Faith, Family, and Freedom Celebration

Saturday evening we had a blast at the Faith, Family, and Freedom Celebration hosted by New Life 91.9.

Before the concert began the kids had a great time playing on several of the moon bounces they had set up.

They clocked Corban throwing a few baseballs. He threw them at about 28 mph. I thought that was pretty good for a 5 year old!

Here's Riley not too sure how to come down the big slide...

Daddy had to make a quick rescue.

I think Cor's favorite part of the night was the yummy cotton candy!

The concert began about 6:00 featuring Britt Nicole and followed by the Newsboys! I have to tell you…the Newsboys were AWESOME!!!!!! It was a great night of worship! After the concert, they had a fantastic fireworks display!I We had a great time and can't wait until next year!

Our Week

These summer days are just flying by. I don't know where the time goes! We've been keeping busy though and trying to stay out of trouble ;).

Corban was in CHAMPS Sports Camp all week at our church. Each day they focused on a different sport. He loved it and had a ton of fun!

We are still taking care of my precious niece this week too. Boy, your easily forget how much work a newborn can be. She is so sweet though and we've really enjoyed having her with us.

I have to tell you, my sister Allison has been the biggest help these past few weeks. She has stayed with us several days and helped me with Makayla and the boys. What a wonderful help she is. I really couldn't have done it without her. Thanks Al!!!!!

Riley and his "new" scooter

I got up early on Saturday and headed out the door hoping to hit a few good yard sales. I LOVE, LOVE , LOVE to yard sale. You never know what treasure you might find. Some Saturdays are good others are not so much. Well, this Saturday was just an okay day. I did come home with several things for the boys. I got them each a few new puzzles, some books, and videos. Corban is into Rescue Hero's right now, so I picked up a few of those too. The best buy of the day was a scooter for Riley. Corban already has a scooter. Riley loves Corbans scooter, but it's way too big for him! I called the boys on my way home to tell them that I had a few surprises for them. They always get so excited when I come home after a yard sale morning. When I got home, I handed Riley his "new" scooter, and you would of thought I handed him the moon. He LOVED it! He has told me over and over and over again,"thank you mommy for my present!" He rode it around the house for hours on Saturday. When he woke up Sunday morning, before he even came in to say good morning, he was down stairs riding it again.


Sunday evening, Shane took the boys outside for a while so Riley could ride his scooter on the road like a big boy. He had the best time.

Saturday

This weekend we took the boys to see the movie Horton Hears a Who. It is still playing at the $2.00 theater, and we hadn’t seen it yet. (It was a really cute movie!) This was Riley’s first time at a theater. (Well, I did attempt to take him to a free movie last summer, but we spent the majority of the time walking in the lobby. Yeah, that didn’t go so well.)

Anyway, I was hopeful that this time he would enjoy the movie and that it would hold his attention. He did pretty well and sat still-as long as we kept feeding him. He LOVED the popcorn and had a few snowcaps too! (Snowcaps are Corban’s and Shane’s favorite movie treat.) All in all it was a great time.

After the movie we headed to Mickey D’s for a nutritious lunch.

After lunch we did a little shopping at Ross. I got the cutest black dress for $7.99! Great deal, huh!?! Shane picked out a few things too! Anyway, it turned out to be a fun-filled Saturday afternoon!

I was tagged by my friend Faith. It took me a while to respond. Sorry Faith! With my niece here all week, I just didn't have a lot of time to blog.

Anyway...here it goes...

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Let’s see… I had just graduated for high school. I attended a very elite, private school here in Charlotte. I graduated with honors and at the top of my class.-- I was homeschooled =)!

2. My Favorite Snacks

Is ice-cream considered a snack? I love Eddy’s Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream! It’s the best. I’m notorious for eating all the cookie dough out of the carton and leaving the ice-cream!

3. Five things on my to-do list today
1. Clean my house because the girls in the college group from church are coming over tonight for dinner!
2. Go to the grocery store.
3. Laundry!!!!!
4. More Laundry!!!!
5. Work on my Sunday school lesson for Sunday. I’m teaching preschool group time!

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire
I would most definitely tithe! Then, I would pay off our debt and that of each of our family members. I would set up an adoption fund for families who want to adopt, but need funds to do so. I would buy a beach house and a boat for my husband. I would probably hire a personal chef and a maid. I would then go SHOPPING!!!!

5. Five jobs that I've had
1. Taught swim lessons for a couple of years
2. Worked at an eye doctor’s office
3. Taught 2 year old pre-school
4. Was a nanny
5. Sunday School Church Coordinator

6. Five places I've lived
1. Detroit, Michigan (born there)
2. Charlotte, NC
3. Charlotte, NC
4. Charlotte, NC
5. Charlotte, NC - not born, but raised here.

7.Five random things people wouldn't know about me
1. I am a homeschool graduate!
2. I love old televisions shows. I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, Beverly Hillbillies, ect. I love my DVR too. I can record the shows, and then watch an episode or two when I have a chance.
3. I love to yard sale! You never know what treasure you might find.
4. I can’t sing at all. No, not a note! I wish I could though, I really do!
5. I hate onions! Cooked, raw, whatever…I don’t like them!

8. Five cds that I'd have to take on a desert island
1. Kelly Clarkson
2. Steven Curtis Chapman
3. Faith Hill
4. Selah
5. Kellie Pickler too!

9. People I tag are.........

Kate

Beth

Susan

Dawn

My adorable niece!

We are watching my nine-week old niece this week and some of next week too. She was supposed to begin daycare on Monday, but she had a terrible experience her first day there. Since then, my sister-in-law has decided she is going to stay home with Makayla, but she had to give her work a two week notice. So...it's Aunt Jenny to the rescue!!!! I have the joy of keeping Makayla while Sallie (my sister-in-law) works through her notice. We had the best time with her yesterday. The boys LOVED having her here. They fought over who would hold her and who got to feed her. It's been fun having a baby around again!

Our Father's Day

We spent yesterday afternoon at my parents house, celebrating Father's Day. We decided to have appetizers and desserts instead of cooking a huge meal. Everyone brought something to share and EVERYTHING was delicious. I chose to make that oooey gooey strawberry cake again. It was a hit! Another one of my favorites was my Grandma's Mexican layer dip.
It's wonderful, delicious, and easy to make.

Don't let this picture scare you...
The only thing my dad wanted for Father's Day was a BB gun. He had one, but it broke, so he REALLY wanted a new one.

My brothers, sisters, and I all decided to go in on this present together. Since I know nothing about BB guns, and don't care to learn, the selection process was left up to my brother, Steve. I thought BB guns were small and more compact. I was SHOCKED when Steve handed it to my dad.

My Dad with all six of us!

Shane is such a GREAT dad. He LOVES our boys so much and is such a godly role model for them. He gives 100% of himself to them all the time. Cor and Ri made Shane a picture frame and also helped me pick out a new book, by Josh McDowell, for him!
Happy Father's Day, Babe! I love you!

After the party, Corban got a chance to sit on my Uncle's new motorcycle.
This is Corban and his Great-Grandpa!

Peanut Butter Anyone?

Riley and Corban were supposed to be having their quiet time yesterday afternoon. I was downstairs doing some cleaning, when Corban came down to see if he could have a snack. I told him that he could, but to make sure he took enough for his brother too. I failed to see what snack he chose. Well, peanut butter must have sounded good because he headed back up stairs with both the jar and a spoon. (Just in case you were wondering- that is NOT considered a typical snack around here!!) After a few minutes went by, I ran upstairs to check on them, and this is what I found...

Lessons Learned the Hard Way!

Yesterday afternoon I was getting the boys ready to go to the pool for the afternoon. As I was gathering the towels, sunscreen, pool toys, drinks, and snacks, I told the boys to go ahead and get in the car. We normally walk down, but I forgot to charge their little John Deer tractor that they drive to the pool. We have too much stuff to carry with us, so we decided to drive. It's only like a 5 minute walk, but in this 100 + degree heat, well, it's just easier to drive. I put everything in the car including the keys and ran back into the house to grab one more thing. All the doors on the car were shut except the back passenger door. Corban came running back into the house right behind me to use the bathroom. He shut that passenger door behind him. The next think I heard is the beep of car being locked. Riley had climbed up into the driver seat and was playing with the car keys. I went running back out to the car and checked all the doors. They were all locked. He was locked inside the car in this heat. I did what any calm, collective mom would do in this situation... I PANICKED!!!!! I tried to get him to unlock the car and was directing him as to what button to push, but he couldn't get it. He was pushing every button but the right one! (I have been driving Shane's car this week to save on gas, so I didn't have an extra key in the house.) I decided that I had no choice and called 911. They told me they would be there in a few minutes. Just as I hung up the phone with them, Riley unlocked the doors!!!!!!!!!! I called 911 right back and told them he was safe and out of the car. Praise the Lord!!!!
I definitely learned a few lessons yesterday. I won't ever leave my keys in the car again and I will always buckle the kids in their car seats right away. That way, they can't hurt themselves (or lock the doors) by climbing around in the car. Lessons learned the hard way!
I hope your afternoon was not nearly as eventful as mine!!!

A great summer dessert!!!

I normally don’t make special desserts for just us. One of the reasons is because I’m the one who would end up eating most (ALL) of it! As I was reading Kelly’s Korner today, she blogged about this recipe for strawberry oeey gooey cake. I checked the recipe out and my mouth began to water. I decided that it looked too delicious not to make, so I jumped up from the computer and went to see if I had all the ingredients on hand. I did! Everything but the strawberry cake mix, but I had a white one, so I thought that would do just fine. (I also added blue berries to mine. The recipe only calls for strawberries). Let me tell you… I was not disappointed!!

This dessert is AWESOME!!!!! I wanted to forget dinner and just dive into this dessert.
It’s that good!

Even my husband, who is quite the critic, and not really a huge sweets fan, LOVED it!!!!!
He told me that this one was a real keeper!

Birthday Weekend!

Saturday we celebrated Corban's 5th birthday with several of his friends and their precious families. Corban decided on a sports theme for his party! We had several outside activities planned, but when we realized it was going to be over 100 degrees that afternoon, our plan quickly changed to include some more inside activities. I think all the kids had fun despite the heat though!

Corban was so excited and couldn't wait for his friends to arrive. He decided at about 1:00 (the party didn't start until 2:00) to pull a chair up by the front door and just watch and wait for his friends. I know the pic's not that great but I wanted to snap it quick, with out him realizing!

We decided to read one of Corban's favorite books as a fun inside activity.

Waiting in line to hit the pinata.

Corban and some of his friends.

Corban and Abby have been best friends since they were nine months old.

Panthers football cake - of course!

What does a five year old do on their birthday???

Corban was very excited that his daddy had the day off to spend with him! He wanted to go to Panera Bread for breakfast. He absolutely LOVES their cinnamon rolls.

He ate the entire pastry and even stole some of Riley’s too!

He then wanted to go to Target (where else) to pick out a few special birthday treats.

He chose some NFL football cards and some wrestling cards too. I do not like wrestling cards, (or wrestling for that matter) but I gave in (just this once) because it’s his birthday! He also picked out some candy. What kind of candy?

It’s this sweet tart squeeze stuff. It actually tastes okay, but I’m sure it’s horrible for your teeth. I don’t usually let him get it, but he talked me into it by using the excuse that "it is his birthday after all"! He learned how to play that card really quick! We then headed home and packed a picnic lunch to take to with us to the pool.

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and hanging out. Corban wanted grilled chicken for dinner so that’s what we had. After dinner we surprised him by taking him out for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.

He chose cotton candy ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. I think it was the perfect ending to a great day!

Happy Birthday!!!

Five years ago today, I gave birth to a 7lb 5oz. precious, baby boy! I can’t believe he is turning five years old today! He has grown up into such a sweet little boy. He is shy and quiet-that is until you get to know him! He has such a sensitive spirit about him and is very concerned about others and their well-being. He is our little prayer warrior! He enjoys praying for others and does so often. He is a sports fanatic too (like his Daddy)! He loves any sport and anything to do with sports. Panthers being his very favorite team, of course! One of the biggest events in his life this past year was when he accepted Christ into his heart as Savior. I was thrilled that God allowed me to be part of such a special moment in my son’s life. He is such a joy to be around and I am so thankful that God allowed me the privilege of being his mommy! Happy Birthday my sweet boy! I love you forever!

Today is also my Grandma's birthday! I love the fact that Corban and my Grandma share this special day! I love my Grandma dearly!

So, Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

Well..were off to breakfast. Corban got to pick were he wanted to eat his birthday breakfast, so Panera here we come! He LOVES their cinnamon rolls!

the little blessings in life...

I love our kitchen table and chairs!!! We bought it at a great little consignment shop several years ago. We brought it home, sanded it, re-stained it, and painted all six chairs. A lot of time and energy went in to that kitchen set. As with many pieces of furniture, time, and the wear and tear of little boys climbing in and out got the best of them. The chairs began to break and fall apart. We did our best to glue and/or nail them back together, but it was only a matter of time before we would have to replace them. This week, we began the search for new chairs. The main objective was to spend as little as possible, but to get quality chairs that would last. We searched high and low. We went to EVERY furniture store in our town, but to no avail. We couldn’t find chairs we liked at a decent price. Every set we found had a table to go with it. Sure, we could buy just the chairs, but the deal was in buying the entire set, not just the chairs. The chairs by themselves were always too expensive. We contemplated buying an entire new set, even though we just needed chairs. Our last stop was to that same consignment store we had bought our original set from years ago. As with all consignment stores, it’s always a hit or miss. Today was a HUGE HIT!!!!! We walked in and sitting right there were 10 beautiful chairs. They were antique yellow with ROOSTERS hand painted on each chair!!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe how perfect they were. Extra bonus…they were priced very reasonably too!!! Sometimes, I feel like God blesses us –just because! I know God provided these chairs just for me. He knows my love for roosters. As I posted earlier this week, my entire kitchen is decorated in that theme, so these chairs were perfect for my décor. They didn’t have a table to go with it, so they were selling just the chairs. I know God was smiling down on me today! I am so thankful to Him for providing the big things in my life, along with the small things- like kitchen chairs!!!!

My new rooster chairs!

The hand-painted detail on the back of each chair...

These delicate flowers are hand-painted on the front and sides of the seat on each chair.

My "new" kitchen set! What a blessing!!!

and the little one said..."Roll Over!"

Both boys were up before dawn on Sunday morning. Corban came into our room about 4:00am. We were too tired to carry him back to his bed, so Shane told him to just crawl into bed with us. He fell back to sleep right away. It wasn’t even a half hour later that I heard Riley get out of bed. He didn’t want to miss out and he joined us in our bed too! I tried very hard to fall back to sleep, but little feet were everywhere. I had feet kicking me in the back and feet in my face!! I took the hint and went to the guest room to sleep.

When I got up this morning, I snapped this picture!