There Comes a Time...

when you realize your child becomes fascinated with things, or in our case an action, that they think is the funnest thing ever!  (Yes, I'm aware that is not proper, but it perfectly describes my baby.)  I received a text message today from one of Pecan's teachers that read she "was in front of the mirror laughing at herself. Now she is walking around the room trying to take her shirt off. Lol!" 

Do we have a flasher or soon to be streaker on our hands?  Not sure, but how much funner will that be?!  :-)

A Day of Celebrating

I can't believe how the time flies by.  It just seems like yesterday when I celebrated my birthday with a pool party with my grandmother whose birthday was the day before mine.  Since my birthday is during the summer, I had very few parties.  In college, I spent my birthday on the road with Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps.  Then for many years, I celebrated my birthday on mission trips to Rio de Janeiro.  Oh, I can't forget the time when my best friend, Amy, gave the best surprise party EVER!  Of course, no matter where I was, I made sure to talk with my parents, and my mom always told me about the day I was born.  She put up cream style corn in the mornings and had me in the afternoon.  I'm a corn baby, so maybe that is why I can be so corny.  LOL  Okay, I'm sure no one found that funny, so moving right along....

This year was no different other than Sunshine made it to be one of the best days, and I felt like I spent it with ALL my family and friends just via the great world of technology and the good ole post office.  I received a card and gift from Pecan before we left the house.  For lunch, I received a message from one of our favorite restaurants, FIG, offering me a free meal.  I took them up on it, and it didn't disappoint.  It was so good, and they even included desert!  That afternoon, my Sunshine came by with beautiful flowers.

Then for dinner, he invited my parents to meet us at Outback.  It was all so good, and I enjoyed hearing the corn story in person.  

Instead of eating, this is what Pecan wanted to do.

My parents gave me a beautiful bracelet, 

and Trent gave me a sweet card and gift.  

What do you think?  Did he do an outstanding job?  I think so.  

What a wonderful day it was, and it has me pondering the year to come....health, service, professional growth.  I pray that I continue to grow in all my relationships, but most importantly, my relationship with Christ.  


"The one thing I ask of the Lord - 
the thing I seek most -
is to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord's perfections
and meditating in His Temple."
(Psalm 27:4, NLT)

Oh How the Time is Flying By!

Have you wondered what we have been up to lately?  I've been trying to figure that out myself.  Ha!  It has been a whirlwind of day to day living, and absorbing everything I can with Pecan.  It is amazing how quickly time passes!

My last post was April 19 which means it has been almost three month.  In that time, Pecan's vocabulary has skyrocketed!  She says mama, dada, Jesus, cat, dog, cow, papa, more, finish, wa-wa (water), night-night, frog, car, door, and shoes.  Oh how she loves shoes!  I believe that is a sign of what is to come.  She knows what sounds a cat, dog, cow, and car make.  She smacks her mouth when you ask her about a fish, because she is trying to mimic us making a fish face.  In the morning, we look in the mirror, and say "Jesus loves me".  When you ask her what an elephant says, she throws her hands in the air and tries her best to say "Roll Tide".  I know there is so much more, but I'm drawing a blank which is why I shouldn't wait so long.  :-)

Since April, we went on our first family mission trip with our church to Arlington, Texas to work with Mission Arlington.  What a blessing it was to serve with some many wonderful families, youth, and church staff, and you can see the highlight video here.  I have been on many mission trips before, but this was our first one as a family, and I cannot wait for the next one.  In the meantime, we are praying God shows us where He wants us to serve right where we are.

Pecan has started Kindermusik, and she loves it!  She loves music and dancing, and if I wrote this based on last week's class, you would see just how much she loves music and shoes.  She liked dancing to the music, but almost spent the entire class trying to put her shoe on.  She is one determined little girl.

Last week saw us take another huge stepping stone.  Pecan had her first hair cut which I would like to thank Jennifer at Spa Mia Bella.  All was good in the world as long as we had something to eat, and she ate everything in sight.

 Now we can't leave Sunshine out with his first shampoo and cut at a spa.  :-)

And this is where she wanted to hang out during that time...

Isn't she adorable?

I think that has caught us up for a while.  Today is was a big day for someone, so maybe I'll elaborate on that tomorrow or maybe I'll even expand on some of the things I mentioned above.  Who knows...Happy Tuesday evening!

I Learn Something New Everyday

Yesterday's mission was Day 19: Eat Breakfast Lose Weight.  You can learn interesting things when you "Google" words or phrases.  I decided to search "breakfast quotes", and was surprised at the number that came up.  Of course, "Breakfast of Champions" was listed as slang for the first alcoholic drink of the day.  However, I didn't know there was a book or movie, or if I did, I completely forgot.  The quote that stood out the most and made me laugh out loud was "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast".  That mental image just cracked me up!

I don't remember much about breakfast from my childhood other than Sunday mornings.  I remember we sat at the table before church and the big breakfast which many times included pancakes.  I can picture the grill my parents used, and when it came to biscuits, they were the best.  My college years and up until a year or so ago, I would skip breakfast or eat very little.  At work, it may have been a pop-tart or something I could grab.  On occasion I would pick up a Chick-Fil-A biscuit or egg sandwich from Rama Jama's.  Then, last June, after I returned to work from maternity leave, my husband I started carpooling to work.  He liked to go to a fast food restaurant and pick up breakfast, so I quickly joined in.  It is easy after all, and I found that it kept me full most of the morning.  However, this last month, I  started preparing my breakfast to take with me (Oatmeal, egg on wheat toast, whole wheat bagel), and this week, I prepared breakfast for both of us almost everyday.  He was amazed at how much better he felt from eating a healthier breakfast, and I like the facts we are eating healthier and spending less money. 

So to all you who skip breakfast...stop!  Grab a piece of fruit and some yogurt, or a whole wheat bagel with a low-fat spread, or even eggs and whole wheat toast.  As for me, I'm going to look for healthier options such as whole wheat pancakes which is something I can freeze.  If you have any healthy breakfast recipes, please pass them along.

Smooth and Flexible

What is smooth and flexible and last a really long time?  Give up?  It is leather...the traditional third anniversary gift.  I think it is very fitting as a marriage that is smooth has to be flexible.  Of course, all married couples would know I wasn't being honest if I said these first three years have been nothing but blissfulness.  It has been joyful, and my love for Sunshine has grown more and more each day.  However, it has taken the not so smooth times to make us grow closer and our marriage stronger.  God has been so good to me, and I am so blessed to have him in my life.  He is a wonderful husband...the sweetest man I know.   

I pray he always has this look when he thinks of me and our family.

Happy Anniversary my dear Sunshine!

It's Time to STOP!

Okay, this title could go in so many directions, because I need to say it in several different areas of my life.  My first thought was this blog.  I read other blogs, and I think "that was good" or "I'm inspired and encouraged."  Mine?  Not so much.  It is SO boring!  I started thinking why is it I like others, and other than those bloggers being good writers, they are being honest.  I haven't been as honest in my journey the last a couple of weeks as I probably should have been.  Part of me wants to be, but then there are parts that don't want to say write too much.  Of course, a non-functioning brain is part of the problem as well.  I seem to have inspirational moments when I'm not anywhere near a computer or piece of paper.  When I am near one, I tend to forget what I wanted to say, or I just want to write something to just have said I am doing my missions.  The funny thing is I'm doing the missions, but I don't always put them into practice everyday.  Yes, I know it is okay to not be so strict on myself, but it is time to stop the excuses!  I'm tired of being this way, and the only way to change, is just to do it! 

Days Day 16: Stop Overeating Part 1 and Day 17: Stop Overeating Part 2  cover one of my biggest problems, and that is overeating!  I do pretty decent while I'm at work, since I have to plan my meals/snacks ahead of time. However, in the evening it is a little more difficult. I'm putting the leftovers away, and I'm trying to eat slower. The last year has been eating as fast as I can just so I can eat.  Didn't matter what it was or how much, I just needed food. Now it is time to slow down. I have even decided I would eat at my mother's pace the next time we eat a meal with them. She is so slow, but it would do me some good to do the same.  I would probably taste my food more, and quickly learn that I really don't enjoy some of the foods I think I do. As for why I overeat, I need to address several areas.  Probably the top three I deal with are the clock reads it is time, cost effective/doesn't go to waste, and rewarding myself. The last couple of days, I've caught myself "rewarding" myself. Oh, "I deserve it" for whatever reason. No more!  It is time to stop encouraging unhealthy habits and fueling my emotional eating!  I wonder if I'm saying that because I know the Hersey bars are now out of the house?  :-)

If only I was this cute with food all over my face....

One Day, Two Days, Three Days, Four

I'm behind in the blogging, but not behind in my missions.  Day 13 Get Organized for Exercise and Day 14 Get Equipped for Exercise were somewhat easy.  I already have a gym membership, the workout DVDs I need, workout clothes, iPod, and other gear.  There are a few things I would like to get, but aren't necessary at this time...a new pair of running shoes, a fancy gadget like a heart monitor or the Nike Fuelband, and maybe one day I can save up enough money to have a treadmill or ellipitcal at home. Having figured all that out, I can't use them as an excuse which brings me to Day 15: Stop Making Lame Excuses.  Seriously!  Can't I get a break?  I do believe I have mentioned before how I can make up some excuses.  "I'm too tired" or "I have no motivation!" or just the plain ole "woe is me!"  Sigh...since I have come up with these excuses, I do find myself trying to come up with ways to get more movement in. Yes, it isn't the 10 minutes or more of exercise, but extra steps help, don't they?  I think my motivation at home will have to be the timer.  It is amazing what I can do in 15 minutes.  Just a year ago, I was living my life in two hour increments which were then broken down into 15 minute increments.  I got more accomplished then, so it is back to using the timer. 

Now Day 16: Stop Overeating Part 1  I think I will wait until tomorrow to combine it with Day 17.  Besides, I need one more day to focus on my mindless eating. Speaking of eating...went to what was suppose to be a healthy meal demonstration today.  While the food was good and simple, I was disappointed with the demonstration.  There must have been some confusion as to what exactly was suppose to happen, because even the chef asked why we were there.  Thankfully, the food was simple enough that I could even figure it out.  I think we will be having sauteed mushrooms along with green beans and almonds in the near future.  Yum!