Pray for my Dad.

My family has a lot going on. My family as in my parents and 3 younger siblings. To sum up what my dad has gone through health wise (and every other way) since 2004 is impossible so I am not going to try BUT I am going to ask you to pray for my dad. One thing you know if you have ever met my parents for more than 2 minutes is that they are warriors. They are solid, strong believers in the Lord in every way. I think one of the main weapons Satan can use against people like my parents is apathy, or passiveness. Do you ever get so tired and worn down from fighting a battle that you just give up. It probably happens so slowly that you don't even realize it. And then, the next thing you know; you are so tired and you realize that you just kinda stopped fighting. My parents have not stopped fighting (the spiritual fight) or given up once. Not once. But...they. are. tired. I believe that when you are tired though that is when God is most used and most glorified. It says in his word that "when we are weak, we are strong" and to "bear one anothers burdens" and to "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened" so my family and I are believing what we know to be true. Please believe with us. And pray for my dad....I will leave you with this from my mom

"Friends, after an unexpected meeting with a sweet friend this evening, I am reminded of the awesome power of our God. Suffice to say, that I have never stopped believing, even after 7 failed back surgeries and now an internal pain pump that God could heal Frank. Would you please join me, in praying specifically for Frank (I know so many of you have prayed with us for so long) tomorrow at 4pm for healing, for acceptance, for whatever God has for us, but I know that He has promised his plans for us, for all of us, are good. I realize this may be his plan and we will continue to walk faithfully...we are tired. God is good."

Bieber Fever

We. have. Bieber. Fever.


How did it start? Caden LOVES music. Anything musical; everything can be turned into a drum or microphone. I mean I know all kids love music but Caden is somewhat obsessed. I digress. A couple months ago, Mollie (my 17-year old sister) came over and we rented "Never Say Never" (Basically, a documentary about J. Biebs). Caden LOVED it....he wanted to watch the music over and over again. So then I got to thinking...if this movie will keep him entertained what if I pull up the music video on youtube? And that is how it started. I needed to start cooking dinner one night so I showed him this video...and well, the rest is history:)


SO here is out own version (I put the lyrics below in case you dont already know them:)
disclaimor: I did not teach him any of the words; he picked it up on his own

I know you love me

I know you care

Just shout whenever

And I'll be there

You are my love

You are my heart

And we will never, ever, ever be apart

Are we an item?

Girl quit playin

Are we just friends?

What are you sayin?

Say there's another and look right in my eyes

My first love broke my heart for the first time and I was like

Baby, baby, baby OH

Upcoming Posts...Coming REALLY Soon

There is only one (main) reason that I have not blogged in 2.7865464 million years. I. am. not. sleeping. (BUT we will save that for another post). To keep myself accountable here are some things I will write about in the next month...that's right; you heard me so keep me on top of it:)

-Baby Dedications

-Basketball Diaries

-Bieber Fever (this is one you do not want to miss)

-Boys Starting School (AH!)

-Charlie's 15 month check up (this one is just funny)

-Running (away)

-Switching Kids (Everyone should do it!)

....and morel but we will start back sloooowww:)

In the meantime here is a picture of all of my boys doing what you should do on a Sunday...watching some football!

14 Months Old...

These are my babies at the same age. Until I put these pics side by side I thought they looked somewhat alike....not so much anymore:) What do you think?

Charlie is Walking!

Charlie started walking a few weeks ago (at 12 and a half months) when we were at the beach! Here is the proof:

Where we have been...

I have not blogged in over a month! Yikes! But now we are back:) We have been too busy doing this:

and this:

and this:

And there is a LOT to catch up on! SO...coming up:

• Chris's NEW JOB!
• Charlie is walking and "talking"
• Caden
• The best new spot to take kiddos
• and WAY MORE:)

Char's Birthday Party

For the boys 1st birthday we like to keep things pretty small and low-key. This past Saturday we had a cookout with family and a few close friends. It was a great day! Good weather; Char got such great gifts and it was just a great celebration of his first year of life! Here he is enjoying:

June 7, 2010 (chars bday part 1)

My baby is one year old today. 12 whole months. I really cannot believe it has been a year! I have fallen more and more in love with my baby Charlie everyday; and (for the most part) have truly just enjoyed his first year of life. 12 special things about you:

1. Nicknames: Char; Char-Char; Char bear (from Tiff:); baby Charlie; sugar booger:)

2. You are happy all the time. Except in Sunday School.

3. Still taking 2 naps a day; but you are super laid back so if we miss the am nap its all good.

4. You love to eat!

5. You can totally walk; but you have not chosen to do so yet:)

6. You are so done with bottles; but you do not seem to crazy about milk yet.

7. You love Caden so much.

8. You Love, love, love bath time!

9. Have been super healthy (up to this week;)

10. 110% mommas boy (WOOHOO- although this is probably because you have not realized how much cooler daddy is)

11. One of your favorite activites is pushing the chairs around the kitchen

12. You are the most loved, cutest one year olds on the planet

and you have the best chubby legs in the world!

Wordless Wednesday

Brothers...

...make the best of friends.

Wordless Wednesday

the Oaks!

Chris and I went to the KY Oaks this past Friday. this is so.not.us. This is SO not our kinda thing that we almost didn't go. (the whole get dressed up- wear a fancy hat- hobnob with the hobnobbers thing always sounds like so much fun but at the end of the day we usually chicken out and just resort to the good ole dinner and a movie). But I am SO glad we did. To make a really really long story short we had tickets given to us...good tickets...owners box undertheroof kinda tickets. We get to Churchill Downs and we cannot find our seats anywhere. It is like they do not exist. Fast forward an hour and a half and we find about a dozen people that are supposed to be seated in our section and they are all fired up because apparently all the tickets in section ___ are invalid. Not in the system; as in we are sorry but you are just going to have to go home. what?! fast forward another 30 minutes; the man who had given us our tickets came and found us; and then tells us that he is so sorry about the problem and here are 2 new tickets...to the Jockey Suites. Which involves; free food, free drinks, real bathrooms, views from the balcony. wow. Not bad for our first time at the Oaks! and it was such a great date! Sometimes it is good to get out of your "usual" and step out in your best dress and fancy hat:)

Rain, Rain GO AWAY!

We have had rain for 14.54152g54584 million days:) at least that is what is feels like! We always welcome a little change of pace and today my dad (pop-pop) came over. He was going to come over and work in our messofa yard (I know, he is awesome) and as soon as he pulled in the driveway; it started raining--again. After about an hour it slowed down and then stopped for just a little bit. So we pulled on Caden's boots and sent the boys outside to help:)

Deuteronomy 6:5

Sometimes in the midst of laundry and cleaning and disciplining and playing and working and cooking and _____________; I forget what I am supposed to be doing. I am so guilty of just wanting to "get stuff done" I lose sight of where my time and energy should be going...and that is to "train my boys up in the way they should go." Now; I am not trying to be legalistic or stiff or whatever you want to call it; but more than anything I want my little boys to grow up to be men of God. One thing we are going to try and start doing is memorizing a scripture once a week. There is this great website that has some easy versus to start out with and hey, I figure it is never to early to learn a little scripture:) (and once we do it; Caden and I go over it all day during the mundane day-to-day!)

10 months!

1. The picture pretty much sums you up!

2. You are slowly (but surely!) starting to eat "real" food

3. You are pulling up on things and crawling everywhere

4. Despite that, you have no interest in standing up on your own

5. You have really caught on to using a sippy cup

6. You adore Cade

7. Teething has been hard on you

8. You rarely cry and if you do something is probably wrong

9. You have red in your hair. No clue where that came from!

10. You are cuddly!

Vacation.

yes, my son is sleeping with a frisbee;)

Baby (food) Makin'

The following is my experience with making baby food. DISCLAIMOR: I am a total novice in this department; and do it as simple and easy as possible! This is just me sharing what has worked for us.

How I started: I never thought of making baby food for Caden. If I am being totally honest I only thought that was the kinda thing that hippies did. (right up there with using cloth diapers!....although that is SO not a jab to those who do that; I applaud you--and I am sure you save tons of money:) Anyways; with Charlie being the second child, I went to get him some food out of the pantry and "oops" no food. at.all. awesome. I got a banana and smashed it up and BAM it was easy and he loved it. Then, I called one of my girlfriends who makes her baby food and asked her about; she lent me this book. and that is how I started. (i skipped everything in the book and went straight to the "recipes" in the back.)

Why I kept doing it: It saves a LOT of money. simple as that. When your baby starts eating 2 containers/jars of food 3x a day it doesnt seem like much (it is about $1 for 2 things of baby food) BUT add it up and that is $21.00 a week. I spend $20.00 on fresh produce and it is enough food for over 2 month.

Here is my super-easy-cheapest-quickest way to food:

Step 1: Peel it

Step 2: Cut it

Step 3 & 4: Water it (2 tblspns. of water). Cover it (w/plastic wrap)

Step 5: Cook it. (depending on the food microwave anywhere from 8-12 minutes)

Step 6: Puree it. (I just use my blender)

Step 7: Pour it.

Step 8: Freeze it.

Step 9: Bag it.

There are a TON of variations of adding spices, etc. but we just keep it simple!

My "new" Chairs!

I am not crafty. or handy. but my friends are crafty and my dad is handy; which means I now have "new" kitchen chairs! Woohoo! My super crafty friend, Melissa, gave me a fabric scrap that I LOVED and it matched the colors of our house perfectly; so I went and purchased more of it. Then my dad came over and recovered my kitchen chairs for me. We have talked about getting a new kitchen table; but there is just something I love about ours and I have not been able to part with it. With new chairs covered (and cleaned!) its ridiculous how much better I think my kitchen looks. We are thinking about doing the same fabric/cornice bored above the window/curtains...what do you think?

old chair

new chair

the window we are thinking about doing the cornice board/fabric on...what do you think?

Only Me:)

I will admit; I am not the best driver in the world. I have wrecked a car, totaled another car and banged up a third car....see this post. So earlier this week I was just having one of those days. You know, the kind where I should have expected something to happen;) Well, I was on my way to Bible study (mind you, the one thing I do for myself each week) and I was feeling pretty good since I had just unloaded on my friend, Rachel. (quick note: we recently traded in my car for a truck and an SUV). I was driving the truck and am definately still getting used to it. So I made sure I found a parking spot that had two cars on either side (not SUVs). I pull in and there is really no other way to say what happened other than I got stuck. Seriously?! I somehow managed to perfectly maneuver the truck so that if I reversed/went forward I would definately do damage to the car next to me. oh.my.word. I call Chris (in a panic who just got to Community Group with the boys) and tell him he has to hurry up and get up to church. He gets there; starts laughing at me;) and tells me how impressed he is that I could do something like this. It is pouring down rain. I climb to the back seat, get out of the truck and then proceed to interrupt every Wednesday night Bible study taking place at FBC. We found the owner; somehow he managed to move his car; resulting in NO damage. miraculous. I don't know if the pic captures it but here it is:

GMS- What is it?

No; the title of this post is not a typo. What is GMS? I will give you 3 guesses. (1.....2.....3.......) okay it is Guilty Mom Syndrome.

definition: the name created for the irrational guilt moms (at least this mom!) feel all to frequently! ( I googled "guilty mom syndrome" and got 75,000 hits!)

Every day I wake up with the best intentions. Today, I will play with my kids; they will each get an equal amount of my undivided attention. I will teach them, laugh with them, be patient with them and love them like crazy. Then my kids wake up. We go through the grind of what is known as every day life. and dont get me wrong, we enjoy eachother and make memories and laugh and love and play; but somedays we do good just to survive:) Then as my babies are fast asleep the guilt/doubt/second guessing comes quietly creeping in. No; it hits me like a ton of bricks.

"You didnt spend enough quality time with Charlie"
"Caden didnt learn anything at all"
"You were way too impatient, checked your email too much, didn't make the right choice when it came to disciplining, __________________ , and on and on and on and on....

It has gotten much worse with 2 kids. the guilt. the "how can you say you want more kids when you cannot even handle the 2 you have?" Where does this guilt come from? I honestly believe that it is nothing more than Satan coming and attacking me where I am weak. where it will hurt the most. So how do I combat it? I pray. hard and often. I constantly remind myself of biblical "truths," I call my (best) friends and cry to them and unload on them. thank.God.for.friends. I call my mom.

If you are suffering from GMS; there is just one thing you can do. Keep loving your babies. Love them hard. And on days when it is really bad; pick them up snuggle them, hug them, kiss them, pray for them and just be with them. because at the end of the day; all that matters is that our children know they are loved.

My Favorite Muffin

In honor of Charlie being (almost) 9 months old; he had some muffin this morning--I will let you decide what he thought of it...

I may be bias but he is so cute! Don't you just want to take a little bite of those yummy cheeks?!

Positive Reinforcement

Okay y'all-- I am looking for some advice and creative ideas. We are big believers in positive reinforcement (if you read this blog or know us you also know we are big believers in discipline); I feel like reinforcing positive habits or behavior really help build up a child's self-esteem and also encourage them to continue making good choices. I believe things like going on the potty; saying yes m'am without being prompted, sharing, obeying the first time, etc. sometimes deserve something that says "that is awesome" or "I am SO proud of you!" I know words make a huge impact so if Caden makes a good choice I do use phrases and excitement to let him know that that is great and I am proud. But, sometimes I want to do a little more; or offer a little extra. However; I do not want to offer food as a reward (you will get a _____ if you do _____) because I do not want our focus to be on sweets; and I also (very rarely) want to offer a new toy. Here is an example of something that is kinda crazy but worked.

We are potty trained(ing) and I told Caden when you poop on the potty you may have a cupcake (what a hypocrite! I know I just said no food:)

Well, he went and when I went to make good on my promise he asked if I would put a candle on it....lightbulb--what if he was just excited to get to blow out the birthday candle and he actually forgets about that cupcake?! Well, go figure it worked! So blowing out the candle was something he thought was cool and motivated him a little more to go on the potty!

Other ideas: stickers; one mom told me she used a dry erase more and when she wanted to do something the kids thought it was cool to write on the board....I really want to hear some of you ideas!

What do you offer your kiddos to make them feel a little extra special?

Look Like Denim. Feel Like Pajamas.

I am a sweatpants kinda girl. Seriously. I can usually be found in sweatpants and t-shirts. When I saw an infomercial for pajama jeans I really started to laugh out loud. Maybe it is because I am tired; but have y'all seen this commercial? Maybe it is the serious "look like denim; but feel like sweatpants" vibe; but I mean really? I am not the kinda girl that can even pull off the "strechy" jeans. Nope. I need the real-life; stiff out of the dryer walk around and do lunges, 100% cotton-made to fit your figure kinda jeans.

Wordless Wednesday

One day....

he will kill me for this....

Whose hands are you holding up?

"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword."

exodus 17:11-13 (for entire passage go here)

As moms, dads, husbands, wives, employees, etc. We get tired. Tired of doing this or talking about that. Worn out from the day to day grind of life. I don't know where you find your rest and peace but I find it in my time with the Lord; and in spending time with my sisters in Christ. Last night, I attended a weekly bible study and we read the versus above. The study is about spiritual warfare and praying God's word in your life day-to-day. It's about putting on the full armor of God so that we can stand firm. I cannot stop thinking about the passage from Exodus (see above). The night before this battle began Moses told Joshua that he was going to go up to the mountain and hold his hands up to the Lord. As long as he held his hands up high the Israelites would win. Now; I don't even like holding things up high for more than 10 minutes. You get sore and your arms get tired; they eventually start shaking until you can't hold whatever you are holding anymore and just have to take a break. Look what happened when Moses' hands grew tired. His friends let him sit down and held his hands up for him so that they remained steady. Wow. Are your hands tired? Then I encourage you to share with someone what is going on; let them stand in the gap for you; let them carry your burden and hold your hands up for you. We cannot do "life" alone! On the same note; whose hands are you helping to hold up right now? We are so busy tha sometimes I think we forget to just sit an listen. Listen to the joy that someone is experiencing; or maybe the painful situation a person is going through right now. This week; as you are putting on your "armor" think about who you can maybe send a note to; pray for or just encourage. And if your arms are tired; I would love to help hold them up for you.

if you ever have a prayer need you can leave a comment; or send me and email at katie.gaither@live.com I would love to pray for you!

Golf?!

Wordless Wednesday

Lessoned Learned

i am such a mom-in-training. i am constantly calling friends/reading blogs/asking my mom for advice/help...I think having GREAT friends and an awesome family of support is crucial; and, at some times; may be the only thing keeping me sane:)

Here are a few lessons I have learned with having two kids:

1. What works/worked for #1 may or may not work for #2.

2. Ask lots of people for lots of advice.

3. Take the advice to heart but figure out what is the best for you and yours.

4. Unless it is a matter or life/death (or you are out of diapers) avoid taking more than one baby shopping.

5. When you have to; park RIGHT by a cart holder (even if it is far away from the actual store.)

6. Don't let/make baby #1 grow up too fast just because baby #2 came along.

7. It is okay to cry/laugh/vent when you are just simply overwhelmed

8. You are tired.

9. One of my favorite things about having baby #1 was watching my husband become a dad; one of my favorite things about having baby #2 is watching baby #1 become a big brother.

10. Being laid back and easy-going goes a looooooonnnnngggg way.

having my boys has brought an unspeakable/unimaginable amount of joy to my life. My kids have made me a better person; and I just want them to have a mommy they are proud of!

*share some lessons you have learned/are learning!

Never Grow Up

Oh darlin', don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up; stay this little.

Oh darlin', don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up; it can stay this simple.

Caden Playing Basketball

Big Boy Bed

I have to say, with the exception of the first 48 hours, our transition from the crib to the "big boy bed" has gone about as smooth as it could go (although I am not gonna lie; the first 48 hours were tough:) Every once in a while there will be a random day like today; Caden will just not want to nap. He will play and sing and talk but will not nap. This is what I saw when all of the sudden it became quiet in his room:

27 years ago today...

my best friend was born:) In honor of his birthday here are ten things you may not know about Chris:

1. He is the youngest of four children (3boys and a girl...the complete opposite of my family:)

2. His perfect day would involve: sleeping in, playing golf, basketball and being with his family.

3. He is the best dad. ever.

4. He was the first person in his hometown to get an athletic scholarship to a D1 school.

5. He was only the second person his family to get a college degree and the first to get his masters!

6. He likes Eminem and also likes to make up his own raps (we even have our own rap names;)

7. He is a really good painter.

8. He likes to watch Criminal Minds.

9. He makes friends everywhere he goes.

10. He is quick to share the Gospel to people he meets

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE LOVE YOU:

...and then they do something like that.

I am way behind on blogging (just one of the many things that "go" when you have another baby;) To say this week has been a week of transitions for Caden woul dbe an understatement. Monday, he threw his paci's away. I knew it was coming. He just turned 2 so I figured we would get rid of them soon. He woke up from his nap one day and I said, "Caden, do you want to throw your paci away?" and he said "uh-huh." And really, that was the end of that. Easy enough. Thursday he decided to he was completely done sleeping in his crib (this is for another post). I wish I could say that transition has been as easy as the paci's. i. am. tired.

Still, after a somewhat sleepless night we packed up and headed to church this morning. Caden went to his class and Charlie to the nursery. Their rooms are next door to eachother. and when we picked Caden up they had a sweet story to tell.

Charlie was hungry and got pretty upset (keep in mind Char rarely cries.) Apparently Caden could hear him crying for mhis classroom. So; he went to the door and started saying "Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!" until his teachers took him next door so that he could check on him and tell him that "its okay char." melt. my. heart.

They make me tired. Sometimes frustrated. and then they do something like that. and you forget about everything else.

Esther Letters

My mom is a saint. and those of you who know her I am sure you agree:) When she started a Women's Sunday School class many years ago she wanted to think of a way to encourage the ladies in her class in a way other then just on a Sunday morning...so she began writing letters to them. Real letters. With stamps. That she sent in the mail. These started going out to just the women in her class; probably about 20 people...then 40...then 50--and then once she started emailing them these letters really caught on; and I think more than 200 people get to read these "letters" every week. I don't know why I have never posted them before; but I am going to start; and what better week to start then a week that she is writing about Charlie:)

"Dear friends,

Let me tell you about my grandson…. Don’t worry I don’t have the accordion style picture file to unfold for your review. What I would like to tell you about is how very much our 6-month-old, Charlie enjoys his meals! As his mom pulls out the baby food jar or those little chunks of orange or green “slime” that she has so painstakingly created with fresh fruits and vegetables with the help of a blender, Charlie begins to react. His reaction…. is over the top. He begins to kick both legs, swing both arms, and wail with enthusiasm. We’ve giggled at him a bit noting that he just must not remember from the last meal a few hours ago that, yes, indeed, he would be enjoying that coming meal. It is almost as if he could see it and was so very desperate for it, but just could not believe he was really going to get it. After enjoying the yummy green and/or orange delicacy, he is treated to dessert – a yummy bottle of formula. Reread the above account of the coming food and understand the same reaction accompanies the coming bottle. INTENSE… Clay was shocked this Christmas with an unexpected game system. A week later he has emerged from the basement “game zone”. He has been about as intense about his game as Charlie is about his food.

What I also noticed about Charlie is the relaxation of his body, mind and soul when the bottle reaches his sweet little mouth. It is that “Nestea commercial moment – falling back right into the sparkling pool of water.” Some of you young friends will not remember that commercial – ugh, I am showing my age again. The moment cannot be described with words, suffice to say, it is an “all is right with the world” moment.

So what does this has to do with the New Year and its goals and celebration? We studied this morning, from 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul’s “passing of the ministry torch” words to his mentee, Timothy. His words included sound advice to Timothy, advice that we can peek right into and grab hold of… “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Paul used these same words in Ephesians 2:10. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Do you hear that, we are created to do good works, prepared for us by God, but the only way we will be equipped to do them is to immerse ourselves in His word… the Bible! I sure want to be available and prepared for anything that God has planned for me, don’t you? Our pastor challenged us back in the in fall to commit 2% of our day in quiet time with God. That equals about 30 minutes. Are you up for it?

I thank my God every time I think of each of you, and my prayer for you for 2011:

May God’s clear guidance lead you into the decisions, joys and challenges that will accompany 2011!

Let’s get prepared!

Susan"