Happy 8th Anniversary!!

(Gonna try to find a pic of us to put on here.  Check back!)

On this day, 8 years ago, I married my best friend.  I was 13 when we met.  He asked me out one month later and we've been together ever since.  I loved him from the first conversation we had and I know that sounds a little silly, but God connected us for a reason.  We met at bible school at my dad's church which was also where Scottie went to church.  This was the place that he grew up in.  He literally took his first steps as a baby in the back of the church.  This is where we both got saved.  The pastor there would later marry us, and this is the first church that our firstborn son ever went to.  God is the whole reason we have each other.  He has led us to each other and kept us ever since that first day.  We have been through SO MUCH together.  I really don't know who or where I'd be without Scottie.  He's held me through good times, bad times, really great times, and horribly tough times.  We've had our share of spats and make-ups as every couple does.  But even in the worst of times, I could never imagine life without him.  His love is the most wonderful thing that has come into my life (besides Jesus) and he gave me the next 2 best parts of my life....our boys.  I am so amazed that he has stuck by and loved me as we have literally grown up together.  We have dated for 1/2 of my entire life.  I'm almost 28 years old and 14 years after I first laid eyes on him, I'm more in love now than ever.  All 8 years of our marriage haven't been just wonderful and happy every single moment, but I have never, not for one minute regretted giving him my whole heart on that beautiful day, the 31st day of August 2002. 

Scottie, I love you with all of my heart.  I have loved you since we were kids, and I'll love you until the day I die.  Thank you so much for being there for me and all the sacrifices you've made for our family.  You are my best friend and I thank God for putting you in my life. 

Happy 8th Anniversary to me and Scottie!!

Songs of Praise! / Prayer

Oh my, where do I even begin?

I've been really thinking about my prayer life recently, and I'm not happy with what I've seen.  First of all, I don't pray near as much as I should.  I mean if we really got down to it, we should be in a state of constant prayer.  But I let things and people and, well, life take my attention away from the Lord and I'm so ashamed of that.  He has been over and abundantly good to me, the VERY LEAST I could do is take a few moments a day to share my heart with him. 

I think God must be trying to tell me something about all of this because I have come across at least three different blog posts on the subject of prayer and surrender just in the past 2 days.  Angie's blog got me started thinking about it.  Then Patrice linked to this blog which I needed to see.

No, I don't typically have the exact problem that Angie has where she prays like she has to introduce herself to Him and then explain a whole situation in detail for Him to know what she's even talking about. 

In a way, I feel like that would be a step up from my situation.  I realized that I hardly ever pray for myself.  Now stay with me, I'm not getting all conceted here.  But I think I just don't feel worthy to even dare ask God for a little help with my problems, because let's face it, there are plenty of others who are hurting in ways unimaginable and they seem way more deserving of a miracle than myself.  I mean He is just my Father.  Surely he cares more about others than he does his own child.

Does this sound as ridiculous to you as it does to me while I'm typing it out??? 

I have been taught most of my life that Jesus loves me.  He loves me like I was his only child.  He loves me more than the sparrow that he carefully has provided for and knows each time one falls from the sky. 

HE LOVES ME.

So why wouldn't he want to take care of me and hear my cares and concerns?  As a mother, I can tell when my child is crying out even if he is in a whole crowd of children.  I am concerned for the needs of other peoples kids, but I want to take care of my own children first.  Their needs come before mine.  If they are happy, I'm happy.  If they are worried, I'm worried.  If they are hurt, I hurt with them.  Why should it be any different for my heavenly Father?

Well, it's quite simple actually.  It's not any different.

God wants me to ask for help and guidance just as much as he wants me to pray for other people.  I've been bombarded with so many negative things here recently and it's really getting hard to see the light of day sometimes.  I'm broken-hearted for so many other people and it seems wrong that they have to go through these things and I feel like they deserve a blessing more than me. 

But my God doesn't work that way and it's a good thing because no one is actually worthy in themselves.  It's Jesus inside us that makes us worthy to come to God.  And I'm so thankful for that truth today.

So my prayer for now is "Please Lord help me.  I'm struggling with things and thoughts that I cannot handle on my own.  I need guidance and instruction, but most of all I need some peace and rest for a while until I gain enough strength to get in the battle once more.  Thank you Lord for I know you are always there even when I can't see or rather I'm probably not looking."

**This is from one of the blogs I mentioned above**
"I just wanted to encourage you all to reach out to the God who has already filled the gaps, and embrace Him as the Father Who doesn't need anything from you. You are freed from responsibility, and enabled, through grace, to be a part of the miracle."


 

***These are songs that my group, CrossView, sings or just songs that mean a lot to me. We only sing songs that lift up the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. I hope you can let the words minister to your heart even though there is no music.***

God Still Answers Prayer

The Lord is not too busy that he can't reach down

and mend a broken heart.

And my burden is not too heavy that he can't hear a plea of faith

God still answers prayer

God still answers prayer

In his time he'll work a miracle

He will never fail

Satan has lost the battle

When to the Lord you humbly bow

God still answers prayer

If you feel that life is hopeless

and the night has no end

There's hope for your hurting heart.

For he'll be there with you

No matter what you're going through

God still answers prayer

God still answers prayer

In his time he'll work a miracle

He will never fail

Satan has lost the battle

When to the Lord you humbly bow

God still answers prayer

Songs of Praise!!!

***These are songs that my group, CrossView, sings or just songs that mean a lot to me. We only sing songs that lift up the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. I hope you can let the words minister to your heart even though there is no music.***

Through The Fire

(Gerald Crabb)

So many times I've questioned certain circumstances

Things I could not understand

Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision

Then my frustration gets so out of hand

It's then I am reminded I've never been forsaken

I've never had to stand the test alone

As I look at all the victories the spirit rises up in me

And it's through the fire my weakness is made strong

(chorus)

He never promised that the cross would not get heavy

And the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered our victories without fighting

But he said help would always come in time

Just remember when you're standing in the valley of decision

And the adversary says give in

Just hold on, our Lord will show up

And he will take you through the fire again

(bridge)

I know within myself that I would surely perish

But if I trust the hand of God, He'll shield the flames again

(chorus)

He never promised that the cross would not get heavy

And the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered our victories without fighting

But he said help would always come in time

Just remember when you're standing in the valley of decision

And the adversary says give in

Just hold on, our Lord will show up

And he will take you through the fire again


*Dear Lord, please let me always remember that even when I can't see a reason for the things that happen and the burdens that I carry down here, that you are ALWAYS with me to lead me, to love me, and to help me make it through.  And when I feel like I'm drowning or I can't see my way out of the darkness, please just wrap me in your arms and keep me safe and sheltered.  I want to give you all the praise and thanks for being a constant friend and my father. Thank you Lord.*

Catchy Little Jingles

Have you ever heard a commercial one time and got a silly song or quote stuck in your head?  Those people who sit and come up with the crazy little jingles for commercials sure know what they are doing.

A quick list of my favorites (and maybe not so favorites too):

Bojangles-"Gotta Wanna Needa Getta Hava Bojangles"

Almond Joy/Mounds-"Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't"

Meow Mix-"Meow, meow, meow, meow,     meow, meow, meow, meow,........."

freecreditreport.com-"F-R-E-E, that spells “free,” credit report dot com baby."

Subway-"Five. Five dollar.  Five dollar foot long" OR "Subway.... Eat Fresh!"

K-9 Advantix-"There ain't no bugs on me, there ain't no bugs on me, There might be bugs on some of you mutts, but there ain't no bugs on me"

Band-Aids-"I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, cause' Band-Aid’s stick on me"

Pepto Bismol-"Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarreah"

Kit Kat Bars-"Gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off a piece of that kit kat bar!"


Not only have I got these stuck in my head, it's working on my 4 year old!  Caden regularly walks through the house singing something he heard on a commercial. 
He'll be playing in his room and you'll hear his high-pitched country voice bellowing out "Activiaaaaa".

I came home from work one day and he caught me off guard with a question.  He asked "mom, do you trust Nationwide?"  I said "I suppose I do, why?"  He said "Cause' Jr. trusts Nationwide and you can too!"

Scottie took Caden to work with him the other day (he's an adjuster at Nationwide) and Caden watched and listened all day to what Scottie was saying to his customers on the phone.  Towards the end of the day Caden put on a headset and was sitting in the cubicle across from Scottie pretending like he was on the phone.  The manager came by just as Caden was saying (again you must imagine a REALLY COUNTRY accent) "Hey, this is Caden with Nationwide.  I was just callin' you bout' your wreck.  You can call me back.  My number is 866-500-5555" (sing 8-6-6 five hundred fifty-five fifty-five).  That phone number came from the same commercial where Jr says "I trust Nationwide and you can too".  Scottie's manager got a kick out of that!

We routinely eat at Subway on Wednesdays between work and church.  Caden has never cared much about eating there.  Then, all of a sudden, he started saying "Hey mom and dad, let's eat at subway!"  I finally asked him why he loved it now and he said "Because winners eat there!"

So, thank you t.v. for infiltrating mine and my child's brain with your mezmerizing commercials.
;)

Cute kids!

Ya'll need to pray that I am blessed with a new camera real soon!  LOL 

I am getting quite fed up with grainy or blurry pictures.  Oh well.  At least I have cute subjects to shoot!!

Jaxten is like get off me dude!

Oh, that's better!

Come here cuz, let me give you a kiss!

Mom, are you still taking pictures of us??

WOW! What do you use on your hair?  You've gots lots of it!

(This picture doesn't do justice to Alydia's beautiful hair)

Shin Guards in Heaven???

(Not the best quality photo, but cute anyway!)

We are riding in the car the other day coming home from church when an Isaac's song came on the radio.  It talks about moving to Heaven someday and it has a line in it that says "Gonna move to a brand new city, No planes no trains no cars...".  Caden sat quietly for a moment then he started a conversation about heaven.

Caden: "What are we gonna drive?"

Me: "Drive where?"

Caden: "It said no cars, so what are we gonna drive?"

Me: (think for a minute and realize he's talking about the song we just heard) "Well, we won't drive anything I guess.  When Jesus comes back for us we'll just fly up to heaven and we won't need cars up there."

Caden: "Oh. Will we play baseball and football and stuff?"

Me:  "I don't know.  But I do know everything will be fun and happy in heaven.  Nobody will cry or get hurt.  Nobody will fall down and scrape their knee or get any booboos."

Caden:  "Nobody will cry? Not even Jesus?"

Me: "Not even Jesus."

Caden: "Not even if you kick him?" 

*Jesus better get shin guards!*

Then, we finally had a chance to rest at home the other day.  I did not feel like cooking (shocker, lol) so we ordered some pasta from Pizza Hut.  Scottie came in the living room a little bit later and told me to mute the tv and listen.  You could hear Caden in his room on one of his many play cell phones saying "Uh yes, I would like a pizza and some spaghetti.  Can you order that please? My phone number is xxx-xxxx(he said some random number). Ok, thanks"

Does this mean I should start cooking more?!?

Say Cheese!

Let me start this post by saying I have the most amazing photographer E V A H!!  Her name is Annette and she has recently opened a new studio in her house.  She has been our photographer since Caden was born, but she was at a different location.  She is a great person and she loves what she does.  Her prices are very affordable too. BONUS!  She takes her time and interacts with you while she is snapping away so she catches some great moments.  She is very open to any ideas that I bring and trys to capture exactly what I have in mind.  And I must say, it always turns out better than I imagined.  It does take us an hour to get to her studio, but it is in the town that Scottie's family lives in so we usually just visit with them after we are done. 

You can check out her webpage here, or you can check out LOTS more photos on her facebook profile (just search Net's Family Photography McMillian).

I just wanted to share a few of the pictures we have had taken since Jaxten was born. 

We had this same picture made when Caden was born.  I have 10x13's of both of them hanging in my bedroom.

I had been seeing several of these type with the baby in the net and

OH.MY.WORD.  Is this precious or what?!?

(This was taken right after he peed everywhere!)

This was a blanket and hat set that a dear lady from our old church made for me when I was pregnant with Caden.  For some reason we never had a picture made with Caden in it, but I think it's just adorable.  He looks like he's in a pea pod!

If you can enlarge this one, you will see milk coming out of the corner of his little mouth where he just finished eating!  I could just scoop him up with a spoon and eat him!

We also had Caden's picture made in a very similar pose.  I love newborn babies on a black background!  It just makes them pop right out of the picture at you!

Chillin' in the hammock!  Jenny's (a friend of mine) mom made these hammocks.  She made a tan one(pictured), a blue one and a pink one.  I think they are such a great prop!

I love this picture too, but I think I liked the outside shot a little better.  I love how relaxed he looks here though.

Yes, we do a lot of naked baby shots!  He looks like he's in a little nest here! 

This smile just melts my heart!!

(I got the poem from a picture on display at Tiny Toes Imaging where we had our 3D/4D ultrasound performed.)

This next one is my favorite of all time (so far anyway)   ;)

We plan to have this one made into a big canvas for the living room.  I wanted to capture all of his little baby parts and this turned out so much better than I had expected.  Everyone has commented about how pretty his lips are since the ultrasound pictures.  We also wanted to show the little dimple in his left ear that is just like his daddy.  We had to get that adorable little belly button and his hair (or lack thereof)!  I am in love with the picture of his feet with our wedding rings on his toes.  (If you'll notice how he is holding his toes on the foot with my ring on it, he has the big toe and pinky toe spread out with the other 3 in the middle together.  That is something that my mom, me and Caden can all do with our feet!)  The bottom right picture just cracks me up with his expression and that was about as much of a tushy picture as I wanted!

I can't wait to get this on my wall!

This last one is an idea that my husband had when I was pregnant with Caden but for one reason or another we never did it.  We were determined to do it this time and I'm so glad we did.  I think it is just precious to see me 'envisioning' my newborn baby while I'm looking at my pregnant belly!

Thank you so much Annette!!  You are the bestest ever!!

Jaxten is 5 months old!

Jaxten, you are 5 months old!

You are developing such a sweet personality and becoming a unique individual.  Here are some fun facts about you this month!


*You weigh 15lb 12.8oz (70 %), and are 25 1/2in long (73%). (July 22nd)

*You are wearing mostly 3-6mth clothes.  We still squeeze you in a few 0-3mth outfits and have had you swimming in a few 6mth ones!

*You were in a size 2 diaper, but we just finished our last pack so we went ahead and moved you to a size 3.  Your thighs are getting a little too big to squeeze in a 2!

*You are eating really well and growing big and strong.  You eat about 28-32oz of milk a day, mostly mommy's milk with about 6-10oz of formula.  You usually eat 5oz at a time.  We started rice cereal this month and you have gobbled it right up since the very first time! 

*You go to bed around 10:00pm and usually sleep until about 4:00-4:30am.  You still sleep in a bassinet in our room, but I have to admit I have been bad a few times and let you snuggle in the bed with me for a while.  I know it's wrong but it's so sweet!  When you wake up you nurse for a few minutes and then go right back to sleep until I have to wake you up at 7:30am to take you to Mimi's house.  You take several naps a day, but you are awake for hours at a time too.

*You figured out how to roll over from your back to your belly on July 8th!  Now every time we lay you down somewhere, it isn't 30 seconds until you've done flipped right over!  Gone are the days of you staying put!  Mimi said you rolled from your belly to your back on July 12th, but I haven't seen it yet.

*You grasped a toy on purpose and held on to it for the first time on July 14th.  I think it was a little teething ring or something. 

*Everyone still thinks you are teething because you are still knawing on fingers and anything you can get in your mouth and you are slobbering a whole lot.  But I think you just like to chew stuff because it's something new.

*You absolutely LOVE to take a bath!  Most of the time I just get in the big bath tub with you.  I think it's easier than getting out your little tub and filling it with water which will then be splashed all over the bathroom floor.  As soon as you hear the water start running your little eyes light up and you start smiling!

*You have started making the cutest face!  You suck your bottom lip in your mouth and it looks like an old man who forgot to put his teeth in. 

*You learned how to make a new noise.  It's like you are blowing a raspberry or blowing bubbles.  It is so cute! 

*You do not like to lean back at all anymore.  In your carseat, your swing, the bathtub, it doesn't matter where you are,  you want to sit up like a big boy!

*We went to the beach one day before you turned 5 months old!  We had a great time.  You loved being outside on the beach, but you weren't too sure about dipping your feet in the ocean water.  You didn't make a noise at first, but then you started to whine when we did it again.  When we were holding you down at the edge of the water, you wouldn't take your eyes off the water.  You watched the water roll in around our feet and then watched it go back out as if you were thinking "please mommy don't put me in that cold stuff"!

*You are such a good baby.  Since you've been born you've never cried in the middle of the night.  When you wake up to eat, you just grunt until I pick you up!  The only time you do cry is if you are in pain (gas), really hungry or really tired (you have quit crying in the car all the time now).  Sometimes you fuss if we leave the room or you can't see us!

It is such a blessing to have you and your brother in my life!  I can't even remember what filled my days before you two!