Life with my sister

What a time of reflection the new year brings to us. "Bye, Felicia" was the most overused hastag and witty comeback I have ever typed with my short little fingertips. I don't know Felicia, but that poor girl needs a welcome basket or a party invitation in 2018. Every 365 days we get a do over . A cold, brisk try again awaits us as the calendar strikes day one. I am quite fond of this slow and cold time of year. It is when I met and fell in love with my husband . I love the newness and stillness that comes with the brand new year. As wild as it sounds, winter is my favorite time of year. You know, some years are just plain crazier than others and 2017 was every bit of that. It was my best professional year ever and one of my worst on a personal level. I just plain bombed life as mom and wife. Taking on too many good things that were not my best yes caused me to stink up my reign as queen bee of the Lee 3. I can blame it on a lot of distraction and things not fitting...

It so hard to believe Henry's pre k year is over because it feels like it just started. He loved going to the blue roof school, as he called it. All last summer we would drive by it and it was like driving by the promised land. He was so excited to get there. The last month of school was Henry's month to be named Student of the Month. It was so cool to end the year with the sign in our yard. Our little street has about 9 houses and I think everyone expressed excitement for him throughout the month. We waited all year for it! I cried when I heard he was awarded the honor. I'm such a mom!  We adored his teachers. Mrs. Julie was his main teacher and was exactly what I prayed for. I loved her. Mrs. Heather joined us after Christmas and was a great addition. We were old Bible Study Fellowship groupies so she knew my boy. Henry was loved well and grew so much under their watch. I'll be forever grateful for their care and love for my precious boy.  On awards night when they an...

 This was my 7th Mother's Day being a mama. I love being this boy's mama more than anything. The joy is unmeasurable and so are the gray hairs!  My husband is the best gift giver and does not skimp on showering me with what I love best  to excessive proportions. He knows it's my love language. The ladies in both of the gift shops know him now and know what I have and don't have yet in my various collections. It really makes my heart melt. I love him for it.  I'm a sucker for a collection.  The new domed glass "I love you" charm for my necklace was the best. My neck is not the prettiest thing anymore since my surgery but these boys of mine keep adorning it with charms! It's my battle scar and to me it says "it was not cancer so BOOM!"  After church they took me to downtown Memphis for the day. They know that's my place and we were in need of a Redbirds game before it gets too hot outside. They were giving away shirts for kids to personaliz...

 I really do. I have all sorts of chalk tricks to ward off calluses. Pansies wear gloves (ha...truth is. Mine were stolen at the gym and I always forget to buy a new pair). Chalk is my friend.  I am a crossfit woman. Sounds funny, but this image is truth. I posted about it months ago and haven't updated about it (not that anyone cares but my mother). I have actually been doing crossfit since last November. Some months I slacked worse than others, so I am not progressing like I should for the time I have in it.  I also refuse to eat like a caveman. The "real" crossfitters eat a Paleo diet. I tried it. It puts me in a bad mood and since soybeans, corn and pesticides put the good meat on my table...I caved!  I am more aware of what fuels my body now because of crossfit, but I have had my fair share of ice cream and french fries this summer. More than I care to admit.  I am trying to step it up a notch now and work on reshaping my body. It is HARD WORK but the...

I know Easter is all about Jesus and his sacrifice, yet we also celebrate the bunny at our house. We knew the real meaning of Easter when we were growing up while celebrating the bunny, so we carry on that tradition with our little Henry. This is our third Easter with our little fella. Learning the rules of egg hunting has been difficult for our little guy. He wants to throw them and run away. It is quite comical to watch. We took our little egg hunter to an egg hunt with some friends. He was unsure about the group hunt, but was willing to line up with the kiddos and take a stab at it. Wearing the bucket on his head. What a little clown. He is my child and I love it. And finally he realized the eggs had candy in them and he was off to the races! He now wants candy in the eggs we play with at home...but of course! Our cookie lady, Amy shipped us these cookies for Henry's school Easter party. Aren't they adorable?! She really does a great job and we can always count on her to co...

"Daddy plant corn?" or "Marmie sick?" is all that I have heard in the past week out of this little precious love. My heart aches for him. His daddy is in the thick of planting all over the delta and his phone-a- friend( Marmie) is not able to communicate with him. He is so confused and has seen me cry way more than he should have. Julie told me to stop crying in front of him because he was going to be jacked up...so I have bucked up and kept dry eyes for the last few days. He has talked to Juju in place of Marmie this week and I think Juju has really liked that...I know Henry has! When he talks to his daddy every morning by phone he says "plant corn good daddy!" This week has been a challenge to work and be mama without distraction. Playing outside with him after work has been therapeutic for me. I committed the cardinal sin and allowed him to sleep with me. I needed it and so did he. Sometimes we have to break the rules. I am back with Mama now and relie...

Mama has a long road ahead of her. She is still in ICU and will be for a few more days. She is expected to be in the hospital for 3 weeks once she gets out of ICU. Your prayers of strength for all of us, especially mama, are very much felt and appreciated. Thank you for loving us enough to lift our family up often to our healer and merciful savior. Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father There is no shadow of turning with Thee Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been, Thou for ever will be Great is thy faithfulness Great is thy faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed thy hand hath provided Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me Great is thy faithfulness Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest Join with all nature in manifold witness To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love Great is thy faithfulness Great is thy faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed thy hand hath provided Great is thy faithfu...

Today our dear mama is having a portion of her colon removed. Julie and I have made the pilgrimage home to care for her. Before you read any further, please pray for our mama. Her name is Kathy and she is a jewel. Pray for her to have peace, the surgeon to have a steady hand and sharp mind, pray for her to have rest and a stress-free recovery. March is Colon Cancer Awareness month. I find it an ironic blessing that all this came about this month. Mama had never had a colonoscopy and her doctor had been on her about it for a while. She finally scheduled one. She hated every minute of the prep and the waiting on the procedure proved to be a bear also. She had to wait for hours. We got updates from our Aunt J, who had taken her, and it went from comical to maddening, real quick!( My favorite part was when Aunt J told her she would take her anywhere she wanted to eat afterwards and she told Aunt J she just wanted to go home and eat scrambled eggs. I still laugh about that.) After the proce...

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...

Today we are linking up to Kelly's Korner again for a working mom post. Let me start by saying that ALL moms are working moms, whether they stay at home or work outside of the home, that is FO SHO! Today she is highlighting working moms and since I am a working mom I wanted to link up and share what little wisdom I have on the subject. I am a mama to Henry. He is my only child. He was born while I worked a very high stress job in health care marketing. I learned the first day back from maternity leave that it wasn't going to work. I continued to get up and go through my day like a guilty zombie until he was 6 months old. One day I walked out and never looked back. I had no idea what or where I would go for work, but I knew God had a better plan for me, my boy and my husband. Lesson #1 - no job other than being wife and mother should take priority. My family It took me a year to find the right job for my family. That year long journey taught me a lot. I am a different"work...

This are my Pine Bluff girls. Well, minus one that left us when she moved to Jonesboro . But since she is allowing us to live in her house I have forgiven her. Rachel, the one in the Ridgway t-shirt is moving away from us, also going to Jonesboro , so this was our good-bye lunch. No tears were shed, but oh my goodness the laughter that was heard! We had such a great time together. We are all pastor's wives and mothers. We love that our husbands are in ministry in local churches, it is what brought us together. But our love for each other is what keeps us friends. These women have been by my side, literally, over the last couple of months. It is a joy to know them and to call them friend! And on a side note, if your pastor has a wife hug her neck the next time you see her. She'll love it! Julie

A couple of days before we went on vacation (a month ago) David began complaining about his ears hurting. I promptly called the doctor and got him some ear drops. I'm such a good mom! Daniel had an ear infection a couple of weeks prior and I figured something must be going around in their bedroom! I gave David all of his 7 days worth of ear drops . I'm such a good mom! The next couple of weeks he would complain off and on about his ear but he didn't run a fever and it wasn't an everyday complaint so I did nothing. I'm such a good mom! Monday David really started to complain about his ear. He cried a couple of times so I called the doctor Tuesday and couldn't get in. I called on Wednesday and they didn't even answer the phone. (This doctor's office is the WORST ! I love the kids doctor but I wish she would move to another office!) Thursday I had to be in Arkadelphia to help lead a conference for ministry wives, but I called the doctor's office while ...