I know it has been a week since I experienced my 10th anniversary of my 16th birthday. Doesn't that make me sound so incredibly young? It brought back so many childhood memories because I had to share half of my birthday cake with my brother (who has a birthday a week later to the date). Memories of shared birthday parties with shared friends and double the presents flashed in my head. Instead of all of the presents this year, though, there was lots of family. Which was what I wanted. We have officially grown too old to receive presents! It was funny, though, because God has been talking to me a lot about materialism so what greater way to prove His point than through the lack of things that I probably don't need! As far as the cake goes, I didn't mind sharing my half of the cake because at least I got a birthday cake this year! John and I thought it would be funny to pretend to cut our cake together like they do in weddings. What a funny brother I have! Oh...and I was mean. I slathered it all over his face.
I spent the morning with my old college roomies, which was wonderful. I was a little sick, but they made me feel so much better. We grew our friendship in new ways and even went on an unforgettable shopping adventure. I will always remember this birthday, needless to say! We made Jen pick up Everett and her mother-in-law so we could go to our house to show off the babies. Blake liked Everett. He kept wanting to touch him. We've decided that Nessa needs to babysit for us so we can get a night to ourselves. And so her house won't be as clean!
Every day should start out with a moment as sweet as mine did on my birthday. I love my precious boy! As for birthdays, we have Blake's 1st birthday coming up on August 7th. That will be a post all in itself because I have so many emotions when it comes to that! We have planned his party and I'm in the process of sending out the invitations. I can't believe that it's almost here! Why does it all have to go by so incredibly fast?
I don't think words are necessary to explain what I found when I came upstairs this afternoon. Explanation from Raun: "It was windy and getting cool outside and thought he'd like to play with it in here. Our parents would never have done this for us, would they?" There we go.
I visited my parents at the end of June and before we left, Dad got to take Blake on the tractor for his first tractor ride. He loved it! And to tell you the truth, I think Dad did too. He smiled and laughed as Dad drove around. And as a side note, the tractor you see in these pictures is the mowing tractor. Dad wanted me to make sure to clarify that he does have a bigger one! Blake has been to see the cows before and enjoyed watching them and listening to them. However, he hasn't been to the very back of the field on the tractor to see them in their favorite spot...the shade! I'm not so sure he knew what to think about these creatures that were bigger than the ones that live in our house and smelled just a little. He did watch them intently, though.
Meet some of the members of Dad's herd. There's the bull...
There's Sox and her mommy....
There's the newest baby and her mommy...
Then there's the nosy girls...
Someone had gotten us this shirt specifically for my dad. I made sure to bring it with me so Dad could see it on him. I found it very fitting for riding the tractor.
I like playing with the panoramic feature on my camera, so I got a few pictures of the land. I thought they were pretty and so green despite the lack of rain.These are just a few of the super cute pictures I got of Blake and my dad. Isn't he so adorable? I may be kind of partial....slightly....
Blake was so tired after a fun afternoon of riding around that he just couldn't stay awake anymore. Between the heat, being tired, and the consistent hum of the tractor, he was a goner!
I have such fond memories of this guy because he was the quarterback of the Titans when I would go with my dad to the Titans game. That was probably one of my favorite things to do with my dad and I hope that Blake gets to go to them as well. Anyway, McNair always seemed like such a nice guy and a guy that tried to be a good role model for children. So with that said, here's his tribute video.
One of the blogs I follow brought up something I have been wanting to bring up for a long time. I don't normally talk about politics except with my family because I am not looking for debate. I am also not looking for like-minded people. I hate confrontation, debates, and things that have the potential to cause rifts between people that are friends. Politics is one of those things that has that potential since people can get so fired up over it and their party affiliation. I'm not necessarily a specific party, although my husband disagrees. I like to be informed and have strong opinions on the issues that I feel go against God's Word. With that said, please don't be offended by my post and if you do type a debate, I may not answer simply because that is NOT my personality (my brother's, yes). For those who know me, you know I've been reading Joel Rosenburg's books and was reading Epicenter on vacation. INCREDIBLE book! It gave poor Molly nightmares because I would tell my family all that was talked about, but it was very eye-opening about the Middle East and informative. I now feel like I know more about the importance of the Middle East and how the future may play out, which is why I am much MORE passionate about how the U.S. is dealing with Israel. It scares me that our president doesn't seem to either understand or care about this relationship. Forcing them to do something that can jeopardize their security is crazy. Speaking on the behalf of wanna-be dictators (Honduras) and against what the Honduras law states is crazy. Why support dictators? I think we are definitely on a slippery slope that can go several ways. I have never felt more pressed by God than now on the importance and the swiftness of making sure that our children are taught about God and are taught to stand strong. One of my friends, Jill, and I like to talk about so many things and this was one thing we brought up. She feels strongly that we will face persecution in our lifetime. At the rate things are going, she may be right. I want our children to stand strong and to bring glory to God. Anyway, that's my two-sense! I'll link to the blog and you can read hers, because I pretty much agree with her words and she states it better than me. I pray that the socialized health care doesn't pass and that so many other things don't pass. I've been praying for so many who have lost their jobs and yes, members of our family have been directly affected by this. Join me in praying for our country, won't you? I can think of no greater way to support our country and our troops than through prayer. I've had so many friends and family members go to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight and in one case, die, for our freedom. Thank you for your service to our country and I support you 100% for the job you have done. You have done what most would not consider doing and I thank you. Just so you know, I struggle playing the song that goes through each branch of the military. We play it at church every Memorial Day and Fourth of July, and sometimes once more throughout the year. Every time it's played I get tears in my eyes because I think of not only you guys who have fought, but also of B.J. who fought and died for us. I remember talking to my brother and we just couldn't get over the fact that he died FOR us. Willingly. It was a weird portrayal of Christ's love for us. B.J. was a year old than my brother and one year younger than me. He was only 22 years old when he died. He was in our youth group at church and as far as I know, he was the only one from Manchester that has been killed. He was killed by a roadside bomb. He loved to hunt with our youth leader and he was always smiling. I'm posting his memorial because I think it's so incredibly important to not forget about him and his (as with all of the military) life. What a hero!
Schoff memorialized with bust on square Susan Campbell
Two and one half years after Cpl. Brian J. Schoff of Manchester was killed while serving in Iraq, a bronze bust of his likeness was unveiled in his hometown in front of family, friends, fellow soldiers, veterans, and many others who just wished to be part of the event.
The project has been several months in the making, and is the result of cooperation between city and county volunteers, family members and Operation Never Forget, a veterans group whose goal is to honor the soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan by constructing life-like, bronze busts to be displayed in their hometowns.
"This town is awesome in what they have done," said Cathy Odle, Schoff’s mother, during the Labor Day ceremony. "B.J. was a joy in my life. He enjoyed making people laugh and he always made me proud. He was a great example of what it means for a man to keep his word.
"Because of this bust, people will see who he was and not just what his name was.
"His promise was that when he came home (from Iraq) he would never leave again, and I thank you for honoring him in this way."
Guest speakers for the event were State Rep. Judd Matheny, American Legion Post 78 commander Eugene Warren, and U.S. Congressman Lincoln Davis.
"Each of us will remember this day," Matheny said in his remarks. "Ordinary men are sometimes called upon to do extraordinary feats. We are eternally grateful that with his life, B.J. defended you, me and all he believed was right."
Cpl. Schoff, 22, died Jan. 28, 2006 while serving on active during in Iraq.
Schoff served in the U.S. Army as a gunner from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Baghdad.
He was an infantryman assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
Hometown: Manchester, Tennessee, U.S.
Age: 22 years old
Died: January 28, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee in Baghdad.
Thank you for our freedom and for your courage. Happy early 4th of July and although it's said all of the time, do remember that freedom is not free. It costs. So those of you who are at my church on Sunday, now you know the reason for those tears. And my passion for what I believe.
Read the title of the post! Since Blake has become mobile, it has been harder for me to get away to post. He requires my constant attention when he is awake because he's into EVERYTHING! Here's all the pictures and a few updates from the past 2 weeks. We're going to a family reunion on Saturday, so that should be lots of fun to see everyone. The last time I saw lots of them was when I was pregnant. Hopefully it won't be too hot there.
Aunt Patricia and Uncle Ray invited us to go to Lake Winnie with them. I didn't get to stay too long since I was working VBS, but Raun and Blake stayed for awhile, along with Mom and Dad. They had fun, despite the heat. I heard that David rode all of the big kid rides and didn't want to go back on the kiddy rides. I can't believe he has the nerve to do some of them!
Notice the little boy...that's David!
After the Lake Winnie trip, my parents came back over to our house. We brought out the little red car (thanks Aunt Patricia and Uncle Ray!) so they could see Blake laugh and ride around in it.
Nanny made Blake this hat and he loves it. He pulls it out of the drawer to hold. His favorite blankets are those homemade crochet blankets that Nanny and Mrs. Janet made for him. He gets excited when it's bed time and he gets to hold them against his face. One day he opened the drawer, found the hat, and thought it was his blanket. He proceeded to carry it around the house and would not give it up. Raun and I thought it was too cute. So, Nanny...Mrs. Janet...if either one of you wants to make a larger one (since he's outgrowing the little ones) for him, we'd gladly accept it! (hint, hint)
Our son loves books. Any book, really. Especially if has fun pages in it that crinkle and tear. And yes...paper is edible for those that are curious. And yes, it is possible to make a meal out of paper!
However, at our house, we don't let our child read just for fun. There is a purpose. We are purely training him to go to college and he intensly studies all he can about UT. Now for those of you that know Raun and I, Raun is a Gator fan and I am a Seminole fan. My brother is a UT alumni (who converted from a Seminole fan---traitor) and people like to joke and give us UT things. Who would have thought that this book would be one of Blake's favorite books to study. (We really do read for fun and have no intent on him studying for college at this stage in his life. But if you notice the title of the book, it explains that statement.) I'm going to have to find a Florida and a Florida State one....(hint, hint, to those family members still in Florida!).
Perhaps tomorrow I can post the pictures of Blake on the tractor with Dad and Kelsey's baby shower. We'll see! Blake is cutting his top tooth and it has been by far the worst teething time than his other two. He cries a lot and just wants me to hold him. I won't lie....it has driven me nuts at times, but I'm still trying to remind myself that "this too shall pass" and I feel like I'm praying constantly! So, please pray for my sanity!
I am simply a mom of 2 little kiddos that manage to keep my days extremely busy! I love my crazy life and think that raising my children is God's greatest calling in my life.
These are just a few of the super cute pictures I got of Blake and my dad. Isn't he so adorable? I may be kind of partial....slightly.... 
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