Thankful: Past, Present, Future

 A whole week off from school and no more grad school assignments has given me time to reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives. There are so many times when I find myself wishing the clock would stand still so I could revel in the sweet moments that I find myself in- the snaggle-tooth smile of my seven year old, the mispronounced words uttered in innocence by my four year old, the daily routines and rituals of my senior citizen dachshund, and the soothing sounds of my husband who shouts at the college football game on tv and rubs his allergy nose.

I am thankful for the past. As I prepared my side dishes for our Thanksgiving dinner, it brought pure delight to know that my Granny was part of all of it. I have done my best to replicate her famous chocolate pies. They still don't hold a candle to hers, but they are getting better and better. I inherited a decorative platter from her kitchen and thought it was perfect to hold the ham. Then, as I made my traditional grape salad side, I used the last few pecans I had in my freezer that were cracked and shelled by Granny and Grandaddy. As I looked at the finished products, I realized that family is a thread that runs through us and truly lasts forever.

The present gives me constant joy. I never knew how precious it was to pass on the gift of giving until now. After we put up our decorations, I slipped a few presents under the tree. Cam was of course interested in them, but not in the way he usually has been. He didn't want to know when he could open the one with his name on it, but he wanted to know when he would be able go out and purchase some gifts for us. He saved some of his birthday money (all the way from February) and enlisted Nonna to help him take care of his gift-giving mission. They went out on Black Friday (because he couldn't wait any longer) and made the three purchases. He got something for all of us, wrapped them up, and has them waiting under the tree. The love and responsibility her showed by doing this is just tender. I can't wait to see his reaction when we open the presents he picked out for us. 

Never have I seen someone so excited about the season as Maeve. All week long she has been filled with that amazement that little ones have by all the sights and sounds of this time of year. She remembers a lot from last year, like where we put the tree or where a certain decoration should be placed. She helped me put up every part of our Christmas decor. And although I usually leave a few things in the boxes, every piece was special to her and she wanted to find a spot for it. She helped Moo all afternoon with her tree. If anyone needs motivation to get into the fa la la spirit, they should definitely borrow Maeve for a little while. 

She is hilarious mixing up the names for things like an artificial tree as official. She'll ask if you have a real tree or an official one! She also devoured Aunt Laura's boiled, deviled eggs. She bragged about eating three bold eggs. She refers to last night as yesterday night. So big, yet these little things remind me how young and innocent she really is.

Our future blessings are coming trifold- as in triplets! Aunt Kim and Uncle Tommy are expecting three babies next June. We have been with them on their heart wrenching quest to be parents. We know these three little ones that have our hearts already are nothing short of miracles. To have three of them coming at once is just astounding to all of us. They are proof that our God has perfect timing. Through them the power of prayer has been made evident and shown itself to be very powerful! I know our family of four will be blessed by having the triplets in our lives. Tony and I get to be Aunt and Uncle again after having the experience of having our own children. Although Laura and Chris have always trusted us with our now big nephews, Clayton and Carson, we know having a little parenting under our belts may be very beneficial as we help guide and help out Tommy and Kim in their new roles of mom and dad. I am happy Cam and Maeve get to have cousins on the other side too- the other side of the family and the other side of the age spectrum. They will get to be in the role of the big cousins. It will be exciting to see my two in the role-model position as they learn to love and play with their baby cousins. Just wow! (Wow! Wow! Wow!)

Ed.S Complete

Although it was about five years after I had originally planned on perusing my specialist degree, it is finally done. I had applied, been accepted, and even gone to a registration session at Piedmont in 08. When I learned that my scheduled classes would compete with my treasured family beach vacation, I regretfully opted to not begin at that time. I felt bad for not going ahead as scheduled. Little did I know, that it was a huge blessing for me to back out of that program. I would soon learn that I was expecting my second child and the due date would have been right during the whole specialist process. Someone was looking out for me!

I had not given much thought into another specialist degree program until my sister-in-law, Kim, mentioned that she might be joining her sister and some other teachers from her sister's school. I liked the idea of going with a group, eventhough half of it I didn't know yet. I also liked the time frame of one year. The bonus part was also that this was the last date that Georgia educators would be grandfathered in to the automatic pay raise- that was the little extra push I needed to say, "Sign me up!" I knew without the pay incentive, it would likely be something I would never have gone back to do. 

January was our start up date. We found our way to Lincoln Memorial University's satellite campus in Ducktown, TN. Over the river, through the woods, and around the mountain we made it for a total of 15 trips. When we started, it seemed like it was going to be forever before we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. It also seemed unusually cruel to leave our families behind and to have to be in class on our sacred Saturdays, but we grinned and beared it. 

While earning that third degree, we also created friendships and bonds that only come from being on 6 hour roadtrips and completing beastly assignments together.  We were teachers, mothers, daughters, friends, and sisters in Christ. Our stories were endless. Our laughs were deep belly ones. Our experience was priceless.

Thankful for His perfect timing in all things.

One of a Kind

Many people comment on Maeve's unusual name. They want to know: Is it a family name? How it is spelled? Where did we get it? They'll say, "I've never heard of that name."  Little do people know just how symbolic her unique name has become of her.

From the very beginning of her existence, Maeve has surprised us and been on her own timeframe. We first learned of her forthcoming not from a pregnancy test but from a phone call at the pool after a regular yearly check-up. Talk about shocking! She is every bit of take-it-easy like that pool day and "gotcha" like that life-changing phone call all rolled into one.

Our Maeve is unpredictable. This was evident from her snow day arrival. She was coming whether we were ready or not. And on any given day,her unpredictability shines through. You never really know how she is going to respond or react to situations. One day she will take her medicine just as prescribed. The next she will pitch a fit over the same situation. She can perform with the best of them one moment and then be shy and reserved the next. She can be sweet and sassy in the same minute.

And for every time we find ourselves frustrated with her strong will, we also find ourselves overwhelmed by her inept ability to show love and empathy just when we need it most.

Maeve, you are truly our one-of-a-kind! We love you for all that you are and all you will become!

A Mouse and a Monkey

Gone are the days when my two would willingly coordinate their Halloween costumes. Both are very opinionated and creative. I never thought these two costume choices could go together, but they ended up being the perfect balance of wild and sweet- which epitomizes our both of our little people.

 Maeve declared she wanted to be Mickey Mouse. Which surprised us since she loves to be our girly girl. Even after a visit to the Disney store and she saw the cute Minnie dress and matching shoes, she held to her guns and said Mickey was who she wanted to be. We pieced her outfit together with things we already had. The only addition were the large yellow shoes which Good Will and yellow spray paint helped with! 

Cam just wanted to be incognito this year with a mask. He didn't really care what was in his mask as long as he was wearing one and couldn't be recognized. We searched for one that wasn't too gory  or scary and the chimp was the best we could find. We had a lot of fun with it as our chimp walks out of the store with the mask on, wore it in the backseat, and rolled down his window at intersections to see the surprise look on people's faces.

I felt like I was in a Peanuts episode when Maeve declared, "I got a pencil!" And knew I was surely in the twilight zone when Cam was tired and ready to head back.

We traveled through a safe neighborhood with good friends and a trick-or-treating mentor and expert. Lots of candy was accumulated, lots of sweat drops were shed on that hot October night, and a successful adventure will be remembered. 

Fall Festival (and Just Fun)

Nothing says fall like sitting around a fire! Relaxation at its best this season. Fall festivals are also my favorite activity. Love to see the sights, smell the smells, and taste the tastes! Memories and traditions of the season....

Maeve and AB found some pumpkins on a field trip to the patch.

Maeve's artwork by the fire- it's her, Cam, and CoCo

Cam found a sword at the festival

Maeve rode Molly the pony

It was a kitty kind of day!

Carving with daddy

Creepy Carvers!