Happy 5th Birthday, our precious Mattthew!

I know, I know.....this slide show is just TONS of pictures, but I wanted to capture much of Matthew's little life. Unfortunately, I didn't have a digital camera for his first two years, so I had to take pictures of my scrapbook. I enjoyed going "back in time" and see how he has grown.

My precious little Matthew is 5 years old today. I am amazed at the little boy he has become. He is so full of life, loves to laugh, and is so very kind to others. Matthew is just the sweetest little child I have ever known, and that’s been echoed by other family members and friends, so I’m not that biased! He readily gives hugs, kisses, or a helping hand if needed. He is obedient (most of the time!), compliant, and has such a sweet disposition about him.

Matthew’s interests include building, building, and more building! Other than that, he loves Curious George, trains, digging in the dirt, playing baseball, watching movies, riding his bike, scooter, and jeep, and playing with his little sister (again…most of the time!). Matthew loves his family, loves snuggling with Mommy and Daddy, and especially enjoys spending time with Daddy in the yard or horseplaying/wrestling. Matthew is a very smart little boy, too- he has been reading for several months, now, and caught on to reading very quickly. He is enjoying Kindergarten, and loves to ask questions and learn more about things by asking LOTS of questions. He especially enjoys trying to understand how things work, and “why” things are as they are (for which there are often no answers!). Like his Daddy, he has an EXCELLENT memory, and seems to remember things back to when he was even 2 years old. I have to be careful with that…..he’s not going to forget my parenting mistakes!

I am so proud of the way he readily connects with other children, and how he has socially matured just in the past few months. I have seen a new confidence in him with regard to meeting people, speaking up while in a group setting, and just engaging with other children in social settings. It is so good to see his confidence and enjoyment in being with other children.

Lately he has also been asking many spiritual questions, as well. I can see the Lord pricking his heart, and Matthew’s desire to know more about Jesus every day. He has begun memorizing Bible verses, and often asks questions about heaven. I’ve also seen him having a desire to pray for certain situations, and when the Lord answers those prayers tangibly where he can see the answer…..he gets the biggest grin on his face! What a joy for a parent!

My prayer for you, my little Matthew, is that the Lord will grow you in so many ways, physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially, and that you will bring glory to His name as you turn into a fine young man one day. For now, though, no matter what, you will always be Mommy’s little baby boy. Thank you for letting me love you, teach you, and watch you discover the world around you. You are such a joy to your Daddy and me, and we will forever be thankful for our little Matthew- “gift from God.” I love you, baby boy. Happy 5th Birthday!!!

First Day of Kindergarten!

My baby boy has officially started Kindergarten! His first day was Monday, Aug. 11, and although he is being homeschooled, he was still very excited! He drew a picture and wrote in his journal, learned about the water cycle which creates rain, learned all about rainbows, and we even made one ourselves (forgot to take a picture of that) with a glass of water, some paper and sunlight. We began reading several different books- some dealing with history/geography, and then one of my all-time favorites...The Boxcar Children. Sarah Beth is enjoying listening to the read-aloud books, as well. Matthew did a little reading of his own- 1st grade readers, at that! He is doing very well, even if he does have a biased teacher! I hope it continues to go as well as it's gotten started! I love teaching him and seeing him "get it," and then being able to do other things with him throughout the day to reinforce what we learned or talked about. I feel very blessed and humbled to be homeschooling my children. It's such a wonderful opportunity! To Matthew- Congratulations on your first day of Kindergarten! I know you'll learn many things and do well this year- can't wait to be there with you every step of the way, my baby boy!

Good times in TN

O.K.- I have been working on this for about 45 minutes, now, and after numerous attempts, the slide show won't post to my blog, so I'm having to post the pictures separately- sorry about that!

We had a really nice weekend with my brother, sister-in-law and twin nephews this weekend in TN. The weather was fabulous- very strange for August in the South! We sure enjoyed it, though! We did a little shopping, then just played in the pool, had a great birthday dinner (celebrating my kids' bdays as well as my own), and a yummy bday cake! Thank you David and Janeeen for our bday dinner! On Sunday, we went to their church- FBC Smyrna...but it's no traditional Baptist church- it's extremely contemporary complete with stadium-type seating, it's own Christian gift shop and coffee shop, and very relevant topics. It's also very obvious that they make GREAT use of the many talented musicians in their church- there's a picture above of my brother playing keyboards. Their pastor is really a good speaker, and it's obvious they are meeting the needs of so many people in their area-I think they average over 2000 every Sunday- WOW! I was very proud of my talented brother up on stage. It was family picture time after church, and after a quick lunch, we headed back home. Sarah Beth cried for the first 20 min. after we left- so sad to leave her cousins. It seemed like such a short trip, but we enjoyed every minute of it! Thanks, David, Janeen, Landon, and Wil, for hosting us for the weekend!

Happy 3rd Birthday Baby Girl!

What a day we had! Sarah Beth woke up to lots of pink balloons in her room and pink streamers hanging down in her doorway. She was awake at 6:30! I guess she just couldn't stand the excitement! We went to church and her teacher/class sang to her, then we had a relaxing afternoon as we baked her birthday cake, she napped, and we got ready for her birthday dinner. We invited Mimi, Grandaddy, and Grammy over for our little family party, and she got a few gifts, too, of course! All day long she said "Sing Happy Birthday to me, Mommy!" I believe she truly felt like a princess, as she should on her birthday (although I'm not sure how this is different from any other day with regard to feeling like a princess :). Sarah Beth is still trying to get the hang of holding up three fingers to tell how old she is- she just can't seem to hold that pinky finger down with her thumb! But.....she knows she's 3, and she's very excited about that! She's really looking forward to her birthday party in a few weeks when we'll celebrate both her's and Matthew's birthday together- a Willy Wonka party!














Decorating her Strawberry Shortcake cake (it had LOTS of sprinkles on it!)














Blowing out her candles...




















Some of her gifts (she'll get her "big" ones at her party in a few weeks). She got a Strawberry Shrotcake doll, a Disney Princess cell phone, Don't Spill the Beans game, and the Mega Blocks Cinderella carriage- what fun!!!














Enjoying her cake with her new Strawberry Shortcake doll at her side!

Wow- it just seems like yesterday that we were at the hospital waiting for a room to become available as I was in labor wandering the halls of the maternity floor. I was HUGE! That's easy enough to explain, though, with a 8 lb. 15 oz. baby! She was born at 11:51 pm on August 3, 2005. What a complete joy to have a newborn baby girl!!! She had dark curly hair, dark skin, and dark blue eyes. It was quite a frightening delivery, though, because she was so large that her shoulders were too wide, and she was stuck. Dr. Asa Peek (my hero!!!) had planned for this, and immediately did all the "emergency" things they do in this situation, including putting her arm up beside her head and pulling her out with one arm up, narrowing her shoulders. Praise the Lord that everything went well for us at that moment!!! After 16 hours in labor with no pain medication (my choice, I know- but I would still do it all over again!!!), she was a sight to behold!
















Precious Baby Girl!













Matthew kissing Sarah Beth for the first time.














One of my favorite pictures when she was about 3 weeks old.

Sarah Beth is such a precious little person. She is completely different from her brother, in that she is extremely independent, and can be quite stubborn at times. She has a very strong will, which will be an asset to her later in life (although it is quite challenging these days!). Sarah Beth is very self-confident, she knows what she wants, and she goes after it- I like that about her. She can also be extremely loving and nurturing. I love watching her sing to her baby dolls or feed them. She talks in this high-pitched voice that is just precious. Sarah Beth is all "girl," completely! She loves pink painted fingernails and toenails, and she enjoys wearing dresses that can "twirl," as she says. She enjoys riding her bicycle, playing baseball with Daddy and Matthew, putting on make- up (every day!) with Mommy, and playing with her big brother. She has quite the personality, and I love seeing her grow and develop every day. I'm amazed at her communication, the way she picks up on others' emotions so quickly, and the way she learns so easily. She also already seems to have a spiritual sense about her. As she was going to bed on her birthday, she said, "Mommy, I want to give Jesus a piece of my birthday cake." Who would have ever thought of such a thing but a child? It was precious. She loves to pray every night before going to bed, and is very sincere with talking to Jesus. I'm very thankful for that. God truly blessed us when Sarah Beth came into our lives, and we are so proud to be the parents of Sarah Elizabeth, "Princess Consecrated to God." Happy Birthday my precious baby girl! I love you!!!!!