A week to Forget!

So this past week has been a hard one!!! Last Sunday we celebrated Andrew's 2nd birthday. Thinking I had just one more week of time to kill before my kiddos head off to preschool, I planned all these great things to do! Well, in the middle of the Tuesday night Bella woke up with the throw up bug... UGHHHH! 1 am to 7 am throwing up... bless her heart. We have never had this particular bug before, shocking I know. We made it through with a light at the end of the tunnel...John Mayer, Friday night. So I Lysol,wash, spray, clean, Lysol, wash, spray...(you get the picture) making EVERY effort that Andrew will not get this bug. All is well come Friday morning. We head to Target and are in the parking lot...only 3 hours away from freedom and what do you know, Andrew starts throwing up everywhere! Really, I just stood there in disbelief! Seriously??? Needless to say we did not go to John Mayer, instead I cleaned up, washed, Lysol, etc. all over again. Here is some art work that Bella did while we were

spending our many hours at home...

This is Andrew on the right, with the "A" over his head... Bella said Bebe, our great grandmother, is on the upper left corner with her "walking stick".

Bella said this picture of Andrew is him throwing up!!! HAHA!
All is well...finally! My little man.

Bella playing with her backpack!

So, we have had our sickness and are ready for school...

Please Lord help us to have a good and healthy week this week!

Andrew Turns 2!!!

It is hard to believe my littleboy is 2!!! We had a fun, low key day with family to celebrate our little man. We are so blessed to have all our family close by to celebrate with us. It is a bummer that he has been on steriods for a week so he is a little crazy (actually mean) but oh well, what do you do? I have always heard there is something between a mom and her son that you just can't explain... It is true! I love this little guy!

Here are some pics from the day!!!Birthday Boy!!! He insists that he is 3!

Papi and Mimi gave him a funny card... this is such a look of love!

Sweet Daddy

Big Sissy had to dress up... no attention was killing her!

My little man

All we say is "choo choo" these days...

Andrew got a basketball goal... Sissy cheering him on!

A really cute remote control train... he loves this!

Discernment-edited

Most know my true intentions and my love and desire for the Lord to be ALIVE and the leader of my life. I truly believe and desire to live "Thy will be done". This past Sunday Dr. Youssef, at Church of the Apostles, spoke on the book "The Shack". He made so many wonderful points that I wholeheartedly agreed with. I guess that I am not surprised but am saddened by the lack of my depth into the book. I truly look at this book as fiction and as an example reiterating that Jesus desires to be in a "relationship" with me. I never thought of all the theological debates that would come along with this book! Back when I posted my original blog about the book and I had just gone to hear the author... it was a very powerful night at 722! All this to say I know everyone has different opinions, but as a blogger I wanted to make the blanket statement that Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life and HE is the only way to our Father... May discernment always be on my mind. Please watch and make an opinion for yourself... http://www.apostles.org/

WHEW!

Andrew was insistant on wearing the pink knee pads like Bella... oh well, what do you do?

I feel like that is how I end each day these days... WHEW! Life is just crazy right now... hard but so fun! August has been a little long. I think it is because my kids don't start school until September the 2nd! So we are waiting and waiting and Bella just does not understand why all her friends and cousins have started school. Here are some highlights of my day:

-Andrew and Bella fighting and me being a referee..."my turn, no my turn"

-Coughing has kicked up=medicine, medicine... maybe we will get to pay another $40 copay!

-Spilled two drinks all over the place...doesn't sound like a big deal, but it was in the moment!

-Got Bella to bed only for her to get up a few minutes later to a TERRIBLE bloody nose

-Stripped bed sheets, cleaning up from that

-go in laundry room where my dog peed all over the floor...out of paper towels

So in my mind I am singing a song from Church this morning... "His grace is enough for me"

And then I look at these sweet kiddos having fun together. The UPS and DOWNS of parenting. :)

Andrew loves to be just like his big sissy... look at that face!
Ready to go!

"I WANT A HELMET LIKE SISSY!"

even if it is pink and purple! haha

Cooper's grandmother, Bebe, was in town for Martha's 60th birthday...

Bebe gave Andrew an early b-day present! Yippee!

Papi putting it together... Andrew had fun helping.

We had a surprise 60th birthday party for Martha at the Swan Coach House in Buckhead. It is the most fun and girly place ever! It has wonderful food, beautiful decorations, and fresh cut roses on all the tables... It was such a treat to get to honor sweet Martha. I do have the BEST mother-in-law in the world!

Patricia, Martha's sister, and Bebe

Sweet Albert praying over his bride... Is there anything sweeter??? I am so thankful this has been Cooper's example as a dad and husband...

All Martha's boys came in a brought her flowers...Andrew, Cooper, Casey, Colby, and Albert

Martha's two girls! :) Bella and Mary Madison

SO Scary!!!!

So tonight we had a fun filled evening out with friends to a restaurant called Two Urban Licks. The food was really good, decor very simplistic and mod and the company priceless! There were 8 of us and Cooper and I drove with our friends Mark and Sloane Frazer riding with us. After 2 1/2 hours of dining we left the restaurant. While driving down freedom parkway, headed under an overpass, out of nowhere a ROCK falls from the sky in front of us and hits the front of our car! The rock was the size of a volleyball, no lie! It hit the front right, bounced off, hit the ground and hit the car again! It was SO scary! I know that things could have been worse ... 1 second sooner and it would have hit me through the windshield! More than anything it is so disappointing there are people out there that are doing that for the thrill of it! I just have such faith in people when it comes down to it. After all was said and done we can get our car fixed and no one was hurt...but the life of whoever did that seems to be headed in the wrong direction. Cooper and I said we really must pray for them that God will reveal himself in their lives somehow, somewhere. I will commit to pray and thank the Lord for His provision and protection over our lives tonight. Great is THY faithfulness!

Grace and Mercy

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted... with juggling my new working role along with all my other responsibilities I have not done very well at blogging! Summer is over for me... I am ready for school to start back and for routine to get back in our lives! Bella and Andrew will go to Marietta First Baptist Church preschool program which is awesome! I have found out both of their teachers are awesome and they both have some friends in their class. I really wonder what Andrew will be like???? Lord, bless that teacher! haha

We have been struggling a bit with Bella over some fear and anxiety problems. Not really sure where this has come from but it has come OUT OF THE BLUE! Mainly, not wanting "mommy" out of her sight when we are home, and having a hard time going to bed b/c she wonders where we are in the house. So here I sit, on the couch, waiting for her to fall asleep. It has been an hour since I put her to bed! This truly has baffled Cooper and me and has brought us to our knees in prayer. There is nothing worse than your child having fear and anxiety daily! We pray over her, with her, talk to her about what is going on in her head, etc. Nothing is really clicking. We are chalking this up as a phase and I am praying a short lived one! One thing someone said struck me though as we have been seeking counsel about this.

We keep telling Bella, "God is with you...mommy and daddy are not going anywhere... we are on the couch... we will not get locked out of the house...don't worry... we will not let anything happen to you...trust us Bella... "
and it hit me!!! this is God speaking to ME!!! "Trust me... I will take care of you no matter what!" He disciplines with such grace and mercy and yet I am the farthest thing from grace and mercy. So, the Lord continues to smooth out ALL my rough edges:the purpose of parenting, and continues to show me how to love on my baby as He loves on me... with grace and mercy. Thank you Jesus.