Unbelievable...

Never doubt that God is in the midst of every detail of our lives...even regarding stolen cars. My sister called me a little while ago...remember her car that had gotten stolen? It turned out that her friends who were keeping the car for her while she was on vacation had renters insurance...and their renter's insurance covered the stolen vehicle--even though it was not there property.

First of all, I was shocked over that...Mel and I were talking about it and we were thinking if she got $1,000-$1,500 she'd be doing good. I was just glad she wasn't going to have to pay that tow bill... I'd run an average value off of NADA of about $2,100 for the car...but figured she would probably get the lowest trade in-value.

Well, Mel just called me...they are giving her $3,000 for her car. Can you believe it? I am in shock...really, how cool is that?!

And the insurance company will be handling going after the people that stole the car, so Melanie doesn't have to do anything on her end. Mel, I'm so excited for you! And just remember...we have great rates at LifeWay Credit Union. :)

This is funny...

I try not to be too political here on my blog...but my sister-in-law sent this and I thought it was funny. Hope you get a good laugh!

2nd post of the day...

First, here's Hayden at his last game...up to bat. He did so well this season and it was a lot of fun, but I am so glad it's over. It's nice to have our nights back and not have games or practice.

Hayden got a 'Season Ball' after each game that we won...the coach would pick out a player to get the 'Game Ball'...well we won 7 games and there were 10 kids...so not all of the kids got a game ball. The three that didn't got a 'Season Ball' at the Pizza Party we had for the team. Hayden loves that ball...it goes everywhere with him. He eats breakfast with it, he sleeps with it. He's so excited about that ball.

Okay, I've said this before but my daughter is stubborn...she is and there's no one to blame but me. She's my girl to the T. I thought I'd show you guys an example...

Abby got her haircut yesterday so I was taking her picture to show the grandparents...I said "Abby, SMILE....cheese"...this is what I got...

So, then I said, "Okay, Abby whatever you do...DO NOT smile. I don't want to see you smile for this picture." This is what I got...

Of course, I cut off the top of her head so I had to retake the picture...same thing , "Abby, please don't smile...I want a serious picture."

Yes, I know I shouldn't allow her to get away with it because technically it's disobeying...and in all honesty we are pretty strict about being disobedient, but I do let this one go...probably just because she looks so cute. Side note...I use this reverse psychology every morning... I tell her I've laid out her clothes to wear but I know she's not going to like them...or I say, I've made your lunch but I know you're not going to like it...and every single time she says, "I like that." But if I don't say it she will complain about clothes, lunch, you name it...

My only fear is I don't think this reverse psychology will work forever. :)

$49.51

Yes, my friends...I'm so excited that it only cost $49.51 to fill my car up with gas yesterday that I'm posting it on my blog. If I could do cartwheels I would have yesterday at the gas station...just to put this into perspective...that saves us an estimated $120 a month.

$120 a month...how crazy is that! Say we were to take that $120 a month and put it into a high yield savings account for the next 20 years we'd have approximately, $37,514.91. 30 years savings would be: $64,497.95.
Now I realize not enough to retire on and it won't take the place of your 401k...but it's a nice little nest egg that could come in handy.

So, the point of this post:

#1 I'M SO EXCITED THAT GAS PRICES ARE GOING DOWN

#2 Since you're used to paying the high gas prices, save the monthly difference and pay yourself what we were paying Big Oil.

Chattanooga or Bust--Part II The Aquarium

The kids thought it'd be fun to go in Shark Cage...until they saw the shark....

Yep,real big shark!

Aren't they cute...there were some huge fish were in this tank...


Notice Tigger scuba diving with the fishies? Yep, they even had Scuba Tigger!

There was an alligator in this picture like 5 seconds before I snapped the shot...wasn't quick enough

This was down at the river front...it was such a beautiful day.

That's a real turtle shell...can you imagine crossing the path of that turtle...I think I'll pass.


Meet Pink and Skipper, the kids Penguins. The penguins were my favorite...they're just so cute.

We went to an IMAX movie and it was hilarious...about 5 minutes into it I look over and see Hayden reaching out his hands like he's going to touch the whale swimming right towards us...I leaned over and said, "Hey, you know you can't actually touch it right?" and he said, "I know it just looks soooo real, Mom!" Those glasses do some crazy things.

Can you tell Abby was exhausted...what's funny is that I fell asleep on the way home too and looked EXACTLY the same as she did--yes, James took a picture (I deleted--digital cameras are great)...mouth opened and all...except that picture wasn't cute like Abby's is. :)


The kids said we needed to have a birthday party for their new penguins...how could I say no to that?

Scary Kind of Morning

Most of you know I work for a Credit Union...and I'm very blessed that our Credit Union is in the LifeWay building which yields much difficulty for potential robberies. Very thankful for this...and I will admit I've been pretty naive to the whole thing....I always thought oh if we were robbed I would be one cool cat. Yeah, God proved me wrong this morning.

On Monday, a man came into the Credit Union to cash a check drawn off of one of our members accounts...turns out those checks had been stolen.
Well, the man came in today...so since I'm the one supposedly in charge over the Teller Line I figured it would not be good for me to be hiding under my desk in my office...instead I took the bull by the horn. (Seriously, he kind of looked like a bull) But honestly, the whole time I'm thinking..."Please don't pull out a gun, please don't hurt us...I really don't want to get robbed"...I had called our president ahead of time, because lets face it I was scared to death...so he goes walking out in the lobby and heads to the back door and I'm thinking, "You chicken...you're leaving me here by myself...come on, I have two small kids...I don't want to handle this dude on my own". Luckily, president changed his mind and shut the door....he later informed me that he did that intentionally to have a description of the guy and he was not going to leave me in the lobby by myself. (Sigh of relief that my supervisor wouldn't throw me out to the piranhas)
I basically told the guy that the account was closed and the whole time I was thinking, pull it together you're voice is shaking...along with my hands, legs, and everything else...I was a nervous wreck.

He left...but when I checked with security he hadn't actually signed out...so I'm a little nervous that he might of decked off into a hiding place...security is checking the building now...I'll keep you posted.

In all seriousness, I know this was really nothing...but the fact that it could have been was a little nerve wracking for me. Plus did I mention he was scary looking...big bushy black beird...long black hair pulled in a pony tail...wore a big camo jacket...I mean not the look most of our members go for.

Nothing like a little excitement to get the day going on a Wednesday!!

Outrageous!!!

**Update...my sister called and informed me that she also received a bill for $511.00 for the towing of the vehicle...although I did speak to the owner of the company and he said he'd waive the 'holding' charges (which was nice) but the tow bill could not be lowered (bummer)...can I just say, those idiots that did this are despicable!!! And yes, I'm well aware this attitude is not very christ-like but right now I'm being human and I'm mad. **

I am still in the process of getting the pics from Part II of our trip downloaded and posted on the blog...we're having some technical difficulty with the laptop that I was using to complete this simple task...but in the meantime I am going to share something outrageous...

My sister, (hi, Mel!) is on a trip in California...in fact she's on her way home today...while she was away, her car which was paid off was stolen...and the idiots who did it wrecked and totaled the car. The car wasn't worth much money, but the fact that it was paid for was a huge value to my sister. The idiots were apprehended due to the fact that they had to be admitted to the hospital...so thankfully they were caught. Which I will do everything in my power to make sure they are prosecuted for this ridiculously stupid and thoughtless act. (I mean come on...stealing a 1996 Honda Civic--seriously?!?!) It just makes me mad!!!

Well, Melanie got a call last night from the place that's holding her totaled vehicle and she was advised that they are charging her daily to have her car there. Her car that she can do nothing with because she's in California...that two idiots stole, wrecked and now she is without a car...and yet she gets stuck with the bill.

I just can't imagine being so heartless and doing this to somebody. It's horrible. So, yes...I'm outraged and Mel, I'm so sorry that your having to learn this life lesson...it's not much fun at all!
But...on the bright side--LifeWay Credit Union is happy to loan money and since you qualify for membership thru family I can get you all fixed up with financing for a new car!!! :)

Chattanooga or Bust--Part I The Lost Sea

Last weekend we took a quick family trip to the Chattanooga area...which I love! I think it is some of the most beautiful area God has created especially during this time of year. I also love fall...the trees changing colors...the coolness in the air...I love it.

We had so much fun. Our first part of the "adventure" as the kids called it was The Lost Sea in Sweetwater, TN. As Hayden said...that was cool! I mean we went down into these caverns where confederate soldiers once were making gun powder. That kind of stuff facinates me...thinking about the people who had walked and even lived in the areas we walked in...The Lost Sea is the largest underground lake in America. We've had a drought over the last 2 or 3 years and the water level has declined over 30 feet...they said before the water level went down the water was crystal clear and you could see the trout (which there were some very large trout) in the glass bottom boats. The water was much more murky for us and we couldn't see as well...but it was pretty cool all the same. It was difficult to get good pictures inside of the cave due to lighting issues (yes, it was dark)...but we got a couple.

I'll post a couple of pics from the Aquarium tomorrow...

HOMERUN BABY!!!!

HAYDEN HIT HIS FIRST HOMERUN LAST NIGHT!!! We were so excited...you would have thought he was playing for the majors the way we were jumpin up and down and hollerin'.

Okay, tonight I'll post pics from our trip (we got home late last night and I was exhausted-- sorry)...

Ya'll all have a GREAT day...it's Friday!!! YAY....

Quick funny story...

My sister wanted a new post on the blog...so I figured I'd share this story real quick (Mel, I can't remember if I already told you about this...if I did-sorry)...I thought it was hilarious...most of you know that Hayden plays baseball..and I must say he has improved quite a bit from last season. But on Monday night at his game, we realized maybe we hadn't done such a good job of explaining how baseball works...here's why.

He got up to bat, made a hit...ran to first, then second, then third...batter came up and Hayden was on his way to home plate. Well, the catcher was standing in front of the base, caught the ball and Hayden was going to be out. Well instead of getting tagged out...going down gracefully...my son keeps running full speed ahead and plows into the poor kid. When I saw the play I just figured he didn't know any better...oh nooooo, my son knew exactly what he was doing. I went over to the dug out to tell him "Good try, buddy--you can't score everytime...etc etc"...and he goes, "Hey, Mom...did you see me tackle that kid??? I was using my football skills!!! Wasn't that cool?!?!"....Yeah, lots of laughter and then told Hayden, "Honey, this is baseball not football...there is no tackling in baseball."

We ended up winning...I think the score was (17 to 11)?? (See, Keith I remembered the score this time)

Tonight we have another game...the season is winding down-we have one more game after this. It will be kind of sad to see it end but on the other hand it will be really nice not to have practice, games, etc. for a while. It's hard to fit it all in. :)

I'll be posting pictures from our trip we took last weekend to Chattanooga. It was so much fun! Chattanooga is my new favorite city. I just love that area...it's beautiful.

Hard Day...Remembering...Grace...

There is a family I've connected with thru The Common Bond.
Stacy, Spencer and Isaac Delisle...I won't go into a lot of detail...you can click on The Common Bond link to get more information...but in a nutshell Isaac was born this morning...he had been diagnosed with a Cystic Hygroma (which is what Hayden had been diagnosed with while we were pregnant with him) and other conditions as well...I have been praying for this family daily for the past 2-3 months...hoping, begging really for a miracle. Now wait, I know what you're thinking...all babies are a miracle...every minute we're given is a miracle...I AGREE COMPLETELY....but I was praying for BIG miracle...a miracle like Hayden. But God doesn't always grant miracles on our terms...he doesn't always execute how we would say it needed to be done...and this morning Isaac lived for 16 precious minutes...I'm a mess...I'll tell you, in fact my coworkers would tell you I look a mess...mascara running down the face kind of a mess. Why? Because I'm disappointed. I'm okay with admitting it...I am disappointed. But I know God is still in control and his ways are perfect...even when my pea brain can't grasp it.

I'm also remembering all that we went thru with Hayden...and how precious he is to our family. What's ironic...we've been telling Hayden about his story...and how it contributes to his legacy...he told his daddy this morning..."Did you know that I came this close to dying? This close??" (You'll have to use your imagination...his fingers squeezed together with just a little gap) James and I laughed about it when he retold the story to me while I was on my to work....now I'm crying over it...because it's true...we came that close to not having our precious son.

And I feel like at times I don't deserve this miracle. I mean I am not always the best mom....I get upset and raise my voice.
For goodness sakes--we took him to the doctor yesterday and found out he couldn't hear because his ears were clogged from drainage, he has allergies which he's been battling for about 6 months...have we taken him to the doctor?
No, of course not he wasn't complaining--we thought it was just because of where we live...why would we get medicine so our child would not be congested?? That would be common sense, huh? Do you know how many times I've shouted his name in frustration because I've called him 4 or 5 times and he hadn't responded...good one, mom.
But then I'm reminded of God's grace...that He doesn't give us what we "deserve"...because really we "deserve" nothing...but He gives to us out of his abudant love. I don't know about you...but I am so glad for that grace...
I am so thankful for the miracles we've been given with our precious children...every one of them...Hayden, Abby, Vince and Madi. (The last two are our neice and nephew...not dropping any hints of additional kids for this family)

Okay, I know...it's a little 'bit of a sermon...I can't talk in front of people without hyperventillating..but get me behind a computer--I won't shut up! :)

Finally...pictures!!!

Okay...so this first one is a pic of Hayden holding his first homework project of first grade and I love it...I thought it turned out so cute! I'm actually going to frame the 'About Me' page and stick this picture in with it.

He was so proud of this page.




I haven't taken too many pictures of ballgames this season...I've kind of dropped the ball there. I'll try to catch up this next week and maybe even get some video. I love getting pics of Hayden and James together on the field though...they have a special bond. Hayden is doing very well this season too...we've seen quite a bit of improvement and he's having a blast!

Okay, so this has been one of the MOST fun things that I've gotten to do with my little girl. It's something that I will remember the rest of my life. We went to see Disney on Ice...and althought the pictures didn't come out great the production was AWESOME. I highly recommend it. They had CARS, Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Tinkerbell...and of course Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck hosted.

It was great...

There's a funny story to this picture...Abby was having a hard time waking up one morning--and usually she takes a bath to wake up (it helps her not to be cranky)...well, I went to check on her and this is what I found....fast asleep in the bathtub...no kidding she was snoring. Hilarious! Of course if she turned her head either way she would have rudely been awaken by water splashing her face! :)

And this was the boys...not wanting to get up either!

One last funny picture...Abby is in to being "Kung Fu"...here's a kung fu kick! Nice pose, huh? She's so silly...

Well, there you go...new pictures! Ya'll have a great weekend.

Just Rambling....

I forgot to mention in my update on the last post...when James drove home to check on Fluffy because she got out...she was okay. She was sitting under the deck just looking at him like, "What are you doing here?!" Finally he got her out and inside...she's such a funny cat.

Okay, so my computer has been down for the last week and a half...atleast the computer I use to download pictures...well, it's been fixed, but now I've forgotten my digital card the last two days and I have a lot of catching up to do! Oh, well...maybe tomorrow I'll remember.

I've been rethinking a few things...seeing as we're at the last quarter of the year...yes, the year is almost over can you believe it?!?!...I'm going to implement something new. We all have New Years Resolutions...I'm going to implement End of Year resolutions...you know, like all the resolutions you MADE at the first of the year but didn't quite complete?? Well, I'm using the last 3 months of the year to try and complete some of those resolutions...my End of Year Resolutions.

Like the 20lbs I was going to lose...well, I did do that--but then I gained it back...so maybe I should have changed the resolution to "Lose 20 and KEEP OFF!!!" so, that's my first one...we'll see how this goes now.
I work well with a deadline...under pressure...I can get more done in a crunched hour than I can in a leasurly 3 day time frame...I know--crazy...but it's who I am. Drives my husband crazy, he is not a procrastinator by any means...he's 3 days ahead on anything that needs to be done...I'm 3 weeks behind! But I can catch those 3 weeks up in 3 hours if I have to...so I'm banking on that fact that I'll be able to succeed at my End of Year Resolutions.
Anyone else have any they'd be interested in sharing? Anyone out there competitive? Nothing lights my fire like a competition! Speaking of which...I'm extending the "Challenge" (see previous postings) to November 15th....maybe that could be a 'End of Year Resolution' for you....well, if you have any thoughts please feel free to share! I'll come up with a list and post it in the future...maybe #2 will be Update blog with pictures so Nana will read it! :)

Ya'll have a great day!