Can you tell this little boy LOVES his trucks? This is what I find every morning when they watch Dora.

SWEET HOME ALABAMA...At least for a little while!

Well, the Stephens are headed back to Alabama! Mitch's project here in Tennessee finishes in a few days and we will soon begin packing up to set up temporary camp in Birmingham. So, get your pencils out as I will be sending out our new address sometime soon. Looks like we will be moving around Sept 30th or Oct. 1st...yikes! That's just 3 weeks away! We are sad to leave Franklin as there is so much here that we have grown to love. However, we have known that this time was coming and we do feel like it's our time to go. There is a lot that we are looking forward to in Birmingham and that helps the parting not be so sorrowful. I kinda get queasy at the thought of change (even good change), so pray that all of this transition will go smoothly. We will be bunking up in a 2 Bedroom apartment while we are in Birmingham, so I REALLY hope the kids adjust well to sharing a room. I always find comfort in Little House on the Prairie...if they can all be happy in that tiny house with up to 5 kids, we should be fine with just our 2!
So, to all of our friends in Franklin, we will certainly miss you! To all of our friends in Birmingham, we sure can't wait to see you!

I Couldn't Resist...

You're feeling: a little overwhelmed, a little anxious
To your left: a fly-tying table
On my mind: sadly, chocolate (due to question 1)
Last meal included: leftover lasagna
You sometimes find it hard to: say what I really mean.
The weather: sunny and humid
Something you have a collection of: i echo amanda in her collection sentiments...although I do enjoy my Spode Christmas china. Is that considered a collection?
A smell that cheers you up: pumpkin bread and chili. Can you tell I'm ready for fall?
A smell that can ruin your mood: dog poo
How long since you last shaved: one day
The current state of your hair: pony tail...the usual
Largest item on workspace (not computer): Neily's latest art work
Your skill with chopsticks: none
Which section you head for first in a bookstore: magazines
Something you are craving: a relaxing day with my hubby watching SEC football
Your general thoughts on the presidential race: i'm kinda ready for it all to be over
How many times have you been hospitalized in the past year? none
Favorite place to go for a quiet moment? the bath tub
You've always secretly thought you'd be a good: pianist. I just never gave it enough time.
Something that freaks you out a little: Not knowing where we will be living next month
Something you've eaten too much of lately: empty calories
You have never been: to Disneyland. And to be honest, I really have no desire to go.
You never want to: rent again. oh, this time has been dreadful!

Our Little Ballerina

Neily went to her first ballet class on Saturday. We had not planned on signing her up for anything since our time here was limited, but this opportunity came up last Thursday and I couldn't pass it up. A neighbor who has a little girl Neily's age told me about a new ballet class that was opening up for girls ages 3-5 at a local studio. We jumped on the opportunity b/c it was pretty inexpensive and we could just pay each month (so if we move in a few weeks there wouldn't be any money lost). Neily was a bit apprehensive at first, but once we bought her leotard and ballet slippers she was fired up. Here are a few pictures from her first class. There were only 2 of them in the first class which was really nice so Neily could get to know Miss Heather. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't working well and most of the pics I took were dark. These are the best of the bunch.

Trying on her new outfit. don't you love the panties showing?


Learning how to walk like a ballerina - Jake joined in for a minute. He was dying to get out there and dance, too!


Stretching with Miss Heather before class started


Neily and her neighborhood friend, Ella

ARRINGTON VINEYARDS

We decided to do something different this weekend for our night out. We usually eat out once on the weekend an were just tired of all our ususal places. So, we decided to take the kids, grab Subway and head over to Arrington Vineyards for the evening. Our friends the Russell's joined us with their two little ones and we had a great time. Although it was a bit warm, there was a nice breeze and some good live music that made you forget it was a hot summer evening. We will certainly visit again before our time in Franklin comes to an end. I'm just sad we didn't discover it sooner!

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have notshared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.


Thanks, Samuel, for putting this up on yourblog. I have a couple of friends whose little ones have disabilities and this was so helpful for me to read and gain a little more understanding of their daily battles. I hope you all gain something from it, too.

This is our cat Bailey. There really are no words for this picture. This is how she sleeps when she's on the porch. It cracks me up every time.

Dress Up -

While Mitch and I were working in our bedroom this weekend the kids were entertaining themselves in our closet. They were giggling and babbling on. They came out looking like this. I still can't believe the both managed to walk all the way down the hall wearing Mitch's size 14 shoes!

Sharing at it's Finest

For some reason I have never made cobbler. Mitch has asked me to for years, but I just never have...
Until this weekend. I made this recipe and my hubby was a very happy man! It was so fabulous and so easy. We made it for company on Saturday evening and it was so good that I made more last night for Mitch to take with him to work. Instead of blackberries I chose to make it with blueberries. I think it will try it again soon with peaches or apples.
I wanted to post this great picture of the cobbler in a cute little cup donned with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but Mitch ate it all before I could take the picture! So, instead of showing you a picture of an empty cup, here is one of what was left after we "tried" the cobbler again last night. As you can tell, we sure tried it a lot!

My Little Sleeping Beauty

Oh, how precious they are when they sleep!

Oh the woes of being two...
Jake is getting his 2 year molars and i must say that we are ALL ready for this short season to pass. We have had lots of long days with a very whiny little boy. Oh, it can be so hard sometimes. Short naps. Long afternoons. But then I look at this picture and it truly takes the frustration away. Hmmm, maybe I should tape this picture to his forehead for the rest of the day?

Sunflowers

I tell you what. These sunflowers are so tall! I just can't get over how much they have grown. Here is a picture of Neily on Mitch's shoulders. It's hard to tell from the angle, but the tallest sunflower is still at least a foot taller than the two of them together.
I love the other picture of the orange color sunflower. I have never seen one like that and I think it's so beautiful. I hope more grow so I can cut them and put them in my kitchen.

Some of my favorite things:

-We discovered this yummy seasoning while shopping a Publix last month. A lady who was also shopping in the spice isle told my friend Kathleen that this was the best seasoning she has ever had. So, my next trip to publix I bought some. We have had it on Grilled Chicken tried it Tuesday on some veggies. best chicken and veggies we've had in a long, long time. And there's no bad stuff in it which makes it that much better. So next time you're at Publix (they don't have it at Walmart or Kroger), pick up a bottle!


-Some girls from my church are reading this together this summer. It has been a great book for me and has really moved me to deal with heart issues that affect my communication. "From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."


-No TV during the week. I thought this was going to be really hard, but after the first week I didn't miss it at all! Mitch and I have enjoyed our evenings talking, reading, and going to bed early. Wednesday night we actually got in bed before the sun went down! Just call us Mamaw and Papaw:)

-This little guy. Although he is cutting his 2 year molars and sometimes gets a spanking every 10 minutes, he sure can be sweet. On the days I put him down at night, he has started asking me to dance. So I sing a little song and hold him and we dance around the room before I put him in the crib. He's so funny because I can't just sing anything. He will keep saying "No" to whatever I sing until I start singing Norah Jones. His favorite? "Come Away With Me." My boy's got good taste!

About a month ago the kids and I got a sunflower kit from the $1 bin at Target. I don't know why, but for some reason I didn't thing that they would grow to be like real sunflowers. The picture above is what the sunflowers look like today. They are taller than Mitch and we are so proud of how much they have grown. I can't wait until they all bloom!

The Fourth.

We had an enjoyable fourth this year. My parents came to visit and we enjoyed some yummy BBQ, a trip to downtown Franklin for their 4th of July celebration, and some good napping. When we went downtown, they had a few games like what you would see at a fair. One that Neily was most interested in was where you pick up a floating duck and you get a prize that matches the number on the bottom of the duck. Number 10 was THE one to win because you got to pick out a stuffed animal. After a few tries of picking up ducks that got her a plastic star and a plastic frog, Neily finally got #10 (well, with a little help from mommy who watched the little boy next to us pick up a number 10 and then followed the duck around after he put it back down. I then told Neily which one to pick. i know...horrible!). On Saturday, Gigi and Granddaddy took Neily and Jake on a treasure hunt - pirate hats, eye patches, treasure map and all. The kids had a blast and were thrilled to find their treasures - bubbles and pennies for the piggy bank.
It was a nice weekend for everyone. here are some pictures.

Our Favorite Summertime Treat



And, as they do with everything else, here are the kids doing "cheers!" with their watermelon slices

A visit with friends

We had a great visit with some good friends form Birmingham. Kenneth, Kathleen, and little jay came to Franklin this weekend to hang with the Stephens. We had great conversation, drank a few too many margaritas, and enjoyed a fun game of Phase 10. Over the course of the weekend I only took 3 pictures...wish I had taken more! Kenneth took more than me, so maybe he will send me some so I came post them (hint hint!)

Also, I made another tasty dessert from Picky Palate. They were so yummy! I used milk chocolate morsels for the top insead of semi-sweet 'cause we are definitely milk chocolate people around here. To see the Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars go here. Amanda, I thought of you since you share the love of peanut butter and chocolate:)

Below is an e-mail I would ask all of you to read. Stephanie and Samuel Rainey are good friends of ours and Samuel's sister, Rebecca, gave birth to a little girl named Molly Ann earlier this week. Molly was born with brain and heart issues and, as you can imagine, these past few days have been extremely difficult. Please pray for Rebecca, her husband Jacob, and their sweet little girl (who is their first child). The e-mail was written yesterday by Rebecca's father, Dennis Rainey:

Molly’s condition remains the same, critical. Multiple meetings with neonatologists, pediatric cardiologists (from here to Little Rock, to Indiana to Mayo Clinic), neurologists, and interventional radiologists, have confirmed:
Much of her blood is going to the brain.
Because of the abnormal vein and aneurism, the blood that’s going there is ineffective, since it’s not going to her lungs, and the rest of her body…as a result 60-80% of her blood is going to her brain, normally it should be 10-15%. And because of this she is in congestive heart failure.
Damage is substantial to both halves of the brain and permanent.
As a result they have two options:
Brain surgery, very dangerous and at best a questionable procedure, since she’ll never function normally without a miracle. If the surgery is successful, the congestive heart failure could be slowed and with a couple more surgeries, perhaps eliminated. Leaving Molly with a damaged brain and many more dangerous surgeries.
Second option is to withdraw life support and enjoy what hours or days God may give Rebecca and Jake with her. It is likely she’ll only live a few hours.
I have to tell you that listening and watching Rebecca and Jake (with Molly in Jake’s arms) grapple over what God wants them to do in terms of treatment of their daughter has been THE most difficult thing I’ve ever watched. It’s been holy. Worshipful. Heart rending. It is beyond imagination and words. I know that some of you have been through this, but oh how tough to watch two people you love enter into this deep valley. I marvel at how honest and real they’ve continued to be. Their faith and trust in God is remarkable.
They have decided not to operate. And in the coming days, Rebecca and Jake have decided to remove the life support.
What has been unimaginatively tough has just become a lot tougher. Please pray for Jake and Rebecca’s broken hearts. Scriptures tell us our days are numbered. Molly’s little life may be comprised of less than 7 days.
I am grateful for your prayers and sustaining love.
God is God. We are surrendering to Him and His ways. Blessed be the Name of our God. There is NO hope in any other.

Dennis

One of my new favorite blogs to visit is picky palate. she always posts great ideas of fun things to cook and bake. On Sunday, I needed something quick and easy that the kids and I could bake for Daddy on Father's Day and I remembered seeing this on her blog. The kids had fun helping with the cookie dough and we all had fun eating the finished product!