Life with my sister

I just had to show you how cute my boy was at church today. He actually picked the hat out himself at the store and I bought the shirt to match. We compromised with the sweater vest with a cookie bribe, and had a cute little outfit. Julie says Henry is still my big, live baby doll...and that he is. I love dressing my Henry. I think it is safe to say dressing him is my hobby! poor little cutie - ha! Abby

My Henry knows most all the words to this song. He belts it out in this funny, graspy voice and throws a fit when it is over and begs for me to play it again. Randall played it in the den the other night because he had not witnessed Henry's performance and had to hear it for himself. He was shocked, stunned and tried not to laugh. I did laugh. I wish I had videoed Henry's performance. He was twirling around the room and belting it out. I think our jaws were on the floor watching him. Santa put the CD in my stocking so I blame it on him. Up to this point we have played Praise Baby and Sunday School Song CDS in my car. Santa made me go secular! Henry knows words to so many hymns and Bible songs it is amazing, but now he knows Adele and that is just plain wrong! I know she won 6 Grammy's but I am not thrilled that my little sponge gets in the car and yells "I want fire rain!" and kicks until I turn it to track 5. Oh me...back to Praise Baby ASAP. Shame on this litt...

"I can see the fingerprints of God when I look at you. I can see the fingerprints of God, and I know it's true. You're a masterpiece that all creation quietly applauds and you're covered with the fingerprints of God. Never has there been and never again will there be another you, fashioned by God's hand and perfectly planned to be just who you are, and what He's been creating since the first beat of your heart is a living, breathing priceless work of art. Just look at you you're a wonder in the making and God's not through in fact, He's just getting started!" I love that song by SCC. He always has the best lyrics. I found these pictures from Henry's first year of life tonight while getting some things off of my external hard drive. Such sweet memories of my little munchkin boy. What a blessing his life is. I pray he becomes a man of God who desires to be a hard-working, loving and devoted husband and father. I think it is never too early t...

We attempted a little photo session before school one morning this week. It was for Henry's Valentine's Day card. He loves to say "cheese" but sitting still is not his best thing. He has so much to do and see. He has never been 2 before...it is a big deal. He makes me laugh. Always smiling and saying "cheese" but not looking at the camera. I practically stand on my head, bark, moo, sing, etc to get his attention but he just laughs and looks all around. There is so much to explore and see when you are 2. He is going to be a heavily sought after Valentine, don't you agree? The girls in Toddler 2 may do some hair pulling over this boy on Feb 14 th (I am such a modest mother). We can't wait to share his card with you on that day. I am doing a super fun theme for him this year. Last year it was airplanes and this year may top it. Oh, what fun it is to be the mama of such a fine boy! Abby

Henry loves a bath. He goes bonkers when he hears "bath" so we have to spell it when talking about it unless it is time. He will sprint to the back of the house when he hears "bath" while laughing, squealing and yelling "Baftub...I want baftub!" Have I ever told you how much I love this little fella?! I love this baby boy to pieces. He can be so ornery at times and push all my mama buttons, but I love him for it. These past few days it has been just the two of us. His Daddy went on a hunting trip and I was home with a stomach bug. Julie's dynamic duo shared the germ with ole Aunt Abby. Thanks, guys! Henry was so sweet and cooperative with his sick little mama. He has not gotten sick and I am so thankful.... and still crossing my fingers! He was sweet to sit still with me while I felt so bad. At one point he looked at me, patted me on the arm and said, "Mama a good boy!"and leaned in and kissed my cheek. Melt.my.heart! I don't care how bad...

Henry is 25 months old. Sometimes I sit and start to panic that I am going to regret not writing it all down. This weekend was one of those weekends. I just sat down and started typing. I feel better now. I know I will never be able to record it all. I have so much bottled up in my heart that will stay there forever. Henry, you are 25 months old: You have learned that you have an opinion and you share it. It is adorable and annoying! You love to say “NO WAY” and “NO WAY JOSE!” You sometimes laugh when you say it…which makes it adorable. You love your “monkey” like crazy. You still like both the blue/white & blue/green one . You love to rub the silky part. When we were at Marmie’s for Christmas Daddy had run an errand in the truck and your “monkey” was with him. Marmie gave you a green silk nightgown and you were happy. Silly, sleepy boy and crafty, smart grandma! You love trucks, trains, tractors, buses, combines, and bicycles…anything that goes, basically. You love pushing your t...

Henry Patton was born 2 years ago today! What a day of rejoicing that was...in more ways than one! My whole world became a little brighter and softer. He is truly the delight in my life. His Daddy and I wake up and still chase each other to his room to see who can get there first. We are still so smitten with him. I honestly cannot wait to see him each morning and hate to see him fall asleep at night...even though he is so sweet and still when he is sleeping. We grow fonder of him each day. Last year we had a party celebrating the big one at home with family and a few friends. He was just learning to walk and taking a step or two at a time. By Christmas last year he was getting around at a good clip. He grew so much this past year. I tried my best to record it but know I missed a lot. My heart has it bottled up, and that is what matters the most, I reckon. Henry is now a tall, handsome 2 year old. He talks non stop and tries to speak in full sentences. Henry can sing his ABC's, c...

Creamy Tacos. They are so good. I am having a Sunday School party Mexican fiesta potluck tonight at our humble abode and plan to serve this goodness to my friends. It is a recipe that brings lots of love and memories with it. We did a family cookbook in 2004 and we had our good friends Aynn, Gay and Vicki all submit this recipe with a story of why they love it. It is goodness, for sure! Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles 1 pint whipping cream 1 can chili beans 1 large box velveeta fritos Preparation: Brown ground beef and drain. Put this in slow cooker/Crock Pot. Add whipping cream , chili beans, and stir. Cut velveeta in chunks and place in slow cooker/Crock Pot. Stir all of this and cook on low for 1-2 hours. Serve over fritos. Note: I also top with sour cream, black olives, onion, lettuce, and salsa. Here is the sweet little foodie eating a sucker after loosing a fight with the spaghetti. So cute! Happy Food Friday! Abby

My little turkey can say "gobble gobble" and "give thanks". It makes my Mama heart so proud. He is a sponge and I love it! This week I am making a thankful tree for us to have on the table at dinner time. It has made me think of all the little bitty things we have to be thankful for. Henry absorbing things and learning so much is something I am most thankful for this year. He has been saying his ABC's for about 2 months now and it is clear as a bell. You can even start at any given letter and he will pick it up and finish it. So smart! He is counting to 14. I have the cutest video of he and his daddy counting but downloading videos is my downfall. I don't take time to do it. Maybe I will this week if time allows. His little voice melts my insides. He also knows all his shapes. You can even throw out a diamond or an octagon and he will tell you exactly what it is. You should hear him say "octagon". Preciousness! It makes me laugh because it is sur...

This pumpkin dip is so yummy. My Mama introduced me to it some years back and since then I have made an excuse each year to make it around Halloween & Thanksgiving. It is fun, easy and a crowd pleaser. It is great served with ginger snaps and apples. This would be a great weekend to whip some up! 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate Directions In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice until smooth and well blended. Chill until serving. Aren't these so cute?! I was making these for Henry's Halloween party at school, but while in Walmart gathering supplies for them the bell went off in my head and the red light beamed bright in my eyes. NO...they are made with peanu...

I am s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g trying to make this a food related post since it is Food Friday. I cooked nada this week...not a thing! It was an odd week with activities and illness in our home. Today I sat down to post this and I am drawing a blank on coming up with a good recipe because I plan to cook nada this weekend as I head out for a little girl time with my BFF. So, bear with me as I try my best to relate this post to food somehow :) This is what we ate for supper last night. (This is my attempt to make this food related, just in case you were wondering.) We had special guests over and no one cooks on Thursday nights in my house. So, Pizza Inn was on order and all our guests were excited. Pizza Inn is a family favorite and from what I hear it is becoming pretty hard to find anymore. Our special guests were Julie and her fun crew. Juju loves her Henry. He does not always show his love in the best and brightest way to her though. I am glad she loves him anyway. Poor Ju! All the way ...

Friday afternoon Henry and I headed about an hour outside of town to one of Randall's plots so he could ride the combine with his daddy. Henry did not pose for this picture. It just happened. He was watching his Daddy out in the field and looked back at me to tell me "Daddy work". When we got there Henry ran in the corn yelling "Daddy's corn" over and over. It was the cutest thing. His daddy made a pass up to the front of the field and picked up Henry soon after we arrived. Henry was eager and excited to get on Daddy's "tractor". We tried to correct him but when we said "combine" Henry said "crouton" (he loves croutons!). This is a research combine if you are wondering what in the world kind of combine this is. It is very specialized and records data as the corn is cut/shelled. I just love my boys. They live for each other. It is the sweetest thing. I don't know who was more excited...Randall or Henry. Randall loves be...

I am loving this boy. I know you already know this, yet I just can't express it enough. I am just loving this stage. Every stage has its perks. This one makes me laugh...and we all know how I love to laugh. It also makes me tired in a whole new tired way. It is a good tired and not the "drunk" tired of the infant stage. This is a sleep good tired and I like it, even though I sometimes complain. I really shouldn't. Henry does and says the funniest things. He is a little character. I admit that he is my child. Beware! He is a little clown and I adore it. Henry will get into things and find things I did not know we even had. He found this water gun in the above photo in a random cabinet that I had for the Fab 4 a few years back. Never a dull moment. He had never played with a gun so his Daddy was demonstrating. I am not sure Henry thought it was all that fun...shooting his mother and all. I am really trying my hardest to cherish all these sweet and simple times because I...

As you read last Food Friday, this is Hunger Action Month and we are dedicating our Food Friday's to highlight hunger and ways we can help. When most of us think of the hungry we picture children. Their little brains and bodies are growing at nano speed and proper nutrition is so important for them. It hurts any of us to think that there are children who are unable to eat because nothing is provided for them. Yet, what REALLY gets me these days is this statistic. We don't think about our parents and grandparents being hungry. When we first moved to J'Town 3+ years ago I got involved with the Food Bank by delivering senior packs. Every two weeks I would load my Maxima with 20+ boxes of food and take them to a senior apartment complex. I had a love/hate relationship with it. I loved helping and felt the need was great, yet I hated the sadness it left in my heart for days afterwards. I am not one of those people that helps and feels good about it. I still see the need and foc...

Every morning this sweet boy wakes up and asks for his "muk" and his "pop pop". He knows how to open the pantry to find his "pop pop" and tries his hardest to pull open the fridge door to get his own "muk". That milk and pop tart are essential to us in the mornings. We always have an extra gallon of "muk" in the fridge out in the garage and we always have a stash of pop tarts hidden in the pantry. We think nothing of it. We don't realize how blessed we are to not only have what we need to meet his immediate need, but we have enough supply to meet the need for days and even weeks. Sometimes I think about it. It breaks my heart to think about it. What if one morning he woke up and there was no "muk" or "pop pop". What would I say or do and how would he react? How would I fill his little belly? Yes, I would go to a food pantry or find government assistance, more than likely, but what if we did not have that avail...

Some of you may know this pretty face as my dear friend Paige, but she is also an angel. She was the hands of feet of Jesus this week for a group of us that could not be. I love how Christians pull together and just do it because it is the right thing to do. No fanfare, no bells or whistles, no over thinking, no praise required...we just do it because it is required of us. Knowing we could call on Paige to work with us to show love to someone who really needed it was such a blessing to my friend heart. This is Whitney. She is a coworker of mine that I have never actually worked with! She had her baby 8 weeks early and it was on the weekend before I started my job here. She has been in Little Rock all this time, living at the hospital praying her baby home. This week we could tell it was starting to take its toll on her (Though you cannot tell. Doesn't she look beautiful!?) . She needed a hug real bad and our arms were too far to reach her. Paige provided the arms for us. Paige t...