Greatest Meal Ever!

I am sure you are wondering what could possibly be the greatest meal ever? Was it the food? The ambiance? A romantic dinner for two? Well it was none of those things. So what then could it be you ask. Well, you will have to see the picture below to find out why Clay and I had one of the greatest meals we have had in a long long time!

Clayton asleep in the booth during the entire meal.

Yesterday, with the help of my Friend Tiffany, we had Clayton and Andrew's friend Mili and Sadie over to play so their mom could finish packing for their move to Arkansas. Mili and Clayton played from 2:00-6:30, so Clayton did not get his nap. After they left I didn't feel like starting dinner so we decided to grab a quick bite at my favorite Mexican restaurant. Clayton fell asleep in the car on the way there and stayed asleep in the booth during the entire meal, thus resulting in the most peaceful, greatest meals ever (okay maybe not ever but in a long long long time). It was amazing- I actually got to finish an entire sentence while talking to Clay without getting interrupted. I think I actually got to talk to him for 30 minutes straight. Normally Clayton spends the entire meal trying to climb onto Clay's back.

This Kiss.....

Today was a somewhat sad day for us. Our good friends, the Berry family, are moving back to Arkansas and it was their last day of church. While we are very excited for them and a little jealous they are getting to move back home. However, we are going to miss them terribly. They are such a wonderful family and inspiration to us all. They have two beautiful little girls and they are same age as our boys. When Clayton thinks of church, he thinks of Mili and his friend James (they are the three amigos of the blue room). I know he is going to be very sad when he realizes Mili isn’t there anymore. We love the Berrys so much that we are willing to go ahead and set up an arranged marriage with their daughters. We joke that if Clayton and Mili were to get married, they would have the palest children with the biggest blue eyes.

After church today there was a going away reception for them. I wanted to get some picture of Clayton and Mili together. Well….I told Clayton to give Mili a kiss on the check and this is what happened. I wish I could have gotten it on camera, especially so you could hear everyone there. It was hilarious.

Clayton and Mili

The innocent kiss on the cheek.
Mili decided to give Clayton a little kiss.

Then they just turned to each other and gave each other a big kiss!

After the kiss.

Andrew decided to take after his big brother and kiss Mili's little sister Sadie. I don't know if they are going to let us come back to church!

Birthday Cake

Here are the pictures from Andrew enjoying his birthday cake.

This is the greatest stuff ever!

So good, so good when it hits the lips.

I want to make sure I get every last bit in my mouth.

Happy Birthday to me!

This really is good.

Can we do this again?

This is like magic!

What are you doing eating my cake?

The boys aren't going to have their birthday party till August so there will be more cake pictures to come!

Happy First Birthday Andrew

Happy 1st Birthday Andrew!!!!

To my baby boy Andrew,

Happy Birthday my little man. I can’t believe you are 1 today. Where has the time gone? You are such a blessing from God. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 1 2 Corinthians 9:15

When I look at you I truly see the miracle that you are and how you are a creation from God. When I look at you I can’t help but be reminded of Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb 1 I chose you. 2 Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” Knowing that the Lord picked you out and gave you to us is an amazing thing. I am so grateful to have you in my life.

Here I am the morning I gave birth to Andrew.

Looking back, I really don’t know where this past year has gone. You have always been a very sweet little thing. That is why I refer to you as my little sack of sugar, although you aren’t so little any more. When you were only a few months old we used to joke how you were just dying for us to look at you so you could smile, and now you are dying for us to look at you so you can laugh and smile! People used to say, “Look at those cheeks!” when they would see you. Your checks have gone away but now people comment on your beautiful blue eyes.

Birth Day

Andrew 3 Months Old



Andrew 6 Months Old


Andrew 9 Months Old

Right now here are the things you are doing:

• 
  Your point at everything and say “da”. It is like you are saying, “what is that?”
• 
  You are not walking yet but you are a super fast crawler. You really move it when I am telling you no and you are crawling away from me.
• 
  You eat everything. If you see watermelon and don’t get any, you let us know how upset your are.
• 
  You think it is hilarious when Clayton throws things (thank you for encouraging him) or jumps off his bed.
• 
  You like to sit on your knees.
• 
  You have the most pathetic cry face.
• 
  You like to play catch. You throw the ball to me and I hand it back to you and you throw it back again. You do this over and over.
• 
  You love to cuddle.
• You are a climber. You always find a way to crawl onto the train table.

• 
  You like to crawl around with things in your hands, usually balls.
  You will be perfectly happy sitting there playing or with someone else holding you but if your daddy or I walk by you start crying.

Andrew, I know you will grow up to be an honorable young man and go on to do great things. However, the proudest moment for me will not be your high school graduation, college graduation, or t he day you get married but it will be the day you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Just as it says in 3 John 1:4: I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to the truth.

While I hope to teach you many things over your lifetime if you can only learn one thing from me I pray you will learn that following:

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. John 3:14-40

I pray that you know the Lord and love Him with all your heart and that you follow His will for your life.

Praise be to God for you my little man. I love you.

Your Mama.

Bo's 1 Year Pictures

As many of you know, I really enjoy photography so I decided to get a new camera and take some photography classes. Stephanie has been very gracious and allowed me to take Bo's 9 month and 1 year pictures. Here are some of the pictures from his 1 year session. I haven't gotten a chance to edit them yet- it will be a while before I have time to do that!

Mitchell Side of the Trip

Mitchell Side of the Trip

Carter, Mackenzie, and Clayton

While on the Mitchell side of the trip we took a trip to Tiger, Ga where we visited my Aunt Connie and Uncle Jack and Aunt Melody. The boys have decided to make Aunt Connie and Uncle Jack honorary grandparents since they don't have any grandchildren of their own. While in Tiger we took a trip to the Dillard house where we had a delicious lunch. After lunch we visited the petting zoo where Clayton got to feed a llama, cows, goats, and chickens. Andrew kept his distance.

After leaving the Dillard House we took a trip over to Goats on the Roof. That was truly a unique experience. It was made up of two separate building that were connected by a bridge. On top of the roof of the building they had houses for goats and they could walk back and forth between the two buildings. You could buy goat food and put it in a can that you cranked up to the top of the roof to feed the goats. It was really neat! Not only was it a neat place, they had some of the best homemade ice cream I have ever had.

Clayton feeding the llama. He thought it was a horse and while feeding it he kept saying, "it tickles."

This goat was so hungry he would stick his head through the fence to get some food.

Here we are at Tallulah Gorge

Andrew with Aunt Connie

Here is a picture of Goats on the Roof.

10 Days in Georgia: Tractors, Goats, Cousins- Oh My!

We just had 10 wonderful days in Georgia visiting family. The first half of the trip was spent on the Couey side where Clayton spent his days riding Grand Doug's tractor, feeding cows, driving Belle's pink "monster truck" and swimming in the pool.

Here is the Couey side of our trip:

Andrew and Clayton with their cousin Bo.

Clayton, Belle, Andrew and Bo

Clayton and Belle on Belle's pink "monster truck"

Andrew in the pool.

Here is Clayton helping Grand Doug drive the tractor.

Here are all the Couey Boys on the tractor. They are taking some hay to feed the cows.

Andrew having fun with the cows.

Clayton attempting to feed one lucky cow a single piece of hay.