Friday Photos!

Getaway!

Matt and I celebrated our anniversary by taking a quick overnight getaway to the Outer Banks of NC. WITHOUT. THE. KIDS.

Oh, yes ma'am, we did!

Jacob was at his mom's and we dropped Eli off at PaPa and Mema's house early on Saturday morning. Then, we set off!

Once I got over the initial shock of not having our boys with us on a trip (we always take them with us), we had a blast! It was so nice to just be "Matt" and "Jennifer" and not "Mama" and "Daddy"!

We hit the local attractions and ate some mighty fine food (thanks to Nate). However, I must pause right here to tell you about the dinner I had on Saturday night! We went to Kelly's and I did something I rarely do...I ordered something I've never eaten before. Now, let me preface this by saying, I'm not a huge fan of the steak. It's just never been my thing. But, I stepped out in faith (Matt said I'd like it) and ordered the Smoky Filet Oscar. Oh, my gracious! It was LIFE. CHANGING. I will never be the same! It was a divine plate of filet mignon, covered in lump crab meat, on a bed of mashed potatoes and asparagus, all covered in a smoked gouda cream sauce. And boy, was is good-a!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of our fun getaway trip! And, if you can't find me at dinnertime, call Kelly's. I may just need a Smoky Filet Oscar fix soon!

I won't hold my breath!

After a crazy day yesterday, I was encouraged by a segment on the Today Show this morning.

While running around getting two kids ready to be out the door on time for school, I heard someone talking about the value of a stay at home mom (or the title I've come to prefer "homemaker"). Following a rundown of the activities and responsibilities of a homemaker, they finally got to the good stuff. According to Salary.com, I should be making over $122,000. Well, I'd have to agree. So, if you need me today, I'll be out by the mailbox waiting for my check!

Love Never Fails

I remember walking down the boardwalk holding my daddy's arm and knowing my world was about to change. I've never felt so many emotions running through me at once. But, as a crested the top of the steps, and I saw you waiting in the sand, the only thing I felt was love. And, it filled my heart.

During the ceremony, a passage from 1 Corinthians 13 was read. It says, "4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails."

That's the love we share. I couldn't ask for more! You are everything I ever imagined in a husband and everything I never knew I wanted or needed. I'm blessed beyond measure and I thank God for you every day! I look forward to growing old with you. The best is yet to come!

Happy Anniversary, Matt!

AML, AML!

Whatta Weekend!

We had a weekend that was just chock full of fun and family!

PaPa and Matt spent the weekend tearing down our old deck and rebuilding a new, bigger deck. They did an awesome job despite the evil load of wood that jumped out of the truck in the middle of a busy intersection requiring my father to sit with half the wood on the side of the road while the other half was taken to be unloaded (I bet that was a sight to be seen...it seems we are dipping our toes into the redneck waters just a bit these days) and the smoking 90 degree heat. We now have the completed floor of a new deck. The rails will be up soon!! I am so grateful for hard working men. I can't wait to relax on the new deck with my family!

Since Mema and PaPa were here this weekend, instead of us travelling there, they brought the cousins with them. On Saturday, Josh came to play and then on Sunday, Wooten and Christian were here. Of course, not to be outdone, the girl cousins came with Mema and PaPa to Jacob's ball game last night! It was awesome for Jacob to have some playtime. Eli tried to keep up, too! Here's a picture of my hot and sweaty boys together.

Then, on Monday night we had a ball game. Jacob is really shining behind the plate. He works super hard back there and after the game on Monday night, he was singled him out for some words of praise. It was great to hear the coach giving Jake accolades for working hard whether the team is winning or losing. He's always out there giving his best! Way to go, buddy!

Friday Fun Night!

Jacob had an event at school last night and we all piled up the rental minivan to go. After grabbing some good old Wendy's burgers (yes, I fed Eli a cheeseburger...yes, he LOVED it!), we were on our way!

We arrived and headed straight for the media center. Jacob's artwork was being displayed there as part of an art fair. They had framed all the artwork and made it look like an art gallery. Jacob was sooooo excited about showing off his work and he did a great job. Of course, we fell for their sneaky ploy, adored his framed art, and forked over the $32 to proudly carry it home.

With lighter pockets, we headed down to the cafeteria for some BINGO fun. The prizes were some awesome baskets full of donated goodies. I really wanted the "spa-scape" basket with the hour massage, mani/pedi, loofah, moisturizer, and seaweed mask. Matt and I took turns walking the halls with our energizer bunny, aka Eli, while the other hung out with Jacob and tried to figure out how to improve the odds of winning a "spa-scape."

Alas, it was not in the cards for us to win, but we had a wonderful time as a family and our home is newly decorated with Jacob's mosaic entitled, "Jack, the ballet bunny."

Easily distracted

This past weekend, I looked at Matt and told him that we should fire our maid, which is exactly what we would do if we actually had a maid!

Somehow since Eli has begun walking and the weather has gotten beautiful, housework has taken a backseat. So, in an effort to correct this situation, I did what all good teachers do and made a worksheet. It looks like this...

I found something similar on another website and tweaked it to fit my needs. It has a place for the date, the scripture I'm memorizing that week, my water intake and whether I took a walk (I'm trying to be healthier and this makes me accountable). Then there's my top 3 to dos (which I should have labeled "must dos"), other to dos, and miscellaneous reminders. There are daily to dos such as unloading the dishwasher, wiping down counters, etc. that are not on this worksheet.

So on Monday, with my daily docket in hand and knowing my top 3 to dos were cleaning the master bath, mopping the kitchen floor, and vacuuming, I got busy. Shortly into the day, I realized what my problem might be.

During Eli's morning nap, I set to work. I stopped in Matt's office to say hey and get a kiss. Since we had yet to move other furniture to make room for it, I'm ashamed to say that our beloved, new filing cabinet was still sitting in the middle of his office. Well, I was so distracted by it, that I decided to move things and get it into place. Or course, that required finding a spot for the furniture I moved out of the office. So, up to Jacob's room with that shelf I went. When I got there, I was distracted by how messy his toy shelves were, so I organized them. Then I headed downstairs to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher. About a third of the way into it, I realized I hadn't started our dinner, so I grabbed the roast and a can of crushed tomatoes and threw them in the crock pot. About that time, Matt came into the kitchen looking for a snack. Since I was distracted, I offered to make him a sandwich and then realized a Coke Zero on ice would be really good. After I fixed that for myself, I headed back to the still-open dishwasher. I put away a few things and was distracted by my bare feet on the dirty floor, so I grabbed the broom and swept. About that time, the baby monitor died, so I grabbed the laundry baskets from the laundry room and headed upstairs to retrieve the monitor base. When I got to our room, I was distracted by the unmade bed and so I pulled the covers up and tucked and smoothed before grabbing the base. Finally, I headed back downstairs to finish unloading the dishwasher.

Well, no wonder I don't feel like I get anything done. It took me an hour to unload the dishwasher!!

Anyone else have this same disorder, besides my Mama? I checked the DSM-IV and it's not a documented mental disorder, so I guess it's just a family trait!! :)

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On a completely different note, take some time to ready MckMama's post about prayer. It's worth your time!!