Little Things

The last few weeks have been a little crazy on the house front. We thought we were marching toward an April 30th closing date, do the construction work, and then move in around mid-May. To make a LONG story short, Bank of America had initially told us that we could put money in escrow to fix the kitchen, but then when we got to underwriting, went back on that. We went round and round with them for several days and ended up switching mortgage companies as well as decided to ask the seller to do the work first. We are scheduled to close on May 14th and the moving company arrives with their truck on May 17th.

As our time here in Laurel comes to a close, I have been reminded of what a blessing this time as been. I have talked about the time we have had with Randy and how I am glad that we have been here to be an "entertainment" for him. As I sat in a swing with little man at the park this week, I told Drew that we needed to say a prayer of thanksgiving for the time we have had together. I have been able to take him to the park for as long as he wanted, play chase in the yard, blow bubbles, lay on the bed and tickle him, stack blocks and watch him knock them down, go up and down the stairs with him, and let him take an extra long bath every night. I am so grateful the time I have had to focus on Drew and not have the total responsibility of running the house. I am praying that when the busyness of life returns as we move into the house that I take the time every day to enjoy these little things.

Move over Martha Stewart or maybe Paula Deen is more like it

One of the best things about being in Laurel the last few months is that I have learned a lot from Hal's mom. She is an amazing Southern cook. Those of you who are worried I just hurt my momma's feelings, don't worry. She will admit cooking isn't her thing. She has never cooked a bad meal, she just isn't adventurous and prefers cooking things the easy way. For example, I didn't now biscuits didn't come out of a can until I got married. :) Over the last few weeks, I have enrolled myself in my mother-in-law's cooking school! Last week I made biscuits from scratch and this week the lesson was homemade strawberry preserves. I also helped make chicken and dumplings which will make my husband one very happy man if I can master that!

Stirring the strawberries....this took FOREVER! :)

The jars are sterilized and ready

The preserves are ladled in.

Waiting for them to seal

The finished product!

Learning

One of the things I love and hate about being a mom is how routine things become. There are some days that I think, I will clean this high chair tray three times today and then do it again tomorrow. I have a pretty scheduled baby so we do about the same routine everyday. I love that I can know what to expect, but sometimes it does seem monotonous.

Although I love the routine, the last few days I have found myself being frustrated and feeling like we don't accomplish much because we do the same thing everyday! While Drew and I were playing outside today, I was praying and God gently reminded me that I am accomplishing a lot each day. Even if the laundry doesn't get done and I do the same tasks over and over, my goal for each day is "train up a child in the way that he should go." There is value in the mundane and routine. I am teaching and training Drew each day with my words, actions, and attitude. I am praying I do those tasks with joy tomorrow!

Proverbs 22:6 (New International Version)

Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Here is an example of a routine we go through each day. We play outside a lot. Hal's parents have a big yard and there is plenty of room for little man to run around and get in trouble. In the backyard, my mother-in-law has a fountain/water garden. Each day the story goes something like this.

Ooooo....look at that water.

Maybe I can get away with playing with the door....

But that water looks soooo interesting.

So...if I smile at her, while she let me play in the water???

Maybe I can just touch it with one finger???

Mom- "Drew Ramsey, do NOT touch that water!"

Fine...I will find something else to play with

If you won't let me play with the water, you can chase me!!!

Today the scene ended with a happy boy running off. Some days, we have a crying little boy who plunged both hands into the water and got in trouble. If you look closely at the fountain you can see where he knocked it off one day and cracked the top. He is learning. :)

Super Bulldog Weekend

We had a great weekend in Starkville! Two friends of Hal's were also there, Ben and Alicia. We were married within a year of each other and all had boys within 4 months of each other. Hal and Ben also grew up together in Laurel. It was fun to be able to see all of them as well as be in Starkville. We drove up Friday night and Saturday morning we met at a playground so the boys could meet.

Drew and Wyatt (Alicia and Joe's son)

An attempt to get a picture of the moms and the boys!

After the playground, we took Drew back for a quick nap and the headed to the Little Dooey for lunch.

Taylor (Ben and Michelle's son) and Drew. I stole this pic from Facebook, so I guess that is why it is tiny. :)

After lunch we went to an arts festival they were having in the Cotton District.

We also met up with our friends Cliff and Christi and walked around campus. Then we headed to the Spring game. I was expecting the absolute worst. I though there was no way he would sit still, but he was great! We got there about 45 minutes early and made it through 2 quarters until we had a diaper blowout that meant it was time to go! He loved watching all the people and got really excited when he heard the band and the cowbells. He would start clapping with everyone and did his fair share of dancing with the music as well!

Watching the Bulldogs with Daddy.

Taking it all in!

Where are we?

We are in a bit of a lull right now and I must say I am enjoying it. The last few months have been filled with moving, road trips, house hunting, chemo treatments/hospital visits, and lots of little details.

We are set to close on our house in Brandon on April 30th. We did not get the house we originally made an offer on, but are so excited with our 2nd choice! I had seen the house several times online, but just couldn't get over the funky and not functional layout of the kitchen. We made an offer and asked the buyers for an allowance to remodel the kitchen and they accepted the offer! After closing, a contractor will be working on the kitchen and we hope to be in the house by mid-May. I will post before and after pictures later, but here is a pic of the front of the house.

Hal's daddy, Randy, finished up his last round of chemo a few weeks ago and has been feeling pretty good. He is set to begin the bone marrow transplant process this Friday with a chemo treatment in the hospital in Jackson. He will then come home for 10 days and do a series of shots to stimulate his bone marrow growth and will then do the collection. We are praying he handles this treatment as well as he has the chemo. We know the next couple of months are going to be rough on him but are so grateful that he is willing to go through the treatment! Please pray for strength for him as he goes through this first phase.

Fun Day With Family

The last few weeks have been crazy! Drew and I have been to Florida to pack up the house and then we spend Easter in Arkansas. Mom and Dad brought us back on Thursday and they spent the last few days in Laurel. Tonight we had a shrimp boil with Hal's family. My niece, Jess, took the pictures of Drew below. She is so talented...I will have to share a few more of the ones she has taken of him.

He got hungry before the shrimp was done, but as you can see from his face he loved his PB & J.

Playing with daddy

Saying cheese...through the truck window.

Ed and his "lady friend" Shannon. :)