Calling All Mommies!

(Photo courtesy of Sugar and Spice Mommy)

Hello, to all you mommies out there! Have I got great news for you! My most favorite "minister to mommies", Jean Stockdale, is beginning a new Bible study this fall on the book of Ephesians. For those of you who had the privilege of studying through Phillipians with Jean in the Spring, I know you are as excited as I am to embark on this new study with her!

If you are in the Memphis area, this semester's study begins Thursday, September 17. I encourage you to be a part of this wonderful ministry! You can go here for more information and for registration.

What's GREAT news for those of you like me, who are unable to attend the study in person, is the opportunity that Jean will now be offering for online Bible studies. This provides you the luxury of hearing Jean's messages, studying through the workbook and communicating with other mommas from the comfort of your own home!

Sounds great, doesn't it? I know I'm excited about this new online opportunity. If you would like to join me in this semester's study online, please leave a comment with your email address, and I will be in touch with more information. Or, as always, you can find out more by visiting Jean's blog.

But let me rewind and provide some background information for my non-Memphis friends. Jean is a faboulous wife, mother and grandmother, but even more importantly than all of those things, she is a devoted student of God's word, constantly seeking the Lord, His word, and His will. She mines precious nuggets of truth from the Bible which she in turn uses to encourage mommas in the everyday, ordinary things of life as well as the most important thing--raising our children up in the ways of the Lord.

At Bellevue, I had the privilege of sitting under Jean for three years and truly soaking up the wisdom and the truth of God's word. I do not over exaggerate when I say, I don't know where I would be today (as a wife or a mother), if not for the challenge of spending time in God's word and learning through these studies. The Lord truly had me in this fabulous ministry "for such a time as this."

For those of you in the Birmingham area, who perhaps have never had the privilege of hearing Jean speak, she will be at Hunter Street Baptist Church on Tuesday, September 15. If anyone is interested in attending, please again leave a comment and your email and we'll make it a date!

On the Road Again

Yesterday, we met Pops half way between Birmingham and Mobile to pick up Tula who's coming to hang out with us through the weekend, allowing me a bit of a rest and providing a helping hand as we get ready for the school year to start next week!

It just so happens we arrived just in time for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. The kiddos had fun trying out all of the rocking chairs and playing checkers!

After breakfast, we turned around and headed back to the 'Ham. It was a beautiful day for a drive, and Mom and I couldn't help but stop off at the Alabama Furniture Market on the way back. It was definitely worth the drive!

Playing at the Park

Today, while the kids played at the park...

I played with my camera:)

Jumpoline

Our new house comes complete with its own trampoline. Walker and Kathryn affectionately call it the "jumpoline."
Can you tell from this close up what she would rather be doing??? Too bad the house didn't come with a pool:)

While We Were Out

While Matt and I made our final haul of furniture from Memphis to Mobile, Walker and Kathryn spent a couple of days down on the river with Nana and Papa. As always, Nana captured some great shots of the kiddos in action.

They climbed...

They rode on the sea doo...

They painted...

They snacked...

They played with shaving cream...

They had a great time!!!

Fun with Family

Wednesday, we went to the pool with Aunt Cori and Cousin Daniel. I thought this picture of Kathryn and Dainel holding hands was so sweet! Walker says Daniel is his best friend--even sweeter!

That same day, Pops and Tula came to town! Walker and Kathryn love playing in the fountains at one of our favorite restaurants.

I tried to get a picture of the two of them but didn't have much success. So, I decided maybe mommy could corral them. Obviously that didn't help:)

This morning, we ate breakfast before Pops and Tula headed home. Again, trying to capture a picture of these two smiling at the same time could be an Olympic sport--it takes a lot of hard work! Gotta love Walker's morning hair:)

One thing we do love is all of this time with our family!

Breaking in the neighborhood

This past weekend, Nana and Papa were in town for a visit. Matt and Papa took the kiddos to the McWane Center for a little scientific exploring. I sent the camera with Matt hoping for a few cute pics, and this was the one picture he came back with...

I did dress Walker and Kathryn in matching outfits so they would be easier to keep up with, but I don't remember picking out the storm trooper costumes:)

Nana and I did a little shopping to take advantage of the tax free weekend. We found this fun Diego slip and slide at Target for $2.50! Needless to say, the kids couldn't wait to try it out!

Because our back yard is all deck (great for riding bikes, not so good for slip and slides), we had to set it up in the front yard. Kathryn was wearing a much too small swimsuit and a sunhat that I know she wore when she was about 3 months old!

These are a few of my favorite "Alabama" things.

Now, that we are back in the Heart of Dixie, I can't wait to enjoy some of my favorite 'Bama products. Here are my top three...

Wickles

Wickles are yummy spicy pickles. If you love hot, you will LOVE Wickles!!

Naturally More

Cori introduced me to Naturally More, and I LOVE it. Bye bye natural peanut butter. This is my new favorite!

Big Sky Bread Company

And if anyone knows me, they know I live for Big Sky's granola and chocolate chip cookies. These cookies were like medicine to me when I was in college. If I had a bad day or got a little homesick (or really any excuse I could come up with), a Big Sky cookie always seemed to make everything better!

Check on the websites to see if you too can enjoy some of these local favorites in your hometown!

The First of Many

Valerie and I have been waiting for five years for us to be back in the same city, especially now that we have little ones. Well, I am sure this past Friday was the first of many playdates to come.

Val and Hill met me and my two at the Galleria where we had fun exploring the Build A Bear and Disney stores as well as the new Lego store. Walker and Kathryn were finally able to ride a carousel (They always begged to ride at the Memphis zoo, but Matt and I never remembered to bring cash. We were members and never really needed to have cash on hand to get in and enjoy ourselves, well, except for the carousel!).

I loved this picture of Hill and Walker holding hands. They were having so much fun!

And the winner is....

Jackson, AL!!

The winner of what, you may ask. My quest to obtain a Tagalong Blizzard (pictured below)!! You might remember my disappointment when after a day long trip from Memphis to Mobile, the Mobile Dairy Queen was out of Tagalong cookies! Oh, the agony!



Well, I thought my luck was changing when we returned to Memphis to pack the remainder of our things for Mobile. The little ones stayed on the river with Nana and Papa, so Matt and I took advantage of a night to ourselves and went to the movies (For the first time in a VERY LONG time I might add. So long that neither of us can remember the last movie we saw together!). The movie finished up at 9:30 p.m., so we made a plan to rush out of the movie and swing by the Dairy Queen that closed at 10:00 p.m.

Long story short, we made it in time! We were at the drive through at 9:45 p.m. only to be told, you guessed it, "Sorry, but we are out of Tagalong cookies." Are there not any Girl Scouts on call this late at night???

After our second trip to Mobile, we headed to Camden to pick up the kids and reach our final destination--Birmingham. It was 10:30 a.m. in the morning and we had just enjoyed a very filling breakfast in Mobile just an hour or so earlier, but I knew a Dairy Queen was coming up. Needless to say, Matt agreed to eat ice cream that early and I knew I was willing, so we took our chances.

We were a bit hesitant to ask but were able to let out a sigh of relief when the girl behind the counter simply nodded and started making up the blizzard. FINALLY! Yes, it was yummy (and worth the wait), but we concluded a butterfinger would have had the same taste results.

Needless to say, if you would like to enjoy this month's "Blizzard of the Month"--Thin Mint Cookie--I would go now before they run out of cookies:)