Weekend In Texas

We spent last weekend with Channing's family in Marshall, Texas. We arrived Thursday night and spent most of Friday around the house. Our niece, Kelsie, came over after lunch. That night we met Channing's dad in Longview for supper. Shelby didn't know what to think of Pawpaw's new beard, but really enjoyed talking to him. Saturday we went to a birthday party for our great-nephew, Chandler, and saw more family there. (Yes, I said great-nephew. Chandler is the son of our niece, Tara!) Before leaving town Sunday morning, we had breakfast with Channing's mom, his brothers Jason and Tim, Tim's wife Sandra, his sister Angela, and Angela's husband Kelly. It was good to see our Texas family again!

Shelby had a ball with the stuffed animals at Memaw's house!

Shelby loves her cousin Kelsie!

Shelby didn't want to give back Kelsie's keys and sunglasses!

Here we are after dinner at Carino's with Channing's dad.

Mommy and Shelby at Carino's

Mommy, Shelby, and Jason at Chandler's birthday party

Shelby wearing Jason's boots, gloves, sunglasses and helmet

Exciting Times Ahead

The next month brings a lot of excitement for us! We will be spending time with both sides of our family, at different times in the coming weeks. I will get to see one of my dearest friends, Stacy Wallace, and her family during Labor Day Weekend. Shelby is going to be the flower girl in my cousin Amber's wedding. So, stay tuned for some great pictures! (Sorry there haven't been any in a while!)

Back to School

No, no one in this house is heading back to school. But, most schools are already in session for a new school year. I do not miss the first day of school. I remember being very nervous for the first few days of each new school year. The night before I left for Harding as a freshman I couldn't sleep, because of nervousness and excitement. After that first semester as a college student, however, I was always very excited to get back to college life.

What were the first days of school like for you?

Thanks, Lisa!

I just read a fun post on Lisa's blog. Go to this Flashback Charts website to find the #1 song in the USA, according to Billboard magazine, on the day you were born.

The #1 song on my birth date was Night Fever by The Bee Gees.
The #1 song on Channing's was Love Will Keep Us Together by The Captain & Tennille.
The #1 song on Shelby's was We Belong Together by Mariah Carey.

What was the #1 song in the USA on the date you were born?

Two Books in Less Than 36 Hours

Monday night I did something I haven't done in a while. I got out of the house all by myself. My first stop was the library, where I checked out two books, I'll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark and The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. I made my way to campus, and found a comfy chair in the Heritage, and began reading the MHC novel. I made it home by 9:00 and got back to reading after Channing went to bed, staying up until just before 1:30 a.m. Like I've said before, I love Mary Higgins Clark!! I finished that one this afternoon. I'll Be Seeing You was written in the early 90s. I don't know why I hadn't read it before. It's a great book.

I just finished The Wedding. I think this is one of the best I've read by Sparks. It's the follow-up to The Notebook. And, yep, I cried. If you liked The Notebook, trust me, you'll love The Wedding.

A big thanks to my sweet husband for taking care of the bedtime routine two nights in a row so that I could read these books. And I can't forget my sweet Shelby who played so well Tuesday while Mommy read. (Don't worry, I didn't ignore her!)

Finishing My Sentences

Shelby knows me well. Tonight while looking for a parking space at Wal-mart, we saw a rather disturbing sight. I must say this a lot, because Shelby finished my sentence:

Mommy: Oh my
Shelby: gosh

A Night At The Movies

Channing and I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum tonight. What an incredible, action-packed film! We loved it! If you enjoyed the other Bourne movies, you have to see this one on the big screen!

The movie seems to leave the door open for a fourth. We have heard this is the third and final Bourne film. I sure hope not!!

A huge thank you to the Smith family for entertaining Shelby while we were at the theater.

Playing with Mommy

Like I mentioned in the last post, we have had so much fun playing in Shelby's playroom this summer! I took these pictures this afternoon.
Shelby got this table and chairs set from Memaw for her birthday. Wendy, David, and the girls brought Shelby this baby doll bed when they came earlier this week.

Big Girl Room

After Shelby's birthday, we decided to do some rearranging around here. Her room was cramped with furniture, toys, books, and stuffed animals. We had a guest bedroom that was used a couple of nights every few months. So, we moved the guest bedroom furniture into Shelby's room, bought some new bedding, and got a couple rails for each bedside. Shelby was actually taking naps on this bed for a while, and was sleeping in it a lot better than her toddler bed. Shelby loves her new big girl room! The guest bedroom became the home for the toddler bed (where all the baby dolls sleep), a bookshelf, and all of Shelby's toys. We have been having a lot of fun this summer in Shelby's playroom!

A Visit from Friends

Wendy, David, and the girls came to see us earlier this week.
We had a great time with them! After supper, the seven of us headed over to HU to walk around, take some pictures, and for Wendy to see all the changes in the campus. Kameryn and Chloe had a ball in the fountain. Shelby wanted to be just like the big girls, who were walking around the walls of the lily pool. Unfortunately, Chloe woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and told her mommy her ears were hurting. That put a damper on their plans, and they headed back to TN sooner than expected. It was wonderful to see these dear friends again and spend time together. Hopefully we'll get to see them again before long.

A Girl Who Loves Her Veggies

Thankfully, Shelby is a good eater...most of the time. While her tastes have changed a little, Shelby has always loved her vegetables. Here are just a couple of pictures:

This was taken around Thanksgiving 2005. Shelby no longer smiles like this when I serve carrots. We're working on liking this veggie again!

Shelby LOVES corn on the cob!

Babysitting

I have babysat a little girl Shelby's age some this summer. She is just four months older and has been a joy to have around. These two play really well together. I'm glad Shelby has found a new friend this summer!

playing with the Little People house

trying so hard to be still

reading the Bible together

A Busy Saturday

Yesterday was a very full day for our family! I had a mini-retreat for the Searcy MOPS steering team. Seven of us spent the first part of the day out at Camp Wyldewood making plans for the year. Shelby and her daddy enjoyed their time together while Mommy was away. They ate blueberry muffins, strawberries, and cantaloupe for breakfast. They read books, watched Veggie Tales, and played a little bit. Channing even painted Shelby's toes while I was gone. What a great dad!

After Shelby's nap, she and I went swimming with Lara Noah and her twins. Shelby is liking being in the pool more and more. At the beginning of the summer, when we would go to Lauren's pool, all Shelby wanted was to sit on a float. She's a little more active in the pool these days.

The three of us then went and spent the evening with Jeremy, Dijana, and Dean Shelby. Dijana fixed a wonderful pasta dish for supper. After the meal, we played Farkel while Dean and Shelby played. It was a wonderful time of food and fellowship.

Lunch with Murphy and Christine

Thursday the three of us had lunch with Murphy and Christine Crowson at one of Searcy's three (or four?) Chinese restaurants. The Crowsons now serve as missionaries in Togo. Murphy was the youth minister at Park Avenue when Deidre was in high school. What a blessing it was to share a meal together and reminisce! Murphy, Christine and their boys are in the States for an extended furlough before returning to Africa for ministry in Togo and Rwanda. Check out the Crowsons' blog using their link in my blog roll.