Thank You June

Yeah, so there was so much that happened in the month of June that each activity really deserves it's own post.  However, seeing as it's the third week of July, I'm afraid what little loyal audience I have left will have to be content with about 40 pictures and snippets of praise.  Really that's all that's worth recording anyways=)  Enjoy!

Thank you Lord for....

#129 new family additions!  Welcome Hartley Elizabeth Bounds--June 2nd is a fine day to enter this world=)
#130 a safe delivery and beautiful baby girl
#131 the joy on a new dad's face-priceless
#132 the love in new mom's eyes-unmistakable

#133 another milestone complete-second Sprint Triathlon completed on Sunday, June 5th--sorry no pics=(

#134 my husband and two children that brought tears to my eyes and energy to my step as I started the 5K leg of the race

#135 that those three people in my life erase the loneliness in life

#136 family-God knew we'd need encouragement

(In case I don't get around to writing another blog about this race, I did finish 5th in my age bracket--WOW. With a final time of 1:58.29. Under 2 hours-woo hoo!! My splits were a long story for the swim, 1:13.03 bike and 30.50 run, making that my fastest run ever at just under a 10-minute-mile pace!! So excited!  God is so good.  He met me every second of that race.)

#137 good friends like the Gootees

#138 a fun day at Cagle's Dairy Farm learning about this world You've created for us

#139 gardens to harvest

#140 siblings to share in the fun

#141 so many created animals to care for and learn from

#142 first experiences caught on camera

#143 the joy of a child's curiosity

#144 baby cows, goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks

#145 learning so young that caring for things, animals, people is our God-given gift

#146 Rosie the cow and her fascinating milking demonstration

#147 a mom who's not afraid to try new things

#148 a Muddy Buddy race that challenged us for 5 miles together

#149 a great start

#150 an incredible, one-of-a-kind finish (1hr 12 1/2 minutes total time)

#151 making memories--the dirtier the better in my book=)

#152 a dad who's always been right there cheering us both on--and taking all the great pictures=)

#153 the joys of Vacation Bible School

#154 allowing me to watch the hearts of young children grow to love you

#155 the BEACH!!!

#156 one precious little girl

#157 one darling mess of a boy

#158 that they already take on the world together

#159 sandcastles-'cause they are made to be enjoyed and destroyed=)

#160 siblings who laugh and squeal and create and destroy together

#161 siblings who fight--means they're human and normal

#162 family--my cup overfloweth

#163 cousins

#164 possibly two of the biggest "chiefs" I know sharing a steering wheel=)  Good thing my uncle is older and wiser=)

#165 sweet little boys who love their mommies

#166 fathers and sons and legacy in the making

#167 the God-given financial provision to be able to experience Sea World with my girl

#168 finding amazement and wonder in all God's creatures even at the age of 31

#169 the opportunity to spark and grow a love and respect for God's creation in such a close way in the heart of a child

#170 capturing memories that will last a lifetime

#171 children who love every experience of every moment and aren't afraid to face their fears and take some risks

#172 the opportunity to face their fears with them and share in their new found loves

#173 quiet strength and dignity even at such a young age

(Although, disclaimer, he did scream A LOT on the beach--He wasn't always this sure of the sand.)

#174 apprehension and the lessons it can teach too

#175 one cool dude=)

Hopefully you enjoyed the pictures if you made it this far=)  June was a very full month, but not just full of events, it was full of life and family and love and memories.  I truly wish I had more time to give to each of these events, to document them in the way they deserve.  I pray all these photos are enough to trigger my memory one day.  Only time will tell=)  "Thank you, Lord, for June! And July is already off to a great start=)"

I Run--The Day Of

What is it about the morning of a race that gets your blood pumping so early in the morning? I've been awake since 4:15am. Really didn't sleep much before that in expectation.  I've been here since it was dark. Thinking.  Praying.  Hoping.
As the athletes begin to pour in and set up, I can't help but begin to compare.  To feel less than. Inadequate.  Unprepared.
The sunlight begins to fill the sky and with each ounce of light being shed in the atmosphere, my heart begins to quicken and stomach churn. Can I really do this again?
What was I thinking? !?!?
Then my mind and heart remember.  I can't. But God can.
I pray silent prayers rebuking satan's attempts to chip away at my faith. How can he attack when I agree with him?  I am inadequate.  There is nothing in my own strength that will get me through the grueling 2 hours of racing other than the thought, 'God can.'
Maybe this is why I keep doing this.  Keep pushing myself.  Keep towing the line. Because when I'm in the middle of a race, I am precariously aware that my body, my life, is not my own.  In the middle of a race, all I do is hope and yearn and strain and push for the finish.  I am hyper aware of God's voice and presence and ever present help.
I like being that close to His presence. His self. His being.  I think that's why I keep coming back.
What race are you running? Are you still preparing for your race? Maybe life is hard and tedious, boring or sometimes pointless? Keep training. God is right there. He's about to show up in a real way.  Bet on it.
Are you in the middle of it yet?  Do you feel like you're about to give up, give in, give out? Don't!  Push a little harder. Focus a little narrower.  And listen. God is right there. Find strength in His presence, in His voice, in Him.
It's time to race. It's time to put your faith training to work. He won't fail you. He never does.
The Son is up. The finish is closer than you think. 

Munchkin Moments

May hasn't been just full of busyness and events.  I've noticed such a change in both of my kiddos in the past month, that they deserve their own little blog this month.

Savannah is still Little Miss Independent.  Every day she is more and more capable, more and more able to communicate, understand, and respond.  We talk about patience a lot around our house, as I'm sure most parents do, but it's so hard to teach patience when your child will just inevitably do things herself!  I caught this moment on camera the other day....

I don't think she ever even asked me if she could have chocolate milk.  She just decided she wanted some.  So she pulled the stool to the fridge.  Got the chocolate syrup and milk out.  Poured a cup of milk for herself AND for Weston--so sweet, then preceded to fill the cups with chocolate syrup as you can see...

Fortunately, I was able to intervene before these chocolate syrup drinks with a little milk added were served.  There was enough chocolate in just one cup to make the rest of the entire half gallon of milk a chocolate milk half gallon!  Too funny=)  Love this girl though, and love her heart.  She is always thinking of others, especially her brother.

Joey took her on a date a while back to Build-A-Bear, and told her she could make whatever she wanted.  She came home with two stuffed animals.  A camouflage bear for Weston named Goliath, and an adorable monkey for me named Booger.  She had no interest in anything for herself.  All the fun was in making and giving to others.  I love that.

She keeps us on her toes with her constant antics, ideas, and games--always done her way.  (My family would say I shouldn't be surprised.)  However, I do get tired of being micro-managed.  I have found myself several times sighing at her in frustration and saying, "Stop telling me what to do.  I did the first thing you asked, now stop.  People don't like it when you tell them what to do all the time, every second, for everything."  I'm praying for her to have special friends in her life that love her just the way she is--a heart of gold hidden behind some bossy pants=) 

I also think it's funny when we go to the dry cleaners that she sits in the back seat and reminds me very adult-like, "Don't forget, Mommy.  Pants press only for daddy."  Sigh...hee hee.  Think we go to the dry cleaners once a week? ;)  Or, I love the fact that she sings all the words to the songs on our Christian radio station, the Fish 104.7.  She knows all the words to Blessings by Lora Story.  Glad now that I've chosen to listen to Christian music in the car...who knows what she'd be spouting?

Funniest thing they both do--my babysitter, Savannah Veale, is the one who turned them on to the idea of chocolate milk.  She comes once a week for mine and Joey's date night, so the kids love her, and she's just another member of the family=)  Apparently, she has taught my kids to "shake up" their chocolate milk.  They do so by standing up, holding their arms out to their sides like they are surfing, then shaking their little bottoms back and forth, while you actually shake the milk and chocolate.  Makes me laugh out loud every time they remember to do it unprompted!

Had to include a few pics from a recent play date visit to Fernbank Museum.  I totally enjoyed watching both my kids enjoy learning.  You'll see Savannah below petting a skink...so thankful there were no snakes at the live animal show...whew.  Weston walked around the museum all day stopping at terrarium tanks and saying, "Oh! Wow!"  Then would just stare intently.  The best was when we walked through the dinosaur exhibit.  He would stare high in the sky and run from one dinosaur model to the next yelling, "Oh wow!  Oh wow!"  His facial expression of complete joy and disbelief was priceless.

Weston had his adenoids taken out on May 10th, and his little personality has just come alive since then!  I am so grateful that we had this procedure done.  He hasn't had a runny nose nor even sounded congested since those big, ugly things came out of his throat.  It hurts my heart to think he's been in so much pain since he was born, but we had this surgery done as soon as could be allowed.  I think he hears better; therefore, his speech improved almost immediately.  He understands more words and is able to repeat them properly.  He's also been eating better, and just so funny.

Every morning I wake up to a very loud, "Moooommmmeeeee, hair are you?  Daaaddddeeeee, hair are you?  Siiiisssseeeeee, hair are you?"  My favorite is his love for our dog Samson, affectionately know as "Fammy" to Weston.  "Fammmeee, where are you?"  Is ofter heard around our house, as Samson often tries to hide from Weston's many forms of attention, which include and are not limited to wrestling, smothering, chasing with toilet brush, chasing with baby stroller, or just chasing in general with loud shrills of laughter=)

Another personal favorite, every time I get ready to put him down for bed we read stories.  I always hold him up and ask him what book he'd like to read.  Very intently and slowly, he will look at each book, all the while saying, "Ummm. Hmm. (deep breath) Ummm.," very contemplatively until he chooses the book he wants.  His seriousness is always in sharp contract to his playfulness, and he is definitely still my little lover boy.  Always in search of someone to hold, hug, wrestle with.

And as much as I adore Savannah's heart behind her loud, rambunctious concerts, Weston is really the one who can already carry a tune.  He sings nonsense tunes all the time in the back of the car, and he knows the tune to the B-I-B-L-E as well.  Right on tune, he will very cheerfully sing, "The B-i-b-i-b-i-b."  Hitting the high note on the end right on key, even if it's not the right letter=) Then enthusiastically shout, "Bible!!" Like we always do at the end of the song=)

He loves playing with his sister, and their laughter around our house will echo in my heart for years to come.  I am so grateful for two great kids.  "Thank you Lord for these little blessings.  May I be a good steward of what you've chosen to give."

May Daze

Well, May hasn't disappointed in the amount of activity this household has seen.  Sigh.  I love my family I love my friends.  I love everything we do.  And yes, don't get me wrong, I understand that I am the biggest factor that contributes to the busyness of my life, BUT...it may be my old age, but I'm starting to think that living on a farm in the middle of nowhere is becoming a more and more appealing idea on a daily basis=)  Ha!

That being said, I have enjoyed every second of our May craziness.  It started on May 1st with my sister-in-love's baby shower for my side of the family.  Couldn't have been a more sweet day to have all the ladies together.  Little Hartley's due date was the 26th, so we are praying that any day now her sweetness will arrive.

(Meema & all her daughters & granddaughters...special times.)

All 3 Preggers in front, with me & April hanging out in the back=)

Next on the agenda was a visit from Joey's parents in Texas.  The kids always love seeing their CeCi and Pop Pop.

 Then Mother's Day!  I actually got a half way decent picture this year...Yay!  Had to throw the other one in for good measure though--in tribute to past years=)  We spent Mother's Day picnicking after church then picking strawberries as a family.  Enjoyed every second.

Next up was our 10 year anniversary celebrated with a dinner to Ruth Chris Steakhouse and the completion of the Warrior Dash together=)  Yeah, I know...not terribly romantic, but we have plans for a trip in 2012.  Plus, what better way to represent and celebrate the reality of 10 years of marriage than to hurdle cars and fire, climb walls of rope and wood, and crawl through tunnels all the while getting ridiculously slathered in mud and dirt?  Sounds like a marriage to me!  =)  And the best part?  We did it together.  Even when Joey could have totally outpaced me once more, he chose to do it with me.  That's what marriage is all about.  Love you babe!

The next weekend was Savannah's first debut as a flower girl in Megan Well's and Tyson Hill's wedding.  She performed perfectly, and I was so proud of our little girl.  She looked beautiful and enjoyed every minute, but with no nap and by the end of the day, she was on a fast downhill slide into meaningless tears and clingyness.  Joey said he didn't even get out of the parking lot from the reception site before she was asleep in the car, and that NEVER happens to her.  What a trooper=)

***A perfect performer at the rehearsal dinner***

Daddy is always there to help his little girl...

Sweetness.

Lovin' the chocolate fondue!  You can start to see the glaze over in her eyes though...

...so very tired.

So as Joey headed home to get the kids settled back in the house, I headed on to Augusta to celebrate a significant milestone in my oldest, youngest brother's life.  I've missed every other significant milestone in Matthew's life it seems, all for reasons out my control, so it was important for me to be there when my little brother donned a white coat and took an oath to be the best doctor of physical therapy he can be.  If only you all knew how far he's come.--tears--I am so proud of him.  Two years until graduation, Matthew.  Hang in there, and know that your family is so very proud of you.  Not just for the dedication you've shown and ways you and Emily have sacrificed to make this happen, but for how you've grown in the Lord and followed Him through to this point in your life.  You're going to make a terrific DPT one day and bless so many people's lives, but more importantly, any day now, you're going to graduate into the life of a father, and to me that's even more impressive because you're going to be great at it.  I know it's hard, but you're setting a good example of what it means and looks like to grow up, take the Lord's hand, and shoulder the responsibilities of a real man of God.  You will earn more than just my respect in the many years to come.  Love you bro.

My cousin Amber's graduation was next, this past weekend along with a family birthday party, and that brings us up to speed to today...whew! In the meantime, school has let out for the year, and it's just me and the kids.  Home.  Trying to enjoy each other.  (And that's another blog post for another day all in itself.)  But I am glad to have new friends from many arenas of life to share the summer with.  Should be fun=)  Loving life.  Loving the Lord, and loving as many other people as cross our path in the process.  Blessing to you all!

A Tribute to 10 Years!

So, today, 10 years ago, I said "I Do" to my best friend at the tender age of 21.  We had no idea what we were getting into, but I don't have a single regret.  I wouldn't have waited until I graduated from college to marry him.  I couldn't imagine an adventure I could have taken alone that would outshine the adventures we've lived together here in the good ole' South.  I'm daily and forever grateful that God provided for me a real man.

A real man who's not afraid to openly seek the Lord's counsel, who admits his mistakes (eventually) then even actually works at trying to change them.  A real man who's not afraid to break before the Lord and ask for His help when the weight of this world bears down hard on his shoulders, who truly loves his wife like Christ loves the church.  I know God's love tangibly because of how Joey treats me.  A real man who respects his wife and adores his children, who's not afraid to shoulder the responsibility that comes with life, a family, and work.  I real man who takes the licks life gives sometimes, but trusts the Lord and keeps on going.  A real man who understands a woman's work is never done, so he's not afraid to vacuum or do the dishes or change the diapers--without being asked and without expecting any gratitude.

A real man who I can respect and who I ultimately have no struggles in submitting to his authority over our family because--he. seeks. God.  Bottom line.  He will answer before our Father one day for me and this family and the way he has led, so what kind of wife would I be to get in his way? to degrade him? to try and take the lead? to make him feel lesser?  Shame on me for all the times I probably have.

Because in a world where a good man, a REAL good man, is getting harder and harder to find, I have one.  Praise the Lord, God gave me you, Joey Durham!!  I am twice blessed because I could not choose a better role model for our daughter for how a man should treat a woman.  I could not choose a better role model for how a man becomes and lives as a real man of God for my son.  My dear children, your daddy is flawed, but he's not too proud to admit it, and he's not too scared to change, and he's not too strong to know when to lean on our Heavenly Father.

To the man who won my heart 10 years ago, and continues to keep it captivated to this day, I wanted to take some space in time to honor you the way all good men should be honored, but who rarely are until their own eulogy.  I respect you.  I love you, and I can't wait to live the rest of my life with you.

Happy 10 Year Anniversary Honey!!  I really wanted to include pictures down memory lane, but 10 years worth of pictures?  Who am I kidding.  I'd be sitting at my scanner for hours.  So here's to us, Joey Durham, and 90 more if I had my say=)