Shine and Pete

b, d, and c

2012-02-13T21:33:00.003-06:00

so a little update on my 3.....

b lost her first tooth! the fairy came (left a note and a glittery fairy door for her return visit)

in other bright news, there was a late night emergency room visit for an eraser bit that somehow found it's way up her nose.... eraser was not recovered, we are hoping for the best case scenario that she swallowed it. from her perspective, a date with daddy, a cool hospital arm band and a popscicle from a friendly nurse! :) oh drama! besides that it's lots of school days, outside time whenever the sun apears and loving her gymnastics class.

d is our snuggle bug, loving one on one and time with his daddy more than ever... an early morning guitar session, a date to run errands and "work" with dad. he's joining in the art projects around here and making lots of special pictures these days with bright. he and chapel are best buds and he's a great help in the kitchen! his favorite new thing is carrying his cd player around to whichever room he is in, he needs music all the time... current favorite, Little Praise Party Happy Everyday, the latest from our favorite friend Yancy!

little miss c is a constant motion machine. most of her waking hours are spent unloading cabinets or walking laps around the kitchen (usually with some treasured item in hand). papa made cardboard box houses for us and they've been a blast!

oh and cutting molars... we see this face a lot, it is accompanied by a fussy sound and when it gets really bad we tuck her up with paci and lovey and big brother for a little movie time :)

and me? well i'm mostly doing laundry, or supervising a dance party.

oh what a day!

2012-02-13T16:34:00.002-06:00

His birth day was emotional and long, covered in prayer and protected by the Lord. How thankful we are that he is here! The details are Summer and David's to share. Here is a little picture story from my side of the delivery.

August Hallelujah Branch arrived Tuesday, February 7 at 9:51pm 8lb, 3oz & 22in

I'll tell the world how great and good you are,

I'll shout Hallelujah all day, every day. Psalm 35:28

meeting our newest cousin

decker john wasnt sure about the whole new baby thing

ANY DAY NOW....

2012-01-28T07:30:00.000-06:00

We are ready any day now to welcome a sweet little fella into our family! I can't wait to see Summer and David as parents, oh boy! Besides the birthday partying, we've been showering and celebrating the upcoming arrival of their new one.

A precious shower with our church family. Mrs Mary hosted a shower for Mama before I was due and one for me with Bright, we probably all sat in this exact chair and opened gifts too!

Sum with David's sweet mom and grandmother.

Summer with her lifelong girlfriend, Julie, and their darling matching baby bumps!

Then the next week we had a fun afternoon of celebrating with lots of girlfriends at Kady's place....

So excited about this sweet little blessing.... come on baby!

birthday baby

2012-01-27T16:07:00.000-06:00

We started the day with pancakes and bacon and snowflake cutting and cupcake making. Then we ate and gifted and caked and let the birthday girl wrap up her day splashing in the tub. I always say, "we don't really do parties," but the truth is- I guess we do. Cooking, baking, decorating and celebrating with 11 people is partying, even if they are all family!

I'll let the pictures tell the story of the White and Pink Winter Wonderland for Chapel's first.

one

2012-01-17T16:51:00.002-06:00

It happened, our baby girl had a birthday.

Her eyes melt my heart and her happy silly smiles bring joy to my soul.

At 12 months she is walking! clapping, giving hugs to her dollies, eating lots of pasta,

waving, holding the phone to her head and talking, dancing, and splashing in the potty!

She loves to wrestle with her big brother and be read to by big sis...

nothing makes her light up like seeing her siblings. We love our doll baby.

Dear Melissa captured the little birthday girl in the woods behind our house,

playing in the pink chair where we love to snuggle and read in the nursery.

It was a fun afternoon and she entertained us all!

2012 January-December

2012-01-10T11:01:00.000-06:00

It's crazy how the change in dates, the roll over from one year to the next causes us to re-think our entire lives. Well, maybe not our entire lives, but certainly the way we are living them.

You know that feeling that something is stirring? The breeze in the trees before a storm, the bubbles before the pot overflows.... things have been stirring here and it's becoming clearer what's ahead. Maybe it's more the pushing at the seams as the children grow and change and I as their mother need to change and grow to keep up. The house gets full, their clothes are constantly overflowing the drawers as they grow out of them and the seasons change and the shoes that were happily worn last week suddenly pinch and hurt.

We are organizing. I love January cleaning. I read a quote that said something about how comforting Christmas decorating is, making the house snug and cozy; but it's just as exciting to un-decorate and clean out and freshen up when the holiday is over. Not to be a total grinch, but I like the de-cluttering more than the decorating.

Ok- so 2012. I'm gonna take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Thank you mom and dad for the new camera! My life is forever changed.

I'm gonna cook dinner. Not sure what we've been eating, but way too many grilled cheese sandwiches and not enough roasted chicken and homemade soup.

We will do for others more. It takes time to plan this and our lives have been so full and so rushed that what we've forgotten to do are some of the most important things.

I'm gonna go to bed earlier- because I want to get up earlier. Devotions and showering needs to happen before the 3 little people wake. Best way to start my day.

We are going to play more, read more, rush less and breathe deeper.

Lots has been happening in our family. Big things. God is doing big things. We are thankful, we are trusting and we have peace. There is a sweetness in the trial knowing that He is active and working in your life, and a fellowship with Him and among those walking with you that is precious. How blessed we are by our family. Makes my little ones so much dearer. I don't want to miss a minute.

This year we will (although far from perfectly- I know) strive to live intentionally.

I also want to run a little, date my husband more, blog weekly, school my children better and finish up a whole bunch of projects for the house that are cluttering my brain.... but we'll see. Oh and Peter has a few ideas that might come to fruition..... more on that to come.

So welcome, New Year! I look forward to what is ahead.

Six Years

2011-10-11T10:25:00.003-05:00

October 11, 2005. Our world changed forever. Bright Abingdon made me a mama. Made us parents. Grandparents, Aunts, a Great grandmother. There has been no greater joy than watching her grow. She will be my pride and joy for my whole life. Nothing can take the spot that my firstborn created in my heart. Getting her into this world was hard work but such intense happiness. Laughter and tears. Having her in our home has been just the same... joy, exhaustion, pleasure, emotion... she did not enter quietly and we've been aware of her presence since the moment she arrived... this is a girl not to be missed! We can only imagine the big big things in store for her. What a creative God we have!

You made us a family! Happy SIX years!

Happy Birthday my darling Bright!

30-A

2011-09-10T23:37:00.002-05:00

**warning** this post will be terribly out of order if i ever go back and catch up on our other summer events, including the beach trip taken in june with the burns family! oops!

we spent labor day week in seaside/watercolor paradise with the burns/branch/decker clan!

as we arrived on saturday, so did tropical storm Lee... bringing with him lots and lots of wind and rain.

our first 2 days were spent exploring the area playgrounds, shops and playing board games in the beach house. when the sun starting shining on tuesday- we were ready to hit the beach!

a little croquet with papa

happy chappy in the sand!

chapel loved the beach... crawling everywhere in the water, waves and sand!

daily bike rides for the kiddos with uncle davey, daddy and papa

our favorite thing was loading up in the wagon and walking down to dinner each evening!

sand castle making,

sand shovel eating,

sand crazy jumping!

sweet bright

practicing her mermaid pose

when she wasn't splashing or digging, bright did a lot of reading in the shade, so grown up!

when little decker john wasn't running and jumping, he crashed!

i can't think of a better place to nap!

after the storms the local marine life gets a little wild as the sharks come up to the surface and start looking for food. there were a number of shark sightings... making this mama a little nervous. as a service to the general public bright made a sign to warn the beachgoers of the dangers in the water!

oh beaches of south walton, we love you! clean white sand, water as blue as the carribean, bike paths and yummy food... can't wait to go back! thank you mimi and papa for a super special family beach trip! what a perfect way to end the summer.

big day!

2011-08-22T21:27:00.006-05:00

The end of June our sweet Bright was baptized! She wanted to show the world that she loved Jesus and obey His command to be baptized. Peter and her spent a week or so reading and talking about what this step means and making sure she fully understood her salvation.

While she can't fully understand what her salvation means her acceptance of His work is so pure and so simple. What a sweet gift to believe so young- precious is the faith of a child!

Jesus is Alive!

2011-04-25T21:13:00.006-05:00

Easter at 3Sister's Farm

after a yummy yummy lunch with lots of favorite family foods we headed out to the yard armed with quilts, cameras and our three little people...

serious egg hunting

major relaxing in the yard

big time candy eating

really good snuggle time

probably the best Easter to date...

it doesn't get much better than this- a day to remember for sure!

sugar pie, honey bunch

2011-04-17T23:15:00.007-05:00

3 months of sweet sweet love

more chapel pics... click here

because if you are ever going to wear a bonnet...

2011-04-08T14:34:00.003-05:00

this is the event!

miss chapel joined bright and i (and a few special friends) for a 'teddy bear teaparty' at the historic sam davis home last weekend.

after the fancy tea party we took a tour of the grounds- which was the most exciting part for b girl... she is very into all things "olden days."

also not so into tea... and thankful for a pink lemonade alternative!

such a special girly day!

so big!

2011-04-04T22:34:00.003-05:00

well our sweet decker john has been 3 for a month now. amazing to us that he is growing up- that baby stage passes so quickly and now he's really not even a toddler any more. wow. slow down.

if you ask him how old he is he'll tell you "i'm two again" and that's ok with me!

it was a puppy party... this boy loves all things puppy, well all things puppy, guitar and matchbox car...

he really got it about his birthday this year... it was a big deal and it was all about him! he started telling us he wanted a "minnie party" that's the name of his special puppy toy.

it was a family affair and we celebrated with cupcakes, ice cream and so much izzie soda we might have floated away!

he loved the candle and requested "fire" and singing every time we had a cupcake over the birthday weekend!

high fives all around! birthdays sure are fun!

3 birthday "tickets"

new "unders"

a new guitar and watching the movie cars... a perfect birthday celebration!

we can't get enough of our sweet, funny, blond headed baby boy!

i love you donkey doo!

by the end of the celebrating b had her candle out and we were singing to her! :)

3?

2011-04-02T15:21:00.002-05:00

It always seems that the big question with children is "who do they look like?" Why we don't let them just be their own person, I have no idea... but instead spend hours studying their features trying to pin them on a parent, sibling or some other relative... so the question remains... who does Miss Chapel Pie look like?

Here are some pics of her big sister at a similar age...

bright

bright

chapel

chapel

chapel (and her great-grammy)

what do you think?

bonding

2011-02-28T13:20:00.005-06:00

i think it might have taken a little longer than usual at our house

but he has taken it upon himself to be 'paci putter inner extraordinaire' and goes running to pop it in her mouth if he hears her crying during naptime. this morning he greeted her with a head rub and a "hello chap chap"

when asked at bedtime last night to list a few special things she'd like to do this coming week she answered "play with chapel, go to dairy queen for ice cream, and make a no boys allowed club"... wow- little c was #1 on the list!

i think they are gonna like each other!

go see more of melissa's wonderful photos

thankfulness

2011-02-26T22:09:00.005-06:00

While my little middle is keeping me very busy cleaning up, correcting and training... I'm trying so hard to practice patience and love instead of fussing. I have been encouraged by this post.

There are so many things I can be thankful for this week...

funny kids

sweet sweet baby sister

grandparents so close they can stop by for snuggles,

or to hear a song and play doctor for awhile

the minutes spent playing happily with each other

(almost) perfect pete who spends his sweet saturday playing/wearing out b & d outside

books after baths... no better way to end their day

bright and i read a book this week, Where Children Sleep, (click link to read online) that has opened the door for many real and heartfelt conversations. it's a look at how children all over the world live, eat and spend their days... eye opening for my 5 year old who spends all her nights in comfort after fun filled and easy days.

take time to read it and look at the pictures with your little ones.

Thank you Lord for warm beds to sleep in, clean water for bathing and drinking. yummy food in the fridge, a roof over out heads and bright hope for tomorrow.

little middle

2011-02-12T21:03:00.004-06:00

this week decker john has

squirted soap all over the bathroom counter

unrolled the toilet paper

poured his drink out in the toilet

spit his drink out on the carpet

squirted toothpaste on the counter

spit his drink out on his freshly changed sheets

squirted more soap out in the bathroom

squirted the fun foamy soap in his hair

squirted more fun foamy soap in his hair

cut his hair (don't worry mom- it was only about 3 pieces)

poured his orange juice into the toilet

put parts of a train track in the air vent

put a stuffed elephant in the air vent

got caught with the air vent in one hand and a USB cable in the other

BOY! are we ready to get outside and play...

they are calling for mid 50's tomorrow! hooray!

(this darling pic is a preview of a few that our amazing friend Melissa took for us this week!)

do the shuffle

2011-02-09T13:36:00.005-06:00

we discussed for many months where we were going to put #3... do b and d share a room, does one of them share with the baby... should we change our office into a nursery... where will we put our office...

and round and round and round.

we finally landed on downsizing the master closet, creating a new room for the office and turning the existing office into baby sister's nursery.

what a mess! it literally felt like every room in our house was moving... it was an upside down disaster for quite a while! every single item had to be removed from the closet... it forced us to do a major overhaul and edit waaaay down since our closet space was being cut in half!

can you find the child hiding in all the mess?

bright and decker john wanted to be right in the middle of all of the action... they were very "helpful!"

checking the new wall that divided the master into closet and office spaces.

helping daddy with the shelving and caulking.

finished!

i would show what it looks like nice and organized with all of our things... but my half of the closet is currently an explosion of maternity and non-maternity clothes... whew it's amazing how many sizes of clothing a childbearing woman will go through in a year! :)

b and dj banned from helping but allowed to sit and watch daddy working on the office... a doorway was made for the new office into the hallway.

tada!

small but sweet!

where she sleeps

2011-02-09T09:06:00.006-06:00

A glimpse of baby sister's room... which is put together but not completely finished... still need to hang a few things on the wall, do a little work on her bookshelves, and i think she still needs a simple window treatment... maybe a pop of leopard or animal print... this is an eclectic and pieced together room... little pieces we had and a few we collected just for her...

i did a little painting for bright and decker john's rooms when we were expecting them... this time the paintbrushes didn't come out... but i did get a little DIY on her leather cornice board with nailhead trim...

her daddy about fell over with pleasure and surprise when i asked him to paint this little antler set up for her nursery!

a few cans of valspar gold spray paint took bright's beat up changing table and crib from old and used to new and fabulous!

a few special things to still be hung... working on a gallery wall above the changer...

a little view of where she'll be snoozing...

once complete i'll post some pics of her armore and changer walls.

chapel pie

2011-02-06T15:58:00.004-06:00

sweet chapel is almost 4 weeks old.... which is so hard to imagine and yet it's true. it's been a really special month of just being home and loving on one another. we're staying in a little longer- hoping to escape the flu and cold crud... but i'm looking forward to getting out for playdays and walks... come spring come.

as i write it is snowing again...

the name game

2011-01-22T07:26:00.006-06:00

it was a tough game choosing a name for our little number 3!

after finding out girl/boy the first two times we landed upon their names pretty quickly. no wavering. no other options. we were sure.

this time around seemed so much harder. the name needed to fit our family, be easy to say with the other names, have a special meaning, not be totally left field yet original... and on and on...

peter gets all the credit this time around.

Chapel

a place of worship

acknowledging the healing the Lord did in her life and praising Him- her Maker

Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:6

McFarland

her paternal grandfather's middle name, her great grandmother's maiden name, a nod to her Scottish heritage

nicknaming is even more fun... chapel apple, chappy chap, miss mac... we'll see what sticks!

we say that baby sister got a name for christmas. that's when we told our family by placing a namecard on the seat she'll be occupying next year...

before we spilled the beans to everyone we pulled bright aside and told her we'd named the baby and let her see the placecard.

"it rhymes with apple and means a place of worship" we told her.

"i like it" she said, "but it's a little odd" :)

Chapel

2011-01-21T22:32:00.006-06:00

Our Chapel McFarland came into the world at 8lbs 3oz and 19 3/4 inches long on Wednesday, January 12 at 11:56am!

We recognized her immediately... round face, chubby cheeks and lots of dark hair... yes, both of our blondies started out looking very much like little Miss C...

Bright...

Decker John...

The Lord was so gracious to us, the labor and delivery was very smooth and baby sister was born healthy and strong! Such an answer to so many prayers! Peter and I have been very blessed by my wonderful OB, an amazing doctor and believer. He was there for Decker John's birth and also baby Chapel, he has prayed multiple times over our children asking the Lord to bless our family and praying that they will come to know Jesus at an early age. What a treasure!

And while wonderful Dr. Riley was there in the delivery room for 2 of our 3 births, I can proudly say that I delivered both of these babies myself and Peter reluctantly (the first time) and proudly (the second time) cut both of their cords!

There is nothing like the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth. There has been nothing in my life that has shown God's power and love more than watching the way He designed our bodies, lets us be a part of the growing of our children and then entrusts them to us for their teaching and raising. The memory of pulling sweet Chapel out of my body and into this world is so very fresh. It is a moment that cannot be put into words- that instantly brings tears and laughter and praise.

She has been in our arms for over a week now and yet I still feel in awe of watching her sleep, cannot get enough of kissing her sweet head and cannot really wrap my mind around where she came from or how she got here...

There has not been a lack of arms to hold her! How thankful we are for our family that is near and how excited we are to introduce her to all her little cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents who are far away!

We had a big brother/big sister party on her birthday... pizza and cupcakes and presents for the siblings! The presents were an instant hit... it took a little while to warm up to the baby though :)

Here are some pictures from our first week... she is a loved little girl! Coming into a busy home with a big sister and a big brother who may still not fully understand her role in our family and yet they never forget to pray for her and to thank the Lord that she is healthy.

We've had a few tired and teary moments- but this week has been so sweet and we are all doing so very well! With Mimi here it feels like a vacation for this mama... we've had lots of snuggle time on the couch, been reading and playing games... and eating great food!

blog blip

2011-01-10T15:26:00.002-06:00

so i may officially be the worst blogger out there...

following up on the last post from OCTOBER! yes, we had a major birthday celebration for bright's #5... a little family party and then a big trip to Disneyworld! you can view the photos in our flickr photostream... the full post just didn't happen! but the trip was a dream- she had an amazing magical time and it was such a joy for us to watch it all through her eyes!

we met a dozen princesses, celebrated with tiaras and glittery wands, cupcakes and cotton candy... loved the parades, sang and danced down the sidewalks and dreamed pink princess dreams at night!

5 it's pretty awesome!

five

2010-10-18T21:48:00.004-05:00

amazing, full of life, our joy, pure emotion, lover of life/song/story, our bright girl!

she is funny and creative... and almost always in costume. she thinks big, dreams big, and the ideas never stop!

the little buddy adores her... such a blessing watching them begin to develop a sweet friendship.

something about 5 seems so grown up. watching your firstborn hit that age is awe.... lots of reminiscing and a little sadness at watching those early years fly by so quickly... and great pride and excitement about what lies ahead.

we celebrated BIG! more on that to come...

Amazing Grace & Mercy

2010-09-30T15:34:00.007-05:00

A little update on our sweet number three and where the Lord has led us lately...

Beginning of Sept I had an ob appointment following up my 20 week ultrasound. The Doc told me that there is extra fluid in baby sister's intestines... this can be an isolated issue or it can also be an indicator of several genetic issues. Based on his strong recommendation and our discussion we had blood drawn from me to test for genetic issues. I am so very thankful for an amazing Christian doc who I can trust- it would have been so hard to know what to do or think if I didn't know where he was coming from. But finding out if there was likely hood of several chromosomal or genetic issues would play into treatment action for baby.

We had the blood drawn 2 days before leaving for our family beach trip. The week at the beach was a wonderful distraction- so thankful for the Lord's timing... so much easier to be there playing than at home trying to stay away from the computer... choosing not to 'google' but to trust and rest and wait.

Our doctor called 1 week later and gave us 2 thumbs up! All looked very normal- which means most likely (but not 100%) that there are no genetic or chromosomal issues.... huge tears! huge praises! such a blessing and so astonishing how the Lord watches over and protects us from so much!

We have been praying fervently that the Lord will heal her completely before birth! 50% medical chance that the issue will resolve and add praying on top of that has gave us tons of hope!!!! If there were still issues before birth I would probably need to deliver at a different hospital with pediatric surgeons on hand, most likely immediate surgery for her at birth and many other unknowns... but we have only wanted to take it one step at a time and see no reason to get ahead of where we were.

Because there were still many unknowns with the situation we chose to keep this in the family; waiting until we had more information before asking others to join us in praying.

Amazing how much peace there is in trusting... knowing that whatever He brings He will carry us through. That first day that we got the hard news Pete said "I know everything is gonna be ok- and even if it's not ok- it will be ok." It's so true, so simple. I don't want to go anywhere that is not in His hands!!!

Today we had our follow-up ultrasound. Our hearts are rejoicing and giving all the glory to the Lord who is our protector, provider, comforter and healer!

The follow-up ultrasound today showed perfectly normal intestines and bowels! Our technician said that many times these things just "clear up"... but God is going to receive all the glory from us! Not only do they look normal- but there will be no more follow-ups, no reason to consider this pregnancy, labor, birth or baby anything but healthy and normal!

We could not have had better news and we feel overwhelmed by His grace and mercy!

Thank you for praying for us and joining us in praise!

This is only the beginning of our sweet girl's story- how the Lord created her, perfectly designed her, taught her family to rest and trust in Him, the power of prayer, and that He is her healer!

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

goldilocks of love

2010-07-21T18:24:00.006-05:00

our bright.

we've been talking for a looooong time about locks of love- it mostly comes up while she's crying and i'm brushing her hair. monday night she decided she wanted it cut. cut right now. i made an appointment for thursday- thinking that would give her a few days to make sure she wanted to do it... but she brought me a note tuesday morning that said "her cut today", hair cut today. so we did.

she was so excited about this cut- and really excited about giving away her hair. we've talked a lot (and prayed for) the little girl who will be getting a 'bright wig' and how special it will be! i was a little hesitant about the pony tail after it was cut off- but she was pretty fascinated with it! rubbing it and being amazed how soft it was! it was a very big day! after the cut we celebrated at the cookie store with a face size elmo icing cookie! she's decided she'd like to donate her hair 100x!

2010-07-05T09:37:00.002-05:00

it was a fun and crazy time!

the girls had a blast being together and the boys loved being silly!

this was a fun year with (almost) everyone being able to really enjoy the sand and water.... the one little person who passed on the sand & surf was new little audrey- who we were sooo excited to finally meet!

she was the sweetest little doll and only had a few moments of this... the entire week! :)

Jane led a little 'armor of God' lesson which spurred on a week of "i may never march in the infantry, ride in the calvary..."

more pics to come...

beach bums

2010-07-01T13:42:00.001-05:00

DSCN0588, originally uploaded by Sunshine and Peter.

burns beach 2010 was as busy, fun filled, and exciting as ever! i might just be back to posting... figuring out some flickr stuff and getting back into the groove (maybe).... stay tuned!

what's new

2010-02-22T22:57:00.011-06:00

oct 2009 marked 5 years for us in this house! amazing, yes!

which also meant time for a little shaking it up...

i've done some major editing (sending to consignment) and pete has done some major painting, patching, hanging, tiling.........

cleaning out and freshening up was exactly what this house needed and this super cold winter was the perfect time to get it done!

we worked a little black magic in the kitchen

(it's not black really, more like deep charcoal- sherwin williams 'urbane bronze' to be exact)

i love how colors pop on the gray- and while there was some discussion as to how dark/cold/dreary this would make the kitchen- i actually have found it super energizing!

once this ball got rolling we just kept on moving... pete had been wanting to try his hand at tiling and with a little extra down time he spend a few afternoons doing this.....!!!!!

love it!

the new kitchen walls demanded (really!) a little change in the dining room,

and our beloved chocolate walls went 'diana gold' like the adjoining den.

the two rooms seem much more open now and i like the flow...

thanks for taking a little tour!

big love to pete for all the time spent doing these acts of service! :)

reading!

2010-02-22T22:45:00.004-06:00

while our b has always been a lover of books it's taken d a little longer to want to sit and listen...

so fun that he now is loving the snuggle time a book offers and will usually sit and listen for a good long time! (thank you uncle davey)

i would say that teaching bright to read is very near the top of my greatest joys in mothering life list! she is amazing us all- taking off and figuring out new words on her own everyday!

GO B GO!

(what a teeny bopper! she's all about the headphones after her recording studio debut last week... more to come on that later!)

2010-02-02T21:30:00.007-06:00

Friday morning it started.... and we watched and waited...

it fell and fell and fell- real snow- lots of wonderful REAL SNOW!

oh what fun we've had! tasting icicles!

taking sled rides!

building snow people

making ice houses

playing hide-n-seek in our very own winter wonderland!

such sweet rosy cheeks!

please snow just stay a little longer!

school was out for 3 1/2 days... we didn't leave the house for 4 and we had piles of long johns, mittens, socks, hats and boots by the door- but it was so fun! usually the snow comes for only a day - maybe if we had it for months we'd grow sick of it- but this has been perfect- everything is really white- can't even see the grass- and it feels like winter- it really really does! hooray! we love the snow!

our little manly man...

2010-02-02T21:21:00.003-06:00

we have a LOT of crumbs

every meal requires vacuuming

decker john LOVES to "bacuum"

and he actually gets most of the mess cleaned up!

occasionally you need to step it up a notch with your everyday house projects...

and that's when putting on a little something special helps get the job done!
(turn your head- i cannot figure out how to rotate this video!)

out of the mouth of babes...

2009-12-25T13:34:00.004-06:00

celebrating christmas!

2009-12-21T22:21:00.008-06:00

we got a slow start on christmas... but we are really rolling now!

in the past week we've made a gingerbread house, seen the miss pattycake christmas show, been to a live nativity, gone to the opryland hotel to see christmas decorations, done some holiday painting, dressed in our christmas finest and rocked out at the fancy yancy christmas concert!

look but don't touch... or eat! so hard!

waiting for miss pattycake...

such a precious scene- so sweet to pause and take this in with our little ones!

opryland hotel- one of the fabulous poinsetta trees

can you see bright- so small at the base of the tree!

larger than life nativity outside the hotel

sweet little hands!

painting the manger scene

all dolled up

ready for church

dancing dancing dancing at fancy yancy!

singing her little heart out

yancy, our friends brenna & avery with bright

tonight we had a really fun 'big girl movie night' after tucking our little buddy into bed, daddy made popcorn, papa came over and we all watched 'charlie brown christmas!'

(yes pjs with a tutu!)

fall

2009-12-18T22:49:00.006-06:00

we are still here.
we did have fall.
here are some pictures to prove it!

fall was
lots of COSTUMES
lots of PUMPKINS
lots of BEAUTIFUL weather.. which means...
lots of WALKS to mimi's house.. which means...
lots of leaf/stick/treasure GATHERING!

b took this one- aren't the leaves amazing!

b as an indian princess

d as max the bunny- the overall wearing, always into trouble bunny with the bossy big sister- perfect!

oh and LOTS OF HUNTING!

and and a trip to charlotte for thanksgiving (but you'll have to take my word for it- no pictures!)

got milk?

2009-12-02T21:48:00.002-06:00

oreos= a "safe snack"

we buy them in bulk

they are not however meant to be eaten a sleeve at a time...

by a 20 month old just minutes before dinner

oh my!

4 years

2009-10-14T21:54:00.002-05:00

Our precious first born! 8lb 10oz and very healthy!

sweet, silly, smart, creative, amazing girl- you blow us away daily!

self-portrait!

our sister bear

2009-10-14T21:18:00.007-05:00

it was a berestein bear extravaganza! guests (mimi, papa, sum, kk, & david) along with the birthday girl's bear family, were asked to come dressed as a bear from the BELOVED series!

reference those invites to see how closely we came...

and yes mama bear needs a hat (just didn't have it left in me to pull that together!)

b waiting for the party to begin!

sister bear and gramps (who even came with a stuffed tummy!)

4 candles!

anxious face= need cake now

cake, ice cream and a party horn= happy guy!

trying to get those 4 fingers up

the newlyweds!

kk & mimi, i mean lizzy bruin and gran

papa bear and the birthday girl!

pin the tail on the donkey!

more bear books!

one happy girl!

whirlwind!

2009-10-07T21:16:00.002-05:00

whew! it's been a wild 2 weeks here... had the stomach bug, cold virus with fever, turned into croup, turned back into fever and was then determined was probably all h1n1... then the wave of wedding celebrating with brunch and rehearsal and dinner and babysitters and relatives and old friends, and last minute walgreens trips, and making sure all 4 people i am responsible for look (and act) just right for every event! plus the sweet tears, and emotional moments of seeing my sweet sum get married! then cleaning up the tornado that tore through our car and house leaving tons of laundry, piles of receipts and bills and mail. today is the first day that i am beginning to feel like i am getting ahead and not playing catch up! and we only have a slight lingering cough left. fit into those 2 weeks TWO trips to the ER! b with a high fever and decker john with breathing distress and coup. needless to say we're exhausted!

the wedding was fabulous- truly a huge celebration of what the Lord brought together! the church and ceremony were beautiful with lots of people participating in the marrying- friends singing, peter praying, a friend reading scripture, jon glock giving a charge, cousin jeff giving a benediction.... afterwards the guests were invited to walk across the yard and through the arbor to 3 sisters farm for dinner and dancing, while some chose to drive- those who walked enjoyed a surprise chi tea shot and chocolate caramel candy as they neared the arbor. summer and david arrived and were greeted by handfuls of rose petals! dinner, apple spice cake with caramel and buttercream frosting and lots and lots and lots of dancing! they were sent off to opryland hotel about 10 o'clock by a crowd of guests waving sparklers! such fun! such celebrating!

please check out our facebook photos below to see dresses and flowers and faces... and i'll get more posted as i can!

a few more wedding preview pics!

2009-10-06T20:47:00.002-05:00

i'll get some pictures and comments soon... just too tuckered out right now!

click for this album...

click here for another album...

oct 3 at 3 sisters farm!

2009-10-04T07:57:00.001-05:00

not sure if you have to be friends to view this album... but worth a try!

it was a magical night! more details to come.....

monkeys

2009-08-28T10:55:00.004-05:00

crazy monkeys

he's pretty willing to play anything, anyway she wants to

(she's got him with a pair of pliers)

monkey see, monkey do (almost do anyways)

ANYTHING d sees b do he tries!

wild monkey!!!!

let me preface these pictures with this-

i found decker john on my kitchen desk with lipstick. while i was scrubbing his shirt in the laundry room he went for a snack.

pushed his chair over to the counter.....

and punched a hole in the plastic wrap?!!!!

then after i put him down and put the chair away i turned to find this....

i guess chips do make you thirsty!

wow- all of that in 5 min!

furry friends

2009-08-21T22:50:00.004-05:00

about two weeks ago papa showed up with a surprise for us! she's black and white and furry all over and while bright is holding her in all my pictures, it is actually decker john who is crazy about her! oreo is living on our front porch- but has been known to wander down to the neighbors or to hide herself in the garage.... i think she likes it here.

bright has become quite the dog walker around here... she just needs to find a more willing participant!

moving day!

2009-08-15T15:55:00.008-05:00

today was moving day... moving new heights chapel from our college heights home of 50+ years to our new building on st andrews drive.... we will have our final service in the very empty building on main street tomorrow followed by everyone carrying their chair onto the moving truck and caravaning over for lunch at the new building.

these pictures are for anyone interested- but mainly they are for our steve (who actually deserves his own post) but who is not here to see for himself as he has recently moved a little further away from our family to be near his own family in lower hutt, new zealand.

pete would like you to know that he spent 4+ hours painting that cross one hot day

left side entrance

worship hall

back of worship hall

door detail

ceiling detail

yellow room in north hall (all children's rooms have a sink)

the blue room!

the purple room!

the green room!

west hall (gym)

kitchen

workroom- jackie's office

south hall- adult classrooms

two joined classrooms for the 9:00 service and the hispanic service

steve- your only chance to see one of the women's restrooms

"toms tunnel" and yes the floor is pink!

that is a dan decker joke on sue englehart who was so done making decisions that when he asked her what color to seal the concrete floor with she responded- i don't care just pick a color!

daily dose of trouble

2009-08-14T14:20:00.005-05:00

today...

decker john is investigating the answering machine and bright is into mermaid tatoos... mama can't turn her back for a minute!

Blogging Book Report

2009-08-14T10:25:00.003-05:00

We've just finished our first chapter book, which we love and highly recommend. It's a classic.

Winie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

What was your favorite Chapter

North Pole (Chapter VIII In Which Christopher Robin Leads an Expotition to the North Pole)

Why did you like that story?

It was kind of funny.

Pooh finds a pole.

Was there another story that you liked?

Heffalump! (Chapter V In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump)

Tell me why...

It was funny because pooh wakes up and was hungry but there was no more food, he went right back to sleep... then he looks in the hole and the jar is empty. He thought a heffalump ate it. Piglet wakes and sees a heffalump, he cries.... then he shows Christopher Robin and Christopher Robin laughs, because it was a bear. It was Pooh with a jar on his head. Silly old funny bear!

splash

2009-08-10T15:51:00.005-05:00

one great idea for a HOT day.... splash park! and a picnic with some buddies...

weddings on the brain around here

2009-08-08T12:14:00.002-05:00

bright as bride and her little buddy gladly standing in for groom

(that headpiece was actually worn by the little bride's mother as a flowergirl circa 1987! seriously! maybe i can dig up a pic of that...)

10 years

2009-08-07T10:28:00.008-05:00

be glad now and rejoice for the Lord has done amazing things for you. joel 2:21

8.7.99

amazing that today we are celebrating ten years.

thank you pete for a sweet life - the Lord has been so good to us!

can you tell a difference with boys yet?

2009-08-06T09:18:00.003-05:00

this is a question we've been asked since decker john was only an infant.

we now have a strong definitive answer- YES!

while our daughter has always been busy, busy, busy, and energetic...

decker john has taken it to a while new level. pete summed it up when he explained that at 12 months decker john was trying things that in nearly 4 years of her life bright has never thought about.... most of them happen too fast and are too slightly dangerous and/or messy to get a picture of... playing in the grill cabinet, opening the oven door, taking out the floor air vents (and dropping stuff down them), lots of potty splashing, potty dunking including a cell phone, eating a variety of non-edible things.... these are the things that are quickly coming to mind- I'm sure there are MORE!

but he's fun! lots of fun! and sweet! sweet! the little guy is just finally beginning to play and entertain himself a bit... everybody's favorite, cabinet peek aboo!

same day, more trouble... i started the water and walked out to call Bright to come on for her bath... look who was ready to get in!

Books & ABC's

2009-08-03T20:56:00.004-05:00

B has always been an avid reader- she's such a book girl. I remember when she was first talking she'd say "book with me" when she wanted to read!

Our little D is finally begining to love books- he just didn't have an interest in sitting before! :) He's doing lots of pointing at the pictures and he 'neighs' at all the animals!

Thanks to Aunt Deborah B is Starfall crazy! It amazed me how fast she learned the touch pad on the laptop and then switched right to the desktop and mouse! She even double clicks! :) Not only that but the letter games have been really fun... if you don't Starfall yet- check it out!

One day after mama said we needed to take a little computer break- she went right to her room and using an old mouse set up another computer!

(yes- the outfit is hilarious!)

Still Here!

2009-08-02T23:14:00.004-05:00

This is a loooong overdue post! The summer has been wonderfully busy with lots of playdates, swimdates, swim lessons etc etc etc... and while I haven't taken as many pictures as I should I've definalty taken some and the plan is to do an update each day to catch up on what's happened the last 2 months!

Papa took B and Mama on a date to see Thomas LIVE! wow! Not only were Thomas, Percy, James, and Gordon there but a "gymnastics girl" and lots of pink cotton candy!

Thanks Thanks Papa!!!

July 4 in historic franklin - a fun HOT day that included a pony ride!

more to come....

back

2009-06-15T23:14:00.005-05:00

we're back from the beach- suitcases unpacked, the laundry has been washed folded and put away, the pantry and fridge filled and the photos loaded!

what a blessing to spend this time with our family every year and what a joy to watch the cousins bond and play in new ways each trip.

we're gonna load all photos at a flickr page to share ALL our fun... my pics are loaded- click on the badge to the right to view them!

burns at the beach

2009-06-15T22:24:00.006-05:00

11 excited kids under 8, 10 tired adults, 7 great days, 400 photos taken, 3 seafood dinners, a dozen toddler tantrums, 100 rounds of the "fruit of the spirit" song, 2 bags of oreos eaten, 20 hours in the car, 18 holes of mini-golf x 7 kids, O sunburned kids!, 5+ trips to the grocery store.... can't wait till next year!

hair do's

2009-06-05T23:21:00.005-05:00

b had her first "beauty salon" haircut yesterday and if you ask her she'll tell you she "didn't get it cut, just trimmed!" thanks laura!

one sweet plus to the southern humidity... it will be a loooong time before i can give him a trim!

anyone want a puppy?

2009-05-22T11:17:00.005-05:00

e-l-e-p-h-a-n-t

2009-05-19T21:57:00.004-05:00

learning about elephants this week... E is for elephant. it's so exciting watching her excitement and see how she takes it so much farther than i thought she could! wow baby girl!

"let's paint an elephant and write the letter E" (mama) turned into "tell me more all the elephant letters"(bright) and then "now let's do D for duck... Q for queen... V for volcano"

so look and see can you find all the letters for the words... keep looking they are there!

that's a good idea!

2009-05-12T10:17:00.004-05:00

bright's response to the news that suh-suh and david are

going to get married!

he asked last night, totally surprised her (how awesome is that!!!!) and she said yes!

welcome to the family sweet david!

spring sing

2009-05-08T20:53:00.004-05:00

it only takes about 10min around bright to realize that she is a singer... now we've yet to tell whether she has a special talent or skill but it is certain that

God gave her a love for words and music....

so it would seem that the spring children's program for our community bible study would be an event right up her alley! ha! children never cease to amaze their parents! there may have been a brief moment or two of actual singing... mostly what we got was this.....

later that afternoon my two doodle bugs did a little (rarely ever happens around here) cooperative singing/playing....

new moves

2009-04-28T15:14:00.003-05:00

oatmeal, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes.... there's some serious screaming happening around here if decker john is in his seat without his own bowl and spoon!

picnic love

2009-04-27T22:21:00.003-05:00

found a lovely spot for a very lovely picnic on friday..... we want to do this again!

lift-tone-burn

2009-04-21T10:39:00.003-05:00

we are still PURE BARRE crazy around here... kady is nearing 2 months in business. it's hard to explain this workout- pilates, weights and a ballet barre and no it's not just stretching- it's the hardest most fun workout i've ever done... i may become addicted to the 6am tues/thurs class i can get there and get back before the kids have finished breakfast... and i hate to get specific but PB has lifted my bum in a way that even my 13.1 never did!

check out this link, one of kady's clients blogged about her experience and brought tears to this big sister's eyes!

a race and a ribbon!

2009-04-19T14:12:00.003-05:00

Saturday we did the first annual 5k TrailTrek at Horton Haven Camp. This was a family event and even the little guy got his very own participant number!

This is how we started out (plus me pushing an empty and very bouncy jogging stroller)
Bright's little legs amazed us as she walked probably 1 1/2 miles of the course!

Pete was the pack mule- Bright 30+ lbs, Decker John and pack 25+ lbs!

Papa walked back and helped us finish after he was completed his run.
Our little racer got a ribbon for the under 11 age group

(all the other kids had done a by the lap fund run)

So proud!

After the race we picnicked at the park and Decker John finally got his chance to run a little!

By the river

What a fun day!

pattycake

2009-04-18T15:26:00.004-05:00

More Cousins!

2009-04-13T20:29:00.008-05:00

Devastating tornados touched down in Murfreesboro on Friday- many people lost their homes and several lost their lives. How thankful we are for the Lord's protecting hand over our home and family this week.

It was a turkey hunting, puppy loving, playhouse playing, s'more eating weekend! Oh the fun we had with Deb, Bronson, Sara Grace, Lawson & Grandmommy & Grandaddy!

Saturday we had a BIG girls night- our special friend Yancy was performing a preschool Easter concert and we were there! We all had groupie badges to wear and got rock star treatment... Sara Grace was called up to sing a song with Y and then we even got a little one on one with Pattycake afterwards! WOW! what a fun night! Sara Grace asked me later if I knew Cinderella! Hmmm... I may have a firm spot in the favorite Aunt position for awhile! :)

(sorry it's sideways!)

Easter sweets! We had a lovely lunch at Mimi & Papa's with lots of our favorite people!

Some of B's best little girlfriends!

Love the laughter and the smiles! Thank you all for coming! What fun we had!

jane & crew

2009-04-08T22:13:00.006-05:00

We had a precious visit with Jane and her 5 babes this week! It was busy but wonderful- Madeline, Annalisa, Jack, Alex and baby Isabella are a joy! When they arrived on Saturday we had a great time playing, eating and dancing outside! Here are lots of pictures.... oh yeah- there are lots of puppies here too!

hot diggity dog!

everybody say "smore's!"

alex and uncle pete- big time guitar buddies!

sunday afternoon all lined up and ready for an easter egg hunt!

boats and bubbles... uncle pete keeping an eye on things...?!

a little movie break - we left all 7! and the mamas ran out for a quick pedicure!!!!

(yes, that's the babysitter in the above photo)

while monday turned out to be chilly and rainy- it didn't get us down

5 big kids ready for their backyard adventure armed with maps and 'i spy' scopes!

the cousins dance... we miss you already!

backyard

2009-04-02T08:45:00.003-05:00

I am not a savor not am I sentimental- I get that from my mom... so it is pretty amazing that we have in our backyard the very same sandbox that the three Decker girls played in 20+ years ago! You can see from these happy faces that we are loving our backyard time this spring!

2 new things

2009-03-26T21:30:00.002-05:00

1. adding a playhouse!
with two babes now mobile and spring officially here we were already spending lots of time outdoors... i can't even begin to say how much fun we're having NOW! and we're only days away from a visit with 7 (of our 9) cousins... come on, we're ready!

2. big boy carseat!
yes, he's almost 13months. and yes, he's well past the size/weight limits on his infant carrier....
but i love it when he falls asleep and i can carry him in the house, and i like being able to sit in the back and spoon feed him on trips... and well, mostly he is just my baby and i didn't want to let him grow up!

the car got a long overdue de-cluttering and detailing while we were at it... wondering what i did with the kiddos while i cleaned.... :) who would've guessed that this was the perfect spot to play "airplane captain"

yummy!

2009-03-18T22:29:00.005-05:00

our new favorite.

carrot banana muffin
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs (or 3T oil, 3T water, 2t baking powder whisked together)
2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
3 very ripe smashed bananas
1 cup grated carrots

mix oil, sugar, eggs (or egg substitute), then combine flour, soda, cinnamon, salt and add to wet mixture. add in bananas and carrots. spoon into paper lined muffin tin and bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean.
*paper liners especially recommended for egg free version
*this recipe makes about 18 muffins

tidbits from today

2009-03-13T20:41:00.001-05:00

decker john had his 12 month check up today... healthy and strong weighing in at 22lb 7oz and measuring 30" which puts him in the 50% for both categories.

bright, who never stops thinking and rarely stops talking, asked this evening...
'where do itches go after you scratch them off?'

We are so Pure Barre

2009-03-09T22:08:00.006-05:00

Around here there has been a whole lot of Lifting/Toning/Burning... that and a lot of building, painting, sewing, moving, cleaning, organizing, and driving to nashville!

Baby Kady opened her Pure Barre studio today and it was a grand sucess! It was a busy day full of lots of women wanting to get in top notch shape (and maybe get a glimpse of Cortland Finnegan).... We are super proud of you KK!

http://purebarre.com/nashville

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pure-Barre/30667923547

1!

2009-03-06T19:09:00.006-06:00

A whole year!

Our little buddy had a very special day! Blows our minds how fast this year has gone and overwhelms us how this little guy found his own special place in our family and has brought us so very, very much joy!

We love the way he snuggles, the way he calls Bright "D!", the way he never gets enough to eat, the way his little legs and bare toes move when he walks, the way he pulls things out of cabinets, the way his whole world stops when "D" walks in the room.... Thank you Lord for our precious little Peanut!

We did a little pre-celebrating in Charlotte.... and were all amazed by Grandmommy's cake!

(she also made the sweet outfit he's wearing for all the festivities!)

Eating it by the fistfull!

Happy cousins- waiting for cake!

Playing with Aunt Jane & little Isabella!
Everyone helping with presents!
Today we had another sweet little family party...
B doing some pre-party preparations for the birthday boy

setting the table
(she picked the giraffe dress herself in honor of his party theme... which she also helped choose)

posing with aunt kk!

birthday big sister- what a helper!

diving in!

bunch of balloons! (thanks suh-suh!)

preferring to push rather than ride!

loving his hand painted car (and duck not pictured) from his sweet sis!

it snowed! oh it really really snowed!

2009-03-02T09:03:00.004-06:00

Tea & Toes

2009-02-09T19:28:00.004-06:00

Oh the weather! I'll admit that this winter I've been frustrated with both the lack of 'real' snow & the bone chilling cold... but this weekend there wasn't anywhere I'd rather be than Tennessee! 65 & 70 degree days kept us outdoors and barefoot! In February! Stay Sun Stay!

That's the blessing of living in the south! Here are a few weekend photos...

Saturday morning mess from our little buddy!

Tea party on the front porch! Celebrating the SUN!

Blue-eyed blueberry face!

Stirring up a batch of play-dough

sibling shoot

2009-02-03T08:35:00.004-06:00

these were taken pre-christmas.
thank you grandmommy for making the sweet dress- it's perfect for twirling!

2009

2009-02-02T21:17:00.005-06:00

We're back blogging after a wonderful busy holiday season!

Holiday Open house, Christmas, Charlotte trip, New Years, and college group retreat all kept us hopping, and a food allergy diagnosis slowed us down... but things are getting back to a sweet normal and we're so thankful for the promises of this next year! Fun things are happening at our house...

Look who's walking!!! (sorry you have to tilt your head!)

Going to the 'gas store'... playmates at last!

Things are changing around here with Decker John up and about! He's now choosing to walk over crawl and he's mastered 'squat and stand back up!'

O Christmas Tree!

2008-12-17T19:10:00.003-06:00

Picking a tree from 'Papa's Woods' with daddy

Decorating it on the deck... where our little buddy can't get it!

Gobble Gobble

2008-12-14T22:36:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving seems like a month ago now that Christmas is NEXT WEEK! But here are some pics from our trip to NC....

We went to Monkey Joes- a bouncy, inflatable, playground... we loved it! It was our first time somewhere like this- what a blast! Pics were a little tricky due to all the bouncing... but look at those smiling faces!

Grandmommy had the fun idea of hosting a few sleepovers for B and her 'big girl' cousins! This was our first time to try this too... and amazingly they did get some sleep! For Bright's very first sleepover they picked Madeline up from school and then made turkey gingerbread cookies- ummm! Then later in the week Anna (pictured here) came over for some playtime with B!

We loved getting to see sweet Kai- and it was fun watching the two little guys interact a little bit!

Thanksgiving was a special day... here are the cousins worn out from some serious playtime- snuggling with Uncle Daniel on the couch!

What a joy getting to meet our precious new cousin- Isabella Ruth! What a sweetie!

Sweet Hannah Kate- tired from a very busy holiday!

Grandaddy reading a special Thanksgiving story to the grands!

Jack & Alex

Jane does it all! Here is the ADORABLE thankfulness turkey she whipped up- bringing tons of fun and meaning to our day!

Bright sitting with the 'big girls!'

Decker John getting his turn in the little rocker that his grandmother (father, uncles, aunt, cousins and sister too) sat in when she was a baby!

It was a great Charlotte week! We got to spend some time with a dear old friend (Rachel!) and meet her precious girls and also visit with my cousin (David) and his family in their beautiful home. I got some good girl time with some very missed friends and even caught a movie one night! Fun fun! Can't wait to go back!

catch up!

2008-11-20T21:36:00.003-06:00

Here's what we've been doing....

Bright is usually found in the midst of dozens of markers and crayons and (literally) 1000's of stickers! She's blown us away with her most recents pieces... this is David and Goliath.

That's Goliath on the left, "see his mad face!"

Decker John is more into creating messes!
This was one of B's favorite spots too.... pulling down the cookbooks!

Covering the highchair in goo!

Peek-a-boo, Wiggle Worms.... ummm, maybe our straps should be a little tighter!