A Trip to Gadsden

In March of this year, our family took a trip to Gadsden, AL to see some of Chris' family. Hayden had never met any of the Gadsden family, so needless to say, it was a long overdue trip. We had a great trip, and it was so great to see so many family members. Chris has family members on both sides in the Gadsden area - his aunt, uncle, and cousins on his Mom's side and his grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins on his Dad's side. And, it was especially wonderful for Hayden to meet his great-grandmother. I was so thankful that he got to spend some time with her.

Here are some pictures from our trip, even though I wish I had taken more pictures. Chris and I took Hayden to Noccalula falls in Gadsden while we were there. The falls are beautiful, and Hayden especially loved all the ducks.

Mess!

Hayden really is a mess, figuratively and sometimes literally. He never ceases to crack me up every day and is such a joy each and every day. He has his times when he can be really hard-headed and throw his little fits, but most of the time, he is really sweet.

There is one thing that he really hates...messes. I guess he has watched me being a kind of neat freak, and I have rubbed off on him. He is really good about cleaning up his toys and doesn't like having a lot out at one time, so he will pick up a toy and take it back to his room while simultaneously singing the clean-up song. After every meal, he takes his napkin and tries to clean his mess off the table. And, he hates getting food on his hands and only wants to use a napkin once after wiping his hands. He is always picking up things off the floor and taking them to the garbage. He has been going outside a lot lately to play with Gus, and if he gets the slightest bit of dirt on his hands, he comes to the door holding up his hand and saying "mess!" I'm really going to have to teach him that it is good to be dirty, especially when you are a little boy.

Well, this particular "messy" event happened several months ago. I was feeding Hayden dinner and was simultaneously getting ready for Wednesday night bible study. As a parent, you always know that when everything is really quiet, it is time to get scared. Well, I was in the bathroom getting ready and noticed that Hayden was being unusally quiet. Well, I walked in the kitchen to find a nice surprise. Needless to say, Hayden had a great time with his potatoes. When I walked into the kitchen, he looked at me with the biggest smile and said, "Mess!" All I could do at that point was just laugh and grab the camera. Of course, he said, "Cheese!"

What a mess! :o)

SNOW! - February 12, 2010

Can you believe Mississippi actually got some snow...and a substantial amount this year? The weather forecasters had been predicting large amounts, but because Mississippi never receives much snow at all, I must admit that I was dubious. Because of the large amount that was predicted, I knew that I wanted Hayden to have a full snow experience if we were going to get as much as predicted. It was hard for me to imagine staying in the city for so much snow, so the night all the snow was supposed to start, the four of us (Chris, Hayden, Gus, and I) headed out to my Mom's house in Pelahatchie. What better place to experience so much snow than in the wide open country!

Sure enough, the snow started the night of February 11th and continued through mid-day on the 12th. At my last measurement, my mom received a little over 7 inches of snow. It was beautiful. As far as Hayden goes, he had fun but hated getting down in the snow. He liked it for a short while and then just got mad at it. Chris was able to stay for a little while that morning, but then, he had to go to work.

So, after putting Hayden down for his nap, my mom and I started on my very first snow man. I had never built a snow man before, so it was really fun. It didn't turn out to be a perfect snow man, but I was pretty proud of it.

Hayden and I left after he woke up from his nap, and Clinton was still a blanket of white. Unfortunately, the snow had turned into an icee-like mixture, so that was the end of playing in it.

Here are some pictures from the snow.

Christmas 2009

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! Hayden had a lot of fun and was able to do so much more this year compared to last year. It really is amazing the difference a year makes. :o) Hayden had his own little tree this year, which thankfully kept him away from our big tree. Mostly, he loved dumping the Christmas tree balls all over the floor and getting glitter everywhere. :o)

He loved opening presents, and although he really can't understand what Christmas is really all about, I can't imagine what a difference another year will make as far as that goes! I'm hoping I can get the nativity set I want before next year, so we can start teaching him about the Christmas story.

Here are some pictures from our Christmas.

Hayden was really silly with his cousins this year at Gran's house. This is a picture of them chasing each other down the hall and laughing their heads off. Every once in a while, they would jump on top of each other in a huge dogpile and just giggle and giggle. Hayden loves "Linyey" and "Kritiker." :o) You will have to mute the music to hear all the laughter. :o)

My Purim 2009

You are probably wondering what in the world my post title means…Purim, what in the world is that? Well, Purim is a yearly Jewish feast that celebrates the deliverance of the Jews during the time of Esther. I’m not Jewish, but I feel I have every reason to celebrate just as the Jews do each and every year. Let me explain.

I have loved the work schedule I have for so many reasons. One reason is that I get to stay home with Hayden some during the week and still do a little work, too. The other reason is that I get to enjoy Wednesday morning bible studies at my church with some wonderful, godly women, and that has been such a wonderful blessing for the past several years. This past year, I enrolled in a bible study called “Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman.” I had always loved the book of Esther and its story but never had studied it in very much detail. This study is a study written by Beth Moore, and it really touched my heart in so many ways. I definitely recommend the study if you haven’t done it before. You can buy it online at Lifeway Christian Bookstore. I recommend purchasing the study booklet and audio CDs. The study booklet is done at home, and the audio CDs include all of the in-class lessons so that you can listen to them in your car.

The study discussed several reasons why it is tough being a woman. It is tough being a woman in a world where beauty is a treatment. It is tough being a woman in another woman’s shadow. It is tough being a woman in the tight grip of fear. It is tough being a woman thrown a giant-sized weight. You get the picture. The study also focuses a lot on a term called “reversal of destinies” and how God is a God all about reversals. Think about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to this earth as a perfect Man to save us all, and He was mocked and scoffed at and crucified on a cross. And, one day, He will return and will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. How’s that for a reversal – from the most humiliating death at the time to being glorified for eternity.

Think about reversals in your own life. Have you had any? Have you been through anything tough in your life and come out on the other side a changed person? Have you seen the hand of God at work taking you through difficult circumstances to change you for His glory? I hope you have. That is what my Purim is all about. Purim for me is all about the celebration of going through a fiery trial and coming out on the other side a changed person for the glory of God. Only God could do something like that. I know it firsthand.

Although I am not a Jew, I have set a time aside each year to celebrate my own deliverance…deliverance from sin and death but also deliverance from some strongholds in my life. December 18th is a significant day in my journey with God to reverse some things in my own life and seemed only appropriate as the day for me to set my yearly Purim celebration. Anyone who has gone through anything difficult in their own life can agree that Christmas can be a very joyous time each year but can be a very difficult time as well, as you remember things that have happened in your life. This is true for me, too.

When I was a young girl, I loved Christmas. I loved spending time with family and playing games with family and having traditions as a family. Basically, Christmas for me was time spent with my family. Well, in one year of my life, all of that was swooped away, and it was devastating for me. That year of my life was the most difficult time I have ever been through and can ever imagine going through. That year of my life forced me to work through some lifelong issues I had and to rely more on God than I ever had. God became more of a central thing in my life as He guided me to and through the right people who could help me work through things. There were so many times when I remember just feeling so alone and so confused and just had to ask God to wrap His arms around me. I needed His love to guide me and sustain me, and it was only His love that brought me through it.

As difficult as the situations were during that year and as much as they still hurt sometimes, God has taken those situations that He allowed me to go through and made me stronger through Him. One of my favorite verses since all of this happened has been 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

God can make you strong if you realize your own weakness without Him. You must humble yourself before Him and others so that it could only be Him that could explain it. Well, only God could explain the changes that have happened since then. These are just a few of my reversals: from pretense to truth, from make-believe to real, from my control to God’s control, from confused husband/wife roles to learning how to be the wife/husband God wants Chris and I to be, from a false baptism to a true baptism, from insecurity to realizing where my security comes from, and so many others. I am convinced that Hayden would not be here had I not gone through what I went through that year and that I definitely wouldn’t be the mother I am now if I hadn’t. I am also convinced Chris and I would be different partners for each other had we not been through what we went through that year.

Is everything with the situation perfect? No? Is Christmas still difficult? Yes. But, I have reason to celebrate. God took me (and Chris) through difficult situation after difficult situation during that year and brought us both out on the other side. There might be some wounds there, but God has healed so many others. For that, I am blessed and have reason to celebrate. I continue to pray for more reversals to occur and for continued growth in my Christian life, but for those that have already happened, I celebrate today.

Maybe Christmas is a difficult time for you. Maybe you have deep emotional hurts that dwindle your joy during this season. Just remember that it is all about a baby who was born to save us all. Just remember that if you rely on Him, He can reverse all the hurt and turn it in to amazement. He can teach you so much about yourself and can glorify Himself through you. You just have to let Him. I don’t want sound like I am over-simplifying the process. The process of healing is not easy and is not quick, and that alone is done in God’s time.

What am I going to do for my Purim celebration? Well, I’m going to spend a wonderful day with my husband and child. Tonight, Chris and I are enjoying the opportunity to let our church watch our son so we can do something together. And, I might even enjoy some Hamantaschen. Do the study…you’ll know what I mean.

I hope this Christmas is one full of blessings for you and your family. May you remember the reason for this season.

The Last Month

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged in so long. Actually, I really can. :o) It has been a crazy month in our household, which included a strange illness that lingered forever in our house and left me with pneumonia for about a week. Thankfully, all are well in our house now, and we are ready to enjoy the Christmas holidays.

I just thought I would update the blog with some pictures from the last month.

There is a new place in Jackson called Easely Amused. There are different classes where you go and they teach you to paint a specific picture. Well, some of the girls from my Sunday School class went, and we painted a picture with some pumpkins. It was really fun, and I definitely can't wait to go again. And, my picture actually ended up looking pretty good...for someone who can't paint or draw. :o)

Part of the group before we started

The goal for the finished product

Houston...we have success! Pumpkins!

A couple of weeks ago, we got a little snow. Yep, that's right...snow in central Mississippi. Hayden was staying with Gran to give Chris and I a chance to finally do something for my birthday, so he got to experience his first snow in Pelahatchie. Actually, they were at the Brandon Christmas parade when it started snowing, and they got to see Santa go by in the snow. How cool is that! :o) Here are some pictures of him that morning.

He was enjoying it here!

Oooo.....look at it! By the way, don't you love my hat! :o)

Okay, I've had enough! The dogs knocked him down, and he wasn't happy! :o)

More Fall Fun and a Belated Halloween

I'm a little behind on posting some of these pictures, but it's been a busy fall! The day after the fair, Chris and I took Hayden to the MS Museum of Natural Science. We didn't know if he was too young for it, but as much as he enjoyed the animals at the petting zoo at the fair, we figured we'd try it. Well, he loved it. He spent most of the time running from one place to another and pointing and telling us all about it. I don't know how much he could appreciate some of it, because he was going so fast through everything. But, he definitely had a great time.

Last weekend, Hayden was able to go to his first Mississippi State game. We had a great time. My mom, brother and his family, and Chris and I bought some season tickets this year so that we would have enough for some of us to go every once in a while. Little did we know, all of us could go, since Kristopher and Hayden didn't need tickets. We didn't know how well Hayden would do in the stands and figured he wouldn't last long at all, but we weren't too worried about it since we figured there was no way State could beat Florida. Well, much to our surprise, our Dawgs played super hard and kept it a close game, and Hayden was able to stay into the 4th quarter. I was so proud of him. At the beginning of the game, he thrashed all around and acted like he wanted to get down and run around in the stands. After a few minutes of holding him in one place, he figured it out and was able to enjoy the game and all the activity. Here is a picture of our family at the game.



I even got a picture of him ringing the cowbell.



Hayden really does have a very funny personality. He learns quickly and mimics often, and he loves shoes. He brings you shoes and insists that you put them on your feet or on his feet and even tries to put them on by himself sometimes. Here is Hayden in Chris' new boots.



I love these pictures, too. Can you tell I had been cleaning all week?





Halloween didn't go quite as planned this year. We were supposed to go to the Fall Harvest at church Halloween night, and Hayden was going to be the cutest fisherman there. Hayden had been having a cough for a couple of weeks, and he was a little hoarse on Friday. By Friday evening, he was running a fever. We went to the after hours clinic Halloween morning, and Hayden had bronchitis. He was cleared by the pediatrician to go to the Fall Harvest that night, so we were excited that he was still going to be a fisherman. Hayden took a turn for the worse Halloween evening. His fever rose higher than it had been, and he stopped eating. He just wanted to lay around and was pitiful. I was hoping to at least get pictures of him in his Halloween outfit yesterday, but he didn't feel like it at all. I kept him home from church this morning to make sure he gets better before the week starts, and he felt like getting dressed up and have a belated Halloween this morning with me. (Chris had to go out of town for work this morning.)

Most of his halloween costume was ordered, but the vest that came with the costume was really lame. I ordered him a real vest and added the lures myself. I was really proud of how it turned out. He was a cute fisherman this morning and even tried saying "trick or treat."