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!!!