"Just The Two Of Us"

Mark and I made a commitment before Turner was born to continue to make "date nights" and time with one another a priority after we became parents. I must say, we are pretty proud of our efforts thus far! For example, we left Turner as early as 3 weeks old for a couple of Christmas parties, and we went to South Carolina in February, which was our first time to be away from Turner for a night. (Thanks to Tootsie and Pop for serving as babysitters and making this possible for us!)

To continue in our quest for "us time" we were able to steal away this past Saturday to spend some time in Atlanta. We had a delicious dinner at The Pleasant Peasant and followed that with a hilarious Broadway play at the FOX in Atlanta.

For the record:
1. Many of the reviews we read on the Pleasant Peasant said that "Atlanta residents quit eating here 8 years ago." We think Atlanta residents should re-think that decision - it was a magnificent dining experience and we'd certainly return again!

2. I know some of you are questioning whether Mark would like something like a Broadway play and you are figuring it was torture for him to sit through it. Oh how wrong you are! That's one of the things I love most about our marriage - we truly do share many similar interests and enjoy accompanying one another to a wide variety of events. For example - in the last three weeks we have attended both the SEC basketball tournament and a musical together and both of us enjoyed every minute of both events! (Except for the tornado...)


People seem so surprised, and often comment aloud at how much we "get away" these days....but we both think it's VITAL to our keeping the priorities in order 1)God, 2)Our Marriage, 3) Turner. And, it's simply refreshing to get away together and remember how much we enjoy "just the two of us"!

Easter 2008

We've had a wonderful Easter this year and I wanted to share a couple of thoughts and and pictures with you.

My favorite things about Easter:
-the focus on Jesus' resurrection and the hope and victory that gives us as Christians
-the smell of the Easter lillies as you walk in the door of the church
-the way people seem to sing a little louder during worship on Easter Sunday morning
-babies in Easter bonnets and everyone dressed in their bright and cheerful Easter outfits
-PEEPS (particulary the yellow chicks)
-jellybeans (particularly the Starburst kind)
-the pink Lifesavers in the special Easter flavors

(Why do half of these have to do with candy???)

Our preacher asked an interesting question this morning that I thought I'd pass along to you. It certainly made me think. "What if you didn't believe in the resurrection? Would you live your life any differently than you do now, or would it look the same?"

Now for some pictures.

Turner smiling in her pink rabbit coat! Thanks Mattie!

Turner doesn't quite understand this egg thing...

Trying to hold this strangely shaped object!

Turner's Easter dress and bonnet

Pretty girl!

Hmmm...what exactly is this thing?

Turner and her first Easter basket

When Mommy got home from church this is what she saw - Easter wore me out!

But I did wake up for a quick picture with Mommy!

Looking back

It is hard to believe that Turner is 4 months old today! She is a sweet and happy baby and brings an immeasurable amount of joy to our lives! Join me as I walk down memory lane with some my favorite pictures from the last 4 months!

Turner in her pretty pink cardigan and her trendy jeans!

(3.5 months)

All of the above pictures were taken in Tootsie and Pop's backyard!

(4 months)

This is typical Turner - smiling and laughing!

(4 months)

Turner LOVES the water! We bathed her at the sink for almost 3 months because Mark and I enjoyed it so much. But at almost 15 pounds and becoming quite the wiggleworm it just wasn't the best option anymore - and boy does she love the bathtub! We can hardly wait for her to be able to sit up in the big bath - it may take hours!
(3 months)

I just adore this picture. Turner was so tired this evening, and we let her sit in the recliner next to Mark while he ate dinner. She fell SOUND asleep!
(3months)

Mark doesen't love the headband/bows...but I think they are too cute! :)

(3 months)

This is my favorite Christmas picture.

(1 month)

Look how little Turner is - she's almost totally enveloped in the papasan swing!

(1 month)

One of our favorite pictures yet. Typical Turner face!!

(2 months)

This was taken on the night of the Chic-Fil-A bowl. We can't wait to expose her to Auburn football in the fall!
(2 months)

Amazing how much she's changed since she was born.

(11 hours old)

This is our first picture as a family!
(2 days old)

Thankfulness abounds...

Maybe it's motherhood, maybe it's just a spiritual awakening...but over the last year or so I have become increasingly mindful of my thankfulness to God for his many blessings. There are the obvious blessings - I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful and sweet-spirited daughter, loving parents, inlaws, and sister, an amazing church family, etc. But there are also the blessings that I think I went too long without acknowledging - the blessing of God's protection being one of them.


Let me start by saying that I distinctly remember my Granny and my mother praying for angels to surround me and others in our family while I was growing up. I knew that they were lifting me often in prayer, praying that a hedge of protection would be about me wherever I went. So God's protection is something I have been familiar with for a while. However, I was able to attend our ladies morning Bible Study while I was out on maternity leave, and we studied the Psalms of Ascent. This study heightened my daily awareness of God's protection.

Psalm 124 starts with the words, "If the Lord had not been on our side..." I can't help but cringe at the thought of what my life might be "if the Lord hadn't been on my side", protecting and guiding my steps. I could fill in the blank with many scenarios, but here I will list only two: "If the Lord had not...I would have settled for less than the perfect husband He had for me." "If the Lord had not...Turner could have been hurt in the wreck I had before she was born."

Two recent experiences prompted me to post about this topic; they are explained below. Perhaps I'll continue to add to the list, whever things come to mind, as a testimony of God's grace and goodness!

Experience #1:
"If the Lord had not put a friend in my path after a Sunday School party last night, and we hadn't had a 3 minute conversation, I could have been involved in the wreck I saw last night on my way home."

Experience #2:
"If the Lord had not been on our side, Mark and I could certainly have been hurt in the Georgia Dome last week when the tornado touched down in Downtown Atlanta." It was honestly one of the most terrifying experiences (it really does sound like a train) and I can just imagine many Christian brothers' and sisters' guardian angels grabbing hands and surrounding the Georgia Dome to protect those inside. My mom shared that a family friend was so thankful the game went into overtime - if it had not, many people would have been outside the dome when the tornado struck. Here are a few pictures of the damage we observed on the way to the car - they are very dark but I'll try to explain them.

Insulation from the dome wrapped around a tree.

Two road signs snapped at ground level.

An outdoor picnic area

This is a large sign outside the Georgia dome that directs visitors to the Georgia World Congress Center, Centenial Park, CNN Center, etc.

Sorry this is long...but it was on my mind and I wanted to share! Be thankful!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Turner's Aunt Rebekah send her this cute

St. Patrick's Day outfit. And of course I couldn't

resist putting these on her head for a picture!

Keeping up with the...

Despite the fact that I enjoy reading many friends' blogs on a regular basis and always think it's such a cute and unique way to catalog family life in the 21st century, I had managed to convince myself that I could choose to not enter the world of blogging.

Until now.

You see, I have wanted to create a blog for quite some time, but I had many reservations:
1. I was (and am still) concerned about putting so much information on the oh-so-public Internet.
2. I am a procrastinator - always have been and it appears I always will be - and I worry that I will jump into this endeavor only to fall short of updating regularly.
3. Though I used to consider myself a "good" writer, now that I am married to a Journalism major (who just happens to have an English teacher as a mother) I don't think so highly of my writing skills anymore. I realize this will force me into sharpening those skills a bit, but the perfectionist in me doesn't want to mess up in the meantime.
4. Finally, I just didn't think our lives were "interesting enough" to blog, never mind the fact that between family/work/church commitments I have no idea when I will find time to do this!

However, I can't seem to squelch the desire to at least give this a try. Admittedly, it's a little of "keeping up with the ____" since almost every family I know has a blog. But more than that, I can't deny that it's a wonderful way for Turner's grandparents, extended family, and friends to be able to see updated pictures of her, as well as read stories about how much joy she brings into our lives on a daily basis.

So...world of blogging....here we come!!