Writer's Block

Hey there! Well, let's just say I really do know now what writer's block is. I'm just kinda in a fog lately about putting things down on paper so until i get my brain back, i will just get you up to speed on what's going on with our little family this Fall. The Rock N Roll is now 5 days away!!!! I am so nervous, excited and relieved all in one. 23,000 people is very overwhelming but Sarah and I have our plan and we are sticking to it. Hopefully we will be right at our goal time and she can enjoy the sweet victory over her first half marathon after 2 hours and 10 minutes of grueling pain! After the race Chris and me and the boys are leaving for a short trip to DISNEY! This will be Grady's second visit but Davis' first and we are all really excited. Grady has been tearing links off of a paper chain to count down the days and we have been thinking about all the fun things we want to see and do. We are going to Sea World on Sunday and Magic Kingdom Monday and Hollywood Studios Tuesday and home. Short but sweet. My awesome Uncle Gregg works for Disney so we are able to stay with him and my Auntilus (as I like to call her) and they get us into the parks which is absolutely amazingly kick butt! Anyway I'm sure there will be a million and one photos to share and I can't wait!

This year, we have "Fall festival-ed" ourselves out and its not even actual Halloween until tomorrow! We went to the Greek Festival and ate yummy gyros and watched the dancers which is always a blast every year.

Grady, Davis and Lilly Gayle cheesing for the camera.  Please check out that pose from Stella on the right! Priceless!!

Davis was so excited that his Mooma was there too

The kiddos had fun learning the Greek dances

Next it was off to Oatland Island for the Halloween Hike. 

Lilly Gayle, Grady and Audrey

                                 Little Warren monkey                                

 Real cowboys ride ponies!!! :)

Next, we took the boys to pick out pumpkins. Took about 5 seconds and away we went!

Then it was off to the Yacht Club for Halloween Hayrides. 

Last but not least, Chris and I took the boys to the Roundhouse for their Halloween event. They both love trains and really had fun riding the "spooky" train and trick or treating around the old cars.

Daddy helping them decorate their pumpkins

Mommy and her little men

I can honestly say, I will be very happy when November 1st gets here! Lots and lots of fun but its time for these two cowboys to retire for a little while! 

Our Sunday School class was great today and thanks to Dow I will be thinking on this verse in the week ahead...

" Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”1 Peter 13-16

Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee

Is anyone else tired??? I mean dog eared, red-eyed, raising the white flag exhausted! That's how I've been feeling lately, and when I that happens, I know it's time to re-evaluate things. Now let me just say a couple of things have been out of the norm lately.
1) The Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon is now 17 days away and the training gets really intense towards the end...and...
2) Chris and I went on a 4 day getaway to Las Vegas and boy will the three hour time change kill ya when you come back. It has taken us a week to recuperate....and...
3) Since I've been back, I feel like all I have done is wear my referee shirt everyday. My little men are having quite a time right now with "brotherly love."
Now, let's get to the point of the title of this post. I don't know about you, but when I'm tired (or hungry for that matter), I turn into some crazy psycho lady who pretty much needs to take a MAJOR chill pill. It seems my level of JOY is the first thing to drop. God has been pointing some interesting things out to me lately about joy. One of the main characteristics of the book of Acts is joy. Our BSF notes a few weeks ago said this. " The source of such joy was not favorable circumstances but the deep awareness of God's forgiveness of sin, the indwelling companionship, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, the close fellowship with Christians, and the knowledge that God has a unique purpose for each person."
I am convinced with my whole heart that if I died this very second I would be with the Lord for all eternity. I truly love my husband as much as is humanly possible for me. I love my sons, and although they are challenging at times, I am so thankful for them and the blessings that they are for they have changed me for the better and drawn me so much closer to my Heavenly Father. So with all that said, how in the world could joy be a problem for me? Well, it's that little thing called FEAR...fear of the unknown!! I've said it before, but I'm a planner and I want to know each little step. In studying the Bible more and more, I'm seeing a real pattern.
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt 6:34) 
""Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear."" (Luke 12:22)
When Paul was on the road to Damascus and God spoke to him, He gave Paul only one command, “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6)
I believe God is saying, "Elizabeth, slow down and take it one day at a time. I will give you the strength you need for today and I want you to be joyful in knowing that "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."" (Jer 29:11) This sure is hard to do but I sure am going to try my best.
Hope you take the time to listen this week to see what He has for you!

Thought I would leave you with some fun pics of our trip. John and Chris had to go to a conference and Margaret and I were excited to get to tag along! Chris and I agree it may be our one and only visit but watching the Bellagio fountains "dance" to Elvis singing "Viva Las Vegas" was truly an unforgettable moment!

We stayed at the Bellagio Hotel and it was decorated for Fall. Absolutely amazing!

Look familiar? Pawn Stars baby!

The testosterone was pumping as these two twins suited up for indoor go cart racing!

 We went to see the Blue Man Group and Chris got us tickets in the "splash zone" so we all had to wear ponchos. Truly indescribable but lots of fun for sure!

Viva Las Vegas! Our last night there we ate outside and watched the fountains perform for three hours. It was the perfect end to a fun-filled trip with great friends.

Lives of Distinction

Wow, that title alone scares me! I was talking to a friend from church this morning and we were discussing how we have each felt a tug at our hearts over the last few years. After reading books like Crazy Love, Radical and Weird, you can't help but re-evaluate your own lifestyle. At first, I felt all out panic and considered selling all my possessions and moving to some third world country. After that 30 seconds passed, I realized that I actually had a much harder task ahead. I have to learn how to live a life of distinction in America, a seemingly impossible task. I decided that I had to start by taking baby steps. One area I was immediately convicted about was television shows and movies that I chose to watch. Now let me just say, I was the kid watching "90210" in middle school on volume 1 sitting 5 inches from the screen so that I could switch it when I heard someone coming. I went through a time where I was an all out "Days of Our Lives" junkie. I loved "Greys Anatomy" and even "Desperate Housewives". Then one day, I listened to myself as I was explaining to Grady why we don't watch certain cartoons in our house and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8
Why did I think God's word didn't apply to me as well? I slowly "weened" myself off of my normal tv regimen and decided what shows I still felt okay watching. I decided to stick with "Biggest Loser" which was always one of my favorites. The premier was a few weeks ago and it looks like another inspiring season ahead. I was excited to see what I hope will be less back-biting and more camaraderie, but most of all I just enjoy watching the contestants find themselves again. There was a contestant a few seasons back named Abby Rike. It was very obvious that she knew the Lord and her story was truly unbelievable. Her husband, almost 6 year old daughter and 2 1/2 week old son were killed instantly in a car accident in 2006. She recently wrote a book called Working It Out, and right now I'm about half way through. She says, "I knew that this was a pivotal point in my life. It is easy to have faith and proclaim your love for the Lord when you have a perfect life - very easy. It's an entirely different thing when those beliefs remain the same through a tragedy beyond anything people can imagine. I had always been very grounded in my faith, but never had God's love for me been so tangible. I was a living example of the concept of a peace that passes all understanding." If you find yourself having a "woe is me," pity party kind of a day, just pick up this book and you'll soon be counting your innumerable blessings! She is a true inspiration and certainly a real example of a life of distinction. Anyway, for now I'm just gonna keep on taking baby steps. After all, I definitely think every step towards Him is part of the PoinT! :)

Speaking of distinction, these two cuties are definitely marching to the rhythm of their own drums most days. 

Welcome Fall

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've taken the time to write a post! Fall is in full swing, and it is keeping us jumping that's for sure. Grady is enjoying playing on his 1st soccer team, the Bears! There are some friends from church and school on the team so it's lots of fun and makes for really funny Saturday mornings as they all scramble around on the field. So far, he is pretty clueless, but he is great at cheering on the team and ready to go in when his turn arises! I'm thankful to see him enjoying being part of a team.

Grady and his buddies

Grady and Coach Gill

Defending the goal!

Davis has been doing GREAT in school and seems to really love it. His Child-life Specialist told me Monday that most of what we are dealing with is strong-willed, oh so awesome, two year old behavior and that he will naturally outgrow that over time and with discipline. I was overjoyed to hear these words and immediately began reading the famous Strong-Willed Child book that I never had to glance at before! She said that studies have shown that in order to be truly successful in life, the one universal skill we must possess is self regulation. Without it, it's impossible to maintain relationships, jobs, etc because of the unpredictability of the individual. She also of course mentioned that most kids with SPD have a difficult time in this area, but that through therapy, we will be able to help him learn this vital life tool. He did 4 sessions of gymnastics at the Y which proved to be hilarious! Basically it was the boy version where he only did the skills he wanted to do and in the way he wanted to do them; i.e. made the tractor go down the balance beam instead of him, wallowed in the foam pit, rode the "roller coaster" a million times, and learned to somersault over and over again! It gave me some much needed laughs.

We had a blast of a weekend taking the boys to the Savannah Christian football game, Grady had a soccer game, then we went to Super Saturday at SCPS and today we celebrated Aunt Stacy's birthday. I'm tired just thinking about it all! :)

Cousins!

    Audrey came too and Grady tried his hand at rock climbing!






I will try to get some more of my whirling thoughts on "paper" but for now, have a great week!!!!