Our Family

The Sweetest Thing!

2009-11-20T00:05:00.002-06:00

Shelby just woke up and called her daddy to tell him that he's a great daddy. What a sweet little girl!

Tummy Time

2009-08-24T23:05:00.000-05:00

This little girl seems to tolerate tummy time much better than her big sister did!

Too Cute Not To Post

2009-08-23T13:02:00.000-05:00

Hiking in Heber

2009-08-22T22:49:00.002-05:00

We did some hiking in Heber Springs today. We hiked this particular trail while camping last year. Shelby did even better; she is becoming quite the outdoorsy girl! Channing carried Katelyn in the Snugli. She got pretty fussy whenever we stopped moving. We're wondering if it was because she was facing Daddy's chest. Hope that's it...we want her to enjoy hiking too!

Reading Together

2009-08-20T23:44:00.001-05:00

I am thankful that both of our girls enjoy books. Some friends from church gave Katelyn this book that will "read" the book for you. Katelyn loves the illustrations, which are actual photographs rather than drawings.

Tuckered Out

2009-08-18T21:36:00.000-05:00

Shelby still takes a nap most afternoons. Usually, she'll sleep an hour or so and be ready for the rest of the day. Today, though, I noticed she wasn't her usual perky self. I sat down on the couch with her, and turned on the television for her. This is what happened minutes later.

Katelyn at Three Months

2009-08-15T12:33:00.000-05:00

Little Miss Creativity

2009-08-14T22:27:00.001-05:00

Shelby has been incredibly creative lately! She likes to make "people" using her beaded necklaces and other toys. Here she is laying in the floor next to a recent creation. She used both pieces of a plastic hamburger bun for eyes, and plastic potato chips for the shoes.

Daddy's Girl

2009-08-12T15:22:00.001-05:00

Shelby loves her daddy to pieces. She will go on and on about how wonderful he is, how cute he is, and how she loves being with him. I am so thankful that these two are so close! What a blessing it is to have a husband who is so good at being a daddy to little girls!

Katelyn's First Baby Doll

2009-08-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

Isn't this such a sweet picture?! Shelby picked this little doll out for Katelyn while I was pregnant. It has been a huge hit so far. Katelyn holds this little doll like this pretty much every time it's in the swing or bouncy seat with her. I think this girl is going to love dolls just as much as her big sister does!

My Greatest Joy

2009-08-07T23:10:00.000-05:00

It is such a joy to see these two girls together! They obviously love each other so much. Watching my girls interact is definitely one of the greatest things I have ever seen.

Shelby loves playing with Katelyn!

2009-08-04T14:05:00.000-05:00

Here's how I found Katelyn and Shelby this morning...

Sweet Smiles

2009-08-02T12:01:00.000-05:00

Shelby's New Piggy Bank

2009-08-01T23:52:00.002-05:00

Shelby got a new piggy bank while we were in Memphis. She's been using my old Cabbage Patch Kids one. We'd decided that the CPK's eyes were "creepy" and had put the bank in the closet a while ago. Shelby picked out this cute one at Target. She is so excited!!

The First Mathis Great-Grandchild

2009-07-25T23:51:00.000-05:00

Justin's baby, Layne Ashton, was born on June 16. Layne looks a lot like his daddy, and is one precious little guy. Brook and Layne came for a two-week visit. We all got together at Nunda's to see Brook and meet baby Layne.

*Justin left for Afghanistan the week before Layne was born, so he has only seen pictures of his son. Please pray for this sweet family as they are separated.

Cousins

2009-07-25T23:46:00.000-05:00

Katelyn and Morgan

Layne and Katelyn are only a month and a day apart!

(Katelyn - 5/15 and Layne - 6/16)

Shelby, Layne, Katelyn, Morgan

Papa's Baby Girl

2009-07-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

Our Little Fish

2009-07-25T23:27:00.002-05:00

Shelby loves going swimming these days! Too bad Aunt Nunda and Uncle John don't live closer. We would be there every weekend if they did.

Visiting Friends in Heber Springs

2009-07-23T23:17:00.000-05:00

The girls and I visited a good friend of mine and her children today in Heber Springs, since they were in town visiting Annie's parents. The kids played great together, as usual. Annie and I even had a chance to get away from the house by ourselves for a little bit. It is such a joy to be with this dear friend, and see our children as friends too!

Pray for Justin

2009-07-19T23:25:00.001-05:00

Justin is serving in Afghanistan right now. He left in June, and is scheduled to be gone for a year. Please be praying for Justin's safety. We appreciate your prayers!

My Favorite Four Year Old

2009-07-16T23:16:00.000-05:00

Katelyn is Two Months Old!

2009-07-15T23:13:00.002-05:00

Princess Party

2009-07-14T14:06:00.013-05:00

Shelby as Snow White

(This is the dress Aunt Nunda got Shelby for Christmas)

Brianna and Shelby

Mallory and Shelby

Craft time with Ms. Dixie and Natalie

Weekend in Texas

2009-07-11T21:43:00.001-05:00

We spent the past couple of days in Texas, visiting Channing's family. Katelyn had a cold, and we ended up coming back this afternoon rather than tomorrow morning, as she was really having a rough time. Unfortunately, leaving earlier than planned meant we didn't get to see everyone. Channing's mom had a wonderful barbecue dinner planned with most of the family, and moving it to lunch wasn't convenient for everybody. We hope to see Channing's brothers, and some other family members next time.

We did get to spend a good part of yesterday with Channing's dad. Kim took the day off work to spend time with us, which we really appreciated. Katelyn loved meeting Memaw, Popaw, her aunts, and several cousins. Shelby certainly enjoyed being with everyone too!

For some reason, I'm not able to put enough space in between these pictures for captions. So, here goes an explanation for all of them...(1) Shelby gets a big kick out of Popaw's beard. It's longer everytime we see him! (2) Katelyn started getting fussy, so Popaw started singing old hymns to her. I think she liked it, because she wasn't fussing when he was singing. (3) We were so glad Chan's sister, Kim, spent most of Friday with us! Shelby loves Aunt Kim to pieces. (4) Kim's daughter, Tara, came over both days we were there. Shelby thinks her cousin is pretty great! (5) Aunt Angela gave Shelby a "horsey-ride" all over Memaw's back room. I heard her laughing over and over! (6) Memaw, Chandler (Tara's son), and Tara hanging out with Katelyn

Sisters

2009-07-06T22:46:00.003-05:00

Shelby and Katelyn are already buddies! Shelby loves holding, talking to, and playing with Katelyn. And Katelyn loves watching her big sister. I get such great pictures of the two of them. They are precious!

All Smiles

2009-06-28T19:14:00.001-05:00

Katelyn is such a happy baby! She smiles so often, melting everyone's hearts.

Sleepy Katelyn

2009-06-21T23:22:00.001-05:00

Yummy!

2009-06-18T21:15:00.002-05:00

Shelby LOVES chocolate ice cream!!

A Rare Sight

2009-06-15T14:21:00.007-05:00

Unfortunately, this is the only picture we have of Katelyn on her one-month birthday. I am not sure how that happened!

Katelyn is actually a wonderful baby. The only time she cries is when she is hungry. Nights are very easy, as I only have to get up once during the night. I have to feed her late at night, once in the middle of the night, and then early in the morning around 6.

Happy Birthday, Shelby!

2009-06-14T23:46:00.001-05:00

Today is Shelby's 4th birthday! We cannot believe how fast time has flown. Shelby is a joy to be around, and we are so thankful to God for giving us this precious little girl. We had her birthday party yesterday. Six of her friends came over to celebrate Shelby's special day. Shelby chose to have cupcakes again, so that was pretty easy for me. One of the moms who were here held Katelyn the whole time. (Thanks, Brittney!) Shelby was given some wonderful presents from her friends. We gave her a bicycle with training wheels. She was really excited about that, and did pretty good riding around our cove after all of her friends left. I had received a coupon for Build A Bear Workshop in the mail, so later yesterday afternoon we went to Little Rock so Shelby could get a new animal. She chose a precious bunny and named her Ruby, from the cartoon "Max and Ruby." We had dinner at Red Lobster before returning home. Shelby loved her shrimp! We had a wonderful day celebrating our sweet daughter. Here are some pictures from the party...

Celebrate!

2009-06-08T15:15:00.006-05:00

While we were in Memphis, Mom decided to have a family birthday celebration for Shelby. My sister's family joined us. Too bad David had to work late; we missed him and his family!

Shelby wanted cupcakes instead of a birthday cake this year. She loved eating her cupcakes and ice cream separately! Oh the things a little girl appreciates!

Shelby got an Easy Catch Game and a baby doll high chair from Nona and Papa.

Nunda's family got Shelby a Cinderella doll and a Princess Aurora wallet (with $4 in it!!).

Shelby says she's going to buy a Beanie Baby lizard that's at Hallmark with all of her birthday money! More stuffed animals...woo-hoo!!

The Pink Palace

2009-06-08T15:01:00.002-05:00

Mom, Dad, the girls, and I visited the Pink Palace Museum while we were in Memphis. Shelby really enjoyed everything she saw. She was a little intimidated by the dinosaur bones at first, but got over that pretty quickly. We went this visit because Shelby has really been interested in dinosaurs lately, and the museum has a wonderful dinosaur exhibit. Unfortunately the exhibit was closed for repairs, so all Shelby saw were maybe a couple of skeletons, the old triceratops robot (that is no longer working), and some other kind of dinosaur robot. We stood outside the dinosaur exhibit for such a long time, watching the dinosaur robot. She loved it! We'll have to go back sometime with Daddy and see the dinosaur exhibit.

Shelby could not take her eyes off the circus long enough for a photo at first!

There we go!

Shelby and Nona with the fabulous dinosaur!

Katelyn's First Trip to Memphis

2009-06-08T14:59:00.004-05:00

The girls and I went to visit my family in Memphis for a few days. The drive there wasn't so bad at all. Shelby listened to music or watched a movie and Katelyn slept the whole way there. The way home was a different story. We left for home later than planned, and ended up having to stop in Wynne for everyone to eat. That made for a long trip home, and a noisy one too. But, we had a great time and I'm glad the three of us went.

Wendy, her husband, and oldest daughter Kameryn came over to meet Katelyn while we were there. Chloe wasn't able to make it; we'll have to introduce her to Katelyn another time. Shelby really enjoyed having them over...she loves Wendy's family! I love this picture of Kameryn holding Katelyn. Two of my favorite girls in the world!!

Mom and Dad came with us to see my aunt Pat in Mississippi. My dad's brother, Don, was there as well. I don't know why we didn't get a picture of him with the girls.

John, Nunda, and Morgan came over to the house while we were there. Katelyn loved meeting Aunt Nunda, Uncle John, and cousin Morgan!! Shelby had a ball with them as well.

I think Morgan would have taken Katelyn home with him if he could have. He held her for quite a while.

So Sweet

2009-05-31T23:18:00.001-05:00

This is by far one of my favorite pictures since Katleyn's birth. Shelby is doing such a great job being a big sister. She adores her baby sister, and this picture definitely shows that.

Splish, Splash, I was takin' a bath...

2009-05-31T23:12:00.000-05:00

Katelyn got to take her first real bath today. She loved it, even though the picture doesn't exactly look like it. Shelby helped me rinse the soap off. What a great helper!

Shelby's Stuffed Animals

2009-05-24T14:54:00.001-05:00

Shelby has a ton of stuffed animals! It was getting pretty out of hand, so we decided to put most of them in a storage tub, letting her keep out 7 stuffed animals and 10 Beanie Babies at a time. She switches them out every Saturday after breakfast. It's turned out to be a wonderful idea!

Katelyn's First Sunday

2009-05-24T13:54:00.004-05:00

Today was Katelyn's first Sunday at Downtown. We made it to early service right on time. Katelyn slept through most of the service. Channing took her out a little early to feed her. She was with us during class as well, and slept through that as well. Shelby had a ball showing off her baby sister!

For this little photo shoot, Shelby got to sit on our dining room table. She of course never gets to do that, so Daddy got quite a confused look when he told Shelby to get up on the table. She had fun sitting up there, and promises she won't try it by herself some day. We'll see...

New Wheels

2009-05-22T09:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we got a new car! We are now a mini-van family. The Nissan Quest was the only one Channing and I both liked. We love our new wheels!! Shelby LOVES it, and has named it Daisy. Since Channing came home with it yesterday evening, we've had some people come by to see Katelyn. Shelby has taken everyone out to the garage to see Daisy. I'm actually surprised she didn't ask to sleep in it, especially since she didn't want to get out of it after our little drive before supper.

In February we sold Channing's Saturn Ion, and had been a one-car family ever since. That sure wasn't easy! I am so glad to have a car to drive all the time again!

Katelyn's Curls

2009-05-21T22:51:00.002-05:00

Shelby had curly hair, but no way was it this curly! Here's Katelyn after a sponge bath. We are amazed at how curly her hair is!

Katelyn's First Week

2009-05-21T22:46:00.002-05:00

Shelby can't believe how much Katelyn sleeps!

Big Sister Presents

2009-05-18T10:30:00.001-05:00

Many people have been so kind to give Shelby a big sister gift when they give Katelyn a baby gift. My parents brought a couple of things for Shelby when they came yesterday. They brought her a cute big sister doll and bed to go with her doll house. They also got Shelby a cradle for her baby dolls. She is very excited about that, and loves playing with it!

Katelyn meets Papa and Nona

2009-05-17T19:40:00.002-05:00

Deidre's parents are here for a few days. Shelby was so excited to introduce her baby sister to Nona and Papa! We are looking forward to visiting with them, and eating some of Judy's delicious cooking! Nona and Papa are excited to spend these next few days with their precious granddaughters.

Family of Four

2009-05-17T15:26:00.002-05:00

Here is our first picture as a family, taken right before leaving the hospital.

Big Sister

2009-05-17T15:16:00.002-05:00

Shelby LOVES her new baby sister! At the hospital, she asked everyone who came into my room, "Isn't my baby sister adorable?!"

To celebrate Shelby's becoming a big sister, we got her a t-shirt and two books about having a new baby in the family.

Holding Katelyn for the First Time

2009-05-17T15:00:00.001-05:00

Holding one's baby for the first time is special to all parents. Getting to hold Katelyn for the first time immediately after she was born was extra special to me. When Shelby was born, she had respiratory trouble. Channing got to hold her, show her to me, and carry her down to the nursery. Shelby never returned to our room, and we weren't able to hold her until a week later, after she was taken off the respirator. So, when the doctor put Katelyn in my arms, I was tickled pink!

Katelyn Grace

2009-05-17T14:46:00.000-05:00

2009-05-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

She's here! Katelyn arrived at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, May 15. She weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz, and was 21 inches long.

Baby Showers

2009-05-09T12:28:00.001-05:00

We have been blessed to have two baby showers in the last week. Some friends of mine from church threw a restocking shower for me on the third. I also had one thrown by a friend attended by the teen girls at church, their mothers, and other youth workers. Channing's company gave us a new Pac-N-Play last month. We received a lot of diapers, baby wipes, clothes, and other items at the showers this month. We sure have been blessed!

Here I am with the hostesses of my church restocking shower. (Kimberly, Lara, and Becky)

These are the teen girls in my CORE group who attended my other restocking shower.

We played a fun game where the attendees had to guess how big my belly was. One of the girls' moms won.

False Alarm

2009-04-29T21:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought I was in labor last night. I was having contractions about four minutes apart so we went to the hospital. By the time I got hooked up to the monitor, the contractions were two minutes apart. They continued to be that close together during the night, but never gained in intensity. So, no baby yet. I hope I don't have another false alarm!

Bed Rest

2009-04-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

On April 8, I went to see my OB because I was having what I thought might be symptoms of early labor. Sure enough, I had already begun dilating. My doctor put me on bed rest, and gave me steroid shots that will boost our baby's lungs. We are praying for Katelyn's safety extra hard now.

I have been taking it easy these past couple of weeks. Channing's mom came to spend last week with us. She cooked meals and looked after Shelby while I spent the days in bed. Several friends have run errands for us, brought me library books and movies, and watched Shelby. I am so thankful for these dear people!

Please pray that Katelyn will not come too early. We want to have a safe delivery of a healthy baby girl. And we want to come home from the hospital with her!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

2009-03-28T11:11:00.001-05:00

Tuesday we went to Memphis for a quick trip to see Justin and Brook. We had a good visit with everyone. Brook and I got this picture taken together before we left Nunda's house.

Picture with Santa

2009-03-20T00:35:00.000-05:00

See Shelby's picture with Santa here.

Pregnancy Update

2009-03-20T00:18:00.005-05:00

Here's the best belly picture I have, taken at 25 weeks on Valentine's Day. I am 30 weeks and bit bigger now!

Back in January, we had an ultrasound and learned that we are having another girl. We are tickled pink, and look forward to meeting our second little princess at the end of May.

At the end of February I learned that I have gestational diabetes. I'm controlling it with diet. I have to check my blood sugar four times a day, which is not too fun.

On Tuesday I had an appointment with my OB. He is pleased with my blood sugar readings. I've lost about 9 pounds since the diagnosis, but that is okay since the baby is growing. She is a big girl, weighing over three pounds already. My OB says that if I go full-term, she will probably weigh 9 or 10 pounds. It isn't looking like I will go that long, however.

Please pray for my pregnancy...that I will continue to do well managing my blood sugar. Please pray that our baby girl will be healthy, able to come home from the hospital with us. Pray also that my condition will not turn into diabetes after the pregnancy.

A Special Trip for Shelby and Daddy

2009-03-02T14:01:00.003-06:00

This weekend Channing and Shelby went to Texas to visit his family. I stayed behind, taking advantage of a quite house before baby #2 arrives. They had a packed weekend with Memaw and several other family members. Friday they had a ball playing at the park. Shelby enjoyed climbing, proving that she's quite the little monkey on a rope ladder! Saturday was spent at a science museum just across the border in Shreveport. They also enjoyed lunch with some of Shelby's cousins, aunts, and uncles. I think Shelby loved what she called "a date with Daddy to Memaw's house" - I enjoyed it too! :)

Shriner's Circus

2009-02-15T23:52:00.000-06:00

This weekend we were in Memphis visiting my parents. A special treat about our weekend was that my nephew, Morgan, also spent the weekend with my parents! Friday night Channing and I were able to go on a date for Valentine's Day. Saturday we all went to the circus. This was Shelby's first time to experience the circus. She wasn't a huge fan of the lights going out, and the loud noises made by one of the clown's car. But, she did enjoy meeting all the clowns before the circus, watching the trapeeze artists perform, and seeing the elephants.

A Visit from an Old Friend

2009-02-06T23:44:00.002-06:00

Shelby and I spent a few hours with another one of my oldest friends today. Amy and I went to school together from kindergarten through college. Her dad drove us to school nearly every morning until our junior year of high school, when her family moved outside of Memphis. Amy and I were also suitemates one year at Harding.
It was so great to catch up with Amy today! Ours is a friendship where we can pick up right where we left off, regardless of how much time has past. What a blessing friendships like that are!

Shelby loved Amy, and was so sad she couldn't stay longer!

Shelby's Piano

2009-01-28T10:13:00.002-06:00

Here's a picture of Shelby enjoying the piano Memaw got her for Christmas. She wanted to have a concert for all of her stuffed animals. We have quite the little performer in our midst!

Lifelong Friends

2008-12-29T21:07:00.002-06:00

Shelby and I made a quick trip to Memphis today to visit my oldest friend, Stacy, who was in town visiting her family for Christmas. Stacy and I had a good visit while Shelby and Jacob played. And before we left, Jacob and I played a couple games of Wii Bowling. How fun! It is always great to see Stacy - too bad it isn't more often. I thank God for the friendship we have shared over the years.

Christmas in Memphis

2008-12-28T23:40:00.001-06:00

We got up Friday morning and headed to Memphis to celebrate Christmas with my family. My nephew, Justin, got married in October, and so we were excited to meet his wife, Brook. Blake, another nephew, also brought his girlfriend, Amanda, with him this year. We had quite a large group at my parents' house! After a delicious meal, we opened presents. Then we visited, played games, and took a lot of pictures. It was a great time with our family.

I have to tell you guys what a wonderful sister I have in this post. I called Nunda earlier in the week, asking that she give me her recipe for spinach dip, as I'd been craving it quite a bit. So, instead of just bringing me the recipe to Mom and Dad's hosue, my fabulous sister made me a huge bowl all for myself!! Oh, it is delicious! I have definitely been enjoying it!

Memphis Pics

2008-12-28T23:30:00.003-06:00

Christmas Day

2008-12-28T22:40:00.000-06:00

This Christmas was so fun! Shelby was so excited about all of her toys, and seeing what Channing and I got as well. This year she got to pick out presents for us. Shelby got a necklace for Daddy and a necklace with matching earrings for me. She made excellent choices! Our lunch wasn't your typical Christmas lunch, but still very good. Channing grilled steaks. We also had delicious baked sweet potatoes and vegetables. We played Shelby's new game together, Hi-Ho Cherry-O. That night we went to see The Tale of Despereaux. Shelby loved sharing coke and popcorn with Mommy and Daddy. The movie was great too! What a wonderful Christmas! Hope yours was as special as ours.

Christmas Memories

2008-12-28T22:08:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve

2008-12-28T21:54:00.000-06:00

This Christmas, it was just the three of us. We've enjoyed having our parents with us in the years past, but this year was also very special. We went to the Christmas Eve service at church, which was lovely. When we came home, Shelby opened her new pair of pajamas, and Daddy read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. After setting out cookies and milk for Santa, Shelby reluctantly went to bed. She knew Santa wouldn't come unless she was asleep, but was so excited she just didn't want to miss anything. Channing and I were watching a Christmas movie that had some bells ringing at the beginning. Shelby called me into her room, whispering, "Did you hear those bells?" She was so anxious for Santa to get here, she could hardly stand it!

Santa Picture

2008-12-23T14:32:00.000-06:00

Christmas in Texas

2008-12-22T09:20:00.001-06:00

We spent this past weekend in Texas, visiting family and friends. We met up with Channing's dad, John, for lunch one day. Shelby loves Popaw, and thinks his beard is so funny! We had a great visit with him as usual. We spent an evening with several of Channing's family, and it was great to see them. The food was excellent, as always! Shelby got so many great presents this year, including a baby grand piano that's just her size! It even has a microphone. She loves playing the piano and singing at the top of her lungs.

While we were in Texas, we were also able to go to a brunch for Paul and Julie McMullen, good friends of ours from Harding. They will be moving to Canada at the beginning of 2009 to serve as missionaries. It was great to see them, and hear a report of their preparations and plans once they move.

Big News

2008-11-20T11:53:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to share with you all that I am pregnant! Today begins week 13 for me. We will be expecting our little one to arrive at the end of May. This is of course very exciting for us. Shelby is already convinced that it's a girl. We'll see!

Please be in prayer for our baby as well as for me during this pregnancy. Since Shelby was a month early, I am have a greater chance to have a pre-term delivery once again. We ask that you pray that I can carry this baby 37 weeks at the very least. Thanks!

Shelby's Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

2008-11-06T21:18:00.000-06:00

Halloween

2008-10-31T22:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Aunt Nunda, for the great costume!

Fall Festival

2008-10-26T21:06:00.001-05:00

This evening was the annual Fall Festival that our church always has out at a member's house. We had a great time! Shelby got to paint a pumpkin, go through a hay maze, and ride a horse with Daddy. We also went on a hayride together! What a fun ending to a great weekend!

Shelby's First Camping Trip

2008-10-26T14:42:00.000-05:00

Before Shelby was born, Channing and I went on several camping trips together. For some reason, we stopped going after Shelby came along. We finally took Shelby on her first camping trip this weekend. We camped at Heber Springs, and enjoyed some great time as a family! Shelby and I checked out the surroundings while Channing put the tent up and got the fire going. Then we roasted hot dogs over the camp fire. Shelby wasn't real crazy about the fire, especially when the wind would change and the smoke would get in her face before we could move. Of course, we made s'mores. Shelby LOVES s'mores, just like her mommy and daddy do! Before bed, we sang praise songs around the camp fire, which was Shelby's idea. We even stood up, clapped, and danced around. I'm sure it was quite a sight! Saturday morning, we had a yummy pancake breakfast, and set out to do some hiking. We had lunch, and even took a nap before loading things up. What a wonderful weekend!

Campsite Pictures

2008-10-26T14:39:00.003-05:00

Hiking in Heber

2008-10-26T14:38:00.001-05:00

I'm never getting this behind again!

2008-08-11T02:03:00.005-05:00

We have been going so much these past few months that I haven't really had much of an opportunity to update the blog. So I've stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to get this done. A few posts had been made during the months of May and July, but none of those included pictures of what all we've been up to. So, sit back, and enjoy the ride of Summer 2008! Keep going until you get to the beginning of May, as I've dated the posts for when they actually happened!

I hope to give an update on some things Channing and I both have been involved in this summer, but these posts should keep you busy for now. I need to go to bed!

What Happens When You Go-Go-Go-Go....

2008-08-11T02:00:00.003-05:00

A Couple of Cute Pictures of Shelby

2008-08-11T00:10:00.002-05:00

Summer Vacation

2008-07-22T09:55:00.004-05:00

We've just returned from visiting some family in Atlanta, Georgia. Deidre's cousin, Tami, lives there with her family. (Shelby was the flower girl in Tami's daughter Amber's wedding last year.) We were there from Thursday afternoon to Monday morning and boy did we have fun! Thursday night, Amber and Kevin came over for supper. Shelby was especially glad to see them! (Channing and Deidre were too!) Friday, while everyone else was at work, the three of us went to the Georgia Aquarium. What an amazing place! Friday night we had dinner at Amber and Kevin's apartment. Kevin pulled out his guitar and played a little Johnny Cash. Shelby sang "The Ring of Fire" with him and even tried playing his guitar a little bit! Saturday, after spending over an hour in Downtown Atlanta traffic, the three of us met our friends Travis and Annie Smith and their kids at a fun Atlanta restaurant called The Varsity. That night we went to Stone Mountain with Kevin, Amber, and Nina (Amber's sister). There was a wonderful laser show, but Shelby did NOT like the lasers, fireworks, and loud music. We won't be doing anything like that again! Deidre and Channing did get to enjoy the show, however, because Amber held Shelby and covered her ears for us. (Thanks, Amber!) Sunday was spent at church, hanging out at the house, and taking a LONG nap! We were up Monday morning by 5:00 and had left Tami's house by 6:00. We had a wonderful time, but were very glad to be home!

Thanks, guys, for a great weekend! It was so good to see all of you!

Stone Mountain

2008-07-22T09:50:00.001-05:00

Georgia Aquarium

2008-07-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

Guitar Lessons are in her future!

2008-07-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

We Love Our Georgian Friends and Family

2008-07-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

Cowboy/Princess Party

2008-07-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

Justin's Visit from Colorado

2008-07-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

My nephew Justin is visiting from Colorado for a little over a week. Shelby and I made a quick trip to see him at my sister's house. I hadn't seen Justin in almost a year, and boy was good to see him! Shelby loved being with him too. He seemed to enjoy having her around too! While I was there, Morgan talked me into playing Wii Tennis with him. I quickly learned why he wanted to play that rather than Wii Bowling...He kicked my tail! I redeemed myself by beating him at Wii Bowling before it was time to go back to my parents' house for bed! Justin hopes to come home for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas this year. We weren't able to see him for either holidays last year or in 2006 since his was deployed then. He is supposed to be going back overseas sometime next year.

ABCs

2008-07-05T21:38:00.003-05:00

Saw this on a blog tonight, and thought I'd do it myself...

A. Attached or Single- attached
B. Best Friend- Channing...And boy am I blessed having some really great girlfriends too!
C. Cake or Pie- Cake
D. Day of Choice- Sunday
E. Essential Item- Bible, Cd's
F. Flavor of Ice Cream- Breyer's Rocky Road or Baskin Robbins' Peanut Butter & Chocolate
G. Gummy Bears or Worms- Bears
H. Hometown- I was born and raised in Memphis, but Searcy is definitely home.
I. Indulgences- Mr. Blonde milkshakes at Midnight Oil
J. January or July- Hmm...that's a tough one. Usually July is stinking hot here in AR, but so far it's been great! :)
K. Kids- just one
L. Last movie I saw in a theater- 27 Dresses...possibly a complete waste of my time
M. Middle Name- Camille
N. Number of siblings- one sister, one brother
O. Orange or Apples- apples
P. Phobias or Fears- losing someone that I love
Q. Quote- "You're my best friend!" ~ Shelby
R. Reasons to smile- God, Shelby, Channing
S. Season- fall
T. Tag 4- If you’re up to it....TAG, YOU'RE IT!
U. Unknown fact about me- I'm a lefty (I guess that's unknown)
V. Vegetarian or oppressor of Animals- Well, I'd say neither of these is true of me!
W. Worst Habit- spending too much time on Facebook (one reason for the lack of posts on here!)
X. X-rays or Ultrasounds- The ultrasounds I've had have been much better than x-rays! :)
Y. Your favorite Food- typically Mexican or Italian
Z. Zodiac- Pisces...but I don't go for that kind of thing.

Shelby's Birthday Weekend

2008-06-15T23:51:00.000-05:00

Shelby's third birthday was Saturday. To celebrate, Channing's mom and sister Kim came from Texas. Deidre's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew Morgan came from Tennessee and Mississippi. (No, they didn't all stay at our house! We don't have the room!) Lillie and Kim arrived in time for supper, dessert (notice Shelby is licking her bowl to get all the ice cream), and story-time. Shelby loved having Memaw AND Aunt Kim reading to her! Deidre's family joined us at the house on Saturday morning for breakfast. Shelby's birthday party was Saturday afternoon. We all played Wii Bowling together, which of course was lots of fun! And for supper we ate catfish at Georgetown One Stop. Woo-hoo!! What a treat it was to have both sides of the family here with us. Shelby sure loved every minute of it!

Shelby's Birthday Party

2008-06-15T23:49:00.000-05:00

Beatin' the Heat in Nunda's pool

2008-06-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

We are so glad that Deidre's sister has a pool!! Wish she was in the same city so that we could take advantage of it more often! As soon as possible, we made our way to Mississippi and spent an afternoon with Nunda and her family. Deidre, Channing, Shelby, and Morgan enjoyed the cool water and yummy popsicles before supper with the rest of the family. Nunda even had chocolate ice cream, Shelby's new favorite thing!

Looking Back

2008-05-28T10:00:00.004-05:00

A year ago today, Justin was injured in Iraq. We are thankful that God was with Justin that day, as well as all the days before that during his deployment. Since his return to the States, Justin has done very well and has been promoted more than once. In fact, he's now a Sergeant. Justin's knee still gives him trouble; there is still shrapnel in his leg that cannot be removed.

We are so grateful to all of you that have prayed for Justin in the last year and a half. Please continue to do so, as he still does have trouble with his knee and will most likely be deployed again sometime next year.

We are proud of and thankful for Justin, and the other soldiers who service our country. He'll tell you they're just doing their job, but we consider them heroes!

Memorial Day at the Little Rock Zoo

2008-05-26T23:21:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Memorial Day this year, we went to the Little Rock Zoo. As soon as we got there, Shelby saw the carousel, so we had to ride that. She loved it! Even though it was a very hot day, the animals were pretty entertaining. Shelby had a ball!

Shelby's First Camping Trip

2008-05-26T23:14:00.000-05:00

Shelby's first camping trip took place last night in our back yard! A sweet family from Downtown loaned us their outdoor fireplace and some wood. We roasted hot dogs and ate Shelby's favorite, Dorito's. Shelby was excited about getting the tent set up and wanted to help her daddy as much as possible. After dinner, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. But, much to our dismay, it started raining on us. We made it inside just in time! There was even a little bit of hail, as you can see from the picture in the post below. Shelby was so disappointed about having to come inside! Around 10:00, when we were sure the storm had passed, we woke Shelby up long enough to carry her outside into the tent and her sleeping bag. It turned out to be a really really fun memory!

2008-05-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

More Pictures from Our Weekend in Texas

2008-05-19T10:50:00.002-05:00

Alligator Park and Exotic Animal Zoo

2008-05-19T10:41:00.000-05:00

A Visit with Friends in Texas

2008-05-19T10:03:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we went to visit Channing's family in Texas. While there, we got to spend time with our dear friends Rusty, Ann, and Hallie Caldwell. The Caldwells are in the States on furlough from Mozambique. A couple of weeks ago, they were in Searcy and came over for dinner. What a treat to see them again! Shelby and Hallie had fun playing together and the adults enjoyed catching up.

(Visit the Caldwell's blog by clicking on their link on the right!)

Visiting Friends in Fayetteville

2008-05-16T09:03:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Channing had an opportunity to co-teach at John Brown University with a former MFT classmate. This meant a chance for Deidre to finally meet her friend Jenny's baby, Cole. So all three of us got up early and spent the day in Northwest Arkansas. The drive was beautiful! While Channing was teaching, Deidre and Shelby had a ball with Jenny and baby Cole. Shelby loved all of Cole's books and tried to play with Cole. Deidre and Jenny had a great time catching up, as it had been several months since they'd visited with one another in person! We look forward to more visits in the future.

Remembering Mr. Rogers

2008-05-13T21:42:00.003-05:00

Tonight I went to the memorial service for Dick Rogers, a man I have known all my life. (Really - the Rogers family moved to Memphis when I was just a few months old and started going to our church.) His daughter, Stacy, is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Mr. Rogers has had heart problems for as long as I can remember, but he never let that stop him from an active life serving God and other people. Whenever I think of Stacy's dad, different things come to mind. Growing up, I would go over to their house and we'd always play outside. Stacy and her sister Susan had a wooden swing (just a small board really) hanging from a huge tree in their backyard. Mr. Rogers would always push us - really high. I'd get so freaked out, but loved every minute of it! I remember seeing Mr. Rogers play basketball and thinking how cool it was that my friend's father played better than the younger guys on the court! A couple of times I was invited to join the whole Rogers family for dinner on Sunday nights after church. We'd all sit around the dining room table after dinner, singing songs out of old songbooks. Those memories are so dear to me, because I felt so special to be included in their time together. Most of all, I'll remember his amazing tenor singing voice. There are some songs that I'm sure I never sing without hearing his voice in my head.

I am saddened by the loss of Mr. Rogers. Returning to the congregation where I grew up will never be the same again. But, what a wonderful legacy this man left behind and what a wonderful blessing it is to have known him!

Downtown Teens

2008-05-09T23:20:00.000-05:00

For several months now, Channing and I both have been CORE group leaders for the junior high teens at Downtown. Jeremy, the jr. high youth minister, divided the teens into small groups (called CORE groups) of about 10-12 and has two or three adults working with each group.

Jeremy's wife, Dijana, and I have the biggest group. We have about 14 girls in our group. It has been so much fun! These girls have been such a blessing. After being out of the classroom for about three years now, I've really missed being around kids this age.

Shelby has a ball with these girls. She loves going upstairs after Bible class to see the teenagers and gets soooo excited when they come over to our house.

Pictured here is some of the girls who came over tonight. We ate, hung out, laughed, and played a game. Since not all the girls were able to make it, and we wanted to take a group picture, they decided to use Shelby's dolls and Little People girls to sit in in place of our missing girls!

Mommy and Shelby

2008-05-04T22:13:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of Shelby and me. What a blessing she is! I have so much fun with this little girl.

You don't have to be around Shelby long to figure out that she's quite the little princess. That's funny because her mommy was quite the tomboy. She sure does crack me up!

Painted Toenails

2008-05-04T22:10:00.001-05:00

Shelby loves having her toenails painted. And she always wants us to have the same color of polish. This time it was red. She loves showing everyone!

Fun in the Sand

2008-05-04T22:05:00.002-05:00

It took some getting used to, but now Shelby likes her sandbox! She'll even let me bury her feet in the sand, which used to produce a scream or two. She loves playing with her shovels and bucket. One of these days we'll get some more stuff to put in there for even more fun.