I'm very thankful

Jody and I had a most lovely date today, and it was loooooong. YAY! We attended the Focus on Marriage seminar from about 8am-4pm. Guess who watched our children... You guessed it. My mother!! I'm terribly thankful for you, Mom!! Thanks for feeding our children, changing diapers and wiping, making our bed!, washing the dishes, and playing with them and loving on them so sweetly. You are a blessing; that's all there is to it. THANK YOU! Looking forward to tomorrow when we can go, Lord willing!, see Grace!!!!!!!! :)

Riverside Park

Jody was OFF today! So, we made our way to the park. It was super sunny- not ideal for picture taking, but that didn't stop me. A good time was had by all, until Mikayla had to go to the restroom and she didn't want to hold my hand.... Anyway, we made it home safely and that's the good news! And she's sleeping now. Ahhh.

An odd moment

My friend Christy was trying to take a picture of Joseph when Mikayla felt like she wanted to be in the picture. So, she flew in beside him and this was the outcome:

Stumped

I know my life is good. I have been blessed more than I could ever express, esp. in this little post. But there is something in my life that is lacking and I'm feeling it- very much. I really miss exercising. When I just had one child, I could take her and walk with her whenever I wanted. Now I have two children (!), and it's quite challenging for me to get any exercise. I've even made up my own "tile dance." While the kids are sitting at the table I put on some music and start "dancing" using the tile on our kitchen floor as a guide where to put my feet next- ha ha ha! It's kinda like a chess board... You should see the way they look at me; it's quite amusing for them. :)


That being said, I'm on the lookout for a double jogging stroller so that I can walk/jog with my children. I'm even contemplating getting a gym membership for 2 months to get me jump started. So, do you know of anyone wanting to sale a double jogging stroller? If so, let me know, ok?


I struggle with these feelings of restlessness. Am I not being content where I'm at? I know the Lord wants me to take care of my body. I am bought with a price! 1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. I don't want exercise to be a god/idol in my life. I just want to have a good balance and feel good physically.

_________________________________________________________

Thanks for the comments on my recent collage. I have fun doing them. I use Picasa. A terrific photo program. Just go to picasa.com , and download for FREE picasa 3, and then the fun begins! If it works with my super slow dial up internet, I'm sure it will work for anyone:)

Better than ever!

A break from blogging

My blog has definitely been rather dull lately. As a result of that and the fact that I'm caring for my babies and that I'm behind on my memorizing says it's time for a break. I'll be back soon; hopefully with some renewed energy behind this blog.

Tomorrow my favorite Ian nephew turns 7 and Jody and I will be married for 9 years. It amazes me how much I love that man. He's absolutely wonderful.

So, next time you see me, America, I'll be SO improved you won't be able to put your mouse down- ha!!

Until next time...

It made me laugh

After our Joseph had a pretty rough puking session, I put him in the bath tub to get him all cleaned up. Mikayla and I were watching him play around in there. He spotted the duckies at the other end of the tub and started crawling toward them. Mikayla softly exclaimed, "Oh, he can swim!"

I know it's really not THAT funny, but I loved it. :)

Happy Monday!

A new song

The children and I had to miss church today because of sickness. This happens very rarely and I'm very thankful for that. We spent some time in Mikayla's room singing scripture songs, and we came across this one:

Psalms 96:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

I thought about people claiming that they don't like "contemporary Christian music." I think we need to be careful. Contemporary simply means of the same time period or new. Just because a song is contemporary doesn't make it bad. The Lord is still saving and some of these saved ones write music/songs. We do need to practice discernment concerning the music we listen to. I think the #1 question to ask is, does this glorify God?


John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.


I know there's a lot of controversy about this. And of course there is personal preference. If it's questionable, ask the Lord for wisdom. He will lead and guide you.

Just think. Amazing Grace and Be still, my soul were at one time considered "contemporary music."

ps. These posts never turn out like I have it in my mind, but I guess you get the idea that I'm trying to show. At least it's something to think about

Here's the recipe, Jamie:)

I'm not sure where I got this recipe from but we'll call it...

Sarah's Sausage Surprise

In about 2 teaspoons of olive oil, saute 1/2 onion, 1/2 bell pepper, 2 medium zucchini, 1/2 lg. link of sausage (all finely chopped) till semi-soft. Then add 1 can of corn or 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn, a small can of tomato sauce and some Italian seasoning. Cook over medium heat until all heated through. Serve with a smile and with some good corn bread and... Enjoy! Both my children like this, and one of them is a very picky eater. If anyone tries this, let me know how it turns out, ok? :)

Parenting is NOT for the faint of heart

Today has been quite a day. Both children had some major episodes with puking and the other bad thing. Don't want to type it out - too ugly. THANKFULLY, Jody was off work today and was a huge help. I don't know how single parents do it! I've done tons of laundry today. Things have quieted down and hopefully both children will sleep well tonight, which means we would too!


I really love being a parent. There's nothing I'd rather be doing.


Today is my brother Mike's birthday!! Happy Birthday, Bro! It also marks the 2 year anniversary of having my D&C after miscarrying. We named the baby Jada, which means God knows. Perfect. I feel the Lord has healed our hearts so beautifully. He's so good!

Hope you have a great weekend. Lord willing, our children will be feeling better soon. Now wouldn't that be nice? :)

Fun with pictures

We had our friend over today and took pictures; what cuties those kids are:) The picture of me and Mikayla and Joseph is the one I'm planning to frame for my husband for our 9th anniversary ; I think he'll like it. Hope you have a wonderful day. I can't stop posting pictures! Help me!!

Our first 2nd Tuesday- join us next time!

Finally!

This is our 1 yr old Joseph's room. We finally got things put up on the walls. Unreal how long that took... I'm so excited!! :)

Dinner tonight

New dolls for Mikayla

Mikayla has a very sweet friend, Hannah, who passed along her dolls to Mikayla. She LOVES them! They came with little outfits and tights and shoes and jackets and hats. She's having a blast playing with them. They're so cute and the clothes for them are even modest! Yay:)

$6.49!!

Have YOU ever paid $6.49 for a gallon of milk???? Well, I hadn't- until today. I had estimated our total at Kroger to be around $22 or so. So, when the cashier told me my total was over $25 I was kinda surprised and on our way out was checking my receipt. I thought I bought the milk that was 2/$6. Not even. I bought the Gandy's milk. I'm half expecting to choke on diamonds as we drink it. I mean, some of these frugal blogs I read spend that much to feed their families for a week! Unbelievable. I was not feeling good enough to turn around and make it all right. oh well.

Ever seen Homeland Security? My husband is watching it right now. We taped it from last night. Anyway, I love how new shows will say ALL NEW!... Of course it's all new. It's only the second show!

Anyway. My mom bought me a new sd card. Isn't that so special?! I love that lady.

Good night. Careful which milk you choose. It could end up costing you- big!

The first day of the rest of my blog life

I have my first follower!! I was wondering if I would ever have a "following." ha! And to top it off, she's a super sweet gal. Thanks:) Grace, wanna join?? Mom??

Tonight we had our 3rd Dave Ramsey course; it was on building a budget. He's got some good things to say. My friend Christy is so kind to watch our kiddos for us. It's so much fun riding in the car with my husband and it being JUST THE TWO OF US. Of course we love our kiddos, but it's SO nice getting quiet time. sigh.

Has anyone out there taken this Dave Ramsey course? I would definitely recommend it.

Have a good one!

A birthday party like no other

I love this picture. Joseph's Uncle Jerry was very entertaining

and super sweet to the birthday boy.

Fun Times!

My Miggy

A Blessed Sunday

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:)