Family Trip

Last weekend the kids and I went on a Forrest family reatreat. We got to spend some good time with our extended family. It was lots of fun. Ty loved being with his great-grandmother, better known as NaNa. He hardly let loose of her and aunt Karen. They had an indoor pool and Ansley had her first swimming experience! She seemed to like it. She wasn't scared at all. Here's a funny Ty story. After dinner on Saturday I gave him one of aunt Tammy's famous chocolate chip cookies. He looked at the rather large cookie and smiled really big. Then he pointed at a chocolate chunk, smiled at me and said "Bye Bye." Then he proceeded to take a bite right off of that spot. It was hilarious. Here are some pictures of the weekend. I wish I had gotten more of the rest of the family, but I only managed to get my roomies (which were awesome by the way).

Long Overdue Update!

Hey blog fans (all 3 of you). Sorry I haven't posted any pics of the kids lately. At last I will deliver. They are keeping me very busy as you can imagine. They are so much fun these days. Ansley has big news as she took her FIRST STEPS last week and also said "uh-oh" this week! She is growing so fast and never stops for a second until she is in bed. She wants to do everything Ty can do and is in a hurry to be a big girl. She will no longer have anything to do with baby food. It is like an insult to her maturity! She is scarfing down just about anything (don't worry mom, no choking hazards). She is so cute and full of life. We are excited and a little scared to see what she will be like as a toddler. She already has the mischievous grin down to a tee! Ty is crazy about his "Sissy". He wants to play with her all the time. Unfortunately that usually involves tackling her. He is so funny and intense. There is little middle ground with that sweet boy. He still loves his Veggie Tales and is very into Blue's Clues right now. Don't worry. He has other likes besides television. He still loves books. He has also gotten into trains, coloring, and stickers lately. He loves stickers. He is talking more and potty training. He usually pees in the potty several times a day, but he prefers to do his business in a corner with his diaper on still. I've even tried bribing with suckers. He will poop in his diaper and then pee in the potty and try to get a sucker on a technicality! The boy is very smart and quite manipulative for a 2 year old! I am enjoying my days with these precious babies. We recently visited my sister Jenny and her family in Cookeville so I have posted some pics of that. We had a great time. Ty loves playing with Noah and Micah. That's all for now.

Faithful

Well, it has been a long few weeks grieving the loss of Evette. I miss her so much. There have been times when I've wanted to call her just to ask her a question or talk and have been reminded that I no longer can. Everytime I see Jason I have to make an effort not to cry. After going through questions, doubts, anger, and sadness, I keep coming back to the same realization that although this tragedy doesn't make sense, my God is faithful. I have been overwhelmed by the ways he has so lovingly spoken straight to me and this struggle over the past few weeks. Through speakers, people close to me, the kindness of others, and mostly through His precious word He has assured me time and time again that He will never leave me or forsake me, and that He didn't leave Evette either. I actually have a renewed sense of faith in Him and in His children. I have watched as people have poured out themselves to do anything for Jason and the kids. I have seen the list on his refridgerator of who will be bringing meals everyday for the next month. He told me that they have to put a rubberband around his mail so he can carry it in. I wish that Evette were still here. I wish she was raising her children, but I know that she is with God. I've been taking a lot of comfort in the scripture that "Better is one day in Your house than a thousand elsewhere." Wow. Evette has already had 26 days there. I know I will grieve this loss for a long time and that it will trouble me for probably the rest of my life. I also know that God has shown me His faithfulness, and I will hold onto that for dear life. I want to remember the way He has lovingly and gently cared for me over the past few weeks and show that same care for Evette's family and everyone else in my life. The Lord is indeed close to the broken-hearted.