More than Enough

50 Things {A Valentine for your Husband (or wife)}

2012-02-10T13:16:00.001-05:00

When Rob and I found ourselves and our marriage broken into a million pieces, I couldn’t begin to imagine how we would put it all back together again. We started seeing our pastor once a week for some counseling.

On our very first visit, he gave us some homework for the next week. This challenge was one of the best pieces of advice we received. He told us to WRITE down 50 things that we love, or are thankful for in our partner, and then pray every day, thanking God for those qualities in our mate.

The purpose was to refocus our attention from the few traits that drove us crazy, and to turn our attention to the 50 traits that made us crazy for one another. We both completed the assignment. This was in September. We were still hurting, a little mad, a little scared, but working it out.

For Christmas, I wanted to do something very special for Rob. I decided to really think about those 50 things I had written down. My love for him has grown so much over the last several months, and I’m so thankful for our trials because they have made our marriage better than ever. I rewrote the 50 things. I made a collage out of them in photoshop (you can do it in Microsoft Word too), printed it and framed it for a total of $7.00.

When he opened it, his eyes filled with tears, and he told me it was the BEST GIFT EVER! He immediately hung it over the night stand on his side of the bed.

Even if you don’t print it or frame it, I would encourage each of you who has a spouse (or special person in their life) to take the time to write down 50 things about them that you love or are thankful for. Don’t forget to pray and thank the Lord for those traits. I promise, it will be a gift they will remember forever.

Trophy of Grace

2012-02-08T09:51:00.001-05:00

Sunday night, we were invited to a Super Bowl party with some friends. I was excited to see all of them because I hadn’t seen them in so long. But I wasn’t excited about getting dressed because I am so embarrassed by the way I look right now. Over the past several months, I have been extremely lax with my diet.

As I started looking for something to wear, I tried to convince myself to just stay home. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry about what I looked like, or feel bad because I felt terrible about myself. I found it rather sad that because I was worried what everyone would think, or that I wasn’t okay with how I looked, I almost missed out on some sweet moments with sweet friends.

Don’t you think that sometimes we treat going to our Heavenly Father the same way? We feel like we aren’t good enough, or we haven’t done enough, or we have failed, so we just push Him further and further away. I know for me, there are times I feel bad even going to Him in prayer, because I haven’t been keeping up with my prayer life. So I miss out on time with Him on the account of my own failures.

The good news is that WE WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH! Even if we have the perfect prayer life, or what we perceive to be the perfect relationship with Jesus, it isn’t good enough. But that’s the beauty of grace. He loved us so much that he knew we would never be good enough. But the payment for our sins is enough. He wants us to come just as we are, right now. He loves you in this very moment, despite your fears and failures. While we will never may never be “good enough” we are His trophies of grace. When people look at us, and know that we are Christians, we are a shining example that He loves us for all of our stinking faults.

My friends were so glad to see me, as I was them. They didn’t care what I looked like, and once I got there, I was over worrying about it. Jesus doesn’t care what we look like. He can fix that. He wants us to love Him, accept Him and be His trophy of grace!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

2012-02-03T13:31:00.001-05:00

The Lord is so faithful to provide! As of today, we have raised EVERY CENT of Rob’s trip to Honduras. You all have been so generous and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We are so blessed beyond measure, and Rob is looking forward to this trip with great excitement. It was obviously meant for him to go. It was a whirlwind as he was signing up, because he really didn’t think about it. He just said, “okay.” But then came the reality that we didn’t have the funds for him to go. We decided to leave it up to the Lord, and knew that if it was meant to be, the doors would open.

Well, the doors didn’t just open, they FLUNG open!

There are no words to express our deepest gratitude for everyone who has contributed, both financially and prayerfully. Please continue to pray for their team. It has been brought to their attention that the area they are flying into may not be the safest place. We still have a couple of weeks before he leaves, so we will continue to update.

Much love to you all!!!

Vaughn Halen

2012-01-31T15:35:00.001-05:00

We have all thoroughly enjoyed playing Rock Band on the Wii that the kids got for Christmas. This is the first game that we can truly all play together.

Rob and I decided to name our band “Vaughn Halen.” It was really my idea:) Anyhow, I’d like to introduce you to our band members.

On the strings, we have Daddy.

I think he is possible THE hottest guitar player to grace the stage.

We sometimes have a fight over the drums because Cade and I both love to play. But, since it was his game, I conceded to him (at least for this video.) So…

On the drums, we have Caderade (he named his own character.)

I get so tickled at him gettin’ on that pedal. It takes all he has to push it down. He’s so adorably handsome!!!

SaraGrace has multiple talents. She loves to sing, but most of the time she gets us kicked off of the stage. I would say she should stick to dancing.

Here is our backup dancer, SaraGrace.

She’s got some mad skills that, I have to admit, come from her daddy.

I think we have some serious talent. I wonder if Rock Band would be applicable for “America’s Got Talent.”

Sunday Fun

2012-01-30T10:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, we had some friends over for lunch and some Sunday fun. After church, we gathered at our house for some barbecue sandwiches, and then the fun began.

I have been wanting to go to the Christian bookstore to get a couple of books. One was the Resolution for Women and the other was the Made to Crave devotional book. My friends, Ashley and Angi went with me and we had a great time shopping. I wanted to update Faith’s garden, and yesterday was the day to do it. We found all kinds of things to buy so we shopped ‘til we dropped.

We added all of the new goodies, along with some I had gotten the day before, and this was our Sunday Fun!

I love this angel!! It says “He walks with me and He talks with me.” I would love to know what Faith and Jesus talk about.

This flag is so bright and cheery and says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” I know my beautiful Faith has been made perfect!

Angi and Ashley bought this sign for Faith’s garden. It adds the perfect touch!

The new flowers added a touch of color, and even look a little Valentine-y. Here is the finished project. It looks so pretty and girly.

While we were out shopping and decorating, the boys and the kids were treasure hunting in our back yard. Cade got a metal detector for Christmas and finally took it for a spin.

Here is all of their loot:

The most exciting find of the day?

An old rusty Case pocket knife.

I think they had a great time digging up my yard. If not, it looks like an armadillo had the time of his life!!!

The Devil and Defeat

2012-01-25T13:41:00.001-05:00

It was never a dream of mine to be an author. It was not in my plans for my life. Once Faith came along, the Lord immediately started working on my heart to write a book. I tried with everything in me to avoid this calling that He had laid on me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get away from it.

It seemed like such an overwhelming process. I am extremely fearful of rejection. But the rejection of my child and her story just seemed too hard to bear. I met with a well-known author who was very honest in telling me that this business was a hard one. He said it was very hard to get published, and to be prepared for rejection. I told myself that was just God closing the door on the book. I just used the excuse that getting it published was going to be impossible.

Several weeks later, I went to a revival. The evangelist was also a published author. I knew that it was no coincidence that this man had written several books, and I had five days to meet with him and ask questions. I prayed about it and God lead me to meet with him. He was a wealth of information, even giving me some contacts in the industry. But it still seemed so overwhelming.

While calling on those contacts, I ran across a self-publishing agency and the doors began to fly open. I couldn’t believe how everything fell into place so quickly. But there was one problem….I couldn’t use the publishing excuse anymore. I even had a second company on hand, but decided against them once I learned I would have to sell them the rights to our story.

And so the writing began. I thought because the publishing end of it turned out to be pretty easy, the writing should flow pretty smoothly. Seeing that I had blogged nearly every breath I had taken over the last year, it would just come together. NOT!!!

Satan is doing everything he can to make me feel defeated. From feelings of “I cannot do this,” to “Your story is no different from anyone else’s.” Then, last night, I finally got some motivation to sit and write. I am borrowing my sister’s dinosaur of a laptop to write. It will not hold a charge, but will work as long as it is plugged in. After an hour and a half of serious writing, it died. The charger got overheated. I was so frustrated and felt, yet again, defeated. Ironically (we know it is the Holy Spirit and His awesome timing) Rob is reading a new book by C.S. Lewis, which is a story about two demons and how they do everything they can to defeat God’s people. I know, that I know, that I know God wants me to write this book…for now. All of the doors have been open, so I am going in the right direction.

I share this to tell you that when you feel everything is against you, seek the face of God. Be obedient to what He has called you to do, and though you may feel defeated, He WILL NOT be defeated. Be encouraged my sweet friends!!!

Just Me and SG

2012-01-23T13:55:00.001-05:00

This weekend, the boys went to the Hun-Tin house to finish some electrical work. I stayed behind because I was making a birthday cake for a dear friend. Because I do not stay by myself, SG and me stayed with said friend.

We had a great time getting ready for the party. I temporarily came out of cake retirement to make this masterpiece:

We worked on it Friday night and Saturday morning. The little girls decided to get dressed up after they woke up.

Princess Friends…

The actual birthday party was later that afternoon. The older girls were all dressed up for a photo shoot. The theme was black and hot pink. SG got dressed for the occasion too.

That is probably one of my most favorite pictures of her:)

As I was looking through the pictures to use for my post, it became apparent that SG had my phone for some time. She finally realized my iphone will allow you to take pictures of yourself. She had a hay-day!

Good times with Gracie are always a sure thing!!!

Yo Ho Yo Ho

2012-01-19T13:50:00.001-05:00

Today was SaraGrace’s pirate party at school. They could dress up, but couldn’t bring any guns or swords. Of course, SG was disappointed that she could not bring her armory with her, but she quickly got over it.

Thankfully, one of her sweet teachers texted me to remind me about it yesterday. I had plans to be creative and come up with a really cute outfit. That was yesterday. At 6:45 this morning, I remembered she was supposed to dress up. I had nothing put together. I emptied out her drawers in a hurry, and this is what I came up with…

Bless her heart! She had a really cute black belt on, but she didn’t understand why she had to wear it over her shirt. And those leggings, oh my! I grabbed my scissors and cut up the skirt, and when SG saw me doing that, she started asking lots of questions. I certainly hope she didn’t get any ideas.

I may have a couple of talents, but costume design is not one of them. Luckily, she thinks her costume is awesome and as her momma, that’s all that matters!!!

Best Hunt Ever

2012-01-18T11:12:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, Rob, myself and Cade joined Papa and Mr. Gary at the Hun-Tin House. Scoot stayed behind with Gamma to go to the Gator junaxtix meet.

We left late Friday afternoon, and it wasn’t long before we saw this in the back seat…

Apparently, school wore him out!

We woke him up for a stop at Waffle House. Y’all, our family loves us some Waffle House. So much so, that we bought 2 of their coffee mugs for our house:)

Cade and I didn’t hunt Saturday morning. We needed some sleep. Rob hunted, but had no luck. We decided to take a stroll back to the house to see the progress.

Have you ever seen such a pile of sawdust?

Here is the island.

What in the heck is going in all of those drawers? Maybe they plan to sleep some guests in there? or misbehaving children? Who knows.

Now on to the fun part. This was the BEST.HUNT.EVER! I tried to convince Cade to hunt with me, but he insists that I never let him shoot. So, I hunted by myself. Later, Cade sure was sorry he missed out.

I saw a total of 24 hogs in 2 1/2 hours. Here are the goods…

I shot both of these, and shot at a third hog. The worst part was, after I shot my last bullet, 6 more hogs came in and I had nothing to shoot them with. Speaking of no bullets, I had to wait for Rob to come and get me. It gets dark. REAL DARK. I am a scaredy cat with a capital S. Rob is always telling me “you have a gun, what are you scared of?” Hello! The gun does no good if you have no bullets to shoot. I got really scared. I was texting him asking him ever so nicely to hurry and get his hind-end over to me.

We had a great time, and I was certainly proud of my hogs. I can’t wait to go back again!!!

SaraGrace Goes to the Dentist

2012-01-16T12:51:00.001-05:00

SaraGrace had her first cleaning appointment with the dentist last week. Unfortunately for her, my fearless little fairy was scared to death. Her brother told her they were going to put drills in her mouth and pull all of her teeth out! So she took a little coaxing to get over her fear.

The first thing she did was find the headphones for the tv. Since they don’t have tv at home, it was a real treat!

Mrs. Sandy was so sweet to explain everything she was doing. After each step, SaraGrace would reply, “And then you’ll be done?” It was really cute!

But she thought she was big stuff when she got to hold and operate the big sucker!

Thankfully she didn’t have any cavities! And she got to pick TWO prizes out of the box. But the highlight of the trip was the following story:

Once we were done, I had to go into the waiting area to pay. SaraGrace was busy twirling her bag of goodies which included a new toothbrush, her very own Sponge Bob toothpaste, some “flost”, and her prizes. As I was paying, a very elderly lady asked, “Did you go see the dentist?” To which SaraGrace replied, “Uh-huh. And I got a new toothbrush, some SpongeBob toothpaste, and 2 prizes.” The lady then asked, “Well, did they clean your teeth?” SaraGrace said, “Yes ma’am. Do you want to smell them?” I nearly died, but nothing prepared me for the rest. The sweet old lady said, “Sure I’ll smell them.” She leaned forward, and wait for it…..SG exhaled a huge breath right in the lady’s face. I felt so sorry for her, but then realized she really messed up when she offered to smell her teeth. But she told her that they smelled so good, and it made SaraGrace’s day (and mine too. Now the lady, that’s probably a different story.)

Here’s Your Chance

2012-01-13T09:45:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wanted to take part in a mission trip, but couldn’t take the time off of work, or come up with the funds to be able to travel? If you have ever wanted the chance to be a part of a mission without actually having to travel or spend a bunch of money, here is your chance! Rob, and a team of men from area churches, are headed to Honduras with IMB in February. My dear friend, Sarah, has offered to host a Thirty-One fundraiser to help with Rob’s cost. We have to raise $870.00. If you would like to help send him to Honduras, as well as snag some really cute stuff, please read the letter below from Sarah, and check out the link. If you cannot help in this way, please know that you can still be a part by committing to being a prayer warrior for Rob and his team. Let me know if you have any questions!

Happy Shopping!!!

Hi there!

My name is Sarah and I am a friend of SaraBeth and Rob and I also happen to be a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts. Rob will be leaving on an international mission trip in mid-February. In order to help Rob raise funds for this trip I have agreed to give my total commission (25% of total product/embroidery sales) from this 31 sales event to Rob's trip. The event is open to shop from right now and will close on January 30, 2012. In order to shop simply visit the following website and follow the easy steps:

www.mythirtyone.com/sarahbeck
1. Click the tab, "Place an Order"
2. Click the "SHOP NOW" button in the box next to SaraBeth and Rob's Mission Trip Fundraiser event. In order for Rob to get the credit from this fundraiser, you must shop from that exact button and link.
3. You can pay and check out directly from this link. You also have the option to have your purchase sent directly to you (8% s/h charge +$4) or have the purchase sent with the total event and SaraBeth or Sarah will get it to you (8% s/h charge).
4. Your order will be submitted on January 30th and you can expect it to arrive within 2-3 weeks after the order is placed.
5. Check out the January monthly special by going to the above website and clicking on the tab, "Customer Specials." This month the very popular thermal lunch totes are only $10 and the new cinch lunch totes are only $15. These lunch totes make perfect teacher gifts, birthday presents, etc. Stock up now! :)

Thank you for supporting SaraBeth and Rob and their huge hearts for missions!!!

A Few of my Favorite Things

2012-01-11T11:07:00.001-05:00

I have started using some new products lately, and I thought it would be fun to share. Some of these I got for Christmas, and some I just stumbled upon. I am not getting paid in any way to tell you how much I love these things. I just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed them.

Up first, a head massager.

Kiss got my name for Christmas, and this was in my bag of goodies. I laughed because I thought she had gotten me a whisk. Let me tell you, this thing is DIVINE!!! If you love a good head rubbin’, you’ll love this. She bought mine at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Another thing Kiss bought me for Christmas is a Tervis Tumbler. This is a hot/cold cup that keeps things the way they’re supposed to be.

I use mine for my coffee, diet pepsi and my unsweet tea. I LOVE IT!!! She also got this at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Since the new year, I have had a itchin’ to get more organized, so I started with a deep cleaning of my house. I hate nothing more than to clean the bathrooms. We have hard water, so our bathtubs are always a nightmare. However, I found this…

It was like manna from heaven! It wiped that tub clean better than even bleach. It was so EASY and it sparkled when I was done. I found this at Dollar General.

I have never been one that takes great care of my skin. Call me lazy or ignorant, but it has never been very important to me. But now that I am noticing these terrible bags under my eyes, and quite a few wrinkles, I decided to pay a little more attention. My mom bought me the microderm abrasion kit from Mary Kay for Christmas.

This stuff works wonders. Not as wonderful as a facial (hint, hint), but I love it. I use it once a week. She also bought me the Timewise set for daily use and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Last, but not least, we have been given the gift of the best kitchen appliance EVER!

Rob wanted a griddle so bad, and we finally got one. This thing is the best! Cade and SaraGrace request pancakes at least 4 times a week. We use it all the time. My favorite to make on it is zucchini. But Rob’s pancakes are pretty great too. It is so nice to be able to cook everything at one time!!!

Have you come across something fun and wonderful? I would love to hear all about it. So spill the beans!!!

If I Learned One Thing in 2011…

2012-01-09T15:45:00.001-05:00

When the new year came upon us, I contemplated doing a recap post, but it’s been a busy year, and if you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you know it’s been a HECK of a year.

So instead of doing a recap post, I decided to reflect on what God has shown me this past year-the toughest year of my life! There are so many things He has taught me, but they all come down to one thing.

GOD IS GOOD!

When we found ourselves faced with so many unanswered questions, God was GOOD to show us the way with great clarity. He made decisions for us, putting people in our lives, strengthening our faith and bringing us joy in the midst of the greatest heartache known to man.

When we found ourselves holding our daughter, Faith, for the very short time she was here on earth, God was SO GOOD to provide us with that precious time. He was good to allow her to leave my arms to go into His in such a peaceful way. He was so GOOD to grant us the peace that passes all understanding when we couldn’t understand anything at all.

When our children asked the most difficult questions of their parents, God was so GOOD to give us the words and the wisdom to explain, to comfort, to love and to carry them. It warms my heart when I hear from adults that Cade or SaraGrace has told them all about Faith. And they always marvel at how they know that she is in Heaven. That, my friends, is the goodness of the Heavenly Father.

When our marriage hit rock bottom, and we found ourselves overwhelmed with hurt, failure, and desperation, the Holy Spirit was so GOOD to move in us, reminding us who we were and who’s we were. He stirred our souls, making us fall in love all over again with a stronger, tougher love that Satan WILL NOT ever destroy. God is so GOOD!

When we were born into sin, and deserved the penalty of an eternity in Hell, God is so GOOD that He sent his only son to die on the cross, to pay the pardon for our sins that we may one day spend an eternity in Heaven. This is also what gives us the promise of seeing our Faith in Heaven one day. He is so GOOD!

God is Good! All the Time!

Miss Kitty and Prayer Requests

2012-01-05T13:43:00.001-05:00

Miss Kitty is adjusting to life pretty good in the Vaughn household. She has now become just like one of our children. She is rambunctious, free-spirited, and doesn’t listen very well:) However, she has become pretty good friends with the person that disliked her the most.

See this?

When we sit on the couch, she snuggles with her best friend ONLY.

She gets rubbed and petted, and she is just in heaven.

And how dare you wake her? She just sleeps so peacefully.

And just who is her best friend in the whole wide world?

I love how she rides around on his shoulder all the time. I sometimes wanna ask, “Kitty want a cracker?”

She does keep us laughing by jumping in the shower with us, attacking our feet under the covers at night, and running like a crazy woman all over the house. And we always find her hiding in the craziest places….

The chip bag in the pantry being the latest.

On a more serious note, I have a couple of prayer requests…

Our friends, Josh and Chelsea Chappell, lost their 3 month old son in his sleep this week. Rob and I have been in touch with them and are going to the visitation tonight and the funeral tomorrow. Please pray for this sweet family as their life has been tragically changed forever. Also, please pray that the Lord will give Rob and I the strength to be the friends they need us to be. This has uncovered some emotions that we thought we had buried pretty deep. We are just hurting so much for them.

Please pray for me as I have decided to be obedient to a calling that the Lord has laid on my heart. A possible door has opened for me to write a book. I haven’t shared this because frankly, I don’t want to fail and have to share my failure. But I know that I have to be obedient to pursue it, and trust the Lord will open and close the doors as He sees fit. I got a very encouraging phone call today, and it looks like I am going to have to get busy pretty soon. Please pray for me to not get discouraged, to glorify God with all of my words and decisions, and that He will give me clear direction in what He would have me do.

Thank you all for loving and supporting our friends and family with your prayers.

Much love!

Christmas Recap {The Longest Post in History}

2012-01-02T11:22:00.001-05:00

I feel like I have been cooped up way too long without being able to blog. We have been out of town, and my husband and my dad frown at me when I announce those things on the blog and facebook. So….I have a lot of things to share, and I thought I would be an overachiever and do it all in one post:)

The first Christmas event that happened was Cade’s school concert. I wish I would have videoed some, and my pictures aren’t that great, but I have to post this particular picture because he looks so dang cute! (He’s the short little fella in the front row.)

Let me tell you, that boy was serious about his singing. He even said a verse in the microphone like a pro!

Then, several days later, we went Christmas shopping with Grandma Sandy (Rob’s mom). Every year, she gets him the mandatory supply of underwear and socks. This year was no different. Rob has expensive taste in underwear. Under Armour sells these dry-fit drawers and they are $20 each! So we went to Sports Authority to buy the underwear. But….they come in two different lengths. You would think that since the boy wears them every day, he would know exactly which ones to buy. But…he didn’t. He sat and pondered the boxes trying to decide.

And at $20 each and a No Return on Underwear policy, we couldn’t afford to be wrong. So what did this loving wife do…

See this guy?

I had no other choice than to pull him down off of his shelf, strip him of his current attire, and try on the two different styles. To say my husband was totally embarrassed is a complete understatement. But guess what! We got the right size!!!

Speaking of Grandma Sandy, I hosted her, her mom and both of her children and families for a traditional Christmas dinner. This was a first for Rob’s family, so it was really special. The menu was fried turkey (courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law), homemade cornbread dressing, Aunt Wimmy’s sweet potato casserole (the biggest hit of the night!), fresh green beans, mustard greens (courtesy of my sister-in-law), Sister Shubert’s yeast rolls, a homemade pecan pie and 4-way delight. I felt like Betty Crocker, and was dang proud of the fruits of my labor.

But cooking wasn’t the best part. The best part was getting to use my fine china (the third time in 13 years).

I joke all of the time that this was the only good thing that came from my starter marriage:)

We had a great time spending time together as a family, and I’m so thankful I was able to host it. I can’t wait to do it again next year.

Then it was time for Christmas. I’m sad to say I didn’t take any pictures of the actual gift opening, but I did enjoy getting to watch everyone open their gifts. We draw names in our family for the adults, and of course, I get my dad EVERY YEAR! He’s so hard to buy for because if he sees something he wants, he just goes and gets it. So I have to be creative. This year, I enlisted the help of our friend Jack. I had a vision, and he made it happen.

This is to hang over the front door on the outside of the house, to let everyone know they are at the “Hun-Tin House.” Let me just tell you that my dad was beyond thirilled. Success!!!

The kids got way more than they ever needed, and frankly it should be a sin to get so much stuff. But one of the most fun gifts we did was the outdoor playhouse. Some dear friends of ours built it for her sister several years ago, and she has since outgrown it. They gave it to us, and boy what an experience it was getting it home.

On Friday, I enlisted Mr. Elzy and his helper to play Santa and the elf to pick it up. We met at the stock yard, loaded the tractor and headed to pick it up. Santa’s sleigh was finally loaded and ready to deliver.

All I can say is Thank Goodness for O’Steen Bros. because we would have never been able to get that thing home without them:)

We had no way to hide it, so this was our lame attempt.

I’m pretty sure the space shuttle could see that ugly blue tarp from the outskirts of the universe. However, let me tell you that we had epic success at hiding it. The kids never saw it:)

Christmas afternoon we headed to the Hun-Tin House for the week. We did a lot of hunting and eating. We always look forward to going to the pizza joint there in Fitzgerald, Ga. It is the best pizza (besides Mrs. Rizzi’s) I have ever eaten. They have this wonderful chocolate cake that Cade just loves. He had been talking about that cake for weeks. Earlier that day, he had helped Papa work and earned $5. What did he spend his $5 on?

He was so excited he ate it before his pizza even came.

It must have been really good! He’s in a food coma.

Hunting was fun this weekend. I hunted a couple of times by myself, and this is one of my favorite scenes from the weekend. This is why we call it “Hog Heaven.”

This picture is dark, but there are 8 hogs there, and 2 more that didn’t fit in my camera phone. These were all too little to shoot, but I was amazed at how many there were.

I also got to hunt with this guy some…

He’s a pretty good hunting partner, as long as you let him shoot at everything that comes out, and you let him be in control of the binoculars, and you take a gourmet buffet of snacks, not to mention a pepsi or two. Even though he’s a little high maintenance, I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him. Even if he did get a little mad that I killed something and he didn’t.

The hunting was fruitful as you can tell by our cooler.

We brought home 8 hogs. Two of those are mine!!! That should replenish our sausage supply for a while.

You may notice that Miss Priss is missing from the hunting pictures. That is because she decided to go home with Granny in the middle of the week, and she stayed 4 days with her. I missed her terribly, but I know that she and Granny made memories that will last a lifetime.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and we’re praying for a blessed 2012!

My First Christmas in Heaven

2011-12-23T14:29:00.001-05:00

Someone sent this poem to me, and I wanted to share it with you. I do not know the author, but I know they have a heart for the hurting.

My First Christmas in Heaven

I see the countless Christmas trees

around the world below

With tiny lights like Heaven's stairs,

reflecting in the snow.

The sight is so spectacular,

please wipe away the tear,

For I am spending Christmas

with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs

that people hold so dear,

But the sounds of music can't compare

with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you,

the joy their voices bring,

For it is beyond description,

to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,

I see the pain inside your heart.

But I am not so far away,

We really aren't apart.

So be happy for me, dear ones,

You know I hold you dear.

And be glad I'm spending Christmas

with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift,

from my heavenly home above,

I sent you each a memory

of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift

more precious than pure gold.

It was always most important

in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other,

as my Father said to do.

For I can't count the blessings or love

He has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and

wipe away that tear.

Remember, I am spending Christmas

with Jesus Christ this year.

Coming to a City Near You…The Vaughn Family Band

2011-12-22T10:47:00.001-05:00

After we had so much fun shooting on Saturday night, Adam and Courtney introduced us to Rock Band. Cade has been asking for this for Christmas, and we needed to see what all of the fuss was about.

We had a blast and here is the video to prove it. Notice SaraGrace in the back crying because she didn’t get to play the drums this time. The video is several minutes long, but it is Oh So Funny!!!

Oh Shoot!

2011-12-21T12:57:00.001-05:00

Saturday afternoon, we hauled all of our guns to the Hamm’s and had a blast shooting. Even the little ones got in on the action.

SaraGrace’s pink boo-boo gun is still bigger than she is.

And goodness gracious at that get-up she has on. I guess there’s nothing wrong with being fashionable at the shooting range.

Cade tried to show her how to lay down and shoot.

Of course, she cared nothing about that. But he still wanted to show her how good he was.

Y’all! He is a serious shooter now. He says he is going to be a sniper when he gets older.

Now I had a turn shooting too. Of course we didn’t get a picture of me actually shooting the gun, but after I made a shot on the target that would have for sure dropped this crazy looking deer, I had to take a picture of my target.

If that crazy looking thing came to me in the woods, I would be scared poopless! However, at least I can be confident that I can take him out before he gets too close!

Wedding Day

2011-12-16T13:09:00.001-05:00

The Lord has really been working on me with this post for a few days. Rob and I have been listening to the Casting Crowns CD, and this song “Wedding Day” has surely become one of our favorites.

This time of year is a joyous one for sure. But there is part of us that is a little sad. Satan tries to take our joy and just pile on the hurts we have experienced over this last year. But as we have listened to this song, we have found PURE JOY in knowing that our future is one of AWESOMENESS!!!

This song talks about the wedding day of when we will meet JESUS face to face. It says that we know we are undeserving, but that is not what He sees. We will be what He adores, that’s what He made us for. The most compelling part for me is “The hands that bear the only scars in Heaven touch her face, and the last tear she’ll ever cry, are finally wiped away. As the clouds roll back and He takes her hand, and walks her through the gates…Forever we will reign!”

What a beautiful picture that is. This is our future for those who have accepted His gift of salvation. Though this earth is full of many hurts and disappointments, our future is full of hope and promise. Our verse for Faith is Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” Y’all! This is my future! Our hurts seem so overwhelming at times, but when you know that this is what you get in the end, it is ALL WORTH IT! Don’t wait another day to have a future with Jesus.

We Be Jammin’

2011-12-15T12:42:00.001-05:00

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know by now that Rob got me an acoustic guitar for Christmas. I did get it early so that I can start learning and I am having a BLAST with it. But I am not the only musician in the family. Cade is our rapper, I play the piano, Rob…well he wants to learn to play something, and then there’s the Grace!!! She is our newest band member with her Paper Jamz guitar. The kids got those for Christmas at a family get together, and they are the best things. They like them even better than the cat!

Here is SaraGrace and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot!”

She really is destined to be a star! That really concerns me…

Now Cade has one too, and he loves to jam. I wanted to video him, but he had just gotten out of the shower and didn’t want to put anything on other than his underwear. He said he didn’t need any clothes on. Well, I’m sure he would have rocked it like nobody’s business, but I convinced him to wait until he was clothed. So stay tuned….maybe we can get the Streaker Jammer to get dressed and play for us.

Little SassyPants

2011-12-12T14:46:00.001-05:00

This little girl knows she is sassy! The problem is, sometimes she is so darn funny that it is hard to get on to her. Here are some of the funniest things she has said this last week.

We were driving in the car on the way to school. She decides to tell me,

“When someone is mean to me, I don’t trust them anymore.” WHAT!?! How does she know what trust is? I said, “who is mean to you?”

She said, “You and Daddy.”

“How are we mean to you?”

“Sometimes you spank me.”

“SaraGrace, did you know that Jesus tells Mommy and Daddy in the Bible that they have to discipline their kids?”

“Jesus said that?”

“He sure did!”

“Then I don’t trust him anymore either.”

Last night we went to Bethlehem Live in our little town. SaraGrace was so excited to go to Bethlehem and see Mary and “Jofus” and Baby Jesus. She said, “I can’t believe I am going to see the real Baby Jesus.”

I had to explain to her that they were going to be some people pretending to be Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. She was a little disappointed because she really wanted to hold Baby Jesus. When we got ready to leave, she said, “Mommy. I want to go tell all of the fake people bye.”

There is never a dull moment, that is for sure!

A Little Christmas Cheer

2011-12-08T10:50:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas, yet I know this one will be a little tough. But the Lord has been so gracious to provide us with so many blessings this Christmas season. I wanted to share with you a couple of fun and sweet things that have happened in the Vaughn house, lately.

The kids got their first Christmas gift. They have been BEGGING for a pet, and Rob was not about to give in. Then, I guess he got into the Christmas spirit and told the youngins they could have a hamster if Momma would take care of it. HECK TO THE NO!!!!! I am not going to take care of a rat. So I was the immediate villain because I had crushed their dream of having a pet. In an effort to justify the pet, SG decided they should get a “penny pig”. That is just an overgrown hamster. I finally talked Rob into the unimaginable…

Here is…wait for it…..Miss Kitty! I thought we should name her Jingle Bell, but Kitty won. She has been a lot of fun, and has tried to wreak havoc on my Christmas tree.

On another note, SaraGrace had to write Santa a letter in class. She told the teacher what to write. I have to tell you she made me so proud!

I think she may be a little disappointed because I don’t think there is a horsey in her future:( But how sweet is she!

Christmas has come to mean so much more to our family than just a family get-together and fun gifts. I have always been taught the true meaning of Christmas, but to experience it is a different story.

Many people have asked how we are doing this season. Honestly, we are doing very well. Of course, there are moments when it’s hard to imagine Christmas without our child, but it is in those moments I am reminded that she wouldn’t leave Heaven to come be with us for one second!!! She is well taken care of.

Earlier this week, my dear friend Ashley brought something to me. It was in a silver box. She told me the story before I could open it, and it goes like this….

Ashley and her husband were in Lowes looking for some paint. Spray paint to be exact. As they were looking through the paint, the silver box caught her eye. It was a Christmas ornament sitting ALL BY ITSELF. Keep in mind that the paint section and the Christmas section at Lowes are in completely different locations. When she looked at the ornament closely, she said her eyes filled with tears because she knew that it was a God Wink.

It was no coincidence that this particular ornament sat all by it’s lonesome in the middle of the paint section. I know it was Jesus reminding me that He is still here. He still knows my heart. He knows my hurts. And He loves me so much!

As we get closer to Christmas day, I find myself not dreading it. This is because the Lord has spoken something so clearly to me. Yes Christmas is a time that you spend with family, reading the Christmas story, exchanging gifts, and really counting your blessings. It is particularly hard when you are missing a family member, and one of your greatest blessings is spending Christmas in Heaven. But what makes Christmas so exciting for us this year, is knowing that because of Baby Jesus born in a manger, we have the hope of seeing Faith in Heaven. That hope would not exist if Christmas didn’t exist. So this year, I am so much more thankful for the gift of Jesus, because I know that my daughter has received the gift of eternal life in Heaven, and that I will one day join her.

Don’t miss out on this precious gift of Jesus. He has done all of the work. He was born in the flesh, endured much suffering and even death to offer us the greatest gift ever! He is alive today and wants nothing more than for you to accept His gift of salvation. Celebrate the REAL meaning of Christmas and give Him the gift of your heart!

Star Panda

2011-12-05T11:27:00.001-05:00

It has happened! SaraGrace has finally received the coveted “Star Panda” award in her class. Now, she has been expecting this award for quite sometime.

You see, SaraGrace had a little bit of a hard time staying on “Green” the first part of school. But, she has done a marvelous job and has been on GREEN every day for nearly the last 2 months. Every day when we pick her up, she is so proud to show me the color she is on.

I was really bragging on her a couple of weeks ago. I was telling her how proud we all were of her. And she said, “Well, no one else is proud. I haven’t even got the Star Panda.” She named off EVERY child that had gotten it, and her frown got bigger with each kid’s name.

As Star Panda, you get to decorate a panda bear and fill out a little fact sheet about yourself. She has worried me to death about decorating that panda, so without further ado, I present SaraGrace’s STAR PANDA:

Heaven help us with all that glitter!

We are so very proud of her, but not quite as proud as she is of herself!

What Have the Vaughn’s Been Up To?

2011-12-02T11:20:00.001-05:00

It seems as though it has been forever since I blogged. There really is no good reason except that we have been SUPER busy. This is a catch-up post with many random photos and a really funny video.

First things first: Last weekend, we went to the Hun-Tin House. I watched another 8-point walk by and then may have had a little “hunter’s remorse” because I didn’t see anything else until….

Late Sunday afternoon, I hunted ALL BY MYSELF. No Rob, no kids. Just me and my gun. I was just a little proud!

We have also been decorating for Christmas! This is the first year that we have had outside lights. Partly because Rob doesn’t get real excited about them. But the Lord did a great work in him, because he was so motivated to get them up.

This one cracks me up! He is now remembering we need to trim the trees.

But the finished product looks AMAZING! Our kids squealed with excitement, and Daddy was so proud:)

Our Christmas Tree:

My favorite part is my new tree skirt. Kiss had her mother in law make it. It says “The Vaughn’s” and has all of our names on it…including Faith’s. It is very special!!!

The stockings were hung…

Every Christmas, we each get an ornament that represents something from the past year. We started making them a couple of years ago. We aren’t finished, but this is what we have so far…

SaraGrace has fallen in love with cheerleading, so it was only PERFECT we made a cheerleader. She said, “It looks just like me Mommy!”

Since Cade killed his first deer, he got a deer ornament. I shaped it and baked it, but he painted it.

His annual football ornament with the team and number. He painted this one too. He was really proud of it:)

Speaking of Cade, he has been getting breathing treatments the last couple of days. These things take FOREVER, and Cade just can’t sit still. So, he has started singing to entertain himself. I caught him rapping the other night. Once he saw me recording, he really turned it on.

He may not be Busta Rhymes, but he sure is BUSTA BREATHER!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I promise to be a better blogger next week.

A Faith-filled Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T11:48:00.001-05:00

Our Thanksgiving weekend was a great one. I have some hunting stories and pictures to share, but I wanted to share about our first Thanksgiving after losing a child.

It’s no surprise that holidays bring a whole new dimension of grief. It’s just a reminder of what could have been. I can remember at every Thanksgiving as a child, we would go around the table and say what we were thankful for. As I thought about what I would say this year, I had mixed emotions. Of course I am thankful for Jesus, my family, and all of the other standard answers. I am truly thankful for my husband and my children- all three of them. I am thankful for the joy and the wonderful blessings that Jesus gave us through Faith’s life. And I am being very honest when I say I am thankful for the heartbreak that came as well. We have grown so much through every aspect of this experience, and I am so thankful for that.

Part of me will be so thankful when 2011 is in the history books, yet the rest of me will be sad. We will leave behind the only time we had with her, and that will be hard. But I wanted to share a couple of ways that Faith was sprinkled through our Thanksgiving holiday.

Early Tuesday afternoon, I got a text from Christina with a picture of a turkey flower they took to Faith’s garden. It touched me so much that they remembered her. We went and visited her “garden” and this is what was there.

While we were there, we ran into Mrs. Patti and some of her acteen girls. She said that they were there to pray for the families that are grieving this Thanksgiving. She was truly a God-send that day. A God Wink that He still cares:)

Later Tuesday night, as we were putting up our Christmas lights (now that’s a post!!!), Cade wrote a letter he wanted me and his daddy to read.

This kid amazes me by the way he shares his heart. Yet my heart breaks for him because he is still trying to understand.

Thursday was hard, and Christmas shopping on Thursday night was really hard. I thought about what we would be buying Faith for her first Christmas. But I knew I couldn’t dwell on it. I just prayed and asked the Lord to help me through the weekend, and He certainly did.

Saturday morning, I got this picture from my best friend, Amy.

She had been to Faith’s garden and left a Christmas tree plant. I truly have the BEST friends a girl could ask for. And I know that they are a gift from my Heavenly Father.

Sunday morning, out of the blue, SaraGrace asked me, “Mommy, how did Faith get out of your arms?” I looked at Rob with a puzzled look on my face, as I tried to understand exactly what she was asking. After a little prodding, she was trying to understand how Faith left my arms and went to Heaven. The whole earthly body/heavenly spirit concept is a little too deep for a four-year-old, so again, I asked the Lord to fill in the gaps here. I just explained, “Well, Jesus took Faith’s heart to Heaven, and gave her a new body that was perfect, so now she doesn’t hurt anymore.” She seemed satisfied with that answer, so we left it at that.

And finally, last night, Rob was talking to Cade about all of the things that Jesus has done for us. Cade told his daddy that one of the best things Jesus ever did for him, was to make his video game work even though it was scratched up really bad. Rob asked him what was the BEST thing Jesus had ever done, and his response was nothing short of the Lord showing us that He is in control, and that Cade would one day understand why his sister went to Heaven. He answered, “The best thing Jesus ever did was to take Faith to Heaven so nothing bad could ever happen to her.” It was at that moment, that I was truly able to be thankful for all that had happened this past year. To have my eight year old make peace with something that has hurt him so much over the last year was something to be truly thankful for!

Weekend Roundup

2011-11-21T14:44:00.001-05:00

We had a busy, but fun weekend. It started with SaraGrace’s Thanksgiving feast at school. Her class dressed as Indians, and they were so cute! Here is a video of a song they sang:

Here is our little Indian with her cute little Chief:

These two are something else!

Then it was time to head to the Hun-Tin house.

We got to hunt on Saturday morning. I have nothing to report, other than seeing a bobcat. However, I would like to show you how high class of a hunting camp we have. In the woods, there are many trails. I would get lost if Rob didn’t drive. It all looks alike. To solve this problem, my Dad came up with some jam-up trail markers. This is how we roll:

Literally! We mark the trails with toilet paper. What a marvel idea!

Saturday afternoon, we had an exciting time. We about got ambushed by some hogs walking to our stand. When we finally made it there, these boys came out to keep us company.

They stayed for quite some time. Then we saw a spike, a couple of does, and then….one ambitious little buck. We didn’t even notice him until we heard something sniffing the leaves under our box. Rob looked in the reflection of the window, and it was a 4 point. He was looking for something. He hit his horns on the outside, so it scared him. Here he is walking away from the box.

Bless his little heart, he tried all afternoon to get some attention from the ladies, but they would have nothing of it. Give it some time, young man. Your day will come!

It was a great weekend, and I can’t wait for this one. Thanksgiving is one of my favorites!!!

LifeSong

2011-11-18T09:49:00.001-05:00

Last night, Rob and I got to go to the Casting Crowns concert, and boy were we blessed!!!

The night started with the Afters, and I was toast when they sang “How Great is our God.” I will never be able to hear that song and not think of Faith. Then Sanctus Real took the stage. They were AMAZING! The lead singer has a son who has suffered a stroke, cardiac arrest and many other afflictions, and he just turned one. They showed some video of Bowen, the little boy, and the water works turned on big time. They have a website at www.Bowensheart.com if you would like to read more about him.

Finally, it was time for Casting Crowns. They never disappoint. Of course they talked about the well, and blessed us all with their message. All of their songs have amazing stories behind them. They sang some of their new songs, but they also sang some oldies. The one that stood out the most for me last night was Life Song. Mark said it’s so easy to talk about praising God in the storms, but it’s a lot harder to actually do it. I sat and thought about my Life Song. Who does it sing to? It’s really easy to talk about my faith in Christ, but do I really live it out every day?

As a Christian, I screw up daily. Just when I think I have it all figured out, Satan so quickly reminds me that I don’t. But my heart’s desire is that my Life Song sing to Jesus Christ. That I may be a light for Him to all of those around me. As the song says, “May the words I say, and the things I do, make my life song sing, bring a smile to you.” “I want to sign your name, to the end of this day, knowing that my heart is true!” I want Jesus to look down at me and smile:) Isn’t that an awesome picture?

What does your life song sing?

One Year Ago Today

2011-11-15T12:35:00.001-05:00

One year ago today, life as we knew it changed forever. We sat in a tiny office at Shands and heard the news that no parent should ever have to hear. I went back and read the blog I posted about that appointment, and I had to smile because the first thing that caught my attention was the fact that our baby was first thought to be a boy. This was just the first of many opportunities that the Lord used to prove that He was in control, not the doctors or Rob and me.

I have many mixed emotions today. Of course, I am sad. I am sad that life had to change so drastically. I am sad that the only earthly part of my daughter is a concrete slab sitting in Newnansville Cemetery. I am sad that I am the only one, other than Jesus, who truly knew everything about her. I am sad that every time my children see a pregnant lady, they ask if that baby is going to Heaven.

But in many ways, I feel honored. I feel honored that the God of the Universe CHOSE us to be Faith’s parents. He had pure confidence in us that we would be obedient to His calling in our lives. He chose to bless us with an intimacy with Him that we’ve never known before. He chose to give us the greatest gift of life, and to show us what it means to truly give your children to Him.

I feel proud. I am proud of the difference my daughter has made in my life, and many lives around us. She has truly left a footprint on the hearts of many people. She has done more to show the love of Jesus than I ever will in my lifetime. I am proud of Cade and SaraGrace, and how they love her so much and talk about her all of the time. I am proud that Cade has become so bold to share Jesus with everyone around him. I am proud of Rob and I will never forget what a loving Daddy he was to Faith.

I am thankful. I am thankful that Jesus has renewed our faith in Him. He has renewed our daughter in Heaven. He has renewed our relationship with one another. He has restored my marriage, when Satan wanted nothing more than to claim victory in Faith’s life and death. He has blessed me with a wonderful husband who has held me up when I was too weak to stand. He has blessed me with friends who have dried up tears, listened to my grumbling, and just simply held my hand every step of the way. He has blessed me with a family that loves unconditionally, even in the tough times.

There is no remnant of the life that existed before November 15, 2010. It is all very different. Though there have been many tears, heart aches, heart breaks and disappointments, there have been even more blessings. My God is so good. All of the time!

The Good, The Bad and The Mad

2011-11-14T14:10:00.001-05:00

We spent another weekend at the Hun-Tin house, and boy do I have some stories to tell. We got to hunt Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning.

Since we had so many opportunities to hunt, I had multiple hunting partners and each has a story.

We will start with The Good…

Cade was my hunting buddy Saturday afternoon.

He always does a great job of spotting the animals, and he is really still. He is a really good hunting buddy. The funniest moment of that hunt was when he had to pee. I had to empty out my water bottle so he could use it. He had held it for so long, that he ended up peeing all over my leg. That is a story neither of us will ever forget!

We weren’t by ourselves, though. Daddy was in the tree next to us.

Saturday was a long day….we hunted a total of 9 HOURS!!! That is the longest I have ever been that still or that quiet. Does that make me a serious hunter?

That night, we had to walk back to our buggy. It was a scene that could have come from the Blair Witch Project. Momma is scared to be in the woods at dark. I have seen what roams around in there. Here is the full moon on the way back.

Now…The Bad.

We got to the woods around 3:30 Friday afternoon. We were discussing the hunting arrangements, and it was decided that now that I have my own gun, I am a big girl. I can hunt by myself (without Rob.) So….since SaraGrace was such a wonderful hunting buddy last weekend, I thought it would be great if she went with me.

NOT!!!! She had not had a nap, so that was mistake #1. It started out great, until she started banging all over the metal chair in the box. I got on to her, and then “Sassy Pants” invaded my daughter and took over. She threw an all-out temper tantrum. Once we recovered from that, I gave her my phone to play a game. I had put my phone on “silent.” Note: Silent does not work on Ipod mode. Needless to say, we blessed all of the animals with Casting Crowns for several minutes. Once I wrestled the phone away from her, she started yelling at the top of her lungs because we hadn’t seen anything. Gee…I wonder why. In all seriousness, we didn’t see anything, and she wasn’t the angel for me that she was for her daddy, but we did get to spend some time together, which is what counts!

And finally….The Mad.

It is no secret that the main reason I love to hunt is because Rob and I enjoy hunting together. He is always really great about letting me take the shot. On Saturday morning, I woke up around 5:15 am (hence the dark, puffy eyes). Woods and Water Barbie I am not!!!

We got dressed, and trekked in the 28 degree weather to the stand. And…we even sat in a tree, not a box. Around 8:00 am, an 8-point walked within 30 yards of us, stopping directly in front of us. Rob begged me to shoot it, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted for my first buck. It was nice, but nothing to write home about. Rob was so aggravated with me. He couldn’t believe I passed it up. His words to me were “Oh, now I have a trophy hunter for a wife. A regular 8-point won’t do.” If you know me, I am very competitive. I am waiting for the perfect one!!! Now that makes me a serious hunter:)

We had a great time spending time together as a family. I am so thankful for my husband who takes the time to let his wife go hunting with him. I’m sure I cramp his hunting style a tad, but he is always so gracious to finish last:)

Toenails, Hoarding and Memories

2011-11-11T10:53:00.001-05:00

This is a post filled with the random things that happened this week.

We begin with toenails:

Rob had an ingrown toenail that he tried to nurse back to health for almost 2 months. He finally gave in and went to the doctor. He HATES going to the doctor, but I had to document it:)

Here he is reading a magazine trying to take his mind off of that needle they were fixin’ to stick him with.

Then he realized I was taking pictures of him, and he knew that undoubtedly he would end up on my blog.

Needless to say, the toe is on the road to recovery, thank goodness.

Next we have hoarding:

I have raised a mini-hoarder. SaraGrace’ s room is always a disaster, because she just has too much stuff. I decided it was time to clean out. She is just like me, in that she remembers who gave her each and every thing and she finds sentimental value in it all.

How did I convince her to throw away her stuff? I told her that if we didn’t make room, we couldn’t get any toys for Christmas. I know that bribing a child isn’t always the best thing, but desperate times call for desperate measures! Here is the finished product:

I didn’t take a before picture, but just trust me when I say it looks AMAZING now.

See that Annie doll on her bed? That is a special memory for me. I got this doll for Christmas in 1982. I was 3 1/2.

And here she sits on SaraGrace’s bed where she keeps her company every night.

Now, Annie looks like she has taken a beatin’, and to tell you the truth, she has. Just look at that hair? SaraGrace told me the last little girl that played with her did that, not her:)

I hope you all have a great weekend, and I am crossing my fingers for a FUN post on Monday.

The Well

2011-11-09T13:49:00.001-05:00

Casting Crowns just came out with their new album, “Come to the Well.” I first heard a couple of these songs at Rock the Universe, and the song “The Well” hit me right where it counts.

The message of the song is that we create our own wells, and we want them to work. We want Jesus to make our plans, our wells, whatever WE want to work. And we tire ourselves, because let’s face it….we are not capable on our own!

The song says “I have what you need, but you keep on searching. I’ve done all the work, but you keep on working. “

How true is that? Jesus has it all figured out. He’s done it all, but we find ourselves trusting in our plans even more than His. We use him as a last resort.

I have had a hard couple of weeks, and a lot on my mind. I have found myself asking God why He thinks I can handle so much? But then I hear this song and I am reminded that I can do it, as long as I am drinking from His well. He’s done all the work!!! I need to quit trying to do life on my own, and just come to the Well.

What wells are you drinking from? If it isn’t Jesus’ well, then I pray you will open your hearts and listen to this song…

Weekend at the Hun-Tin House

2011-11-07T12:35:00.001-05:00

Rob and I packed up the kids early Friday afternoon, and hitched a ride with Papa to Georgia. We were so excited to finally have a full weekend of hunting. I’m so thankful that our ENTIRE family enjoys it so much.

Here are our little hunting buddies! Aren’t they so cute?

We made it to our stand around 5:00 that afternoon. We were hunting a new location, so we were excited to see what was there.

Rob must not have been too excited. He just needed a nap:)

SaraGrace is all business when her Daddy wakes up. Give that girl some “noculars” and she is good to go.

Friday afternoon, we had a lot of action. We saw 10 turkeys, a raccoon in the tree right next to us, a 3-point, another turkey, and then we finally shot a coyote.

Saturday brought even better luck. We hunted a different location again, and this is what we came home with…

We each got a hog. This was my first kill with my new gun, and I was so proud of myself. But I think Rob may have been even more proud. Especially since it only took one shot!

As far as progress on the Hun-Tin house goes, this is the latest addition. This fireplace is slap dab in the middle of the great room.

Things are moving slowly with the house, so we will not be in by Thanksgiving. But to tell you the truth, we wouldn’t trade the memories of being all cooped up in that little ole’ trailer. Good times, y’all!!!

Weekend Bull

2011-11-03T09:44:00.001-04:00

Last weekend was the FL/GA game. We went with my family and some great friends, the Hamms. We got to our parking spot around 9:30, and realized we had beaten everyone else in our group by a long shot. Now if you know my Dad, you know that YOU better not be late. But it’s always okay if HE’s late:)

When they finally got there we unloaded all of the grub, and got busy with all of the activities. But first things first, I had to take a picture of the kids:

SG looks so happy doesn’t she? Probably because she had just changed into her second outfit, because her first one got soaking wet when she wallered in the water puddles.

Once we got everything set up, it was time to see what was happening.

The first thing that caught our eye was the mechanical bull. EVERYONE had to take a turn and ride it.

Here we go:

First up was Cade. He rode a total of 4 times.

Then Daddy had to do it:

Papa was next:

And then…SaraGrace put in to ride. Unfortunately for me, the only way she could ride is if I rode with her. I have to tell you I knew it was not going to be good when I fell face first trying to get in the ring with the bull. Thank the Lord Rob wasn’t videoing yet:)

**WARNING: Posting this video is against my better judgment, but in fairness to all the others I have posted, I promised I would post mine:

Once the bull riding was complete, we made our way over to the fan area. We found a dancing video game and the kids had a blast:

Cade was really good at it. But SaraGrace proved she is much better at freestyle.

But then it was time to show everyone where those kids got their moves:

Just Kidding!!!

After we had done everything there was to do, we went back to the parking lot where we ate and ate and ate. Our friend, Javier came to visit us. We haven’t seen him in a while, so it was good to see him. He used to work for my dad, and lucky for SaraGrace, he also used to be a Gator Cheerleader. When we told her that, she wanted to do a “stump.”

She quickly got over her fear of boy cheerleaders, because she didn’t seem to mind a bit. Just look at that face!!!

There was a lot of bull on Saturday, including the actual game. Even though we didn’t win, we had a blast! Can’t wait until next year!!!

PLANS

2011-10-31T14:43:00.001-04:00

I had planned on posting some videos from the weekend today (they are hilarious!!! How about some mechanical bull riding?), but the Lord had different plans for my post.

When I spoke at the WRMC banquet a couple of weeks ago, I really prayed about what to share. Of course I wanted to share all about our daughter, but I also wanted to share how AWESOME our God is, even in such a trial. The Lord laid it on my heart to talk about plans.

The verse we cling to for Faith’s life is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to proper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”

I shared with the audience that even though the plans WE had made for her life did not come to be, the plans that HE had for her life did. Although her life was short, she made an impact on many people both near and far. She showed the world that if we just allow God the opportunity to reveal the plans He has for us, what kind of impact can we make? The impact she made was HUGE for only living 9 months and 42 minutes. What kind of impact can we have in a lifetime if we choose to follow the plans He has for us?

This morning, our daily Bible verse was Jeremiah 29:13: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Are you seeking Him with all of your heart? What is standing in the way His plans for you?

As Rob and I continue to seek God’s plans for our family, I ask you to please be in prayer for us tomorrow. We have a meeting to discuss a possible opportunity, and we are just asking that His will be done. We are open and willing if that is what He wants.

I pray that each of you know that the Lord has great plans for you.

Colors, Costumes and Cutting a Rug

2011-10-27T10:51:00.001-04:00

Last week, my dear friend Courtney invited me to a painting class at Corks & Colors. She had been several times, and her work was AMAZING! I did tell her I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, but it would be a great time.

This is the best my canvas looked all night!

Here is a picture of the sample…in other words, what my art is supposed to look like.

And here we are with our finished pieces.

When we got home, I showed it to Rob. His response was “It’s not that bad.” He was pretty impressed. In fact, he was so impressed he hung it in our kitchen.

Last night, we went to a fall festival at a church just down the road from us. Some friends had invited us to join them, so we dressed the kids up, and had a great time.

Notice the princess has on a tutu! Her kitty costume was at Gamma’s, so Ariel was her only choice. And Cade chose to wear his ghillie suit, and boy was he a hit! Everyone asked us where we got it from, and he was so proud.

And finally, if you need a good laugh today, you have come to the right place. SG was jacked up on candy, and decided to have a dance session with Elmo.

Even Cade makes a cameo in his underwear. I hope you all have a happy Thursday!!!

BIG Weekend

2011-10-24T16:08:00.001-04:00

This weekend proved to be HUGE in the Vaughn household. It was busy, but oh so fun.

The weekend started on Friday night at the Women’s Resource and Medical Clinic’s Annual Banquet. This is a pro-life organization that my family has supported for years. It has come to mean a lot more to me in the past year. I was asked to speak and share about Faith. I have never been more nervous, but once I got up there, the Lord blessed me with a peace and I overflowed with pride as I shared what my daughter has meant to us and many others.

We left from there and drove until 1:30 am to get to the hunting woods. It was opening rifle season in GA, and heaven forbid we miss it! Remember this?

Rob was so excited for me to finally be able to shoot it. But I am sad to report that it served as nothing more than an accessory because we didn’t see anything we could shoot. But guess who did?

Cade shot his first deer and he was so proud of himself. I think Papa was even more proud (but not as proud as Momma and Daddy!). Rob and I had to leave Saturday afternoon for a Sunday School party, so Cade stayed with Gamma and Papa. He had to use Papa’s BIG gun to shoot it because it was so far away.

Sunday, SaraGrace had a big day. She got to do this:

Aunt Amy arranged a special meeting for SG and the Gator cheerleaders. There was a volleyball game, and the girls (and boys) cheered for them. They practiced earlier and SG got to be in the middle of the action.

But she wasn’t the only one. Brooke and Hayley got to go too. They were so good to SG and she just loves them!

Aunt Amy and Hayley.

Then SaraGrace wanted to play like she was shy.

It was breast cancer awareness day, so the girls had pink pompoms. Our girl was loving that!

Everyone was so sweet to make SG feel like part of the team. They even taught her the Gator Bait cheer.

I hate that this picture is blurry, but she and SG both had red hair:)

SaraGrace got all excited when they started doing “junaxtix” and “stumps.”

She thought she wanted them to put her up in a stump. So Mr. Josh asked some of the guys to come and put her up. Because she was so scared of the fact that there were boy cheerleaders (she kept saying they weren’t real cheerleaders, but they were SO SWEET to her,) they got this young lady to stump with SG.

After practice, it was time for the volleyball game. SG thought the girls (and guys) were the coolest, until Alberta came around in a pink dress. This is one of my favorite pictures of the day.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well. Happy Monday!

Random and Not So Random

2011-10-20T12:45:00.001-04:00

This is a hodge-podge post with lots of little tidbits of things going on. Some are random, some are NOT.

We’ll start with the Random:

SG can’t decide what she wants to be for Halloween, but a kitty cat seems to be the most popular. I thought it would be cute to dress her in all black, with a black tutu, ears and whiskers. But she informed me “No Tutus!” When I asked her why, she replied, “Because I HATE tutus.” I’m still picking up the pieces of my heart because I LOVE to see my girl in a tutu.

Speaking of Halloween, Rob and Cade spent the majority of our grocery trip to Walmart in the scary makeup section. They bought all kinds of stuff. There are some tattoos that look like scars, and Rob just had to try them out on Cade. While SG was watching, she said, “Mommy, I want a tattoo.” I asked her what she would get. She said, “A butterfly.” I asked her where she would get it. She said, “At the dentist.”

You know you work with mostly family when this happens: I brought in one of my favorite bras for Aunt Lisa to fix. She laid it on the front counter, and we realized it only AFTER several men came in to get their checks. NICE!

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you saw that I posted yesterday would have been Faith’s 5 month birthday. It was a little hard, as it is each month. But over the weekend, our family of 4 went to spruce up “Faith’s Garden” as named by SaraGrace. It looks so much more cheery (if that is a word.)

I have to tell you that I went to Dollar General last Sunday afternoon to pick up some essentials. But they were having a 90% off sale on their wind chimes. I have seen some out at the cemetery, and I have since wanted to put some in Faith’s Garden. There were so many to choose from, but there was one very special one that caught my eye. It was a cross that said “Faith” in the middle of it. I knew it would be perfect!

Now, on to the Not So Random:

Please pray for me as I will be sharing the story of our little girl at the Women’s Resource and Medical Clinic Banquet, tomorrow night. I am thrilled with the opportunity, but I want to only be a vessel of the words that the Lord gives me. I want to honor Him!

PLEASE PRAY for Jacob Jones. He is 13 months old and was just diagnosed with Tay-Sach’s. Here is a little of his story…

Jacob’s Story

My name is Jacob Alan Lee Jones and I was born on August 29, 2010. Recently the doctors diagnosed me with a very rare disease called Tay-Sachs, which currently has no cure. With the help of friends and family, they are trying to share my story with the world, in attempt to help take me to Peru, for what could be a life-saving treatment. A facebook page has been created to provide updates, prayers, support and love for both me and my family. Please “friend request” me at Jacob Alan Lee Jones.

Donations can be made at ServisFirst Bank under:

Erica & Justin Jones for the benefit of Jacob Alan Lee Jones

If you would like to help with the upcoming fundraisers, please contact Erika Freeman at (205) 243-0327 cell, (205) 397-5125 work

efreeman@jrprewitt.com or eleigh28@gmail.com

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

To read more about Tay-Sach’s disease please visit:

http://www.ntsad.org/

The National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association, Inc. (NTSAD)

This world of blogging has been wonderful for sharing prayer requests. Please lift this family up in your prayers.

Preacher Man

2011-10-18T13:46:00.001-04:00

We are convinced that Cade is our little Preacher Man. He takes very seriously the message of Jesus Christ, and doesn’t mind sharing it with anyone.

As I’ve shared multiple times, Cade has really struggled with losing his sister. But he has used it to help him be more bold in sharing about Jesus.

Last week, as I was picking him up from school, he had a piece of paper in his hand that looked like it had had a hard day. He said, “Guess what I did today, Mommy?” He looked so proud as he told me he started a Bible Study in his class. That piece of paper was the “form” for everyone to fill out. He wanted to make copies so everyone in his class could have one. We walked into the school office, and Mrs. Melanie was so sweet to copy his “forms.”

He then told me that he named his Bible Study “Having Faith and Hope.” Then he said, “You know why I wanted to do this, Mommy?”

I said “Why honey.”

He said “I want to change my life. I don’t want to be mean to my friends.”

My heart melted. His teacher then told me that Cade said he knew how to do a Bible Study because his daddy used to have one. I nearly gasped! We haven’t done that Bible Study in over a year.

But what really caught me off-guard was the fact that it had made an impact on him. He spent most of those nights running through the house, aggravating his sister and playing games. But he was paying attention.

The Lord really spoke to me saying “What kind of example are you setting for your children these days?” “What will be the next thing that they pick up because of something they have learned from you?”

Admittedly, we have been so busy with every day life lately. Football, church, gym, date nights, and the list goes on and on for the things that occupy our time each week. We do our morning devotions and prayer time, then we have family prayer time at night. While those things are wonderful, are we truly doing everything we can to invest in our children to further the Kingdom of Heaven?

While Rob and I were driving one afternoon, we heard a message on the radio that discussed being busy. This preacher said that BUSY stood for “Being Under Satan’s Yoke.” Wow! He said that Satan wants us to fill our time with worldly wants and needs, then at the end of the day we are too tired to be good husbands and wives, good parents to our children, and definitely too tired to give Jesus any of our time.

We are so proud that Cade is boldly sharing Jesus with the people around him. Our prayer is to be obedient to the will of God to do things that impact our children for eternity. You never know when they are paying attention.

The Nail

2011-10-13T10:40:00.001-04:00

While Rob and I were driving to Port Canaveral last week, we were listening to Christian radio. A devotional came through the speakers of my car that hit me in a profound way. I cannot take credit for the parable of the nail, and I have no idea who was doing the story-telling. But it is definitely worthy of sharing.

In a small foreign country, a man had his house for sale. He was asking $2,000.00 for it. Another man and his family desperately wanted to buy the house, but they only had $1, 000.00. The owner of the house agreed to sell the house for $1, 000.00, but only under one condition. He would retain ownership of the nail hanging outside the front door. The new homeowner was more than willing to oblige, and so they moved into their new home.

Several months later, the previous owner wanted to buy the house back, but the family was not willing to sell it. So, he began to hang dead, rotten animals on the nail outside of the front door. As the days went on, the nail held something more and more gruesome, until the family finally decided to sell the house.

The moral of the story? If you say you belong to Jesus, and you’ve given your life to Him, you can’t allow Satan to own the nail outside your front door. He will use it to hang his junk on, to discourage you, and to push his way into your life. He will use it to control you! He is powerful.

I took this very personal. The last 18 months of my life have held many hurtful trials. Though I have turned them over to Jesus, Satan has tried to hang my hurts and disappointments outside my front door. Each day that I allowed him to do that, they became more and more controlling of my life. I thought about this long and hard. What could I do to remove that nail so Satan had NO ownership in my life?

I got on my knees and begged the Lord to please get out that heavenly hammer and get rid of that nail. I no longer want my hurts, my disappointments and my failures to overshadow what God has in store for me and my family.

Do you have a nail outside your front door? If so, what is Satan trying to hang there? I encourage you to do some soul searching and pray and ask God to help you remove that nail, so you may be fully willing and ready to be obedient to what He has in store for you.

Our Honeymoon~ 9 Years Later

2011-10-10T13:59:00.001-04:00

It is no secret that Rob and I have experienced the hardest year of our lives. It is a well known fact that couples experiencing the loss of a child stand a 90% chance of getting divorced. Though we told ourselves we would not allow that to happen, we were almost that statistic. Grief is a hard thing to understand, and men and women, daddy’s and mommy’s experience grief very differently.

We are so grateful to God for intervening on our behalf, and for providing us with Godly friends and counsel, who helped us through our rough patch.

In celebration of overcoming these hurdles, we decided we needed some time together…just the two of us. So, what did the Dr. prescribe? How about a Bahamian cruise!!!

We dropped the kids off at school Thursday morning, and headed to Port Canaveral. We were like two kids in a candy store:) We boarded our floating hotel, the Carnival Sensation and set out exploring the ship.

We had the best time checking everything out. We had a great ocean-view room, and soaked up every detail we could. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Of course the food was delicious, and we enjoyed it very much.

Thursday night, Rob schooled me in some Black Jack. Can I just say I had so much fun?!?! We stayed up until nearly 2:30 am and finally decided it was time to go to sleep. We didn’t want to miss anything.

We woke up Friday morning to this….

…a Bahamian Sunrise. It was so romantic to stand on the balcony, look over the ocean and watch this with the love of my life.

We ate an early breakfast, spent some time in the hot tub, then my honey treated me to a spa session. I spent the most heavenly hour and a half getting pampered with a massage and a facial. It was so nice and so overdue!!

We were in port at Nassau, so we decided to finally get off the ship and check it out.

My mom had just been there two months before and told me about this awesome Haviana flip flop store. It was a must-see attraction. Needless to say, I brought home 5 pairs of flip flops for the ones I love.

We only stayed on the island a total of 45 minutes, and then we decided we would go back and spend some quality time soaking up some sun.

It was formal night, so we got gussied up and had some pictures taken.

We had tons of people ask us if we were newlyweds. We took that as a compliment, seeing we have been married for 9 years!

After dinner, we spent some time playing Black Jack, and then danced the night away until 3 am.

Saturday morning proved to be a little rough sailing. The waves were huge, and rocked that ship like a toy boat. People were getting sick everywhere, and they placed barf bags at every elevator. Thankfully, Rob and I were not affected. We were having so much fun, I don’t think anyone or anything could have ruined it for us. It was a little rainy, but we spent a long morning in the hot tub overlooking the back of the ship. Then we wanted to watch the Gator game, but they couldn’t get it on the tv. From what I understand, that was a huge blessing!

We got dressed up for dinner again and had some more pictures taken.

We had a rockin’ good time that night. The ship was rockin’, the band was rockin’ and the dance floor was rockin’. We felt like newlyweds so in love for the first time. It was as if we were given a new lease on life.

We were so sad that our trip was over Sunday morning. Though we only got a total of 12 hours of sleep throughout the trip, we reconnected with one another on a totally different level. This was the honeymoon we never got, and it was so worth the wait! Sure we have had our ups and our downs, but at the end of the day, we have each other.

Thank you Lord Jesus for the blessing of our marriage, and for putting Rob in my life. I can’t imagine going through any of the trials we have faced without him. Thank you for strengthening us in one another, and more importantly in You. May we continue to seek your will for our lives, and may you continue to use our testimony to tell others of the awesomeness of your love and faithfulness!

Rah Rah Ree

2011-10-05T11:20:00.001-04:00

**All pictures courtesy of Embrace Yourself Photography.**

Miss Thang’s life-long (all of 4 years) dream became a reality on Saturday. Remember this post about cheerleading? Well, she hasn’t given up yet.

Saturday, we dressed her in her uniform (like every other Saturday.) The awesome cheer coaches told her she could run on the field with the cheerleaders.

She thought she was so big!!!

After they ran on the field, they let the little girls stay down with them and do some cheers. It started out with her just standing by the wall…

Then they gave her some pom poms . Oh My Goodness.

But it didn’t stop there. Eventually, she made her way into the lineup and cheered her little heart out.

By the end of the game, she was just one of the girls.

Thank goodness there were no “stumps” (stunts) involved:)

48 Pounds of Tough

2011-10-03T14:01:00.001-04:00

Do you want to see some serious cuteness, I mean toughness? I have finally posted some pictures of Cade playing football. All pictures are courtesy of Embrace Yourself Photography.

At practice, Cade was able to perfect the move of recovering the ball.

Apparently it worked, because 2 weeks ago, he got a fumble recovery in the game! Momma was OH SO PROUD!!!

How cute is this?

See that white tape at his knees? That is something his Daddy rigged up for him to keep his pants up. They are too big, so we just tape ‘em. It makes him easier to spot on the field:)

Here he is getting ready to go in for the kill!

Look at him tackle that boy three times his size! That is Cade with his hand on his butt…

Just to show you how tough Cade really is, look at the size difference. That is Cade turned sideways facing the other player. He doesn’t back down. THAT’S MY BOY!!!

While we are talking about cuteness, we happen to have the hottest coach in the Pop Warner league!!!

In all seriousness, it doesn’t matter how tough we are. We are nothing without the power of Jesus Christ. This picture just makes me so proud to be a part of an organization like this…

School Pictures {Cade}

2011-09-30T13:33:00.001-04:00

Well, I promised that I would have this posted yesterday. And I had all intentions. I even had a cute picture to show you. After he was all dressed up, I opened his assignment planner to sign off on his homework, and there it was….a flyer mentioning that pictures were Friday (today.)

Anyway, I think I should get extra mom-of-the-year points for being a day early. It’s better than a day late!

Here is my handsome little man.

I’m not sure if this is Little Rob or Little Dexter. That may be a post all in itself:)

School Pictures {SaraGrace}

2011-09-28T13:16:00.001-04:00

SaraGrace had school pictures today. I was so proud that I actually remembered, so she was dressed really cute!

I forgot to take a picture before we left for school, but luckily, her sweet teacher took this with her phone and sent it to me…

Y’all…my children never grow. I’m telling you, we wear the same clothes for several seasons. Here is SG in this same exact dress, only 2 years ago.

I’m really glad she can still wear it, because I think she looks just precious!

Tomorrow is Cade’s picture day, so I will have even more cuteness to show you.

Letters to the Preacher’s Wife

2011-09-27T14:13:00.001-04:00

Have you ever sat and thought about all of the advice that is sought from a preacher and his wife? I know if Rob or I need some counsel, the first people on our list are our pastor friends.

I want to share a new blog with you. I was surfing the internet (just don’t tell the boss!) and stumbled across this…

This is a “Dear Abby” type blog, except that you don’t get “Abby’s” opinion, but Biblical advice to questions asked by us, the readers. What a neat concept!

I just thought I would share another great blog with you!

Have a great day!

JU-NAX-TIX & Cheerleading

2011-09-26T13:12:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned on Friday, SaraGrace started her very first gymnastics class. This is the first extra-curricular thing she has ever done.

She just looked so cute in that leotard.

She was so excited that she got to do cartwheels…

…handstands…

and backbends. They even showed her how to do handstands and backbends against the wall. I’m sure we will be picking out a new wall paint color in the next few months!

Here she is doing her cartwheel.

While a gold medal may not be in our near future, a broken arm just might. Let’s hope not!!!

And since this post is all about SaraGrace, here are her newest cheerleading pictures.

SG and her partner in crime.

Here she is putting Elmo up in a “stump”. For those of you who do not know cheer lingo, that would actually be a stunt.

I even caught her trying to convince Cade to let her put him up in a “stump”. Thank goodness he didn’t agree to her terms:)

Friday Randoms

2011-09-23T12:46:00.001-04:00

I see everyone posting about random stuff, and now I finally get it. There are just some happenings that are going on, but they don’t require a post to themselves. So here is my random post:

Progress reports came home this week, and Cade did not disappoint. All A’s and one B. He was so upset about having a B, but I told him we would work to get it to an A before report card time.
Football is still alive and well. We’ll be cheering on those tigers on Saturday.
Rob and I finally booked a cruise for just the two of us. We really need a vacation, AMEN?
SaraGrace is so excited. Today is her first day of “JU-NAX-TIX”. In case you can’t decipher, it’s gymnastics. I’m sure that will warrant a post on it’s own.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and GOOOOOOO GATORS!!!!

Passing Through the Waters

2011-09-21T09:49:00.002-04:00

We have entered a chapter in our lives, where we will be experiencing all of the firsts without Faith. Last week was one year ago that we found out I was pregnant. All of these anniversaries will bring back memories, and the wonder of what she would be like. This is a different season of grief.

Truthfully, I would say this season is probably a little harder. Our lives have changed tremendously. And as it often happens with change, Satan has tried to wreak havoc on the fact that with change comes some uncertainty. Just when we feel like we finally have our heads above water, another wave comes crashing down. Or when we put out one fire, we find ourselves walking in another. We have felt extremely defeated at times. Every aspect of our lives has been affected by our grief.

Our devotion this morning was on Isaiah 43:1-2. I know the Lord heard my heart and gave us these words:

¹But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

²When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Our devotion pointed out that the Bible doesn’t say “if” we pass through the waters or “if” we walk through the fire. It clearly says “WHEN.” He also tells us that WHEN we go through these things, they will not destroy us, because we belong to Him.

Though this new season of our lives will undoubtedly bring some sorrow, they will also bring joy. And while some things here on earth may seem uncertain, there’s one thing that will always remain the same….Jesus!

When you’re passing through the waters or walking in the fire, I pray that you will know with certainty that you can trust in Him.

Football, Fear and Fans

2011-09-19T09:54:00.001-04:00

Our weekend was CRAZY!!! I feel like I needed to come back to work just to rest:) We started out Saturday with Cade’s Pop Warner game. I didn’t get but one picture, but it’s really cute!!

Gracie with her pickle.

A funny story about the pickle….We walked to the concession stand at 10:00am. She had just eaten breakfast, but insisted on a pickle too. The nice lady opened the brand new jar of pickles, and pulled out the one on top. SaraGrace asked her, “Ma’am, that one ain’t big enough, can I have that one?” as she pointed out the biggest pickle in the jar. Luckily for her, the nice lady totally obliged.

After Cade’s game, we rushed home to get ready to go to the Swamp.

Here’s Rob and me before the game. I hate that this is so dark.

I’m so glad Amy got to go with me. This was a rare treat! And this picture is even better!!!

Cade had to wear his Tennessee jersey, and he did it so proudly. Grandpa Andy sent this to him so it is very special.

Once we left the Swamp, we headed North to the “Hun-Tin House.” We had to hang some lights and fans.

Cade kept busy sweeping all of the saw dust. He did a great job!

SaraGrace kept the snack schedule running tightly. She even shared with Macy (the dog.)

Remember the lights and fans? Well, I wanted to help, but I didn’t realize I would be spending the day on top of this.

See that death grip? I kid you not, I have blisters on my hands, and I am pretty sure it is from hanging on for dear life.

I was able to let go, briefly, but just for a picture.

“Look! No hands!”

I did finally get somewhat comfortable and Rob and I hung fans and some of the lights.

Here is a picture of the ceiling. It looks beautiful!

And here are the fruits of our labor! We have light!!!

Rob and Jon had to stay overnight and finish it up today. Now that’s dedication!!!

There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are plugging along. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Lately

2011-09-15T09:44:00.001-04:00

What have we been up to lately? Well, we’ve been crazy busy both at home and at work, which explains the SEVERE lack of blogging lately. So today, we will catch up on what has been going on. Hold on, because this is going to be long, random and have lots of pictures.

Football has consumed nearly every moment of our lives lately. We spend Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the football field. That makes for one tired Momma! But Cade is having such a great time.

Here are my two littles after the game on Saturday. Cade had a great game, as we played his old team from last year. He even snuck in a tackle on one of their star players. I was sooooo proud!

Let me tell you a little about Cade this week in practice. He has had a pretty good week. If he has a good practice tonight, he has possibly earned himself a starting position on the offensive line. Did you hear that? Offensive Line!!! Um, just so you know all 47 pounds of sugar will be blocking some 90 pounds of something else. I would say I may just be a little nervous. But my little Rudy can handle it!!!

Little Miss Cheerleader is still going strong! Here she is doing a toe touch during the game.

Help me Lord as I believe this just may be some payback. At least that’s what my Momma says.

Here’s another “Hands on Hips and Smiles on Lips” moment.

And we can’t forget our attempt to do a split. I’m so scared she’s going to split something that ain’t supposed to be split. She is such a rounder!!!

Here’s all three of the munchkins! Brinley is one of Cade’s biggest fans!

After the game on Saturday, we met up with some friends and went to Rock The Universe at Universal Studios.

We had such a great time, and Rob and I enjoyed getting to spend some time together, worshipping the Lord with some of the greatest artists around.

We had to take this picture for Cade. Apparently, this is Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car, and since he is now SOOOO into Nascar, this was a must-have-photo. He couldn’t believe we actually got to see something like this. I’m so glad HE was excited:)

Our first order of business was to ride Shrek 4D. The line was incredibly short, and the glasses were incredibly ridiculous!!! Here’s Patty and me sporting these lovely accessories.

We rode a couple of other rides, but then it was time to see one of our favorites…Third Day!

They were amazing, as always! Then it was time to see our all-time favorite, Casting Crowns. They just don’t come much better than that! The Holy Spirit was alive and well in that place, and I believe that revival took place. They sang two of their new songs, The Well, and Jesus, Friend of Sinners. Check these two songs out. I promise they will bless your heart!

This was our first time at Rock the Universe, but we have been to Night of Joy several times before. I must say how much I LOVED Universe because we were able to hear the gospel presentation shared with so many on several occasions throughout the night.

Even though we have been so busy, we are so careful to keep our focus on the One who has granted us so many blessings. Are you focused on Him? He sure wants you be! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and know that Jesus loves you!

Our Labor Day Weekend {Finally}

2011-09-09T13:30:00.001-04:00

I’m sorry I am so far behind in blogging! But hopefully I am back on track.

We spent our Labor Day weekend in Amelia Island. I am not a huge fan of the beach, but this one is sooooo beautiful that I could live there!

The weather was so nice. It wasn’t too hot, and the waves were amazing!!!

Here’s Brinley sporting the sunscreen hairdo.

Rob and Cade had a blast fighting off the sharks to swim in the crazy crashing waves.

It about killed Cade to come out of the water to reapply the sunscreen, but I’m so glad he did. I was able to get this really cute picture.

SaraGrace, on the other hand, spent all weekend perfecting her cheerleading skills. This is her new life dream!!

“Hands on hips, smiles on lips!” If I hear that one more time…

We even had a little stunt practice on the shore.

Then Daddy buried Cade in the sand, and Cade thought it was so cool!

Of course Little Miss couldn’t be left out.

We had a great trip, and it was much needed time spent as a family.

Thank you Lord for your bountiful blessings you have given us, both through your creation and our family.

I’m Still Here

2011-09-07T13:29:00.001-04:00

I know it’s been several days (Oh my gosh!) since I have posted, and I promise I haven’t gone anywhere. I have some pictures from Labor Day to post, and I can’t wait to share them with you tomorrow.

In the mean time, can I ask you to please pray for our family? We are walking in the fire, and I know the Lord is molding and shaping us for His glory, but it’s been a tough couple of weeks. I love my blog family and you have all been so gracious to love on and care for our family, and I want you to know how much you mean to us.

Until tomorrow,

High Emotion

2011-09-02T11:10:00.002-04:00

He came home from school, his arms full of the everyday stuff a third grader would carry. He slapped his papers on the counter and hung his backpack by the door. He found his way to the refuge he calls his room to play videogames until football practice.

The counter in the kitchen had become a home for everything that didn’t belong there. I rushed to clean it off before Rob got home, and started hurriedly going through the stack of papers that seemed to tower over everything else. I came to the stack of school work that he had laid on the counter just moments earlier. As I fumbled through them, checking to see how he is progressing in school so far, I came across the drawing at the bottom of the stack. I couldn’t contain the emotions that began to overwhelm me. How could it be that such a little fellow could have such complex feelings, then put them on paper so beautifully. I knew I couldn’t throw this one away. He had put so much into this simple drawing, and I knew it would be something that we would treasure.

The assignment:

Draw something that brings High Emotion.

The picture:

Grace

2011-08-31T12:07:00.001-04:00

Grace is being given a gift that you don’t deserve. Forgiveness is a great example of grace. God’s grace was shown when He sent his son to die on the cross to cover our sins. We didn’t deserve it, and nothing we can do will ever make us worthy.

There have been situations in my life, a lot lately it seems, that require me to question, “What did I do to deserve this?” But that is pretty selfish. If I truly got what I deserve, I would be destined to an eternity in the pits of Hell. The fact that Jesus died on the cross for a dirty wretch like me, is a love we can never understand because nothing compares to it. I certainly do not deserve such a sacrifice. But I can understand forgiveness.

God has reminded me of His promise of grace through forgiveness. There are so many times we are wronged by other people, and we are so willing to hold a grudge. But what we must remember is that God has freely extended His gift of forgiveness, and if we are willing to accept His gift, we must extend it ourselves. He isn’t asking us to do anything He hasn’t done for us.

Is there someone who has wronged you or hurt you? Have you extended the gift of grace through forgiveness?

Virginia Vacation and My New Blog

2011-08-26T09:03:00.001-04:00

We left for Virginia two Thursdays ago, and spent 6 days with our dear friends, the Volpes. Rob drove through the night, so we arrived in Kerrs Creek around 7:00 Friday morning.

Our first order of business was to get some sleep, but then the fun was on like Donkey Kong. During the week, we went to Chuck E. Cheese, we got some ice cream, drank about 15 pots of coffee, and consumed nearly 2 gallons of this..

I have never been a fan of coffee creamer other than evaporated milk, until these folks got me hooked on this deliciousness. I’m pretty sure this stuff attributed nearly 4 pounds to the 5 pounds I gained on vacation.

We made a trip to the children’s museum. Everyone had a blast.

We rode tractors,

milked a cow,

tried on a bug’s armor,

got stuck in a spider web,

heard our heart beating on a drum,

laughed at Bryan and Christina as they battled it out on the bikes,

checked out the human body,

raced tiny wooden canoes,

went zip lining through the tunnels,

caught a fish with an Indian net,

built stuff with blocks,

attempted to start a fight with Daddy with said blocks,

lost the block fight,

and our favorite part (especially for my Scooter and her art skills) was painting on the walls of a room.

Cade even got to be a part of a rock band!

But the highlight of my trip was doing Zumba at the Moose Lodge. I have recently found a LOVE for Zumba, but I have to say, you have never really done it unless you’ve done it at the Moose Lodge.

I mean, just look at these facilities!

The aroma was so THICK we nicknamed the class EMPHY-ZUMBA because we were so afraid we were going to leave with a slight case of emphysema from the cigarette smoke.

Regardless of how winded we felt, we had a blast. I will never forget it. How could you forget with a picture like this?

Now, about my new blog layout. I contacted Tenille and she was a doll! I sent her the pictures I wanted to use, and she had me up and running the next day. I have no idea how she does this, as I spent an entire day trying to do it myself. I am so proud of it and I hope you like it too!!! If you are interested in a new blog design, I would HIGHLY recommend her.

Yay!!!!

2011-08-25T16:42:00.001-04:00

I have a fresh new look, and I love it!!! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. I will sleep a lot better tonight:)

HELP!!!

2011-08-23T12:40:00.005-04:00

***Updated: This is a temporary fix. I am working on it, I promise....

Is there anyone out there who can help me re-design my blog? I have attempted to do it myself, which explains why it looks the way it does:(

If you know someone, please send me their info ASAP. I'm counting on you!

School Days

2011-08-22T13:10:00.001-04:00

I can’t wait to share all about our vacation last week, but it’s gonna have to wait one more day. We have something more important to share….Back to School.

These 2 little rascals started back to school today.

SG was so proud of her new shoes. She said in the car this morning, “I can run really faster in my new shoes.”

Cade was not so interested in me taking a picture of him in his class. But he was so glad to see all of his friends.

Scooter wasted no time finding the toys. I think this learning thing may prove to be a bit an adjustment for my social butterfly:)

Here they are just one year ago. My, oh my, how one year can change things:)

I hope everyone has a wonderful first day of school!!!

Faith and Blessings

2011-08-19T14:27:00.004-04:00

We're back! We just got back from visiting with the Volpes in Virginia. We had a wonderful time and I have so much to share, but today is all about Faith. She would have been 3 months old today. Time has just flown by. Truthfully, I don't have many words of wisdom today. If I'm being honest, I would have to say that I feel a little lost. I'm stuck between what God has done in my life and what He's going to do next. I have been convicted to spend more time reading my Bible and in prayer, seeking what His will is for my life.

While we were in Virginia, I sang "Blessings" at Kerrs Creek Baptist Church, and we shared some pictures of our girl. That church has been so faithful to pray for our family and we couldn't wait to show them how beautiful she was. Christina made this precious video that played behind me as I sang. She then added the song sung by Laura Story. She worked on this really late one night while I napped on the couch. She added little snippets from my blog posts in between the pictures. As I watched and read these thoughts, it brought tears to my eyes, but joy to my heart. What a blessing Faith has been in our lives! I miss her soooo much, but will hold onto the blessing of being her mother for the rest of my life.

So in honor of Faith's 3 month birthday, I am sharing the video with you.

Much love to all of you!

Chuck E. Cheese with the Volpeese

2011-08-15T20:27:00.023-04:00

We got to spend some time with our dear friends, the Volpes. Today we decided to take all of the kids to Chuck E. Cheese for some time of sanity! Our kids love each other so much, but lawsy mercy they fight like cats and dogs. All of the children (both big and small) had a blast visiting the lesser mouse.

We had bribed the kids all day with this trip to get them to behave. Cade was so excited to finally get there.

Skee ball is one of our favorites. The boys take it very seriously.

SaraGrace found some games she liked, too. Here she is driving the pirate ship.

Her and Cheyenne took part in a friendly alien race, and they walked away with a whopping 2 tickets.

Cade did some serious pedaling on this machine. Look at that concentration!!!

SG had no problem whacking the mole. She is pretty good with that hammer:)

The big boys got some tokens too. They are so competitive!!! Here they are playing a little basketball...

Rob was working hard to out-race this little boy.

SG's favorite ride of the day was the Ken-Chuck-E Derby. I'm sure we spent nearly 30 tokens riding this horsey. She was really gettin' on it....

We had such a great time with great friends! After 2 hours and nearly $80, this was the loot we brought home....

Lucky for us, we had some gift cards and coupons, so we didn't suffer too bad! Extreme couponing, extreme gaming and extreme friends at it's best!

When God Moves

2011-08-11T14:42:00.001-04:00

It’s football time again, and our not-as-little-as-he-used-to-be guy is having a big time. But this year, things are a little different. Right before the season started, something happened. God moved us in a different direction, and I wasn’t so sure why. We have certainly had a hard year, and I really felt like Cade needed some familiarity.

But the Lord thought otherwise.

After much prayer, we decided to let Cade play football in the county in which we live. We have never done anything there because we don’t ever go to that side of town. But I’m so glad the God is smarter than we are.

Change is hard. No matter the circumstances, it’s just plain hard. You don’t know anyone, you don’t know how things are ran, you don’t know how well your child will adjust, but God does.

(I stole this picture off of the internet. This isn’t our team. But I promise I will have one soon!)

As tough as this decision was, it has been such a blessing to our family. After the first week of practice, the boys (Rob and Cade) came home telling me that they said a prayer as a team each and every time they were together. We also had VBS the same week that football started. Cade had to miss a day of practice, and when Rob talked to the coach to tell him about it, his reply was “Well, that’s certainly more important than football.” And he meant it!

Tuesday, Cade got hurt. At the end of practice, one of the little boys said a prayer thanking God “that Cade didn’t get hurt so bad,” and asking God to “help Cade get better so he can practice again soon!”

Is that not the sweetest thing ever? Cade only knows one kid on the team – his cousin. Everyone else he has only known for a week, and they care this much about one another?

I’m so thankful that God moves us out of our comfort zone. You never know the blessing He has in store!

Bibbidy Bobbidy Birthday

2011-08-08T15:34:00.002-04:00

(***Warning: Long post with tons of pictures. There are some funny parts, and some moving parts, and I want to remember them all, so please bear with me.)

SaraGrace wanted to go back to the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique this year for her birthday. So Saturday was her day. We left with a car full of women (the boys call this a hen party) at 7:30 am and headed for the “House of the Mouse.”

Here is our princess “before” while she is telling the Fairy Godmother exactly how she wants to look.

The transformation has begun.

All the pretty ladies…my grandmothers got to spend the day with us and we made some wonderful memories.

Brinley was in on the action too.

Let me explain a little about SG’s hairdo. Last year, she got the sweet princess bun with the crown. But that would not do this year. She asked for the “Disney Diva.” Hey, it’s her day, she can be a diva if she wants to:)

Here is the final look.

Is it me, or is this the Ariel version of Amy Winehouse? I don’t know what it is, but it is wild. And it fit her to a tee!!!

Nanny, Granny, and the princesses.

After getting all dolled up, we took the grandmas to the Rainforest Cafe. It is always so much fun.

Brinley wasn’t too sure about all of those elephants and gorillas being so loud.

Cousin Love…

Aunt Kiss and her girls…

SG got a sundae since we were celebrating her birthday.

After lunch, we did some shopping. Aunt Kiss made this momma a hypocrite when she bought princess an autograph book and pen . Have I told you how much I hate character autographs?

Needless to say, our little Disney Diva got herself in trouble with her pen before we made it to see Cinderella, and she knew it.

Look what she was hiding under those hands.

And it was on both sides. Thank God for baby wipes:)

We finally made it to the Grand Floridian (Cinderella’s Kitchen). The first person we saw was “Princess Charming.”

Then Cinderella came out and made our girl’s day.

The Bad Mommy….

And Bad Sister # 1…

Bad Sister # 2…

And here is where it gets mushy. We kept calling this our girl’s day. And while we had a blast, I couldn’t help but feel like we were missing one special little girl. Oh, how much fun would it be to bring Faith to see the princesses. As SG talked to the bad sisters, she was telling them just what she thought of them. Then they both asked her if she had a sister. She told them “Yes.” My heart sunk as I waited for her to tell the rest of the story. But she didn’t. They asked her if she fought with her, but SG told them that her sister was a baby, so they didn’t fight. She handled it like a champ, and went on her merry way.

Cinderella came back by and asked her if she wanted to dance. I would have to say this was probably the highlight of SaraGrace’s day. Look how excited she looks! And look at that CRAZY hair!!!

My eyes filled with tears as I watched my girl twirl around the floor in the middle of her very own fairy tale. I was so sad that I would never see such joy in Faith’s eyes as she got to experience her very own “Once Upon a Dream.” But then, God used this to make a point. While I was all sad that Faith was missing out on so much, God pointed it out to me that WE were the ones missing out. She doesn’t need her princess. She’s with THE KING of KINGS. She may never dance with a princess, but she is dancing with angels. My sadness disappeared as I realized how blessed Faith really is. How God had mercy on her and took her to the most perfect place to spend eternity. What an AWESOME love He has for us!

Our dinner ended with the birthday celebration. SG got one heck of a cupcake!

The next few pictures are pictures of pictures (Sorry, I don’t have a scanner). These are some of the memories we bought from the day.

How awesome it will be to look back on this and remember SG’s Birthday and our very first Girl’s Day!

O Bros. Daycare, Preschool and After School Program

2011-08-05T15:33:00.001-04:00

Everyone is certainly aware of the terrible situation our economy is in right now. That’s why here at our family business we have decided to diversify. We have now added “Daycare, Preschool and After School Program” to our list of services we provide.

You know I’m kidding, but looking at today’s pictures, this is certainly believable. We have had VBS this week so Cade and SaraGrace have been here. Brinley’s been here too, so this is a peek into our new venture:)

The principal’s desk…

Gamma’s Administrative Assistant and Marker Holder

This is her new desk, complete with a portable DVD player and Diet Pepsi. Hey, we train ‘em early and we train ‘em right.

She also knows how to type on that dinosaur. She’s getting some on-the-job- training.

Pretty little Brinley. She makes a great paper weight, and seeing all of that paper stacked behind her, it seems as though Gamma is putting that Bumbo to good use:)

And here we have our IT manager, who is extremely smart at figuring out how to work each and every computer game known to men. This is really important in the construction industry, you know.

We even have time for a little imaginary swimming.

The joys of a family business are plenty. Spending the days with our children can be a lot of fun, but I think Gamma is ready to hang up her principal’s hat.

People Pleaser

2011-08-04T13:52:00.002-04:00

I come from a long line of “people pleasers”. Some may call themselves a “peace maker” but at the end of the day, the aim is to please people.

All of my life I have wanted to make everyone proud. I’ve never wanted to let anyone down, or not live up to their expectations. I wanted to be strong, to prove to everyone I was capable. This was apparent when I learned how to castrate cows in high school. My boyfriend at the time told me I probably couldn’t do it, so I had to prove him wrong:) He never said those words to me again.

In my adult life, I find myself still trying to please people. The unfortunate thing is that no matter how hard I try, everyone is not always going to be happy all the time. Therefore, I walk away most of the time feeling defeated.

Last week was the icing on the cake for my realization of this fault of mine. I will honestly admit (which is very hard for me to do) it was the hardest week I have had yet. Which is surprising to me. I was missing my daughter terribly, feeling like I was starting the grieving process all over again. On top of that, things were crazy at work, it was SaraGrace’s birthday, I was preparing for VBS, and in the midst of all of those things, I was feeling like I wasn’t living up to expectations of others in any area of my life.

I cried every day, all day long. I was very short-tempered and feeling overwhelmed. For those around me, it was hard for them to see me act this way. My explanation was simply that I am tired of every one expecting me to keep it together all of the time. It seems as though I was the strong one in the days leading up to Faith’s birthday, but for today, I just can’t be that. But then I was reminded that no one expected that out of me. I put those expectations on myself, as to not let anyone down. It’s the “people pleaser” in me.

When I finally got so overwhelmed I couldn’t take it anymore, I cried out (more like sobbed) to God asking him why I had to be this way. But then He placed this conviction on my heart….

Exodus 20:3 – Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

I didn’t have to think twice about that one. I knew exactly what He meant. I had been so caught up in what everyone else wanted me to be, I didn’t have the time to worry about what God wants me to be. He doesn’t expect perfection, because He knows we are not perfect. But He does expect obedience, something I haven’t had the will to give Him lately. What would happen if I put the same effort of pleasing Him that I put forth in pleasing others? Now that would be AMAZING!!!

I prayed and asked Him to forgive me for placing His expectations on the back burner. I asked Him to help me get over this hump, and to look to Him for my hope and strength, not what other people think of me. I know that when I stand before Him in Heaven one day, He will not care that I lost sleep over pleasing the people in my life. What He is going to care about is what I did that was pleasing to Him.

What other gods do you have in your life? Are you placing them before Him? Don’t be a “people pleaser”. You’re ultimately going to fail. Instead, I encourage you to live your life to be pleasing to Him.

Remembering Baby Tate

2011-08-02T10:20:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I had posted a prayer request asking for prayers for Baby Tate. God has answered those requests for healing, and has healed him in Heaven.

You can read about his story at Cricket’s blog. Please take the time to read about their precious boy and let them know you are praying for them. I remember sitting in the hospital after Faith was gone, and I was so uplifted by the people who I didn’t even know who were praying for our family.

Thank you for supporting one another in prayer!

You Know It’s A Bad Day When….

2011-07-29T10:31:00.001-04:00

I have had a pretty rough week! And to be honest, I truthfully think I am battling some depression. I have just been extremely overwhelmed with the expectations other people have of me. I have always been a people pleaser, and that hasn’t changed. I have really been struggling with the challenge of always keeping it together, just because I have done so up until now. But me and the Lord are working this out as we speak, and I fully trust He is going to help me over this hump.

But in the mean time, I have to admit that He does have a sense of humor. Yesterday was a trying day. We were crazy busy at work, and that had me all worked up. On top of that, we celebrated SaraGrace’s birthday with the family last night, so I had to make her cake.

About 20 minutes before I planned to leave for the day, this happened to me.

Just in case you can’t tell, I split my drawers wide open. Let’s not mention that my weight has been a key element in the defeat I have felt, so this really made my day. As if this wasn’t humiliating enough (remember, I work with mostly men), I got in my car to go home and change and realized I had NO GAS! Yes sir, I had to get out in public and pump gas like this.

I did have a good laugh about it! Maybe the Good Lord knew I needed it:)

But the day didn’t end there. I went to Winn Dixie to get the stuff for SG’s cake. I even remembered the candle, which is huge because I ALWAYS forget the candles. I got the cake made and SG loved it. Do you notice anything wrong with this picture?

Other than the fact that it looks slightly tacky, the candle is clearly the number 3. The problem is, it’s her 4th birthday. The sad part is that I intentionally bought the 3 thinking it was her third birthday. Luckily, she doesn’t know her numbers yet, and Gamma had one single candle so we used it. Hey, 3 + 1 = 4!

The day did have a great ending seeing my girl open her presents. Here are some pictures from the evening.

Pardon the scratch on her forehead. I am pretty certain that Kitty retaliated when he was reminded of his recently acquired tattoos.

Welcome to McDonalds. Can I take your order?

She always wants to be the helper and make Cade be the customer.

Her actual birthday is Saturday. She asked to go back to see Cinderella and the bad Mommy and bad Sisters, so we will celebrate next weekend at the Bibbidi Bobbidy Boutique again.

I hope your weekend is better than yesterday!

Flea Market Fun

2011-07-26T10:49:00.001-04:00

This weekend, the beloved work truck lost the AC. While we (the girls) were bummed we would have to take it to town to get fixed (remember we were in the woods), we took FULL advantage of the trip.

Once we dropped the truck off, everyone jumped in our truck and we went to the antique mall and flea markets. Y’all, I am WAY TOO NOSTALGIC to shop these kinds of stores.

The first find of the day was this beauty:

It is a Big Wheel. (Sorry for the unidentified driver. I was threatened with huge consequences if I posted this picture.) All of us girls had one of these growing up. SG fell in love with it. Now it was ratty….I mean ratty. The stickers were faded, a family of spiders had taken up residence under the handle bars, and none of the buttons worked. But for $3, everyone enjoyed this. The kids, both big and small, took turns riding it through the house.

My boy is very picky, so last year, we got him a Star Wars thermos to pack hot foods in his lunch. This was the new version of a thermos that cost a whopping $17.99 and may hold one can of Chef Boyardee. Of course, SG wanted one too, but I wasn’t about to fork over that kind of money for another pint-sized thermos. Imagine her joy when I found these beauties:

We had lunch boxes like this! And that is what I call the real deal thermos. At $2.50 for the whole setup, I’d say it was a steal! She has been big stuff these last two days with her new lunch box and thermos.

Talk about nostalgic-growing up, we had every Cabbage Patch known to men. We had the dolls, the horses, the furskins, even a bumble bunny. My Nanny has our collection at her house. It even includes the doll bed and the sleeping bag. SG loves these dolls. I squealed with excitement when I came across this…

It is a Cabbage Patch play pen. It matches our other furniture EXACTLY! Now, they were asking $10 for this “crib” as SG calls it. I kindly asked the lady running the flea market to call the vendor and let’s make a deal. Only in GA are people so nice to oblige. I walked away with a “Pack and Play” for Baby Gracie for $7.50. I was so proud.

Now, this trip did make me realize how easily I can revert to my hoarding ways. Rob kindly asked me what I was going to do with all of this “crap.” I eloquently replied, “Don’t worry, I have a use for each of these things.”

It’s a good thing I passed up the record player with the talking books. You know, the Strawberry Shortcake books that come with a record inside that reads the story for you? Yep, I had one just like it. If I knew I wouldn’t have caused World War 3 with the $30 purchase of another memory, I would have brought it home too. We are going back this weekend, so if it’s still there, we may have to do some dealing.

The reason we went shopping for these goods, is my parents are using vintage decor in the lodge. They want it to look like it did when they went to their Grandma’s house. They are currently looking for glass Tom’s and Lance jars that look like this:

If you know where any may be, please let us know! Happy shopping!

The Hun-Tin House

2011-07-25T15:07:00.001-04:00

As I’ve written many times before, this family loves to go huntin’. We are currently shacking up in a 3 bedroom mobile lodge, in which half of us sleep on air mattresses. Dad has recently began construction on a hunting lodge big enough to house this brood. It is affectionately called “The Hun-Tin House.” This is what SG calls it and it has stuck. She loves that place more than Dizzy World.

You know by now that our family does everything together. Even the construction of a new house is a group project! We have been spending some of our weekends working on this house. This weekend was especially hard work!

Here is a view from the front.

And the side.

This is one of my favorite things about this place!

It’s the pump house.

Each of us have different talents to bring to the table.

Here we have our electrical crew…

Now, these two work pretty hard, but we did catch them taking a few too many breaks:)

But once they got refreshed, they went back to work.

Then we have the drywall crew. They stayed pretty busy the entire weekend.

And let’s not forget the supervisory crew. Here’s the Big Boss!

He did do a little more than just supervise. We witnessed him cutting up some drywall.

But the hardest working crew of the day was the cleanup crew.

How about our OSHA approved work boots?

I even put my tractor-driving skills to the test. I think everyone was a little nervous. But if you knew how I drove, you would totally understand:)

Little Brinley got her hands dirty in all of the action!

During a break, which was few and far between, Gamma and the kids found some wild huckleberries growing near the house. They did a little pickin’.

Hopefully they managed to get enough to feed the crew next weekend. I imagine we could cook up a mean cobbler with those berries!

It Could Always Be Worse

2011-07-22T11:21:00.002-04:00

Tuesday marked 2 months since Faith came into this world. It has undoubtedly been a hard week. Satan has had a hay day filling my mind with all kinds of doubt and worries, and unfortunately, I have let him win some of these battles.

Wednesday was especially hard. For some reason, I just felt like the world was against me. I was having a good ole’ fashioned pity party. I went to church to work with some of the kids on VBS music. I fought back tears all the way there. I just flat out asked God why this had to be so hard. Why did He feel so distant?

Before it was time to meet with the kids, I spent some time talking to one of the ladies at our church. We have known her for some time, but I never knew the loss she had experienced. She asked me how I was doing, and I honestly told her how I was feeling. She shared with me that she had lost not one, but two children. Then to make it even harder, they passed away on the same day, just several years apart.

My heart sunk! I felt so terrible for having a pity party. She told me that it was okay to remember the anniversaries and dates. That Faith was my child whether she was here or in Heaven. She also told me that we can make a choice to look to our Lord and follow His way, or we can choose to turn away and do things our way.

Let’s face it! Even when you are following God’s will, it isn’t always easy. Imagine how hard it would be trying to go against it! This time I spent with her was God’s gentle reminder that though we suffer the loss of our children, He suffered the same. He watched his own son die a terrible death, all because He loved us so much. So He hasn’t asked us to do something He hasn’t already done. It confirmed for me that God isn’t distant. It is me who makes the choice to be distant from Him. It also confirmed for me that it could be much worse!

What are you choosing? Are you choosing to look to God and follow His ways? Or are you choosing to walk this life your own way. Life is hard no matter which way you choose, but just imagine how much it means to have Him walking it by your side, to pick you up and carry you through the rough terrain.

This weekend, I encourage you to choose Christ and follow Him. I also encourage you to know that if you are down about something and feeling like you are all alone, God has walked this path before us. Lean on Him and let Him carry you!

The Birthday Party

2011-07-19T13:20:00.001-04:00

Cade celebrated his birthday for the third time this weekend. With his birthday being so close to the 4th of July, we postponed his party. But he was so full of himself seeing that he had celebrated for almost an entire month!

Cade wanted to have a swimming/fishing/campout party. We accomplished the swimming and the fishing, but the weather wasn’t going to cooperate for tent-sleeping.

I think these pictures say it all! All of these little boys, and one brave little girl found their spot along the pond, and had a blast.

I wanted so badly to get a picture of all of the kids together with fishing poles, but this is as close as I got. And just where did they think they were going?

All the way around the other side of the pond!

But Rob and Justin were serious about fishing. They just had to decide which variety of worm was the best. Cade talked me into buying every species of worm that Alachua Farm and Lumber had to offer.

Even Mrs. Sarah got in on the action. But Mr. Justin is pulling in the big one.

Oh wait….maybe not!

It looks like Kate wasn’t afraid of the mud. She hung in there with the best of the boys!

And Emory didn’t let a little mud stop him from fishing. (Y’all, isn’t he just the cutest? He is SG’s little boyfriend, so she says. It does seem to change on a daily basis, though. These two little redheads can do some damage together.)

Ben made sure he got a little dirty, too.

Benjamin and Zachariah were like little fish in the pool. I’m pretty sure these boys slept really good that night.

It was finally time for cake! Cade had specific instructions for how his cake should look. He even had to oversee the placement of the military machines.

And a word to the wise…if you are ever tempted to use black icing on a cake, BEWARE! You may end up looking like this…

SG Ink!

2011-07-15T11:47:00.001-04:00

I think Miss Kat Von D better look out for Little Miss Sara G! She has been practicing her tattoo skills lately. I blame all of this on her daddy. The kids think his tattoos are so cool. (It took me a while to warm up to them, but now I kinda like ‘em. I even have one on my toe:))

So just who is the newest little tattoo artist in the family? It’s none other than this little girl.

I took this picture because this is how she got ready for bed. Apparently I am not fully recovered from my hoarding tendencies, seeing that Baby Girl was able to dress herself in some pajamas that bore a tag reading “18 mos.” However, in my defense, they do still “kinda” fit. They are just a little short! Never mind the single flip flop who has lost his mate.

Back on track now….

SaraGrace has been practicing her art skills on anything and everything she can get her hands on.

See Exhibit A:

I went to get her out of the car on Monday morning at my mom’s house, and this is what greeted me on my car window. Of course, I didn’t think it was very funny. When I asked her why she did it, she replied, “I just needed to see exactly what color it was.” Needless to say, she did get into a little trouble because she knows not to color on anything other than paper.

Now let’s look at Exhibit B:

These would be her white leather shoes that provided the perfect canvas to practice her art skills. This would also happen to be Tuesday morning, just one day after she got in trouble for the car window. Her excuse this time, “I just like coloring so much!”

As if the non-living were not good enough, SG found her first live being to render a tattoo on.

Exhibit C: For your viewing pleasure-

Look closely at the paws. They are nicely tinted with streaks of red and blue. And just who was dumb enough to sit and let SG come at them with a colored object? It was none other than…

Mr. Kitty, who was sporting 4 brand new spanking sets of artwork on his feet. When the defendant was asked the reasoning behind her handy work, she replied, “I was just giving Mr. Kitty some tattoos.”

I tell you what. I’m going to start to worry if she asks for freckles in the shape of stars around her eyes. I just don’t think Miss Sara G’s daddy would approve.

Best.Date.Ever.

2011-07-13T10:13:00.001-04:00

My husband is so romantic. We do not get to spend a lot of time by ourselves, so for us to have a date is a BIG DEAL! If he plans it, it is an EVEN BIGGER DEAL! And if he arranges child care, it is the BIGGEST DEAL! (Thank the Lord for my parents, who are the best babysitters in the world!!!)

For our anniversary, he surprised me with tickets to the Hippodrome. He even called my mom himself and asked her to watch the kids.

Neither one of us had ever been to the Hipp before, so it was such a nice surprise.

(Photo courtesy of insideflorida.com)

We got all gussied up for our big night on the town. (Don’t you love the old school prom pose?)

We started our night by going to dinner. He asked me where I wanted to go, and that was a no-brainer. In sticking with typical Vaughn fashion, our romantic anniversary dinner took place at none other than Texas Roadhouse. It’s my favorite, y’all!!! And what romantic anniversary dinner is complete without this…

Yep, that’s right! Lucky for us, it was kids night, so we had the privilege of having the armadillo come to our table. Now there’s an anniversary moment we’ll never forget:)

We were running a little late after dinner (imagine that), but we made it to the theater on time. I was so excited to see our show…

Can I just say, this show was amazing! It was a musical with tons of oldies music. Both Rob and I really enjoyed it. I have to say, it was the BEST.DATE.EVER! The time we spent together was much needed. We were like two teenagers reconnecting on our first date, although this was even better. It’s amazing how you are reminded why you love someone so much when you get to spend some quality time with them.

Isn’t that how it should be with our relationship with Jesus? Spending quality time with the Savior has been something I have been struggling with lately. I don’t know why. But after spending the evening with Rob last night, and realizing how wonderful the time was, it reminded me that it’s exactly what God wants from us…quality time. In our married life, we get so caught up with children, extracurricular activities, jobs, bills and all of the other stuff, and we forget to take time for our loved ones. What is keeping you from spending quality time with Him? He certainly wants to spend it with you. It could be the Best.Date.Ever!

9 Years and Counting…

2011-07-12T09:16:00.002-04:00

On this day, nine years ago, I married my soul mate.

Now, we didn’t have the classiest wedding known to man. It was the second marriage for both of us. This time, we were livin’ on love. Our $80 wedding has proven that it isn’t the money you spend on your day, but the effort you put forth in your marriage.

We have experienced some of the greatest and some of the hardest days in our lives together. The Lord has blessed us with three beautiful children…

I cannot imagine walking through this life without this man. God has blessed me tremendously with the gift of Rob in my life.

My dearest Rob,

Who would have ever thought we would see this side of 9 years? There have been days we may not have imagined it, but yet again, God’s plans prevailed. I wouldn’t trade one day we have spent together, as we can now see how God has used our trials to strengthen us together as one. He has written a wonderful testimony for both of us, and I am so proud to see how He is using you to further His kingdom. I’m so thankful for your relationship with Jesus. I’m so thankful that you love Him so much. I love you with all of my heart. You are the best dad to our children. I will never forget watching you take care of me and Faith with such gentleness and care. Cade and SaraGrace adore you and are so lucky that God chose you to be their dad. I’m so blessed He chose you to be my husband. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. When God made you, He must have been thinking about me!!!

With all my love,

SaraBeth

Fishin’ on the Fourth

2011-07-11T10:21:00.001-04:00

This picture can only mean one thing….

it’s scallop season (and Rob needs a tan on those legs)!

It is O’Steen tradition that we go to the river for the Fourth. It’s typically opening scallop weekend, so we pack up and head to Suwannee, with our children and snorkeling gear in tow.

Saturday, we piled into three boats and made our way to the scalloping grounds. This was SG’s first scallop trip (that she can remember) and Cade’s first trip with his very own mask and snorkel. They were ready to roll!

Rob was always the first one from our boat in the water. He has the gear thing down pat. He can get suited up in 10 seconds flat! I’m not so sure how I haven’t caught on to that.

Cade started out swimming by himself. He hadn’t yet gotten the hang of his snorkel.

Then the current got bad, so he hitched a ride.

Papa and Cade made a pretty good scallop team.

SaraGrace teamed up with everybody. She couldn’t decide who was the best scalloper. She started out with me. I would have to find the scallop, then bring it up to her to put in the bag. Then she found her Gamma.

She would scream at you while you had your head under water. She wanted to know every time you saw something.

Then it was Beas’ turn. SG would show off all of her loot.

Here are our bathing beauties. In the O’Steen family, everyone does everything. We even scallop in our eighties. Here is the oldest and the youngest members of our group, Granny and Brinley.

Speaking of Brinley, this is how we roll at bath time at the river house. Fun times!

On Sunday, we spent the day fishing offshore. We are either the craziest parents ever, or the coolest parents ever. We took our kids 75 miles offshore. While Cade seems to go every time the boat leaves the dock, SG has never been on the big boat. But she cries every time it leaves without her. I haven’t been fishing in forever, so we decided to make it a family day on board the Papa Gator.

Here’s the Grace all ready to go get some fish. (Please note her fishing uniform. Because she had gotten sun the day before, I had to make sure she was covered up. It’s not like we have a whole wardrobe of fishing attire, so I improvised, people. I took my t-shirt, safety-pinned at the collar and tied in the back, and made a top for her. Hey, it served it’s purpose!)

Now Cade looks like a professional. Heck, he’s been doing this since he was 2!

Don’t they look so cute?

I was lovingly nicknamed Olan Mills while on the boat. Lance kept making fun of me, but I’m so glad that I had the camera. Once Olan was done with the standard family pictures, it was time to FISH!

Papa and SG reeling in her FIRST fish!

She was so excited that it was PINK!

Then Cade reeled in his first for the day!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a keeper. But he was still so proud.

Papa kept bringing ‘em in.

Now this fish is a Papa/SaraBeth joint venture.

I hooked the fish on my pole, but then the crazy thing took off under the boat. My pole was bent completely over the side of the boat. My dad came to my rescue (because Rob was busy with his own fish) and reeled him in for me. So I am claiming it was a joint venture, with Papa doing most of the work. After all of that work, it wasn’t even a keeper. The season was closed:(

Another joint venture (Papa and SB) just minutes later.

He had to be thrown back too. SEASON CLOSED! However, this is the biggest fish I have ever caught! You didn’t think Olan would let this fish go without a picture, did you?

We caught almost 400 pounds of fish that day.

I would say it was a pretty exciting Fourth of July!

On Cloud 9 {and a winner}

2011-07-06T10:15:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to World of Waxes and simpletruelove. Since you were the only two to actually enter the contest, you have each won a copy of "Heaven Is For Real." Please send me your address and I will get that book to you in the mail ASAP. It is such a good read!!!

Yesterday, Amy and I spent an hour on Cloud 9.

Remember the gift cards I found in the Great Cleanout? Well, Amy and I had a good time spending them at Cloud 9. We each got a massage, and it was long overdue. But wouldn't you know that I spent the weekend at the river (another blog post as soon as I can steal my sister's camera back) and my back was scorched. That was real bright, huh? But the Lord must have known how badly I needed to be rubbed, because he numbed up that burn just in time.

Here we are getting ready for our massage. We were able to use the shared suite, so not only did we get a wonderful massage, we laughed and laughed, and had us a good ole' time.

As we were sitting in the relaxation room waiting for them to call us back, we kept getting tickled at the people as they walked through after their massages. They all looked drunk. But we soon learned we had no room to laugh. Here we are after our massages...

Though we look rough, we felt so renewed. Thank you Amy for spending the afternoon with me and for being the best friend a girl could ever ask for!

Happy Birthday, Cade, and a story from Camp!

2011-06-30T09:22:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe my little man is 8 years old today! It was this day, in 2003, that God showed me how to love unconditionally.

Cade was our first miracle child.

I will never forget finding out that we were pregnant, after doctors had told me I would never be able to do so.

We are so proud of you, Cade.

This year, we have seen you grow into a young man, displaying faith and courage greater than ours at times.

You made straight A’s and we couldn’t be happier with all you have accomplished.

We love you!!!

Cade just got back from overnight camp. He was so excited to get to go. But I have to tell you, he is growing up so fast! He has been asking his Daddy about wearing deodorant. Rob told him he didn’t need it right now, and he was thoroughly disappointed. However, during the great cleanout, we found some deodorant spray that Rob had been given. Rob gave it to Cade, and he thought he was big stuff. This deodorant stinks to high heaven, and Cade proceeded to fumigate our entire house throughout the day. There is no way there are any remnants of a living creature in his room. I had the smell in my nose for days.

When we were packing for camp, he made sure he had his deodorant. I just knew we would get reports of having to evacuate the bunk room due to dangerous fumes in the form of Axe deodorant spray. Thankfully everyone survived, even the can of deodorant.

The Great Cleanout 2011

2011-06-27T14:33:00.001-04:00

I wrote about the Great Cleanout on Friday, and I am happy to report we were very successful this weekend. Rob was so proud of the pictures of my office, so he knew I had it in me to undo some of my hoarding habits.

Saturday morning started at 8:30 for us. We started in the bedroom, and were imprisoned in there for 4 hours. I do not have any pictures of the bedroom because my boss said I was way too easily distracted. However, we hauled 10 (TEN) garbage bags of stuff out of my bedroom. One of those bags included at least 75 pair of underwear. Who has that many pairs of underwear? Obviously you can’t wear that many, because if you’re like me, you wear the same 10 pair over and over again.

(***A side story- as I was throwing out the underwear, I came across a pair that was 13 years old. Rob and I were laughing about it, but then my little-hoarder-in-training piped in. Cade got all upset about us throwing out our “family memories.” We had to laugh that our underwear could mean family memories, especially a pair that existed long before our family.)

Once the bedroom was completed, we moved to the hall closet. This closet contained the multitude of scrap material I have held onto forever. Here is a before…

Poor SaraGrace couldn’t get back down the hallway. This was a fun cleanout. We found all sorts of treasures. My favorite was this…

This was my pound puppy, Pumpkin, from 1986. I forgot I had saved this hound. SaraGrace was so excited to have a new friend to play with. He was a little stiff from old age, so I think he may need a “Downy with Febreze” bath. We sifted through pictures and had tons of good laughs. When I can get my hands on a scanner, I have some good material for some funny posts.

Here is the after of the closet…

Then we moved to our laundry room. Let me just say that this room has always been a disaster! It just overwhelms me, so I have no motivation to clean it out. But, thankfully Rob helped keep me motivated and here is the before/after…

It looks so much better. You would be so proud that my 10 bottles of detergent have withered away to 3, plus one bottle of stain remover. However, I am certain that the one box of Dreft I kept is from when SaraGrace was born. That would be 4 years ago!

My favorite feature of the new and improved laundry room are the hooks. Because there was never anywhere to put anything, all of our purses, bags, etc. ended up in the floor in the kitchen, creating more clutter. We also had a hard time keeping up with our keys (don’t be so surprised!). So here is our solution…

Never mind the huge shadow. Just look at how nice the getup looks. The key holder is just adorable. Cade made it for Rob for Father’s Day. Here is a close up.

The last project of the weekend was the junk drawer. Y’all they call it a junk drawer for a reason…it always looks like junk! Ours looked like a bomb had gone off in there.

Let’s just say that all evidence of my hoarding tendencies were found right here in this drawer.

If you look closely, you will see 5 (FIVE) pairs of nail clippers. Then, I found one more after I took the picture. I threw away 3 of them. That’s got to be at least step 3 in the recovery process, right?

Then I found 8 (EIGHT) pairs of scissors. I only threw away 3 pairs (they were the little plastic ones) and kept the other 5. You can never have too many pairs of scissors!

But once I got through with the drawer, it was so nice and neat.

Rob kept getting on to me for keeping all of these baskets and containers, but see, you really might find a use for them someday.

The kids found ways to entertain themselves while the house was torn apart.

SG rode her bike around the garage with her helmet on backwards, and a wardrobe that would make any princess jealous. Cade entertained himself by following us around to make sure we weren’t throwing out all of our “family memories”.

This picture cracks me up. Cade held onto that football to ensure it would not find it’s way into one of the black bags taking a ride in Daddy’s truck.

Along the way, we found many little treasures as incentive to keep on cleaning. I found $85 in spa gift certificates, a $100 savings bond that has matured, a $50 savings bond that will mature next year, a collection of coins we forgot we had, and a handful of change.

We were able to find a home for all of the clothes, as well as pots and pans and lots of other things. Rob only had to make 3 trips to the dump.

I would say that the Great Cleanout 2011 proved to be extremely successful, and has inspired us to start a few new projects. I can’t wait to see what else we come up with.

Hoarders

2011-06-24T13:54:00.001-04:00

Have you ever seen this show?

I have never seen it, but I have heard of it. Rob, on the other hand has never even heard of it….until last night. We went to dinner with CJ and Kerri, and CJ was telling him all about it. While the guys were talking, I could see Rob’s wheels turning. Since the conversation, Rob is convinced I am in the beginning stages of becoming a hoarder:)

I don’t know if it’s because we have at least 10 bottles of laundry detergent sitting beside the dryer; none of which have more than 2 loads of detergent left in them. Or it may be the end closet, that stores EVERY scrap of material I have ever used to make ANYTHING. Hey, I might need it one day! But the dead giveaway, was when he offered to get rid of his ROTC uniform that’s been hanging in the closet the past 9 years. When he proudly suggested this, my reply was simply “Someone could use it as a costume some day.”

He has decided to stage an intervention that starts tomorrow. We are cleaning out!!! I think we better call and get a dumpster delivered to our yard, and I know exactly where we can get a bulldozer.

In an effort to get motivated for the “Great Cleanout”, I decided to clean out my office today. I WISH I would have taken a picture before I started. Let’s just say I now have a garbage bag full of trash. I even took 17 (seventeen) yellow legal pads downstairs. I threw away at least half a dozen more.

But, after nearly 4 hours of blood, sweat and tears, here is the final product…

Now, this may not look like much, but trust me, it looks AMAZING! I’m well on my way to recovery:)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!