The Phone Call

Judson said that Lorrie was pestering him to death to call me because she needed to talk to me.  She kept saying that she wanted to make sure everything was taken care of.  Finally she said call this number and low and behold it was the right number.  Judson called me and Lorrie got on the phone and she sounded like her old self.  She was clear as day and not groggy.  I couldn't believe it.  I told her, "Wow, Lorrie you sound good!"  She said, "I feel good!"  She was confused thinking I was suppose to pick up Livvy the next day, but I didn't care, because it was the old Lorrie back!  It was amazing.  It was like God was giving me a gift to hear her voice again.  Praise the Lord!

What a Glorious Day!

I took the girls over to see Lorrie today.  Livvy wanted to see them and play and it would give me a chance to visit with Lorrie.  It turned out to be an impromptu cookout including John, Matt and Hope, and Casey and then the rest of us.  It was GREAT!!!  Lorrie was doing GREAT!! I couldn't believe my eyes.  She was talking good, got up on her own, fussed at Livvy, ate dinner at the table (she ate steak and hadn't had much of anything all day), and then wanted to go outside and watch the girls playing and riding their bikes.  Once again, God showed me to be faithful and that he had a plan.  My girls were excited to see that Lulu was doing better and that God was making her better, when we thought that she was near the end.  I just love surprises like that and I thank God for allowing me to be able to be there for the impromptu cookout.  What a GLORIOUS Day!

Persuation

I came home to find Mallory's journal on my pillow.  I am thinking awwww, she missed me tonight and wants to tell me.  ( I was out to dinner with a high school friend and didn't get to put her to bed)  Well anyway, I am bragging to John before I read it that Mallory has left me something that she wrote and that I was conditioning her heart when I punish her. When John punishes, it is in the moment and it is to stop the action, where my approach is to wait until she calms down and then talk about how her actions made me feel.  Anyway, I said to John, see..., she wants to tell me something because I worked on her heart.  John then proceeds to read her entry and it said, "Dear Mom, Can I wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt tomorrow?  Remember... Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you .  You are the best mom I ever had!!! Love, Mallory".  (Previously I had taken away the privilege of picking out her clothes because she had a melt down about what she was going to wear.)  So... is my approach working or John's as for discipline?  That Mallory..., she is going to make a great lawyer one day, or either a great wife!! She can surely persuade.

Hallelujah

What an awesome service this morning at Westminster Pres.  It was on the Penticost.  Then the singing began.  I am so moved by music.  It was a song I sang growing up as a child that always brings back great memories.  "Great is thy Faithfulness"  Then we sang "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley, it could have been adapted by someone else, but didn't get the name of the artist.  Anyway, it was AWESOME.  The congregation was awesome to see and watch.  That's when the tears started pouring.  It was like all my sorrow started pouring out and laying it before the Lord!  Then I looked down at Mallory and she was REALLY getting into it!  She had her forhead scrunched up, her head tilted back, and her mouth very exaggerated, singing Hallelujah, Hallelujah!  It made me laugh and cry all at the same time.  I am tearing up now remembering it.  I really feel blessed!!!  Hallelujah!!!

Why do you always milk a cow from the right side?

Tonight Mallory and I were reading a Little House on the Prarie book.  We were reading a chapter called Milking Time.  While reading, Laura was milking a cow from the left side and Ma told her not to do that because the cow would kick her.  Ma said, "Always milk a cow from it's right side".  I looked to Mallory and I asked, " I wonder why you have to milk a cow from the right side?"  Mallory looked at me with the most serious look on her face and said, "OHHH... That's must be because one side is plain milk and the other side is chocolate milk!!"  Well hello, that does sound like a good reason, but of course it isn't.  Do you know why?  We never found out, but we laughed and laughed about it.  She can be so funny sometimes.

Valentine's Dinner

We celebrated Valentine's Day at our house today!  I was in the kitchen all day preparing a special meal for all of us (4 of us) to eat.  Did you get that... ALL DAY!!  I don't know how people cook like that all the time.  I made Libby's mashed potatoes (with cream cheese, sour cream, etc...) and her recipe for Beef Brisket.  I made Lulu's broccoli casserole.  Then for something sweet, I made Kelly Partlow's Strawberry Pretzel Delight.  It was all sooo yummy!!  I got out my fine china and crystal and set it on the dinning room table.  We never eat in the dinning room unless it is something special.  I had gormet desserts that my mom had someone make for us in the center of the table along with a candle.  We really had a special meal.  Everyone was very complimentary. 
My favorite gift I gave John and the girls were their own journals.  In the journal, I wrote that it was meant for us to write notes to each other about anything and everything that was one their minds.  They don't have to write everyday or every week, just when they have something to say.  Then once they have written something, they are to put it on my pillow and that lets me know they wrote something to me.  I will then write them back.   I bought these a week ago, because I thought that sometimes you can write something better than you can say it.  I also expect that I will grow to cherrish and look back on the many entries for the years to come.

Christmas Eve 2010

Fun, fun, day!! We started the day waking up at my parents house and Papa doing a devotion about Jesus birth and remember the real meaning of Christmas. We then opened gifts from each other. The funny gifts this year that we laughed a ton about were Papa's bedroom shoes that looked like he had two left feet. We all laughed till we cried and he walked around looking like an elf. Kay-Kay got a shaker weight and we all tried to "work it" but none of the girls could get it to work. Kay-Kay said in 30 days everyone is going to be searching for one because her arms are going to look so good. Mallory said that the doctor said "no more KayKay shakin that thang". (No more monkeys jumping on the bed).
Then we went home and opened our gifts to each other and the girls and we gave the girls a trip to Disney World. They were really excited, but TG is already nervous about the trip. Whatever... probably just trying to get a charge out of us. We are going to have a blast!!! We also had fun giving Lily her Christmas gifts. She was spoiled this Christmas!!!
After a nap, we went to the Rice Family Christmas party and had a BIG time. The Chinese gift exchange was extra fun this year. Lots of pretend arguing over a shaker weight, a donut pillow, and Gamecock tervis tumblers. Guess who was in the middle of all of it??? You guessed it... Lulu, Jane, Hope, and me. They said next year I am disqualified and we need a security guard. It was so funny!!! We also reminisced about our girls weekend when we took Lulu and KayKay to Childress winery for their birthdays and the BIG time we had and all the laughs from too much wine tasting.
Finally, when we got home Mallory was a busy bee getting cookies ready for Santa, putting reindeer food outside, writing a note to Santa about Snowy's (elf on the shelf) hat breaking, and putting place cards on the couch labeling where their gifts were to go so Santa doesn't get it wrong. She got frustrated at TG because she wasn't helping, so I told TG she better help or Mallory might catch on. This is the first year that TG realized that Santa wasn't real. Means she is growing up.:( Mallory just came out of her room after going to bed to tell me she forgot to give Santa milk to go with his cookies. I am so glad we still get to play for her. I will really be sad when they both don't believe anymore. We will still play along though. We always say, "You don't believe, you don't receive".
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!! Happy Birthday Jesus!

It's OFFICIAL...We have a dog we can call our own.

For the past 5 years we have been pet sitting since we lost Wylie. John kept telling me and the girls, that the right time would come. Well, he was RIGHT!! Put best in Mallory's words, "This is the best Christmas EVER!!"

It all happened unexpected. Lily's human mother, died of cancer. She was a single mom with three girls and three dogs. The girls moved to go live with their uncle in WV who already had three children of his own. So, needless to say, he couldn't take the dogs too. Well, my sweet friend Kelly Partlow ran into a friend at Target that was telling her this story about a dog she was looking for a home for. Well, long story short, Kelly called me and I got John to agree to "pet sitting" her for a week to see if she was a good fit for our family. That way if she didn't work out, the girls wouldn't be upset. Well after having her for 45 minutes, I knew she was just perfect!! She was really timid and scared at first, but everyday she seems to come out of her shell a little more. Today she was so excited when I got home, that she was running all over the house and sliding everywhere on the hardwood floors. Her game tonight was hiding her bone in as many places possible and then running to get it before anyone else found it. (so cute!) Let's just hope she doesn't turn into a crazy dog and start chewing the couch cushions, as John would say.

This morning, John and I decided it was time to tell the girls that she was ours to keep. We would tell them at the dinner table. It was just perfect! Taylor Grace was saying the blessing thanking God for everything and praying that Lily would continue to have fun with us and that we would continue having fun with her too for as long as we were keeping her. John said, " AS long as we are keeping her... Well, Lily's mom died and she needs a new family and we are going to be her new family!" It was so sweet. Taylor Grace got tears in her eyes. Mallory screamed and clapped and asked to call Maddie right away and tell her. That is when Mallory said, "This is the best Christmas ever!"

I know that it is a sad story with how she came about joining our family, but I know that her mom is looking down from Heaven smiling because she is in a good home with people who love her VERY much!

This is a picture of Lily the day we got her.

Here is a picture of her now!

Trick-or-Treating

We continued with out tradition of going Trick-or-Treating with the Dibrells. We pile all the kids in the back of Phil's truck and take them to Heathwood. The dads walk them around while Julia and I follow them in the truck. It's good catching up time for Julia and me. This year Mallory was dressed just like her Bitty Baby in matching pajamas and a bunny robe. Taylor Grace took the easy way out by wearing her Tiger's Cheerleading uniform. (It was my idea of saving money, and she didn't mind.) Sadie was a fried egg. Evan was Jessie from Toy Story, and Josie was a gothic witch.

Camping with the Berrys and Sloops

We had so much fun camping with the Berrys and the Sloops. We went to King's Mountain. We got there Friday, early afternoon, because school was out. It was a great time to go. It was the Friday before Halloween and people had gone all out with decorating their sites with Halloween decorations. We didn't of course, but you would have thought there were some decorations somewhere in ALL that STUFF we brought with us. I can't believe how much stuff there was. When the dad's go and take the kids, they only take a 1/4 of what we took. If you need it, we had it. If you didn't need it, we had it too. From wheelbarrows to a sandwich maker you could use over the fire, to games, etc... BUT one thing we didn't have was technology!!! That is what made it so awesome. WE were our own entertainment and entertainment is what we did. (probably for the whole campground) We had ghost stories, gremlin masks, Shellie's deep questions, kids putting other kids to sleep, hiking, etc. We had so much fun that we didn't get up and leave. We stayed until supper time Saturday night and the Berry's and Sloops stayed another night even though we only planned one on one night. It was definitely a time to remember.

New Color in the Kitchen

I was ready for change in the kitchen. I wanted to "kick it up a notch"! Well that I did. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but after putting up the pictures and window treatments, I love it!

Camping in Kings Mountain

We wanted to take the kids camping and asked the Berrys and the Sloops to go along with us. We had a ball!!! We had a furlough day on Friday, so we headed up around 2:00. Ashley and John S. had to come up a little later, so John and all the moms had to set up camp! (I think they knew what they were doing when they decided to come later:))

It was cold Friday night!!!! I had to put Taylor Grace between John and me to keep her warm because her sleeping bag kept coming unzipped. I didn't get much sleep that way because I couldn't move. That part was miserable. We planned to only stay one night, so the next day John and I packed all of our stuff gradually. We ended up staying until after supper and the Sloops and the Berry's stayed another night. I liked doing it that way because we had all the fun, but were able to sleep in a nice warm bed.

We had a great time cooking over the fire, watching John collect all the wood, Shellie sharing her opinion, the kids going on hikes, the kids playing in the tents, etc... I love the smokey smell of a camp fire!! I asked the girls what their favorite part was and Mallory said putting Drew (3) to sleep. Taylor Grace said playing with Sydney. Ashley loved it so much, he wanted to go again next weekend. (Not going to go again that soon!!)

Painting the Kitchen GREEN!

We wanted to change the color of the kitchen, so I decided on Fusion green. We paid a guy to come and paint it. When I came home that afternoon I was so scared I had made a mistake. I took a picture of it and showed some teachers the next day. Everyone's reaction was, "WOW it looks great!" I didn't know if they were for real or couldn't say what they really thought. I was wanting to change it, but John assured me to wait until we got the curtains and all the pictures up. Well he was right! It made a huge difference. I love it! The green makes the cabinets and the curtains POP! I am glad we were brave enough to do it.

Camping in the back yard

We wanted to take the girls camping, but I wanted to stay home. So... we camped in the back yard. Mallory said, "I had more fun than I thought I would". It is great when you take technology away and everyone talks more and spends more time together. We reminisced, played UNO, grilled out, roasted marshmallows, etc... The girls went to bed really easy and John and I were able to stay up and talk. I love memories like this! It doesn't take money to have a good time.

Taylor Grace got Braces!

Taylor Grace got braces! She loves them and was a champ through it all. She got them on Thursday. Then on Monday had 2 permanent teeth pulled. Then the following Tuesday went back and had extenders put on the top back teeth. Later that weekend woke up with a HUGE knot on her lower jaw and had to go back for antibiotics. I would have thought that she would have been crying and miserable, but she barely complained. She went from looking like a 10 year old to a teenager! It is amazing how braces make a person look older.

GO Richmond Drive Tigers

Taylor Grace's cheerleading squad won first place in the district's competition for best routine! They worked hard all summer and had great coaches!!! All their hard work paid off. They were awesome! I couldn't believe how good 3-5 grade girls could cheer! WOW!

TG is a TERRIFIC KID!

Taylor Grace got Terrific Kid! She was the first one for the year for her class. Her teacher told me that when she got an email saying it was time to pick a terrific kids, she immediately knew it was TG. That's my girl!!! John, Mallory, Papa, and me were there to see it.

Baden Lake

Once again we had an awesome time at Baden Lake with the Shepperds! The girls click so well with each other. The big hit this summer was taking a WILD ride on the inner tube. Scott threw Harper and Mallory off and about did them in. Then he threw me off. I had to immediately go again for a good example of "If you fall off the horse, get up and ride it again."

Picking Blueberries at Littlejohn's

Ok, the day that it is the hottest day of the summer, I decide that I want to go pick blueberries. I can always count on Mallory to want to go. We did go in the morning, but it was so hot!! Mallory said, "Mom, have you ever been so hot you felt like you were going to puke?" She was so sweet though. We were needing to fill up two gallon baskets and she wasn't complaining at all. She would just say things like," I can fill sweat dripping down my back, or that breeze feels so good." I asked her if she wanted to go to the car and I could put the air on and I would pick the rest? She thought for a minute and then said, "but I don't want you to pick alone." That is my sweet girl Malaboo!!!
The blueberries are delicious!!!! They were plentiful on the bushes, but you could tell that it was getting towards the end of the picking season.

Maddie and Nathan's play date

Today Maddie and Nathan Hamel came over for a play date. We had so much fun. We went swimming, played in the front yard doing wheel barrel races, played with Elmo, drank smoothies, etc... Nathan saw his friend "Freddie" the ant. Also it was fun to watch he and Taylor Grace swim around the pool chasing the "cleaning man", which was the aqua bot, and splashing each other with the water hose.