Good times!!!

Oh man!  We are just entering the world of kids sports and having such a great time!  Faith played her 5th game of the season and they had their first win!!  Tonight they won the game 15-3.  The 3 runs by the other team were made in the first inning.  Every inning after was a shut out.  The girls have really come a long way!



Alex has now caught the ball bug so we may have both girls playing in the Spring.  That will be a new challenge but will be equally as fun!

We are getting ready for Fall Break next week.  I still love our school calendar.  We have a very short summer, but it pays off with the two extra weeks off during the school year.  We are planning a trip to Orlando.  We have never been there.  It has been a long time since we've had a family vacation so we are counting down the days, hours and minutes!  We have a special surprise for the girls when we get there...more to come!

My crazy Uncle!

Ok, I mentioned my Mom cracking up at her brother taking our picture at the wedding.  Well, I have to give him and his family props too.  This is one of the crazy things he did that day...

This says it all!!  I cannot look at this picture without still laughing.  While we were standing there waiting for him to take our picture, he was taking pictures with my camera of himself.  He is such a goober!

It was awesome to see Uncle Mitch and Kristie and their two sweet girls!  So nice of them to travel from the Houston area for Sarah's wedding.  I have not seen them in several years.  This is a couple that I looked up to as a young girl as they married as high school sweethearts.  It was cool to see our girls connect and hang out for awhile while they were in town. 

Wedding Shower and Wedding Bells

Another event to catch up on is my sister's wedding.  On July 31st, she married her sweetheart James in Flowery Branch, Georgia.  It was a very nice wedding and she was a beautiful bride!  I had the honor of giving her a bridal shower the Thursday night before the wedding. 

The Baker family all played a part in the wedding.  I was the old lady matron of honor, Alex was a gorgeous bridesmaid, Faith was a pretty princess flower girl and Tommy (who was MIGHTY handsome, I might add) escorted my beautiful Mom down the aisle.  Tommy was a huge help with setting up the church and reception and being a food runner, clean up crew, and most important a jokester who kept all the high emotions in balance!!  My man has a true servant's heart to always jump in and help with whatever, whenever.  Thank you sweetheart!

We girls had a lot of fun getting dressed up for the wedding.  I reminded Faith for two weeks before the wedding that she HAD to wear the dress and she WOULD be getting her hair fixed and how HAPPY she was going to be to be Mommy's princess for the day.  :)  Knowing Faith is knowing that she prefers much more to be in basketball shorts and a t-shirt with a ponytail and sneakers.  I love her for that but also need some girlie time with my girls.  I am happy that Alex is now at the age where she likes to get dressed up.  This was the first time she got to wear mascara, powder and lip gloss...just for this occasion. 

This picture is fuzzy...and my Mom was cracking up at her brother

I always cry at weddings.  I cried in Jamaica when Tommy and I saw a wedding on the beach.  Weddings are so intimate and personal and it is as sweet to me as seeing a newborn baby...new love!  I have never been IN a wedding before.  So, you'd think that with the stress of being an old maid matron of honor that I'd be focused on the tasks I needed to perform and not think about crying...I was a mess...and on stage.  Sarah was beautiful, the bridesmaids were beautiful, the reception was amazing...a really great day!

So sweet to watch Mom helping Sarah get ready

Sarah, I pray you and James will seek after the Lord with all of your hearts.  He is the key to a lasting and fruitful relationship.  Don't let the little things become big things. 

3 recommendations to stay connected:

1.  Dialogue daily

2.  Date weekly  

3.  Depart quarterly

Doesn't have to be fancy...just keep the lines of communication open.  Put each other FIRST.  That was a hard one for me to learn!  Allow James to be the head of your household beginning now.  Don't wait until your marriage is in trouble to begin seeking the Lord, because the storms WILL come.  It took me 10 LONG years of us trying to do it all on our own and then finally the Lord hit us both in the heads with cinderblocks to show us He has been there the whole time wanting to lead us both.  This will be one of the greatest challenges of your life.  Make the decision to change the course of divorce for our family.  Always know Tommy and I are here for you!

One more thing.  I have to share how proud I am of my Mom.  She had to face some challenging and uncomfortable situations with this wedding.  I am very proud of her getting out of her comfort zone and attending all events with grace and dignity.  She has come a long way and I am very happy.  I am proud to be her daughter and I pray that God will continue to use me as a true light in her life.  Love you Mom!

The Best Gifts Ever!

Today was a crummy day. Crummy in the way I felt. The last 24 hours have consisted of a UTI, extreme fatigue, chills and a migraine. I went to work to day for 3 short hours and had to leave early and wasn't sure if I could make it home. I picked Faith up from school, picked Alex up early and the first thing she said to me was...don't worry Mom, I will take care of Faith and the house today. At the time, I wasn't comprehending much so I got home and headed upstairs straight to bed. I didn't move for about 6 hours. In that time, Alex cleaned the entire house, folded AND put away laundry, helped Faith finish her homework and made dinner for the two of them. Tommy had to work late so when he got home, I realized all that they had done on top of staying quiet! Alex is such a responsible girl for her age and I am so very grateful for all she does for me and helps me with. I am also grateful that her little sister watches all she does and is following in her footsteps. It reminds me back when it was the "training years" and I never envisioned their life going beyond those terrible fun and exciting years. Now, we still have situations that need redirection and training, but it is awesome to see Jesus shining through them to give to others in an instant. That is something that cannot be forced.

A couple of months ago, I was having a stressful week with a lot going on at work and Tommy being out of town. I was outside talking with a neighbor when the girls created a "spa" in my own bathroom for me...candles, music, bubbles, books, even my robe and slippers laid out for me! Now, for the girls to have never even been to a spa they did a fantastic job creating one!

I can't help but to see God loving on me through my girls. What a gift He has given to me! Parenting is one of the greatest challenges in life, but I am loving seeing the fruits of our labor even though Tommy and I don't always make the wisest decisions and we do fail at times. One thing I have learned is to let your children see you being humble. When we have really messed up and acted out of anger or frustration, we have apologized to them to show that parents are capable of making mistakes and we should own up to it. The hardest part of parenting has been being consistent with discipline. That takes MAJOR effort and hard work! I cannot contribute any author or personal reference to anything we have done with the girls...JESUS is the only One who has taught us what we know and continues daily through surrendering our girls to Him. He is the One who has intimately created their minds and personalities, therefore HE is the only One who can truly give wisdom on how to love and discipline them effectively.

This post is not to brag with a prideful heart but to positively affirm my girls who are hard workers and love Jesus deeply. Believe me, Tommy and I are incredibly humbled by the grace He has extended us with the two of them. I know if they will continue to submit their hearts to serve Him that He has a great plan for their lives. Thank you Lord for WHO YOU ARE and the two greatest gifts you've given to us that we do not deserve!

Two years have passed...

Oh my! I had totally forgotten and seriously neglected this poor blog! I can't believe how the girls have changed in looking at their pictures. I also cannot believe all that has happened in this two year time span. I couldn't possibly catch up. I will say that we have just got home from an awesome softball game! Faith is playing her first season of softball and she is doing fantabulous!! The team is doing great. It is an under 8 team of all girls. They have only had 2 practices and tonight was their 4th game. They came very close to winning tonight with a score of 15-14. Faith won the game ball because she caught TWO FLY BALLS!! We have been working with her on not being afraid of the ball and catching balls the proper way. Alex has now got the softball fever and wants to play in the Spring. How fun to have both girls in sports!



Let's see...just a brief bio of where we are at...Alex is now in the SEVENTH GRADE and Faith is in the SECOND GRADE! Still shocks me! They are both such fantastic students and are doing well in their advanced classes. Faith has been accepted in the AIM program and she really loves going to that class on Tuesdays. She is also excited that our awesome friend from church Mr Bill (Mr Barsh officially) is her new Art teacher. We could NOT ask for a better man of God to be a part of our school.



Tommy followed with obedience to the call to go to Haiti in February for a disaster relief mission trip with our church. I could write an entire essay on how God opened up each door to make that trip possible in TWO SHORT WEEKS! Everything was taken care of from the time off at work, finances and immunizations. It was a week he will never forget and God truly captured his heart for the people of Haiti. This is a picture of Pastor Edmund who has 23 churches and schools in Haiti. He and Tommy made a connection and I'd love to see them cross paths again. The experience truly made an impact on our family to learn each day to not take things...even the simple ones...for granted. It also has made a huge impact on my heart to hear the stories of people in other countries who worship GOD for WHO HE IS and not for WHAT HE CAN DO. I have to just stop right there...I could go on all night!

I am still working at our church's preschool in the office and LOVE the ministry I am able to be a part of each day. I am also involved in All Grace Abound Ministries with my dear friend and mentor Angie Williams. www.allgraceaboundministries.org Cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store in the near future.

Ok, I will do my best to start updating this for our family across the country to try to keep you up to date with our ever changing family!