Light's, Party of 4

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! –1 John 3:1

2011-02-20T01:33:00.010-05:00

I'm not sure if anyone else is feeling this way, but I feel like I am being swallowed up in this great big world around me. There is never a break, never time for friends, and never any time to complete my to do list. Everytime I turn around there is laundry to do, events to attend, school and homework to do, work, toilets to clean, laundry, meals to prepare, Dr.'s appts, dentist appointments, LOTS of practices to attend, bills to pay, laundry, phone calls to return, emails to read, extra-curricular activities to drive the kids to, and oh yeah, did I mention laundry?? LOL Somewhere in there I try to find quiet time with my husband, a good book, a catch-up phone call here and there, and down time with my kids. I rarely accomplish all these things. I rarely feel successful and I rarely go to bed saying to myself "I am a good Mom, wife, friend, employee, secretary, and taxi driver." I don't believe many women say this to themselves because our nature is to think of all the things we did wrong that day. We lay there tossing and turning, comparing ourselves to other women, and wishing we were like them. Well, I have had enough of that!! I am who I am with reason and purpose and so are you!
My prayer for myself has been that God would somehow reveal to me all the wonderful things He sees in me. He looks at us with so much love. He is proud to call us daughter. We are His and were created in His own image, and no matter what we might fail at, at the end of the day, he longs to tuck us in tight, watch over and keep us as we sleep in His peace. Why is this so hard to accept? I mean, everynight we tuck our kids in tight, pray over them, tell them how proud we are of them, and no matter what they did that day, we have a undeniable, unexplainable, and unfathomable love for them that no one can ever take away. How much more does the Father love us?

I hope to get drawn back into blogging, and eventually fill you all in on the highlights of our lives. For now, this is what I have...........I hope you are being tucked in tight at night, wrapped up in the Father's peace, and feeling His wondrous love for you!!!

Wow! What a weekend!

2010-06-01T00:39:00.004-04:00

Wow! What a weekend we had and of coarse I don't have one picture to post. I will still tell about it because even though it was just a typical weekend with family for most, it was much more for me.
I have been so homesick the last month and missing my Mommy and Daddy, my sisters family, and my sweet, sweet Grandmama. I wanted to go to Blountstown so bad, and when it just didn't work out I cried myself to sleep. It did turn out to be a really good weekend.
My good friend Amy always knows how to pull out some fun in the nick of time and fun she made happen. Friday night we went and had a FABULOUS dinner that consisted of all the fresh veggies out of her families garden and mine. It was delicious and I felt just like I was sitting in my Grandmama's kitchen. Then we all got to zipline it in the dark. It was so much fun and Trever reminded me that I finally got my wish.............I flew!!! He's asked me a hundred times what I would want my super power to be and he didn't forget. He cried when he got on and then love it after he tried it. Abbie of coarse had no fear and is still talking about doing it again. We also got to see the rednecks version of hauling a refrigerator. Darn! I didn't get a picture of that either. Brad drove the tractor down with Brent and the fridge on the front. It was hysterical. I laughed until I cried. If only I had Amy's flip at the time. We would probably all be VERY rich! OH yeah, and Jeff got to see Bon Qui Qui for the first time.
Saturday was another fun-filled day. We met up with the Symonds clan at the pool and we all watched it storm until we gave up on the fun in the sun part. We decided some smoked bacon-wrapped backstrap would be much better at the Light's crib. So along with some fine dining prepared my personal chef, Mr. Jeff Light, we listened to Trever and Aaron argue over Mario Bros., ate candybar pie, and ended with herding a bull back into a pasture at 10:45 p.m. Yes!!! I did it!!! Ask Sam. She was there!! After it was all done Trever said, "Mommy, you are a bull trainer!"
We closed our weekend up with some DIVINE grilled rib-eye's done by Mr. Aaron Symonds himself, along with Jill's glorious ranch potatoes,Amy's banana pudding, and Sam's fine hosting!! Our kids were loving the freedom to play with friends while their parents let them do just about whatever they wanted. No fights, only a few tears, but alot of giggles from a great group of kids. We ladies had a great game of Kinasta, Trever talked his Uncle Steve into iceskating as Bowser on the Wii............that was hysterical, and Brent completely tortured Trever throughout the whole game. He's good at that. We wrapped it up with a swim in the Jone's pool at which time the children became completely wild and had the time of their lives swimming in the rain!! Samantha and I had to close our eyes because our children were flying through the air while Steve was throwing them and Aaron was doing cartwheels and backflips into the pool. That was a little to much. We did try and get ziplining in one more time, but the lightning was just too scary for this semi-country girl.
By today, the Light's were completely worn out. Although I couldn't be with my biological family, my God family filled my tank full!! It was all good. Instead of crying because I was sad this weekend, I cried because I was laughing. It was just what I needed:-)

Until next time..................................love all of my blog friends!!

Surpise, Surpise.......I'm blogging!

2010-05-03T23:34:00.013-04:00

Abbie working hard in the Garden

Trever planting corn

Can you find the little man with his daddy?

Medieval Times field trip

Seco Christmas Party

My Grandmother with all her great grands

Abbie and Trever with their cousins

Ethan and Alana

One of my proudest moments. Abbie feeding

the homeless.

Hello everyone! I know you are all shocked, right? Well, I'm shocked my self. I really wish I had kept up with my blog, but I have totally neglected it. Well, my goal is to blog the rest of the year. We will see...........

So, in a quick post I will try and fill you all in on the Light's party of 4.

We are in full swing of school still and so want it to be over!! It's been a great year with lots of learning and lots of fun field trips. Our favorites of school have been our CO-OP, P.E., and ART classes. Jeff even got to drop by a few times to see what the kids were up too. He also had the priviledge of taking them on a field trip. Looking forward to wrapping this year up by June. That's the plan!!!

Trever--Oh, our cute little Trever turned 6 this year! I cried on his birthday. Can't believe he's already 6. He is doing great in school and is a very good student. He is reading, and his favorite subject is math. A praise report for Trever!! He was finaling enrolled in speech at Wildwood Elementary! It was an answer to prayer and he loves Mrs. Grant so much. She is amazing at her job. He is as busy as a bee using his imagination and pretending to be Sonic or Mario Brothers most of the time. He is a cutie and makes me laugh everyday. Oh, by the way, did I mention that today he proved that he knows how to swim?? It was great!

Abbie--Well, I can't imagine what she will be as an adult. She already acts like an adult. She wants everything in perfect order at all times. She likes to have a list at the beginning of her day and her goal is to check that list off so she can ride her bike, jump on the trampoline, work in the garden, and play softball. She is Jeff Light made all over again. School is not a favorite of hers and feels her time is extremely wasted, but she endures it. She is a great reader, and she loves to have spelling contest with her daddy. He hasn't stumped her very often. It's quite impressive. She absolutely hates math! She is also in full swing of softball right now and loves it. She's looking forward to summer so that she can spend all of her time in Mrs. Jone's pool. I couldn't imagine life without her. She keeps me straight, motivated, and affirms me in most things. She's a keeper for sure.

Jeff--He is loving life right now. Why, you ask? Well, it's gardening time. He has plowed and planted and he is so excited about the harvest that is to come. I know it will be a big one. Jeff doesn't plant for a party of 4. He plants for a whole community!! He's still leading our small group and doing a great job at it, coaching softball, and taking part in the landscaping of The Warehouse Church. He's busy, and that's what he loves, so he's happy as can be.

Jen--Well, I'm happy too! I've been challenged this year teaching two kids in different grades. I've had days that I cried, and days that I jumped up and down for joy and shouted praises out to Jesus while my children stared at me like I was a crazy person. I've climbed the clinical ladder at work, and actually there is no more climbing. I've made it to the top of my clinical ladder and still can't believe it! It was a huge success. I have also joined our worship team at The Warehouse Church and am loving everything about it. It has been a long time, but loved my time alone with the Father. Sitting was a time for Him to show me that our closeness is not based on our ministries, but based on our relationship with Him. It's a hard lesson for a preachers girl to learn. I'm glad I had this journey with Him.

So, as a family, we are absorbing up any time we have together by watching movies, working in our yard, and helping Abbie get better at softball. We are having a great time!

The pictures posted are just a few of my favorite pics since Thanksgiving..........hope you enjoy!

Busy having fun!

2009-10-03T15:12:00.002-04:00

No pics for this quick little post. My camera is broken and I haven't had a chance to shop for a new one. Thank God for great friends taking pictures for me lately.

We have been in full blast since school started and are loving every minute of it. Trever read his first word and Abbie read her first chapter book at the beginning of this year. We have experienced the wonderful sound of Opera, the Orchestra, and the Orlando Ballet. We've also visited the Florida Aquarium for some fun (my kids thought it was for fun, but we did get some education). The kids have dressed up like mummies and Egyptians throughout our exploring of Ancient Civilization. Trever is still very upset that people actually ate lizards in a stew. Afterall, they are not predators to people. Abbie thought lizard stew sounded disgusting and found comfort in the fact that there were vegetables back then.

Abbie is in the full swing of dance and both of my children will be starting a P.E. class next Wednesday. We also are 4-H members and Trever simply can not get enough of 4-H or CO-OP.

As for Jeff, well he has once again moved himself up in the company at SECO and is loving his new position. I am so proud of him and I am glad that he is having such great success where the Lord has placed him. I am still working part-time. Only every other weekend dayshifts, and every Monday night. The days are wonderful. We also started a small group in our home that is held once a month. It was a little scary diving in, but we have been sitting and praying for a year about what the Lord would have us. It was soon confirmed that it was time and so far it has been great.

Well, I guess that's all concerning the Light clan. I hope to have a camera soon!!

Forgiveness does bring Freedom

2009-09-15T19:43:00.002-04:00

I had the most wonderful experience with Abbie this afternoon. She had been waiting several hours to talk to me and then she just couldn't take it anymore and with tears streaming down her face she said "Mommy, I really need to tell you something that happened." I braced myself and let her have the floor. She began sharing with me how she's been feeling different since she asked Jesus in her heart and she gets this wierd feeling when she isn't making good decisions. She then went on to tell me a story about what she's been going through all on her own for the last few nights at bedtime. I would like to share her words with all of you. It brought tears to my eyes and later her daddy's and yet reminded me of why what we are doing in training our children up in the ways of the Lord is the only way to go.

Abbie:

"Mommy at night when I lay down to sleep I get this sick feeling in my heart because I can't stop thinking about a lie I told. I know I'm not suppose to tell a lie and it was a really long time ago, but I can't stop thinking about how bad it was to do it. I can only remember this lie because its the only lie I remember that I told to you and daddy. I just kept crying last night in my bed and my heart felt weird. So, I just prayed to Jesus and said Jesus, I'm a sinner and I need your forgiveness."

Well ladies, my eyes were filled with tears. Of coarse I had to ask what the lie was and it had to do with a fight between her and her brother 3 months ago!!! We discussed the consequences of telling a fib and she has only had to suffer those consequences a couple of times, but it has been well over a year. I asked her if she had told me any other lies and she replied with "noway and I'm not going to tell anymore because I don't like feeling Jesus is hurt." We discussed the purpose of the HolySpirit in our lives, more about what conviction is, and what forgiveness brings........FREEDOM. I asked her how she felt after she prayed that prayer to Jesus and she said "my tears stopped and I went right to sleep." I have to say that I felt and Jeff felt that there would be no need for the punishment we would normally give because the Lord's discipline was far greater in this circumstance. She had been dealing with this in her time of sleep since last Friday night.
I am thankful for this moment. I know the Lord is growing and molding our children and it is touching to be reminded that he's capable of reaching anyone no matter their age. I believe this is just the beginning of Abbie finding out what it's like to have a true relationship with the Lord. She is walking in freedom tonight by the way!

Our Abbie Doobie

2009-09-12T23:45:00.009-04:00

Now she is 7........................................hmmmmmmmmmm. It does make me want to cry.
Where has the time gone? I'm not quite sure but one thing I know is that this little girl is loved by many and I'm thankful that she was our gift to take care of and cherish. There are so many things I could say about our little Abbie Rae. I guess I first would say that I know she was our example of God's miracle. She was not suppose to be created in me, but she was and I remember very vividly the first sound of her heartbeat and the very first kick. I remember the very moment the ultrasound tech looked at us and said "it's a girl" and Jeff's eyes were as big as golf balls. Whatever would he do with a girl??? Well, he and I soon found out that we would not be able to get enough of her. She is miss independent, the gardening princess of our family, the shy one, the easily embarrassed one, the one we still have to hold down to kiss and hug because it's just not quite her thing, the one who say's "no, I'll read to you mommy," the only girl I know that could take down any boy that tries to beat her up (thanks to her brother), the one who would have a friend over everyday if we let her, and the one who prefers to get down right filthy outside no matter how many times I say not to play in the mud. It is fun to watch her grow and learn and turn into her own little person. I won't lie and say she's always wonderful because I'd be fibbing. She has her moments when correction must be in order. However, she is ours and she is special and we are thankful to be able to teach her the ways that are good and true.

She has been praying fervently for an American Girl doll for a year. The Lord did answer her prayer and the picture I posted of her is with her new friend Melissa. Melissa is 7 years old as well and was introduced to all of her friends and their dolls at a American Girl tea party on her birthday. She was happy to share this moment with her friends and I think somewhat overwhelmed. One of her favorite gifts from her party was a set of Pajamas from Stephanie and Olivia that had a monkey on it that looked just like her monkey Nienie that she has been sleeping with since she was 6 months old. She's slept in those pajamas everynight since her birthday. It's time for a washing!!

Summer ends and School Begins

2009-08-26T21:03:00.040-04:00

Since the Light's summer has come to a closure I thought I would share some of our last adventures. We had a wonderful summer and I am in some ways very sad. There were many freedoms I enjoyed such as no alarm clocks, no worries of a structured school day, no schedules to maintain, no strict bedtimes, tons of sleepovers and absolutely all the sun and water we could stand!!!! The one thing I will not miss is the heat. I am looking forward to the evening meals on our front porch looking out and feeling the sweet breeze blow. We have some learning to do, wonderful school projects, field trips, dance recitals, ball games, and somewhere along the way we will squeeze in gymnastics. So the bussiness begins and alarm clocks are set. It's time to bring all things in order including 6:30 a.m. workouts......ugh!!! School is called to order and I'm not really seeing much of a recess.
I am posting some of my last moments of summer that I treasure. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

We had a mommy and kids night, with an extra kid involved while Jeff was out of town last weekend. We went to Disney's Rockin' Road Trip show. It was wonderful and I have to admit there were times that I just became emotional watching my children's faces light up. They were mesmerized and captured into a fairytale world and for a moment I was as well. In the very first scene Trever not taking his eyes off the stage, said to me "see Mommy, I told you they were all real." Tears just filled my eyes as I watched his eyes sparkle. When Cinderella walked out Abbie couldn't hold back the smile and she just glowed with joy. Okay, I know this is all a little mushy, but people, it was a moment. Disney captures you and there is just no way out at times. It was a wonderful evening spent with my fabulous babies.

One of my favorite trips this summer was the trip Abbie and I made to Sylva, NC. We did miss our Trever and Jeff, but this was a mother and daughter trip that I will never forget. It was breathtaking at times to see God's beauty and for the first time I realized why Amy feels the way she does about the mountains. There was one moment while we were visiting Panthertown when Abbie said to me "mommy, I don't know why, but sometimes I just get tears in my eyes while I'm looking at all of it." I found her many times very quiet and still, but yet smiling. She was so happy to see her dear friends Chloe and Alma and I have to admit that my face lit up when I saw them too. I laughed hysterically when I saw Amy because she had these God awful bright green rimmed glasses on and that's how she greeted me. To answer your question, yes, she did it on purpose. They are real glasses that she ordered and didn't look at all like what she thought she had ordered. It was a funny moment and it reminded me of why she's in my life and the joy she brings.

When Brent and Tiffany arrived we went and visited this beautiful place called Panthertown. We took a long hike up to a waterfall. We actually were able to jump into the fall and swim, and walk on top of the water fall. Along the walk on top of the fall there were many pools of water that the girls would get into and swim. In those same pools of water Amy would seem to slip into them unplanned. She scared me the first time, but by the 3rd slip I was just laughing my butt off and there was one time I literally thought she would curse me for laughing, but I just could not help it. Brent was never able to capture one fall on the video camera, but he did manage to do his normal shaking of the head and add a little "hmm" in there. By the 4th fall he was asking questions like "Amy, what's the deal?" Her reply was "Brent, I don't know."

This was on top of the water fall and I will forever cherish this picture and moment. It was perfectly quiet. Not even the sound of water moving and it was a place I could have just curled up with her, held her tight, and never let go.

This is such a sweet picture, but I'm quite sure the conversation had something to do with bugs. haha

Okay, I know I have no make-up on and my hair is pulled back in bobby pins, but this day was the funnest day of the whole week and this picture will always remind me of how much we laughed so I'm dropping down my guard and posting the picture anyways. Keep your negative thoughts to yourself. This was the day we went tubing in Deep Creek and it is also the day that I paid four dollars to nearly die. Seriously people, it was crazy!!! I hit more rocks than I can even count. I flipped over only two times, but one of those two times I could not get from under water because the current was so strong and I just hung onto my tube while it drug me over rocks. I really did at one point think I paid four dollars to go to heaven and I'm sure somewhere in there I asked Jesus into my heart and to forgive me of all of my sins just in case I wasn't saved and didn't realize it. However, I did not meet Jesus that day as we all know. I eventually surfaced and thanked God almighty that I was back on my tube. Then, Brent started laughing at me. Surprise, surprise!!! After our hour long fun, torturous, funny, and life-threatening tubing trip we met back up with Amy, Chloe, and Abbie at the calm waters. I talked Amy into going on the trip with Brent, Alma, and Tiffany. Yeah, you read it right them crazy loons did it again!!! Amy stayed off her tube more than on and eventually got out of the creek and started walking. When she caught up with the rest of the gang waiting in the creek for her she yelled out "SUCKERS!!!" Such a Corky Jones moment and it was priceless. I'm still laughing about this day. It was fun and Abbie even got to go on a more calming tube ride.

The girls also got to go Jem mining and they found lots of Jewels (also known as rocks....hahaha).

Amy really wanted to take us to her all-time favorite restaurant Nick and Nate's. I must say, I am not a pizza fan, but it was delicious.

I have no pictures of Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Deidra, but we spent a lot of time together playing Kinasta and me and Dee were quite the team. Mrs. Smith made me laugh and cry at times. She brought so many memories back about growing up around my Grandmama from the way she cooked to the way she giggled. We truly feel blessed that she allowed us to come and stay in her home. It was a special gift that we will always remember!!

Where shall we go?

2009-07-15T23:00:00.030-04:00

Finally something worth posting..................

We could not really decide what we wanted to do for vacation this year so we decided to just leave and make decisions about any adventures to take along the way. We were able to stay with my parents and spend time with them. They were so excited to have us in their house, well, I should say they were excited to hear little voices amongst them.
Our children had the priviledge of seeing an amazing light show 4th of July and we had some wonderful food. Trever felt the need to "dress up" for 4th of July and you can see from the picture he has quite the imagination. I think we
laughed all day at him. We also got to experience some beach time at St. Andrews state park in Panama City. It is the beach that my parents would take me to as a child every weekend. The water was so beautiful and the waves were HUGE. The kids loved it and didn't mind being pulled under everytime a wave came crashing up on them. I to enjoyed the waves. Jeff was not so crazy about the waves, but did enjoy his lounge chair. I don't think he ever moved. Maybe that's why he turned as red as a lobster.
His favorite part of the trip was the caverns. I thought I would have to drag him out of the tight-fit caves. I did love watching him mesmerized by it all and the sound of Trever's awwww's brought smiles to my face. Abbie was her typical quiet self holding on to her Granda's hand for dear life. At the end of the tour she commented on how amazing it all was.
We had a wonderful time of adventure, rest, and relaxation. I guess the lack of planning worked in our favor this time.

Our next adventure this summer will be a mother/daughter trip to Sylva, NC. Abbie misses her playmates and I miss my dear friend Amy. We are so excited!!! Please don't feel sorry for Jeff. Afterall, he travels all winter long (hunting camp, remember?). Trever will be joining my parents for the week with some fishing trips and many other adventures. He's so excited.

Put the toilet seat up, please!!

2009-06-29T00:32:00.004-04:00

I've always wondered what life would be like having a boy and a girl. My dream has always been that they will be the best of friends, stand up for one another, Trever would treat his sister like a princess always and understand her emotions and drama. I'm learning on a daily basis that they do love each other and they are the best of friends and that they are going to argue at least once a day. This past Friday I experienced an argument I did not see coming, but found myself laughing as it was going on and on and on and on.
I heard Abbie scream "Trever!!!" from their bathroom. He went running to her as though he was ready to rescue her. He had no idea that she was quite upset with him. He asked "what's wrong sissy?" This is where the argument begin.

Abbie: "Trever you need to put the toilet seat up when you go pottie. You got the whole seat wet."

Trever: "Oh sissy, it's not a big deal."

Abbie: "Yes it is because I have to sit on it."

Trever: "Just wipe it off." ---He says it as though she's being so dramatic over nothing. I kept thinking I really should get involved but I just could not stop laughing and I new Abbie was not a happy camper.

Abbie: "That's rude Trever and Daddy told you put the seat up and then down."

Trever: "Whatever..."

Abbie: "Don't roll your eyes at Trever!"

Trever: "Mommy, Abbie's yelling at me."

Abbie: "well he went pottie and got it on the seat. Daddy told him not to do that. Now I have to clean it off."

I did finally regain composer and entered the bathroom to remind them that we should speak kindly to one another and told Abbie a gentle reminder of the rules is sometimes required and Trever just forgot. She apologized for raising her voice and then asked "Mommy, can I just have my own bathroom?" I just started laughing and reminded her that she is only 6 years old and their was no need to add another bathroom just yet. Maybe the future will be Jeff and Trever sharing a bathroom and Abbie can share a bathroom with me. Of coarse the "Ladies of the house" will need the master bathroom. I do have to say over the 10 years I've been married to Jeff I've never had to remind him to put the seat up and then down. His Momma raised him right.

So, Jeanne, Jenny, and Dawn I would like to give you a heads up of one of the small dramatic moments you will deal with in your household. Good luck Girlies. We should have all considered three bathrooms during the construction of our homes.

Good family fun and Good eats part 2

2009-06-20T22:14:00.010-04:00

Happy Father's day Jeff!!! Thanks for being such a good daddy. Our children are truly blessed to have you and so am I.

Happy Father's day daddy!!! You have truly loved me unconditionally and I couldn't ask for a better daddy. I love you so much.

Thanks mom for a great weekend. You always make our times together so special!!

So as you can see from the earlier post today we had plenty to eat and some slip and slide fun as well. Later on in the day we played a round of blockus and then took afternoon naps. The evening was winding down and my Grandmother had said all of her goodbyes. I was just getting the kids in their jammies when the phone rang........................it was Grandmama calling to say she'd hit a deer. We all hopped in the car to go see and these were the comments from the children:

Alana: "Oh no I hope Grandmama is okay and I hope it wasn't a baby deer."

Abbie: "Well, I wonder if daddy and Grandpa will clean it so we can eat it for dinner."

Trever:"That's crazy. We can't eat a dead deer."

Alana: "Maybe we can have it for lunch tomorrow."

Abbie: "No, we have to freeze it first."

Trever: "We can't eat a deer. That means we are their predators."

Granda and Jennifer: We just laughed hysterically. We were speechless.

Now for those of you concerned about the deer, it was a doe, she was not pregnant and did not have milk. There is no need to call PETA. She ran out in front of the car. The police were called to write a report for my Grandmother's car and there will be no buzzards eating up the deer because the police gave permission for the Light's to have the deer. You can figure out the rest.

This was the most interesting birthday yet.

Good family time and Good eats, what else is there?

2009-06-20T15:16:00.012-04:00

Celebration or thankfulness? Both!!!

2009-06-12T19:53:00.005-04:00

I am finding myself in a place of numbness this week. For many, many reasons but I will save your eyes from such long torturous reading and share the number one reason I find myself thankful, speechless, and in awe at God's work.

We have been anxiously awaiting the results of my Grandmother's P.E.T scan for two weeks and there have been times that I really felt as though I would vomit, there have been times that I felt as though I was going to loose all control of my emotions, and there have been times when I just had that peace that you get and you wonder why you have it when the news could be devastating.

This Tuesday my Grandmother walked into her Dr.'s office with trust that no matter what came out of her Dr.'s mouth she new the Lord was in control. She sat patiently waiting to get in a room, then patiently waiting in the room for her Dr. When her Dr. walked in she was smiling and said, "Mrs. Brogdon, I really hope your ready to enjoy your summer. I can't seem to find anything on your P.E.T scan that indicates you have cancer." I'm sure you can figure out my Grandmother's reaction from that point. It didn't just shrink to smaller tumors, nodules, or even dots. Her chest is completely clear and there is no sign that it had spread from her colon to her lungs. As I type I still find myself with my mouth wide open.

We are thankful, we are humbled, and somehow we will Celebrate in this goodness.............it will probably be with my Grandmother's famous shrimp and crab leg boil. Nothing is greater than sitting around her dining room table celebrating her life. I'm sure we will try and talk her into letting us do all the cooking, but she will argue about how good she feels and how it won't be the same if she doesn't cook it herself. It's her joy.

Thank you to those who were my prayer warriors these last two weeks and understood all my reasons for my ups and downs. Thank you Jeff for helping me through all of my anxiety and fears.

Puke!!!!

2009-05-31T01:11:00.003-04:00

Fortunately for all of you I have no pictures of our past week and fortunately for me the puking part has left the lights party of 4. Our little Trever decided to take his turn at standing over the toilet this past week. I know none of you care to here all the details, but I would like to share the one part that made me giggle through it all. I was nice and cozy on the couch and slowly getting sleepy as I was watching and listening to George Straight sing on the television and all the sudden I hear a gag, running of little feet on the wood floor followed by "mommy, I throwded up everywhere." Please notice the e.d. I put in there......that is exactly how he said it. As I ran him to the bathroom we made it just in time to the toilet for the next up-chuck. I was rubbing his back and offering comforting words like "I'm so sorry, buddy." I went to his room and started pulling the comforter and sheets off his bed and I feel his hand rubbing my back and he said "I'm so sorry mommy. I know it's so gross." I just cracked up and I heard Jeff giggling in the living room. The truth is vomit does not bother me no matter who's vomit it might be...........but, please don't ask me to clean up poop!!!!

Memories that make me smile.............

2009-05-21T00:27:00.061-04:00

As I was going through pictures to prepare for
my shutterfly photo book I found myself smiling,

laughing, crying, and thanking God for these

moments and these people.

There are times I forget how little they were...........

There are moments I wish I could have back.......

There are times I'm reminded my children are so blessed to have such a great daddy!!!

There are these three that inspire me to be better, motivate me to give it my all, and remind me that there is nothing better.............

There are those who are always smiling and tend to always make me smile..............

There are some who just show me how to enjoy the moment.....

There are those who love me no matter what.....

There are those who are in my life to remind me
I am blessed and I will survive even though it feels like I'm drowning....................

There are those that remind me at times you must get dirty to have fun!!

Those I wish we were with more..........

There are those that remind me that you must hold on to every moment because one day you might be across the country from one another.............

These are the ones that make my kids feel loved.................

I love this picture and I love these kids..............

There are times when silly faces are needed!!!!

There are times when friends make it all better.

There are times that we actually do experience farmlife....................

There are people I thought I would never live without and now wish I'd never taken one moment with them for granted.....................

This is someone I rarely get to see, but wish I could be with more.....................she always makes me laugh

Can you guess who is under this costume?

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE PICTURE OF AMY?????????? I HAVE NO IDEA.........BUT I KNOW I COULD NOT LIVE THIS LIFE WITHHOUT HER...................OR HER HUMOR

There are times I'm mesmerized by her beauty.........

These are the times that just make me proud to be a mom...........................

I love to be with her...................

There are times I just could squeeze them............

d I need to say anything? He is the cutest thing..........even with his wart hogs.............

There are times my heart ache's just to wrap my arms around Alana Grace. Isn't she gorgeous?!!!!! She looks just like Shannan and reminds me how special my sister really is.................

There are those who say they want to be your friend and then spend their life proving it..........

These are the times I'm thankful I homeschool..........

These are the moments I realize life truly can be a party.............................

What can I say? He loves her............................

What will they look like at 16? I can't imagine them being anymore beautiful than they are now....................

There are those that look at me in the eyes and make me feel loved without saying a word...............

There are those who will always be proud.........

This is the one who loves me unconditionally, gives me a push when I need it, holds me when I can't move, listens to me when I need to gab ALOT!!!, and at the end of the day he tucks me in right next to him.................

You may wonder why the need to blog all of these pictures. This week I was reminded of the journey I've been on and how thankful I should be:

At 16 one of my high school friends told me I wasn't pretty enough to get Jeff

At 17 I was told my uterus would never hold a baby because my endometriosis was too bad

I was told by another friend (well, so I thought they were my friend) that if I moved away I would never have friends and my kids would grow up all alone.

At 22 Jeff married me and moved me to Oxford.

During the first week living in Oxford Samantha called me and said she wanted to be my friend. Jill opened her arms up and welcomed me into her life.

Two weeks later we went to Amy and Brent's for dinner.

In 1999 we started going to the Vineyard..................

In 2002 I birthed a baby girl and we named her Abbie Rae.

In 2004............oops!! I birthed a boy and we named him Trever Lee. He was a wonderful surprise.

My children have been with these friends since the day they were born.

Need I say more????????????????? I'm tuly blessed!!!!!

Refreshed and Renewed

2009-05-11T21:41:00.003-04:00

I had the best weekend and the greatest Mother's Day present from my wonderful hubby and children. Jeff sent me off along with Dawn to Lido beach in Sarasota for a weekend get away. We arrived at Lido beach Friday afternoon and started our weekend retreat with an early dinner at Bonefish Grill. I had Diablo pasta and oh was it divine. We made it back to our hotel in time for a walk down the beach and had a few hours of girl talk while waiting for the sunset. It's amazing how much talking us woman can do when we are not interrupted.
There were some musicians down on the beach playing and the waves sounded so great crashing on the shore. I new that very moment that every part of stress, anxiety, fear, and worry were about to leave my mind, body, and soul. All I could think of was how my husband truly knows my heart and how to fill a love tank.
We slept in until 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning and headed down to Blue Dolphin Cafe for a quick breakfast. I had one of a kind western omelet with monterey Jack cheese made to perfection and was ready for some rays. We became lazy beach bums for the rest of the day........literally from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. We only moved to get in the water a few times, to grab a Pina Colada, oh, and flip our pages as we each read our books. There were a couple of times we would hear a crying child and our motherly instincts would make us jump. Our bodies actually ached Saturday night from not doing anything all day. We knew we had to move or we would be useless come Sunday morning. We decided on Carraba's that night for dinner and I must recommend the Sirloin Marsala. Oh.........there are no words. Thank God Dawn gets a HUGE discount for all OSI restaurants. We ate dirt cheap and still had fine dining. We then walked through all the shops on the circle. Have you ever been in the store Black and White Market? Wow, what beautiful clothes!! I couldn't afford any of it, but wanted to buy it all. I have to find an outlet. We finished our retreat up by spending Sunday on the beach again and then by the pool. It was bitter-sweet during our departure. I so wish my family could have just packed up and come to me.

The water was simply...................well, lets just say I never had a problem seeing my toes or seashells on the bottom of the ocean floor even when I was in the water up to my neck. It was breath-taking.

I can not wait to take my family there. I know they will love it. I came home refreshed and ready to see my favorite three. They were all awaiting my arrival with smiles and all I could do was squeeze them and say thank you. I know I was smiling from ear to ear. We had a wonderful evening out on our porch. Jeff had grilled a nice little dinner for all of us to enjoy together. I tucked my kids in bed and curled up with my hubby in the chair for the rest of the evening.

Sorry there are no pics, but we just were too lazy to go back to the room for the camera.

One other thing. Congrats to Pike's Electric!!! We won the championship game and are T-ball Champions!! I'm so proud of those children.

OUR LIFE IN THE T-BALL WORLD

2009-05-02T02:18:00.021-04:00

We have had such a great time during this t-ball season. Abbie has done so well and Trever, well, I will say he is just now starting to enjoy it now that it's coming to an end. Have I mentioned that my hubby is a great coach? These kids just love him and Ray. They have done so well coaching. I have thoroughly enjoyed being dug-out mom to all 11 kids. I'm so thankful that Dawn was dug-out mom with me. We actually had several parents volunteer to help out as well. We've only lost 3 games and the kids have had a blast!!! We've laughed, cried, wiped snotty noses (not my own children's noses), and screamed to the top of our lungs in excitement for these little munchkins. I'm somewhat sad that I will be saying good-bye to these prescious little ones. I've grown to love them as though they are my own. It's been a blessing to watch them all get to know each other and I hope somehow they remember us as showing kindness and love. It has been an honor to serve these children in our community.

I'm posting some pictures from our last game and some pictures of fans. We had a great night and ended at Beef O Brady's with our extended family. I forgot to change my date on my camera when I changed the batteries. How irritating that the date is wrong.........

GO PIKE'S ELECTRIC!!!!

Does Pluto live in outerspace?

2009-04-27T22:00:00.008-04:00

This is short and sweet, but I had to share. Abbie has been studying about outerspace. She was telling Trever the names of the planets and what all is in outerspace. When she said "Pluto" Trever quickly said "wait a minute Mickey's dog does not live in outerspace. You so silly." We just busted out laughing. He's still not quite convinced that we are not talking about the name of Mickey's dog. I'm not sure if I should be impressed that he knows more about Mickey Mouse than outerspace. Oh well.......

Earth Day

2009-04-23T01:40:00.005-04:00

And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. Gen 1:31

This scripture was the last scripture I read to my kids this afternoon after discussing earth day. There were so many things on television and radio that reminded me of earth day and I heard Abbie say recycle about ten times today. Which I am very proud that her and Trever want to take part in that and have learned about taking care of our planet. However, there was this little voice that reminded me of why we have the priviledge to live on this great earth and I had to take a moment to sit with my kids and read from their Bible Story Book the story of Creation. We've read it so many times, but Trever still said "wow" throughout the whole story. Trever adored every picture, especially the page with all the animals. He said "God even created the ants, mommy. That's so cool. How did He do that? Is He a super hero?" Abbie answered very quickly "He's greater than a super hero, Trever." I found myself teary-eyed and in awe just like my children as Abbie and I took turns reading aloud. Abbie said "Jesus must love us a lot to create all of these things." Oh, how He does love us so much. The work of His hands is truly breath-taking.

I do wish that every creature great and small had thought of the Creator today. He is worth serving and living for.

Happy earth day!!

I feel complete again!!

2009-04-21T03:23:00.005-04:00

I'm so happy to announce that my family is all together again and it brings me great joy. My dad brought Trever home on Friday afternoon and I thought I would just squeeze him to death. He said, "mommy, you said you were going to gobble me up when you saw me." Me and my dad just started laughing.
Abbie was suppose to be home on Saturday, but instead came home Sunday evening. I thought I was going to fall apart Saturday when I found out she wasn't coming home. Jeff kept me occupied by bringing home a trailer full of mulch and some new plants to put in the flowerbeds. It looks so beautiful. He definately knows how to make my heart smile. We also went to a wedding in the woods Sat. evening and I had the distraction of thinking of Edward and Bella the whole time during the ceremony--ha,ha. Jeff knew exactly what I was thinking the whole time and would just shake his head. I have no idea what Randy's message was during the wedding..........how terrible I know. It had something to do with trees.....
Anyways, Abbie had the life squeezed out of her when she arrived home and Trever wrestled her down to the ground. He told her if she wanted up she had to tap out--UFC unleashed--no, we do not let our kids watch it, but they do wrestle with their daddy and he knows all the lingo.
She was so wore out and I think she was somewhat dehydrated, but we got her fixed up and she was feeling much better today. Jeff and I got to snuggle with her at bedtime. I looked at her and she had tears in her eyes. I asked her if she was sad and she told me "no, I have happy tears because I'm with you." My heart just swelled with emotion. It was such a special moment. All I could do was wrap her in my arms and hold her close.
She says she had a wonderful time and wants me to post some pictures of her and RaeLynn at the Keys. I hope to get some pics from Dawn soon.

Have a great week everyone and squeeze your babies!!!

I truly love my life!

2009-04-17T01:09:00.003-04:00

My kids left Sunday afternoon both going in different directions. Abbie went to the Keys with the Moses clan (lucky thing) and Trever went to my parents for the week. My kids are having such a wonderful time, but oh how I miss those little feet running on my wood floor. Jeff misses them so much that he just doesn't really know what to do with himself. We thought we would spend some great time together just the two of us , but the opportunity opened up for me to work fulltime hours this week so I have been working since Monday night and I haven't seen Jeff since Sunday. I crave the very sight of my family and my friends. I've not seen my closest friends or their kids either. I've not had my daily conversations with my mom and sister like normal and I feel like I'm on a whole other planet. I've always been thankful for my simple schedule and this week I've just been reminded at how blessed I am to be able to work very few hours. If I had to work this job full-time I would never see my family. I'm not saying working full-time is wrong so as you read please do not feel that way. If I worked the career path I chose full-time my schedule would literally be work and sleep nothing in between. So many people at work have asked me hundreds of times why I give up the money. They like to remind me that I could be affording cruises and fancy vacations and expensive clothes and shoes. Well, all I can say is that there is no pair of shoes (and we all know how much I love shoes!!!!!!!!!!!) that can be worth giving up my relationship with my kids and husband. We may not take fancy vacations and I may never walk in some high-end shoe or clothing store, but one thing I do know is that I will have lots of memories of my children's laughs and I will know what it feels like to sleep next to the man I love. That makes a "budgeted" life worth it for me.

So, thank you Jesus for:

1. My husband who values family and relationship as much as I do!

2. The opportunity to hear pitter-patter of little feet when I wake in the mornings

3. Trusting that Jeff and I could love and nurture your beautiful gifts, Abbie and Trever

4. The daily bread that you give because somehow it's always enough

5. The friends who feel like my sisters and their kids who feel like my own

6. Parents who crave my children's presence and find joy in them

7. The job my husband has that provides for us so that I can stay home and teach our children

8. T-mobiles favorite five so that I can call MY mommy, daddy, and sister everyday for free. Even though they are 4 hours away I can still hear their voice!

9. Loving me and giving your life for me

10. My life. I TRULY LOVE IT!!!!

A whole lot of nothing, yet so much fun

2009-04-02T11:15:00.007-04:00

This past weekend all of our friends went camping and we did not get to go. We were all a little bummed about it, but we actually ended up having a wonderful weekend with just the four of us. The weather was just wonderful so we spent our whole weekend working and playing in the yard. I found the kids raking in the leaves and then throwing the leaves. At the time they didn't realize that all the leaves they raked were now everywhere once again. They had a great time so it was well worth it. I weeded my flower beds and Jeff of coarse played in the garden. We later took a walk out on the property exploring and watching the kids climb the trees. I snapped a picture or two and posted a lot of them on the side bar of my page. I know they aren't professional, but they are an expression of a wonderful family moment.

I posted a picture of the oak tree because that is the view from my front porch swing. Isn't it just beautiful? I just found myself in awe after I snapped it. It was just a moment to take in and reflect on how blessed we are to live where we live.

The last picture is of Trever playing his sister's leapster. His batteries died in his, but he knows he only is allowed so much leapster time so he couldn't give his playtime up. I noticed him nodding off and asked him if he'd like a nap. His reply was " no mommy, I am about to save Eve." He was playing Wall-E. I went back a few minutes later and this is what I found. I thought it was just too cute!

I feel so refreshed after this weekend. I wish everyday was just simply a playday with family!

Sounds like the Lord's Problem

2009-03-25T21:42:00.007-04:00

I just feel like journaling some thoughts tonight and it will probably be a little long. If you choose to read then that will be great, but if you don't then that's fine too. I just need to share about my adventure's lately.

I have found myself for the last 5 months in a place of the unknown with several things including my job, Trever's speech issues, my Grandmother's cancer, where our family will go to church or if we will even go to church regularly, talking with Dr.'s about my health issues, and I could list more. It's all scary and some of these things hurt everyday. Some of these things make me angry everyday. When I think about the hoops and hurdles I've gone through with Dr.'s, schools, and therapist to get Trever what he needs it urks me to the core of my being. It is an unexplainable feeling when you know that there is really nothing else you can do for your child but try and be the therapist yourself. I wake up everyday with my Grandmother on my mind and I go to bed everynight with her on my mind. I constantly wonder how the very person who has taken care of all of us her whole life could have something that we can do nothing about. The one who's held my hair back when I was puking my guts up or put a bandaid on my finger and knees, the one who held my babies in the middle of the night while they screamed just so I could sleep for a few hours, the one who drove 4 hours with my father to get my kids and take them to her house for a week because I was in bed with pneumonia and couldn't even walk or take care of myself and Jeff had to work. There is absolutely nothing I can do to fix her. All I can do is lay it down before the Lord. The fears I have about my own health........well, that's a whole other blog post that I'm not quite ready to do it yet. It's just all hereditary stuff and all I can do is the best I can do with the options I'm given..........and once again, give it to the Lord.

Through all of this I've questioned if I've been in denial or if I've just not spoken about it at times because it's easier to repress it deeper and deeper. Have I been a terrible mother by not being able to get Trever help? Have I been the granddaughter who's had a lack of faith that God can take care of my Grandmother?

What I can say is that through all of this I have daily shared my thoughts with the Lord ( as if he didn't already know them-ha). I've learned that even if I don't speak of these things to another He has heard every cry and every request. He knows the day's I feel scared and He knows the days I feel angry about it all and He still loves me and I love Him.

I have not been on a stage, held a microphone in my hand, or touched a key on my piano in 5 months. I walk by my piano everyday and I look at it......and then walk away. Those of you that know me and my heart, know that it's not the spotlight I love, but instead it's the moment of freedom I feel when I open my mouth and sing to the one who created me. I also know that the Lord said it was time to sit and let Him do some new things in me and Jeff and that is what I've been doing. It's so hard. It's so hard to be in an uncomfortable place and it's hard to stop doing something that you love so much. I sing to my Jesus everyday, but now it's in the shower, car, or to my kids at bedtime. Jeff and I have no church job or title, and yet we feel closer to the Lord than we have felt in a long time. We've been able to extend ourselves to families who didn't think christian's cared. We've been able to spend time with people who hate the thought of church, but are so longing to be loved on and cared for. I've come to understand my husband's heart and his calling. He is a servant and he loves serving other people. He loves to cook for the hungry and fill their freezer full of vegetables. He can plant a garden let me tell ya! He loves to put swingsets together for a family who does not have the tools to do it. He loves towing peoples vehicles for them so they don't have to pay a wrecker. He does NOT enjoy moving people, but WILL do it because it meets their need. For years he's had to sit and "watch" me do my thing and never had the chance to do his thing. I know that there will be a time that we are both doing our calling at the same time, but for now the Lord is totally getting us on the same page and letting me see that awesome heart of Jeff's. Jeff is totally understanding what I feel when I'm part of worship instead of just being a spectator of worship. It feels GOOD! We now look at the "Living Room" (some call it church) as a place that is a safe haven. A place where your core group is.......you know the people you lean on and the people you worship with and the people you call upon to pray and agree with. It's the gas station, I guess. But, it's not to be a bubble that you lock yourself inside and it's not the place you force every person you run into to go to. It's a place that we are sent out from. Don't misunderstand me and think that I'm saying you have to go to church to get what you need because I'm not saying that either. We get our fuel from the Father. We didn't go to church for 3 months, but we still loved and obeyed the Lord the same. Hope that makes sense....... I'm truly captivated by what the Lord is doing.

Two weeks ago I heard Randy share a statement Lenny had made. The statement was "this sounds like the Lord's problem." At that moment I realized that I'm not so crazy afterall. All of this that I've been daily dumping on the Lord is because it's exactly what the Lord wants us to do. It's why He is who He is and it's for that very reason that when we lean on Him and cast our cares and confessions on Him we start to feel like our load is a little lighter. The truth is that it's all out of my hands and it's the Lord's to do. I can only pray,love, trust, and obey. It's all His.
I am happy to say that the report on my Grandmother is very good. The tumors in her lungs have shrunk 60% half way through her treatment and she has 8 more treatments to go. I'm very thankful. Trever is happy and improves weekly. He told me yesterday that he saw a frog instead of vrog. I just think that was a little present from the Lord:) I finally have guaranteed hours in my job. I have two beautiful children that make me laugh everyday and a husband who can't wait to get home to his family everyday. The Lord is hearing my heart and is sending just what I need...............

Happy Birthday to my boys!!

2009-03-06T22:05:00.003-05:00

For some reason I can't get my pictures to post.......so I'll have to post some tomorrow.

I can not believe it, but Trever is 5! He is so excited, but I'm not sure about it. I told him that I was going to pray that he would be a baby again. He asked me why and I said because I wanted him to be my baby. He replied "Mommy, you so silly. I'm still your baby." My heart once again just melted. He had a wonderful birthday, or should I say birthdays being that he had 4 different parties. That's right, I repeat 4! That's what happens when your family lives far away. We first celebrated at the fish bowl with all of his friends and had a blast. Then we celebrated at our house with Jeff's family and then we celebrated in Blountstown with my family. He also had a party at school. Needless to say he is cupcaked out and has opened enough presents to think it's christmas. How blessed we are to have so many that love him!

Jeff also had a birthday on Thursday. We celebrated a little differently for his special day. Jeff's dad kept the kids and we went on a date to Bonefish and it was oh, so good!! Dawn was our waitress so the service was perfect. The food was delicious. We got to talk about whatever we wanted, but we mostly talked about our children......go figure. I'm so thankful for Jeff. He is such a wonderful dad and husband. I forget to often how nice it is to be taken care of and how special it is to have a husband who wants to hear about everything that's going on. He's a greater listener, helper, and encourager. He's also very STRONG and can move the furniture in my house over and over again even if it's back to the original place. He also does it without complaint! God knows how much us women need all of that and sometimes all at once-ha! We haven't celebrated his birthday with the kids yet because we had t-ball practice on the actual day of his birthday, but my kids are determined to have cupcakes with daddy so we are going to make that happen this weekend. Abbie thinks we need to make fun-fetti cupcakes and Trever wants Wall-E cupcakes for daddy. How cute is that!!

Happy birthday boys!! I love you so much T-man and I love you so much muscle man. I couldn't imagine this life without you. Thanks for loving me and Abbie unconditionally. Thanks for letting us be Queen and Princess 24/7 and thanks for dealing with all of our emotions!

WHOOPEE!!!

2009-02-27T00:01:00.005-05:00

Thanks to the Symonds girls my children have literally laughed until they cried the last two days. Everytime I turn around Trever or Abbie have the whoopee cushion under their behind and are trying to sneak it under mine. They love for Jeff to put it behind his back. The sound is just horrific! I know, I know.................we are easily entertained, huh? I personally would like to strangle Samantha, but I also know that she probably sent it just to irritate the mess out of me. Trever's letter for this week at preschool is "W" so of coarse he had to take the whoopee cushion to Mrs. Angela today. She told me today that Trever shocks her on a daily basis. She was laughing as she said it so I suppose it's a good thing. Meagan Kornegay rode with us to school today and she was laughing just like Janet and Avery while Trever was sitting on it and that alone made me laugh. There is nothing like a Kornegay laugh. It can make anyone's day!
Some post, you say, but I've been in a boring orientation listening to hospital politics for 3 days and our children have been tossed around like hot potatoes this week. Thank you Dawn, Amy, Janet, Aunt Sam, and Aunt Jill ( I know Aunt Jill kept Trever straight during Abbie's dance practice). We've gone to bed very late by the time t-ball is done, dinner and baths are complete, and our mornings have also started much earlier than normal. Honestly with the week the Light's have had, I have to say the whoopee cushion is really all we needed. Thanks Emma Joy and Maddie Grace!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T10:24:00.003-05:00

I got a new bike!! I feel like a child at christmas time looking under the tree. Jeff surprised me this Valentine's day with a Trek Mountain bike. I've been shopping around and just not found what I've wanted, but the love of my life always seems to have connections. I gave him the Richard Petty driving experience for a gift, but he's looking to trade it in for a bike himself. Now that everyone in our family can ride we are ready for the trails!

Happy Valentines day Jeff, Abbie, and Trever! You truly are the loves of my life and I just could not live without you.

Happy Valentines day to Mandy, Uncle Scott, Aunt Kris, Jack, Aunt Shannan, Uncle Jim, Alana, Granda and Grandpa, Grandmama, Granny, Gigi, and Daddy and all of our friends (there were way to many names to type).................from Abbie and Trever

I am an RRT!

2009-02-10T08:55:00.004-05:00

I am so excited because I am now an RRT! What does that mean? I basically got more credentials behind my name. In some places it means more money, but most importantly it gives me the opportunity to specialize and test in other areas such as neonates. I love working with the babies in our neonate nursery and I've always wanted to take the test. Not all respiratory therapist are eligible for it and it depends on your degree in respiratory. I've been eligible to take the test since I graduated from college but then came marriage, baby, then oops! another baby, then homeschooling and soon I found myself with no time to invest in studying. I finally decided last year to take it. It's a six hour test and it will send you over the edge for sure! I was able to pass the first portion and had to retake the last section only. I took that part yesterday and passed with flying colors. It was a huge accomplishment for me and it opens lots of doors. The future is just a little brighter!!

Happy 5th Alana Bug!

2009-02-07T09:50:00.003-05:00

My niece is now 5! It's so hard to believe. She is such a special little girl to the Light party and I'm proud to say she loves being at Aunt Jen's house. Alana lives in the city and she doesn't have a big yard so when she's with us we can not keep her inside. She chases the dog, cat, and loves to go see the cows. She was here in the winter last year and she wanted to know if we were going to bring the cows in since it was so cold. The country life is a moment she takes in and enjoys to the fullest. She always comes in the summer to spend at least a week with us and we usually see her once or twice a month throughout the year. We will get to go up next weekend to her birthday party and we can't wait.

We love you Alana and will see you very soon!!

Feeling Good!

2009-02-04T23:28:00.005-05:00

I am happy to say that I am in my second week of 6:30 a.m. workouts at the gym Monday-Friday and I'm feeling good and a whole lot less tired. I also decided to fast fast food. That means no more vanilla flavored iced coffee from McDonald's. Of coarse my head has been screaming for caffeine because my coffee from home isn't near as loaded!!! I have to say though that starting my morning at 6:00 a.m going full blast is a HUGE change. At that time I was normally getting ready to drive home from work or ironing Jeff's work clothes and heading back to bed until 7:30. The first few days of my workout were absolutely terrible. I mean I hurt everywhere and even in places I didn't know existed. I also had to watch a woman much older than me go faster and longer on the elliptical and she smiled while she did it as though it was such a joyful thing. Not only that, the gym is wall to wall with mirrors so every morning I get to look at myself and see everything jiggle (how pretty!-NOT). At first I was thinking that there is nothing about this that feels good emotionally or physically, but then I realized that if I want to be healthier I should let the older and probably wiser one be my motivator. So, now I'm really enjoying my workouts and the ME time.

Maw Williams

2009-01-30T21:45:00.007-05:00

I hope you enjoy these pictures Grandmama. I just love them. I had so many of all of us through out the years that it was really hard to choose.

On christmas eve my great grandmother went to bed with a new piece of fabric to start a new quilt and intentions of being with family on christmas day. Instead she woke up sitting at the feet of Jesus on His birthday. I can only imagine what she felt when she opened her eyes and saw her baby girl she'd been waiting to meet for all these years. She also got to reunite with her husband who she'd been separated from for 6 years, but most importantly she found herself with the one who gave her life and loved her with an everlasting love.

She was a wonderful person and she loved the Lord with all of her heart. She loved all those around her and she treated everyone as though they were her own. She made me laugh, made me feel loved, and she gave me hope that we can survive this life and that it is possible to trust the Lord and love Him through all the challenges of life. I don't really remember a time in my life that she wasn't there and I think about her everyday. The next time I go back home I know it will not be the same because she won't be sitting at my mother's table with her cup of coffee and my grandmother waiting for our entry. My kids won't be able to run to her with open arms and yell at the top of their lungs Maw.....................(that's what we called her). I also know that she is loving her new life and new home and I'm so happy for her because she has won and she has reached the goal that we are all aiming for..............a place of no more pain, no more sorrow, no more suffering, and no more tears. There is only peace and love and I know that there is tons of laughing because she is hysterically funny!

LET'S PLAY BALL!

2009-01-26T01:28:00.002-05:00

It's that time again. That is t-ball time. We are so excited. I had no idea how much fun it would be when we signed Trever up and then Jeff got asked to coach. We had such a blast last year watching Trever play and making relationships with the kids and their family. I could not get enough of being dug-out mom. Jeff had an experience like no other coaching 4, 5, and 6 year olds. This was his first experience of that. He had only coached high school. By game 2 of the season the kids were giving him hugs and high fives . Jeff will have a lot of the same kids he coached last year on his team with a few other newcomers. A lot of Trever's friends from his pre-k class are playing this year as well so he is so excited. Abbie will have two of her friends playing along with her, Chloe Russ and RaeLynn Moses so she is also excited. T-ball is just a family fun event for us and we are ready to play ball!! There is nothing like the joy of watching 4, 5, and 6 year olds run around the field. Hopefully we will see some of you there.

I'm going for it!

2009-01-23T04:22:00.001-05:00

I've decided to take the plunge and get this blogging on the go. I've been telling my family that I would start it so that they can keep up with the children, but I'm so addicted to reading everyone else's blogs that I haven't made time for my own. I hope that I will be as addicted to posting as I am reading everyone else's post-ha.

We are so enjoying this weather right now. We've used our fire place all week and it has been wonderful to cuddle up in front of it with the kids. Trever loves to sit in "daddy's chair" with daddy and of coarse Abbie likes to sit right on top of me. It's the life after a long day of school, work, and all the other bussiness throughout the day. I don't want this weather to end just yet, but I know it will be gone in a blink of an eye. Who knows, next week we might be in shorts and my children will be begging their daddy to put up the hose on the trampoline. For right now, I plan to enjoy the chill bumps and see my breath as I walk out the door.

I want to share one last thing and then I think I'll call it quits for now. Today Trever wanted me to read him a story (he wants that everyday, at least three times) and I just could not do it right then. So, Abbie volunteered herself to read Trever a story and he actually agreed to it. So, she read his favorite, Cat in the Hat, and she did a wonderful job. After every page Trever would say "great job, sissy" or "wow, that was great, sissy." She would smile everytime he said something and I know it was making her heart feel so proud and boosting her confidence. I just loved watching them in that moment. I hope that was just a little glimpse of what kind of little brother he will be to her in the future. He tells us all the time that he wants to marry Abbie, and she giggles and tells him that he can not marry his sister. He pops back with "oh yes I can and I'm going to marry mommy too." It just makes my heart melt to know he loves me that much. God help that future daughter-in-law. That is unless it's Maddie Grace Symonds. She stole mine and Jeff's heart a long time ago and I know I'd be willing to share Trever with her-ha,ha.

I hope to get pictures posted tomorrow.............hopefully very soon Christy will be coming out to the house to take family pictures out on our property then I'll definately have some great pics. to post.