Miss Layne turns one!

On Feb. 7th, my first grand baby, Layne, turned one year old! As is usual, this year flew by! I've had the privilege to be with Layne quite a bit her first year, and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. She's such a source of joy. She's quite precocious and advanced in many areas, (that's not just a proud Mimi's estimation). She says many words and is walking. She can be quite sassy. When asked to do something she doesn't want to do, she wrinkles her little nose and shakes her head and says, "No, no!" She'll tease her mommy and pat her chest and say, "I Mama!" She gives kisses, and loves to hug her baby dolls.

She had a fun birthday party.

Brobee is her "Yo Gabba, Gabba" favorite. So, Anna asked me to make a Brobee cake…

The table and guest of honor's seat

Greeting one of her guests

With her Papa (whose name she says, but flat out refuses to say my name), before the party.

With her Daddy

Nana and Grandaddy were there to celebrate Miss Layne

Another one of her guests

Bubble time!!

 Crawling through the tunnel in search of treats

Papa led some songs and was accompanied by the kid's kazoos and maracas

Enjoying her cake

Presents!

A gift bag doubles as a hat

Lovin' on her Brobee doll

We love you doodle-bug! I'm so glad for the special gift in the form of this little girl!

You just might be an older parent if…..

you happen to overhear this conversation spoken from your 7 year old to her 5 year old brother as they watch a commercial on TV….

"You know, Elijah, we need to get that stuff for Mommy!"

And "that stuff" is this medication!!

Or you hear your 5 year old little boy yell from the back of the van, "Turn the air up, I'm having a hot-flash!"

Yep, yep, those just might be good clues that you are an older parent of small children!!

(Not that I'd know from first hand experience, or anything like that!)

About my Valentine….

This Valentine's Day was spent by me sacked out on the couch with a stomach bug. My husband, however, didn't let it slip by. He brought me these beautiful flowers.

It's taken me a few days to recoup, but I didn't want to let the holiday slip by unnoticed, without sending my honey a Valentine.

This picture hangs on our wall.

It is entirely true, but our marriage is so much more. He is my best friend, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Our marriage is the base of all I am. I'm only half of a person when John's not with me. No one can make me as angry, or as happy as he can. There's a peace when we're together. We don't have to say anything, but there is never a time where we're grasping for something to say. Every single day, I look forward to John coming home from work. Because of John's commitment to our family and me, I've been able to achieve my dream of being a stay at home mom. I recognize that he sacrifices daily so that I can live my dream.

Oh, the places and things we have seen together! We've been on mountain tops as high as Everest, and some pretty low valleys. During the highs, life was wonderful, and we praised God together. During the lows, we cried together and prayed for the strength to endure. The highs were greater because we were together, and we survived the lows because we were stronger together.  Both the good and the bad have given us a strength and a bond.

We've tried to weave a 3 layer cord with the Lord at the center. Not that we always accomplish this, but God is always faithful, even when we aren't. We both recognize that our marriage is something special, but it's not bullet proof.  Neither of us are perfect. At times we both are selfish, inconsiderate and just plain 'ole stubborn! I'm convinced it is at those times that God reins us in and pricks our hearts to seek forgiveness from each other and Him. I pray that we always remember that we are one bad decision or one selfish action away from disaster and need God's grace and shielding to keep our marriage.

 So you see my Valentine is pretty special! He's my Valentine on February 14 and 364 other days of the year. I'm so very thankful for the events that led to us meeting almost 34 years ago. Looking back, I can see the hand of God, because I made a decision that was completely out of character for me at the time. I'm immensely glad I did!

John William, I love you with all that I am~ now and forever!

Welcoming the year of the horse!

Abbey strikes a dance pose.

Elijah, when given the choice, chose to wear his tradition silk suit.

The Chinese New Year began January 31. 2014 is the year of the horse. Again this year we celebrated by joining many other families with children from China in addition to members of the Chinese community in our town. The Chinese Christian Church invited the FCC girls to share their native dances during their celebration. This year Abbey's age group performed the "Fan Dance".

Luke,Elijah,Caleb,Daniel,Kylie,Sopia,Darcy,Abbey, Lottie and in front, Natalie

Abbey loved going to practice and adored performing her dance. They used different fans during the dance.

Of course, this was Ab's favorite one.

She was happy to have good friend, Lily, next to her.

The celebration was a bit long and was spoken in Mandarin and English. When we left, Abbey wanted to know when she could do her dance in front of people again? That girl of mine surely does love to perform.

Happy New Year!!

First Pixie Stick reactions

Finally…a snow day!

(To my wonderful friends and family that live above the Mason-Dixon line, I recognize that you feel less than gleeful about this winter storm…One person's joy is another person's grief.)

It's been about 3 years since we've had a decent snow. I love snow, at least the southern version of it. I love for the world to stop for one day, or maybe two. But, then I'm ready for it to be gone. That's reason number one thousand two hundred and three why I love living in NC! We get a couple of inches of snow, the world stops for a day and half, then it's gone and life resumes!

When kids Elijah's age are asked how they like the snow, they reply, "I don't know it never snows here!" Well, that changed last week. We got snow, only about an inch, but enough to qualify as a "snow" here in the south.

The first snow Elijah ever saw did not impress him. He screamed every time I put him down. This picture doesn't do justice to the way he hated the white stuff.

But this year, he loved it…

Three years ago, this little one was a snow bunny…

one of my favorite pics of Abbey…

Nothings changed, she still loves the snow.

With her snow angel

We'd been out for a few minutes when our good friends and neighbors came running over to join in the fun…

of course, every good friend likes show their love by pelting each other with snow balls

Sledding is much more fun in groups of threes!

The snow was very powdery, so their snow man was a bit on the wee side.

this one on the very wee side, his name was Olaf, by the way…(all you Frozen fans know where that came from)

Yes, indeed it was a fun day!