The England Family Adventures

High Five

2012-01-06T22:49:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Memaw

2011-12-29T21:31:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Memaw,
Today is your 88th birthday and I still cannot believe you have been gone 4 years. You are so dearly missed and my memories of you and with you are cherished. So much has happened in the past 4 years and I wish I could tell you everything. I have a hope and a dream that you get so see glimpses of our lives from heaven. I hope you saw the day Jack was born. He is so very amazing. He just turned a year old recently but today was actually suppose to be his birthday. I love that his due date was on the 29th because it made me think of you even more. Jack makes us laugh daily and I have no doubt he would keep you in stitches also. I tell him about you and we use your quilts daily because I know you would want that. I opened your last jar of fig preserves last weekend and they are delish!! I won't ever get rid of the jar or the lid since it has your handwriting on the label. You were in my dream last week and when I woke up I was thrilled to have "seen" you. You were in your car and were driving down our old street. You waved and I seemed to know you were going to the hairdressers. So Happy Birthday Memaw. I love you.
Your granddaughter,
Amy

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from The Englands! We hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:11

Someone Turned ONE Today!

2011-12-20T09:51:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Jackson!
You are such a blessing to Mommy and Daddy!
You amaze us everyday.

Hope Your Thanksgiving Was Lovely

2011-11-28T10:01:00.001-06:00

I hope your Thanksgiving was lovely. Ours was nice as we spent it at my mom's and we haven't done that in a few years. Jack was his typical wonderful self and laughed most at the 2 dogs chasing each other around the house. This is my little turkey on Thanksgiving Day so I just had to share.

10 Months Old (yeah I know..a little late)

2011-11-16T20:44:00.001-06:00

So our 10 month photoshoot didn't go so smoothly

As you can see in these pictures

Jack was more worried about his Jedi skills

So this was back in October when Jack turned 10 months old. At the time Jack was working hard on figuring out his crawling and became very mobile shortly after. He loves to laugh and he has such a sweet disposition. He really is a good baby and we are so very blessed.
Next week I will be posting his 11 month pictures in a more timely manner!

Fall Catch Up

2011-11-16T20:34:00.001-06:00

Here is a little catch up on what we have been doing this fall. We have been quite busy but I figured pictures are worth more that anything else!

Jack in his first hot rod at the Texas State Fair

Annual Fletcher's Corny Dog! Love us some Fried Fair Food!

The Pumpkin Patch 2011

Mommy & her Punkin!

Fall Festival with Makayla & Melissa
It was hard to get a group pic!!

Pumpkins 2011
We have carved pumpkins for the past 4 years or so.
We did Jack's for him this year!

Our Cubbie Bear

2011-11-06T20:44:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday we drove over to Frisco to enjoy a neighborhood Fall Festival with some friends. Here is Jack as our little Cubbie Bear. I thought the shirt turned out great and he's just pretty stinkin' cute!! I have Pumpkins 2011 pictures to come soon and a post about just the recent craziness of life!

We Miss You

2011-11-01T20:17:00.001-05:00

November 1, 2007

We said "Goodbye" to our beloved Memaw. She was truly one of my best friends. I don't know how many times she took me to the orthodontist, brought me lunch/shoes/books up to school, or took me shopping but I do know how many times she said "I love you". I also know that almost every Saturday morning she would come to the house, sit at the bar, work on the crossword in the paper and drink coffee.

She did not have a refridgerator she had an Ice Box. She didn't pay the electric bill she paid the Light Bill. She didn't watch The Prices Right, she watched The Come On Down before watching her other Programs. She always used a coin purse, she loved her crossword puzzles and she love her grandkids, especially The Greats as she referred to her great grandchildren. Memaw was the Rock of our family. She made us laugh and could beat our socks off in a game of Liver Pool Rummy.

Memaw, I miss you dearly. I kiss your picture often and I would love for my sweet Jack to know you. I will do my very best to tell him all about you. All the things I love and all our wonderful memories. I love you Memaw.

OH Yeah..I DO have a Blog!

2011-10-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

So I haven't really forgotten I have a blog, its more like I am to tired to blog. Days are long, time with the J man are short, time with the hubs seems even shorter. I am tired of being tired and would love to start exercising again (because I know I would feel better) but I am too tired. I would love to organize my cookbooks & recipes, but I am too tired. I would love to start a crochet project..but hence..that tired business shows up again. I am thankful for a faithful Lord that sees me through these days and it is by HIS strength I get through any day at all. I know I sound more like a whiney 12 year old than a grown woman but guess I just felt like getting it out. I am just T..I..R..E..D... I know I am not alone. Thankfully I am never alone. I have to keep reminding myself of that some days. So my next blog will not be a Debbie Downer because it will include pics of the J man..promise.

Family Time and WPS!!

2011-10-06T08:42:00.003-05:00

My little Razorback!!

Woo Pig Sooiieee!!!

This past Saturday we spent the day at Cowboy Stadium cheering on my Arkansas Razorbacks!!

They played Texas A & M in the Southwest Classic. We had the best time and Jack loved every minute of the day. He slept through the 2nd quarter after having his lunch.

The Razorbacks properly welcomed A & M to the SEC with a fantastic win!!

Who Doesn't Love a Good Read!??!!!

2011-09-30T09:06:00.000-05:00

So we all have our favorite Blogspots to visit on a regular basis..and one of my favorites is Mable's House and Liz has her first book coming out very soon!!! I love reading her blogs about daily life and she has posted her short stories in the past that I just adore!! So here is her new book and an excerpt below from the book. You can pre-order the book at a lot of different places. Enjoy!!

*Oh and Liz is doing a book giveaway on her blog..so hop over there and check it out!*

Once one has breathed in the deep pungent aroma of sewage, you never again forget the nose-hair singeing, eye clawing, throat gagging experience. It comes over you slowly. You begin to feel like a character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as your muscles involuntarily jerk and you run screaming and blowing raspberries. Anything to get away from the mind-numbing stench.

But let me explain.

It was 6:30 a.m. I was standing in my retro pink tiled bathroom trying to open my bleary eyes and ready myself for work. As I stood there, peering into the mirror and wondering what demented nighttime fairy had planted four new wrinkles on my face, I paused and sniffed.

“Matt… what’s that smell?”

Matt staggered from the bedroom in his underwear, eyes half shut. “I don’t smell anything.”

I pointed my nose into the air like a hunting dog. “Seriously? You can’t smell that? Did you go to the bathroom in here earlier? I told you to use the room spray when you do things like that.”

Matt puffed out his bare chest and gathered his pride as best a man can with sleep in his eyes and a small hole in the side of his underwear. “I just woke up!”

I frowned, catching a glimpse of my makeup-less hot-rollers-in-hair state and tried not to think about the fact that I looked fifty instead of twenty-nine. “Well, help me figure this out. Because something smells ripe.”

We sniffed the sink drain and ruled it out as a suspect.

“Is it coming from the toilet?” Matt asked, examining it from top to bottom.

“No, that’s not it,” I snapped. I’m not known for my milk of human kindness in a disaster. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a survivor. I plan on eating my radish like Scarlet and clawing my way out of the nuclear dust while dragging my loved ones with me. But I won’t be doing it with positive phrases and a smile.

“Hon, I just don’t know. We’ll call a plumber after work, maybe it’s coming from under the house.” Matt staggered a little, trying to get past me and out of our tiny bathroom.

“Well, that’s just great,” I moved aside and pulled the shower curtain back so I could perch on the side of the tub and give Matt room to move out the door.

That’s when the full brunt of nastiness filled the air around us, a swirling mix of excrement and acrid stench that would have brought the sewer dwelling Ninja Turtles to their knees. Where the normally slightly-clean-with-a-hint-of-soap-scum bottom of the tub should have been, there sloshed gallons and gallons of brown sewage.

I clutched the front of my sweatshirt and held my breath. Matt began to dry heave.

“Get out and shut the door!” I screamed as we bumbled into the hallway.

“I’ll deal with this,” Matt grabbed my shoulders, trying to talk and hold his breath at the same time.

I could feel my eyes glaze over, the horrors of typhoid and hepatitis in our bathtub filling my mind. But more importantly, I could envision our evaporated savings account. In my mind’s eye I could see the long, gray hallway at the bank. A worker shrouded in a black suit pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlatched a small locker labeled “Owen Bank Account.” Inside were two small stacks of quarters and a few crumpled dollar bills. It was bleak, not only because the banker with an unimaginative wardrobe gazed at me with an expression that could only be interpreted as “You’re a Big Fat Loser,” but also there was a very definite possibility we wouldn’t be able to pay for a plumber.

I wasn’t necessarily a spend thrift. In fact, I was downright frugal when it came to decorating with thrift store furniture and rewired vintage lamps. But the fact was, we were poor. We were starting out at starter jobs with starter salaries. We were starter adults with a starter bank account.

“Okay,” I nodded numbly, thankful that Matt was taking the lead on such a disastrous biohazard. “But make sure the plumber is super cheap. We don’t have much money!”

I left for work like a wino stumbling through a fog, not really remembering my commute, not really doing any work as I sipped my coffee and stared blankly at the computer screen. A disaster of such gargantuan proportions had previously been unthinkable in my life, and now I found myself attempting to push the image of a vast sea of bathtub poop from my mind. But I was sure of one thing: Anne Shirley never had to get ready for work while breathing raw sewage.

9 Months Old!

2011-09-20T19:34:00.001-05:00

Well Mr. Jack is 9 months old today!!! We truly cannot believe he is already 9 months old and we are fast approaching one year!! Jack is the busiest little boy and we have decided he has 2 speeds..ON & OFF!! He is sleeping through the night consistently. Still only has 2 teeth and weighs about 19.5 lbs. We haven't measured Jack in awhile but by the looks of his car seat we are getting closer to 30 inches quite quickly. Jacks newest "thing" is he reaches up for us when we go to pick him up. So far I think that is my FAVORITE thing!! He has decided for now that crawling is just not necessary when rolling gets him everywhere he wants to and rather quickly at that! Our house is filled with lots of laughter, giggles and squeals! Jack is a happy baby and truly a content little boy. He is growing fast..and won't be one bit surprised to find him standing in his crib next week saying "hey mom!"

BTW: Don't ya just love the Mohawk!!

Fall is in Sight..so Cooking Changes

2011-09-18T13:25:00.003-05:00

We are so very thankful that the temperatures here in Texas have dropped and we can feel Fall approaching. When Fall arrives things in the kitchen change. By that I mean, time for THOSE recipes. The recipes that are comforting, yummy, and usually cook long and slow. Here is the first of those for the season, except there is no Long and Slow to it..this is a fabulous comfort food that's ready in less than an hour.

Nana's Turkey Chili
(Nana is a dear friend of mine, her name is actually Connie, but those that know and love her..call her Nana. She adapted this recipe from another she found a few years back)

4 T. olive Oil
1 large onion, diced
2 medium green bell peppers, diced
2 medium green bell peppers, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chili powder (more if you prefer)
2T ground cumin
2 lbs lean ground turkey
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)
2 1/2 cans Rotel tomatoes (I only use 2 cans and its fine)
1 small bunch of cilantro, stemmed and chopped
Juice of one lime

Heat oil over medium heat and then add onions & peppers. Cook for 5-10 minutes until vegetables are soft. Add garlic, chili powder, & cumin. Cook 2-3 minutes while stirring constantly. Add turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add beans, tomatoes & Rotel (juice and all) Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro at the very end. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste.

Welcome FALL!!! Here's to many more tasty meals.

A Day in the Life of....This Mama

2011-09-15T21:19:00.002-05:00

5:15: Alarm goes off, hit snooze

5:30: Alarm goes off again, feet hit the floor

5:30-6:15: Get 90% ready for the day

6:15: Wake up J man if he is still sleeping

6:15-6:45: Bottle and breakfast for J man

6:45: Get J man dressed, finish getting ready, gather our lunches

7:00: J man in the bucket, Maddie in the crate, out the door to school

7:20: Drop J man at daycare..lots of hugs and kisses

7:45: Arrive at work

8:00-4:00 Work, Work, Work

4:01: Out the door and back to daycare

4:30: Headed home with J man

5:15: J man has dinner

5:45-7:00: Playtime, bathtime, books, bottle and bed for J man

7:15: Dinner with Brian (unless we squeezed it in when J man ate)

7:30-9:00 Make lunches, clean kitchen, do laundry, check email

9:15: Ready for nite nite

9:16: Pass out in bed!

Sooooo thankful tomorrow is Friday because Saturday and Sunday come next and the above schedule is thrown completely out the window!! Woo hoo!!

Punch Drunk Laughter

2011-09-07T20:01:00.003-05:00

So Jack got the giggles at dinner last night. He was soooooo tired but I am thankful for laughter instead of tears!

What Gets Me Through the Day..

2011-08-26T20:01:00.003-05:00

The school year has started up and the days are long and full of LOTS of kids. My class average is 28(that's a lot of kids) and we have a new schedule to learn. Monday I arrived at daycare after school to pick up Jack and he was playing in the jumpy thing they have for the kids. He got so excited I had to bring the video camera back to get it on film. Wednesday he was playing in the jumpy thing and I got this on video. Talk about making my day!!! No matter what might happen at work..this little guy can immediately make my day better!!

Eight Months Old & an Update

2011-08-24T17:36:00.000-05:00

Gosh where did the summer go? Its the end of August and I can officially say that summer went by "TOO FAST"!!! I loved being home this summer with J man and going back to work last week wasn't the easiest thing I have ever done but the Lord is faithful and gracious with peace. Jack is adapting back to day care without a problem and I am trying to get the hang of all things Working Mother. I can say I value time much more now than I did even just a few months ago. Morning comes early when the rooster (aka alarm clock) crows at 5:15 but it truly makes the day go smoother when I have time in the morning. Kids returned to school yesterday and we are off and running. We have an entirely new schedule this year so I am still working on wrapping my brain around it and working out how lessons will work. Of course the year will most likely fly by and before I know it I will be posting about summer arriving!!

Jack is growing like a weed. He is over 18 lbs and I can definately tell he is growing when I carry him in the infant carrier!! This past weekend we celebrated being 8 months old with our first ear infection. It all began last week with a runny nose, sneezing and coughing and by the time Saturday rolled around he was tugging at his ears and super cranky. Thank goodness for the acute care doctors and a very short visit!! We left our house at 6:00 p.m. and left the doctors with prescription in hand at 6:30!!! A couple of doses of medicine has Jack on the mend. We are so very blessed because even when he doesn't feel well he does his best to be happy and laugh.

So here is the monthly pic of my growing boy!

Summer pictures

2011-07-27T08:38:00.004-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from our summer!!
Sunday nights has become Movie Night!! Brian and I pick a movie, pop the corn and snuggle up. We look forward to it all week and its a great way to wrap up the weekend.

Lunch at Fuddrucker's one day. We tried In & Out but the line was ridiculous so we ended up at Fuddrucker's. Great burgers and we LOVE the cool Coke machine they have.

Visiting with friends this summer. This is Makayla and she is about 4 weeks older than Jack.

This is Makayla's older sister Melissa.

Riding the train at the Tulsa Zoo. I think it was Jack's favorite part of our day.

Hellooooo!!!!! (yes, its been a long time)

2011-07-26T07:12:00.006-05:00

So I am not usually THIS bad at blogging but it seems this summer I just have not kept up with my blogging a bit!! So here's an update of Summer 2011.

The school year ended the beginning of June and Jack and I have been hanging out since!! We have finally settled into somewhat of a routine. We have had lots of snuggle time, lots of laughs and well even a few tears but I just love being with my little guy everyday! I think returning to work this August will be vastly harder than when I went back to work last March.

Jack has of course turned 6 months old and 7 months old this summer and he is growing so fast!! At his last well visit he was 16 1/2 lbs and 26 1/2 inches. I have not weighed him since to see how much he weighs these days but by the look of his pajamas and clothes he is doing a great job of growing!

To assist in his growing I have been making his baby food and its going quite splendidly. We started vegetables and fruits after I wrapped up school since I had plans to make his food and wanted the time to figure it all out. Jack is currently enjoying avocados, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, green peas and green beans. I have successfully made everything but the carrots simply because everytime I go to whip up a batch of carrots something has come up..such is life!

We took our first family vacation over the 4th of July holiday. Brian is blessed with paid holidays so he took a couple of vacation days the week prior to the 4th and we had a lovely 5 day weekend together. Vacationing with a 6 month old can be interesting and limited unless you head to the In-laws!! Oklahoma was our vacation destination this summer and it was great! My in-laws live in Broken Arrow so we headed up early one morning and had a great time with family. We took Jack to the zoo for the first time and swimming for the first time. Brian and I had a date night and Grammy & Papw had lots of great Jack time. Granddad Noss was also in Broken Arrow so we had a great time visiting.

Since vacation we have been to the pool a few times with Jack, Brian and I have instituted "Sunday Night Movie Night" and Jack has cut his first tooth!! Last Thursday and Friday I knew that teeth were on the move and we had a rough couple of days (tear included) but we made it through and things seemed better Saturday morning. I checked Jack's gums Saturday morning when we got up and I still felt the bumps on his gums but no tooth yet. I headed out mid-morning to run errands and when I returned Jack was sleeping soundly...for 2 1/2 hours!! When he woke up I was curious and checked his gums again...A TOOTH had broken the skin. I pray that all his teeth will make appearances in his sleep!! So tooth #1 has appeared on the bottom and I am pretty sure that #2 isn't far behind.

We have just under a month left until I return to work and meet my new kids for the year. This week we are spending time visiting with family and friends over lunch and coffee before family arrives this weekend. Martin (Brian's brother) is coming to town with the kids for an overnight visit and then my mom and niece arrive Sunday for a few days. Mom and Hayleigh will leave just in time for my BFF, Karen, to arrive for a weekend visit! So we may only have a month left but we are not done having fun!!

So here are a few pictures from our summer. Hope this post finds you well and enjoying your summer.

Jack's 6 Month Picture

Jack's 7 month picture

At the Zoo with Daddy, Grammy & Papaw
Hanging out with Granddad Noss

Baby Food Making Process

Sooooo...a bit of a hiccup!

2011-06-24T08:01:00.002-05:00

Yep! There has been a hiccup in my 31 Days to Clean schedule. That hiccup was connected to 3-4 hours each morning in the hot sun at VBS. Had a BLAST but came home the past 4 days completely spent! Took me most of the afternoon to recover as I am not used to being out in the sun that much. So my days of cleaning have been disrupted a bit. So today I am actually not going by the book..I will be going by the list..as a matter of fact..there are THREE lists.
I have a list of my very own, Brian has his list and then we have an Us list. I shared with Brian last night my goal to have certain things done before heading out for vacation next week. So our deadline for the LISTS? Tuesday bedtime. This way we can spend Wednesday packing for our trip.

So 31 Days is on hold until we return from vacation. But my cleaning/organizing is in full force.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! I'll check in with you later!! Gotta post some 6 month pictures of the J man!

Day 6 of 31 Days to Clean

2011-06-15T09:49:00.003-05:00

Thought I would update on my progress with the 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way. So the book really seems to written for and geared to the SAHM who lives in an actual HOUSE..none of that is bad of course but I have had to make some adjustments do the daily challenges based on our apartment dwelling. For instance, I have no window treatments in the kitchen or blinds so I simply found a needed task in my house(apt) and did that instead. I cannot remember exactly but I think I did a heavy clean on the countertops. I am finding the book a real blessing in the fact that even though it may not line up exactly with my house it sure is keeping me focused on cleaning and organizing on a daily basis. I started the summer with a list of "to dos" in my head and in all honesty I need to write them down and be more efficient.

Each morning I have gotten up and read the book and read my Bible...and reading my Bible on a daily basis..well..let's just say that has not happened like it should..and I have missed that time. So a new day a new start. Each day I read the Mary and Martha challenges in the book and decide just how to go about each one. I actually need to complete yesterday's Mary challenge of making a priority list and writing it down. Today the Martha challenge is to clean out cabinets but instead I am going to clean out closets because that is a greater need at the moment.

I have joined one of the "31 Days" groups on Facebook and have been relieved to see that I am not alone in my struggles/issues/motivation when it comes to housework. I think I really needed to see that.

I will say that since starting the book last week and being WAY more focused on the house I have most definately felt my stress decrease and I am getting better at my time management at home. The transition from working everyday and having your time managed for you via class periods and bells to being at home with ALL this time and no boundaries except good morning and good night can be a struggle and has been for me each year when school has let out. I know this is a process and there will be good days, great days and then not so great days and that I must allow myself some grace on certain days, actually probably most days!

So time is up for blogging and I have a closet full of clothes I need to sort through and figure out.
Have a blessed day!

Accountability..right?

2011-06-10T07:50:00.004-05:00

In order to sometimes get where you wanna get..you gotta let someone know where you are headed. So I am letting you all know where I am headed.

See housework has never been my strong suit and as a "out of the house working mom" (since ALL moms are working moms) it has been even more difficult to keep the house in order. A friend of mine recently sent me an email telling me she was a part of a focus group and would anyone be interested in a free copy of this book. "31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way". I immediately felt led to say "YES, I want that book".

So yesterday began my journey. Each day in the book there is a Mary and Martha Challenge. Yesterday's Mary Challenge was to write a mission statement as to why it is important to you to keep a tidy/clean house. At first I kinda thought this was silly but I wrote mine and read through it a few times. As I was working in the kitchen (aka disaster area) yesterday I realized how I was thinking about my mission statement and how it can and will change my approach to keeping a tidy and clean house. This morning I wrote that statement on some fun paper and am going to display it so that I see my own reminder.

So when you stopped by my blog today I am sure you were not ready to sign up to be my accountability partner but that is what is happening. I am putting this all out there as to keep myself accountable. If I did my math correctly and after considering our vacation in July, my day 31 should be July 14th.

I am very thankful for this journey and of course in God's perfect timing, it comes to me during a time when life is a tad bit slower, summer. So thanks for taking this journey with me and I will keep you posted along the way.

J Man's Movie

2011-06-06T21:08:00.001-05:00

Brian spent part of the weekend making this movie of pictures of J man.

J Man Has Found His Voice

2011-05-30T08:01:00.004-05:00

Jack has really found his voice. Most mornings we are awakened not by cries but by him "talking". Lots of new squeals, chirps, cooes and laughter. I just love it.

So Very Blessed

2011-05-28T22:06:00.001-05:00

Here with my 2 guys at my friend's wedding. I am blessed beyond measure by these 2 guys. Love them!

5 Months Old

2011-05-21T16:20:00.003-05:00

Hi everybody!! Well its time for an update since I am one month older now!! Yesterday I was 5 months old!! Mommy and Daddy aren't dealing with it so well since I happen to be growing fast and learning lots of new tricks. Mom says I have to be over 15 lbs now who knows how long I am, at last count I was 25 1/2 inches long! (but that was a few weeks ago) I have the best time playing and I have pretty much mastered rolling from my tummy to my back and my back to my tummy. I can even do it both ways!! I am also making all kinds of new noises, well Mom and Dad call them noises but really I am just telling them what I know and think, they just don't understand me..yet. I am starting to pull up my knees when I am on my tummy and Mommy thinks it won't be long until I am crawling. I have been eating my rice and oatmeal for about a month now and I think its pretty jazzy stuff when my teeth aren't bothering me. I have been working on my teeth for the past 3 weeks or so. No sign of anything yet but believe me when I tell ya that some days my teeth just plain hurt! Well that's about it for now. Hope you are well and having a great week!! Love ya! J-man

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T20:57:00.002-05:00

My two handsome guys!

We were blessed to spend the weekend with family. Uncle Kenny, Aunt Renee, Granddad Noss, and Grandma Sylvia came for a visit and joined us for church. We always have such a great time together just visiting and telling stories.

I Am Four Months Old!

2011-04-21T20:56:00.005-05:00

I am getting so big!! I am four months old!! I go for my four month check up next week so Mom will have all my stats then!

Thankful for Co-Pays

2011-04-15T12:07:00.002-05:00

So the past month has been quite the roller coaster ride. Three days into me returning to work J man was sick with a headcold. 14 days later he was still sick and we had a new problem...major spit up, coughing and gagging. Nights became sleepless again for all of us and worries were up for little man. There seemed to be this lingering congestion and a nightly round of coughing/gagging. Four visits to the pediatrician, one to urgent care and now one to the GI Specialist..uhm..I am kinda tired of doctors..but thankful that we have co-pays because that means we have insurance which means we can take our child to the doctor when we need. THAT is a huge blessing. To keep this post on the shorter side, it seems that J mans problem stems from a milk allergy that then made normal baby reflux/spit up a much bigger problem. After trying a soy formula for 48 hours last weekend something told me to take it up a step to Similac Alimentum, the hypoallergenic formula. He has improved everyday since. The GI doctor said it will take up to 2 weeks to see full results but that we are headed in the right direction. The only current concern is weight. J hasn't gained any significant weight, has actually lost a couple of ounces, over the past 2 weeks. This is only a slight concern because in the past couple of days J man has wanted more to eat which means his intestines/stomach/gut are healing. So we are making 6 ounce bottles from here on out!! Time to chub it up!! Brian and I were both so pleased with Dr. O and glad we went ahead with the appointment. So we spend the rest of his first year on Alimentum (please some Similac rep read this post and send us a free case ;-) ) and just before his first birthday we will do a test for a true milk allergy. Most kids outgrow any milk allergy by the time they are one. So for now, we have disembarked from the roller coaster ride and will just enjoy the Merry-Go-Round for now!

Roll Over Roll Over!!

2011-04-09T18:52:00.002-05:00

Yes my sweet boy rolled over this evening!! We had been out running errands and went to Applebee's for dinner. Just as we got our food J man starting screaming (pretty sure it was gas) but he wouldn't settle down so we bagged up our food and headed home. Once home we found a muddy diaper but a much happier boy. I decided it was playtime and put Jack on his tummy. Before we knew it he had rolled over! I grabbed the Flip camera hoping for a repeat performance! J man was happy to oblige!! Here is our sweet, growing boy!

2011-04-07T09:27:00.002-05:00

Hi guys!! I told Mom I needed to stop by and say HELLO!! Hope you all are well. I am pretty good. Dr. Beth tells me that I have icky reflux but she is pretty sure my medicine will make things all better. I know Mom and Dad are ready for me to feel better and I could use a nice long nap myself! I am 15 weeks old now and I love to laugh, smile, chew on my hands and I am kinda thinking my feet are fun! I love bath time until Mom and Dad take me out of the water and I am getting better about tummy time. I have to get my next set of shots soon and I can't say I am too excited about it but it will be okay! I am really liking daycare and Mrs. Donna, Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Sheri do an awesome job taking care of me and the other kids. Mom is ready for summer so she and I can hang out together all day and I think swimming is gonna be a blast!

Well have a great day!

My Growing Boy is 3 Months Old

2011-03-24T10:25:00.005-05:00

Jack at 1 month old Jack at 2 months old

Jack 3 months old!

Hard to believe my little guy is 3 months old already. He is growing fast and weighs almost 13 lbs. He has found his hands and has them for dessert all the time. He still loves to be swaddled for naps and nighttime and has an infectious laugh. He was actually 3 months old this past Sunday but I just now got around to taking his picture.

My funny dog

2011-03-21T15:21:00.004-05:00

So we have had our Maddie girl for almost a year now. I believe this coming Sunday is her England Birthday! She is part Beagle and part Rat Terrier (at least we are pretty sure). Maddie hasn't ever been really fond of other dogs but has warmed up to my in-laws 3 dogs and Chuck and Buddy who belong to our friends Sandie and Kevin.

A few months back my mom got a dog, Yogi, who is a Yorkshire Terrier. This past weekend Maddie and Yogi met for the first time. Yogi loves to play and it took Maddie a little while to figure this out but she sure did. Here is a video of the two of them playing. You hear my mom in the background talking to my son, Jack, and then she talks about the dogs.

The way they play and the way Maddie runs around like a crazy dog just crack me up.

Sleep

2011-03-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

What's that? ;-)

Back to Work and Our First Cold

2011-03-11T12:49:00.002-06:00

So its been quite the week in the England house. Mom went back to work Monday, J went to daycare and J got his first cold.

March 7th was a day that had been prayed over and anticipated for months. March 7th was my scheduled day to return to work. I had gone through the anxiety, fear, denial, etc but I am thankful that the Lord took care of all that when I let Him! I wrote a prayer of confession a couple of weeks ago and I prayed it often leading up to March 7th. I was not at all anxious about returning to my actual job. I have taught for 14 years now and am totally comfortable teaching and I work with amazing people! I did find it hard imagining leaving J somewhere. The thought of someone else taking care of him has hard to imagine. But I had to remind myself that I had prayed for MONTHS that the Lord would prepare a place for J to be when I returned to work and that now was no time to doubt what the Lord had prepared. So Monday morning we all got up and made our way out the door. I cried a bit when leaving J but I also had a peace, a peace given by the Lord. I cried and praised the Lord all the way to work because I was so thankful for all the Lord has done in our lives and because I just plain missed my boy.
It was good to see my co-workers and students and the day fell into place as I had hoped it would. I did decide to spend my lunch back at daycare with J so I ran over there just in time to give him a bottle and rock him a bit. (our school district has daycare for employees kids, so J is a one of our elementary campuses) The day ended with a very tired mama that was thrilled to see her boy.

J had a great first day. J had a great second and third day but by Wednesday evening he had his first cold. Stuffy head and icky cough showed up quickly and kept mama and daddy up a good bit that night. Thursday we went to the doctor to make sure it wasn't RSV and thankfully the test came back negative. I had hoped we would be back to work and daycare today but J started running a fever late in the day Thursday. Since kids have to be fever free for 24 hours before returning J wouldn't be able to head to daycare.

Having a sick little one is no fun and can be frustrating since there isn't a lot you can do for them but I am thankful that this was not worse and J man is on the mend.

Sleeping Through the Night and Church

2011-02-28T21:10:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we celebrated a couple of milestones. Saturday night J man slept 8 1/2 hours!! Around 3:30 I heard J man begin to rouse and I woke Brian up (he gets the weekend shifts for middle of the night feedings). I heard Brian head to the bathroom and then on to the kitchen to fix J's bottle but I didn't hear J man anymore. So I hopped up and grabbed my Iphone and headed to the nursery. I used my flashlight app to sneak a peak at J man who was sleeping soundly!! So I told Brian to just leave the bottle out because "Oh I am sure he will be awake in the next half hour or so". How wrong was I? 5:45 I woke up to J man's sweet cries. He had been alseep since 9:15 the night before!!! I was amazed. I didn't expect he would sleep that long for a few more weeks but am truly happy this has begun. If he keeps this up it will make returning to work a tad bit easier!!

Sunday we celebrated our first church service as a family! J man did great (kinda helped he had a full belly when we arrived!) I kept him in the Moby for a good part of the time and he just chilled out. He got a little fussy towards the end of service but the nursing room at church is great and we rocked our way to the finish! We were blessed to have Grammy (Brian's mom) and our neighbor Bonnie and her two boys at church with us also. Papaw had come down with Grammy but had to head back to Oklahoma on the same day because he was getting sick.

Sitting in service Sunday gave me whole new meaning and appreciation for my salvation. I know that God sent his son to die for me and for everyone but as I held my young son and I sang "Oh how he loves us" it hit me like a brick. I suddenly had an overwhelming understanding of just how much God loves us because I realized that God sent his son to die so that my son might have eternal life. WOW!! The love you have for your child is like no other and you can't explain it or understand it until you experience it. I love J man so much it hurts. I can't imagine giving him up let alone sending him to his death and yet that is what my God did for me and for J man and for everyone. I cried tears of joy as I sang and swayed while holding my son and thanked God for all He has done in my life but especially for my salvation because without it I would have nothing. We pray each night as a family and each night Brian prays that J man will come to know the Lord young in life and that he will grow up to honor the Lord's kingdom.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life" John 3:16

J man dressed up in his Sunday best!

Here we are after service.

Two Months Old Means Shots!

2011-02-23T21:57:00.003-06:00

Today was our 2 month check up for J man and of course his first round of shots. He weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs 12.8 ozs and 23 1/2 inches long. My boy is growing and that makes Mommy and Daddy happy. Dr. Beth was pretty pleased also. J man was not at all fond of his two shots and I sure wouldn't have been either. After about 15minutes of real tears he finally settled down, as you can see in the picture. Bedtime came early tonight without argument. Sweet boy having sweet dreams.

Two Months Old

2011-02-23T07:58:00.003-06:00

2 months old and growing fast

Here I am just one month old

Well She's Gone!!

2011-02-19T10:58:00.004-06:00

Today we sold my 2000 Honda Civic. This was my first "big girl purchase" eleven years ago. I test drove car after car, searched the web, and called Pop a thousand times before making the decision to buy and now all these years later this car was such a blessing! I had not a moments problem with her and had fun driving her. Memaw asked me why I needed all the "bells and whistles" referring to the moonroof and I told her for beautiful days like today.

Here I am holding Jack for one last picture. He only rode in the car one time, the day we brought him home, a wonderful day!

Thank you Lord for the blessing this car was and I hope it blesses the young lady that will drive it next.

Now on to find the next car!! This time it will have 4 doors!!

Jacks announcement

2011-02-11T22:24:00.001-06:00

Storytime Blue Baby Announcements

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Hi

2011-02-09T07:36:00.000-06:00

Just thought I would say "Hi"!

Sitting Here

2011-02-08T13:43:00.002-06:00

I am sitting here listening to my little man through the baby monitor. I just put him down for a nap and he is content in his crib but "talking" up a storm. He is 7 weeks old now and I can hardly believe it. I am about 4 weeks away from returning to work and that will get here too quickly.

My little guy has found his hands and last night he found his thumb and sucked away until I could get to him to feed him. It was so cute seeing that tiny thumb in his mouth and him just going to town.

Our lives have changed so dramatically and so quickly and in such a wonderful way. There were days when I thought I would never get more sleep. There were moments when I had NO idea what to do next or how to quiet my crying son. There have been giggles, smiles, squeals. There have been leaky diapers and stinky diapers. There have been spit ups, burps, toots and grunts.
There have been cuddles, snoozes, baths and play time. None of these things were a part of our lives 8 short weeks ago. And I would give none of them back, not even for all the money in the world.

Jack has such a sweet disposition. He is cheerful, excitable and kicky! Yes, kicky. What I felt in the womb has come to fruition outside of the womb. He often looks like he is trying to ride a bike. I love mornings right after he has eaten. He likes to sit in his lounger and 'talk', coo, kick, smile and basically melt my heart. THAT will be hard to leave at day care in a few weeks. But the Lord will provide peace and strength.

Well I think little man is drifting off to la la land as his talking is less and less. Sweet dreams sweet boy. Mama loves you so.

6:20 and 13 degrees

2011-02-02T06:20:00.002-06:00

Well its 6:20 in the morning and J man and I have been up since about 4:45. He has had breakfast and most likely will be ready for his first nap of the day before 7:00. I know mom is!
Actually its not that bad. I fed J man at 6:30 last night and he went down around 7:00 for what I thought would be his last nap of the day and we would feed again around 10:00 and head to bed for the night. Nope I guess not! J decided to sleep until 2:00 in the morning!! I could not believe it. I crawled into bed at 10:00 assuming I would get in a short nap and he would be ready to eat.
I was shocked to see the clock at 2:00. We have switched our night feeding to just the bottle so we were both back in bed by 2:30 and J slept til 4:45. I can't believe he is sleeping this long but truly thankful!!

So we are hanging out watching the news and in awe that is 13 degrees!!! Its day two of being iced in so we shall keep the heat on and snuggle up for the day. Daddy has headed to work so I am praying him there safely and hoping they can keep the shop warm today.

Have a good one and hope you are warm wherever you are!

I'm Gettin' Big!!

2011-02-01T13:30:00.002-06:00

Hi guys! Thought I would have Mommy put up a new picture of me. I am six weeks old now. Still working on talking and holding my head up. I make lots of "words" but Mom and Dad haven't quite figured out what I am saying. They have figured out I am not fond of a muddy diaper and prefer to have it changed immediately!! Glad they finally figured that out, took them long enough.

I am doing better at holding my head up and look less like a bobble doll everyday. Mom and Dad have found me a great place to hang out once Mom heads back to work. We are still a few weeks away from that but I am looking forward to making new friends.

We are iced/snowed in today so its a low key day. Maybe I can talk Mom into some hot chocolate a little later on.

New Mom and the Things I LOVE!!

2011-01-30T11:13:00.002-06:00

So months ago I found myself pouring over websites searching for the MUST HAVES for a new mom. I also questioned my mom friends about the MUST HAVES and the DON"T BOTHERS for new parenthood. So now that we are six weeks into parenthood I thought I would share those things that I have truly found helpful or enjoyable.

1. Boppy Newborn Lounger
This isn't the horseshoe shaped Boppy that many women use for breastfeeding. This one does not have a hole and you can plop baby right in it to chill out next to you on the couch or you snatch it up and let baby chill out while you shower! My J man loves hanging out in it because he can stretch all he wants.
This item I found on my own and thought it was cool, the ONLY reason I registered for it. Glad I did.

2. The Ultimate Crib Sheet
This comes from a friend recommendation and SO very glad I listened! This fabulous crib sheet snaps into your crib on top of your pretty/decorative crib sheet and is easily changed out when baby has an accident or spits up! They are a little pricey but register for them or just plan for $20 each. Get 2 then you have one always clean to change out!

3. JJ Cole Diaper Caddy
This was like #1 and I thought it was cool and would look nicer in the living room than just a stack of diapers. I got mine from Babies-R-Us but I am sure you can find it at other places or online. It holds the box of wipes, a nice stack of diapers, a drawer for the extras and the perfect sized waterproof changing pad. It looks nice sitting in the living room and we don't have to take J man to the nursery every time for a diaper change.

4. Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack
It looks like grass and holds a ton of small items. Its cute on your countertop and easily holds 6 bottles and all of their parts. Much cuter than a kitchen towel even though the kitchen towel is probably the most popular drying rack of choice! This was another "I think this is adorable" register item.

5. My Brest Friend
Yes you read that right and I did not misspell "Breast". This is a breastfeeding pillow that is truly helpful and gives baby the perfect spot to lay while he or she feeds. This was a gift from a friend but came recommended by LOTS of friends. It has been quite handy and Brian calls it J man's Dinner Table!

So these are the things I have found very helpful in these first six weeks. I hope it has been helpful.

Maybe my next list will be those things we DIDN'T get and are glad!!

Another Video..just because

2011-01-26T17:54:00.002-06:00

Yup..gotta post another video..just because I can!!

Pictures of the J man

2011-01-26T10:00:00.002-06:00

Hanging on my playmat talking to mom

Here I am with Yoda. This is my one month picture

My friends Melissa and Makayla came to see me.

Makayla is only four weeks older than me. Ain't she cute? !

One Month Old Today!

2011-01-20T19:45:00.004-06:00

Today I am one month old! I can hardly believe it and Mom and Dad are even more surprised!

Our first month has been mostly eating, sleeping, pooping and more of the same. Mom and Dad talk to me all the time and I do my best to talk back but as you can see from the video, my skills are still a little lacking. But hey! I'm only one month old!

Before I know it I will be crawling then walking then running!! But until then I will do my best to take my time growing up so that Mom and Dad aren't too overwhelmed.

This New Life

2011-01-16T11:37:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow J man will be one month old, at least he will be 4 weeks old (as a new mom I have not a clue how that age/week thing works..is it by weeks from the day he was born? or the date which he was born?)

We have had quite the adventure since we arrived home. I was sick the first 2 weeks and of course breast feeding is a whole adventure in and of itself!! My mother-in-law was here the first week we were home and then my mom came for the next 2 weeks. We were so appreciative of the help but we are also glad that is just the three of us now.

Maddie dog has really done well adjusting to J man and has already assumed responsibility for his protection. She sits nearby any time I am feeding J man and she stays on Alert the whole time.

J man has changed so much already and I know that just another week from now he will look even more different!! Just in the last day I can see him really filling out and those adorable cheeks becoming fuller!

We are begining to get into a routine and I have been reading "Becoming Babywise". I like the idea/concept of the cyclical routine of eat/wake/sleep and I thankful that J man seems to naturally default to that routine. I am working on getting him to fall asleep in his crib but he also gets a little swaying, rocking, patting before going down. A drowsy J man falls asleep pretty well! I look forward to more of a schedule/routine so I can begin to think about other things and keeping the house up. Right now I tend to sleep when he sleeps since sleep is pretty much at a premium!

We are extremely blessed that J man is a really good baby. Except for some gas issues we are having we have no real problems. He is a happy baby and is content most of the time.

As a family we are getting settled in and the new "normal" is appearing more and more everyday. Its a good new "normal", actually is a wonderful new "normal" and before long I won't even remember the old "normal".

Parenthood is amazing and I am loving This New Life.

My Boys

2011-01-11T14:02:00.003-06:00

My favorite view these days. My boys together. There is nothing more beautiful to me than seeing these two together, Father and Son. Reminds me of how much our Heavanly Father loves us, holds us, teaches us, sent His son to die for us. I am so thankful.

Snow Snow Snow!!

2011-01-09T20:30:00.002-06:00

I cannot actually remember the first time I saw snow but I am for sure that I was not 3 weeks old! My J man is 3 weeks old and today he saw his first snow. I know he won't remember it but it sure was fun to grab a quick picture.

More Pictures

2011-01-02T16:28:00.002-06:00

A Whole New World

2011-01-02T16:06:00.003-06:00

That it is in The England household. Routine? What's routine? ;-)
We are settling into parenthood and if I can get over an infection and a head cold, the sleep deprivation alone might be a treat! I am praying that I am well in the next few days.

I could tell you all that has gone on since December 20th..but really..don't you just wanna see pictures? I thought so. The Englands are blessed beyond measure and so grateful to the Lord for this blessing He has given us. All the hiccups and bumps..well..those will pass and we still have this amazing bundle of joy.

So on to the pictures! They are not in any specific order.

Maddie has warmed up to the newest member of the family.

Christmas day!

Four generations..a beautiful picture.

I have taken care of these guys for about 8 years now. Soon they will take care of Jack.

Brand new England family!

Week 1...We Survived!

2010-12-27T20:37:00.006-06:00

As many of you know, a newborn baby changes everything about life!! Jackson was born last Monday and we got home and somewhat settled on Wednesday. We are not in a routine yet and I don't suspect we will be for a while longer but Jackson and I are figuring each other out. Feeding has been an adventure and there were moments when I didn't know if I could do it again but the Lord is faithful and gives you what you need just when you need it..yes...even to get through breastfeeding!

I love when Jackson is wide awake and making faces of all kinds. He has no clue how precious he is and how much he already makes me laugh. I never knew I could fall in love so quickly but it has happened.

We have made it through the first week and the adventure has just begun.

Here we are all ready for the ride home! What a great day!

Christmas came early this year

2010-12-21T17:05:00.003-06:00

Well as of 5:04 yesterday evening, I am no longer pregnant!! Mr. Jack arrived safely and baby and mommy are well. I cannot believe he is here and when we go home how different life will be! How different life already is!!

I cannot believe I am a MOM!!

Christmas: Christ and Claus

2010-12-19T07:24:00.003-06:00

A friend sent me this link the other day and I really enjoyed reading this blog article. It really got me thinking about future Christmases. You can't ignore Santa Claus and Jesus IS the reason for the season so how do you teach your kids? How do you keep the focus where it needs to be?

So hope you enjoy this article and I am thankful for being provoked to think, learn, and prepare.

Merry Christmas to you all!! May your Christmas abound in Love because its focus is on CHRIST!!! Who is just simply AMAZING!!

http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2010/12/13/what-we-tell-our-kids-about-santa-pastor-mark-for-the-washington-post/

Any day now

2010-12-16T21:42:00.002-06:00

Well baby boy is scheduled to arrive..any day now. We had a great check up with the doctor yesterday and things are progressing. She told me to be prepared for any time. Its kinda crazy to be waiting for the biggest change in your life. We plan for vacations and know exactly when we will leave and return. We plan weddings and know almost the exact moment when vows will be spoken. We know when we go to work, church or even spending time with friends but we have NO clue, really, as to when a child will arrive.

I am so thankful that the Lord already knows the time of baby boy's arrival. I am praying for patience and even a little more time but mostly I am praying for the day, the moment, the delivery. I pray that all will be well. The Lord created us and his design is amazing and wonderful and this miracle of life is overwhelming.

Brian and I wait and everyone at work keeps asking how much longer I will be there! Ha..I have no idea but tomorrow is the last day of the semester.

So in the meantime, we do a few more things around the house. We pray, we prepare and we anticipate. I can't believe I get to meet him SOON!! WOW!!

Jack's room!

2010-12-05T21:04:00.006-06:00

Well it has taken us longer than we had hoped and its only about 95% done BUT Mr. Jack now has a room to call his own! Our theme from the beginning has been "Boys will be boys" so his room is a little ecclectic but very fun.

That would be Wrigley Field above the crib..yes my hubs is a HUGE Cubs fan!

Can't forget the Star Wars..and the cubbie on the right is Chicago Cubs

The rocking chair is the one my parents bought when my older brother was born.

Can't forget the airplanes and the Dallas Stars. The dresser we just had refinished

and it was the same one my mom used when my brother and I were babies.

Too long?

2010-12-05T17:22:00.004-06:00

Yes I have not blogged in almost 2 weeks!! I am afraid my blogging might get worse in the days and weeks to come since our lives are soon to change forever!! Yes, Mr. Jack is going to arrive soon..how soon? We are not sure of when but the doctor assures me he will come before his due date of December 29th. Mommy would be INCREDIBLY happy if Mr. Jack would arrive after December 17th so that she can finish up her semester with her students. But as my MIL just told me recently, "That apple is going to fall off the tree when it's ready" so we will just wait.

The nursery is almost done and we hope to finish it this evening. When the doctor told me last week that I had already begun to dialate then we went into "oh my goodness he's coming!!" mode!!

So things are good here. Nothing too exciting at the moment and I am glad for that. We will continue getting the house in order and prepare for Mr. Jack's arrival.

I will do my best to keep the posts coming in a more timely fashion!

Christmas 2010

2010-11-23T21:55:00.001-06:00

Sweet Tree Christmas

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One Last Nap and Some Chocolate Pie

2010-11-20T12:06:00.006-06:00

Today is a sweet but sad day in our house. Memaw's couch is going elsewhere.

Let me back up just a bit and explain. See since I can remember I have had a chocolate pie every year for my birthday. Most likely ever since I was about 5 years old. Now back then my Grandma, Mona Lee, made me homemade, from scratch, calf slobber covered chocolate pie. I had those amazing creations until she passed away just before my 11th birthday. Each year after that my Memaw, Jean, kept the tradition going and me very happy! Memaw made me a cool whip laden chocolate pie each year and I would happily consume it in its entirety!

Memaw passed away 3 years ago and I miss her so much it still aches everyday. My mom and mother-in-law have graciously kept my chocolate birthday pie tradition going. Yesterday at school I was quite surprised to be greeted with a chocolate pie from one of my students. She entered my classroom before school singing "Happy early birthday to you!" carrying a chocolate pie.

Now that you are clear on the importance of chocolate pie in my life now let me explain the NAP portion of my title.

For 37 years this couch has been in my life. It was purchased by my Memaw in 1969 and for my entire life its the couch that sat on the big wall in her living room and the couch I napped on OFTEN. We call it the Magic Couch. Why? Because Rip Van Winkle could awaken from his slumber to only lay down on the Magic Couch and be immediately swept back to dream land. The couch was truly that amazing.

Three years ago when Memaw passed away I could not bear the thought of the couch being tossed out, not yet. So the couch came to live with me and Brian. It still held every bit of magical sleeping power and up until about 6 months ago I could still smell her in the couch. I truly treasured this wonderful scent and I miss it.

At this moment there is a new couch headed our way. Time has come that Memaw's couch just won't do for everyday living. Its begun to break down and being 7 months pregnant I cannot sit on it because it sits so low. So I have taken pictures and removed the original shipping label/tag from the bottom of the couch. Brian will first try to offer the couch to CCA as a donation. Otherwise the couch will head to the city dump.

My mom and aunt Janet were in town last weekend for a baby shower and we all had a good cry, a big laugh and said our goodbyes to the Magic Couch.

Life changes all the time. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse and sometimes just because. I miss my Memaw so very much. She truly was my best friend.

So today, I took one last nap on the magic couch and ate a slice of chocolate pie. It seemed like the perfect thing to do.

5 lbs. 12 oz

2010-11-18T08:11:00.001-06:00

Yes..that's how much the Sono says that Baby Boy currently weighs. Yesterday's doctor visit was good and everything looks good. Didn't get a great sono pic because Baby Boy would NOT be still but still got to see him.

Dr. A says to expect him to come before his December 29th due date! Which means I still have sooooooooooo much to do!!! Glad I have next week off!!

Hope you are having a great day!!
Blessings!

Breastfeeding..in a word

2010-11-16T20:37:00.002-06:00

OVERWHELMING!!! So Brian and I have taken 2 out of 3 of our birthing classes and tonight we took a separate breastfeeding class. I think tonight's class was more overwhelming than the 2 birthing classes!! I am glad we went and I feel more informed but I seriously doubt I will remember a THING when it comes to the real thing!! I shall be reading the book they gave us in class.

6 more weeks, or less, until our lives change forever! We can't wait.

6:40 on a Saturday

2010-11-13T07:06:00.002-06:00

So its a Saturday morning and I have been fighting to sleep since 5:00 a.m....I refused to get up...so I made it until 6:40 before I gave in and got up. Its not 7:07 and the dog has been walked and fed (and she has gone back to bed), I have made a banana bread which is now baking and I am enjoying my first cup of coffee of the day. Is this just a glimpse of things to come? Will motherhood transform me into a morning person? Will I find myself up before the rest of the house doing all sorts of domestic things? Or is this just a fluke..ON A SATURDAY!! ;-)

Good morning world. Hope you have a fabulous weekend.
I sure hope to myself!!

No Worries

2010-11-10T08:14:00.001-06:00

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. Matthew 6: 33 & 34

Psalm 16

2010-11-04T07:10:00.002-05:00

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, apart from you I have no good thing"
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up there names upon my lips.
Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.
Therefore myh heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; by body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with
eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Pumpkins 2010 & a Crib

2010-10-31T19:06:00.005-05:00

Today we had an amazing time at church, home for lunch, a nap and then we put Jack's crib together. Then came the annual pumpkin carving event!! Brian and I began this a few years ago and we have such a good time each year! So here I present pictures of our Jack-O-Lanterns and one of Jack's crib. Enjoy!!

Here are our supplies!

Check out my amazing husband!

Uhm..he gets a little intense sometimes. ;-)

Our Jack-O-Lanterns!!
To see our past creations you can go here, here and here.

Jack has a place to sleep!!

Showers of Blessings #2

2010-10-26T20:20:00.003-05:00

The weekend after my first baby shower came my second baby shower! My friends Christi, Kortenay, Traci and Stephanie threw me a diaper/gift card shower. There was lots of fellowship and lots of game play!! We had such fun and laughed a lot. I was able to see some dear friends whose faces I haven't seen in far too long. Here are a few pictures from the day!

Here are my girls, Christi, Traci, me, Kort and Stephanie

Austin pitched in with the fun & games and brought the pregnancy/baby version of Memory!

Yes, that's Deanna sniffing a diaper! Not to worry..they were filled with melted chocolate bars!

As you can see, Traci and I have something in common! She is due a few weeks ahead of me.

I am so blessed with all of my family and friends. It was truly a lovely day of fellowship, laughter and celebration.

Love you all

There Shall Be Showers of Blessings

2010-10-24T20:21:00.005-05:00

As we prepare for the arrival of Jackson in a few weeks we have been abundantly blessed already. October 9th we were blessed with a baby shower back in our hometown of Texarkana. Dian and Angi were the fabulous hostesses and they gave us such a delightful, lovely shower. Jackson is most certainly on his way to having all he could possibly need and so much more. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Notice his name on the little candy bar inside the bag! Just too cute for words!

This adorable catepillar was made out of diapers!!

Here is my mom, Peggy and my best friend Karen's mom, Terri.

Aunt Renee, Tracey and Ronda(my MIL)

Here I am with my fabulous hostesses, Angi and Dian.

Ladies you could not have blessed us any more than you did. Thank you for your love and friendship.

And here is the the shirt that got the most attention!! If you know my husband in the least, you know why this was just too perfect!! Thanks Tracey and Aunt Renee!!

10 Weeks

2010-10-22T11:47:00.003-05:00

That's how many weeks are left (supposedly) until Baby Jack arrives.
*10 weeks until our lives change forevermore.
*10 weeks until I cry harder than I ever have before with
more joy than I can begin to imagine.
*10 weeks until sleep becomes a thing of the past and diapers a thing of the future. *10 weeks until I get to hold my little man
*10 weeks until our family of 3(yes including Maddie)becomes a family of 4

To my son,
Jackson Thomas England, I cannot wait until you get here!! I love you so much and I haven't even met you yet. So keep kicking me and letting me know you are there and I will see you soon.
Love
Your Mom

The Texas State Fair 2010

2010-10-09T21:38:00.005-05:00

I know many of you have been waiting in anticipation of our annual State Fair trip and I have kept you all hanging in the balance!! ha ha! ;-) Life has been so very busy recently!!
We decided to head out to the fair this year on opening weekend and that was a first for us. Most years we go on a weeknight and enjoy the smaller crowds but this year we ventured out in the day time.

Let the fun begin!! Here we are at our first stop! Fletcher's corny dogs, rootbeer and Big Tex!!

Batman!!! Yes that is Batman's car. We were wandering around one of the halls and came upon the Batmobil, The Green Lanterns car, and the Monkeys car on display. My Fan Boy husband couldn't resist so he paid the $3 each for us to go in and grab some pictures. Here's my favorite.

There was a great display of the legacy of Tom Landry at the fair this year.

Here is our Fried Specialty of the year! Fried Peaches and Cream!! Now of course we ate our usual fried delecacies of corny dogs, twister taters, and funnel cakes but I didn't capture those on film this year!

Here we are on the Skytram (I don't know what its called) 6 1/2 months pregnant with slightly swollen feet, we opted to ride one way across the fair grounds to make the day a little more enjoyable. Loved it!

Headed to the Fair!!!

2010-09-26T14:06:00.001-05:00

So excited!! Its Fair Day for the Englands!! Love this time each year and it even feels like fall out there!! Corny dogs, funnel cakes and fried frito pie..here we come!!

Of course my annual Fair Post should be expected in the coming days!

God Bless You!

I'm alive

2010-09-23T08:16:00.002-05:00

Just noticed I have not blogged in over a week! I am happy to announce that the cankles have toned it down! I think once our eating habits got back to normal (who eats healthy in the middle of a move? ) that my body was grateful. By the end of the week my swollen ankles looked WAY less atrocious!!

The last week has been good. Baby boy is moving a lot and I truly think yesterday he practiced his field goal kicker moves all day!! Jerry Jones, get ready for a new Cowboy in about 20years!!

Exhaustion has made its appearance and I wonder if baby boys room will be remotely ready when he arrives!! We still have boxes everywhere so I hoping for a most productive weekend.

We need to sign up for baby classes soon and my first shower is in about 2 weeks. So roller coaster, here we come!!

Hope this finds you having a blessed day.
Love ya!

Cankles!!

2010-09-14T21:25:00.002-05:00

Well, the time has arrived when fluid won't leave my body and sets up shop in my legs and giving me the dreaded CANKLES!! You know, when your ankles swell so much that your calves just run straight into your ankes? Hence, Cankles.

I am thankful that these lovely accessories of pregnancy have waited until 6 monts in before arriving but not really excited about looking down at them for the next 3 months.

I won't be taking any pictures for documentation. You will just have to take me at my word.

My 5th period class today begged to see my cankles as I sat with my feet propped up. They got a big kick out of it and made me laugh in spite of myself.

So I know prop my feet at work any time I can and I come home each day and elevate the tootsies. At night I try and do the same and hope by morning I can squeeze my feet into a pair of shoes.

Pregnancy is quite the roller coaster ride!!! Lots of fun stuff. I am guessing these next 3 months will fly by and the cankles will be quickly replaced with a beautiful baby boy.

Have a great night! Time for some sleep and De-Cankelization!!

Moving Day 2

2010-09-11T18:20:00.002-05:00

Well thankfully there has been no recreation of the flood in the aparmtent today!! yay!!

The living room is set up, the kitchen is functional and my deodorant has been found!!! (we are all thankful for that one!

There is still so much to unpack and get organized but I am so glad I can at least do laundry, toast a bagel, make coffee and fire up the grill. That's what's for dinner, hot dogs, nachos, peanut butter brownies and ice cream!!

Hope your weekend has been great!! Sunday shall be a true day of rest and a much slower pace of unpacking.

The Move

2010-09-10T18:29:00.002-05:00

Well..except for the 3 inches of standing water on the kitchen floor and laundry room floor, the day has gone great!! (It seems the movers forgot to stick the washing machine drain tube down the hole)

Movers did arrive 30 minutes early and 2 1/2 hours later they were gone. My dear sweet friend Christi stayed up until 3:00 packing my entire kitchen and laundry room. The movers did move 98% of our things and Brian and Paul are at the old apartment getting the last few things.

There is still so much to be done but we are thankful that Paul and Angi are here to help. They are longtime friends that drove in from Texarkana to help.

So here's to unpacking, repurposing, reorganizing and no more flooded floors!!
Have a great weekend!!

Moving Day!!

2010-09-09T15:40:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is moving day! It has been quite a week and I am certain that today will be a long day. There are still things to pack before the movers come in the morning. Brian started a new job and we are moving all in the same week!! Thank the wonderful Lord for friends!!

Friend to come pack, friends to take care of your dog, friends to help you unpack, and friends to make you laugh and keep that infamous stress level down!!

I'll have some pictures to post once our internet at the new place is up and running!!

Hope you are having a wonderful week and a fabulous weekend!

Change

2010-08-31T19:43:00.002-05:00

No, not the kind of change you find in your sofa cushions or on the floor board of your car but the kind that life constantly brings. We all know that life is always changing and just about the time you get comfortable something comes along to interrupt.

We in the England household have experienced and are experiencing much change.
Just over 5 months ago we brought home Maddie, aka Rotten Dog, and are so glad we did. I never realized how much change a dog could bring about but she sure did and I think it was a first lesson in things to come.

Shortly after bringing Maddie home we found out we were pregnant! The first 2 weeks we knew we were expecting a little bundle of joy were wonderful and dreamy. Week 5 of my pregnancy hit and morning sickness me like a freight train. I wondered how I would make it through work and by God's abundance of grace, patience and co-workers that ROCK I did make it to the first days of summer break.

This summer was a total CHANGE from all other summers since I spent the majority of my time not feeling well and trying to find some sense of normal. Week 20 hit and PTL morning sickness finally decided to give me a break!! The past 3 week have been vastly better but still full of changes. Physical changes, scheduling changes, sleeping changes have all made their way into our life. Maybe my life more than Brian's but change nonetheless.

This school year has been vastly different because I always have in the back of my mind the fact that I am pregnant and that there is so much to get done before December. I also have had a change in the way I view my students. I have always loved my students, even before I know them and even after I know them but this year I am even more aware that these are someones sons and daughters. You really teach differently when your viewpoint changes.

We have had lots of changes and there are more to come. Brian starts a new job next week and we are very excited about the company he will be with and his potential growth in the company.
Next Friday we move...yes I said move. We thought baby boy might like a room to himself instead of living in the top drawer of our dresser. (and yes I know people have actually done that and lived to be successful, well rounded people) We are moving within the apartment complex and hopefully that will make the process easier.

And of course the biggest change in our life will arrive sometime in December. The 29th is baby boy's due date and we are all hoping he actually arrives on that day since its my Memaw's birthdate. Whenever baby boy does arrive I am sure that our life will never be the same.

We look forward to the years to come and are so very thankful for the blessings in our life.
The Lord is good, faithful and everlasting and that brings an abudance of peace.

So here's to change and what tomorrow brings.
Love to all.

We survived!!

2010-08-27T19:29:00.004-05:00

Well its Friday night of the first week of school. I have survived the week and even accomplished a few things beyond work. I am quite tired, as expected being 5 1/2 months pregnant, but feel pretty good. Bedtime has come early every night and I think my body thanks me for that.

I do feel much like this picture of Maddie and wish I were under the covers a lot of the time. But the week has gone well and I seem to have a great bunch of kids!

Year 14 Starts Tomorrow

2010-08-15T22:20:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow starts my 14th year of teaching. That's truly hard to believe.

Lord,
I come to you and ask for blessing upon our school this year. Please keep the students and staff that will walk the hallways safe and may our students find success in the classroom. Give us as teachers what we need to lead our students to successes and through any failures. Give us patience, creativity, honesty, mercy, grace and humor within our classrooms. May my students know they are loved and cared for.
Thank you Father for the work you have given me and the students that will be in my charge this year. Thank you for your love and for your son, who I could not make it a day without.

In your son's Holy and precious name.
Amen

Friends...such a blessing!

2010-07-31T10:53:00.002-05:00

This is my best friend Karen. And she is in town this weekend for a visit. This picture is from the trip Brian and I took up to St. Louis in January for Rich and Rachel's wedding.
Having good friends is truly one of the greatest blessings one can have!
We had a great time at dinner last night with Brian, his mom, Heath, Karen and myself. Lots of laughs that hopefully burned off some of the calories we ate!!

Today we will...well..who knows! We will figure it out as we go! I'll be sure to take the camera along for some fun pics!

Its going to be blazing hot in Texas this weekend..so try and stay cool and if you don't live here..be thankful!!!

Could it be? A new season?

2010-07-28T08:46:00.002-05:00

Today I am 18 weeks pregnant and can say that TODAY has started off really well. Since week 5 of my pregnancy I have been one sick girl. Thanks to medication, a fabulous husband and the best of friends I have survived these rough seas.

I did not expect morning sickness to be so bad or to arrive with such a wallop! I knew my mom experienced morning sickness with both of her pregnancies but never did I imagine that morning sickness could bring your world to a screaching halt. And that my dear blog readers is exactly what happened to my world. My world, as I knew it, came to a screaching halt.

Morning sickness lastest throughout any given day and for weeks I never knew what to expect when my feet hit the ground in the morning. Days were difficult and things were most certainly not "normal" but you see I made things worse. You see I lost my focus. Instead of staying in the Word one scripture at a time and leaning upon the strength of the Lord I tried to do it myself and I wallowed. I wallowed in my circumstances, I used my sickness as an excuse to not be faithful in the Word.

I look back now and definately see that I could have (and would have) fared the storm so much easier had I stayed faithful in my reading the Word. I don't think I would have thrown up less often or suddenly felt fabulous but I know that all the emotions, feelings, frustrations and hurt I felt should have been laid at the feet of my Father. Instead I clung to them like a binkie I could not be without.

I am so very thankful for Abba Father that never left my side even though I forgot Him. I look back and see HIS faithfulness all over the past 13 weeks and it brings tears of gratitude to my eyes. I can even see how He used our sweet dog Maddie to be a joy and comfort to me on the worst of days!

I cannot sit here and say I won't ever stray or ignore my time in the Word again but I surely hope I have learned that no matter what circumstances might be in life I always want and need the Lord in my everyday life. No matter what.

Thanks for letting me be honest and open here. Hope you are having a blessed week!
Here's to a new season in pregnancy and anticipating the arrival of our sweet baby boy in December.

Well...we are having a...

2010-07-19T22:08:00.002-05:00

BOY!! Today's doctor visit was great and all is well. Baby Boy England is healthy and growing. He is all of 8 oz right now with all 10 fingers and 10 toes.

We celebrated this adventure with a steak dinner out. (morning sickness hit so quick we never celebrated being pregnant) Then we did a little roaming around Target staring at baby stuff.

Let the planning begin!

Taking a Poll

2010-07-16T08:10:00.002-05:00

Monday should be the big reveal as to whether we are having a Boy or a Girl. So I thought it would be fun to take a poll. I know the Lord already knows what we are having and we are overjoyed just to have Peanut.

But you all chime in!! Just comment Boy or Girl!

Have a great weekend!!

Prayer Requests

2010-07-09T15:23:00.004-05:00

Today I am asking for a favor. I am asking that you join me in prayer over a few things going on in our lives.

1. Please pray for my BIL and the kids. There is a divorce in the future and we are asking for prayers in all areas and over all things.

2. Prayers for my Mom and Stepdad as they are now raising my 11 year old nephew. They are both retired and this is a huge responsibility and life change. Prayers for strength, patience, and blessings.

3. Prayers for our little Peanut that is arriving in December. We are excited and nervous.

4. Prayers for direction as to where we need to live in the future. A decision on moving will need to come relatively soon and we simply want to be where the Lord wants us, where we can be the best stewards of our money and where we should start raising our little one.

5. Prayers for Brian's career future. We are blessed with a good job as of now but again looking forward and hoping that one day I will be able to stay home.

6. Prayers for a car. We currently own 2, 2-door vehicles. Now we realize that it is not impossible to put a car seat in a smaller car but we do feel led that its time to move up in size a bit. 4-doors at least! Prayers that we will have a peace about what kind of car, how much we should spend, etc.

Thank you for all of your prayers. We are seeking discernment for decisions and an abundance of peace. We never desire to be in control and assume what the Lord has for us or the future plans He has in store. We simply want to be in His will and trust.

Have a blessed day and a wonderful weekend.

4th of July!

2010-07-08T13:20:00.004-05:00

This year we celebrated the 4th in Oklahoma. Brian's mom and stepdad live in Broken Arrow and we always love to visit. We headed up Saturday morning and Maddie did a great job in the car!! Our past car trips she has cried quite a bit but not this time!! She was a happy camper all the way.

Saturday night we enjoyed a drizzly rain and fired up the grill! Our nieces were in Oklahoma hanging with the grandparents so it was fun to spend some time with them also. Emily is 8 and Alexys is 13. We laughed a lot with the girls around!

Sunday we enjoyed church, lunch and naptime before heading out for the fireworks. We headed down the road the road a bit and joined in the celebration with the FBC Tulsa. There is a family in the area that uses their resources to bless the church and community for an amazing celebration. The family has quite a bit of land that is just gorgeous and they sponsor the fireworks show. So with our lawn chairs in tow and a bit of bug spray we camped out on the grassy lawns and enjoyed hot dogs, sno cones, cotton candy and lemonade! The girls ran between the pony rides, train rides and sno cone stand for the entire evening! The live music was great and the weather could not have been more perfect!! Shortly before 9:00 the fireworks began and we enjoyed a 45 minute show!

Monday we experienced my FIL's famous breakfast of cheesy eggs, bacon, sausage, gravy and biscuits for brunch. The girls slept late so it was a great meal just visiting with Brian's parents an enjoying each others company. We ran around town a bit and visited my FIL's daughter, Tracy, to see Caiden the grandbaby! Well he's not so baby anymore since he is one but it was fun to see him.

Monday evening we headed out to the flying field so the girls could shoot off their fireworks. I had forgotten how much fun that can be since it has been many years since I have held a sparkler or lit up a black cat! The girls had a great time and Maddie barked at all the shiny, spinners!!

Tuesday it was time to return to reality. We had enjoyed 3 wonderful days with family, food and lots of naps and were headed home rested. With the car loaded up and Maddie tucked away in her crate we headed south again to the Big D.

Brian has been off work this whole week and it has been wonderful to enjoy slow days together. Morning sickness has decided to not leave and there are moments that are still pretty yucky but its been so nice having someone here with me, especially my amazing husband.

Friday we plan to do some fun stuff, just the two of us. Maybe tour Cowboy Stadium, see Avatar on the Omni screen in Ft. Worth and get a massage. I'll keep ya posted on what we do.

A shot of the fireworks. I took this with my Iphone so its not the best, but not the worst either!

Here is my second sno cone of the evening. Pina Colada!! Nothing better for a pregnant woman than a cup of ice to munch on on a warm summer night!!

Its That Time!!

2010-07-01T11:55:00.002-05:00

Time for what you say? Time for some new clothes. 14 weeks into pregnancy and I am only up 4 lbs thanks in part to mass quantities of morning sickness but that does not mean that things aren't a changin'!

I am down to a few pairs of capris (pony tail holder needed for a little room), one pair of jeans and a few pair of workout pants. All current tops/blouses/shirts are fine and I am thankful. I am glad its summer because all of the above clothing options are perfectly fine for the moment.

Friday I am headed over to Keller to my friend Jenny's house. She has an almost 6 month old and a closet full of maternity clothes. She was given tons but as a nures mostly just needed scrubs. I get to go shopping in her closet for all things maternity. I hope a lot works out because it would be wonderful to save the money for other things!!

I do feel like I will need to buy me a big 'ol tent dress aka MuMu at some point in time. For "those" days, the ones I know are coming. The days when I am going to just feel like a big old barn. I will be counting the days by that time ( I am assuming) and wearing my MuMu dress with my feet propped up, eating pickles and warding off heartburn.

Pregnancy sure is a ride of a lifetime. Lots of changes, most of which noone really talks about but should, going on. Some are great changes and others not so much, hence the ones noone really talks about.

We are excited about our little Peanut and are looking forward to finding out in a couple of weeks if Peanut is a boy or a girl. In the meantime, I gotta find some clothes to wear!! Before I get stuck in the house in my bathrobe!!

Baby Time

2010-06-25T20:58:00.005-05:00

So have you noticed I have been absent from my blog? Well the title of today's post is the reason. I am pregnant! Brian and I are very excited about our little bundle of joy arriving in December. I wish excitement warded off morning sickness but I am afraid that is not the case. Blogging has not been on the top of my priority list since week 5 of my pregnancy due to morning sickness that liked to run its course all day long. It was quite rough in the beginning and for quite a few weeks but as I enter my 2nd trimester things are improving. More good days than bad and less medication is needed. Praise the Lord!!

So I have a couple of sono pics to show.

I hope to be back on the Blogging Wagon and look forward to lots of fun updates.

8 weeks 5 days

See the little blobish shape on the left..that's Peanut

12 weeks 5 days

Peanut is a little blurry because someone was quite active that day.

Summer has arrived!!

2010-06-10T08:51:00.002-05:00

Its June 10th and I am enjoying a slow mornig at home with my sweet Maddie dog curled up next to me. School has come to a close and summer has arrived. I love this time of year and always have a HUGE to-do list at the start of each summer. This summer the list will be a tad longer (details forthcoming) and I will have fewer "leisure" days than I usually allow myself each year. But today its about enjoying the day at whatever pace I decide. Maddie is going to Doggie DayCare in a bit, I am having lunch with a girlfriend, then to hit the gym and get a fresh pedicure. Somewhere in there I should consider something for dinner...the hubs might appreciate that!

So here's to summer!!

What happened?

2010-05-13T20:47:00.005-05:00

Well I had tried to to better about blogging back at the first of the year and it seems my efforts have crashed and burned!! Life has been busy since 2010 rolled in. Weddings, trips, church events, Bible studies, new dog, obedience classes for the new dog, laundry, work and the list goes on and on! I know it probably sounds just like your life too. Somewhere in all of that I just have not taken a moment to blog.

So here's a bit of an update:

Maddie is settling in to being an England. She is still not thrilled about being in her crate at night or the Gentle Leader we use for her walks but overall she is completely rotten.

I am about 4 weeks from finishing up my 13th year of teaching. WOW..I say it every year because I am always amazed at the end of the school year and how quickly we arrived.

Brian is busy with work and is still working on 18 wheelers. He is enjoying it and getting lots of great experience painting.

We are currently looking for a new church or at least being obedient to the Lord and stepping outside of our comfort zone. We are not sure where He will lead but we want to follow.

We have been discussing summer vacation plans and I think we will keep it close to home and very low key this year. Whatever we do, it will just be nice to have time for me and the Hubs to not be in a rush and enjoy some down time.

I guess that does it for now on the quick update of The Englands.

Hope this finds you doing well and having a blessed day.

Here is Maddie on a walk with Daddy.

Think she has settled in with us?

Time to walk!!

2010-04-11T19:18:00.002-05:00

My sweet friend Melissa is 2 years old and she has CF, Cystic Fibrosis. This genetic disease affects the lungs and digestive system of those born with the disease. Currently there is no cure, only treatments to make the persons life better and longer. Cystic Fibrosis research is supported by individual and business donations.

I have participated in the Great Strides Walk for the past 2 years and I hope that I don't have to walk for another 20 because a cure has been found!!!

I am asking my Friends, Family, Facebook, and Blogdom to help me out. Click on the Great Strides badge on my page here and it will take you to a donations page. I have over 600 friends on FB alone and I hope that maybe at least half will donate $1!!! It really doesn't take much to make a difference!! So if you feel led!! Click that button..OR if you aren't comfy with doing the online thing...shoot me an email and I will give you my address and you can send me a check!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and consider helping out!

Blessings!!

Our New Family Member

2010-03-27T21:39:00.004-05:00

So we had been thinking about getting a dog. I have been addicted to Petfinder.com. This morning we had no specific plans of becoming dog owners. Well..here she is.

Maddie England, the newest addition to our family. We think she is a Beagle/Jack Russell Terrier mix. She is really sweet, minds pretty well, is house broken and LOVES to sit in a lap.

We are thrilled to have her!

Photography..not mine..just of us!

2010-03-02T10:03:00.003-06:00

So these pics I did not take but Coli did!! http://www.coloringlifephotography.com/

She is friends with my friend Christi and is starting up her business! She did a free shoot this last Sunday and it was fun! I think the pictures turned out great!! Here are a few!

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!

2010-02-11T18:04:00.003-06:00

The beautiful icy trees outside our balcony.

See our snowman in the background!

Hi!!

Fun in the snow!

Why the kids thought we didnt' need to be in school today!

2010-02-11T14:03:00.001-06:00

The view from the doors I walk out of everyday to get to my car. Love the snow and glad that it has been snowing all day and will continue until after school ends. Its beautiful. We will enjoy it today and say adios tomorow!

It's so cold that...

2010-02-09T08:25:00.002-06:00

The lock on the driver side of my car was FROZEN. Yes you read that right. This week it seems that Tuesday is the day for unusual stuff. Walked out the door at 7:30 only to find that the remote key access wasn't working and oh the key would not even work!! So..I CRAWL through from the passenger side in my 2-door, Honda Civic. I am sure I was a SIGHT!!

After a warm up of the car, praying and calling the Hubs the lock now will unlock and I was able to save any humiliation by being able to open my driver side door! PTL!!

What a morning!!

How I know I will never be a nurse!

2010-02-03T20:35:00.007-06:00

This was not your typical Wednesday around the England house. Well it began in a very typical manner as Brian was up before me and I rolled out of bed around 6:20 in my usual state of fog. Within a few minutes I was attempting to wash the fog away with a hot shower and had lathered up my head.

About the same time I heard "AHHHHHHH, That hurt!! I think I broke my toe!!"

This lovely a.m. greeting was coming from my husband.

After a frantic jump from the shower and wrapping up my drippy self I turn the corner to find my husband lying on the bedroom floor clutching his foot and a tiny little pinkie toe that looked like a hitchhiker was staring at me! See his pinkie toe was at a 90 degree angle sticking out the wrong way!!

"Ice!!" that is what I thought and I race to the kitchen only to find myself completely light-headed, instantly drunk with nausea and grasping countertops to prevent a disastrous collapse.

I will myself to get the Ziploc bag, fill it with ice and grab a towel. I struggle to return to the bedroom, as I am now in a complete sweat, and THROW the ice and towel at my injured husband.

I attempt to sit on the side of the bed and get my head between my knees. (see I remember having to do this years ago when I injured MY ankle and was in severe pain) This was no good and the nausea was increasing moment by moment. Back to the bathroom for a cool rag on my neck and some composure. Keep in mind my sweet, dear, injured husband is lying on the bedroom floor trying to pop his toe back in place and not be sick himself.

I am absolutely NO GOOD for my dear husband for a good 15 minutes. Now if you are reading this and laughing out loud...GOOD! We have laughed all day at the site that was US this morning. You really can't make this stuff up!! Real life doesn't get any funnier! My BFF told me that had I collapsed and hit my head Brian and I could have had side by side hospital beds. One for a concussion and the other for a broken toe! NICE!! I swear we would be the most famous video on YouTube had this been recorded!! Hilarious!!

Once I could think again we had most definately decided that work for either of us would not be happening so we made the phone calls and prepared to head to the doctor. We were blessed with a brief first visit to our primary physician to learn the toe was most definately broken but not a clean break. We headed home to wait for a phone call about seeing a specialist later in the day.

After a couple of hours we had a 2:00 appointment in Plano. Our 2:00 doctor's visit resulted in a numbed up toe that was popped back into alignment and some high dose ibuprofen. Oh and quite the lovely Fracture Shoe.

So a couple of days off from work to rest and the toe will be on the mend. And I now KNOW without a shadow of a doubt, nursing could never be my career. Memaw and Janet are the only nurses in the family and that's a good thing! I'll stick to the kiddos and pray noone breaks any toes in class.

Warning: Below is Brian's X-ray. I actually took the picture from the wrong side of the X-ray but you can most definately see the break!

My Favorite Picture...Right Now

2010-01-16T18:55:00.002-06:00

4 Years Ago Today

2010-01-14T08:56:00.005-06:00

Four years ago today I was readying myself to walk down the aisle. I was enjoying the day with my best girlfriends, having my hair done, paying extra attention and detail to my make-up as I was a bride.

Four years ago today Brian was hanging with his best friend, moving cars, checking his list as he was a groom.

Four years ago today Amy Allder became Mrs. Brian England and it was the happiest day ever!

I have the most amazing husband and although he is not perfect, he is perfect for me. The Lord knew exactly what I needed in a husband and man did He ever deliver!!

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband! These past 4 years have flown by and I so look forward to the many years to come.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Genesis 2:24