{{FoUrTh of JuLy WeEkEnD}}

We had a FaBuLoUs 4th! Spent it in Atlanta, GA...one of our favorite places to go every summer to watch our favorite baseball team, the BRAVES! We headed out on Friday, got there just in time to catch a game that night and stayed for Saturday nights game as well. They won both games against the Orioles, so that made it even better :) Chad & I have been going over to Atlanta every since we were dating and now love to take Sam!! Nothing better than being with my 2 favorite boys, braves baseball, & some wonderful fireworks!!Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend celebrating this wonderful country we live in!!

the days go by...

...faster & faster! I cant stay caught up! So just a quick catch up!!

back at the end of May our Red Sox came in 1st place in the wood bat championship in Madison

Whoo-Hoo! Way to play Red Sox!!

and to kick of the first week of June,

sam & some of his best buds & team mates went to a baseball camp at bob jones... they had a blast, learned alot, but wow... was it hot out there?!

today, Sam finished his week at UAH basketball camp... every camper was to get a t-shirt & basketball but my little ball player walked away with 2 shirts & 2 balls! He won a game of "gotcha" & "hot shot" He was one proud little boy and of course I was a proud Moma :)

It has been a busy busy June with VBS coming up next week. In between ball camps we have managed to have some late nights watching movies, sleeping on the couch bed, lazy pj days which are the BEST! Some wonderful days by the pool with friends, too many trips to get ice cream! Oh how I am looking forward to the July days ahead. Our only scheduled plans for July are a week at the beach and I can not wait!! Slow down summer va-cay!! We are having too much fun!

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 11

Hold your plans loosely and leave room for God to adjust them ~ James 4:13-16

This is not the actual verses but a great interpretation of them!

I never realized just how fast time would go....

Before having Sam I remember people telling me "when you have children time with them just goes so fast".... I never even came close to understanding at that moment.

Today was Sam's last official day of 1st grade. It seems as if I was just typing a post on him heading off to Kindergarten... We just get so caught up in our daily routines of ALL that has to be done that we forget to just stop and enjoy all of these bittersweet moments :( As I am tying this I think back to the days of Sam being a sweet little toddler...me being so proud of each new little thing that he learned to do...staying home all day just playing, watching playhouse disney, taking naps...play dates with friends...Oh, how I long to just go back to those days and just take each and every sweet little moment in. I never knew how fast it would go.

Now, I have the most handsome, tender-hearted, loving, smart little boy that is going into the 2nd grade. That seems so big!! He still has so much innocence and not a care in the world, so happy go lucky. Can I just freeze time?!?! He makes me beyond proud...my heart feels as if it could just burst sometimes when I think of how much I love him and how bleSSed I am. I always look forward to summer break and him being at home with me. We have so much fun making memories. Yet, this time of year always makes me sad... I think even more so than at birthday time. Its when you see how much they've learned and grown in that school year. Having to let go of another year, another teacher, and move on to another grade. Sam had an ABSOLUTE AWESOME 1st grade year at Bethlehem Christian Academy!! His teacher is AMAZING!! I know that Sam will always have memories of his year with her. I am so thankful that Chad and I listened as God led us to BCA and that we have stuck with it and not listened to our doubts. We will definitley be continuing on there next year and I know it will be another great year!!

This past Monday at BCA was 1st-5th grade awards night. Sam's awards were High Honor Roll for making Straight "A's" all year, Spelling Achievement for keeping a 100 average all year, bible achievement, and accelerated reading achievement. Chad & I were so EXCITED for him and he was beaming with smiles all night :)

Here are a few pics from that night :)

2nd place in the Early Summer Shootout

So proud of the North Alabama Red Sox this past weekend!! They played SO hard & won 3 out of 4 games in the tourney and got 2nd place. Sam had an awesome day and made this moma proud. Started the day off in the first game, we were last at bat and down by 2 with 2 on base and Sam crushed the ball to score the winning run...dont know when I've seen him so excited. It was a great day with our Red Sox family!!

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse ~ 10

Lord, I want to be like the one whom you said .....

Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." Matthew 15:28

One of life's GREATEST BleSSings....to be a Mother!!

HaPpY MoThErS DaY!!

What an absolutely fantastic mothers day weekend I had!! I spent it with all the people who mean so much to me...FaMiLy!! I am bleSSed beyond words with the sweetest most precious son ever. Without him I wouldnt be a mom and to God I am so very thankful for him!! Sam recently {finally} learned to ride his bike. I love to ride bikes so while we were out looking for Sam a new bike I told Chad I would love for all 3 of us to have bikes so we could ride together. Well guess what I got for Mothers day.....a new bike. After a wonderful lunch out with my 2 boys to Connors {{yummy}} I was so excited to go out to the madison greenway on Saturday and all 3 of us go for a ride. It was GREAT, the weather couldnt have been more perfect and you gotta love the honeysuckle fragrance that feels the air right now!!
Hate to say we didnt make it out with one little scraped up kneee, but Sam is doing great and loving it!! We spent Friday night with Chads mother along with pizza & GiGi's cupcakes. Sunday was spent with my family at my moms. Hamburger/hotdogs on the grill. the afternoon spent on the screened in porch with family while sam played ball and on the tire swing. Oh, I almost forgot.....homemade strawberry ice cream. It was a FaBuLoUs day! Then it was home for another bike ride through the neighborhood and an end to a wonderful weekend! I am so thankful & BleSSed. Hope all of you had a wonderful Mothers Day with your loved ones!!

our new rides
my sweet sweaty dirty little boy
me, my mom, & sister
My nephew Wes & Sam. Sam LOVES his cousin Wes & when he is home Sam is he shadow till he leaves :)
sooooo much fun!
my sunshine!! me & mawmaw

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 9

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. "

Isaiah ~ 41:13

A verse that gives me much comfort but I pray that all who are suffering so bad right now after such a trying week that they can just give God their hand and trust that he will help them get through this!!

What a week?!?!

Today is Chad's first day back to work & Sam's 2nd day back to school after being off for a whole week after the tornados that hit Alabama on April 27. That will be a day that everyone in the south will never ever forget. There has just been devestation beyond anyones imagination!! As I sit here in my quiet house this morning missing my boys who are off getting back to some sense of normalcy my heart continues to break for those who have lost everything in our community & in our state. A week without power, a mangled trampoline, losing what was in my fridge.... these are just so small compared to what people have lost....I just cant help but feel guilty yet so very very thankful for God's blessings on our lives. I am SO THANKFUL that He protected us, my family, & freinds during such a horrible tragedy! I will continue to Pray.Pray.Pray & Pray some more in the days ahead for all who have lost so much and ask that you will do the same!! Also, words are not enough to express the thankfullness I have for all the workers (EMT's, police, firefighters, our linemen with the Huntsville Utilities, TVA, volunteers, everyone that has worked so hard this past week) We appreciate all that you have done so much!!

feathers from my nest....

A new blog name...a new start... I have been in the biggest FuNk lately!! Basically it would take me forever to catch up on it all but if it could happen...its happened! I am hoping & praying for a new start because it just seems this year has been FULL of UPS & DOWNS!!!
In this midst of all of it we have had some great times since I last posted... Sam turned 7 and we partied for a whole week. Love my baby boy and still cant believe that 7 years have come and gone!! Baseball season started...Sam is still playing for North Alabama Red Sox travel baseball and Chad is the assistant coach so this has kept us busy but we wouldnt have it any other way. Love spending my weekends at the ballpark with my Red Sox family watching some baseball.
We are still visiting churches and PRAYING God will soon show us where it would be that our family will call "home". Visiting new churches is so hard & I dont like feeling "homeless". Im ready to be involved again and have a church to call mine. Currently we have been visiting First Baptist in Meridianville and have been there for about 3 months. We have really been enjoying it and Sam especially loves the kids worship and has several friends there so the transition for him has been great.
Easter weekend was wonderful!! Sam was out of school on Good Friday, played in a tournament "Easter Egg Scramble" all day Saturday (even got to see Joy at the ball park & that made my day) and Sunday was spent at church and with family. It was a GREAT day!! My nephew who has always been like a little brother to me announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child. God is so Good & Sam will be thrilled to have a little baby in the family :)
I hope that I can get back in the routine of blogging...mainly because its just a scrapbook for my family. Not sure how many of my blogging friends out there will still be reading but it'll be great to stay caught up and in touch!

had to color a few eggs!!

oh how i <3 these 2

me & my mom

Seven days till my baby will be Seven...

I have seriously been in the dilema of shutting this blog thing down. I honestly just havent been feeling it lately. So much stress in my life yet so many bleSSings to be thankful for. If anything I will try to keep it up for Sam and as a "scrapbook" seeing that I never have time to scrapbook anymore!!! I love all of my blogger friends and so thankful for all of you!!

So for the next Seven days I will post a picture of my sweet baby Sam. How is it possible that my baby boy is gonna be Seven years old.
For this child we prayed and God has granted us our request Samuel ~ 1:27

The most precious bleSSing I could ever recieve and I am so thankful for him!

Siesta Scipture Memory Verse~5

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm~100:5

This past week has been very trying and I am reassured to know this verse, to know he always loves me and he is always faithful!!