Watermelon Festival 2008

We went and supported our local Watermelon Festival to the tune of $60 last night...but it was FUN, FUN...for myself and BOTH girls and Jessica. Jessica decided she would go so we could take both girls...this was Rylee's first official year of riding the RIDES! At first, she did not want to ride but you can see she quickly adjusted and was ready to RIDE!
Bentlee, without a doubt, had a BLAST! And we met Alycia and Tyler.
Oh, and my apologies to my friends...no time for socializing last night, it was all about the girls having fun, sorry ;o)

Me and my girls on the carousel...

View from the Ferris Wheel..

Rylee CHEESING!

Jessica and Bentlee on the Ferris Wheel..

Karley, Tyler, and Bentlee on the alligator roller coaster...

Bentlee on the kiddie ride...

Rylee and Bentlee on the carousel...

Me and my faithful helper..."Jezzie"

Church

This is an email I got today...I run into folks often that say things like..." I don't think you have to go to church to go to heaven"....and this made me think about those people...it doesn't really answer the question of whether you have to go to church to go to heaven...it just made me think about folks that question church...BTW, if you are what you say you are, a Christian at heart, you WILL want to associate with other Christians in church and elsewhere...you will WANT to learn more about GOD and you will be "hungry for the Lord", you will be drawn to WORSHIP...and if you are a Christian, you will understand where I am coming from...Now, I am not one to push "religion" and God down your throat and I SIN with the rest of the Christians of the world...and NO, I am not going to preach today, LOL!...

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained
That it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.(or Saturday) 'I've gone
For 30 years now,' he wrote, 'and in that time I have heard something like
3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of
Them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by
Giving sermons at all.'

This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor'
Column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until
Someone wrote this clincher.

'I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some
32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for
A single one of those meals. But I do know this.. They all nourished me and
Gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me
These meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone
To church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!' When you are
DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible,
Believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our
Physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Rylee's 2nd birthday

Because I had to work yesterday I was not able to do anything special for Rylee so Jessica stepped up to the plate. She took Rylee and Bentlee to McDonalds for lunch and then to the grocery store to pick up cake supplies. Rylee picked out DORA candies and crayon candles...SURPRISE, SURPRISE!
After their "road trip" it was nap time for the girls and baking time for Jessica (and you know I told you Jessica is "domestically retarded", LOL!). The cupcakes and Dora cake turned out SOOO cute! I was so proud of Jessica for making Rylee's birthday so special...after Wade got home and saw the baked goods, Rylee had ANOTHER cupcake with candles and we sang Happy Birthday to her! She was a bit scared of blowing out the candles so Jessica helped with that too. Not only were the cupcakes and cake cute, they were YUMMY!
Thanks "Jezzie" for making Rylee's day so special!





There will be more DORA to come for her actual birthday party on Sunday ;o) Funny thing...Bentlee's second birthday party was Dora also! Girls, girls, girls!

Happy 2nd Birthday Rylee-Poo!

Two years ago at this very moment I was in HARD labor...had been since the night before...she wasn't a big baby but a hard delivery (she was face up instead of face down in the birth canal)...at 7 lbs. 1 oz, 20 inches long...a head full of dark hair...blues eyes...Rylee Wade Mayle was finally born at 1:42 pm July 28, 2006.

I have to admit...Rylee was an "oops" and I know most parents wouldn't actually admit that, but the best "oops" that ever happened to me. She is TWO years old today...my baby girl...Rylee did not stay a BABY very long...she has grown so much faster than her sister did...started walking at 9 months old...gave her bottle up at 20 months old...
Could you possibly tell she would be a BIG girl from this photo, LOL???

I know....YUCK! But it is hard to beleive my belly was THAT big!~ And today is the day I am reflecting back on the last time I was pregnant..the last time I ever will feel life growing inside me...only to produce another one of God's miracles...

My dad is getting his LAST chemo treatment today!

Treatment #6 is today...and the LAST ever we hope! As I told you at his last visit, the doc told him he is in REMISSION. Although there is no cure for Lymphoma, this is the closest we can get to it...God has been so good to our family in answering our prayers.
He is recovering VERY well from his back surgery. He is wearing a brace but it does not appear to bother him much. I think it helps remind him what he can't do...which is good for his busy self!
He was all SMILES at church last night. He does have a few more things going on...soft bones, clogged arteries, etc...small things that can be treated with meds..nothing we can't handle. I told him he is "just getting old"! LOL!
Keep them in yours prayers as they travel to Chapel Hill and back today. Two of their church friends are taking them.

I'm a country girl but come oooonnnn....

Wade loves field peas and he came home with a grocery bag FULL last night! Other than corn, thats about the only veggie he eats...I am not crazy about them but I will cook them for him! So...I call his mom to get the "scoop"...she says..."lay them out flat instead of refridgerating them because they will be easier to shell...shell them, soak and wash them, and cook them with seasoning meat, bacon will do"...holy POOP! I am a typicall microwave cooker...some stove cooking, Wade does the grill cooking...yayayaa...so, tonight (or tomorrow night!) I will be SLAVING over field peas! They are pretty unshelled but geezzzz....looks like I got a bunch of snakes living on my kitchen floor...Bentlee and Rylee will probably freak out when they see them this morning, LOL!

Steve is coming home today

Just wanted to let you all know Steve will finally be coming home today...9 weeks ago today he was in that awful accident.

Bad to worse to good?

You all know about the incident with my dad hurting his back...well, things went from bad to worse...he started with uncontrollable pain last week on Thursday. Mom insisted he go to the ER again...from there he stayed in the hospital until Tuesday...his back was worse than they originally thought, they wanted to perform surgery (inserting "cement"?)...his white count (from Chemo) was VERY low...could not do the surgery...they finally got his white count up and he had his surgery this morning in Greenville...will stay tonight and come home tomorrow. The surgery went well...God is Good...AGAIN! We will know more about the future of his back tomorrow or Monday. Keep he and mom in your prayers...more doctors, more traveling....more pain...more prayers...more gifts from God.

PS I needed to blog....I have been SOOO verYYYYY busy this week, my brain is tired!

Bentlee lost her first TEETH!

While I was at work Friday I got a call from Jessica..she says Bentlee is getting ready to lose her first tooth! I was SOOOOO surprised, and a bit concerned...she is 5 years old! She is not supposed to be losing teeth yet! So...I checked the internet and I guess its okay...I did not know this but if children get their teeth early, they will lose them early, and they will also lose them in the same order they got them. The thing is, Bentlee did not get her teeth early...around 6 months old is when she got the first bottom two. Who knows!

She did lose her first tooth on Friday, Jessica pulled it right out! And she got $10 from the tooth ferry! I only remember getting maybe $1 each time..if that! LOL!

THEN, she lost another one yesterday...I had to pull that one out myself! I have to admit I was scared! I just didn't want to hurt her but I told her to let me try ONE time...and I grabbed it and pulled it right out! The tooth fairy is broke needless to say!

Isn't she cute? My batteries were dead in my camera last night but she made sure to remind me this morning before we left for bible school..."Don't forget to take pictures of my missing teeth for your Blog Mom"...she is FIVE! Go figure my 5 year old would know about a BLOG! LOL!

Its almost time...

For the Watermelon Festival in Murfreesboro. Bentlee gets SO excited each year...she and I usually go Weds or Thurs night (just the two of us) and we ride most of the big rides. The kiddie rides do not thrill her much...she needs more adventure than they have to offer! LOL! Maybe in a couple of years Rylee will join us.
This header picture is from last year when she was on one of the big rides...you can see the THRILL and FEAR in her face...and you can almost feel the excitement yourself!
The Watermelon Festival is July 30th through August 2nd this year.
Bentlee has also been accepted into the Watermelon Princess Contest this year and she is very excited about it (another one of my ploys to rid her of possible stage fright).

My UpperCase Living

I already have a couple of decals on my walls so it was hard for me to pick what I wanted to order from Michele's UpperCase Living party...plus there are SOOO many choices in the catalog. It is very reasonably priced like Michele said in her blog, I think I paid around $15 for this one.

I have "Live, Laugh, Love" over my back double doors and I have another over my breakfast nook window. I got those from TLC (scrapbooking company). Guess I will need to take pics of those later and post.

I think this turned out pretty great...I had a little trouble applying it but overall it turned out nice...and it fits in with my other kitchen decor that you can't see in the pic.

Congratulations Jessica!

Remember when you were young and not sure what to do and where to go in life...Jessica has sort of been that way since she graduated...thinking and questioning and thinking some more...thought she knew what to do, changed her mind....yayayaaaa....she has been taking nursing prereq courses but was not sure if she would get in...

Well, CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER FOR JESSICA...she was accepted into nursing school last week! WOOOO HOOOO

Daycare

Long story short...and most of you know this already but...until about a week ago I have been driving to Union everyday to take Rylee to daycare, coming back up to Pendleton to drop Bentlee at school, then on to work...about an hour trip each morning. Wade and I strongly beleive in a good, structured daycare whether it be a center or a home daycare. I have been doing this for about a year. Once Bentlee got out of school our daycare fees doubled....WOW! So, its about $600/month plus gas, etc.
We decided to try something different...Jessica (my neice/sister) is 19 and has worked at two daycares. So we took the girls out of daycare and Jessica is keeping them at home now...or at least until September when she starts school again. I was reluctant to do this for many reasons...Wade works shift work so its been a real change having them home for him, I am still a bit serious about keeping my house in order (other than the extreme dust, LOL!), and the main reason is I was afraid the girls would get out of routine and have no stimulation.
SO, I devised a plan! I always have a "plan" as Wade says...LOL! I made a schedule similiar to their school/daycare schedule to include breakfast, playtime, arts & crafts, lunch, nap, and some deviations include an afternoon at the pool or a trip to the library.
I have to say I have been pretty impressed, actually extremely impressed, with Jessica...she is not the most domestic person I know but she is great with my girls. She knows how to give them a balanced meal at lunch..or as close as possible for my picky eaters. I tell her all the time she should be going to school for teaching, not nursing. Here are a few of her craft ideas the girls have made this week. Plus, she reads them books, they have outside time, free-play, and some "time-outs" :o).
Its been a real blessing for me especially...my mornings are SO less hectic, my ride to work is peaceful...and the girls are happy. I prayed about this for some time and was just not sure if this was the right thing to do...but now I know it is.
A big yellow cat!

Beautiful butterflies!

The holiday weekend

We had a fun-filled busy weekend...Elliott & Alycia's on Friday with Wade's family for pool, pizza, and Tball...

Rylee (almost 2) and Tyler (age 4 1/2) on the 4-wheeler (header picture)

Bentlee, Tyler, and Grandaddy Jerry

Bentlee and Wade

Ga-Ga and Bentlee

Terissa and Alycia

On Saturday, we spent the day at the river with Mem & Poppy and ended with fireworks...and a RAINY drive home!




Yesterday we went to church and came home for a 2-hour NAP! Then the laundry and cleaning, yuck~ All good times must come to an end I guess.

REMISSION!

In case I don't have your cell phone number and did not text you Friday....MY DAD'S CANCER HAS GONE INTO REMISSION! We could not be MORE pleased and BLESSED!

He will have one more treatment...doctor visits every three months for a year and every 6 months after that.

It almost feels unreal...mom says its been a long journey but the time has really flown by I think....but I am not there everyday to see Dad's struggle.

Now if he can get his back in shape....all will be well.

Thanks again for the prayers...and emails...and EVERYTHING!

GOD IS GOOD! Have faith folks...thats what it takes...my dad is a prime example of that.

The Bachelorette

Is anybody watching the Bachelorette? I know I spelled that wrong but who cares. If you are watching, who will she choose...the dumb and ugly, but sweet professional snowboarder or the premade family? I vote the premade family because I really wanted her with the "OCD" LAWYER guy! Did you see his perfect house and his AWESOME eyes?! I am not normally one to "drool" over men on TV but this time I did. Who would have guessed me to choose the OCD guy, LOL, me...OCD...need I say more!? Oh, and thank goodness for DVR or I wouldn't be watching anything at the moment.

Mandy's blog about WipeOut inspired this post. Sorry Mandy, I'm not watching that.

Treatment #5

Dad will have treatment #5 tomorrow instead of Friday (due to the holiday of course). The last treatment really took alot out of him and it took him a few more days to bounce back. That is typical from what we were told, each treatment would be worse. Last week he finally came around a bit and then...

He and mom kept the girls the weekend. They went down to the river, mom stayed on the pier with Rylee because she is afraid of the water, and dad swam with Bentlee. When it was time to go mom took Rylee's life jacket off and was attempting to get Bentlee out of the water...Dad was putting his shoes on...AND they heard a SPLASH! Rylee had fallen in the WATER! The water down there is only thigh deep to me but river water is dark...both of them panicked! Mom jumped in, dad jumped over mom and into the water...and hurt his BACK! Everyone else had gone back to their campers so mom couldn't call for help....mom got Rylee of course and finally got dad out!

He would not go to the hospital of course, laid around all weekend...finally got in so much pain he ended up at the ER yesterday morning. He has a compound fracture in his T8 (lower part of his spine).

AS IF MOM and DAD did not have enough going on! And I felt SOOOOO guilty and I know I shouldn't but if only I had not asked them to keep both girls! But, I guess it could have happened in another way...I just feel bad for them both. You know I said in Friday's post that I was not asking them to keep the girls much and then this happens. Mom cried and cried about it because she had taken Rylee's life jacket off. I told her she still would have panicked regardless. Rylee is fine, dad is not. He will be but its going to take MORE rest and no lifting.

So, keep them in your prayers as I know most of you do. THANKS for all the kind comments and support you continue to show.

I spilled the beans!

Check out my new FRIEND on my list over to the left....ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......I spilled the beans! She has been working on it for over a week, couldn't get pics to download at home..."trying" too hard to blog!
www.bluigirl.blogspot.com
Its a "welcome home" gift for you Tina if you EVER decide to take your toes out of the Florida sand and come home! LOL!

"Whats s'up Rylee?"

Had to share this video...Jessica taught her this and most of you never get to hear shy Rylee talk...funny!