Twenty-Eleven Christmas Wrap Up

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Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:17



This Christmas we celebrated as certified Georgia residents. It was a great Christmas and we were once again blessed with too many gifts and the fun of being with family. We are so blessed and it was good to remember that God gave the greatest gift of all in His Son, Jesus. 

Jake and Judd enjoyed a little shooting with Big Buddy, Daddy and the Cousins.

Sadie enjoyed opening presents this year.
Jake’s face here is priceless. Judd got a real Angry Birds game and he was excited. 
He is always so laid back and enjoys life. 
We are continuing our tradition of opening pajamas on Christmas Eve. Even Mema got a new set this year. 
Jake was happy to get UGA pajamas. 
Anna Kate was enjoying her new pj’s.

Christmas morning….
Anna Kate got Littlest Pet Shop
Sadie was happy to have an “extra” blanket to use in the car. Hopefully, this will help with the screaming. 
The boys got a basketball goal and enjoyed a few minutes of bball before getting dressed for church. 
She is so shy and hates to perform!ha!
Mema wanted a few pictures with the kids, however, she really only got this one!

I think that Sadie wasn’t really interested in taking pictures with Mema and Uncle Zim on Christmas Day in her new Christmas dress. 

Thankfulness 486-500

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486. hearing my kids sing Christmas carols around the house all week

487. worship on Jesus’ birthday

488. my kid’s excitement over playing with their cousins and seeing other family

489. lots of playing the Wii

490. Christmas pajamas

491. the kids loving all of their gifts

492. hearing Anna Kate say “that’s what I ALWAYS wanted” after she opened every present

493. watching the boys enjoy their new basketball goal

494. playing new games together

495. the kids singing Happy Birthday, Jesus and blowing out His candles on the cinnamon roll cake

496. celebrating the birth of my Savior with those I love…what could be better?

497. enjoying a date with my husband using a gift card

498. taking now the Christmas decorations and getting the house back in some form of normal

499, I am SO excited that Sunday is coming and we will officially be at Second Baptist Church January 1, this Sunday!!

500. I am so thankful for sweet Sadie but I do wish that she would not S.C.R.E.A.M every.single.time. we get in the car especially since we have a 25 min drive every time we want to go to “town.” (wink…that is for your Jim).

Saying Goodbye…

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This post is just a collection of pictures taken our last few weeks in Tennessee.

Sadie saying good-bye to Caden. 
This was our last meal (breakfast) at our kitchen table. This was my ninth anniversary and I was so very emotional about giving this table away. 
 
Jake (6), Cooper (6), Judd (4), Colton (3), Anna Kate (3), Caden (17 months), Sadie (12 months)
We went to the Kenney’s Thanksgiving night. The kids enjoyed playing together one last time. We were able to get them all together for a picture. 
 This is PawPaw and YaYa. They were our Jake, Judd and Anna Kate’s Sunday School teachers throughout or four years at Crosspointe.
 This is the text for Jim’s last message. 
 I was able to capture him preaching his last message at Crosspointe. 
I decided to take a picture of the church sign as we were leaving for the last time. 
 We were in Tennessee for a couple of weeks before moving so we decided to make memories before leaving. On this particular night, we drove to Sikeston, Missouri to eat at Lambert’s, The Only Home of the Throwed Roll. 
 Our kids thoroughly enjoyed the roll throwing and the time together. 

 Good catch, Jake!
 This is the day the moving truck arrived….
Jake (6), Graham (9), Simeon (6 weeks), Judd (4), Emelia (6), Sadie (12 months), Anna Kate (3)

The Tuso’s were kind enough to invite us over for dinner since everything we owned was in boxes.

 Sweet Sweet Nae-Nae deserves her very own blog post. We LOVE and MISS Nae-Nae more that we can even begin to express.

 Day Two of the movers packing the house. 
 Sadie’s high chair during all of the packing. 

This was were we stayed our last night in Tennessee. I took this picture as we were pulling out heading to Georgia.

I miss my normal. I miss my home. I miss my friends. I miss my kid’s friends. I miss my life in Brighton, TN. I miss Crosspointe. I miss life as I knew it just three months ago. I am so thankful for my time in Tennessee and all that God did while we were there.

BUT

I am excited about my new normal. I am excited about SBCWR. I am excited about my new friends. I am excited about my kid’s new friends. I am excited about our future!!

Thankfulness #474-485

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It has been so long since I last posted. I am still counting all of the things I am thankful for but it seems that I am too busy to listed them out one-by-one.

474. Pinterest and all of the new ideas it brings into my life and our home.
475. We are thankful for all of the friends that we left in Tennessee.
476. I have been blessed to enjoy the weather in Georgia not staying below 60 since we moved.
477. We are enjoying the longer days that middle Georgia bring. It actually stays daylight until 6 instead of pitch dark at 5:00.
478. I am thankful for Jim having time to help transition our family these last few weeks. I will miss him being home after the new year, but we will all enjoy a more “normal”routine.
479. The boys and I are eager to start our new Classical Conversations community in January. We will be joining a group in Warner Robins.
480. This past week Judd turned five. He will be getting his own post as soon as I take pictures of him being-FIVE!!
481. It is such a huge blessing to be able to spend these first few months of transition to Georgia with my Mom. We are praying that our house will sell soon and then we can pursue permanent housing options, but in the meantime we call Elko home.
482. Jim and I are thankful that we have two very reliable vehicles especially with the long drives that come with living in Elko.
483. Oh, I am quickly learning what it means to have family to help babysit. 🙂
484. I am thankful for just a few minutes of quiet time….oh how I need just a few minutes each day.
485. I am thankful for this Christmas season and what it means to my life.

This boy…

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This boy…is FIVE!


Judd is sweet! 


My sweet sensitive Judd. When asked who you love you say “both” (mommy and daddy). You are never far from your Daddy’s side if he is home. You still want to do and be just like Daddy. You love football, baseball and basketball.  

You are a great eater. You love egg sandwiches, vegetables and fruit. You are one of the only people in our family who eats chocolate. I love your big imagination and how you still love to snuggle even at five. You cry easily. Did I mention that you like football? You are quick to ask every.single.night. Is there any football on?baseball?basketball? 

Judd, you love your siblings. Oh, I know you love Anna Kate and Sadie, and I’m sure you will grow to have a wonderful relationship, but you really love Jake. The two of you play and play and play, and most of the time, very well together. Your giving heart just amazes us. You are SO giving and considerate especially to your siblings. We love watch you hug and take care of Sadie. 

This is one memory that we don’t want to forget: One night Jake was going to get a spanking for some very apparent defiance and as your Daddy was walking into your room YOU stop him and say, “Daddy, don’t spank Jake. Spank me instead.”

You are a FIVE year old boy who still wants me to help you brush your teeth, put your shoes on your feet, and brush your hair. Just to see your smile makes others smile. Your gentle and caring spirit is seen in all you do. At five, you still sleep with 8 stuffed animals positioned ever so perfectly in your bed. You share and want others to be happy. 

School is something that you are enjoying very much. You can write, are learning to read, telling time, counting money and infatuated with numbers. When we are sitting around the dinner table you are always asking: Daddy, what is 1+99, what is 89-7+3+7=? I am glad that you are enjoying going to Classical Conversations and memorizing so many things. I am  impressed at your desire to learn. 

Judd, this is your last year of Cubbies and I am praying you continue to hide the Word in your heart. I love to hear you walk around quoting John 1:1-7. 


Judd, you are a beautiful person, inside and out and we all love you so much.

Thankfulness #465-473

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Today is my 9th anniversary!  

I am so thankful for the following:
465.  I am thankful that I am married to my best friend. 
466.  Sharing my life with someone so awesome. 

467.  I am thankful that two are better than one; together we stronger than we are apart.
 
468.  I love having someone to laugh with.
 
469.  He is here to hold me when life gets me down.
 
470.   I am so thankful that I have someone to come home to.
 
471.  Jim challenges me in my walk with the Lord and it is a blessing.  

472.  I am thankful that he is willing to help with the laundry.
473.  And honestly, it is nice knowing that he is near and that we get to cuddle.
I love you! I am thankful for you and all of the many ways God has blessed our marriage!

Thankfulness #414-#464

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Why we are thankful for DADDY!

414. You are YOU!

415. You are almost always calm.

416. You read the Bible to us.
417. You are fun!
418. You always try to make it home for dinner.
419. You encourage us to be our best.
420. You make us smile.
421. You are an amazing husband.
422. You are fun to play with.
423. You keep us safe.
424. You take us out to eat.
425. You play the Wii with us.
426. You play Dead Gorilla with us.
427. You throw us high.
428. You have a loving personality.
429. You are patient.
430. You are FUN Daddy.


431. You complete Mommy.
432. You play games with us.
433. You joke around with us.
434. You are holy.
435. You are godly.
436. You love the Lord.
437. You are our hero.
438. You watch the Braves with us.
439. You watch the Bulldogs with us.
440. You play princess dress-up with us.
441. You sing songs with us.
442. You lead us in family worship.
443. You are the grill master.
444. You are the best Mario player ever.
445. You play the guitar.
446. You love books.
447. You send sweet emails to mom.
448. You like to send mom sweet texts.
449. You give good hugs.
450. You are MARVELOUS.
451. You like to build train tracks.
452. You like to play cars.
453. You like to read Fancy Nancy books.
454. You are very smart.
455. You are a great Pastor Jim.
456. You like to play outside.
457. You like to be our coach.
458. You like to throw the football and baseball.
459. You are living .
460. You are peaceful.
461. You are good.
462. You are faithful.
463. You are self-controlled.
464. You work hard for our family.

Thankfulness #401-413

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This is Anna Kate’s thankfulness list for today. I have decided to as the kids to tell me what they are thankful for over the next few days. This is Anna Kate’s list. I must say that all I said to her was “Anna Kate, what are you thankful for today?”


401. Liberty (HUH? I am not quite sure I know why she said this, although it did make me chuckle!
402. My friend Salsa
403. My sister Sadie
404. My mommy
405. Ms. Shelley
406. Jake and Judd
407. My daddy
408. Nae-Nae
409. Food
410. JESUS
411. The Celebration (I do not know what she is talking about.)
412. Curious George
413. Books

Our orders from come from the Top!!

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“The steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord.”

I belong to God. Jim belongs to God. We’ve committed both our individual lives and our marriage to His calling and purpose

It was God’s leading that brought us to Crosspointe Baptist Church in Millington, Tennessee in August of 2007. He gave us a passion for this city, for this church and over the last few years we’ve developed a love for each and every one of you. The blessings of God have been abundant and you have made this journey so wonderful. I’m convinced that our days here have been ordained by the Lord.

That’s why this is so difficult. Through many months of prayer, we are convinced that God is asking us to travel down a new path, a path that will lead us away from Crosspointe and away from the CPBC family. Our home church, Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins, GA, has asked Jim to be their new pastor.  As of Sunday, November 13th, he has accepted their invitation.  Our tenure will conclude on the last day of November. This decision is the most difficult one we’ve had to make up to this point in our ministry. The difficulty comes not in saying yes to the Lord, but in saying goodbye to all of you.

Proverbs 16:9. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

In our hearts we never thought this day would come. We’ve served here with the mindset that we would never leave. However, the Lord has been stirring our hearts and we can say with full certainty that our time here is coming to an end.

We’ve become family over the past few years and now we’re moving away. As hard as it is to say goodbye the fact is we’re still family. As a matter of fact, maybe goodbye is the wrong word. The phrase “see you later” seems more appropriate.

God directs our steps and promises not to leave us nor forsake us. I’m confident that if God is leading us on to something new and wonderful then the same is true for all of you. If God is preparing to bless Jim and me with a new work then He’s preparing to bless all of you with a new pastor. We really believe that your best days are yet ahead.

We love you Crosspointe!!!