Tuesday, December 20, 2011

11 Things in 11 Years


Love, love, LOVE my Johnny!


It's a good thing I love to laugh ... anything else is just not an option with this fella!

It's hard to believe that we're 11 years in to this journey that God has given us.  Lots of things have changed ... our looks, sadly are one of them ;o).  At our wedding, one (yes, I said one ... there were three.  I wanted to make sure we were married!) of the pastors challenged us to view our marriage as a painting, a picture of Christ's love for the Church.  I don't know of any artist who paints a masterpiece in a day.  They work on it day in and day out, seeking out the imperfections and blemishes and correcting them.  Sometimes it's a quick fix, other times, you work on it only to discover that the mark is much larger than you initially thought and it requires intensive time and tools for repair.  To some, it seems as though it would be easier to just cover things up or walk away, but not to those who have the masterpiece engraved in their hearts.  You just can't leave it unfinished.  John, I love the marriage we have, but I can't wait to see how the Lord changes the colors, landscapes, and subjects through our lifetime ...  100 years could never be enough with you!


11 Things I've learned about John
1. He's particular about breakfast, coffee, and running shoes. 
2. He does not like to be called "babe".  (I only recently learned this - can you even imagine the number of times I've called him babe in our marriage???)
3. He likes to sleep on the right side of the bed.  I like to sleep on the side of the bed that is farthest from the door (you know, so I don't get between him and the boogey man if John should ever need to take a boogey man out.)  
4. He puts the "pro" in procrastination, but he always gets things done on time.  This can really drive a girl bonkers!
5. He can tell you about any military plane that flys overhead.
6. He can sing - oh, I love to hear him sing!, but he probably doesn't want you to know that if you don't already ... woops!
7. He would love to get his pilot license but he's not interested in jumping out of an airplane.
8. He loves to make other people laugh ... I love it when he laughs!
9. He packs more clothes for a trip than I do.  Not because he's into style or fashion, but because he wants to be prepared for any weather or last minute plans we may make.  Guess who never has a jacket when she needs one and yes, he always lets me wear his.
10. He seeks out adventure ... in a movie, in his job, and in our family.  
11. He loves Jesus.  He loves me. He loves Will and Kate.  He loves our family, our church, our friends, Wendy's hamburgers, listening to pod casts, Duke basketball, and he loves to hit snooze.  :o)  I'm pretty crazy about him!



Monday, December 19, 2011

This is what's behind the "good" pictures

Don't you just love family pictures?  I do.  Let's be honest though ... they are a lot of work and hardly ever does everyone cooperate in them!  I thought I'd share a few out-takes ... you know, the one's you're supposed to delete so that they never make it to facebook so you can preserve the "picture perfect"family.  Yeah well, we're so far from perfect but there is a lot of love in this family!!!  
This is real life, right here folks!

Maybe Kate's had enough?

You could see this almost anytime you stop by!

Not feeling it, Mom.


We'll just crop sweet little Kate right out of this pic and it will be a sweet Mom & son photo!

O Happy Day!

Will blames this look on the camera flash - seriously?!?!

Wow!  This one might be the winner!



Friday, December 16, 2011

Pinterest Project

Every time I turn around it seems as if Will has grown another inch, needs new shoes, or is back in the pantry (which leads to growing more inches!).  The days of his childhood aren't slowing down, but I'm trying my hardest to take in each moment, as each moment only comes once in a lifetime.  This week we enjoyed working together to make a snack for his class.  It was a very simple recipe, but I was thrilled to have Will's company and conversation.  I hope he never gets too old to enjoy helping his Mom in the kitchen! :o)
Lay pretzels flat on a foil lined cookie sheet

Put a hershey kiss on top of each one


Bake @ 275 for 3 minutes


Put an m&m on top ... refrigerate until cooled completely


Just my little piece of the south out here in the midwest ... thanks Mama!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

You can Find us at the Y-M-C-A

You know you're singing it now ... you're welcome :o).  One of the things we love about our new home is the YMCA that is just around the corner.  The kids are soaking up all of the activity that goes on there and John and I are trying to keep up with them!  Will is playing basketball and looks forward to the games every week.  He's been learning a lot about the game and he *might* even be a little bit tired after the practices & games each week (but probably not!)  Kate is taking "nastics" and her favorite part of the class is when they get to jump on the "jumpoline".  Somehow she seems to have even more energy after her weekly class.  I'm so thankful for two healthy children who love to run, jump, and play.  Now for the good part ... pictures. 



Will is all about defense!

I love this picture - notice Will's teammate's arm around Will's shoulders!

Go team!

Ready to play!

This might be my favorite picture of Will so far this season.  He is really serious about defense!



We always start with stretching!

Ta-da!

By far, Kate's favorite part of "nastics" is jumping on the "jumpoline"

I'll admit I'm biased, but this girl is beautiful!

This is serious business!

I love gymnastics!