More Fall Fun!

I warned you that I LOVE fall! We decided that even though Anderson attended boo at the zoo and the pumpkin patch he still needed a little more fall fun. Tuesday night we took him to campus for the annual Trick or Treat down sorority row.
I wish I had video of all the little sorority girls squealing "Awwwww....Charlie Brown" as he streaked by with utter indifference. Jeff says he can't wait to tell him in 20 years that he was more interested in potted plants on the porch than all 25 of the beautiful girls on each porch oohing and ahhhing over him.
I do have to tell on one poor sweet soul though...this poor little girl at the Pi Phi house asked me what he was and I replied "Charlie Brown" then she said with a sound of recollection...ohhhh followed up by the unfortunate question....which character is he from Charlie Brown? Wow!! That's really all I can say about that...

On Wednesday the mother ship FINALLY landed in t-town...Barnes and Noble!! Yeah!! I dropped off Anderson at school and headed over to check out the store. If you read this blog often you know that my absolute favorite place to be is a bookstore!! I spent the morning there...with Jeff calling to make sure I didn't get so caught up that I would forget to pick up our child! Anyway...I did pick up a goody for Anderson. A baby einstein video all about Christmas. I didn't even know they had one like that! I can't wait to break it out and properly introduce Ho Ho!!On Wednesday night Anderson had developed a bit of a cough so we stuck close to home. We only took Anderson to two houses in our neighborhood of close friends and then went over to our across the street neigbors (The Ingrams) for some chili and margaritas! Yum! We still had little man home and in the bed by 7:45 that night. THe next morning his cough was worse and I took him to the Dr. which leads to my next blog...

Whew...what a weekend!

This weekend was a busy, but fun one for all of us! Friday was Western Day at Anderson's school. All of the kids dressed up and were treated to a hayride, pumpkin games and a pizza party! Ms. Alicia said he giggled so hard on the hayride that she thought he was going to stop breathing! Meanwhile, Jeff took a well deserved day off and headed to Talledega with my Dad and my step-dad, Mike. We had given them both "ride-alongs" for their most recent birthdays. Jeff is going to blog about that later! After I picked Anderson up from school, we headed to GiGi's house for a fun-filled weekend! Fall is my FAVORITE season, so anything involving the words festival, pumpkin, hay, etc...I am sooooo there! Now that I have Anderson it will probably be even worse!!

Friday night after Jeff met us back at Mom's we headed to "BOO at the Zoo". They had everything decorated for Halloween. They also had little booths set up for trick or treaters and for carnival type games. We dressed Anderson in the warm version of his Charlie Brown Halloween Costume and enjoyed the evening. He had such a great time taking it all in! The staff was thoughtful enough to label the events that might be scary for younger children, so we breezed through the night without incident. It was a blast seeing all of these kids in their costumes!

Saturday morning after sleeping in until almost 9:00 am...Praise GOD!!!...we headed to Old Baker Farm in Harpersville to go to the Pumpkin Patch. It is about 15 minutes past my mom's house, so it wasn't too bad of a ride. We had a blast there too! We were treated to a tractor parade, which Anderson watched in awe! I swear he didn't blink! We also go to pet several farm animals and see a Turkey! They had booths there selling everything from roasted corn on the cob to stationary! We also watched Native Americans do traditional dances and rode a hayride to a real pumpkin patch to pick out Anderson's very own li'l punkin! Our little guy also enjoyed dancing to a bluegrass band! I love to watch him dance!!

I can't figure out how to rotate it, but here it is anyway...

Mommy... I picked you a flower!

Anderson has become obsessed with all things outside...including flowers. This has meant more than one casualty for my potted plants on the back deck. How can you be mad at that sweet face though!!

Congrats Dawn and Mike!!

This past weekend our good friends Dawn and Mike got hitched in Ohio! Dawn has been in my bible study group for the last 3 years and Mike and Jeff meet on Friday mornings for their own bible study. You may remember Dawn from Anderson's birthday extravaganza! She is the music therapist from the RISE school and played the guitar and did some fun and silly songs at his party.
We are so happy for them and can't wait to hear all about their big day when they get back!! These pictures are from a shower a few others from our group and myself hosted for Dawn a few weeks ago.

This group of women have had a huge impact on my life. We are a very close knit little clan that even earned us a knickname that is VERY Cheesy, but never fails to make us laugh...the "Soul Sisters". They prayed over my belly when I was pregnant with Anderson and have watched him grow and grow and grow! We have all shared so much, and I can't imagine missing Tuesday nights although I have had to attend the morning sessions lately due to childcare issues. They are a fun group and I miss them very much!!

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer!

What a weekend! I kicked off the weekend Friday by going to meet my mom to hand over Anderson for the weekend. My mom LOVES having Anderson for more than one day even though we've only let her do it 2 or 3 times in 16 months! I really think Anderson enjoys the change of scenery as well. I am sure he gets bored with me all day every day!! Besides at GiGi's naps are a "maybe" and bedtime is certainly extended. The milk also flows freely! When I called to check on him this morning, mom said he's not really eating that much, but he's had three sippy cups of milk....Hmmmmm, who wants sugar free oatmeal in the land of milk and honey!
Friday night they spent most of their time riding the golf cart around the property and playing with the dogs, Lucy and Libby. Saturday morning they headed out to the Mt. Laurel Fall Festival. A great time was had by Gigi, Pop and our little man. They even honored our request to dress him in his Alabama shirt during game time. When I called from the game to check on him at 2:15 they were still at Mt. Laurel. Nap time is at 1:00...oh well! Sunday was a lazy day. We slept until 9:30 and then headed to church. I picked Anderson up after his afternoon nap around 3:00. Mom also managed to squeak in time to make Anderson's Halloween costume. More on that later!

As for our weekend, it was also great even though we missed our sweet little boy. After dropping Anderson off I met my friend Jennifer for lunch where we actually talked about grown up stuff...not one mention of developmental milestones or the latest Baby Einstein release! Afterwards I did possibly my favorite thing to do...I lost myself in a bookstore. That's right!! I spent 3 entire hours in a bookstore. It was pure bliss!! In my single days I did that quite regularly. I spent many a Sunday afternoon at Barnes and Nobles, but it is hard to make that kind of time with a little one running around! Anyway..Then I drove back to Tuscaloosa and Jeff and I had a date night. We went to Chuck's fish for sushi...Yummy!

Saturday morning we slept in and then headed to campus for the game. I hate 11:30 games because there's no time to hang out on the quad beforehand. So we went a little early...just early enough for a stop by the Stadium House to see our friend Kathryn.
Kathryn reads my blog faithfully every week, so she'll be delighted to have "made the blog"! Then we went into the game just in time to catch the flyover, which by the way...they should really announce way ahead of time. Every time it scares me half to death!! We watched 4 full quarters of Alabama pounding Tennessee. We have a special place in our hearts for UA/ UT match-ups. Jeff is from Phil Fulmer's hometown in Tennessee, but grew up the black sheep in the family as a Tide fan. And if you do the math (remembering that Anderson was nearly 5 weeks early) you can see why Jeff sometimes calls him our little "Rocky Top". We capped off our fun weekend with a big pot of chili and an Auburn loss! What more could you want in a weekend!! Woo Hoo!

The Silversmith

I have really struggled with the death of our very young neighbor (see previous post). Even though I didn't know him that well I think it certainly brought to light issues that I, nor anyone else, like to think about...death, the possibility of dying young, etc... However, God in his perfect timing allowed me to hear this analogy Tuesday morning at a bible study. For some reason this little analogy really opened my eyes and I hope it will mean something to you as well. It really blessed me...thank you Lillian!

THE SILVERSMITH
Some time ago, a few ladies met to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse:

"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" (Malachi 3:3).

One lady decided to visit a silversmith, and report to the others on what he said about the subject.

She went accordingly, and without telling him the reason for her visit, begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?"


"Oh, yes ma'am," replied the silversmith; "I must sit and watch the furnace constantly, for, if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be destroyed."

The lady at once saw the beauty and comfort of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

God sees it necessary to put His children into the furnace; but His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure.

Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "How do you know when the process is complete?"

"That's quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."

-Author Unknown-


Isn't it awesome to know that no matter how hard the flames burn this poor woman right now that God will not take his eyes off of her until he can see his own image in her?