Pictures

Shelling pecans! my two helpers...love it


Owen and Gav...best little buds

Kids like granola!



Gavin's first haircut!




Hanging out with cousins!




Road trip to Tulsa..poor Meg was squished between the boys, ha!




The company car

LOVE the new look!!





It's a family biz!



Turpentine Creek...oh, how that was a disaster..no nap for Gavin, lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Good thing his arm didn't get bitten off here...wow...

This cat was staring Gavin down!!!!


It's a Liger. This thing was HUGE!

BABY!!!! and other updates

SO...did this title get you intrigued?

No worries, it's not what you think :)

It's Gavin's name. He refuses to be called Gavin, only Baby. I'll say, Gavin!! and he says, No, I baby! He'll point to me and call me mommy, point to Blake and call him Daddy (although it sounds like Dah-ee) and he'll point to himself and say, baby. We'll say, noooo you're Gavin. And then he says, Noooo I baby!!

HA! It's hilarious...cracks me up every time.

Another thing we are teaching him is to pronounce words correctly. This is something he'll have to do in everyday life y'know. Instead of him saying lights, with an L, he says "ights." Unfortunately it comes out sounding like Ass. HA! We can't have him doing that in kindergarten! One day the light went out in the bathroom and he says to Blake, "no ass daddy, no ass!" LOL Talk about laughing so hard you start crying....

Gavin's vocabulary is crazy big. Even though he can't pronounce everything, he KNOWS what everything is. It amazes me how smart the little guy is!

He seems to be having a hard time adjusting to our move. The other day he started crying when we pulled up to Mike's house and he said, "No pawpaw's house, mommy's house! mommy's house!!" If I'm driving on the highway heading north and get off to head to Fayetteville, he cries and points the other direction saying "mommy's house, mommy's house!" We drove by our old house the other day(thank you God that we sold that place!!!!) and it made him cry. He kept saying, "mommy's house" when we drove past it. So, that's kind of hard on us, seeing him have a difficult time. I told him we lived at pawpaw's house right now, but we would be getting a new house soon.

Speaking of new, I got a car! The blue bullet needed to be retired. I just spent a bunch of money doing the 205K mile maintenance and decided not to put any more money into it. We have been researching, for about a year, the best car to fit our needs: reliable, warranty, good gas mileage, safe, etc.. and we decided on the 2012 Hyundai Sonata. Actually, when I got to the lot they had just gotten in a used 2012--so I said, why get the 2011 when I can get the 2012!
LOVE my new car!! I worked my booty off for my old car, and now I'm working like crazy for this one! It's the company car. I'm really glad we kept the old one for 10 years and now we'll keep this one--probably for when Gavin starts driving!

Florida was a blast. We had such a good time at the beach! Gavin loved the water and the sand..ooohh, it was perfect! Clear blue water, white powder sand...83 degrees out. Not too hot, perfect water temp...we had a picnic on the beach for dinner one night, ate the best fresh crab for lunch one day, drank the BEST coffee I have EVER had...I can't wait to go back.

Granola is going so great...I am so happy with my business! It can get overwhelming at times because I feel like it's growing so fast that I can't keep up--which is a good problem to have, I know! I'm very excited about it, passionate about working for myself, love interacting with people at the Farmer's Market, being creative with it all...it's so much fun and I feel extremely blessed to be able to do this, share my faith through my business and to see the sun rise every Saturday morning...yesterday's market was particularly beautiful. The fog was rolling in from the south, so the hills were barely visible as the sun was shining through. The air was crisp (35 degrees!) and smelled so fresh and clean.

Life has thrown us punches, but guess what? We're overcoming! And that is a great feeling. It doesn't mean that things are better, or worse, but that we're learning. Learning how to be content, learning patience, mercy, grace and forgiveness. Learning lessons that we wouldn't have learned if we hadn't been through it: Learning about people, learning about ourselves, and creating relationships. Which is what life is about: If you aren't learning, you aren't growing, right?! There is so much to do in the world, so many activities in life to explore, so many places to explore, the sky is the limit, and the only thing holding you (me!) back is the limitations we impose on ourselves. How's that for a motivational talk!

Experiencing loss and grief is an incredible thing. It teaches those who are left what's really, truly important in life. As cliche as that sounds, I have gained knowledge in the past 2 years that I am grateful for even though it has hurt so much. Not a day goes by that I don't miss my G-ma or Carol. Can't even put it into words.

Pictures next time!!

I've got time.....

Gavin's with the grandparents and Blake and I are laying around watching TV at someone else's house. It has been OVER a month since I have laid on the couch with absolutely nothing to do. Nothing to unpack, nothing to clean, cook, nowhere to go, no phone calls to return, no house stuff going on. And wow, it feels great! Sorry Gavin, mama loves you, but it is so nice to have a break! You'll understand when you have a kiddo of your own, ha!

This weekend Blake and I have been able to reconnect. We haven't had time together in so long. We have had a couple date nights, but with the craziness of the past 3 months, they weren't relaxing dates. So, this weekend has been about US! Yesterday, we even both had time to ourselves. He went fishing and running, I went for a long walk and watched trashy reality TV. Today we went to church (I actually got to listen to the message instead of baby wrangling!), had lunch together, hiked 6 miles and had dinner together. I don't want the weekend to end!! We are ready for a week long vacation with just the 2 of us. It will have to be this summer because of the hospital move, but we definitely need a week of just us. When we go as long as we have without some serious quality time together, the relationship starts to wear down. Marriage requires maintenance! Quality time for us is key is keeping things running smoothly and happily.


Quality family time important for us too. "Our little family of three" requires maintenance--just like any other relationship. We need time where we can just play. No expectations on us, just to have fun. We try each day to have time like this. It's usually our time at the park, on our walk, and at bedtime. At bedtime we read Gavin's favorite stories, he reads to us, we all snuggle together, pray together and sleep together. Gavin then sings us all to bed--while I tell him to hush, shhh, GAVIN! It's time for bed!!


Lately, we've been wondering if and when we'll be expanding our family. I guess time will tell! Mainly, we are just focusing on what we want Gavin's life to look like as far as education, life experiences....we've been tossing around the idea of homeschooling for a couple of years, until he gets to high school. I think since we've been surrounded by homeschooled kiddos the past 7 years, seen them excel and adjust excellently to public high school--it's inspired us! We still have a couple of years to figure out what we're going to do for his "formal" education, and who knows what will happen between now and then! Since things have changed so drastically for us, we've started thinking out of the box, like, hmmm, ok, now what can we do? Why don't we save up some cash, travel the world for a year, and write about it! The world is such a big place--there is no limit to what we can do if we put our mind to it. We can work while we travel to keep the cash flow going....crushing grapes in France, milking goats for cheese in Italy, nannying in Australia...
SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I HAVE TIME ON MY HANDS? I start dreaming!

Well, I won't have time to blog until we get back in a couple of weeks. Time for me to go to bed and keep dreaming!!

What's going on!

Pictures from the past couple months. There have been a couple times that I have forgotten my camera!!OR it's been hidden because Gavin gets ahold of it and takes his own pictures.
I can't believe it's almost April! Gavin and I are headed to Florida this week to visit Nana, PaPa, and the beach!
Right now we are living with Blake's dad. It's such a transition time for us--thankfully we have a place to stay while we figure out what's going on in our life!!
Who knows where God will lead us? The questions are insane right now and the answers are always "trust me." It' so hard not being in control~right?

Ok, so Blake and I are going out tonight, Gavin is with MaMa and PawPaw for the weekend--time to have to some much needed time together!



Family Pic in the old house...

So, I started this window painting/glazing project when I was pregnant..and I got halfway through and then started the rest of it after we listed the house. Then, the house sold really fast and I didn't have to finish it. I'm pretty sure that reinforces my procrastinating behavior!



More nighttime crazies!


We call this the Uncle Justin hair.

Rockstar hair.



What happens when Gavin takes his own picture, and it happens a lot.

Valentines present.



Who doesn' t love tiedye and plaid together!?

The three amigos at Shogun.



The business professional hair style.

Gavin's first camp trip!




Living with pawpaw!



Mini-road trip to Tulsa to see the amigos!

Moving on!

The house is sold! While I am so thankful not to have a mortgage, I miss our house so much. I don't miss all the stress it caused, but I do miss it being our home. It is just another loss that we have had to endure in a series of losses. Emotional, financial, physical loss. Loss=grief. I wonder what it will be like when we are older and we look back at this period of our life? I know we'll see things from a different perspective than we see them now. When you're in the middle of it all though, it makes you wonder if things are ever going to change!

Closing day was one of the most stressful days we have experienced--I think I aged about 5 years in just a few hours, ha! I wish that things would have been different, but they weren't. It's over, done with, in the past, and now it's time to move on :)

Gavin is getting so big! Potty trained, talking up a storm, being helpful, independent (strong willed goes along with that!) and he's such a great kiddo. We couldn't be more thankful for our little family. He is such a little ham. He LOVES being the center of attention, but he can be shy too. Next time I post, I'll post a bunch of pictures. I love teaching him and seeing his mind work. I get awakened with kisses every morning and by him putting my face in his hands and kissing me, while saying " Mommy, I eat. EAT MOMMY!!" ha!

We are looking forward to whatever good things God has in store for us: Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

The cats have gone on to another home. The first few days without them was hard, but now I am really, really relieved not to have the added responsibility of them tearing up Mike's house!!

It's crazy to be here right now, not knowing where we will live, what our work will be, but we have faith that it's all going to work out. It has so far. That doesn't mean that things are all sunshine and rainbows, but it means that we are growing and learning. Growing pains hurt!

Oh no, CRASH!!

Pictures first!


My niece Annabelle came to stay with us for a few nights recently. Gavin LOVES her and calls her Bull because he can't say Annabelle, ha!

Gavin's favorite toy of the moment. A vacuum. Auntie Cindy hooked him up with one after his very deliberate cleaning at Ireland's party, ha!

Gavin and Joseph, new formed friendship between the two guys!

Christmas in Piggott. Gavin got a train set from Judy for his birthday, but since it was so nice, we decided to let him open it at Christmas.

A thumbprint bruise from my first doula job! Can you believe I didn't even notice it until the next day?!

My first doula job for an awesome friend. What an amazing, incredible, 31 hours of no sleep experience!

My hippy child at Christmas. LOL

Granma Josie. We love her so much and her cooking!!

Botanical Gardens FM Holiday Market.

My sweet aunt Carol who got up with me at 5:30 am several Saturday's to help me set up in Fayetteville.

Remembering Granma on her birthday. This is one of my favorite pictures of her. The furniture she is sitting on is being passed down to me. It's so elegant, just like she was.

More Christmas shenanigans. I think he broke a few things.

Case in point with the vacuum. Gavin could barely contain himself with cleaning!

Lovely fall day playing in the leaves.

Gavin helping out in the kitchen. He cleans up the leftover granola. Hey, somebody's gotta do it!

One of my dearest friends got married!

A cousin got married!
Helping with the Christmas decorations





Wow, life sure has changed since Gavin's birthday party. His favorite thing to say is, "Oh no, Crash!" It's hilarious. Anytime something falls, or gets thrown, or even remotely makes a crash noise--this is what he says. It's kinda like what has happened the past year, and specifically the past few months: OH NO, CRASH!!!

Gavin is growing up! He amazes us everyday with how fast he is changing and maturing. He has a hilarious sense of humor (he likes to laugh at his own jokes) and can talk up a storm in Mandarin. Well, at least it seems like Mandarin because it's completely unintelligible when he goes off on one of his talking tangents. His vocabulary is huge and his memory is incredible. He has a little of Blake's personality and a little of mine.

And my goodness, this boy can eat! He's always been a big guy, but he is eating us out of house and home. This is what he had today: Breakfast: 2 eggo waffles, a bowl of cereal and a PB&J sandwich. Lunch: Applesauce, popcorn, big bowl of oatmeal. Dinner: bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce, more popcorn, and 2 big glasses of milk!! He weighs 36 pounds and he is super tall at 39"!

He knows some of his colors, can do some counting, and can identify pretty much anything you ask him.

The time of my baby growing up is happening. Although, he still refers to himself as "baby." HA! He will say "baby wants to eat" "baby go night night".

He is such a good kid! He is a good listener and obeys well. He will, of course, act out like any toddler does, but overall he is super easy to raise. "He's pretty amazing" were the words just out of Blake's mouth. I love that!

Speaking of Blake, during the past few months, his position was elimiated at the hospital. They offered him a part-time position in rehab, at a 70% pay cut. Needless to say, this has been quite a blow to us. It seems at this point though, that we have adapted to this new financial situation. In the beginning, it was tough. We had moments of "Oh my gosh, what are we going to DO?!" Panic stricken moments of, how are we going to pay our bills? Are we going to lose our house? And we still have moments like that. Looking back, we can see how God had us already taken care of! I'm thankful that the new car we were planning on purchasing didn't happen. We're thankful for the generosity our family has shown us by helping us out. We're thankful for the support our friends have shown, and how our church family has prayed for and supported us.

Blake has applied for jobs all over the country and we are still holding onto hope that his position will be reinstated eventually.

Our house is now for sale. We have invested a lot of money into this little bungalow, but it's time for us to move on. It has been our first real "home" together. That part is going to be hard for me. We have had amazing memories here, and some truly awful ones. But, that's what life is, right? The substance of our time is made up of moments of joy, sorrow, happyness, discontent, exhilaration, and everything in between. It will be a bittersweet move whenever it sells (and soon!)
http://www.sandersonrealtors.com/listings.asp MLS#648199

The granola business is doing great. I just love it!! I'm thrilled for this year's market season. I truly believe I have found my little niche in the business world that I have been contemplating for the past 10 years!! That is another change in our life, is that I will be selling at the Fayetteville market and will be gone 22 hours a week from home. That doesn't include the 15-20 hours of baking and packaging I will be doing too. It doesn't even feel like work since I love it so much.

The holidays were good. We spent time with the family that uplifts us and brings us joy. It won't ever, ever be the same without the two most important women in our life gone. There are moments when grief hits you like a slap across the face, and during the holidays we felt that more intensely. There are days where I am still in denial about our losses. I actually have to remind myself that it's real. Blake misses his mom so much. There really are no words to describe how your life is forever changed.

So, here we are in 2012. Our family goals for this year are to: Get healthier! Pay off bills and build up our emergency fund. Travel a little. Spend as much time together as possible. Spend less by not buying retail and by shopping more thrift type stores. Quit enabling negativity in our life, and enabling each other to make better choices. Cook new recipes together. Grow closer spiritually. Weed out the junk in our life!!

Until next time I get the chance to blog,
We wish you peace, love and joy!!