Lots to catch up on...

Even though I'm not working anymore, I still find my calendar completely filled. Doesn't quite make sense to me, but I love it. Anyway, I haven't updated in a month because whenever Gavin takes a nap, I usually work on school stuff or my Bible studies. I'm in the middle of 2 GREAT studies -

1. Return to the Garden, by Kay Arthur. It's about what God intended sexually between a husband and wife. I never realized all the verses in the Bible about it! I love how Kay Arthur really picks apart the verses to make you study them. I've learned so much.
2. Faithful, Abundant, and True; part of the Deeper Still conference, by Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore. It's a mixture of lessons about faith in Christ (lack of faith = disobedience), and believing that He is able to immeasurably more.

I highly recommend both studies if you're looking for one. They are both amazing.

My Bible study girls - I love them so much. I cherish our Friday nights together.

I walked away from the bath tub for just a few minutes, and this is what I came back to! He said he was washing and shaving his hair - with MY shaving cream (and his pretend razor)! He also said he was cleaning the tub. He had wipe down the sides of the tub with more shaving cream.

We celebrated Kelli's 36th birthday.

Jason went fishing one Saturday and came home to clean the fish. Gavin HAD to be right beside his daddy even though I tried my best to keep him inside while Jason was doing it. He watched intently. Here in this picture, while Jason is cutting the fish's head off, Gavin was saying, "Sorry fish. You'll just have to live without it." (talking about its head)

We went to our friend Caroline's birthday party. She had a "super silly" party where the kids (and parents) were supposed to dress mismatched. Here is how my child dressed. He looked like an orphan. And today, we went to another birthday party for our friend Olivia Kate. I just had to take this picture of my friend Carly sliding down the slide at the park.

The park, by the way, was really really nice. It's called Herdklotz Park (terrible name for a park, but great place). It's in Greenville, off Rutherford Road like you're going toward Pleasantburg Drive. I've never been there before, nor heard of it before today, but I will definitely be going back. It had 2 sections - a playground for smaller kids, and then one for bigger kids. It also had a paved walk area around a soccor field where kids can ride bikes/scooters and adults can walk. If you've never been there before, you should check it out.

Little Chef

Gavin and I made brownies together earlier this week.

He loved helping me pour ingredients in and stirring.

Of course he had to taste test it. My daddy has gone back to school. He got a job at Floyd's Mortuary and loves what he does. He's going back to school to get his degree in Mortuary Science so that he can actually be a licensed mortician. He's got a heavy load right now - taking 4 classes!

I'm so proud of him. I know he'll do well.

And, I've been reading Stephanie Dale's blog about bike riding. Mom went riding with Jackie a couple weeks ago and loved it. So...we (Me, mom, and Katie) are going to venture out and try it. I've had a bike for several years, but haven't ridden it much. (I think I need to practice riding it before we go to see if I remember how!) Jason went out and bought me a helmet last night. I'm not too sure about it...I look a little dorky. What do you think?

Have a good weekend!

3 Year Old Well Check

Gavin went for his 3-year-old well check. I was told that he wouldn't get any vaccinations this time around. And Gavin even asked me if he would get some. I told him no. Big mistake. When we got there, they said they would prick his finger for his hemoglobin and cholesterol. And he would also get the new booster for bacterial meningitis. That meant 2 needles that I wasn't counting on. I had to pray. My child was going to think I lied to him. Anyway, he weighed 30 pounds...FINALLY! He's in the 50th percentile. (He has weighed 25 pounds forever.) And his height was in the 25th percentile. Even though he's grown a lot this summer, he's still small for his age. But she said it's ok because his growth is steady and consistent. This was just before the nurse came in to stick his finger and give him the shot. Poor thing had no clue what was about to happen. He did really well with the finger stick. He just looked at the nurse and said, "Ow, you hurt me." And then we sat there and watched the blood fill up the tube. He didn't cry on that one. But he SCREAMED when she gave him the shot. It broke my heart. After she was done, Gavin looked at me snubbing and said, "You said I wouldn't get shot today." I almost cried.

BUT rejoice! There's nothing a popscicle from Nana's house can't fix! We had to make a special trip to her house to get a green one. And all of a sudden...everything is better.

5:27 pm

At 5:27pm, my little buddy will officially be 3 years old. I was looking through baby pictures today and cried like a baby myself. It's so hard to believe that he was so small. That time went by so fast.

His BIRTHday

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old today!

Happy birthday, Ray

My baby brother is getting old. He turned 24 this past week. He requested his usual birthday meal....homestyle: chicken and dumplings, dressing, cornbread, mac & cheese, fried okra, and ice cream sundaes for dessert. (My mama is such a good cook.)

Happy birthday "little" brother.

My all-time favorite boys in the world...

Gavin's Birthday Party

We celebrated Gavin's 3rd birthday tonight at the park in Duncan. All of our family and close friends were able to come and spend time with us. Here a just a few pictures of my buddy's party.

(Sorry Kelly and Carly. I know you're not going ot like this one.)

Happy early birthday to my wild and crazy boy.