Busted!

My camera, that is. So no CHRISTmas pictures, no pictures of the new 'do (which is still long enough for a pony tail), and no random pics for now- not that I was any good at that anyway :). And now I must go be the consummate referee and make sure none of my children are bleeding since a couple of them are screaming. I'll post more later.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like CHRISTmas...

With all these babies!!

And now we are expecting #4!!!!!!

That’s right; you read it correctly (don’t try to rub your eyes).

I got the sneaky suspicion for the first time shortly after the boys and I had our little tummy bug. My queasiness never went away all of the way. Inside my heart of hearts, it was confirmed when I actually turned down a cup of coffee on a cold day. “WHAT?!?!?!?!” I said to myself. It cannot be. I mean I know our timing has been weird with the last 2 (Jonah= moving into a new house with a 1 year old in tow and Judah= the start of a new business and 2 toddlers in tow). Really, Lord? Seriously, my Jesus loves to laugh- AT ME! So now, when we are moving into a home smaller than one we have lived in since having children, CJ will be out of the house more than ever with a work and wacky school schedule, and my other boys are a year apart- and THE OLDEST IS 3- God chose this time to send us a precious gift of life (Because, yes, we were using birth control as we were with the last 2 pregnancies). How can I be upset about that?

Apparently, we are about 11 weeks along and due early July. No pressure to be bikini ready. Merry CHRISTmas to us!

Here we go!!!!

Santa Truth Thursday 13

St. Nicholas statue

In our attempt to be honest with our children, we do not practice telling them Santa brings them presents. I don't want my children purposefully lying to me so I'm not going to purposefully lie to them- even if it goes against one of the largest commercial-driven campaigns. Instead, we are teaching them that Santa was a real man who lived a long time ago and loved Jesus. It was becasue of his love for Jesus he gave presents and now people like to dress up and pretend to be him. Cole says that Santa is coming from heaven to give presents out. We still have some work to do.
Having said all of that, I decided to do Thursday 13 of historical facts about Santa Clause:

1- His original name was Nicholas
2- He lived in modern day Turkey in 300 A.D.
3- He was orphaned at a young age from the plague
4- He was left a very large inheritance
5- He grew up in a monastery where he became the youngest priest at age 17
6- He did indeed give away his wealth, mostly to children, by tossing goodies down the chimney or through the window
7- He later became a bishop, hence the long robe and hat
8- After his death, the Catholic church made him a saint. When they began to celebrate Christmas (which was not always celebrated- but that is another blog), St. Nicholas was incorporated into the festivities.
9- In the 17th century the Dutch brought over their version of Sinter Klaas and gift-giving
10- In 1822 a poem was written which introduced the 8 reindeer by name and Santa Clause was given elf-like qualities (later known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas")
11- In 1863, Harper's magazine drew illustrations of Santa Clause in their Christmas editions which continued until the 1890's. Later beginning in 1931, Coca-cola created a new picture of Santa Clause every year for 33 years which is how we recognize him today.
12- In 1997, "Artist Robert Cenedella drew a painting of a crucified Santa Claus. It was displayed in the window of the New York's Art Students League and received intense criticism from some religious groups. His drawing was a protest. He attempted to show how Santa Claus had replaced Jesus Christ as the most important personality at Christmas time"
13- We too easily worship the created instead of the Creator.

Hey, Merry CHRISTmas!
1931 Coca-Cola Ad

Information Source: http://rumela.com/events/christmas_santa.htm

I Have the Go Ahead

So apparently, in his old age, CJ is getting a bit more OCD. The other day I saw him wiping off the bathroom counters and mumbling to himself, "All of this hair!" Of course he is referring to mine. I am molting and my hair is longer than it has been since we got married. I haven't cut it short in 4 years because he has asked me not to. Something about women and long hair. So I say to him, "Honey, I can get my hair cut a little shorter if you think you'll like it because this molting is just going to get worse." So he says, "Go ahead, but not too short. I know you're having a hard time keeping it fixed anyway."
I wasn't sure how to take that last statement, but I know I have the go ahead to get my hair cut! So, my appointment is on Saturday and I'm trying to find some pics of some hair styles to take with me. I like that Buffie's hair, but that may be a little too short at first. Any suggestions?

Merry CHRISTmas!!

..from the Jeffcoats

Most of you reading this have a lovely CHRISTmas card addressed and sitting on our desk. We really do wish you a very merry CHRISTmas, but I have not gotten the pictures made or the cards out. There just aren't enough hours in the day for me right now. Please don't think we left you off of our list- NEVER! We love you and wish you and yours a very happy birthday for Jesus! We wish you lots of blessings and hope we get to see you the first part of the new year!

13 Reasons Why I Love Leslie

...because today is her birthday and NOT Thursday


1- She wears a smile almost all of the time.

2- She is a GREAT Mommy!

3- She is one of the most self-less people I know; but at the same time knows her boundaries.

4- She enjoys super hero stuff too!

6- You just feel at peace around her. She brings so much calmness with her. Even when she is bothered by something, she keeps the peace.

7- She NEVER has idle hands. She is either smocking, or giving herself a mani/ pedi (even during a movie), doing book work, sewing... Rarely have I seen her do nothing.

8- She knows the value of keeping her man happy!

9- She is the most dependable person I know.

10-I have not heard her say one negative thing about ANYONE- even when I wanted her too- (Hee, Hee!)

11- She does not criticize- even if you need to change your clothes. She just goes, "So, that's what you're wearing. Hmm."

12- She is an AWESOME cook! I mean, really, if Leslie made it, you can guarantee it is super-yummy.

13- She has the most amazing quiet strength about her. I have but once seen her get roweled up and snap back at a person (who deserved it); in defense of a family member.

Leslie,

I love you so much. God has blessed me greatly by bringing you into my life. The hardest thing about doing this list was I only did 13! I could have easily done 20 and more! I know it's your love for Jesus that keeps you faithful. I hope you have a splendid day and this year brings you more blessing than you can contain!

She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Psalm 31:24-30

Ahh Yeah

Mista Lova-Lova!

It will be that Jonah we will have to watch out for. Every time he gets into trouble and I begin to explain why he's in trouble (aka fuss at him), before I even finish he says, "Mama, let me give you a fiss (kiss)."

There was Dasher and Dancer and Prancer...

and we even had our own Rudolph!

Some of the girls and I did the Reindeer Run to benefit the Children's hospital at MUSC yesterday in downtown Charleston. We had so much fun! I got separated from everybody but had all of our 2 lb goody bags. Of course I couldn't just leave them so after all of the runners took off and I saw no one and then all of the walkers took off and I still saw no one, I decided to begin the 3 mile trek with our bags in tow. Thankfully, I found Melissa and her sweet family to walk with; and since they had Amelia's stroller, I got to relinquish my "Bag Lady" status. Oh, and let me just clarify and say I participated in the Reindeer Walk. BUT, Leslie, Buffie, and English all ran (English the ENTIRE way!!). I am so proud of them. It was great fun, albeit a little hectic at first. A few lessons learned from my first fund-raising 5 K event:

1- Pick up the packets THE NIGHT BEFORE
2- Don't separate from your group- EVER until the event starts. You won't find them.
3- Watch for the dog poo for this little shin-dig (No direct hits, but a couple of close calls).
4- STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH!

We are anxious for the next one!

Summing It Up

Cole: "Mama, I'm gonna read you a story from my Jesus book" (a small New Testament Bible he got a harvest festival).


Me: "Sure. I would love that."


Cole: Opening Jesus book (upside down) and begins "A long time ago, Jesus lived in heaven. Then he told Noah to build a big boat. All of a sudden, Jonah was in the whale! And you know what's gonna happen, Mama?"


Me: "No, what?"


Cole: "Noah sent out the dove and when the dove came back, all of the animals got off the big boat. The end.
Tomorrow, we'll read another story out of my Jesus book about the race car."


Me: "I can't wait!"

Thursday 13

13 Reasons I Haven't Blogged in a Loooooong Time

1- Judah has had pnuemonia
2- Jonah was fighting a fever the next week
3- Our Internet connection has been in and out (I think due to road construction)
4- My computer's wireless card is wicky wicky wack (I'm on my mom's computer right now)
5- We have been trying to get our homestead fixed
6- I am constantly picking up toys because my mom doesn't like the clutter (even though this place is a perpetual toy store because SHE buys all of this stuff ;) )
7- Laundry is never-ending especially having to have it done by the weekend so my mom can use the washer
8- Due to the ever-flowing of Pepsi and cookies the boys go to bed much later these days
9- The nap times are battles because the boys don't nap well in the same room
10- In my free time (HAHAHAHAHA!) I usually just want to take a nap
11- There hasn't been anything new going on to talk about (until recently with the boys' Thanksgiving show- post coming soon)
12- I have been helping my parents with bookwork for their company
13- If I do get on the computer I'm usually looking stuff up really quickly and then having to get off (see reasons above)

Thanks, you guys, for keeping tabs on me. I'm going to try to do better in keeping this thing updated. Love you!,

New Brother, Please

Judah is most definitely becoming his own person. I didn't think it was possible, but he has more energy and spunk than either Cole or Jonah. He also is much more feisty. Judah most certainly can hold his own in the Jeffcoat House and occasionally picks his own fights; but being only 13 months, there is only so much discipline we can practice. His oldest brother is NOT impressed.
Cole was cooking with his Mimi and said, "I think we'll sell Judah, Mimi."
My mom was caught a little off guard and replied, "Why would we do that, Cole?"
"I'm ready for a new baby and he pinches and scratches me a lot. I think we need a baby that doesn't do all of that. So, we'll sell him and get a new one."

Foundation Friday

I was tagged

by my friend Leigh Ann. This one was fun!


What was I doing 10 years ago:
I was starting Columbia Bible College after taking a year off and transferring from Anderson College. I also was working for TCBY (one of my favorite jobs to this day) and had just started seeing CJ. One of my very best brother-friends used to joke that I wasn't spoken for, I was "mumbled" for because CJ and I didn't date traditionally. We didn't believe in spending all of our time with just each other and only spent time alone with each other when we knew we were going to marry.

What was I doing 5 years ago:
CJ and I had just moved to Birmingham, AL to start Bumper Man. We only knew 2 people there and we lived in a really nice apartment complex with a pool and a gym. We were really blessed to be able to take over someone's lease so we got a really good deal on it. Otherwise, we would not have been able to afford it. That was the same time CJ asked me to come home and be a stay-at-home wife. I was really bad at it at first and went to back work part-time in January. We fully intended to make Birmingham our home for the long haul until we got pregnant the next year.

What was I doing 1 year ago:
Last year was a tumultuous year for our family. We had our share of life and death. We had just bought our Owner Builder Network franchise and had our 3rd baby by c-section. My grandfather died on my birthday and my grandmother 6 months later (both of my mom's parents). My younger cousin died in January.

What I did yesterday:
I took the boys to the pumpkin patch with the help of my Me-Ma and then to Burger King. After nap time, we went to Wal-Mart for some diapers and to look at paint colors.

5 snacks that I love:
Nutella on graham crackers; Nilla wafers with p-nut butter; Frappaccinos; Lay's Salt and Vinegar potato chips; tortilla chips with shredded cheese melted on top

If I won 100 million what are 5 things I'd do:
Tithe; pay off ALL of our debt (mine and my parent's); invest; Have a standing once-a-month day at the day spa for head to toe treatment; pay for all of my girlfriends yearly girls' trips

5 locations I'd love to visit:
Greece; The Grand Canyon; Maine in the fall; a remote tropical island; Summerville

5 tv shows I like to watch: (only 5!?)
Heroes; Bionic Woman; Life; Cosby Show; Dirty Sexy Money (although I think I may get bored with this one)

5 things I hate to do:
Dust; wash dishes; run; clean up vomit (it makes me literally gag); change bed sheets

5 biggest joys at the moment:
Quiet nights; working out; Decluttering/ simplifying our lives; Date night with CJ; Being with the girls

Foundation Friday

Ready For My Close-Up

So today I shot my very first (and maybe only) commercial. Those of you who know me know I am NOT a model. HA! I mean, really, I like to eat WAY too much! Anyway, one of my oldest friends here in Lexington (for over 20 years we've been friends) called me yesterday and asked if I would help her sister-in-law out. Apparently, she is a production manager at the CW station here in Columbia and they were shooting a non-profit commercial for a local company and was looking for some help. Enter me. I said, "Sure." So, after I picked up the boys from MMO, we headed out. I am only in one section of the commercial and who knows how much of me they will actually put in the finished project. But it was fun. The best part was, the boys did so great! They were cooped up in a tiny kitchen with total strangers watching them (I was right across the hall)! They didn't scream once- well, maybe once. My mom said I need to get some mini-bottles and hand them out when I get in situations where others have to watch my boys at the last minute. Did I mention it was smack dab in the middle of nap time?

Thursday 13

13 Reasons Why I Love October

1- The S.C. State Fair

2- My birthday (the 17th)!!!!

3- The leaves change

4- Chilly mornings (with coffee, of course)

5- Jeans and sweaters (maybe not so much on the sweaters again this year)

6- CRUISE-A-LICIOUS (leaving on the 24th)!!!!!!

7- My black leather boots I get to wear (It took me a couple years for CJ to let me buy them b/c I am not-so-graceful)

8- I can start CHRISTmas shopping

9- Having family pictures made for our CHRISTmas cards

10- Picking out our CHRISTmas cards

11- Going to the Pumpkin Patch

12- Little to no mosquitos or gnats (really, what is the purpose of gnats?)

13- The cruise!!!!! Oh, yeah, I said that one already!

Wordless Wednesday

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Aunt Ti-Ti: "Cole, how is your new school?"

Cole: "I love it."

Aunt Ti-Ti: "What do you get to do?"

Cole: "Umm, I get to dance, and sing songs, and play with my friends. Oh, and I get to make craps too."

Through more investigation we realized Cole gets to make crafts!

I've Been Tagged

by Leslie to share 10 things that make me smile

1. Seeing my boys in the afternoon filthy because they have been playing in the yard since they got up from their nap. And when I say filthy, I mean it. It's pretty gross and I think it's AWESOME they get to be all out boys for at least a few hours a day.

2. Good coffee. I know you have all heard me rant about my coffee, but really, it does make me smile. I really enjoy the warmth, taste, smell. I thank Jesus for such small things.

3. A clean/ organized house makes me smile. I can be a little OCD and I really like it when everyhting is in its place and every place has its thing. It just makes me feel like I have it together when my house is clean (Which by the way is a little insight as to why I appear to not have it together since having little ones. Rarely is my house organized.).

4. Waking up early when no one is up and reading my Bible. This does not happen often enough. Jonah is our morning boy and is usually up by 6:30 which would mean I would have to get up at 6. In the age where I'm staying up past 11:00 PM to finish laundry and picking up, that just doesn't happen. But, on the mornings I do get up that early, I really enjoy my moments with the Word. God loves me so much He knows exactly what to say to me for that day.

5. A good work out. Again, not happening as often as I would like. Despite my unweilding effort to get my husband to buy an eliptical, he has yet to give in (Which is actually a good thing; where on earth would we put it now?). So I have to wait until I can get in the gym here which ispartof CJ's benefits working for the hospital. It might be the endorphins which are released, but it does make me smile when I can get all the way through a challenging work out. I feel great!

6. Sleeping in. Oh, I really like to sleep in. I don't like to do it often, but once a week sleeping until like 9:00 would totally rock! It makes me so refreshed and alive!

7. Good worship. I actually had a dream the other night where I was staying at Leslie's house by myself and I ws taking a bath. While I was lying down in the tub I was singing a praise song and lifting my hands. I was so into it, I didn't even notice she had come home. When I got out of the tub and realized she was home, I laughed at myself for how I must have sounded (I am totally tone deaf). The cool thing was, she thought it was awesome b/c she loves praising God too! Ha! Funny dream!

8. CJ. He really is a funny guy. A lot of people don't appreciate his humor but I think it's hysterical. He has a lot of wit about him and I love his accents. I'm sure to someone who actually speakes with an accent it doesn't sound a thing like the real thing, but I can't tell the difference.

9. Judah's grin. He has 5 teeth- 3 on top and 2 on the bottom. When he smiles, it's this big cheesy grin. My mom says he looks like Sponge Bob Squarepants. When she said that, he actually kind of does. It makes me smile when I see him grin like that.

10. When Cole kisses my hand and says, "I love you so much , Mama." I mean really, how could I not just melt away!

So now I tag Claire!

Thursday 13

Sadly, I was able to come up with 13 shows I am looking forward to watching this new season of TV. I do like to watch some TV and I do love my DVR!

1. Heroes (premeires MONDAY- YAY!)
   
2. Bionic Woman
3. Lost
4. American Idol
5. Pushing Daisies
6. Dirty Sexy Money
7. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
8. 24 (not until 1/08, but getting closer)
   
9. Battlestar Galactica (same as above)
   
10. K Ville
11. Life
12. The Biggest Loser
13. Journey Man
    

Wordless Wednesday- with an under note

Happy birthday Mac- Attack!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

"Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. " Deuteronomy 11:19

Being in this world yet not of it has often gotten us much criticism. We are very careful with what we allow our children to watch, play with, wear (boys' clothes can have graphic violence on them), and how we allow them to spend their free time. One rule CJ have also agreed upon is to make our children go to church as long as they live under our roof. Yes, I said make. We have often heard critical comments of other friends (certainly not any of you reading this) and family members who come from an era where parents allowed their children to decide for themselves their spiritual journeys- all in the name of freedom and democracy. Not in this house. We believe the above referenced scripture regards teaching our children about our God and His ways through everything we do. With lots of prayer and patience, we hope their hearts become sensitive to Jesus' knocking and they will be brave enough and willing enough to accept the call. All we get until earthly salvation comes, is small glimpses here and there if anything is soaking in. We play praise music. We say the blessing before meal time. We take them to children's church/ Sunday School (Believe me when I say this is so much easier said than done with our boys). We read Bible stories they can get. We only watch certain programs. Maybe something will sink in?

I got a glimpse today. As we were on our way to MMO I had the radio playing on WHMK, the local Christain station in Columbia we listen to (There are others, but this is the only one for music we like). They were playing a souped up version of "Holy, Holy, Holy". From the back of the car Cole says, "Mama, is this the 'Holy, Holy' song?" I said, "Yes, Cole, it is." He responded, "I like this song." We go to a high tempo church, so Cole doesn't hear hymns there. I was curious as to where he had heard this song before so I pushed a little.

"Where have you heard this song before?"

"You know, with the babies."

"What babies?"

"The babies who sing the 'Holy, Holy' song, Mama."

The spirit put it together for me and reminded me of the Praise Baby DVD we have. Cole has seen it many times during me cooking dinner. I was amazed he remembered because of all that has been going on in our lives and also, he hasn't watched it in months!

God is teaching me that life is so much more made up of the little things we do that weave themselves together to make it great. Those of us who long to do and be great usually miss the great because we miss the small things. We truly do miss seeing the forest for the trees. That is why God tells us to "Teach [them to] your children, talking [about them] when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." The principle is for me to take advantage of the opportunities I have. I shouldn't wait for the big teachable moments to teach long- lasting life lessons (although, I do like when those come around), but I should keep steady with the daily tasks God has given. I'm not a great mom for this discovery. Praise be to God for that. I just do the daily tasks of mothering- day in and day out. I wipe butts; I clean crusty noses (and the not-so-crusty); I cook meals; I clean up; I do laundry; I'm careful and protective of what and who I allow into my children's days. It's all pretty mundane.

Thank you, Lord, for showing me through my children, that what I find monotonous, You see as faithful. What I find never-ending, You count as perseverance. May my attitude reflect Your patience with me.

Happy Birthday, Judah- Bug!

Today Judah is 1 year old! We are so blessed to have a healthy, happy, thriving baby boy!

Thursday 13

13 Ways you Know You’re the Mother of a Little One

1. You eat off of animal-shaped plates- and you like it!
2. Your purse always has a diaper and wipes in it (along with snacks, juice, and some kind of happy meal toy)
3. When you’re eating fruit salad and your husband asks, “What is that?” You sing back, “Fruit salad, Yummy, yummy.” From The Wiggles
4. You know the words and songs to Finding Nemo and other Disney/ Pixar flicks
5. Your house and car never feel like they are tidy
6. You have mastered the art of speed shopping
7. Your idea of a quiet evening is having all children in bed asleep before you
8. You have found new and exciting ways to use baby wipes and are amazed you ever lived without them.
9. You can leisurely walk by other little ones screaming their heads off in public places and it not phase you
10. You totally dig yo-gos, fruit chews, and cereal sticks- for yourself
11. Just when you think you’ve washed all clothes, you find a pile of laundry behind your child’s bed or toy box or both.
12. You laugh when someone asks you, “What do you do all day?”
13. Your idea of going to an adult restaurant is going to a place with no child’s menu.

Wordless Wednesday- with an under note

Happy early birthday, Abby!

First Day- YAY!!

Well maybe not-so-much excitement coming from the Cole-man. He spent his first day at Mother's Morning Out (a.k.a. Part-time Preschool) running errands with Mom and Judah. He has been sick all weekend and was yet fever-free for 24 hours so he has to wait one more day. He did get to sleep in , though!

Jonah, however, had a blast! This is his first time going to MMO so we weren't sure how he would do. He definitely doesn't usually have separation issues, but he took his blanket just in case. He was so excited to go in and play he wouldn't even look back so I wasn't able to get any pictures of his face. The back of the head is all we get. Plus, he wouldn't slow down so this first one is blurry. When I picked him up he was laughing and cackling. He took his nap an hour late because he was so wound up (or maybe over-tired?)! They are both looking so forward to going tomorrow!

Nasty Butt

Forgive the title, but this is a TOTAL brother-moment! I was changing Judah's diaper and Jonah was right beside me- as usual. When I pulled the diaper down, Jonah said, "Judah's got a nasty butt, Mama." A little phrase he learned from Ms. Sarah ;). I said, "Yes, he does. We need to clean it up." So he hands me a wipe. When he did he must have caught a whiff of what I've gotten so accustomed to smelling and began to cough and make gagging noises. Laughing, I said, "Jonah, what is wrong?" He held his nose and walked out the room saying, "Judah's got a nasty butt, Mama."

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things That I Will Enjoy While in Columbia
(Not an exhaustive list)

1- The Bullet: I'm digging protein drinks for breakfast and my mom has this thing that whips 'em up fast without having to clean the big blender

2- Dogs: I'm a dog-lover and we haven't had one since I was pregnant with Jonah. Being back in Lexington on the land has reminded me how much I love me some dogs!

3- Fans: Despite being pretty comfortable temperature wise, my parents still run these floor fans. They are awesome at drowning out noise. All of the boys are sharing a room right now and running one of these in there has definitely helped.

4- Hills: I forgot how hilly this place is. Charleston is really flat compared to Cola- town.

5- Avon: My aunt is an Avon rep and I'm always on the look out for better skin care. I love this Anew line Avon has.

6- The Dam: Lexington is rebuilding the dam on Lake Murray and the way traffic flows you drive right beside the massive stones used to build the dam. Plus, getting ready to go across it you see the amazing vastness looking across Lake Murray.

7- The Rivers: I know Charleston has rivers, but I don't know that you could actually river walk them. The Broad River here gets low enough you can actually walk across it on the rocks. It's very slippery, but we did it all of the time when we lived here before we were married. Plus, you can often find rope swings hanging from nearby trees.

8- The Firm Gym is here: I haven't actually gone yet (I can't find my sneakers) but I'm looking forward to actually going to some live classes. I've done the videos and it is a whoppin' work out. I hope the class music isn't as cheesy as the videos.

9- The Restaurants: Now you know I like to eat! Columbia has some good places to eat; but Lexington has exploded with good restaurants. And I like the little hole in the wall joints that tend to stay off of the mainstream, so I'm looking forward to checking them all out. Yes, all of them!

10- Grandparents: They are the best. CJ's grandma is close by, my Me-ma is not too far, an my Great-grandmother (Mo) is right down the road. Although we can't spend large chunks of time at once with them, I love to hear their stories and see how they handled the stresses of raising babies (Our grandmothers had 4 kids each and Mo had 3).

11- FREE BABYSITTERS! Wow! Sarah is worth every penny, but it makes a HUGE difference not to have to pay to go out.

12- TV in our room. We haven't ever had a TV in our bedroom, but we didn't want to store it in storage because of the moisture. It is nice to have the boys pile up in our bed and we all watch a movie together.

13- My mom: I mean, really, she is the best. As different as we are we are so much the same. Plus, she is a firm believer in retail therapy!

Wordless Wednesday

Les Miserables

Disclaimer: This is not a "pick-me up" post.

So, we're here. I'm still pretty depressed and I can't find any of my stuff. It is literally strung out from here to Florence, SC (CJ's dad took some boxes to store at his house). Among my absolute favorite things I can not find are my wonderful bra, my sneakers to work out in (all I have is my black crocs), my camera, and my fingernail stuff. I still have the glittery pink polish on from when I gave myself a mani at Leslie's and it's peeling off- YUCK! I'm trying to be optimistic but it just isn't working. I don't want to talk to any of my friends because I know I'll cry (my eyes are welling up now). If any of you have any encouraging verses for me to meditate on, please send them my way.

On the upside, I did get to go to church yesterday and they played a little Bon Jovi ditty "You Give Love a Bad Name" making way for a lesson on Samson and Delilah. I do love me some Bon Jovi. The one thing I will say about the Irmo campus of Seacoast as they absolutely can rock it out during worship. I'm sure all of the campuses had their own rendition of the song too.

Another high note is Judah is walking more and more; however, because I can't find my camera, no pics to share for now. But he is cute. My parents have a lot more furniture for him to hang onto so he is much more brave. Also, my dad- the all-powerful Poppy- keeps Cole and Jonah occupied so Judah has much more alone time and he isn't getting pushed down by his brothers. When I do find my camera, you'll be inundated!!

Thursday 13

13 Things About Me You May Not Know

1- I rebelled in college by getting an icthus tattoo

2- My college major was Bible and my minor was Youth Ministry (We did party hard at the Bible school- LOL!)

3- I am an introvert (YES I AM!)

4- I don't consider myself lazy, but I could sit on the couch ALL day and watch TV

5- I wanted to teach elementary school overseas

6- There was a time when I had more shoes than outfits to go with them (Then came marriage).

7- I ran track in high school (No, really I did!)

8- My favorite color is purple and my favorite flower is a daisy

9- I don’t like to listen to a soprano sing

10- I feel discombobulated when my car is messy (Which is all of the time these days!)

11- I have very dry skin but normal to oily face- what’s up with that?!

12- My favorite disciple is John, the Beloved

13- I am afraid of heights- Like I don’t even like going across the bridge!

Moving Tales

Really?! I mean, I know things could be so much worse, but the moving experience has not been so much fun yet. Here are a couple of stories to read if you think you're having a bad day.

Rain, Rain

First off, let us give a super shout out to our awesome friend, Kane, daddy of the Wright Girls! He would not say this to us right now, but we know how much he detests moving; yet, he still helped us yesterday! Thanks, Kane! So CJ and Kane brought a load of stuff up to Columbia yesterday (Sunday- oh yeah, did I mention Kane takes his Sabbath very seriously and truly likes to take advantage of the day of rest- Thanks, again, Kane!). On the way up, our tarp tore and then blew off. That was not a big deal until they hit a torrential rain storm. All of our stuff on the trailer got soaked! When they got to the storage unit, it was still raining like a mad dog but we had to unload! We started an assembly line- me on the trailer, CJ taking boxes from the trailer, and Kane putting the boxes in the storage unit. Well, CJ slipped and fell hurting his wrist and bloodying up his knee (Note to self: wet metal + sneakers= bad fall). Meanwhile, I AM SOAKED. I have on these thin khaki colored pants which now can be seen straight through. Praise the Lord my undies were dark colored so you couldn't see through those! Needless, to say, unloading was an adventure. Oh, yeah, it stopped raining right after we finished unloading.

CRASH!

While at Target in Lexington, Cole got super excited about going to see the Thomas trains. As he was running he slid and hit his chin on the wheel on the buggy. I picked him up tp console him, and when I lifted his head up to dry his eyes, there was this clean deep gash. It was obvious he needed stitches. I calmly called CJ over and asked if he could take Cole to the bathroom to get a wet papertowel while I took Jonah and Judah to the car. We went to the doctor and Cole ended up with 3 sutures which will come out next week. Of course, there were medical posters in the "surgery room" of the digestive system; so here I am explaining in toddler-ease how the digestive system works as we wait for the doctor to come in. I'll be posting pictures in the next day or so (of the sutures, not the digestive system :) ).

I'm pressed but not crushed
persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse
for His promise will endure
And His joy's gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning...

~Darryl Evans (Lyrics to "Trading My Sorrow")