Horton Happenings

Bedroom/Living Room Makeovers

2011-08-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

I've been itching to makeover my bedroom. My sweet friend, Abby, has a GREAT eye! She was willing to help me, and, wow, did she ever get me started! What started as a simple, "Let's make some changes to my bedroom," has now crept into the living room. =)

Here are some things I've done to my bedroom. This is where Abby and I started. Once I get completely done, I'll post some pictures of the finished project.

The first thing I did was get some new bedding. I had initially ordered a duvet from Pottery Barn, and I loved it, but it was something I had always done. I was ready for something different, something lighter and brighter. Abby found this, and I LOVE it!!! I returned the PB set, and I'm so glad I did.

Then, Abby found this great mirror. It is the same as found at Restoration Hardware, and she found it at a place in town that sells home decor items. We it at a fraction of the price. It is a little rustic and adds interest to my room and balances the "glam" I'm adding as well.

I got this chair last week. I'm putting it in the corner of my room in a little reading nook. I just LOVE it. It is from Target of all places. I'm learning a lot in this process. I'm learning if you do a little research, you can find some good prices. I'm definitely on a budget! A lot of the chairs at Urban Outfitters are also at Target in a similar version. LOVE!

Once I got started, I found Shelli, at a' la mode blog. I found her randomly one day when I was catching up with Kelly. I was struggling to find "MY" style, and as I went through her home tour, I felt like I had found myself. I like traditional lines but I want something that looks more modern (but not too modern), and I knew I wanted to go lighter and brighter (get out of my red and brown). I e-mailed Shelli on a whim, not thinking I'd ever hear back from her because she has like a bazillion readers, but you know that precious girl e-mailed me back and has been helping me!!! She is as sweet and precious as she looks in her blog. I just find it amazing that a complete stranger is willing to talk to someone like me that doesn't know jack about design! LOL! I simply can't thank her enough! I'm also wishing I knew her years ago when I used to travel to her home town when I worked in a the "real world". How fun that would have been! Had I known her then, I probably would have been making all kinds of excuses to travel there. Ha! I really think what it is is that she saw what I had done and my own and probably thought to herself, "Wow! That girl really needs some help." LOL! We also have an OBU connection, and once you've been to OBU, you pretty much become family even if you are strangers. =)

I was inspired by Shelli's wall color, so the next thing I did is paint my bedroom Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray. LOVE it! These girls haven't steered me wrong yet!!!

I still have work to do. I need to get art, and I'm working on a gallery wall for the room, but it is all coming together, and I'm loving my lighter space. Now, if I could just get the kids to stop eating Cheez-Its in my new retreat. LOL!

Somehow, I've convinced Derek we should also work on the living room. Again, precious, beautiful, design star, Shelli, has come to my rescue. I told her what I was trying to achieve, ideas Abby had already given me that I liked, and she has designed this for me:

It's gorgeous and exactly the look I'm going for. Shelli has such a gift for design, and more than that, she is the sweetest person on the planet. Seriously!

I've got this couch and ottoman above ordered along with this media chest:

I could NOT convince Derek to paint the walls a lighter color (we just painted about a year ago), but I'm tickled to get to redecorate, and I think I'll still get the look I'm after even with the darker walls.

Now, our biggest dilemma is how to get the kids not to spill on the lighter furniture, which you know will happen thirty minutes after it is delivered. Ha!

Oh, and I have a living room full of furniture I'm selling, so if you are interested, let me know. Ha (but seriously)! =) I'm having my first experience with Craigslist. It's quite interesting, but I have sold one piece. Yay!

Running

2011-07-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ella Grace asked her Daddy for headphones. He set her up with music, and she took off running around the pool, like when I go running. =)

I asked her if she would like to go on a real run with me. She was SO excited. She even wanted to put her Gatorade on top of the mailbox like I always do. =)

Some of Daddy's music didn't make the cut. We had to stop because she did not like 38 Special. Can't say I blame her. =) Sorry, Daddy.

What a fun time and special memory with my sweet girl. Girlfriend ended up running about half a mile. I was shocked! She cried when I made her go in, but I was afraid she was going to over do it in this heat. I have a feeling in a couple of years, she will be running circles around me.

Summer Camp

2011-07-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

My babies have LOVED camp this summer. It has kept us busy, but they have had a blast.

Evan is back for his third summer at A-Camp. A-Camp is a blessing...that is all I can say. A wonderful blessing. He has gotten to do so many FUN things, and he still has two weeks left. They are so sweet to take pictures every day of all the fun he is having. It is so wonderful to get a peek into his day. I have a lot more than this, but these are some of my favorites.

Exploring

Crafting

Catching bugs

Canoeing

He has developed a special bond with this Camp Counselor, Mary Pat. He LOVES her.

And I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

Happy boy to be at camp

Proud of all the badges he has earned

Swimming

I've been asked to speak to the Board of Directors of A-Camp in a few weeks about what A-Camp has meant for our family. I don't think there is enough time to communicate what a blessing it is.

Ella Grace spent a week at Princess Camp. She loved every minute of it. Talk about right up her ally! =) She learned that princesses aren't quitters and that being a princess is a big responsibility because you take care of those you love. She also learned how to hold her dress out when she walks down stairs and how to always have her plume (feather pen) with her in case someone wants her autograph. Ha! Just precious! I'm so glad she was able to go.

Here she is being "announced" to all the land as Princess Ella Grace by Queen Nettles.

The princesses entertained the audience by doing the "Macarena." They also learned a line dance and the motions to YMCA! SO cute!

They learned to get their own refreshments and use the ladle all by themselves to get their own punch.

She danced with Daddy. Her favorite part, I think.

It's official. We have papers to prove it. =)

Still Catching Up...17 Years

2011-07-08T08:49:00.001-07:00

July 2, 1996

On July 2nd, Derek and I celebrated 17 years of marriage. We've been together a total of 23 if we count our dating time. Well, some of it wasn't really dating, as my mom wouldn't let me date until I was 16. Derek and I met when I was 15, so we spent a lot of time on the couch watching TV. It seems like we watched A LOT of episodes of "Hunter." Remember that show?

I'm so thankful God brought Derek and me together at such a young age. It is fun to go back and look at pictures...when Derek was all elbows and knees and I was all hair. I think the kids will enjoy looking at them as well. EG will already say, "Daddy was old here," having it mixed up that he was really young! Ha!

My mom watched Evan and Ella Grace so we could go out to eat. We went to our favorite restaurant that has the best steaks ever! I'm so thankful for such a loving, supportive husband that is a wonderful Daddy to our children. We've made a lot of good memories and I know lots more are to come.

Tiny Dancer

2011-07-04T21:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! It sure has been a while. I have missed blogging. I just can't seem to find the time. I was looking for something the other day...a picture I think. I knew it was on my blog. I found it, and in the midst of looking realized how many memories I had documented...this I had forgotten about had I not blogged about it. I'm going to try to get re-started. Even if it's not a long post, I want to post something about daily life with this sweet family of mine.

Ella Grace is LOVING dance! She had her first dance recital last weekend. It was SO cute! She had a blast, and I had no idea how hard it was on a momma. The other moms and I spent our time changing costumes, running back to the auditorium for the performance and then running back to the changing room. I was exhausted, but I was SO proud of her! She did great and had so much fun!

We couldn't take pictures or video during the performances. These are pics I took before and back stage. We are ordering a DVD, and I'm anxious to watch it.

Granny brought her flowers...

and so did Daddy. This was at the awards ceremony at the beginning of the recital.

She did her tap routine to "Boot Scootin' Boogie." Precious!

She did her ballet routine to "My Girl." Sweet doesn't even cover it! I cried!

She did her gymnastics routine to "Walk the Dinosaur." It was her favorite. Here are the girls staying busy with a snack and a movie until show time.

Ella Grace and some sweet friends she made while at dance. She had the best time and I see lots of dance recitals in my future. =)

All About Ella Grace

2011-01-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

Ella Grace has started taking dance. She goes for an hour on once a week for ballet, tap and gymnastics. She LOVES it (and so do I). I think I am having as much fun as she is! I was completely giddy at her first lesson. She looks ADORABLE in her tutu! Two of her best friends are taking with her, and they are SO cute. This is a picture of Ella Grace and Kaitlyn at their very first lesson. They were SO excited!

She is still loving "school." Last week was my last week teaching there. I'll miss seeing her throughout the day. This is a picture of Ella Grace and one of her good friends, Elijah. They became fast friends the very first day of school. I love all these sweet little friendships she has made. I can't believe I just registered her for her last year there. She will be in the 4-year-old program and THEN Kindergarten. I can't even think about it!

Ella Grace got a bicycle for Christmas. We got to get it out for the very first time this weekend. The weather was SO nice! Here she and I are riding around the backyard. I, of course, am on Evan's bike. It is not easy to ride a bike that is too small. LOL. Thank goodness for those training wheels! My rear end is still sore today! Ha!

She is still extremely picky about her clothes. This is something that can be a battle each morning. She definitely knows what she likes, and it seems the flashier the better. Ha! It's to the point now that I have no idea how to shop for her! The teen years ought to be fun! She was so excited about the warmer weather. She picked out this sweet smocked dress to wear on errands Friday (and hot pink shades of course).

I am so thankful God blessed us with Ella Grace. She has brought her Daddy and I so much joy!

I thoroughly enjoy my children!

Snow Day

2011-01-10T14:44:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to see snow. I am even happier to have had the day off from school/work to play in it! We have had a great day!

We turned the boat into a snow tube. Evan giggled and giggled. They loved it!

My turn. SO FUN! Looks like I was on a huge hill but really just a tiny one in our backyard. Ha!

Sweet little man

We have been using this hot chocolate maker all the time. Derek got it for us for Christmas and we LOVE it!

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...These are a few of my favorite things. Ahhhh, those eyes! Snow sticking in his long eyelashes!

Snow bunnies

She had to taste it. "It tastes like ice. It's good."

Precious face

My snow angel. I named her "Leigh Angel." Ha!

Sliding in to the snow.

Hope you all have enjoyed the snow!

I'm going to try to do a better job of preserving my family's memories this year. I do a good job taking lots of pictures but I never print them out and I'm not being a very consistent blogger. So, my question to all of you is, how do you preserve your memories in photographs? I have been a "traditional" scrapbooker in the past, but I've come to the sad realization that I just don't have the time to get it done. So, I'm trying to decide if I want to try digital scrapbooking or just get the pictures printed and actually in an album. I want something tangible we can pull out and look at. Soooo, I'd love some feedback. What do you do with your photographs? I'd love some ideas!

It's Christmas Time!

2010-12-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

I am really in the Christmas spirit! I've been very un-Leigh Ann-like this year. Most of my shopping was done before Thanksgiving. My tree was even up before Thanksgiving! =) I always say I'm going to do that, but I NEVER have before until this year! It is such a great feeling. I'm hoping after next week...my last week of work before Christmas break and planning a party for Evan's class, I'll be able to kick my feet up, bake and play with Evan and Ella Grace really enjoying the season.

I have been SO busy. Working three days a week has really put a lag in my blogging time. I'm enjoying it (most days), but I'm tired. 13-17 two years olds can wear a girl O-U-T!

We took Ella Grace to see Santa. She was SO excited. I could read her lips as she told Santa what she wanted. I melted when I saw her say, "...and my brother wants an iPad." I LOVE that she thought of him! =)

Evan is doing great. He is being pulled for some mainstream classes...Art and Music. He got to perform with his fellow first graders at a Christmas singing program yesterday. We got the practice session on video. I keep thinking to myself there was a time I thought he wouldn't speak, and here he is today talking SO much more and singing songs with friends. Just answered prayers. I am beyond proud of him!

Derek took a picture of his class' weekly newsletter. How cute! They wore pajamas! =)

Ahhh, I'm loving the Christmas decorations. I think I'll be a little sad to take them down.

Letter to Santa written by Ella Grace =)

Our Elf on the Shelf, Tinsel, brought a note back from Santa from the North Pole =)

Oh, and the funnest thing happened to me! I have had several people come up to me and say they recognize me from Kelly's blog! I have always thought that was incredible! Well, while shopping at Hobby Lobby, for the the first time I had someone come up to me and say, "Aren't you Ella Grace's mom?" Loved it! SO great meeting you, Emily!!!

Wish I could make this bigger. I didn't have my camera and Derek took it with his phone. She was SO sweet!

I hope you are enjoying the season in the midst of all the chaos. =) I'm off to snuggle with some little ones. =)

The Best Kind of Gifts

2010-11-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

I'm convinced the best kind of gifts are ones like these. I LOVE how her teachers wrote exactly what she said and how she said it. Priceless. This will be going to get laminated! =)

My First Half Marathon

2010-11-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

On October 23rd, I did my very first half marathon. A couple of friends and I have been training since May. We were nervous and excited for it to finally get here. We met up in Conway for 13.1 miles. Two hours and 35 minutes later, I crossed the finish line! I was such a GREAT feeling. All of the entrance fees benefited the Soaring Wings Ranch, which ministers to young people.

Me with Heather and Tami, my running buddies

Lots and lots of runners. I kind of felt like I didn't belong. Ha!

Leah Thorvilson. She came and spoke to the Women Can Run clinic I started running with. She is amazingly FAST! She is trying out for the Olympics.

Derek was so sweet to meet me every so often on the course. It would give me a burst of energy to see him.

Soooo happy to be D-O-N-E!

Me and Kris. She also helped me train. She knows A LOT about running.

We did it!
Kind of felt like going in to the Dora "We Did It" song she sings at the end of every episode. Ha!

Heather gave us these stickers for our cars! Love it!

Derek and me afterward. I was SO tired.

I have never been a runner. Seriously, ask my junior high track coach. I have found that I really enjoy it. My toenails may never be the same, but I have loved the health benefits, the stress release it gives me, and the GREAT friends I have made through running. Heather and Tami are trying to convince me to go for the Little Rock full marathon. I just don't know about that! 13.1 felt far enough. I can't imagine doubling that! We'll see. =) For now, I'm just glad my first half is behind me.

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

2010-10-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Little Rock had their very first Walk Now for Autism Speaks Walk October 2nd. We formed a team for Evan called "Evan's Voice." We raised over $2,000. We were so excited and so moved by all of the support of family and friends. A group even joined us on the day of the walk to walk with us. It meant so much to us! God had His hand on the entire event. The weather was beautiful and all the children had THE best time. Praying for a cure and prevention measures!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this boy!!!
Also so proud of his report card. He got such good grades.
He is SO AMAZING!

My Baby Girl Turned FOUR!

2010-10-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

On October 21st, Ella Grace turned four! I just can't believe how fast time has flown. It seems like I just brought that baby home from the hospital! We celebrated at the WonderPlace. She had lots of friends and family come and celebrate with her. Such a fun time!

All ready to go. She was SO excited!

I thought she looked like a princess. =)

Playing market with her good buddy, Elijah

Having pizza with her BFF, Kaitlyn

Singing Happy Birthday to my sweet girl

Enjoying princess cupcakes

My girl and me. I am SO blessed!

Derek and I are so proud of Evan and Ella Grace. EG was really grateful for all her gifts. She told me, "I love you the whole weekend for my party." She thinks the weekend is a really long time. =) Evan had a great time, too. I never could get a good picture of him. They are all action shots. He was running around having a ball!

I took these on her actual birthday before school at church.

So thankful for both my beautiful babies! Now, quit growing up so fast!

My Kids' Closets

2010-10-17T10:29:00.001-07:00

I'm a big fan of consignment sales. I'd much rather do that than have a garage sale. I sold a lot of things at the first sale in town, but we've been so busy lately that I missed the last local sale. So, I'm doing what I said I'd never do again...preparing for a garage sale! In the process of organizing that, I have found some good stuff that I wanted to offer to my friends first. If you are interested, let me know. I can bring it to you! We are planning for our garage sale at the end of the month, so if I don't sale it here, it will go in the garage sale.

Tumble Top
$25 (I paid $86 + S/H)

Minnie Mouse Dress & Headband Costume
$8 (paid about $27 for it)

Melissa & Doug Abacus
$5 (retail $15)

Phone Smart Teaching Telephone
This records your voice, helps learn phone numbers, etc.

Like new
$7.00 (retail $23)

Gator Golf
Like New
$5.00 (retail $17)

SOLD
Toy Story Soldiers Bucket
Like New
$4.00 (retail $13.00)

SOLD
Melissa & Doug Round Safari Puzzle
$4.00 (retail $13)

SOLD
Disney Minnie Mouse Slippers, Size 9/10
$5.00 (retail $24)

SOLD
Wooden Car Set
Like New
$14 (I paid around $50)

Cinderella Talking Vanity and Accessories
$40 (Retails four around $130)

Gymboree Shirt (Size 4), Dot Pants (Size 3), Leggings (Size 4), Hair Barretts
$17 for all

StrideRite T-Strap, Silver, Size 8.5 , From Heel to Toe

$12.00 (Paid around $40 f0r them)

SOLD
Footmates, Red, Size 9, From Heel to Toe
Probably only worn 3 times
$16 (Paid about $52 for them)

Animal Print Slippers, Size 9/10
$4.00

Mermaid Slippers, Size 9/10
$5.00

I'll be updating this post as I continue my organizing. =) Email me if you have any questions: leighahorton@sbcglobal.net

Thanks!

My Shy Little Girl

2010-09-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ella Grace is VERY shy. She will even tell strangers she is shy when they try to talk to her and she isn't interested. With children, she wants to play so bad but sometimes is too shy to ask others to play. She wants ME to ask them. I'm trying to help her come out of it a little. She did so good today!

We have the sweetest little girls that live next door. They have been over to swim a couple of times, we shot fireworks together and have played in our yards together. We haven't seen them in a while, but tonight we were playing out in the backyard and so were our neighbors. I told EG to invite them over to play. She told me to. Ha! I told her if she wanted to play, she had to invite them. For a while, she was fine talking to Alexandra through the fence, passing leaves and sticks back and forth and even trading silly bands.

Finally, she got up the courage. The girls came over and they jumped on the trampoline, played on the swing set and played hopscotch. EG had such a good time and almost cried when they had to go home.

Such sweet times. Such a sweet girl.

I can't believe she is going to be FOUR in 21 days!!!

Oh, and right before she drifted off to sleep tonight, with eyes closed she said, "You're my best friend." My heart is full!

A-Camp

2010-09-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for the first ever Walk Now for Autism Speaks in Little Rock next weekend. Our family is completely overwhelmed by the support of family and friends that have walked with us through this entire journey. The support is so evident by the $1,900+ that has been raised for Autism Speaks in Evan's name ("Evan's Voice," our team name). There is still time to join our team or donate by going to:

http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=335892&lis=1&kntae335892=E155F47CC9F64287BA19CA674DE9A655&team=3782242&tlteam=0

We are immensely thankful and blessed by everyone's support!

With all that said, I wanted to share some pictures of Evan from A-Camp. What a wonderful experience for these kiddos (who just happen to have autism) to get a true camp experience. I'm so incredibly grateful.

Probably my favorite picture from camp. Evan and Ms. Ashley watching canoers. Evan really took up with her and she was so good with him.

Loving on his lead teacher, Ms. Carol. Precious, precious lady!

Making a yummy snack with Ms. Rachel (She is Evan's speech therapist and has worked wonders with Evan's overall communication. Just amazing.)

Dancing with Ms. Ashley

Craft time! They made the cutest crafts every day!

Hat is complete. This picture cracks me up!

Evan and one of the many volunteer counselors that made camp possible.

Catching a bug. It lived on my kitchen counter for a week. =)

As much as I wish Evan didn't have autism, I have made some of my best friends through our journey. They love my kid and they love me. They are some of the most self-LESS people you will ever meet. People that want to make a difference and DO...one child at a time (and one parent at a time).

Please Pray for Elizabeth

2010-09-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Elizabeth Parsley. She is the sister of a dear friend and also volunteered at Evan's A-Camp. She was in a terrible car accident and the family and doctors are desperately wanting her to wake up on her own. Specific prayer needs are listed here.

http://prayingforliz.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Woo Pig Sooie

2010-09-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last night, Derek and I went to the Hogs game in Little Rock. We have tickets to both games they will play here. It's nice they consider two games in Little Rock as "home" games because we wouldn't leave our kidlets to make they trip all the way to Fayetteville to see them. We are now 2-0. It's funny because I don't really understand football. I was on the dance team in high school and cheered in college, but I really don't get it. I mean I understand about touchdowns and first downs and field goals, but anything deeper I just don't care about. Ha! I love the tailgating, calling the Hogs, the people watching, and the half-time show. Other than that, I'm happy being the only one seated during most of the game. Usually, my seat ends up being the one right next to the big guy that has had one too many and is quite loud. Sigh! I was so happy because this time I sat right next to a sweet couple, who like me, sat almost the entire first half. =) They left though, after the little girl behind us spilled her Dr. Pepper down his back. That's the sort of thing that usually happens to ME!

I am so excited Derek and I get to start our new Life Group at church tonight. This is the first one we have gotten to participate in because I have always been worried about child care. We have two new members to our family. Bethany and Katie are two very sweet 20-year-olds that now watch our kidlets when we need to go somewhere. The great thing about both of them is they are great with Evan. He LOVES them (and, of course, so does EG). I look at these two young women, who have their heads on straight and whose priority is serving Christ. They are so much more mature than their years. I wish I could have been more like that at 20! Wow! We are so blessed. It has been so good for Derek and I to get to go on dates on occasion and for Evan and Ella Grace to have someone new to play with them. We came home the other night and what a great feeling that while we were gone, Katie was sharing Bible verses with Ella Grace. Just precious!

Autism Speaks Walk

2010-09-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Derek and I are forming a team for Evan for the upcoming Autism Speaks Walk in Little Rock on October 2nd. I have a special place in my heart for this event because the last one I participated in was in Tennessee hosted by my very sweet blogging friends, Meagan, Megan and Lauren.

If you would like to join our team, go to

http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=335892

Evan's team name is Evan's Voice. You can join our team or donate by supporting a walker. Every donation is making "Evan's Voice" heard that we want to stop autism from reaching another child and family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

This Kiss, This Kiss

2010-09-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

One fun thing about my new job at Ella Grace's Mother's-Day-Out program is that I get to see things I normally wouldn't. Last week during Praise and Worship, my class was sitting directly behind Ella Grace's class. She was sitting by a very cute little 3-year-old boy that we know from last year. I noticed he was looking at EG all dreamy-eyed. He kissed her on the cheek, and then grabbed her hand to hold. I thought it was precious, but when I told Derek about it precious wasn't what came to his mind.. LOL!

We happened to run into this handsome little boy Friday at the park. I think they must have planned it. =)

M-D-O and a J-O-B

2010-08-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

Love the pose she chose

Today was Ella Grace's first day back at "school." She goes to Mother's Day Out at our church. It is the most precious little program. She just loves it there. She could hardly wait to get back to see her teachers and friends she has missed (and not forgotten) all summer.

New lunch box and backpack

First backpack had to be returned for not being pink enough

Sweet, precious girl

In her class room. Soooo excited!

I missed her and she was just down the hall. =(

Today was also my first day. I'm teaching the two-year-olds. I think Derek thought I might have lost my mind (ha!), but it was something that just kept coming around and I felt like maybe God was wanting me to give it a try, so here I am. I was already impressed with the program, but I had absolutely no idea what planning went into it. I worked the week before school started, getting my room ready, creating lesson plans (yes, for two-year-olds), and reviewing Bible and academic curriculum. To say it was a busy day was an understatement. The kiddos did great though, especially since most of them have never been away from Momma. Only a few of them cried, and that was at nap time. Their favorite part of the day was Praise and Worship. They LOVE it! I knew that was always Ella Grace's favorite part, too. To see these babies worshiping, singing, doing hand motions to songs, listening to Bible stories is about the most precious thing I have ever seen. Looking forward to more adventure tomorrow. Oh, and I do have a c0-teacher. Praise the Lord! =)

We use this during circle time to go over our memory verse, color, shape, number, letter, and weather for the day.

Such a nice room. Ella Grace was in this room last year. She's checking out the equipment. =)

Weekend

2010-08-23T19:38:00.001-07:00

I ran the Run with the Son 5K on Saturday. It was sponsored by a nearby church. It was a lot of fun and I even ran into some old high school and OBU friends!

This is me and my friend, Laura. She is a serious runner. She runs 11 miles on Saturdays. Whaaaat? I am training for my very first half marathon. The farthest we have gone so far is 6 miles and I promise it took me a whole day to recover! My training group is doing 7 this Saturday. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be training for a half marathon, I would have laughed SO hard. I really can't believe I'm doing it. I am not a natural runner (ask my junior high track coach...ha). I just want to at least do one half marathon , and I figure I'm not getting any younger, so here's my chance. We'll see how it goes. =)

The rest of the weekend we swam. I think I might go into serious mourning when we have to close our pool. I'm a summer girl and NOT ready for it to end. I wanted to include a video of Ella Grace. She took four lessons and turned into a little fish. She swims all over the place now. It is so cute and amazing because she looks too small to be doing all of that. I'm so proud of her. She's still working on coming up and getting a breath and doing GREAT! I apologize in advance for my hick sounding voice. Every time I hear it on this video, I want to crawl under a rock. Good grief!

First Day of School

2010-08-20T11:23:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged all summer. Well, really I can believe it. There was NO time! We were so busy between camp, therapy sessions, and every day fun. I've missed it tho. I started thinking I needed to get back so I can start documenting our memories. I'm not a scrapbooker. In fact, I'm thinking about selling all the stuff I bought from Creative Memories that is just sitting in the closet. Sigh! Anyway, here is my attempt to get back at it.

I want to create sort of back-to-school tradition. We had my niece and nephew over the weekend before school started for one last swim, and then Wednesday, I took Evan and Ella Grace out for a special back-to-school lunch at Purple Cow. Always a treat to go there. I think I just found my tradition. =)

Me and my BIG school boy

So handsome, so sweet, so precious

Sweet sister, thinks her brother is IT. She told me, "You might miss him," when we dropped him off at school. Somehow, I think she was talking about herself, not me.

Evan had a GREAT first day back at school. I was a bit worried about it because the night before was open house. He cried! I think reality sunk in that summer was over. =( I prayed really hard and clung to Lamentations 3:23 - "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. " I also prayed, prayed, and prayed some more. The next morning, he woke up early. He was SO happy and SO ready for school. He did GREAT and had a very fun day.

I wish there was a way to convey how incredibly PROUD I am of this child!

Evan and one of his teachers, Ms. Myrie. He was so glad to see her (and so was I). I love his new little backpack and lunch box. He wore it around the house the night before. =) About 30 seconds after I took this picture, I bawled my eyes out! It was a weird mixture of being so proud of him and how hard he has worked and sad at how fast time has gone by.

I hope all of your little ones have had a fun and easy transition back to school. Here's to a great year!!!

Princess Tea

2010-05-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

I took Ella Grace to the sweetest little Princess Tea today. It was a benefit for Make a Wish Foundation. The girls got to wear their favorite dress, get their hair fixed and makeup done. It was so fun! She chose to go Cinderella style. =)

Getting her hair fixed. She told me she wanted it "down with curls."

Checking herself out. Her favorite part was the glitter that was sprinkled on top of her hair. It will probably take a couple of hair washings to get it all out. =)

Getting her makeup done. She got a little powder and got to choose her eyeshadow and lipstick colors. On the tray of eyeshadows were pretty pinks and purple and a glittery black. Of course, she chose the glitter black (yes, she did), but the lady was able to blend in the pink. Ha!

SO proud of her makeup!!!

Here she is with a couple of real princesses. She asked me when Mickey Mouse was coming out. Ha!

Snack time fit for a princess.

Here she is at the very end with her official princess status and crown. =)

Havin' Fun!

2010-05-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Just a picture for bath time the other night. Sweet, happy kidlets!!!

I'm trying really hard to "live in the moment." My blogging has taken a backseat due to this. My kids are growing SO fast, and I don't want to miss anything, but I also want to preserve our memories. It's so hard to balance.

We have been having fun in with all our day-to-day busyness.

Ella Grace is loving gymnastics! She goes once a week. Her favorites parts are the bars and the air track at the end. She is doing great pointing her toe, doing her flips, walking on the beam and ending with a perfect "super stretch."

She is so stinkin' cute in that little leotard!!!

"Super stretch"

Point those toes. =)

Evan is playing baseball with Miracle League. This is a baseball league designed specifically for individuals with disabilities. If you want to do something to put life in perspective, go to one of these games. I wanted to sit in the car and cry afterward. Not because I was sad, but because I was moved by the individuals who volunteer their time so others can play baseball. I know it is just baseball, but to these kids, it is a chance to do something they may never had been able to do had Miracle League not existed. Evan did so good! He had a ball! The weather has not cooperated with his last few games, so I'm anxious to get him back out there.

Checking it all out from Daddy's shoulders

One of my favorite pictures from the day. Evan putting his hat on Daddy.

Helping the pitcher with the baseballs. =) This was a volunteer from the Arkansas Travelers.

Daddy helping out with batting. Evan had his eyes on the ball and hit it on the first try. =)

My handsome men!

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T20:03:00.001-07:00

My Easter Bunnies!!!

Wow! It's been a while. We have been some busy Hortons!

I hope you all have a blessed Easter. We have been celebrating Jesus' resurrection all weekend! Last night we went to church and had a great service. I was so happy to dress my kidlets up in their Easter outfits.

Ahhh...THE DRESS. Initially, I had thought I wasn't going to go really fancy with their Easter outfits this year. Our church is very casual. Then, I saw THE DRESS in the window of a little boutique I love. I fell in love with it immediately! They only had one left and it was in EG's size. Of course, they had a shirt for Evan in a coordinating color, so I was completely sold. If I had planned it, it would never had come together that easy. I'm so glad I went ahead and got them. You know, they are only little for such a short time. Ella Grace is going to refuse smocked dresses soon enough (I don't know what I'll do when that happens!). I could just eat them UP!

Oh my goodness! My son in this green shirt! His eyes look amazing. He is SO handsome!

Ella Grace's first pose. Ha! Ta Da!!!

I love how she pulled it up to walk up the stairs. So cute!

I can't leave out the shoes!!! After a somewhat long battle over EG insisting to wear her pink plastic "clip clops" with her Easter dress, she finally gave in and wore her sandals saying, "Jesus will be so happy!" Yes, sweetheart, He will be so happy, and so will I!

Happy Easter, y'all!

He is risen!!!

Happy Birthday, Evan!

2010-03-14T08:16:00.003-07:00

Evan is 8 years old today! To say I can't believe how fast time has gone is an understatement. It seems like he was just this little yesterday...

age 2

and now he is a big guy that is on the go...

I am a mix of emotions today. I'm so happy and proud, but I'm also sad at how fast time has gone by. Hopefully when Derek gets home from drill, we can salvage the rest of the evening and go do something really fun to celebrate. Until then, I'll be giving him lots of hugs and kisses. Happy Birthday my sweet, precious, beautiful boy!!! Mommy loves you SO much!

Kindness

2010-03-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

I have always been a fan of kindness. You know that saying, "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." I have no idea who said this, but I think it is so true. I try to be extra sweet when I'm checking out at the grocery store or Target or in the drive thru. You just never know what someone might be going through and how just a kind word can make a big difference in a person's day.

I have been on the receiving end of a lot of kindness lately. You see, Evan is in a classroom that is specific for children with autism. His teachers are one of a kind, loving, fantastic, amazing teachers. I will be forever grateful for them for making Evan's future brighter. He is in this classroom most of the day, but lately he has been pulled out some to go to a typical classroom. The idea is to "HOPEFULLY" after next year, have him integrated into a mainstream classroom for most of the school day. I can't tell you how proud I am of Evan. He is working so hard. It is HUGE that he is able to leave his class of six students and go to a class of 20+ students, participate a little and do some work. HUGE!

Last week the school had "Faculty Follies," which was a fund raiser and the teachers put on a show. It was SO cute! Derek and I were sitting in the cafeteria and one of Evan's teachers brought over the teacher Evan is with when he is in the mainstream classroom. She is just precious. She went on and on about how much she loves Evan and how sweet he is and how he is working hard. With tears in my eyes, I thanked her for helping him learn and for loving him (which is equally or more important than the learning part to me) . She said something that I'll never forget. She said, "You know, this could be my grandchild one day or someone in my family, and I would hope someone would do the same for me." Wow! I wish everyone on the face of the planet felt that way! She also told me there was a little boy in her class named Payton that asked if he could play with Evan that day. He told Mrs. H, "I think Evan could be my good friend." Ok, I'm a bawling mess at this point! I have prayed for this for Evan. I have prayed there will be children that will take him under their wing, that will be helpers to him, and there is little Payton. After playing with Evan that day, Payton took Evan by the hand and walked him back to his classroom.

I am incredibly thankful for the kindness of Mrs. H and little, precious Payton. My heart is full (and I continue to bawl my eyes out...ha)! Kindness makes a difference. It does!

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

L-O-V-E Day 5

2010-02-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

I love lunch dates! It's such a great way to catch up with friends. I had lunch with my sweet friend, Kandi, today. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful friends like her. She inspires me so much. She is getting ready to go on a mission trip, so please pray for her. I wish I would have taken a picture of us today, but I was too busy just visiting and completely forgot. (Hey, Kandi, "I gots books!" LOL!)

I love that Derek and Ella Grace had their very first lunch date today. It is the first time that just the two of them have gone to lunch without me or Evan. Since I was at lunch with Kandi and Evan was at school, they made a date of it and went to Chuck E. Cheese. I love that this was completely Derek's idea to take her and how excited she was when he told her where they were going. They played games and ate pizza. Derek said several times while they were there she would stop and say, "Daddy, thank you for bringing me here. I'm having so much fun." =) She couldn't wait to tell me all about it when I got home. So sweet!

L-O-V-E Day 4

2010-02-04T13:36:00.001-08:00

I LOOOOOVE a man in uniform...

Especially when it's my man...

Lookin' hot (and not because he is in the 120 degree heat of the Iraqi dessert)

Getting an award from Gov. Beebe

Especially when he comes home after doing heroic things...

Rescuing folks off rooftops after Hurricane Katrina

Especially when that man is in uniform and holding our babies. It's a delicious sight!

I LOVE Derek aka DerBear aka Boyfriend!!! =)

L-O-V-E Day 3

2010-02-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

For the first few days, my love posts will be quite obvious! I sure love my family.

For today, I want to write about Ella Grace. I LOVE Ella Grace so much! I love her big brown eyes. I love that she is the perfect blend of sweet, shy and sass. I love that she is nurturing and tries to mother Evan and children in her class. I love that she can get a little crazy (see above picture). I love her sense of style. I love things she says, like "Momma, I just love you," "Momma, I love you all the time," "Momma, you're my best friend ever." I love that she wants to look pretty and thinks sparkly shoes are definitely the way to go. I love her imagination. I love that she loves to help. I love that she thinks getting her toenails painted is the biggest treat ever! I love that she is a trooper and goes to all of Evan's therapy appointments without ever complaining. I love that she thinks her Daddy is IT. As far as I'm concerned, this child is an angel on earth. I am one blessed Momma!

L-O-V-E

2010-02-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

Deidre is doing a months worth of posts in February dedicated to things she loves. What a fantastic idea!!! She invited us to play along, so I am going to do my best to post each day this month about things I love.

Yesterday (even though I didn't know I was playing yet), I wrote about how I love Spring/Summer (and clean closets). =)

Today I want to say, I LOVE THIS BOY of mine! I love that today he celebrated 100 days of school today. I love that he is now being able to attend a regular classroom for a little bit of the day (a HUGE accomplishment). I love that he is such a hard worker and is such a trooper as we cart off to therapy EVERY. SINGLE. DAY after school. I love that he plays HARD, that he loves to jump on the trampoline, that he loves to swim, and is amazing on the computer. I LOVE his adorable personality and hilarious sense of humor (that little man of mine is FUNNY). I love his snaggle toothed grin he is sporting these days. I love that he (a little man of few words) constantly tells me to "Tickle my pits!" Ha! He loves to be tickled and I'm happy to oblige! I love that he encourages his sister to "share." I love his hugs and kisses. I love his soft little hands. I love how he tells his teachers every afternoon, "See you tomornin'! (a perfect combination of tomorrow and morning...I personally think this should be added to the dictionary). I could go on for days.

I LOVE EVAN!

Thank you, Lord, for this precious child you have entrusted to me!

Cleaning Mood

2010-02-01T19:31:00.001-08:00

Man, I am in a cleaning mood! I am SO ready for Spring. I think that is behind my efforts. I am ready to get things cleaned O U T!

I started with a certain little princess' room last week. Her closet was a wreck! I guess that's what happens when you are trying to find your perfect pair of sparkly shoes. Can't believe I'm showing it, but here it is. Oh my!

It literally took me hours on a Saturday to straighten it. Derek was sweet to keep the kidlets entertained while I organized. It seems like a lot of my children's toys have a lot of pieces to them. As I straightened, I organized and bagged up all the pieces and put them with the appropriate toy. It was a job! I'm trying to stay on top of it, so it's not so bad to clean in the future. It's hard though. She is a busy girl. =)

Now, we have organized chaos. =)

Ella Grace actually does try to help, but her idea of picking up her toys is to take them to the doorway of her room or to the corner of the living room. She's getting better though. She cleaned up our "picnic" without even being asked this weekend. =) It hasn't happened since, but it HAS happened, so I have hope. =)

She's trying. =)

One thing I know for certain about this girl of mine is that she is going to be an excellent mother! She takes such good care of her babies. After I drop her off at school, I usually always find them around the house covered and tucked in their beds with a friend or two.

"Hannah" in the ever important "bunny rabbit blanket"

"Abby" (EG's very first baby and probably her favorite) with "Hydrant" taking a nap

So sweet!

I am so stinkin' ready for SPRING. I am excited about Spring clothes, sunshine, warmer days, and longer days. Every time we go out in the backyard, I just get more excited that this will be the first complete season we will be able to enjoy the swimming pool. All this ice around it just seems WRONG! Ha!

I am also really looking into getting plantation shutters for the house. We have some sun that sets right into our living room that really makes it hot in there in the summer. We have to do something about it because I don't want all that sun to fade my furniture or my floors. Plus, I really like the way they look. I love the idea of opening them partially or fully. I also think they will block the sun way better than the blinds I have now. Several of my friends have them in their homes, and they are so pretty. Does it make me old, that I am starting to get excited about new vacuum cleaners and shutters??? Ha! Seriously though, any advise any of you have, let me hear it.

Tomorrow is Evan's 100th day of school. I can't believe the school year is halfway over. What a blessing this year has been. Evan has some amazing teachers that we have been privileged to have work with Evan for 100 days! I'll try to get a picture of him in his 100 Days t-shirt tomorrow. =)

Snow (well, it's white)

2010-01-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

My little snow bunny

I want to be happy about the snow that is coming down. Well, it's really a snow, sleet, rain mix, but it is white anyway. Derek is stuck at the Dallas airport. He is trying to get home but his flight has been canceled. The Little Rock airport has been closed for most of the day and the weather is only getting worse. I don't expect him to make it home until tomorrow. =( We are ready for him to be home. He has been out of town all week, and it's been a long week. It's not as fun being snowed in without him here.

I just love this little coat. I found it at Dillard's this week on sale big time. Love me a bargain.

The kidlets and I have been prepared to be snowed in. I made chili for the kidlets, taco soup for me, and brownies for all of us yesterday. We have had fun staying in our lounge wear, playing and munching. Ella Grace and I did get out for a little while to play in the snow (I think it was mainly sleet) this afternoon. We didn't stay long because she has a cold. She had a ball though! Evan decided not to join us, so we brought snow inside to him. =) He liked touching it.

Trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue

"Skating"

Extremely proud of herself here

Getting brother in on the action

Now this was cheap entertainment. This kept her busy for a while (until it melted).

Hopefully my other half will be home tomorrow. I wanna like the snow, but I would have been happy had it held off until after Derek made it home. The weather also messed up my plans of meeting Laura tomorrow. She is a blogger friend (and another Horton but we are not related) that was going to be in my area. =( I was really looking forward to meeting her. Maybe we will get to do it again sometime.

I hope you are staying warm!

It was Bound to Happen

2010-01-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I spent the day with my beautiful niece, Sarah, celebrating her birthday. We spent the day with my mom, sister, nephew, and Ella Grace shopping, eating at the Purple Cow, and going to the Jump Zone (where Evan and Derek joined us). It was a fun day! I can't believe Sarah is nine. It seems like yesterday that we greeted my sister and brother-in-law at the airport as they brought that sweet baby home from China!

Ella Grace (wearing LOTS of bubble gum lip gloss), Stone and Sarah

Sarah enjoying her birthday ice cream sundae at the Purple Cow

So what was it that was "bound to happen?" Well, every Sunday, Ella Grace enjoys helping me clip coupons (or "tickets" as she calls them). I was right there with her and she proudly announces, "Momma, I cut my hair all by myself!" I gasp, "What did you say?" Her facial expression immediately changes as she answers, "I didn't say anything." Ha! She indeed had cut her hair all by herself. It's amazing to me that children's scissors can cut hair!

Luckily, there is still hair on top of the chunk she cut so I should be able to cover it good until it grows out again.

What she looked like when she realized what she had done. She was BAWLING (see the tears and runny nose)! Through tears she whined, "Now, it is short like Daddy's," not meaning it as a compliment. Derek was like, "Hey, what's wrong with my hair?" Ha!

Here she is with the damage!
As I type this, I hear her telling Derek, "Daddy, I'm sad that I cut my hair!"

I guess all children try to cut their own hair. Although Evan never has liked cutting enough to even consider cutting his own hair. I really think she is remorseful. Maybe she won't do it again??? I hope she learned her lesson. It really could have been so much worse. Plus, it was bound to happen. Every time I have gotten the scissors out for us to work on her cutting, the thought has crossed my mind that I knew she would try it one day. It's kind of funny now! Whew! This girl keeps me on my toes (and I sure LOVE it)!

Last Night

2010-01-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

Last night, as I was lying on Ella Grace's bed with her until she fell asleep, I saw her little hands go up by her face to say her prayers (unprompted) and heard her sweet little voice (she has the littlest voice) say,

"Dear Jesus, thank you for this day and thank you for my friends."

I always thought I was creating a bad habit laying down with her every night, but had I made her go to bed all by herself, I would have missed that sweet little prayer! Seems like we are creating a good habit! =)

Oh, and just another thing, we were looking at a story book about Jesus, and she said, "Where's Jasmine?" It took me a minute, and I said, "Oh, that's the Wisemen, not Jasmine!" LOL! Such sweet, sweet times.

It's Been a While

2010-01-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

Here we are on Christmas day

Sweet Christmas kidlets

Well, it has been a while. We had a fabulous Christmas and vacation. We were at home together for two whole weeks, and I can honestly say we had the best time and never got tired of each other. Wow!

Ella Grace got her grocery cart and was SO excited! She loved EVERYTHING about Christmas, and it was so fun to experience it through her eyes. She cried when we took down the Christmas tree. =( On Christmas Day, we told her it was Jesus' birthday, and she said with a gasp, "Are we going to see him?" So sweet!

Ella Grace on Christmas Eve

Evan loved having a break from school and played so hard every single day. We weren't on any schedule for two weeks, so he stayed up late and went to bed early. He loved it! His favorite Christmas song to sing was "Jingle Bells" and we sang it A LOT! I think his favorite toy he got was a Gumby and Pokey. I don't know if you remember those. They were even before my time, but he loves them! =)

Derek and Evan on Christmas Eve

My party boy all crashed out with his Nerf swords

The day after Christmas was my birthday. I turned 37, and I never thought I would be happy to be 37! However, for most of December I had somehow convinced myself I was turned 38 until Derek was like, "No you're not. You are going to be 37!" Thank you, Jesus! I just gained a year. Ha! My favorite birthday gift was this card I got from Derek and the kids. It wasn't just the pretty card or carefully scribbled names on the inside, but it was one of those recordable cards that play music. When I opened it, I hear my son, my 7-year-old son who has autism that has had such a hard time talking say so loudly, "Happy Birthday!" Now, Evan has been able to say Happy Birthday for years, but for some reason hearing him say it on MY birthday on MY birthday card made me want to cry! It made me realize just how far we've come, and how happy I am to be 37 and hearing my son tell me Happy Birthday and not back to the 31-year-old mom that was crippled by the diagnosis my precious little boy had received and worrying if he would ever utter one word! It's just the best gift I have ever been given. Happy Birthday to me indeed! Oh, and yesterday he asked me his very first question in 7 years! He was looking for a car and asked, "Where is the car?" I thought I could just fly to the moon! What an amazing boy he is! This was/is HUGE! Oh, how thankful I am for every word!

Did I mention, Evan asked me a question??? A QUESTION!!! What a great start to a new year! I have so much hope for the future!!!

Christmas Cards

2009-12-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

It was some time around September that Derek looked at me with a distressed face, "I'm just thinking about trying to get that picture for the Christmas card." You see, taking a picture of my sweet little kidlets for a Christmas card is NO easy task. One is either not looking at the camera, not smiling or crying. By the time it is all over, I am a sweaty mess!!!

When Evan was at A-Camp, there was the sweetest photographer that came out to take pictures of the kiddos for memory books. Her name is Lori Sparkman, and she did this all out of the goodness of her heart and the pictures were awesome! I ran into her several weeks ago and asked if she would be willing to take pictures of our motley crew. She said she would would happy to and even came to our house! This was such a blessing because the last time we tried to take pictures outdoors, Evan ran for the hills seriously and literally. So, the thought of her coming to our home just seemed like a dream.

My intention was a cute picture of Evan and Ella Grace in front of the tree. I told her she would perform a Christmas miracle if she could get a family picture of all of us smiling and looking at the camera. Well, she is a miracle maker...

I was so excited to have a picture of all four of us actually smiling AT THE SAME TIME and looking at the camera.

Here are a few more she took that I really like...

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

Mommy & Me Christmas Party

2009-12-13T14:36:00.001-08:00

We had a ball this afternoon at Ella Grace's Christmas party through our Mommy & Me group. It is sad to me that Evan is too old for that! It just doesn't seem right! He had fun hanging our here with Daddy though. I don't think he even missed us! Ha!

Ella Grace chose to make an ornament and then color a candy cane.

Mrs. Claus read stories while we waited for Santa. Evidently, Santa got lost on his way to the Community Center. Ha!

Mrs. Claus also handed out all the gifts.

How sweet is this???

She is so proud of her Cinderella book.

Then, it was time for the big event...to meet Santa and tell him what she wanted for Christmas. Soooo exciting!

Not so sure about it just yet.

He called her "Brown Eyes" and she told him she wanted a "grocery cart." Soooo sweet!

Fun times!!!

Christmas Cookies & Treats

2009-12-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

I saw where Kelly was doing "Christmas Cookies and Treats" this week on Show Us Your Life. I'm a little late, but I wanted to share one of my favorite treats to make around Christmas. I had a party last night for my high school girlfriends and made "Turtle Bars." This is a recipe I got from sister and it is SOOOO good and SOOOO easy.

3/4 C Butter
10 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C Chopped pecan pieces
1 (12 1/4 oz.) Caramel (I use the ice cream topping in a jar)
1 Package Vanilla Wafers

Melt butter. Crush wafers and stir in butter. Press mixture into bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Then, sprinkle pecans. Drizzle caramel over the top. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes (I usually bake a little longer 12-15 minutes). Let stand and then cut into bars.

If you enjoy ooey, gooey, chocolate, and caramel, then this is the treat for you. It is SOOOO good and one of my favorites!

I also made some Creamy Cheddar Cheese Soup by Paula Deen last night, and it also turned out really good. Talk about major comfort food! Yummy!

1 small onion, diced
2 large pimentos, diced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cream
3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup green onions
Salt and black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper, optional
Suggested Serving: your favorite bread or croutons

In a saucepan, saute onion and pimentos in butter for 5 to 7 minutes. Blend in flour. Add stock and cream. Cook until thick. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add 1/4 cup green onions, salt and pepper, to taste, and cayenne if desired. Garnish with remaining green onions.

Delish!

Catch Up

2009-11-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

Derek has been off for FIVE days! It has been so nice, and it has gone by SO fast! We have gotten a lot done though. Operation Christmas is in full swing. We have our tree up, the mantle decorated and some of the outside decorating done. Santa is almost finished with his list, too. It has been a very productive five days. We enjoyed Thanksgiving at my in-laws. Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!

I need to catch up on several things.

The kidlets got their school pictures back. I thought they turned out cute. Evan had to have re-takes! The first one made me laugh, laugh, laugh. I wish I could have kept one. The re-takes are much better and I love that you can see his missing tooth. It also appears he is right in the middle of saying, "Cheeeeese!" Soooo cute! Oh, that boy's eyes. They melt my heart!

Evan, age 7

The glam squad came to Ella Grace's mother's day out program. She got her hair curled and got to wear some costumes. They really aren't my "style," but I couldn't help myself. I had to get them. They turned out really cute, and she had a ball!

Ella Grace, age 3

Derek and I went to the last Razorback game in Little Rock for the season. We had a great time. It's always nice when we win, so we won't even talk about this week's game. Derek summed it up when it was over, "That's just so disappointing." =(

My kidlets have been LOVING the Christmas "Alvin and the Chipmunks!" I think I may have introduced them a little bit too early because the chipmunks are driving me crazy! Ha! There is only so much of that I can take, and they want it on CONSTANTLY in the car (and really it is the same two songs over and over)! The day before Thanksgiving, Derek was downloading some more Chipmunks music (thanks, honey), and Ella Grace got SO excited. She took off running down the hall and tripped. She tried to break her fall and instead broke her right arm! It is a tiny fracture, but we spent the evening before Thanksgiving in the ER for a splint and will have to go to the ortho doctor in the morning for probably a permanent cast. SIGH! I am so thankful it was not a terrible break, but I can't believe it has happened again. When I first started blogging we were dealing with her broken leg! The broken arm seems to be a little better than a broken leg as far as her mobility is not as limited. My heart is just broken. I hate it for her, and I just pray it is better and cast-free by Christmas. How am I going to get a big cast in all her Christmas outfits I have already bought? SIGH!

Bless her heart! Those chipmunks are really on my bad list now!

Ella Grace with her tiny pink cast when we was 13 months old.

A few of Ella's friends brought her a little something to make her feel better. She spent the afternoon yesterday doing nails with her new nail polish set. I think everyone around here has polished nails now...even Daddy!

EG's beauty shop

Tomorrow I start back to boot camp after about three months off. Oh, goodness. It's going to be ugly.

My Very First Giveaway

2009-11-17T17:35:00.001-08:00

The winner is Elainaann! Congratulations, and I just love your name! Thanks for playing everyone. That was so fun. I want to do it again!!!

Y'all, I'm so excited because I am doing my very first GIVEAWAY! Nothing feels better than to give, so I'm super excited!!!

CSN Stores.com contacted me and said they would love to let me pick something from their site to give to one of my readers! Well, I was so excited about the opportunity. I went over to their site at www.CSNbaby.com. They have the cutest baby things including adorable crib bedding, lamp shades, clocks, mobiles, picture frames, and lots more.

After going through the website, I decided a toy would be perfect since Christmas is right around the corner. I decided to look for something that my children would have loved at that age and that could go for a girl or a boy. I decided on the Chicco Talking Farm Playset. I know I picked a good toy when Ella Grace strolled by the computer while the picture was on the screen and exclaimed, "I wish I had one of those!" Ha! And, she just said it again now!!!

So, if you have a little tot in your life you think would enjoy this awesome toy or if you would like to win it to donate to an organization or your church, please leave me a comment and you will automatically be entered to win. Feel free to advertise the drawing on your own blog if you know some people that would be interested. I'll draw the winner on Friday, November 20th, at 6:00 p.m. You can see all the specifics on the toy here.

You can also see the other great products CSNbaby offers by clicking the links below.

http://www.csnbaby.com/Nursery-Decor-C56261.html

http://www.csnbaby.com/Mobiles-C56337.html

http://www.csnbaby.com/Lamp-Shades-C56339.html

Yay for toys! Yay for a giveaway! Thanks CSNbaby!

I Met the Pioneer Woman

2009-11-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

I'm sure all of you are familiar with the Pioneer Woman. Her blog about life on the ranch is interesting, and she is so whitty and funny! I also love looking at her recipes. They always make me hungry. I had no idea she was coming out with a cookbook until my good friend, Abby, told me. Ree was coming to Little Rock for a book signing.

Why in the world the book signing wasn't at a book store, I have no idea. It was at Wal-Mart of all places. It was funny because initially on the schedule was a, let's just say, "less preferred location." My friend, Abby, said she actually e-mailed PW's personal e-mail letting her know that Wal-Mart was the "yucky" one. Later, it was changed to a much better location. While standing in line, Marlboro Man was signing authographs and mingling with the crowd while we waited in line. When Abby and I got to him, he actually said someone had written in about changing it to a better Wal-Mart. We laughed so hard because it was Abby. We told him she was the one that wrote in and he said we should have been moved to the front of the line (but he didn't...I sure would have taken him up on it). LOL! Abby got our picture with both MM and PW, so I'll post them when I get them from her. I thought it was funny that MM autographed the picture of his rear end. Ha!

I got to see blogging beauty buddies, Becky and Cortney. I snagged these pictures from Becky. Aren't they just the cutest?

There are a lot of good recipes in the cookbook that I'm going to try, especially over the holidays. It sure was fun to meet someone I've read so much about. Pioneer Woman was very sweet and very beautiful. Here is the link to her post about her visit to my Little Rock. I find her hilarious. Can I just say how comforting it is to hear she wears a Spanx? That makes me just feel better. since I am a fan of that, too. LOL!

Abby and I were gone a little longer than I expected. I left my cell phone in the car and Derek had been trying to check on me. When I finally got to call him back, he joked, "I didn't think I could call the police and say, 'The last thing she told me was she was going to Wal-Mart to meet the Pioneer Woman.' They would have thought I was crazy." That made me laugh out loud because it does sound a little crazy. HA!

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T13:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day to all the heroes out there including my amazing husband, Derek! How blessed we are to have such brave men and women willing to go wherever to protect all of us!

He served with the best of the best and not a day goes by that I am not incredibly thankful for he made it back home to me and our little family.

This is a picture of Derek and his unit while they were in Iraq. Can you find Derek? He is the hunky one (with helmet hair). LOL!

I have to admit the 15 months he was gone was probably the most difficult thing we have ever been through in our entire married life. I wish I could have been more graceful during that time, but lack of sleep with a new baby, decisions about care for Evan's autism that needed to be made and the constant worry of Derek's safety honestly about did me in. I am proud of how brave he was through it all, even when it came to his crazy wife (seriously). Derek is one amazing person...he is so sweet, thoughtful, nice, charming and also tough, deliberate, smart, and aggressive when he needs to be (like war for instance). I really think he is as close to perfect as you can get this side of heaven. I am one lucky girl.

Happy Veteran's Day, Derek! Love you SO much!

Just several more pictures during his time in Iraq:

My pilot and his aircraft - UH60 Blackhawk (medevac)

One of his patients. This is an Iraqi father and his daughter. She lost her leg in an explosion. Most patients they would not or could not take pictures of. Derek saw some terrible things. =( His mission was a good one though. He helped A LOT of people get to medical treatment.

His aircraft in an amazing sunset

Halloween

2009-11-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

We had the best time trick-or-treating with the kidlets. Ella Grace was large and in charge leading the way! They would both start saying, "trick or treat" before anyone even made it to open the door. It was so funny. Here they are in their costumes.

My Indiana Jones (or Mr. Jones as EG calls him) and Minnie Mouse

Harrison Ford has nothing on this guy!

It was rather chilly here that night. However, Ella Grace refused to wear anything that would cover her dress! Her little arms were so cold! She didn't care though.

Sweet, sweet girl.

Who needs candy when you have these two around?
I think I'll just eat them up instead! =)

Precious

2009-10-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Is there anything more precious than this?

The parents were invited to Ella Grace's school this week. The children were going on a field trip, so we were invited to share a donut breakfast and attend the praise and worship time with our child. Y'all, I just about bawled through the entire thing! There is nothing more precious than seeing your child sing worship songs. Ella Grace blew me away with how she knew all the words and the hand motions. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. She recited her memory verse and I couldn't help myself but to snap this picture of her while they were closing in prayer. PRECIOUS!

They all had matching shirts for the field trip. I love what was on the back.

Here is a little video of her while she was singing her favorite song. I just love it!

My Birthday Girl

2009-10-22T07:02:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating Ella Grace turning THREE! We woke up with her in our bed (as we do most mornings...she starts off in her bed but always makes the move to ours around 2:00...sometimes we don't even realize it until we wake up). The first thing she said had nothing to do with her birthday but, "I want my Snow White panties!" Ha! I have no idea where that came from. I told her, "Ella, today is your birthday. You are three! Happy Birthday!" She just smiled ear to ear! We made our way to Daddy who gave birthday wishes. Evan was eating his breakfast and she went right over to him and said, "Evan, tell me Happy Birthday," which he did with a mouth full of waffle. =)

We took her to eat at the Purple Cow. She loves that place! We got her some cheese dip because that is her FAVORITE and she wanted to order a salad for her lunch. =) After she ate, they brought her a hot fudge sundae with purple ice cream. She was so proud of the candles and loved blowing them out.

Then, we headed home to give her birthday presents. To say she loved her castle and princess set is an understatement. She was so excited and so happy!

For dinner, we ordered pizza and had birthday cake. Well, actually Ella Grace had birthday cake for dinner. She was so proud of her cake. For years, I have gone to the same bakery for birthday cakes. This bakery is my favorite and makes the best cakes, but you have to pay for it in advance (they are very expensive) and then go pick it up. I do not have time for two separate trips to the bakery, so I decided to try Kroger. Y'all this cake was so good! Plus, when we went to pick it up, I wish I would have had a camera because EG put her little hands over her mouth and literally gasped when she saw it. It was exactly what she wanted! Yay! The best $10 I ever spent! =)

We spent the rest of the night playing. We will be partying some more on Saturday for her big party.

I love this child! Happy 3rd Birthday, sweet girl!

Last night, when I was getting her in bed, this was our conversation:

EG: "Momma, do you like honey bears?"
Me: "Yes, I do. I think they are cute. Do you like honey bears?"
EG: "No. I like rabbits and dogs and cats."
Me: "And horses?"
EG: "Uh huh. And horses."
Me: "I love you all the time."
EG: "I love you all the time. You're my best friend."
Me: "You're my best friend, too."
Followed by kisses and hugs. The perfect ending to the day. =)

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

I took Ella Grace to the pumpkin patch this morning with our mommy group. We had a great time. I am soaking in these last few days of her being three! I took these before we left. I am loving all the colorful mums!

Before the hayride, we got to check out all the animals. So cute. I think her favorites were the donkeys (especially the baby) and the pig.

I wouldn't trust this tractor driver if I were you. =)

We then got on a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin. On the way, EG told me she wanted an "itty bitty" pumpkin.

She found the perfect "itty bitty" pumpkin, and so did I. =)

Speaking of "itty bitty," here she is last year. What a difference a year makes!

Eat Your Veggies

2009-10-12T16:28:00.001-07:00

This kidlet LOVES her some salad. We were at Chik-fil-a one day and a lady actually came to our table asking how I got her to eat a salad. Ha!

She LOVES it, but think her love may really be for Ranch dressing.

She will eat anything if it has "dip" on it.

In a little over a week, Ella Grace will be 3 years old. T H R E E!!! How can this be? I took these pictures last week. I went in her room and she was laying on her bed talking to "Baby Doll" (aka Barbara Mandrell as Derek calls her because this doll has so much blonde hair...HA!). She is getting SO big!

Going to the Show

2009-10-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

We recently took Evan and Ella Grace to "Disney Live." We decided at about 3:30 in the afternoon to go to a 6:30 show. Derek found us some really good seats even though it was last minute. Ella Grace was SOOOO excited. She insisted on wearing her Minnie dress (Halloween costume). She looked really cute! Things like this can be a bit overwhelming, so we weren't really sure how Evan would like it. Well, he had THE best time. He watched the show intently, clapping and laughing. It made mine and Derek's year to see him enjoy it so much!

I told EG I wanted to take her picture, and this is the pose she struck!

Waiting for the show to begin.

Calling "Mickey"

Evan is holding the $20 souvenir we bought. $20!!! Are you serious?

Watching intently.

This is the way Ella Grace stands. I just love it. She folds her little hands and holds them in front of her. So sweet.

This is what happened when it was over and time to go home. She was NOT happy at all. She kept saying, "I want to do it again!" She cried the entire way home.

The next day, Ella Grace and I joined my sisters and nephew and niece at the Arkansas Arts Center to see "Mr. Popper's Penguins." It was such a cute play. Ella Grace loved it and watched the entire thing. I was pretty impressed that it kept her attention (for a two-year-old). She loved watching the kids and of course the penguins (kids in penguin costumes). =) I knew Evan would not enjoy this at all, so he and Derek had a fun boys day together.

My nephew, Stone (love the face), my niece, Sarah, and me and EG after the show.

Later that night, I met my friend, Toni, for a women's event at my church. It was such a wonderful event. Priscilla Shirer was our speaker, and she is AMAZING. The theme was "Dwelling in the Land of Possibility." It was all about how God is able to do above and beyond!!! It was such a wonderful time of praise music and worship. I really needed it! If you ever get a chance to hear Priscilla, go!!!

"Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23

Playing Catch Up

2009-09-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

The fam has been quite busy lately. I promised myself I would make time to blog today, so here is my rushed post of the last 12 days.

Evan was part of a nursery rhyme parade at his school. The children were encouraged to wear a costume or use a prop for the favorite nursery rhyme. Evan really likes "Hey Diddle Diddle." It is the cutest thing EVER to hear him say it.

As soon as I got in the parking lot, it was like he knew. I saw that his classroom was at recess and he was walking toward me. At first I thought he saw me, but he didn't. It was fun to see him when he didn't know I was looking. =)

There were so really cute and cleavor costumes.

I knew Evan would not be jazzed about wearing a costume, so I opted for the props route. Here he is with his bowl and spoon. I also had a small poster for him to wear around his neck. He liked it on his back better. ;)

We went to the first Razorback game. My brother-in-law had quite the tailgate party for the opening game in Little Rock. We had a great time. It helped that the Razorbacks won. Derek doesn't want to talk about last week's game. =(

Fun times tailgating

Ready for the game to start

We've been playing a lot with this monkey...

Believe it or not, we have still been swimming. The water is a little cold but some boys I live with don't care.

And playing (plus a little shopping) with this monkey...

She is a great shopping buddy!

Derek was at work one day when a soldier was being brought back from Iraq. Derek said when he was brought out of the airplane, the young soldier's dad saluted him. I can not even imagine. Every day and I am SO thankful my husband came home from Iraq! We should all be so thankful for our soldiers and their families (I'm not talking about the Horton's), especially those families who will miss their loved ones SO much every day!

We have been busy finding the perfect Halloween costumes. Evan will be Indiana Jones. I hope he'll wear it.

Ella Grace was going to be this...
but she change her mind and is now this...
She LOVES Minnie Mouse, so this is a better fit for her anyway. =)

Oh, and I got flashed by a man wearing no pants in the Target parking lot. It freaked me completely out and gave me nightmares! You girls be careful out there and make sure you are aware to your surroundings.

Other than all of this and the day-to-day school and therapy sessions, this is what we have been up to. We're busy (just like the rest of you I'm sure).

My Crazy Kids

2009-09-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures Derek took this week that I just find hysterical!

Derek, Ella Grace and I went to Old Navy. I was in search of some new jeans. While I shopped, EG told her Daddy, "Take my picture." Ha! Looks like she made some new friends. These literally make me laugh out loud! This girl is a MESS!

My favorite! LOL!

She thinks this picture is cool because she is about to press the button that makes the dog talk.

Derek took Evan to occupational therapy this week, and I received this picture over e-mail. There Evan was in some shades! Ha! I think they may have even been pink and Hannah Montana. He didn't mind though. Afterall, it's what all the cool kids are wearing these days! Ha! He was rockin' them!

About to go play ball with O'Mari, the therapy dog.

The things my children do while they are out with Daddy! Hmmm...
Looks like fun to me!

First Haircut

2009-09-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ella Grace is a month and a half from turning three years old! I can't even process that really. It seems impossible! It has gone by way too fast. Today she got her very first haircut. As bad as I hated cutting off those baby curls, it was time (probably passed time). She definitely needed a trim. We decided spur of the moment this morning that today was the day. It was probably good that I didn't have a whole lot of time to dwell on it. Ella Grace was VERY excited. She kept talking about sitting in the airplane and how she wasn't going to cry. She kept saying, "I want to get my hair cut!"

Well, when we got there and got her in the airplane, she looked like this...

not so jazzed over the idea

Then, she began to warm up.

I love that Derek was off today and got to go with us.

Suckers always help.

She did fantastic. She is such a big girl! It appears she even still has some curls left in her hair. Here she is afterward. Nothing makes a girl feel better than a trip to the beauty shop! =)

The nice lady that cut her hair bagged up all the baby girls for me. We also got the "My 1st Haircut" package that included this...

Let's Be Friends

2009-09-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

My main objective with my blog is to document my family's day-to-day life. I have a closet full of scrapbooking stuff that I don't have time for. Blogging is a lot quicker, and honestly I find it a lot more fun. I can stay pretty current. Knowing I was five years behind on scrapbooking just stressed me out! Anyway, not only have I been able to document life, I have made some really great friends (some I've never met and some I've had the joy to meet in real life). It's been so amazing and fun!

I never set our for my blog to be this, but I feel to be an advocate for the autism community, I'll throw in some stories about our journey with that as well. After all, it is a big part of our life. Kids and adults with autism aren't going away with the epidemic we are in until there is a cure. So if I can help anyone reading this learn more about autism, it will help all of us down the road. Believe me, I live with autism 24/7 and sometimes I can't even figure it all out.

One thing I want so badly for Evan is for him to have a friend. I would love for him to have a friend he would want to invite over to play or meet at the park or the movies. Well, the nature of autism is social situations just don't come easily or naturally. We have to teach Evan a lot of things about social situations that you and I learn just from being in the world. Making a friend is difficult. With autism, he just really doesn't have an interest in a friend. He would rather play with adults, and preferrably Derek and me. We are working on it though. On Wednesdays he has Occupational Therapy and we meet up with Bradley for a "working" play date. They are just so cute together. They are learning to play Bingo (and other games) and TAKE TURNS! Ha! They are learning to be in each others' space. Evan does not like other kids being too close. The therapist makes them sit close to each other, play games together, have snack together, talk to each other and even hold hands at times. My hope is one day Evan and Bradley will be great friends. I really think he can learn that other kids are fun.

This was at the end of the therapy session when Evan's therapist (who is WONDERFUL) was telling Bradley's mom and me about their session. I love how she made them sit together in the same chair. They are looking out the window and I'm sure they are thinking, "I'll do it, but I'm not really liking it."

Of course, Evan has his instant friend, his sister! She makes him interact with her ALL the time! She is constantly involving herself in whatever he is doing. He tolerates her pretty well. She is so good for him, and he is so good for her. It's amazing what small children can pick up on though. She has already told me, "Evan doesn't talk." I really wasn't prepared for it NOW. I thought I had a little bit before we would have this conversation, but I just told her, "Evan talks when he wants to, but sometimes it is really hard for him to talk. That's why you need to always be sweet to Evan and help him." She was content with that and just said, "Ok." I LOVE MY KIDS!

Evan has no problem inviting his sister in on his bed jumping!!! Of course, she is loving that he is giving her the attention!

We Survived!

2009-09-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Ella Grace and I survived the first week of Mother's Day Out! On Tuesday I was sitting with her going through how our morning would work the next day, how she would take her backpack and lunch box with her, how she would put them in her cubby, and how she wouldn't cry. Then, she says to me, "And you won't cry." Ha! I told her that was right, neither one of us would cry. Well, that was WRONG!

My sweet girl on Day 1 of Mother's Day Out

She loves her mermaid backpack. She is very into The Little Mermaid and Flounder right now, so I thought this was perfect.

When we got there, she immediately picked out a baby and got back in the boat (just like at open house). She was doing great, smiling and so happy to be there. I wasn't going to make a big deal about me leaving. I went to the door and she came running with tears, "Momma, no!" Oh, it broke my heart. I told her I would be back really soon. I went to sign her in and by the time I had done that (which took all of one minute), she had already stopped crying. I, on the other hand, had just started! I did at least wait until I got to the car. =(

Hmmm. Which baby needs some love this morning?

Before the tears.

This is the "How could you?" look I got when I went to pick her up.

The next day she seemed excited. She said she wouldn't cry and reminded me of that even that morning. Well, it was another difficult drop-off. Please tell me it will get better. It really hurts my heart! I'm trying to stay busy during the day so I don't think about it too much, but I find myself watching the clock. She and I are so happy to see each other when I pick her up. The first day she asked me, "Did you miss me so much?" I told her I did and she said, "I missed you, too." Ahhhh, heart overflow!

Day 2's excitement was mainly about her new shoes. I gave them to her that morning knowing she would be excited about them, and they might help with the transition. She was SO excited and said, "I want to show Daddy!" As she was walking out of the room, she yelled back, "Thank you, Momma!" It is just the sweetest to hear that when it is unprompted! LOVE it!

Please, please tell this gets easier. My heart can't take it!

MDO Bound

2009-08-31T05:59:00.000-07:00

Y'all, Ella Grace starts Mother's Day Out at our church this week. I'm sad. I'm real sad. It's bittersweet watching your children grow up! I don't really want her to. I've actually been thinking this weekend I was going to change my mind, but Derek says she needs to go. I know it will so good for her. She is incredibly shy, and I think being around her same-aged peers two days a week will help her come out of her shell a little. We went to her open house last week, and she loved her classroom, although she kept asking me, "Are you going to stay wif me?" I told her I would stay that night. I'm hoping she doesn't think I'll be staying when I drop her off this week. She'll probably do fine. I, on the other hand, probably will not. Ha!

At open house, she wasted no time grabbing a baby and going sailing! =)

Her classroom is SO cute! It has a beach theme. Cute murals with huts, lobsters and fish are painted on the walls. This is the same classroom she should be in during service time, but she has yet to stay and just goes to "big church" with Derek and me. We are hoping MDO will help with this as well. She is perfect when we take her into the service, but she would have so much fun learning about Jesus in her class with little friends if she would give it a chance.

Oh, and have I mentioned how much of a Daddy's girl she is, and that I LOVE it!!! I took these pictures the other night when I saw EG and Derek were "swimming" together. She gets on the sun ledge and moves her arms to "swim". It was just the cutest.

My sweet baby girl. All this growing up is hard on a Momma!

New Things

2009-08-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

There have been some new things going on at our house.

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I have been able to keep certain play areas and play places a secret...until now. My children just found out several months ago that Chik-fil-a has a play area. It wasn't that I didn't want them play there (it's probably the cleanest one of all fast food places), we just always sat on the other side of the restaurant where the play area wasn't visible. They were happy just getting their kids' meals, and I was happy not to fight to get them to leave, so why change it right? Well, they have since found me out. Leaving actually wasn't bad at all, which was a nice surprise. Now, one place I really didn't want to introduce them to was Chuck E. Cheese. I had heard it was always terribly crowded, horror stories about ball pits, and that it was dirty. Well, the kids were invited to a birthday party there. We took them and I was pleasantly surprised. It seemed clean, wasn't overly crowded (we were there at 10:00 a.m. so that probably helped), and the pizza wasn't bad either. Evan and Ella Grace LOVED it!

Evan and me trying to convince EG that Barney wasn't scary. Ha!

EG checking Barney out from a distance.

Another BIG new thing is Evan started back to school. He is now at his new school and loving it. He started last Wednesday. He has the sweetest teachers!

Mrs. Hodge and Evan. He was saying, "Cheeeeese." I annoy him by taking pictures I think.

He checked out every inch of his classroom at open house. Here he is nosing around his teachers cubicle! Ha!

I held up the "car rider" line to take this picture. He was walking down the sidewalk with Mrs. Hodge. I informed another teacher that I was sorry but I had to take this picture and that I was "THAT" mom. Ha!

Since Evan was having a big day, I took Ella Grace somewhere new. She went to the WonderPlace for the first time. We invited some friends along and she had a BLAST! It is the cutest little place that really encourages imaginative play, which is what EG is all about these days. I love to hear her say, "Just pretend."

Her favorite part was the play vet station. Soooo cute!

Ella Grace and her friend Emily playing in the sand. EG had a tight grip on that cat. I didn't thing we would be able to leave without it!

I love pictures of my kids from the back!

On another note, this was the first chance we have had all summer to have our entire families over to swim (right here at the end of summer). I just love this picture. Big and little kids are swimming it up. It's a pool full of boys! Ella Grace and my niece, Sarah, were the only girls swimming. That is until my darling husband threw me in! Then, we threw my sister in. Good times!

I don't want summer to end!

Clogs & a Nice Surprise

2009-08-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

Are you a "shoe person"? I remember liking cute shoes growing up, but I don't recall ever being obsessed with shoes or having to have the most trendy style. As an adult, I have always bought shoes in a classic style that could be worn more than one season. I fear it is happening to me though. I think I'm becoming a "shoe person". I blame a lot of you, you know (in a good way). It all started with your cute Yellowbox flip flops you introduce me to. I'm hooked! I LOVE them! I am loving shoes and shoe shopping. We just got a new DSW shoe store, and I'm looking forward to picking out some new fall shoes. I've especially been thinking about boots!!!

I think it is already pretty much established that Ella Grace, on the other hand, has been into shoes since she was about six months old. She LOVES them! I have been seeing all over the place that clogs are really in for little girls this Fall. I broke down and bought her a pair at Gymboree. I was going to hold onto them until the Fall, but she was busy trying on all kinds of shoes one night, so I went ahead and gave them to her. Derek happened to have the camera in his hand and caught these pictures. Her expressions are so funny. Please do not look at the mess that is Ella Grace's room. These were taken the day after I got home from my cruise and Daddy had been in charge for a week. Ha!

"Daddy, look!"

"Oh my goodness!" I love it when she says that!

Taking a minute to check them out.

I got the sweetest card in the mail from my friend, Abby, last week. With it was a gift card to Copeland's and a note for Derek and I to go celebrate our 15th anniversary since Derek was gone during the actual day. HOW SWEET! We went Saturday night and had the best meal that included a cheesecake called Ice Cream Sundae. Yum! We had a great time reminiscing about the last 15 years and talking about exciting things ahead. We even got to go to a movie afterward. What a sweet, unexpected treat! I am so blessed to have such sweet friends (and a very sweet husband, too)!

Cruisin'

2009-08-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with four of my oldest friends cruising to Cozumel! We were gone for six days. We flew first to New Orleans, which was where we were to board our ship. We didn't want to worry about travel trouble and missing our cruise, so we went down a day early. I've never been to New Orleans, and let's just say the evening time in New Orleans is not my scene AT ALL! I felt like I should have been wearing a steel suit. LOL! However, I loved the next morning when we went down to the French Quarter and had coffee and beignets at Cafe' Du Monde. I can now say I have been to the French Quarter!

This is Abby and me on the flight to New Orleans (loving that lady sacked out in the seat behind us). She is the bride-to-be and the whole reason for the trip. She is getting married in November to a very handsome doctor. =) We were roomies on the ship, and I can honestly say we laughed the entire time. I haven't laughed that hard in a loooong time!

Abby, Michelle, me, and Michelle at Cafe' Du Monde. Noticing a theme with the names...two Abby's and two Michelle's. Oh, and it was SO hot in New Orleans. Oh my word!

We set sail on Thursday. We had a day at sea, a day in Cozumel, another day at sea, and then we were home. It went by SO fast! I think my favorite part of the trip was when we went into Cozumel. Abby, Abby and I went to a beach and had THE best time. We got chairs right by the water, soaked up the sun, went snorkeling, ate the best guacamole I have EVER had, and laughed until I cried and Abby sprayed water out of her nose. Good times!

Our ship - The Carnival Fantasy

Abby, Abby and me on our way to the beach in Cozumel. Those Abby's. They are cute as buttons!

Abby took a picture of me snorkeling. LOL! The water in Mexico is GORGEOUS!

I think my camera was still in underwater mode, but this is the guacamole and pico we had beachside. YUMMO!

I took a ton of pictures, but these next two pictures are probably two of my most favorite from the entire trip. Locals came up playing guitar and singing. They got Abby and Abby in on the action. Hilarious!

This one makes me laugh so hard. Abby was not enjoying the dreadlocks wig they put on her head!

Abby was rockin' out some turtle shells.

Every evening at dinner was really fun, too. We had the best waiters. I found out they work for nine months, six or seven (I can't remember which) days a week, 10 hour days and then go home for two months. I'm just amazed by that! They were so cute and made dinner so much fun.

All of us with our waiters, Sushi (his name was something else but he went by "Sushi") and Jaiboon.

The gang on the lido deck

My vantage point on days we were at sea. We sat in chairs on the back of the boat looking at the bluest water!

Every night I had the same dessert...Melting Chocolate Cake. Yum! It's basically brownie batter with a light crust on top served with ice cream. It was GOOD!

Me being classy on formal night. Ha! Note the chocolate melting cake in front of me.

I even tried sushi. I don't know if it really counts though because it was a California Roll and just had crab in it, but it was still a big step for me since I'm not a big seafood girl and said I would never go near a sushi bar. I actually really enjoyed it!

I had a GREAT time. It was relaxing and fun, and I'm so glad I got to go with good friends. We got separated on the way back to the airport, but other than that, we had safe, uneventful travels. It is always fun to get away, but I think even more fun to come home! When we got to the Little Rock airport, Derek, Evan and Ella Grace greeted me at the escalator. I thought EG was going to cry as she ran up to me and put her little hands around my neck. SO sweet! I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband that was SO excited for me to get to do this trip and that took his vacation time to watch our children so I could go. He is just a great husband and is SO good to me all . the . time! I can't wait to go on another cruise and take him with me! =)

Oh, and speaking of time at the beach, I LOVE this picture of my Mamaw! She and I share a birthday. She was 50 when I was born. She is now 86 and went for the first time to the beach with my aunt and her family. My cousin, Jara, shot this picture (she is a fantastic photographer in Dallas), and I ADORE it! Everyone should see the ocean at least once!

Life is Good

2009-08-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

I have recently fallen in love with the "Life is good" brand. They have the cutest shirts, hats, bags, etc. I had seen a rather large selection at a local sporting good store and thought to myself if I came across one with a man (or stick figure...ha) with a guitar, I would get it for Derek. I just love the upbeat theme they have going. When coming back from my cruise (I will post about that eventually when I get Derek to give me the cord to my new camera so I can download the pics), there was a "Life is good" kiosk in the Houston airport. I could not pass up a shirt that fit my little boy perfectly. Evan LOVES peanut butter and jelly (preferably his GiGi's homemade strawberry) sandwiches, and I mean LOVES them. He can put the hurt on two PB & J's in about five minutes. I took some pics of him in his new shirt. Some of them you can't see the graphic, but I just thought they all were so cute! It has a jar of peanut butter, some bread and a jar of jelly and says "Life is good" underneath. That is just SO Evan!

To me, even a PB & J isn't as delicious as this toothless grin.
I could just eat him up!

Oh, and I think I just found one for Derek. This is hilarious and SO Derek!

LOVE it!

Worn Out!

2009-08-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today we have been hanging at the pool all afternoon. This is the first day this summer where NOTHING was on the agenda. Ahhhh! My kidlets are WORN OUT! This is what they look like right at this very minute...

They are O U T ! The problem with this is that it is 5:20 in the afternoon. It will be a long night. Sigh!

Weekend

2009-07-19T17:59:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend this has been. First of all, Derek FINALLY got home. He had been in Pennsylvania for four weeks for work. We missed him so much. At times, Ella Grace would walk around the house whining, "I've lost my Daddy." It was so sad! We were all very glad to see him, especially this exhausted Mommy!

We hit the ground running when he got home. He had his 20 year high school reunion and we went to the gathering on Saturday night. It was so fun. I even got to see one of my fellow blogging buddies, Amy, whom I haven't seen in probably 14 years. Another neat thing about the evening was we realized Evan's new prinicipal was one of Derek's classmates. It is such a small world!

This was Derek and me before we left. When I chose my dress, I didn't think about my tan lines showing. UGH! It was too late to change it by the time I realized. Sigh!

At the reunion, they recognized all of the classmates that had served in the military. That made me so proud!

One thing Derek has been VERY excited about since being home has been sing the swimming pool (that he has only been able to swim in twice this entire summer) and also using his Father's Day gift...his basketball court. He was out there tonight shooting some baskets (with a little helper in a princess dress and water shoes), and I couldn't resist these pictures.

I think my heart may actually explode.

When I went outside, Ella Grace wanted to show me her new "tricks". One was on the trampoline and the other was that she could dribble the basketball. Derek said it was reminding him of the movie "Father of the Bride." My heart just melted right there. That is probably one of my top two favorite movies of all time. I just LOVE it and have to watch it anytime I catch it on TV even though we have the DVD!

What an action shot!

It IS like the movie. Remember that scene where Steve Martin is remembering shooting baskets with his daughter before he walks her down the isle. Whaaaa!

I sure am glad she has now found her Daddy. =)

This summer we have spent a lot of time carting Evan to all of his activities. I wanted to do something special with Ella Grace. She has been such a trooper going with us EVERYWHERE and rarely complaining. So, Saturday morning, we went with some friends to see the movie "Ice Age." Here she is with her friend, Samuel. Derek wasn't so sure about her holding hands with a boy. Ha!

My next post is all about Evan. Tomorrow is his last day of A-Camp. I can't wait to share some wonderful picture of him having a ball at camp!

Hope you all have had a great weekend!

Autism Insurance Reform

2009-07-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

I "think" this will be the last thing I post about insurance coverage for children with autism. It's not a promise, but since the insurance reform has reached the federal level, I'm not sure what can happen after that.

You all have been so sweet and supportive over our journey with autism and my little speeches at the capitol. I just thank you from the bottom of my heart.

On the final note of this experience, I am asking you all, if you feel so led, to please go to this LINK and read more about the Federal Autism Insurance Reform. You can fill in the blanks on a simple form to have a letter go to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry M. Reid telling them kids with autism and the families caring for them NEED insurance coverage for the treatment of autism. Imagine if you couldn't get your child the help he or she needed. It's heartbreaking. This will help my Evan and the tens of thousands out there just like him, especially those that are still little bitty and just getting diagnosed. The earlier on they get treatment, the much brighter their future!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, my sweet friends. If you send a letter, I'd love to know it if you want to leave a comment. Know you have just done a BIG thing! Also, if you would like to send this link to anyone else you know that would like to support this legislation, please feel free to send it on.

Much love,
Leigh Ann

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-02T10:42:00.001-07:00

I can't believe today marks 15 years to the day I married "the boy from church." What a lucky girl I am. We have had the normal ups and downs of life, but I can honestly say even on the down days it is a joy to be Derek's wife, and, for the most part, being married to him is just plain easy! He makes it easy though. =)

I like thinking about our wedding day back on July 2, 1994. It was blue skies and hot as all get out, but I remember us planning to get married as soon as possible and that was the first opportunity. Now, it is so great that our anniversary always falls near a holiday. We usually go somewhere special like Destin, but this year Derek is out of town. Whaaa! It makes me sad we won't be together, but it will be okay. We'll celebrate by going to dinner when he gets home. My very sweet friend, Heather, brought over a magazine, the movie "Sense and Sensibility" (I've never seen it) and a yummy chocolate dessert for one for me to enjoy tonight! I'm looking forward to getting the kidlets in bed and enjoying all my treats!

I loved my wedding dress. I never got it sealed (or whatever you call it). Gasp! I don't much think Ella Grace will want to wear it one day anyway. I loved the princess style of the dress with all the tousle and sparkles. It was my dream dress I wore to marry my dream man. I actually got it out last night and was a little sad that some of the sequins had started to turn yellow. It's still as pretty as I remember though.

Ella Grace couldn't wait to get her hands on my veil (aka "the anniversary hat")!

I still have the copy the pastor that married us gave me for our wedding vows. They weren't the traditional vows. They were a little different. I like them because they were based on "the fruit of the spirit" and were a little different. The verbiage seemed more like real life to me. For all you OBU friends, Dr. Buckalew married us. I just loved him!

We went to Disney World for our anniversary and had the best time. Most of the pictures I have are of him or me alone because the other was taking the picture (with the Kodak disc camera...remember those...ha). I think this is the only one I have of us together.

We were just babies...in our high waisted shorts. Ha!

Happy Anniversary, Der Bear! Now, come home already!

Happy Birthday to my Dad!

2009-06-30T07:29:00.001-07:00

I'm wishing my Dad a very Happy Birthday today. He's one of the most talented people I know!

I love this picture of Evan and my dad. I took it at my grandmother's house and my dad was showing Evan how to play the mandolin. Evan was about two. Look how curly Evan's hair is here. You can definitely see where he gets it (and where I get it, too). =) My dad is a musician and has his own band and entertainment business. He can play just about every instrument and every style of music there is. His specialty is the saxophone and the "fiddle". Too bad I didn't inherit any of this ability. I'm still holding out hope that Evan and Ella Grace will get the musical inclination gene! =) Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Our Summer So Far

2009-06-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

We are having a pretty good summer so far. It's been a busy and hot one, but we are finding ways to have a little fun in our schedule and trying to stay cool.

Evan is really enjoying his A-Camp and his program at Easter Seals. He just finished up two weeks at Easter Seals and he did fantastic with the STAR (Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research) program. At the end of each week, the parents get to meet with someone who has worked with their child over the week to give feedback. I have to admit I had tears when the occupational therapist that worked with him was saying how smart Evan was and how quickly he picks up on things. I know this about him, but it was so nice to hear someone who doesn't know us well also make that observation. It made my day! Autism makes Evan's brain work differently, and I'm so thankful we have found a learning style that works so well for him. That can be the difficult thing about autism...what works for one child, doesn't necessarily work for another.

Everything he does at Easter Seals is a learning opportunity. He has come home with some incredible crafts he has made and treats he has prepared in cooking time. I thought this sushi roll was SO cute.

It is made by balling up Rice Krispy treats. A gummy fish is on top and it is held together with a fruit roll-up. Adorable!

Here he is going to Easter Seals. On Fridays, they get to wear these shirts. I think they are hysterical with the body of the player right underneath their heads!

This was his first day going into A-Camp. He looks so big! His favorite thing here so far is the playground and the fish tank that is in the classroom (all boy I tell you). They are doing great things here, too. Evan was only there a week before Easter Seals started and he had the best time including a private concert by Brian Kinder (who is a well-known children's musical artist). He'll be having fun at camp for the next three weeks. =)

We are having THE best time in our swimming pool. We are so busy in the mornings, we usually don't get out there until about 2:00. The water is nice and warm by then. =) Derek got to swim in it all of two times before he had to go out of town for a month with work. The kids and I get in it every single day. We are planning on spending most of the day out there today, and Ella Grace is having her friends over this week for a playdate. The hardest part is the kids being patient enough for me to coat them with sunscreen. They hate it! Evan is tanning right through it though. He is already brown as a berry. I used to be that way when I was little, too. I took these pictures the first time we were able to get in the pool.

I love this sun ledge. It's almost like a baby pool for EG!

Derek going down the slide. Ha! He is the biggest kid of all!

Poor guy. Pool just got finished and he had to leave! =( He was covered up so he wouldn't get a sunburn. A sunburn covered up with flight gear is not a good mix!

Oh, and lastly, something Ella Grace said to me this week, "Momma, I like your hair. It's just like a puppy dog!" Ummmm, ok, I'm taking that as a compliment because she loves dogs, but REALLY? Ha! Happy Summer, y'all!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

I want to wish a very Happy Father's Day to my very sweet husband! What a great daddy Derek is. He is a great playmate, makes boo-boos disappear in a flash, makes bath time a complete riot, wrestles and runs on command, plays kitchen on command, and makes all three of us feel completely loved all the time.

Showing Evan the helicopters

Meeting Ella Grace for the first time

Shopping with EG and Momma

Playing computers with Evan

Taking us to church

Happy Father's Day, Derek! We love you!

I also want to say Happy Father's Day to my dad and Derek's dad! We had a fun day celebrating with my dad today and got to see Derek's dad on Friday. We are lucky to be surrounded by such loving men!

Two Year Portraits

2009-06-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

I just got Ella Grace's two-year-old portraits back from the photographer. I was a little late getting them made. She was actually 2 1/2 at the time we had them made. The photographer (Cunningham Photography for all my local friends), did a great job. He took us to a local park, and it was gorgeous there. Ella Grace did so well. She would pose and smile when we asked her to. It also helped that he had a bag that was full of stuffed animals! =) I took pictures of the portraits with my camera, so it's not the best quality or even that straight (ha!), but I wanted to share them. I'll be getting them framed and hung soon.

What a sweet girl she is. How two years has flown by! What joy she brings every single day!

Benji

2009-06-17T08:26:00.001-07:00

Do any of you guys remember Benji? If you were a 70's/80's kid like me, I bet you remember him. Well, I have recently introduced Benji to Evan and Ella Grace, and they LOVE him! They haven't picked up on the jazzy 70's music, clothes and cars yet. Wooowee! Ha! They just love watching him solve crimes and help those in distress. You can get 4 Benji movies for $10 at Best Buy. What a bargain!!! =)

Perspective

2009-06-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

One of the many things I have learned from our journey with Evan's autism is there is always something in which to be thankful. I'm thankful he can run, play and have fun. I'm thankful he is healthy, beautiful, and can learn. I'm incredibly thankful for every word he says. The list goes on. We know so many families and children with disabilities, and some are extremely difficult situations that definitely put things in perspective for me. I guess it is like that with anything in life, you can always measure your pain against someone else's pain and find that you have a lot indeed to be thankful. BUT, pain is pain and God's grace is sufficient!

Last night at church we had a speaker, Nick Vujicic. He is from Australia and was born without arms or legs to parents who were in ministry. He shared his testimony and the joy he has in the Lord. He was amazing, and I wanted to share some things he said that I found profound.

When talking about how he would pray to God as a child that He would give him arms and legs, he said it would have been sad if God would have answered that prayer because through his story and the way God made him, others were coming to know Christ. He said, "If God doesn't give you a miracle today, you are a miracle of God." He also said, "What God doesn't change, he has a plan." "Remain the miracle God made you to be." "Be thankful for what you have."

I also wanted to include the verses he said have helped him through some depressing times in his life:

"11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11,

" 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

" 1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:1-3.

I found his testimony incredibly encouraging (and of course I bawled like a baby through most of it). It was just incredibly touching and I felt like I could definitely relate, not just because I have a child with special needs, but in the ups and downs of life in general.

Attached is a video I found on YouTube. There are tons more if you want to see more.

A Visit with Harper

2009-06-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today was such a fun day! I got to go with my friend, Kandi, to see Kelly and Harper! Kelly lives about three hours from us. I had the best time catching up with Kandi on the way to and from Kelly's house. The entire drive seemed like it only took 10 minutes.

Harper was excited about our visit. Ha! This is the first time I have gotten to see Harper in person, and believe me, she is just as beautiful as her pictures.

She is just the sweetest little thing! I could have taken her home with me!She was so tired but didn't want to take a nap. I guess she thought we were just too exciting. Ha! She did let me hold her, but she really preferred Kandi. Blondes DO have all the fun! Ha!

My pretty friends, Kelly and Kandi

Kandi and Kelly were roommates and I (and my roommate, Jennifer) was their suitemate. This is us in about 1992 before we went to the homecoming game. I was evidently in my Brooke Shields eyebrows phase. Hee hee!

Thanks for having us, Kelly! We had THE best time with you and Harper! I also enjoyed the scrumptious lunch you made for us! YUM!

The pool is STILL not complete. They were installing the liner and realized we weren't sent the right one, so they left the wrong one in to protect the bottom from the storm we had today. When I got home, Evan had turned it into a waterslide. =) I'm appalled he was sliding into that nasty water. SIGH! Boys!

Pool Progress

2009-06-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Several of you have asked for a pool update. I haven't really updated on it because honestly not much was happening while we were getting all that rain. The "pool man" told us we should be in it by this weekend, but this is what it looks like right now at 2:15 Thursday afternoon. I have a hard time believing we'll be swimming on Saturday.

They just finished the inside of the pool and are supposed to drop the liner in today. I think then it will start to really feel like it is almost done. While it was cool and rainy, it didn't both me that it wasn't complete, but now that it is hot and sunny it is a different story. Last weekend was torture because Derek was at drill and the kids and I were stuck in the house all weekend because the backyard was/is a construction zone and it's not safe for them to be out there. It was a long weekend with two little ones that had lots of energy to burn and nowhere to do it! =) Hopefully, this weekend they will get plenty of exercise swimming like little fish.

I think even more than the swimming pool, Derek is mostly excited about his square of concrete that will be his little basketball court. Derek is quite the b-baller and is known by a lot of his friends as a mean 3 point shooter and was often called "D-Rock" or "D-Train." Ha! Anyway, I had told him I would really love to engrave our initials in the concrete of the ball court and was shocked when he agreed! We almost waited too late, but we did get our initials in there before the concrete got way too hard. I put a big "H" with all our initials and the date around it. I think Derek was okay with it because he is covering the entire thing with this stuff that makes it look like an actual court with a lane, 3 point line, etc.

I felt a little sorry for him as he was putting up his "official" goal and got to the part of mounting the backboard and noticed he was shorted a part. Spaulding said it was on backorder at first, but thankfully a nice lady (I think the third person he talked to) said they DID have the part and would send it right out.

The lone pole

Well, the pool guys are back from lunch. I'll post a picture at the end of today to show where we are and if we are on track for the weekend. Derek is getting ready to be out of town for a big chunk of the summer, and it would be terrible if he doesn't get to swim or play basketball before he leaves. Bless his heart.

Funny Girl

2009-06-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Ella Grace is one funny chick! It's so cute to see her little sense of humor emerge. It's amazing to me that she already knows how to tease others (in a cute way of course). She loves to tell me I'm precious (and, no, I did not and do not coax her), but my mom and sister love to tell her they are precious, and she will tell them they are NOT and will say, "Momma precious." Ha! Then, they will ask her who is precious. She will start answering me and then go down the list of every family member not to include the person that is asking. The whole time she is sporting a grin. It's just SO funny!

Tonight, she dropped some spaghetti on her foot at dinner and said, "Momma I got "sketti" on my big toe. Will you lick it?" I laughed out loud (and, no, I did NOT lick it).

When I tickle her, she says, "My pits are closed," meaning not to tickle her under her arms.

She STILL says, "Momma, I love you all the time," and I eat it up! I hope she never stops saying it!

She told me Monday, "My brother is so sweet." Hope she always feels that way.

She begged for me to paint her fingernails for the first time this week. We have painted her toenails lots of times but never her fingers. Well, I did it, and she LOVES them. After I painted them, she said, "Just like Emily," her friend. We haven't seen Emily for about two months. Amazing she remembered that. She remembers EVERYTHING (especially if has anything to do with fashion or accessories)!

She calls Target "the circle store" because of their logo.

She wanted to order cheese dip at Chik-fil-a.

Just wanted to jot down a few things I don't want to forget.

Oh, and PLEASE don't be jealous, but guess who I get to see on Friday...

The one and only Miss Harper

Not that I am trying to rub it in (well, maybe a little-ha!). This will be the first time I have seen her in person, and I am SO excited. I just can't wait to get my mitts on her (that is if I can tear her away from her mommy for a minute)! =)

"I Found Jesus!"

2009-06-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

I miss my old blogging routine...writing about what we've been up to every other day and then getting to read all my favorite blogs. So much is happening...babies being born, rooms getting redecorated, kids graduating from Kindergarten AND high school. It's hard to keep up. I'm just missing y'all. Seriously!

Last Tuesday was Evan's last day of school. It was so bittersweet. I am thrilled how well he has done this year and all he has accomplished, but I am also sad to leave the sweet teachers, therapists and paraprofessionals that I know God placed in our paths. We will miss them. I stopped by a little early and brought them each a plant, note and little picture of Evan. I thought the little plants turned out so cute. The florist did them, so I can't take credit. I just love the little buckets! I made it out of there without crying. Now, that was a miracle (I did come a little close a couple of times though)!

We celebrated several days later with a trip to The Jump Zone. Fun was had by all.

My three kids.

My girl and me taking a break.

Thursday we got to go to the school Evan will attend next year, and I have a feeling (after meeting the teacher) that we will be equally blessed next year. Tomorrow starts his first day at A-Camp. I'm so excited about it. I just know Evan will have a blast!

Isn't this just the cutest little logo? I can't wait to take a picture of him tomorrow in his little camp uniform.

Saturday morning, I awoke, like most mornings, with Ella Grace's head in my back. She has gotten into a habit of sneaking into our bed at night. We have the best of intentions of moving her back to her bed, but lately it just hasn't happened. I guess Momma and Daddy are just tired! Well, Friday morning, the kiddos and I slept in. Derek was already gone for the morning when EG and I woke up. I had no more opened my eyes and she said, "Momma, I found Jesus!" I was so surprised at this statement by my two-year-old. I asked her, "What did you say?" She said again so proudly, "I found Jesus. Let me show you." Well, she had indeed found Jesus. Remember this? Well, he is found and has been getting lots of loving over the past several days.

Jesus has been found!

I love this picture. This evening I found her curled up reading to her baby, "Abby." She always wants to cover up with this tablecloth she drags out of the China chest. I guess she just thinks it is a comfy blanket. Wow! She looks so big here! Time please stop!

Who is Your "Star"?

2009-06-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend, Kandi, sent this to me today. It was a copy of Ben Stein's final column. Wow! I wanted to share it with you, too. It made me think about my husband, my son, and Evan's teachers and therapists as tears flowed down my cheeks as I read his words. If you have a few minutes, read it. Well said, Ben!

Ben Stein's final column --

For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called 'Monday Night At Morton's.' (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

Ben Stein's Last Column...
How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I 'slug' it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is 'eonline FINAL,' and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened..? I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a 'star' we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails..

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq . He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad . He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him..

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad .

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament... the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But, I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York . I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.

By Ben Stein

Things...They are a Changin'

2009-05-29T12:03:00.001-07:00

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. To say we are busy, well we just ARE. I always thought things would slow down when Evan got in big school, but if anything we are just busier!!!

Evan has three days left of school. Wednesday will mark his last day of his first year of school. I spent three years prior worrying myself sick about his school placement, the teachers he would get, etc., etc., and this year has been nothing but a HUGE blessing. He got the perfect placement with the most amazing teachers and aide. They have loved Evan and he has learned SO much this year. We've been blessed! As if that wasn't already fantastic, I had heard our school district was going to start a class just for children with autism. It was going to be a small class (just eight students) and was going to incorporate the curriculum Evan was already using and doing SO well with. The class was approved, and they are putting the class at Evan's neighborhood school!!! No more three hour commute every single day. Evan will be going to his home zoned school next year to a placement I think is perfect for him. I will miss the teachers he has this year, but I know they have prepared him to move on. I just can't believe out of all the schools, in the district they picked Evan's neighborhood school!!! We are so excited and SO incredibly thankful!

This summer Evan will go to A-Camp (An Awesome Camp for Kids with Autism). It is the first year for the camp that two moms have worked tirelessly to make a reality. Seven kiddos with autism (most of them we already know) will spend Monday thru Friday together just having FUN! Evan has worked so hard since age two. It is about time for some F-U-N! They will have theme weeks and lots of activities and play. My biggest hope for his time at A-Camp (in addition to the fun) is for Evan to develop friendships. That is a hard thing with autism...most of them don't really care to form those kind of relationships. I want that so badly for him.

Our summer will be busy because in addition to camp, he is going to another academic program and we still have to fit in speech and occupational therapies and swimming lessons. Other than that, my plan is for LOTS of time at HOME!

I hosted Bunco last night. It was my first time to host and I had so much fun planning it. Since it was Cinco de Mayo month, I went with a Mexican theme. We had chicken enchiladas, salad, corn dip and cheese dip. I also got the cutest "fiesta" decorations at Party City. We have the best mommy group in my little town. I have formed some great friendships!

I love my sister's corn dip. Here is the recipe. It is so easy and is SO yummy served with Fritos.

Corn Dip

2 cans whole kernel corn
1 bunch green onion
1/4 C chopped pickeled jalepenos
8 oz sour cream
1 C mayonaise
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs Accent
12 oz grated cheddar cheese

Just mix all together and chill before serving. It's delish!

Derek and the kids didn't get home until 10:00 last night since they had to hide out while I had Bunco, we all decided to sleep in this morning. Evan was so excited this morning not to have to go to school. We spent the morning at the park with some friends and then went to lunch. The weather is so beautiful and we had such a great time. I got some cute pics of the kidlets while we were there.

As soon as we were out of the car, Evan was running to the slide.

Could he BE any cuter? I just don't think so!

Ella Grace climbed to the top herself but then was too scared to slide down without a little help.

Not scared of anything!

Walking to the bridge to see the "chocolate water" as EG called it. It really was rather murky. When I took this picture, she was yelling, "Wait up guys!" She is getting SO big and talking SO big!

I love him!

I'm on the countdown until my cruise. I have been working out like a mad woman trying to get in shape. I have continued running after the run clinic ended. Tomorrow we run four miles for the first time. One of my friends is trying to convince me to run a 1/2 marathon that is coming up in October. She has us on a training schedule. I haven't completely committed to it, but I've been participating in the training, so we'll see what happens. I am enjoying it though. I have also been going to boot camp five days a week. We just finished up the first camp that was five weeks. I have lost a total of 9.5 inches and 8 lbs. I'm going to keep at it until we set sail. It has been some hard work but I have had the best time. It is so much easier for me when I know someone is counting on me to be there to work out or run. If it is left just up to me, it just won't happen.

The other big change for us will be in the Fall. I signed Ella Grace up for Mother's Day Out at our church. I thought I had actually decided she was not going to go, but she is SO ready and I think she really needs the social interaction. I decided to go by and visit. We got to go in the classroom and play on the playground for a bit. The best part of sitting in on the praise and worship time. Let me tell you it was PRECIOUS. These little ones were reciting memory verses and finishing parts of a Bible story. They were singing and doing hand motions to the song. I thought I might just pass out from all the sweetness! I decided it was a great fit for EG, so I signed her up. It was only confirmed when we were walking out the door and Ella said, "I had the best day!" We were only there two hours. Ha! I'm a little sad, but it will be so good for her, and it's only one day. Right???

She has also graduated to big hair bows. I just packed up all of the little ones to give to a friend. =( They are just growing up too fast!

Anyway, that's what we've been up to. I've missed all of you and look forward to catching up on blogs hopefully this weekend. Hope you and yours and doing well. =)

Kris Video

2009-05-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about Kris Allen winning AI. I felt a little silly when I found myself bawling at the end of that loooong two hour show, especially when Ella Grace asked me, "Momma, are you so proud? Are you crying?" Ha! I just love it when other people's dreams come true. I cry at the end of pageants, big sporting events, Hallmark commercials, etc. Just the way I roll.

A friend of mine on FaceBook posted this video of Kris leading worship at my church. It also features my home town. These are spots I see daily. Thought you might like to see a glimpse of my church and my town. Plus, Kris' version of "God of this City" is amazing. LOVE that song! I hope you enjoy it. I couldn't get it to upload, but you can copy and paste this address to see it.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=81670628151&h=3LGIU&u=kBPzn&ref=nf

I Want to Sing About Jesus

2009-05-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

This morning, on an errand to the post office, I hear the tiny voice of my precious 2-year-old daughter say, "Momma, I want to sing about Jesus!" This is the first time she has EVER said that. My heart melted right then and there. I bet we sang "Jesus Loves Me" 50 times today and it was the most precious time with her. I never want to forget that moment. She also begs to go to church throughout the week. I pray she always wants to "...sing about Jesus," and "...go church."

Sweet baby girl

American Idol

2009-05-12T17:41:00.001-07:00

So, what did you guys think about tonight's show? First of all, the judges drive me crazy. They behave so immaturely that it is a distraction away from the contestants. Silliness!!!

I think all three of the guys are incredibly talented and did a great job tonight, but I sure hope Kris wins. Danny seems sweet and he would be my second choice. I just can't get on board with Adam's theatrical style. Kris is definitely my favorite (and would be still even if he wasn't from my home state, a city over, and a worship leader at my church).

Our view of Kris when he came to Little Rock for his home visit.

I've never voted for an AI contestant until this season and it has just been the last several weeks. It will be interesting to see where Allison's votes go.

Who are you rooting for?