couldn't ask for more, wouldn't settle for less: September 2011

The powers of a man's mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks.: ~Sir James Mackintosh

Blah blah antioxidants, blah blah reduces depression, blah blah.

All I have to say is here are the real reasons the world is glad I enjoy a cup of coffee every morning:

1. I brush my hair
2. I am able to smile when my neighbor speeds by my driveway and points at me hatefully to remind me NOT to pull out in front on him.
3. I can fight down Pie Da Man.
4. I am dressed before 8:00.
5. I am given the ability to nurse, tie a shoe, answer the phone, at the same time, while sitting on a tiny bathroom stool.
6. I think before speaking
7. I am able to competitively play hide and seek
8. I am able to swing "High as the clouds" with a sweaty little boy on my lap
9. I actually out talk that annoying lady calling with the political poll.
10. I am able to drink my coffee while carrying Baby B on my back and Pie Da Man on my front all the way from the mail box, and even stop to chat with my neighbor as she comes to make sure I am not going into cardiac arrest :)

Drink some Java today, it seriously makes the world brighter.

Happy National Coffee Day :)

Sept. 29th

Our new swingset

Waiting for the truck to unload

While we were away at the beach my Mom texted me to tell me

that the boys would
be getting their Christmas gift early, and it was a new and custom swingset! I was busting at the seams to talk about it with Charlie. Mom showed him the pictures in the magazine and he was so excited he carried it home and looked at it all night. I waited to tell Charlie the day they were coming until the delivery guy called and said he was in

Deep Gap. He was so excited. Mom came over to help celebrate the arrival and I am glad because two hands weren't not enough to keep him away from the set-up. He was sure to grab his own tools and help. The smile on his face, literally, made me stop to catch my breath. These moments, this excitement, these memories, will last forever. Of course he did get a black eye within the hour. He was swinging wildly and smacked the pole with is eye. We moved the swing to the middle, and have avoided a repeat injury. Although this is a gift to our entire

With the delivery man

family, try explaining that to a two year old that thinks the yellow tent is a "Batcave." I am so thankful for this gift. It is so much more than a swingset.....it is the first of so many memories.
(click here if you can't see the video)

My little puppy dog

Brady's Bites

I can't believe how time has flown. My chubby little man has been reaching for our plates long enough. Here is a video of his very first taste of cereal. (commentated by Charlie)

Charlie's a Hoot!

Melt your heart smile...

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine

Brady is already 4 months old!

My Village

So....I've had this joke with some closer family and friends for a while now that I am seriously considering creating a village. My own, by invitation only.

If you've never seen the movie, The Village, by the odd, but interesting
M. Night Shyamalan, then you are missing out (** Attention: This blog contains serious movie spoilers, so if you intend to watch it maybe wait and read another time) I am pretty sure this movie is placed in the Horror genre, but isn't horrific at all.

In brief, then I will move on, the movie is about a village appearing to be in the 1800's. It is surrounded by very dense woods, these woods are inhabited by vicious and mysterious monsters (fictitious by the way). The members of the village never stray into these woods. The village is "governed" for lack of a better word, by a small group of elders. Lots of actions, turns, and holding of the breath but.....in true Shyamalan style, it turns out that these elders created this "Village" by purchasing a vast woodland within a wildlife preserve, building massive walls around it, bringing their very small children in and raising them to believe they can't venture out. They decided to make this village because those that they loved the most in their lives had been touched by violence and death. This is actually present day. These families have been touched by the horror and violence of this world, so together they found the solution was choosing people like themselves to create a world for their families free from these dangers, together, with those that love them. Click here to see a clip from the movie, or just watch below. Be sure to stop the music playing on the left side if you are hearing it play.

Anyway......really think about this. I mean, beyond the strange Hollywoodness. Could you imagine starting over? Taking those closest to you, those that you love the most, and running? Locking out the world, locking out everything else? Creating your own world? I know several of you think this is terrible. "Children not being able to see anything 'diverse.' Being brainwashed and forced to live a certain way. How narrow-minded. How awful," some of you would say. Maybe they are right, but me, well, I've been giving this idea thought. Of course this isn't possible in reality, but I do enjoy entertaining the idea.

If given this opportunity, would I do it? Perhaps. I can't help but joy in the idea of walking away from the stresses created by our society and culture and the "spiritual wickedness in high places" Ephesians 6:12. Of course more troubles would come along, I know this, but would it possibly be worth the sacrifices to protect my boys and the ones I love? There are so many worries and hurts touching my family that I just can't do anything about, but in this "Village" perhaps I could. I don't care what people say, 100 years ago times were better. Families loved harder. Faith grew stronger. Little things meant more.

Don't know. Just wanted to pose this idea. Gives me something to imagine while this world falls to pieces. Of course, I'd never be able to do this for real because Blogger would ultimately be banned from my Village, BUT if one day you notice that all of the normal people in my life are missing, well, they are probably harvesting crops in my Village :)

Let it Be

Posted recently by my very best friend. It sure helped me to read it, so I wanted to share.

"You keep your heart above your head and you eyes wide open
So this world can't find a way to leave you cold
And know you're not the only ship out on the ocean
Save your strength for things that you can change
Forgive the ones you can't
You gotta let 'em go"

-Zac Brown Band

Where was I?

10 years ago I was sitting in the Peace and War classroom of one of the most honorable Veterans I've ever known. As the events unfolded I saw the solemn, but very defiant look on his face. He knew what this meant, and he recognized the hatred and danger behind these cowardly acts. He recognized acts of war. I was innocent and naive. I'd never been "at war." I'd live the spoiled life for 17 years, and had no idea what was in store. But he did. I also sat in this classroom with two boys who had signed with the Marines already. I saw the looks on their faces. They knew what was coming. Again, I was innocent and naive, and even then didn't realize how my world had been changed, and how many lives were changed in an instant. They did.

I've always considered myself a patriot. I was raised bleeding red, white, and blue, and because of men like Mr. Jones, I knew bits of the horrors of war, and I knew the necessity of them. Until 9/11/01, I had no idea these horrors could touch my land. Where was I 10 years ago? I was in a different time. Physically and at heart. I was carefree and confident. I was safe. 9/11 changed me, forever. I've watched the flashbacks, I've vowed to never forget, I've vowed to show my boys the frailty of peace. The one thing I will never, ever forget wasn't on 9/11, it was on the days after. I felt a unity that was greater than political views, greater than where you lived, greater than your accent, greater than the money you made, it was a unity of the brokenhearted, of Americans. I'll never forget feeling for the first time, like our country was united. This faded, but for a time I remember.

Today, and often on many other days, I will stop and thank the Lord for my country, those protecting it, my liberties, my safety. I'll pray for the comfort of those who are missing loved ones today and everyday.

Where was I? I suppose I was being changed. In one simple day I realized the horrible acts that mankind was capable of, but I also saw the unselfishness, love, and sacrifice my fellow countrymen held.

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “

- President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

Irene vs The Wards

....results are in. Hurricanes stand no chance at ruining our fun. Jamie and I have looked forward to our trip to the beach all year. Charlie remembered the beach, so he was excited too. As the talk of Irene grew, so did Jamie's blood pressure. Long story short, our vacation consisted of many visits to www.weather.com and ultimately ended with perfect weather.

As a child Mom and Dad spent a lot of time building up our trips. Half of the fun was getting packed and getting there. Jamie and I are the same. We headed out at 4:30...yes....AM, and yes, I slept in my travel clothes and didn't open my make-up bag until the SC line. The boys were great, and Charlie's big boy undies held up! Thanks to my super-fab Mom, we took her Yukon. I packed light for us. We had an awesome trip down. The hotel room wasn't ready so we pulled out all the stops to keep Charlie entertained until it was ready. Of course that meant eating at IHOP :) Helped me with the wait too. I can honestly brag and say my boys did beautifully during travel. No meltdowns, no accidents. Lots of Buzz and Woody role playing. Wonderful.

Charlie spent most of the week at the pool. The hotel, Coral Resort, has awesome pools for kids. In his eyes there were three choices, 1. Big poo 2. Little poo 3. Yazy ribber (lazy) which also had a yittle yazy ribber (little pool beside it) Jamie was a trooper. He could hold out at the pools as long as Charlie. I was in and out and B and I were moving with the shade. Charlie loved the Aquarium. It was great. He saw lots of sharks. Charlie also cracked his very first crablegs. (click here if you can't see the video below, also, turn off the music to the left in the blue box)

Brady's favorite part of the trip I believe was snoozing in the sand. Every morning Jamie and I hit the beach by 9:00 (oh how things change) Brady would lay under the umbrella with his silky and drift to sleep.....EVERY day. Bless his heart. He is just the sweetest. He was not sure about the sand in his toes, but he smiled just the same. His first trip was great, other than sand in the crevices, poor chubby guy :( He enjoyed the aquarium, too. He just looked around and smiled at strangers. He did enjoy the bouncy hotel bed though (click here if you can't see the video below, also, turn off the music to the left in the blue box)

Jamie's favorite part, although I never asked, was the freedom. Our trip had nothing set in stone. We kinda wanted to do some things, but nothing serious. I loved watching him ask Charlie what he wanted to do next. Maybe the upstairs arcade, maybe the pool, maybe feeding the birds, maybe the yittle yazy ribber. No matter what, I saw the smile on Jamie's face. I loved it. He loved it. That's why I love him.

My favorite part, the food (AWESOME crablegs, BTW), but more than that it was shutting out the world. I loved stepping away from life and just for a week, being with my guys. Yes, I stay at home, no that does not shelter me from life and the worries of the world. I realized again just how blessed I am. We laughed and we all loved every minute of each other.

I hope you'll enjoy looking at the slide show to see the details of our trip. I can't tell it all. I'd love to, but just not enough time. Just goes to show you, with a little determination and a while lotta sunscreen, hurricanes are simply no match for my family.