Little things...

After a few days of being more sick than I remember being in a very, very, very long time, I find myself thankful for the little things!

Thankful that fingers don't hurt when I bend them.

Thankful for a fever-free-me!

Thankful for clean, crisp sheets on my bed.

Thankful for my new magazines arriving - Food & Wine, Better Homes & Gardens, and National Geographic.

Thankful for friends who checked on me every single day to make sure I didn't need anything.

And thankful for you bloggers for giving me plenty of reading material when I was bored, bored, and bored! :-)

I'm glad to be back!

Prayers needed...

I am sick myself (strep) so I will keep this brief - I have NO energy. I am writing because I need lots and lots and lots of prayers going out to a friend and his family! My little blog is private and only has a few of you reading, and I would really appreciate it if you would share with your bloggers or friends, family, and church groups. I would love to cover this in prayer:

Most of you remember my friend's dad having a cancerous brain tumor removed about a year ago. You also may remember a recent scare that turned out to be nothing.

The news is, he has another brain tumor about the size of pecan in his frontal lobe. Surgery to remove it will be Tuesday, a week from tomorrow. This time there is a higher risk (because of where it is) for damage that could result in motor skill issues, speech issues, and even partial paralysis from what I understand. Because this is the 3rd scare and the 2nd time around I also fear that this will be an ongoing battle and there is a larger change of it reoccurring.

Please pray for God's healing hands, and for a peace and strength that can only come from Him for Mr. Harris Hooper and his family.

Thank you for your support. I have seen many cases where the blogging prayer warriors came together and made a difference! I'm hoping this is just such a case! :-)

Dinner with the gang...

Tonight I cooked dinner and had the gang over! Megan, Web, Vance, Lauren, David, Dawson, Donnie, Chris, and I enjoyed a from-scratch, home-cooked meal of barbecue chicken, potato salad (thanks for the recipe, Kim!), broccoli salad, and "magic muffins" along with some blueberry tea! (Can you tell that I LOVE to cook?)

It was such a nice evening! I had all the windows up and we ate and enjoyed lazy conversations here and there.

Dawson and Vance had a big time playing. This is the first time they actually REALLY played together and were both into it! So fun to watch them grow!

Of course I had to take a shot of me and my girls!

After dinner we cleaned up a bit and all headed out in the back yard to let the boys run around. Uncle Chris had the brilliant idea of getting bubbles out of his car (that's right... Daddy of the year had bubbles IN THE CAR! lol)...

And boy was that a hit! he blew bubbles and the boys just had a blast! I took a ton of pictures! Here is a sneak peak...


If you want to see more you will have to hop on over to "My Lens On Life" (my photo blog) and check them out! I also posted Easter pictures over there, I hope you'll check those out too!

Bubbles...

Okay... this first one is just for fun. It looks like Dawson and Vance are about to shake hands! lol




This next one? Pure.Bubble.Bliss.




And this one to me is precious. Again, I can't decide if I like the color or up close black and white. What do you think?

I don't like the lighting in this next one. It was a tough time of day (evening) to get good shots because it was dim enough that I felt like I needed the flash, but then they looked a little too bright and overexposed. I still like this picture though.

Dawson tried hard to get in on the action and he had a blast too. Vance was a little too quick for him in the bubble popping department, but Dawson didn't mind, he was sill all smiles!

And watching for bubbles...

More bubble fun...

Waiting for bubbles.... TO.CUTE.

Easter...

Just thought I would share a *few* of my favorite shots from Easter. It will be a sneak peak for my sister-in-law (Sarah, I will bring you copies of the pictures next time I am down).


This shot turned out to be my favorite. Bentlee is taking it all in from the front door and everyone else is out on the front lawn!




How could you ever say no to this face???




I just think this one is funny... are we missing a red carpet? Bentlee was the only little one this year as Ian and Elizabeth stayed home for Easter this year. She got the royal treatment with an Easter egg hunt all to herself!

I love the two pictures above. I can't decide if I like the color or the black and white. I think the black and white looks almost like a painting, but does she get lost in the picture? I don't know. I just think this is a very interesting photograph to look at!

...and in case she did get lost int the picture, one a little closer up!

And a candid of Grandmommy and Bentlee! We tried and tried to get her to pose, but she was being silly. I thought this one of Grandmommy with her turned out the best and they weren't even posing yet! :-)

And last, but not least, a little family portrait!

Chills...

I get chills every single time I listen to this song. It's on my ipod, so I have heard it hundreds of times and it still moves me. I am SUCH a season change person and so it really speaks to me. I always feel my spirit move and feel renewed and energized when the seasons change. Have you ever heard this song? Does it move you as much as it does me?

The bun in her oven...

...was celebrated today!

Today Me and La helped Megan celebrate her pregnancy. John Webster Hutchings... "Baby Jack..." will be joining us live and in person some time early in June, but today we were happy to celebrate him while he comfortably resides in his mama's cute prego-mama belly! It was such a fun time with family and friends. Megan was absolutely glowing!

Here are La, Megan, and myself at the shower.

Everyone visiting while Megan opens her gifts. She got so many cute little tiny baby things! It's hard to imagine another little one so tiny because they grow up so fast!

Kim, Megan, and Rachael at the shower! These girls are TOO MUCH FUN! :-)

The beautiful "table-scape" that Lauren put together. Rachael brought the cute stands and birds nest for the AMAZING cup cakes she made (chocolate with peanut butter filling)! Rachael, you are so talented! If anyone ever needs a cake, cupcakes, or catering, you just have to call Rachael Wheat!

Overall it was just such an enjoyable afternoon. Megan, you look absolutely beautiful. It was an honor to help throw a shower for you! Lauren, your home, as always, was incredible. You are an amazing hostess and you put so much work and thought into the shower... thank you so much for letting me help you!