the rush family

Christmas Cards

2011-11-25T05:51:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of blessings and things to be thankful for!

I realized this morning that Christmas is a MONTH away. It's time for me to start thinking about Christmas cards. We are getting our cards from Tiny Prints this year because they have some really cute designs, great prices, and are offering 50 cards for free just for blogging about them. You should do it!

I have been browsing their website. I love how you can click on the cards that catch your eye and then compare them after you go through them all. I have 17 in my "favorites" folder right now. Hopefully one of those will work since I have no idea what picture we are going to use. I had originally planned on using a family picture but that is much easier said than done. :)

I found an idea from Pinterest on what to do with your Christmas cards after Christmas. Mine usually just get stuck in a drawer and never looked at again. This year if you send us a card they will go into a book like this. All you do is punch holes in the cards and bind them using an "o" ring. You can add the ribbon to make it a little more fun. Someone was sharing with me the other day that they used a book similar like this as a prayer book. As they looked at each card they prayed for the person/family it was from. What a great idea!!

I will leave you with a few of my favorite cards so far.

Halloween

2011-11-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

I just noticed I forgot to post any Halloween pictures. I think I got caught up in seeing everyone else's cute pictures on blogs and Facebook that I never got around to posting any. We started out the month by going to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out a few pumpkins.

We also went to the Fall Carnival in Opelika. Trevor was thrilled to see Aubie there and ran right up to him. Can't you see the excitement on his face? They had a lot of age appropriate activities for Trevor and it was spread out well. Definitely something we will do again next year.

Trevor had a carnival at school with his class. He requested "Cookie Monster"as his face paint design. Before it was time to go we let them have fun with the hay. You could tell a few of them had been wanting to throw it the entire time but couldn't with everyone around.

Trevor was a dragon on Halloween. I bought this costume a while ago at a consignment store. When I bought it I didn't realize it would be in the 80's the whole month of October. The dragon costume is like a snow suit. It was perfect for Halloween night since it got pretty cold and we were outside the whole time. Thank goodness my friend, Nancy, let us borrow the M&M costume so Trevor wouldn't sweat to death at the carnivals.

W.C. and Vivian really helped teach Trevor what trick-or-treating was all about. He went to every door with them and attempted to keep up with them as they ran from house to house.

I am not sure what this police officers name is but he was SO SWEET!! He saw the kids walking and pulled over and asked W.C. if he wanted to sit in his car since he was dressed as a police officer himself. He even turned on the lights and siren. He also handed out candy. If you know his name please let me know.

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

It is Veterans Day.

Here are the first people that come to my mind when I think of Veterans past and present.

My grandfather James Gunter.

Travis's Dad (and his grandfather although I didn't have a picture of him).

Our friend Ryan Gamston and his wife Courtney.

Our friend Sam Ketchum and his wife Dorsey (my childhood best friend and college roommate)

We have so much to be thankful for today. There aren't enough words to express how much gratitude I have for all of the service men past and present that have/are fighting for our freedom. I am reminded today of how much I take for granted. The problems I face on a daily basis are NOTHING compared to what anyone in the military (or their family) deals with on any given day.

Here are a few pictures from the internet that really made an impact on me.

As a mom and wife my heart if even heavier for the women that have let their sons and husbands fight for our freedom. I can only imagine the fear and worry your are consumed with every second your loved one is away from you.

So today I want to tell each and ever military service man past and present that you are a ROCKSTAR!!! We pray for your strength and courage daily. Without YOU our country would not be the same. I don't know how you do what you do but I will never be able to thank you enough!! When I see a person in uniform I just want to go up to them and give them a big hug and tell them how special they are. If you see one today will you tell them? Thank them and their families for everything they give up so that you and I can enjoy living in freedom.

a birthday celebration

2011-11-09T05:12:00.000-08:00

We got to celebrate a very special birthday this week.

My Dad's birthday was on Monday. We started the celebrations this past weekend since April, Mike, and Trent were in town. My Dad is the hardest worker I know. He puts God first with his family following right behind. He never wants any recognition and avoids the spotlight at all possible costs. (He is never thrilled when his pictures make the blog.) He was always the "fun" parent when we were growing up. That is until we hit teenage/dating years....then his fun ran out. :) However, now that he has grandkids that fun has returned and multiplied times 100.

We spent some time outdoors this weekend. The cooler weather meant roasting marshmellows and hotdogs over a bonfire. I can't think of a better way to celebrate such a great guy in our life. We love you Dad and enjoyed celebrating another year with you. Thank you for being such a great Dad and Daddy G. We love you!!!

Shoot for AFRICA

2011-11-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were little and you had very little to worry about? Nobody tells you how much hurt and suffering is going on around you and around the world. They don't warn you about the devastation and suffering you will experience and see with age. It is easy to get comfortable with the luxuries we live with everyday and often (if you are like me) take for granted.

Here are some pictures of boys and girls that can't even begin to understand what it is like to have running/clean water, food, and consistent power/electricity. These little people are some of the future faces and leaders in Africa. They are suffering and hurting right now. They desperately need HELP!!!

Thankfully God has put it in the heart of several people to make a difference in the lives of many people in Africa. Four Corners Ministries is an AMAZING organization that exist in order to spread the Gospel of Christ by demonstrating unconditional love and by building relationships to serve orphans and families in Africa.

In there own words...

"FCM has launched a new project called Abaana’s Hope (Abaana is an African word that means children), a comprehensive children’s village that will provide holistic care for orphans. The ultimate goal of Abaana’s Hope is to help raise future leaders, to lift them up and fill them with love and hope so that they might do the same for their neighbors. They also facilitates short-term mission trips from the United States to South Sudan and Uganda in order spread the unconditional love of Christ and to expose people to the work God is doing through the ministry (Matthew 28:19). FCM trips focus in four specific areas, education, emergency relief, evangelism and orphan care."

Meet Matt and Jamie East along with their two boys...

They followed the Lord's calling and are currently living in Uganda and serving as the Directors of Abaana's Hope. They are changing lives daily as they adjust to life in Uganda and get to know the people living there. You can follow their personal family blog here.

Please join us in helping raise money to help Matt and Jamie as well as the entire Four Corners Ministry Team as they "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow" ~Isaiah 1:17.

Travis will be participating in the first Annual Four Corners Ministries Shoot for Africa this Friday. Each participant has set a goal to raise $3,500 directly for Four Corners Ministries. Please consider helping Travis meet his goal by donating here. Every dollar helps and no donation is too small!! Thank you for your help and for your prayers for the ministry and the individuals involved.

Pictures and some wording was taken from the Four Corners Ministries website as well as from Matt and Jamie East's blog.

thank you for praying

2011-10-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all your prayers for my sister and brother-in-law. It is so encouraging to see God's hand at work. I never get tired of hearing people say, "We are praying for Mike and April." I usually just reply with a simple "thank you" but that almost doesn't seem to be enough. Your prayers mean the world to us. Thank you for pleading before God on Mike's behalf. Please don't stop!! Mike and April do a great job of keeping you up to date on his website.

baby girl, Pappy & Memaw, cold relief, & playground fun

2011-10-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Since my sister and brother-in-law found out they are having a GIRL I have been on the look out for cute girl stuff. I love helping other people spend money. :) One item I have learned that's a must is a car seat cover. It saves a ton of time and energy when you child spits up or has a blow out. The cover is easy to slip off and wash and put back on. Here are my two favorites from www.2littlemonkeys.com that I sent my sister. A friend told me about the website and they have some cute stuff.

Travis's parents came to visit for a couple of days. We stayed busy shopping, eating, playing, and watching Travis play softball. Travis brought home an empty washing machine box from work and cut windows out for Trevor. It is the best toy the child has ever had. He wants everyone to get in the box with him. Pappy sure was a great sport about it.

I wanted to share something with you since the weather is starting to change and we tend to get sick more. One of our friends at Our Home Pharmacy (it's the new locally owned pharmacy/coffee/gift shop in the Moores Mill shopping area) told us about Aleve-D. I am getting over a cold and this stuff has been my BEST FRIEND!!! The worst part about having a cold is NOT being able to breathe through your nose. You know what I am talking about. You can't sleep unless you have your mouth open and then your throat dries out and you wake up feeling awful. Or you walk around with your mouth open through out the day hoping a bug doesn't fly in. I have taken just about every type of decongestant in the past but this is by far the best. It gave me 100% relief in my nose so that I could breathe. It lasts 12 hours so you don't have to worry about taking it every 4-6 hours like some meds. The only downfall is that it will help get the mucus out so that means it usually drains down your throat. I was fine with that as long as I could breathe through my nose.

We went to the playground this afternoon. We saw our sweet friend Noel. After playing for a little while she walked over to her bag and brought back two suckers. One for her and one for Trevor.

We have a busy weekend planned. I hope everyone's heat is working with this cold weather.

phone pictures

2011-10-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

I don't sync my phone as often as I should. I plugged it in today and had several updates to install. While they are installing I will let you see some of the pics that downloaded.

If you live in Auburn you may know (if you have a toddler who is obsessed with them) these beauties have been parked behind CVS for almost a month now. We finally gave in and let Trevor get out of the car to check them out. Usually, we just ride by them and take a quick look. Thank you, city of Auburn!

I decided to be crafty and try an idea I found on Pinterest. Trevor likes the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, so I decided to give it a try. After we finished I asked him who he wanted to give them to and he immediately said G-Mama (Travis's grandmother), Pappy, and Memaw. I asked him about the other two and he never would say. So if you are reading this you may be a lucky recipient! ;)

I had to run to Target this morning and on our way out of Tiger Town we passed these. Since we weren't in a hurry I parked the car so we could get out. Trevor was speechless. We watched the equipment work. A man even pulled up beside us to ask what what they were building and probably thought I was crazy when I replied, "I have no idea, we are just hear to see the big equipment." I am still working on my knowledge of what each of these is called. When it was time to go tears were shed.

This was the daily report that was sent home with Trevor a few weeks ago. He usually gets all smiles but every few weeks he has a bad day. Notice that the only thing he got a smile for was EATING SNACK!! I really felt bad for his teachers. Unfortunately, Trevor wasn't the only "bull" in class that day. I know they had to be worn out. His teachers are great and always take time to talk to me when I pick him up. They told me that he wasn't mean to or bullying any body so that made me feel a little better.

My phone is finished updating so it's time for me to peace out! Travis's parents are coming in town tonight and Travis and I are going on a date for our birthdays.

Trevor's 2nd Birthday

2011-10-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

We celebrated (back in Aug. I am just a bad blogger) Trevor's 2nd birthday at the McWane Center in Birmingham. It was a good central location for all of our family to meet, plus it was a great excuse to get away for a night and have some fun. :)

Special thanks to my sister for taking all the pics for me. It is so nice to be able to enjoy your child on their special day without stressing about the camera.

The staff at the McWane Center is amazing and very prepared and organized. As soon as you walk in the door you have two assistants help you unload and set up. (Which was especially great because we showed up 15 MINUTES before the party started thanks to an accident on 280.) That way you aren't running around doing it all yourself. They take care of EVERYTHING! They provided all the food, drinks, cake, etc. and served everyone.

I promise we did have people at our party. I should have told them to stand behind Trevor while he blew out his candles. Poor kid looks like he celebrated by himself.

Trevor really liked being able to touch the shark and stingray. He thought they were there to "hold" and not just "touch with two fingers." He tried to grab them every time they swam by.

We found lots of dinosaur fossils...

We learned about humidity and tornado winds...

Here is a picture of Trevor on his actual birthday. It was pretty low key but I did fix him his favorite breakfast. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that candles MELT and since the waffles were hot, it was not a good combination. I ended up making more.

good sport

2011-10-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

I monogrammed these sweet bloomers for my niece that will be here in February. Trevor was a good sport and let me squeeze them on him for a picture. I know he will probably kill me one day for this. :) Did you know that Hobby Lobby has these for less than $5? Well worth it for all those who have little girls. However, I haven't washed and dried them so I don't know how well they hold up. Has anybody ever tried them?

A little bit of everything

2011-08-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Bam Bam's 2nd birthday. I can not believe two years have already flown by. He now will say "cheese" when you take his picture. However, I think we need to come up with a better word so we can actually get a smile.

Travis went to Honduras at the end of July and brought Trevor back a real soccer uniform and ball. He loved it and didn't want to take it off.

I attended my first ever Roller Derby earlier this month. Jill finally talked us into going so Travis, David, Jill, and I made a date out of it. I must say I was a little scared at first when I saw this sign. However, the girls weren't as rough as I was thinking. I was actually impressed at how well they could skate while getting hit and shoved. The girl in the blue tutu seemed to be the best (from what I could tell). We had a fun night getting to do something different with sweet friends.

We took a trip to the airport to enjoy lunch while watching the planes take off and land. We joined the Myers and the Hedges. I really like that the Auburn airport has a balcony upstairs that is closed off so you can let little ones run around. It is perfect because they are safe and they can see everything without being in the way. The staff out there has been extremely friendly every time we have been and they love having visitors.

Trevor and Noel were fascinated by all the planes.

We attempted a group picture on the couch but we are missing Charlotte.

We have spent more time at the pool since we know our time is getting limited before it is closed for the season. Bam Bam decided he is big enough for the diving board now. It all started back in June when he saw tons of kids jumping off. After watching them he kept saying "dump" so I asked if he wanted to jump off the diving board. There was already a life guard in the water catching kids so I didn't think much about it. Long story short we end up in line waiting our turn. I walk up there with him and get him to the end and he starts to cry. If you know me you know this is not my style. Either do it or don't. Just don't cry about it. So there I am standing in front of everyone with a crying child. I figured it was easier to just drop him off the end rather than for both of us to attempt to climb down while the line of kids waiting was getting longer. So I dropped him off, he screamed, and that was the end of it. I vowed to never fall into that trap again and that I didn't care of he was 15 before he jumped off. :)

Fast forward to a couple of days ago. We were the ONLY ones at the pool. It was strangely quiet and after we swam for a while Bam Bam asked to "jump" as he pointed to the diving board. I ignored him but then he proceeded to get out and walk to the diving bored. I was more afraid of him climbing up and falling off the side than actually going in the water. I knew in my mind he would change his mind once he got to the end of the bored and nobody was in the water. Well, I was wrong. He got to the end, hollared "one, two, tee, dump" and off he went.

Trevor started the 2 year old class at pre-school this year. He was very excited about his first day!

I can't say I was surprised at what was written under the comment section last week. Bam Bam sure can appreciate a good snack. I wouldn't be shocked if it was his favorite part of the day.

We have a new plant in our backyard. We have one of the sweetest neighbors, Mr. Dennis Pinkard. He works in his yard ALL THE TIME and it shows. You see Mr. Dennis is a Master Gardener and is passionate about planting native plants in his yard. He is full of information and knowledge and truly enjoys working in his yard. We joke with him because he is always digging up grass and planting beds of beautiful plants. We tell him to just pass the grass on to us so we can pull up our no longer living plants and hope that grass will grow instead. We had a hole behind our house where we once had 3 bushes, then a tree, and we finally gave up and just put pine straw over the area. Mr. Dennis asked me the other day if we would be interested in a Rosemary bush he had that was getting too large for where he wanted it. A day or so later, after some discussion, this rosemary bush was in the ground. Mr. Dennis fertilized the dirt and planted it for us. All I have to do is keep it watered. :)

Picture Dump

2011-08-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that it is already AUGUST!! Where has the summer gone? Here are some pictures of what we have been up to.

Mike's Update

2011-06-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

I sit here and I have no words to explain the feelings I am having right now. Mike and April received dreaded news this morning that I didn't even know was a possible. I ask that you join us by praying fervently for them. Mike explains it best on his latest Caring Bridge update. Our God is a BIG GOD!! Thank you for each and every prayer you pray on Mike and April's behalf.

"Life" - as Mike would say

2011-06-15T20:34:00.001-07:00

Lamentations 3:22-26

New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

²² The Lord loves us very much.

So we haven't been completely destroyed.

His loving concern never fails.

²³ His great love is new every morning.

Lord, how faithful you are!

²⁴ I say to myself, "The Lord is everything I will ever need.

So I will put my hope in him."

²⁵ The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him.

He is good to those who look to him.

²⁶ It is good when people wait quietly

for the Lord to save them.

My heart is extremely heavy tonight. The verse above from Lamentations keeps repeating in my head. Yesterday was a busy day for the Reed family. You can read about it here on Mike's Caring Bridge website. I ask for your prayers once again for Mike as he is scheduled to have a bone marrow biopsy tomorrow to see if the Cancer has spread to his bone marrow. Pray that it has NOT spread and that his low platelets are related to something easier to fix (like and infection that antibiotics can clear up).

Mike, April, and Trent are amazing and have drawn close to the Lord through each and every battle they have been faced with. None of us understand why Mike has to suffer and go through what he goes through but we know God's plan is perfect and not meant for us to always understand. But let's be honest, it's hard to see perfect with the small glimpse we get sometimes.

Your prayers mean the world to us. Thank You! Thank you for walking this journey along with Mike and April and our entire family.

Buy 1 get 4 FREE!!

2011-06-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

My Mom forwarded me an email she received from a friend telling her about the great deal that Winn Dixie stores have going on this week. When you buy 1 container of Gain liquid detergent for $11.99 you get a bottle of Shout, Gain liquid fabric softener, Gain dryer sheets (40pk), and Winn Dixie brand bleach all for FREE. I snapped a picture with my phone to show you what your display may look like in your store.

catching up...

2011-06-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I can catch up with a post of just about everything. I have more I could add but am afraid nobody would make it to the end. ;)

Prayer, Beach, Mechanic, School, & Memorial Day

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Several of you have asked about my brother-in-law, Mike. We received news we didn't want to hear or believe on Tuesday of this week. After being in remission for 3.5 months the cancer has returned. You can read about the details here on his CaringBridge site. Please pray for him and my sister as they deal with the news and decide the next step.

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We went to Destin a few weeks ago before school got out. My parents rented a house and we had a blast. It was really hard to come back home and get back into the real world. We woke up every morning and fixed breakfast and enjoyed our coffee while the boys played. Afterwards we loaded up the golf cart and headed to the beach or the pool. Sometimes we even hit both the beach and the pool in the same morning.

My Mom has been asking us to take a good picture of the boys together so before dinner one night we attempted it. April was the photographer and I was pretending to sneeze. To all of you who have more than two kids I don't know how you ever get a good picture of everyone. I admire you for even attempting. Here are just a few of what we got.

My parents joined us for the last half of the week and had no trouble fitting in to our "routine".

When the boys saw this guy they were both pretty excited.

You see those houses behind me? I vote to stay in one of those next year. However, we may need to double or triple the budget. HA!

We drove to Seaside a couple of times. If you are ever in the area, stop in Rosemary beach and take some pictures. The scenery is beautiful. Unfortunately, Bam Bam was less than impressed with picture taking and therefore refused to humor me. He did enjoy throwing rocks in the water though.

We tried to hit some of the good restaurants. This was breakfast one morning at the Donut Hole. I can't remember how many weight watchers points this was worth. I did have a diet coke to drink so that counts right?

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I think we have a budding mechanic on our hands. He found this screw driver in a drawer he wasn't suppose to be in. He was so into what he was doing he didn't even notice me taking pictures.

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This is Trevor before his last day of school for the year. He has changed so much since his first day back in August. He loves going and never has a problem telling me "bye bye" as they get him out of the car. He didn't get this from me. I hated my mom leaving when I was little. I was so bad I cried my first day of first grade...seriously. I still remember it.

He watches the bus pick up in front of our house. He waves to the kids sometimes but I don't think they ever see him.

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We went to the lake for Memorial Day. We stopped for a snack on the way in at a local convenient store and were greeted with this sign. If I owned a convenient store at the lake this would probably be on my door too. :)

To all the service men/women past and present THANK YOU!!! You and your families make sacrifices for all of us and we could not be more proud of you and your dedication to our country.

A Reason to Celebrate & a Coke Bottle

2011-05-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

My Paw-Paw turned 85 today. Mom, Trevor, and I rode to the lake to celebrate with him. He told us we had the numbers confused and he was really only 58 :). We had a nice visit and were able to eat lunch at the Homeplate Cafe in Dadeville. It is Paw-Paw's favorite and apparently he goes there several times a week (twice today because another friend took him there for breakfast) because everyone knows him by name.

Eating well was always important to Paw-Paw (and Mama G). When we were little we got a quarter if we had a "happy" plate. (Happy plate = empty plate) I remember taking him my plate and him telling me that my corn cob wasn't clean enough. I had to eat every piece. Then, when my younger boy cousins (who ate much more) came along years later they asked if they could clean more than one plate and earn more money. He must not have been as strict on them as he was us. :)

Paw-Paw owned Tiger Ford Motor Company in Auburn many years ago. So when we visit his house we get to play with some of his old cars. They are made of metal so even the toughest Bam Bam can't hurt them....even when he tries to make them crash.

Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster rode in the back of the truck. I am not sure what Big Bird did to earn the privilege to ride in the car. Bam Bam wanted Big Bird to drive but he was too tall to fit in the front.

I think Bam Bam has already figured out what to do on the tube. Hopefully it will be many years before he begs to do this. I don't know how I survived being thrown off these things repeatedly. My Dad was the roughest driver to be pulled by. If we were on for a long time he got the itch to throw us off. He made it a mission and for some reason we always tried to beat him. Needless to say he and the boat won and we ended up in the water...but we continued to want more.

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On a different note, we found this old coke bottle in our yard a couple of weeks ago and I just couldn't throw it away. Does anyone know about old coke bottles or anyone that collects them? I would love to put it to good use so if you have any ideas or thoughts please let me know.

Relaxing at the Beach

2011-05-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

We have been having a blast at the beach this week. It was a much needed get away and a little time for some R&R (when Bam Bam is asleep that is :)). Hope you are having a good week as well!

One BIG HOUSE makes a huge difference

2011-04-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed celebrating the resurrection!! We sure did. Hopefully I can get around to posting a few pics soon!

Some friends of mine, Micah and Blake Melnick, run a wonderful organization that helps foster kids. They are striving to give every foster child in the STATE a new swim suit and towel with their name on it. Keep in mind these children rarely get brand new items and they certainly don't get anything with their name on it. What a special way to show them that they are loved and special. There are over 6,000 children in foster care so this is a big task and they need YOUR help!!

Here is the most recent update I have received from Micah. Please consider helping if you can.

It's the last official week of our swimsuit and towel drive and we still need your help! Here are two exciting ways you can help out!

1. Donate online on Friday or Saturday- ALL DONATIONS ADDING UP TO $1000 WILL BE MATCHED! This means you can donate $25 and with the matching money actually make a donation of $50. Please donate!! www.ourbighouse.org(accepts credit card or paypal)

2. We are looking for individuals with monogramming machines who would like to come to our Packaging event in Trussville May 14th and embroider towels onsite. This should be a fun event and an opportunity to get involved in a hands on way! If you would like to sign up as a volunteer or embroiderer, go to www.ourbighouse.org and fill out the volunteer registration!

Thanks and please continue to spread the word! Make a donation tomorrow or Saturday and see your contribution go twice as far!!!

To find out more or to donate online click here.

Drop off locations are listed here.

Here is a sneak peak of some of the towels I am working on.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Eating to support babies, projects, and nicknames

2011-04-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came to Moe's a couple of weeks ago to support Team Baby Nate and the March of Dimes. Moe's had around $2000 in sales and Team Baby Nate gets 10% of that. We are eating at Panera tomorrow (Monday) night in order to raise more money. All you have to do is come and eat between the hours of 5-9. You can see more info. here. I am always looking for a great reason to eat out and I can't think of a better one than this.

Speaking of eating, Trevor is helping feed the birds at our house. He made this special bird feeder at school using a pine cone, peanut butter, and bird seed. His teachers sure do have a special touch when it comes to projects like these. I sure am thankful for them because if it wasn't for them I don't think my child would do any crafts. The couple I have tried never go over as well as planned and therefore discourage my brain to attempt any more.

After I picked him up we came home to eat lunch and then went outside to hang the bird feeder. I think he was considering taking a bite here...

I hung it from our deck since we don't have any trees with low branches on them close to the house. I want to be able to keep an eye on our feeder so we can see when birds came. (We are still waiting to see some birds. My spot may not be good after all.)

Trevor has developed a new nick name around here. We frequently refer to him as BAM BAM. Yes, as in Bam Bam from the Flintstones cartoon. Do you remember him? Well if you don't let me refresh your memory. He was a toddler who always had a club/bat in his hands and would beat anything he saw. He found humor is banging his club on the ground for no apparent reason. Well, Trevor does the exact same thing. We don't allow bats in the house for fear that we may lose some decor or have holes in our walls. He doesn't like our idea of no bats in the house. The other day I caught him using my travel toothbrush holder as a bat inside.

But don't let Bam Bam's nick name fool you. He has a sweet side as well. He made this necklace at school on Friday and was the only one on the playground still wearing it when I picked him up. I think he was proud of his work. :) His teachers told me he didn't want to take it off. I know his Daddy is proud!!!

eat at MOE'S

2011-03-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small, and often very sick. The March of Dimes is a charity with a mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

If you live in town we would greatly appreciate your support of our friends Bryant and Courtney Cloud who lost their son baby Nate due to preterm labor at 23 weeks.

Join us at Moe’s Southwest Grill (at Tiger Town) on Wednesday, March 30 (5 – 9 pm) and sign the back of your receipt ‘Team Baby Nate’ to donate 10% of your receipt to this cause.

Your gift will support March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.

Thank you for anything you can do – praying for this charity and this upcoming walk, donating online, eating at Moe’s this Wednesday evening or by forwarding this to friends and family to spread the word!

Fat Tuesday

2011-03-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

Can I just tell you I have had great intensions of blogging. I have several unfinished blog posts in my "drafts" section but none of them have been completed. When I am out and about I get these great ideas for blogs, then by the time I sit in front of my computer all those great ideas are GONE. I use to be one of those people that would spend hours upon hours on scrap booking. I remember living in Atlanta and I would dedicate a whole Saturday to getting caught up on my scrapbook. Now I am doing great if I just get the pictures off my computer and print them. Thank goodness for digital scrap booking!

Travis was off work yesterday and since the weather was nice we decided to head to the LSA baseball game. I think Trevor found every "lost" ball there was between the baseball and softball fields. After the baseball game (which we left as it was going into extra innings so I am not sure who won), we grabbed some dinner and went to watch the AU baseball game. We didn't stay long because we were watching for the parking deck and Trevor wasn't a fan of having to be held the whole time. So we got back in the car and headed to the AU softball game where they were handing out free beads for Mardi Gras. I think the beads were Trevor's favorite part. He wore them the whole time we were there and on the way home. After he had a bath he wanted to put them back on.

We also came home with Aubie. Doesn't every Auburn fan need one?

In other news I bought this candle the other day when I was in Wal-Mart and I am in love. It has been sitting on our desk area in our kitchen and I constantly get a nice little aroma every time I walk by. The best part is it hasn't even been burned yet. I love candles like that. It isn't too strong or fruity smelling.

Okay well laundry and house work are calling my name before I pick T up from MDO.

Happy Wednesday!!

busy

2011-02-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

We have had a lot going on the past few weeks. This is pretty much how I feel sometimes. Be back soon with some updates.

New Years, Ice, & BCS Championship

2011-01-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

Since the weather was so nice around New Years we decided to spend time out doors.

It was cold enough to build a fire.

And for dinner we made shrimp boil....DELICIOUS!

This sweet boy helped us! It was a good time had by all!

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We woke up to lots of ICE this morning. We knew it was coming but I was really hoping we would have more snow and not so much ice. At least we haven't lost power so far.

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Now we anxiously await the last 5 minutes to wind down in the National Championship game. This has been the most intense game I have ever watched. I feel like there are more highs and lows than I have EVER witnessed in a game before. Okay, well this post is taking forever because I only type during commercials. It is my way to relax. I think I am holding my breath during the game because during the commercials I breath and relax more.

Thank goodness this little man didn't mind hitting the bed a little early tonight. :)

WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I had great intentions of posting before now but just didn't get it done. It has been one of those weeks where your days are full of activity and when your head hits the pillow you are OUT! I like weeks like that.

We spent time with Travis's family over Christmas. It was so much fun having both his brother and sister and their families in town the same time we were. We tried our best to keep our minds and hearts on the Reason for the Season. After reading several of your blogs I have some new traditions I want to start incorporating next year to help us with this.

G-Mama with her great grans...

Travis and his family have always made cookies for Santa on Christmas eve (or maybe the day before). Ever since Travis and I started dating I have been a part of the tradition. His Mom use to make the dough from scratch but when you have 4 children under the age of 6 in your house there is not time for the "from Scratch" dough. We aren't sure what happened to the dough but it was more sticky than normal so we just added extra flour. :)

We drove back to Auburn on Christmas morning in time to eat lunch with my Mom's side of the family. My brother in law, Mike, wins the award for the most photogenic. I tried to get some of the children in front of the tree for a picture but that was not happening. We couldn't even get a good one of our whole family. If only everyone could be as enthusiastic as Mike when having their picture taken.

As we were getting ready to head back to our house Christmas night we walked outside to find SNOW. We couldn't believe it. This was the first white Christmas I ever remember. We let Trevor check it out to see what he thought and he was a fan. Thank goodness we had a change of clothes!

Earlier this week our friend Stuart dropped this off for Trevor. His Dad makes rocking horses and all sorts of great things for children. I can not imagine how much time it takes to build something like this. It was a nice surprise and Trevor has tried to crawl on it ever since he saw it. It is still a little high for him but I am sure he will be on it in no time.

By the way here is a picture of our friend Stu (aka Santa Claus). Not only did he drop off a beautiful hand made rocking horse for Trevor, but he also is giving Travis a FREE RIDE to the National Championship Game. The company Stuart works for was generous enough to give him two tickets to the game (fortunately for Travis Stu's wife is not an Auburn fan and had no desire to go). They are using points for EVERYTHING else including flights, hotel, and car. Needless to say it has made Travis's year and he has done a great job of not rubbing it in. :)