October News

There's not much big news going on around here. I just didn't have any other ideas. We are simply living life day by day. Above is a cute picture taken of our boys. My MOPS group did a photo fundraiser where you spend $10 and get a 10X13. Plus they try to sell you all the rest of the pictures. It was VERY HARD ( I had nightmares all night about my kids faces being shredded and melting in fire), but we walked away with only our "free" one.

Here's our newest family member who still doesn't have a name officially. We found her under our car at a park. I just couldn't leave her or take her to the pound (just in case they would euthanize her). So she's ours for now. She was five weeks old when we found her and weighs one pound. The boys LOVE her a little too much. I hope she survives their hugs, rough housing, and experiments with gravity. She's going to be a tough kitty!!

Lastly, I LOVE gardening. If I had all the money in the world, I'd have gardens galore. But alas...(sigh) To replace our two trees that were cut down, we now have a cute little Autumn Glory maple in our front yard. I am so proud of that little tree. We spent days digging the hole and breaking up rocks in the dirt. Just to let you know, I have learned a trick. You can ask stores to discount plants. I walked up to a manager and said, "What's the lowest price you'd give for that there tree if I buy it today?" They cut the price by 50%.

Well that's the lastest October news for now.

Our newest toy

We have a wonderful group of friends here, and one of them is the fabulous and crafty Sara McClure. This post is dedicated to her because she was the inspiration behind this new toy. At small group the other night, she showed me her water table that she made for cheap, cheap! So when I couldn't sleep Sunday during nap time, Michael and I built this one. The boys LOVE it. They splash, blow bubles, and pour. I'm just sad that it's going to get cold soon.

Joel is 9 months old and more

Our little Joel is getting bigger and bigger. In his eighth month, he learned how to pull up, sit up, and crawl. So far in his ninth month, he has learned to cruise, AND HE'S GETTING A TOOTH!!! Eek! He was 19 pounds, 6 ounces (45%) and 30 1/4 inches (95%) at his check up. They look very different don't they? They are soooooo different in so many ways already.

When Grandma and Pawpaw were here, we went to the Creative Discovery Museum. Clark loved playing in the water and golf.

Here's Clark and Joel curling their hair just like Grandma!! Clark of course did his own hair like a big boy. ;-)

And we just have to brag, Clark is "reading" Daddy's favorite childhood book Whitefang.

All Aboard!!!

Grandma, Pawpaw, and the boys

Jenna and the boys ready to roll

That's Michael and Clark in the engine.



That was Clark's favorite thing to say while we visited the train museum again with Grandma and Pawpaw Lofton. He shouted it the whole time we were on the train. The Tennessee Railroad Musueum is just fantastic. It's like stepping back into time. We rode in the open car nearest the engine, so we got to hear and smell the wonders of the old steam engine. Clark and his Pawpaw love trains. (Don't tell anyone, but I love trains too. I'm so glad I have kids to use them as an excuse to do fun things like this.)

You've heard when life gives you lemons....

Well life gave us a tree on our house in April this year. At first, I thought it was a very unfortunate event. I even was stressed about it. Well God is a gracious and good Father. He turned the tree on our house into a "new" truck, 2 cords of wood (for those city slickers that's $600 worth ;-), a new efficient fireplace insert for our home, new roof, a repaired computer, paid medical bills, and countless other things we needed and wanted.

You see we are living on a tight budget with me staying home, so we don't have the extra money we used to have. And these things could never happen on our regular monthly budget. But because the tree, the insurance company paid us a check to have contractors fix all the needed repairs. Well, thanks to my super husband who can do anything, we did a lot of the repairs ourselves and shopped around very carefully finding the best prices for the rest.

We sold our old truck that we had outgrew and replaced it with the next size up!! We can all fit !!! I have to say it's great because we are always hopping in the truck for something.

 Here's my awesome lumberjack husband chainsawing some logs in the backyard from the old trees to make firewood. And yes I too am pretty good at wacking a log and splitting it into pieces. FUN!!!!!

Here's a picture of our new fireplace insert that's going to be installed soon. It hopefully will lower our electricity bill in the winter with it's super effeciency!! Another gift from our Father that keeps on giving!!!

I am completely amazed at how God has found ways to provide all of our needs and even meet our desires. I am so unworthy and humbled by His undeserved favor and blessings.

Grandpa Larry's Surpise Visit

My dad and two of his friends surprised us last week with a visit from Tuesday to Saturday. He got to meet Joel and Clark. It had been about four years since I had seen Dad myself.

We did a lot of sight seeing while they were here. We all went to Racoon Mountain and panned for gem stones. Clark had fun throwing the treasure back into the water. Michael spent most of his time hunting for the gem Clark threw away. :-)

We went to the train museum and had a great time riding a train. Clark and Grandpa had a blast seeing the old steam engine and feeling the bumpity bump of the tracks. Here's Grandpa and the boys in the passenger car getting ready to go.

Here's the engine that pulled us. You can't help but be impressed by the enormity and strength of this machine. We all felt like we had stepped back in time. (I love living in Chattanooga!!!)

Summer Vacation and Home Sweet Home

At the Jackson, MS zoo, the elephants came to say hi to our little monkey.

At the creek, we hunted for cool rocks, played in the sand, and filled up our big truck with stuff.

Those didn't stay on long.


After the seeing all the animals, we took the train around the Alexandria, LA zoo. Clark and cousin Hannah loved the train, of course.
There's no place like on Grandma's lap wrapped up with her hand knitted blankie, drinking juice, and reading about trains...is there?

Joel has become our resident model. We got to participate in a photo shoot with Olan Mills photography. He hammed it up big time. He new smile makes me laugh so hard. And Joel's favorite chew toy is Chloe's tail. The crazy thing is she loves the attention.


Our happy family.... God is so good.

For our summer vacation, we got to spend a week with family in Mississippi. It was a great, but busy week. We helped grandma and pawpaw redo their bathroom, had dinner with each uncle and aunt, had a date night, went to two zoos, went creek walking and had a picnic, went to a family reunion, and much much more!!!!!

Happy Independence Day

A lot has been happening here.  Here's an update of some of the events:

• Joel is 7 months old and can turn 360 degrees around on his tummy, sit up for a while, and babbles all the time. He loves sleeping in our bed ( and hasn't been introduced to solid foods still. We are going to do that soon.
• Clark is almost 2 years and five months old. He love the movie CARS and Thomas still. He is talking in long sentences and loves yogurt and chocolate this week. He is great with people's names.
• Jenna is recovering quick from her emergency appendectomy last week. That was scary.

• Michael is busy busy busy at work and working tons of overtime. He usually goes back to work after the kids are in bed.
• We haven't been in our pool yet!!! We haven't had the time. Isn't that crazy?
• Michael and I both have lost over 20 pounds EACH. I'm back to my preJoel weight, but not my preJoel clothing size.

Here's our boys watching tv together while Mommy and Daddy try to clean the garage.

Joel is half a year old!

I can't believe it. He's 6 months old!!! Joel still is super sweet and smiley. He loves to jump in his Jumperoo and play with his big brother (pinch his big brother mostly). He had his first taste of cereal recently, and that didn't go well as you can see in the photo. But I'm 100% confident he'll eventually eat something besides milk. ;-) He now weighs 18 pounds, 8 ounces (75%), and he's 28.5 inches long (95%). He has light colored hair (almost blonde I guess) and hazel eyes (blue, grey, green, brown). I secretly hope he has hazel eyes just like the rest of us. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I think Clark and Joel look different. Here's Clark at 6 months too (above).

I didn't need my fairy godtoad after all

I confess I like a clean house. Or at least I like it to look clean. And having kids has really challenged my character as far as letting go of my "rights" to have a clean house. Today has been a great day for God to grow my character. I'll explain the fairy toad thing in a minute.

This morning, I got up extra early to have some quiet time (which hasn't happened in a LONG time). I made a cup of coffee and sat down to enjoy some ME time. As I soon as I sat down, Michael brought me Joel. He was hungry. Then Clark woke up and was hungry. After making oatmeal (our everyday staple), I ran upstairs to deliver to my husband his breakfast and spilled his milk on the carpet. Then when I came back down, Clark has flung his oatmeal all over the kitchen and living room. Joel was screaming his head off. So I started taking deep breaths and trying to keep myself focused. (yes my hormones are raging today too).



So I calmly had Clark "clean up" his mess. Then I looked up and saw it. My house was in utter disarray. (I've got the pictures to prove it.) Okay, here's where the fairy god toad comes in. Usually when I find myself in this unhappy place, I take a few breaths and do something to make myself laugh. Lately, I have been telling fairy tales about a beautiful princess mommy and her fairy god toad out loud. The princess finds herself always in a messy house because of her two boys. She consults a fairy god toad about her problems, and he always fixes it by taking the boys away. She loves her clean house, but soon misses her boys. The princess mommy always learns a lesson that it's better to have a messy house with her precious boys than a clean quiet house without her darling children.

Well I was at the point that I needed to start telling my story out loud, when Clark did a number in his pants. NUMBER 2 that is. Okay, I'll clean up him and then tell my fairy tale later. So we go to the bathroom, and I do what most sane people WOULDN'T. I try to savage his underwear. On my knees before the toliet with my hands in the brown toliet water trying to scrub off the most disgusting, stinky poop I've ever seen, my sweet two year old, four month old son bends down to my ear and says.....

GOOD JOB, MOMMY! GOOD JOB!!!!

I started laughing and crying. It was the most beautiful, funniest thing I'd ever heard. I finished up the clean up and found myself not needing my fairy god toad after all.

My cup of coffee is over half full and cold, but I sit in awe at how AWESOME our GOD is and how precious every day is no matter the craziness.



Here's my sweet angel with the oatmeal juice still on his shirt.