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.

Evette Allison

Last Saturday our family lost someone very special to us. Evette Allison passed away in her sleep at the age of 33. She leaves behind a husband and 3 small children. I am so sad and can't even begin to write here the feelings I am experiencing. I've never felt a loss like this. I just wanted to post some recent pictures of her and share how amazing she was. She had a servant's heart more than anyone I know. She was always looking out for everyone else. She loved babies and always wanted to be holding one. She was so beautiful in so many ways. There will never be another Evette. She was a gift in my life, and I will miss her so much. I am thankful to God for the 20 years I got to know her and pray that He will bless Jason, Brette, Sydney, and Blake now and in the years to come. I love you Evette. I'll see you when I get there.

Christmas 2007

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted. I am finally posting a Christmas update. Christmas lasted about 3 or 4 weeks for us this year. It was 10 tons of fun, and when it was over we were exhausted to say the least! We got to spend great time with both families as well as several friends. Ty and Ansley have 10 cousins now and 1 more on the way so family time is always exciting! I love Christmastime so much. I am always sad to see it go. However, if it were always Christmas I guess it would cease to be special. The kids were lots of fun this year. Ty understood the concept much better and Ansley just wanted to play with all the wrapping paper and boxes. Ty has enjoyed playing with all of his toys. Ansley has played with hers some too, but would rather just crawl around everywhere. Yes, in the past month she has started crawling, pulling up, and is trying hard to walk! She is a little go-getter. She is skinny as a rail and fiesty!!! She is so funny. Ty is learning to use the potty more and is talking a lot more. I am really enjoying them. They are starting to really play together which is fun to watch until you inevitably have to break up the fight that ensues! Here are several pictures from our Christmas festivities. Enjoy!

Christmas Fun!!!

Here are some recent photos of our different Christmas events. There are some from our trip to Opryland hotel with the Akins. Ty and I had a date to Dinner at Bethlehem at church. Of course I had to include the pictures of the kids with Santa. They did really well. They far surpassed my expectations. I fully expected a picture of two screaming children! The pictures of the cookies are from today. Ty and I made Christmas cookies while Ansley was napping today. He got really into it and was picking out the colors and everything. It was lots of fun. In other news, Ty pooped in the potty today for the first time and Ansley is soooo close to crawling. They are so much fun at these ages. I am enjoying this Christmas so much and look forward to the next week!

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving was lots of fun this year. We had a great time with family. Here are a few photos. We have so very much to be thankful for!