Xcited!

.....because do you know what time it is?

It's time for the 2008 Winter X Games! Woohooo!

I firmly believe, and have for quite some time, that I was born in the wrong generation, and quite possibly the wrong place. Why you ask? Well that is because I love me some X games! There is nothing I'd rather watch on TV than the Flying Tomato soaring over the pipes doing 1080's and listening to his Ipod all the while. I mean, how much cooler could it possibly get?
I am a total x game junkie.

That in itself is strange considering I am a 32 year old woman born and raised in the south where the closest we come to the X games is riding on an old car hood pulled by the fastest ATV you can find during the increasingly rare snows of winter. Now, I'm not knocking a good ride on a car hood in the snow. You. Go. Very. Fast. In fact, you go so fast that you hold on for dear life not for the simple fact that if you fall off you fear it will hurt, but because you know that if you fall off it will kill you. Never mind the fact that your dad is driving and he is in fact the biggest daredevil of them all! (Just now I'm wondering where my mom was during these rides....hmmmm.)

Another thing that makes my X Games fascination so strange is that I am 32. I mean, if you watch those games you're lucky to see anyone in their 20's, it's rare to see anyone mid 20's.....but 30? Never! I can tell you why that is as well. Because once you pass the mid 20's and you fall going 90 mph in the snow.......it hurts. It hurts like you never knew you could hurt.

My family took this family ski trip a few years ago. My husband and I, and most everyone else on the trip, with the exception of my sister, Crystal, and her husband had never been skiing. My husband and I were pumped! I had been water skiing a million times, we both love to knee board and tube in the summer, how much different could snow skiing be?....Let me just tell you. Snow does not give. But oh did we ever have fun! My husband is so fun to do things like this with. He loves going to water parks, and I love going with him because he giggles like a 12 year old girl the whole day! He didn't disappoint during our ski trip.

He would be flying up behind me and I would know instantly it was him because I could hear that giggle a mile away! We skied for 12 or so hours that first day and I fell so many times I lost count. Once I thought I'd killed myself. I honestly saw stars. Turns out, it wasn't stars, it was snow. Packed into every orifice on your face that snow can pack itself into. I knew I was alive when I heard the panicked voice of my sister who'd saw the fall and also thought I'd killed myself. None of us walked pain free the next day......why didn't I learn to do this when I was like, 5?

So, needless to say, you won't soon find me soaring over the pipes on my snowboard, or turning back flips on my snowmobile.....I have conceded that these sports are for those of the younger generation. (GASP! did I really just say that?????) But you will find me glued to ESPN for the next few nights, dreaming of my X Games that wasn't to be.

Sigh.

Never leave home without it!

...without what, you ask? Well, let me tell you, I had one of my most embarrassing moments in a while the other day in Lifeway. Carter and I had been rushing around all morning getting ready to go do some shopping and right before we left I decided to pick up his toys one last time.

Lately he has this fascination with spoons. He eats everything with a spoon, and requires one when he is playing with toys or looking at a book. His favorite spoons to play with are from the silverware set that my grandmother gave me as a wedding present, so whenever I catch him putting one down, I grab it up and either replace it with a less sentimental one, or divert his attention elsewhere. This particular morning I found a spoon lying with his tractors and rather than go through the drama of him seeing me put it up, I stuck it in the back pocket of my jeans and continued on with my cleaning up.

Do you wanna guess when I remembered it? Yeah, in Lifeway. So, let me lay this out for you. I have been in two or three stores, pumped gas, paid for it, stood in line in various places and bent over who knows how many times to pick up various flying objects from Carter's stroller. All the while this large silver serving spoon is sticking out of the pocket of my ample pregnant behind.

Great. Just Great. I immediately began running through the many possible things that would go through my head had I seen someone in the same situation.

"Gee, that lady really doesn't wanna miss a meal, does she?" "Man, she can really fit a lot of pickles and ice cream on that huge spoon!" "Are the spoons at the restaurant/drive thru not big enough for her?" Just to name a few.

I had to laugh. Then quickly shove the massive spoon in my massive bag, which I'm sure anyone watching thought must hold massive amounts of snacks to sustain my massive rear end, and carry on with my day.

Hairplane?....

.....That's what Carter says when you ask him if he wants to go see Dr Jeanie. Hairplane? Dr J's office is directly under the landing path at the Chatt airport, right beside the hospital where Carter was born (which is also under the landing path...that, plus nurses, plus baby...makes for tired sleepy mommy!) So he knows that anytime we visit the Dr, he gets to see lots of airplanes.

Carter loves Dr Jeanie. I do too. We just had our 18 month visit with her in December and I wasn't planning to see her again until the birth of the baby since Carter doesn't have to go back for a well baby visit until age 2, and he has only had one cold in his life which was a few weeks ago. Anyway I wasn't figuring accidents into my plan. Falls in particular.

He falls alot. What baby doesn't. He's learning to jump, running everywhere, climbing all over the place, so naturally he's going to fall. But yesterday he fell just walking across the floor. I don't really even think he tripped over anything. He doesn't usually cry much, but this time he cried and cried! I just thought maybe it hurt his feelings, or embarrassed him even, since his dad and I were watching. Then last night he woke up several times screaming out. I gave him Tylenol but he still cried out a few more times during the night.

This morning he woke up with a swollen foot and a bad limp. He didn't even want to walk on it, if he had to get somewhere and I wasn't there to carry him, he crawled!!! I just knew it was broken. Or maybe he had some deficiency that made his bones weak and it had just gave out. You know, being the Mom of the year and all and not even paying particular attention to the fall, I had all sorts of things running through my mind!

But, after a visit to Dr J and a few xrays later, it is just a bad sprain. Which can hurt as bad as a break!

The nurse that checked him before the doctor came in almost had a bad sprain of her own. Seriously. When she started examining his foot, she looked at it for a minute and said "Oh, I see what the problem is, there is a splinter in the bottom of his foot. Where has he gone barefoot THIS time of year???"

I just looked at her and said, "there may be a splinter on the bottom of his foot, but I doubt that would cause bruising and swelling around his ankle, don't you?" I just love it when someone tries to make you feel like a complete and total moron when you are already beating yourself up for not going to the ER in the first place! Grrrr! I did not, however, unleash my hormonal wrath upon her. Instead, I said a silent prayer requesting calmness and some small measure of politeness to get me through this situation. It worked. Dr. J came in and saved the day.....and quite possibly her nurse! (I'm not sure how many more comments my calmness and politeness would have endured!)

Anyway, Carter is recovering from his splinter/sprain and hopefully will be back to his Rambo self sooner rather than later!...and hopefully, the next time we see Dr Jeanie will be at the birth of Carter's baby sister....(who STILL does not have a name.)

The Man Rules

This was sent to me by my good friend and former pastor's wife, Angela, and I just HAD to post it! It is just too funny not to share!!

The Man Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down



Finally , the guys' side of the story.( I must admit, it's pretty good.) We always hear "the rules" From the female side.



Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules!Please note.. these are all numbered "1 " ON PURPOSE!



1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.We need it up, you need it down.You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work!Strong hints do not work!Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do somethingOr tell us how you want it done. Not both.If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying , but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseballor golf.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

So, I'm wondering, Angela, was Chris the author of this??....let me know Chris, 'cause I KNOW you read my blog! :)

Campaign Strike...

....wouldn't that be soooo much better than the "writers strike" that has lasted F-O-R-E-V-E-R?! I mean, really....who wouldn't rather be watching the next all new episode of Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy than the lastest visit from Borat..I mean Barak, and Hillary? What do the writers want anyway? Does anybody know? I'll tell you one thing. If I could possibly stand it, when they do come back, and there finally are new episodes, I'd love to boycott them!

Except I can't do that because they left me hanging by a thread wondering how Gabby will react to Carlos' blindness, and what is to become of Merideth and Derek (again), and whether Baily's baby will live or her marriage survive....Ohhhh the suspense!

I think it's a conspiracy. Seriously. The networks are trying to push me over the edge. When I was pregnant with Carter, Katie Couric left the Today Show. Her last day was May 31. I gave birth on June 1. I cried like a baby during her last show. Ohhh how I'd looked forward to spending my maternity leave (which turned out to be permanent) with Katie and Matt! Then they replace her with that woman who tries to be funny and fails miserably. I can't even watch it anymore! To this very day, I remain uninformed every morning as a result of this change. Thank you NBC! Thanks a lot!

And now the writer's strike. (sigh)

I wonder how much HGTV a person can possibly stand to watch?

Nesting 101....

...at least I'm hoping this is my nesting phase, 'cause if I'm not nesting now and I have to do it again in a month or so it just might kill me! Seriously! My husband comes home most days to see a new "project" completed. He's like, "What's up with you?"

First let me tell you that we have lived in our new house for just over 2 years. I found out I was pregnant with Carter 1 week before we moved in and was working more than full time then. Then the whole newborn thing, and really, who wants to decorate when they can barely get a shower? Anyway, the whole time we have lived here there have been many things I wanted to get done and it seems that I have decided that they will be done now. Well, at least most of them.

Right after I took down my Christmas tree I decided I wanted to recover my dining room chairs. All 8 of them. RIGHT THEN! I've had the fabric forever, and so what if its 11:00 PM. Okay, so that's done. The next day I decided that I would make curtains for the big window in my kitchen. I've had that fabric for a while too. Those only take a few hours to make, then I have to cut the wood for the cornice boards (which I have also had for ages), assemble them and wait for my husband to get home from work to help me hang them. ( I am not hormonal enough to tackle climbing a ladder with a curious toddler nearby and a prego belly and a cornice board, and a drill.....at least not yet!) So, during the hours I have to kill before he gets home, I clean out his closet and the closet in the kitchen.

He is so astonished at my accomplishments for the day, and the fact that he has hot, homemade food to eat I don't hear one single complaint about being his being forced to climb a ladder to hang my masterpiece after working a 14 hour day!

Then, this past Saturday we had a birthday party for my father in law. He doesn't get to see his brothers during Christmas so we made an extended family thing out of it. Not a lot of work, really. We did chili, hot dogs, assorted finger foods and desserts (my sister in law, Tammy, brought two of THE best cakes I have ever tasted BTW!...oh yeah, you better believe I sampled both!)

Anyway, add to all that the toddler chasing, normal cleaning and overall basic living, and I could barely get out of bed Sunday morning. My baby girl likes hanging out against my sciatic nerve apparently. Then, during church the nausea hit me like a truck. I knew I couldn't get up and leave without Carter having a fit, so I had to decide whether I could make it to the bathroom carrying him without hurling or fainting. I did make it.

Again Monday morning I could barely get out of bed. Thankfully though my regular OB appointment was at 8:30 and I could find out what in the world was going on. My doctor does a sonogram at every visit and knows me well enough to know that I want that done first, then after we see that the baby is okay we can talk about everything else. When I told him what was going on, he asked if I'd been on my feet more than usual....ummmm, welllll,...yes.

He reminded me of the month I spent on bedrest before Carter was born. (well, at least he thought I was on bedrest, he said "stay off your feet" I thought that meant "stop working and sit at the pond fishing with your feet propped up" It wasn't until my 2 week post delivery checkup that he ever said the word "bedrest"....oops! Anyway, I have to slow down with my nesting, and see how it goes over the next few weeks.

The good news is that I only gained a couple of pounds last month (which is a complete miracle considering how many functions we went to and how much I ate!) AND! at my next appt I will be 30 weeks and will get to have a 4D ultrasound! I'm really excited about that! Carter looked exactly like the 4D! He still makes some of the same expressions we saw on the ultrasound! I'm hoping that IF we still don't have a name at that point, and IF she lets us see her face, that will help us along in the naming process!


...........MAYBE!!

As IF....

....I needed MORE pressure!! This article jumped out at me from the CNN homepage first thing this morning. January 3, 2008. What a way to start off the new year!!

I have looked through 2 baby name books. One has 50,001 names the other has 100,001, and I have a list of 10. TEN! None of which my husband agrees to. I feel a serious hormonal breakdown coming on. Really! If he spouts off one more hideous name while trying to be funny, he WILL get hurt!

Also, you know on that movie, Mean Girls, where the really mean "queen bee" finds out she's been eating weight gain bars instead of weight loss bars? Remember that awful scream she let out in that movie?....Remember? It lasted about 5 minutes. Well, I seriously almost did that tonight. The scream, I mean. I won't elaborate other than to tell you the situation involved my mother in law and my raging hormones. Please say a prayer. It's not over yet.

Okay. I think I've vented enough. Happy New Year.

Fa La La La Auld Lang Syne...

...La La La Laaa!

.....because I know that you are all just hanging on the edge of your seats, wondering when o' when am I ever going to blog again, I knew that I just couldn't let this last night of 2007 pass by without one final blog post on my first ever year to blog...(actually, the first year I knew what a blog was!)


Anyway! I hope you all had a very merry Christmas! I did! The holidays are my favorite time of year. I love to get together with family, and catch up on what's going on with everyone I don't always see as often as I'd like throughout the year. We had two different family get togethers at our house this year, which was different, but fun! I'm pretty sure I wowed my nieces and nephews with my Dance Dance Revolution skills! Even Rachel, who I play that game with often, was impressed that I could do it in my current prego state. I think my niece, Hannah who just turned 15, thought she'd smoke me on the DDR.......wrong! Maybe next year Hannah! None of us could touch Rachel and Tyler on the Karaoke though, those two have some serious star power flowing through their veins!



In this past year at my dad's we have had two new additions to the family, so this Christmas was extra special! Landon arrived in February, and miss Maggie entered the world in April! Carter arrived the year before, so our family Christmas has changed quite a bit in the last couple of years! They are all at such fun ages! Max is 5, Carter 18 months, Landon 10 months, and Maggie, 8 months. I look forward to next year when Landon and Maggie are keeping the fast pace of Max and Carter, and our newest addition (who still doesn't have a name!) looks on with fascination! ........I'll pause here for a note to my sister Crystal and bro in law Chris...if you hurry, we can squeeze in one more new arrival for next Christmas..:)))

Then we have the big Christmas blowout at my grandmothers on Christmas afternoon. All of my aunts & uncles, great aunts and great uncles, cousins and their children gather for an afternoon of food and fun. And as long as uncle Manson is there, (and he always is, 'cause, you know, there's food!) a good time is promised to be had by all! My grandmother is a feisty 72 and still insists on having every Christmas collectible she has ever owned out for display or on the tree by Christmas day. And sometimes she barely makes it! With help! But it is truly a blessing to be able to spend time with her anytime, but especially during the holidays. She is my only living grandparent. Same thing goes for Kyle's grandpa. Kyle's only living grandparent. He's 86, and not in the best of health, not always in the best of moods, but always glad to see us bring Carter to see him. Another Christmas eve spent in his company is a blessing indeed!

Carter got the gift to end all gifts this year...(at least in his eyes!) Santa brought him a battery operated John Deere tractor with a loader and a backhoe! He was so excited! Although, I don't know that he was much more excited than we were, we knew he was going to love it....and he does! That battery has been charged daily since Christmas! On warm days he can ride outside, but when it's cold, we cleaned out the garage especially for the purpose of him having somewhere to ride. I couldn't bear to give it to him, then have him barely ride it until spring!

He also got a hay baler like daddy's and a rocking chair, and a few other things from Santa, but the tractor would have been enough!

So now with 3 hours left in 2007 my thoughts turn to 2008. With excitement I look forward to the coming year. I look forward to meeting my new daughter. I look forward to each and every moment with my husband, son, family, and friends, and pray that I remember to treasure them....each and every one!

Most importantly, I look forward to strengthening my relationship with my Lord and Savior. I pray that each day throughout the coming year I allow Him to guide my steps. I pray that I will be a faithful servant who puts Him above all else in my life. It is so easy to forget that our purpose on this earth is to worship and serve Him.

I don't know that I'll be able to stay awake to watch the ball drop at midnight...I wonder if it would have the same effect if I DVR it and watch it tomorrow?.....Probably not! Meanwhile, we don't really need fireworks, I think my neighbor is sighting in his new automatic assault rifle! He has been firing that thing off all day and night! It really makes for a bright night sky!..(yeah, I know, I feel a redneck joke coming on too!)

I wish you all a Happy, Healthy New Year! I will leave you with a few pics from Christmas.....

Papa, Gran, Carter, Max, Landon, & Maggie Matthew, Rachel, & Carter
Grandpa Smith
My Dad, Uncle Kenneth, Aunt Laketa, Uncle David, and my Grandmother

Another one...

...another cute story that is. At least I think it's hilarious, and if you happen to know my mother and father in law, you will too!

The other day Carter and I were going down the list of animals and their sounds, you know:

Carter, how does a cow go?

Mooooo.

How does a duck go?

Quack Quack.

How does a rooster go?

doo doo...(the little boys at church love this one!)

How does Daddy go?

No, no, no


Then, I just thought I'd have a little fun and see what he'd say,

How does Paw paw go?

NO, NO, NO....(His paw paw (Kyle's dad) is very loud!)

How does Maw Maw go?

JAMES!.....(her husband)...LOL ...(she does kind of say it alot!)

I said, Maw maw says what?

JAMES!!...and he cracked up at himself!

This went on for several minutes. I can't wait for Maw Maw and Paw paw to hear this one!

Too Cute....

...not to take a breath for just a moment to pause and tell you the cutest story ever!!..(and if you don't think it is, don't burst my bubble...K?)

So the last couple of weeks have consisted of a blur of Christmas rush that included the usual shopping, cleaning, etc...you all know the drill! No presents wrapped yet, but hopefully that'll change in the next day or two.

Anyway, a few nights ago I was getting Carter out of the bathtub and he was chattering his usual adorable 18 month old chatter. Which on this particular night consisted of hay, tractors, and cows...and our dogs Sam and Lexy...(a side note here, he pronounces the "L" in Lexy as an "S"....cute, unless you are in church and he also happens to be discussing his pacifier which for some reason he calls his "shat"...I have no idea!) Anyway, His dad was home from work and sitting on a stool in the bathroom listening to Carter recap his day (as best as he can anyway...).

In an oh-so-adorable fashion, Carter patted my belly and said so sweetly....baby!..Then he proceeded to give the baby "sugar"! (Oh yeah, Mom and Dad have now melted into a big puddle on the bathroom floor!) Then he continued on by patting his own bare belly and saying "baby"...lol....This is the cutest kid in the world! Can you guess what he did next?

He marched his little bare bottom over to his Dad and patted his belly and said..."baby?"....LOLOLOL

Dad wasn't amused. Mom was rolling.

Manic Monday?

"Hello, Deedra!
Is your child a little ray of sunshine at the sitters' but a thundercloud when you show up on the scene? Try not to get upset by these end-of-day meltdowns. They're signs of true love: Your toddler knows that it's safe to let out all of his pent-up feelings around you. While you may be tempted to run a few errands on your way back to the house, you should probably opt to put those tasks on hold until your child is more at ease. It's a decision that could make your evening a lot more enjoyable."

****courtesy Babycenter.com weekly newsletter****

Yeah, whatever, babycenter.....what-ev-er! My child has gotten to the point that if I leave him with a sitter, let alone 2 in one week, he really makes me pay.(did anybody see him Wednesday night at church? or Sunday night?) They say the more they stay the better they get. Not Carter. He stayed with a sitter 3 times this past week (for a few hours at the most!), and he has been a clingy bundle of nerves the rest of the week...(my hair does look really good though! :) Thanks, Kayla!





Anyway, I have done the unthinkable in order to avoid leaving him much this next week. I have an OB appt this morning (very early) and it's time for his 18 month checkup, so I made both appts for the same day. They are a few hours apart, but I have some shopping to do, so we'll just do that in between. No problem.





I'm delusional.





Please say a little prayer.





The sanity prayer maybe.

Paula Deen I Ain't!

...let me just start by saying, I love to cook. I love vegetables, I love appetizers, I love to cook anything and everything. I HATE HATE HATE to bake. So, when I heard that we were having a cookie exchange at church I decided I'd better try my hand at baking cookies since it's been ages since I did that.

I started the week by DVRing any Paula Deen episode that had any reference to cookie baking, then scouring foodnetwork.com for cookie recipes....EASY cookie recipes. Now, I have this one old standby, but I was thinking I was up for trying something new and exciting. (which was my first mistake) So, I gather up all my ingredients for the 2 recipes I decide to try, we had a couple of Christmas things this weekend anyway so I figured I'd just take my cookie masterpieces as my contribution. I failed, however, to take into consideration that my morning sickness might make a comeback this weekend, and maybe I wouldn't feel like creating a "masterpiece" when I didn't buy anything for a backup plan, just in case my cookie plan failed.

I followed that recipe to the letter. "Cream butter and sugars (brown and white) together,...blah, blah, blah....well, by the time I put in the white chocolate, macadamia nuts, and candied cherries, I knew I was in trouble. The recipe said the "dough" should be thick. My dough was like sand....chunky sand. I decided that since I'd invested so much in this stupid mess I'd see how one batch turned out. And, I must say, they didn't look so bad, but they tasted like sand. Chunky, chocolatey, sand. The second batch I decided to add a little water so that maybe they'd stay together a little better. They did, but it didn't help the taste much.

I finally gave up on that recipe and tried my second one. It actually came out pretty good. Not great, definitely not Paula Deen good, but okay. At this point, I decided to cut my losses ( I had to get rid of the cookies anyway, right?..I'm sure not taking these to church!) and just mix the two batches up in my prettiest cookie tin and take them as my "dessert". (It is now 5pm, and we have to be somewhere at 6pm,.....no time to make anything else!) So, I mixed the two in my prettiest cookie tin and off we went.

If you happened to be at the DCCA meeting last night and had a nasty sandy cookie, I apologize, I promise to dazzle you at the next meeting, K? And for my family, I didn't feel like making anything else today, or going to the store, so I apologize if you saw the pretty tin of cookies and took a sample. In defense of my sandy cookies, I actually heard one lady tonight say they were good. I don't know if she was just saying that or trying to mask a look of disgust, but she said it! For my fellow church ladies, I will be bringing my good old tried and true standby cookies tomorrow, there are none of the nasty ones left!

I will also be writing a letter of complaint to Paula Deen. She must have left something out of her recipe. I can't possibly be THAT bad at baking........right?

Or maybe I didn't giggle enough and use enough southern slang as she does.....or maybe, she just isn't really a good cook after all, I mean, have you ever eaten her cooking personally?

(I'm getting catty now, I'm going to bed....)

Thankful Thursday...

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday in a while but I couldn't let this one pass by without participating. This has been such a heartbreaking week, yet through the tears I have seen strength beyond belief. Strength that can only be explained by the grace of God and prayer.

I am eternally thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Eric Crowe's life, of each one of the boys in that class' life. They were and still are such a blessing to Kyle & I. We were to be their teacher when in truth they ended up teaching us.

I am thankful that God granted me the strength to visit Gaye & Tim yesterday. I guess I was going to minister to them, to love on them, but they truly ended up ministering to me. Loving on me. I was a nervous, hormonal mess on the drive over but Tim was in the yard and as soon as he saw me drive up, he came to my car, greeted me with a hug and thanked me over and over for coming. All of my nervousness and fear of saying the wrong thing vanished. Gaye greeted me the same way, a big hug and a pat on my growing belly. If you hesitate to call, visit, or send them a card...don't hesitate!! They need and appreciate it right now!

I am thankful for all of the wonderful comments and prayers listed on my earlier post about Eric. I planned to buy a card and send it but after reading a comment from yesterday it hit me that Gaye might like to have all of these things. I printed off my blog and every other one that I knew of with a post about them and all the comments and took it with me to see them. I know that a card would never have been able to say what all of you said so beautifully.

I am thankful for Adam and Brandon who were able to put their feelings into words. At least as much as anyone possibly can at a time like this. I know these tributes will bless Gaye and Tim as much or more as they have blessed the rest of us. I pray that God will give you and all of Eric's friends peace and strength during this time of such great loss.

I am thankful for our wonderful church family. This family helped Kyle and I through the loss of our two babies and rejoiced with us through our first pregnancy and Carter's birth, and now pray and rejoice with us during this pregnancy. I know they/we will be able to surround Eric's family with love and strength through the Grace of God during these next days, months....years.

I am thankful for my family. I am especially thankful for my husband who has been a rock this week, even though I know he hurts as much as I do. I am thankful for my son and for this baby girl I'm carrying. I pray that I will be able to teach them to be as loving as Eric was and as creative. Because for those of you who knew him, you have to admit (because I know every single one of you remember!), when he did get into trouble in high school....at least he was creative about it! :))

For more Thankful Thursday, visit Laurel Wreath.

Santa Baby......HA!

...last week this excited mom planned out a trip to the mall, just so that we could make a trip to see Santa. We had actually already ran into Santa in Walmart a few days before and Carter wouldn't go near him, but I was convinced that he was just a "bad Santa" and that the cool Mall Santa was the one to make Carter croon. I was like a kid on Christmas myself because of the Santa mishap we had last year.......

Look at Santa, he's even surprised by the tantrum this then 6 month old pitched!!.....this devastated me. I mean really. This kid loves everyone, every animal, every bug, everything!!! I just knew that this year he would jump into Santa's lap and rattle off his list. (..well, at least as much "rattling off" as an 18 month old can manage.) So off we go. It's the middle of the week so there's no line and I stop the stroller so Carter can watch this other baby cuddling with Santa and say things like "Look Carter, Santa's loving on the baby"....." Ohhhh how sweet" ....."Hi Santa!"...."Look at Santa, Carter".....Santa must have picked up on Carter's hesitation because he said. "Roll your stroller right past me, get him out and put him in my lap. Then move." Sounds like a plan.........

Not gonna happen! ......the chick taking the pictures hesitated while I hissed..."take it!"

Did I mention the two people with masks we ran across while trick or treating?....did I mention that Carter growled back at them?.....did I tell you that he barks back at the neighbors horse-like saint Bernard when he acts like he's gonna eat us alive?

So, when you get your Christmas card from us, you know why there isn't a jubilant picture of Carter and Santa in a loving embrace.

FYI.....my mother in law told me that Kyle was terrified of Santa for years. (I just knew it didn't come from MY side of the family!) I married a Santa weenie and he has gone and passed it on to my child!....(I will forgive him, however, since he also passed along those eyes!)

p.s....we had his first dentist appointment yesterday, and when I recover from it, I'll blog about it.

(...in memory of Eric on what would have been his 20th birthday. This is just the kind of story he would have loved.)

Please Pray......

I received a heartbreaking phone call very early this morning from my friend and pastors wife. She said "I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but Eric was killed in a car wreck this morning. And I know how much you love those kids and I didn't want you to hear it from anyone else." Lisa, I will be forever grateful for that call. I have no idea what I said or if I even thanked you for thinking of calling me.



Please help us remember Eric's mom, Gaye, and his step dad, Tim as well as the rest of his family in very much needed prayer during this time. To further add to the heartbreak, Eric had been out of town for about a week working, and was returning home to see his family and to celebrate his birthday with them this weekend. He would have turned 20 on Dec 5.

Eric was an only child who for much of his life was raised by his mom alone. She worked very hard and raised a truly loving child. He had a mischievous side and was loved by most everyone who knew him. He wasn't perfect, but never claimed to be. There wasn't a time I saw Eric when he didn't hug me and tell me he loved me. He made a point of finding me on Sunday mornings and hugging me, and lately patting my growing belly and asking how the little one was doing.....in fact, I'd just told him recently that not many people could get away with a "belly pat" with me, and he'd have to stop once the baby was born...he laughed and told me I had a deal.

I have so many wonderful memories of Eric, and of all the boys in the youth class Kyle & I taught for several years. We love every single one of them like they were our own. I could go on for hours. But the thing that I hold to now,...that I know his family is holding to now, is that Eric was saved. He was a child of God and is now resting in the arms of his savior.

Visitation begins tomorrow at 11 and Eric's funeral will be on Monday at 2. Please help me as I lift up his family in prayer. Especially remember his mom, Gaye, and dad, Tim. They are devastated as you can imagine. As all of our children are, Eric was the center of their lives. One of my favorite people to sit near at football games when Eric played was Gaye. She could get on those refs with the best of them! And I always admired Tim for stepping in as such a fantastic father figure when there wasn't one present. I don't know that I've ever seen a man more broken than Tim was today. Pray for our church family as we love on them, and lift them up in the coming days and weeks.

Eric Benjamin Crowe

1987-2007

Eric, I am so thankful that you were part of our lives. We loved you dearly and will miss you terribly.

Love,

"Miss" Deedra, Kyle, & Carter