Our Sweet Neighbors

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.

~James 2:8

Grandaddy, Jack, Georgia, Amy Laurel and MawMaw

I must say, we are truly blessed to have such wonderful neighbors! Truman and Betty Moore have been our neighbors for almost 10 years now and they are precious! We refer to them as MawMaw and Grandaddy (they are my friends Brett and Tara's grandparents, and for as long as I can remember that is what we have called them). Georgia loves to go over and visit, so much so, that about a year ago, she came up missing, and I frantically search the house and then move outside. Where do you think I found her? Yep, at the Moore's eating a popsicle. She saw them outside her bedroom window and decided to go for a visit. They always have treats for her and Jack. We laugh because they have a table in their den that has nothing but pictures of their grand kids and great-grand kids, and right there in the middle of all of them are pictures of Georgia and Jack. Georgia does think she is one of their grand kids!

Tallassee Trade Day

Tallassee Trade Day was this weekend. It's an annual fair located on King Street in Tallassee. This year Georgia's dancing class performed. I must say I was proud of my little Georgie. She did so good. Several of the girls cried the entire time and others got a little scared and froze, but not my Georgie. She did the entire dance and sang too! The pictures are not the best....there were so many people there, I had a hard time finding a place to stand. Georgia is in the black leotard on the front row in the center. I had to post the group shot. Notice the three little ones in the back crying. I wanted to run out there and scoop them up (guess you call it mother's instinct).

Cannon and Georgia Anne

Georgia Anne and Harley

Jack enjoyed his first sucker! He has had a few licks off of Georgia's suckers in the past, but has never had one all his own. He was so proud...he kept holding it out and showing it to anyone who would look. He also had his first taste of cotton candy!

Georgie enjoyed an entire bag of pink cotton candy.....compliments of Nana!

Homecoming In Tallassee

For those of you who are not from Tallassee, homecoming here is a BIG deal. This year THS welcomed back the Class of '89! I can remember in high school thinking the returning class was old as dirt. Now, as I approach my reunion in just a few years...they don't look so old! This is the first year it really hit me that my twenty year reunion is creeping up. I was in band and journalism with a lot of the people in the class of '89...so I guess that is why it has got me thinking. Michael's 20 year is next year...hard to believe that it has been twenty years, and that made me think...Michael and I have been together for almost 20 years! Where does the time go? These pictures are from the homecoming parade. Georgia wore her cheerleader outfit and every time someone passed by in the parade, she would yell, "GO TIGERS!" She danced when she heard the band coming, but when they made it to us, she put her hands over her ears. Jack just took it all in. They got lots of candy and beads!

Bama is Back, Baby!!!

Cotton Pickers

I love this time of the year, and I have always enjoyed all the cotton fields here in Alabama. We are so lucky to be able and enjoy thousands of acres of white, fluffy cotton along Highway 229 in Tallassee. Every year, I've said I was going to stop and take pictures, and every year I always wait too long and it has been picked. So this year, I was determined to take the kids to a cotton field. They had so much fun and Georgia asked so many questions. They picked a few stalks of cotton (thanks, Taylors, hope you don't mind). They have kept the cotton in the car and every time we go anywhere, they both want to have some cotton to play with. I do have to watch Jack though...he tries to eat it!!

Surprise, Surprise!!

What a surprise we got today at my regular OB check-up! We found out our baby is another little boy! Yeah! I must tell you it was a stressful check-up though. After several attempts by two nurses, we couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat. After Dr. Desautels tried for several minutes without luck, he sent me down to have an ultra-sound. At this point panic had set in and I was very worried. (I actually had a dream a few nights ago that this would happen, weird huh?) Sweet Amy Thrash from Tallassee was waiting for me when I got off the elevator. As soon as the baby appeared, she showed me the heartbeat. What a relief and an answered prayer! After a few minutes of her checking everything out, I asked her if she could tell whether it was a boy or girl. She moved around and little, and then there it was...another little boy! Just as suspected by Dr. Desautles, the baby was right under my C-section scar, and the scar tissue had made it hard to detect the heartbeat with the Dopler.
I will keep you updated on the name according to Georgia. She had now changed the baby's name to Hummus. Lando or Hummus??? Huh, which will it be? I'll keep you posted!

First Soccer Practice

Georgia is participating in her first organized sport activity...soccer. She is on the gold team and Eric Phillips is her coach. There are 12 members on her team, only 3 girls including her. She enjoyed her first practice, but did have a little accident and cried for about 5 minutes. As she was going back on the field, she said, "O.K. Mama, now I'm going to be tough like a boy."

A Ride with the Top Down

My parents have an '88 Mercedes convertible (which they rarely get out of the garage). The weather has been so pretty the past few days, they decided to go for a ride. Boy was Georgie happy to see them pull up at our house. They rode Georgie and Jack up and down our back alley about 10 times. (Don't worry...they didn't get on the main street without car seats) Georgie really enjoyed it and had never been in a convertible and had never rode in a car without a car seat.

Adding to the Butler Crew

Well, we are excited to let everyone know that a new baby Butler is on the way and expected to be here sometime around the 22nd of March!! The ultrasound pic is old....I was only 6 weeks pregnant at the time, so there's not much to see. Georgia has already picked out names for us....Lando if it's a boy, Jasmine if it's a girl. Well, I guess it is better than Chee Chee, which she had picked out for Jack!

Bible Stories, A Visit with Toe Toe, and Determination

This morning I had one of those moments that melts a mommy's heart. I was in the kitchen making breakfast and I walked into the den and found Georgie and Jack sitting in the chair together and Georgie was "reading" Jack the Bible. I wish I had a tape recorder handy. When I walked in she was telling him the story of David and Goliath. I caught the tail end of that, and then she says, "Now to Adam and Eve and the sneaky, sneaky snake." She turned right to it and proceeded to tell Jack the story of Adam and Eve. I pray everyday that Georgia and Jack be saved at a young age and seeing this brought me to tears. Jack was patiently listening and looking. She was witnessing to her brother in a way she knew how. For those of you with children, I highly recommend The Beginner's Bible by Zonderkids. You can get it at Wal-Mart for about $15.00. It is wonderful because it follows the Bible by Old Testament and New Testament and the illustrations are great. There are pictures on every page and I think that is what keeps their attention. It would make a great gift too for those without kids.

My sister, Tori (aka Toe Toe) and her boyfriend, Bryan, came for a visit today. Georgia and Toe Toe have a special bond that is hard to explain. Georgie absolutely worships the ground Tori walks on. From day one, Tori has been her best friend. I laugh because Georgia is Tori made over...from the way she looks, to her personality. Sometimes it is scary how much alike they are! I made the mistake of telling Georgia Tori was coming when we woke up. She asked me every few minutes when she was going to be here. She sat by the window and watched for her and then finally said, "she just couldn't wait any longer." We even bought new lip gloss and fingernail polish so she could look extra pretty for Toe Toe. I did get a chuckle about the lip gloss though. She informed me she had something she needed to tell me. She said she had eaten all her lipstick. When I told her she didn't need to do that, she replied, "but it just tasted so good." We enjoyed a nice afternoon and Mom cooked a wonderful lunch for us all...it was almost like Thanksgiving diner! We ate in the dining room and even ate on the "good" china.

Jack Butler has to be one of the most determined little guys I know. When Georgia was his age, my pediatrician use to tell me when she was doing something she shouldn't be doing, distract her. Don't make a big fuss out of it, just divert her attention to something else. I almost always worked with her. Jack is a different story. He is very one track minded. Today at my parents house, he tried to go up the steps about 100 times. Every time he got a chance he would go straight to the staircase. My dad sat on the steps and would catch him. Daddy finally held on to his leg...he pulled and tried for the longest time to break free from Daddy. The last picture is the look of distress when he realized he wasn't going to break free.

Roll Tide Roll!!

Michael and the kids were pumped up after the big Bama win Saturday, so we headed outside so they could throw the ball around. Georgie told Michael he wasn't as fast as her, so they raced several times. I must say Georgie didn't get her athletic ability from me...poor Jack might have taken after me. We went next door to Mamaw's (Michael's Grandmother Stalnaker) since she has a fenced in yard. She always enjoys seeing the children and they adore her. I did get a little sad yesterday watching them play there because Granddaddy Stalnaker (Jack's namesake) isn't here to see them and to see Jack. He had five girls, seven granddaughters, three grandsons, and seven great-granddaughters. He so much wanted a great-grandson and would have been so thrilled to see Jack. Even though he only had girls, he was a Boy Scout leader and Baseball coach for many years in Tallassee. Anyway, it was fun to see Georgia and Jack enjoying a beautiful football Saturday! By the way....

Roll Tide Roll!!

Kami and Joey

My sister-in-law, Kami, recently started a blog. Kami and Joey are planning their wedding that will be April 25th. She has been so organized and dedicated to getting everything done early, so she won't be frantic in the months before the wedding. I've had fun helping her with a few things, and tagging along on "wedding excursions." They had their engagement pictures taken by Kim Box Photography...and needless to say they were great! I just wanted to tell everyone to check out their blog and bookmark it! http://www.kamiandjoey.blogspot.com/

Georgia's 4K Class at School

Georgia has been going to East Tallassee Baptist Church's Mother's Day Out program since she was 20 months old. She had only been going two days a week until this year. She is in Mrs. Robin's room, and they have class 4 days a week (she goes M, T, T, F from 9:00 to 1:00). She LOVES Mrs. Robin and her classmates, many of which she's been with since before she was 2. Mrs. Robin sings songs with them, they learn about a number and letter each week, do cute craft projects, learn a Bible verse each week, and so much more! Mrs. Robin is so dedicated and goes above and beyond to help these little ones flourish.

Mrs. Robin and her class....

Singing songs...

Georgia practicing writing her name....

Working on the letter "C"...

Georgia and Cole

I did have to write a little something special about Georgia's best bud, Cole. These two have sparked up a little friendship that is just so sweet. Georgia told Michael and me that Cole lives in her heart and she lives in Cole's. He is a thoughtful, loving and caring little boy....and I am so glad Georgia has found such a good friend. Last week, Cole brought Georgia a Hello Kitty notebook as a gift. His mom, Stephanie, told me he had asked for a girl's happy meal at McDonald's so he could give her his toy. Sometimes seeing things through a child's eyes makes you realize how sweet and innocent friendships should be.

A Boy's Best Friend

Jack has really started enjoying P.J. He laughs and giggles at him and chases him around the house. I must say, P.J. is the best little dog (except he is not really little). He will let Georgia and Jack do anything to him...from riding him like a horse, to dressing him up in princess clothes, to tying him up to things. I know P.J. wonders where his leisurely days of napping and laying in the sunshine have gone. P.J. and Jack have a special frienship...P.J. has figured out when Jack has a cracker or cookie, he will share with him. So for the time being, P.J. is Jack's shadow. It is so funny!!

Jack is learning to feed himself!!

Jack has started feeding himself with a spoon....he is so determined to do it. He'll put the food on his spoon and eventually he'll get it in his mouth...though usually it takes a couple of times. It's fun to see him becoming more independent.

Looking Back

I was going through some pictures on my computer, and I came across some pictures of Georgia when she was between 1 and 2. I get so sad when I see these...it makes me realize I'll never be able to go back to those baby days. She is so grown up looking now, that it makes me smile to see her at that age. It makes me realize that I need to enjoy EVERY moment with Jack now....because it won't be long and I'll look back at him and wonder where the time has gone.