Weekly tid-bits and a Princess Party!

The most exciting things of the past few weeks...


-My Aunt Bette, my Mom's sister, has FINALLY moved here from Charlotte, NC! She has lived there since I was born. I can't explain how happy I am that she is here! It's almost like having my Mom back. It's just awesome...


-We attended a Travis Cottrell and Beth Moore recording last Sunday night at First Baptist Woodstock in Georgia aka "The God Dome". All I can say is that it was AMAZING. Travis and Beth both have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. We were truly led to the feet of Jesus. I hope that I will be able to attend many more of their concerts/conferences. I am so thankful that we got to be a part of it!


-Tim's school started back and this semester is basically going to kick his booty! Please be in prayer for him. I am so proud to say that he made all A's last semester. It was very tough, but he/we got through it! It would be very easy for me to sit back and be annoyed with the fact that he is having to spend a lot of his time on schoolwork, but God has given me a peace about this. That is how I know that this is what he is supposed to be doing.


-Addy was sick with a stomach bug all day yesterday. It was so sad especially with her being so young. It was very scary. She's fine today, thank the Lord!





And for the grand finale...





-Today, we went to a Princess party! It was Emmy's little friend, Lillie's, 3rd birthday! Meredith, her Mommy, had all the girls dress up as a princess. It was so much fun and the girls were TOO CUTE!

Lillie & Hannah

Lydia, Madison, Lillie, & Addy playing (Addy didn't have a dress :-{, but if you look closely there's a crown on her hat!)

Emmy, Lillie, Lydia, Madison, & Brooklynn

There were many funny moments, but I'll share a few of the cutest from our day...

*Trying to make Emmy's hair curly with a flat iron. I know that it can be done, but I just can't do it! lol She kept saying "But Mommy, I'm already pretty! Why are you doing this?" as I am burning her ear....poor baby. She's learning early that beauty is pain.

*Not knowing where Emmy was and realizing she had snuck upstairs (in a house she had never been to) and found a playroom.

*We tried for what seemed like forever to get the girls all together for the above picture. We snapped it then they scattered. Not two minutes later, I laid Addy on the floor to roll around and all of the girls FLOCKED to her! (Besides Emmy, of course. Her baby sister is no big deal, now! lol) I just thought it was so cool to see how these little girls' mother instincts are already kicking in.

*Emmy telling me that she would "help" Lillie open her presents only to see her start ripping off the paper of one and pretty much opening the whole thing herself!

*Lillie singing "Happy Birthday" to herself.

*Watching videos of Lillie's party last year. I can't believe how much they have grown!

*Since we got home, Emmy keeps telling me "There were 2 Belle's at the party Mommy!" in such a shocked voice!

We really had a great time! Lillie is such a precious little girl and so is her Mommy! Happy Birthday, Lillie! We love you!

Haley

p.s. Just so y'all know, my baby sister is going to be 18 on the 16th. I will probably be suffering from depression from now until then. Time just FLIES, doesn't it?

Answered Prayers

"I'm sure that y'all are sick of me posting e-mails that I get, but I thought that this was a cool story. I researched it before I posted it and from what I have found it is true. After you read this, read this, for another story of answered prayers. I'll post something about the kids in the next couple of days.*

-Haley





Subject: Pam's story

Never hear about this on the news

Pam knows about the pain of considering abortion. More than 21 years ago, she and her husband, Bob, were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in a contaminated food or drink. She entered into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. The doctors "didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue," Pam said.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband, "If you will give us a son, we'll name him 'Timothy,' and we'll make him a preacher." Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and, eventually, gave birth to a health baby boy August 14, 1987.

Pam's youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father's ministry in the Philippines .

He also plays football. Pam's son is Tim Tebow.

Last year, the University of Florida 's star quarterback, became the first sophomore in history to win college football's highest award, the Heisman Trophy. Tim's notoriety and the family's inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women's centers across the country.

She was the keynote speaker at the Oct. 23, 2008, benefit banquet for two Louisville ministries. A Woman's Choice Resource Center offers such services as free pregnancy tests, post-abortion counseling, adoption information, and material support. Necole's Place is a companion ministry that provides support services for women in need.

Several Louisville-area Kentucky Baptist churches and Long Run Baptist Association help support both ministries. A Woman's Choice board chairman, John Schmitt, reported at the banquet that in the 20 years since the resource center opened, 4,500 children have been saved from abortion -- 400 in this year alone.

Speaking of the thousands of lives saved, Pam Tebow said, "That just blows my mind. Every little baby you save matters."

Elmo Street Live!!!

Our computer has been acting up a little and I've been busy, so I haven't had a chance to post about the fun we had Friday night!

My Dad called a few weeks ago and asked if he and my stepmom, Vickie (Emmy calls her Mickie...too cute :-]) , could take Emmy to Sesame Street Live. I told him that we were already planning on getting tickets for it so if he wanted, we could all go together! That's what we decided to do and we had a ball! Emmy wasn't too sure about everything that was going on, but I know that she loved it because she keeps talking about it! She calls it "Elmo Street Live" or "Elmo Street World". LOL Anyway, I have several pictures. People probably thought I was annoying because I kept taking pictures of Emmy, but I was trying to capture her little faces! If y'all ever get a chance to go to one and you have small children you should. It was a really cute show!

Dad, Vickie and Emmy posing before the show started. Em's Elmo flag is facing the wrong way!

My little family.

An attempt to get a picture of all the characters.

Emmy clapping for whatever was going on.

This is what Addy thought of it all...

Thanks Dad and Vickie for a great time! We love you!

Haley

p.s. I took this picture of Addy at Tim's parents house the other day. She will be 5 months on the 29th and is almost crawling! She can crawl backwards, but is still trying to go forward. I'm not encouraging her at all! lol

What a cutie!

Her Children Arise and Call Her Busy

*I got this great e-mail from my friend, Kristen. Thought y'all might like it.

January 12, 2009

Sandy Cooper, She Speaks Conference


"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."
I Thessalonians 4:11&12 (NIV)

Devotion:
"Mom, will you please tell me a story?" my eight-year-old daughter asked me recently. It had been one of those insanely packed days, full of errands, chores and activities... And it wasn't over yet. My mind strained to keep everything in order for the remaining events we had planned for the evening. I was coordinating our homeless outreach followed by plans to attend my husband's softball game. Kids had to be fed, pottied, properly clothed, and in the right places at the right times. I had to remember to bring supplies, snacks, drinks and driving directions to our various destinations. There was no brain reserve left for creative stories.

"I'm sorry, honey. I can't tell you a story right now. I just have too much on my mind."

"That's okay," she said. "I'll tell you a story. Once upon a time," she began, "there was a very busy mom."

Uh oh. This ought to be interesting...

"She woke up every day and she was tired. She made a big pot of coffee and went into her room to pray. She prayed and prayed and prayed...but nothing happened. She did the laundry and went to Target and to the grocery store where she spent lots of money. She made dinner and cleaned the house. She went to help the homeless children. At the end of the day, she was still tired so she went to bed. The end."

Wow. I'm like a twisted version of the Proverbs 31 woman, only much less effective.

I managed to fake a smile and kiss my precious daughter on the head as I blinked back tears. Is that really how she sees me? As a tired woman with a futile prayer life? Overwhelmed and overscheduled? I had always taken pride in the fact that I wasn't busy. Years ago I learned to say "no" to activities that ate into our family time. I value simplicity and solitude. I had even taught Bible studies about it! Yet, somehow in the midst of my un-busy life, I managed to get very busy. And now the children were taking notice. This was something I promised myself would never happen.

That night I couldn't sleep (a very rare thing for me...being as "tired" as I am and all). So at 1:00 am I got up and began journaling. For two hours, I poured out my anxious thoughts to God as I sifted through my schedule to identify where and when things had gone wrong. I listed every activity in which I am currently involved, as well as every household responsibility that was taking up my time. The process was very revealing. I discovered that it wasn't one nasty "culprit" I could quickly cast out of my life, but a series of little culprits to address:

O Mismanaged time--like checking and responding to e-mails over ten times a day.
O Commitments which were longer than anticipated--like the freelance job that was supposed to be completed two months ago.
O Time management systems I previously put in place, but failed to maintain--like my mail filing system and my "write-everything-on-a-master-list" system.
O Piles of clutter in my home--which often left me feeling exasperated because they represented areas of my life that were out of control.

That night God helped me identify a few key areas I could immediately cut in order to be less busy. He helped me draw up and prioritize a master list of projects to tackle, as well as new chores to delegate to my children. But mostly that night, He reminded me - for what seems like the millionth time - that my children would only be little for a season. And in comparison to the pages of other tasks and responsibilities I had just written in my journal, my commitment to be a Godly wife and mother stood far above them all.

And then He reminded me that He doesn't view me as some kind of "ministry production machine." Nor does He value me because of what I can accomplish in a day. He cherishes me because I am His daughter. When I remember this, I'm much less inclined to add many things to my plate. Instead, I rest in the peace of knowing who I am in Christ and what He has purposed for me to do and be.

Dear Lord, I offer my schedule today to You. Help me remove from my schedule things not in Your perfect will for me. Help me add anything to my schedule that I may have overlooked but is important to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Not Me Monday!

So...I'm going to do this Not Me Monday thing that MckMama does every Monday and claims that it's "therapeutic" to admit the things that you did not do this week. I probably won't do it every week. I just thought it might be fun to see what I come up with!

Let's see...

I did not sleep until 10:55AM with Addy this morning. That would be selfish considering Tim gets up at 5:30AM on typical workdays. He's off on Monday so I would not make/let him get up with Emmy. Nope! Not me!

Saturday, I definitely was not giving Emmy a bath and she did not whine and whine and whine saying it was cold when really it was warm. I did not warn her and she did not continue to whine. As a result, I most certainly did not say "I'll show you cold!" and turn the water all the way to ice cold so that she would stop whining. That would be cruel and people might think I'm a horrible mother if I did that!

Emmy did not stop taking naps this week and I do not make her stay in her room for an hour every day so that I can have some peace and quiet. That too would probably be a little selfish. Not me!

Me and Tim started The Love Dare book this week. The dare for one day was do a random act of kindness for your spouse. I did not wait until the end of the day to read it and putting toothpaste on his toothbrush before he went to bed was not my act for the day. That would be thoughtless considering he happily folded the laundry, loaded the dishwasher and got dinner for us. I'm a WAY better spouse than that!

I did not tell Emmy that my sweet tea was apple juice last night while out to dinner just so that I could see her face as she tasted it. Sweet tea is way too sugary and has too much caffeine for a 3 year old! I would never do that...

What did you not do this week??

Precious Moments

I was going to save this picture until Mee-mee's (Mom's Mom) birthday, but I just couldn't! We went over there for dinner last night and I got this great candid picture of her and the girls. I'm SO thankful that my daughters are getting to know their great-grandmother. Moments like this are PRICELESS! Can you believe she's almost 82?

Happy Sunday!

Haley

An update on my girls!

We haven't done a whole lot this week, but I did take the girls to the doctor yesterday and got good reports!

Addy is weighing in at a hefty 17 lbs 8ounces and 26 1/2 in. long. You read that right! My little 4 month old weighs almost 18 lbs! Emmy didn't weigh that much until she was almost a year old! I couldn't believe it! The doctor said that she's doing everything just like she's supposed to. We started giving her rice cereal the other night since she's waking up a little more in the night. She still hasn't gotten the hang of the whole swallowing thing, but she's making progress! She's also rolling from her back to belly, ALMOST from her belly to back, and is starting to pull her knees up under her like she is going to crawl. Again, Emmy didn't crawl until about 6 1/2 months. I am NOT ready for this!

Here's my little chunker! When her legs are bent a little more, she has about 4 big rolls. I love me a chubby baby!

Emmy is my "petite" girl weighing 27 lbs and I believe 36 1/2 inches tall (I may be wrong on that, but I think I'm remembering correctly). She really hasn't grown a whole lot since last year, but that's ok! She's eating well (LOVES fruits and vegetables) and seems to be just like me when I was a little girl. It was so sweet to see her talk to the doctor yesterday. She told her what she liked to eat, the things she did at school, how old she was, her friends names, that she dressed herself, etc. I knew she liked to talk, but it was just a lot of information at one time! She's also like a little teenager these days and DEFINITELY making me question my parenting on a daily basis. Has anyone else dealt with that? Anyway, besides the fact that she's a MESS, she is also a wonderful big sister, keeps us laughing, and truly does have a sweet spirit.

This is a picture from a few months ago. I think she looks like such a cutie in it!

Addy had 3 shots and Emmy had to have her finger pricked. Emmy actually cried after Addy got her shots because she DIDN'T get one! She had a flu shot a few months ago and got a cool band aid and wanted another one. She's crazy!

I'm so thankful for my little blessings! Not everyone can say that they have 2 healthy, thriving children. I try not to go a day without thanking God for that!

Sisters and loving every minute of it! Well...MOST minutes :-)

Hope that you all are having a wonderful week!

Haley

Sons (and daughters :-}) are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.

Psalm 127:3

p.s. I almost put Psalm 127:5, but I don't think that I would consider myself "blessed" to have a quiver FULL of them...haha. You know I'm kidding :-)...kind of.

And you think you ate too much during the holidays...

I hadn't put up any recent pictures of my sister.

I got tagged!

I got tagged by Vanessa @ From the Inside Out, the same girl that made my blog look so great! She is my sister's Sunday School teacher and also went to high school with me. Anyway, now you get to learn 7 weird/random facts about yours truly!





1. I've only lived in 2 houses my whole life. One of them for 18 years and I've lived in the one we live in now since just a few months before I got married.



2. When I was a baby I got my baby toe stuck in a vent and I hear it was pretty much hanging off. Surprisingly, I don't have a scar. My toe just looks kind of funny sometimes!



3. Growing up, we called footie pajama's "cuddle-bumpkins". We have continued the tradition in my own family!



4. When I was little, my mom had a talk with me about how just because I was a girl I could still do anything I set my mind to when I grew up. I thought long and hard and looked at her and said "Mommy, I know what I want to be!". She was so proud and said, "What?!" "A TURTLE!" I replied. I dreamt of that for what seemed like years after that conversation. I pictured myself growing old in the Chattanooga Aquarium! Haha!



5. I enjoy being out and about and out of town, but I LOVE being comfy and cozy at home with my family. There's nothing like it!



6. I have pretty much stopped watching many shows on TV because of how it conflicts with my beliefs. It has been HARD because that's what I used to do with my free-time. Now, I blog, read, or just spend time with my hubby. I now feel like I'm guarding my heart and not wasting time on what I feel like is offensive entertainment.



7. Before my sister was born my Mom wanted to have a talk with me about breastfeeding. She sat me down to read a book about how animals feed their babies. She then asked, "Do you understand how I'm going to feed your new baby brother or sister now?" "We're gonna get a goat?" I asked.


*If you have time Laurie, Stephanie, Danyel, and Amberly, I would love for you guys to consider yourselves tagged!

87 Years Young

"Gray hair is a crown of splendor. It is attained by a righteous life."

Proverbs 16:31

Today is a very special day! It is my Papa's (mother's father) 87th birthday! Can I get an Amen?! This man is probably one of the most wonderful people I know. I know he's my grandfather, but REALLY, he is AMAZING! First of all, he has been happily married for 60 years this past June, he works out with his friends 2 or 3 times a week, is very faithful in his church, visits the nursing home once a week, attends a prayer breakfast with several other men once a week, is obviously in wonderful health and is the most generous, sweet spirited person that I know. Needless to say, he's not a typical 87 year old man. And let me tell you, he has not had it easy. He lost his mother at a very young age (I believe it was 2 or 3) and was mothered by his not much older sister. His father also died when he was a young adult. He was in the Air Force in World War II, shot down in Germany and was a POW. After he married, he worked hard to support his family. In just the last 4 years he has watched his 46 year old daughter battle breast cancer and pass away, watched his wife just months later go through a second mastectomy (and praise the Lord it didn't spread!), and gone through heart surgery where a 99% blockage was found and a stint had to be put in. Even though he has been through some really tough stuff, he has also managed to put his hope and trust in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that, my friend, is his biggest accomplishment. If the Lord allows me to live that long, my prayer is that I will be even half the person he is. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, God-fearing example in my life!



If you get to read this, Happy 87th Birthday, Papa! I love you!



Haley

They're goin' to the chapel and they're gonna get married!

I'm very excited to say that one of my BFF's, Whitney, got engaged to a great guy, Duane, last night! My sister and some others were there hiding in the bushes to take pictures! I'm trying to talk her into starting a blog to document this exciting time in their relationship, but in the meantime, I just thought that I would do it for her! Here are a few sweet pictures...

This is not him actually asking her. It's just a reenactment! (It's blurry because it was drizzling out.)

She can't remember if she said "yes", but the picture explains it all!

The happy couple!

The ring.

This couple is very special and I am absolutely thrilled for them! They are starting their marriage off right with a firm foundation on the Lord. I am so thankful that there are still couples like that. Please pray for them as they plan a wedding (with a short engagement) and marriage!

Congratulations Duane and Whitney! We love you guys!

Haley

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13:13

TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2009

*Just got this through an e-mail and thought it was too good not to share!*


1. The Bible will still have all the answers.

2. Prayer will still work.

3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.

5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.

6. There will still be singing of praise to God.

7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

8. There will still be room at the Cross.

9. Jesus will still love you.

10. Jesus will still save the lost.

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalms 103:2-5

A New Year's Resolution

I have a few New Year's resolution's about eating better, exercising more, and trying to be a more patient, understanding Mommy, but the most important one is memorizing Scripture. I'm doing this along with probably about 2,500 other bloggers (Siesta's) through the Living Proof Ministries blog. The way it works is we will memorize 2 Scriptures a month and post them on the comments on that blog to be held accountable. I think that this is such an awesome idea! I know that Scripture memorization is so important so I am really going to do my best to get some of this stuff ingrained in my memory. This is a wonderful way to fight off the enemy when he attacks. Remember in Matthew when Satan was tempting Jesus? Every response was "for it is written" and Jesus would quote scripture. I hope that I can get to a point in my walk to where I will immediately be able to think of scripture when I am being tempted. I'm planning on posting my Scripture on here twice a month as well to just kind of share what the Lord is doing. If you aren't familiar with the Siesta blog and want to join in go to http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/ and read the latest post. Here is the verse that I am memorizing first. It is the one that Beth suggested and I think it fits perfectly with my walk right now.

"He is your constant source of stability; He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; He gives all this to those who fear Him." Isaiah 33:6 NET

When I think about everything that's going on in my life right now with Tim in school, trying to teach my child/children the way she should go, knowing that there could be ministry opportunities in the future that would involve moving from a place you've lived your whole life, tight budgets, etc., it's hard to not get overwhelmed! I'm so glad that my God is my stability- my CONSTANT stability. Even when I'm not sure how in the world I'm going to manage, He is my strength and endurance! And it gets even better...He ABUNDANTLY provides safety and GREAT wisdom! How awesome is that? I serve an amazing God!

Again, I can't stress how important it is to hide God's Word in your heart. So go for it, and let's see what the Lord teaches you this year! And by the way, let me know if you are doing it so that we can hold each other accountable. I need real life friends to help me! :-)

Much love,
Haley

Making Memories

Me, Tim, Emmy, Addy and Tim's parents had the chance to travel to Salem, Virginia (close to Roanoke) to meet his brother, Danny, Danny's wife, Laurie, and there children, Gabbie and Luke. They are from New Jersey. It was the longest trip that we've been on since before we had Emmy, but well worth it! We got to eat out together, had a joining room with them (which the girls absolutely loved), walked the mall, went to Chuck E. Cheese, went to a duck pond, had late night kid-free visits in a mini-van (so we could still watch the doors to the rooms), but most of all made some great memories! Here are some pictures...

Emmy greeting Gabbie as soon as she arrived.

Tim living vicariously through Danny loving on a little boy!

Twinkies!

The girls in the rental car buggies at the mall. They're gonna love this when they're 16!

Best friends!

This is what she did when I said "Gabbie smile" from behind her!

Sipping drinks outside of Chuck E. Cheese. And yes Laurie, they do look like teenagers!

Checking out the ducks and geese at the park.

Lukey at the duck pond all bundled up!

An attempt to get all of the cousins picture together. (-Zachary :-[ still sad he couldn't come!)

Daddy's girl

What a precious family!

Laurie getting smiles from Addy.

The girls sitting at the Japanese steakhouse. They cracked me up by the conversation they had about what they were going to eat. "Gabbie, I'm having salad!" "Emmy, I'm having chicken!" They seriously had a 15 minute conversation about it. lol

Pajama party!

Grandmommy aka Tim's mom giving Addy some attention.

Poppy aka Tim's dad and Danny playing the elephant game they gave Em for Christmas.

Emmy giving bye hugs to Laurie and Gabs.

We stopped in Pigeon Forge on the way home and went to a restaurant called "The Flying Horse Grill". It has a carousel in it. Emmy was scared to ride on a horse until after the ride had started!

Addy after 4 hours strapped in a car seat. Wow! However, I don't have any pictures of the last two hours of our trip. I would prefer to forget about that...

Em with a butterfly sucker and balloon at the restaurant.

Our trip was so much fun, but WAY too short. It's bittersweet to look back at these pictures because I already miss them so much! As you can see, we had a wonderful time! Even though it's hard to say goodbye, I am so thankful that our kids are making sweet memories together!

We love you Danny, Laurie, Gabbie, and Luke and look forward to another visit with y'all!

Haley