Christmas

Wow! How did I manage to forget a Christmas blog?! We had a wonderful time with our families and the kids. Anna was especially sweet this year! For weeks she'd been talking about taking Santa some popcorn so we waited 3 hours at North Point Mall to give him his popcorn present and to get their picture taken! But not without incident! I'm just glad that other Mommy in line saw my Anna girl before she got too far and hung onto her until one of us found her! I may need one of those tracking systems for this one!

Our annual family picture. I told everyone to make a silly picture first so I could get a serious one next but I ended up liking the silly one even better!

Decorating Christmas cookies at Aunt Robin's house.

Visiting Santa at North Point Mall. We (Brian) had to wait 3 HOURS! Next year we'll make an appointment at Perimeter!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

"Anna Banana Montana" rockin' it out!

Grey Hair

Quick survey: How many of you enjoy going grey? Raise your hand if you look forward to getting new grey hairs.

I'm raising my hand! Am I the only one?!

"Why?" you ask. I'm not exactly sure but I really like them. Now, mind you, I've only got about half a dozen but I'm not plucking and I'm not coloring my hair in order to cover them up (I just like coloring my hair and I usually hope that the color hasn't covered too many). I call them my own personal "bling." I can't afford any "bling" on my fingers or in my ears or around my neck so God has given them to me on my head. Also, maybe the personality of grey hairs matches my own and so I identify with them. They're kind of unruly, hard to manage, want to stand out in the crowd and they don't match. ; )

I guess most people don't like them because they think grey hair makes them look older. I don't mind looking older...if I'm older. Maybe I didn't enjoy being young enough to miss being young! Maybe I didn't have enough fun to realize what I'm missing now. : ) And, after all, thirty-three is still young. But I thoroughly look forward to each new year and each new birthday and to getting older.

So bring on the new grey! Raise your hand, people! It's not like you're the only one it's happening to!

Worms, Rain and Toddlers

The last couple of days have been very wet around here. I didn't have to work on Thursday and instead of using that time to clean house I decided my time would be better spent playing with A and L and doing things we don't normally do. Like playing in the rain! They had a great time and so did I! We played with Play-Doh and painted and played in their rooms too. While we were outside we found some worms on the driveway. The kids were fascinated and they picked up all the worms off the driveway and put them back in the dirt. Of course, we may have to do it all again today since we've gotten even more rain today. Enjoy the video. I've probably watched it a dozen times and it's still just as funny to watch L picking up that worm!

Just one more

Well, the Thanksgiving weekend is over but I want to end it with a few more things I'm thankful for.

• Good food!
• The roof over my head
• My church families: First Baptist Woodstock, Midtown Bridge (it was so good to be with you all this morning), Vinings Lake and Community Baptist
• My friends! You know who you are! Thanks for putting up with my crazy self and for a select few -for loving me because I'm so crazy!
• My health and the health of my family. I know alot of people who can't say the same and it makes me so grateful that, at least for now, we are all well.
• The clothes in my closet, even if they don't fit me the way I'd like them to!
• The cars in my driveway. Although, I'm not sure Gertie is gonna make it much longer. Sweet girl! She's been a faithful member of our family since before we were a family. Hang in there old girl just a little while longer.
• For a job that allows me to stay at home with my babies.
• For Brian's job that makes most of the above things possible!
• Dave Ramsey. One of these days, maybe, just maybe, we'll get to "live like no one else".
• Blue skies, sandy beaches, clear water, green grass, fresh air, mountain peaks and so many other things My God has created that I take for granted on a daily basis.

So there we have it; just a few of "my favorite things"! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I enjoyed mine.

Give Thanks for... Family

I am so blessed! The families I'm privileged to be a part of love me and care for me. I don't take this lightly at all. Mom works with many families that this cannot be said of and I do not ever want to take for granted that God gave me loving parents and grand-parents and aunts and uncles and cousins and so on and so on. But not only my biological families but the families that I married into as well. To have a mother-in-law and father-in-law that love me like their own is amazing! And then, to top it all off, their families are both made of people that reach out and join you to themselves as one of their own also. Thank you to all my family for loving me when I'm not always so lovable and for always being there for me. I love you all very much!!


Here are pictures of just a handful of those I'm proud to call my family. I'll have to be sure to get more group shots this Christmas.

Sorry for the inconvenience

Before you play the video on today's blog you may have to hit pause on my playlist on the right side of the page. Listening to both things would be a bit confusing. Sorry, but I can't figure out how to change my playlist to temporarily not play automatically.

One Week until Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving! In part because it kind of "puts me in my place." Meaning that I stop all the pining for other things and start evaluating what I already have and then I realize how beyond blessed I am. So, here are some of the most important things I'm thankful for since I started with some pretty silly stuff the other day.

• SALVATION!!! First and foremost, my Creator, .... created me! Then even though He knew how horrible I would be and because He knew how horrible I would be He made a way for me to know Him because I was incapable of doing that on my own!! Max Lucado wrote one of my favorite books called Because I love You. Thank You, Jesus! for loving me.

• Brian! Wow! and if I manage to fight back tears again with this entry I'll be amazed and if you know me at all, you will be too. I'm so spoiled!! You're home with us more than most men get to be. You take on enormous amounts of responsibility at work and here at home. You're an amazing Daddy and the most incredible husband!! Thank you for your patience, understanding, strength, commitment, sense of humor, and selfless love!

• C- Uh oh! Now I'll need a tissue. Thank you for your willingness to help. You've changed alot just in the last few months and I can see how you're growing up in alot of ways. I love how well you've been playing with your friends and with your brothers and sister.
• 

• P- Sweet thing!! You're the best snuggler in the whole wide world. You have the ability and desire to teach others and I can't wait to see how God uses that in you. I also love your compassionate heart.
• 

• A- My doll baby! You've never met a stranger (just like your mama). You have more energy than the rest of us put together and you make me laugh so hard!

• L- Growing up so fast. Stop it! Stop it right now! Right now you're Mommy's Boy but that won't last long I know so I'm enjoying it while it lasts. I love your laugh, sweet pea!
• 

• Mom! You are an amazing woman! You give of yourself to everyone and most often to me! Thank you for helping me so much with the kids and for being my friend. I'd be one frazzled, crazy person if it weren't for you. You help me keep things in perspective and it's one of the greatest gifts you've given me.

Thankful for...

Today I'm starting a series of blogs on things I'm thankful for. The first things that came to mind were all pretty silly and I thought about talking about the people and things that are most important first. But...I might not remember to mention these things later, so I'm starting here first; hope noone minds.

-Coffee! No more needs to be said. Oh! except that I'm also thankful for Vanilla Caramel creamer and the GREAT BIG coffee mug from Laynie Jones (thanks, chica).

-Spongebob Squarepants. Yes, you read that right. And Patrick too! I need to laugh at something other than myself sometimes.









-Facebook. I've lost touch with alot of friends from school and beyond and I'm not sure I would have had any other (free) way to catch up with them again.

-Cold weather. And only for the fact that it makes me appreciate warm weather more. The first 12 years of my life were spent in the cold and I have no desire to live that way again. If I were picking my ideal location to live it might be Miami or Puerto Rico simply for the climate and beaches.









So, there you have it. Just a few random things I'm thankful for this morning. If you were hoping for something more serious then just wait a couple days and I'll have something for you then.

11 Years!

Happy Anniversary!! Brian and I turned eleven years old on Saturday. Thank you, Liz, for setting us up at your parents' condo on Tybee Island! We love going there to relax; especially when no one else is around. November is a fabulous time to visit Savannah because so few tourists and vacationers are there then and you have the place all to yourself. I was disappointed not to see any dolphins this time but there is always next time! It was too cool to be going for a swim but the jellyfish would have sent us running for shore anyhow! Some that we saw beached were bigger than Brian's fist! Savannah is one of my favorite places and there is always too much to do, too much to see and too much to eat to get it all in in one trip. The architecture and history alone could keep me busy for weeks. Here are a few pics.

President Obama

I was not looking forward to having to tell the boys who was elected President; they were both hoping for McCain and had "voted" for him at school. When they had asked Brian who he was voting for he had told them, "I'm voting for John McCain because he's more of a Christian than Mr. Obama; he believes more of the Bible." When P was told this morning that Obama had won, he cried! Since I nearly cried, myself, last night it was tough to pull it together in front of him. But I will be taking the advice that I gave him - that we need to pray for our new President: that God will show him the right thing to do and that God will protect him, especially since he is a daddy to two sweet little girls. God is who I follow first and foremost and He is in control. I want my children to respect and be proud of their President. And although I would have chosen someone else, I am excited to have our first black President. This is still fun to watch history in the making. So, Mr. President-elect, you have my prayers.

Thanks

I'm in the mood to add another blog tonight. Especially after searching for "Thank you" songs and coming up on this one by the Katinas that I had not heard in a while. One of my favorite holidays is coming up but you would never know just by looking around because according to retailers and most of America the next holiday is Christmas. But even my kids know that after Halloween comes Thanksgiving and it is so important to me that we spend, not only one day, but every day thanking our Savior, our families and our friends for all that we've been blessed with. All too often I am looking past all the wonderful people and things I'm surrounded by and wishing for more. So, I'm starting the month by saying publicly...Thank you, Jesus! You have given me WAY more than I deserve! "Help me to decrease so that You might increase!"

Halloween

Wow! Is it November already?! We had a fun Halloween. At the last minute we decided to take the kids "trick or treating" if they agreed to wear their costumes from last year and we had planned on dressing A as a princess from the dress-up clothes she received from Aunt Liz and Uncle Stephen for Christmas. At 5:30, though, she very excitedly announced that she was going to be "a white kitty cat!" I didn't have the heart to tell her that we didn't have a white kitty cat costume and she would have to wear something else so we threw something together and it turned out adorable! L refused to wear either Elmo or Thomas the Tank Engine and was quite upset at being left behind to pass out candy with Daddy. They went quite a way in the neighborhood considering it is uphill both ways!

Grandpa in Town

We had a pretty busy week and at the end of it all my dad was in town for a few hours. The kids had a good time playing outside with Grandpa on the swings and playing soccer. I told him he'll have to visit more often to get his exercise! I'm glad you could make it, Dad, and be safe on the road! We love you!

Birthday

Believe it or not but P turned six years old last week! He's such a sweetie. Happy Birthday, Buddy! How different will you be in six more years?

Playdate with Duttons

We had a great time playing at the Duttons' house today. A loves her friend. It amazes me whenever three year olds can play well together! They are so different from eachother and I hope they'll always bring out the best in one another. Will they be close friends 10 years from now? Twenty? I sure hope so but only God knows. I'm just glad we've captured some memories of them to show them later. It will all pass by much too quickly.

Sweet M K picking flowers for her mommy.

L with his cheeks stuffed with goldfish crackers!

"Four Eyes"

Two or three months ago I thought A lost my glasses so I've been doing without or wearing my oh so lovely pair that I've had since about 1991. They're quite the fashion statement, as you can see, but the statement might be something along these lines..., "I've lost my mind." or "I like to get my money's worth. So, I'll wear them until the lenses fall out." Thank goodness she found the other ones this afternoon. Which makes me even more suspicious that she was the original culprit. But after taking a picture to prove the newer ones are better now I'm not so sure. Oh well, thank optometry for contacts!

Generations Portrait

I've been wanting to take a picture of all the Robinson/ Pierson women for a while and now it is finally done! Coleen Verner did a spectacular job. The only one we're missing from this picture is my Great-Aunt Kathleen's daughter Judy. Maybe with PhotoShop we can add her in! I'm so thankful that everyone was healthy enough to be in the picture and that we had such a beautiful day. In the picture are (from top to bottom; l. to r.) my cousin, Jennifer and her 3 month old, Marlie, myself holding Anna, Jennifer's step-daughter Antonia, my Aunt Robin, my grandmother Madelyn, my Great-Aunt Kathleen, and my Mom, Pam. If you have ever thought about taking a similar picture, I recommend not putting it off any longer. We don't know how much time we're given with eachother. I'm so thankful to God for my family and don't know why He allowed me to be a part of it but I'm glad He did!

New to all this blogging stuff. Where did that "word" come from anyhow?