Wordful Wednesday!

Sisters.....Best Friends!

For more Wordful Wednesday, visit Angie's blog!

Help Me Henry.....I'm In Love....

Help Me Henry....I'm In LOVE with.... ....cute girls on RR tracks....
....tossled curly hair....

....my girls in a vintage photograph....

....cowboy boots with dresses....

....beautiful green eyes....

....hats....

....that old blue door....

.....the train depot....

....Drew....

.....graffiti and sisters....

....long flowy skirts....

But I'm really in LOVE with these two little girls....best friends....sisters!

These are pictures from Drew's photo shoot on Saturday! As you can see, there are several photos taken with Bryna.....because Bryna really really really wanted to have her photo taken too! I never turn down a willing participant!

A Joyful Day Defined!

As I was drinking my coffee yesterday morning, I gazed out the window to find a perfectly overcast but clear day outside. I was immediately inspired and wanted to take advantage of such a "picture" perfect day. If you have read my blog, you know that I absolutely LOVE photography....in fact I get downright giddy over a good photo. I had already planned on shooting photos of my 8 year old daughter, Drew, on Saturday afternoon; but with the weather so perfect and all.....I thought I should be shooting pictures right then. I looked at Drew, who was engaged in her current creation of puppets that she was making, and asked her if she was ready for her photo shoot. She looked up with disappointed eyes and said...."I thought we were doing that this afternoon?" I could tell she really didn't want to stop creating, so I observed who I had left to shoot. Here's a few of the pictures of Drew's Saturday afternoon photo shoot ....a sneak peak if you will!

And of course one of Drew and Bryna, because well.....Bryna insisted, begged, pleaded asked nicely if she could have her picture taken too.

I began to take inventory and see who I thought I could persuade to come with me and let me take their photo. I had recently done photos of Elliot and Bryna and am planning on doing some of Addi in the very near future, so that left my sweet boy Callahan.....this will be HIT or MISS! I went upstairs, where he was still sitting in his pajamas, and asked him if he would come downtown with me and let me take his photo. He smiled and said "YES!" I got his clothes out, and he got dressed. We went and told NPayne that we were heading downtown to do some photos of Cal, and Cal was smiling all the while. Now for the "joyful" part....the smiles so big that my cheeks hurt....the tears that I wiped away....wait until you see.....

I know, I know....you are thinking....not bad, pretty cute photos....she does have a goodlooking boy; BUT what's all the smiling and tearing up about? What I haven't explained to you is how long I have waited for my sweet and beautiful boy to willingly and happily allow me to take his photo. Cal has NEVER liked getting his picture taken....NEVER! Photo shoots we've had in the past have always been miserable.....he has cried and tantrumed, and they usually take hours. We may end up with a somewhat decent photo, but he is rarely ever smiling; and you can usually tell that he's been crying. After a few very unsuccessful photo attempts when Cal was really young, I gave up on family photos or pictures of all of my children together....I actually gave up on photographers altogether, although my friend Cathy, was always so patient and wonderful with Cal, it was exhausting and frustrating. Cal was part of the reason I started taking photos of my children myself, because I knew I could catch him....every now and again....in a willing mood. Last year, after much preparation.....we were in fact able to capture a really great family photo. We used our self timer and tripod to get the "Magnificent Seven" photo you see on the side of my blog. I was THRILLED.....I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I was. Being such a photography nut, it made me so sad to not be able to photo my sweet boy with his soulful eyes and intense stare. So yesterday when I took a shot at asking him, and he happily agreed....and was happy the entire photo shoot, although it may not look like it.....I was literally moved to tears. Everytime he would stand where I asked him, he would smile his big toothy smile and say "CHEESE"! I took mostly candid shots of him, as you can see, because he is still learning how to look natural. That will take a lot of practice for Cal, since he doesn't even know what "look natural" means! I'm hoping to do some more family photos after the holidays. You may be wondering why I'm taking so many pictures of my children and my friends' children lately.....well.....it's all part of my new adventure that I mentioned a few weeks ago. VERY VERY soon.....I am taking this photography obsession of mine live, semi pro, as a paid obsession if you will. In other words, while I continue to learn and teach myself about photos and how to make them take your breath away which hopefully they will.....I am going to start my own photography business!!! WOW!!! I can't believe I said that out loud.....I just caught myself smiling really big as I typed that.... but with a little nudging from NPayne and a few friends.....I think I'm going to DIVE in! All the photos I've been taking have been because I LOVE to take pictures but also because I need a portfolio. So if you know of anyone who needs a semi pro photographer anytime soon, send them my way. Remember a few weeks ago when I did photos of that cute little boy with the cute hat and beautiful blue eyes.....the one by the fabulous blue door wearing wellies? Well thanks to his daddy, I'll have a website and photography blog very very soon! Can't wait to share it with you!!!

A Joyful Day

Something really wonderful happened today.....something that I've been waiting for for a very very very long time! It brought many smiles and a few tears to my face! I can't wait to share with you.......and I will.......very soon! But for now, you will have to wait......

I Saw Jesus Through The Eyes My Child!

Tuesday evening at 5:00, I took Callahan to Chick Fil A for dinner.....just me and him. Actually we were going there to meet is In Home Training Therapist who we see every other week. We meet her out in the community, and she works with him on Life Skills and Social Skills. After a couple of unsuccessful meetings, I suggested that we take him to Chick Fil A....
1. Because it's small, and he can't really avoid her too much....
2. Because I would see if a few of his friends would come, and she could observe him in a playful setting with people he adores and trusts.....
So that's what we did. After a lot of little prep and explanation, Cal and I were at Chick Fil A. In a few minutes, in walked Cole.....one of Cal's friends. Cal was really happy. While Cole's mama was getting his food, they chatted; and I LOVED hearing them talk to each other. A few minutes later, in walked Maddy.....another of Cal's friends. Again he was really happy. Soon thereafter, in walked Mrs. L....his therapist. She sat at the table behind the kids and just eaves dropped observed. I could tell this made Cal uncomfortable, because he completely quit talking; and he kept slyly looking over his shoulder at her....as if to see if she was still there. Once I realized this, I told him he could get up and play....he immediately got up, with his friends, and they began to play. As I carried on conversations with Cole's and Maddy's mothers, I watched the kids play together; and I saw the look of joy, fun and excitement on my sweet boy's face. As I watched these two 10 year olds.....who are nearly too big to climb in the play equipment at Chick Fil A.....and who acted, said and did whatever their friend asked of them.....I realized that I was witnessing Jesus in action. Maddy and Cole were being the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and hearts of Jesus. They were giving everything they had to Cal, and even though my sweet 10 year old boy, has the thinking capacity of a much much younger child; they didn't care. They played right along with him....completely uninhibited by what anyone else who might be watching might think. It brought me so much joy to see him play like that with children other than his sisters. Cal is blessed to have such wonderful children in his life.....friends who are willing to serve him in ways that they may not even realize they are doing. I often wonder what Cal really understands or knows about the love of Jesus, but on Tuesday at Chick Fil A.....he not only witnessed Jesus, but he was the recipient of WWJD in action! Every since Tuesday, Cal has been saying....."Mama, I played with Cole and Maddy at Chick Fil A" and each time he says it, I can see through his smile and his eyes that he is reliving that wonderful evening in his mind and in his heart; and I think he is learning.....in his own way.....the love of Christ through the unconditional love of others!!!

Happy Halloween!

My kids love Halloween!

Not because of the candy....well....maybe a little because of the candy.

But because Halloween lasts for 2 solid weekends around here.

So they get to dress up in numerous costumes!

This year, Elliot was the only one who wore the same costume to every event.

Of course Cal is not a fan of costumes, so he just went as....well..."CAL"!

On Friday, we walked downtown for the annual Main St. activities.

Yes the street is really called Main St.

They block it off and all of the shop owners hand out goodies.

There are bounce houses, hay mazes, laser tag, and all sorts of fun things to do.

On Saturday, we went down to a local church for their Trunk Or Treat.

Our church hosted Trunk or Treat the weekend before.....see I told you it lasted 2 solid weekends. Here are the girls decorating cookies.

On Friday, Bryna was a pumpkin. On Saturday, she was a dog.

On Friday, Drew was a witch. On Saturday, she was a soccer player.

Addi didn't dress up either day,

but she did wear her self made t-shirt that said "COSTUME" on it.

Here is Cal.....I left his eyes red, so it would look sort of spooky.

Not really, I was just too lazy to edit any of these pictures.
YUM YUM!!!
Elliot and mama. She was not a fan of the clown show that the rest of the family enjoyed.
So she covered her ears for most of it.
I will say, she was pretty stinkin' cute in her princess super hero costume hence she was able to score 2 halloween buckets full of candy. We didn't even purchase candy this year.....I'm all about recycling (which my best friend teases me about all the time), so we gave out what we received. There was no way we would eat all that candy, so our many trick or treaters enjoyed it. We still have 2 big bowls full which I think we will take to the local dentist....she gives you $1/pound of candy....then she throws it away. I'm going to throw it away as well, so we might as well get paid for our trash!! :) My girls LOVE to hand out candy.....really more than they love to get candy....well except for Bryna!
One great part of the night was when Addi registered us for a door prize and guess what?????
We WON.....an IPOD Nano! CHA-CHING! Do you know how much those things cost?
I didn't and honestly I don't really even know what they are!
The best part of Halloween is being together as a family and doing fun stuff for 2 solid weekends!
As the years pass, I know our Halloween celebrations will dwindle; and eventually NPayne and I will be left alone to hand out candy! WHOA Nelly....what am I saying....we actually have many more years of Halloween....Elliot is only 3!!!

Sunday Sermon Summary....Remember Because

Today was All Saints Remembrance Day. In our church, we honor loved ones who have passed away during this year. As their names scroll across the screen, two talented singers sing "Remember Me" by Mark Schultz. Anytime that song is played, there is about a 90% chance that I'm going to cry....All Saints Remembrance Day or just any regular old day. This song reminds me of someone who died in 2004, his name was Chris; and he was one of NPayne's closest friends. At a very young age, Chris lost his battle with cancer and died....it was heartbreaking for us all....especially for NPayne and his closest friends. Chris had no living relatives, so NPayne was the executor of his will, he was in charge of his funeral arrangements, he was in charge of basically everything. It was a hard time.....not because of the responsibility but because of the loss of this vibrant young man who was always smiling and who loved life. NPayne and his friends were beside Chris through his battle and as his frail body began to lose its battle....as I said it was a tough time. "Remember Me" was played at his funeral, so it's always a reminder of Chris! As that song played today, once again I cried....actually I sobbed....nearly uncontrollably until my sweet little Bryna looked up and saw me with such a look of concern in her eyes. When I saw the look of concern on her face, I was able to then gain some composure but still cry a silent stream of tears. There were so many names on that screen that I loved....NPayne's Nana's name was listed, my dear friends' baby boy's name was listed, my sweet little Drew's friend's name was listed, sweet Maxine's name was there, one of my good friend's sister's name was there; as well as; so many people that I had been praying for all year long. It's bittersweet! During the sermon, Cindy....our fabulous associate pastor talked about remembering and how important it is. She reminded us that some memories are joyful and happy, some are bittersweet, some are sad, and some are funny! It's good to remember.....remember the ones you love, remember moments with ones you love....treasures! As my silent tears fell, Bryna was writing in her little "church" journal. She wrote the following words.....I LOVE YOU MOMMY! She showed me those words with a look of deep concern on her face and a look of such hope that it would make me stop crying. She had no idea why I was crying....she just turned 6 and had no idea that the words scrolling across the screen were names of people who had died. All she knew was that her mama was sad, and she wanted to make me happy. After a few minutes, she looked at me again.....although I was still crying....in a much more composed manner, she still looked concerned. The next thing I saw her write in her journal was....JESUS and then GOD....her S's were backwards which made me smile, but it was one of the sweetest things gestures ever, and I know....without a doubt....this is a moment that I will remember....a moment that will make me smile, maybe cry, but definitely be filled with joy!

Seasons

As leaves are falling and the air is crisper, I'm reminded that everyone goes through seasons....not the obvious Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall....but seasons of life! Have you ever seen "Rent" on broadway? It's fabulous....but that's beside the point....talking about seasons just got me humming that song from Seasons of Love from "Rent". Anyway back to seasons! The seasons of life I'm referring to are....changes, adjustments, good times, not so good times, learning, growing, faltering, stumbling, pausing, etc., etc., etc., etc. I know many people who are in a "season" if you will....of life....unfortuntately most of the folks I'm thinking about are not in necessarily good "seasons", but there are some who are in good "seasons"! When I looked the word "season" up in the dictionary, I found the following idiom:
for a season, for a time, esp. a short time
This is good if the "season", you are in, is not so good; but you may wish the "season" were a little longer if things are going really good. Nonetheless....we all experience different "seasons".....good, bad, on pause, winter, spring, summer or fall! I think the important thing for me us to remember is that it's just a "season" for a short time!

Let The Countdown Begin

Okay so Halloween is Saturday....

talk about spooky....

where has time gone?

I enjoy Halloween lots, BUT....

I adore Thanksgiving!
Yes I would say that I have a crush on Thanksgiving,

because it's one of my favorite holidays!

So I'm counting down to Thanksgiving....

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to rush Halloween!

I would never do that!

But I do ADORE Thanksgiving.

For reasons like this....

....I get to spend the entire week of Thanksgiving with my kids!

I get to spend the entire day of Thanksgiving with family and friends!

I get to take a picture of my children with their cousins on our slide!

I get to spend the late night hours of Thanksgiving

and the wee hours of post Thanksgiving morning

shopping with my best friend. I ADORE Thanksgiving!

AND....

....the food ain't so bad either!

BY THE WAY....by my calculations, there's 58 days til Christmas!

Shut my mouth and slap me silly...FIFTY EIGHT DAYS PEOPLE!

TRUNK OR TREAT

Each year our church hosts Trunk or Treat,

it's a fun filled evening of eating, bouncing and indulging....on candy! The group photo of most of the kids that participated this year!
B and her friend Audrey!

Drew and her friend Reagan (Audrey's sister).

Npayne, Cal, and Elli....trunk or treating!

Addi and our friends Maddie and Macie!

The girls wanted to be Super Heros this year. They like to have a

theme....and they always try to choose something that we can easily make a t-shirt for Cal to wear. He doesn't wear costumes, so we usually have a t-shirt for him. Unfortunately his

"Super Callahan" tee didn't arrive in time. BOO HOO! Here are the girls' capes....self designed by each little lady.

Making silly and super hero faces!!

I'm not a Super Mom, but I try!