I am still not liking this new blogger...

Ok

Happy Monday! I don't know about all of you - but time is flying at such a fast rate these days that my weeks are passing by in an instant! If I could blog from my phone (and if my huge fingers would cooperate with my touch screen) I could keep this thing updated more often... but that isn't happening. Anywho.. this is the last full week of school until summer time. Revivals are just around the corner. Our house should close some time the first week of June (yep- revival is second week in June... that won't be hard for me to do (total sarcasm inserted here) We have been in full force survival mode... end of school functions, field trips, finalizing decisions to be made on the house, getting back to life from that trip that was way more exhausting than I could have ever imagined... I feel like my hamster wheel is squeaking and about to break... but that's ok ... I will make it.... you may find me hiding in a corner talking to myself but I will make it ;)-

And now let me get totally serious and testify to you all .... yesterday could have been so bad.... we had an incident that when it was all said and done - it really made us Thank the Lord for watching over us once again... We went to church at Huntsville yesterday morning. As we usually do, we went to eat lunch afterward. As we were leaving, Kaylee decided she wanted to go to Walmart with Marquetta instead of going to Best Buy and home with us. (She certainly had a hidden agenda... Granna is a sucker for "Can I please have this??" ) Anyway- we all went our seperate ways and met up at home about 3:00. Kaylee came in and said "There was a robbery in Walmart when we were there". I didn't totally believe her because she is so dramatic- I figured someone got caught shop lifting or something. Then Marquetta came in and confirmed her story.... They were in Walmart by the pharmacy doing some normal shopping. As they were checking out Marquetta sensed something was going on and rushed Kaylee out the door. When they got outside- cops were everywhere. She gets to the car and finds out the pharmacy has just been robbed. (If you saw Huntsville news last night and heard them talking about a 4 hour stand off.... it was with the person that had robbed Walmart while my daughter and mother in law were there!) JD testified at church last night that he has a daily prayer that is asking the Lord to please one day give our children the Holy Ghost and please protect them from harm. He answered that prayer yesterday in broad daylight on a normal day when we had no clue they were in harm's way. Praise the Lord again....

Kaylee was just in the NMS talent show a little over a week ago. She sang "Mama's song" by Carrie Underwood and she placed second (with the help of her dear old uncle Chad on the piano...or better yet... a dinky keyboard lol) She gets more like her daddy everyday. She didn't even pick her song out until after 8 o'clock the night before- she practiced all day that day- and was wondering why they didn't have some type of karoake set up so she wouldn't have to hold her words in her hand.... A-Typical JOE DAVID....wait til the last minute and expect a big production!! Well we thought she did awesome.... and her song choice kind of ripped my heart out a bit.... but she is only 8 so I have a while until I actually have to watch her be grown.

So today I am tired and oh so thankful. It is amazing how in an instant your life can be changed forever... I am hoping mine stays just like it is with everyone here with me safe and sound for a long time.

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday I celebrated my NINTH Mother's Day holiday. Nine (well almost... Kaylee will be 9 in August) of the best years of my life. I can't believe it has been this long and been so short and sweet. It has flown by!

***Not a joke... as I am typing "Oh I love being a Mom- it is the best..." Kaden comes up to me with brown fingers.... I thought it was chocolate.... it wasn't.... I had to pause the blogging to gag and put a gross 3 year old- whom I am certain will NEVER potty train- in the bath tub... oh yes.... I LOVE being a momma!!!!***

We went to church and ran super late as usual. (I won't say who was to blame but the kids and I were dressed and ready to go with 10 minutes to spare.... someone else took up the rest of the time plus 5 minutes... I will let you do the math) We didn't get to do the gift thing before church- so we did it after church with everybody watching me... I am not fond of showing any emotions ESPECIALLY when I am being watched... but anyway... Kaylee, along with her entire 3rd grade class, made me a recipe book. I loved it! It has her class picture on the front and she wrote me a little note to go along with it... soooo sweet! She also put some beads and a pendant together on a silver chain (all from my jewelry box) and gave it to me.... gotta love her! Kyle made me a pinwheel and a flower ink pen. I have the flower pen Kaylee made me in 1st grade so it will be added to the collection. Handmade gifts are truly my favorite....

JD got my the canvas I wanted ( the convenience of living with my MIL... I told her and she made him go buy it :) I can't wait to find a place for it in my new home... you know.... when I ever get moved in... but we are not going there right now....
I got another gift too... I will explain it in a minute....

  Ah Ha.... some how I finally got the post to go ABOVE the pictures instead of having to add paragraphs of captions to the pics because I am too stupid to figure out this new blogger layout. I don't like it but I am left not choice but to deal with it!




Count your blessings.... even when they have poop on their hands.... :)

This is the gift I was talking about. Marquetta found it for me and it is the perfect poem for my life... and any Momma whom has little kids. I almost cried... but like I said... I was being watched... so I held it together.... plus someone started the blessing and I got to gather myself for a moment....

We're back...

Joe in Jamaica... you know he can pass up an opportunity to be stupid ;)

Us in Falmouth... with the huge ship behind us

One of my fave pics... I know it is kinda creepy... but this cemetary was from the 1700's in front of a super old church in Jamaica.... it was all historic and old and I loved all of it...

My hand carved pineapple from Jamaica...love love loved all the wood work they had there

Marketplace at port in Jamaica

Jamaican school kids

Sunset over Falmouth, Jamaica

We had a Bon Voyage party in Miami before we left to board the cruise.... and our surprise entertainment... THE BEACH BOYS!








Beach at port in Haiti

Endless hallways on the ship

Formal night

From our room in Miami

Five Star Island... where we had dinner in Miami... next door to P Diddy Combs house (and I will be honest.. I think he is a rapper or something but I really don't know who he is lol)

Inside the foyer of Five Star Island.. yes... that is a giraffe... and there was lion.. and a stuffed German Shepard.... not my taste in home decor!

Kitchen at Five Star Island

Us in front of the tv screen's where JD and Stewart kept stopping to watch the NFL draft...

Me with Fiona and Shrek... peeps I used to work with called me Fiona because I was mean and had long hair lol

Can't miss the draft...even when floating the Atlantic!

I can't rotate it... but the floor of the elevator told us what day it was... and I had to read it almost everyday ;)

Monkey towel with JD's shades





See that one lil speck of white waaaaay out there... that is where we swam to while snorkeling.... and we thought we were goners before we made it back to shore!

Putt Putt on the top deck

He beat me by 1 point

Britto art work all over the ship.... I loved it....

The shoreline at Cozumel...


OK - Blogger has obviously done a major change since my last post and I know these pics are no where near in order but I have to go to work now and I didn't have time to re-learn all of the updates to put everything in the correct order. I have way more pics from my phone and more on my camera I haven't uploaded yet so be patient (Shelby) and I will try to get them on here ;)

We had a blast- but 9 days away from our kids was WAY too long... we squeezed them extra hard when we landed in Huntsville and saw them waiting for us with their little handmade We Missed You sign....
Absence makes the heart grow fonder- and I didn't think I could be more fond of my children.... but I am ... they even played hookie with us Monday;)

It is back to life here in Alabama... loads and loads of laundry.... runny noses..... house that will never be finished.....

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