War Eagle (a week later)

We got to take a fantastic trip to Glendale to watch our Tigers play, thanks to Papa G and JoJo! What a Christmas present to remember!
























This was our crew, and we all fit in one Suburban to get to the game. Guess who had to sit up front to not get carsick?













We tailgated in the parking lot and ran into some of our best friends from Auburn.






























Then we went to "Tiger Walk," which was pretty lame compared to normal. This was my view behind two fences, but I guess they had to be careful, who knows what kind of crazy people were there! The band and cheerleaders walked through and the buses brought in the players.
















The jumbo tron alternated images of Auburn and Oregon logos, I just cared about seeing the AU.


















Our seats were just under the ESPN booth, so we got to see them filming, that is Urban Meyer's head on the left.

















Hey Cam! A picture of Gus Malzahn with his quarterbacks.















It was amazing to see the confetti shoot out and the players run out, flags were waving... it was great! The crowd was probably at least 70% Auburn fans, so you can imagine the excitement in there! We were sitting in the Auburn endzone, so this was the scoreboard above us with the final score!




























I am not always the first to pay attention to football games, but this game was easy to watch! I am so glad we got to go out there, and experience it all in person, but it was probably just as fun to watch on tv. We were scheduled to take the red-eye flight back home, and it was cancelled on Monday morning due to bad ice storms in Alabama, and they said they would send us home on Thursday... not going to work! I ran into some friends at the game, and when they told me they were flying home without any problems, I was determined to get home! After the game, we checked our flights, and saw that our original flight was open again, but we hadn't brought our bags. So we left the game, went straight to get our bags, and then raced to the airport. When we got there, they told us the flight was full and that we could just wait on standby. We reminded them that we were originally booked for that flight, so we should be on it, and somehow a manager let us go with "seat requests" to the gate. We had to run through the airport, because we arrived as they announced it was the final call for our flight. We made it, and I was furious, because I could count more than 20 empty seats on that plane! How many people were sitting there waiting to get home?! Anyway, we made it home, but I was feeling ROUGH! (Maybe this is TMI) On our way home from the airport, I was tired, starving, etc., so all I wanted was a biscuit, but nothing was open due to the weather. So I sat in the car with my barf bag in my lap trying not to gag the whole way home. We made it, I shoved slices of bread in my mouth and climbed into my bed. I didn't even call my mom to tell her we had made it home until lunchtime, and she was just glad it wasn't Thursday! Thanks Slagleys for making this trip happen, and thank you to my parents for watching the kids (in an ice storm) for 3 nights!

Remember This?

Me at the hospital with sweet Kate-2007.













Me with sweet baby Blake-2008.












Well... get ready to see a similar picture this July! We are having Baby #3, due July 19th. Sorry I have been MIA, I have not felt great, but have had a TON going on as well. I am a little over 11 weeks, so I am hoping to feel better soon. I am still exhausted and can't do a lot of cleaning or sewing, it seems all I can do well is rest. :)
Just wanted to share the good news! We are praying for a healthy baby and I do not care if it is a girl or boy, but we ARE going to find out, I just can't handle the wait!

New Recipe

I have a new recipe we tried that you have to try. It has dijon mustard in it, but it is not very mustardy once it is cooked, it just adds a little flavor. It is a Paula Deen recipe, and anything from her is delicious to me! Even my kids loved it-Kate loved that it was crispy. Try it!
Oven Fried Chicken
1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil, then place a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet and spray with Pam.
2. In one bowl, mix 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 2Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper.
3. In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups panko breadcrumbs, 1 cup shredded or grated parmesan (it tastes better to shred some fresh parmesan and makes it crispy), 2 Tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper.
4. Pound out 2-2.5 lb chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick.
5. Dip in the mustard mixture, then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture and place on top of the cooling rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Babysitting

I need some help from other moms who use babysitters. I have always used family to babysit, but now that my parents have 5 grandchildren, they aren't always available. I need to know what is the "going rate" for 1 kid, 2 kids, 3 kids per hour. We shared a sitter with a friend this weekend, and she normally pays $10 for 1 kid per hour, but we added my two and I felt like I needed to pay way more. I am out of the babysitting loop! What about overnight babysitting? Can any of you give me tips so I don't run off babysitters.

Missing Him Already

I just lost my precious grandfather, Dink, this week, and I had no idea that it would feel like someone took a part of me with him. I don't even know how to write about how I feel because I am not used to feeling so many emotions at one time! I feel sad that I will not see him, but I feel so thankful that I know he is in Heaven rejoicing and thankful that his body is now whole again. I was so blessed by the number of people who showed up today at his funeral to honor him. He touched more lives than I ever knew, but that shouldn't surprise me. His smile was contagious! He made everyone feel like they were a part of his family. I used to sit at their house when I was in high school and college, and he and Nanny would ask about our friends by name. They took an interest in our lives like we were their own kids. Our friends all new Nanny and Dink!
My sister and I used to talk about how we dreaded the day we would have to say goodbye to Dink, and while it was so hard, it was harder to see him suffer. We went to visit him just a week ago, and he had such a different look on his face than usual, he looked like he was in pain and exhausted, and he wouldn't talk. In all the years of pain from broken hips, broken legs, etc., he always smiled and pushed through. The other day, I just held his hand and he squeezed it a few times. Kate tried to talk to him, and she held his hand and later told me that he squeezed her hand too, and I never knew I would be so thankful for such a sweet memory. We left and Kate asked why he didn't talk to her, and I had to start explaining to her what I didn't even want to deal with myself. We knew that his end was getting closer.
Dink was one of the most amazing people I have ever met. He was a leader, a great example, a generous giver, and he could make anyone smile. He loved kids, and would light up whenever I brought my kids to visit. He was the only person in my life to call me "Lynn," and I loved it when he did. He loved my grandmother with a protective, unselfish love. He was a great father and grandfather, I tell people that he was really more like another father figure to me. We lived next door to him since I was about 14 years old. They would take us on trips to the beach every year, they would keep us for weekends, and they took each grandchild on a special trip for their 13th birthday. He made sure each one of us had everything we needed, and made sure we were happy. He and Nanny took me to England when I turned 13, and sent me to Germany when I graduated high school. I can thank them for my international travel before I was 18!
Dink was such a good example of what to look for in a husband, and Brandon has said several times how much he looked up to him. We would go to their house and Brandon would help Dink plant his garden. Dink would be on his hands and knees, covered in ants and probably in pain, but he would get his garden planted. I loved watching him eat his fresh tomatoes like apples. On our way to the beach, we would pick up a basket of peaches, and he would finish the whole basket while we were at the beach. He loved to eat! He loved working outside, so Brandon loved going out there with him and hearing stories about his life, about war, and about all of the things he had repaired in his little workshop.
I am so thrilled that my kids knew and loved him like they have. We would walk in their door and they would start heading for his room calling, "Dink, Dink." I know it will be hard to take them to see Nanny and watch them look for him again. It has been interesting explaining to Kate how we will not see him again, but that he is in Heaven with Jesus. She understands more than I thought she would, and she has even tried to comfort me and my mom. I picked her up from MDO the other day, and Kate said, "Let's go cheer up GiGi and tell her we love her." I was crying the other day, and Blake just came and held my leg and said, "No tears, mommy." When I picked the kids up from school the other day, Kate asked me what I did while she was at school, I told her I went to see Dink and she couldn't understand why I would go without them.
While I write this, I am sad because I miss Dink, but it makes me so thankful for the family we do have here, and so thankful that I can still share these sweet memories with Nanny. I keep wondering why I am even sad, because I know where he is, and that is the place we should all long to be, but I miss his sweet face! As they took his body out today, it was like they took a piece of me with him, and I am sure I embarrassed myself with the crying and sniffing, I almost couldn't take it. I ache for Nanny, thinking about how it must feel to lose her best friend of 70+ years. I ache for my mom and her sisters saying goodbye to their daddy. I ache that I won't see him the next time I go over there, but I rejoice knowing he is in the arms of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. What a comfort, KNOWING that he is there!

From Their Eyes

I have a lot to be thankful for! Two of my biggest ones would like to share some things they are thankful for now. I have been asking them to tell me what they were thankful for, so this is straight out of their mouths.

Kate- Campbell (her BFF), Mommy and Daddy, Bubbie (Blake), all my grandparents, Sage and Montana (some more friends), Caroline (a buddy from MDO), rambling about when she behaves and gets to watch "toons."
Blake- Mommy, my head (as he points to his head), Dora and Boots (Do NOT forget Boots!), Cheetos, Kate, John Burke, Turner, K.K. (Kelly), baby Chloe, Pop Pop, my back (pointing to his back).

Obviously there are a lot of things left off of this list, but these were straight from them tonight. Just thought I would share that you are never too young to be thankful! I am thankful for these 2 silly kids.

She Is NOT Shy

I sometimes think that Kate should belong to Kelly. She talks to ANYONE any time, loves talking about silly things, wants to stay up all night reading, always wants to be around people and says things that could make you stop in your tracks and say, "Did she just say that?" Most people who know Kelly already know she is this way, but it is always funny to be around when she meets new people. Kate is the same way. If you try to not talk to her, she will go out of her way to say, "Hi, my name is Kate." Even to strangers walking by while we play in the yard! Other times, she will say things that I have to quickly correct... some quick stories:
Last week, I was picking up my kids from the nursery after Bible study and a men's group was leaving their meeting at the same time. A "little person" was leaving just in front of us and my friend Jamie said her daughter pointed out the little man, so I thought I was in the clear. Until we were in the parking lot and he was a few steps from us, Kate said loudly, "Look Mom, he is a little boy daddy." I gave her a look and said, "let's get to the car." But she continued! Then she explained to me, "he is a daddy, but a little boy too." At this point, Blake chimed in too and pointed while saying, "A little boy" over and over again. I was MORTIFIED. The man was very kind and just smiled at us while I mouthed "Sorry." We had a little talk in the car about appearances, and how God makes each person different, and we shouldn't talk about it.
Apparently, the talk didn't work! We were out to dinner and a little girl (who happened to have an afro hairdo) said something loud and Kate stared until she was redirected to our table. A few minutes later, Kate said, "Did you hear that little girl with the fuzzball hair?" No You Did Not! Of course, I grabbed her arm tightly and said we do NOT talk about other people's appearances, EVER! We have been talking at home a lot lately about the way God makes people different and getting her to understand that she is not the definition of normal.
Let's hope these talks spare me from more public red-faced events, and her from hurting someone's feelings!