Papa John

Today my family mourns the loss of my grandfather (Papa John) who passed away this morning. His sweet spirit will surely be missed here on this Earth. It is always difficult as humans to accept the concept of death. So many lingering questions about life after we pass on. My grandfather has been suffering for the past couple of years with a stroke, tumors, and now lung cancer which took his life. Although it is sad to see him pass, it is nice to know that he is in a better place and is no longer suffering.

When you lose a loved one it always causes you to reflect on life and better appreciate the moments you have with those still around you. I feel so much gratitude for all the wonderful people in my life but especially for 2 amazing boys/men who I am blessed to spend this life and eternity with. There is nothing more special than families and I am grateful to know that families are eternal. I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend and wouldn't trade the love we share for anything else in this world. He is a wonderful father and husband and man of god.

Words can't express the change you go through when becoming a mother. I still look at Brent every day in awe of the responsibility God has trusted me with to raise such a sweet spirit. If I get nothing else right in this lifetime, I know that I love him right. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have about this life and life after this. I am glad that I understand that we are returning home to our Heavenly Father when we leave this earth and the journey is not over. We are certainly meant to mourn when a loved one passes on, but we can also find peace and joy in knowing that we can see them again one day.

Becoming Self-Sufficient

In our church we are encouraged to become as self-sufficient as possible so that we can help ourselves and help others. Also, so that we can always be prepared for uncertain times. So...Brandon and I decided to plant our very own garden for the first time! It has been really exciting and we have already eaten spinach and broccoli grown fresh from our very own back yard. Both have been absolutely delicious!! With how the economy is right now and the price increases in well, pretty much everything-but particularly groceries-it is nice to be able to produce some food on our own. Here is what we have so far.




Okra



Zucchini


Spinach



Broccoli

Look Who's Crawling...

Brent is almost 9 months old now and we were starting to wonder if he was ever going to crawl! We figured he would just skip it and go to walking because he seems much more interested in that. However, Brent is oficially CRAWLING now!! It is so cute because he has a "stiff leg" and so he crawls pretty crooked. So I guess it's time to start "baby proofing" the house now...being a Mommy is so much fun!

The Wave

It's so much fun watching Brent learn how to do new things. Yesterday Brandon taught him how to wave. It was really cute!

New House (kinda)

So, I know we've been living in Rocky Mount now for about 5 months and I haven't put up pics of our new house yet. Yes, it's really sad. But I have no excuse now that I have my new camera!! So click on the house to the right and enjoy the pics!!