9 Years and Counting

Yesterday Ike and I celebrated our 9 yr wedding anniversary. I wanted to post something yesterday, but just didn't find the time. So, here it is. Happy Anniversary baby! I love you! Here are a few pictures from our wedding day.  I hope you enjoy them! We got married at the same church my parents were married in.  It was small, but it had great sentimental value to us.

This is right before we saw each other for the first time.

Don't we look so happy?

I told all of the guys to make sure to wear black socks.  This was their idea of a joke. :-)

Leaving the church through a bunch of bubbles.

I loved these outdoor pics underneath the magnolia trees.

Me with all of the bridesmaids.

The whole wedding party.  We had such a fun day with all of them.

You may kiss the bride....as everyone watches, and then laughs.  Our photographer told us to hold the kiss a little long to make sure they got the shot.  So, we did....and everyone laughed.

Cutting the yummy cake, that we are the top of on our 1st anniversary, and it was still yummy.  I couldn't believe it.

About to pull away from the church in Ike's green mustang.  He still misses that car.

I promise I'm still alive!

Hey everyone! I know I haven't posted in a while but I am promise I am still alive and kicking. Things have been super hectic in our house lately, not to mention the sickness that has had me in bed for 2 days with an almost unbreakable fever. I'm feeling marginally better today, so I figured I could take a few minutes while the girls are napping to check in.

So, look for me to be back soon and on track with my Project Life posts. Also, I'm hoping that since school will be done for us in the next few weeks, I will have more time to share some things from our life with you that aren't just pictures.

Thanks to all of you who read my blog and keep up with what's going on with us. I really appreciate it! "See" y'all soon

Plan B by Pete Wilson: A Review

I recently became a member of a website called Book Sneeze.  It is a Thomas Nelson website that provides bloggers with complimentary copies of book, in exchange for honest book reviews.  I have been following a Nashville Pastor, Pete Wilson, on twitter for a while, and he had a book called Plan B coming out.  It sounded like it was gonna be a great read, so I was super excited when I saw that I could get the book for free, and all I had to do was write a review once I was done reading it.  So, here goes:

Plan B by Pete Wilson is a book about what happens in the Plan B's of life.  Plan B's are situations in our lives when God seemingly doesn't show up the way we though he would.  Pete offers example after example of real life people who have been in Plan B situations in their life and how they have been able to continue to trust God despite the seemingly hopeless situations they were faced with.  I particularly related to a situation that Pete and his wife dealt with as they suffered a miscarriage.  I had been in that place where I was wondering where God was, and why he wasn't coming to my rescue like I thought he should. 

Pete offers practical wisdom through the use of real life, and biblical stories to show that sometimes our Plan B's are God's Plan A for our lives.  His conversational style makes his advice relevant, believable, and so easy to read and relate to.  I wasn't even through the first chapter and I had already thought of a friend that could really benefit from reading this book.  I would recommend it to anyone who has had a time in their life when they thought things were hopeless and God was nowhere to be found. 

"The truth is that God is most powerfully present when he seems most apparently absent. - Pete Wilson


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Project Life: April 20-26

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
After work today, we went to visit Ike's mom, who lives in a nursing home.  She is completely "with it" in her mind, but physically can't take care of herself anymore, due to a injured shoulder, that can't be repaired.  Here is a picture of her and Madeline.  Emma was too busy playing on Ike's iphone to get in the picture.

Wednesday, April, 21, 2010
Ike had to go out of town for the day with work.  Here is a pic of him and his co-worker Andy before they left.  Emma wanted Ike to take along her dinosaur so that he would have something of her's with him, and Andy decided to hold it up for the picture.

Thursday, April 22, 2010
Madeline's new thing, is to climb up into the furniture.  I was in the kitchen doing dishes, and I came back to this.  I guess she wanted to relax and read a book.

Friday, April 23, 2010
Madeline is getting so many teeth, and she loves to show them off!

Saturday, April 24, 2010
Ike went to the drag races in Cecil all day today, and left me and Madeline at home. We had a great relaxing day, and I did just a good amount of things done around the house.  Mostly though, we just played and cuddled.  I really needed a day like today.  Here is a picture of Ike's ticket to the races. I forgot to ask him for a picture from the race.

Sunday, April 25, 2010 
Here we are at Walmart, checking out.  We had to get some groceries for the week. 

Monday, April 26, 2010 
Emma is taking the CRCT this week, so I have time to kill in town in the mornings.  My grandma lives with my mom now, but still has her house in town, so I have been going there to hang out and wait. One of the things that always sticks in my mind about my grandma's house is what we all call "the wedding wall".  This wall above her couch, is where she hangs up pictures of the weddings in our family.  There are a few pictures that aren't from a wedding, but they are the exception.  Our is the gold frame with the round mat, to the left, and mom mom and dad are in an identical frame to the right of us, and my sister is in the frame to the right of that.  The one on the far right is my aunt and uncle, and the pictures on the far left aren't from a wedding.

Easter 2010

I just realized that I never got around to posting about Easter and sharing our pics with you.  I guess I'll do that today, since it's raining and Ike is with DJ at the races, and I am in denial that there is laundry and cleaning to do.

We started out the morning by going to church with Mom and Dad.  I tried to keep Madeline in the service with us, but she was "talking" to much, so I had to take her to the nursery.  She had a great time, and was completely worn out when I went to get her.

After church, we went to back to Mom and Dad's house for pictures, lunch and our egg hunt.  Lunch was yummy, pictures turned out great, and the girls had a blast hunting eggs.  Fun times!  So, here are some pictures from the day.  Enjoy!

I love to see all the pretty flowers this time of year.

Madeline was actually smiling really cute in this picture.  It's really hard to get her to look at the camera.  She normally wants to get down and play.

Classic family photo.  We take pictures in front of these same azalea bushes every year.

Happy baby!

Grandy and her girls, minus Erin.

My parents.  They rarely get their picture taken together for some reason, so I was excited that this one turned out so great.

Madeline loves playing outside.  Can you tell?

Madeline loves her Poppy.

My girls.

My big girl Emma. She looks so grown up.

Project Life - April 6-19

Well, it's Tuesday, and as luck would have it, Emma's CRCT session for this morning is a no-go, due to an error on the part of her teacher. So, that's hopefully good news to all my Project Life followers. So, put on your seatbelt, because I have 2 weeks worth of pictures to catch you up on.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Today was my Dad's birthday, so we celebrated at Texas Roadhouse, then had a mini "party" out of the back of our car.  Lame I know, but the table was already so crowded with food and it's just not easy to spread out, so we took our party to the car after dinner was over.  Happy Birthday Daddy!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010
One of Ike's co-workers Pepper has a garden at home, and grows tomato plants and peppers I think.  Anyway, Emma has been wanting to grow tomatoes for the longest time, so Pepper sent home a plant for her.  We potted it, and have been attempting to take care of it.  I think it looks pretty good so far.  I really hope it produces at least one tomato. 

Thursday, April 8, 2010
Our office has been a mess for a while now, and I really just haven't had the time to clean it up like I wanted to.  I finally decided enough was enough, and just made time.  It may still look a little messy to you, but you should have seen it before. LOL

Friday, April 9, 2010
This picture was taken in my mom's yard.  This is one of her knockout roses I think.  Isn't it pretty?  I love this time of year, with all the flowers blooming.  We have such pretty flowers in the South.

Saturday, April 10, 2010
Emma loves to play outside.  Here is a pic of her on the swingset at Mom and Dad's house.  We have the exact same one at our house.  The thing she is on is called the star cruiser. Funny name, but it looks like fun.

Sunday, April 11, 2010
After Sunday lunch, Mom took the girls on a wagon ride around teh neighborhood. They had a great time!

Monday, April 12, 2010
On Saturday our Friends Lauren and Clayton had their beautiful baby boy Michael Solomon.  We decided not to go see them at the hospital and just wait until they got home.  They came home on Monday around lunch, and Lauren called us as soon as they got settled so I could come for a visit.  He was just precious and tiny, and Emma couldn't get enough.  Doesn't Lauren look great?  I always look like death after I give birth, but after only 2 days, she looks awesome!  Congrats Clayton and Lauren!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Emma has started back with her piano lessons, but the time, we are taking from an individual, instead of in a group session.  This seems to be working out better already, and Emma is even wanting to practice!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
We had steamed carrots, crescent rolls, sausage on the grill, and rice-a-roni for dinner.  Ignore the green beans...Madeline loves them, but I already had some ready for her, and didn't need this can.

Thursday, April 15, 2010
Mom ordered some flip-flops from LL Bean a week or so ago, and got a clearance catalog in with her order.  I saw these "summer sneakers" in it, for $12.99.  They are normally around $40, but this was last year's version, so they had them on sale.  Mom also got a $10 off coupon with her order, so I ordered 2 pairs of the on-sale shoes and used the $10 off. What a deal.  These shoes are made to dry really fast, so you can get them wet and it's not a problem.  I figured these would be great for a trip to Wild Adventures, the zoo, or any other summer activity.  They look like old lady shoes in the pic, but actually look really cute on.

Friday, April 16, 2010
Isn't my hubby cute?  I sure think so!  In August we will have been together for 10 years.  I took this pic while we were waiting for our dinner at Sonny's.

Saturday, April 17, 2010
I joined a website called Booksneeze last week.  It's a site that gives away books, in exchange for book reviews.  I've never done anything like this before, but thought it sounded like fun.  I had been wanting to get this book when it came out (May 4th), so when I saw it was going to be available through Booksneeze, I went for it.  I got it in the mail today, and I can't wait to read it. Pete Wilson is the pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN.  You should check this book out on Amazon.

Sunday, April 18, 2010
Apparently I'm a tard, and let Madeline's 1st birthday go by without putting it in the paper.  So, I got on it this week, and got her info submitted, and her announcement was in the paper today. 

Monday, April 19, 2010
Emma loves to play "babies".  She gets a few of them out, and lays them in the cradle, dresses them, wraps them in blankets, you know the drill.  Emma walked out of the room for a minute, and came back to this.  I think Madeline wanted to play too!