After the time outside playing we all got ready and Taylor took a big family photo....


well, the real one is better than this, but I will have to save that for another post.

I took pictures of all the kids *except* Lia... I missed her! (see previous blogs for pictures)

Hannah..

Sarah Kate

Lawson
Benjamin

Laura Grace
Kirin

Isaac

Hope

Lia (this is from a previous post, but I didn't want to leave her out of the line up!)


Terrin

Elijah

Yep, that's 11 if you are counting... wow!

And then here are a few more...

me, Taylor and Victoria...


and Victoria and I bought these glasses over the weekend... did Victoria tell you, "Rachel's 30..we're the same age... we're in our thirties!"

Saturday started with tractor rides with Papa and a lot of playing because it was *goregous* outside!

Here are a few pictures of the kids playing...

cousins hangin' out...


Laura Grace in her pink jacket...it's not been cold enough in TX to wear it yet...

Taylor and Terrin...

Lia's first tractor ride... good thing the thumb went along :)


All the girls on the porch swing...


Elijah enjoying a little stroller time


Isaac and Keith

Sarah with Hope and Laura Grace


Lawson and Benjamin... buddies.


Lia getting a view from up high!

Multiple surprises... multiple posts

As you may have heard.... I turned 30 last week. Well, my family got together and pulled off some ginormous surprises. First, Brendon and I packed up our stuff and went to TN. I got to spend the afternoon with my friend Carlee. She is doing really well after brain surgery this summer and it was wonderful to spend the afternoon with her. I know many of you have prayed with me for her... so continue to do that as life with two kids while you deal with brain cancer *always* needs prayer.

We went to the Cocoa Tree and had a few pieces of some *yummy* chocolate, but mostly sat and talked....well, there was a slight run in with a bird who wanted in on our conversation...but it was so meaningful to spend that time with Carlee.

After that we made our way to my mom's house and later on at night my sister and her *entire* family came and surprised me. They had *flown* in... yep, with 3 kids for my birthday and my sister's high school reunion - I'll let you guess which year :).

Friday was fun playing with her kids and going to lunch with my sister and mom and grandmother. When my mom started cooking dinner she was making a *ton* of potatoes though and I started to think she had lost her mind. We all sat down to dinner and people started showing up.... my brother and his family, and my step-sister and her family. For those that are counting, that's 22 people in one house.... crazy!

We had some of my mom's yummy sour cream chocolate cake

and opened my gift from my mom...it's a lovely sapphire ring that she has had for years and bought from an estate of a friend's mother. It was her (the friend's mother's) engagement ring from the 20's.

After all that excitement, I started to think that we should just pitch a big tent in the back yard for everyone to sleep, but we managed to stack the kids somewhere and find some air mattresses for the adults.

That was Thursday and Friday... I'm not even to Saturday, so I will have to save that for the next post....more pictures then...

Pink "Gasses"

Lia was sick the past few days with a little virus and I always forget to take pictures suring that time. It would probably ruin her "rep" if I did as she's not so fun to be around when sick :)
Anyway, we went on a few errands and outside to play and she is loving her new *pink* sunglasses.

It's pretty funny to see her push them up on her nose like Mommy.

Here are a few pictures of Lia playing...

"Look, Mommy - I found another leaf"


wanna see...

such a big girl...

Head wobbles and some "G" love

Papa and G-Mommy spent Saturday with us and it was so much fun. We went to brunch at J. Christophers, swung by the church, went to get Lia some new shoes (her feet are growing like *weeds*) and then we hung out at the house.

Lia and Papa played with the block sorter, well, Papa provided commentary while Lia sorted!


Enjoyed a few head wobbles...this is a sort of secret headshake between Papa and the grandkids... he puts their head next to his and says *wobble, wobble, wobble* while shaking both of their heads back and forth. Lia loved it and kept coming back for more wobbles.


And of course you have to have some love from G (that's what Lia calls G-Mommy)


We had such fun...thanks for coming to visit!

Hurricanes, Flying objects and Fire on the Island

After I made the cake and took pictures it was time to get some sleep so I left the cake and went to bed praying that the trees would make it 24 hours...

Well, they didn't and Brendon was the first to see the damage an apparent hurricane left on the island. I learned my lesson and decided to reinforce the base of the trees with chocolate (cake concrete :)). I did this and the remaining 2 trees were holding steady. I also decided to put the cake in the fridge to make sure the concrete set AND to keep it off the counter away from danger.

This worked well until Brendon went to get a drink out of the fridge *right* before he left for Married Life Live and bumped one of trees. B/c it was so well cemented into the cake it shattered too. So, the one-tree island, Lia and I left for Buford praying that although it was pouring...the island would stay intact :)


We made it to the party and Sarah was *super* excited. I was able to add a little umbrella for one of the bathing bears and I thought that was a fun touch until the blowing out of the candles almost ended with a fire on the isalnd :)!


11 nine year old girls had a very fun time and Lia even managed to sleep through the squealing when Sarah got 3 Webkinz and a gameboy. We wouldn't have missed it for anything.
Happy Birthday Sarah!

Aunt Rachel gets her cake on...

Give me a picture and a kitchen to mess up and this is what I can do.


My niece, Sarah, is turning 9 this month and asked me to make a cake for her party. So, we discussed options, and decided on an island cake. I saw this fun idea online and put it together. there were little teddy hula girls hanging out on the beach and a sufer taking a dive in the ocean....

the fishys were swimming in the sea along with a little treasure chest...


and the toughest part....the trees... they turned out well though... don't you think?

More than pig tails...

Be warned... there is no picture of Lia in the following post. :) I've been inspired by some fellow bloggers and I want to share a little more than pig tails... there will still be pictures, but also some thoughts from me...It might be a little rambling, but here goes...

We are going through a marriage book/small group experience at NP called Intimate Encounters (ie). It's something that Brendon and I have been wanting to do for a while and have just now felt ready for the challenge. We have been told... "if you do IE you are asking for trouble" and warned..."be ready for all the bad stuff to come up" but we also heard how healing this time could be and no one said they were sorry they went through it. Well, being the dare devils that we are- we decided now was the time... we wanted trouble, and we were going to go looking for it. We have a good marriage and in this time wanted to learn about how to make it great.

So, we are in IE right now, and I won't speak for B, but it's been an amazing time of healing for me already. It's not easy to start unpacking emotional baggage, to agree to stop running the "tapes" of past wrongs and dump out all the stuff you have been holding onto. But we are trying and I think the fruit in our marriage is already a little sweeter.

This past week we got into a discussion about commitment vs. feelings in our small group time. Why is it that after the new feelings of a relationship fade it seems harder and harder to do those things that make the other person a priority? Is it life? Is it selfishness? We started the discussion about marriage, but I really started thinking about this in regards to my relationship with Christ on my way home.

When I first fell in love with Jesus - it was easy... I wanted to spend time with him, to learn more about him and grow closer. I felt good when I read my bible. I learned and grew in my walk. Challenges came and my faith made me feel better. Then things changed... I don't know if it was just the pressure of life, or my selfishness, but I have had times when I just didn't want to expend the effort to grow my relationship with Christ. See, I was still making it about *me*. And when I didn't *feel* like it - then, sorry God - not today.

Last fall I heard an explanation of abiding that really clicked from a wife/mom I admire. She said that abiding in Jesus... what we must do to grow and be fruitful... is the discipline of spending time each day with God, just being with Him even when you don't *feel* like it. She explained that abiding is rewarding for us, but it is really something that we do for God. As an offering of part of our day. She talked about this discipline and that the commitment of that time will begin to pay off over a time. That at first it's hard and sometimes even after years, it's hard to make it priority, but that the reward is worth the investment. God rewards this type of commitment. And I think she's right - I think God wants us to learn the reward of pressing on, of abiding in him when it's not what *feels* good.

It's really amazing to me that God made us to get so easily infatuated with something...we *feel* good about at the beginning but it's not those feelings that God rewards...it's the commitment. It's when it's not about me that the real pay off comes. Love is a commitment to consistently meet the other person's needs and I'm learning that with regard to all the relationships in my life. Really, it's just making it less and less about *me*.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matt 22:37)

Red Day

Lia's preschool has color days and yesterday was RED day. I had the outfit all picked out, but Lia had other plans and ended up hanging on to her cold so she didn't get to go to school. So, we are bringing red day to you...


and just b/c I thought it was cute and can't help myself with the pigtails...

Pig Tails

I got inspired on Sumday and decided it might be time for pig tails. Lia did ok once we went into the bathroom and she got to see what Mommy was doing. I think she looks pretty cute :) what do you think?



the rest of our morning after church was spent napping and eating blueberries and a sandwich for lunch. this is a mouth FULL of blueberries...

and then hanging out with Daddy in the evening. This morning Daddy even played Lia some tunes on the computer and they played a little air guitar together.


If you ask Lia there is no better way to start her morning.

Labor Day Fun

Well, we had a good Labor Day... and by good I mean we didn't do much at all! :)
Just a little family nap, a few chores, and some fun! We washed both cars this weekend - and they REALLY needed it. Brendon wants to sell his truck...
so we had to get it ready.

Also, we went to the park with Lia. She loved the slide and had fun climbing all the playground equipment. She's getting so big now.