Fall Photos and Fun

I've mentioned before that I use blogging in lieu of scrapbooking. With blogging, my choices are limited. I don't have to over analyze where each picture goes, what cute little stickers need to go on the page, and borders and squigglys and stuff. Nope, I need to keep it simple. That said, consider this fair warning - if I did scrapbook, this would be a whole book! So if you don't want to see a gazillion pictures of my family, then move on and come back tomorrow.

Fall has been so beautiful and mild here. Alot of bright sunny days, tons of color on the leaves, and perfect play-outside weather. I kept telling Mark I wanted to go somewhere and take pictures of the kids playing in the leaves before it got cold, but doing it by myself just wasn't a very appealing prospect. Last week, we had business to tend to downtown. After that we took the kiddos to lunch. We ended up having a little extra time before we had to be back home so we stopped at Centennial Park for an impromptu play time. It was a beautiful day, no one was hungry or whiny, so we played and played and took tons of pictures. I definitely got my "fall pictures" and then some this year!

We both got pictures with each of the kids.













And several of just us.







There was lots of playing...



















Lots of posing...




















And lots of kissing (I warned you to skip this post!)

Needless to say, we had a great day.

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Osteen

My big brother got married this weekend! That's not something I ever thought I'd say (after all, he is 42) - and it's certainly not because there hasn't been plenty of women wanting to snatch him up... so you can imagine how special Heather must be to him!

Kevin and Heather

If you know my brother at all, you can imagine what type of affair it was - very much a "let's just e-vite a whole bunch of our friends; have some beer, barbeque and a blues band; and show up and see what happens" type thing - no, really, there had to be some planning involved I'm sure, but boy was it laid back and fun - quite a bit different from the formal church weddings I am so accustomed to.

It was at the Waterhouse Pavilion in downtown Chattanooga - kind of an indoor/outdoor venue - and the weather was beautiful. Of course my parents were there, and my sister came down from New York where she lives, and my favorite aunts and uncles came up from their homes in Memphis and Texas. I don't get to see and visit with any my extended family very often so that was quite a treat.

me and Sarah with my brother

my brother and sister


My hubby did the ceremony, and he did a beautiful job - no really, I know I would say that, but everyone else said it too. My mom liked it so much she asked him if he'd go ahead and plan on doing her funeral - weird, I know, but that's my mom for you - what can I say?!? Guess you have to know her to get it.

The tables were decorated with fresh white daisies in vases filled with Hershey kisses instead of water. Let's just say that it didn't take long for my little boys to spot those Hershey kisses. They sampled generously from each of the vases, but when they discovered the "hidden" stash with the extra decorations, they thought they had hit the motherload! Seriously, an unlimited supply of Hershey kisses and a preoccupied mom and dad...what could be better?!?!? Perhaps those little white disposable cameras on all the tables? I think my boys used at least 10 of them before I realized what they had been doing. Ought to make for some interesting ~ or not ~ candid shots. Ha! Do you think I should warn Kevin and Heather before they pay to have them all developed? Nah, I don't think so either.

The only thing that really frustrated me about the whole day and evening was the poor job I did taking pictures - fortunately, I wasn't their photographer - but seriously, I only got a couple of shots. I know there are better pictures to be had, and when I get my hands on some of those, I'll update this, but until then, I'll have to make do with what I have.

my family

Mom & Dad, Kevin, me, and Rheagan

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Osteen

Congratulations, you two! May your special day become a special lifetime together!

The Mysterious Rash

"Have you ever seen a rash like this?"

That was the question of the day among the childcare workers during the Bible study class I attended yesterday. The rash in question was on Jaden.

We have had very full days and nights since Saturday, and by the time Bible study rolled around Wednesday morning and he was hanging out in childcare, he was just plain tired. He apparently lay down on the floor to rest a bit (which is so unlike him) so the ladies got concerned and started checking him out for fever or other signs of illness. In doing so, they noticed his leg which just so happened to look like this.


Well, one of the ladies is actually a retired nurse, and after a complete examination, she concluded that since the rash was only on the back of one leg, that it wasn't really a rash after all, but rather most likely the mark of an older brother or sister.

Great deduction.

You see, Monday, Michaela babysat Jaden for me for a short while and apparently got bored. He fell asleep for a short while, and she took a red marker to the back of his leg. I'm not sure what marker she used, but boy did it leave a mark. The above picture was taken after two baths and 3 days - that's one tough rash - and while it could be contagious, I don't think it's harmful.

Does anyone need a babysitter?

New Every Morning

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Too Tired

It's been a long, full day for all of us.

Wednesdays can be like that sometimes, but add to it the fact that we were all up way too late last night, and we were all up way too early this morning, and most of us were only home for 2 hours today (the rest of us weren't home at all), it stands to reason that things got a little hairy tonight.

Those of us less mature (due to age alone) finally resorted to hitting, scratching, and biting one another - it was a three way smack down that resulted in an immediate, "DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200" GET INTO YOUR BEDS NOW!

After a cooling down period, I made my rounds to brush teeth and encourage the last potty break and hand-washing before bed; of course, these rounds also included a debriefing of what had just transpired. After I reminded them - again - that I still love them, even when I get angry with them and that "We do not bite people," the inevitable was asked: "Can we bite people if we're being kidnapped?"

Oh, tonight I am so tired! Good night, my Loves, good night.

One-on-One Conversations

Of course, I love all of my kiddos, but having so many, I have really come to appreciate the times I get alone with each one. The times when they're not competing for my attention and we can simply have a "one-on-one" conversation really make my heart smile. Each one is so amazing and brilliant. I am nothing short of amazed at how unique each one is. How does God do that?



Yesterday I got to spend some one-on-one time with Gabe as just he and I went to a friend's house for lunch. I usually have a CD playing while I'm driving, but yesterday I didn't. Instead, I was simply singing (to myself) a song that's been on my heart lately. Apparently I wasn't singing loudly enough, because from the backseat Gabe asked, "Momma, can you turn your mouth up, please?" How sweet is that?

During the same trip we found ourselves sitting at a rather long traffic light just in front of a little specialty interior design store. Now I'll be the first to admit that interior design is not my gift. Sometimes I think I get stuck on the side of practicality and sacrifice style, but that's neither here nor there. Back to the interior design store... As we sat at that traffic light we were looking out our windows together and talking about the display in the store's window. This is what they have up right now.


I can't possibly figure out what in the world anyone would do with those two big gold balls - (I, of course, can't see past the potential destruction that would result from having those in my house, not to mention that I don't have a room big enough to accommodate either of those as decor...but then again, maybe they're not decor? Who knows?) Anyway, I asked Gabe what he thought those two big golden balls were for, and without hesitation and complete assurance he answered, "For humungus bowling, of course." Of course! Who knew?

And after we pondered the shiny, golden, humungus bowling balls (did I mention that it was a very long light?) for awhile, he noticed the globe that suspends from the outside of that storefront there (another thing I don't quite get)


and it must have triggered a familiar song association for him because he said, "You know, Momma, God's got the whole world in His hands, don't 'cha?"

I just love my kiddos and special moments like this when I'm privileged to get a glimpse inside their hearts and minds. I have to be careful to appreciate each opportunity like this that I get, because even adding just one more kid to the mix really changes the whole dynamics.

Case in point, after lunch, we picked Luke up on our way home and the first thing he said when he got in the van was "Check this out. I can fart 60 different ways with my arm!" One sentence - less than 10 words - the tone was set; the dynamics had shifted; and the war was on!

Opening Weekend

Have you ever been guilty of thinking the weekend will bring rest and relaxation to your schedule?

You'd think I would have learned by now that that is just not the way it works. Oh well...

Busy weekend? Yes! Good weekend? Great!

This was opening weekend for the play Ben and Michaela are in with our community theatre Steeple Players. It's called The Homecoming and is based on the book by Earl Hamner, Jr. from which the TV series The Waltons came.

the promo picture for the Spencer Family

the set

They did 4 shows between Friday night and Sunday afternoon, and since our childcare plans for the little ones fell through at the last minute, Mark and I went at separate times and ended up making a weekend out of it - add in there a Saturday morning breakfast date, Ms. JoJo's wedding, a headache, church, an after-church lunch meeting, a surprise birthday party, and another play audition, and you'll conclude that we were some busy little bees this weekend. No wonder I fell asleep before the game ended last night and missed the most amazing turn-around in recent football history between the Colts and the Patriots.



Thank God I have my hubby and his ruthless DVR rewind button! I would have felt so left out if I didn't know what everyone was talking about at the gym today. Thanks, Dear, for keeping me in the loop - even at the risk of what may come from waking a sleepy gruffalo =) Where would I be without you??? Is that one of the things you saw 20 years ago?

Anyway, back to opening weekend. The play was great. It brought back warm, fuzzy memories of my carefree life when I used to watch The Waltons. And it's got me saying, "Goodnight, Ben-boy," now. I wonder how long that will last? (I think he is wondering that too).

The cast was HUGE - 43 people I think - and most of those were children. And they pulled it off in about 4 weeks - nothing short of amazing.

Kelly and Lillie - two of our dear friends who were also in the play

Ben was Mark Spencer, one of the "Walton" children if you're equating it to the TV show,

curtain call

and Michaela was one of the little girls in town.

curtain call

This is Ben's third production with Steeple Players; he did A Christmas Story two years ago and Anne of Greene Gables last year. This is Michaela's debut.

I really like the fact that they enjoy the theatre so much. When we lived in Florida, I took them to see so many different plays. There were so many opportunities there, and I had a lot less children then - so it worked out well. Now that they're old enough to actually be in plays, it couldn't work out better than to have such a great community theatre as Steeple Players right down the street.

If you live in the area, or close enough to make the trip, they have another weekend full of shows coming up. Feel free to check it out. We'd love to see you.