Roll Tide Roll!!!

Furry Babies ...

Kelly, over at http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/, hosts a MckLinky party every Friday called "Show Us Your Life ". Today she is featuring pets and since we have just a few of those ... I thought I would join in on the fun!! Our most recent furry little addition is Miley the Boston Terrier pup and in my humble opinion, is one of the cutest things I have EVER seen. So far she has been a very easy pup and my baby girl is, to say the least, head over heels!!

Next, we have Betsy, the Rottweiler. She, again in my humble opinion, is the most beautiful dog I have ever seen and is in every sense of the word a gentle giant. She is my husbands dog and even though she is a "man's dog" she is still a girly girl!! Here she is saying "CHEESE"!

And last but certainly not least, the queen of everything ... Miss LulaBelle!!
Lu is our first born child and demands more time and attention than our human child requires. She doesn't realize that she is a dog and that may have something to do with the fact that up until Sum was born she attended all family gatherings and was always dressed to a "T". (yeah, I was one of those people!!) Although, she has taken somewhat of a backseat to our precious little Summer, she will always be one of my most favorite things on this side of heaven!!

Nut Fest

The month of November brings the National Peanut Festival to our area, better known as the "Nut Fest" and I couldn't wait to take Summer this year! In my entire life I think I have only missed one year of the Festival and it was the year Summer was born. It's such a fun tradition and is a very big deal in this South East corner of Alabama! :o) My family, my momma, daddy, sister and their families always go together on Ag night and enjoy riding rides, eating and especially the greasy pig and calf scramble. However, this year one of my nephews was sick and my other sister had a previous commitment so JL went with us and we met my mom and dad and had a big time!!

Summer and John Luke were so excited to ride some rides!!

John Luke was such a good big cousin and rode all the "little kid" rides with his little cuz!

And of course, we all enjoyed an infamous "Corndog Man Corndog"!

We ended the night by watching the greasy pig and calf scramble. Although, it kind of makes you feel like you're living a real life "You might be a redneck" joke .... it is always lots of fun! Summer had a ball watching and I am afraid may have convinced her Sugarbaby that she needs her very own greasy pig! ;o)

Another tradition that goes along with the Nut Fest is the NPF Parade. It happens on the last Saturday morning of the Festival, it is way to early in the morning, extremely long and always unseasonably warm but we wouldn't miss it for the world! This year my sister and her family parked their truck in a wonderful spot the night before so we had the best seats in the house!!

The end of NPF week is always bittersweet!! It is sad to see all the fun roll out of town on the back of all those semi trucks, but as they say, absence does make the heart grow fonder. So, here is to next year Nut Fest, here is to next year ....

Trick or Treat, Smell my feet

I love October!! I love the change in seasons, the decor and I LOVE Halloween (not to mention my most favorite little girl was born in October)!! I have always loved Halloween, not the dark, scary Halloween but the fun, make believe Halloween that my mother helped create for me as a little girl! My mother was never much on Trick-or-Treating but she always had something fun planned for us. We always attended church carnivals or set up at the end of our drive way to hand out candy to the rest of the kids in the neighborhood. And we always had the best costumes. I have tried to carry those traditions into my own family and until this year we have always enjoyed our Church's fall festival. However, this year our church decided to not do the festival and this left me at a loss. We live in the country so handing out candy was not an option and no one else I knew was having any kind of party. So, Trick-or-Treating we went! I have to admit, I was excited and so was my sweet hubby ... wink, wink!! I also have to admit that I am the mother to the most precious TinkerBell I have EVER seen!!

As we were spreading Pixie Dust all over town I would chant .... "Trick or Treat, Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat. If you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear." Sum thought it was hilarious and after about the one millionth time she decided to give it a try. "Trick or Treat, Smell my feet. Give me something to eat. I don't care if you don't, I'll pull off your panties." Good Try baby girl ... you'll get it, we have lots of years of practice to come!!

Momma, don't let your babies grow up to be cowgirls ...

It's too late now, Momma ...

My baby girl turned 3 years old on Monday October the 19th. I am not so sure how I feel about 3!! It seems like the end of being a baby to me and I am just not sure that I am ready for that (not to mention that Sum decided that she doesn't need her paci anymore since she is a big 3 year old ... a momma can only take so much in one day!!). However, I'll give you one guess how Sum feels about 3 ....

On the day of her birthday I told her "Awwww, Sum, I don't want you to be 3. I want you to stay 2 forever!!" and she replied .... "Well, Momma ..... it's to late now." I guess you are right baby girl, it is to late for you to stay my 2 year old forever, but you will ALWAYS be my baby!!

We celebrated by having a Tinkerbell party at Landmark park with family and friends and even though we lost all of the balloons to the wind and the temps were in the low 50's ... fun was had by all!!!

Summer, your daddy and I love you more than life itself!! Although, these last three years have been nothing short of an adventure, we can't imagine our lives without you. You are so smart and independent and you amaze us more and more everyday. We are so proud that God chose us to be your Mommy and Daddy and we can't wait to see what He has planned for your life. We love you, Baby Girl!!

Just a Swingin'!!!

My girl LOVES to swing!!! My Momma has a swingset and whenever we are visiting MeMe it is usually our first and last stop. Summer's birthday is in October and to this Momma that is close enough!!!! Summer now has a swingset of her very own!! Happy Early Birthday, Baby Girl!!

Mrs. Jennie's Class

Summer had her first day of "School" on August 10th. She has been in Mrs. Jennie's class since the beginning of June but on August the 10th all of her other friends moved up into the class with her and they also started a curriculum. She had a wonderful first week. She brought home lots of papers that she worked on in class, she learned new color words and got rewarded for being Mrs. Jennie's helper. We love Funshine Playschool!!!!

Bulls and Heifers

My best friend, Hope, lives in Japan. We keep in touch mostly by way of facebook but make a priority of talking on the phone at least once a month. She and her family (husband, Billy and son, Gabriel) left the week after Summer was born and I hate that we have missed so much of each others lives but we still feel very connected to one another and are still a huge part of one anothers lives!! All that being said, we had our scheduled "phone date" last week and some where during the 2 hour conversation Summer wanted to talk to Aunt Hope. The conversation went something like this ....

Summer: I have a new puppy!!

Aunt Hope: You do?? What is her name?

Summer: Rosie! I have bulls, too!

Aunt Hope: You do, oh my!! What are their names?

Summer: Bulls and Heifers (with a "DUH!!!" expression on her face)

Aunt Hope: (laughing) Oh how I miss Alabama!!!

We miss you, too Aunt Hope (and Billy & Gabriel)!!! Hurry home so you can see our pet Bulls and Heifers!!!

Thankful ...

Now that Thanksgiving is over and I actually have time to be thankful I wanted to record a few of my many blessings.


1. I am thankful for my Father's mercy and grace. I hold tight to the fact that his mercies are new every morning. I am humbled by his grace, who am I to deserve it?


2. I am thankful for my sweet husband. Although, we find great joy in picking on one another as often as possible, I can not imagine my life without him. He goes to whatever length necessary to provide for his family, he is my best friend and such a wonderful daddy. There is nothing that makes my heart smile more than seeing how much my husband and little girl love each other.


3. I am thankful for a healthy, beautiful, smart and VERY STRONG little girl. I can't help but chuckle inside when my 3 year old meets me head on with such passion and fight and without blinking an eye. God has BIG plans for that BIG personality and I feel honored that He chose me to help mold her into what He wants her to be!


4. I am thankful for my parents who have loved me unconditionally and have never given up on me. I am thankful for my momma, my best friend, who I can tell anything to and who always has and always will drop everything for her children in a blink of an eye. I pray that I can be half of the mother/woman that she is. I am thankful for a daddy who although, has a rough exterior is nothing but a big softy when it comes to his children and who has loved me enough to let me learn some of life's lessons "the hard way". I am so glad that God chose them for me!


5. I am thankful for my sisters. What wonderful role models I have grown up with. Yes, I have gotten to learn from some of their mistakes but most importantly I have gotten to learn from their strong Godly examples. They are my biggest fans and because of them I know that no matter what I always have, at least, two people in my corner.


6. I am thankful for true friendships, some old and some new. Through the years I have come to appreciate being able to go to and confide in someone that isn't family but might as well be!



7. I am thankful for my dogs (especially my Lu)! There is nothing like coming home from a hard day to the unconditional love of a pet. Some people may think I am crazy but they are the ones that haven't experienced a long, sloppy kiss from Miss LulaBelle!!


8. I am thankful for my church family and small group. It is so important to surround yourself with a community of believers and I am lucky enough to have that and they are loads of fun!


9. I am thankful for my job and my husbands job.


10. I am thankful for the trials. Although that may seem odd, as I mature in my walk and my relationship with my Father grows stronger it becomes so evident that without the trials of life we wouldn't appreciate the triumphs nearly as much. So, I am thankful for this life that I was chosen to lead ... the good, bad and the ugly!! ;o)

Sugar Baby

My Daddy, better known as PaPa these days, is such a great man. He is a wonderful provider, people are naturally drawn to him and he is the most giving person I know. He lives for his wife, children and grandchildren and loves nothing more than to see us happy. However, he is in every sense of the word, a man's man! There's not a whole lot of fluff to him. With him it is "what you see is what you get" and if you don't like it, well ... that's just to bad! Daddy has always given his grandchildren special names that he calls them, kind of like pet names. JJ, my oldest nephew, is called Johnson which is actually his middle name and was passed down from my daddy and my daddy's daddy. He calls my niece Sarah, SaSa, which is what we all called my daddy's momma. Sam, my middle nephew is Bo, short for Sam-Bo and John Luke is John (among other things ;o))! Then came Summer, my baby girl. Boy does she have this man wrapped around her finger!!! Daddy started calling her Sugar Baby very early on and it has stuck. Well, the tables have turned and a couple of weeks ago, Summer and I had gone over to my parents house for a visit and when we walked through the door she looks at her MeMe and asks "Where's my Sugar Baby?" So if your out and about in my small town and see an over the hill cowboy, complete with cowboy hat, cow poop covered boots and a saucer sized belt buckle responding to a sweet two year old voice calling him her "Sugar Baby" that's just my daddy and he wouldn't have it any other way!!

Tooth Doctor

About a month , I was brushing Summer's teeth and I discovered what I thought to be a cavity. My baby is 2 years old and when I tell you that I compulsively brush her teeth ... I mean it. She doesn't go to bed with a sippy cup and only drinks crystal light juice and we brush after any candy or sugary food, if at all possible. I am 30 years old and have NEVER had a cavity, so needless to say I was a little freaked!! I googled cavity and was all but convinced that that is exactly what it was, so I made an appointment with the dentist. I was very nervous about our first visit with the "Tooth Doctor". I have heard horror stories of children's first visits and with Summer being so young I was dreading it! However, when the time came, my little child climbed up on that Dentist chair like it was something she had done everyday of her life. She let the dentist poke and prod and would then look over at me with a look of such accomplishment. She was so proud of herself and so was I!! We left the "Tooth Doctor" with a new Cinderella tooth brush, tons of new stickers and an appointment for 2 weeks later to fill the CAVITY!!! That's right, it was a cavity and I was devastated but was assured by the dentist that it was nothing I was doing wrong but that some people just have weaker teeth. So today was our next appointment and I was sure that we would sail through. Summer was stoked to go back to the dentist and couldn't wait to see what was in her goody bag this time. We were called back to the room, Summer hopped up on the char with the biggest smile. The nurse placed the "gas mask' on my baby and it was all down hill from there! Oh my goodness - My child went C-R-A-Z-Y!! It took myself, my husband, a nurse and the doctor to hold my 38 lb angel down. The gas was suppose to relax her but seemed to have the opposite effect on Summer. I was on the verge of tears when my sweet little girl balled up her fist and took a full fledged swing at the doctor's face followed by some words I couldn't understand, due to the instruments in her mouth and gas mask over her face, and then "poo-poo head". The dentist looked a me and asked " Did she just say she needs to poo-poo. I lost it, laughing I said "No, I am afraid that you just got cursed out in 2 year old language"!!! It was, to say the least, an experience for the books but it's over and no more cavity and my sweet baby girl is back to just that!!!

The Days of our lives ....

I have been a faithful follower of several blogs for several months and even created my own account that long ago as well, but I never actually wrote a post. Well, here I am, today writing my first post. I live within a stones throw of each of my sisters, my parents and my in-laws so they pretty much know all that goes on in my day to day so really I'm doing this for myself. For now, I am here to record the happenings of our life so that I will never forget the best days of my life and to give my daughter, Summer, and my future children something to look back on and remember by. Nathan and I have been married for 5 years and it honestly has only gotten better with time! When we chose, a couple of years ago, to put Christ at the center of our marriage everything seemed to fall into place. Not that we don't have struggles, becuase we do, but we have no doubt who is in control and like the saying goes "We've read the back of the book, we know who wins"!! Summer, our daughter, is 2 years old and will be turning 3 in October. She is our joy and we love watching her grow and come into her own and boy is she doing just that. She is so independent and smart and is just the cutest thing. She has us along with her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins wrapped!!! I am excited about using this avenue to record all the fun and even not so fun things that I never want to forget. So, sit back and enjoy .... These are the days of our lives!!!