Happy New Year!

So, my very dear friends,
don't get thrown off course.
Every desirable and beneficial gift
comes out of heaven.

The gifts are rivers of light
cascading down from the Father of Light.
There is nothing deceitful in God,
nothing two-faced, nothing fickle.

He brought us to life
using the true Word,
showing us off as the crown
of all his creatures.

James 1:16-18 (The Message)

So I am a Little Behind...

I know...I know...I am a little behind on posting. No harassment needed...my Mom gives me enough...I promise! We are actually in Texas now, visiting my Mom...aka...Grandma. We surprised her on Christmas Eve with a phone call saying we were coming. So...with that said, we will update you on the month of December very soon...but not today! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I love all of you!!

Check it Out!

I have added a new blog...Carrie Bays Photography! Check it out...I LOVE comments!

www.carriebaysphotography.blogspot.com

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone many blessings today and over the next year!

Here Turkey, Turkey

Yes...it is almost that time again! I can't believe Thanksgiving is just days away! I will be taking my frozen turkey out today to start the big THAW! Jacob is just as (if not more) excited as I am about cooking the turkey. Last year, I tried to gross him out by handing him the insides of the turkey....and he just thought it was totally cool! He is ready to do it again this year! Logan on the other hand...he just wants to know when it will be done so he can eat it! I cook mine overnight so it is ready in the morning! I can't wait to wake up Thanksgiving morning to the smell of cooking turkey!! Mmm! Mmmm!

Prayers

Prayers for all those touched by the tornadoes last night just north of us in eastern NC. So far there are 2 dead, one of which was a 10-year-old boy. Still several missing.

Duty Calls

My mom received a call from David this morning. He is recovering from all the fun he had in Dubai! He said he did lots of Christmas shopping because the prices there are insanely cheap! He seems to be doing well! Still no pictures though...sigh...(So that means...David...if you are reading this we WANT PICTURES!)

Watching the Man Cook!

One of Fred's clients gave him a gift certificate to Mt. Fuji's as a thank you gift! We love to eat there and the boys have so much fun! The boys always ask..."Can we go watch the man cook?" And...it is SO yummy!

Ponderings

How terrible is it that today I put $15 in gas in my truck and was TOTALLY excited that it gave me a whole 7 gallons? That's right....after it being almost $4.00 a gallon for some time, gas is currently down to $2.08! Should I be excited...or disgusted that it went to $4.00 a gallon to begin with?

Basketball Madness

Last night we started our basketball adventure for the season. I decided to be brave and coach the 5-6 year old co-ed team for Vass. Boy what was I thinking...or wait...maybe I wasn't! No just kidding....really! We had alot of fun last night at practice. As of right now I have 7 boys and 1 girl, and let me tell you...they put they 8 kids with the MOST energy in the county on MY team! I definitely have some good ball players! They are already good at dribbling and stealing the ball. We will have lots of practices between now and our first game which should be the first Saturday in December. Jacob was the only one there last night (we were missing 2) that played rec ball previously, so of course he had to be a little showboat! He was teaching the others how to dribble the ball under his leg! What a ham! I am sure we will have many highlights to share over the coming weeks.

Wiggle Room

Jacob has a second loose tooth! The other front bottom tooth now has a wiggle to it. There is already a tooth showing from the first one he lost. In fact, it was showing when he pulled it! I will share the big news when the next one comes out!

A Crooked Cricket

After trimming Logan's hair this morning, I told him it was a little crooked.
He said "Cricket moma? My hair has a little cricket?"
I laughed and told him it was crooked.
He asked me if it was gonna be ok.
I replied that I might have to trim one little spot.
He says very seriously, "Are they jumping around?"
Laughing, I said no.
He then asks, "Are they real...or fake?"

My child now thinks he has crickets hiding in his hair.

Late Night Call

I received a phone call from David last night! He seems to be in good spirits! He is in Dubai, which is 9 hours ahead of those of us on the east coast. He says it is really neat there...he was on his way to a waterpark to have some fun! This is one of his liberty ports where he gets to get off the ship and do some exploring! I am hoping to have some pictures soon from him to share with you guys...and girls!

Jacob's 1st Nine Weeks Awards

Conner Shots

Conner, Too

My Little Pumpkins

Peek A Boo

So Fresh and so Clean...Clean!

From This...To This...

I Lost My 1st Tooth!

Jacob finally pulled his first tooth. It was really loose for about two weeks and he finally got the courage to yank it out tonight during church! I asked him if it hurt and he said no because he has power from Jesus! Yay Jacob!

PS...I now have my own little jack-o-lantern!

Say No to Drugs Week

This week was "Say No to Drugs" week at Jacob's school. He enjoyed lots of fun stuff like the "too cool to do drugs" day when they each got a popcicle. He wore his dreaded red shirt to school for sports day....and that only because we REFUSE to buy him a NC State anything. And no Caroline, even if you buy it for him...we won't let him wear it...lol! I think his likeness of state is the beginning of teenage rebellion, but wait...he's only SIX!!! Today was PJ day and I can't remember what the exact theme was, but he really enjoyed relaxing in his Thomas the Train pajamas today!

Loganisms

Moma...is Jacob getting out of "cool" in a "foo" minutes?

We were in the store the other day and Logan picked up some eye makeup and said...
Moma...this is for your "eyebro's."

Navy Mail!

I received an email from David early this morning! A few days ago he was in Bahrain (which is in between Saudia Arabia and Iran). He mentioned that it was going to be strange to spend Christmas in 100 degree heat! He said he will have to throw sand at each other instead of snowballs!

One Week and Counting...

My sister Lisa and my nephew Conner will be here in one week. Their flight comes in around 4:30 next Tuesday! I am soooo excited...I can't wait!Couldn't you just squeeze his little cheeks?

You know Momma...

When I picked Jacob up from school yesterday, he got in the truck and informed me that there was going to be a new movie coming out about a dog. He told me that he wanted to see it. Then he says, "Moma, we have to go to the movie theater, you know, that place with the REALLY big tv."

Happy Birthday!

Today is David's 23rd Birthday!! Since he isn't here to celebrate, I figured this would be a good way to send him birthday blessings! If you would like to wish him a Happy Birthday, leave him a message here and I will make sure he gets it!!

Fort Bragg Fair

We enjoyed a night at the Fort Bragg Fair last night. We had a great time. Logan refused to get on any ride including the Merry-Go-Round, until we strapped him on a horse (with him unwilling) and made him ride. I know the man at the merry-go-round probably thought I was a mean mommy for making him ride...but it served its purpose and he survived! Once he figured out it was actually kinda cool, he wanted to ride every ride out there! He even rode the tilt-a-whirl twice...back to back! On the way out, Ft. Bragg soldiers has a zip line and a wall that you could climb down with a rope. Jacob did a great job...no fear on either one. They strapped Logan up and he climbed the stairs to the top of the wall. When the soldier told him to take a step backwards off the wall, Logan looked at him like he had lost his mind. The soldier noticed Logan had Spiderman shoes on. He told Logan that Spiderman climbed backwards down walls. Logan informed him (in a VERY matter of factly way) that Spiderman didn't climb backwards...and he wasn't either. It was very funny to watch and hear and many of the other people thought it was quite comical that Logan was giving this guy a lecture on Spiderman!

Who would have thought he refused to ride anything when we got there?
Jacob is my daredevil...he would ride anything at least once if you let him!
The Tilt-A-Whirl!

These Boots Were Made for Walking

Today when we got ready to leave the house, Logan decided he wanted to wear a pair of cowboy boots that we bought in Jacob's size. This happens to be about 2 or 3 sizes too BIG for Logan. When I told him he could not wear them, he replied, "But moma, they WANT me to wear them." I explained that they were too big. Logan says, " But if I don't wear them, they will be sad!" Again, explaining that they were too big and they would hurt his feet, he replies again with, "They are gonna cry Moma!" I informed him that they would be just fine...and we left in another pair of shoes...

Picture Time!

I will be doing a photo shoot on Saturday, November 1st
at the McDonald Building in Carthage.

We will have Christmas, Fall, and Traditional backgrounds available.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please let me know.

Thanks

Good Job

Jacob made a perfect score on his spelling test today. So far he hasn't missed a word on his tests yet this year! GOOD JOB JACOB!!

Mmmm Mmmm Good

Logan and I went to May Street Market today to meet Fred for lunch. The meal was appetizing as usual. As we left, Logan pipes up and says, "That sure was good eatin'!"
Where does he get it from?

Just noticed...

Today Logan is 4 years, 4 months, and 4 days old....how cool is that?

Time Flies....or Does It?

If you look allll the way down to the bottom of my blog, you will find a counter with the days since my brother David has left for deployment. Today marks 44 days. In one sense it seems like it has been forever since he was here last. In another, it is almost as if he left yesterday...and I hope that the time is flying for him. I know he wasn't as excited about this deployment, but I do know he has had some great times. He really enjoyed his trip into Israel, getting to visit some of the temples, the Jordan River, and a few others. I am able to exchange emails with him generally every few days, and he has been able to call me once. Other than missing family and friends, he seems to be doing well. I, along with a few others have sent out "care" packages for him. I am sure he will enjoy these...if he ever gets them! The first one I mailed over 3 weeks ago and he still hasn't received it yet! A little frusterating, but I know he will get it eventually. (I hope!) Please keep him, and all of our soldiers, in your prayers for safety and comfort while they are serving for us!

Prayer Request

Tricia from the CFHusband blog is back in the hospital with the "yuck" and has just found out she has a staph infection. Although she is feeling better, this could be very dangerous for her. Please take a moment to pray for her health and her family.
www.cfhusband.blogspot.com

Save $ Save $ Save

This link goes to a great online coupon finder. I have found tons of good stuff on here...enjoy!

www.retailmenot.com

For whatever reason, it isn't letting me make it a hyperlink...you can cut and paste though!

Another Loganism

I was eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream yesterday and Logan informed me that it looked like corn and mustard....
Ewww

Time for an Update

Things around here have been somewhat routine lately...if you can believe that. Jacob's day consists of getting up, going to school, homework, playing, and bedtime. Logan has had lazy bones and has been sleeping in every morning. (Which works out great for me because I can get more done!) When he finally gets up, he has to get his daily dose of cartoons, and eventually it is off to pick Jacob up from school. He enjoys playing with Jacob after homework is over. Jacob is doing very well in school. He has made a 100 on all of his spelling tests and reads just about everything he can get his hands on.
Becca and I have tackled the Christmas play for this year at church. We are very excited about it and know that it will serve the purpose God has planned it for. We have a great group of kids and look forward to working with them and having fun while putting together this very important story.
Fall is definitely in the air! We have had temperatures in the 70's during the day and 50's at night. I love the crisp, fresh air. I am almost ready to put up our fall decorations and go on the "perfect" pumpkin hunt.
As you can tell from a few previous posts, I am on a baking kick. I have been working on some cake decorating and today even made some homemade shortbread cookies. They are delicious!
I have also been busy planning for a big photo shoot for the holidays. The date is November 1st at the McDonald Building in Carthage. I will have fall, Christmas, and traditional backgrounds available. So...if it is time to update that family picture from 10 years ago...or just need pictures of the kids to send out in cards for the holidays, let me know and we can definitely get you on the schedule!
And...my sister Lisa and my nephew Conner will be visiting us at the end of the month!! I am very excited and can't wait! Don't worry...you will get to see them...I am positive I will be out showing off my adorable nephew! He is a sweet boy and loooves his Aunt Carrie!

Charity Give Away

There is an AWESOME website that is giving away $80,000 in $2 increments to the charity of your choice. There is a long list of charities to choose from. I chose Hope for Haiti! Please check it out. You dont even have to sign up for anything. Please pass along the word!
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-charity-giveaway

Your Friendly Neighborhood Super Hero

Spiderman...my latest invention!

Complete with Homemade frosting... Mmmm Good!

Turkey for Me...Turkey for You

Here is my first Turkey cake with my new cake pan! Tell me what you think!

More Boy Conversations

On the way home from Walmart we passed a cow pasture.

Logan: Moma, I know what cows eat.

Me: (Very enthusiasticly) You do?

Logan: Yep. They eat grass!

Me: How do you know that?

Logan: Because, Moma, I'm Smart!

Boy Conversations

We went to Walmart tonight to pick up a few groceries. While we were getting in the truck I told the boys to look at the moon...it was very large...and quite beautiful. After admiring the sight we went to Walmart. Fast forward about two hours, we were coming out of Walmart with more than just the few things we went in for. Fred and I were trying to get the bags loaded into the back of the truck and the boys were being quite rambunctious. I told them to look at the moon again, as it was higher in the sky and was a little hazy looking. Logan looks at me with his very adamant look and says..."Momma...that moon followed us all the way to Walmart!"

May We Never Forget

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY JACOB!!

Boy where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday, Jacob was walking around in a diaper and drinking from a sippy cup. Since I started this blog just recently, I think this would be a good time to reminisce.

I knew I was pregnant when I was only about 2 weeks along. I knew this, almost for sure, because everything, and I mean everything made me sick. Thru the entire pregnancy, I had morning sickness...all day...all night. Anything that remotely had a smell made me sick. If I remember correctly, I lost close to 20 pounds before I ever gained anything. It would have been a great weight loss method, but I would definitely not suggest it!
The pregnancy went fairly well, except for the morning sickness. There were never any worries that anything was ever wrong with Jacob. Towards the end, people would pick on me because I pushed his feet down out of my rib cage on my left side. My ribs hurt even for weeks after he was born.
I was induced on September 9th at 7am, almost guaranteed to deliver sometime in the evening. My friend Jamie, who I also worked with in the studio, took the entire day off to spend it with me and to be there when Jacob was born. Lunch time came, lunch time went. Dinner came, dinner went. Midnight came, midnight went. Apparently the medicine they gave me to induce--didn't work. At this point I was pretty miserable because they wouldn't let me out of the bed, eat, drink, or even move off of my back. I begged for different meds and they finally gave in. Jamie had to go home...unfortunately she had to work the next morning.
By morning, I was feeling ok. I could tell the contractions were there, but not unbearable. I was really surprised when the doc came in and said I could have an epidural, especially because I wasn't really feeling all that much pain. But, I took it of course! They finally broke my water about noon, hoping to speed things up a little more, as things had been pretty uneventful.
I can remember my room phone ringing off the hook...lol. Different people wanting to know if Jacob had made it yet. Nope...he wasn't ready just yet. My mom was on a flight in to see us. Remember...Jacob was supposed to be here the day before so Fred was supposed to pick her up from the airport. One of the other people on the phone was Jamie. She was so upset that she wasn't going to be able to be there. We had planned it all along. At noon when they broke my water, they estimated it would still be several hours, so Jamie told me that she would try to come by on her lunch break to see me.
At this point, they were coming in to check me every hour. At 2 o'clock on the dot, the head nurse came in and said I was completely dilated! In complete perplexment, I think I asked her how much longer it would be. She said...THIS BABY IS COMIN' NOW! Dr. Williamson and her wonderful team came in and began getting ready. The bed I was on was broken down into the birthing table. The pediatric team came in. Gloves were on, and everyone was ready by 2:10. My mom called just a few minutes after 2 to tell us her flight had landed and she was looking for Fred and couldn't find him! We had to tell her it was not possible for him to be there...her grandson was literally on his way! As I began to push...Jamie comes running in the door! She had just made it on her lunch break! Luckily Jacob was born at 2:20, and the hard part was over. He had very good lungs. They were a bit worried because he was face up instead of face down, but when they tested him, his APGAR was just fine. They cleaned him up, and of course you know me, I had everyone scurrying around taking pictures of him shortly after his first breath! Remember...Jamie was a photographer too!
By the time everything was cleaned up, it was very close to 3 o'clock and it was time for Jamie to go back to work. But...God put her there just when she was supposed to be there! Shortly after Jamie left, my mom got there. She had rented a car from the airport and drove to the hospital.
All in all, I must say labor and delivery with Jacob was a breeze. I never had any excruciating contractions and only felt a little pressure when he actually delivered. Who would have ever thought it would be so easy? Not me for sure, but I definitely deserved it for the 9 months of morning sickness!
Jacob was always a very easy going baby. We only had problems with his milk once, which we changed him over to soy. He was always very happy...always babbling...somethings never change!! He was walking at 8 months, done with the bottle at 10 months, had no interest in his pappy by the time he was a year, and holding comprehensive conversations at about 18 months. He has always been eager to move on to the next thing, and still is today. He is a delightful child, although he can be trying at times. Sometimes "because I said so" just doesn't work with him. He wants to know...everything...all the time! Sometimes I think he is too smart for his own good, but I LOVE HIM!!

We can't cross that bridge until we come to it,

but I always like to lay down a pontoon ahead of time.

Bernard Baruch

How many times would you want to cross it? LOL
Logan enjoying the mud puddles on the walk home.
Who says white boys cant jump?

Camping Pics

Jacob of the jungle watch out for that....tree!

My very own Jungle Boy

Jacob and his pet lizard.
A Double Weanie Roaster
Their pet Catepillar...Mr. Wormie was grean and had a red nose!

Hungry Hanna

Here is a few pictures of the damage Hanna did to our road. Please check it out and pray with us that it gets fixed....ASAP!

This is a pic of one side as the incoming water starts to chip away at the road.
This is the outgoing side. As you can see it didnt take long for there to be a very BIG hole there!
This is the width of road as it is being blocked off. If you look carefully, you can see the dirt caving in on each side. This was at about 11am.
This is THE HOLE. As you can see it is very wide and very deep. The water was still RUSHING thru at this point. This was at about 12:30.
Here is a different angle. This pipe is where the water was SUPPOSED to be going thru.

This all happened because of a large pond across the street from us started flowing over the earthen dam, so they had to let some of the water go out of it, causing massive water flow into the pipe, thus wiping the road out!

Rain Rain...

Rain Rain
Go Away
Come Again Another Day!

Prayer Request

Some of you may remember me mentioning a long-time friend of mine, Terri. Her "Daddypa" (who is her grandfather) passed away suddenly Tuesday. He was an awesome person as is her Grandma. Please pray for comfort for their family. I know he will be greatly missed!

Also, their family lives in Shallotte, NC, on the coast. Please pray for their safety during Hurricane Hanna!

I love you Terri!!

Boy Conversations

Logan got up this morning at about 10 am. What a life! Upon getting up, he came and sat in my lap and gave me a big hug. I told him I loved him and this is what followed:

Logan: I love you too!

Me: Who else do you love?

Logan: Daddy....and Jacob...

Me: Anyone else?

Logan: I love Jesus and Preacher John too!

I love my loveable boy!

Happy Birthday To You...

UPDATE!!

Due to the possibility of

Hurricane Hanna,

We are changing the party to

SUNDAY at the church

from 3 to 5 pm!

It's Birthday Time!

Jacob will be 6 years old on September 10, 2008

(Boy, how time flies!)

We will be celebrating at Hall's Memorial Church on Saturday 9/6 from 2-4 pm.

You guys are all invited!!

Logan-isms

Instead of something scaring the crap out of you...

Logan says...

"Moma, that scared the CRACK outta me!"

Boy Conversations

While camping this weekend, the boys were playing and wrestling in the tent. Out of no where, I hear Jacob say to Logan...

"Don't make me go all Jacob on you!"

Wow.