Simple Pleasures...

"My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my soul, which You have redeemed"
~Psalm 71:23

This week has been a wonderful continuation from the weekend. The girls and I have enjoyed "simple pleasures" from the just the little things occurring each day. I find that I often overlook small windows of joy that God grants me so often in my daily routine. I am so busy caring for everyone and everything that I don't take the time to stop and enjoy the tiny bits of pleasure to be gotten from just watching the blue lips of my sweet girls sipping down their snowcones they worked so hard to earn all week.

For Easter, one of their surprises was a new magnetic behavioral chart. Because of my background in early childhood education, I am a sucker for positive reinforcement. Not only does it help me to get some chores done around here and place of the responsibility back on the little ones, it also is great at building some major self-confidence and independence. It is so helpful for me to just be able to lay out clothes and once the girls wake up each morning, they rush to get dressed and make up their own beds. (Ailee, even you do an awesome job at this!) Anna Grace helps with unloading the dishwasher and the manners around here are through the roof. Even the worship caretaker at church last week told Daddy that Ailee had the best manners of any little lady she had ever kept! Way to go, sweet sunshine!

They are now earning a weekly allowance and they are able to take pride in the offering they take to church rather than just being handed an envelope to turn in. This week, you guys choose to use some of the money you have saved up for snowcones. You squealed and jumped up and down on Monday when you heard the ice cream truck coming down the street. It was so cute to see you each take your money down to order and pay for your very own treats. I enjoyed following around the yard snapping photos of how two little sisters enjoy their sunny afternoon. Oh, to be little again!

Lately, Anna Grace and Riley have really begun to form a sweet relationship. Anna Grace is finally tall enough to fill comfortable around Riley's size and Riley is old enough to just be content being lazy and having someone love on her. So sweet!

I would love to know what dreams were occurring in your precious little soul as you sat staring upward taking in the beauty of the sunshine and our lazy afternoon. As you both give praises for each night, I pray that you girls will never forget to pause and take the time to enjoy the little ways God continually blesses us. "Thank you, God, for our beautiful day." This is a phrase we record almost every night in your prayer journal.

" O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor...O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" ~Psalm 8:1-9

May we continue to look for our God in our everyday adventures. May we seek His will for us always and find our joy in His "simple pleasures."

A weekend full of "Firsts"...

We had one of those weekends were everything went perfectly...the kiddos were angels, we had no formal plans, the weather was beautiful, and we just had an amazing time playing and loving on one another. Friday night, we all hung out in the yard playing together. Adelynn, you rode in your push car for the first time. As you can see, you loved it! You are always constantly smiling anyway but when you smile with your entire face lighting up, we know you are overjoyed! You have starting crawling even better now and you get up on all fours while rocking back and forth. You will take a sudden plunge forward and look so surprised to be closer to the object you were aiming for. You are such fun to watch these days! AND...you started saying your first word!...Dada Dada. Your sisters think it is so cool, of course, Daddy's heart melts. Saturday, Mommy got up and ran 5 miles. It was fun to get back on track with my running. Daddy spent the afternoon doing one of his favorite hobbies...golfing with the boys. Then, we finished the evening off with a family movie night. Thanks for all the fun memories!

Another first for the weekend...each of you girls enjoyed your first baseball game. We were kindly invited to the Rome Braves baseball game. The Gochees, Guytons, and us all enjoyed the amazing Sunday afternoon in the air conditioned suite and covered seats. It was a blast! You girls all loved dancing to the music in between the innings and batting times. It was a hoot to watch you dance and cheer, typical girls, especially mine!

Maybe this little princess will like balls! The big girls are more like Mommy but maybe Daddy has a chance with you, Adelynn. If not, he is surrounded by a lot of adorable little boys sure to keep him involved with the boy stuff! Blake and Daddy had fun watching the game together too!

The highlight of the day for you big kiddos was the dippin dots icecream and funnelcakes. You girls also played polly pockets in the suite in between dancing to the music. And Adelynn just loved all the attention she gets from Mr. Craig! She watched the beginning of the game in his lap and laying on his chest. Too Sweet!!!

7 Months Old...

Here you are again...another month older. Adelynn, sweet baby girl, you are growing so fast. I remember when we took your first week old photo next to this little bunny and you
seemed so small. Now, you tower above the bunny. You are so happy and full of energy. We just had your photo taken for your six month session and Mr. Gray said he wasn't sure if he had ever photographed such a vocal and expressive 6 month old. I assume because you are a custom to little girls always in your face and constantly entertaining you that you prefer to be talking and playing all the time. I love how the expressions in these photos of you show how your entire face lights up when you smile. You are beginning to commando crawl around to get to things you want. I can sit you up in the middle of the floor and you will sit and play with toys for a long time. Once you do tumble over, you begin rolling and scooting from place to place, usually to be closer to your sisters. You are such a fun and happy baby and you adore Mommy...and believe me, the feelings are mutual!

Hanging out on mommy's bed before church while sucking on your toes.

Grammy made this adorable shoes and gave them to Mommy for you at the hospital. They are so sweet on your tiny little feet and they are some of the only shoes you will actually leave on.

If Dolls could Speak...

Dear A Girls,
This Easter, I wanted to do something really special for you that my sweet Granny did for me almost 30 years ago. I decided to create a little treasure of love for you to enjoy and for me to express a small amount of the devotion I have in my heart for the three of you. Each of you seem so little and, sometimes, so clueless to the way my heart explodes with so many different feelings when I see you smile, laugh, cry, accomplish something, blow me a kiss, hug my neck, love on one another, talk to your sweet Lord, etc. Even though I am constantly telling you that you all mean the world to me, I felt creating these little mini versions of each of you would be a great way for me to express my deep affection toward you. It was so fun sketching out the faces and shifting through tons of fabric for clothing for your specific dolls. I loved scanning the large spools of yarn to find just the right color for your different shades of hair and then picking out the cutest hairstyles to fit your personality. However, the best part of designing your doll was choosing the perfect verse to express something special about you or to share my hearts desire for your life. For all the hours spent designing and creating these little handmade dolls, I will enjoy watching you play, love and cuddle with them a million times more.

I explained to you on Easter morning that I hand stitched a little pink heart on the front of each doll's chest. I want you to always remember that I stuffed each doll with a huge amount of love and affection and every time you hug your doll tightly, you will receive a warm hug from Mommy. No matter where you are or how old you become, the love I placed in these dolls is enough to travel any distance or last for years on end. I dipped my finger in soft pink paint to make sweet little rosy checks on your doll. I want you to know that even though I will not always be with you to hold your precious hands down the road ahead, you can just touch my fingerprint and know I am with you.

Anna Grace, Mommy's Perfect Angel, the scripture I chose for you is..."It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35. For anyone who knows you, it is not hard to understand why this verse so perfectly reminds me of you. You are the most giving and gracious child I have ever witnessed. You are always the first to give up something of your very own to one of your sisters, friends or to me and Daddy. You will see others without and ask me if we can help them in a specific way. I know God is preparing your little heart for some big tasks in the future and I am a afraid that it may carry you to far away places. However, you are His child first and I am here to support the will He has planned for your precious life. "I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise Him. Psalm 34:1 You say some of the sweetest little prayers my ears have ever heard. You almost always lead off with a prayer of thanksgiving for something special He has given or done for you (even beautiful flowers or a sunny day). Please remember to give Him the glory and praise for everything...no coincidences or happenings...only God! You truly are an angel to me and I cannot imagine a minute without your little wings fluttering through this house filling it with compassion and love.

Ailee Claire, Mommy's Little Sunshine..."The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him...My heart leaps for Joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. Psalms 28:7 You are such a ray of light in our home. You bounce from place to place while singing and dancing, sharing giggles and energy with everyone you pass. I rarely see you that you are not twirling and spinning through the halls sweetly singing a little song you have created in your mind. If your real big sister is not near you to share the fun with, you have imaginary sisters you take with you everywhere. I adore your innocence and carefree attitude. I love how it takes a lot to break into your "happy place." I imagine you see this world so differently than the normal person. You dance your way through each day like a little fairy sprinkling songs of happiness on those around you. Please carry these songs of joy with you in the years ahead. This world will offer you many trials and tribulations but I pray you will continue to trust in your Heavenly Father for guidance and direction and shout songs of praise to Him always.

Adelynn McCall, Mommy's Precious Peanut..."You are the light of the world...Let your light shine." Matthew 5:13 &16. I cannot explain how your sweet smile brings a thousand beams of light into my soul. Immediately, when your eyes meet another's, the biggest grin stretches from one side of your face to the other. It is extremely rare to meet someone that the first thing out of their mouth is not what a happy and joyous baby you are. I pray that you will always allow God's light to shine through you and that you will share the good news of your Savior with all those you encounter. Now, these pleasant greetings do require that I am somewhere very close. Otherwise, your sense of security is lost and you begin to cry out for me. This is why I also chose the following verse for your doll..."Draw close to God and He will draw close to you." James 4:8 On your journey through this exciting yet cruel world, please remember to stay very close to your Mighty God and that you can cry out to Him. He will be your security and your strength. He will guide you and lead you once Mommy is not enough anymore. He will carry you when you are too weary to walk and snuggle you up close to His chest when you feel alone. As the baby in our family, just as I was growing up, I know you will very much need to cling close to the friend you have in Jesus. I will never forget the feeling I had the day we drove out off the campus where we left my big brother at college. The realization that I was the only child left in our home and that my "protector" and "companion" had left and was never going to be down the hall from me again was like a knife in my tummy. Some days during those three years until I left to find my own way seemed very long and lonely. I can only imagine how it will be for you growing up the youngest of three girls. The friendship I can see deepening each day between the three of you will one day be hard to spread out with miles in between. I pray especially on the days when your sisters are on a new journey and it is just us left in our "nest," that you will find peace knowing that the Holy Spirit is always with you.

My three adorable and amazing little girls, I want you to cherish these dolls and know that on the night I created your little "mini-me," that I stuffed it with a little corner of my heart. It will always be with you and available at anytime, just like I am. I also made these dolls with arm's long enough to wrap around each other. Please stay close in your friendship to one another too. It means the world to me that my three best friends form a circle of four that will never be broken. May the stitches holding these little dolls together, also hold my love and devotion to each of you close to your hearts.

Ailee Claire, Anna Grace, and Adelynn McCall

It made it so worth the while to see the excitement and adoration you girls immediately had for your dolls. My heart just smiles each night I tuck you in and watch you curl up close to your little doll to go to sleep as I slip out the door. It is only a mere drop in the bucket to the amazing amount of love and joy it brings me to be blessed with the role as your mommy!

This is the handmade doll my Granny made for me as a little girl. Because they did not have the fancy printable fabric back then, she hand wrote the name and information on the backside of the doll. It means the world to me and I just love the thought of her haunched over her little sewing machine stitching up this adorable dolly just for me. I know, now, first hand the skill and determination that must go into a project like this. The driving force behind it all is the vast amount of love for the recipient. I miss her and love her more than words can say.

Easter Blessings...

This year on Easter, we celebrated a little differently. Instead of spending the weekend at Mimi and Granddaddy's, we stayed home and they came here to be with us. Uncle Matt Matt took his family to the beach for spring break so we really missed being with them. However, we had a great day celebrating together as a family. The amazing love God showed us on this weekend so many years ago by sending and raising up His Son was special this year as always. The more and more I live and engage in this sinful world and God continues to shed His grace upon me and my family, the harder and harder it is for me to understand why. I know I am so undeserving but SO grateful! You girls were precious with your prayers of thanksgiving for "Jesus dying on the cross so you can be forgiven." Each of you looked so beautiful all dressed up to rejoice in this glorious day when we can sing "My Savior Lives!"

Hunting Eggs at CCC...

Saturday morning we started the busy weekend off with Breakfast with the Easter bunny. Adelynn, you just wanted to pull at the bunny's face and ears. You big girls were excited about hunting eggs on the golf course. It was so funny how different you both were this year. Anna Grace, you hopped around up and down getting all the eggs you could as fast as you could. You were on a serious mission. Ailee, you would run past 10 eggs just to get the color you wanted! It was fun to watch you both in the midst of all the children frantically searching for eggs.

And their off!

Anna Grace patiently waiting, all the while planning strategy to find the "shiny" eggs!

Daddy helps you count the eggs and sort out the candy!

Dying Eggs

We began preparing for the Easter weekend festivities by dying eggs. Mimi and Granddaddy helped you girls create some very bright and beautiful eggs. Ailee, you curled up your nose to the smell of the vinegar and ,Anna Grace, you sweetly waited for the colors to set in. I cannot wait to celebrate this amazing Holiday when Christ our Lord so freely gave Himself up for us. Seeing the white eggs reminds me of the pure slate He wiped clean for us on the cross and the bright colors added to the eggs shows me the beauty He sees in our lives when we live each and every day for Him and His glory. I pray that His light would shine as brightly as these eggs through each of you precious girls as the years pass by. Happy Easter, my lovely angels! May you always embrace this Holiday with the passion and magnitude it was meant to hold for the ones who believe!

Fun During Spring Break...

We spent Spring Break at Mimi and Granddaddy's. You girls would rather go there than on any type of real trip. You had a blast. Mommy was able to finish a project I have been preparing to make for each of your Easter gifts. We did a number of fun things together this past week but the most favorite was the trip to the Chattanooga Children's Museum. You all loved the numerous activities available for you to do...water play, tunnels and slides, finger painting, art projects, rooftop fun, look off tower, puppet shows, dramatic play, do-it-yourself face painting, etc. Anna Grace, I think you enjoyed all the art activities the best and, Ailee, you by far loved the singing and dancing on the pretend stage. Mimi and I just cracked up at your performances. After the museum, we pitched a quilt on the bank of the river for some old time ice cream. What a fun day!

The First Easter Dress...

For Palm Sunday, Adelynn dressed in the first Easter dress I made for Anna Grace back in 2004. I remember finishing up the smocking design on the way to visit Mammaw and Pappaw. It was a joy to be able to smock my first born daughter's first Easter dress with sweet little bunny rabbits. As time passed and more babies came, it gets more and more difficult to create such a detailed dress, especially for 3 little princesses. Since so much time and effort went into creating this little gown, I am glad that there are multiple little ladies that have been able to wear it. I wonder if it will be passed down to the next generation for many Easter Sundays to come.

Anna Grace's first Easter 2004

(Sorry your eyes are closed. This is the only picture I could get scanned in today. I will hopefully replace it soon.)

Ailee Claire's first Easter 2006

Easter is on the way...

Both you girls had your Easter parties at preschool today. We had to split up and Mommy went to Anna Grace's party while Daddy went with Ailee. I hated missing one of your parties. I love to watch you interacting with your friends and seeing you in the school setting. It makes me feel a part of what you are doing while you are away from me each morning. From the photos, you can see how much fun everyone had hunting eggs. Thanks, Mimi, for the cute egg hunting outfits!

Ailee, you are always doing something to keep things exciting around here. The other morning while we were getting ready for school, you were in your own, carefree world. Mommy and Anna Grace were efficiently trying to get everything and everyone ready to get out the door for school. I was rushing you and trying to get you focused as you danced and twirled in the midst of each task. While I was getting the last stuff finished up, Anna Grace comes in and says...Did something happen in here?

Mommy: No, Why?

Anna Grace: Well, Ailee is on the bathroom floor and she says she is sad.

Mommy: Ailee, what is the matter?

Ailee: I am talking to Jesus.

Mommy: What about? Are you okay?

Ailee: I told Him...I just love Mommy but I cannot keep up!

Face down on the bathroom floor talking to your Heavenly Father! How precious can you be! You bring so many different aspects to our family...fun, sassy, passionate, sweet, caring, and on and on. I am so sorry I forget that you are only 3 years old sometimes. I do not want you to feel that you cannot keep up with me and Anna Grace. I do expect you to listen and follow directions but please help Mommy to remember you are the middle sister and you should not have to act or be as big as Anna Grace. I love your silly, carefree personality... do not ever loose that! It makes being your Mommy so much FUN!

Mommy's littlest bunny is growing way too fast! Adelynn, you were all smile and giggles today as you rolled around on the bed. I love the way your big, blue eyes dance when you laugh!