The best Halloween ever...

Chris and I are convinced that you take any given thing and use it for good, or for bad. Take Halloween for example. Did we worship ghosts, goblins, and demons today? No way. Did we have a great time watching Gage play with old friends at our Fall Festival at church? Did we then have a great time watching him make new ones as we visited neighbors tonight and they in turn, visited us? Definitely! It all started this afternoon on our way home from church...Gage had to get his nap in...

After a call from our friends Squirel, LeRoy and Nikki, we knew it was time to get ready and go pick them up for the Festival at church.

Gage played in the jump house, went on a hay ride, and played with his best buddy, Madison.

We came home and had to have just ONE piece of candy. We waited and waited on the first trick-or-treaters to come to our house so then we knew it was time to start! Gage was enjoying playing with his candy...dumping it out and cleaning it up!

We only walked to 5 or 6 houses that are right around us, but trust me, we got PLENTY of candy. Chris and I had just as much fun as Gage did! No neighborhood walk is complete without going to visit our favorite neighbor of all...Becki!!

As cute and precious as Gage was all dressed up and going from place to place getting candy,

do you know what my favorite part of the night was? It was when he got SOOOO excited when more "kids" (as he called them) came to the door and he got to put things in their buckets. It was priceless...and as you can see he was on the lookout the whole time!

There may be something sweeter than Superman kisses...but for right now...

I cannot think of one single thing!

Gage's weigh in...

Today was Gage's 2 year (and one month) check up. Here are his stats:

Height- 36.5 inches- 90th percentile

Weight- 29 pounds 13.8 ounces- 69th percentile

Head Circumference- 20 inches- 99th percentile

Just for fun, lets compare the stats above to the ones taken on 10/16/2008

Height- 21 inches- 11th percentile

Weight- 7 pounds 4 ounces- 1st percentile

Head Circumference- 14 inches- 3rd percentile

I have heard many people say about Gage...wow, if you didn't know...you wouldn't know...

I say...I want everyone to know where Gage has come from so they can see and experience first hand what a GREAT BIG God we serve! He is sooo good to us!

I thought I was in love when...

I walked down the aisle on October 1, 2005. At that very moment when I looked to Chris, it was then I thought...it can't possibly get any better than this! We went to Charleston on our honeymoon. We came home to our trailer (at $425 a month rent) and started living like married people. We eventually got a house, a dog, and had a baby...everything "normal" married people do. However, as I looked around, and talked with other people, I discovered something very quickly...Chris and I...were not...and are not...normal. You see, we wake up every day thankful to have each other in our own bed. We talk, we laugh, we cry. When given the choice to go hang out with a group or be together at home, 9 times out of 10 we choose together. We grew up the same way and were raised the same way, and for the most part, we are the same page when it comes to raising Gage. We are simple people who live a simple life, and it WORKS. We don't have to keep up with the Jones'. We don't have to have the best of everything. We have always been taught that enough is as good as a feast, and we have more than enough. Chris doesn't say a whole lot, but when he speaks, people listen. He is smart, he is handsome, and he is funny. He doesn't mix words, he will tell you like it is. He has the strongest love for God and for family that I have ever seen (next to my own dad). He knows me like a book, and is NOT afraid to read it out loud to me when necessary. He spares my feelings, but tells the truth in love. He does not care to impress people...he is what he is ...if you like him fine, if not, fine. Chris is a DEEP thinker and has this amazing love and respect for music. He is often mistaken for shy and sometimes cold, but he is passionate about the things that matter to him, and things that matter to me. I LOVE to watch him him with kids- not just Gage- all kids. He is drawn to them, and they are to him (much like his own dad). I could go on and on about my best friend. As I said before, when we got married, I thought I could not love Chris any more...and then do you know what happened? The next day came...and the next...and with it came a deeper, sweeter love for my sweet husband. Time, experience, kids, and above all, the Lord has kept us together these 5 years, with another 75 to follow. Chris and I love deep, laugh often, and talk daily...that coupled with the Lord's guidance and grace...proves again that we are blessed beyond belief!

Count your blessings name them one by one...

A good friend of mine, Stephanie, blogged not too long ago on things that make her happy. As I read it I thought about what a great idea it was and thought I would make a list too.

Well, days went by and I forgot to be thankful for 26 things, and it just kind of left my mind...until last night when I was doing my quiet time. A couple of girls from school and I are doing a study on the life of David and this particular day was about how Jonathan was used as an instrument of encouragement to David.

I thought of some things that encourage me...all the way from A to Z!

A-Anniversaries. Chris and I will celebrate our 5th one on October 1st!

B-Being a mommy and a wife, 2 of God's highest callings!

C-Chris Brown. He is a good husband, a good daddy, and my best friend!

D-Doctors. With their help from a great big God, my son is doing GREAT!

E-Early morning chats with my mom on the way to school...for SEVEN years now!

F-Family. The Brown's. The LaFavor's. Everyone in between!

G-Gage Brown. He is the smartest and sweetest 2 year old I know.

H-Heritage. I am the 4th generation of public school teachers in my family!

I-Interesting conversations with people. We will leave it at that!

J-Jeans. They encourage me to have a good attitude on Fridays.

K-Kindred spirits. I just started teaching with Kim but it feels like its always been this way.

L-Laughter. It is like medicine and it is GOOD for the soul.

M-Marriage- submission, love, respect, talking, laughing, crying, and just being simple!

N-Never having to doubt my salvation. God saved me once and for all! I am so thankful!

O-Ol'Captain. That is my dad. I love his fishing tales...its not about the fish...its about the people.

P-Provision. We have never had a need the Lord hasn't met!

Q-Quiet. When both of my boys are asleep...and its just ME time.

R-Remote ministry in the Boddie Projects...its not about the ice cream...its about the people.

S-Sinclair Baptist Church. Period.

T-Teaching kindergarten inclusion and working with a GREAT staff.

U-Unconditional friends. Hollie and I have been best friends since we were 16 years old!

V-Vacation time with the Brown's! Always a fun time!

W-Watching people laugh, enjoy themselves, and feel comfortable.

X-eXciting trips to the mountains with 30 women to talk about and sing to our God!

Y-Yard. We are the only house with grass in the back, so the neighborhood kids are always playing ball out there. It won't be long before Gage is right there with them.

Z-Zoo. This is going to be a fun trip, next Friday, for Chris, Gage, and I!

I have SOOOO many things to be thankful for...what are you most thankful for right now?

Avalon sings a song about it being a new day...

thank goodness that is true after reading my last blog...how depressing! Every "dog has its day" but mine is over. I am too blessed to be stressed and throwing a pity party. Its good to vent from time to time, but then its time to look around and say...ENOUGH of this! Can't wait to post about Gage's SECOND birthday!!!

Its my blog and I will whine if I want to...

I am tired!
I am ready for the weekend.
I am ready for our 10 year reunion to come...and to go.
I wish all 5 year olds would behave, listen, follow directions, and more importantly come with a good support system.
Everyone and everything is on my nerves.
I can't stand when people offer plenty of complaints but offer no suggestions to "fix" what is "broken".
I also can't stand when people think if you aren't on their boat, you will SINK.
I agree that if you aren't involved you will feel uninvited...just never thought it would apply to me.
I am ready to spend some quality time with Hollie- even if its just dinner in Macon.
I am ready to hear all about Stephanie's Kenya trip, but there is not enough time in the day!
I am ready to get over this beginning of the school year slump...

There is a fine line between...

holding on and letting go!

Gage will be 2 in less than a month and it has been hitting me harder that I ever would have imagined! He has given up his passy completely. He is beginning to give up his sippy cup (hence the reason they change his clothes at least twice daily at school) and he sits on the potty every hour at school(no luck yet). To the mother who has been there and done that you know these are BIG steps...and a lot to take in all at one time. His teacher at school says he doesn't really like to color at school...instead he likes to eat the crayons...he is trying to use his big boy cup, but more ends up in his lap than in his mouth- and to that the defensive side of me is thinking...well if he is eating the crayons he is either bored or he doesn't like to color- its not that he can't- he doesn't want to :) If he is spilling milk and juice all over himself put a top back on it for Heaven sakes...what does it matter??? While all of this is going on in my head, the teacher in me is hearing the mom in me and telling her to SHUT UP... I am reminding myself that he will do all that is requirred of him in time...when he is ready! There is this constant war going in my head and it sounds something like this...hold on tighter...no, let him grow...he is just a baby...wake up and look at him- he is growing up...slow down...no don't- we are having so much fun...let me hold you...but I love watching you run around the house...let's cuddle in my bed...no, its REALLY nice when you sleep so sound in YOUR bed...etc, etc, etc

There is no possible way Chris and I could be more proud of Gage. He is a precious gift from God and we could never thank Him enough for allowing us the opportunity to raise him. What an awesome responsibility He has entrusted us with. Gage is so tall and healthy, so happy, so sweet and so smart. He loves to laugh and sing and count. He loves to read books and talk...and talk...and talk. He can be a little nosey at times (not sure where he gets this). He loves Elmo, Thomas the train, and unfortunately...Barney. It is an amazing thing...being a mom...Chris and I constantly look at each other with "that look" and in both of our minds we are thinking we are-

BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF!!!

Who would have ever thought that time...

wouldn't stop...

but instead...

FLY SO FAST!!!

We still believe...

in MIRACLES!!!