2008 Wrap up....

It has been a long time since I blogged. Sorry.. life just got crazy with the holidays, outreach and family activities so some things had to be put on the back burner. New Years has past and it is a great time to reflect on 2008. Here is what our family was up to in 2008:

January: January started with the kids going to my moms for a few days. Skip and I had a wonderful time lounging kidfree, watching movies, cooking dinner, etc. Grant came back a complete sports fan since he participated in the college bowl game picks with my mom. Skip's brother and his family came for a visit in January. They stayed the whole weekend. It turned out it was the weekend it snowed. They live in Tampa so they do not get a lot of snow. The kids spent the weekend playing football, sledding and building snow-men. The adults stayed inside near the fire and watched movies. It was just good ole' lazy family time.



February: We went on a cruise to Cozumel Mexico and Key West, FL. It was a great get away for our family. The kids had one room and we had an adjoining room. Kendall met a sweet friend from Indianapolis. She makes friends so easily. Grant learned to shuffleboard and became competitive at shuffleboard as he does any sport.


Skip takes the girls to a Father/Daughter dance each year. The girls love this time with their daddy:


March: Kendall, Waverly and I spent the night at the Chattanooga, TN aquarium with Girl Scouts. We slept in the tunnel under the sharks and big sea turtles. It was really one of the most peaceful nights. I remember looking up and seeing a large sea turtle, hammerhead shark and parrot fish swimming above me.

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Waverly and Kendall started spring soccer. They have been on the Bulldogs for years. This was their last season with the Bulldogs. We will miss that great group of families. Grant went to ADay (Auburn) game with my dad. This was the beginning of transforming the little guy into an Auburn Tiger. Skip and I went through a renewal with our marriage this month. It was a challenging process but our marriage has never been stronger.

April: We went to Panama City Beach, Fl for spring break. My dad and step mom have a place in PCB that they frequently loan us throughout the year.
We spent time with Kim Wood and kids. We always enjoy our time in FL for spring break. We see the same folks there every year. Kendall is 100% a surfer girl. I have no doubt that she will end up living on the coast one day. Mt. Paran had Service Day which is an awesome event. It was my first experience with service day. The entire school and parents participate in a service project for a day. I went with some kids to the Warehouse of Hope in Hiram, GA. Skip turned 40 something this month. I surprised him by getting his mom to watch the kids. I got a hotel in Atlanta and sent him a text to meet me there. He was very surprised. It was a fun little vacation.

May: I went to the beach with some lady friends of mine. This was the 3rd year we have gone to the beach for a kid-free weekend. It was fun as always. Our beloved baby-sitter heaven went to be with Jesus in May. She died in a housefire trying to save her 2 year old son. Amber's son made it out of the fire but Amber did not. Amber was Grant's baby-sitter when he was young. She is missed. Our family went to Cozumel with my father. We stayed at a resort we have grown to love. My dad has stayed at this resort many many times. They know his name and know we are part of his family. It was kind of like a homecoming for us and the kids. The kids absolutely LOVE Cozumel. See posting about Cozumel. Grant became an Atlanta Braves addict. Skip and Grant went to the Braves game any chance they could get.


Cozumel:


June: June was the beginning of a very busy and crazy summer. It started out with Kendall and Waverly going to Girl Scout camp for a week. They loved the camp and had a great time.

Waverly attended a soccer camp at Mt. Paran. Waverly and Kendall then went to Tampa for "Cousins Camp". Aunt Stephanie has the kids at her house each summer for cousins camp. It is great fun. She is amazing! The following week was SURGE camp for West Ridge. I taught a photography course to 3rd- 5th graders. It was an incredible experience. Waverly took cooking, Grant took basketball and Kendall took scrapbooking. Skip worked with the parking guys. A good time was had by all. We headed back to the beach to recover from the crazy month. Grant turned 7 and had football birthday party. See post about Grant's birthday.
We spent time with friends during the summer. Here is a photo of one fun summer day at our neighbors, the Dennehy's, pool:


July: Kendall went to an English camp at Mt. Paran. Grant went to my mom's house for a visit. Kendall then went to Camp Glisson in Dahlonega. This is a great Christian Camp out in the woods. Skip went when he was a kid. It is not fancy at all but a great way for the kids to have a good ole' fashioned camp experience. Kendall turned 9 while at Camp Glisson. She was showered with attention and really enjoyed having her birthday at camp. I felt like a heel for planning the camp week with her birthday in the week. She had a spend the night party when she got home from camp. The last two weeks of July were spent working on a Community Makeover with Engage Atlanta. www.engageatlanta.com We got a group of friends together and did a make-over on a friend's home. We originally were going to put down flooring and ended up hard-wording and recarpeting the entire home, painting the home, adding furniture, landscape work, doing extreme repairs, cleaning, making drapes, decorating.. It was truly an effort by many that has changed the life of the family.


We also spent the summer getting ready for the Back to School Drive. Boy oh boy did that take a lot of time. It is quite an experience working for your 10 year old daughter. We had to give our sweet dog Judd away. See post on Judd. We still see Judd often and he is doing great.


August: The big event in August was the Back to School Drive 8-9-08. This was A Fresh Hope and West Ridge event. Over-all, 1100 new back packs and supplies were given to kids in the area. It was a true blessing for our family. It really brought service to the forefront of our family mission. Skip and I started the Dave Ramsey course. Although we did not graduate, we did learn a lot. Even 5 months later, we are putting his principles into practice. Kendall and Waverly started Mt. Paran and Grant started Picketts Mill. All 3 have had an incredible school year so far and LOVE their schools. Grant went to an Auburn game with my Dad. I think they went to 3 or 4 games this season. It has been a great way for them to bond.



September: Skip and I went to the mountains for a little R&R. My mom came and watched the kids for the weekend. My kids love when Gram and Joey come to watch them. Skip, Waverly and Kendall went to Father/Daughter Girl Scout camp one weekend. This was their 4th year to go to this camp. They bike, hike, cookout, etc. Skip takes several tents. They are not roughing it as Skip is usually working on his laptop after the girls fall asleep.

October: October was jammed packed with flag football, soccer, fall carnivals and events, etc. Our kids once again got their flu shots. They just love getting the flu shots, ha ha ha... it is a sight to see. Grant has to get his at the pulmonologist because of his egg allergy. This month was monopolized by junky election stuff. I hate elections and have over-posted on this fact to date so I will just drop it. I was diagnosed with mono so our life slowed down a bit. Skip was diagnosed several weeks after me. Thankfully, the kids never got it which is amazing!

November: Waverly turned 11. We went to Tuscaloosa for a weekend for my cousin, Lindsey's, wedding. It was beautiful. I could not believe Little Lindsey was getting married. We then headed to Tampa for a visit with the cousins. My kids LOVE the cousins house. They have 6 kids and live on several acres. There is more than enough for any child to do at any time. I enjoy spending time with my sister-in-law Stephanie and the gang. Skip, Grant and Waverly went to the Bucs game before we headed back home. Doug is the Chaplain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so we are big Bucs fans. Obama was elected President. It was a historical moment that our children will remember for a lifetime.

December: I am officially no longer 40 as I turned 41 this month. 40 is not nearly as bad as everyone makes it sound. In fact, I think it is better than 30. We spent the month preparing for the Outreach Party. The party was help on 12/21. A Fresh Hope partnered with 5 churches, CAYA and Toys For Tots. We had an incredible outreach event. Over 5000 in the community were served.. Amazing! see www.afreshhope.blogspot.com for more information. The kids had their annual Christmas party. They love doing this little party. It started 8 years ago as a cookie decorating party for a few kids. It is now 25+ kids with crafts, parents, and good eats. The boys typically play sports and the girls will do a craft.

Our Christmas was slimmed down this year but it was the best Christmas Ever!!! We spent more on giving than on our own gifts and felt very blessed in the end. Our kids "Got It" and that was the best part of all.
We adopted Lily Bleu in December. She was an 8 week old Goldendoodle when we adopted her:

This year ended in St. Louis celebration Grammy and Grandpa Gilcrease's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a great celebration of 50 wonderful years.

Thanksgiving doesn't get the credit it deserves....

Thanksgiving doesn't get the credit it deserves... Don't you think that is true? I mean, the Christmas decorations come out when the Halloween stuff comes down (and even before in some stores). It blows my mind that Halloween gets more press than Thanksgiving. I am not a huge fan of Halloween. The kids dress up, we carve 3 pumpkins and Trick-or-Treat. That is the extent of my Halloween decorations and celebrations. But.. Thanksgiving.. Wow.. we can't take a little extra time and reflect on what all we have to be thankful for? I think it is especially important to reflect this year with so much craziness going on in the world. Regardless of our circumstances at this very second, we have a ton to be thankful for. I am writing this blog for my kids. As a parent, I want my kids to grow up with a feeling of gratitude, a heart of compassion, a desire to give and a LOVE of Christ. (of course happiness, manners, success, etc. is thrown in there too but that will all come if the others are in place).

We are getting ready for our Thanksgiving Travels. This week, we are headed to Tuscalosa, AL (home of the University of Alabama but we will hold our nose while we are there, hardee har har) for my cousin LIndsey's wedding. Lindsey and I have been close her whole life. She is getting her Masters at University of AL. I love her anyway but I do feel a bit of betrayal if I must be honest. I am an Auburn Grad and spent the better part of my life swaying her in that direction. Seriously.. this is a great moment and we wish her the most wonderful marriage. We then come back for school Monday and Tuesday then head to Tampa for the holidays. Skip's brother Doug and his wonderful family are in Tampa. They have 6 kids and my kids LOVE to go to "THE COUSINS'". I love spending time with family during Thanksgiving. I won't see my mom or dad this Thanksgiving and I miss that but we try to alternate.

Thankful.. what am I thankful for:
* my wonderful family. My incredible husband and 3 wonderful children. My husband loves me with all of his heart. He is the most giving man I have ever met. My husband is an incredible father. This could be a blog in itself and it could be juicy.. he never reads this blog. My children are a gift from God. They are the "apple of my eye". I was truly blessed in the family category.
* I am thankful that my kids have 6 very involved grandparents who think they hung the moon. They have 4 wonderful great grandparents. My parents and I are still very very close. Our extended familes are very close.
* I am thankful for our jobs. We both work at home (Skip goes in a couple days a week) and get to be more involved in our home life and kids' activities. Things are less hectic.
* I am thankful that Grant has not have pneumonia in 1 1/2 years. Grant has had pneumonia over 30 times with 25+ hospilizations so this 1 1/2 years is HUGE! I am thankful that he is a miracle! I am thankful that we are not going to the hospital, doctor's offices or for testing every week anymore. I am thankful that he is not in pain or not feeling well, his oxygen level is actually normal and he is thriving.
* I am thankful that we have an awesome neighborhood. We are very close to our neighbors. We feel very safe. Our neighbors help each other when we are down. Our kids have 20 instant friends on our street alone.
* I am thankful that our kids have great schools and teachers. Waverly and Kendall are at Mt. Paran. Grant is at Picketts Mill. This is a time to give extra thanks for Kendall's success this year. Kendall is dyslexic and has had a hard time in school until this year. She is now making great grades, her self confidence has increased, she LOVES school again.
* I am thankful for A Fresh Hope. Waverly started A Fresh Hope to help others. Wow.. what a blessing it has been to our family. It has made giving service a focus of the family.
* I am thankful for West Ridge Church. Wow.. what a great place. Check it out if you are looking for a church in the West Cobb, Paulding area.
* I am thankful for our nation and the freedoms we have. We live in a great country and complain way too much. We all want everything OUR way which is not possible and quite frankly, is rather self centered. I think we could all focus on the incredible things about our country rather than picking apart everything that is not specifically benefiting ourselves.
* I am thankful for our friends. We have a great network of friends, some new and some old.
* I am thankful for the lifestyle we lead. Our Pastors just got back from Africa. Wow.. boy do we take things for granted. We have food anytime we want it, clean water, a house, safe conditions, we don't battle starvation and disease. 4 out of every 10 children die before the age of 10 in the poor areas of Africa. Can you imagine the loss they feel? Can you imagine the desire to just survive much less to be happy and grow?
* I am thankful my children know and love God.
* I am thankful that we are not under huge financial stress at this time but also hurting for those that are. Now is a time to focus on giving to others.
* I am thankful, not as much as I should be, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I am thankful that we have grace and forgiveness through Jesus. I am thankful that we will have enternal life through our faith and trust in Jesus. Wow- if I can get a full grasp on that alone... everything else is just gravy.

We Failed Financial Peace University....

It's official.. Skip and I failed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We were very "gung ho" when we signed up but then mono struck. I posted my anxiety about the whole FPU, spending only cash, don't have fun, eat rice type of living in the beginning. We missed the past 7 or so meetings (there are only 15). We really did have a fun small group and hate that we didn't get to spend more time with them.

We have specific words that we choose not to use in our house: stupid, hate, dumb, etc. You get the drift. They aren't necessarily cuss words but tend to be over-used once they are allowed. Well..... knowing we don't use these words, they are kind of like cuss words when my kids say them. All 3 of them at one time or another said, "I hate Dave Ramsey, he is stupid." I sensed they were tired of hearing, Dave Ramsey would not want us to go out to eat, Dave Ramsey would not want us to go to Disney this December, etc. But.. it did give them insight as to how much money we spend on them. Our children are less than deprived and they needed this budget stuff to bring them closer to reality.

All and all...our mini Dave Ramsey class was beneficial. If it did anything, it made us think about what we spend money on and start to formulate a budget. We have never lived on a budget so this is a big deal to us. For that reason, the class was worth it. So.. I apologize for my complaining and would recommend this course to anyone, just be ready to be miserable for a week or two until you adjust.

Thank Goodness the elections are over.. well kind of..

Inhale.. exhale.. inhale... exhale.. inhale... exhale...

If you know me or have read any of my posts over the last few months, you have probably gotten the idea that I do not like elections. In fact, I can't stand elections. I think they bring out the worst in people and especially in Christians. I have never been so disappointed in some things in all my life. I don't care who votes for who but the it is the very opinionated "my way is the only right way" attitudes that drive me nuts. I have to remind myself... Would Jesus approve of the Christian's behavior during elections? I do not think so, not at all. Do non-believers see anything in Christians during elections that would draw them to Christ? I don't think so. I am generalizing but this election seemed particularly bad. Imagine how much Christians could do for the Kingdom if they put the same effort and emotion in the Kingdom as they do in elections?


A few tidbits about the elections:
*** Forum blogs will allow you to change your name each time you comment. I won't tell you how I know that but it does allow one to agree with a comment written by.. let's say... yourself under a different identity.
*** Obama got 10% of the votes at my daughters' private Christian school. Kendall told Skip Obama got 49 votes and thought that meant 49%. It turns out.. he actually got 49 votes out of 500. I had to explain to my children that we live in a Red state and that would not be that way in a Blue state. Hard to explain to a 7, 9 and 11 year old.
*** MOST (over 75% if I had to guess) e-mails sent to persuade other voters are false (Both Democrat and Republican). I have become very familiar with snopes.com and factcheck.org. It only takes 10 seconds to prove the e-mails wrong. I am amazed at how people can read e-mail SPAM and it turns into 'truth' (I use that term loosely).
*** Obama is not a Muslim. He has professed to be a Christian. Who are we to judge? I can't believe it when I hear that out of Christians' mouths.
*** The two folks in the GA Senator race have the meanest commercials around. They are not family friendly. I am so upset that we have a run-off: 2 phone calls and 4 commercials in 1/2 hour. I refuse to vote for either candidate. Where is Sam Nunn or Zell Miller when you need them?
*** A random guy named Robert Franz from Virginia sent me a long e-mail on my positions. He was apparently forwarded an e-mail from a friend to a friend.. and so on. I don't even know the guy and could care less about what he thought. I was amazed in the amount of time he spent on his e-mail. Wow.. get a life dude.
*** I stood in line for 2 hours to vote early. Skip voted on election day and stood in line for 25 minutes.
*** I didn't know who my husband was voting for until 3 days before the election and did not know who he voted for in other races until after. I like the fact that we make up our own minds. We have stressed this to our children.
*** John McCain's concession speech was incredible! I think he showed more grace in that speech than in the entire campaigning period.
*** I was glad to see Jessee Jackson and Oprah were not on stage with Obama. But.. why were they shown on TV over and over again.
*** I voted for Obama. I know.. some of my friends and families disagree but I don't care. It is my vote, my decision, my right. I have voted for both Republican and Democrat candidates. I have watched victory speeches before but never have I gotten chill bumps like I got this time. It was a very proud moment in the United States.
*** I honestly think some people thought the world would end on Nov. 5th. I found that very humorous but also felt sorry for the fear they must live under.
*** I am amazed at how much parents must say in front of their children. The things my kids heard at church, school and from friends would frighten anyone. Sad...
*** If you write in a candidate, they don't make the newspaper.
*** I honestly think Obama will pick a great cabinet and do a great job. I do not think he will carry a left agenda but will be a more middle of the road president. will he be perfect, No, absolutely not.
*** I wish politics didn't enter church.
*** The Voter stickers in GA can get you free food. Will remember that next year.
*** I am glad we will not do this again for 4 years. I will probably quietly research the candidates myself. I will ask my friends and family members on both sides to keep their spam and opinions to themselves. Remind me if I forget.

Happy Birthday Waverly!

Waverly Julia Gilcrease was born at 1:08 AM on 11-3-97 in Dover, New Hampshire. She was 19" long and weight 6 lbs. 8 ounces. I can remember the moment as vividly now as it was then. It was the most amazing moment!!!! How can anyone look at a child being born and question our God? She was our first and everything that implies. We did not allow the TV to be on if Waverly was in the room and we played classical music. Most of you that know me probably are laughing hysterically by now. Waverly saw her first TV show, TELETUBBIES, when Kendall was born compliments of a gift from my dad. Funny side note.. we loosened up by the time Grant came along. In fact, Grant's favorite song by age 2 was Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen. Waverly only had organic baby-food. Grant, age 2, ate several week old sausage out of his car seat without me doing much more than shrugging my shoulders in defeat. So.. there is a little perspective on how parents change as the birth order progresses. After the first 13 weeks (colic-ugh), Waverly has been a really easy child. She is a pleaser and wants to make others happy. Waverly did not have much time to be an only child as Kendall was born 20 months later then Grant was born when she was only 3 1/2.

Waverly has grown up into such a compassionate young lady. She is still very innocent at heart but empathetic way beyond her years. She started a non-profit called A Fresh Hope (see www.afreshhope.com). Her non-profit does work Skip and I to death but it is such a blessing to our family and others. We have no doubt that Waverly will end up in a ministry of some sort. We only pray that she is not living in another continent (for very selfish reasons). Waverly has a very close relationship with God and puts all her faith in God. She sees things very Black and White. She does not know boundaries in helping others and wants to save the world. It is refreshing but sad when she realizes that she cannot change something.

Waverly wants to go to the Biltmore House for her birthday. We cannot find a free weekend until after New Years so we will head there for a weekend in January. We are off to Aspens for dinner tonight. This is the first year she is not having a party. It is a little hard as I have thrown pretty big parties in the past. Last year, she rented the FUR BUS for 20 or so of her pals. This year will be quiet but it was her choice.

My heart hurts when I think of the short time left with Waverly living at home. I selfishly wish I could stop time. We are so proud of you Waverly! We love you Waverly! Happy Birthday!

Pumpkin Patch...

Isn't fall fun? Going to the pumpkin patches, picking out a pumpkin, hay rides, etc. I have been to Bert's Pumpkin Patch 7 times if you count each Pre-K field trip, each Kindergarten field trip and once as a family (we may have gone twice as a family). It is a great little place. I could probably give the speech on the hay ride if they needed a sub one day. This year.. we had every intention of going to a nice pumpkin patch, enjoying a fall day, drinking cider, going through a corn maze.

So.. off we go.. each kid had the joy of looking through all the pumpkins to pick the very special pumpkin for Halloween 2008. Skip helps find 'great' pumpkins as usual by placing each prospect gently on the ground. My kids have specific taste in Pumpkins. Kendall and I like the short fat pumpkins. Waverly and Skip usually go for the tall, thinner pumpkins. Grant is a wild card. You never know what he will pick.
Here are a few photos of our kids picking out their pumpkins.....








Our fall has been busy coupled with the fact that Skip and I have mono and not quite the energy needed to do a 'real' pumpkin patch. Our pumpkin patch this year involved a different flair (and I don't mean the Facebook flair). We didn't quite stroll through a corn maze. It was maze of stuff, isles of goods and carts of groceries but not necessarily a corn maze. We didn't ride on a hay ride or drink hot cider. But.. we have 3 pumpkins that have been hollowed out ready for the cutting tomorrow night.
Here is a photo of our pumpkin patch destination (wouldn't Dave Ramsey be thrilled- check out the price of those pumpkins):

Christmas Party

Hey friends.. Skip and I have decided we are not going to have our annual Christmas Party this year. It has turned into a wonderful tradition and are sad about skipping it this year. Skip and I both have mono and have been warned by the MD that we need to take it easy this holiday season (yea right). We are going to AL and FL during Thanksgiving. Waverly's foundation, A Fresh Hope, is having a Christmas event on 12-21-08. Squeezing a Christmas party seemed like too much this year. We hope to see you all at our party in 2009.