Wordless Wednesday.

My Lenten project, week 3.

Day 15. Thankful for my mom (T) today, as we are celebrating her life and birthday. Praying this is one of her best years yet. Happy birthday, Mom!

Day 16. Thankful for ballet. Even more thankful for my little ballerina girl. She is so excited about her very first recital coming up next month at The Heiskell School.

Day 17. Thankful for this gorgeous piece molded by the hands of a precious potter. Even more thankful for a sweet visit with her and our friendship. Praying for God to shower her with His love and mercy in a whole new way that only He can.

Day 18. Thankful for another 5K completed with my love and my friend, Tricia. Thankful for our 4 cheerleaders waiting for us at the finish line. Thankful for the sweet couple in our church who played with the children while we ran.

Day 19. Thankful for my sweet friend, Tricia, whom I've known for two years now. She is an encouragement to me in everything that I do. Thankful for her inspiration in exercising. Thankful for her partnership in teaching Sunday School. Mostly, thankful for her friendship.
Day 20. Thankful for springtime and baseball and the Braves. Excited to take Carter and Summer to a game next month!

Day 21. Thankful for my brother and sister in law, Cory and Cari, and my nephew, Lincoln.

Chicken Run.

Saturday, David and I awoke before the sun trying to shower and get ready quietly, lest we wake the sleeping little people. After we were ready, we got the big 3 up and explained to them that we were going on field trip! Being the adventuresome bunch that they are, all excitedly dressed, brushed their teeth, and got ready for the day. After we were all loaded, we headed to Powder Springs for the annual Spring Chicken Run, a 5K in our area that benefits a local ministry CAMP, which helps needy families. The original plan was for David to run and me to stay home with the children, until a sweet couple in our church selflessly offered to wake before the sun, too, and meet us to entertain the children, so we could both run. It truly ministered to our hearts. David and I have been "running" (a loose term to me because I don't really think of myself as a runner, though I am really starting to enjoy it) for about two months now. Over spring break, we did our first 5K in Little Rock, so the Chicken Run was to be our second. Since spring break, we have been working hard to shave some minutes, seconds, whatever off our time, hoping for a PR. The week of the race, I got up every morning and ran between 4-4.5 miles every day, hoping that by adding extra distance, I could increase my speed on the day of the actual race. Well, it worked! David shaved a whopping 5 minutes off his time, and I was able to shave 3 minutes off my time! Success? I think so! We were ecstatic, especially because this race seemed to be particularly hilly, much more so than the one we ran in LR. I told David, the last 1/2 mile all I could think about were the sweet faces of my children that would greet me at the finish line, motivation, indeed. Thank you, honey, for encouraging me and sweating with me, and loving me through this running season. I can't think of too many places I wouldn't run with you.

My love and me after our big finish.

My sweet friend, Tricia, who killed the race herself and who has been a constant encouragement to me since I have known her. I tell her often she is a breath of fresh air in my life, and I love spending time with her!

David, me, and Tricia.

My Tilly girl at the finish line.

Our party of six after the race.

Now, here is where the day gets a little interesting. Carter and Summer badly wanted to run in the kid's race, so of course we agreed. Well, we thought this was the kid's race, but it ended up being the 1 mile run, ha! So, David ran another mile with our two oldest after our race, and they loved it! Carter, especially.

Story was such a good sport all morning, sitting mostly quietly in her car seat. By this point, she was over it though! I can hardly blame her.

Summer coming into the finish line. Look at her already running pretty!

I adore this big smile on Carter's face. He smiled the whole way into the finish, so precious! The only thing left to say is, "When do we get to do this again?!"

Why not?

She is our fourth!

Could she be any more excited?

Could we be any more excited? I think not! Summer has her very first ballet recital coming up next month, and this week at ballet class she was fitted for her costume. I am sure her cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. Summer loves ballet. I don't think you understand. I mean she really loves it. Miss Page, her teacher last year, can vouch for me. It's all she ever talked about, and now that this year she is actually old enough to attend, it's all she ever talks about.

Summer with one of her sweet friends from school. I love the way Summer is looking at her friend as if to say, "Aren't you as excited as me?"

Look at those bruised shins, poor girl.

I cannot wait to see the cute girlies in action in April!

Muffins with Mommy

This week at school, I got to take time out of my day with a room full of prekindergartners and do one of my most favorite things in the whole world. Be a mommy! In Tilly's class this week, we celebrated muffins with mommy. It was just a sweet opportunity for the mommies of these little "builders" to come into the classroom and see our little ones in action. I loved it!

Here's my little Tilly girl in action. She has the cutest, funniest facial expressions. She constantly has us in stitches, and we aren't the only ones. I mean just look at that sweet face.

Tilly and her friends getting ready to have juice (a big treat for our children, she couldn't get enough!) and muffins.

Miss Page leading the children in "I love my flag!" They are saying, "Hip, hip, hooray!"

Here the children are singing the song, "Only a Boy Named David," telling the story of David killing Goliath. They are showing how the stone hit Goliath in the head.

Miss Page with all of her builders. We absolutely love Miss Page. She taught Summer last year and Carter the year before that. We can't wait for little Miss Story to be in her class, too!

Wordless Wednesday.

My Lenten project, week 2.

Day 8. Thankful for layover visits at the airport with a sweet friend, who spent a summer with me at Fuge and is in my heart forever. Love this picture of Tilly Brooke with her namesake, Brooke Miller.

Day 9. Thankful for the ability to run and exercise. Thankful for the desire to do so. Thankful for this handsome fella who encourages me and sweats with me!

Day 10. Thankful for our 1 year old, 100 lb lab, Hundley. He was hit by a car two weeks ago, and he is healing! There was a time when we didn't even know if we'd see him in our backyard again. So thankful!

Day 11. Thankful for my two favorite fellas. Thankful they will have an opportunity to go on a mission trip together this summer! How exciting!

Day 12. Thankful for my pre-kindergarten class and a fun day with dinosaurs and volcanoes.Day 13. Thankful for a spring garden full of green goodies. Day 14. Thankful for my sister, Noelle, her husband, Scott, and their daughters, Haleigh and Zoie.

Not too late to be green.

The day after St. Patrick's Day, my two favorite fellas planted our spring garden, and I could not be more excited about it. A few weeks ago, we planted onions and potatoes, so now we have added several different lettuces. Here are some pictures of the goodness we will be able to experience in just a few weeks! I think I posted two pictures of Romaine Lettuce, can you tell it's my favorite?

My song.

My children and I spend a lot of time together in the car. Many days our car rides are a lot of fun. We sing, we talk about our day, we talk about life, we pray, we act silly, etc. Some days are rougher than others, as would be expected with a 4, 3, and 2 year old. The mornings are usually more subdued than the afternoons, especially now that the time has changed. One of our favorite things to do in the car is sing and listen to music. I'm not sure when it started, I think with Carter, but the children have claimed a song on the radio or a CD, and there is a constant request for that song. Many times, there is a battle over whose song it really is or whose song we are going to play first, but most days we just enjoy the music together. So, here they are. . .

This is Tilly's favorite song right now. So cute! We have it on a CD, but the other morning it came on the radio and she excitedly shouted, "It's my song, Mommy!" Oh, how I wish you could hear her sing along.

All of the children are big Chris Tomlin fans, or Chris Tomalin, as Summer calls him! Although, it occurred to me the other day that she thought Chris Tomalin was a song rather than a person. We got it straight though. So, this one's for you, Summer!

Carter especially loves Chris Tomlin and sings along to most any song of his that comes on the radio. However, as of late, he seems to have chosen a new song. He calls it "the pencil song." When you listen to it, I think you will see why. Here's your song, Carter.

The children insist on Mommy having a song, too. I love the ones that they love above, and this next one has been one of my favorites for a long time now.

I am sure in the weeks and months to come, our songs will change, but I will never tire of the little voices asking, "Mommy, will you play my song?"

Wordless Wednesday.

My Lenten project.

Growing up in the Methodist church, our family celebrated Ash Wednesday and Lent every year before Easter. We usually "gave up" something like cokes, chocolate, television, sweet tea, fried foods, basically something that we loved and would be a sacrifice to go without. Later in college, I remember participating in Lent giving up caffeine, bread, snacks, or other things that seemed bigger to me. The last few years, I don't really remember "giving up" anything, and this year as the Lenten season approached I was convicted about the whole "giving up" thing. In fact, David and I had a lengthy conversation about giving up things for Lent. I mean why can't Lent be about doing more for others or ministry or discipleship? I don't know. I had really been pondering Lent and reading up on it. Noel Piper, wife of John Piper, has two posts up about Lent here and here that were knowledgeable and thought provoking. Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent kind of snuck up on me, and I really hadn't nailed down the perfect way for me to celebrate Lent and prepare my heart for Easter. Until, I saw it on facebook! I know of all the places. One of my sweet fuge friends, Gretchen (we worked MFUGE in Charleston summer of 2000, also when I met David) posted her idea for Lent on facebook, and with permission I "borrowed" it. Her project is 40 days of gratitude in pictures. I love it! So, I have been posting a picture a day on facebook of something or someone I am thankful for and will continue to do so for the next 40 days. Because many family members don't have facebook, namely my mother and in-laws and because I want to document our story for my children to have when they grow up, I will also be posting my pictures on the blog once a week. What a perfect way to prepare my heart for the Easter season with gratitude. Gratitude for all He has given me, but most all gratitude for what He has done for me, dying on the cross, satisfying God's wrath for sin, so that I can have life in Him. What a gift! Now, that's something to be thankful for.

Day 1. I am overwhelmingly thankful for these four! SO thankful to be their mommy!

Day 2. So thankful for this sweet girl, who is 10 months old today, March 10. Thank you, Lord, for happy, healthy children.

Day 3. So thankful for his man. Love doing life with him! Thankful for 9+ years of marriage, 4 awesome children, and hope for an amazing future. Thankful that he makes me laugh, really hard!

Day 4. Thankful for spring break, picnics in the park, and flying kites with Papa and Gigi.

Day 5. Thankful for my precious grandmother and the lasting investment she has made in my life. Praying for healing in her body and abundant joy in her heart. Love love love this picture of her with sweet Story.

Day 6. Thankful for my mom and her husband, Hart, and the sweet ways they love our family.

Day 7. Thankful for the city of New Orleans, our two years spent there, and the amazing ways the Lord revealed Himself to us during that season.