home away from home

there have been many days lately where we have been in the car traveling. i am so happy eli does such a great job in the car. he sings, plays, or sleeps. yesterday we traveled to winder to watch chris's game. this is only the 3rd away game we've been to. eli did so well. he slept most of the way there and then the whole way back, which included a stop at mcdonalds with the team. at the game, he did great. he was entertainment for all the fans as he smiled and said "hey" over and over again to them. he sure knows how to work the crowd...just like his daddy! i'm so glad this little boy loves to travel and has such an easy temperament. it makes life so much easier. even if the kid doesn't sleep through the night!

bless him...

...those were my mom's exact words when she saw this face. all i have to say is "bring on the prune juice!" the poor fellow worked so hard today and only had a little poop to show for it. hope the prune juice helps!

in my next thirty years...

i can remember being in my red mustang with the top down listening to that famous song by tim mcgraw thinking, "thirty is so far away," or singing the lyrics by deana carter "and i still remember when thirty was old" in my parents tiny shower off of lebanon road and thinking "thirty is old!" little did i know thirty would come so quickly!

this past week i celebrated the big 3-o. i brought in this big year with my family and a few friends at Louie's on the Lake on lake rabun. it was great getting to just hang out and eat great pizza. i did get lots of great presents...thank you everyone! but there was one present that actually made me feel young again. meredith and i have been looking for the first pair of chacos i got when i was in my freshman year at young harris college. we have searched high and low because they were our favorite pair to wear (they were broken in nicely and had the old chaco sole on them) but our searching had been without success for two years. well, while opening presents from my sisters i dug down in a box and pulled out a converse all-star shoe box. i was thinking, "mere must have bought me a pair of converse. thats cool. i think i can pull those off." when i opened the box, much to my suprise, was an exact replica of those infamous chacos! i was in awe. what a great gift, mere! thanks for the shoes. i'll break them in real well and then you can steal them. :)

"converse. i can pull those off...maybe."

shock!

still shock and mere explains how she found them on ebay.

excited!

they went straight onto my feet.

p.s. emily and mere, thanks for dressing me so well. i feel like a cool thirty year old sporting my new clothes and my chacos. i love you both.

train a child in the way he should go...

this past sunday was eli's baby dedication. this was an opportunity for chris and me to stand in up and dedicate our lives to living in a way that teaches eli about the Lord. we hope to live our lives as a reflection of God's love, grace, discipline, and true character before eli and hopefully many more children in the future. thank you everyone for coming!

right now

A couple of friends of mine posted this little "get to know me" segment on their blogs today. I thought I would play copy-cat...

RIGHT NOW...
I Am- playing hair dresser with my new haircut.
I Have-only 5 more days in my 20s!
I Wish- I had 5 more years in my 20s.
I Want- summer to be here. I love the HOT weather and having Chris at home.
I Fear- losing someone I love.
I Hear- the clicking of Eli's swing as it lulls him to sleep.
I Search- for the true character of God.
I Wonder- if Chris's team will win tonight. I know they can!
I Regret- not being a more organized person when moving in this house.
I Love- getting to stay at home with Eli. And I love getting my hair washed when I get a cut.
I Always- want to sleep later than I get to.
I Usually- wake up at least 2 times during the night to feed a little hungry monster.
I Am Not- good at getting back into shape.
I Sing- all the time...especially in the car and at home.(but I need to point out that I'm not good at it no matter how much I do)
I Never- go a day without talking to my mom or at least one of my sisters.
I Cry- all the time but especially when I laugh real hard.
I Am Not Always- good at eating healthy. I love Micky Ds's fries!
I Need- someone to scratch my back and give me a massage.

I would love to see what some of you are up to "right now."

new life

Spring has sprung at the cabin. Two years ago on April 5th this place looked a lot different. For one thing it was really green (thanks to Dad) but the sun wasn't shining. Looking back now, I'm glad that day was overcast and rainy because that meant no gnats! There were also many people here celebrating the wedding of my sister and her wonderful hubby Josh. While Chris and I were walking around I was thinking about that day and how I know Big Mommy and Papaw were so excited that we used their place for that special day. Happy Anniversary Josh and Em!

This first pic is special because my grandmother planted these hydrangeas a long time ago and a couple of years ago during a late spring freeze this one died and hasn't come back since. This is the first time in 3 years that it has bloomed. I can't wait to see what it looks like!

The other hydrangea

shout out to my wonderful hubby!

This post is just to let Chris know how much I love him and how proud I am to be his wife. Four and a half years ago, I won the marriage lottery and there hasn't been a day that has gone by since where I have second guessed myself for marrying him. He is a great husband and now a great dad to Eli. I can't imagine my life without him in it. He truly is the person God hand picked for me. I hope the Lord blesses me with many more years as his wife! Here are some pics from our free time yesterday...

Can you tell where Eli gets his good looks?