I forgot Jesus

In my Christmas day recount, I forgot to mention that we did celebrate the true reason of the day. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I wanted Philip to be fully aware that the holiday is in rememberance of Jesus' birth. I would tell him Christmas is Jesus' birthday and we celebrate by having a birthday party for him. We exchange gifts to show each other how much we love each other and think about how much Jesus loves us. Therefore, on Christmas afternoon I made Jesus a birthday cake. We ate it with ice cream after dinner that evening.



(I know the writing is a little sloppy. It was time to decorate the cake and I realized I was almost out of writing icing so I was pinching the tubes with all my might.)

Our Christmas Festivities

The long Christmas "weekend" began on Dec. 24th with a wonderful Christmas Eve service at church followed by a special time with friends. Our good friends Kim and Bobby had several families to their house for a time of fellowship and Christmas cookie decorating.

Oops! We forgot to tell Philip that the cookies were for Santa and not for him. Yum!

Christmas morning came and we had told Philip to come to our room before going to the living room. Matthew read us the Christmas story from the Bible and then it was time to see what Santa had brought and open presents from Mommy and Daddy. Braewyn went diving for her stocking first.

Our little chocoholic ate FOUR chocolate bells before even opening one present...

but I suppose it gave her lots of energy to do so!

Philip was very excited to spot a new Batman plane and Buzz Lightyear toy. Just what he had asked Santa for while on top of that firetruck!!

After seeing the unwrapped gifts from Santa, Philip and Braewyn began distributing the gifts from us out from under the tree.

Who is that Caped Crusader? Philip has so much enjoyed his Spiderman and Buzz Lightyear suits, we thought he'd have fun being more of his favorite super heroes. Batman and...




Iron Man!

Braewyn did receive a new baby and stroller from Santa. Here she is giving her baby a Christmas kiss!

Iron Man and the little mommy exchange words in the hallway.

Matthew was surprised to receive a new router from the kids. It should help continue his new found hobby of woodworking (he made his mom a table for Christmas).

Braewyn had fun playing with her new Mrs. Potato Head. Mommy had a hard time figuring out how to store all the parts in the box!

Ruth Ann, "Grandma", came over after lunch and tried her hand at stockcar racing with Philip on his new Disney Cars Wii game.

Christmas dinner was at our house this year. The table was full but the atmosphere was loving. There were the four of us, Ruth Ann, my parents, Aunt Liz, Aunt Elise, Uncle Arden, and Grandma Mary.

Braewyn, Matthew, Ruth Ann and I sat in the "peanut gallery" section as I called it. Hey, we were all in the same room this way.

Braewyn snuggled up to Aunt Elise and Uncle Arden in the new bathrobe they gave her.

My Mom, the sentimental one, has kept my childhood baby highchair all these years and presented it to Braewyn this Christmas.

She gave it a fresh paintjob and added the cute bird. Braewyn has fed her new baby and learning puppy in it this week.

Saturday was a yard work day for us. Philip helped move some leaves in his new heavy duty, Tonka truck from Great Grandma and Grandpa Diemer (Mom's parents).

On Sunday, we traveled to Matthew's great aunt and uncle's house (45 minutes away) for a large family Christmas gathering and baby shower for his second cousin. I love going there as it's the house Grandma Mary and her siblings grew up in. Her sister Amy and brother-in-law Melvin own it today and we always feel extremely at home there. This photo is during one of the baby shower games.

Here are the expectant parents, Melinda and Brian, opening presents and receiving some unrequested help from an experienced gift-opener, Braewyn.

One of the best things about visiting Amy and Melvin is that they own 34 cows!! It had just rained and so the cows were wet and curly standing around in thick mud. How cute!! We had a wonderful Christmas week and I feel so blessed to have spent it with our dear family and friends.

My Christmas Letter

(Just in case I didn't get to send you an actual Christmas card, here is this year's photo and letter.)



Dear Family and Friends,

I pray this letter finds you and your loved ones healthy and well during this Christmas season. For some of you reading, this is our only interaction during the year. I do think of you each personally as I envelope each letter and pray that 2009 will bring many of God’s blessings to you and your family.

Each year I eagerly anticipate writing this Christmas letter and yet when I sit down to do so, I’m not exactly sure where to start. To sum up the year in one word, I am picking “Fun”. Philip turned 3 years old on January 22 so we started the year with a “Go, Diego, Go!” party. There was Philip and seven little girls at his party!! We had invited boys but they were all sick. Everyone had fun anyhow. I am amazed at how Philip’s vocabulary and imagination have grown this year. We can be going somewhere in the car, and he will tell me a story spanning the entire drive time! I love listening to him, but the problem comes when he wants ME to play with him and that means reenacting an episode of Spiderman, Batman or Bibleman he has watched. Oops, Mommy wasn’t really watching all of that show while folding clothes! I can’t wait until he learns to write and can get these stories of his down on paper.
Our daughter Braewyn started life with a strong voice and it hasn’t let up yet. She had her first birthday on May 2. She’s a beautiful child inside and out, but there’s just a very strong will backing that beauty up. Braewyn holds her own very well against her big brother. They do play very well together for the most part, but when she has something he wants and he takes it, boy do you hear about it! There were days when I would say, “Braewyn is gonna give us a run for our money as parents.” Now, I try to focus on the strong, godly leader she can become by using her personality within the right parameters. She does also have a sweet, nurturing nature as she recently has begun taking care of her baby dolls with little bottles, spoons and bowls.

Matthew celebrated his 10th anniversary working at QS/1 Data Systems this year. I am completely thankful to the Lord for providing this wonderful job for him which in turn allows me to stay home with our children. His company produces the computer software for small, independent pharmacies. In this trying financial time, people are still always going to need their medicine so I believe QS/1 will be a solid foundation for us.

I continue to enjoy attending Bible Study Fellowship and MOPS as have gained so many dear friends through each ministry. This year at MOPS, I am the Discussion Group Team Leader which means leading a monthly meeting for the Table Shepherds (discussion leaders at each table) and creating the discussion questions pertaining to guest speaker’s topic for each MOPS meeting. My days are filled with doing laundry, washing dishes and teaching the kids to love God and each other. It gets tiring and sometimes mundane, but I remind myself everyday what wonderful blessings I have.

Just because the future of our country appears to be very uncertain, yesterday morning you really didn’t know what today would hold either. Someone once said, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know who holds tomorrow.” My God has told me, “For I know the plans I have for you, …plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). My prayer is that if you do not know Jesus Christ personally, you would seek to do so this year. He knows what tomorrow holds for each of us, and no matter what that is, I am grateful to know He will be with me. If I leave this world tomorrow, I’d be meeting Him and so excited to be doing so. Would you be? I’d be happy to talk with you more about Jesus or you can always call 1-800-NEED-HIM.

Merry Christmas! We love you!
Matthew, Kim, Philip and Braewyn

Pre-Christmas Pictures

Before I share photos from our wonderful Christmas day, I didn't want to pass up on all the fun we had from December 1-24. This has been a fun month with decorating the house, attending Philip's first Upward basketball practice (he's on the 4-6 year old team and will begin games in January), celebrating with Aunt Andrea, Uncle Mike and Holden at my parents' house, watching the kids being their silly selves, and our annual visit to A Return to Bethlehem. We definitely want to keep Jesus' birth as the focus of our month so we've gone for three years to a drive-thru live nativity which includes a dozen "scenes" winding through Bethlehem leading up to Jesus being born in the stable. Live animals are brought in from a near-by zoo but I can never seem to get a decent photo of the camel! This year we stopped by Krispy Kreme for doughnuts afterward. A fun night!

We live with a screamer!

Braewyn was born and the screaming started. There's no way to sugarcoat it. It took us 8 months to get her to sleep through the night (meaning from 10pm until around 5am but that was exciting when it started). The kids began sharing a room when she was 4 months old. She would get unsettled and begin her "banshe" screaming as we dubbed it and Philip would ask for her to be removed. I suppose I did coddle her a bit more than we did with Philip because she would literally scream for an hour straight even while I was walking her around the kitchen floor due to her being so overly tired.

Flash forward a year. Braewyn's now a beautiful, lively (oh, so lively!)20 month old (on Jan. 2), but still the screaming problem is there. The nights are great now. Philip and Braewyn still share a room and sleep comfortably from around 8:30pm until 6:30am (yes, now we're working on how to keep Philip asleep longer in the morning; he only naps 3 or 4 times a week but maybe that's too much). The screaming happens during the day: when Philip steals her blanket, when I've given her a cup with the wrong drink in it, when I say, "Mommy must brush your teeth first", ESPECIALLY when I "help" buckle her in the car seat (she believes she can do it all herself), when I stop her from doing something she knows she shouldn't be doing. Matthew would like to add to the list: when she's conscious and breathing. And her scream is in comparison to someone blowing an airhorn right beside your head unexpectedly.

I love my daughter completely and feel overly blessed daily. I'm just posting about her screaming to ask others if you have a screamer and what do you do about it. I'm going to get a copy of "The Strong-willed Child" by James Dobson to see what he says. Braewyn definitely falls into that category also. We believe in spanking and with Philip it really works well and helps curb his disobedience. Maybe it's that with two kids, I'm more tired this time and haven't been as consistent in spanking Braewyn. Or maybe she just needs a different method of discipline. I'm praying that once she is fully speaking the screaming will go away. Did it with your kid(s)? Thanks for any advice.

Still Trying to Keep At It...

Yes, I just got back from running (a.k.a. walking with a little running). My goal is still to go to Charleston for the Cooper River Bridge Run on April 4. That's only 3 months away. It's crunch time. Well, today was the first time I've actually gone outside, in running clothes, by myself, to run in about six weeks. All that means I'm starting from SCRATCH again!! The first few minutes were miserable as I had very little stamina, the crisp winter (Happy 1st Day of Winter!) air stung my face and made my eyes water, and the zip pull-thing on my vest was jingling! However, I made a decision to "run" three laps through my neighborhood and wasn't stopping until I did so. It took me 37 minutes (from 2:42pm until 3:24pm) and my cellphone's built in pedometer says I went 3.4 miles!! That's exciting. The CRBR is a 10K race which equals 6.1 miles! If I keep "training", I think the race will go well as I wasn't completely exhausted after running today. I could have gone longer (maybe just a little bit longer), but I need to go to the grocery store before church tonight.

Philip's Bad Dream

Over the last year, Philip has really taken an interest in super heroes. He was Spiderman for Halloween of 2007 and has worn the costume around the house at least every third day since then. Then he and Matthew began father/son bonding time watching "Spiderman" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoons on Saturday morning. He caught a few episodes of "Transformers" and "Ben 10: Alien Force". All the while, I'm thinking to myself, "How do I know which shows to let him watch? What things will be scary to him?"

Today I found out. He entered our bedroom at 6:17am. I told Philip to use the bathroom and go back to sleep. He continued walking closer to my side of the bed. He tells me he had a bad dream. I asked him what was his dream about. (I don't know why people do this because then it just gets the person to again focus on the images which scared them in the first place). Philip says a big brown elephant with eyelashes was in our house...

SNUFFALUFAGUS!!!! Philip is watching all these shows which seem to probably be for older kids and he has a nightmare about Snuffalufagus from Sesame Street. We've not watched that in six months. I reassured him that there were no brown elephants in our house, but he and I went on into the livingroom anyway to start our day.

I know personally my dreams are terrifying until I explain them to Matthew. He and I both wonder what's wrong with me so maybe Philip gets the crazy dream gene from me!

"Borrowed" Thanksgiving Photos

Our family and Mom, Ruth Ann, had a wonderful (minus my day of a stomach bug) Thanksgiving weekend with Matthew's brother Jonathan, his wife Lori and their adorable girls Hannah and Madeline. Thanks to Lori's timely uploading of photos, I'm posting her slideshow here. I'm going with the excuse that I didn't take my camera the day we visited Jonathan's children's museum (he's the director) and therefore you would never see most of these photos. The first few photos are at their home and I just really wanted all of my friends and family to witness our Braewyn in pigtails! She won't keep a bow in her hair for more than a few minutes at home, but she lasted a good 15 minutes while feeling "positive" peer-pressure of her cutely, styled cousins.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

Too Much Throw Up and A Lost Lamb

Well, I'm to the point of wondering if what I post should only be headline-type breaking news, just thoughts off the top of my mind or a random something just to say I've posted at least once a week. Today, I'll just say thank you, Lord, that the four of us appear healthy today. A week ago Saturday (Nov. 22), I threw up in the bathroom of Sam's after eating "something's not right about this" chili from Wendy's. Philip shared my chili and so yes, he threw up in his bed (tough being a kid) that night at 2am (tough being a mommy because I slept on the livingroom floor the rest of the night as he slept on the couch).

Sunday, Philip and I rested while Matthew and Braewyn went to church. Monday came and went and we seemed well (even made a stop by Target). Early Tuesday morning (around 2:30am), Braewyn began to cry and even said "Momma." My normal routine if she cries is to get up, use the bathroom, and check on her if she's still crying. Well, she stopped crying so I went back to bed. Philip and I were up around 7:00am, and by 8:00am I went in to get Braewyn up from her crib. My heart sank as there she lay, peacefully sleeping away, her and everything in the crib covered in throw up!! Philip had come out of their room himself or else I would have smelled it earlier. Yuck!!

Well, my plan to make it to BSF that Tuesday morning derailed as I had to wash and change her crib bedding, and still run several errands before leaving at 5:00pm for our Thanksgiving visit to Lori and Jonathan's. I chalked Braewyn's throwing up to my using old ("When did we open this?") spaghetti sauce as part of our dinner on Monday. Everything came together, and we were headed up I-85 that evening with Ruth Ann, our stuff and her stuff. We walk through the door of our usual dinner stop, Moe's at Exit 58, and Braewyn throws up all over Matthew's arm (he was carrying her). Yuck again!!

Well, we finally arrive at Jonathan's (I'm praising God Braewyn didn't throw up in the car as THAT would be an awful thing to smell for four hours) and again everyone seems well. Wednesday was fun (a whole post about the trip to come later), but around 3:00pm, my stomach started to turn on my again. Several trips to the bathroom for me (I'll spare you the details), and I began apologizing for bring sickness to their home and praying desperately that no one else would get it (especially toddlers and preschoolers who don't always make it to the bathroom).

Thursday came, and thankfully Lori had planned to serve the Thanksgiving meal in the evening. This gave me all day for my stomach to settle and appetite to return. A huge blessing was that no one else did get sick during our visit. Monday and Tuesday of this week, Lori and her girls have been a little under the weather and Braewyn ran a fever all day yesterday. Let this please be the end of it.

Now you might ask, what does a lost lamb have to do with anything? Well, I mentioned a quick visit to Target on Monday afternoon and yes, that's where Philip's beloved Lamby spent the night. I did remember Lamby being in the cart upon our arrival at Target, but that was the last of my memories. At bedtime, Philip asked us as always, "Where's Lamby?" That began a search to no avail. We then recounted our steps of last seeing Lamby and the Target boys' pajamas section is what we believe he left us. At 9:30pm, I called Target and the Guest Services girl said that yes, a little Beanie Baby lamb was in the Lost & Found box. I thought Philip would be glad to hear Lamby had been found, but he actually cried harder knowing that Lamby was so far away. Lamby was picked up Tuesday morning (albeit after washing the throw up crib sheets) and Philip was a happy boy. Our new rule: Lamby stays in the car. We should probably change it to: Lamby stays at the house.

Sweet Innocence

Philip has recently gotten really into Transformers. He plays with a friend's toys and I watch the cartoon on CartoonNetwork.com with him. He has asked to watch the DVD of the live action movie, but we tell him that it's for when he is older. He complied wonderfully as he hears that answer often about a lot of the "superhero" movies. However, he does like to look at the DVD cover. Philip's imagination is wildly active these days and he loves to assign us to characters in whatever fantasy world currently holds his attention.

So looking at the Transformers DVD cover, Philip decides that Daddy will be Optimus Prime and he will be Bumblebee.

Philip: Who should Mommy be?

Matthew: Mommy can be the hot chick. (Meaning the teenage girl in the movie; thanks, sweetie, although I hope Philip doesn't start calling anyone "hot chick"!!)

Philip: (after a few seconds pass and he has looked at all the other Transformers on the cover) Mommy's not a chicken, she's a Transformer.

Matthew and I actually had tears come to our eyes for the fact of trying so hard to keep from laughing!!

Our Romantic Getaway

After hinting at the idea and often quite bluntly asking, I decided that for my 33rd birthday I would kidnap my husband for a romantic overnight retreat. Yes, I added another year to my life this past Friday, Nov. 14 and so Matthew did agree a few weeks ago to going away for the night as my present. I was happy to plan the outing as I'm always checking vacation websites in my spare time anyhow. The hitch, which I proposed, was that the getaway would be $100 or less.

I love the fall colors in the mountains so I knew that would be our destination. We dropped the kids off with Matthew's Mom at her school around 5:45pm and then headed up the highway to North Carolina. We arrived at Ridgecrest Conference Center at 7:30pm, checked in at registration and headed up to our room in the Rhododendron Building . Matthew turned the heat on (literally, not figuratively), we dropped our bags, and walked back down to our car to go find dinner.

We drove back two exits to arrive in the picturesque town of Black Mountain, literally cradled in between the mountains. We found the Coach House, a seafood and steak restaurant. Very yummy food and nice, quiet atmosphere! Afterwards, back to our room at the Rhododendron!

Matthew graciously shared some quality time talking with me about our roles as husband and wife, parents and our individual spiritual lives and that as a couple. I know bearing their hearts is often not top on a lot of guys' lists as to how to spend a Friday night, but I tell you, it was definitely worth it. Matthew knew ahead of time that I really wanted part of the trip devoted to strengthening our marriage by means of refreshing our communication skills. I highly recommend to couples reading this (or one spouse who wants to report back to the other) to try and set aside a time to just talk through things which you know you need to but never make time for.

Anyhow, sleep Friday night was restful but not as sound as I had hoped. I suppose waking periodically throughout the night for four years doesn't just go away all of a sudden (guess we should have brought some Benadryl along!!).

Saturday morning came and the dining hall was closed before we expected (I guess everyone else there was attending a conference which started by 9:00am and us sleepy heads met a mopping employee who told us they were closed). Looking back it was just one of the many special gifts from God this weekend because we just hopped in the car, headed back to Black Mountain and ate at the Huddle House which has a breath-taking view! Again great food and nice, peaceful atmosphere.

After showering and packing up all of our belongings, we checked out at registration and inquired about Ridgecrest's hiking trails. I was given a map of the "Ridgecrest Tranquility Trail System". This was what Matthew and I were really looking forward to as we both love being outside and feeling like adventurers. Another blessing of the day, picture-perfect weather!!! Windy and chilly at first (added to the fall feeling) but the most gorgeous blue sky with just the right amount of puffy white clouds. This picture doesn't even do it just, but here's the view from the Royal Gorge lookout.



This is the sign posted beside the Royal Gorge lookout and its words are SO TRUE!!!



Blessing number three was spending almost three hours hiking these beautiful trails and not seeing one other person besides each other. I was a little nervous at first, but as the hike became more strenuous, I was only thinking about making it out without passing out. We had packed Gatorade and some snacks which made it easier. There was one point at which we came to a trail heading back down to the car or another heading higher up the mountain to another overlook. My adrenaline was kicking so I said, "Let's go up!" Matthew said he was fine either way, but that I was the one huffing and puffing on the trail marked Moderate when we were heading to one marked Strenuous. We started toward the upper trail, but after a few minutes I began thinking how far we would have to go back the more we hiked up. We went back and forth as to go back or not. God spoke CLEARLY as we came around a curve and there was a tree laying across the trail. Matthew and I said together, "Thank you, God, we'll go back now."

After just a few minutes, I was so glad we had stopped when we did. Getting back to the trail which went down to the car, we found it to be a tight, one-person-wide trail under a "rhododendron canopy" which also meant LOTS of slippery leaves on the ground (it had rained on Friday). This trail seems to go straight down and we both lost our footing a few times. I would not have wanted to try this later in the afternoon when the sun was setting. Here I am under that canopy.



Yeah, we could finally see our car!! Such a wonderful, romantic, exhausting, quiet, tranquil time we had on those trails, but it is nice to see civilization again.

This is what we saw just steps before we got back to our car.



As it was only 2:10pm when we left the Ridgecrest property, Matthew suggested we see a movie at a theater we passed on the highway. Walking inside, we knew something special was going on... the place had just opened that week! If you've ever been in a movie theater opening week, there are special lobby entertainers, employees EVERYWHERE and people seem exceptionally HAPPY!! We were mainly because blessing number four of the day was a coupon for free popcorn and drinks with our movie tickets!! Yeah, popcorn for lunch. A great ending to a great getaway!!

Philip Speak

I'm sure there are many things Philip has already stopped saying as his grammer skills increase, but here's one that is just so cute I don't want to forget it.

I'll say something like, "You're my cute little Batman."

He'll say, "No, I amn't. I'm a boy."

He connects the words "am" and "not" together instead of saying "I'm not". Makes sense because other times you connect the verb and "not", i.e. didn't, couldn't, etc. Kids are great in the way they are so literal. Reminds me that English must really be one of the hardest languages to master as people say. We have to help him on past tense verbs too because you would think swim = swimmed, ride=rided, speak=speaked, etc.!!!

My new workout buddies!

Well, it's still my goal to head to Charleston, SC in April and run the Cooper River Bridge Run which is a 10K (6.2 mile) race. The walks with the kids and runs by myself are infrequent to say the least. However, I have found a new avenue which just might work.

I've joined our church youth girls' basketball team!

Well, technically I'm not on the team seeing that I'm not a teenage girl, but I did go to practice this afternoon and ran around as if I were still a teenage girl! Hey, I can still give a mean chest or bounce pass! It was really a lot of fun and a great way to develop friendships with these girls. "We" have practice every Sunday afternoon from 2:00-4:00pm which works great. Matthew, the kids and I had lunch after returning home from church, I got Braewyn settled down in her crib, told Philip I would see him later and left for practice after which Matthew put Philip down for his nap shortly after. When I got home at 4:15pm, all three were still asleep!!!

Too many kids!

Matthew and I were watching tv last night and he flipped over to TLC. "17 and Counting" was starting. It's a show about a man and woman who have 17 biological children (I'm not sure if there are any twins) and another on the way. Well, in this episode another large family was coming to visit them.

Meanwhile, Braewyn was pushing a toy lawnmower around the livingroom making a fake engine sound and Philip was banging Tinker Toys together. In the commotion, I couldn't hear how many children the visiting family had.

I began to ask Matthew if he heard how many they said, and then the moment just hit me as HILARIOUS!! You know one of those moments when a thought just causes you to laugh to the point of crying and you can't catch your breath.

Here we were watching a show about one family with 16 KIDS visiting their friends who have 17 KIDS, and I just blurted out in my humor, "Matthew, We have TOO MANY KIDS! I can't hear the tv!" Maybe it is one of those you-had-to-be there moments or maybe it's a you-just-have-to-have-my-sense-of-humor moments as Matthew really didn't know why I was laughing so hard himself. It cracked me up but again definitely reminded me that I really deal better with children in small quantities rather than large!

And the activites begin!

Tonight, we took Philip to our church gym for his Upward Basketball assessment. My firstborn baby is signed up to play on a basketball team!!! It will be a team of 4- and 5-year-olds. Wait, you're thinking, Philip is only 3? Yes, he turns 4 on January 22, a week or two after the first game. We were told that he would be fine and we thought so too until tonight.

After waiting in line for almost 40 minutes (it was more grueling that voting this morning!), Philip was given the basketball (full-sized) and asked to make as many baskets as he could in an allotted timeslot. He threw with all his might but the ball was about 5 feet short of the basket. Next came dribbling the ball down a line, around an orange cone and back up the line. He looked poised and knew which hand to dribble with. Oh, if that ball didn't just keep rolling away from him.

When he finished, Matthew whispered to me, "I'm wondering if he's still just too young." We voiced our concern to Sean, the assessment "judge" and a friend of our's, but he reassured us that he had seen ALL skill levels tonight and that Philip's coaches would work with him.

I am so proud of my little guy, but this evening's event just opened a whole new world of emotions in my heart. Will he be ok? Will other kids laugh? Will he get discouraged and feel bad about himself? Should I protect his naive spirit from "the real world" for a little while longer?

There are days when I feel like an old pro at being Mom. But then come days like today. It reminds me just how young my little ones are, and how even though I know Philip is the coolest preschooler I know, he's only been on this earth for 3 1/2 years. Sometimes I think I've overinflated his ego (he is often the strongest, coolest superhero there ever way) because what I really hope to instill in him (and Braewyn) is a love for Jesus and a desire to help other people. When I think about it that way, it becomes very overwhelming. Teaching him means I must model it myself. Going to bed, needing sleep, parenting two wonderful blessings tomorrow.

As the poll results roll in...

I could say a lot of things and quite honestly this is my third attempt to begin typing this post (highlighted and deleted two other opening sentences). As I stated in an earlier post, politics interests me and tonight is very exciting. Of course, everyone starts feeling a little down when you see your chosen candidate's percentage slipping, but I'm trying not to get angry with the media (yes, way back when, I received my Mass Communication degree and aspired to be a reporter). Matthew has been trying to tell me for years that the mainstream media are nothing but a bunch of commie-liberals! CBS reporters are interviewing people jumping for joy over our new president, President Obama! Wait just a second, only 19% of the precincts in New Mexico has reported their votes and yet, that state has been declared for Obama. Do they have a crystal ball for the other 81% of the votes?! I know, I know. An Obama supporter could say the same thing about Kansas being declared for McCain with only 28% of the precincts reporting. Luckily, I do understand the electoral college vote system and how a candidate can win the popular vote but still not be declared the president. That being said, I'm hanging on to my candidate until the last vote is counted. It could be all night or longer (Pregnant chad! Who's with me?!). A few weeks ago, I was deadset on staying up all night if need me. Now after listening to the commentary (yes, Matthew, you right about Katie Couric too), I don't think I can stomach much more.

To change the tone of this post, I do know and have complete confidence in the fact that my God knows who will be the next President of the United States of America, and He has in fact appointed him to be just that.

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)

This country's future really doesn't hang in the balance due to who becomes president. Our future lies in whether we choose to follow God's ways or turn away. Often when times in our country are tough, the following verse is spoken...

... if my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

However, there is one big problem with saying that. America is not God's people. Yes, there are are Bible-believing, God-fearing people who live in America, but on the whole, this is not a "Christian" nation.

Well, it's late and I must kick myself off this soapbox again. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

I Have A New Cousin!!

My Aunt Debbie (Mom's youngest sister) and her husband Curt welcomed their baby boy, Thomas Blake, to the world early yesterday morning (we're not sure if he was born before or after midnight so he might be a Halloween baby!). Some of you know that Aunt Debbie had been in the hospital for about 2 weeks due to high blood pressure and concerns over the baby's oxygen levels. Sometime Friday evening, his heartbeat became irregular so her doctor decided that it was time to let little Thomas out. Aunt Debbie did have a c-section so as to prevent any further strain on Thomas. He weighed 3 lbs., 14 oz. Tiny, but not as small as other babies who have grown up big and strong. He wasn't due until Christmas Eve, but Aunt Debbie had been given the steriod shots to develop Thomas' lungs as the doctors knew he would come early, just not sure how early. My mom told me that he was on a respirator early Saturday morning, but as of lunchtime yesterday, he no longer needed it.

Thank you for praying for Debbie to recover from the c-section and the stress of the pregnancy, for Curt to provide emotional support for Debbie, and for baby Thomas to continue growing stronger each day. Also, if you would remember my Mom. She will be driving to Aunt Debbie's house (30 minutes away) for a while to drive Debbie to the hospital to visit Thomas (I'm not sure how long he will stay there). Mom doesn't like driving on the highway too much but that's the way to Debbie's house.

On top of the exciting stress surrounding Thomas' arrival (including a mural Mom has been working on at Aunt Debbie's house), Mom's good friend Cindy passed away yesterday. Mom was introduced to Cindy by a mutual friend. Mom and Cindy had the same type of cancer (Cindy diagnosed just 6 months after Mom) and so they traveled that horrific road together. Unfortunately, Cindy's cancer returned and spread from her liver to her bones and we think most recently to her brain. Today, Cindy is without pain and has been given her new, perfect, eternal body. She has met JESUS!!! Obviously, Mom is heartsick missing her friend, but I know despite her own grief, she feels relief for Cindy who struggled for so long.

We appreciate so much your prayers for this joyful yet painful time.

My Review of "The Shack" -- Part 2

PLEASE READ PART 1 BELOW FIRST. I just couldn't go to bed without posting Part 2 tonight also.

Now to take each member of the Trinity separately, I must give you another description of "Elousia" (a.k.a. "Papa", God) from the book.

Mack followed her soft humming down a short hallway and into an open kitchen-dining area, complete with a small four-seat table and wicker-backed chairs. The inside of the cabin was roomier than he had expected. Papa was working on something with her back to him, flour flying as she swayed to the music of whatever she was listening to. The song obviously came to an end, marked by a couple of last shoulder and hip shakes. Turning to face him, she took off the earphones (pg. 90).

Let me first say, GOD IS NOT A WOMAN!!! We do not know the face of God but the Bible clearly refers to God with the male pronoun and so it seems sacrilegious to envision God as a woman while reading this book. Also, no where in the Bible does God appear to anyone in such cavalier a manner.

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:4-5)

In the year that King Ussiah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs (angels), each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me! I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:1-5)

God is holy. We should be fearful if we allow our perception of Him to be anything other.

Now, I shall discuss Young's portrayal of Jesus. Young has Jesus stumbling around in his humanness, just hanging around this shack drying dishes with Mack (pg. 108) after creating a mess in the kitchen.

Mack was shocked at the scene in front of him. It appeared that Jesus had dropped a large bowl of some sort of batter or sauce on the floor, and it was everywhere. It must have landed close to Papa (God) because the lower portion of her (!!!) skirt and bare feet were covered in the gooey mess (pg. 104). (My God does not have gooey mess on HIS feet!)

At one point in the book, Mack and Jesus are laying on a dock, looking up at the stars. Mack says he feels closer to Jesus than to Elousia or Sarayu.

Jesus chuckled in the dark. "Since I am human we have much in common to begin with" (pg. 110).

Jesus was born to Mary in the stable, being fully man and fully God. However after fulfilling His Father's plan to die as our redemptive sacrifice, He rose again and ascended to Heaven, being fully reinstated in His glorious preincarnate state. Jesus is no longer human.

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. (Hebrews 1:1-4)

Jesus is my Savior and Lord. I cannot wait to meet Him face to face one day and see Him in all of His radiance.

Finally, the Holy Spirit character Sarayu did or said nothing of which I will quote, but the disturbing part comes from Young's own comments during another interview. He was looking for a name for this character and was on a business phonecall with a woman from India. Here's what he said.

"I was looking for a name for the Holy Spirit so I asked her, Can you give me words in Hindi for the wind? And you know by the way, this is why I'm a closet Hindu now."

I'm not sure if he was joking or not, but it disturbed me either way. He also made a side joke about "another kind of wind", refering to passing gas. So juvenile and uncalled for during an interview to promote a book "starring" the Trinity.

Our pastor did a great study on world religions this past summer. He said to determine the validity of something, you should examine its creator. Young did not impress me during that video and I'm still shocked how so many people are buying into this book.

I pray my comments will cause you to think twice before reading this book. It honestly began to get in my head and I would think about things in a way as to how "The Shack" would lead my decision over the wisdom of the Bible. I only was reading this book for four days, but during that time, I had no desire to pick up my Bible. Scary, very scary. For someone like me who deeply desires to study the Word of God to get to that point, it terrifies me to think of the people who have only surface knowledge of the Bible (or none at all!!) and are living their lives based on teachings from "The Shack".

Click here to read a likeminded review by Chuck Colson.

My Review of "The Shack" by William P. Young -- Part 1

This book should be wrapped in yellow caution tape reading "KEEP OUT". I rarely feel led to write a negative review of something. However, this is not just a case in which I disliked a book, but I truly believe this book to be deceptive and dangerous. Let me give you the premise of "The Shack" before I give you my reasoning for classifying it as such.

"The Shack", marketed as a Christian novel, is the story of Mack. He takes his three children on a camping trip and on the morning they are to leave to head home, his 6-year-old daughter is abducted. After searching for days, his daughter's bloody, torn dress is found in an abandoned shack deep in the woods of Oregon (maybe Washington, I can't remember). Four years later, Mack receives a note in his mailbox reading, "Mackenzie, It's been a while. I've missed you. I'll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together. Papa" (pg. 16). "Papa" is his wife's affectionate name for God so he wonders if it is really God inviting him back to the shack. Mack does go and is greeted by three "people". Elousia is "a large beaming African-American woman" (pg. 82), otherwise known as God. Jesus is a man "dressed like a laborer, complete with tool belt and gloves. ...wearing jeans covered in wood dust and a plaid shirt with sleeves rolled just above the elbows" (pg. 84). Sarayu is "a small, distinctively Asian woman ... [who] seemed almost to shimmer in the light and her hair blew in all directions even though there was hardly a breeze" (pg. 84), otherwise known as the Holy Spirit. The next few chapters cover the conversations between these four "characters".

This is all I know about the book because that's where I closed it. With humility, I say I do have a good amount of Biblical knowledge as I've been attending Bible studies for 10 years and even more importantly I recognize the Bible as God's Holy Word which He speaks to us through and provides direction and insight. "The Shack" very clearly contradicts the Bible on many points and therefore it must be seen as blasphemous.

Just to clarify, "The Shack" may appear to be a metaphorical story as the author states in an interview, but the man has chosen God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be main characters in his book. No one can write a book about another person without risking slander charges, and in this case, it is not just random people but Almighty God. Here is the line from the book when you clearly see that it is God he is writing about and not just comparing his characters to God.

He knew his mind was rambling, so he focused on the question he most wanted answered. 'Then,' Mack struggled to ask, 'which one of you is God?' 'I am,' said all three in unison (pg. 87).

That statement is as close as "The Shack" comes to quoting Scripture. There is not one Bible verse included in this book. The answer, "I am", refers to the way God revealed Himself to people in the Bible.

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:13-14)

Another thing that puzzled me is how Young's Foreword leads the reader to believe Mack's encounter with God to be a true story. And the concluding After Words section does likewise. In the interview, Young clearly says "The Shack" was a story he wrote for his children, but the typed word appears differently.

...I would not be too suprised, in spite of our concerted effort toward accuracy, if some factual errors and faulty remembrances are reflected in these pages. They are not intentional. I can promise you that the conversations and events are recorded as truthfully as Mack can remember them, so please try and cut him a little slack (pg. 13).

I'm posting this review in chunks as I didn't meant to write a dissertation but it's starting to look that way.

The book just has so greatly troubled me mainly because mainstream Christianity is embracing it whole-heartedly!! Our local Christian book store devoted an entire wall to promoting it.

When thinking of writing this review, God brought these verses to me which honestly ran a chill down my spine.

Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with their stories they have made up. ... Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. (2 Peter 2:2-3,10-12)

No Surgery for Jessie!!

Jessie's x-ray this morning showed some signs of improvement in her intestines. She is not having surgery today. Thank you, Jesus, for answering our prayers!! I just spoke to her and she said they put some kind of fluid in her stomach and are doing a CAT scan soon to see what's going on in there. She couldn't talk long as she was awaiting more morphine and the tube down her throat makes it uncomfortable to talk. Just keep praying for a fast recovery and renewed strength.

Update about Jessie

I visited Jessie and her mom this evening in the hospital. Jessie really looks good for all she's going through. She is in a good bit of pain still and very nauseous from the air building up in her stomach and intestines. Please pray especially now for her x-ray tomorrow which will be around 8:00am. If the blockage doesn't look like it's beginning to pass, her surgeon said he would like to do exploratory surgery tomorrow afternoon. Jessie's mom said she really hopes that they will reconsider and give her body a few more days as she has had several blockages over the years and all have gone away without surgery in five days or so. Thanks on behalf of her family for all the prayers. She did say her husband is doing a really good job keeping the kids on a normal schedule. Her daughter Jaina is a little worried but her son Jayce just keeps saying, "Mommy is at the doctor."

Please Pray for Jessie

My friend Jessie is in the hospital with intestinal blockages. She and I became friends several years ago when she lived across the street. She and her family moved across town but we still stay in touch (mainly through commenting on each other's blogs; she's listed on my side bar, Keeping It Together).

Jessie was born with twisted intestines and so occasionally it will cause a blockage. She went to the ER on Sunday with severe abdominal pain. She is still experiencing nauseaus and pain (they're giving her morphine). Please pray that the blockage will work itself out as she is not eating anything right now. Her mom said Jessie will not be leaving the hospital until all pain is gone, she can handle liquids first and then solid food, and goes to the bathroom.

My heart breaks for her as she is in the same shape my Mom was after having surgery to remove her colon cancer. And Jessie has her two young kids to worry about on top of all that. I know her family will appreciate any prayers, especially that God will clear the blockage so her hospital stay will not be very long.

A Day at the Fair

Saturday, Oct. 11, we headed down to Columbia for the SC State Fair. I have always loved fairs, but had only heard stories of how great the State Fair was from Matthew's cousins. We decided to go this year knowing Philip would love the rides and plus we'd get to see Matthew's cousin Paul and his wife Kellie who live out of town from us. We caravaned down following Matthew's Aunt Elise, cousin Mollie and her husband Michael. We met Paul and Kellie just before getting to the fairgrounds. Matthew's Uncle Arden actually works at the fair every year (takes his two week vacation from his "day" job to work his "dream" job) and we met his as he showed us to our parking spot in the workers' lot (i.e. free parking and free admission!!). He's been working the fair for 50 years and is good friends with the man in charge of all food vendors for the fair (i.e. free food for us!!).

It was really a wonderful day and the kids held up really well for being there from 10:30am until 5:30pm. We rode at least a dozen things (some might think rides are expensive but since everything else was free, we splurged!!), ate yummy food to our heart's content, enjoyed the exhibit hall, and spent really good quality time with our loving family. We might just have to think about doing this every year. And I also believe I might just have broken my addiction to tacky fair games and prizes. With the kids, there is already WAY too much just in this house as it is!!

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What's up with us!

October has been a good month for us. Here's the rundown on how we are doing...

Braewyn is now 17 months (18 months on Nov. 2) and so much fun. She is running around, smiling, chasing Philip and always looking for her baby doll and blankie (it's big like the kid Linus had in the Charlie Brown cartoon so always dirty from dragging on the ground). She is not talking much yet (we'll discuss that at her next check-up) but is the queen of gestures so she is fully able to get her point across. I guess if I didn't get her what she wanted so much after following her grunting and handpointing, she might be speaking more by now. The kid has a smart, smart brain so I'm not really worried about her. For instance, she mastered sign language for "please" (wiping her hand across her chest) and tries to use it to get more candy, out of her bed, and to go outside. Well, I asked her to say please with her mouth and she WIPES HER HAND ACROSS HER TONGUE!!! Smartie pants! Also she's working on getting her fangs. Braewyn cut the top and bottom front four teeth and then her one-year molars came in leaving a gap on each side (here's a pic). Finally her gaps are filling in as the "fangs" are finally cutting through!



Philip is closing in on turning 4 (his birthday is Jan. 22) and is a superhero through and through. He has the best imagination and always wants to play Batman, Spiderman or Iron Man. He has Batman toys (two figures that ride a Batmobile and some smaller ones from Happy Meals) which me play make-believe with his Fisher Price barn and animals. Some how Batman picked up a side kid in the little calf which came with our F.P. Nativity set; his name is Pup Cow. Batman and Pup Cow are always off to save the day as someone is often trapped in a castle somewhere. Then there's the Spiderman suit which is still worn at least everyother day with various accessories. The newest superhero we're focusing on is Buzz Lightyear! He had Buzz shoes a while back which started the attraction. I'm still not sure if he's seen "Toy Story" (the Disney movie in which Buzz appears) because he said he watched part of it at Hayden's house. I think I'll rent it this week as Friday Philip becomes Buzz for Halloween. When we went to Disney World, I told him he could get one gift. A Buzz suit is what he chose. For $42, it seems like a lot, but my money is banked on it being worn at least every other day for the next year. Here he is with a playdough mask made by Daddy. It's Incredible Kid (i.e. he looks like Dash from "The Incredibles".)



Matthew is continuing to enjoy his job as a Lotus Notes computer programmer. He's been with the same company for 10 years now! Hard to believe. They've begun a great new health program for their employees to help them get in shape. First, they passed our pedometers and encouraged the employees to walk 10,000 steps each day for three months. Whoever completes this assignment receives a gift card to a sports store. Matthew is going above and should hit 1,000,000 steps by the end of this month (the goal was only 770,000). The man is taking walks any chance he has and it's paying off. Matthew has lost 13 pounds since August 1. The second part of the company's health incentive involves losing a certain amount of weight in 6 months time and receiving $500 for doing so! Money talks and I'm sure Matthew will make his 20 pound goal by January. He has also completed a third wood-working project and has started another one. The one he just finished was our beautiful new entertainment center. He created it from scratch and made it to house all our entertainment equipment and DVDs. It's just beautiful. Thanks, sweetie, for all your hard work.





And as for me, our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meetings have begun again this fall and with them, my new position of Discussion Group Team Leader. All the women are assigned to tables so they can get to know a select group of women instead of randomly sitting at different places each meeting. At each table there is a discussion leader (or as we call them Table Shepherds) who makes the women feel welcome, keeps in touch with them as far as what's going on, and leads the discussion time at the end of each meeting. Therefore, it is my job to be an encourager to the Table Shepherds, make sure they know what is going on, and to provide the questions they discuss during discussion time. This last meeting I also introduced our two speakers. I'm not generally one to volunteer to speak before a group but I've reached a point in life where I'm ready to say I want God to grow me out of my comfort zone to serve Him in whatever way He sees fit. I also lead our Table Shepherd meetings (the 2nd Tuesday of each month). On Oct. 14, we had our first one. I was so nervous to the point of feeling sick. I'm just not a leader by nature, but as always, through trying to make things perfect and perform on my own abilities, God humbled me and helped me remember that I should be all things for Him and through His power in me. Now that I've learned that, I'm really excited about our next meeting in a few weeks.



As a group (there are 8 Table Shepherds and me), we are reading through "A Wife After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George with the study guide. After a close friend almost got divorced last summer, strengthening the marriages of myself and these ladies was a burden on my heart. Our first discussion was very good and I was excited to know that the ladies felt comfortable in our group to really share what was in their hearts. I know doing this study will bring us closer to one another and to God.



The second thing I've added to my life recently is running. It's slow going but my goal is to keep at it (i.e. push the kids in the double stroller three days a week while I run/walk and run by myself another three days a week) so as to prepare to run in the 10K Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC in April 2009. I'm going with group of 5 or 6 girls so that makes the idea even that much more fun.

That's about all for now. Just loving each other and trying daily to be good representations of the Lord for our kids so that they might grow to love Him themselves one day.

Florida - Part 3

I didn't mean to wait this long to pick up on the continuing saga of recapping our trip to Florida, but that's beside the point now. Anyhow, after spending a day at Disney World, I drove the kids and I to my Grandma Allen's house on the Gulf side of Florida (about 2 hour drive). The GPS device I had borrowed from Mollie worked like a charm and I really wasn't nervous at all. We arrived around 1:30pm on Tuesday, Sept. 23. It was so nice seeing where my Grandma lives as I had never visited her since she moved to Florida 3 or 4 years ago (she and Grandpa had come up to visit us when Philip was 7 months old and I saw her and Aunt Maureen last summer as they drove through on their way to NY).

Our visit was so nice as I talked with Grandma and Aunt Maureen about my Grandpa (he passed away in December of 2006) and how things were when my dad was a boy. Grandma had pulled her back a few days before we arrived so she stayed close to home. Aunt Maureen took the kids and I to see the local sights. We were thrilled to have a few hours at a beach included in our trip! What a night surprise. Also, Philip had been randomly mentioning wanting to visit a zoo and the Homosassa Wildlife Preserve fit the bill quite nicely. Aunt Maureen was so gracious to provide these fieldtrips and love us despite a few tantrums along the way. She and Grandma both made us feel so at home.

On Friday, Sept. 26, Philip stayed with Grandma and Aunt Maureen as they were taking him to a playground. I left with Braewyn around 9:00am to drive back to Orlando to pick up Mom and Dad from Disney World. I spoke too soon praising that GPS device because it took me on a whole different way back and I literally entered the back gate of Disney World; I passed the truck unloading area where all deliveries come!!! It was nice seeing the All-Star Resort again for 3 minutes (another tease of Disney; I will go back one day!) and then we were off, driving back to Grandma's and traveling yet a THIRD way based on the GPS device. CRAZY THING!!

Friday night we had a great cook-out at Aunt Maureen's house. Mom and Dad got to meet Duncan whom the kids and I had seen throughout the week. He lives behind my Grandma and helps her out with things since she lives alone. He and Philip even talked super heroes one afternoon.

Saturday morning came, we packed up, ate lunch at McDonald's and said our goodbyes. I pray to be able to visit again. They will definitely be a sidetrip the next time I visit Disney, but Lord-willing we'll see them before then as I'm swearing off Disney for another five years (remember no diapers and no naps!).

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(Thanks, Sherri, for the idea to use this type of slideshow. To read my captions, just move the mouse cursor over each picture as they scroll by.)

Life Chain 2008

This past Sunday, Mom and I participated for the second year in Spartanburg's Life Chain. This is a national event held the first Sunday in October each year. People across the country line designated streets in their cities to participate in a silent petition against abortion. My mom has been involved in Pro-Life events for as long as I can remember. I have always thought abortion to be wrong as well, but since having my two children and going through the process of being pregnant, I am becoming more convinced that I should do my part in helping others understand why it is wrong too.
Those in favor of abortion simply focus on the emotional and/or financial status of the mother. They are entirely forgetting that abortion involves TWO people: the mother and the unborn baby. If you do not recognize the baby as a separate human being, help me to understand why this country will convict a person on TWO counts of murder for killing a pregnant woman. When a woman is just ten weeks along, the unborn baby is completely formed. Mom heard a nurse speak on the radio about this who once worked in an abortion clinic. She said after the abortion was performed, she had to examine the tray to make sure there were two arms, two legs, a body and a head. That sounds like a person to me. Please forgive me if this is too graphic, but the truth must be known.


I would be thrilled to see the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling be overturned during my lifetime. This law made abortion legal in 1973. That was two years before I was born. Mom could have killed me if she wanted to. At one time, I thought abortion is too main stream a concept to ever be illegalized. That was until I saw the movie, "Amazing Grace." It is the true story of William Wilberforce who lived in England from 1759 - 1833. He served in the British Parliament and fought for 20 years to have the slave trade outlawed in England. He died just three days after slavery as a whole was outlawed in his country.

Abortion has been legal for only 35 years in this country. Slavery had been in England for many more years than that. If people can come to understand slavery as being wrong when it was a huge financial asset, I pray people would come to understand the barbaric nature of abortion and outlaw it also.

Everyone needs to go!

Last Saturday, Matthew and I went to see the movie, "Fireproof". And that explains this post's title... everyone needs to go! It is a really great movie, well-made, funny, sad at parts, and stars Kirk Cameron, yeah I had his posters all over my walls in 7th grade! More than all that this movie does a FANTASTIC job at explaining how important marriage is and why we should never give up but just work that much harder to make our marriages that much greater. There are edge-of-your-seat firefighter scenes, laugh-out-loud funny parts and even tear-at-your-heart and cry-happy-tears moments. If your marriage is in a rough spot, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! If your marriage has never been better than it is right now, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! If you're not married but can think back to how it was or praying to be so one day or just have a few hours to spend with a friend, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!

Here's the movie's website containing the trailor. Watching it makes me want to go see it AGAIN!!! www.fireproofthemovie.com

And a bit of trivia... the movie was filmed in Albany, GA where my mom grew up and my grandparents still live!! If it had been made 9 years ago, I could have spent the summer with my grandparents, worked as a stage hand and gotten Kirk Cameron his coffee!!

Disney World -- Florida Trip, Part 2

The drive from Albany, GA to Orlando, FL on Sunday, Sept. 21 seemed to take forever. Both kids had crying moments, we had to make a few bathroom stops and we wasted a few minutes looking into discount Disney tickets to find out that it was related to viewing a timeshare (not gonna do it!).

Around 3:30pm, we finally drove onto the Disney World grounds and we were obviously all excited. The All Star Sports resort at which we stayed was incredible. So much to see and the designers were so imaginative in the layout and use of colors (you'll see in the last few pictures of the slideshow below). We quickly unloaded our stuff into our rooms (Mom and Dad in one, and me and the kids in another, two doors down).

Next we headed out to the bus pick-up area to ride over to Downtown Disney. This is a walk-thru shopping, eating complex which Matthew had been to before and recommended. It also has no entrance fee so it worked for me. We had to wait for 45 minutes to eat at Rainforest Cafe so we browsed a souvenir shop. Philip found many things he wanted but was reminded that he could only buy one thing while at Disney World so he should wait until we got to the Magic Kingdom the next day!

Dinner was great (despite we started eating at 7:50pm) and the restaurant's atmosphere was really fun. Very jungly (word?) and every 15 minutes or so there would be a thunderstorm inside (the lights would flicker as lightning, the thunder would rolls and the "animals" all started to roar). Braewyn liked it very much and Philip did after his tummy was full of pizza. We then looked in a few shops and the kids were very excited by a Buzz Lightyear statue and a HUGE Tinkertoy sculpture. Back to the bus where we almost all fell asleep!

When next morning arrived, we got dressed and headed down to the End Zone Food Court. I'm very excited to come again and get the Disney Meal Plan which Mom and Dad had. You have so many meals allotted for you and all you do is show your Park pass when you want to eat. So easy!! Me however, I spent $33 for breakfast for me and the kids. That did include buying 4 bananas and a poptart pack for the day's snacks and Philip a souvenir Mickey travel coffee mug.

Back to the bus pick-up heading to the Magic Kingdom. When we arrived, I remembered walking through that same entrance gate 18 years before. The place really makes you feel like a kid all over again and it's really good at overwhelming you at the same time. Our first objective was to find the Buzz Lightyear ride, but we got a little side-tracked watching a stage show in front of Cinderella's castle. A good side-track because Philip got to see IN PERSON Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Captain Hook, Peter Pan and a mean witch! Next stop Tomorrowland.

We spotted the Buzz ride, but first a potty break (next time I go to Disney, I'd prefer no one to be wearing diapers!). The lines really weren't that long so we rode Buzz, and then walked over to the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. That's a cute audience interaction comedy show (the camera would focus on someone in the crowd and the monsters would ask them silly questions). Now it was around noon and the kids were getting cranky and our plan was falling apart.

Ice cream saved the day, followed by riding the very air-conditioned Pooh Bear ride and then experiencing the awesome 3D concert of Mickey's Philharmagic (highly recommending this event). By then it was around 2:00pm and I changed Braewyn's diaper behind a flowerpot outside of a restaurant! We thought we would head back to the hotel for a few hours and come back for dinner and fireworks. However...

We got into the huge Emporium giftshop near the front gate at 2:30pm. Mom went to find a bathroom so Dad pushed Philip around in an umbrella stroller and I pushed Braewyn around in a second umbrella stroller throughout this huge gift store. At 3:00pm, the skies opened and a heavy rainfall started which lasted an hour! Around 4:00pm, we decided to make a run for the buses. When I picked Braewyn up from the stroller, poop literally fell out of her little skirt and off to the bathroom we went.

Goodness! Finally back at the hotel by 5:00pm, all pretty wet. We made runs to the Food Court to pick up dinner and then I swam with the kids from 7:00-7:30pm. It was still dreary outside so after warming up and drying off, Mom, Dad and I decided to call it a day and head to bed (it was close to 9:00pm by this time).

Overall I wouldn't have traded our day at Disney for anything, however I did spend close to $70 for Philip to ride 4 rides, play in a water fountain park (we have a free one here), sleep in the stroller for an hour, but capture a PRECIOUS video of him speechless upon seeing Cinderella's castle for the first time ever. I'll try to post that soon. Braewyn was free so it didn't really matter how much or how little fun she had. I was glad to be there with both of them, but I REALLY look forward to going back with Matthew when the kids are at least 6 and 8 years old!!!

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