Memorial Day Fun!

We spent the day yesterday at my parents house to celebrate Memorial Day. We did a little bit of everything while we were there. We played, ate, visited some farm animals, and even fished! It was a great day!!! Below are some pictures...

My mom pulled out some old toys of mine for Myla to play with. She liked sitting in this push toy. Mimi pushed her all over the house in it.

Don't you love how I wrote my name on it when I was younger??

Myla wasn't so sure about the rocking horse!

Mimi read me lots of books, and she even bought me some new ones. Thanks, Mimi!!

Myla wanted NOTHING to do with these hats...

but it didn't keep us from trying to get them on her!

Myla was so excited to see Henry. She kept giving him hugs!!

Peyton and Henry fishing...

Henry reeling one in...

Good catch, Henry!!

I can't post on Memorial Day without taking a moment to thank all of the brave men and women who have given their lives to protect our country. I am so thankful to live in America, and I never want to take for granted the great sacrifice so many have made to give us freedom. Thank you to military families for your strength and sacrifice as well.

God Bless America!

Dinner With Friends...and Pets...

Tonight a couple friend of ours graciously invited us over for dinner, and man was it delicious! Thanks Jamie and HeatherLea for your hospitality. Myla had lots of fun playing with one of their dogs, Gent. Their female, Lady, just delivered 10 puppies, so she was out of commission tonight while she tended to her little ones.

Below is a conversation between Myla and Gent...Myla tried her best to get him to play with her toys...

Myla: "I am going to get all my toys out and find the perfect one for Gent."

Myla: "Okay, Gent, so here are my toys that my mom brought over. Let's see if we can find one you like..."

Myla: "What about one of my stackable stars? No? Okay, let's move on."

Myla: "What about this little lion that used to hang down from my carseat? Okay, still not good for you..."

Myla: "Surely you will like this little thing that winds up and plays music!! Alright...you are hard to please Mr. Gent."

Gent: "Poor child, she has some boring toys. I can't believe that she has to play with these all day. I need something that tastes like steak or something that I can chew on."

Myla and Gent: "Enough of trying to work this out...We will agree to disagree."

Thanks again, y'all, for the great dinner and fellowship!!!

Please Pray for the Chapman Family...

The family of Stephen Curtis Chapman has been on mind and heart so much today as soon as I heard about the tragic loss of their five year old daughter, Maria. I'm sure many of you have heard of Stephen Curtis Chapman, the multi-award winning contemporary Christian singer/songwriter. Obviously I don't know this family personally, but a tragedy like this crosses boundaries of "knowing" someone personally and being connected with them through Christ. Please pray for comfort for the family. Only God can provide what this family needs right now. For more details, you can simply do a Google search for Stephen Curtis Chapman.

Below are the lyrics to Stephen Curtis Chapman's new song, Cinderella. I bawl every single time I hear it. Now knowing that he has lost a daughter gives it a whole new perspective. He also has an older daughter who just got engaged, so that even gives it a whole deeper meaning. This song is on my playlist at the bottom of the page. Please listen to it if you have never heard it.....and have your Kleenex handy.

Cinderella

She spins and she sways

To whatever song plays

Without a care in the world

And I'm sitting here wearing

The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day

And there's still work to do

She's pulling at me

Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle

And I've been invited

And I need to practice my dancing

Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms'

Cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh, I will dance with Cinderella

I don't want to miss even one song'

Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed

She wants to know if I approve of the dress

She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away

And I need to practice my dancing

Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms'

Cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh, I will dance with Cinderella

I don't want to miss even one song'

Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand

Just glowing and telling us all they had planned

She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away

But I need to practice my dancing

Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms'

Cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh, I will dance with Cinderella

I don't want to miss even one song'

Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone

She's Growing Up So Fast...

WOW! How time is flying!! It seems like this week Myla is doing so many new things! It is so fun to watch her "grow up" and change so quickly! Here are a few of her adventures this week...

At play group on Tuesday Laurel brought cupcakes for her little girl, Pharis', birthday. Saying that Myla loved cupcake icing is an understatement. She attacked the thing and wouldn't stop! When I wouldn't give her anymore, she found the box they were in and starting beating on the top of it. So, needless to say, I think the girl is going to like sweets!!!

We went to visit our friend Mitzi and her little girl Mia Grace today. Mia is such a beautiful baby!! I was so glad to get to see her and Mitzi, who by the way, looks GREAT!! She is making this motherhood thing look effortless. I remember people saying when they came to visit Myla when she was born that they couldn't remember their children being that small. Now, I can relate...I cannot believe how tiny Mia is, and she weighed more than Myla at birth! Myla looks like a monster next to her!! Thanks for letting us come to visit...we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Yes, we did it...we turned Myla forward in the car. I know that it is a little soon, but she hated her carrier. First of all, she was busting out of it and she did not like being turned around where she could not see us in the front. She definitely prefers sitting forward where she can be in the action! Thank you to a precious couple in our church that GAVE us this car seat...what a BLESSING!! God is so good in his perfect provisions for us.

These last two pictures show Myla playing with her now seatless exersaucer. The beauty of this exersaucer is that the seat comes off and she can play with it as an activity table. She loves to pull up on it and thinks she now has a new toy. Once she learned to move that seat around and around, the toys were of no concern to her...she just wanted to move, SO now she is "rediscovering" the toys. Thanks again to Amanda and Brandon for this great gift!!!

Lots to Post...

Weekend to Remember...

As I mentioned in my last post, Michael and I went to Birmingham to attend a marriage enrichment conference called "Weekend to Remember". We had a wonderful time at the conference as well as spending time with our friends, Brian and Susan Fortenberry, Brandon and Amanda Beckett, and Joseph and Mechelle Parker. God has richly blessed us with wonderful Christian couple friends. We had SO much fun with them, especially playing games on Saturday night. Michael said his cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much. Thanks guys...we had a ball!! "Yankee go house!"

The conference was so great for Michael and me, and for me, it came at just the right time. It was definitely time for a break for me from stay at home mom responsibilities! I was able to renew my mind and energy as well as spend quality time with Michael! I would highly recommend the weekend to remember for any couple that is looking to enrich their marriage! It is a Christian based conference that simply helps you to re-learn that our spouses are God's provision and gift for us. In the day to day mundane things of life, it can be easy to loose sight of that, but I am so thankful for such a wonderful husband that loves God, loves me, loves our family and provides for us. Unfortunately, I did not take one picture all weekend, which is completely unlike me! But, take my word for it...we had a great time!!!

Needless to say, Myla had a great weekend spending time with her grandparents!!! Michael's mom and sister took care of her on Friday, and from all accounts they had a WONDERFUL time! From what I hear, they played and played and played some more. Thank y'all so much for taking care of her! My mom and Frank kept her the rest of the time. They spent the day in Tupelo visiting family and cooking out. Myla did fine considering she got plenty of attention and love!!

New Shoes....

While my mom and Frank had Myla in Tupelo, they visitied the Corner Shoe Store and got Myla two new pairs of shoes!!! My mom said she was so funny when they put the shoes on her. She said it was like she knew she had something new on as she kicked and kicked her new shoes! Myla says "THANKS!" to Mimi and Bodie for her new kicks!!! Pictures of this are at the top because I couldn't get them at the bottom!

As for Myla these days, she is ALL over the place and getting into everthing!!! She is so funny and curious! She makes me laugh everyday, and I am so thankful for each smile and laugh!

Ode to Oskie...

As I have mentioned before, Myla and Oskie have always been best buddies here around the house. Well, I guess in honor of him, she decided that her first "real" word would be Oskie. Yes, she says it all the time, and believe it or not generally uses it in context. For instance, we will ask her where Oskie is, and she will go to the backdoor, pull back the shade and say "Okkie" over and over. She doesn't use the "s" sound. She started saying it on Friday and hasn't stopped! I had to put some pictures in honor of Oskie since he is the special one that Myla has spoken of! Don't get me wrong...Myla has been babbling da da, ma ma, ba ba, etc. for a couple of months, but this is, I think, her first real word. I will try to get it on video when I get some batteries on my camera.

We really haven't had much going on lately, but we have a busy weekend ahead. Michael and I are headed to Birmingham to a Weekend to Remember marriage conference. We are meeting 3 couple friends of ours, so we are SO excited about it. My parents are keeping Myla here at our house, so be in prayer for them that things would go smoothly!!!

New Designs on Sign of Life Blog

Check out the new designs on the Signs of Life blog....just posted some tonight!