Misty is my hero

Can you believe this???!! I took Misty's suggestion of trying to get the pics on my computer and.... IT WORKED!!!! Thank you, Lord, for caring for me even in small things. Thank you, Misty, for your wonderful suggestion. Thank you, Mom, for all your help and the rest of you for your sweet comments. wow. I'm humbled and very thankful. Here's the birthday boy staring at his cupcake. He's had a very limited amount of sugar in his first year of life, thanks to his daddy, so maybe that's why he didn't quite know what to do.

In the scheme of things...

Do you ever just want to quietly pull out all your hair or something crazy like that? Yeah, me neither. As you know, today my sweet boy turned 1. For his birthday, I documented the WHOLE day in pictures. I was planning on putting a book together for him tomorrow for his birthday present. I probably took about 200 or so and narrowed it down to about 70 or so. From his first few moments as a 1 year old, to his fruit salad for breakfast, him playing with his sister, him spending time with Daddy once he got home, a family pic taken with the timer, then it's BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION time with cupcakes, candle and gifts, his birthday haircut this evening, and finally him lying in Kaba's bed drinking his last bottle of the day. How fun to capture it all on memory card. right? sure.

After putting Joseph to bed, I came across an old camera. (There IS a point to this story, and it's about to get really ugly) While sitting in Mikayla's room with her, I played with it a little and tried my good batteries in it. It worked! So, I tried my memory card in it. It didn't work. Oh well. No biggie there. Then I put my GOOD memory card BACK in my camera and alas, all the pics on it were gone. Did you hear that right? GONE. And, the memory card is no good any more.


This makes me pretty sad. I know it's really NOT a big deal. I really know that. I kinda wish it didn't happen. I'm sure you know what I mean.


What makes me happy though is all the wonderful birthday wishes for our little guy. If he could read, he would've LOVED it! Y'all are super sweet gals. :)

In the whole scheme of things I realize this whole fiasco is very minor. I mean, how often does your son turn one?

ps. There was the CUTEST picture of Joseph getting really close to his cupcake and just staring at it. You'll just have to take my word for it...

Happy Birthday, Son!

Today our son Joseph turned O-N-E! Exactly one year ago today I was just SO relieved that labor was over and that I held a precious healthy baby boy in my hands. I'm so blessed it's unbelievable.

Thank you, Aunt Grace, for the super sweet birthday card. He (I) loved it! Yes, we opened it early. sorry. Not sure yet how he's going to spend his first bit of birthday money...

Almost 3

Two months from today Mikayla will be turning THREE. It's very surreal to me.

This morning she asked me, what can I do for you?

I told her that the best thing she could do is OBEY.

It made me think of the verse- To obey is better than sacrifice.

I see more clearly what that verse means.

The pink car seat girl

Here you go, Ems! She LOVES it:)

2 days early

Okay, so he'll be 1 in two days. We thought it would be fine to go ahead and put him in his next car seat!! Doesn't he look like such a big boy?? How I love that little stinker. And his sister, too! :)

Happy Monday!

very relaxing Saturday

I just got a nap taken. Can you believe it? My precious Joseph put Mikayla down, then told me to go to bed while he stayed up with the little guy. I enjoy getting a nap, which sometimes proves to be a rarity around here. This morning I went into Mikayla's room and kinda snuggled with her and she said this- You're my most speeeeecial woman. She then proceeded to take my hand and give it one of the sweetest kisses I've ever had. sigh.

We had rock hard lima beans and ravioli for lunch. If beans come from a can, they should be SOFT, right? Well, not these. Jody said I should've cooked them longer. I told him if they're from a can, I should not have to worry about cooking them at all! Anyway, they were not much of a hit, needless to say.

My mom came over Friday and absolutely showered me with gifts for no reason whatsoever! Well, other than the fact that she loves me much. From socks for both kiddos, to a Schwan's pizza and cards... and lots of things in-between (like an address book). Yay!!! We enjoy her visits so much. Thanks, ma! Plus, she introduced me to a new game and beat me like 10 times out of 11. I won ONCE! Hey, that's not too shabby considering my competition.


Joseph turns the big 1 on Thursday. We'll have a tiny family celebration and give him the gifts from us. Then Saturday we'll be having the big birthday bash complete with pizza, salad and cupcakes. We (I) decided to wait off on Max and Ruby and do it for Mikayla's birthday. So we're just doing a big boy theme; you've heard of that, right?

My upcoming week is loaded with activities and I'm looking forward to it. But, I want to be careful not to lose sight of focus and priorities at this time. I want to be just as faithful in my quiet times with the Lord.

Hope YOU are having a good Saturday. Jody felt like it was his turn for a nap, so he's off to napland. Well, good for him;-). I'm off to check the mail. Did you write me, Grace??

I've come to a (semi)conclusion...

from my experience that mommy weaning is WAY easier than when a child weans him/herself.

Mikayla at 8 months went on a nursing "strike." Most of what I read said, Oh, it's just temporary; give it time. Not so with Mikayla. She NEVER wanted to nurse again. That was hard emotionally and not so comfortable physically.

Joseph, on the other hand, was much easier. Since I was running low on milk, I started weaning him at 10 1/2 months and now, he's officially weaned. I'm not broken-hearted like I was with Mikayla. I think it's mainly because it's been a very slow process. He's now drinking whole milk and loving it. He nursed for almost a full year and I am so grateful for that time.

How about you? Do you think one way is "easier" than the other?

Psalms 131:2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.

We the Dodsons

Ok, this is the last one (for tonight). I'm thrilled to be able to post pictures. It'll make my blog much more interesting. Not that I NEEDED this, but anyway... Here we at at the Bass Pro Shop in Denham Springs, La. Not sure what our goofy Mikayla is doing, but I really like this picture; it's my wallpaper on my computer (that my father-in-law gave me!). Good night, faithful few:)

The Ledbetters

My fav

As of today, this is my favorite picture in the whole wide world. I LOVE IT.
Boy, I've got a lot of catching up to do. Woo hooo!!

Isn't this a cool pic??

When Grace came for her annual visit, we met Christy and her girls at the park and had pizza and played. It was quite nice. Have I finally figured out how to post pictures AT HOME??????????? We'll see...

Game ideas, anyone?

Okay, so we've got a 1 year old's birthday party coming up soon, and I'm at a loss for another game. One we've chosen is pin the tail on the bunny (for Max and Ruby). I know what you're thinking. A 1 year old doesn't care/know one way or the other. And you're absolutely right. I've decided that whatever theme you pick for a 1 yr old is not what he/she likes. It's what the parents like. The kids are clueless! Can you think of a great game for the party?? If so, please share!


The banana pudding was a hit- the only dessert that got all eaten up:) Pardon my silly smile...

Romans 12 is our new memory chapter. Wanna join? It's very exciting and profitable. We've completed Psalm 8 and Psalm 103. It's good to be challenged.

Lots of laundry to do tomorrow. I don't know WHAT happens to our home on Sundays. It's as if every bit of order we thought we had goes out the window trying to get out the door in time for church. and if there's food involved, well, I'm embarrased to say...

Yummy banana pudding

I imagine everybody already has their "tried and true" recipe for banana pudding, but I thought I'd share this anyway. This is super easy and very yummy. I'll be making it for Sunday when we join our friends as they have an open house and celebrate God's provision for them.

Banana Pudding

2 pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1 lg. container of cool whip
3 (or so) bananas
vanilla wafers

Mix pudding, milk and sour cream 'til smooth. Fold in cool whip. Layer with bananas and vanilla wafers. Chill and ENJOY:)

In other exciting news...

• my dear husband and I will be taking a 13 week Dave Ramsey course together and child care is provided. Yay!!!!!!!!
• my ever-thoughtful mommy bought me a pack of lovely stationery with TWENTY stamps to boot. I sure love her!
• It's FRIDAY!!
• my husband gets to have a paintball adventure this weekend! I'm so happy for him. He rarely gets to do anything like that.
• In less than TWO weeks, I'll have a ONE year old. unreal.

I can't resist sharing; I'm sure you'll understand

Nighttimes are always a bit trying with Mikayla. She's constantly calling out for me or "Daddy!" because she has to go to the bathroom or she's thirsty or her head hurts or she found a sticker in her blanket or her throat hurts or she forgot to give hugs/kisses- the list goes on and on. Well, tonight she uttered my favorite excuse of all times:

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Jody goes into her room kinda irritated...

"WHAT do you want Mommy for, Mikayla???!!!!!!"

"cause she's so pretty."

Isn't that the sweetest? So no disciplinary actions were taken for that one. :)

Our trip to Winters

Here we all are in our hoodies. It was way

too cold outside- the wind was ferocious. So,

my mom took some pics inside. Mikayla did NOT

cooperate, but hey, it was fun. kinda.

I guess Mikayla was kinda posing here with her

hair all in her face. What a girl! Love those

BLUE EYES.

Here's my toothy boy. I'm so in love with

him it's not even funny. He's almost ONE!

Shhh... Don't tell, but we're having a suprise Max and Ruby

birthday party for him. I've always wanted to do that:

surprise a one year old. ;)

We had a super fun/relaxing visit with my parents.

They are great and so enjoyable to be around.

Hopefully we'll have many more visits to Winters-

the home of the might Blizzards!

Headed to Winters!

I'm so excited. We're heading to Winters this afternoon after my Joseph gets off work. On the way to Winters, we plan on seeing my Granny in Coleman. Then it's off to my parents' house for lots of fun, food, fellowship and photos (which I plan on posting tomorrow). So, be expecting some pics, finally! Hope you all have a most blessed weekend.

What I love about...

My husband- He loves ME! He's a humungous help with the children. Anytime I want alone time, he's all for it. He loves our children enormously. I love when we stay up into the wee hours of the night (morning) and just talk. and talk. and laugh. and talk and laugh some more. It's awesome. He's absolutely has my affections. for life! his faithfulness and desire to serve his God.


Mikayla- her energy (most of the time). her love for her daddy. reading books to her. watching her concentrate when she's coloring or working on something. when she wraps her arms around me and says, I love you, mommy, BIG AS THE WORLD! when she plays sweetly with her brother. when we sing our scripture songs together. the fact that she likes PINK. There's no guessing, that's the color she'll pick every.single.time. her "twin toes" (two of her toes are webbed). the fact that I don't have to trim her nails - she bites them (yuck, I know). she's a girl!


Joseph- his 4 teeth with the bottom 2 being crooked. I love his clammy boy hands. when he smells like graham crackers. getting him in the mornings. his appetite (boy, can he eat!). the fact that he JUST NOW started to put things in his mouth (11 months old!). when he gnaws on my chin. the nape of his neck. his big forehead (that's not mean- just a fact- he got it from his mommy). his sweet disposition.

There's lots more. Just thought I'd name a few.

A possible encouragement

Imagine this: You walk outside to check the mail and instead of finding more bills and advertisements, inside you find a handwritten note from a friend. Wouldn't that be something very special to find?


Here's a challenge for YOU. Think of a person in your life who could use some encouragement this week. Maybe it's a grandparent, a friend, a sibling, a parent, a friend, a pastor- whoever! Why not sit down sometime today (or whenever) and write out a note for him/her. I know I've been blessed many times in my life to find such a treat in my mailbox.

I'm going to take part in my own challenge, but I'm not sure yet who I'll pick...

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Second Tuesdays

It's been AGES since I've posted. Sorry, guys. I'm back though.



We had a WONDERFUL visit with my inlaws in Louisiana. They are just precious. They treated us like royalty - they showered us with an enormous amount of love and hospitality. We totally enjoyed ourselves. Our Joseph was not feeling well much of the time and didn't sleep well at all. Neither did we. Mikayla had such a nice time with her grandma and grandpa. How fun it was to watch them spend time together. And Joseph got 3 new teeth while we were there. unreal. I think that was partly why he wasn't feeling too hot.

17 and Counting. Jean and I watched the marathon of the show. What an admirable family, for sure! Afterwards I told Jean, I feel inspired. TO HAVE 17 CHILDREN? Not exactly...

Back to the subject: Second Tuesdays

After discussing this with my husband, I think I'm going to try something. On the 2nd Tuesday of each month I'd like to have mommies and their children over for:

• a bible study


• singing


• a memory verse


• a craft


• lunch

I'm excited about it. Wanna come?? Hope so!! You're invited:)