Victory in Pictures

It is great to be a Florida Gator, even if we did almost lose to the Razorbacks!

Cade & SaraGrace were dressed up for this game, so I thought I would attempt to get a picture of them for a Christmas card. That did NOT happen. I guess when you turn 6, you are WAY TOO COOL to be seen with your sister. Here are a couple that I took anyway!

Rob and I very rarely get a picture with just the two of us.

Finally, the best picture of the night goes to none other than.....

It was close one, but we got our money's worth!

Little Miss Independent

We went to visit some friends Monday night. As we were walking out the door, I told SaraGrace to get her shoes on and "Let's Go!" This is what she came out with.

If the non-matching shoes aren't enough, check out that pink one. It's a wrong-footer!

Geaux Gators!

This past weekend, Rob and I got to take a road trip to go see the Gators whoop up on LSU. We had a really good time spending time with friends and family. We stayed with the Windhams in Laurel, MS. They were the most gracious hosts! True Southern Hospitality!

We left Laurel around lunch time Saturday to head to Baton Rouge. It was a 3.5 hour trip, that was interrupted midway with a trip to Longhorn Steak House. We knew we better get a good meal, because it would be stadium food the rest of the day. The boys found Bass Pro, Gander Mountain and Cabelas along the way, but unfortunately for them, the Hunting Gods were not on their side. We didn't have enough time to stop and shop....YES!

We made it to the stadium with plenty of time to spare. We walked around and checked out the sights. And let me tell you, there were some sights! There was an abundance of trash talking all the way from the parking area to the stadium. They would not let up!

We got into the stadium and Rob and I met up with my parents. We had great seats, that were so great, they sold 3 tickets for every seat available! Needless to say, we stood the entire game.

Here is the view from our seats. That was one loud place. That is until we started beating them, and then......SILENCE!

Winning made the game even more fun! I have to tell you that the walk back to the car was the most peaceful stroll down the streets of Baton Rouge. Where were all of those trash talkers? We made it out very quickly, thanks to the witty mind of Elio. He came up with a strategy to get us the heck out of there. I think it was because he was so excited about his first ever trip to Waffle House.

We made it home Sunday night, after MANY hours in the car. But we had a great time and really enjoyed the company.

Now......Go Gators! Beat the Hogs!

This little life of mine.....starring?

It has become very apparent in the last few months that I have far too many distractions in my life. Things that distract me from following God's will for my life. Things that distract me from being the best wife, mother, sister, friend that I am called to be. Things that can get in the way of my testimony. Things that Satan tries to use to tear down all that God has built up. It has really affected my ability to let His light shine through me. As the old saying goes, you become what is most important to you. Boy....that's a tough one to chew on, because lately, my focus has not been on furthering the Kingdom of God. I have spent most of my energy focusing on my own problems, which are, of course, created by me!

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3: 1-4

In my every day life, I spend entirely too much time on facebook, Perez Hilton (don't judge...ha), and many other things that mean nothing in this world. If I used the same amount of time to read my Bible, pray for others, encourage others, forgive others, or just looking for opportunities for my life to be a testimony, what kind of witness would I be? It wouldn't make me perfect, but it would make me stronger. I would be closer to being what God has called me to be.

Satan has really been at work! He just kicks you when you're down. He uses the very things you treasure the most to hit you where it counts. Things like spouses, children, families, friends and jobs . These are all blessings we should be so thankful for. He puts doubts in your mind that allow you to fall into his trap. And boy have I fallen!

The good news is that God is waiting there to catch me. He picks me back up, wipes off the "boo boo's" and sets me back on my feet, while encouraging me to keep seeking Him. This song, by Selah, talks about places where grace is. Each and every thing in our life that brings us to our knees, including our own setbacks and failures, will not be unredeemed if you bring them to the cross.



When we get so busy with all of the things of this earth, we tend to lose sight of our true purpose here. We get all worked up, out of sorts and stressed out. But it's all in vain. God has already written this script. He knows how it all turns out. It is up to each of us to live up to the role He has chosen for us. We have to remember that God is the lead character, as this story is about Him, not about us. However, He doesn't want us to be just an "extra". He wants us to be a supporting actor, doing our best to put Him in the best light we can.

What role have you taken on in your life? What role have you given Jesus? His story has a much happier ending than our own. My encouragement for you today is to ask Him to take the lead. Offer yourselves as a supporting role, doing everything He has called you to do. Keep your focus on things above, not on the things of this earth.

In an effort to help me keep my focus, and to be held accountable, I will be deleting my facebook account as soon as someone can tell me how to save all of my pictures. So, if you have any idea of how to do this, your help is greatly appreciated.

To ALL of my friends, I love each and everyone of you for who you are and what you mean to me. I want to apologize to each one of you for letting this world, and Satan, get the best of me. My life has been greatly blessed by you, in many different ways.

Fall, Football, Costumes and All

This is one of my favorite times of the year (other than Christmas.) So much is going on, but it is all so much fun! I did finally buy some scarecrows and pumpkins, but I need to get some hay and some mums for my "display" out by our gate. Maybe I can do that tonight. Or better yet, maybe I can talk Beas into chipping in on the mums, and we can put the display between our two houses. Sounds like a win-win situation to me:) Mom got crafty this weekend and got her fall decorating done.

She took pictures of the kids on Sunday.

She had spent all weekend working on this and also planted some new flowers down her walkway. After she had it all done, SaraGrace comes to her bringing her a flower....one of the newly planted ones she had dug up. It was very cute! At least I thought it was:)

We have also been busy with football. Both Gator & Raider football! Cade is loving life as a "stinkin' blocker" on the line. He really wants to run the ball, but he and Daddy are working on that. He has done a great job! He always has to block someone way bigger than him, but he never backs down. I think he gets that from his Momma!!!

Here is Coach Daddy and Cade running through the banner. Cade is # 80.

Cade in the huddle.

Just for reference.....here is a picture of Cade with his biggest teammate. Cade is the smallest of the bunch.

And here he is after a game, giving the other team a "good game."

But you gotta give it to him....the kid's got HEART! He's our little "RUDY!"

Last week, we went to Kentucky, and had a wonderful time watching our boys beat up on those Cats. I have to tell you, I love me some Tebow. I love everything he stands for. He is just amazing! I love it that Cade thinks he's just the greatest thing ever. He is always drawing pictures to give to Tim. Last week, while we were sitting at the game, he drew Tim a picture in the middle of the program book. I will be giving that to Mr. Don Mauldin to give to Tebow.
We did manage to get a picture of the three of us. SG stayed behind with some very dear friends, the Del Valle's. Here is our family minus SG.

Talk about a long day...we went from Raider to Gator in just 3 hours. That's why we look like we are whipped. I was up at 5:30 that morning to get us all ready for the day.

I did finally order Cade's costume today. This is a huge deal because I normally am running ragged trying to get it together at the last minute. He wants to be Jengo Fett from Star Wars. What happened to all of the cute little costumes? I guess those days are over for him. This is his costume.


Not only am I on time, I got one heck of a deal! Costume Express was the only place I could find the deluxe version (not the jumpsuit kind that looks like it was painted on). It was $59.99, then you had to buy the jet pack and gun. With shipping it was over $90. We are in a RECESSION people! That was ridiculous. I had two different coupons that would have made it around $60, but wouldn't you know it, you can't use both. So I did what every deal searching mom would do....I got on ebay. I got this costume, with the jet pack and shipping for $29.99! That is a STEAL! It should be here by Thursday. He will be excited.

SaraGrace is going to be Strawberry Shortcake....again! My dear friend, Mindy, made this AMAZING costume for us last year. And 1 year later, it still fits! SG got sick last year so she only got to wear it for a few minutes. I cannot let a perfectly AWESOME costume go to waste!


Happy Fall, Y'all!

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street

Ticket to Sesame Street Live ~ $14 (well, actually it was free because Gamma bought the tickets.)

Stuffed Zoey and Program Book ~ $23

SaraGrace's reaction to seeing Elmo in the flesh (if you consider a costume flesh)

~ PRICELESS~

Let's Play Catch....up.

Just a warning~ This is a long post with a lot of pictures, and it is very RANDOM! But, I have to catch up on everything from the last few months..HA!

As you can see, I have updated this blog to be a little "fally!" I love fall, and am hoping I can get Rob to help me get some scarecrows and hay out shortly to decorate. But I'm not holding my breath!

I will start with cakes. I have always wanted to make my children's birthday cakes. It looks pretty easy, right? Not exactly. I have tried for 6 years to make Cade's cake, and always had to call Publix at the last minute. So this year I decided to attempt SaraGrace's cake. I got really lucky, because one of the greatest friends in the world had a birthday. I told her I would make her cake as a practice run. Her name is Christy, more lovingly known as "Eestie". Here is what I came up with.

The image quality isn't that great, because it was taken from my phone, and then saved from facebook. But, I thought it turned out pretty good, for a first attempt at fondant. But, this was a deception. After days of working on SaraGrace's ""Under the Sea" cake, this was the final product.
There are better pictures on my facebook. It wasn't exactly how I had pictured it. And to make it worse, my pound cakes kept falling. The small white layer was one half rice krispy treat and one half brownie. The octopus was also rice krispy treat. That is all I had left in my pantry after my 4th pound cake was a dud:( But, when SaraGrace finally saw it, her expression was worth it all. "Mommy, Aeial (Ariel) is on my cake. I love it!" Needless to say, I think I will try to make every birthday cake for both of my children from now on. Cade, can you tell me what you want for next year so I can start now? Maybe I'll have it done in time:)

Once all of the birthday festivities were over, it was time for Cade to start tackle football. That's right, full on tackle football. He has waited 6 years to be able to take someone out and not get in trouble. Here is a picture of him all fitted up in his new pads and helmet.



The minimum weight requirement was 35 pounds. When we started he weighed 35 pounds, but at his official weigh-in, on Saturday, we were up to a Cade Record Weight- 38 pounds! Folks, that is a huge deal for this little fella. He has 75 pounders on his team! He had his jamboree last Saturday, and Jah has the pictures. I need to get them and post them. Cade has his first real game this Saturday at 8:00 am. It is really neat. He sports the same number as his daddy did....the big #80!

I am really proud of Cade. Since starting first grade, his reading and writing have been AMAZING! It seems like I have a different child from just a few months ago. He is doing really well!!!!! Just like his Momma:)

Now, on to Costa Rica trip # 2. This trip was really amazing for our team of guys. They were able to finish everything they had set out to do. It took them until the final minute, but they did it. No, GOD did it! The church is complete with a roof, new lighting, new fans and a new electrical system. The people there were so thankful for all that was done. To show their appreciation, they got up at 2am one morning to practice a "dark show" which is like a black light show. It was a surprise to the guys, so they had to do it when it was dark, and when no one would see them practice. Now that is dedication! Rob said the show was AMAZING!

Going into this trip, we had really been praying that God would give us direction as to where we were supposed to go to follow the calling He had laid upon our heart. It seemed like everything was pointing toward Colombia. We were both really excited about it, but while Rob was in Costa Rica, that door was shut. While we wanted to be really disappointed, we were thankful that it happened before we got all the way over there. We were even more thankful that God was faithful in providing the direction we were asking for. Please be praying for us as we seek His will for the next step in our lives.

In blog land, we tend to hear a lot of sad stories, but we can always see how God used them to share His love with others. But, I know of a really happy one, too! One of my friends, Mandi, has an amazing story of God's faithfulness to us when we just trust Him. After a long road of trying to become parents, their adoption was final on Wednesday. Please jump on over and read their story. It will bless your heart.

Also, some of our very best friends, the Volpes, just welcomed their son into the world last Thursday. Go visit them so you can see sweet Ryker!

Sorry this post is so long, but I hope you have a great weekend.