Wade's

Perspective

2011-03-01T22:18:00.004-06:00

We've been bombarded by the flu this week. First Maddy, then Macie, then me. I thought Keith was getting it, but he went in to work this morning, so the jury is still out on him! Both girls now have ear infections as a post complication. My house is germ ridden, stay away! Is it easy to be short tempered when sick? yes. Are the kids grouchy? yes. Easy to wallow in self pity? yes. And I'm sure I would have, had I not stepped outside with Macie yesterday evening.

We live on the 2nd floor (of three) in our apt building. I could tell something was up and I quickly saw there was a man out cold on the ground in front of our building. I watched for a second and could see they were doing CPR. I ran back in to get Keith and we came back out to watch the horrible event unfold. The guy was out running and collapsed. Several nurses and others who know CPR were running out of our building to help. They worked on him until the paramedics got there. I was pretty emotional watching the whole thing, I just kept thinking "oh my gosh, I'm watching a man die". Two hours later I found out he didn't make it. He was only 23 years old. He had a 21 year old wife; they had only been married 9 months.

Death will quickly put your own little world back in perspective. Everything that seemed of monumental importance, now back in check. Everything of great importance, taken off the back burner. I did not know the man who passed away or his wife, but please join me in praying for her. I can't imagine being widowed at the age of 21, or seeing my husband in the state hers was in.

Laughter

2011-02-04T15:50:00.003-06:00

Keith's Graduation

2011-02-03T09:08:00.007-06:00

My husband is my hero. He has led our family the past several years with a lot on his shoulders. We moved to New Orleans in July of 2008 so he could finish seminary @ NOBTS. We've been on quite the ride since then, running from hurricanes, having surgeries, having a baby, and much much more. Keith has kept a full schedule with school, work, and being a great Dad and wonderful husband. His work has required him to travel quite a bit and he has still managed to make awesome grades. He graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary on Dec. 18th with a Master of Divinity in Christian Education. I am honored to be his other half and so very proud of his accomplishments. He has always given plenty of time for family, for which I am extremely thankful. We are still in nola for the present. Keith is working while we are waiting on the Lord's direction.

I love you babe. Proud really doesn't even begin to describe how I feel.

And thank you to both of our parents + Jo for coming down for the big event. Your support of us is immeasurable, and we are forever thankful.

(photo credit to Boyd Guy)

Bingo

2010-11-03T08:32:00.002-05:00

We went to Sticky Fingers on Sunday for lunch before leaving Greenville. Dad has always entertained us at the dinner table by spinning his wedding ring. As you will see, Maddy loved it!

Hey Alan

2010-10-29T09:17:00.002-05:00

We had so much fun at Jeff & Courtney's wedding weekend. A lot of our time was spent in the hotel and true to nature, Alan came up with some creative ways to pass the time. Our rooms had cordless phones, so he decided to call maddy with one. By the time I started recording, he handed the phone to Christie, but she didn't seem to notice!

Macie Kate

2010-10-12T10:53:00.005-05:00

I’m a terrible blogger. Let’s just face that fact head on. This time, however, I do have such a beautiful excuse: our new baby Macie. She is 7 weeks old and doing great. I put together a little video of some pics. My friend Sheryl made a video of her daugher’s first year with this same song and I loved it. In fact I almost bought it on itunes when I realized we already had it.

Enjoy our girls!

Safe & Sound by: Matthew West

Summer

2010-07-21T13:04:00.003-05:00

Summer so far:

Jo's HS Graduation, saying goodbye to good friends, Orlando (for the Southern Baptist Convention & Vacation with Keith's parents), birthday party for Maddy's friend @ Chuck E Cheese, Staycation with my family, a shower for Courtney, many doctor appts (I'm now going every week), Mallory coming to visit, snoballs, baby shower for a friend, and more. I'm sure we'll manage to squeeze in a few other fun things before school/Macie, whichever comes first!

We started potty training full force this week and so far she's done really well. I hope all my kids are this easy....but I won't count on it!

If you're not on Facebook, here's a link to our summer fun so far (I updated pics yesterday)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2098687&id=41801150&l=9079e915c7

Chick Fil A

2010-06-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

I have always loved Chick fil a. And now it's my daughters favorite place for 2 reasons. 1) It has chicken, which is her favorite food group and 2) it has a slide. If you ask her where she wants to eat, she says: chick fil a, slide? [then looks at me with this smile-like expectation questioning are we really going there?] On a side note, it's hard to explain that they are closed on Sunday. We were driving back home this past Sunday and she saw a Chick fil a billboard and was going crazy, needless to say she wasn't happy that we couldn't go there.

All this to say Keith and I tried the new SPICY chicken sandwich tonight for free! Can't beat that. We signed up a couple of weeks ago online, got free tickets & tonight was our night to go. Upon arriving we were directed to a VIP spicy ck. line. The girl behind the register was super nice, of course I haven't had many (if any) bad experiences there. Keith got pepper jack cheese added to his sandwich and we both got a complimentary brownie a la mode! Verdict= Keith loved it! He said it's way better than Wendy's or any other place with a similar sandwich. I thought it was great also, just a bit too spicy for my liking! I had to take Maddy to the bathroom mid-meal and my mouth was on fire the whole time in there...but I am sort of a wimp when it comes to hot stuff. Try it, I'm sure it will not disappoint! I need to cut off the post.....Keith thinks I'm writing way too much about Chick fil a.

Baby update

2010-05-13T21:04:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't heard yet, we're having another GIRL! We are so excited. I think everyone else was expecting a boy! I really didn't have a feeling one way or another. I knew I was carrying this baby the same as Madison (low), but my pregnancy symptoms have been extremely minor so far, so I really didn't know. We have decided on the name Macie Kate. I love it and her for that matter :) I'm enjoying feeling her move and looking forward to August when she will arrive. Maddy is warming to the idea of having a little sister, at first every time we mentioned anything about a baby she said "no, no". Now that we have a gender and name, it's much easier. Macie's bed, Macie's diaper bag, Macie's clothes, etc... We were in Target last week and I found a cute little newborn dress on clearance. I showed it to Maddy and said "do you want to buy this for Macie?" and she smiled and said "uh huh". She held tight to it until time to pay!

I'll be 25 weeks tomorrow, so only a few more weeks until the 3rd trimester. This pregnancy has gone by so fast. It's funny the difference. With Madison I was looking at tons of websites to see exactly what was happening each week and now I'm lucky if I remember what week I'm on... I can't for the life of me figure out how to make the scanner portion of our printer to work, otherwise I'd attach a nice ultrasound picture for you! Here's the big sister:

A lot to catch up on!

2010-03-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

The weather has just warmed up in NOLA in the past few weeks and prior to that we've tried to stay busy. Below Maddy and I are riding the carousel at the zoo. She loves seeing all the different animals, elephants are her favorite!

Being super cute while we wait on the oil change for our car

We were going to be at Mom & Dad's during Madison's birthday weekend, so the Sat. before we left, we had an impromptu party....the kid loves some cake!

She wasn't a willing participant in our family photo

Keith left for Greece on the 12th for a class. He had a great time, but we missed him dearly. It was fun being at Mom and Dad's; lots of distraction so we didn't think about Daddy night and day.

She's accomplished.

Lots of fun at her birthday party! She actually blew out the candles, yay!

More CAKE!

She loved all her gifts, among the favorites were the Pooh bag and the stool Papa made her!

It was time. The hair was a little out of control. So at 2 yrs and a few days, we went for the first haircut. She was great until the cape came out, she was not a fan at all!

The finished product! She's adorable, and looks old.

Maddy had lots of fun with all of her Aunts and Uncles while we were in GA. She tried to put on Christie's rain boots and couldn't stand up so Alan helped, it was hilarious!

I'll leave you with this:

I just love her, she's gonna be such a good big sister!

Just a few things coming up for our family:

Jeff & Christie's graduation from college

Jo graduation from high school

Our 2nd baby due in August

Britton & Tara expecting baby #1 in October! yay!

Jeff & Court's wedding in October

Keith graduating seminary in December

One last thing: My aunt Tammy has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and has already begun Chemo. Please join our family in prayer for her!

I've painted my left index fingernail pink as a reminder (That was Alan's idea and I ran with it)!

The Happy Dance

2010-02-21T16:59:00.000-06:00

So Maddy has started this crazy feet happy dance and it's pretty hilarious, to her and to us. She started doing it during the Super Bowl and I finally got it on video! Enjoy :)

BABY!

2010-02-11T19:09:00.001-06:00

Yep it's true, we're expecting! I'm gonna save the due date for later in the post. Last year turned out to be quite difficult for us, I had a miscarriage in June and discovered I had an ovarian cyst. The cyst had to be removed surgically; the ovary could not be saved. It was difficult to say the least. We have waited to tell people for this reason, it's hard on both parties when a miscarriage is in conversation. I don't think either person really knows what to say, and words don't really comfort anyway. I will be 12 weeks tomorrow, nearing the end of the first trimester. I had my surgery on August 27th which is my exact due date! I call that the faithfulness of God my friends! Celebrate with us and keep us in your prayers!

Super Bowl

2010-02-04T09:45:00.000-06:00

Just in case you've been hiding under a rock.....WE ARE GOING TO MIAMI FOR THE SUPER BOWL! I have not really ever been an NFL fan, mostly just stuck with my beloved Georgia Bulldogs. I've tried in vain several times before to explain the Saints vortex to my family and friends. You move here, you get sucked in, and before you know it, you're a crazy fan just like everyone else. A few examples: 1) On Sunday every single person on staff at our church was decked out in Saints paraphernalia, and half the congregation. 2) Out to lunch last Sunday, at least one person at every single table wearing Saints stuff. 3) Every worker at Walmart--saints. 4) I could go on, but why? you just have to be here, it's electric. The night they won the NFC, I went outside b/c people were shooting off fireworks everywhere and upon listening, I could hear people outside running around screaming. My neighbor is from here and was beyond excited. The Saints have never been to the Super Bowl in their 42 year existence , so even if you're not a fan, do us a favor and give us a little WHO DAT? on Sunday night!

Isn't she the cutest little fan you've ever seen?

Christmas and Beyond

2010-01-18T17:41:00.000-06:00

Since I have 670 pictures in my december iphoto album,

you can safely consider this a taste of Christmas!

Maddy LOVES Veggie Tales (aka La La) and when she got this coloring book,

she promptly climbed into my lap to read it, too cute.

Santa came and Maddy loved all of her gifts!

The boys + mad at breakfast!

The girls!

Taking part in Jo's photo shoot of me.

I think we played Apples to Apples at every single Christmas gathering we went to! It was so much fun hanging out with the Perry's & Burkhalters! Favorite quote was from Georgia after someone played the Puff Daddy card and everyone was laughing she said:

"well, he is a daddy...." haha.

Maddy trying on Pop's new hat for size!

We went to my aunt & uncle's house a few nights after Christmas and had a blast. Swinging Maddy around, eating some great food from Macaroni Grill and you guessed it: playing Apples to Apples!

Alan got this horse when he was little and we (as in all 4 kids) had a great time playing on it! Mom lent it to the Burkhalter kids for the past several years and just got it back. Maddy loves it, although it scares me to death, she goes fast!

On the 30th, all the boys went quail & pheasant hunting!

Fun Fridays

2010-01-15T12:13:00.000-06:00

First of all let me say a HUGE congrats to my brother Jeff and future sister-in-law Courtney! They got engaged this week and hope to be wed before the end of the year! I'm way excited!

Maddy just hanging around with her aunts! Happy Birthday to Christie on Sunday! Wish we could be there to celebrate!

Daddy was gone for lunch today so we had a photo-shoot! Enjoy the many faces of my little girl; starting with the cheeseburger smile....I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Uncle Alan taught her that.

I'm not sure what she is doing below, but it cracked me up and then

both of us were laughing hysterically, fun times.

I'll eventually post some pics from Christmas, it's just a little

overwhelming when there are 500 to choose from.....

Babyland General

2010-01-05T21:39:00.000-06:00

This is the NEW Babyland General! Isn't it crazy big? It's a doll mansion. As you can see, I don't even have the whole building in the picture....

Mom, Dad & Maddy on the way inside

She thinks we are cruel parents for making her see Santa again....

hopefully she's not traumatized.

Mom just kept picking up all of these babies and handing them to Madison.

Later we found out these were the $200 and up dolls.....

Love my sister!

Keith next to the tree house

Watching Mother Cabbage give birth with an 'easyotomy'

Check out this hair.....kinda reminds me of maddy's

She loved the stuffed dogs too!

But, this is the doll she came home with. Of course we had to get a stroller too!

December part 1

2009-12-26T12:11:00.000-06:00

Before we left the Crescent City we got to do a few fun Christmas things. Wish it was more, but an ear infection ruined our last plans :( We went to Miracle on Fulton Street in New Orleans. A street they set aside and decorate and it snows every hour. Our friends James, Ella & Annie joined us, the girls loved it! It was like a winter wonderland without the frigid temps.

Maddy and Ella playing in the snow!

Since we were going to be gone for Christmas, Keith and I gave Mad her Christmas present early. She LOVES to cook and loves playing with her new kitchen! The morning we gave it to her I made pancakes and when I gave her one she took it straight to the microwave on her kitchen and started pushing buttons....too sweet!We left for Mema and Papa's house (Keith's parents) on the 18th and spent a few days with them for Christmas. We had an awesome time playing at home with grandparents and more cousins than she can count! For good measure, I threw in a picture of Maddy in this swing from last Thanksgiving, they grow too fast.....

Mema and Papa got Maddy Elmo Encore for Christmas and she is in L-O-V-E.

She even shares her sippy cup with him!

On Sunday we went to Chrissy & Stephen's church so we could see Luke's Christmas program. It was TOO cute. We snapped a few photos outside before the service started. Mema made this jumper for Maddy. We really are blessed, thanks Mema!

Here's Luke! (he's the one in the back) He was a Shepherd in

The Greatest Christmas Present Ever!

Papa is playing with Maddy.

Her cousin Cassie got the food/pots & pans set for her.

She wanted to cook from then on.

We had a few errands to run, which included a stop in the mall, so we decided to try the Santa line. We only waited about 5 minutes, and when we got up to Santa, Maddy was shaking her head no just as fast as she could. So I held her and we 'talked' to Santa! It was pretty funny!

Lunch at McAllisters!

What can I say? She's a ham. I wish I could capture more of these moments on film!

Our trip to Babyland General coming soon....

Thoughts from Keith

2009-12-16T17:18:00.000-06:00

"He made HIM who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

A question to consider: When reading this verse, what automatically comes to your mind?

For me, this verse says a lot about who God is and the true meaning of Christmas. During this time of year the phrase that is tossed about is 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season.' To some this is just a phrase and to others it really speaks to the true meaning of why we celebrate during the Christmas Season. Jesus did come to this earth to carry out the will of God and for this reason he took on our sin so that we could have a personal relationship with him. Oswald Chambers wrote "sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God." Jesus came to this earth to take our sins so we may have that relationship with the Father. We now have direct access to approach the Father anytime we want. With this in mind, consider how many times in the past few days we have spent talking with God and allowing the relationship to grow?

The last few days have truly been a whirlwind, trying to finish a semester of classes, attending Christmas parties, managing a staff, and getting ready for the Holiday Season. For me this season is more then gifts, it is about being with my family. I have been blessed with an amazing wife that supports me one hundred percent. What can I say? My heart stills beats as fast as it did the day that I truly knew she was the one. Our daughter is a joy that brings a smile to my face every day when she says 'daddy!' when I get home from work. This is the best gift that someone could ask for: being with the ones you love the most. However, our fellowship and our love for Christ should surpass the love of our family. This season think about your relationship with the Lord and evaluate it. Is he truly number 1 in your life? Family is next in line. Because the best gift we have ever received or can receive is the free gift of knowing Him and believing in him whole heartily.

This is something to just think about this season as Christmas approaches. There are so many people in this world that truly have nothing, but are happy because they know that they have real meaning in knowing Jesus Christ. To often, we (I am just as guilty) are not satisfied with what God has truly blessed us with. I have a roof over my head, food on the table, and a family that loves me. But most of all, a God that loves me unconditionally! Here are some lyrics to a song that I heard the other day that really sums up why I chose to write some words:

Give this Christmas Away by Matthew West and Amy Grant:

What if I told you

You have the power

To give someone hope

Beyond their wildest dreams

What if I told you

It’s right there in your hands

In your hands

It’s hard to imagine

How something so small

Can make all the difference

Tear down the tallest wall

What if December

Looked different this year

What if we all just

Give this Christmas away

If there’s love in your heart

Don’t let it stay there

Give this Christmas away

And your life will be changed

By the gifts you receive

When you give this Christmas away

Merry Christmas!

One of many highlights of every day

2009-10-28T07:42:00.000-05:00

Please excuse my hand, I'm not really sure how I achieved that effect. Sesame Street is a highlight of Maddy's day too, she LOVES Elmo and now she's figured out when the sponsors come up (Earth's Best, Mcdonalds, Beaches, etc.) that the show is about to come on and she gets ridiculously happy! I love it. Enjoy our little girl who is growing up so fast!

Oh, another highlight is when Daddy gets home after work. She looks for his truck out the window and then goes to the door to wait for him, it's so sweet.

30 Years

2009-10-20T08:31:00.000-05:00

I can't even begin to describe how blessed I am to have been born to these two! They have been and still are awesome parents and a great example of how a marriage should function biblically. Mom and Dad, thank you for living out your faith day by day and giving your children a wonderful model in marriage. I love you. Happy 30th Anniversary!

I have done something horrific

2009-10-19T10:34:00.001-05:00

Unspeakable cruelty in the eyes of my child. I was washing her clothes this morning and of course I grabbed everything I could see. The tears started when Maddy looked around and could not find a blanket. We went to her dresser where they live and she was not interested in any of those blankets. All of the good blankets are now in the dryer. You would think the world has ended. Never again will that happen.

I get this look a lot

2009-10-12T17:05:00.000-05:00

We are well into the talking stage, but I still can't understand most of what is being said.... It's frustrating on both ends. Usually Madison rattles something off and gives this look of expectation and when I don't follow through, I get this:

Quilt

2009-09-10T09:22:00.000-05:00

So a few months back I made my first quilt. :) I had to wait to say anything about it, b/c I made it for my newest cousin and I was waiting for him to get here! Truett Stringer was born on August 16th and is just adorable. I haven't met him yet, but hopefully will be able to in early October. Here are a couple of pics of the quilt.

It's okay to take pride in your work isn't it?

Turned out pretty good I think.

Post surgery update

2009-08-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

"C-sections are the way to go." or NOT. I've heard several people say this before and now I'm thinking they were on crack. I did have Madison vaginally and it was a really rough recovery due to some complications, but this being cut open business is horrible. Let's back up and I'll tell you about the surgery. I went in on Thursday knowing all of the possibilities: losing one ovary or both, hysterectomy, death, etc. I was dreading getting an IV in because I have horrible veins. I know a lot of people say this, but mine really are, just ask any nurse at Ochsner. They had to stick me 7 times for my D&C in June. This time it only took 5!

I don't remember the surgery, except the moments before and the waking up process. Have you ever been under anesthesia before? I think it's a really awesome thing, but I hate coming off of it. You go in and out of consciousness. First you can hear. After a while you can open your eyes. But even these actions seem to take a lot out of you and back to la la land you go. Anyway, I remember waking up in recovery and Keith was there with me. I asked him how the surgery went and he said "It went really well honey, the doctor said it couldn't have gone any better." I said "do I still have my ovary?" pause. pause. (please note the next phrase was said with great sympathy & compassion) "no, honey they had to take it." I think at this point I conked out again. I must have prepared for this possibility more than I thought or either the Holy Spirit was preparing me because I'm really okay with it. I think I'm really just glad I don't have cancer. Later the doc explained that when he went in, he couldn't even find the ovary b/c the cyst engulfed/killed it. So he took out the whole thing. There are several bits of good news: 1) the cyst was completely ben

ign 2) None of the stuff inside the cyst leaked out, which was a big concern. If it did, it could have caused major issues. 3) the other ovary is '

perfect' (in the words of my doc) and will take over the job of the other one, which means I won't have any hormone issues and such. When I woke up fully from surgery I had the same thought Mom did after her hysterectomy: "This hurts way worse than I thought it would". I'm healing a little more each day and figuring out ways to move around that don't hurt as bad.

It's definitely hard when Maddy is standing at my leg crying holding her arms out...breaks my heart. Fortunately she shouldn't remember this :)

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayer, visitors, phone calls, emails, texts, facebook messages, meals, etc. I really can't begin to thank you enough. I am blessed. The Lord will receive glory through this. Feel free to call or email me, I have lots of time on my hands! And who wouldn't be blessed to see this smiling face every day? I'll throw in one of me too, I guess we do look alike :)

Surgery Day

2009-08-27T05:21:00.000-05:00

My surgery is at 7 (central), it should last around 2 hours. If you want an update after that, just give Keith or my parents a call! Thanks for praying.

Medical Update.

2009-08-13T12:47:00.000-05:00

I’ve been putting this off for a little bit. When Keith & I went in for our ultrasound back in June and found out we’d had a miscarriage, the doctor called back the next day and told me they’d found a cyst on my right ovary. Which was just like putting sulfur in an open wound (which I have done via sulfur water in Alaska; totally a different story). They said I’d have to come back in 6 weeks for a follow up ultrasound to see the status of this cyst. 6 weeks came and went, had the ultrasound and I was pretty prepared for what came next (at least part of it). I had been having some pain in the right ovary area, so I knew it was still there, the doc called and confirmed my suspicions that it had grown. He told me they think it is a dermoid cyst, which by nature are mostly benign, but don’t go away on their own. So he told me I’d need surgery. I was okay with that until he called me a few days later and told me the cyst was too big to do laparoscopic. Now I’m getting sliced opened, c-section style. That is TOTALLY different. It requires at least one night’s stay in the hospital and 4-6 weeks of recovery. How do you explain to a 1.5 year old that her Mom can’t pick her up for that long? I will also admit that I HATE asking for help to do things. I’m prideful….and stubborn when it comes to this. I’m going to have to get over myself. Needless to say it’s been an eventful summer on the medical front and is now continuing into the fall. I have 3 more doctor appointments next week, including a stress test, and then the surgery is Thursday the 27^th. I need your prayers desperately, I’m not looking forward to this at all.

Maddy Dancing

2009-07-17T21:21:00.000-05:00

Starting off a new week

2009-06-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

Well, the past few days have been pretty eventful. I am recovering well from surgery. I've had very little pain, but am still taking it easy. I over-did it a bit yesterday, tried to pick up my 25 pounder, had to rest the remainder of the day. Jo is a super substitute mom for Maddy and doing a great job helping around the house. And we're also getting in some good laughs like we always do when we're together. Keith has not been feeling well for the past several days and I'm hoping he will return to normal soon! Maddy apparently has been sick for many days, we just didn't know it. Somewhere in our travels during the past week she has picked up hand, foot & mouth disease. (I can hear the collective sypmathetic gasp from mom's everywhere). She seems to be feeling okay, but the sores just look so painful to me. She should be getting over that in the next couple of days. Unfortunatley that meant we couldn't go to church today.....sad. Not a fun way to spend Father's Day. I think we'll go out for Snoballs later, that should make everyone happy!

Brokenhearted

2009-06-17T13:56:00.000-05:00

At our ultrasound yesterday, we found out there was no heartbeat. Please pray for us as we are mourning for the child we never got to meet and for my surgery (d and c) tomorrow at noon. Keith & I covet your prayers.

On the way home from the doctor yesterday I saw a billboard which read:
"Jesus-the healer of broken hearts" and I was quickly reminded that even in this I can praise Him. No matter the circumstance, He is still the Lord and worthy of praise.

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Pics

2009-06-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

Put up some pics on Facebook from our trip. If you aren't connected to me there, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2075763&id=41801150&l=a1cb7f5401

Home from Alaska!

2009-06-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

We had a great time on our cruise w/ my fam, but I am glad to be home and back to a semi-regular schedule for my baby, who is not so babyish anymore. BUT we have another little one on the way, so I'm sure I'll be getting a baby fix soon enough. This one is due January 10th. I have my first ultrasound next week, so there will be pics soon! We are really excited. I will post some pics from Alaska soon, between all of the cameras that went, I'm sure we have thousands of photos, so I need to collect them from other people. We told my parents via Maddy's shirt, but eventually I had to help matters along b/c no one was noticing what it said. Everyone is excited though. Except the part where we can't go anywhere for Christmas :( I'm really sad about that. Oh well, no dwelling on that now. Hope everyone has a great day!

Our afternoon trip to the beach

2009-05-18T14:29:00.000-05:00

Keith worked a half day on Friday because he was already over his hours and we decided to head to Gulfport, Mississippi, for a mini afternoon vacation! We went to the beach for about an hour, then went to the outlet mall to pick up a few things for our cruise. It was a great time away from the city. It was Maddy's first time to the ocean and I think she (like her parents) prefers the pool :)

Playing with the menu at dinner, the kids loves menus, I think b/c they resemble books?

She absolutely loved this water ball, I'm sure we'll make good use out of those this summer

Eww, Mom I have something on my hand, get it off!

Right before we went to the beach and one of the few pics we got with the hat on!

Playing peek a boo with the laundry room door

Maddy loves straws, among other things (cups, bottles, napkins, menus, the list goes on). She chews on them, but this was a new way to manipulate it, too cute!

Can't believe it's been so long....

2009-05-16T17:35:00.000-05:00

Sorry to those I've disappointed, including myself, for not blogging at least a little more frequently! We've been pretty busy lately. Keith's semester is finally over and we are home free for summer. Woohoo! In April we traveled home to Andy & Caitlin's wedding which was wonderful! I attended my first crawfish boil at the seminary and was pleasantly surprised. It is a lot of work to get a little tiny bit of meat out, but at least it was good! Kevin, Amy & Ashton (Keith's twin brother & fam) came to visit a couple of weekends ago and we had a great time! We hit up all the fun places: the French Quarter, good eatin', the aquarium, etc. I'm so thankful they took time to come spend with us, it was much fun getting caught up! We seem to be on the go a lot, I feel like I live from one trip to the next, this time we made it 4 weeks at home.... We're leaving tomorrow (Tues.) for Valdosta to Keith's parents house and are really looking forward to seeing his family!

Maddy at the Aquarium

Kevin, Amy & Ashton at Cafe Du Monde

Maddy with Dad at the Aquarium

Ashton & Madison playing on the sofa

With Mom at the Aquarium

So funny. I don't think he could have opened his mouth any wider!

My first little crawfish....he was yummy.

The fam at Caitlin & Andy's rehearsal dinner!

Truevalue Spring Market & some other stuff!

2009-03-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

Mom and Dad arrived on Friday night in the rain and we painstakingly searched for a place to eat that didn't have a 2 hour wait, luckily we found one! Dad left early Saturday morning to head to the hardware show downtown and Keith went to work for a few hours. We joined Dad at the show around 11am. For those (probably most) who haven't been to a hardware show, they are pretty huge. There are hundreds of vendors selling anything you might ever want to find in a hardware store. So you walk around and buy stuff for your store, or in our case, walk around and see what's there, get the free stuff and eat the plentiful peanuts. While looking around, we came across the Radio Flyer booth and were looking at their stuff. (Dad had already commented that he was thinking about getting a wagon for Maddy and I wanted to see what all they had) So, we walk up and there is this Radio Flyer Sport Coupe that I put Maddy in cause it looked fun. It had a handle so the parent could push the child if necessary. I asked the salesman if I could take her picture in it and he said, "sure, in fact if you want, you can push her around in that." I was like, 'sold' and we took off. So here are various pics of Maddy in the awesome coupe that I think we talked Pop into. Oh, she had her monkey has her passenger, thanks to the Jernigan's for her birthday :)

The Yummy peanuts I took a picture of for Jo Jo (who desperately wanted to come, but couldn't due to school). Everyone had to have a badge to get in, even Maddy. And a random alligator we got from a vendor.

After we left the show about 3ish, we went to lunch/dinner at Landry's. It was so good, except having to look at the 'snot rockets' as I like to call them. Dad & Keith enjoyed them though.

Dad likes to entertain Maddy with some dog-like activities! Fun for everyone.

Outside of Landry's (the one located on the Lake, not the French Quarter). Mom pointing out the sail boats to a very tired one year old.

Playing at home after her nap on Sunday!

It was a fun weekend, I took Mom and Dad to the airport this morning. Beth Moore is coming to NOLA this weekend and I got a free ticket from one of my neighbors!!! I can't wait to go! A big thank you in advance to my amazing husband for keeping Maddy while I'm gone.

Maddy turned One!

2009-03-24T09:46:00.000-05:00

We left on Thursday March 12th for the long trip to Cleveland. We arrived at 11:30pm, it was late, Madison was past ready to get out of the car seat. Picked up a few hours of sleep before Friday hit. We had the priviledge of going to eat lunch with my great grandmother in Norcross. This is a picture of Grandma Minnie with Jo and Maddy at lunch.

We also we preparing for my cousin's bridal shower, which was Saturday morning AND making the cake for Maddy's party. I started before dinner and finished at 1am. (When I say "I" I really mean me, Mom, Keith, Jo & I think Verona helped too, my memory gets fuzzy past 10pm). The ONE cake was mom's idea, I can't take the credit, but it did turn out cute. Jeff told me he wanted a TWENTY ONE in May, I laughed.

Saturday came and Mom & me headed south at the crack of dawn (or so it seemed after my few hours of sleep) for the shower. It was so great. I got to see tons of family and my almost new relative Caitlin. Another cousin Shana is about 5 months pregnant and it was so great to see her! She and Josh just found out they are having a boy and I am so excited! After the shower was over, I drove me and Nana back to Cleveland for Maddy's party. People were already arriving and it just seems like a blur in my mind. My cousin Tiff got engaged on Friday morning and we doubled the birthday as an engagement party too. It was such fun to see everyone and open gifts (Cause Mad was not interested) and eat cake. She liked that okay, but it was like eating with the paparazzi, I think like 15 cameras went off and she was like "whoa, everyone's staring at me."

The rest of the week flew by. We got Madison a passport, Keith took a trip to middle GA for work, got hair cuts, went to church, shopped, & hung out with the fam. Jeff and Courtney got to come home on Friday evening and we had lots of fun with them! All good things come to an end and we took a leisurely trip home on Sunday. By leisurely I mean it took a total of 11 hours! We stopped in Montgomery to eat at Red Robin (can I say Yum) and decided to go to Kohls and let Maddy stretch some more, from there we went to Target and back to Kohls to purchase some luggage that was 50% off. Yay for that. Also stopped in Gulfport to get gas and groceries. It was a long day and our house looked like a hurricane ripped through it once we (mainly Keith, actually I think totally Keith) unloaded the car. We're getting unpacked though and settling to to a semi-normal routine before Mom and Dad arrive on Friday for the Hardware Show. So excited about that, I'll definitely post about it.

Mardi Gras

2009-02-24T21:30:00.000-06:00

Okay I must admit that Mardi Gras is nothing like my preconceived notions thought it was. It's way more family oriented to start with. The crazy stuff happens in the French Quarter mostly. Over the course of February there are over 60 parades in the city of New Orleans, most of which are completely family friendly. There are millions of beads everywhere: on trees, in streets, etc. It is like a kids dream. It is really like a local national holiday(s). The schools are closed for a few days, most businesses shut down, I'm not even sure if the mail ran or not....It's big, I'm telling you.

Mom, Dad & Jo came into town this past weekend for a couple of days and we had a blast. (pictures to come as soon as they email me some :) They arrived Fri. morning and we braved the French Quarter about 11am for some poboys. There were a lot of people already in the area and also some people witnessing. I've seen some very interesting witnessing techniques over the past few days and have even wondered what Gospel they are spreading. On Friday we saw some guys on a corner handing out stuff, I took one to see what they were sharing, it was completely evangelical, I agreed with everything on the tract. However, on the news, they showed all these people on the infamous Bourbon Street with huge signs. Some of them read: "Why do you love the devil?" including a laundry list of sins. Another sign said Roman Catholicism is of the devil and the like. My favorite was this guy, supposedly witnessing, who had "repent you swine" on his hat. Effective witnessing? I think not.

Update.....finally!

2009-02-03T13:53:00.001-06:00

Actually the reason I haven't updated in a while is cause not too much has been going on! The only highlight I can think of is Keith's mom (Mema) coming to visit for a week. We had lots of fun with her. We got to hang out and eat, what more could we ask for?

Around the time that Mema started her visit, Madison decided she was going to start waking up at 6:15 every morning and she hasn't quit :( Therefore, around 8:30 or so she goes down for a nap, it's kinda crazy.

Other 2 items of note. 1) I decided to join the local MOPS at church and I am loving it. It's twice a month and I love the fellowship and learning time. Most recently we had a woman talk to us about praying with and for your child. It was awesome! 2) I got to go to our church's women's retreat. It was totally worth it! We had so much fun and learned a lot from our speaker who was a very spunky elderly professor.

The kid loves cups. I don't know why. I actually had to go ask for another cup at this restaurant because she started screaming when I took it out of her hands....

More to come soon...

Random photos :)

2009-01-16T22:44:00.001-06:00

So I got tagged to do this photo thing. (Shana, didn't know if you meant me or j. jordan, but we're going with it anyway cause it's fun!) Picture files, 4th folder, 4th photo. This was taken at Christmas 2005 at my Uncle Doug's house. Sorry Jeff, you were smiling in the next picture....

If you get tagged, you do the same. 4th folder, 4th picture.

Tagged: Jeff, Courtney, Sheryl, Tara & anyone else who wants to!

A few highlights from Christmas!

2009-01-09T08:21:00.000-06:00

So this whole post is in no order whatsoever. I can't figure out how to move pics around so it's backwards and all mixed up. Oh well. You'll get the gist anyway.

The Sunday after Christmas Jeff's girlfriend Courtney came to surprise him! We had an amazing time with her! She teases Jeff with the best of them = a way to a sister's heart!

It was surprisingly warm in Georgia during our stint there. Here's Dad w/ Maddy swinging on the front porch!

Mema & Papa stopped by on their way back home after being in Gatlinberg for a week! The dish-towel is serving as a bib :)

Having fun with her new toys!

Santa Came!!!!

I guess our waitress got tired of refilling Dad's coffee cause she brought him this ginormous cup. It was pretty funny!

Dad took us to Maggianos for taking down the Christmas decor in a hurry! It was sooooo good.

Probably my BEST present: Jo drew us this picture of Madison. She is extremely talented as you can see!

Alan bought Christie Guitar Hero World Tour for Christmas and decided to bring it up so we could play. What can I say we're the Von Howard family singers, or maybe just musicians. You should really click on this picture so you can see all the expressions!

The kids outside of the Dillard House!

Christmas Day was a little different for us this year. It's the first time in our (the kids) lives we haven't spent it with the Perry's. :( Alan & Christie joined us in the afternoon which is when we opened presents and then went to the Dillard House for dinner. Maddy got the head of the table position!

We arrived at Mom & Dad's late Dec. 14th and they surprised us with a crib! I was so happy that Madison didn't have to sleep in a Pack n Play for 3 weeks.

2008 Year in Review

2009-01-02T09:12:00.000-06:00

As I think back over the course of this year, I am shocked at all that it has held. We started the year living in Cleveland trying to decipher where the Lord was sending us for seminary. I was 7 month pregnant. We still had a house. I was teaching 4th grade. Keith was attending New Orleans seminary via their Atlanta extension center and working at Truett. Life was good and we had no reason to move except the restlessness the Holy Spirit stirred in us. We visited 2 seminaries within 10 days and after much prayer knew the Lord was calling us to New Orleans.

We put our house on the market and began packing our stuff. On March 14, 2008, Madison Rachel was born. I can hardly remember what our life was like before she joined us! She is now 9.5 months old and blessing our lives way beyond what we imagined. We lived with Mom and Dad for a few months after our house sold (Praise the Lord) and before we moved. We had fun this summer just relaxing with the fam. In June we got to go to Orlando with Keith's family and had a wonderful time!

9 of us packed up and trucked across the country in late July. Enter us into the ghetto. Before you make any false assumptions, I must admit that I love living in New Orleans. It definitely offers a different perspective and it is nowhere near as bad as you think it is. Keith has another successful semester under his belt and is still hoping for a May '10 graduation. A lot of people ask me where we are headed after that and my answer is still 'I don't know'. There are many different ministries on our hearts and areas where we feel skilled by the Lord, but we are leaving the end up to Him.

Both sets of parents frequent NOLA, which we greatly enjoy. Not only their company, but also their offer to take us to eat. Have you ever noticed there aren't many cheap seafood places? (Other than Captain D's Mom). I knew after Maddy was born they wouldn't stay away for long and I was right! Things will probably be a little harder this semester as we won't have many reasons to come home for visits. Keith got a job on campus, which is a huge answer to prayer, but will also limit our time away! My cousin Andy is getting married in April, so we will be home then, but other than that, I'm not sure what our travels will hold.

Spiritually this year has been challenging for me. You know how you can keep convincing yourself that something will be easier when ______ happens? Well, I guess satan is pretty good with that lie because I seem to believe it every time. I was thinking that doing my quiet time would be so much easier when I was staying home with Madison (instead of working). I was wrong. It is still something you have to sacrifice for and plan to do. Needless to say it's been an uphill battle to find that time and stick to it. I've had the awesome opportunity to attend some seminary wife classes at NOBTS. My favorite so far is the one I've just finished. We read through Living by the Book by Howard & William Hendricks. I would highly recommend it! It teaches you how to read the Bible in a way where it actually transforms your life. It's been liberating.

I need to wrap this up cause it's already much longer than I intended. Happy New Year to you from the Wades! We look forward to keeping up with you via blog, phone, email, Skype, in person, etc. My prayer for you is the same for myself: That I will look back in a year's time and be speechless with how much the Lord has molded me to become like Christ.

Christmas

2008-12-26T16:16:00.003-06:00

Just a quick family pic, more will follow soon!

Real SNOW & Christmas with the Wades

2008-12-15T18:55:00.001-06:00

The last few days....

We left New Orleans on Thursday, and it was snowing! We got

like 2 inches in 3

hours, we pulled Maddy out of bed and forced her

outside, she was a little confused. It

was fun while it lasted and after the car was packed, we hit the road to south GA.

I'm sure most of you are aware that Keith has a huge family. So far, there are 24 of us, and it is always crazy when the

whole bunch gets together. We had our big Christmas celebration this past weekend and it was so fun.

Since Keith's twin brother & fam were not able to come down for

Thanksgiving, this is the first time Madison has seen him since early July. (aka, she didn't

remember him) The poor child was traumatized :( We aren't

really sure why she got so upset, but when Kevin walked in the room she started screaming....she eventually warmed up to him (thank goodness), but the story is fun to tell nonetheless.

Saturday afternoon was

the present opening extravaganza. We drew numbers this year, so everyone got to watch one person opening their gifts. I thought it turned out great, I really enjoyed it. We got just a few pics!

After everyone else went home, we got Ashton (Kevin & Amy's son) and Madison in their PJ's and took some pics in front of the tree. We had a GREAT time, chaos and all!

Bath time

2008-12-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

Just a short post about the 'not so fun anymore' bath time. I've been using the baby tub inside the big tub for a while, but it's just too small for Madison now. Since we moved to the big tub and she can sit up, she LOVES bath time even more. She kicks her legs and splashes in the water, however, the down side is this: Every time we take her out of the tub she screams like we've just ended her whole world. It's really pretty funny.

Whirlwind

2008-12-02T09:30:00.000-06:00

Hello blogger world. We have been traveling fools lately. The Thursday before Thanksgiving, Mom and Dad flew Maddy and me home for a few days, Keith had to stay behind for school :( He was missed.

We hung out with the family. Christie & Erin came up on Saturday, and Jess and Tatum (long time friends) even came all the way to Cleveland to visit! We had a great time catching up!

Later on Saturday, Jeff and Courtney (his girlfriend) came from NGU for a surprise visit. I'm so glad we got to see them...it's hard to coordinate a weekend where everyone is home at once. We decided while there that Madison loves to read, as you can see by the picture below. I think she looked at that book for like 30 minutes, which made my arms hurt.

Last Monday, Mom and Dad took us to Macon to meet Keith's Mom. Keith joined us late Monday night, or should I say early Tuesday morning? We had so much fun with his family for the week. This is Keith's niece Shelby, she looks almost exactly like him...it's scary.

On Thanksgiving, we got to see almost everyone in the family at some time or another. And during our off time, we had fun perfecting our Wii skills :) Keith's Mom has a Wii Fit, so here is the yoga portion. haha.

Mema had a doctor appt. one day so we went to the park while we waited and Maddy was thrilled with the swing and slide. She also tried her hand at driving. (make sure you notice Daddy's expression!)

We came back to NOLA on Sunday and Keith started his last week of class before finals. So the next couple of weeks promise stress. We are leaving again in 9 days for the Christmas rounds. Whew! Hopefully I'll get this blogging thing under my belt soon and start a consistent routine!

PS. The bath picture is to show how long her hair is! I don't think most 8 month olds have to worry about getting their hair caught in bibs, clothes, etc.

Look Mom I can Sew! :)

2008-11-10T10:24:00.000-06:00

After making many many burp cloths, I decided I was going to attempt a purse. However, I also decided before tackling that project I would make a diaper bag first, as a kind of "it's okay if this messes up" project. But I am very pleased with how it turned out and it was pretty much easy to make. So thanks Mom for trying to make me learn to sew in high school, but I guess it's one of those things you don't have to learn until you actually want to make something :) I think I'll wait until next week to start the purse, which I'm sure Keith will be happy about b/c sewing causes a lot of mess in our tiny space. I'm including some pics of the diaper bag and some others of course. The grandparents can't get enough pictures of Maddyo.

It's been a while!

2008-11-05T08:43:00.000-06:00

Life has a way of going by way too fast. Since the last time I posted, we traveled home and back. Keith's parents were here before we left and after we got back (they stopped on the way to and back from Texas)! We had a great time being with them, just hanging out! Our trip home was absolutely crazy. Every single day we had something going on, so it was no vacation. However, we had a great time seeing everyone! The pics are a mix of all mentioned.

Shoes!

2008-10-17T11:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I think I might have made a mistake going shoe-less all summer for Maddy. It's not really necessary to wear them (or socks for that matter) in this weather. So I broke out her hot pink converse high tops the other day and she practically had a fit when I put them on. I think part of that is that they don't fit well b/c her foot is so fat. Anyway, she was fascinated with them the whole time they were on. We also bought her 2 more pairs of shoes for fall/winter at Target. They are adorable little shoes, I love them! They really do have the cutest stuff there. Anyway, here are some pics of Maddy in her shoes, hopefully we won't have a hard time when we go home tomorrow b/c she will have to wear socks and shoes when it's 39 degrees on Monday morning! Yikes. I think the coldest it's been here is like 68. Keith's parents were here this past week and we had a great time with them. They took me out to a nice dinner for my birthday :) I'm going to have to get some more pics from my mother in law b/c mine didn't turn out to well. All for now, and I'm totally excited that I'll be in my beloved mountains in 35 hrs. yay!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-08T16:46:00.001-05:00

My baby sister turns 17 today!

2008-10-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

I remember a certain night in October 17 years ago when I was waiting anxiously to receive a phone call from the hospital. Mom and Dad had promised me they would call

me first to tell me what the new baby was. Around 7:30pm the call came and I remember standing on the time-out chair in the kitchen when Mom broke the news to me: "It's a girl"! I really can't tell you the elation that washed over my soon to be 9 year old self. I ran down the hall in our house and began jumping on all the beds with joy. I finally had a sister. I have to say that because of our age difference I have definitely been mini-mom most of her life (sorry about that Jo). However, I am totally enjoying this new grown up side to Jo and our friendship that has been growing for some time.

I have spent the last few weeks sending Jo 17 cards, each containing one reason why I love her. I'd thought in her honor I'd share them with the blogging world too!

1) She can always make me laugh or smile

2) She is super talented (musically, taking pictures, etc.)

3) She is affectionate (who in our family isn't?)

4) She's growing up and impressing me every day with who she is becoming

5) She understands all the inside jokes from our childhood. I won't mention the one including a certain brother in a robe b/c he might kill me. No one but us thinks it's funny anyway! haha.

6) She is a fabulous aunt to Maddy!

7) She's honest. If you ask her what she thinks, she'll tell you.

8) She laughs at the same things I do and we are both way too easily entertained

9) Wherever we go, whatever we do, we'll always go through it together

10) She is responsible

11) She spared me from having three brothers (no offense Al & Jeff, love you both a lot, but I wouldn't trade my Jo Jo for ANYTHING)

12) She's loves Jesus and maintains integrity

13) She is beautiful, inside and out!

14) She is committed to work in school, sports, piano, church, etc.

15) She is one of my best friends

16) She cares about our family. It's a testament to our parents (and the Lord) that we all actually like spending time with each other. We always have a good time!

And,

17) She is the best sister in the world! And she's mine :)

Jo I'll love you always, Jenn

Look I'm Sitting Up!

2008-10-01T16:34:00.000-05:00

Maddy had her 6 month dr. appointment yesterday. She weighed in at 17 lbs. 13 oz. and 26.25 inches long. She's getting big :) It's amazing to see how much they grow in the first year! She's rolling over and learning to sit up! Keith put these wrist rattles on her and she was trying her hardest to get them off. It was so funny!

Family Time :)

2008-09-24T09:59:00.000-05:00

Mom and Dad came to visit earlier this week, we had a great time! After we picked them up from the airport, we went to eat at Landry's. Yum! On Monday morning we went down to the French Quarter and shopped at the market and in a few stores. It was actually enjoyable! All of my previous experiences there haven't been. So, I've discovered morning is a good time :) Mom & Dad brought their camera, so we decided to take some 6 month pictures. I think they turned out good, and don't worry, Mom was standing with her hands up when Maddy was on the window sill. On Tuesday night we went to a steakhouse that was amazing. They have only been re-opened for 6 weeks due to hurricane Katrina. For a while, Maddy has been watching with great interest what we eat and drink. Last week I tried to give her some water out of my bottle and

ran out of her mouth down her shirt! But, Keith gave her some water out of a glass and she drank it, proud to be a big girl :)

We had a great time with Mom and Dad and are looking forward to Keith's parents coming in a few weeks hopefully!

Howard Brothers

2008-09-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know, my Dad is in the Hardware business. A lady in our church from home made Madison a onesie with the "Howard Brothers" logo on it, so here she is supporting the company! And another one of me and her....she's wearing a 12 month onesie! I stepped on the scale with her yesterday and the difference you ask: 17.5 lbs. Wow she's a chubster, but a cute one!

6 Months old!

2008-09-14T22:55:00.000-05:00

6 months is not so bad when you think, hey it's just one more than five. However, when you start to consider it's 1/2 a year...that's just crazy. I'm not sure how Madison managed to be able to wear one sleeper from birth until now, but Shana bought a magical outfit! (Thanks again!) Here is our growing girl. The first picture is at about 2 weeks and the other was taken today! And I promise it's the same outfit, you can see it didn't quite fit her yet. Add 10 lbs. and today is what you get!

Deleted blogs and power outages (Hmmm....) 2

2008-09-14T19:12:00.000-05:00

Well friends, Keith accidentally deleted our entire blog. Needless to say I was devastated and angry, don't fret, about 30 minutes is all I can take of a mopey face and all is forgiven. Luckily, I had saved the stuff from my latest post elsewhere so here it is again:

Hello again from NOLA! We had a very nice mini-vacation thanks to hurricane Gustav, and now we're back! We got some moderate wind from hurricane Ike, which caused us some loss of power. (And that unfortunately includes air condition in our 85, feels like 110 weather) You can imagine my 'what are you trying to teach me from this Lord?' attitude when we arrived at church this morning and there was no power. I think that question came to mind on the third verse of All Creatures of our God and King when I had sweat running down my leg. Of course I can laugh about it now... The pics in the slideshow below are of our apartment here (for those who have asked), and a few extras. Enjoy!

Deleted blogs and power outages (Hmmm....)

2008-09-14T18:38:00.000-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com