Spring Break

Well, it's back to the ole grind today! :) The boys were on Spring Break last week and it was chaotic and tiring, but LOTS of fun too. We were able to do things we don't normally get to do, which is always a major treat! First, let me say, we welcomed a new little baby into the Witherington side of the family on March 9th. Chris' sister and brother in law had a precious baby boy named Stephen Cal Crawford. I was able to be there for the birth and it was truly one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed in my life. God is so real in moments like that!! Since their other son Tate was also on Spring Break this week, he got to hang out with us some to give his parents some much needed time to rest. We went to the park for a picnic on Tuesday and then to the beach on Thursday. The boys were silly as always but had a blast together.

                          Tate

                            Hunting for minnows



On Wednesday, I took the boys to the farm to see Mooma! They loved every minute of it. They visited the chickens, fed the goats, saw a baby calf nursing it's mom, road the tractor with Mr. John, hoed the garden, dug in the dirt, munched on organic apples and strawberries, chased lizards and more. Grady says he can't wait for summer so he can go "work" for Mooma one day a week.

                                      Davis' 1st tractor ride!!

It was a great week, but now it's off to school we go! Hope you all have a good Monday!!

Ides of March

Wow, well a few more weeks have crept past without a single post. I always thought Christmas was the busiest time of the year, but so far, Spring seems to be running me ragged. We re-listed our house with a realtor week before last and it showed for the first time since July! Exciting, yes. Stressful, yes. No word from it so doesn't look like they are the ones, but boy oh boy are we having to kick it into high gear. We had two rooms painted last week, the dining room and playroom. Both turned out great and seem larger with a more neutral color to them. I figure whether it sells or not, we will enjoy it all the more!
Also, Davis is turning 3 on April 2nd and as I've mentioned on here before he sees a specialist on Mondays for "play therapy" through a program called Babies Can't Wait. Well, when a child turns 3, they are no longer eligible and have to transition to the public school system IF they qualify for services. I have had lots of meetings for evaluations of Davis and lots of crazy questions to answer. It has been very overwhelming for me and considering Davis identified a duck as poop yesterday, I would say he is getting sick of it himself! I do not think he will qualify for services through the school system which I know is a good thing but in many ways, I wish he would too. I am so torn about this because I think it is so beneficial, and he just won't sit and do the things with me that he will do with Donna. I am just praying and waiting and leaving it up to the Lord to help me to know the best way to handle all of it. We moved him to a big boy bed two weeks ago and that transition went much smoother than i had anticipated. I am just hoping that potty training will someday be the same. Unfortunately, for now, he is still a bit confused about the bathroom side of life.

Last weekend was an absolute blast! Busy beyond belief, but fun! William, my little brother, was Daddy Warbucks in the play Annie. All 4 of my dad's siblings came into town to watch as well as lots of other friends and family. I went twice and loved every minute of it. It blows my mind that we came from the same two people because we are like night and day. He is so talented with drama and I could NEVER stand on a stage and try to pretend to be someone else. Not to mention, he can sing like nobody's business and I stink! I was so proud and cried my eyes out as the curtain closed on Sunday. I just can't believe he will be 18 next weekend and a college man soon enough.

Lots more to share this week, I promise hope. Oh and Happy St. Patrick's Day! It was crazy down there, that's for sure!!

Davis holding his 9 day old cousin, baby Cal

The boys had a great view of the parade thanks to a friend of a friend!

Fef, Posey, Me, and Emily St. Pat's 2012! We survived!!!!

Spring Cleaning

Well, we have all heard the term "Spring Cleaning" before, but this year, it has a whole new meaning for me! Our house has been for sale now for a year and a half and with a new baby on the way, we feel like we are watching the clock tick by and have no clue what God's plan is for where He wants us to live. Chris and I had a huge "come to Jesus" talk about it the other night and both agreed that the #1 issue with our house is there is just too much crap everywhere. Closets, attic, shed, you name it, it's packed full! We agreed that it is going to take a commitment on our parts to tackle all these crazy areas so that #1 if we do sell the house, we would actually be ready to move and #2 it will make our current living situation seem so much less chaotic! I started with a cabinet of movies/games in the playroom yesterday. I figured it would be fairly straight forward. I bought a CD case at Walmart today and took every DVD, all 78 of them, and put them inside and tossed the cases. Wow! I have a huge cabinet now!

Today, I tackled a cabinet in the kitchen that is a "catch-all" and 4 drawers. Slowly but surely I will get this done. Tomorrow morning I am going to go through all the boys' clothes in the attic and guess what??? Give them ALL AWAY! That is going to feel like Christmas to me because I truly do love getting rid of stuff I don't need anymore. My sister in law is getting a big ole delivery on Sunday for my nephew that should be here in just a few short weeks! I will keep you posted on how it goes. You can be my accountability partners! :) Anyway, my goal is to get most all of the closets and drawers and attic done in March while I am still feeling good and it's not too hot. On another bright note, my trip to Sam's today sure did look different than normal! :)

So fun to see some tiny girlie clothes around here! Hope everyone has had a great week!
Happy Friday!

Big Reveal

Sorry I've been so quiet, but it's been a busy few weeks. We have been impatiently trying to figure out what this little bambino is since the day before Valentine's and it's been a tricky situation to say the least! Thursday we finally heard the words, "It's a girl," spoken with 100% confidence! Chris and I truly never cared what the sex of the baby was, but we knew with 4 grandsons on his side and 2 on mine, our parents sure would love a little girl to spoil. Our little boys on the other hand were solidly sold on a little brother. It will be a whole new adventure for us, that's for sure! We are just grateful that the Lord has a plan for our family, and will continue to look to Him to lead us as our family grows. We are not sure on her name yet but I will share as soon as we come up with it for sure!
Here is my favorite picture of her so far!

And for those who care, here is the revealing picture :)

Boy Time

"No girls allowed Mama. We are going to the gun club." This is what I heard this past Saturday morning as my two little men scrambled to find their cammo vests, pretend shotguns, and "hunting shoes." Chris and John B loaded up the boys' John Deere and Power Wheels on the trailer and headed out for a morning adventure. I decided to head to Brighter Day and enjoy a nice walk around Forsyth ALL BY MYSELF! It was so fun picture them driving around thinking they are on some big bird hunt and knowing that they were having the time of their lives.These are some of the pics Chris took for me!

Absolutely awesome!! I do love me some little boys! I'm so thankful for a husband who knows how important it is to spend time doing something with them that might not be exactly what he wants to do, but will give our sons confidence and memories for years to come. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Being Prepared for the Unexpected

This morning started out just as most of my Monday mornings do, at the Y. I was on the treadmill wishing 45 minutes would hurry up and pass and I decided I would read through my Judgement House script that I had in my purse. What's Judgement House you ask? Aaaahhh, I would be happy to tell you! It is a live performance that our church, Southside Baptist, puts on every other year that takes you on a journey allowing you to observe the choices that the characters make and the consequences of those choices. Ultimately, it shares the gospel and is a much needed reminder for those who know God but have just pushed him aside during this busy thing we all call life. Anyway, long story short, it is awesome and if you want to come, here is your personal invitation from me! I am a guide, so I walk groups through the performance, and let me tell you, it is absolutely amazing to see God at work through this event each time the church does it. Here is a link to the times on our church website. Judgment House - Southside Baptist
Now that you know all this, I can get on with my story. I was reading the script and got to some of my final lines that read like this, "We are never promised tomorrow, and it's more important than ever for you to know for sure, if you died tonight, where you would spend eternity." I have said these words now many times since this is I think the 4th Judgement House I have been blessed enough to be a part of, but I stopped just for a moment to think on them this morning. Over the past few years, I have seen more and more that God's plans are not always our plans and lives truly can drastically change in a day. I am so excited that I will get to share this message with people who are willing to come and listen and I know that the Lord will meet them exactly where they are, if they "open the door." Okay, so enough is enough right? Stop rambling already and get on with it! :)
After dropping Grady off at school this morning, Davis and I met Chris at JC Lewis Ford to look at a TANK Expedition EL for our growing family. Everything was going smoothly and the nice man had just started to hit us with all the numbers talk when all of a sudden it sounded like a bomb went off behind his office and the entire building shook. Everyone ran out of the building, a lady was screaming call 911, the men were running and looking for the service attendant whose office had just been completely driven into by an elderly lady. It truly was one of those moments where you were shaking and just thinking, Lord let everyone be okay. God saved a man named Tommie today. He was not in the office where he always sits at that exact moment that the accident happened! I don't know him but I hope he knows that God performed a miracle in his life today. As I drove away, my script from Judgement House was ringing in my ears. Somehow it didn't seem quite as cheesy or "over said" anymore. Somehow it seemed that it is exact truth! I am so thankful everyone was okay today but I am also thankful for an opportunity to share with all of you just how unexpected our days can be. Don't waste a minute of the precious time you have been given and make sure you know exactly where you stand with your Lord and Savior so that you will be ready no matter what!
Love to you all!

Finding Out

Well, the new blog header is up and I think it is the perfect picture of our lives right now; crazy chaos but lots of fun. This was one of those weeks that I was just about ready to raise the white flag and surrender but as I dove into good ole James Dobson's "The Strong Willed Child," I was reminded that I can do this, and that God has chosen me to do this, and I need to continue to focus on the positives each and every day! With that said, I decided to think about something really exciting...finding out the sex of the baby!
I absolutely cannot wait to find out what the new baby will be. I can honestly say I will be really excited either way. I can think of so many positives, and even a few negatives, for both so I can't wait to see what God has planned for our family. Grady is determined that it's a boy, but his grandfathers sure are rooting for a girl. It will be so much fun to know. We have our boy name picked out but still have 3 or 4 contenders for the girl. Guess we will see if we have to make a final decision. This past week, I had an ultrasound and the baby was so precious; moving all around, waving, looking towards us and then looking away. The one thing I came away from it with is this.

God is in control and I am in love. 

No matter what may be, this is the baby God meant for us to have and I am just thankful beyond measure. I have recently been to a newborn funeral, and then just a week ago, heard of another newborn who is now in the arms of Jesus. I am humbled and thankful for everyday I have been given with my sons and am just praying this baby is healthy. Now more than ever, I will not take that gift for granted! Here is a profile pic of our peanut and in a few short weeks I will let you all know whether we will be stocking up on more blue or branching out to PURPLE (my favorite color)!