Snowstorm.....

...in Alabama.




...in late July.




...in the form of Cornstarch.

This only shows half the room. The other half was also blanketed in snowy white goodness, but I couldn't breathe from the cloud of corn starch fog so you'll have to use your imagination.

It's hard to believe that just hours before this little show of the two year old terribles, my little farmboy fireman beethoven (he couldn't decide today, note farmer hat AND fireman boots!) was providing us with this entertaining piano masterpiece:

....well, I have to go now. I'm pretty sure I'll need a breathing treatment after vacuuming all the cornstarch/snow up!

I would have made him vacuum it up (mean, I know!) but he would have seen that as a total reward and not punishment at all!

Livin'on the edge.....

....yeah, that's how we roll!

(livin' on the edge, that is!)

Help me pray?

I would like to ask you to pray for my step mom's family. Her brother, Lowell (56), has fought prostate cancer for a couple of years now and has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor as well. He underwent radiation treatments for the tumor and has now completed all treatment that is available to him at this time. The treatments, and I'm sure the cancer itself, have left him so weak.

My step mom, Sharon, has 11 siblings. She has a twin sister and 10 other brothers and sisters. This family has such a close bond. I can say for sure, with absolute certainty, that I have NEVER heard one of her siblings speak a cross word about anyone or to anyone. They are some of the sweetest most caring and genuine people you will ever come across!

They are also a family of Christians. They have strong faith and know that God's will will be done.

But I know that they are sad. Sad that their brother is hurting and weak. Sad that the cancer seems to be taking him from them. And this makes me so sad.

As I was talking to my dad a bit ago, Sharon and two of her sisters had just returned from visiting Lowell. It didn't sound like he'd had a very good day. Sharon has also spent a few nights there this week to give Lowell's wife, Deborah, a bit of a break.

I just ask that you would pray for Lowell's comfort during this time, and for his family as they care for him and each other. I also pray that my siblings and I can be there for Sharon and her family as they are always there for us....doing anything that they can, never having to be asked, never expecting anything in return.

One more thing. There is another family from my very small hometown that has received devastating news the last couple of weeks. If you are local, they own the Christmas Tree Farm in Rosalie. The husband has just been diagnosed with a very fast growing terminal brain tumor. I know that this family would appreciate your prayers as well! This family also is such a good hearted family! Both the husband and the wife manned the community center for countless hours during the cleanup from the tornado.

One thing that I will never forget about them. The wife was my 5th grade teacher, and every year on their anniversary he would send her a rose for every year they'd been married. At that time it was in the high 20's or early 30's I'm guessing! I'll never forget how her face would light up when the roses arrived! I have always thought about that when I see them. I think that's just about one of the sweetest anniversary traditions I've ever heard of!

My grandmother worked at the community center most every day during the cleanup effort that has just recently ended, or at least on a 7 day a week basis. Carter & I visited her there alot during that time so we have spent a lot of time with Mrs. Joy (as all her students called her) lately. And Carter loves her just as much as every student who ever darkened her door!!

Please join me in praying for this family as well, I know that both families will appreciate every prayer that goes up on their behalf!

One more thing! A large group from our church will be leaving for a mission trip later this week. I ask that you pray for them and their safety, and that God will prepare the hearts of those who are going on the trip, and those who they are going to minister to!

Thank you!


Again,....Ya'll are awesome!

Go DRachel's Ballgame?...

Update: Rachel's team did not win at state, but we are still so incredibly proud of the girls and their coaches! Thank you all so much for your comments! I know that Rachel loved reading them!

......Go Matthew's Ballgame??

(when Carter says "Rachel" it comes out "DRachel", thus the title of this post)

These are questions I have heard soooo many times this summer! Carter absolutely loves going to watch his big cousins play baseball (or football, or basketball)! And so do I!

This year Rachel played again on the 7-8 yr old softball team. The regular season ended a month or so ago, but this year Rachel was chosen to play on the All Star team for this area! Now, anyone who has ever played ball knows what a big honor this is!

I know that when I played softball (a long time ago!) the last night of the league tournament was always was such an exciting night! All the teams would gather on the field after the championship game for the trophy presentation. First the teams who placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the league and in the tournament got their trophy, then the players who were chosen for the All Stars team were called from each team. It was such fun, and such a big deal to have your name called for that team! Then you practiced with your new teammates for a few weeks as you geared up for the district tournament. If you happened to be a good enough team and worked hard enough (and had a little good luck thrown in) to win the district, you got to go to the state tournament!

Well, on July 2, Rachel's All Star team won their district in one of the most exciting tournaments I've been to! They played 3 games to win and let me just tell you, they may only be 7 and 8 years old but these girls can play some softball! Every single game left me exhausted from the sheer excitement of it! (oh, and chasing Carter.....but big cousin Matthew helped tremendously in this area! Thanks again, Matthew!!)

Rachel and her All Star team will be traveling to Montgomery tomorrow to play in their first game of the state tournament! The girls (and their parents & coaches) have been working hard to raise money to pay for the trip! I am so excited for them! We won't be able to go that far to watch her play. Her Uncle Kyle has to work and I fear that I would never recover from a 4 hour (one way) car trip and an overnight stay with a 2 yr old and a 3 month old by myself!

So, would you please join me in wishing Rachel and her team the very best of luck this weekend?? I am praying that everyone has a safe trip there and back, and that each game is played with good sportsmanship and each player has a safe, FUN game! Oh,....and of course, that our team wins!! If they do win this state tournament, they would then go to Louisiana!

Rachel was my biggest prayer warrior when I was pregnant with Lilah. Even on the morning of my C Section she asked her parents and brother to have prayer for us with her before they got out of the car to go into the hospital! Lilah's middle name, Rae, was after Rachel (and my dad, and Kyle's grandfather) and I will never forget the look on her face when we told her that we were naming Lilah after her. She is such an amazing little girl, and we love her and her big brother Matthew, who just turned 10, so very much!!

So again, will you please join me in wishing Rachel and her team the very best of luck this weekend? I know there are alot of you who read but don't comment, but I'm asking you to comment this time! I'm gonna call Rachel later to tell her to read my blog and I'd love for her to have tons of well wishes in the comments to read! **Don't forget to leave your name so she knows who's wishing her good luck!**

Thanks! You guys are awesome!

Here are a few pics of the team from the district tournament!

and this one is from the day Lilah was born, Rachel peeking at her through the nursery!
I don't know if this was the first time Rachel held her or not ('cause I spent most of that day unconscious and don't remember much of anything!) but it's one of my favorites! They had gotten to the hospital around 5:30 AM, Lilah was born at 6:28 AM and this picture was taken at 12:55 PM. I know she had to be exhausted but she was determined to stay and hold her little namesake!

Got Warranty?

...so last week I was leaving in a big fat hurry, and as I was backing my enormously wide Tahoe(when you compare it to the VW Passat I used to drive) out of the 10 foot (my husband reminded me) garage door, I sort of tapped the drivers side mirror against the door as I backed out.....

....this resulted in a smashed mirror that was dangling by a cord from it's original position. The good news is that the blinker, which is on the mirror, still works, and I can still basically see out of it.....

...the bad news is every time I shut the door a little hard, it falls out and again resumes the "dangling by the cord position". Also bad is that I found out from the Chevrolet people that this mirror costs almost $1,000.00 to replace......

.......and to add insult to injury Carter was with me when it happened and now every time I start my vehicle he says, "Don't break something, Mama! Hold on Lilah!!"

Little Stinker!

I wish I could blame his smart mouth on his dad.

I Can't.

And you better believe my dad loves every second of it!

A Redneck Holiday...

...I have often proclaimed myself "country, but not redneck", and those of you who have lived in the country know the difference. However, after the events of this past weekend, I may have to rethink my opinion of myself, or at the very least admit that maybe sometimes I do redneck things......maybe.

On July 4th we drove the few miles down the road to the closest fireworks display. We parked what we thought was far enough away from them to keep Carter from being scared by the loud "booms" of the fireworks. We were wrong. He was terrified!

Mainly because the location of the "launch" of the fireworks had been changed from previous years. This year they were launched directly over our heads. It. Was. Loud!


That isn't the point to this story, however. The point is, I , (since, you know, everything is my fault) forgot to put the lawn chairs in the car. (I did, singlehandedly, get both kids, the diaperbag, and the insect repellent in the car).

But we saw these people near us doing this so we thought we'd do the same thing. Especially when we figured out the fireworks started at 9 instead of 8:30 and Rambo was getting restless.....

We actually took the 3rd row seats out of my vehicle and put them on the ground and sat in them.


I know!

There are at LEAST 25 Redneck jokes flashing through my mind as I type this!

I think it must have had something to do with the Rodeo we went to last weekend. All those rednecks in one place! They must have rubbed off on me a little!

"You might be a redneck if,..........."

(go ahead, finish it...I know you're dying to!)

A title escapes me......so here goes

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the prayers during the last week! We have certainly felt them, and most certainly have felt the presence of God during this time. Last week did not go well and there were some twists and turns that we didn't expect, but yesterday we got encouraging news regarding my mom, so hopefully things are looking up!

In other terribly sad news we had to say goodbye to our faithful dogs of 10 years last week. Our chocolate lab, Lexie, had been limping around for a while and a big knot had come up, so I heard her whining last Tuesday night and took her in to the vet on Wednesday. He did an xray and found that she had a tumor on her right shoulder. He showed me on the xray where the tumor was growing on the inside of her bone, causing the bone to expand, which he said had to be incredibly painful for her. The vet said that this cancer is very aggressive and terminal, so he recommended we put her down to keep her from being in such awful pain. Carter was with me, so we went in to say our goodbyes to our faithful friend, and as she always did, she wagged her tail with joy when she saw us coming. We petted her and talked to her for a little while, then we said our final goodbye. Of course, Carter didn't understand that Lexie wasn't coming with us so when we left he was saying, "Come on, Lexie...Come on, girl".

So you can imagine my surprise when later that afternoon we were outside and I heard the whining again. I knew it wasn't Lexie, so we went off in search of our other dog, Sam, a yellow lab also 10 years old, who hangs out at the barn alot chasing rats, and squirrels, and trucks, and tractors. I finally found him. He was hurt pretty bad. It looked like either other dogs, or most likely a coyote(s) had gotten hold of him. His ear was chewed up real bad, and he had several gashes on his sides and legs. It didn't look good, but Sam has survived so much! We have said several times that he has 9 lives because every time you think he isn't going to make it, he bounces back! He even survived what the vet thinks had to be a bear attack several years ago, with a minor surgical scar on his leg! Anyway, I doctored him for two days with medicine the vet sent home with us but by Friday night it was obvious even to me that he wasn't going to make it, and I agreed to let him be put down. I just couldn't stand to see him hurting like he was any longer.

We buried him beside Lexie. Behind the barn. He'd like that, this way he could oversee all the action that goes on around here. Carter doesn't understand that they aren't coming back and still insists on putting out food for them everyday. I finally hid the dog food container yesterday in hopes that "out of sight" will be "out of mind".

So, needless to say I was looking for a "getaway" of any kind this past weekend when my husband suggested we take Carter to the rodeo that was in town. Yee Haw! Let's go!

And I'm so glad we did! Carter had such a good time! At first he was all about riding the ponies, but once he got on....he wasn't so sure. He held on for dear life for a few rounds, but then once he had the hang of it, he loved it! He rode with a smile the size of Texas! Then when he got off, as the man who helped him off the pony handed him to me, I asked him if he had fun, Carter said "Mama, I go ride bull now!" Well, Okay! The pony guy cracked up and so did everyone else within earshot!

We bribed him into sitting still to watch to rodeo by telling him that if he was good, he could ride the ponies again before we left. He was good as gold!

So, without further ado, here are the rodeo pics I just know you've been waiting for!

....and, this is my favorite pic of Carter, Lexie, and Sam....he used to sit in his high chair and watch them on the back porch for what seemed like hours. They just watched him back, I always wondered what they were thinking....all 3 of them!..lol

Be still.....

This week will be the beginning of a chapter in my life I hoped never to repeat. I know that God has His hand on this situation, I know that HE is in charge, yet I am afraid. I've been here before. I know how hard it is, how hard it is going to be, ........and I know that it must be done. I feel that I should give you some background here, not because I want pity, but because I want your prayers,..... I beg for them, and I want you to understand the urgency behind my request.

I have mentioned my mom here before, I have mentioned her mental illness, but never before have I went into detail on the subject. Very few people in my life have even known the details involved with her disease. So, here goes.

When I had just turned 16, my mom and dad were starting divorce proceedings. At this time they were still living together. One night my mom woke my sister and I and my grandmother, who had suffered a stroke and was living with us at the time, in the middle of the night. When we got into the car she told us that my dad was in the mafia and we were going to be killed. We got on the interstate and headed for my aunt's house about an hour away. At one point I remember coming up behind two cars on the interstate that were traveling side by side, mother went between them. Yes, between them on the interstate.

When we got to my aunts house, she made us wash our feet in bleach because she thought my dad was drugging us through our shoes. She made my 80+ grandmother do this too. We all had big blisters from the bleach. She had convinced herself that we had been followed and made my sister and I sit on her lap because she didn't think they would kill her if we were between her and them. At one point she was convinced that someone was coming through a large window in the front, and I can remember kneeling in the floor with the phone, and being so terrified that I was throwing up while dialing 911. Then she shot a gun through the ceiling. The police came and checked around the outside of the house, but of course, found nothing.

The next day we convinced her to go back home, but we still were unsure what was going on so we didn't say anything to my dad. He worked crazy hours and didn't notice we weren't there. The next night my sister, my best friend and I left to go to the bonfire at school. It was homecoming weekend. My mom and grandmother left to go visit a cousin.

Around midnight we got a call from my uncle. My mom was in jail in a city about an hour away. She had apparently been speeding and when the cops tried to pull her over, she wouldn't stop. She thought they were helping my dad try to kill her. They finally got her stopped by shooting her tires out. When they got to the window she wouldn't roll it down. They could see a pistol and a 22 rifle in the car. It's a wonder she and my grandmother weren't killed! My grandmother was finally able to get her door unlocked while mother was distracted and they got her out. ( I can't imagine how scared she must have been!) They dragged mother out and laid her face down on the ground to handcuff her. She wouldn't give them our home phone number and my grandmother could only remember my uncle's.

She was put into a state run mental facility instead of jail. It was obvious to the police that she was having some sort of mental breakdown.

We found out that she is paranoid and scitsofrentic (sp?). After that hospital stay she took meds for a while, then decided she didn't need them. There were several more episodes including, her stealing a car, breaking in to numerous houses because she thought we were being held there, and leaving in the middle of the night walking. She was violent when she had her episodes. She had several more hospital stays. At one point we had to have her committed. By this time the divorce was final and this was pretty much left up to me and my sister. I was 16, she was 14. We had to have a hearing before the judge, with her present for this to happen. I can still hear her begging me not to do this, her saying to Crystal, please don't let her do this to me......like it was something I wanted to do.

Anyway, to make a long story not quite as long, she did okay for several years. This was by the grace of God, I know. She has gotten progressively worse over the past year or so and my sister and I have done everything we know to do short of having her committed again. We need help! Desperately! So, this week we have an appointment with a judge to see what our options are. My only wish for my mother is for her to have a relatively normal life. To be able to enjoy her grandchildren (which I don't leave her alone with for one second!!)

When I was a little girl I remember her playing the piano so beautifully. She even taught music at several schools. There was always someone at our house taking music lessons. And for her to go from that, to the sad existance she has now, breaks my heart beyond belief. She is a 53 year old child that my sister and I have been raising for almost 17 years.......I have now taken care of her, for longer than she took care of me.

So, all that to say this. We need your prayers. Urgently. Like I said, I know God has His hand on this situation....He always has. He blessed my sister and I with wonderful, UNDERSTANDING husbands, loving inlaws, and a stepmother that I can never express my gratefulness for. Don't get me wrong it was hard for a long time! She had one VERY angry stepdaughter on her hands for a few years, but she handled that with strength and grace and I am so thankful that my children have her as their Gran.

But........there are just sometimes a girl needs her mother. Like when she has her babies, gets married, or just needs to ask a general question about life, and my mother, as I knew her, left when I was 16. I would love to just get a little piece of that back.

This weekend I was driving over to moms in tears, dreading what I would find when I got there when He sent me a message through song: Be still........and know,...I am God.

So, I ask you, (if anyone is still reading this) to please help us pray for a positive outcome this week. I'm sorry this post got so long and scattered. I guess this is what it means to say that blogging is like therapy. This one was more for me than anyone else....

A Burning Question.....

...so I just finished watching the 10 O' clock news and saw this urgent news story. A Huntsville police officer was caught on tape taking a tinkle behind a dumpster. The surveillance tape made it on to YouTube (according to the story it has now been removed but it is on Channel 19 website). Anyway I'm wondering what you think about it.....The dumpster was shielded on both sides and his back was to the camera while he did his "bidness" (yes, they showed the video to the tune of "Bad Boys Bad Boys"...lol) then he casually checked out the area as if that's the reason he stopped at that location......

so my burning question to you is.....

If the pokey gotta go pee pee.....is it okay to do it behind a dumpster?

I'm a country girl, and I'm thinking it's not the end of the world as long as its in a secluded area....but that's just me!


Either way I'm thinkin' this guy might be rethinking his decision!! How embarrassing!!

Catching Up...

I haven't blogged in a week? Whew! Time flies!! Anyway, this week was Vacation Bible School at our church so it's been a pretty busy week. We had such a good time! I helped in the Babies-3 year old class and these kids are just plain adorable..........even when they aren't acting so "adorable"! They all get along great except for the occasional push or smack! Carter had a blast and just loved going to "Bible skooool" every night!

Wednesday night was a night there were many prayers answered, including one of my own! My sweet niece, Rachel (8 yrs), was saved!! This is something Rachel's mom and dad, family (including myself), and pastor had been praying about. God is so GOOD!!! There were also three others that I know of saved that night!!! Please pray that God will continue to move in our church and that we as workers, members, parents, aunts, etc can recognize when He is calling us to move on His behalf.

This next tidbit is in no way related to VBS other than the fact that knowing my niece as I do, I know that she would be terribly disappointed if I didn't share this with you.......

.....I went to Walmart Thursday.


No, that's not the whole story. Even though with a 2 month old and a newly 2 year old Maniac Rambo toddler it very well could be.


Anyway, I had Lilah in her car seat in the child seat part of the buggy and Carter was riding in the front of the buggy. I could only see Carter from the chest up because the infant seat is so massive. I had meandered around the store, out through the garden center casually looking at the plants, patio furniture, grills (since we now need a new one), chatted with a few people I knew, including a store employee who attends our church(remember this for later), and someone who used to work with my hubs who I haven't seen in ages.


As I made my way back down the main isle of the store, I noticed I was getting some strange looks. Finally, I glanced around the seat to see Carter in his shirt.......and NOTHING ELSE! His shorts and shoes were thrown carelessly in the buggy beside him.

Great.


I laughed. I couldn't help it. No matter how much of a loser I looked like at the moment it was funny. At church that night I asked the girl who works there if he'd had his clothes on when we talked to her. She said "yeah they were on when we were talking, but I noticed that when you came back through he just had on his shirt and diaper.". Hmmmm.......I hope he had his pants on when I was talking to the person who used to work with my husband.


Great.

I have no idea when he took them off.


Did I mention that he turned two?


Sunday?


We are wasting no time getting into those "Terrible Twos"!



And! On another entirely different note:


A wonderful christian young man in our area has been chosen for the reality TV show on the Gospel Music Channel called Gospel Dream. His name is Jeff Hawes. His mom is one of my mom's oldest and dearest friends and she is totally one of my favorite people in the whole entire world. I love Jeff dearly as well. He is incredibly talented and did fabulous last Sunday night when the show aired it's first episode. I'm including a link to the website where you can check out his performance and vote! Please click over and show Jeff some love and then tune in this Sunday night to the Gospel Music Channel at 8 PM CST to check out the next episode. Last weeks show was great! I promise, you won't be disappointed!
Are ya'll keeping up? This scattered, jumbled thought process I'm calling a post is how my brain is currently working. "Baby Brain", I believe, is the commonly used term that describes this brain fog I am currently muddling through. Bear with me.

One last thing! I will leave you with a Photoshow of my babies, because I know you haven't seen enough pics of them lately....ha! AND! I seem to be on a roll because this is definitely going to be one of my longest posts EVER!

Go ahead. Call me an overachiever.

In a brain fog.

This could be dangerous.