Here we go, Mama Debbie!!

In an effort to push Mama Debbie into the 21st century AND to keep up with her during and after the big move to AZ, I have created a blog (albeit, elementary) for her. I posted her 1st blog for her to get everybody started with comments to encourage her to blog. She thinks she won't be funny. I find that hard to believe but told her we weren't interested so much in her humor (a little white lie never hurt anybody, right?) as simply hearing about her everyday life from afar.

So, hit Deb's new blog http://www.memoirsofabelle.blogspot.com/ (Also, I'd love to know how to make that a 'link' but say something really cool like 'Deb's blog' - Somebody tell me) Add her to your links. Comment a bunch on her 1st blog so she'll blog to us!

Word.
a

It's the New Year!! So, I figured what better way to start than to update last year? Ha!!!

Disclaimer: Reader, beware. Looking at my updated pictures is like watching a 2 year old try to replicate a Monet. I definitely did them chronologically backwards. Then, I wanted to rearrange them but for fear of deleting over an hours worth of work, I've left them and will blog around them. I feel like posting pictures is like writing a term paper. But I didn't want anyone
to forget what we looked like. So, good luck to all.



So, I entered our new updated kitchen into the Better Homes & Gardens Home Improvement Challenge! I'm really excited about it - I spent a ton of time putting together our 'portfolio' and recently sent it to them. They close the competition this month and choose a winner by the end of April. They have about 10 different categories and pick 3 'small' winners from each category and then a big overall winner from all the categories. Say a little prayer for us! I think it would be really cool to win something!!


This is kitchen gone! It took a few months of living out of our microwave and restaurants!

Here is the original kitchen. Yes, those are blue laminate countertops from the 70s. And, by the way, yes the kitchen is about 4 feet wide (if that). The other pic is the old 2 pantrys. We removed those walls and put the fridge and newly configured pantry.

Picture below is original wall with my realtor/friend standing in front of it. We knocked it down. This is the same view as the one above with the bar & chairs.

This is Mark & the boys pretending to be asleep at Asa's Kindergarten 'field trip' to the King & Prince. Are you kidding that the kids take a field trip to the King and Prince for a 'nice' lunch? They had a hot ham & cheese sandwich (Asa didn't touch), fruit in a glass, bag o'chips, and a capri sun!!! ha!!! They came to see all the elementary school classes' Gingerbread houses that they had on display that they made earlier the week before. Asa thought the bus ride to the K & P was the best part.

Random picture I found of me and Mark with the Men in Black when we were vising studios in LA.

This picture of Mark & E is from our October Trunk or Treat. He had just gotten off his horse ride and he's pickin' off the 'hitchhikers' off of his socks. That's what we like to call 'em in South GA.

This picture is my favorite new picture of the boys. If I had sent a Christmas card or a New Year's card, likely this would have been the pic. But I didn't. So enjoy the blog friends.

The plane they are on belongs to Gracia Tuten's Daddy whom my boys call 'Butchy'. He told them to. They didn't make it up.

Eli's Christmas Play!! Here is E and the 'Fantastic Four' as we like to call them. I do this awesome swap off thing with 3 other moms where 2 days/week one of us takes all 4 of them home for an hour 1/2 until our older kids get out of school. The next week the other 2 moms do it. It has worked wonderfully and the kids love it almost as much as the moms :) I have fallen in love with their moms and it's created a great little group for us! The other pic would be during E's singing performance as they sang the words 'asleep on the hay'. Doesn't get much cuter than this, people. That would be his girlfriend, Lily, sitting to his right (your left). I definitely had one more picture of everybody praying for the food we were going to eat afterward (goldfish & cookies) but Eli and Lily had their hands folded, heads bowed but both were TOTALLY peeking at the crowd. They are 2 peas in a pod and send love notes back and forth. Simply too funny. They look like they could be brother and sister.

Trunk or Treat!! Our awesome new Children's Director put together this amazing Trunk or Treat event as an outreach to our community. They did an awesome job. This is our decorated car. We went the ever-so-clever beach route. Surprisingly, nobody else did. We just grabbed all 34 skimboards and 96 beach towels we had laying around and threw them in the back of the mini.


Batman & Dash Incredible riding a horse. E on the jump-it slide.

Moving right along, backwards in time because I couldn't get the pics right.....

E's RockStar 5th Birthday party!! We had a blast. We invited about 10 kids 'backstage' (our house) to tattoo up everyone and spike everyone's hair. Then we had the GP limo pick them up for a ride to the concert. We landed at a local Youth ministry room that has an awesome stage where we had Eli & Asa's drumset (courtesy of Uncle Mikey B last Christmas) and all their other musical instruments. They ran around and made a ton noise for a couple of hours. E got a red real live electric guitar for his birthday (child size). He's ready to hit the charts.


Our friend, Grant, who also happens to be one of the wisemen above.(far left).

Mark coached Asa's soccer team this Fall. They were the best of all 4 teams that played. Ha! That's funny b/c there were only 4 teams. It's true b/c they really were the best. #3 was a little Pele and nobody could keep up!

More Trunk or Treat
2 Dashes - One apparently has been eating lots of veggies & steroids!

Eli concentrating on the drums!!

Asa's rocking out with his spikey hair!

E and his new RED electric guitar!!! He has on his new shirt from the Bed's "I do all my own stunts'. He loves this shirt and can't wear it without somebody saying ' Well, that's very appropriate!!"

Daddy playing Duck, Duck, Goose with all the RockStars. (You can only play drums for so long, people)

The limo!!

We owe a HUGE thank you to the Bed's for letting us crash at their house while we were locked out of our original destination! My boys love to be in your home with your people. I know we wore you out - thanks for letting us do so.

I ALWAYS leave Marietta with tears in my eyes. Our hearts and spirit dwell with our people.

That being said, we love where the Lord has us. We have settled in and are thriving. We are with great anticipation about what 2008 will bring for our family, our friends, and our ministries.

Enjoy the blog, my bloggers - it could be March before I get back to it!!

Love to you all!

a