home from work and you love to go visit him at work.
You are asking what everything says and who everyone is. Many times we make up answers because we have no clue what a grape says, what a pumpkin says, or who the man is in the parking lot at the grocery store. The words "I don't know" don't suffice for an answer.
You love going to the "bibeddy" (library) for storytime. We go every week and check out books after storytime.
You love all things music. If anyone is ever a fly on the wall at our house, they would frequently see the whole family twirling in your bedroom or singing the ABC's or Itsy Bitsy Spider in unison. You even try to get Sanibel in on the action.
You love to pray for others
You survived the croup and all 3 of us survived the stomach bug. Mommy survived it twice!

You and Daddy at the Pumpkin Patch. Mommy's camera died shortly after this. Thankfully, Tbone had his camera and took plenty of pics.

Just chillin' with my shades on

Breakfast with Puppy

You LOVE stickers!!!

Taking Aubie for a walk in the backyard

Thankful for a big, fenced in backyard so you can roam and play as much as you want.

You take such good care of your babies. This is Aunt Katie's baby doll from when she was younger.

Such a mess! Those old Winnie the Pooh shorts around your head, sunglasses on, twisted pants, hair falling down...

Blowing bubbles!

I love the smile on your face!

When Daddy gets home you greet him at the door and beg for a walk outside or to go look at the moon.

Whoville???

Silly face #1

Silly face #2

This is a typical fort in our house. You usually sit on it or slide down it from the couch.

Your first Halloween party: Daddy dressed as Andy John (youth pastor, they look alike), Mommy as a Twitter hash tag, and you as the cutest chef ever!

You and "Lissy" (Linsey). Ever since she hurt her back and has to wear a brace, you've been apprehensive around her. You must be scared of the brace :( But you ask to pray for her and Mitchell all the time!

Absolutely love this picture of you and Daddy! This is just before he took you on a date to get a free GiGi's cupcake on Halloween!

Daddy's trick or treat cupcake and Lily's creepy crawly cupcake

Enjoying the sugar!!!

Jessica surprised you on Halloween night!

So did "Kenna" (McKenna)! Jessica and McKenna are two girls that were Mommy's SS class. You were crazy that night...so sugared up! It was hilarious! McKenna taught you to say, "I love sugar!" and you said it over and over again. Fun times!

We love you Lily Boo!!!

Rosemary the Monster

2011-10-22T22:26:00.000-05:00

I'm certainly not talking about my beautiful Granny Rosie! But I am talking about that horrible rosemary bush behind her in this picture.

When we moved into our house 4 1/2 years ago, our realtor told us, "The previous owners left their garden for you in the backyard." As if they were going to pack it up and take it with them???

By "garden", she meant an out of control rosemary bush. And even if they did leave an actual garden, it would mean nothing to me since I have no idea how to tend to a garden.

So tonight while our Tigers were getting completely run over by the other Tigers, I decided to cut away at this green monster (and it's not the first time). Not only is it ugly, but it's smelly. I normally don't mind the smell of rosemary, but there's just so much of it I can't breathe when I step on the patio. And when Sanibel, who smells anyway, rolls around in it...oh my word, it's awful!

Here's what I salvaged after all the cutting. However, it ended up in garbage bags. Wasteful, I know. I'm sure there are tons of cute Pinterest ideas for all this rosemary. I really had plans to use it somehow. But Brent had it stuffed inside a Hefty before I could stop him. He gave me the look of "C'mon, Brittany, you know it will end up here anyway." Think of me what you want, I'm not looking to join a gardening club.

The finished product. It will be completely removed in due time. Would you believe me if I told you that I don't own a shovel? If that's even the right tool to use to get this thing out of the ground, I don't know!

My little helper. Except she's not so little anymore!

Totally unrelated...but I must say it, though I'm sure I've said it before. Auburn is more to me than football. It's about the town, the people I met when I was there, the memories, the traditions, my education, the 1602 N. Donahue apartment, etc. No matter the outcome of the game, my heart is unchanged. I believe in Auburn and love it.

Our yes is on the table

2011-10-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

It's tomorrow. The deadline Brent and I have praying about since August, pleading with God to allow Brent to meet his sales goals so we don't have to live in a cardboard box. Like my mom said, it's uncomfortable to ask for God's favor because we don't deserve it. But we need it.

So it's tomorrow and the sales goal is not going to be met unless God does some miraculous stuff between now and midnight tomorrow.

Anyone have a big cardboard box? :)

I fully believe He is able, but I also fully believe His plan is not what we have been asking Him for.

Does that mean He isn't faithful? No.
Does that mean He doesn't hear/answer our prayers? No.
Does that mean Brent hasn't done everything he can to meet his goals? No. He's worked his rear end off and still found the energy to give 110% to his family.

It means that we are living Proverbs 16:9, "The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." We are doing our best to live out what He has called us to do, but we are human and our ways are flawed. He graciously establishes our steps so we can follow Him.

I am amazed at how God has totally transformed our hearts. The thing we've been fervently praying about since August is now the thing we actually don't want to happen. We thought the best thing for us was for Brent to meet his sales goals by October 20th. God has given us a peace that transcends understanding (Phil. 4:7) that His plans are different and greater.

Our prayers have changed. Our focus has changed. We now have a peace about the present time. Since we have that peace and confidence in His plan, we are relieved of stress and worry about our immediate future and our focus can be where it needs to be: on Jesus. We can look to the future with wonder and awe of what He must have in store for us. And Brent can enjoy his work without getting discouraged.

We believe God is preparing us for something better than we can imagine for ourselves. Our deepest, earnest desire is to live a gospel centered life and do exactly what God has specifically called us as a family to do. We want less of the typical American life. We want more of His Kingdom in our hearts. We don't know where God wants to lead us. He may lead us to stay right where we are. Regardless of what He desires, we want to be aware of it and available to be used. So our "yes" is on the table. We do not want to miss what God has for us now and in the future.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose trust is in the LORD.

He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

On the Mend

2011-10-03T21:40:00.001-05:00

Sweet girl is getting better! We saw the pediatrician today. Her poor throat is very raw and red due to all the ~~dying seal barking~~ coughing she's been doing. Lily had a negative strep test and the doc said she should be better by Wednesday. Yea!!! She even asked to eat today AND go outside to play with Sanibel. Silly Lily is on the mend :) We are so thankful! I've never seen this girl so sick :(

Lily's First ER Trip

2011-10-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

Most of you probably saw this on Facebook already, but I want to post it here so I won't forget. I don't keep a baby book so this blog serves the same purpose.

Lily began getting sick on Thursday afternoon. She sounded a little congested in her chest and had a runny nose. Thursday night and all day Friday she hardly ate a thing. She started to cough and every inhale and exhale sounded raspy. Before she had tubes, going to the doctor was never in question. All colds became an infection in her ear and that had to be fixed. Now that she has tubes, we aren't as quick to get her to the doctor. I decided to wait through the weekend and take her on Monday if needed. If nothing else, we could just take her to urgent care on Saturday.

Friday night her cough was getting worse and she was irritable, so we put her to bed early with a humidifier in her room. At 12:15am she woke us up coughing and saying "ow" everytime she exhaled. She was seriously struggling to breathe, her chest caved in whenever she exhaled, her heart was racing, and she was shaking. Scared this momma to death! I brought her into our room to lay down with Brent while I frantically looked for the thermometer, some medicine, and fixed her some water. I debated calling 911 because I really thought it was that bad, maybe it was, I don't know. But after I checked her temperature and gave her some Tylenol to bring her fever down, she was a little calmer, but still not breathing well. I called my parents and woke them up. Thankfully they were awaiting a call from my brother who was headed to Florida for the Alabama game, so the phone call wasn't too shocking. My mom suggested we go on to the hospital.

The drive to the hospital is a good 20-30 minutes away. Thankfully the same hospital is building a new campus closer to our house that is opening in March. Yay! Anyway, we entered the pediatric ER fully expecting to see a waiting room full of "weirdos" as Brent called them. However, we were the only ones in there! When does that ever happen? We were only at the ER for a total of 40 minutes. The doc diagnosed her with the croup and she got a good dose of some steroids. We headed home and were back in the bed a little after 2, so this whole episode only lasted 2 hours. I'd say that's pretty good!

Lily woke up at 8 this morning. She sounds much better, but she isn't feeling much better :( She was asleep more than she was awake today. It's like we have a newborn in the house again.

The hospital is giving away DVDs...not sure why...and they gave us "Air Buddies", "High School Musical 2", and "Jonas Brothers". WONDERFUL, huh? :) The few moments that Lily wasn't asleep today, we watched "Air Buddies". She loves dogs, so this movie is perfect for her. She doesn't know about the other two...yet. I'm sure some time in our near future those movies will find a way into our DVD player. Lily will probably love them because she loves music.

I hate seeing her so sick and being so miserable. However, I do like all the snuggle time we get with her when she is sick. She won't do that any other time, so we are enjoying that while it lasts. More importantly, we just want her to get back to being her silly self.

There are many other things that could be wrong and we thank God that it's just the croup.

Our Auburn Weekend

2011-09-26T21:14:00.000-05:00

Lily's first taste of the Auburn game day experience was this past Saturday for the Auburn vs Florida Atlantic game. She's been to Auburn twice before, but it was just to stop for lunch on our way down to and back from Fort Myers Beach last summer. I consider this her first real trip to Auburn since we were able to do things that are unique to the town. We talked to Lily all week about what to expect, mainly that she would see lots of "aubie" things.

Aubie drove us to Auburn. We got there around lunch time, found a great parking spot since the game didn't start until 6, and headed straight to Toomer's to get lemonade.

After drinking the world's best lemonade, we went to Samford lawn to let Lily run around.

Then, we met some friends (Britt and Katie White) to tailgate for lunch. Lily fell asleep while we were eating, so I don't have any pictures of us at the tailgate. After we ate, Katie's dad, who used to play for Auburn, took us up to the Lettermen's Lounge.

Lily took a picture with Aubie on the women's bathroom door, just in case we didn't see the real Aubie.

Katie, Caitlyn, me, Lily

After the lounge, it was time to go on a hunt for Aubie. We were told he would be at the alumni tent at 3. We were there a little before 3 and were able to see him drive up in his ATV. Lily got a good look at him, even touched his paw and made him blush :) Brent was too far away and couldn't get a picture before he headed into the tent. Lily cried for him like her BFF had just moved to a foreign country and she would never ever ever be able to see him again. It was pitiful. Brent paid $10 for us to be guests of some random person who is a member of the alumni association so that we could get into the tent. It was the best $10 we've ever spent. Of course, it would be that as soon as we got in line for a picture with Aubie he walked off to another crowd of people. He's a very popular tiger! So I put on my Black Friday Attitude and marched right behind him. My baby was gonna get a picture with Aubie! I literally just had to stand beside him and ask him several times to take a picture. That poor tiger was being pulled in so many directions and had so many kids begging for his attention, I had to take advantage of the very small opportunity we had to get a picture.

Lily was just absolutely smitten by him! I don't think she could get over the fact that she was staring at the real deal. It was so precious! Great memory :)

Our day could have ended there. Lily was speechless and we were so happy that she got to meet him! We shopped around in J&M and the Haley bookstore and none of us could decide on a souvenir, so we just bought some shakers.

Then, we ran into Rebecca, Wesley, and Eli. Rebecca is one of my best friends that I met while at Auburn. We were both education majors. This was Lily and Eli's first time to meet.

We made our way to the stadium and got in our seats just in time for the pre-game show.

Other than spitting her water on the lady sitting in front of us, Lily did great at the game. She even shared a pretzel with a complete stranger. We left after the half time show. Lily has watched one too many YouTube videos of the AU marching band, so we had to let her watch it live and just like with Aubie, she didn't blink or make a noise, just watched in amazement. Thanks to my dad (who, by the way, is a HUGE bama fan!) who bought us our tickets and thanks to the Howard's who gave him a great deal on those tickets! We had a wonderful time and made many family memories.

Auburn won 30-14! War Eagle!!!