My Jesus is alive! Alive forevermore!

This is a song Carter has been learning in school this Easter season. It warms my heart to hear him sing of our risen Lord! We had a very special Easter weekend! David and the girls picked up Carter and me after school on Thursday and we headed to South Georgia (God's country we call it) to visit Mama! Traffic was atrocious; the children screamed much of the way; David and I joined in a few times, but we finally made it safe and sound! Time with Mama was special to say the least! She prepared a yummy breakfast for us each morning and lunch too! The children enjoyed sitting in her lap and entertaining her; I enjoyed sitting in the chair beside her and talking like we do each time I go home; David enjoyed driving the dirt roads and fishing! He was brave enough one morning and took Carter and Summer fishing on the farm. Carter managed to get completely tangled in his fishing line; Summer threw the tackle box and herself in the water! Saturday after lunch we headed back home. Sunday we spent Easter morning as a family at our church. We had a wonderful worship service and David preached of the risen Jesus! I told David after lunch that I have grown up in church all my life; celebrated Easter all my life; known of the risen Lord all my life, but never have I anticipated the Easter season with the excitement I felt this year! Jesus is alive! There is so much hope in that little sentence! Here are some of my favorite pictures from our Easter holiday.

Daddy and Miss Tilly as he has affectionately named her!
Sweet Tilly - Such a happy girl!
Mommy and her 3 babies! Love them!
Handsome Carter!
Daddy and Sweet Summer! She looked so beautiful in her new dress from Papa and Gigi!

What a Weekend!

This has been one of the craziest weekends we have had in a long time and Sunday (our busiest day by far) is not even here yet! It all began on Friday night with my class's great performance, "Go to the Ant." Each year at the Heiskell School every grade level puts on a performance. This year was a little different because our music teacher was in Mali the entire time! Check out her blog on my blog list! We survived and it ended up being a really great performance. The children were awesome and had such a great time. We were all so proud of them! Here are a couple of pictures from the big week!

2nd and 3rd grade teachers with Mr. & Mrs. Heiskell, the founders of the school.

2nd and 3rd grade students with Mrs. Carol DeMar, the writer of the play

Today, our church had the first annual Easter egg hunt! It was so much fun! A little funny story, I woke up in the middle of the night remembering that we had not gotten Easter baskets for the children! I woke David up too, so he could worry with me about how we were going to find baskets at the last minute! When you see the pictures below, you might get a chuckle out of their baskets! In all the busyness of the week, we just forgot! They had a great time though! Summer and Carter raced all over gathering as many eggs as their little hands could muster! These two were terrified of the Easter bunny, so little Tilly is the only one who got her picture made with the bunny! How funny! After the egg hunt, Carter and I left to go to a birthday party for one of his special friends at school. I had such a fun time visiting with some of the other mommies! We went to the Purple Hippo Art Studio and he painted a picture on a canvas, it was awesome! We already have it proudly displayed in his room! Then, he and I met "T" at the mall to spend a few moments with her! Then, we had a fellowship with our Sunday School class! What a fun day! What an exhausting day! Why am I still up blogging?!

YES!

On this day, 8 years ago (wow, has it been that long?) my sweet husband asked me to marry him! March madness always makes me think of him and remember the sweet day when he asked me to be his wife. During March of 2001, we filled out our brackets for the college basketball tournament and agreed that the one who lost would have to do something to surprise the other! Lucky for me, I won! David surprised me by asking me to be his bride! (I wonder what would have happened had I lost!) Since that time, we have filled out our brackets together every year! It looks like I might beat him this year! I wonder if he will surprise me again, though nothing could top the surprise proposal! The thing about David is that he is full of surprises! You never know what he is going to do or say! I love this husband of mine because he has the biggest heart and he is always doing sweet things for the children and me! I am so thankful that he asked me to be his wife! I would say, "Yes" to him all over again!

Eagles and Easter Eggs

For spring break this year, we took our party of five to Arkansas to visit Papa, Gigi, Cari, and Aunt Karen! We got to do lots of fun things including dying Easter eggs and going to Chuck E. Cheese! Probably the most exciting event for our family was going to watch Daddy's high school, Arkansas Baptist, play in the 3A state championship game. It was Carter's first basketball game. What a great way to start his love of the game! The Eagles won! This was really special because when Daddy played basketball in high school, he helped to lead his team to the first state championship for the Arkansas Baptist. In fact, he still holds several records in the state of Arkansas! We are so proud of him and the Eagles for winning the big game! We had fun cheering for the Eagles and wearing our red!

Summer's Big Girl Bed Debut

Well, tonight was a big night at our house! Summer made the move to the big girl bed! She has done great this first night - well, she did not climb out yet! For those of you who know anything about Summer, this is huge! She is our fearless one and quite the climber! Summer was really excited to get into her new bed tonight. She kept saying "big bed" over and over! In fact, as I type this she is sound asleep!

This picture was taken about a month ago.
This picture was taken tonight once she was in her big girl bed! She is even wearing the same pajamas! As you can see by her face, she was so very excited! Thank you, T, for bringing such a big smile to our little girl's face! She loves her new bed! Below are some sweet pictures of Summer playing with Carter and Tilly. She is such a great sister to these two and plays so well with both of them! We are blessed by sweet Summer!

Carter and Summer riding the horsey!
Summer sitting in Tilly's bumbo chair and sharing her blocks!

My Funny Fella

Carter is at such a fun age right now. He says so many funny things and I don't want to forget these cute things he says, so I thought I would come up with an ongoing list. My friend, April, who also blogs does this for her son and she calls them "Jacobisms" after her son's name, Jacob! Carterisms just doesn't sound as great, but if any of you have another idea I would love to hear it! Thanks for the great idea, April! Many of you won't find these as endearing as David and I do. I will keep that in mind. I will also keep in mind that you can't hear his cute little voice when he says these things, but those of you who know him, try to picture it!
1. Fick-Chil-A - He has called Chick-Fil-A this for as long as I can remember.
2. The brown is coming and wow, that's a big one, Mommy! I won't give any feedback on this one! Let's just say potty-training has been fun!
3. Mommy, you pretty and Daddy's handsome!
4. Mommy, let your pretty hair down!
5. I have blue eyes like Tilly! And Summer has brown eyes like Daddy!
6. Mommy, this is Ashley! Ashley is the special friend at school he talks about all the time that Mommy is not ready to talk about yet!
7. Don't cover my heart. He says this when I am zipping up his jacket and he doesn't want it zipped too high.
8. Handzitizer - his word for hand sanitizer.
9. Brush teeth - his word for toothpaste. I need some more brush teeth!
10. Indi-isible - his word for indivisible when saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
11. Dear God, thank you for this beautiful day! Wow.
12. Miss Giginia - how he says Miss Virginia the pre-school director at our school.
13. I hurt my body. He says this when he falls or hurts himself!
14. Sa Banana - Carter's word for Savannah. I was there last week with my third graders! David got a kick out him saying Mommy is in Sa Banana!
This is all I can think of for now. I am sure David will help me remember the ones I have forgotten.

This is how I found him in the bed tonight when I went in to check on him - with his jacket on!

I love this sweet smile!

Third Grade Field Trip to Coastal Georgia

This past Wednesday through Friday, I took my third grade class on our annual overnight field trip to the coast of Georgia! We had a wonderful time exploring the many sites. We left our school at 6:30 A.M. on Wednesday morning headed for the Okefenokee Swamp! While at the swamp, we went on a boat ride, hiked to the watchtower and saw many alligators! After the swamp, we drove over to St. Simon's Island to Epworth-by-the-Sea, a Methodist retreat center. I actually went to camp here as a kid! After an okay night's sleep and a delicious breakfast, we left for the day. Our first stop was Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, from there we went to Fort King George, Christ Church, the lighthouse on St. Simon's Island, and the pier. It was a fun-filled and very busy day! On Friday morning, we awoke very early and departed for Savannah. We took a trolley tour of the city, walked down River Street, and ate lunch by the Savannah River. After all that, we headed home! I had a wonderful time being on the coast and by the sea! There is just something about the ocean! None of this would have been possible without my sweet husband, who took on the task of taking care of all 3 of our children by himself for 3 days! He survived! I came to home a happy and very clean house! Thank you, David! You are my favorite! Below are a few pictures from our adventures!

Boat ride on the Okefenokee Swamp

Porch of the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation

Pier at St. Simon's Island

Lighthouse on St. Simon's Island

Trolley tour of Savannah

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Tilly!

Today, Tilly is 6 months old! I cannot believe it! The time has gone by so very fast! David took her for her well check-up today since she was getting shots - thank you, Daddy! She got a great report from Dr. Gfroerer! We love going to Dr. Gfroerer. He is one of the most encouraging doctors I have ever met! After each visit with him, David and I leave feeling like we are the best parents ever! We need all the encouragement we can get right now, I wonder if we could set up weekly encouragement visits with Dr. G?! Tilly weighs 15 pounds 6 ounces (45 percentile) and is 27 inches tall (90 percentile). She is a healthy, growing baby and we are so grateful! Tilly continues to sleep 12 hours each night and takes two naps, a shorter one in the morning and a long one in the afternoon! She is rolling all over the place and attempts to do the army crawl! Tilly is working extra hard to keep up with her big brother and sister! She is eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and yo-baby like a champ! Her two bottom teeth are coming in and we are just moving right along! Tilly continues to be the sweetest most content baby! She has the sweetest laugh and smile! Her big brother and sister just adore her - it is precious! We pray they will always be such sweet friends. Well, I always have the best intentions, but in all my free time all the wants don't always get done. So, my intent was to take a picture of Tilly today. I forgot until she was sound asleep. I went in her room to take her picture, but her face was turned away, so I could not capture the full essence of Tilly that I was hoping for! So, I am posting some of my favorite pictures from her birthday and a recent picture taken of her that is one my most favorites! We love you, Tilly!

Tilly, just a few minutes after birth.

One of my all time favorite pictures! Carter and Summer meeting baby Tilly for the very first time! They wore their pink in her honor!
Another one of my favorites! Occasionally, she will snuggle with me like in this picture. I treasure these moments! This was taken on the morning we got to go home from the hospital!

Look at that sweet smile! She is Mommy's little bulldawg! This picture was taken on Valentine's Day of this year!

Let's Play

The weather has been so nice outside the last week or so! On the days the children and I get home early, we have been spending some time outside playing! Below are some sweet pictures of the children spending time outside!

Tilly smiling so sweetly!
Carter and Summer playing in the leaves!

Carter riding his tricycle, a present from Mommy and Daddy for Christmas.
Summer riding her tricycle too!

Happy Valentine's Day 2009

Valentine's Day began a day early for our family! On Friday, Carter and Summer both had parties at their schools. Daddy was the guest of honor for Carter's party! It was so much fun for Carter to have his daddy at school! David helped with the Valentine craft - Carter made me a beautiful heart necklace! I will treasure this always! David also read a story to all of the children! Summer celebrated by eating cupcakes with all of her friends! Tilly made us a special valentine with her sweet little footprint! Precious! Friday was special for me too because I received some beautiful flowers from my four valentines at school! I was so surprised! I am reminded of how much I love my sweet little family on this day we celebrate the things we love! Below are some pictures on Valentine's Day of the children opening their valentines from T, Hart, Papa, Gigi, Aunt Cari, and Uncle Cory! Thank you!

Sleepy Babies

Our nighttime routine is one of my favorite parts of the day. After supper and baths, we all pile into Carter's bed. We read a couple of stories, we sing a few songs, and we pray. Carter and Summer love to read: Brown Bear; The Barnyard Dance; The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear; and The Very Hungry Caterpillar just to name a few. Our prayer time is so very sweet too. We all hold hands and I pray. Summer has got the Amen part down pat! Carter likes to say his own prayers too that are very sweet! Once the children are asleep, David and I spend the evenings talking, watching TV, and just being together. Before we go to bed, we always look in on our precious little ones. I love to watch them sleep! Last night, I took a couple of pictures without waking them surprisingly enough! Sweet dreams, my little ones! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Carter with his bulldog blanket, his lovie he has had since he was born, his bunny, and his George! I have always loved his sweet little mouth!
Summer with her bulldog blanket and pillow! Her lovie is somewhere close, we don't get very far without it! I love the way her long eyelashes lay on her cheeks when she is asleep! She is exhausted after her many stunts during the day! I think it is about time for her to be in a big girl bed! We are aiming to make the change over spring break!
Baby Tilly with her lovie and the hands up! We always know when the hands are up she is sleeping really well! Look at those sweet cheeks! I kiss them many times a day!

How Sweet It Is

"I want to stop and thank you baby

I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you

How sweet it is to be loved by you "

Carter is our passionate one, as David has correctly dubbed him. He is all or nothing all the time! He has learned how to say the "Pledge of Allegiance" and he loves to read and sing! We are thinking there might be a girlfriend in the picture, but Mommy is not ready to talk about that just yet! Tilly is our sweet one. The others are sweet too, but she has something extra sweet about her. She has the sweetest disposition, always smiling, always laughing, and she loves her brother and sister! They are pretty sweet on her too, she's hard to resist!

Summer is our fearless one! She has no fear! No kidding! This picture was taken after she kissed the pavement! It did not even phase her, she hopped up and kept playing!

Summer ROCKS!

Summer turned 18 months old last week! Where does the time go?! We are getting ready to begin the process of making baby food for Tilly and it seems like we were just doing this for Summer; I guess we were! David took Summer for her 18 month check-up. Check out these stats: 27 pounds 1 ounce; 36 inches tall! During this visit, she also got two shots - hence the reason for Daddy taking her! Well, the nurse gave her the first one and Summer did not even flinch or cry. The nurse moved to the other leg and gave the second shot. Summer did not budge! She hopped off the table, blew the nurse a kiss and said, "Love you, bye!" David was SO proud! Summer with her afternoon snack.

Giving kisses to her baby sister! Summer gives full on the mouth kisses, so sweet!

Look at that sweet face!

Summer and Carter having a picnic at their new table from Uncle Cory and Aunt Cari!

Rockin' and Rollin'

Tilly is rolling over and over!

There she goes!

Yay, Tilly! Carter and Summer were so excited for their baby sister!

Sisterly love! I pray they will always be so sweet to each other!

Carter's 4th Hair Cut

Before the infamous hair cut. Aren't those curls so precious?!

After the hair cut. Isn't he handsome?! He is growing up WAY too fast! I can't believe he will be 3 in May! Wow! Everyday he says something new and funny! Carter is the BEST big brother two girls could ever want!