Thursday Thirteen #4

Thanks to Emily for the Banner

Thirteen Things that I Admire About My Big Sister

1... Her ability to multi-task! She can have a cake in the oven, her embroidery machine going while doing title searches on the internet.

2... No matter what may be going on in her life, if someone needs her, she forgets about herself and comes running!

3... She can create a beautiful handbag. I can hardly even sew on a button!

4... She takes care of Mason while I work. She loves him as if he were hers.

5... She can tie a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue. Now that's amazing!

6... She makes awesome mac and cheese.

7... Although life has thrown her many curve balls, she just keeps on keepin' on.

8... She can drop off Jackson for a 9am t-ball game, Jessica to a 9:30am softball game and still manage to be somewhere by 9:30am.

9... She usually has a bag of Hershey Kisses beside her bed that I get into when I'm there.

10... Her ability to alphabetize the letters in words super fast. When I have to alphabetize, I sometimes have to say my abc in my head.

11... She is a Proverbs 31 woman!

12... Her ability to write about her feeling so well that you actually feel them.

13... Her ability to be an incredible big sister to me. She inspires me to be a better person with the things that she does. Her life has been rough these last few years but she has fought back and with God's grace, she grows everyday in her faith.

Ladies and Gentleman... We Have a Swimmer!

About two weeks ago, we got a pool from WalMart. Yes, it's one of those easy set up, which actually was a pain, above ground inflatable pools. It's 4 feet deep but we didn't fill it completely so that Mason could touch. Until this year, Mason has worn "water wings". It was harder for me than it was for him to give up those wings. Mason has no fear of water but Lord knows that I do!

It turns out that Mason can swim better that most adults. He dives to the bottom to get dive sticks, he sinks to the bottom and touches his belly to the pool floor, he jumps off the ladder, and he can swim like a fish. He can swim just as good as I do. I am totally amazed.

He picked up a saying somewhere..... He says it to himself when he is about to attempt something that he has never done before. He says, "I'm brave and fearless". He used that saying in our pool all weekend.

Is It Sinking In?

Anyone who is a parent knows that every decision that you ever make effects your children. Whether it's what they eat for dinner or what sort of discipline that you use. Something that I have always done is talk to Mason about God and Heaven. I have told him that Jesus died for our sins but to a three year old, it's confusing. I read him Bible stories whenever he will sit and listen, we sing children's praise songs and I take him to church every Sunday. These things have always been important to me. He thinks that Heaven is sorta like outerspace. He knows that PaPa is in Heaven. I have told him that he will see PaPa again one day when he goes to Heaven. But you never know if children as young as Mason are really soaking it all in until......

Bright and early this morning, Mason and I went for a walk. He was running and fell, resulting in a lot of tears and scrapped hands. Hardly bad enough to see but enough to upset him. I put a bandaide on each hand. He looked up at me with tears running down his face and said, "Mommy, will you please pray for my hands?" I knelt in the kitchen beside Mason and I asked God to please make his hands feel better. The tears stopped and off to church we went. Mason left the bandaides on his hands until we got to church. At that point he took them off, bowed his head and said, "Dear God, thank you so much for healing my hands so that I can play in children's church."

Is that not the most precious thing ever? What a great way to start our Sunday, with a small miracle from God! And confirmation that what I am trying to teach Mason is actually sinking in! Praise God!

Busy Friday

Today has been one of those days that seems to last forever. The heat was suffocating and the breeze must has been on vacation! Brett left today to go to Virginia for a softball tournament and will not be home until Monday. I already miss him!

Mason had his Luau (or his hoot owl if you ask him) at school today and was very luck that his Aunt Angie and his great grandmother were able go with him. He had a great time and came home with a grass skirt and even showed me his dance.

This afternoon Mason and I got in the pool for awhile. He has become quite the swimmer. All of the sudden he is a fish! He could probably teach me a few things! I think that he must get the swimming gene from his Aunt Brookie!

After the pool, we both enjoyed a drumstick ice cream cone. I climbed to the top of his swing set with him and sat in his "fort" and probably gained a pound. Oh well!

Then to top off our mommy and Mason evening, he helped me make homemade pizza for dinner. His hands were all in that dough. He loved helping.

So, after a long day of playing hard, we are both very tired! Nighty - Night!

Thursday Thirteen #3

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Thirteen Funny Things That Mason Has Said...

1... Mason spotted a roach outside and screamed like crazy. He is terrified of bugs but this was beyond terrified. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "Mommy, did you see the eyelashes on that bug?"

2... The other day I dressed Mason in a sleevless shirt. He looked at me and said, "Mommy, I love this shirt. This is my armpit shirt."

3... I told him that he looked really cute. He told me, "I don't look cute. I look awesome!"

4... He told me that I looked like Miss America. (Now that's funny!)

5... He told me that when he gets big that he is going to marry Miss America. He said that she was going to walk down the "hallway" at church and marry him with a skirt on her head.

6... Mason asked, "Mommy, who is God's Father?" I told him that God was the Father. He said, "No, Mommy, I know who His father is. It's the Creacher." When I asked him who the "creacher" was he said, "You know, the creacher who talks at church."

7... We saw a dead lizard in the road while we were walking. The next day it was gone. I asked Mason where he thought the lizard went. He told me, "The angels came down last night and threw it in the woods."

8... Instead of saying tomorrow, Mason has always said tomorning.

9... When kids are bothering Mason he says, "Those kids are begging on me."

10... I took Mason to get a haircut. When we got there he looked at the barber and said, "Please cut my hair. It's all jacked up!"

11... Mason is having a Luau at Preschool. He told me that he was really excited about going to his "hoot owl" at school.

12... When Mason was 2 we had to put one of our dogs to sleep. Right after that Mason told me that when he gets old like me that he was going to go to Heaven to see Buster.

13... Mason went to the dentist yesterday. I told him that if he didn't stop eating so much candy that his teeth would rot out. He told me that it was okay if his teeth fell out because then the tooth fairy would come and leave him money. He also told me that his cousin Jackson, 5, must eat a lot of candy because all his teeth are falling out.

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Is Your Favorite Color Plaid?

Tonight I went to a Celebrate Recovery meeting. I have been going to these meetings for a few weeks to try to learn how encourage my brother. I wanted to learn how to cope with the things that he does and how to take care of myself. It has been very discouraging to me because all of the women in the meeting have issuses that they are all trying to work through. I have contemplated giving up on the meetings because I couldn't pick a problem that I had to work on. Not that I don't have problems. Who doesn't? It always came back around to my brother. But I am not going to make my brother better. I go so that I can gain strength from the women there. Every week I leave saying to myself, " I am not going back." But during the week that follows, I find myself remembering something that was said in there. Something to give me hope... Light at the end of a dark tunnel. And I always find myself going back.

Tonight was all about taking action. Taking action to change your life. It was said that some people are so indecisive that they don't even know what their favorite color is... So they pick plaid. I started giggling because my favorite color is plaid!! I am very indecisive in a lot of areas of my life. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a hard time making big decisions without first asking everyone that I know his or her opinion. Should I or shouldn't I? This way or that way? Black or white? Red or pink? I'm often afraid that I will make bad choices. What I should be doing is praying about things more and letting God lead me..... Not everyone else. And I am going to pick a favorite color! Any suggestions? JUST KIDDING!

Mason and Ripley

Our Weekend

The last few days have been very busy and I haven't had time to blog.... My bad!! On Sunday, we went in the river with Billy, Amy and Will. It has been a long time since I have done the whole river thing. I really enjoyed it a lot! Mason loved being in the water and he really loved riding in Uncle Billy's boat. Thanks Amy and Billy!

After our day in the river, we went to Outback for Brett's birthday dinner. It was yummy! I love big loud family dinners and that's what we had! Then off to our house for cake and ice cream. Needless to say, we all slept well Sunday night. Mason didn't want to get up Monday morning. He slept on the way to Aunt Angie's, crawled into her bed and continued sleeping and even took a short nap after lunch. He was definitely well rested when we got home yesterday!

Happy 30th Birthday Honey!

Thirty years ago today my soulmate was born! Brett and I have been married for almost 5 years. I have known Brett since high school although we went to rivaling schools. I never really knew him very well until my little sister married one of his best friends. Brett and I started out as roommates, living across the hall from one another. We became really good friends and one thing lead to another and we fell in love.

Brett is like no other man on this earth. I have never known anyone like him. I honestly believe that God created both of us knowing that we were made for each other. He is compassionate, loving, honest, very hardworking and an amazing father. I couldn't have chosen a better daddy for Mason.

I LOVE YOU BRETT!

Mason's funnies

Funny Things That Mason Has Said....

Mason spotted a roach outside and screamed like crazy. He is terrified of bugs but this scream was beyond terrified. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "Mommy, did you see the eyelashes on that bug?"

I dressed Mason this morning in a sleevless shirt. He looked at me and said, "I love this shirt because this is my armpit shirt."

On the way to Aunt Angie's this morning, I told Mason that he looked really cute. He said, "I don't look cute. I look awesome!"

He also informed this morning that I look like Miss America. (Now that's funny!)

Best Buds

This is Mason and Ripley, the two most mischievous boys to ever grace our home! Ripley was a Christmas gift from my in-laws in 2004. I received a fury little puppy but Mason got a new best friend. If you were to walk into our house, you would most likely find these two together, doing what they do best..... Watching Sponge Bob, eating chips or cookies, snuggling really close at bed time or dancing. Although Ripley has eaten many of Mason's toys, Mason still stands by his pup and defends him. "But mommy, he was hungry." or "But mommy, my daddy will buy me another toy". Ripley has done some down right naughty things in our house.... Chewed carpet, our bedspread, our dresser, hundreds of Mason's toys, shoes, underwear, socks, and his all time favorite, toilet paper. Even last night, Brett came home from work, exhausted, only to find that Ripley had ripped a hole in his pillow. There have been times when I have wanted to take Ripley down the street and leave him. Of course, I would never do that. I would at least leave him in front of a nice home..... HAHA! But as angry as I get at Ripley, all that disappears when I wake up and find Ripley sleeping on Mason's pillow, right above Mason's head. Or when I see how upset Ripley gets when Mason cries. Or when Mason and Ripley are sharing a snack while relaxing in the recliner. They are inseparable and I wouldn't trade either one of them for anything!

Thursday Thirteen #2

Banner by Emily

Thirteen Random Thoughts That Mason Had About His Daddy

1... My daddy buys me whatever I want.

2... My daddy takes me on walks while I ride my tractor.

3... My daddy is going to buy me a big pool.

4... He always works in the yard and he makes mommy pull the weeds.

5... My daddy likes to take naps with me.

6... He was there when I was born.

7... My daddy made me with my mommy.

8... My daddy takes me places that I love to go like 40 Flags and baseball games in the tv.

9... I love him all the way to the river and back.

10... He bought me a necklace to wear to school to help me be brave.

11... My daddy will be 4 on his birthday, just like me.

12... My daddy is 4 tall.

13... He lets me go to the dump with him.

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Baby Birds!!

A sweet mommy bird has taken up residence in our hanging plant on the front porch. Mason and I have been waiting patiently for her 5 eggs to hatch. Today when we checked the nest, instead of eggs we saw 5 fur balls! Mason is so excited. He thinks these babies are his pets and that we should name them. We are very careful not to touch the plant that the nest is in because we don't want the momma bird to abandon her babies. So, we have five babies to name and we could use some help! Any ideas? Obviously we aren't going to be able to tell them apart but Mason insists on naming them. He knows that they will get bigger and eventually learn to fly. But according to him, they will always live around our house. He also informed me today that birds fly up to the sun in the afternoon and that they cover it up and that is why it gets dark. I asked him who told him that and he said, "God". I would love to hear all of his thoughts for a day! I'm sure that I would be amazed!

On Mother's Day at church I saw a glimpse of hope sliding down my brothers face in the form of tears. I will never forget the look of desperation in his eyes. I held him while he released tears that have been building up for weeks and weeks. He is fighting a battle that, by the grace of God, I will never know. Some people think that he is fighting a losing battle but those people obviously don't know my brother very well. I often wonder why God would allow such an amazing person to be trapped in an awful addiction. But I am beginning to understand why. God has a plan for his life that will reveal itself in the near future and we will look back and say, "So, that's why this happened". I may not understand. Mom and Dad may not understand. My brother and sisters may not understand. But all that matters is that God understands what He is doing. I look forward to the day when we can all look back.

I GOT TAGGED..... Last week but here goes!

I AM: Mason's mommy and Brett's wife
I WANT: a swimming pool in our backyard. Nothing fancy. Walmart pool would be fine.
I WISH: my brother had never even tried drugs.
I HATE: the sound of someone smacking their food!
I MISS: Buster.
I FEAR: the Lord!
I HEAR: the hum of the computer and Ripley chewing on a dog bone.
I WONDER: who will win American Idol now that Chris is gone.
I REGRET: not getting those capri's that were on sale last week.
I AM NOT: rich.
I DANCE: around the house with Mason and while I am cleaning.
I SING: in the car with Mason or whenever I hear a song I like.
I CRY: when my feelings get hurt.
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: a mess in the kitchen everytime that I cook.
I WRITE: about Mason.
I CONFUSE: everyone that I meet.
I NEED: coffee first thing in the morning.
I SHOULD: pull the weeds in my backyard.
I START: my day by reading blogs.
I FINISH: my day by reading blogs.
I TAG: Sandy, Bonnie and Waynette

These pictures were taken at Green Meadows Petting Farm in Orlando, Florida
Have you seen a sweeter picture?

Yes, Mason is milking the cow!

Mason loved holding Rudy the Rooster

Is it a Dream?

Last night was a looooong one! Mason woke up about 1:15am, screaming as if someone had chopped off a body part. Of course, Brett and I both jumped up, although we didn't have to go far because Mason was in our bed. He just kept screaming about something hurting him. We kept asking what it was but he just kept screaming. His whole body was tense and his teeth were clamped shut. My first thought was that he was having some sort of nightmare. About 10 minutes later, he is still screaming, but manages to tell me that his foot hurts. His foot? Growing pains at three years old? So, I rubbed and rubbed. He still screamed. I got out the heating pad, put it on low. He still screamed. At that point I was saying, "Mason, wake up." He looked at me through his tears and said, "I am awake! My foot feels terrible!" I almost giggled. Anyway, I proceeded to the rocking chair and rocked like my life depended on it. He did eventually go back to sleep.....Until....

3:20am. Mason is screaming again. It was the kind of crying that makes him stop breathing for a few seconds. I was flipping out ya'll! I was thinking it was a dream until Mason asked for the heating pad the second time he woke up. Could he remember that if he was dreaming? So, he cried and cried. Tears were flowing! I looked at Brett and whispered, "Tylenol Suppository." Well, I learned real quick that Mason can read lips. I'm here to tell you that he jumped off our bed and fell to he floor. He was hysterical. I looked at Brett and said, "Forget the suppository. Go get the tranquilizer!" Of course, I was kidding but that is how upset Mason was. It took Brett and I both holding him down to give him the medicine. He sure did forget about his hurt foot for a few minutes. So, back to the rocking chair I went and Mason did eventually go back to sleep. He slept the rest of the night and is still sleeping.

He does this about every three months. The day after these incidents, he acts normal. We ask him if he remembers crying and he says he does. He even remembers that his foot was hurting. Night terrors? He acts totally wide awake while we are going through these fits. It is always his feet that are hurting. He is always fine the next day. Any ideas? Please share!!!

Thursday Thirteen Volume 1

Thirteen Things about Lori 1. I'm Mason's mommy. Mason will be 4 years old in September. He is the joy of my life. 2. I'm a real estate agent and have worked for my mom for almost 12 years. Luckily, we get along great! 3. I have been married for 5 years on July 7. I am very blessed to be married to an amazing man! He is a great father and he even does dishes and laundry! 4. I have two sisters and two brothers. I am the second oldest. 5. I have three dogs (Tyson, Chewy and Ripley), two turtles (Newton and Tiger) and three hermit crabs (Boots, Dora and Diego). 6. I love to go to the beach, read and knit. 7. I would eat Italian food every night if I could without gaining weight! 8. I am a worrier. I am learning that worrying doesn't do any good but it's a hard lesson to learn! 9. I have so many pairs of shoes that they are busting out of my closet. I'll buy an awesome pair of shoes and then have to go buy an outfit to wear them with. 10. I am an American Idol fanatic! I have only missed one episode but I had a friend record it for me. (Soooo mad that Chris got kicked off last night!) 11. I have 2 nieces and 7 nephews. 12. I have been a member of the same church my entire life. 13. I am addicted to blogging!!! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Angie 2. Ginger 3. Angela 4. Undercover Angel 5. a&i'smommy 6. Kelly 7. Tricia 8. TNChick 9. Lauren 10. Susan 11. Just Expressing Myself (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Photo Gallery

My Little Super Hero

We're Back!

What should I say? Where should I start?

Our entire trip seemed like the best part.

On the way there, Mason was good in the car,

Although he kept saying, "Disney is way to far!"

Mason called our hotel room his new small house.

It was worth the down size to see Mickey Mouse!

On the way there, Mason was dancing in his seat.

I could see the excitement from his head to his feet!

So, Daddy and Mason rode all the fast rides.

I was afraid and had to sit off to the side!

All those loops and twists and turns...

Just thinking about it makes my stomach burn.

I did ride Splash Mountain... With my eyes shut,

I still feel the nausea in the pit of my gut!

Mason got his face painted like a great super hero,

By this time my energy level was about on zero!

Mason drove a race car around a big track.

He drove and he drove and never looked back.

We went on a jungle cruise on a big old boat.

I wasn't even sure if that thing was gonna float.

Mason loved meeting Goofy and shaking his hand.

He wasn't afraid of anything, my brave little man!

The next day we went to a great big farm,

It was a little bit stinky but still full of charm.

Mason rode on a horse and held a big rooster.

Now, how is that for an ego booster?

We saw a strange animal... Was it a zebra or a horse?

Can you believe that thing was a doggone zorse?

Daddy got peed on by a little bitty duck,

The lady at the farm said that's suppose to be good luck.

Mason got to milk a great big cow,

He squeezed and squeezed and finally said WOW!

In the end Mason had one more question, of course...

"Can I go over now and milk that big horse?"

Mickey Mouse, Here We Come!!!

We are leaving in the morning to go to "Mickey Mouse's House", as Mason puts it! He is so excited but I think that Brett and I are just as excited to go. I have been making lists all day. I am definitely a list kind of girl. I love to make a list and mark everything off! What a good feeling.

We will not be home until Tuesday. For those of you who look forward to my blog, hang in there! I'll be back with plenty of Disney stories and great pictures. I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

One Of Those Mornings!

I am having one of those mornings! You know the ones.... Wake up late....Rush! Rush! Rush! Mason wakes up super grumpy! "I don't want to go to school!" Spilled coffee on my pj's. Forgot to iron my skirt last night.. Now I'm even later. Ripley is running around the backyard, muddy and wet. Mason takes off out the back door to chase him. In the meantime, I spill water down the front on my white skirt. I ran back in to blow dry my skirt. Mason finally catches Ripley but in the meantime, he got his jeans all wet and dirty and I had to change them. Run out the door and break my nail getting in the car. I could go on but I'm sure that you get the picture. Once I finally did get in the car and backed out of my driveway, I had to laugh because my other option was to cry. What a morning!!

Since I left the house, my day has been better. Mason had preschool today. I picked him up, we met Aunt Angie at Pizza Hut for lunch and now he is at her house.

I hope that everyone reading this is having a great day. American Idol comes on tonight so I decided to blog early!

Imagine this...

You are standing on the sidewalk of a church. It is dark outside and there is a chill in the air. To the right there is a circle of 30 men. Young men. Old Men. All recovering addicts. They are all praying. In the middle of that circle is your little brother. All of those men are laying their hands on your brother and asking God to take away his addiction.....

Can you even imagine the feeling? The sight of it? I can because I saw it happen last night at my church. That circle of prayer was wrapped around my brother!

A group of 50 or more men and women came from The Faith Home and shared song and testimony. Talk about powerful!!! I was moved to tears as were several others. To hear their stories of complete heartache and being totally broken and then about their incredible healing through God's grace. I sat in awe of these men and women. They were heroes in my eyes! I have seen what drugs can do. I have felt the pain and ache of watching someone sink deeper and deeper into satan's grasp. I am still feeling the pain of it. I have watched my brother fight with everything that is in him and then watched satan grab him up again. It is heartbreaking.

But there is a wonderful side to all of this. God has a plan and a time for everything. My brother will get better and he will snap the chains that bind him. It may not be when I want it to happen but I have learned to let God take over. I know that everything happens because it is a part of God's plan. He is using my brother to touch so many lives. My super sweet friend went to church for the first time in 17 years. She had reached a point of hopelessness and came to church. Guess what she found there? HOPE!