Election Day 2008

Well, the eleventh hour is here and the countdown is over. Tomorrow is election day, get out and vote, it is your duty!!! I have been tuned into Fox News, and will continue to all throughout the day tomorrow. I am excited and filled with anticipation, there is so much at stake in this election. Go Vote!!

Happy Birthday to Tate!!

Tate turned ONE!! Glad to finally to be sharing a blog with everyone. Now that my little guy has been walking, he is keeping me busy and I'm just trying to keep up and keep the household afloat. So if anything is going to be on the "back burner", one of them is going to be blogging. Plus my camera is on the blink, it works when it wants to, a result of it being dropped one too many times. Anyway......... We celebrated Tate's first year with a small party, he had is own personal cake. I was more excited about the cake than he was, he did not show much interest. I was really looking forward to cleaning up the mess, you know with frosting in his hair, in between his toes. Nope! It did not happen. He was not all about opening gifts either, he just wanted to crawl around. Now he's walking, climbing up furniture and will soon be talking, he is babbling so much.

Lake Fayetteville

This week my hubby has been home with Tate and I, and this morning we decided we'd check out the trail at Lake Fayetteville. It was nice to spend a leisure day together. Tate has been especially enjoying his daddy home with him, he is a daddy's boy. Earlier this week, we visited the library and had lunch at Wilson Park, a really nice and shady park, it is actually quite impressive. We discovered walnut, pecan and hickory nut trees, oh yeah, we know all the spots now-we will be back!!

Look At Me!

Greetings to All! I have a milestone to share with you. Tate has been working on this one for a few days now, and this past Saturday, he came to a standing position all on his own!! The video is a bit dark, but very cute to watch. Tate is 10 and a half months now, he is sipping from a cup now really well, he likes to eat fresh fruit, he's not much on baby jar fruit. His babbling can get pretty loud and he's growing all too fast. Next month, he'll be a year old, I am clinging on to the memory of the day of his birth and the early months. I considered us to be a pretty close bunch, but I have found that having Tate is our lives has brought us even closer.

Going Home

Well, it is Thursday-almost midnight, and I just loaded my car. I am heading to Texas for a BIG family reunion. Just wanted to post a quick blog, I miss blogging, unfortunately though, if I want to blog (or do anything online) it has to be about this time, for my little guy likes to crawl under my desk and get into anything he can possibly get his hands on. You might say, "so why don't you blog during his naptime?", well, he's not much of a napper, thirty, forty minutes and he's ready to go again!! His battery does not need much charging. Anyway, where was I........oh, yeah, going to Texas. I am really looking forward to my visit, going to see lots of family and friends, however, as I was preparing for this trip this week, I realized this visit is going to be quite different from my past ones in that there will be no grandparents to see and hug this time around. Their voice, their face, smiles, are all now memories. I am missing them right now.

There's a song that reminds me of my childhood days, it is called "Flies on the Butter" (corny title I know), by Wynonna Judd. I make sure that CD is in my car for my Texas road trips, when I get close to home I play it and ponder on my youth. And one thing is for certain, as the songs says, "there's a blacktop road,
a faded yield center line,
it can take you back to the place,
but it can't take you back in time......"
If you ever get the chance, listen to that song, I know you will be able to relate to it, God Bless and Have a Safe Weekend!!

"Coffey" with my Coffee

Good Tuesday morning to ya! I am having a little "Coffey" with my coffee this morning. Anyone hear of Coffey Anderson? I had not until Chris discovered him one night on GodTube.com and am now a fan. I am not sure what church he is from, but I do know he is from my homestate "Texas". This guy gets me in the groove for the day. I am reminded (which I need daily) of what I am here for, to save souls and to glorify Him, to love Him and to be obedient to Him, and when you exercise those things the rest of your walk with Him falls into place. This guy is refreshing, it is evident that he loves the Lord and has a desire to worship. I have a video below to share, the title of the song is called "All Ye", so scroll down and check him out, remember to pause the playlist so you can hear the song clearly. WARNING: You might cut a little rug, the song is sure to make you want to dance!

The Three Amigos

I love this picture!! Every Sunday, these girls are sure to keep Tate company. Here is Tate with his best buddies Chloe and Lauren, daughters of dear friends of ours from church. I try to keep my camera with me tucked in a pocket of Tate's diaper bag at all times, don't want to miss out on something.

Chloe and Lauren are always thoughtful and faithful to stop by the nursery to say hi to "Baby Tate". As they were playing, I thought I'd snap a few pictures, the moment was too darling to miss. I know my friend Amy will be surprised, this is a great picture. Who knew I would have a little one to play with her little ones.

Look Out! We Have A New Driver

Well, here I am, embarking yet another new season of my motherhood-Anthony is now driving! Anthony seems to be the only one truly excited about this new beginning. For me it is all too new, a bit scary and yet another sign that my boy is growing up. I took him to take his test (2nd time, shhhhh) and this time he was thumbs up when he came out of the building with a smile from ear to ear!!! I was happy for him, I sure did not want to see him dissapointed (again). We drove to an empty parking lot across the Razorback baseball field, I let him practice a little behind the wheel, it was actually kind of fun, we had a good time laughing!

Before signing off, I'll leave you with something to laugh about. Tate and I were waiting in the car for Anthony and I saw that Tate could use a new diaper. Well, we had some time to burn, so before putting a new one on, I thought I'd let him air out for a minute, well, let's just say it was raining outside and inside the car that day!!!

fbf2

Let's go back to the year 1999. Aren't they precious! WOW, the time has flown by. Anthony was in the 1st grade and Mariah was in Pre-K. School was just starting and I remember taking that picture while waiting for the bus, we lived about a mile from the school and it was the neighborhood bus stop. This was taken while we still lived in Texas (actually we moved from there later that same year). The other was taken on Halloween, we went to a Harvest Festival at Shoreline Christian Center, it was great fun!

It's a Boy and a Girl!!!

I am officially a new aunt today! My nephew, Nic, and niece, Ana, were offically adopted by my brother and sister in law, Lee & Jessica! Just look at them, they are so full of life. "Children are a heritage from the Lord".
As I was getting ready to meet all "The Watsons" this morning, I began to think about how God has adopted us into his family, how He redeemed us through his Son, Jesus Christ and how we are joint heirs with Him, it's a great day!

CONGRATS TO LEE AND JESSICA!

Ant's 9th Grade Graduation

Tate and I woke up early this morning to make Anthony's 9th grade graduating ceremony. Anthony is leaving Ramay and going to FHS! It really hit me this morning when they announced "The Class of 2011". Well, that is not very long from now and soon there will no longer be school functions for me to attend for my first born, that reality is a "tear jerker" right about now, I am proud of the young man he is becoming. He is a great brother to Tate & Mariah and helps out with each of them. He likes to annoy us at times and other times he cracks us up with some of the funny things he says, he can be quite the character. We love him!!!

Anthony was recognized for "achieving the high standard of excellence in Physical Science, Algebra 1, and US History". Way to Go Ant! He played football for the Ramay Indians the last two years and is now really excited and pumped up about playing for high school, where they are known as the "Fayetteville Bulldogs". Great Job Son!!

Tate's Crawling!

He's crawling! And he can't be stopped. Tate is eager to explore and touch what ever is in his path. He's really getting to be a handful, or should I say an arm full. He's changing all the time and is doing something new each day.

Everyone here is good, getting ready for school to be out, not much longer now. Looking forward to a great summer!!

My Mother's Day

This year was my first Mother's Day as a mom of 3 and my hubby was sure to it that the mother of his children had flowers to celebrate her special day, I think having kiddo #3 is making him a "softie". After church service I finished lunch off with a sweet, moist strawberry lemon cake - I had to have my dessert ya know!!

My duties as a mom can be challenging (as yours can too), Anthony is in sports and keeps me pretty busy,(and somehow needs to be picked up at tate's naptime, hmmm), then there's Mariah, she is my special girl with special needs, since she is not vocal, we play the "guessing game" and sometimes I am not such a good sport about it, then I have the little guy, Tate, who is 7 months old and is now crawling, teething, and won't take a pacifier. Each is different and I love them dearly.

My sisters embrace each season of motherhood because you will only get the experience once with that child. I dedicate this song "Find Your Wings"to my kiddos, it's every parents desire.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY!

It's "Flashback Friday"! I got the idea for this from my "cousin-in-law" Lori, and I am excited to go back in time and share a bit of our past with you all. I am short with my time on the computer as Tate wants all attention on him, he is moaning at me as I type, OH ME!

So, here we are at the age of 18. This was taken at the airport in Austin, TX. Chris had just graduated from army basic training. I look at this picture and I see the grace and goodness of God! Let me tell you, we have been married now for 15 years and we have seen the GOOD, the BAD, & the UGLY! We were just kids thinking we had it all planned out, I find it quite humorous now!

A Trip to Gentry Safari

It was all about Mariah when we joined her class in Gentry for the Drive-Thru Safari, we were almost rained out, but just as soon as it started, the storm passed. We had a great time looking at the different animals, feeding and petting the baby goats. Mariah really enjoyed herself. We will have to do this trip again.

Tate's 1st Toofie!

We have a tooth! And another one is on the way. I have bittersweet emotions about this because my little boy is now enjoying baby food and of course with that, he will need less of his mommy's milk. Tate is 6 months now and has almost mastered sitting up, he really likes the view from the sitting position, he's getting to be quite the wiggle worm. Speaking of wiggle worm, Tate is part of the Baby Bookworm Club at our local library, where we go to hear a short story just for babies his age.

Tate's Dedication

Alas! On January 27, 2008 at the tender age of 17 weeks we dedicated our baby Tate to the Lord, although, I had long before dedicated him while he was in the making inside the womb. My pregnancy was an absolute breeze and I am so grateful for this little soul that I have been blessed to share life with. We all just adore him.