Happy Birthday Bro!

Today my brother turns 36. Looking good! Happy Birthday! Salute to a great husband and great daddy and talented Occupational Therapist. He's always up for any adventure Andrea can get him on :) We are diffent people but I have learned a lot from him! Hope you have a great one and I love you!

Christmas 2014

We left on Sunday before Christmas to start our Christmas celebrations and slid into our own beds by Fri night 12/26 around 10:00. We travelled to Baton Rouge and enjoyed lots of fun things...time to play at the park, a neat play place called Lil Bambinos, play at the Mall, and even mommy and daddy got a date night. We enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve Service at First UMC (Jeff's parents church) after Uncle Bob arrived from Charlotte. We continued with our little family tradition of crawling in bed all together on Christmas morning and reading the Christmas Story from Luke 2 together...then after breakfast it was time for discovering what was under the tree. We took turns enjoying seeing what everyone opened...especially Claire and Joel! Jeff almost got away without having to put something together but Joel's Big Wheel needed some assembly. Claire's scooter was ready to ride! We enjoyed a delicious traditional Christmas meal which I am amazed how my mother-in-law can get it all to the table, hot and good! THe afternoon was filled with opening up the gifts and discovering how to play with each thing. Dec 26 started a journey home with 2 big stops...first in Brandon, MS to see my extended family (Lacey Family Christmas - my mother's side) and meeting up at my mom's house to do Christmas with her and Jim and Robert's family. My aunt Bobby managed to coordinate a family photo of 28 people and feed us all in less than 2 hours. Dirty Santa games always bring some laughs. We ended our evening with Mom's BBQ and homemade mac and cheese and a room full of paper flying as the kids ripped into their gift bags of toys and all got rainboots! Brodie (7) and Ellie (3) are growing up so fast and so cute! They too had been on the road all week making their southeastern tour. Those cousins love each other! Such fun ages! On another note: Each Christmas I like to find one aspect of the Biblical Christmas story and ponder it through the season. This year it was Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE among those with whom he is pleased." (ESV) (emphasis mine on Peace). This was the exclamation of the multitude of angels as they surrounded the Shepherds proclaiming to them the Good News that the Savior was born. They gave God the glory for something only He could definitely do...bring us the Savior...and the result of that Glory and that Savior was PEACE...I pondered why PEACE and not...on earth JOY...on earth LOVE...on earth SAFETY...on earth HEALTH...(you see what I'm doing here)...It was PEACE we needed, and when we are at PEACE, the rest of those things and more are covered...Only in Christ do we have real PEACE. Glory to God in the Highest...

Getting Ready for Christmas

Here's some random fun we've been having...Enjoying Christmas PJs, went to a Santa Party hosted by Jack (and according to Claire who she's going to Marry!) and you can see reaction by Joel to Santa...Claire would only stand by Santa if Jack did too. Claire got her Christmas haircut and we've been to see Big Daddy to do Christmas with him. Each night we are doing a "project" guided by an ebook called Truth in the Tinsel...check it out...helping keep the focus on Christ as we move through the holidays...Also having interesting discussions about Santa...we are taking this approach shared in THIS blog post...we grew up on Santa and don't want to take the fun out but want to be truthful too...,hard dance to dance...Looking forward to more "Joy to the World" to come...

2014 Dec Christmas Fun - Kizoa Video Maker

Christmas Photo Shoot

Thanks to Lisa Townes, we got some great shots and hard to pick for the Christmas card...so here's the top picks

Thanksgiving 2014

This year thanksgiving was in Baton Rouge. We enjoyed being there for almost a week! Gave us plenty of playtime at the museum downtown, time for mommy and daddy to get a "date night" (including bumping into Mike the Tiger), time to help Uncle Bobby work on his walking and recover from being in the hospital for while, and to enjoy some excellent food! We had great weather, great downtime to count our blessings, and time for sillyness too! Enjoy some photos of highlights

Halloween

What a fun time to be a kid! Halloween! We enjoyed bringing in the fall season with painting little pumpkins...carving a pumpkin (You are probably glad I'm not a surgeon!), walking through "Trunk or Treat" at our church with our friends the Brelands and Eliza (new next door neighbor), and a walk through the neighborhood on Halloween night. Brings back memories of childhood but I can hardly remember any costumes I had...Oh well! It was fun helping Claire dress up as a Cowgirl and Joel didn't seem to mind his Turtle outfit. Enjoy some pics of this years Halloween for the Carvers.

2014 Oct Halloween - Video Maker

Random Photos from Oct

As always there's fun to be had at the Carver house in the little things...but mostly in the people we spend time with! We discovered a free art class at the Hoover Rec Center and we continue with Kindermusik with Mrs Cwis (Joel's pronunciation)...We got to play with Katie (friend from gymnastics) and her mom taught herself how to face paint (I have avoided Pinterest due to the warnings of being up all night chasing ideas...)...We enjoyed celebrating Eliza's 4th birthday (very sweet new neighbors)...a morning at the Park with YaYa...Mr. Zach is a great neighbor who loves our kids! Claire also got to try her feet with dancing with her buddy Sophie - tutu cute! Claire went to the ER at Childrens at around 10 months with an allergic reaction to Penecillin (like her mommy). Now it was Joel's turn...he nearly knocked out his front 2 teeth after a fall at Claire's school. Thanks to God by the time we saw the hospital dentist his teeth and gums had tightened back up. So after a 4 hour experience he still has those teeth and it did not slow him down any! What can you do about boys that are full steam ahead...PRAY! A milestone occurred - We took Joel out of the infant car seat and now into convertible car seat and forward facing. I had a brief "moment" as more and more of the "infant" things start to go away...I love watching my babies grow up! Another special person is Uncle Bob from N.C. He made his annual pilgrimage to his alma mater (U. Alabama) to go to a football game with Jeff. He always makes plenty of time for Claire and Joel! We enjoyed our visit! Enjoy some other pics of these times and others.

2014 Oct Random - Video Maker

MSU Makes History!!!

What an experience! For the Bulldog fans out there, this is the sweetest time in Football history we have ever had! So many firsts going on...no on predicted that after 5 games we'd go from unranked to #1 and that Ole Miss would be highly ranked too! What a great time for the Magnolia State! I got to experience the MSU/Auburn game in full Maroon Fashion with my dad...we met for lunch at the Little Dooey for BBQ then took in the "electric" atmosphere around campus before the game...We endured rain and cowbell mayhem to see the Bulldogs definitively beat Auburn for what would put us in the #1 ranked spot! WOW! It was a neat experience and memory to make with my dad and thanks to my wonderful husband for keeping our 2 little ones and encouraging me to spend the night, I came home with 9 hours of sleep behind me to rejoin him in the chase to keep them from breaking a limb in all their activity! Here's a few highlights. Hail State!

2014 Oct MSU #1 - Video Maker

September highlights

Here's some random shots of life in Sept. Kindermusik, gymnastics, fun around the house, football starts up, "home-training", fun with neighborhood friends (our new neighbor Eliza welcomed her baby sister this month!), zoo trip for Joel, hiking at Moss Rock, and daily life...enjoy the fun!

2014 Sept Random - Video Maker

Joel - 18 months!

Here's our big boy! 18 months! WOW! It's been quite a year already with all of his ear infections resulting in tubes in August and now fully recovered from a 2 week stomach virus that had had him with some messy diapers for 15 days (but who's counting!) Through it all he is one happy little guy who loves to climb, explore, laugh at Claire, dance to music and sings too! Still blonde haired, dimpled cheeks and big brown eyes! 12 teeth now and interested in writing with colors...gets excited when he sees school buses, dogs and Claire! Can give good kisses, turns lights on/of and opens/closes doors... and eats like a champ! Weighs 23 pounds and 10oz (40%) and 33 1/4" long (70%)...getting new words every day and still goes to Kindermusik on Mondays. What a fun little boy to have in our family! Keep up the great growing, Joel...not too fast!

August Photo Shoot

2014 Aug Photo Shoot 2 - Video Maker

Trip to Raleigh, NC

Claire and I flew up to Raleigh/Cary to visit my brother, Robert, and his family for Labor Day weekend. It's a 10 hour drive door to door per Google Maps with no stops...so flying is the way to go for now to make sure we get in a visit. They planned a fun weekend for us! Our first stop after getting Brodie from the bus stop was Playnation. Great place to get wiggles out after flying all day. Saturday we headed to the Marbles Kids Museum. Super cool place on a kids level to try so many things - grocery store, ambulance, submarine, pirate ship, farm, puppets, arts and crafts, Legos, etc...We left there and hit the pool for a swim. After naps we headed down to Duke University to check out the campus because none of us had ever been and they had a home game. We stayed as long as the heat and kids allowed which was not long. Back for dinner and bed time. We flew back home on Sunday. Claire was a great traveler and did very well going to new environments etc. She loves her cousins for sure! Sad to part but hopefully we'll be playing again soon in a few months! The Henderson crew fits right in in NC! Thanks for a fun weekend! Love you all!

2014 Aug Trip to Raleigh - Video Maker

Random August Happenings

Here's a recap of a few random happenings in the Carver House in August and just some cute snaps of day to day life...So Joel had his 6th ear infection in 6 months and had tubes put in about 2 weeks ago at Childrens Hospital and has done great! He was a trooper and I held it together (for the most part!) That dreaded moment when they have to take him from you to go to the OR was tough but we had him back in less than an hour happy! Big Daddy came to visit and took us to our first Professional softball tournament game where Claire got to meet her first Pro athlete, former MSU Lady Bulldog - Allison Owen! Allison was great with Claire! Cousins Brodie and Ellie were in town for a brief visit and came over for play time and dinner. They have such a good time together. You'll see other random pics of piano time, sprinklers, and just goofing around...You also will meet Mrs Jessica - Claire's favorite teacher so far! They had to part ways when Claire started 4k - but we will NEVER forget Mrs J and how great she was with Claire. She was in tune with Claire and how she learns and really brought out her best! Enjoy some August happenings...

2014 Aug Random - Video Maker

Videos to make you smile

Need to laugh: Need to worship: Need to smile:

Claire Turns 4!!!

Our daughter is four years old! Wow! She is really growing up and has grown up in so many ways this year! A year of gymnastics...a year in her new preschool (Pioneer) Completely potty trained during the day...survived 2 lengthy episodes of separation anxiety and came out on the other side...survived a change in sleep habits resuming waking up in the middle of the night...watching her become a good friend, learn to write her name, come to enjoy singing, enjoy travelling, take our first mother/daughter trip, and see her blossom into a GREAT big sister! She's standing 3'2" tall (20%) growing 2 1/4" and weighs 32# (25%) gaining 4 pounds since last year! Predicted to be 5'2" (just like her momma!). We celebrated by having 10 little girls to a party at Vision Gymnastics where they got to be guided by the coaches on the equipment and she got her much desired "Ariel" cake. She's wanted that since the day after her last birthday..even with all the frenzy over "Frozen"! Family took her to dinner at her favorite mexican place. On her actual birthday of Aug 4, she wanted waffles for breakfast and Joel gave her "Ariel" PJs and the Frozen movie. She got taken out for shrimp with YaYa and Jim. And when her friend from birth, Jack, got back from a trip, they went out on a "date" for snow cones! She is strong-willed in a beautiful way and has taught me more about God's love and discipline than I would have ever known before she came along. She looks to Jeff for strength and he shelters her well. I'm the source of bandaids, meals, and transportation, and tickle time :) Enjoy some highlights of her birthday celebration.

2014 Aug Claire turns 4 - Video Maker

JOY

I LOVE having a daughter!!!

Trip to DC

We left BHM on Friday to spend a long weekend with Grandmommy and Granddad in our nation's capital. It was Joel's first flight and Claire prepped him well. They both handled flying well though restless at times. We had a great time and overall the kids did very well! We had 2 full days there. Saturday was a stroll around the mall to take in the major monuments and some time at the Air and Space Museum. Time with Grandmommy and Granddad is not complete without snow cones and rides on a carousel no matter where we are! After a rest time, Claire got a personal shopping trip to a toy store near by with her grandparents! Very special for her! Sunday we spent some time at the National Zoo in which we all agreed that our favorite animal to see was the Giant Panda! It's not easy to get off schedule with kids but if you wait until all are rested and happy to go do anything, you'll never go anywhere...so take your kids and enjoy and just plan for a meltdown here and there and know they come out of it and recover...It's tough to travel with kids but we all learn so much when we get out of our normal routine and try some new things. Great life training for them on how to travel safely and smart! It's fun to enjoy these sites with children even at their young ages. I tried to explain to Claire that we were going to our nation's capital...I asked her if she knew who lived there...Her response, "God"...Jeff and I both had chuckles about that one! Enjoy some highlights from our trip. Thanks Grandmommy and Granddad for a wonderful weekend for us all!

2014 July DC Trip - Video Maker

July 4 weekend

Independence Day! Much to give thanks for...The Declaration...our Founding Fathers...Guts and Glory of freedom from the British that now heads most to the beach, lakes, pools or some other favorite vacation spot. We staying in Birmingham which for the most part was very quiet, and we liked it! We started our 4th with swimming with YaYa and Jim at their country club pool and topped it off with great July 4 food! That night we sat on our screened in porch just the 4 of us with ribs, mac and cheese and baked beans...the sounds of crickets put the kids to sleep but we waited until the sounds of fireworks were done. Claire and Joel just can't quite make it to 9pm just yet...maybe next year. The rest of our weekend was spent playing in the backyard with sprinklers and water guns and one more trip to the pool on Sunday with the Breland boys, Jack and Sam. Our neighbors came over Monday for more waterplay as Claire calls it. Gorgeous weekend to have fun in the sun and give thanks for our heritage...here's some clips of the fun we had.

Joel Updates

Here's a few clips of what Joel is doing these days and a few pics that just had to be shared. He's about 15.5 months now...Rock solid and happy guy! First photo is how cute he looks with 101.5 fever and an ear infection waiting on the MD. Had to show those sweet baby curls...sure how long we'll keep those! He loves to cruise in his little car and is one "cool dude"!

1st Annual Mother/Daughter Trip

When I found out I was having a daughter, I knew I wanted to start a tradition of an annual Mother/Daughter trip when she was old enough. She is now! Yea! So we kept it simple and left on Friday when baby Bro went down for a nap and we headed to Atlanta. Got to our hotel and after having fun around the room etc...we hit the pool. It was way more fun now that she's enjoying the water more! We had planned for my friend, Julie, (aka "aunt Julie") to meet us there for our girls weekend. She arrived in time for dinner. So it was just us girls having a fun dinner at Zoe's Kitchen. It took a while for Claire to settle down with all the excitement but we all slept hard. The next morning was fun to have breakfast at the hotel. Soon we headed to Piedmont Parkwhere we had fun on 2 playgrounds and a splash pad (See the video for how CLaire enjoyed the Splash pad!) After we were tired and hot from that we head back to the hotel to pack up and check out and head for Cumberland mall for lunch and shopping. It's not a girls trip without shopping right!?! So we found ourselves with new sunglasses, flipflops and a shirt for July 4! Also got a "happy" for Joel too! It was a fun time even building up to the trip - her telling teachers and friends and packing her bag etc...It was sweet watching Claire in these new fun environments and what she takes in and how she responds...what her ideas are and listening to what she likes and doesn't like etc...It was fun to focus on her and enjoy her this way. We missed our boys and couldn't wait to get home to them...We came home to a feverish Joel, who I took to pediatrician on Sun morning to discover he had an ear infection! I guess he missed us too! THanks Jeff for supporting our girl time! Thanks Aunt Julie for taking time out to come play with us! You are a refreshing friend! Hey Claire, wonder what we'll do next year? Can't wait!

2014 June Mom/Dtr Trip ATL - Video Maker

Father's Day

Where would we be without dads! The strength, the calmness, the faith, the logic in chaos...all that they bring...especially Jeff! So Claire has not been to a movie yet so we planned for Jeff to take her to her first movie ("Frozen")...it would be a surprise for both of them...we'll they went and little did I know it was in 3D! So the need to wear glasses coupled with fun video games in the lobbby to climb on did not render a successful completion of the movie. Oh well...good try! So after church and naps on Sunday we all headed out to get ice cream with daddy! Can't go wrong there! My gift to him was a gift to go get a massage! (Go ahead and schedule it, sweetheart!) So thankful for him and all that he does seen and unseen for our kids!

I can't let Father's Day go without a pic of our dads...thanks for all you have done for us!

Claire Learns to Swim

What a journey this has been! We embarked on a 6 week adventure of transforming Claire from clinging to mommy like white on rice to a survival swimmer and the transformation occurred! We got connected with Brandy Avery with BASS Aquaticsthrough a friend and are so glad we did! Claire screamed the first 2 days but after that she was much better. She has learned to swim to and from the wall with basic use of a stroke with her arms...she can float on her back (aka starfish) and get a breath if she's too far away. Most importantly if she fell in water fully-clothed she could get her self out...She had to pass a test in which she was tossed (nicely) in the water once with shorts etc on and by the end, with long sleeves, jeans, socks/shoes etc... and get herself out. She also jumped from the edge into the water and willingly put her head underwater by the end of the 6 weeks. This is a kid who in all other situations is fearless and makes me glad we are insured but when it came to water, she would not even want to get her face wet in the shower! Thanks, Mrs Brandy and well-done Claire! Very proud of her courage and willingness to try new things and we are celebrating her accomplishment soon with a trip the waterslides at "Splash Adventure!"

Infant Aquatics

Joel 15 Months

Here's our boy - 15 months old and thriving is an understatement! He checked out healthy and strong at his check up today. Length: 30.5inches (25%) and Weight: 23#4oz (55%) - gain of 11 inches and 14 pounds since birth. He loves to eat meat of any kind. Loves climbing up and on anything! He stays in motion. He has enjoyed his new class at South Highland for the last 3 week and new Sunday School class. He's a good 2.5 hour napper midday and sleeps from 8p-6a at night. He likes to walk around with things up to his ear like a remote and say "Ho!" - Joel language of "hello". He has about 10 "words" or so but can get his point across! He laughs so hard when he knows he's aggravating Claire :) Precious blonde hair and brown eyes that have a very mischievious look! He's growing so fast! Toddler or sprinter...whatever you label him - he's a gift!

6th Anniversary

So here we are 6 years later...with each year brings more of life experiences to grow through together...We have grown a lot in 6 years and have more to go and are excited about the future! We got a nice break to celebrate! We went to Baton Rouge for the weekend to visit Grandmommy and Grandad. They gave us a wonderful treat of nearly 24 hours of babysitting! We checked into a hotel and took a much needed nap without interuptions! Got dressed and went to eat a Mike Anderson's seafood restaurant and enjoyed a nice Jazz concert on LSU's campus! We both slept for 10 hours! I have not slept that long since long before Joel was born! Many thanks for the time to reconnect and enjoy a night out to celebrate the journey we have been on and Jeff, many thanks for 6 great years of growing together! You truly are the one for me!

Mother's day and Mother/Daughter day

Mother's Day was nice and different this year...Jeff was leaving on Saturday before for a week in London for a conference (Computer people get great venues for conferences!). So I was surprised on Saturday morning with sweet cards and sweet smelling perfume! Jeff and Claire had daddy/daugther day last week and did a little shopping while they were out :) So we took Jeff to the airport and then met my mom and Jim for a Mother's Day lunch at Zoe's. Nice to celebrate 2 generations of motherhood! Sunday we enjoyed a nice day of church and playing together. Later in the week I sent Joel to school and had my very own day with Claire too and what fun we had...doing daily life together and some special things...from grocery shopping and washing the car..to hiking at Moss Rock Preserve...(Jeff had to have his trumpet repaired so we picked it up and the sales lady was so kind to let Claire try a few instruments.) We had a nice picnic lunch on our back deck followed by some yard work of planting azaleas and pruning rose bushes. Later in the day we went by my office (wheelchair pic) and got Joel and headed to pick up daddy from the airport. She woke up everyday telling Joel how many days till daddy got home. Sweet times! Soon I'll have Mommy Son day! Yea!

2014 May Mother's Day and Day with Claire - Video Maker

Swimming Lessons

It was time to start Claire in Swim lessons that would get her through the fear of getting her face under water. Through a friend we learned about Brandy Avery with www.infantaquatics.com It's a crazy program but has been very effective for many and now seeing results already for Claire. She goes 10 min/day; 4 days/week for 6 total weeks. Here's a clip of her going strong on day 4. She basically cried the first 2 sessions but has been very brave since then. She's not exactly jumping for joy to go to lessons but is not resisting. We'll show more progress down the line...

"It Is Finished!"

Those were the last words of Christ from the cross and my last words when I left the Dentist's office on Tues May 6, 2014! Some of you know my dental woes and I certainly will not bore you with the incredibly long list of dental procedures my mouth has endured in the last 4 years (that's right - FOUR YEARS!)...multiple gum grafts...a failed bridge that resulted in a rear upper left tooth (#3 for you dental minded people) being pulled. I decided to go forth with an implant because I felt I was WAAYYY too young to have to chew on one side of my mouth until I die at the old age of 110 years old...But each stage was not without complications along the way and I affectionately nicknamed myself 10% - because complications occurred in 10% of people and that we me everytime! Thanks to Dr. Maria (Mia) Geisinger and my general Dentist Dr. Charles Carter I now have my crown in place and am relearning how to chew on my left side. Dr. G was awesome and came to my aid many times when I was bleeding, in pain or had air rushing to my sinuses! So I know this is not my typical post but this has been quite a part of my history in the last 4 years that I am looking for some cheers and sympathy as you note the hardware in Maxilla and I was so proud to see that crown on the impression of my teeth it was worth a photo (that is not blood but ink marking the margins). The other photo is of the post that was screwed into my implant to hold the crown - looks like a small bullet to me...I learned more than I care to know about dental procedures, materials and anatomy but I owe a great deal to my dental experts! Thank you!

Random Spring Happenings

So here's a hodge podge of our happenings of daily life over the last 3 weeks or so...I was once advised to make sure you get snapshots of daily life and not just formal photos...and it is fun to capture the daily memories...from licking the bowl to bath-time to wagon rides...You'll see highlights from a MSU softball game, recent visits from family and friends, riding out a tornado threat and getting flowers on after-dinner strolls past Mr. Ben's house...our kids are keeping us young and enjoying life! Joel now at 14 months and Claire already thinking about her birthday party to turn 4 in August!

2014 April May - Video Maker

Easter 2014

Easter...What a wonderful Day! The Old Rugged cross to the Empty Tomb where Christ demonstrated ultimate love and sacrifice to bear the burden of our sin so that He might pay the penalty for our sin and allow us to be restored in relationship to our Creator and Father for all eternity...Now that's Joy and that's Hope!! Hard to put words to that! It's interesting explaining that to a 3 1/2 year old who is already bombarded with the Easter Bunny and Eggs...I have no problem with those except if they take the place of Easter's real meaning. It was interesting surveying friends on how they teach the meaning of Easter to their children. We kept it simple and taught Claire 2 songs and read the Easter story from her Bible to her as Easter approached. Jeff and I traded off going to the Good Friday Services (Same service done Thurs night and Fri noon) and enjoyed the worship on Easter Sunday morning. I enjoyed personal worship especially when this song was sung in the Remembrance Service. One of my favorites! When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. We did have some fun on Sun afternoon hiding and hunting eggs with neighbors and looking cute of course. Enjoy some photos and video of Easter.

2014 Easter - Video Maker

Cousins Meet in Gatlinburg

Good times had by all! My dad initiated us all meeting in Gatlinburg for a family weekend and it was lots of fun. It's essentially halfway for my brother and his family who now live in Cary, NC and us. We rented a house in the mountains and had beautiful weather. The kids ran up and down the steps in the "cabin"! Claire had her first night's sleep in a king sized bed! She looked like and ant on that mattress! We didn't know it was the Antique Car show in Pigeon Forge that was the source of lots of traffic but it didn't deter us from visiing Wonder Works and later taking a nice short Hike to see a neat waterfall! For the next trip we will check the community calendar for events in town to prepare for traffic and we'll stay at least 2 full days. Enjoy some highlights from the trip! We got to bring Brodie back with us and he spent one night with us before going over to YaYa's house for a few days. What a great kid! He and Claire are quite a pair of fun! Thanks, dad!

2014 April Gatlinburg - Video Maker

6th Annual Carver Crawfish Boil

Great times had by all! We joined a new Sunday School class last summer and it is much bigger than our previous class, but we decided we could not break tradition! So we welcomed the Anderton/Schultz class and our surrounding neighbors over for the 6th annual Carver Crawfish boil! Here's the stats: 40 pounds of crawfish, 6 pounds of smoked sausage, 40 ears of corn, 50 burgers, estimated 65 people including kids, 60 degrees and cloudy (a bit chilly!), street looked like a parking lot as far as the eye could see, great fellowship, fun memories and no one will forget Anna Laura (2.5 years old)) making the decision for her family that it was time to go! She grabbed her backpack and headed to the car stating - "GO Mommy!"...and off she headed to the car! Great time to enjoy getting to know some of the coolest people! We all have a story and neat to connect with others who aren't perfect but desire to know and serve and love Christ and each other and those who don't know him! Thanks to all who came, helped and enjoyed...and to Jeff for making some of the best crawfish we've ever had!

2014 Mar - Crawfish boil - Video Maker

Joel's first real steps

See the video that we finally caught him on video taking his first real steps. He's done this several times since his first birthday but who always has a camera in their pocket!? You'll hear me say he's walking now...not totally true...he'll take these types of steps then remember he can crawl a LOT faster and off he's going on hands and knees! You'll also hear me say the date incorrectly...I Say 2013 but obviously it's 2014! Way to go Joel! (Enjoy the background music on piano by Jeff..if he's known he was walking he might have played Chariots of Fire!)

School Daze

They took photos at Joel's school...had to share these!

What a difference a year makes!

Here's a photo of Joel 8 hours old, 1 year old and a pic of Claire at 1 year. Fun to see them side by side. Also, here's a big difference in the two...how they enjoyed or not their birthday cake! :)

Happy Birthday Joel!

Happy First Birthday to our son (March 10)! I still choke up that I married such a wonderful man and have an adorable daughter and now a precious son! What a year! He's been overall healthy less a few ear infections and a stomach bug 5 days before his party. He weighs 20#2oz (30%) - gain of 11# since birth; he is 29 3/4 inches long (50%) - gain of 10 inches since birth. He's got 2 deep dimples that melt you when fully expressed. He is crawling like a sprinter, coming up to standing on his own, cruising all furniture, and took 6 steps a few times over his party weekend. He's in exploration mode! No real consistent words yet but he gets his needs known -Lots of syllables! He has syllables for Claire and milk :) He's a Blonde haired and brown eyed bundle of joy for sure - with 3 teeth! We planned to celebrate starting with a family party in our home on 3/8/14. A few caveats occurred of course - one being that I ended up with the stomach bug the night before but the show must go on - it did with the Lord's strength and family help! We had Jeff's parents and Uncle Bob and my Dad and cousin Mary Morgan come. My mother and Jeff's brother both couldn't come due to illness themselves. We had some family photos taken (first slideshow) and some taken at his family party. You'll see Claire helping with the gifts and Joel's preference to just crawl away from all the attention! We were thankful for a beautiful sunny day to celebrate. Thanks to all who traveled the major miles to come! We also did a little party at Joel's day care with his buddy Tanner who had a Bday the same week he did. You'll see a few shots there of him with teachers and friends and YaYa and Jim got to come too. Joel was not as into the cake as Claire was. I'll post her video sometime soon. It's such a gift to have a son and a daughter! Fun to reflect on the year of growth and milestones he's done and all we have learned having 2 kids now. We are blessed! Thank you God for giving Joel a great first year and look forward to watching him grow this year!

2014 Mar Joel 1st Bday PHoto Shoot - Video Maker

2014 Mar Joel Bday Party - Video Maker

Freeze - They grow so fast

So I seized the moment to grab adorable pics of my kids who are growing so fast. Here's Claire at 3.5 being a monkey on the monkey Bars at Homewood Park and Joel boosting my self-esteem about cooking clearing his tray of my spaghetti. These smiles go to the pit of my soul in thankfulness!

Sorority Girl

Some of you know this part of my history, some don't but yes, I was sorority girl - Chi Omega '92 Phi Delta Chapter, Mississippi State Univ! Still proud of this organization and what it did for me in college and enjoy meeting people even last week at the playground who were Chi Os! I got the honor of going to the Chi O initiation of my cousin, Mary Morgan. So she's technically my first cousin once removed but whatever! My cousin's daughter - whatever...Family! I was very proud of her and she was honored to be selected by the whole chapter as this year's model initiate. Some of you sorority folks will get that...big deal to say the least! Glad we share another bond now and wanted to brag on her. She's been such a blessing to us and our kids and she's off to a great start in her college career at BSC in Bham. Way to go MM!

Silly Swimming

So Claire is pretty much fearless except when it comes to swimming. She's not big on getting her face wet. So we have begun the discussions about swimming lesssons. We met a lifeguard at our gym that we may do private lessons with. We have gotten library books about swimming. In one of them it has a picture of someone wearing a swim cap. She wanted to put one on. I had some from my triathlon days and she had a big time with this. Not sure it has narrowed any fear-gap of getting in the pool but cute nonetheless. We have started getting her in the shower to see if that helps with getting water in her face. It was a suggestion. Swimming may be tough this year but we'll get through it. Enjoy these pics...I smile every time I look at them!

2014 Feb Swimming - slideshows

Videos of Claire doing Gymnastics

Winter Snow Storm 2014

We woke up on Tues Jan. 28 thinking it would be a normal Tuesday where I take Joel to kindermusik and go into work at 11:30. But he woke up with a 102 fever. Jeff took Claire to her school 5 minutes away and went on to Tuscaloosa. I made a pediatrician appt for Joel for 11am. It was predicted for Bham to get a "dusting" of snow but at 9:30 that dusting began and it was pretty to start with. It continued to come down and I began watching the news to see if Claire's school would let out. I even called to check. I left with Joel at 10:30 to go to the MD in the snowfall (thinking - mommas do anything for their babies!) I began to be aware the roads were slick...I got a call that the MD office was closing and a nurse would call to give me info on handling that fever. As I'm telling them I'm 5 minutes away and asking if they could see him anyway, I cannot get up a hill and do a sliding 3 point turnabout avoiding a stalled FedEx truck. I move into Mother-Mode and am in pursuit to get Claire and subsequently met with hundreds of others doing the same thing (trying to get kids) and ending in a gridlock with also knowing there was no way I'd get up the hill in my minivan to get her. Cell phones calls were not happening and the texting began between me and Jeff on what was going on and me an my neighbors the Bagwells asking them if they could get Claire in their 4wheel drive. They would get her for me. So now it was how to get back to my house which was .5 mile away as the crow flies - but 45 min working around the neighborhood and getting my momentum up to get up a hill into our neighborhood. You will see a photo of a T-bone accident where I crossed over into our neighborhood probably just a few hours before. Could have been me with my feverish baby! Thank you Lord! So Claire got home and after some great news reporting we decided Jeff would get a room at the Hotel on UA's campus and stay the night. The low temp would be 11 degrees and bad to be stuck in a car that cold! He made it home by 1pm the next day. (Thanks to God Joel woke up on Wed morning fever-free!) All who experienced this used the words "This is Crazy! Insane! Who knew? It happened so fast!" Over 11,000 kids spent the night in their schools with teachers parents and stranded motorists. Hotels booked, people sleeping where they could find shelter - WalMart, Home Depot, CHick Fil A...most people who tried to leave wherever they were returned after a few hours. Mostly wherever you were between 11-12pm that day is where you spent the night! Good Samaritan stories abound of folks helping who had ATVs and 4WD vehicles...5 deaths and one baby born out in this! The main roads were gridlocked for over 24-36 hours. At least 25 cars stranded on the main road into our neighborhood alone! We were hunkered down the rest of the week playing back and forth with neighbors. We got out on Thurs afternoon to play with Jack and Sam Breland. Friday was a little icy in the morning but normal by afternoon though all schools still out. Ironically, as I write this the weather is a beautiful 60 degrees and sunny - I just got back from a jog in shorts and a tshirt! My mind raced on the "what ifs"....If Joel had not had his fever that kept us home, I would have been downtown with him either stuck at UAB or his day care and Claire either at her school or home with our neighbors...My heart really pained for those who could not get to their kids...It made you have to trust the Lord to take care of them and they were in good hands. If you were home on Tues night and not separated from at least one family member, you were rare! Everyone has a story about this one and won't forget it! It affected us all! Hats off to the Police, Fire dept, National Guard and other officials who really did a great job as I watched the reports. And an even bigger hats off to the regular people helping regular people! Here's some fun pictures and videos of our week at home during the snow storm and the creativity that ensued - making the most of it :)

2014 Winter gridlock - slideshows

Celebrating Birthdays

For some January is a blah month of cold weather and let down from Christmas. Not here...Half way through January the celebrating returns as Jeff and I celebrate birthdays one day apart (me on 1/16 and him on 1/17 - we are 2 years apart though). This year the kids gave me a gift certificate to Yogurt Mountain and sweet cards. So on that cold Jan night, we were out getting yogurt at Claire's insistence that we celebrate Mommy! On Friday, we sent the kids to school and Jeff and I went out to lunch together to celebrate on his day. Grandmommy and Grandad came in for the weekend to continue to celebrate with us by enjoying the kids and us and keeping the kids on Sat night so we could go out to a nice dinner and to see Bill Cosby perform at the BJCC. He was hilarious with good clean fun! He's 76 and has not lost his touch! He could talk for hours I think. So it was fun to celebrate this year as we teeter the decade of 40 where Jeff hangs on to 39 for dear life and I tipped into the decade at 41. Thankful to all who made it fun - cards, calls texts, emails and for my girls for a fun dinner out too! It's always fun to celebrate at my office since 3 of us share the same day - and we welcomed Russ to 4-0 with lots of great kid pictures posted around the dept and desk decorated! What a great way to start 2014!

2014 Jan Bdays - slideshow

Happy New Year!

2014 is off and rolling and we are 2 weeks in. We've had waves of well below freezing (9 degrees) and waves of spring weather that sends you out for a walk. Like many of you I enjoy reflecting over the last years events and pondering all we have experienced - good and not so good - and remembering that in all experiences we learn and grow. In putting this together I realized how many people we have spent some time with since 2014 started and I was encouraged that truly God puts people in your life to spur you on and encourage you. Here's a glimpse of some pretty special people in our lives! (If you are wondering what we did to ring in the new year, it was get to bed on time because our 2 kids are up early no matter what the day!) We kicked off the year with a visit from my dear friend Julie. We met on a mission trip in Oct 2006 to Ghana and have been bonded in friendship since. She and Jeff share the same birthday, the day after mine and we decided to celebrate with a movie of our favorite character, Madea and some girl time. Later we got to play with Brodie and Ellie as they came through town. My mom kept Brodie for a few days then Andrea came through with Ellie as they made a southeaster tour. Cousin time is the best! You'll see some other special neighbors and friends that are just fun to be around! People either bring you up or bring you down...all of these folks, bring us up! Thanks for getting 2014 off to a good start! (I see some typos in the slideshow...forgive me!)

2014 Jan - slideshows