Happy Anniversary!

Seven years ago, Maddy woke me up with these words--"We're getting married today!" Little did Daryl know how much his life would change forever on that day. Not only did he marry me, but he really did marry "us." And it has been "us" against the world ever since.

Seven years ago at this time, I was at the church already, talking with the florist, nervous...so nervous...that he wasn't really going to be at the end of the aisle. That I had scared him away, that he had changed his mind, that he still wasn't sure.

And in that seven years since that day, that day that seems so long ago and just yesterday at the same time, it seems like we have lived a lifetime. In just short seven years.

*For better or worse...So many good good times. Some not so good, but really never so bad.

*In sickness or in health...aside from the kidney stones, not a whole lot of sickness and thankfully a whole lot of health. Unless you include pregnancy in that sickness. I wouldn't wish my pregnant self on my worst enemy...much less the love of my life!

*For richer or poorer...from that first year where money was not an issue, to the adjustment of private school tuition...and salary.

*From, "It doesn't really matter if we have any more children," to "Maybe we should just see what happens," to "Why isn't this happening???" to "God knows what he is doing," to "Guess what? I'm pregnant!" to "Um Lisa, why is there a pregnancy test on the counter?"

*From, "I really don't like the white kitchen," to having each and every room in the house re-done (except for one!) resulting in probably six out of the seven years solid of some sort of construction.

*From 40 Days of Purpose to VBS to deacon/widow banquets to Romania--following the Lord in obedience...together.

*From potty training to driver's ed,

*From fiesty door slams to colicky infants,

*From 2 dogs and 1 cat to 4 dogs, one cat, 2 gerbils and countless guinea pigs

*From Piedmont to Columbus State to Liberty University,

*From here to St. George Island seven times.

My, how far we've come. How far we have yet to go. What an amazing ride it's been. And I can't wait to see what blessings the next year holds!

Happy Anniversary Daryl!!! I love you!!

What do you title a picture like this? She has been so rotten today--whoever said the two's were terrible was wrong--but then I look on my camera once she has FINALLY succumbed to sleep and find this. She didn't want me to take a picture, so she ran away to the kitchen, stuffed a biscuit in her mouth, and came back. HA! Jokes on her...took it anyways!

She makes it very hard to stay mad at her, and easy to forget our trying afternoon!

Happy is...

Afternoon naps with my favorite three year old...

Little girls (and not so little girls) who like to play dress up in Mommy's closet
A foot...actually two...that at 29 weeks, are not swollen. Look, Ma! I have ankles! This time in my pregnancy with Hannah, I had a serious case of the cankles and had to wear size 11 wide flip flops...in cold weather.

My girls playing soccer in the side yard

"See, Mommy? I can do it all by myself!"

My two favorite men (Daryl ducked out of the picture) finishing the foundation...we should have walls and a roof soon!

Hannah organizing her "babies" in a nice straight line to watch TV with her. She likes her things organized...and not sure where she got that from!

fun at the park!

And one last funny that made me giggle out loud...Josh says it's creepy, but I thought I would share it anyways...

I was sitting in the recliner with one arm over my head. Hannah comes up to me and points to my underarm and says, "Mommy, what is that?" I answer, "That's Mommy's armpit. You have an armpit too." Hannah...totally serious..."Can I pet it?"

And yes...I had shaved. Out of the mouths of babes!

Why you should always read the fine print...

Cracker Barrel Porch Sale

Save at least 60% off at our Porch Sale from Friday, June 26th through Sunday, June 28th!
Be sure to get to your nearest Cracker Barrel location early for some good bargains and some good country cookin', too. Everything on our porch, except the rockers, will be on sale, including some overstocked and out-of-season favorites.
All markdowns will be taken at the register, all items are non-refundable, and sale hours and participation may vary by store or change due to weather.

The bolded, italicized part was bolded and italicized by me...sigh.

At least we got to eat pancakes! Off to scour Craigslist!!!

All in a day's work...or play...

There's not a whole lot going on around here, really, but some pictures none the less!

See that little speck in the picture below? That would be Hannah. she was showing me where earlier...just 2 hours earlier...she had gotten "stuck." Seems as if when I was taking Sarah to cheer camp, Daryl sent Hannah to go get a pair of panties. Instead, our little nature lover decided to chase a bird out into the yard. She got "stuck" when she realized that she was surrounded by chestnuts (otherwise known as meanie means) and started crying. Daryl heard her and rescued her...and much to his surprise, not only was she in the yeard, but with only her t-shirt on. Can you say, "Child Services??"

I don't know why this surprised me...and I guess, it really didn't. She has, of late, been prone to see a squirrel, a flower, a bird outside and run outside to chase it...all by herself. She seems to be running everywhere she goes. We took a walk during one of my 15 minute "up" periods yesterday. This is what I saw the entire time...
Finally, when she stopped to pick flowers, I would catch up with her. There is something to be said about being a young mother!!!!

Today's big activity, (besides running ahead of me in the pet store) was painting with the water colors. Here is my little artist...

And my big artist, showing off her modern art techniques.

Daryl has been working hard too...getting the foundation poured.

He also made a special trip to Covington to pick up a crib that one of the sweet ladies from church gave to us. We had no place to store it, so for now, it is behind Hannah's bed. Since Hannah hasn't used her bed in a while (completely different story), it's fine for now. I am getting itchy to start getting ready for this baby that could come in less than nine weeks now. I feel woefully unprepared, and I will admit to this stressing me out just a tad. (Daryl would argue with the "just a tad" part)

And...we're picking up a rocking chair tomorrow!! Cracker Barrell--60% off sale...gotta love a good bargain!

Clemson in Decatur

Twenty-four years ago in Clemson, South Carolina, we were sorority sisters and roommates. We studied hard, played hard, laughed hard, cried hard. I did a lot of growing up with these ladies, as well as made some mistakes. Despite the fact that we rarely ever get together anymore, as our husbands, jobs, and children have us pulled in different directions, they remain some of my closest friends.

Beth lives in Decatur, not twenty minutes from me, with her college sweetheart and two boys, Zach and Alex (who were manning the cameras). Renvy lives in Charlotte with her husband Julian, and was passing through. So we met for lunch at Beth's house and caught up for a few hours. Missing from our reunion were our other roommates from our Clemson days--Sandy, Sam, Lee, and Juleen.

Hannah went with me, as they had never met her before and the big kids (aka, babysitters) were sleeping off the lock-in. She chatted with me all the way to Decatur, all the way up the sidewalk to Beth's house, as we waited for her to come to the door. As soon as the door opened, she became mute, and didn't say two words the whole time we were there (except to whisper to me that she had to go to the bathroom--which she did a total of 12 times--no kidding) As soon as we got back in the car, she started up again, talking about the boys, the visit, the flowers, the cars we were passing, singing, laughing, and generally being the sweet little chatterbox that she usually is!

Obedience

This afternoon, when we were coming home from Father's Day lunch at Nanny and Paw Paw's, I mentioned to Hannah that when we got home it would be nap time. The following conversation took place:

Me: Hannah, when we get home, it's going to be night night time.

Hannah: I can play first? Just one minute?

Me: No, Hannah. It will be time for your nap.

(Long Pause)

Hannah: I don't want to be obedient.

Daryl: But you will be, because Mommy said it was time for a nap, so you will take a nap.

Hannah: But I don't want to obey mommy and daddy today. I don't want to be obedient. I want to play.

When we got home, she proceeded to go into the living room and get out her Moo-no game. When Daryl called her to come take a nap, she lay down on the floor. He gave her the option of going to go with me to take a nap or time out. Hannah continued to lay on the floor until Daryl picked her up and put her in time out. After about 5 minutes, she came downstairs, put her pull up on, and got on the bed.

Me: Are you ready for your nap now?

Hannah: Yes. Daddy put me in time out for a long long long long long time, and now I am ready to be obedient.

How often am I like this with God? How often does God have to put me in "time out" until I submit and am obedient? And you would think that after being put in time out, I would learn, yet time and time again, I would rather do what I want to do. And time and time again, I watch as God gracefully and mercifully fulfills His plan for me, gives me the desires of my heart,...once I am obedient.

Step away from my faith? God simply took everything away from me, until I had no choice but in obedience rely solely on Him, His word, prayer, and fellowship, and no choice but to turn to Him as my savior. Only after I had taken this step, came back to him, started raising my children in the Lord did he give me what I desired most--stability, love, a partner, a father for my children.

Plan for the expansion of my family...in MY time? God made me wait. And after two years of pain and disappointment, I made God my focus, followed Him in obedience into deeper study, deeper involvement in ministry, into Romania on a mission trip. The very next month, we were blessed with finding out we were expecting Hannah, and we have another unexpected blessing on the way.

And well...Hannah never did take a nap this afternoon (potty training seems to get in the wayof this--how do you tell your three year old that she can't get out of bed when she tells you that she needs to poop?) So I guess in reality, she wasn't completely obedient. But she tried, and we were merciful. And aren't I so glad that my heavenly Father has extended that same mercy and grace over and over again?

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of the great dads out there, but especially these three:

My wonderful, amazing husband, Daryl, who amazes me every day with the father that he has become. He is also--or used to be when we could stay up that late--be a big David Letterman fan. So, in honor of Daryl, each child wrote their very own Top Ten List of why they were glad he is their dad. They were funny, touching, and oh so very sweet. They were also so very personal, and so I told them I wouldn't share them. Needless to say, I can safely say that our children appreciate their dad as much as I do, and I was just as proud of them for pouring out their hearts as I was of him as their father today!

My own daddy! He is one of the most generous men I know, and always has been there when I needed him. He wasn't around a lot when I was a small child, but I have so enjoyed watching him as he became an amazing grandfather to my children. He has been patient, and kind, and patient, and giving, and did I mention patient? I love you Daddy!
And my father-in-law, more commonly known as PawPaw around this house. What a wonderful spiritual leader he is for his family, and raised Daryl to be a man of faith. He also, from what I can tell, makes a great recliner companion--all of the grandchildren seem very content to sit with Paw Paw in his chair--including Hannah!

For Father's Day, my parents and brother joined us at Cracker Barrell for a yummy dinner and then back to our house for cake and ice cream.

Here is Josh trying on my Snuggie, a gift from my mom. This will come in handy when it gets cold this winter and I don't have baby noname to keep me in hot flashes.

Sarah, Maddy, Hannah (hidden in there!), Grandpa and Grandma enjoying some cake and ice cream....

While Josh and Maranda were dragged into the living room to "PLAY!"

And here is about the least flattering picture of myself I could ever find...but a good chunk of our time was spent trying to school Grandma on the ins and outs of Facebook. And yes, ...it really did take all these people!

And last but not least... a picture of Maddy right before going to her very first event with the youth group. My baby is officially a "teen" at the church. Tonight, she will be "locked in" with the other teens, and after this, graduate from AWANA's to the youth group. She is excited...I am...well...not so much. She will always live in my head and heart as a precocious 4 year old!

Roly Polies

So today, after being treated to a wonderful pancake breakfast by my sweet husband for my birthday, the Stone crew leapt into action to try to get the house...and yard...ready for my family, who will be visiting with us tomorrow. Sarah worked on cleaning the kitchen, living room, and Hannah's room while we were gone, and Maddy watched Hannah so she could do so. All of the kids pitched in for a few hours in the afternoon to clean up the rubble of our back yard, including Hannah.

I'm not sure Hannah helped out too much, but she did find some little friends--roly polies!

We got a tupperware bowl (sorry Nanny!) and made a nice home for her roly poly
then...Hannah decided that the roly poly needed to live in her dollhouse...in the bathtub.

Unbeknownst to her, she went through quite a few roly polies this afternoon, until finally, she found a whole family--sister polie, brubba polie, mommy polie, daddy polie. She added some sand to their "home" so they could play, then we conveniently misplaced them so that no more roly polies were sacrificed on behalf of their "big mommy." PETA would have my hide!

Here's the other kiddos hard at work (and Hannah, of course, at play)....

It was hot, and they did a good job...don't they looked thrilled???

Lisa the Librarian...

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a librarian. I was under the false assumption that if you were a librarian, you could just sit around and read all day. I loved books then, and I love them now. I love the way a book store or library smells, looks, sounds. I can spend literally hours, just browsing. This summer, I have taken advantage of having time off and time I need to spend off my feet. I have also taken advantage of our local Good will and thrift stores, and read quite a bit already. Some of them were old, some new. Some really really good, some not so much. Every time I would finish one, I would think that I could never get lost in a story quite the way I just did, and immediately find myself transported into the next.




I thought this one would be fluff..and it pretty much was, but surprisingly, a Christian take on a classic love story--boy meets girl, boy isn't what she thought he was, girl meets another boy, etc.




I love love love the shopaholic series (and somewhat relate as well....) and this is one written by the same author before the shopaholic series was published. I liked it better than I thought. I especially liked the way that one of the characters deals with the feelings of being a new mother.






Maeve Binchy is probably my very favorite author. I have read everything she has ever written, and I love the way that the characters from one novel show up in later books. Her books are clean, set in Ireland (for some reason, I love books set in Ireland!), and just all around good reads.


Usually, Oprah's books are a little too deep for me to enjoy too much as summer reads, but I loved this book. It's a book about a little girl who has Tourette's, the underlying feelings, how she deals with it, how she overcomes. I have always been fascinated by autism, tourette's, etc. and I loved this book. I especially like the way that the girl's salvation plays into the story.






Ehhh. It was alright. Not great. Not horrible. Just slow.









This is a huge step out of my reading comfort zone...written by a man, and more of a man's book. It is a mystery of sorts, a love story of sorts, funny at times too. I really, despite myself, enjoyed it! You do have to realize that it was written by a man, and some things are not handled as delicately as if written by a woman, but overall, a good read, and I think I would read another by him...if I were to find it on the shelves of Goodwill!





This one was a surprise. I loved the first part of the book. The middle bored me. I did like the way that it all came together toward the end, but hated the ending.








I love Jane Green as an author as well. She is another that I have read everything she has written. Her earlier books deal with life as a singleton, then sort of follow her own life into dating, marriage, babies, love later in life. This one was a good one, but I didn't enjoy it as much as her previous books. I bought it with a gift card from my kids at school, and I wish I would have spent it on another selection.





I had never heard of this author or book, and was quite surprised that it ended up being one of only two Christian books that I picked up. I loved loved loved this book. It's about a famous author who writes a book for her son, who has seemingly lost his way. The book is told in two parts--her story of the trials with her son and then the story that she writes for him, an allegory about the story of salvation. She is also teaching a course in how to write a novel in this book, and I found that fascinating as well!


Another surprise! I picked it up, thinking...eh...it will be alright. It is a series of stories following a girl throughout her life in a small town...the making of pies ties into most of the stories.






I am admittedly a HUGE Barbara Delinsky fan...even though I know they are predictable, and fluffy. This one, though, was my most memorable read of the summer so far. A tale of a girl who dies and is given three wishes (or so she thinks...you don't know until the very end whether it was a dream or not). Of course said girl is beautiful without knowing it, meets the man of her dreams with whom she lives an idyllic life until the tragic ending of this story. I must have cried for an entire hour after I finished!


So, eleven down in 3 weeks...not bad. About eleven to go...can't wait for my next story!

Jinxing myself????

So do you see this sweet "not so baby" girl? The one who ran into her room and slammed the door and yelled, "I don't wanna take a picture!"? For the last 5 days, this sweet girl has had no accidents of any kind!!! Dare I say we are well on our way to being potty trained???

In other not so exciting news...

28 week dr. appointment today. 3 hour glucose test. appointment with the midwife. all is well.

*measuring right on track
*baby still breech - which can I say concerns me, as all of my other kids were head down by this time, and this one...NEVER during the whole pregnancy. Did I say that even the thought of a c-section scares me to death? My sister in law swears by them, really she does. But to me, I like being able to walk around and be normal a few hours after giving birth, like the idea of going home the next day, like the idea of not being cut open, an easy recovery. I know there is still time, and I am hoping and praying that this little one will flip and come out the way she should!
*blood pressure--good
*weight--no comment
*contractions-- absolutely NONE the whole time being monitored!!!

So, she said keep doing what I am doing. 31 weeks--3 weeks from today--was the time I was hospitalized for pre-term labor last time and given a magnesium sulfate drip (nasty stuff, let me tell you), and put on bedrest. That will be a major milestone, to pass that date. If you would have asked me three weeks ago if I thought I could make it without being put on bedrest, I would have thought there was no way, but with all of this rest, all of this sitting, I am feeling really really good about it this time! I still wish I could get out and get some exercise, but I think I'll stick to trips to and from the washing machine for now!

Summer Fun

While I have sat...and sat....and sat...everyone else is having a fun summer!

When the kids went to camp/the beach, we went to Wally World and got Hannah some games and other activities to keep her mind and hands occupied in a way that did not involve the television. One of the things I brought home that she had very little interest in were the stringing beads. (I also knew that this was something she should be able to do for her age, but couldn't yet) Finally, after the newness of Lucky Ducks, Cootie, and Moo-no wore off, she sat down and tried them and loved them!

"Mom! The ice cream truck is coming!" This not from my 3 year old, but my 17 year old! Here they are waiting for the truck--that was playing Christmas carols by the way...

And here is Hannah enjoying her Dora ice cream, that she discarded once she found out she had to stay in the kitchen! (I told Sarah to take a picture of them at the ice cream truck, but Josh "wouldn't let her."

And then of course...Daryl's birthday today, which he spent

working on the addition...

playing "let's just lay on the floor and sleep"-his words, not mine, and clearly not Hannah's idea of fun!

And blowing out the candles on his peach cobbler...with a little help!

As for me, I don't know if there is much fun going on, but I am slowly but surely getting organized for this baby. Today I worked on cleaning out my closet...separating the clothes that I could wear now from those that will not fit for a good looooong time. Yesterday, I took this:

plus the various things I have accumulated in the last few weeks through consignment and stuff I didn't sell on e-bay, and organized it to see what we still need. My conclusion? We didn't realize how lucky we were last time to have so many showers...and I certainly didn't remember how much stuff it takes to have a baby!

Tomorrow we are off to the free movie with Hannah (sitting, mom...in the car, in the movie too!)