Baby, Put Your Records On...

Tonight we decided we need a "theme song" for our baby. Not knowing if it is a boy or a girl for 2 more weeks, we picked a fun song for each and a sweet song for each. I do think Baby L loves the "devil music" because it is the first time I have felt it move and it moved like crazy. So funny! I promise to shelter its little ears from all this "trash" but for now it is fun.

Girl Song - I have always thought of me dancing with my baby girl to this song and singing it to her and making her laugh. LOVE IT!



Boy Song - Baby Daddy loves the words to this song and hopes that if it is a boy he will be simple like him. So funny and so sweet.



I loved listening to Cheri Keaggy in high school and in college. When I had to sing at church I always sang her songs because they suited my voice well. I just love these 2 songs she wrote about her daughter and son:

Girl Song



Boy Song (excuse the beginning of this video)



2 weeks from today we will know what songs we will be singing to Baby L!
Abby

Baby Mania

I feel like my brain may explode with all the thoughts, ideas and to-dos when it comes to getting ready for Baby L. My Newcomer's group held our monthly gathering at a children's store full of furniture and accessories. It was very helpful, yet I did leave with sweat on my brow from over stimulation...no joke. Everyone is so nice to giving me their opinion on what I need, what I don't need, where to get this and that, and so on and ahhhhh, Calgon take me away! I love the input and advice but sometimes I want to scream from the information overload.

I could not sleep in the night tonight due to heartburn and my mind racing about what fabric to buy for the bedding. Yes, insane. Anyway, I got out my Babywise book and started reading it, finally. It helped calm me a bit. I am reminded that Baby L could care less if it is sleeping on an towel or in a nice crib with custom bedding made by its Nana....how I nurture that baby, love that baby and pray for that baby is all that matters. Ah, sweet reality. It is so nice to have a dose of it every now and then.

P.S. 2 weeks until we know if Baby L is a prince a princess. What do you think it is? (This is my way of asking you to comment and promote reader participation here on our quaint little blog)

Abby

A conversation between sisters

In an effort of full disclosure. I have decided to post a few emails between Abby and I on Tuesday. It began with this comment I posted on a blog:

For the record. I did not approve this picture to be seen by all of America and beyond.I'm not sure it was a sisterly thing to do. And Abby should know that I will get her back in a big bad way!!! Julie

The following are the emails we sent back and forth.
(Abbys will be in a dull black, mine will be in a beautiful pink.)

Maybe you learn to post to our blog and not leave it up to me! I think the pic is cute...it provides us new readers and the picture is a reflection of us...which is what our blog is about. Sorry you don't like it. I can delete it?

Heck no! There is no reason to delete it. It just isn't the best picture of me, but who cares! I was just joking.

your mama....you best be nice to me or I will put ice in your sheets.

I'll hide things from you and move all of your pictures around!

so, you took our blog off your signature too? Tell me when you are ready to not do it anymore with me...(this is in regard to my email signature. I have my other blog as my signature www.juliesjournalofmemories.blogspot.com instead of this blog)

I change it up from time to time!Lay off!

I think that coexisting with my niece/nephew is making you grouchy!

whatever.....you don't like sharing a blog with me."coexisting"...really? What big words.

This is just one day in the life of us as sisters. There are many other days like this, but I decided to post this one because I thought it was funny.
And she didn't put ice in my sheets! THANK HEAVENS!!!

Julie

Fun with the Twins, the Princess, the Camper and the Sister

It is the simple things in life. Some bubbles and some jets make these sweet little look alikes go crazy. I loved it when they said "This is better than the one at Branson!" Not sure what that meant exactly, but it sounded like a good deal. I kept them from spraying the walls with the jets and then had to wash their hair because there were too many bubbles in the tub for them to do it alone. It brought back great memories of boys screaming bloody murder in the tub when the cup of water was poured on their little heads. This time, 7 years later, they laughed at it. Oh me, they are getting so big and it makes me so proud.
I am so glad these 4 little blessings came to my house last week. We had great fun at the house, the nature center, the water park and of course.....going with the mother of these 3 to stalk their oldest brother at camp. What a fun time for all involved...even the little camper who said (when he was picked up from camp by all of us), " I saw you watching me play football Mom. It made me smile." It made Aunt Abby gag a little.

And, I know what she hid. Mother told her how much I hated this sick little game and she made her tell me what she hid. I love the Mama!

Abby

I just couldn't help myself!

This was such a fun week!

I got to spend a few days with my pregnant sister and her husband. Fun times!

She is just so cute and pregnant.

The last few times I have stayed at her house I have hidden something from her. She is so meticulous about where everything is in her house that I think it is my duty to move something. Anything. (Like having my children there for a few days isn't enough to send her over the edge!HA!)

She asked that I not hide anything this trip. She looked at me with her pregnant belly and her tired face after a long day of work and asked that I not hide anything. That it just stressed her out.

So, I decided everthing would stay in its place this trip.

I mean she IS pregnant afterall. She works hard at work and then goes home and cooks supper and keeps her house very much in order. She really shouldn't have to worry about me taking something out of its place and putting it somewhere else.

Should she?

Well, I thought so until the moment before I left.

I couldn't help myself.

I had to do it.

It was my facebook friends that made me do it. They said they loved it when I hid stuff. How could I let them down?

I think she'll find this one.

Surely she will.

He's Alive and Well

Samuel is at Centri-Kid camp this week.

I won his registration on the Parent Life blog. He is with FBC Pine Bluff and knew absolutely NO ONE when he left with them Monday morning.

As a mother who is with her children 24/7 it was a little much to take.

We had each prayed about him going.

Monday morning before I dropped him off we had to stop by Walmart and pick up some Nutter-Butters (because Stephen ate all the ones I had already bought). While we were there, and walking through the store I prayed out loud for Samuel.

Samuel likes to hear me pray for him. I guess it is reassuring for him to know that I care enough to pray and that he gets to hear me. I guess it is really that way for all of us. We would love to hear someone pray for us in a time of need.

So, back to the story.

I decided when we chose to send him to Centri-Kid at ASU that the other kids and I would head to Jonesboro and stay with Abby and visit old friends. (And check on Samuel from time to time!) So that is where we are. Abby, the kids and I went to see him last night.

He looked tall and handsome and all boy! It was good to see him, but I think that one visit may have done it for both of us. I'm not sure that he wants us around anymore.

That will be fine. I don't mind. The kid has to grow up sometime. Might as well be when he's 11 and going in the 6th grade.

Even though I was 23 when I grew up! Just kidding, I was 19!

I'm going to visit old friends today. Not old in age. And not even old in length of time I've known them in the grand scheme of things. OK!

I'm going to visit friends today.

And I might drive by the campus and see if I can steal a glimpse of Samuel.

Because I'm his mom and he will never be too grown up!

Julie

Blog Hop

We love this picture because it tells a whole big story and makes us laugh. What a day, what cute "cat eyes" and what a princess.

*** We are participating in a Blog Hop! We are posting our favorite picture and if you know us and our pictures....this is a hard pick.***

What's Cooking

Homemade Salsa

We use the tomatoes from our garden and this package of salsa mix (found in the produce section). We chop up the tomatoes real small and stir in the package of salsa mix. We then grab a bag of tortilla chips and enjoy! It is so simple, so good, and is often a meal at our house.

Spaghetti Casserole
8 oz sour cream, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 package angel hair pasta. Cook pasta and drain. Stir in sour cream and cream cheese until mixed well.
Brown 1/2 pound pork sausage and 1/2 pound ground beef, with onion and Italian spices. Add 1 can Rotel and 1 can Italian diced tomatoes (and a fresh tomato from your garden if you have one!) and mix with meat. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
In a large casserole dish, layer meat on bottom, grated cheddar cheese and then spaghetti. Alternate each. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

I tried this recipe for the first time this week and was not sure how it would turn out. It turned out to be incredible and we will definitely have it again.

TennTucky Blackberry Cobbler
1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour - whisk these 3 until blended. Add 1 stick melted butter to batter and whisk until blended. Pour batter into a lightly greased baking dish; sprinkle 2 cups blackberries evenly on top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar evenly on top also. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until golden brown.

I have made this twice in the past week with fresh blackberries. Yummy stuff!

Abby

Some Of My Favorite things...At Least At The Moment

I thought I would post some of my favorite things right now. It is most random, but I am pretty random...so here goes:

Hot rollers are my friend again. The pregnancy hormones are doing weird things to the hair these days so back to the ole hot roller we go! I love it.

No, this is not me or Randall, nor is it anyone we know. It is a photo I got off the Internet. We do have this pool though....and shamefully, I love it. Not knowing anyone with a pool in this town, nor being the "country club wanna-be up with the jones" type people, was going to make for a long and very white summer. I am still pretty white, but I am working on the tan in my little blue blow up pool. I sure miss the summers at the Takei's and at Ms. Jenny's pool. Ahhh....the memories. Melissa was kind enough to send me a picture of the pool today at Ms. Jenny's and say "wish you were here"....I am hanging tight in my blue blow up though...it ain't no thing!

These are the cookbooks that make meal time great at the L house these days. I know the women in my family will gasp that the red & white check cookbook is not in this picture. I don't just love it so much, sorry. Maybe I will grow fonder of it with time. Anyway, the one on the stand is one of my "fru-fru" books, the laminated one is our family cookbook and the other is Bell's Best that my Great Aunt Julia gave me for a wedding gift and it is honestly my favorite, aside from the family book. I have a cabinet full of cookbooks and these are the ones I go to the most. I wish I was more loyal to all of the books, but I play favorites.

Completed scrapbooks make me happy and these days there are more NOT completed than completed. It is my current goal to finish the ones that need to be finished before summer's end. I just haven't had the drive or motivation for my hobbies or crafts lately. I hope it comes back to me real soon!

Not a pretty picture, but is a fan on a stand ever pretty? No. This fan is getting me through the night though and for that it is attractive to me! I have been so hot and at night I get extra hot. The ceiling fan was not cutting it, so this puppy blows right on me all night long. I love the sound and the breeze and I am sleeping much better because of it.

Summer's harvest. I love this time of year because it means tomatoes, peaches and other great picks. I like sharing and trading fresh produce with co-workers and friends. It makes life seem simple and pure, if only for a brief moment. I am such an old soul, I know.

And at last, my summer sandals. I love these 4 picks. They are my summer staples. I have many sandals, yet these are the 4 I find on my feet each day. I honestly look forward to wearing them. For a few summers I went without caring about shoes but the sandal fetish is back this summer in full force. I think it is because I am trying to accessorize more to cover up this growing body. Whatever it is, these are my top 4 and you will see me in one of them each day, more than likely.


Abby

Birthday Queen

Happy *0th, Mawmaw!!!!

We are tickled pink to have you as our grandmother.

We were also trained very well to NOT put your age on this post. You raised us well. Happy day to you. You deserve the happiest of a birthday this year.

Lovey, Julia Kathryn & Abby Jo

Samuel the All-Star

Samuel is an All-Star once again!

A baseball All-Star.

This is his 4th year to compete with an all-star team. He has only been eligible to play on an all-star team for 5 years. So 4 out of 5 isn't bad!

Being on an All-Star team is a commitment. A commitment of money and time. We have to pay for new uniforms, tournaments, and travel. That isn't too hard for us.

The commitment of time is the hard part for our family. We believe in commitment. We believe in following through, not letting your team down. We also believe in church on Sundays. During all-star baseball our two beliefs clash.

Samuel has never played on a Sunday. (Except for 2 weeks ago when he took the field at 12:40AM Sunday morning) The all-star coaches know from the very beginning that Samuel will not play on Sundays.

It has been heartbreaking for us to leave on Saturday night knowing that the team would play without him the next day and that it could possibly be the last game of the year. I have shed many tears. I have been really mad. I have tried, in my best feminine way, to coerce Stephen into letting Samuel play. But through all of that, I know that our biggest commitment is to the Lord.

We made our commitment to God long before we made a commitment to any baseball team.

This year has been different. Samuel and I haven't cried. We haven't been upset that he couldn't play. I guess since we have been through this so many times we now realize that our commitment to God and His church is greater than baseball.

I have heard all the arguments, all the persuasive tactics. I know many Christian families that play ball on Sunday.

This is what our family has decided. Our family has decided to not play any sport on Sunday. We are honoring God by being at church on Sunday. We pray before the services that our minds are kept on God and what He wants for us during that service. That we wouldn't be thinking about the baseball game or the team. I will tell you that the first year my thoughts were not on the worship service or what God wanted to say to me. They were on the game.

But over time it has changed. It is easier to miss the Sunday game and go to church. It is where our commitment is. It is where our heart is.

People may talk bad about us. People may question us (and they do). But God doesn't and He is the One we answer to.

Samuel is so proud to be a member of the 11-12 all-star baseball team from Star City. But he is even prouder of the fact that he is a member of First Baptist Church and a player on God's team!
(Don't think I just made that up. Samuel and I were just talking and that is what he said.)

Oh, Happy Day To My BFF

Our Travels together have been many

(matching pillow cases to prove it)

Our destinations have been large.

(Disney World 2 times, even...this was taken on our 2nd trip)

Many years shared and many more to come

(this was the last year we rang it in together b/c this is the year the hubbies appeared)

And for 2 weeks we were both brides to be, together.

(this is a pic of the brides to be sporting the rings)

God just knew we had to do things together in order to survive.

Happy Birthday, my sweetest & bestest friend.

I am so glad God gave me you!

Abby

Peaches, Tomatoes and Summertime

These three things take me back to a very special place, with my Meemaw & Peepaw in West Tennessee. They always met Mama & Daddy in North Little Rock at the Holiday Inn to pick Julie and me up for a couple of weeks.

Us with Meema, outside of the Holiday Inn in NLR

They were our paternal grandparents. As Julie got older, I started going by myself because she wanted to stay at home with her friends or go to camp, etc. It was always such a fun time and summer always makes me think of all the memories made every summer of my life for 23 years. Did you get that....I went for 23 summers, until the Lord took both of them home .

Us outside of Peepaw's church.

My Meemaw loved peaches. We would stop in Clarksville and buy peaches at the stand right off the highway (which is no longer there). She always put them in a brown paper bag to ripen them up and then sat them on the kitchen counter. She would peel and slice them with a knife while resting the peach in her soft, feminine hand. We ate them plain, in Special K, on vanilla ice cream, peach yogurt, in pie and cobbler form. The woman adored a peach and because of that, I do too. I bought some yesterday from the produce man and when I washed the first one and took the first bite I caught myself smiling and almost shedding a tear (remember, I am pregnant and hormonal). I love how a peach can take me back to such a special place in my heart. My Meemaw and I shared a special and rare bond. My "Meep" died when I was 23, on a cold winter's day. It has been the saddest day of my life and I still find myself missing her, especially in the summer and when I eat a peach... see a cute pair of hot pink shoes, look at Sunday circulars, or sleep on a satin pillowcase that was once hers. Man, I miss that lady!

The "proverbial" porch photo Peepaw took on all of our visits.
My Peepaw was a Southern Baptist preacher for over fifty years. He pastored a church in West Tennessee from the time I was 1 until I was 10. They lived next door to the church and I can still smell the way that beautiful church smelled on a hot summer day. It is a comforting thing, in an odd way. The man loved a fresh grown tomato and we ate lots of them each summer. Often during the day, he and I would ride to town to do banking, or go off on country roads to visit ailing church members or deacon friends. A lot of these nice people gave him the tomatoes he adored. He also had a good friend that worked for Hostess. I think that is why I was a chubby kid….lots of snowballs and honey buns were bestowed upon me because I was the preacher’s baby girl. I would get sacks full of them each visit. This man spoiled his granddaughters rotten. He would give the carousel operator $5 and say, "let her ride until it runs out" (It was 25 cents a ride!), take me to the mall just so I could ride the glass elevator, and he always took me to Shoney's because I thought the waiter was really cute. My “Peep” died the week of my thirteenth birthday and a part of my childhood died with him.

Don't hate the hair or the broach on my scarf!

I Love the memory of this picture.

I could write a novel on my summers spent in West Tennessee and the memories I made with these two most special souls. I am sitting where I am today because of those summers in West Tennessee (St. Jude internship, Randall, etc). I will spare you the time of reading the novel and just leave you with these few little memories of what a little heat and fresh produce can do to a girl. Crazy, but true.
The funny thing about all this is that just about every summer I went home with a rash on my tongue from all the acid from the peaches and the tomatoes. Today my tongue started tingling a bit from the peaches and my very own homegrown tomatoes, and I found myself laughing…..after all these years I am still the same girl!

I can't wait to get to heaven and enjoy a little produce with "My People"

Abby

Father's Day Fun

Jules' crew and I all went to Daddy's house in north Mississippi (Memfrica) for a quick visit on Saturday and stayed until today. We had fun shopping and being together. We also got to see Aunt Babs, Hollye, Claire and the rest of the crew, but forgot to take pictures because we were having so much fun.

These sweet children are with their Grandaddy & Mrs. Connie until Thursday while Jules and Stephen are at the Convention. The kids will be a rotten, tired mess when they return home, that is for sure! As you can see Grandaddy is already a sweaty mess from all the activity. Jules and I had fun shopping for maternity clothes and we were glad Daddy's step-daughter, Ashley came along with us. Julie was in a mid chip chew in this picture....just so you know.

Time with my Daddy is always full of activity and heavy on humor.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.... WE LOVE YOU!

Abby & Julie

The Growing Belly Update

4 Months

(taken 1 week early)

My belly has grown so much in the past week or two. I feel pregnant when I roll over in the bed, get out of the bed or bend over real quick to pick up something. Fun, fun. Leaving the first trimester has been a blessing. I feel like Abby Jo again, finally. I think Baby Daddy is also glad to have me back. I was beginning to wear on him and it was getting too hot outside to stay in his garage all the time. Ha!I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks and then the first week of August I will find out if this baby is a girl or a boy. I wish I could know today. Waiting is so hard but fun at the same time. People ask me if I want a boy or a girl and I really don't care. I just want a healthy baby. Everyone predicts a boy, so I am anxious to see if they are correct. A little Randall wouldn't be so bad. He is awfully cute, you know!

I am getting excited about Christmas and driving my family & friends crazy about it. Christmas tree theme ideas, card ideas, family get together ideas, what one really special ornament to buy for Baby L, and on and on and on and on. I know, I know...crazy. It is hotter than hades in July outside, and I have ginger plums dancing in my head. I love Christmas and the thought of having a baby in the slap-dab middle of it is both a stressor and exciting for my OCD self.

Baby L's Loot
These are all the nice things Baby L has acquired in the past 3 months. Baby L's Marmie, Nana, Aunt Juju, great aunt Sissy and a few friends have been buying odds and ends. I have asked them all to take it easy until we know the sex of the baby. I don't think I can handle anymore green at this point, though I am most thankful for all the green that we have acquired. It is fun to have baby things in the house and I am anxious to have much more in due time.

We have ideas for our nursery but are waiting on the sex of the baby to move forward. Custom bedding made by Nana (she is nervous but I have full faith in her), a mural painted by "aunt" Genia, and fabulous decor with Baby Mama's mad skills will make for a fun and lively room for Baby L.

Abby