MLBC CHRISTMAS CANTATA-2009

Well, we at Mt Lebanon Baptist Church brought the house down (or I should say the church) after singing the last 2 nights....But, seriously, God received ALL the glory those two nights....The music was beautiful and breathtaking!! Ronnie did such a great job directing us, and me!!! Yes, "yours truly" had a solo w/the choir that was called, "Here comes the bride", talking about how, when Christ comes back for his triumphal return, and takes all his people home to Heaven, how there will be a wedding celebration and feast!! It was a lot of fun and a much praise-worthy night....Merry Christmas to all....

Kids say the darndest things..part 2 (Christmas version)

* Jake oftent tells me that he hasnt done something since "lasteryear"...(translation- yesterday and last year).....

* Emma Grace thinks its funny to be eating the REAL candy canes off the Christmas tree, that have been in the ornament box for the last 4 Christmases...

* NOTE TO SELF---REMIND YOUR 4 YR OLD THAT ITS CHRISTMAS, NOT VALENTINES DAY...


* Jake LOVES to hang ornaments on the tree, too bad he put them all in the same spot, now that part of the tree is wilting...

* Jake decided to put on Audreys dress-up cat outfit, and said, "Now Im Black"...Then proceded to change the image w/a santa hat, to be a Christmas elf....Do they have African American elves that look like cats in the North Pole???

* Last, but certainly not least, the homemade presents....my kids are ALREADY utilizing their giving skills for the Christmas season...So far, Ive received a pencil holder (made of cardboard), a Christmas calendar (made of cardboard), oh and a wrapped present from Jake that was daddys bible ...( I wonder if Russ knows that)....I LOVE MY KIDS!! ARENT THEY THE SWEETEST!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT !!

3 OUT OF 3..

Well, its been a hectic week at the Lonas household...between Friday morning and Saturday evening, ALL 3 of my children had fallen ill with the stomach bug....and this one lasted 3 days !!!!...It was awful, ALL the washing I had to do with laundry AND linens, it was AWFUL!!! (Did I mention, awful??)....anyway, all are better now, and to make matters even MORE upseting,we had 3 birthday parties to attend...(Sorry to Lexi, Grace, and Nigel, better luck next time)...BUT.......there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel,,,WE GOT IT ALL OVER AT ONE TIME!!!!....There is nothing more challenging, I believe, for a mother, than to take care of her sick child....I was OVER IT and DONE by Saturday night, I was utterly EXHAUSTED.....but......... God helped me through it...Thank you Lord....

Halloween-2009

Well, it was an eventful night, filled w/whining, crying, excitement,,,,,and of course lots and lots of RAIN....Big rain, little rain, sprinkling rain, no rain (for about a minute) I know I sound like Forrest Gump, but Im pretty sure it comes in 3's...Every 3 yrs it has to rain on Halloween...but, nontheless, we still had a great time....Audrey was a snow princess, and wore it VERY well, she even sang Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story", w/it on and I video taped it (as soon as I figure out youtube, I'll put it on there)...Jake was Batman (the dark knight) I didnt seem to get pics of him at church, he saw the inflatables, and we lost him from there....MY precious Emma Grace was a perfect pink/white bunny rabbit (Audreys old costume, Im suprised it held up, after 8 yrs!!).....It was fun though!!!

MOM-THE LIFE OF A ROCK STAR

This is hilarious and soo true........I received this from my recent MOPS meeting...ENJOY!!!

I have wild hair and makeup w/frequent costume changes. Everywhere I go, I have an entourage.People are constantly yelling my name. I look out into the crowd and they're actually crying for me, reaching for me.

I have NO privacy..I'm watched when I shower, when I'm cooking, EVEN when I use the restroom..for my own protection, of course..

When I go places I must do so quickly before my fans get out of control and start a riot. Every night a different guy wants to sleep w/me..Each of them seems genuinely hurt when I turn him away..

Occasionally, I get dirty undergarments whirled at me w/a whoop and a smile..It's even hard sometimes to walk through my own home w/o someone spotting me and trying to grab my legs or my clothing..

Oh and dont forget about the stalkers !! You know those crazed fans that follow you everywhere??

Why, I cant even talk on the phone in the pantry w/o an eye or two peeping in at me..I have my own paparazzi!!

Yes it's true---I live the life of a rock star!!!!

Happy 8th Birthday Baby Girl

8 years ago on October 17,2001, I became a mommy....I like to tell Audrey that, cuz she immediately hunches down into this fetal like state, and says she wants to be my baby again...She is, she just doesnt realize it...She will ALWAYS BE MY BABY....okay, before I tell you about the chaotic slumber bday party she had, I have to make everyone weepy-eyed 1st...That lets me document these feelings I have right at this very moment, to cherish..anyway, back to 8 yrs ago............it was a BEAUTIFUL sunny fall day, much like today, and I couldnt wait to take my 8lb 9oz, 20 3/4in long baby girl home to stay...She was breathtaking, w/her strawberry blonde/brown hair and her fair peachy colored skin, she was mine,,,all mine....(well, we gotta give some credit to daddy, of course)....I never understood how love can come so quickly when you met your baby for the 1st time,,,,,,,,until I had mine....I believe God equips us w/so much love , that its immediate....When my mommy eyes met her newborn eyes, it was love at first sight, never has that feeling left me, I still look at her eyes that same way, and I know I will for the next 30 yrs, if God allows...She was my baby, and now she is this sassy, loud, sweet, beautiful, life of the party, 8 yr old that STILL steals my breath away everytime I look at her sweet pretty face....(cue-sobbing)....She will never stop being my baby.....................................................Anywho, enough of that....So Friday night was "The Sleepover" (sounds like a horror film, right??) right on target..lol.....Audrey had 6 of her closest friends over...there was pizza, cake, ice cream, popcorn, movies, charades, board games, and of course running wild and screaming out loud, as 8 yr olds tend to do, so by 10pm , I was spent...At approx. 5:30pm (30 min before party) Russ brought a bottle of wine home, and said "you may need this later"...I laughed it off and said how much fun we were going to have.....approx 10pm---was working on my 2nd glass of wine....okay, so it wasnt THAT bad, it was fun, my favorite part of the evening was Audrey smiling at me and saying "thank you mommy, I love you"....Happy Birthday, Sweetie....

3 TIMES BLESSED

You know, thats what I was going to name this blog when I first started it, "3 times blessed" or "thrice blessed", but for some reason, it never fit...This week has been exciting, joyful, happy, optimistic, shocking, surprising, a blessing,scary, uncertain, sad, distraught, and just plain hard...I'm sure your probably scratching your heads as to why the week went from so happy to so sad in a matter of days...Well, the weather doesnt help, for one thing...Sometimes God knows whats best, even before we do...I know he is ALWAYS with me and thats never going to change...I know he has a plan for our family and THATS never going to change...Without much or even that being said, Ive come to a place this week, where Im DEFINITELY blessed 3 times, and Im DEFINITELY blessed ONLY once (thank goodness) w/an AMAZING husband, who wholeheartedly supports me 100% in EVERYTHING, and last, but MOSTLY not least, my God....who loves me enough to make me wait...for his will...I just want to say my 3 kids are THE BEST KIDS ON THE PLANET and mommy loves them so much more than they know....Thank you Lord for this.....

Thats SOO Highschool!!

I had a chance to get together w/my best friends from high school last night...We met and had dinner at Ruby Tuesday and proceeded to sit there for 2 1/2 hours eating, talking, sharing, but mostly just cracking up and belly chuckling thinking about the past....Isnt it so funny how you can be a successful business woman, or a stay at home mom, or whatever, and as soon as you get around your friends, you turn into a giddy 16 yr old again....thank you ladies for a much needed, yet, enlightening evening....love you guys....Dont forget to play some cornhole today....

Life is too short

This is for Bobby Bean.......................
Never take for granted: your ability to breathe...for God gave us breath
Never take for granted: your ability to move...for God gave you legs to walk
Never take for granted: your ability to love...for Love comes from God
Never take for granted: your ability to serve...for Gods own son came to serve, not be served
Never take for granted: your ability to pray....for God hears every word
Never take for granted: your ability to give....for God loves a cheerful giver
Never take for granted: your ability to see.....for God gave us eyes to see..."Men see the outward appearance, but God sees the heart"....Praise you God for the here and now, because life IS too short....Bobby Bean was my friends brother who became sick w/the swine flu last thursday, and by the weekend, had double viral pneumonia, and was doing well by, Weds morning, then just 2 hours later, died suddenly...

Emma Grace "Houdini" Lonas

Well, I as a mother had my first real scary moment w/EG this past weekend....I had just drove back from W Knoxville, and she was asleep in her car seat...I do this often, if she is asleep coming back from a trip, as she usually is, I just leave her in it to finish her nap...We were about an hour from picking sissy up from school, so I figured it would be pointless to get her out....I always leave all doors and windows open, so I can hear any cries that come...About 40 min went by, about time to pick sissy up,,so I went downstairs to check on her, and much to my surprise, I opened the door to the garage to find her STANDING in the front of the van between the passenger and driver seat wearing the cordless DVD headphones, smiling and laughing at me!!! (At this point, Im in utter shock, I mean, a 14 mos old that can get out of her 5-POINT HARNESS CAR SEAT...AND....walk around the van checking everything out!!) For those of you who dont know, EG just learned to walk this week, so that was a shocker too...needless to say, I now have a Harry Houdini on my hands now...I just have to say, Thank You Lord that she didnt discover the windows were actually down!! praise God for that...

TWO WORDS

SERVE HIM

there are many ways to serve our great God..here are a few:


1. Take care of your sick child..."come to me,all who are weary and burdened, and I will give rest"
2. Send an encouraging letter to a hurting friend..."A harsh word stirs up anger, but a kind word turns away wrath"
3. Give your child EXTRA attention today..."children are a heritage and a gift from the Lord"
4. Trust him w/the little things, as well as, the big things..."If you have faith as little as a mustard seed, you can tell this mountain to move, and it will move"
5. Love your enemy in some way today (prayer, kind word or gesture).."what is impossible w/men, is possible w/God, therefore all things are possible"
6.Watching my 14 mos old cram a powdered donut in her mouth after telling her, "no", just watching the satisfaction and joy on her face afterwards..."Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these"....

May we praise and serve God with the big things, and ESPECIALLY with the little things...He is always pleased with the little things....

Are there Redvines in Heaven??

My kids and I took a trip to Target after picking sissy up from school today, we had to exchange some towels..anyway, as I always do when going to Target, I HAVE to have some Redvines licorice...they are the only store that sells them!! I was so excited to be leaving w/my sugar fix, so I was generous w//my kids, giving them 2 each, which they had eaten before we even reached the van....Anyway, we got home, visited Pop and Monie, where Pop proceeded to eat 3 of them, followed by Jake and Audrey "sneaking" around and eating about 3 more each(after I had told them not to, I obviously didnt know they had)...So I had the package in my hand ready to eat my 3rd piece, when I look AND ITS EMPTY.....so my ?? is,,,,Are there Redvines in Heaven, cuz Im getting my OWN package.....

MYRTLE BEACH-2009

Sorry it took so long to blog about our beach vacation...I was waiting to see if the pics actually made from my camera to the computer....no luck....something about not having a scanner, or something..I think its my cord...anyway....We had a blast....Emma Grace made it thru 4 hours of driving and the last 2 were less than peaceful....and to this day, she REFUSES to ride in her carseat...go figure....she LOVED the beach...I put her in the sand to see what she'd do 1st, she just pushed her chubby baby fingers beneath the warm, rough sand and was good from there...as long as there was sand, she could have stayed there the whole day!!...Jake was more interested in the hotel pool and water park, oddly enough, and couldnt wait to put his lifejacket on every morning around 9am, so he could jump off the deep end...Audrey was ALL about the ocean water and collecting seashells..We must have brought about 200 lbs of shells back home...she took all her classmates one , as a souvenir...my baby girl, always thinking about others...Daddy just enjoyed playing w/his kids in the ocean, by dunking them, or riding them on his back, or boogie boarding together...they had fun just being able to play w/daddy ALL day, instead of just at night..........Me........R E L A X A T I O N................... Russ was kind enough to take the kids for me alot of the time (which he hardly does..lol) so I was able to enjoy God's peaceful creation and get a good tan at the same time..ha ha....we did have one mememorable moment we will NEVER forget...on our last night there we decided to eat at Shoneys, because we were getting broke at that point, and a nice cheap dinner sounded good...As we sat down to eat our food from the seafood buffet, our "neighbor" at the table next to us kept saying something...we couldnt understand, till he spoke the only clear word I heard him say which was, bug....oh yeah....it WAS a bug,,,a Palmetto cockroach to be exact...he found his way to the top of our table and was crawling thru our plates !!!!! I was horrified...I marched directly to the Mgr, and the rest was history..other than that particular experience, we had a marvelous time at the beach!!!

Were back in business!!

Well, our internet has been down for 2 weeks, due to a freak lightning strike...so, were finally back....Alot has transpired in the last 2 weeks...$300 van repair, $135 A/C repair, 2 kids in Fall Ball, singing at church, planning a beach vacation (which we are leaving at 4am tomorrow morning), Russ being gone on business for 4 days...so weve been pretty busy,,what else is new for this Lonas bunch!!! lol....please pray for us for a safe trip to Myrtle Beach, Ill write more later....

"Motherly" Advice

I've learned a few things over the years, since becoming a mother, that I think you would like and benefit from...My need to "save a nickel" has really gotten worse the older I get, and also with the more babies I deliver...And you'd be surprised to know that even if your financially stable or "okay", everyone still needs to save today, given our economy,,,esp... mothers...So, here are a few suggestions, as a mother of course, to help you save a few pennies....

1.Place a paper towel in your salad bowl to use the next day, the paper towel soaks up the moisture from the lettuce, so it stays crisp.
2.For a bee/wasp sting, rub a paste of baking soda/water on it...takes the sting away.
3.When using your coupons at your store, wait til the item is on sale or buy one/get one free, not only will you get better savings, you might get 2 items..
4.For mothers with babies, save your baby wipe boxes, I use them for my sons cars,blocks,Audreys polly pockets,cotton balls,qtips,etc.
5.Im not really advertising, but Food City does the fuel bucks program, where if you buy so many Food Club items, you get fuel bucks,worth a $1 to use at their gas pumps...you'd be surprised how much you save by getting generic items PLUS free gas...once I spent less than $100 on groceries (for 5 of us,including diapers), and still got $10 in free fuel bucks! Its worth it..
6.Buy block cheese, instead of shredded...not only are they cheaper, but you can use them other ways, like sliced for grilled cheese...
7.Having a garage sale once a year puts money in your pocket, and junk out of your garage, so my my hubby says..
8.Instead of buying the fresh chicken, buy the bigger bag of frozen chicken...you can take out as much as you need, and sometimes I can get 3 meals out of it..thats about $2 per chicken meal...
9.When having dinner guests over, plan your 3 course meal to include one or two of the same ingredients, so its more useful in your dishes, and you dont feel like your buying a big tub of bread crumbs to use once, and the rest to sit in your pantry.
10.Last but not least,,,,(and this one is comical, but hey, it saves $$)..If you have a baby and a potty training age child, buy only one big pack of diapers..when the baby gets to a certain age, they will be in the same size as the toddler so they can use the diapers too for "nightime" potty training, and your not having to buy pullups!!!!

The Tooth Fairy was very busy............

Well, it was that time again for the semi-monthly visit from the Tooth Fairy at our house....Audrey had this one tooth on the front, the big ones, that we tried and tried and tried to get out for almost 2 mos now...thats how long that sucker had been hanging on for!!! anyway, the night before last, Audrey had her little ziploc bag w/her tooth and a note for the tooth fairy that read, "Deer Tooth Fairy, here is my tooth , I hope you like it, I work really hard to get it out.I Love you, Love Audrey"....She had it placed, ever so neatly , under her pillow that AFTERNOON,and was ready for her when she swooped in from "fairyland" to give Audrey the 5 dollars she was soooo longing for...Yeah.......did I mention WHEN she put the tooth under her pillow?...It wasnt until the next morning that I had to see and hear the worst heartbreaking phrase I believe I've ever had to deal with out of one of my children...With a glazed look over her eyes and the ziploc bag in her hands, she muttered the words, "The tooth fairy forgot about me"........................okay, I know,,,,bad mom and dad award....my heart sank right w/her...So I made up this story about how Santa Clause has a sleigh and can visit all the children of the world in one night, but the tooth fairy has lots of kids to visit on a daily basis, so she didnt forget, she was very busy and would be back tonight---with a vengeance---..needless to say, Audrey was happy w/that response and this morning Im looking forward to seeing the joy on her face when she finds the 5 dollar bills the tooth fairy left for her.....

Happy 1st Birthday Emma Grace !!!

This past weekend, on Friday morning at 7:18am to be exact, my baby girl turned one yr old...WOW,, time really flies by...I made a comment recently that when Audrey's 1st birthday was approaching, I was ready for it...I really had a whole year to enjoy her, and it felt like it lasted that long!! I still remember her 1st rollover, 1st sitting up,1st crawling, 1st walking (late-14 mos)...everything seemed so cherished...I wrote EVERYTHING down...and pretty much the same went for Jake, except I had a 3 yr old helper in the mix....back to Emma Grace, as she is the "queen" of this post today...I feel like the last yr was a blur, but nontheless we had a wonderful time on Friday night, we took her to Chucky Cheese for the 1st time...She was terrified, from the "chucky" puppets, to the rides, to the actual Chucky himself coming out to grace the kids...(we have the fearful pic to prove it)....It was fun though...Sunday---party day---also happened to be my b-day, but we wont get into that..I said from now on, I have an excuse to celebrate someone elses bday...anyway, we had about 30 people over for BBQ, beans, and all the fixins..followed by a rented dalmatian bounce house and slip-n-slide......EG had all kinds of wonderful gifts...Thanks everyone!! all in all it was a wonderful day!!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS-PART 1

1. "mommy, it was an 'asscident'.."
2. "I have a scratch on my headache (forehead)"
3. I overheard a conversation on the playground yesterday between two 6 yr olds that went like this, girl- "come to the beauty shop now" boy-"no, I am an awcheologist now" (try to visualize him saying his "R's" wrong)...girl- "oh, you do art now, okay"
4. "I went to the playground next year"...everything to Jake is in year intervals
5. "thats super ridiculous"
********* Thats all I have for now..I should have more material later, thanks to my precious children*************

funny, little moments.........

Jake has had a busy morning, this morning, bugging his sisters...A brothers job is never done....I had sent him to timeout 2 times, by 10am this morning for first bugging the baby, then turning to Audrey by taking baby Emmas b-day invitations and ripping them up (not all of them, thank goodness)...anyway, the last time (3rd) was it for me,,I grabbed him, pulled him in to me about an inch from my face and proceeded to scold him for not leaving his sister alone,,when I was finished he looked at me w/such love and said, "Are your eyes green?"...me and Audrey laughed, and I said yes, same as yours...He's a ladies man in the making...

too many pics,,,sorry!

GO CHEETAHS, GO !!!

Thursday night was Audrey's last season ball game,,and unfortunately they lost (to a not-so-great team, needless to say, Russ was a little agitated) Anyway, Audrey played her heart out, as she often does...Jake couldnt care less, unless you mentioned one of the million times we have to take him to the concession stand..(I hate that place)....As for Emma Grace, she was just concerned w/Aunt Sarah providing enough Cherrios in her two little grubby hannies, so she can ever so eloquently SHOVE THEM in her tiny mouth....(she eats like her daddy,, haha)...Today we will be celebrating the Cheetahs team during a trophy ceremony at Eagleton ballpark...they will get a trophy, due to being in 2nd place out of 4 teams...Go Team!...I will show some pics of that w/my next post...have a blessed day everyone!!!

Im on Facebook now !!

Im excited to be on Facebook now...FINALLY....be sure to check it out !!

VBS-2009

Well, this week has been a hectic and fun week for me altogether...our church had or annual VBS and this one was entitled "Crocodile Dock"....I was signed up to do outdoor recreation, then at literally the last minute (3 days before VBS) our director asked me to do preschool music for 2's,3's,4's,pre-k and K....I had to learn over 6 songs and motions in 3 days....It was a daunting, but fun task, and the kids did so well and learned all the songs and motions faster than I was spiting them out !!....we had a program today, and they did wonderfully....Audrey, Jake and Emma Grace had a ball !!....I'll write more later when I can post some pics from it....

Saying Goodbye to Mike

I'm posting this one , on behalf of mom and dad...we have had quite a rough,past 4 or 5 days....Mike was mom and dads neighbor, directly across the street..You always knew who he and his wife Kathy were, because they would think of any excuse to get out in their front yard and BBQ, place horseshoes, fellowship w/the neighbors, play music, let their dogs run free....They were the ideal "fun" couple , Mike ALWAYS,ALWAYS,ALWAYS had a beer in his hand,,(I stress ALWAYS, ha ha)..He just seemed to always be glad to be alive , take everyday and REALLY enjoy it to the fullest extent....Whenever me and the kids would come over, the 1st thing I'd set my eyes on getting out of the car, was Mike, in his "beach bum" shorts and t-shirt..He would start waving at us, even before my feet hit the ground, he was that kind of friendly neighbor and spirit..he'd ask, "hows the baby?", and of course i'd say, "shes great"...It wasnt anything for him to walk on over to moms and come in and talk to everyone, he'd ALWAYS give me and mom a hug and kiss on the cheek,,and we'd walk over to his house and let the kids play w/his 2 dogs, Mickey and Tony...........and his wife Kathy...he loved her, after us, he would always save the best love and kiss for last, for her, almost like they were in high school again,thats the kind of love that was evident in them....but something changed all that....................Early Thursday morning (1am), Mike took his own life...The life he loved, the life God gave him to cherish, the life he and his wife were sharing together, the life we thought he wanted....Sometimes LIFE is too hard, and too tiring, and too messy, and just too much..............BUT, we have hope...to CLING to.........and THAT hope is JESUS CHRIST....I dont know for sure if Mike was able to realize that wonderful hope, or not, I pray w/all my heart, he did...but I did learn something from him, when he was here on this earth...Live EACH day to the fullest, THANK GOD for each day that we have, and CHERISH the ones in our lives, he has blessed us with....We love you too Mike and we miss you........RIP.......

THE CHEETAHS PREVAILED !!!

AUDREY'S BALLTEAM DID SO GOOD LAST NIGHT!! IT WAS ONE OF THOSE GAMES THAT LEAVE YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT, AND YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE HANGING IN THE BALANCE...(I THOUGHT RUSS WAS GOING TO HAVE A CORONARY LAST NIGHT,,HA HA)
IT WAS THE TOP OF THE 4TH INNING ,SCORE WAS 13-15, THE ANGELS WERE WINNING(AT THIS AGE, THEY ONLY PLAY TIL ABOUT 5 INNINGS, DEPENDING ON HOW BAD THE OTHER TEAM IS KILLING YOU) AND THAT WAS THE BALLGAME, BUT MY HUBBY, SEEING THE GLASS HALF-FULL, TOLD THE UMPIRE WE HAD EXACTLY 3.5 MINUTES LEFT, WE COULD PLAY ANOTHER INNING..THE UMP AGREED, AND WE HAD ANOTHER CHANCE (ANGELS HAD LAST BAT)..WE DID WELL, SCORING 3 RUNS MAKING IT 16-15,,BUT IT WAS CLOSE, THEY HIT GOOD TOO...TOP OF THE 5TH, ANGELS UP TO BAT......WE GOT 2 PRETTY EASY OUTS,,NO RUNS YET....AND EXACTLY 39 SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME,,,LITERALLY, WE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE DONE ALREADY.....BALL WAS HIT, 3 FT IN FRONT OF HOMEPLATE, OUR GIRL THREW IT TO 1ST, TAGGED THE RUNNER , GOT HER OUT, AND WE WON THE GAME BY ONE POINT !!!!!!! IT WAS A GOOD NIGHT............

Happy Mother's Day

I Love all the women in my life, my mom, my mother in law, my sisters -in law,my daughters, my grandmothers,etc.....I love that all us women, having different backgrounds, interests and lives really, can all proudly say we get to celebrate the same day together....Only God could orchestrate that, dont you think? Well, we had a wonderful day today at the Lonas house, well my morning started off very well, my kids all got ready for church, w/o too much grief, and we spent the afternoon w/The Lonas' and grilled hamburgers and all the fixins...My Audrey and Jake disappeared to her room for 2 hours to make my mothers day gift, I must say, I was a little scared, but was happily blessed when they came out with the sweetest pictures, homeade braclets and cards for me, they worked so hard, Im getting emotional just talking about this, because the rest of the day , they kept saying how much they loved me and how they wanted me to have the best mothers day...Kleenex, anyone?? Later in the day NaNa and GaGa came out w/Maddie, and we all went to Audrey's "GPS" (Gods plan of salvation) musical @ church...(My baby sang a solo, she did soooo good !!), when I figure out youtube, I'll have to put it on there...ha ha....anyway, I hope all you mothers out there, and mothers in training,,,SARAH,,,had as blessed and wonderful a day, as I had...God Bless all the ladies in my life............

A DAY IN THE LIFE.........

Russ - Well, my dear hubby this week had the pleasure of winning his 1st ballgame by a landslide (head coach of Audreys team), 22-7....He is such a good coach w/those girls, so its hard to see him get frustrated when they throw it to the 3rd basemen, when its suppose to go to home plate...ha ha....He also had an overwhelmingly PROUD moment as a father, when his youngest baby, EG, decided it was funny to, after mommy said, "say MAMA, Emma Grace", she actually said DADA, with a BIG smile on her face....Priceless to him,,,very unfair to mommy....Melissa - Well, my garage sale went off w/o a hitch,,,EXCEPT FOR THE TORENTIAL DOWNPOUR OF RAIN !! No, it really went good, I actually made $100, and its so funny to see these avid garage sale people come out in, literally, the POURING rain...nontheless, it was fun...... not cleaning up, though.I also sang special music at church Sunday...I prayed about what to sing, and it wasnt til Friday (cutting it short, I know) that God answered me..With my recent new found FREEDOM from the Esther Exp.,,I felt him nudging me to sing, "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone"....and.....................................................Acapella, at that........God showed up that morning, as he usually does, and many came up to me after saying how much it meant to them, they were teary-eyed and at peace...thats what its all about...Audrey - My big girl,,,,she had 3 ballgames this past week, and shes pretty good !!....She has also been practicing for her 2 solos coming up (I know, a Diva already)....one for the school talent show (HSM) and one for the church childrens choir, which is on Mothers day, if anyone want to attend)...but my baby still has time to make me mothers day pics, like the one at school, which says, "my mommy is special to me because....................(audreys response) "She takes me everywhere....SOMETIMES".....I love that, to be taken ALL OVER, EVERYWHERE,,,only sometimes...ha ha...priceless....Jake - Oh, my Jakie-boy......never a dull moment....Just this morning, he managed to fill the sink up w/water about 1/4 in from the rim, just enough to splash some water all over, to which he said,, "it was an asscident, mama"....an ASSCIDENT, I love it...but my baby boy has those hidden moments, when noone else is around, with his mommy, like the other day I was doing the dishes, and he asked, "mommy, can I help you rinse the dishes for mothers day?"...and he stood there and rinsed the dishes just so proud to do it,,,(well, until he discovered the sprayer)...........Emma Grace - my sweet baby girl, who right at this moment is pitching a big one (a hissy fit, that is)....her ear infec is getting better, and she is getting so smart, she already knows a few words, "baby,dada,bubba(brother),and mama" occasionally, as in the previous post....and she has this thing, NaNa calls her "manerisms" where she presses down w/her hands on her belly, when someone is holding her...confusing, I know....well, thats it for this Lonas Clan for now...have a good week

Life in the FAST lane.................

This week, this Lonas clan, has/has had 5 ballgames, 3 birthday parties, 3 church events, 2 garage sales, 1 double ear infection, 1 solo at church,,,,,,,,OH...........and a partridge in a pear tree...ha ha (I couldnt help it)...........Our life is never dull, not to mention, never crazy from time to time, and oddly enough, I didnt mention my 2/day week moms day out that I run ( which in all seriousness is my escape time because Jake has his "buddies" to play with)...Emma Grace is battling, yet another, ear infection (x2)....Do any of you mommies seem to have this problem??...Her pediatrician said that antibiotics are just not good anymore, and now the pharmacies are starting to skimp on the doses !! Can you believe that??...Leave me a comment about your medicine troubles.......see you next time...

THE ESTHER EXPERIENCE-2009

Amazing, Amazing, Amazing..............My life is forever changed, this past weekend was truly an EXPERIENCE..........God is so awesome and mighty, he showed up at Grace Baptist Church, and he showed up IN A BIG AND OVERWHELMING WAY !!! God really spoke to me , and Im sure Im not doing him any justice ,, when I say he SHOWED UP.....Lives were changed, heavy burdens were laid to rest-FOREVER-, Joy was restored, and FREEDOM was finally proclaimed for some, including me...God got thru to me so heavily, that when I woke up Sunday morning, He was STILL there waiting for me to proclaim that freedom so much that I did something so bold, so NOT me, that God was the ONLY one working thru me that morning,.....I gave my testimony that morning, in front of the entire church, both services, and this is how it went............I am FREE....FREE, FREE, FREE...............satan can NO LONGER hold me captive from what the Lord is calling for me..........For a very long time, I thought I wasnt good enough, smart enough, or "spiritual" enough to handle what God had planned, you know, forgiven ENOUGH, forgivING ENOUGH, but..........God said, "If you have little faith, like a mustard seed, you can move mountains"...I no longer feel like a mustard seed, but more like the mountain now....I shared w/my church that we are all called to DO something for him in this life,,,but what I learned was that we might be called to DO something, but we are all called to BE FREE.....They wanted for our bucket, this weekend, to be so FULL of the Lord, that we were "sloshing" Jesus all over the place..(I shared that analogy also, but it wasnt so eloquent) Dont be held captive any longer,,,satan has no hold over you, in fact he has no POWER over you, only God has the power to make YOU a mountain.......God Bless

We've finallly arrived !!!

Well , we haven't actually ARRIVED, persay...We've been here for quite some time, but me being blessed with non-computer skills, only a monkey could be proud of,, I have yet to do anything on the internet, let alone a blog...but nontheless it has arrived, and Im proud to say , I too can work a computer...ha ha....