Moving

Most of you know by know that our family is moving. Movers came yesterday and we are pulling out tomorrow. This is a very exciting time for us. We are certain that this is a God planned thing and is all in his timing. He has most definitely showed out during the last few months!

Each of you here in the wiregrass area hold a special place in our hearts. This is home. It is all our children have ever know. To our RBC family, words cannot begin to tell you how much you mean to us. We love each of you. I think about each of the special people that have loved my babies and Rich and I know we are so blessed to have had each of you be a special part of their lives and growth in Christ. I have been blessed to have been able to minister to the preschool families for almost 10 years. I have watched as your children have grown and matured. Each of those precious babies will always hold a super special place. 

As I reflect on our 17 years here, I know I can't name each of you individually, but please know we love you and will miss each of you. Please don't be sad, for our crew is super excited about this new adventure God has placed us on. 

Fathers Day 2012

Happy Father's Day! This is Payne and his daddy on the ball field! Where we spend much of our free time, but we love it. Payne loves having his daddy as one of his coaches and I must add this: those other men who invest their time are such a blessing to us. Not only are those men special to the boy, but these families we have met because of Scrapper Baseball mean the world to all the St John Crew!

I have to reflect a tad on the memories that I have of my own daddy. I do miss him but I am so thankful for the 30 years I had him. I am thankful that he got the chance to meet the man of my dreams and walk me down the isle. I am thankful that he got to hear that crazy little Emma call him Papa. I remember one time, momma and daddy had come to our house for dinner one night and while Momma and I were putting the finishing touches on the meal, Daddy was entertaining Emma. Out of nowhere, I heard Daddy scream "it is wet"! Not knowing what was wet, Rich ran into the den, Daddy was holding a baby doll that was dripping from her hair, Emma had given her dolly a bath and taken it to Papa to help dress.The stories go on and on. I am sad that Meggers and Payne never met him but they do feel like they knew him because Rich does and outstanding job of keeping his memory alive. Payne acts just like Lefty Henderson! Same temper, same silly sense of humor and even the way he eats, reminds me of Daddy.

Since I really do not want this post to turn into a trip down memory lane, I am going to completly change the subject. Everyone knows I love my Daddy and miss him, enough said!

Payne is about to finish up this season of travel baseball. He will be playing in the World Series in Orange Beach the end of this month and we are so excited. So super proud of the Scrappers!

Emma is headed to Boston for a couple of weeks and I have been told that she may even go to a Sox game!

Meggers returned from a week at camp where she had a blast and can't wait to return next year, I think she is more excited because next year, Payne will be old enough to go! Those two are one of a kind, I don't think they could be closer if they were twins!

Rich and I are about to celebrate 17 years of marriage in July and I think I love him more know that I ever thought possible. He is truly my soul-mate. God made him just for me and I am so glad!

Just trying to catch everyone up on what is happening around here for the next few months. I am super excited that the kids don't go back to school until the end of August. We may actually feel like we get a summer break this year.

Happy Summer and Go SCRAPPERS!

What's For Supper!???

If you friends are anything like me, your family is always asking, "What's for supper?" Well, today was no different. I work outside the home on Tuesday and Thursday, so I don't have time to prepare my evening meals like I do the other days of the week. When I cook, I like to take my time and plan my meals and time management so that dinner is basically prepared when my children get home in the afternoons. We are early eaters!!!

With soccer, baseball and homework and football games and this and that... you get the picture, we have been eating out WAY too much. I am determined to prevent myself from having to say, I don't have time to cook. This afternoon when I got home from work, I took some steak out of the freezer. It had been sliced for like stir fry. Well, I had nothing in the cabinets for Chinese so I began to wonder what I was going to do with this meat!

Before I picked Emma up, I stopped by the bread store for our weekly bread and snack supply (you just can't beat bread prices from the bread store). People think that the bread store is old bread but I can promise you it AIN'T! I have been buying from there forever! I refuse to pay grocery store prices for bread. I even get snacks there too! Well, they also had a bag of small flour tortilla shells (30 count) for $1.29. I thought "DINNER"!

I got home and fired up the iron skillet and tossed in the steak with a little salt. While that was cooking, I put a pot of yellow rice on to boil. I discovered McCormick's Burrito sauce mix about a year ago and it now replaces ALL Mexican sauces I have used in the past! You mix this little packet with 1 cup of water and cook until thickened. I then took a spoonful and added it to the steak and let it cook down till thick.

Rich came home in a mad dash to exchange hellos, change clothes and take Emma and Payne to a football game. While he and I were catching up on the day's events, he fixed him a "whatever" you want to call it. He looked at me and said, "That was fine!!" just what every cook loves to hear! Took me all of less that 30 minutes to prepare and after I fixed me one with a sprinkle of cheese, a little of the burrito sauce and a dallop of sour cream paired with a spoonful of yellow rice to which I added a little burrito sauce, I must say, it was good!

I know you are all just as busy as we are over this way, so I wanted to pass along a QUICK and Delicious dinner idea!! Serve with your favorite chips and salsa and you are ready to go!

My Emma!

This my friends, was probably the second indication that God has a sense of humor! Rich being my first!

Emma is about to be 13 years old and not long ago, I teased about the fact that she may not make it to teenagehood! I am pleased to announce, I have chosen to let her experience it! She just thinks life is rough now!

When Emma started 6th grade, I thought that some thing, and i don't mean "something", I do mean some THING, had taken over my baby girls body. She became something that I did not know, could not reason with and some days, did not like to be in the same room with. I have stated before, and those of you who know me, know that I am a completely transparent person, what you see is what you get, I do not put up a front for anyone's sake.

Even into Emma's 7th grade year we struggled to even get along. But I must share with you that in the last couple months, we are managing to do much better. One night after a terrible couple of days, Rich left me at home to ponder things. As I was washing dishes, it hit me, HIT ME HARD. I was scared of my children. Not physically scared but emotionally scared.

I am the mother that instructs my children to do something and when that task is not completed or not completed correctly, I just do it myself, usually with a bad attitude and lots of anger. Rich reminded me that I am the parent. While completing the task that I had asked Emma to do, I begin to think of my fears.

If I MAKE my kids do something that they don't won't to do, then they won't like me! I was to worried about being their friend instead of the parent. After I finished cleaning the kitchen, I went to Emma's room and had a long talk with her. I explained that as the oldest, more responsibility is laid on her shoulders. She needs to lead by example. I also told her that I make the decisions that I make in order to protect her.

The attitude from a teenager did not automatically go away, but when she does get smart, I ask her "Why do I do what I do?" She responds, sometimes, most times, with a not so willing attitude, "You do it to protect me". Then she is obedient.

As a special friend shared with me, these moments are rays of sunshine in a cloudy day! Many of the days are cloudy, but in the little village of St Johnville, Rich and I remember that they are CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS!

I don't blog these things to complain or be negative about parenthood. Anyone who stumbles across my blog can see that Rich and I are so not textbook in ANY aspect of our lives together, but we are writing our own book and I just want people to know that it is OK not to be perfect and have others think that you live in 1960's television!

I have said before, I am not sure anyone even reads this crazy blog, but it helps me put into words what I am feeling at the moment! I have one loyal follower and she knows how mixed up and nutty my world is! But just in case someone stumbles across my lonely little blog: The silly nut pictured above is my rock! This pic was taken at our Christmas Vacation to Disney World. We had a blast! This was the first time Meggers and Payne had been so it was quite exciting.

I just want to know why someone doesn't tell new parents what to expect. I think that I am going to venture into the writing world and write a book "What to Expect when you leave the hospital". No one tells you the truth! Everyone wants you to think that those precious little things will stay that sweet and smell that good always, guess what, they LIED!

Babies grow up, they produce stink beyond your wildest imagination. Then they discover their voice and before you know it, they begin to talk back to you, and it is not always kind things they say.

I don't want you to think that this post is bashing parenthood, because I am not. I love my children and I love being their mother, but most of you who truly know me, know that I am completely transparent. I want you to know that it is hard! VERY HARD! I am glad that I have mounds of laundry, get to run errands, pick up a messy house and cook for my people. I could be all alone.

Life is not always picket fences and pink rosebuds (which by the way, my pink rosebush is full of blooms!). But even though we did not fall out of Ward and June Cleaver's house, my life is perfect. I have three healthy children and a MARVELOUS husband to share in the maddness with me. I told Rich last night, that I know he is my biggest fan! With God, he and I can turn the maddness into happy memories for our children. Not every day is going to be perfect.

The British are Coming!!!

This is from our recent trip to Boston!

We had such a wonderful family vacation, probably one of the best yet. We left on a Tuesday afternoon and arrived at Rich's sister's on Thursday. The kids were great travelers. Played lots of "Punch Bug" and "PT Bruisers"! No matter how many Richie had, Payne had "One" more!

Rich stayed with us until Sunday then had to return home for meetings. The kids and I hijacked my sister-in-laws GPS and hit the road. Those of you who really know me, know that this was a stretch out of my comfort zone but with the help of the GPS we made it safely to each destination.

One day we traveled to the Salem Willows and had pizza, played arcade games, fed the birds and walked the shoreline. Another day, we went to Salisbury Beach. That was wonderful! I am pretty sure that I am supposed to live somewhere just like that one day!

Rich returned to Boston on Friday and the kids and I joined him for some sightseeing. This was the first time the kids remember being in the city. Emma got to see some history lessons come to life and I think she was really excited, although she would never admit it!

On Sunday, Rich got tickets for the Ole Town Trolley and surprised me with tickets for a three hour Whale Watching tour! I was so excited! We learned lots of history that missed the books and witnessed several whales on that Sunday!

The kids returned to Middleton while Rich and I enjoyed a few days to ourselves. Although I did not get to attend a Red Sox game as they were out of town for two of the weeks we were there, Rich and I did get a tour of Fenway Park. That was also amazing, got to see parts of the stadium that I would not have seen if I was just there for a ballgame. Rich and I have decided that when Payne becomes a Red Sox and buys us a house on the Vineyard, Rich will work as a trolley guide and I will be a Fenway Park guide!

After our stay in Bean Town, we returned to Middleton to a huge pig roast hosted at Rich's sisters house and catered by his brother. Lots of friends and family gathered for the feast.

As we left for home, we decided to route our return home through Lexington, SC to watch DAL boys play in the world series. What a fun way to end our time together.

Again, this was an amazing family vacation. We are so blessed to be able to spend this time together and grow as a family. Lots and lots of "Hostage Time" with the kids and even as a married couple.

School started as soon as we returned, so sad. Along with the start of school, school projects also began. Emma had to do a project from the Revolutionary War. She choose to do Paul Revere's home and why the British soldiers did not choose to stay in the Revere home ( a small piece of trivia learned on our trolley tour). Big thanks to our friend, J for crafting Paul Revere!

Wedded Bliss!

This week, Rich and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage. I do love him more now than ever. I know that sounds cheesy but it is so true.

Rich and I have a relationship that is so not textbook! People always talk about how much fun he must be at home, and they just have no idea! I can remember during the early days of our marriage, I would go to bed crying from laughing so hard. We still have nights like that, though not as often.

Rich is a good man who works hard so that I can be home with our children. Rich is a man who loves God and tries his best to teach that love to his children.

Just in case Rich does decide to read this, I want him to know that I love him more now than I ever thought possible. I want him to know that he is the best daddy our children could ever hope to have. I want him to know that I still get butterflies when he holds my hand. I want him to know that I dream about growing old with him. I want him to know that I have dreams of how we will spend our time when we do get older. I want him to know that I also dream of what a fun "Papa" he will be one day. I want him to know that although I am not perfect, I do love him with all my heart and I would do it all over again!

Summer is Finally Here~

Well, I have graduated two "blood" family members this month! Rich and Payne! There is one family member that is not "blood" but I don't think I could love her anymore if I had given birth to her! M has been a part of the St. John clan for a long time. She has one sister and two brothers that we also love too! And a mom and dad that are out of the world! We became close to the M family when Emma was in M and A's Sunday School class, ( 18mths-2 yrs). The Sunday that Emma promoted was also Bro. Jerry Spencer's last Sunday. I sang in the choir at that time and everytime I looked out into the congregation and saw M&A, I cried! M's mom and dad also go to our church and my children call them Nana and Papa just like the rest of their "real" grands!When our families became close, M was the same age as our Meggers. Now she is all grown up!

The M family has been with us through alot. When Daddy was sick and dying, all I had to do was call and they came to the rescue. M (the dad) even kept a carseat in his truck in case he had to pick Emma up from daycare. Emma used to go home from church with them on Sundays and take naps. She still remembers this. We will have M (the daughter) for at least another year before she transfers off to college. When she finishes, maybe I will have hit the lottery and she can totally remodel my house for me!

Well, what does our summer have in store! Emma has church camp, volleyball camp, sometime during the summer she wants to take a Red Cross babysitting course, and helping with VBS. Meggers will be going to GA camp this year, and I am VERY NERVOUS about this adventure. Payne will be showing off at the pool, and Rich and I are going to enjoy everybit of it all with them. With Rich not having school, he has all his days off to spend with us! We will be going to Boston in July and are stoked about that.

Well, gotta go do laundry and get ready for the pool!

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all who sacrificed for our freedom!

Angie

We love you M!

...after all, tomorrow is a new day

As I sat folding clothes this morning in the quiet of my house, I was thinking about the past week. As many of you know, I was inflicted with a dreaded childhood disease last week. I somehow contracted Hand, Foot & Mouth! It was the most horrific thing that I have ever had! They can give you drugs for childbirth and gallstones (which are the only two hospital worthy events in my adult life), but there are NO drugs for what I had last week~ Only good thing to stem from this were a loss of 10 pounds and minimal talking for a week!

Anyway, I reflected on how wonderful my children were during this time. I give them a hard time about obiedience and such, but when the chips were down, boy did they pull through! Emma stepped up and fixed breakfast, packed lunches and when it was supper time, she made sure they got fed (granted, they ate cereal and bagel bites for 3 days, but they ate!). It was a rough week, but we got through it and guess what, my kids were not scarred in the process!

Those of you who TRULY know me, know that I am a "what you see is what you get" kind of gal. My house may not ( ok, DOES NOT) look spic and span all the time (OK, any time!), but my friends are welcome, ANYTIME! I love my crazy, mixed up family!

Rich is getting ready to graduate from College! May 16th! We are all so excited to have him back full time! It has been a long 3 years on all of us, but the end is very near!

Payne is about to graduate from Kindergarden. No more babies! YEA!

All these events are leading up to a full summer for us St. John's and I can't wait for school to get out so we can get started!

So, today is my new day: Gonna work on this blog so that our distant family can enjoy the simpleness of our lives!

Oh and Boy, I sure do hope those Red Sox can pull out of this hole that they are in! Gotta love BASEBALL

Love to all!

Angie

Class Reunion

As some of you may know, I am about to have my 20 year Class Reunion. I had posted the address to this blog on the school website not thinking that anyone would visit, but several have responded that they want to view the blog, but it was private. So I have made it public for any of you fellow classmates. I have not updated in quite sometime but I promise to try to make time Sunday to update the blog so those of you who do read it will know what is going on the our lives!

Long Time, No Blog

It has been a really long time since my last entry. I am not sure if anyone even follows this blog. I know that Richie does while he is at work. I think all of "his people" get a kick out of the happenings at the St John house!

As I reflect on the last several months, I can think of a lot that has happened since my last post. The family took their vacation in late July and drove to Boston! It was great. The kids travel really well, we are blessed there. Rich and I left the kids in the care of Auntie Deb and Dawn and the BatVan in the care of Uncle Bobby, and he and I went to Milwaukee for his FBI retrainer. We had lots of fun, just the two of us. That is the first time we have been off together without kids since we were expecting Payne. It was some much needed time away. When we returned to Boston, Rich took me to see the EAGLES at Boston Garden's! That was too cool. To be as old as they are, they can still rock! They went onstage at 8p.m. and when Rich and I left at 11:50 p.m. ( we only left because the last train out of Boston was at midnight!), they were still onstage!

There were no accidents while we were gone, until the day we were to leave to head back home and Payne was watching Uncle Bobby work on the motor for the waterfall for the pond in the backyard, and Payne put his little hand on the pump motor to brace himself so he could see the polywogs in the pond and burnt his hand. Rich, Auntie Deb and Payne made a quick trip to the ER and got it all wrapped up then we left for Alabama. He was no worse for the wear and was swimming again in just a few days.

While Rich and I were in Milwaukee, we both read a wonderful book. The Shack. My Sunday School teacher, Ms. Tommie encouraged us to read it. I loved it. Rich loved it. That is the first book I have read in years. If you get a chance to read it please do.

When we returned from Boston, school began. Emma is in the 5th grade, Meggers is in 1st and Payne is in 4P. It is hard to believe that in August, Emma will be in middle school and Payne will be in Kindergarten!

I promise to keep up with my blog this year because I don't keep up with family like I should and this is my way of saying that I love you all. I have good intentions but you know what they say about that!

I love you all and please let me know that you are reading this or else!!!

Angie

This pic was from Christmas Eve. Santa drove through our neighborhood on an old firetruck. We caught up with him and the kids jumped out and got pictures with him!

Summer Fun

Let's see, what have we been doing since school got out? Well, we started out at Water World and are now spending our days at another pool. We are having lots of fun and making lots of memories. We went to the beach for the day not too long ago. This was really the first time that Payne remembers the ocean. He told me that he liked the water, just not the sand and seaweed. The seaweed was only bad right at the shoreline, then the water was beautiful! Meg loved playing in the sand and Emma and Rich had fun using the face masks and checking out under the sea!! Here are a few Pics:

We are also getting ready for vacation. We leave the end of this month for Boston and Milwaukee. We are driving the kids to Rich's sister and he and I are flying to Milwaukee for an FBI Conference. This will be the first time since right before Payne was born that Rich and I have been away just the two of us! We are looking forward to getting to know each other again! We will return to Boston on the 30th and Rich bought me tickets to see The Eagles at Boston Gardens!! I am PUMPED. I love the Eagles and cannot wait to see them. This is my anniversary present. Rich and I have been married for 13 years and I love him more today than I did then. Really, I do. I just love him different than I did 13 years ago. If that makes any sense!!

Today, we worked in the yards, and after we finished and were cleaning up and watering flower beds, Meg and Payne decided they wanted to learn to ride bikes with no training wheels. Those who know Meg, know this was possible disaster!! She surprised me! Just a few more lessons and I think she will have it. Payne did great also, he is just a natural at everything. He reminds me more of his daddy everyday. There is not a whole lot that Rich does not do well. He masters everything, excepting Mac and Cheese! Payne is going to follow in his fathers footsteps. Here are a couple of Pics from the Bike Lessons:

Love you all,

Angie

I know...

Yes, it has been over a month. Trust me, lots has happened since my last post. Where do I start?

Emma had a science project to do. She choose to do it on Cyclones. I was surfing the web for info on the recent cyclone in Myanmar and she thought it would be interesting. We made a cyclone and Margaret helped with the display board. I think it turned out great.

Mary Meaghan graduated from Kindergarten! She absolutly loves school. She wanted to know if she was starting First Grade in June. I had to explain that we had a couple of months vacation then she would start 1st grade. She was sad at first but then I reminded her of Water World!

This is a picture of Meg-Meg and one of her teachers at Church. Anna surprise Meg by coming to her graduation. This made her day. After it was over, we checked her out of school so she and I could spend the day together, she choose to go with Anna!! Made me feel special!

T-Ball is over and I must say, I am a little sad. I love baseball. Those of you who have known me for a while know that this has always been a passion of mine. I can remember watching moms at highschool baseball games and I could not wait to have my son play ball. If I can brag, I am going to even if you don't want me to, Payne shows some real promise as a ball player. Several weeks ago, he had been begging his daddy to pitch to him. Rich did not think that he was ready, but boy was he wrong. He was hitting them!! Later, he wanted to go to the batting cages and once again, he was able to hit the balls! The best T-Ball game was against the Mets. Most of the kids on that team go to church with us. It was good it was T-ball, because we were all cheering for the RBC kids, regardless of teams. Before this game, we had a big cookout at our house. My mother, sister Debby and brother Eddy and his family were there along with our friends, Neil and Tiffany and their son Landon. Landon and Payne played ball together and Neil and Rich were the coaches. It was lots of fun. After the cookout, we all went to the game. It was really special for me to have my brother there to watch Payne play ball.

Play Ball!!

Well, friends, it has begun. T-Ball Season is now open. Saturday was opening ceremonies and God blessed us with the weather. It rained early Saturday morning and then quit before we even left the house. Each team was called out and names announced. As you can see, Payne is a proud Dodger! Rich is a pretty proud coach too!

I know that it seems that I only talk about Payne, but you must remember, he is with me more than the girls. Keep that in mind.

Meg-Meg is singing at school tonight for our PTA program. Her program is titled "I Like School and School Likes Me". She is soooo excited. She truly does love school. She is still a reading machine. She has read 60 something books since she came back from Christmas break. Way to go, Meg.

Emma had associational Bible Drills this past weekend. She needed 16 points to make it to District in Ozark and Emma got 13. She was upset, but we told her for her first time, that was great. Out of all the first timers, she scored the highest.

Maddi is on Spring Break this week and spending some time with us. Yesterday, we went to clean the van, that is usually Wednesdays job, but I did not do it last week. After that we went to the grocery store and strawberry patch. I think I have decided that I want her to come live with me! What do you think, Lisa, can we work out some kind of arrangement!

I hope you all have a great week and I will post pictures of Meg-Meg from her PTA program later and if I can get Emma's head out of the clouds, I will get some of her too.!!

GO DODGERS!

Happy Easter!!

Well, Easter Sunday was, as always, an event! The children looked precious. Buying clothes was nothing out of the ordinary. Payne is easy to shop for, shorts and a shirt. Meg-Meg was pretty easy also, she is still young enough that she knows she wears whatever we tell her too. Emma on the other hand, well, let's just say, I ran out of happy pills and tried to stay in the car on our last stop. Rich was not letting me off that easy though. We went to Kohls and managed to find a few things that did not make her or myself scream. She ended up looking beautiful. I just can't get over the fact that she is not my 4 year old daughter with the pretty little bishops anymore. I do not want her to grow up and I am steady losing that battle. She is a preteen and I do not like it one bit!!

I was polishing Meg's shoes Saturday night and they were all scuffed up. I thought to myself, why am I letting her wear this million dollar dress and shoes that look like they belonged in the garbage, well, I'll tell you why, I can remember being a little girl and my precious mother always bought me new shoes for Easter. I always had to wait till Easter Sunday to wear them and you guessed it, they hurt my feet so bad that I cried. I vowed that I would never do that to my girls!! I polished those shoes and no one noticed them against her beautiful little dress.

On Saturday night, Rich read Benjamin's Box to the kids before bedtime. Payne pulled out his treasure box and as Rich read each section, Payne would hold the corresponding piece of the story. That is an Easter tradition at our house. The kids love it. It is a great way to introduce the Easter story to young children. We started this when Emma was 3.

Payne had his teeth pulled on Wednesday before Easter, and as you can see he is very proud of his toothless grin!! The tooth fairy brought him dollars and he has hidden them from his sisters!! He starts T-Ball this week so I am sure that before long, we will have lots of ball park stories.

I hope you all have a good week and I love you all.

It has been a while

Well, it has been quite some time since my last post. I am sure that lots has happened that I have now forgotten so I will just make up stuff and pretend that it all happened to ME!!

I guess the newest thing is that I got a CPAP machine last week! How fun. Those of you who know me well, know that I peel the paint snoring. I used to think my Daddy snored loud. I used his snoring to know that he was Okay and breathing, I wish my loved ones felt the same way!

This is what my mask looks like, except mine has a blue gel pack inside, for comfort purposes!

Each morning when I wake up, my kids ask if I slept with my mask. I had one that just went in my nostrils but it rubbed a blister between my nose and upper lip, so I had to try a different one. Laugh if you want, but I already feel better. And for the Sisters, wait till our Labor Day Weekend trip!! We will all sleep better!

That is the latest saga at our house. Oh, Payne said this morning that his bluejeans made him look like a geek!

Love you all and I promise to blog again soon, even if I have to make something up!

The Middle Child

This, my friends, is Mary Meaghan. Need I say more.

Yes, I do need to say more. She is my princess! Rich has challenged me to be more loving towards her. I think the reason that she and I do not get along any better is, you guessed it, we are just alike.

Meg-Meg, as we call her, is precious. She is the life of the party. She is also the family attorney! She mediates for everyone, especially her daddy. As most of you know, she was only 17 months old when Payne was born. She referred to him is "That". She was denied her special time between 18 months and 3 years. I think she is just making up for lost time. We love to pick on her about her STRONG Northern accent. Rich's family all live in Boston and she talks just like she grew up there.

Meg-Meg has started reading. Actually, I was informed that she has been able to read for quite some time, but she has just recently let me in on that little secret! She comes home everyday and can't wait to climb in my lap and read me her library book. This is shocking to us because she hated to be read to when she was little. The picture is from our favorite summer hangout, Water World. She was probably mad at me for who knows what.

This is a true depiction of Meg-Meg, beautiful, isn't she. Emma used to say, when Meg was little, that she had eyes like Blueberries!

Payne's Teeth

This was just after returning from all the Doctor's visits. The sunglasses were a prize from Dr. Bess.

This was the next morning. For those who don't know the whole story, Mary Meaghan would not go anywhere near Payne until the swelling went down in his gums. Made for some quite days at my house cause you all know, when the two of them get together, well... It was really sweet though, Mary Meaghan cried every time she looked at him.

This is the best he could do at showing his gums.

Friends

I have been thinking alot lately about a dear friend of mine, Betsy. She and her husband live in Pennsylvania. Betsy and I go way, way back. She has been my friend for as long as I can remember. We went to church together and one night she spent the night with me and I am sure that Betsy can remember eating crackers and cheese on the baby mattress that was under my bed. Don't ask me why my mother kept a baby mattress under my bed. You would just have to know my mother!!

That night started a beautiful friendship. Betsy was two years older than me and sometimes it was hard because she was at different stages in life than I was, but eventually things evened out and I think we are probably on the same page now.

As I watch my oldest daughter mature and form friendships, I am reminded of Betsy. I pray for God to send her Christian friends that will always be there for her. I also pray that she will be a positive Christian influence on them. Betsy was always there for me, no matter what, she always loved me, even when I was not lovable. Betsy and I have shared some really special things. When her father died, I hurt for my friend. I felt her grief in such a powerful way. I think that was when I truly felt and knew the definition of friendship. Betsy hurt and grieved with me when my father died.

Even though I have not talked to her in a while, (she won't stay in one state long enough!!) I know that we could pick up right where we left off.

One of my favorite things

Okay, so this is Payne Richard, born October 24, 2003. He was such a surprise to us all, except Emma!

All mom's need a son. This little boy is such a sweetie. Most of the time! He is not a very affectionate child though. He does not like anyone to see him give his mommy hugs and kisses. He says that morning smoozies are for mom and night smoozies are for dad!! Afternoon smoozies are for no-one!

One of my favorite things are Payne's two front BLACK teeth. Yes, I know that may seem strange to you but let's remember that this is a private blog, only for friends and family, so you guys already know that I am strange. As for those of you who don't know the "rest of the story", here it is:

In July 2007, my children were at Water World with my sister, Lisa. I had gone to the doctor about my knee, (that story is reserved for another post!). I had just returned to WW and gotten in the wave pool with Lisa when Payne asked if he could jump in. Sure, I said. Our friend, Margaret, was there to catch him if he needed it, but he was doing really well. Then he decided he would show off for his favorite lifeguards, and started jumping off backwards. Well, I am sure that you can imagine what happened next. Yes, he hit his mouth on the pool deck. I was watching from the knee deep waters of the wave pool, when I saw Eliot jump in and emerge with my son in his arms, nothing but blood from the nose down.

After getting him to the first aid room and determining that the blood was coming from his mouth, I called the dentist, she was out until 3 p.m. Keep in mind it was 1 p.m. Lisa and I took him home and I got nervous and took him to the Pediatrician who then referred us to Dr. Bess, who is a really good looking oralmaxofacial surgeon. After visiting three doctors that day, Payne went home with a really monked up grill and lots of bloody towels.

Well, over six months later, Dr. Wright feels that it would be best to remove the damaged teeth. They are baby and he will loose them in the next few years anyway. If this had been one of my girls, I would be heartbroken, but he is a BOY and those of you who know him, know that he is 100% BOY. I will try to post a better pic, so that all will see how BLACK those two front teeth really are.

Just one of my favorite things...