Sheep, Best Friends, and Responses

There is nothing in this world like a best friend, especially one that started in your childhood and still remains as close today as you were in the 5th grade. My friend, Sadler, is that person to me. I wish I had a picture to show for every stage of life we have been through together but I can't put my finger on those today so I'll just share this one taken of us this weekend at Sadler's ladies' church retreat.

Not only did Sadler and I room together our freshman year of college, we stood as bridesmaids in each other's weddings, birthed children at the same years, having our girls first, boys second and we now are grandmothering 2 granddaughters of our daughters and a son to our sons together! All the other things we have done imbetween these years as friends would take me years to blog! But let me say that I could write a best seller if I chose to.

Sadler also has been the truest of friends to inspire me and spur me on to walk closer to God. I was blessed to be invited to attend this retreat (she was in charge of it after many hours of work this year put into it) titled "Living Above Your Circumstances" at The Legends in Prattville with Mary Glynn Peeples as the guest speaker. As we always do, Sadler and I enjoyed catching up together during that time and gleaming from God's word to both of us. Mary Glynn is the most down to earth speaker I have ever heard. Isaiah 53:6 was a key scripture used to point out how we are like sheep. Mrs. Peeples studied sheep for 12 years to learn why God chose that animal to describe what we are like. Some of the main nuggetts of gold I walked away with to reflect upon are:

"The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life DO NOT make me the way I am, but REVEAL the way I am."

We are all going to fall down. Disappointment is inevitable but discouragement IS A CHOICE when we do fall down.

Your response to disappointment is the way you will live the rest of your days. (You can be bitter...... or better...... in how you respond)

I want to live the rest of my days better!

how big's the baby?

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and the baby!

Love Weekend

I don't really get all into a Valentines celebration since everyday is supposed to be a Love Day but this Valentines Day we got excited about the extra heaping of love that would be in our house while we kept the girls for Jessica and Joey to get away with friends for the weekend. There was a whole lot of love going on in our house so sit back cause the pictures tell it all!
here's a great view of seeing the special love of having a sister!

Here are some of my Lily Kate love pictures:




I won't go into great detail as I would like but this was taken after the "dust settled" from a huge projectile throwing up experience in my car on the way to the AU basketball game. Annie and Pops got an afternoon at the game to themselves and Lily Kate got a nice clean soothing bathtub time by herself while I got to hold a sick baby and 7 loads of laundry and a stinky car and carseat to clean out to myself!
Life is not always gonna happen like you want it to but I got some sweet time with Lily Kate by herself that I would not normally have had. (thank goodness it was not a virus but an overload of table foods that her little tummy was not ready for)

Here are some of my Annie love pictures:

She is very much loving the Princess stage of life and LOVED these new earrings,crown and necklace with hearts to wear. It was a battle to get them off of her at baths and bedtime!





Of course, of course, a horse is a horse...not a talking Mr. Ed as we knew it in my childhood but in the case of my grandchildren's years with me they know Tess and Lady as very special horses. Annie is now "the horse whisperer" as she walked up and down the fence telling Lady and Tess all about "the Moovahs" and her imagination goggles and all the special little things on her mind. Pops and I just watched as she forgot we were around and talked to her special horse friends in her little whispery conversation!



Lily Kate is babbeling and sqealing but not yet whispering to the horse. Time will only tell as she develops her own personality on her visits to the horses with Lolli and Pops.
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And last but not least of all the love we experienced over the weekend, this was the icing on the cake! We drove the girls to Prattville to give them over to Jessica and Joey and met at Lee & Regan's new place in Prattville. Only to be greeted with an open door to an apartment full of baby blue streamers hanging and confetti and bibs etc. and Regan standing there with this shirt on! Lee and Regan are having a boy!!!! What an exciting way to tell us about baby Knox and such a surprise as they had aleady told us we would not know til mid March what they were having.
Don't you just love the way Maddox is looking at Regan's tummy? He is excited to have him a baby brother on the way!!!
Won't you agree with me this was a LOVE weekend for sure?!

"The Moovahs"

We have a grandchild who is obsessed with a group called The Imagination Movers that are on The Disney Playhouse station. So this little girl dails her Lolli's number (she has all of them)and says "Loleeeee, yu take me see Moovahs" They my favwits..I luv u".
Enough said, I signed up to take her and so did Pops. We had a great time watching those crazy 4 guys Rock N Roll in kidee language and toddler style. It was priceless in itself to see Annie marvel at the old historical downtown BHam theater. She liked looking up at the celings as much as she did watching the Imagination Movers and dancing around in the aisle! I think Annie will be "a moovah and a shaker" when she grows up anyway...after all, she is related to me!







Our day was complete as we got to play with "LayKate" when we dropped Annie off at home.

I just love this special idenity of mine = being Lolli!

More Grandmother Quotes

When I wrote my last post, I had 2 friends who celebrate new grandchildren, now I have 2 more! Must have been a full moon this week! Congrats to all of you!
Anyway, here are a few more grandmother quotes I found that I like!

Grandchildren are God's way
of compensating us
for growing old!
Mary H. Waldrip

Elephants and grandchildren never forget.
Andy Rooney

Few things are more delightful
than grandchildren fighting over your lap.
Doug Larson

The simplest toy,
one which even the youngest child
can operate,
is called a grandparent.
Sam Levenson

Grandmother quotes

Two of my closest friends are having new grandchildren born this week. Timing is sweet as I read this quote today:

The closest friends
I have made all through life
have been people
who also grew up close
to a loved and living
grandmother or grandfather.
-Margaret Mead

I am so happy that we get to enjoy this part of life together!