May 2013 random

May 3013 highlights - slideshows

Here's some random photos from this month...Joel will be buddies with Sam Breland since Claire is big buddies with Sam's older brother Jack (born same day and in day care together). Sam was born 6 weeks after Joel. I actually caught Claire and Joel in the same place smiling so it's nice to have a sibling pic! Claire is in the stage of wanting to do most anything mommy does...note the vacuum! I'm sure when she's big enough to actually use the vacuum, she'll want nothing to do with it! Maybe she'll like to clean toilets :)) She wanted her toes done like mine, so we had a pedi day at home. She also is into band aids whether it's a real boo-boo or not! So, no I did not drop her on her face off the back deck :)) Also a couple of pictures to document Joel's growth! We celebrated him sleeping through the night at week 8 (10pm to 6am)...did you hear THISfrom our house? He's 12 pounds and 12 ounces now and will be starting day care soon as I return to work very soon! Yikes! We are learning that life is constant adjustments, embrace and enjoy!

Aunt Evelyn

May 2013 Charlotte - slideshows

We got a call no one likes to get...that a dear family member is facing death and it won't be long. Jeff's precious Aunt Evelyn in Charlotte, NC had been ill for sometime and her immune system had fought the good fight. She had made her wishes known that she was ready to go be with the Lord and we understood. So on Monday, May 20 she passed away with her husband Bob of nearly 48 years and sister, Doris (Jeff's mom) by her side. We left for Charlotte to be with them. Good to celebrate her life and grieve too. On a lighter note, it was Claire's first hotel stay being out of the crib and as mobile as she is...it was cute and she did well all things considered! She loved having a refrigerator on her level! We stopped in Atlanta on the way home in attempt to go to the Zoo for fun for her and she only lasted about 1 hour and was too tired but glad we tried. We learned a lot that whole weekend. Granddaddy bought her some nail polish at Cracker Barrel and she loves doing her own nails...enjoy some photos :) We will miss you,Aunt Evelyn!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

May 2013 Memphis trip - slideshows

My sweet niece, Ellie is turning 2 and time to celebrate! Cousin time! Great party thrown by Robert and Andrea and big bro, Brodie. My dad and I got to keep all 4 kids while Robert worked on Sunday and we proved to be a good team! It was fun to hear the laughter and conversations had by the kids...fun to watch them play in the yard, throw rocks in the lake, read bedtime stories together and play with Ellie's new toys :) We also got to watch Brodie play T-ball and do his end of the year program at school! Great job, Brodie! I hope these cousins have as great a bond as my generation of cousins! Sweet times! One special treat was getting to see a dear friend of mine, Whitney, on our pit stop in Tupelo en route to Memphis. I met her over 20 years ago at MSU and we have stayed in touch all these years! She has a beautiful family and encouraging faith!

Mother's Day and Baby Dedication

May 2013 Mothers Day/Baby Dedication - slideshows

I love Mother's Day more than my birthday hands down! What joy to get to celebrate with your family! I have 2 little ones who call me "Mommy" (one day Joel will say it) and it's said in many different tones, decibels, and with different emphases...the one that screams, "Mommy!" (pain) "Mommy!" (I don't want to brush my teeth@) "Mommy!" (Thank you!) "Mommy!" (Watch me!)...it goes on and on and the joy in my soul does too! I was treated to some time alone on the Sat before Mother's day to take a jog, get "all the way dressed" (You know, blow dry hair, lotion on legs, put on all your make up, hair not in a ponytail, and maybe an accessory besides those little loops you wear everyday!) and a few hours of shopping for mommy clothes! Nice! I got very sweet and encouraging cards from my kids, my husband and inlaws. It was a double blessing because we would dedicate Joel at our church on Mother's day! We had lots of family in to celebrate with us and commit to raise him to know and love Christ and grow in his faith. Thanks mom for the outfits for them to wear on their special day. Joel's name was chosen because we knew we wanted to give him Jeff's middle name, Clark...and give him Jeff's initials. (Claire has my middle name and after we decided on her name, we realized she carries my initials!) After searching all the "J" names, we landed on Joel for it's meaning ("The Lord is God") and it's strength and masculinity to carry across the decades...and it's normal and not too trendy! His verse is: "To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him." Deuteronomy 4:35. Our prayer for Joel is that he would come to know the one true God and Savior Jesus Christ; there is no other besides Him! By the way, it's so hard to get both kids in a photo!!!

The Jumping Place

We recently got to visit AIR WALK on a rainy day and had a blast. Sophie and Claire got to bounce their sillies out and had a blast! Even mommy and daddy got a turn at bouncing and reliving our youth and sweet Joel slept through the whole thing!

5th Annual Carver Crawfish Boil

Crawfish Boil 2013 - slideshows

It's that time of year again in the Carver House - CRAWFISH! It comes with being married to a Louisiana Man! Tons of fun again! We had 25 adults with 10+ kids all including neighbors (new and not so new), friends from Sunday School, and newly added this year was Joel and Jeff's parents. Thank you LORD for Jim and Doris coming to help out with the kids and preparation! We could not have done it without them! Many thanks to Kristie helping me do the shopping and for Keith doing the grilling! 45 pounds of crawfish, 25 burgers, lots of icecream, endless laughing during the backyard games, and more. We had fun with wheelbarrow races, Pass the beads, piggy back races and more. I think that will be our new tradition! Finally, thank you God for holding off the rain! Enjoy some highlights and we'll see you next year!