Wife, Mom and Friend

Couponing

2010-03-06T11:15:00.004-05:00

Alright, I know it's been a LONG time since I've blogged, but I have had a lot going on (i.e. having a baby). However, I have recently picked up a new hobby that is worth blogging about: couponing!!! It's almost like a game, how much can I save?

Here are some of the deals I got my first week couponing:

- Had a coupon for B1G1 Purex (saved $7.99)
- Had a coupon for B1G1 Kotex Light Days (saved $2.39)
- Right Guard Deoderant was B1G1 at the store plus I had a $1 off coupon so I only paid 0.39!!!
- Mylicon drops were $2.99 because I had a $2 off Publix coupon and a $2 off Manufacturer coupon
- Here's a list of the items I got for FREE: Isopropyl Alcohol, Beechnut Rice Cereal, Publix Cocoa Butter and Publix Hand Sanitizer

So here are the totals: Everything pictured above (minus some cold meds I dropped by Phillips office) totaled $85.46. I only paid $39.34!!!! That's a savings of $46.12 (53.88%)!!!

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T08:42:00.001-05:00

Spirit Week @ Northwood Academy

2009-11-02T08:33:00.004-05:00

Day 1 - Wacky Tacky Day

Day 2 - Country Western Day

Day 3 - 50's Day

Day 4 was Spirit Day, but after all of that dressing up during the week she didn't want to on Spirit Day!!! Go figure!! Friday they didn't have school due to Parent/Teacher Conferences. Just thought I'd share some pics.

Super Cute Bows!!!

2009-05-08T19:25:00.004-04:00

so much fun!!
and so so cute...
if you have a little girl or several little girls
and you love hair bows
like we do...
you need to head on over to this girl's blog and enter her giveaway!!!
she is giving away some cute summer themed bows to three lucky winners!!
please tell her i sent you!!

sara beth bows are super cute, super reasonable and
she uses the money she makes from the bows to help with adoption expenses!!!
go. check. it. out. now!

www.sarabethbows.blogspot.com

Sara Beth Bows

2009-03-29T22:34:00.001-04:00

so much fun!!
and so so cute...
if you have a little girl or several little girls
and you love hair bows
like we do...
you need to head on over to this girl's blog and enter her giveaway!!!
she is giving away some cute pink and green spring themed bows to two lucky winners!!
please tell her i sent you!!

sara beth bows are super cute, super reasonable and
she uses the money she makes from the bows to help with adoption expenses!!!
go. check. it. out. now!

www.sarabethbows.blogspot.com

Riddle Time

2009-03-17T17:44:00.001-04:00

Quote of the CENTURY!!!

2009-02-12T22:46:00.002-05:00

Let me start by saying that Phillip is a very "private" person when it comes to the girls being in the bathroom while he is showering. (we have a clear shower door on our shower) So if I'm in there getting ready I politely redirect them to go and play or watch a show on TV, if I'm not in there then we close the door to the bedroom until dad is FULLY clothed (because Savannah just laughs when she sees Phillip in his underwear and says that he's "silly")

All that being said let me set the scene:

Tonight I loaded the girls in the car to run up to our local Little Cesar's and get a pizza. While we were gone Phillip was supposed to be showering and getting ready for our date night. Well unlike our usual experience the pizza was actually ready and there was no one in line in front of us. We were in and out! When we arrive at home we pile back in the house and I head to the kitchen to set the pizza down. As I'm headed to the kitchen I can see the girls heading into our bedroom. I also hear the shower water still running so I sweetly say, "Girls come out of the bathroom and let daddy finish getting ready." A couple of seconds later they came out and I starting getting dinner on the table. Suddenly Phillip was standing in the kitchen with his bath towel wrapped around his waist, a smirk on his face, telling me that Savannah had caught him off guard in the bathroom. He was washing his face and didn't see her in there. She proceeded to tell him this:

"Daddy your bottom looks like a hot dog!"

OMG!!!! I thought I was going to pee in my pants right there on the kitchen floor!!! Even now thinking and writing about this scene makes me laugh until I have tears in my eyes. HYSTERICAL!!!! We need to have a little baby boy so these things can be explained in a more appropriate way.

Possibly Picasso

2009-01-24T13:35:00.007-05:00

So I'm just going to skip right over the fact that it has been 2 months since my last blog and move right into my new post...

Over Christmas break we met up with one of Savannah's friends from school, Lochlynn, and went to paint pottery.

The girls had a blast while Sandra and I tried to keep the paint off of them and their clothes. It was definitely a more expensive endeavor than I had planned, but we had fun and have something to show for it.

Step Four...

2008-11-27T21:28:00.002-05:00

Bake it and viola' you're done!

Step Three...

2008-11-27T21:22:00.005-05:00

Mix all of the ingredients together... (I would tell you what all the ingredients were, but then I'd have to kill you, sorry)

Then pour it all back into the pans.

Step Two...

2008-11-27T21:19:00.003-05:00

Crumble the Cornbread...

Step One...

2008-11-26T16:38:00.004-05:00

Ok, here is the first step in making the very famous Farrell Dressing. I have managed to make it 9 1/2 years without having to make this for Phillip, and now my time has come. Wish me luck!

Make the cornbread the day before. How does it look SyLesia?

Pan #1

Pan #2

Knock, Knock.... Is Anybody Home?

2008-10-25T21:14:00.015-04:00

YES! We went to the Pumpkin Patch today. Here are some pictures...

With Liberty and Justice for All

2008-09-06T18:59:00.001-04:00

*Disclaimer: This is NOT a political post!

My daughter, Savannah Grace, is well on her way to playing the role of Aunt Bethany in the movie Christmas Vacation. (give or take 75 years) If you don't know what I'm talking about watch the video below and then continue reading.

So, since she has started school she has not only been inundated with new information but she is also learning new pledges, mottoes and bible verses. She is learning the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner, the Pledge to the Bible and this past week they started doing weekly bible memory verses. Now I know that kids have a faster learning curve than us old folks but I have to admit that this seems like a lot to be "throwing" at them within the first 2 weeks of school, as exampled through the following:

We were in the car after school one day running some errands and this is how the conversation went:

Me: Savannah, how was your day today?

SG: Fine.

Me: Did you start learning a new Bible verse?

SG: Yes.

Me: Can you tell mommy what it is?

SG: (silence) hmmmmmmmmmm

Me: (So I started it for her hoping it would jog her memory) In the beginning...

SG: In the beginning (long pause)

Me: God

SG: (without skipping a beat) indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!

How cute is that? What are the funny things your kids say?

Seriously Disturbed

2008-09-05T00:01:00.003-04:00

Ok, I had a life altering revelation the other day. I was driving around running some errands and minding my own business when I noticed a local Sara Lee truck making a delivery. The truck was painted completely white and the only markings on it were the Sara Lee logo, as pictured below, and the Sara Lee tag line, "Nobody does it like Sara Lee", right? WRONG!!!! I was in shock! They must have misprinted the tag line on the side of that truck! My whole life I thought that this particular jingle went, "Nobody does it like Sara Lee!" I have been wrong my whole life. The wording on the truck said, "Nobody DOESN'T like Sara Lee". What kind of grammar is that?!?! Not only is my tag line better, it uses better grammar! So, today I saw another truck with the SAME markings, so naturally the next place I went to investigate was Google and guess what I found? The truck didn't have a misprint. So 2 Sara Lee trucks and a Google search later I have been enlightened, and I wish I hadn't. Please, Sara Lee, reconsider your tagline!

Savannah's First School Project

2008-08-26T21:20:00.001-04:00

This is the process we, as a family, went through to help Savannah Grace with her first school project. As we made the project we had to document it with pictures and put together a book that told and showed what all we did. The shadowbox is suppossed to be her classroom, the 2 tall paper dolls are her teachers, Mrs. Legare and Mrs. Riddle and the 3 short paper dolls are SG, Nathan and Ayoola (2 other students in her class). The point of the project was for SG to be able to use the shadowbox and paper dolls to show us what she does in her class each day. One of the pictures towards the bottom shows the front of her book that we did as a part of the project. Hope you enjoy the process through pictures.

Flowers in the Backyard

2008-08-26T21:16:00.005-04:00

Just thought I's share some blooms in our backyard.

Week One Down

2008-08-23T22:37:00.002-04:00

So Savannah Grace has completed her first full week of school and boy was it full of "firsts":

*First school project completed and taken in for show and tell
*First school picture taken
*First chapel service attended
*First fundraiser underway (want to buy something?)
*First time she had a bug taken off of her frog and had to sit in "time out"
*First time she didn't get to play during recess because she was talking in line (imagine that!)

All in all the week was great and I really couldn't ask for things to have gone better. Each day she came home with a smile on her face and a sticker on her calendar. (Each day you have a "good day" you get a sticker on your calendar) And at the end of the week she got 3 lollipops from the treasure chest! Phillip and I are SO proud of her! We love you Savannah Grace!

Savannah's First Day of School

2008-08-14T21:38:00.012-04:00

God is SO good! I couldn't have asked for a better first day of school for Savannah Grace! She had a great morning and was chomping at the bit to get into her class. There were no tears, from her or me, and we quickly turned and left while she was distracted reading a book. I was so nervous for her and her teachers all morning and by 11:15 I was chomping at the bit to see how her day was. As her class came into the gym for parent pick-up I expected her to dart over to us. However, she stayed right in line with her class. She looked great, there were no tears, she didn't look sad or mad she looked like she had a good time. Her teacher said she had a good day and she's excited about going back tomorrow! Thank you to everyone out there that has been lifting us, and this transition, up in prayer, keep them coming.

*Side note: Savannah's teacher has been teaching 4K for 14 years now! That was a huge comfort for me to know. Her name is Mrs. Legare.

To All You Moms Out There...

2008-07-31T22:46:00.001-04:00

I'm Invisible

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

My Husband... the Photographer

2008-07-31T22:27:00.002-04:00

Phillip has recently become interested in photography. He has a good eye. Here is his latest picture:

So, what do think?

Finally, Last Set of Pics from GA Trip

2008-07-31T21:57:00.011-04:00

Rylee

Savannah Grace

Ella

Two Peas in a Pod

Jack

Ella

Cooper

Cooper and Rylee

Cara and Jack

A Little Bit About Me...

2008-07-27T22:04:00.002-04:00

NAME: Anita Lunette Bishop McCart

I am: a wife, mom and friend

I want: to leave a great legacy

I have: a great husband and 2 beautiful girls

I wish: I was 3 or 4 sizes smaller

I hate: bugs!

I miss: my older sister (love you Christina)

I hear: the voices inside my head!

I wonder: what my girls will be like in 30 years

I am not: alone on this journey

I always: eat more sweets than I should!

I sing: to my girls

I laugh: when I’m uncomfortable

I cry: the “ugly” cry

I make: a mean PB&J

I write: “to do” lists (I love checking things off, I feel like I’m accomplishing something)

I regret: things that I won’t put into writing

I need: true friendship

I am surrounded by: TOYS!

I should: get more sleep than I do

I must: finish my “bucket list” before I die

I understand: that no matter how I parent my children they still have the free will to choose their own path. Draw them to you Lord!

I adore: Steven Phillip McCart, Jr.

I listen: to a wide genre of music

I hope: that 20 years from now I have the same relationship with my girls that I have with my mom

I dream: of being debt-free, adopting a child, being a great wife and mom and making an impact for His kingdom

I celebrate: all that God is doing in our lives, He’s SO faithful!

I love: my Savior, my husband, my girls, my friends and family

I give: props to all those single parents, I definitely couldn’t do it!

I tag: Jess, Mandy, Jennie, Christina and Erin
(all you have to do is copy and paste this into your own blog, erase my answers, put in your own then post it)

Playground

2008-07-18T08:52:00.010-04:00

Rylee's 2 Year Pictures

2008-07-17T13:43:00.010-04:00

Fun in GA Part I

2008-07-17T13:36:00.006-04:00

Rylee is VERY confident in her swim vest

Savannah's learning how to dive

Savannah's favorite "cousent" Ryan

Rachel and her boyfriend Brandon

Blog Lull

2008-07-13T16:31:00.002-04:00

Well I know that I promised LOTS of pictures from Rylee's party, however I'm in Atlanta all week with the girls, so they'll just have to wait till we get back to Charleston. I'm able to blog but all the pictures I want to share with you are on Phillip's computer. (he had to stay behind and work)

So, anywho, as I said earlier the girls and I are on a little vacay to Atlanta to see some family and friends. We don't have any plans per say, just hang out at the pool, eat some good food and see some family and friends. We'll be here till next Sunday so call me if you want to hang out!

If you think about it say a little prayer for Phillip. He's home alone with no car for a whole week! I'll be back later with some Atlanta updates. Hope you're all enjoying your Sunday.

Rylee's Party

2008-07-11T22:39:00.013-04:00

As promised, here is round one of the party pictures...

The decorations...
(and yes, I did hand color those pictures, I felt like a kid again!)

The Food...

The Silly Sister...

The Birthday Girl...
(in her favorite dress with her favorite present)

The Dress

2008-07-09T23:37:00.007-04:00

My very talented and wonderful mother-in-law custom-made a Little Einsteins dress for Rylee to wear at her party. It turned out great and I wanted to brag about it here. I also want to say a special thanks to Leigh for going into Raleigh and getting the fabric on a moments notice, you're the best!

1. Front Shot

2. Close up on the Embroidery

3. Close up of the Fabric

4. Rylee in the Dress, and yes that is a matching hairbow
(I think the dress got caught in her diaper!)

The Cake

2008-07-09T22:06:00.007-04:00

So I thought before I posted pictures of Rylee's party I would do a special post just for the cake. I have never made a cake for any of my children's birthdays. My motto is: if you can find someone that can do it better than you, let them use their talents and make some money from it. So I checked around to see if anyone have a Little Einsteins cake, but no one did. So what was a mom to do? You have to have a cake to match your theme! So with the help of two websites and my awesome, wonderful, fabulous, selfless mother, this is how it turned out...

July 4th

2008-07-08T21:32:00.010-04:00

We started the evening off eating some BBQ at Sticky Fingers. My mom, dad and sister were in town from Atlanta and one of our "kids" from Charlotte came down for all of the festivities also.

We decided instead of fighting the beach traffic that we'd do our own little fireworks show at the house. Plus we wanted to get the girls in bed at a decent time since Rylee's party was the next day. Phillip stopped by and got some regular sparklers, some HUGE sparklers and 5 or 6 exploding fireworks.

2 Year Check Up

2008-07-08T21:20:00.003-04:00

Well we went to a brand new pediatrician today, which can always be a little scary, for Rylee's 2 year check up. The office visit was ok, I wasn't overly impressed but there was nothing that really turned me off either. I really like the doctor we saw though! So on to the good stuff... our precious little Rylee is absolutely perfect! (we already new that, hee hee) She is weighing in at 29 lbs (75th percentile) and she's 36 inches tall (90th percentile) and her head has a circumference of 50 cm, which is HUGE by the way! She had to have two shots, which she didn't particularly care for, but we went and got a donut with sprinkles afterwards and that seemed to make the world better.

July 3rd, Rylee's Actual Birthday

2008-07-07T22:18:00.006-04:00

Well we didn't do much on her actual birthday because I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting ready for out of town company and all the festivities the weekend would hold. However, when SG woke up we ran to Dunkin Donuts to get Rylee a birthday donut. We put two little candles in it and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Later in the day we gave her her present from mom and dad. Enjoy the pics! (remember there's more to come)

Spare Change?

2008-07-07T21:42:00.002-04:00

I'll let you know up front that this post has nothing to do with anything that I told you guys I was going to blog about this week, however, unfortunately, this is part of our real life. We found out today that our Explorer has to have a new transmission, to the tune of $2500! What?!?! It's always something isn't it? So if you have any spare change, send it our way.

Ever feel like you just can't catch a break?

I'm Officially 30!!!

2008-07-06T20:33:00.006-04:00

So today would be considered a milestone in my life. I'm officially 30! Where has the time gone? It has been a whirlwind weekend celebrating Rylee's birthday, the 4th of July and my birthday, we've been partying all weekend! (I have pictures from each of the previously mentioned events so stay tuned I'll have a lot of posts this week) My mom, dad and one of my sisters came in for the weekend. It was great to have them here. Below are some pics of me and my gifts. My mom and dad got me a new set of luggage, my sister paid for my pedicure as my birthday present and Phillip and the girls got me a bike with a little seat attached to the back for Rylee to ride in. Now all 3 of us can go on bike rides during the day!

However, my big birthday present is coming in about a month. My 3 best friends from high school and I all turn 30 this year and none of us attended our 10 year high school reunion. So we are all getting together for a beach weekend in Clearwater, FL for our own little reunion and celebration of our 30th birthdays!! I'm SO excited! I'm sure we're going to have a blast and my body can't wait for the 5 scheduled hours at t he spa!!!! Yippee!!! Check back in mid-August for details and pictures of the trip.

Remember to check back later this week for some posts and pictures of the weekend's events!

Happy Birthday Rylee!

2008-07-04T14:09:00.003-04:00

Well yesterday was my sweet Rylee's birthday. I can't believe she's already two! I didn't want to let her birthday pass without giving her a "shout out", however her party isn't until tomorrow and I wanted to wait til I had pictures to do her post. So, here is a post between her actual birthday and her party to tide you over until early next week when I do her official birthday post. Check back for some great photos and a recap of her party.

Hope you all enjoy your 4th of July and take some time to reflect on your faith, freedom and those fighting for it right now. We live in the land of the free, because of the brave!

Midnight Conversations

2008-06-29T20:47:00.004-04:00

For all of you who don't read Phillip's blog, which is probably no one, I thought I'd share this crazy video he made of a conversation we had the other night. As you can see on the video I told him not to post it but he did anyway. I warmed up to the video and decided to post it too. Hope you enjoy!

Rylee's Friend...Lily

2008-06-24T20:42:00.008-04:00

If you haven't heard our whole story about how we ended up back in Charleston, it's a very unique one. The "shoes" Phillip is filling as Youth Pastor for Northwood Assembly are ones formerly filled by a dear friend, Filipe Santos. Phillip and I went to college with Filipe and his wife, Mandy. Over the years we have kept up with them through blogs, phone calls and occasional visits. Earlier this year Filipe answered God's calling to take his family, they have 2 precious little girls also, and help plant a church in California. As soon as he let the church know, he began helping them look for the person who would take his position. How awesome and rare is it that you get to help hire a buddy of yours to take your job?

Anywho, the Santos family doesn't start their Cali adventure until August so we have a few precious weeks to soak them up, and that's exactly what we did as you can see in the pictures. We had them over for dinner last week and the girls played in the sprinkler in the backyard. Their oldest daughter, Lily, is 2 months older than Rylee so they have become buds, they're so cute. Enjoy the second installment of "Fun in the Backyard."

The Interview

2008-06-18T16:14:00.003-04:00

Praise the Lord she did a great job! (for the most part) There you have it in a nutshell. Now for the longer version:

As you can see in the below pictures she decided to wear her watermelon dress that Granny gave her. We got all ready and off we went. We picked up Phillip at the office and headed over to the Lower School office. Mrs. Erin Louden, the Assistant Principal, came out and said she was going to take SG to her office for a readiness test and then she would come and get us to "talk". As Savannah pranced away my eyes welled up with tears as I thought about her school career beginning. A few minutes later Mrs. Louden came and got us. As we entered her office SG was sitting in a little chair quietly looking at a book. Mrs. Louden began to explain the test she did with SG and said that she did very well. She wasn't able to recognize all of her letters and numbers, but she said that is very typical at this age. She did however get all her shapes and colors right and she was able to recognize several pictures of "every day" items. As we continued to talk about all the normal school stuff Savannah had a hard time sitting there and we had to call her down a couple of times but all in all I was very pleased. You know how it is, your kids are always better for someone else than they are for you! (why is that?)

Thanks to everyone who said a little prayer on her behalf today and many thanks to our awesome God for His continued faithfulness.

Pictures

2008-06-17T23:13:00.006-04:00

Here are some pictures of the girls from last night. They were out in the backyard with the bubble machine going. Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day...Now Get To Work!

2008-06-15T22:07:00.008-04:00

It's hard to believe that it was only four short years ago that Phillip got the joy and privilege of celebrating his very first Father's Day. Savannah Grace was only 4 months old and we had just moved to Atlanta a few short days before Father's Day. I was a mess. I was a new mom that had just moved her family to a new town, we were living with my parents at the time until we could find a place of our own and while I appreciated it VERY much you can imagine it came with it's own difficulties. What was God up to? I didn't have a clue!

Now four short years later here we sit with an additional little girl, in a new city, in a new house, surrounded by new people! What is God up to? I don't have a clue! But I do know that He is faithful even when I don't understand all of lives circumstances. Furthermore, I have a husband who loves me and the Lord and is in tune with his Father and is desperately seeking after Him so he can make the exact right move at the exact right time. Now that is comforting! So not only did we celebrate Phillip's fourth Father's Day today, but it was also his first day as Student Pastor at Northwood Assembly.

So here we go... starting another chapter in this thing called life, another "adventure", as my wise mother would say. And there is no one in the world I'd rather share it with than this man. He's a great leader, a great husband, a great dad and most importantly a great Christ-follower. Thanks for all you do for our family, the three ladies in your life will be forever grateful!

Grateful

2008-06-14T19:19:00.008-04:00

It seems that with everything that has been going on in our lives lately my patience is running a little thin, with the girls and Phillip. On any given day, recently, I find myself letting the T.V. be my babysitter so I can either get some boxes unpacked or have a few minutes to myself. At the same time all of this has been going on I have "coincidentally" run across blogs, news stories or people I know that have either tragically lost a child or who can't have children at all. Then it hits me... I am SO blessed and should be so grateful for the beautiful, healthy little girls God has given me as well as a loving, caring husband! How do we get to the place in life that we get so involved in the worldly things that we totally loose focus on the blessings God has given us?

Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on you and not take one second for granted that you have given me to love these precious girls and be a godly wife to Phillip. I pray that you would pour out your blessings on the people in those stories, blogs and the ones I know personally that are walking through a deep valley of loss I could never even imagine. You are the ultimate Healer, be the Healer these people need right now. Thank you for seeing fit to bless me beyond my wildest imagination. I love you!

Prayer Request, Pictures and a Pile of Empty Boxes!

2008-06-12T19:39:00.008-04:00

1. Prayer Request:
The school Savannah Grace will be attending in the fall, Northwood Academy, called yesterday to schedule her "interview" and "testing". I asked about the testing part since she is only 4 years old and they said they were just going to ask her some questions. I think we'll start the interview off with all of us, except Rylee, and then there will be a portion of the interview that she does alone with "the people." I put that in quotes because I don't really know who exactly is going to be there. Anywho, I'm a little nervous to say the least. I thought we'd have all summer to "transition" before being expected to behave like a normal 4 year old in front of other people! Please pray that all goes well and that SG acts like the sweet, fun-loving little girl that I know she is.

2. Pictures: (taken from our backyard)

3. Pile of Empty Boxes:
Yes, that's right we, or should I say Phillip, mostly, have done a lot of unpacking in our short few days in the new house. We're almost ready for company. There are a few boxes in the kitchen left to be unpacked, although I don't really know where they will go since my kitchen here in smaller than in Charlotte, a few boxes in our bathroom and some boxes in the girls' room. Then we start the task of hanging pictures, curtains and other misc. decorations. But for now I give you... our humble abode.

P.S. See that window over the garage? That's right, it's for you. It's the guest room/office and it's waiting for you. So go ahead and plan your trip, Charleston won't disappoint. (and neither will we)

Happy Anniversary Mr. McCart

2008-06-05T22:59:00.005-04:00

Today, nine years ago, I married my very best friend. It's hard to believe it's already been nine years, it went by so fast! Here are just a few stats from the last nine years:

~ 10 moves
~ 4 states
~ 5 churches
~ 2 kids
~ to many extra pounds to count

And I wouldn't trade any of it! Those statistics have shaped us into the people, the couple, the family, the parents and the friends we are today. Remember, we vowed, "for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health." I think we have been through a little bit of each of those and I can truly say, "God has been SO faithful!" I can't wait to see what the next nine years holds for us. (hopefully less moving around) I didn't think it was possible, but I can honestly say that I love you more today than I did the day we got married!

Moving on... we're in Arizona!! Wednesday evening we got to see some good friends from college and have dinner with them. It was awesome! Here we are:

Angela, Phillip, Me, Andrea, Adeline and Jeff

Today, we went to the Grand Canyon for our anniversary. It was breath-taking! It brought tears to my eyes thinking about God and all of His glory and majesty as I looked across this vast expanse. He is an amazing God!

I'm looking forward to the next few days as we continue to explore AZ. Expect more blogs and pics!!

A Post for My Friend Jen

2008-05-04T08:30:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I got a comment on my blog from a really good friend of mine, Jen. As I was opening the comment I waited in suspense to see what wonderful thing she had to say and this is what I got, "Dude, post already!" Well, huh! Not what I expected, but rather a kick in the butt to get back into blogging. Thanks Jen, you really are a good friend.

So much has happened since I last blogged I don't even know where to start. We have done a lot of traveling (we hit the road again on May 7 as our travels lead us to Charleston, SC), had lots of family time, hung out with friends and looked for a new job! I can't say much on the job front right now mainly because there's not much to say. Phillip has been in contact with churches all across the country, literally, from coast to coast. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

My parents flew to the great state of "Hannah" Montana (as SG affectionately calls it) on Friday to visit my sister and brother-in-law. I'm so jealous! It has been over a year and a half since I have seen my older sister!! I really miss her. Hope you guys have a great visit!!

In other news, Phillip turns 30 tomorrow and he is NOT handling it very well at all. As a career youth minister, I think 30 makes him feel old and out of touch with the youth culture. He'll be fine but we may all have to listen to his moaning and groaning for a little while until he adjusts!

That's all for now, but I promise to post more often this month.

Hello... is anybody home?

2008-04-08T09:41:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am here! Right after my last post we went on an 8 day "vacation" of sorts. (I didn't get to sleep in one day! I'm not bitter!) Monday, March 24 we left for Myrtle Beach where Phillip spoke for a Spring Break Youth Trip for a buddy of his. Then we left Friday morning and drove straight through to Atlanta. We dropped the girls off with my mom and aunt and headed to Buckhead for a mini marriage conference. It was great. Then we headed up to my aunt's house Sunday afternoon to have a late Easter celebration. Monday morning we closed on our house and Tuesday we headed back to Charlotte. Whew! I'm tired just writing it all again! Needless to say that our internet coverage through out his whole trip was very sketchy. So when I did get a chance to get on the computer I quickly checked my e-mail and the bank and got off before I lost the sacred signal. So that is why I haven't kept you guys "up to date." I also don't have much more to report about our time away cause it was such a whirlwind nor do I even have 1 picture to share with you guys because I'm such a bad mom! So we're back in business. I have two posts, with pictures, in the works so stay tuned.

First Ponytail

2008-03-18T20:11:00.004-04:00

My little girl is getting SO BIG!!! I just pulled out a bunch of Savannah's old clothes today to wash up and get ready for Rylee as the weather gets warmer and I couldn't believe she was ready to wear these HUGE clothes. In fact, some of the clothes I pulled out were actually given to Savannah Grace when Rylee was born!! And now she is ready to wear them!! Not only is she wearing bigger clothes but she has SO MUCH more hair than SG did at this age. So the other day I pulled her hair back for her first ponytail. Isn't she adorable?!?!? Bring it on Spring/Summer!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T23:22:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty certain that anyone who reads my blog also reads my husband's blog so you've probably already seen this adorable picture, however I thought I'd post it anyway. As most of you know Phillip has a deep and rich heritage in Ireland. His parents raised him to know and love that heritage and so the tradition continues with our girls. Yes, we all wore green today. Yes, our house was decorated for this holiday, just like you would decorate for Christmas. Yes, I made Shepard's Pie for dinner and green-iced shamrock cookies for dessert. St. Patrick was a great man who made a profound impact on the country of Ireland and their people. It was a good day with beautiful weather to accompany it. Hope you all enjoyed the luck of the Irish today!

Cliff Barrows

2008-03-16T15:15:00.003-04:00

Wow, wow, wow!! What an awesome Sunday! Now I realize that most people my age and younger have no idea who Cliff Barrows is, but having the rich Southern Baptist heritage that I do, this name rings a huge bell. Ever heard of Billy Graham? Well here's a little info. about Mr. Barrows:

"The Christian faith is a singing faith, and a good way to express it and share it with others is in community singing."

These are the words of Cliff Barrows, Music and Program Director for the Billy Graham Team, who has led congregational singing and crusade choirs around the world. Music has played a significant role in the programming of the Billy Graham crusades, for which he has been responsible for since their beginning in Los Angeles in 1949. Together, he and Mr. Graham have shared the Gospel around the globe.

Mr. Barrows has also hosted the weekly "Hour of Decision" radio program since its inception in 1950.

For significant contributions to Gospel music, Mr. Barrows was inducted into the Nashville Gospel Music Hall of Fame in April 1988, and into the Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame (NRB) in February 1996.

Mr. Barrows was born and reared in Ceres, California. He and his wife, Ann, make their home in Marvin, North Carolina.

We were so blessed to have him in our pulpit today. What an awesome pillar of the faith. He even lead the congregation in singing "Just As I Am" while the communion elements were handed out. If your interested in watching the service it will be posted here later in the week. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know your thoughts.

Big Announcement!

2008-03-14T23:53:00.002-04:00

No, I'm not preggo! It's RECITAL time! Savannah Grace's dance studio just announced that they will be having their year-end recital on Saturday, May 31 at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is more than welcome to come, she will definitely put on a show. If you're coming from out of town give us a heads up and we can make some sleeping arrangements for you.

*Call or e-mail me for the location. I don't want to post all of the information just in case some weirdo comes across my blog.

Loser, Vacation and Spring

2008-03-13T14:20:00.002-04:00

Well, I have accepted the fact that I'm a "blog loser." Either I don't really feel that I have anything worthwhile to say or I don't have anything that I CAN say (to all of the millions of people who read my blog, yeah right). I do have a cute post in mind and it even has pictures to go with it but alas I have to download the pictures from the camera and as you all know I only have a computer in the evenings when Phillip comes home from work. And honestly, I don't want to be on the computer during our few precious hours of quiet, alone time after the kids go to bed.

In other news we are on our week-and-a-half countdown to our week in Myrtle Beach. That's right, the Monday after Easter we head to SC for the week. Now for Phillip it's not all fun and games, he is speaking all week for a youth group, of a friend of ours, on their Spring Break trip. However for the girls and I it's VACATION!! Yippee!! After we wrap that up on Friday morning we're off to Atlanta to close on our house and spend some time with family and friends!! We are definitely counting down the days.

So what is it that you're looking forward to?

BTW, the weather has been awesome here in Charlotte this week! We have played outside everyday! Yeah Spring!

Girls' Surgeries and other Updates

2008-03-06T07:30:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know I'm a little late with the update but we had a whirlwind kind of week last week. A week ago today we took both of the girls to the South Park surgery center to have work done on their ears. Savannah Grace had one tube removed and a gel patch placed over the hole in her eardrum (the other one had already come out by itself) and Rylee had tubes put in both ears. Everything went very smoothly. We go back in 2 weeks for our post-op appointment, but right now everything seems to be fine. Phillip put a funny story on his blog about the day. If you want to read it go here.

Thank you to everyone who lifted us and the girls up in your prayers and a HUGE thank you to my mother who drove over from Atlanta to be here and help out! There is nothing like having your mom around for these kinds of things. She was a great support emotionally, physically and spiritually. I love you mom!

House update: We are closing on our house in GA on Monday 3/31 at 9 a.m.!!! Praise the Lord! (and we're walking away with some money, however small it might be!) Thanks again to everyone who has been praying that our house would sell.

Stand By Your Man

2008-02-27T07:41:00.002-05:00

The past few days have been some of the hardest, most confusing days we have had since we moved to Charlotte. Things are not going like we had planned, but it is very obvious that God had a different plan. On top of these past few difficult days Phillip is recovering from the flu, I have a sinus infection and the girls both have ear surgery tomorrow. Man, the Lord must know that we can handle a lot more than I think we can!

Phillip, I want you to know how much I love you and how proud I am of you and how you handled this difficult situation. You truly are a different man than you were 4 years ago. I know that the days ahead may be hard and awkward but I believe that God was honored through you, your reaction and your decision. God has called you to do great things for His kingdom and as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Him and not on our circumstances He will continue to be faithful to us, like He always has been. You are a great husband, a great father, a great friend and a great follower of Christ and none of that has changed because of this situation. I have grown to love you more and more as I see God working and moving in your life. I love that you were willing to step out on faith to move your family to Charlotte to be a part of something big that God is doing here. Sadly enough I think most people would have stayed were they were comfortable and had family surrounding them.

So without rambling on and on I want you to know that I stand by you, now and forever. You are my man, the man God appointed as my husband and father of my children and there is nothing you could do to change my love for you and my support of you. Continue to honor God right where He has you. I love you Phillip McCart!!!

Home Alone

2008-02-20T11:17:00.002-05:00

Our time alone has begun. The staff at Elevation Church (that's right, the whole staff) is heading to the C3 Conference at Fellowship Church in Dallas, TX today. They will return sometime Friday evening. So, the girls and I are home alone for a few days. It's not so bad when the hubby is gone for only a few days, it just makes for really long days! We've tried to schedule a few "extra" things to fill up our time while dad is gone. Tonight I have small group and Miss Kelly is coming over to watch the girls. Tomorrow we're doing lunch with some friends and their kids and in the evening all of the staff wives left behind are going to enjoy a kid free meal at Macaroni Grill. Yippee! And to top it off Miss Kelly is going to spend the night with us so she'll be here Friday morning to play.

To Pastor, the Directional Team and the rest of Elevation's staff: I hope that God uses this time to recharge you, to inspire you and to show ways we can grow and stretch as a church so that we can reach as many people as possible who need to be filled with life in Christ.

My Birthday Princess!!!

2008-02-17T20:23:00.006-05:00

Baby Savannah Grace!

Your 1st Birthday!

Your 2nd Birthday!

Your 3rd Birthday!

Your 4th Birthday!

My sweet Savannah Grace, I can hardly believe that you are turning 4 tomorrow! Where has the time gone? As I have looked through your old pictures tonight I was reminded of all the good times we have had together as a family and all the things God has blessed us with in you. You are so smart, so sweet, so loving and I'm so excited to see how God is going to use your life. Even at your young age your independence, stubbornness and fiery spirit have already challenged me as a person and as a mom. As you continue to develop into an amazing young lady I pray that you grow in grace, in beauty and in the knowledge of the Lord. He has a perfect plan for your life and I pray that even now He will start to tug at your heartstrings and begin to reveal to you His plan. God has entrusted your dad and I with a great gift in you and I pray that we don’t mess up but that we are able to call out the potential and abilities we see that God has blessed you with. You are His little Princess! I love you more than words can describe. You truly are my miracle.

My Funny Valentines

2008-02-15T19:21:00.005-05:00

So I must say that this year has probably been my favorite Valentine's Day so far. On Wednesday we had the Masseys over to fill out Valentine cards, ice Valentine cookies and have some lunch. We had a blast! (and the cookies were pretty good too!) On Thursday we did all of our last minute running around to have things ready for SG's party on Saturday, SG had dance class, I had to take Rylee back to the doctor... another ear infection, but finally after all of the craziness of the day Phillip and I made it out the door for our date night! We had the best time. We went to dinner at the Village Tavern. It was amazing! We had great food and tea, great conversation mixed with a lot of laughing and exchanged some sweet and funny cards. After that we went and walked around South Park Mall. Walking around a mall with no kids, when was the last time that happened?!?!? All in all it was a busy but great day!

Selfish

2008-02-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

Due to the sinful nature we were born in to it is natural for us, as humans, to be a selfish people. Not to mention that the world bombards us with the anthem, "Look out for number 1." (number 1 being ourselves) Hopefully as we grow up we learn to be considerate of others and we quickly learn that we're not the only people on the planet. Then when we give our lives to Christ we realize we are here to serve others in His name. Remember that old acrostic from Sunday School: J.O.Y.? Jesus, Others, You. There's the "You" at the END of the list. Then when we joyfully enter motherhood we quickly learn to shove that selfish old sin nature down even further. Sometimes we can keep it from rearing it's ugly head for an hour, or a day or, if you're really good, maybe even a week. As a wife and mom everything about you is at the end of the list. You are the last one to get a shower, if you're lucky to get one at all, your room is the last room in the house to ever get cleaned, you spend your time trying to make your kids and husband look presentable only to run out of the house with two different shoes and earrings on. The list goes on and on.

My point of all of this is to say that today "selfish" took over my body. My day started at 6:30 a.m. Now for some of you this is normal, however normal to us is 7:15 for SG and 8 for Rylee, selfish kicked in, I was not ready to be up! I made the girls sit in our bed and watch Dora so I could stay in bed, curled up under the covers for a few more minutes. That didn't last long. After we were up and going things went pretty smoothly and we were actually on time for church. When we got there I hauled the girls and all their stuff in only to find out that unbeknownst to me Phillip had to go over to Butler for the morning. I came in looking for a savior or a helper and my helpmate was gone. (Not to mention the fact that I didn't even get to see him in his cute orange pants and brown dress shirt that I had helped him pick out the night before) Selfish sprung up in my heart again. Then before I could even sit down to enjoy our 2 year anniversary celebration someone came to tell me that SG had escaped from her class, AGAIN! Selfish again, "Why do I have to deal with this by myself? Where is Phillip when I need him?" Made it through the service, went and got the girls then the wait began for our lunch. During this time SG managed to eat a small bag of sweet tarts, a twizzler and a piece of cake. After that, with no lunch in sight, I packed up the girls, took them to the car (thanks for your help Kelly, we love you) and strapped them in their seats so they could watch their movies in a contained environment while we finished out our wait. Finally Jason's Deli arrives. I left the girls in the car to run inside and get ours only to find out that they hadn't labeled any of them!! After 10 minutes of trying to help Stephanie sort through the lunches, Sean came to tell me that the "First Time Visitors" tent had blown over on our car and the girls were freaking out. WHY ME LORD?!?!? So I quickly grabbed our food and headed to the car. Tired, hungry, cranky girls... gas light comes on. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Selfish..."I just want to go home, get in my pjs and crawl in the bed." Oops, I failed to mention that I now have the sickness that the girls had last weekend and my throat is killing me with every swallow. So, we finally made it home, scarfed down lunch and headed off to bed. Thankfully the girls went down easily. As I laid in the bed I just kept thinking how unfair it was that I didn't get to go to the baptism service and support my friends whose children were being baptized and my husband who was baptizing for the first time at Elevation. Selfish again. Then my thoughts shifted to, "Where is someone to take care of me when I'm feeling bad? I'm always the one who takes care of everyone in the family when their sick, but then when I am sick no one is there to take care of me and I still have to take care of them and their needs." Selfish was all over me today!

So there is no point in all of this except for me to get it off my chest and say that I need Jesus more now than ever! Sorry to everyone who encountered me in all of my selfishness today. Thank God His mercies are new every morning! I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Contract

2008-02-08T15:35:00.000-05:00

That's right, we have a contract on our house in Georgia! (pending the appraisal and inspection) Please continue to pray over the next 18 days that everything will go smoothly and the appraisal and inspection will come back ok. If everything goes well we have a closing date of March 31. Thanks for all your prayers and support!

M.I.A.

2008-02-07T07:36:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. I was doing so good during the month of January blogging and then I went M.I.A. I am still here there just hasn't been anything really "blog worthy" lately coupled with the fact that Phillip has been so busy I rarely get to sit in front of the computer. (seeing as how we only have one computer, his work one) So here are some highlights (and lowlights, does that make sense?) of our last couple of weeks:

*Phillip took a core group of children's volunteers from the church to the Orange Tour here in Charlotte over the weekend. They had a great time and learned a lot.
*While he was at the conference all weekend I had two sick kids (yes, sick again). *Saturday I spent 3 hours at Urgent Care with Rylee who had a bad case of croup. She got a shot of steroids and a breathing treatment. That was tons of fun! Thank you Jamil for coming and getting SG so I didn't have to sit in Urgent Care that long with 2 kids!
*My friend Dawn and I hung out at Starbucks just talking until they closed one night.
*We had our Staff Wives Lunch yesterday at City Tavern (I believe) it was good.
*Phillip and I got to go to small group together last night! (Thank you Lindsey)
*LOST started!!!

Things I'm looking forward to:

*We are having a girls night out this Friday. We're eating dinner at Cantinas and going to see the movie, "27 Dresses". Yeah, I can't wait.
*This coming Sunday is our church's 2 year anniversary and it is going to be awesome!! It's a day loaded with things to do, but they're good things like a baptism service, a live recording for our upcoming worship album not to mention the wonderful service I know we'll have that morning!
*Monday night we're back to Momtourage! It has been way to long since we've met. Hopefully I can get all my reading done before then.
*Phillip and I already have our date night set up for Valentine's Day, babysitter and all.
*Family is coming into town next weekend as we celebrate Savannah Grace's 4th birthday! I can't believe she is turning 4. (Monday the 18th is her actual birthday)

So there you have it, a little sneak peek into our lives. I'll try to get some pics of the girls to post soon. Peace.

Quote of the day...

2008-01-24T19:10:00.000-05:00

Savannah Grace has been on a Peter Pan kick lately. We own the first one and we rented the second one from the "movie store" (Hollywood Video) recently. She was watching the original one in the car today, thanks to my mom and dad, on our way to a play date and all of a sudden I hear her yell from the back seat, "Pissty dust, pissty dust!!" Thankfully I very quickly translated that into pixy dust, as in Tinker Bell, because for a short moment I was ready to reprimand her and tell her we don't use words like that and then ask her where she heard that word because we don't say that in our house. Ahh, the words of a 3 year old.

Tub Terds

2008-01-24T08:07:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: This is a little on the gross side!

You read the title right, the unthinkable happened the other night while bathing my children. I had both of the girls in the tub at the same time along with a bowl full of toys. They were playing and having a grand ole time as I started some laundry. After they had played for awhile I came in to bathe them. We washed faces, we washed hair, we conditioned hair and I started bathing SG. All of a sudden she said, "Mom it stinks in here!" I replied by asking her, "Did you toot in the tub?" She promptly replied, "NO!" So I told her that Rylee probably tooted and continued to bathe her. I finished with SG and began to lather up Rylee's washcloth. I said, "Rylee stand up it's time to wash!" As she stood up all I could see left behind was a brown smear on the tub. GROSS! So I quickly tried to scrub her down before anymore came out, but I was to late. What I had failed to noticed was that a "floater" had already happened and was being camouflaged by all of the toys. I quickly screamed for Phillip's help. I started gathering all of the toys and trying to get them out of the tub. I told SG to scoot all the way to the other end of the tub. I was in panic mode. All the while Rylee was just looking around like, "What's going on mom? Why are you flipping out?" After I had retrieved all of the toys I used one of the pitchers that I usually use to rinse the girls hair to try and scoop out the "floater." Every time I went to scoop it it just floated closer to the girls. I couldn't get it to go in. Phillip kept saying, "Anita why are you flipping out? You change poopy diapers every day." And I promptly replied, "I know, but it's all contained in a diaper not floating around an open tub. Plus floating around in all that water is making it soopy poopy!!" Finally I scooped up the floater and flush it down the toilet. I quickly rinsed the girls off and got them out of the tub. As the last few drips of water trickled down the drain Phillip lovingly handed me some baby wipes to clean up the brown smears in the tub. Glad we're in this together for the long haul.

Progress Made

2008-01-20T22:22:00.000-05:00

So for all of you guys out there dying to know how Savannah Grace did at church today... progress was made. She did not run out of her class. We paired her up with an adult volunteer name Annie who stayed with her from start to finish. She had SG help her sharpen pencils and hand out security tags, and Savannah Grace showed Annie everything she does in Quest. It seemed to work out pretty well. I think there was only one moment of crying and wanting mommy so Annie and SG sent mommy a text message. Huge thanks to Annie for giving my daughter some one on one attention. I think we'll continue to do this for the next several weeks until SG is totally adjusted. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us and for her, keep it up!

In other news, church was awesome today!! I'm so glad that we didn't cancel. In fact I heard that we had some visiting families today because their churches were canceled. We had a visiting pastor from the area today, Pastor Jonathan Martin from Renovatus Church, who filled in for Pastor Steven while he was away in Charleston refueling. Let me just say his message was awesome and God used it in a powerful way to speak to my heart. (you can listen to his message here later this week) He spoke about how we all need a tangible touch from God in our lives. Since God is not on this earth as a tangible person through Jesus Christ anymore the way we receive that tangible touch is through other believers. Believers that are intimately acquainted, who know each other and are known by each other. This is what I need. We have been here in Charlotte for about 7 weeks now and I have met a ton of great people. I have been to more play dates in the last 7 weeks than I had been on the whole 3 years we lived in Atlanta, but I'm ready to move deeper. I need some accountability and mentoring in my life. I need people who will drag be back to Jesus when I stray, people who will love and encourage me, flaws and all. I also want to be that person for someone else. We all need that tangible touch from God through other believers in the body. I'm ready to go deeper, anyone coming with me?

Snow #2

2008-01-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

Wow, two snows in one week! That's got to be a record hear in the south, right? Just thought I'd throw up a few pics for your viewing pleasure. (yes, these are different pictures than the ones on Phillip's blog)

Paranoid

2008-01-18T20:12:00.000-05:00

Well I don't really know where to start this post other than saying that my oldest child had another brilliant display today as we were having a playdate at the Lineberger's house. My fleshly paranoia is starting to make me feel like no one is going to want to have us over/be our friends because of my daughter's behavior. We are in an area where there are a ton of young families with a multitude of stay-at-home moms and I feel like I can't go anywhere or do anything with my children without having a meltdown moment (or 2 or 3...). I'm pretty sure that everyone with kids goes through a time period when they feel like this, she is only three ya know. (I have to remind myself of that often) Plus the whole transition with our move has added to the problem, but seriously how long can I use the excuse of "we just moved here and she is going through a lot of transition"? I don't know. And the thing is, it's not like we don't discipline her. We have used every disciplinary action imaginable, for a 3 year old. We spank, we use time-out, we've taken away toys and privileges (although, selfishly, this is the one I use the least because when we take away her privileges it usually means we all suffer) So, I'm at my wits end. I don't know what else to do or try with her. Any suggestions?

For the record I want everyone to know that I love my eldest daughter very much. I see so much of Phillip and I in her, obviously. I also know that these qualities in her that are giving us such a hard time now, if channeled in the right direction, can be great qualities that God can use for His glory when she gets older. If you have been around us, read our blogs or seen us at church I'm sure that it has seemed less like love and more like "Boy are you gonna get it when we get home." lately. However I don't want anyone to ever doubt that we know what a special gift from God we have been given. This passage says it all. I want to bend her will without breaking her spirit.

Father, give me whatever it is that I need to raise these girls into the Godly women you have called them to be before the foundations of time.

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

2008-01-10T19:39:00.000-05:00

Well Phillip's mom loves shoes and she loves to buy cute shoes for girls, and I'm ok with that! For Christmas she bought them matching pink boots. Too cute!! I especially love the profile of Rylee in her boots with her round tummy sticking out, she kinda looks like Phillip's dad.

BTW, Hugh, I totally think you guys should go to Disney World this year!! (and bring some friends along) We could have an Elevation family excursion to good old Orlando. The more the merrier!! My girls have never been, I'm already packing my bags. (for the entire story please visit Jess' blog)

Side note - Jess just got my first link love!!! 2008 has been full of firsts on my blog!!! My first picture and now my first link, what is going on?!?!? Before you know it I'll have sitemeter on my blog and be checking my stats like I have nothing better to do. Yippee!!!

Ok, enough of the random ramblings... I'm out.

Dress Up

2008-01-08T19:42:00.001-05:00

Aren't they cute!!! Rylee, up until now, has been disinterested in playing dress up. In fact Savannah Grace was much older than Rylee when she first wanted dress up clothes. I think we bought her her first trunk full of dress up clothes for Christmas 2006, right before she turned three. However, with a big sister in the house, Rylee wants to do whatever she does. (unfortunately Savannah Grace doesn't understand that and Rylee often gets hurt trying to follow in her sister's footsteps, anyways, I digress) So on Monday while Savannah was sleeping Rylee walked over to me and handed me the Cinderella dress. At first I thought, "This is going to swallow you up!" but I went ahead and put it on her because I thought it'd be cute, and boy was it! I can't believe it actually fit her and didn't drag on the ground. It's a size 2/3! (my kids have always been big for their age) She had a ball in it and as soon as Savannah Grace woke up she put on her Barbie Island Princess dress and joined in the fun. It was a good afternoon.

FYI - Savannah Grace took off Rylee's pants today and put her into a pair of tights, all by herself. She ran around most of the afternoon in a t-shirt and tights. After we got done with dinner she crawled up into my lap and pointed at the tights and said, "Off." So I helped her peel them off thinking, "I can't believe how long you left these awful things on. I HATE wearing tights/hose." I suppose little girls view tights through a bit of a different lens. Anywho, she then proceeded to ask me to take off her diaper. I didn't think much of it because: 1. babies like to be naked and 2. it was quite full and saggy. So I proceeded to take it off and let her run around for a minute while I gathered a fresh diaper and wipes. She walked straight into the kitchen and peed on the floor. My first reaction was a gasp, like I needed another mess to clean up, my gasp made her cry. I don't know if it made her feel like she had done something bad or if she was upset because it wasn't in the toilet, all I know is that I'm setting up the "little" potty for her to start using. Can she really be ready to potty train at 18 months? Savannah Grace was almost three before she was trained. This will be a great thing if it actually pans out over the next several months. I'll keep you guys updated. (like you really care about my child's toilet training)

My Husband, the Patient One

2008-01-04T06:42:00.000-05:00

Well as you can see this was an extra early morning for me. I heard Rylee crying about 5:55 a.m., and yes that time does come twice a day for those of you whithout kids. So I took a glass of milk upstairs to her but that didn't seem to calm her. In these situations I get frustrated easily because I have been woken up out of a dead sleep, I want her to stop crying before she wakes everyone in the house up and just the fact that I can't figure out what's wrong and she can't tell me. Anyways, the crying continued and then Phillip entered. Now for as impatient as he can be driving behind the wheel of a car he is ever so patient with his screaming child that has just woken him up in the middle of the night. I don't know what he does but 95% of the time he can rock her, talk to her, sprinkle magic sleep dust on her and she calmly lays right back down and goes to sleep. I don't know what it is because I do the same things like rock, sing, administer medicine but when I lay her back down the screaming starts all over again. Well this is one of the mornings that his "magic" didn't work but I thought I would give him a shout out anyways to let him know how much I appreciate the fact that he even wakes up to help me. Thanks babe, you're a great dad and husband. I love you!

Girls Afternoon Out

2008-01-01T20:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know what you're thinking, "Two posts in one day!! Wow!" Don't get to used to it, I'm sure it's a fleeting thing. So this afternoon Savannah Grace and I and our friends Dawn and Jordan Massey went to see a chick flick, Enchanted. It was so cute and the girls loved going to the theatre and eating the popcorn. Thanks Dawn for being so spontaneous and joining us in our last minute plans. It was nice to spend some quality time with SG and go and do something we couldn't have done if Rylee was with us. Big props go out to Phillip for staying with Rylee so the "big" girls could go out. Hopefully this will be something we can do on an ongoing basis so each of my girls will have these special times with mommies full attention. How did you spend your first day of the new year?

New Addition in 2008

2008-01-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!!! Well I'd like to think that in the year 2008 I will be a better blogger, but I'm not going to make any promises. However I do have a new addition to my blog, pictures!!! I know, I'm way behind the times but we just got our digital camera replaced for Christmas so now I can keep you guys updated with pictures too! This will be especially important for all of the family and friends we left behind in Atlanta. I will try my best to keep you guys updated with pictures of our new life in Charlotte. I hope that you guys have a Happy New Year!

We're Here!!!

2007-12-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

Praise the Lord, we made it!! For those of you who don't keep up with Phillip's blog, which you should cause he will keep you way more informed than I ever could, Savannah Grace was diagnosed with bronchitis and Rylee had a major ear infection in her left ear the day before we left Atlanta to head to Charlotte. So I traveled with 2 sick kids by myself last Thursday just to arrive in Charlotte and take care of my third sick "kid" (Phillip). Luckily his parents were here to help with the kids, the sickness and the house. We got the whole kitchen unpacked and Phillip and his dad hung blinds and flipped the girls rooms. Thank God for grandparents!!! Our first Sunday was great. We were very warmly welcomed by so many people. Tomorrow we will be going to our first play date. Strangely enough we'll be going to the park seeing as how we are having some unseasonably warm weather. It was 82 degrees today!!! Are you joking?!?! It is December 10th isn't it? Thank you to everyone who has been keeping us in your prayers, we need it and keep it up. The girls are obviously still adjusting and SG is definitely having some behavior problems. Pray for their adjustment and extra patience for me and Phillip. God is doing great things here in Charlotte and we are honored and excited to be a small part of it. Thank you Elevators for making us feel so welcome!!

Random Thoughts

2007-11-17T22:02:00.000-05:00

So as you can imagine things are crazy in our world right now. We are just about 2 weeks away from moving to Charlotte and there is so much to be done, so many people to say bye to and so many doctor's appointment to catch up on. Please, if you have any free time just drop by and pack a box or pick up a kid so I can pack a box! So many emotions are swirling around and truly it just depends on the day as to whether I'm fine or whether I cry off and on all day long. There is part of me that is so excited to partner with Elevation and see what God is doing in Charlotte and then there is another part of me that is already missing my family and friends here in Atlanta. Well I don't really have much to say other than, "I have never squeezed in so many appointments with every kind of "ologist" there is before now." (gotta sqeeze it all in before the insurance ends on the 30th) Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to a new house, a new rooming assignment (SG and Rylee will be roommates), a new church and a new city. We will be sending out an email shortly with all our new contact info. (didn't think that would be a wise move to splash it all over my blog)

Charlotte Bound

2007-10-24T07:23:00.000-04:00

It is with mixed emotions that Phillip accepted the position as Family Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC yesterday. We are so excited to be a part of what God is doing in Charlotte, but we're sad about leaving family, friends and our wonderful church, North Point. Please continue to pray for us as we "put feeet" to this move. As I sit here in the mountains relaxing on family vacation I am overwhelmed at the thought of everything that awaits me when we get home. Phillip's official start date has not yet been determined, however we know we will definitely be there by the first of the year, maybe earlier. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us during this time. Not only do we value your prayers but we appreciate them more than words can say. If you want to check out the new church here is their website: www.elevationchurch.org

Airplane to Raleigh

2007-09-26T07:20:00.000-04:00

So sorry for such a long stint away from blogging. All I can say is, "I'm a slacker." Anywho, I just wanted to request everyone's prayers as the girls and I board a plane tomorrow and fly to Raleigh, NC to visit Phillip's parents. (for 12 days) Now, the flight is only an hour but I still have my concerns about the airport, the plane ride, and no one being there to help me if something crazy happens. (and I can almost guarentee that something crazy will happen) So if you are here in the ATL over the next 12 days, check on Phillip to see if he's making it ok without his girls around and we will be back on Monday, October 8.

THIS IS LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY

2007-08-19T06:41:00.000-04:00

My wonderful sister sent this story to me in an e-mail and I just had to share it because it is hysterical!!!! Thanks Christina!

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women,
so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check
for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman
leaving the stall.
You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has
been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern
"seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty You
would hang your purse on the door hook, if th ere was one, but there isn't -
so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn
over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and
assume " The Stance."

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd
love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or
lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance."

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover
to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your
mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would
have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one
that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now,
you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That
would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still
smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits
your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and
you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet.
"Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious,
tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing
altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of
course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare
bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the
uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was
any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be
utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never
touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW
what kind of diseases you could get."

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused
that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the
inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt
and runs down your legs and int o your shoes. The flush somehow sucks
everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper
dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet
toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found
in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors,
so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the
line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very
end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe.
(Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe,
plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need
this."

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left
the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is
your purs e hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with public restrooms
(rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what
really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked
questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal
can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so
accurately!

Send this to all women that need a good laugh AND, don't forget to have a
mammogram!!!!!! It could save your life!

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra...
Hard to Find
Supportive
Comfortable
Always Lifts You Up
Never Lets You Down or Leaves You Hanging
And Is Always Close To Your Heart!!!

Rylee's 1st Birthday Pictures

2007-08-02T14:57:00.000-04:00

Ok guys here are the most adorable pictures of the most adorable baby in the world. Hope you enjoy!!

www.sundrapaul.com/rylee.htm

Teachable Moments

2007-07-30T21:12:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to write this blog for almost a week now and things have been so crazy that I haven’t got to finish it, so here goes. (pray for no interruptions)

In the lives of toddlers and preschoolers there is almost an endless opportunity for “teachable moments.” However, most of these “moments” are teaching them right from wrong, or to share, or their shapes, colors, letters, etc… I got the opportunity the other day to have a spiritual, teachable moment with Savannah Grace.

Last Wednesday SG had an ENT appt. to have her ear tubes checked. While we were in the office we noticed out the window that 3 police cars had blocked off the traffic going towards GA 400 and 2 Alpharetta fire trucks were parked in the parking lot of the pediatric center. Obviously this made me a little nervous and I couldn’t help but wonder if the office was on fire and we didn’t know about it!! Anyway, we never heard any fire alarms so we went on with our visit and then went to the audiologists to get some earplugs for swimming. Everything went very smoothly and her ears look great. On our way out of the building I noticed that everything was the same as when we saw it in the office and I began to dread trying to get out of there and driving home. As we were going out a lady and her kids were on the way in so I politely asked her if there had been an accident or something. She promptly responded with a “no” and went on to explain that there was a child in the pediatric center that needed to be life-flighted to Scottish Rite. So the 3 police cars blocking the traffic allowed the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta helicopter to land on the road and shortly after that 3 EMTs wheeled out a small child on a stretcher and secured him into the helicopter. All the while I was trying to explain to SG what was going on because she had 101 questions. As they were packing up to fly off I thought that it would be a great moment to share with her and teach her how to pray for others, even when we don’t know there name or exactly what their need is. So right then and there we stopped and I said a pray for this child and when I was done SG said a sweet prayer too. When we got done praying we watched as the helicopter took off and felt the “big windy,” as SG called it, in our hair. Once the helicopter was out of sight we headed to the car but on our way she stopped to tell the fire fighter “thank you” for helping the baby. (Because we saw the fire trucks she was convinced that the baby had touched fire so she kept asking me why the baby had touched the fire. It’s so funny how little kids link and/or relate things together)

Obey the First Time

2007-07-22T21:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, in the past I haven’t ever really posted anything inspiring or philosophical so I thought I would give it a shot and see how it goes.

One of our most used phrases with Savannah Grace these days is, “Obey the first time.” I am so tired of telling her EVERYTHING 5 or 6 times. Sometimes I want her to obey the first time just because and other times I need her to obey the first time for her safety, but she doesn’t seem to understand that.

The more I say this phrase and the more I think about ways to make it “click” with her the more the Lord has revealed to me how this phrase relates to my relationship with Him. He has showed me some areas in my life where He is saying, “Obey the first time.”

As frustrated as I get, daily, with Savannah Grace and as much as I think, “If she would just obey the first time her life would be so much easier.” As much as I want her to know that I say all of these things because I love her and right now I know what is best for her, God has showed me it’s the same way with us. He loves me so much and knows what’s best for me and He knows that if I would just obey Him my life would be so much better. I am sure the Lord gets frustrated with me and wonders why I don’t trust Him enough to just obey, even though he has been so faithful to my family and me.

Well I have never professed to being perfect and this is just the latest installment to this “work in progress.” And now that the Lord has shed His light on this place in my life it has given me a fresh cupful of patience for Savannah Grace. If you think about it, lift both of us up in your prayers as we work through this life lesson together.

In what areas of your life is God calling you to obey (the first time He asks)?

Birthday Party Success!!!

2007-06-30T21:47:00.000-04:00

First of all let me say, “I can’t believe Rylee is already one!” It goes by SOOOO fast. Needless to say we had a successful first birthday. We had her party today even though her actual birthday isn’t until July 3rd. I think we’ll always have to celebrate her birthday either a little early or a little late due to the July 4th holiday. Many family and friends surrounded us today to watch as Rylee opened her first presents and ate her first cake. Thank you to all who came, you truly made it a special day.

Let me say, on one hand I think birthdays should happen more often and on another I don’t. Knowing that all of our family and friends were going to be coming to the house really made Phillip and I get our act together to get some much needed work done around the house. (it about killed us too) The past 4 days have been exhausting to say the least. Phillip spent two hot days in the yard cleaning the flower beds, edging, hedging, weed whacking, mowing, blowing, and I don’t know what all else. Thank you Phillip for all your hard work. The yard looks superb!!! While he was outside I was inside redoing our kitchen cabinets, steam cleaning the carpets, hanging curtains, and doing the normal house cleaning items. For all of the above-mentioned items I think we should have parties here more often, our house looks pretty darn good.

On the other hand, I’m completely and totally exhausted!!! Not only am I tired from all the work, but I’m tired from the stress. When we have these kinds of shindigs at the house the perfectionist comes out in me. I want everything to be perfect! Can anyone feel my pain? And when everything is not perfect, which it’s not going to be because I have 2 children, I have a total meltdown. For these above-mentioned reasons I think once a year is enough.

So Rylee, my precious little one, Happy 1st Birthday!! We are so blessed to have you in our lives and very thankful that the Lord has entrusted you to our care. I pray that over the next few years you will continue to grow in grace, beauty, knowledge and love of our Lord. I also pray that you know how much your mommy and daddy love you.

Baby Boops

2007-06-18T23:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, first let me say that we made it through the week without Phillip! He is now home and getting ready for his own camp this weekend. We're glad to have him back! I have another funny story to share with you all about Savannah Grace. Someone referenced it in a comment so I thought I'd share the story with you guys.

The other day I was trying to put SG in her car seat and she kept pushing on my boobs so I finally said, "Quit mashing my boobs!" And she looked at me in bewilderment and said, "Boops? Do I have boops?" So now that I opened this can of worms I found it hard to shut. I told her that yes, she did have boobs. "Oh, your boops are big and squishy and I have baby boops." was her response. So we've embarked on the whole "boby awareness" thing. I try to keep our conversations steared away from this subject but everytime we take a bath there they are again, so we have to have a conversation about them. Anyways, on with the story. We were at church a couple of Sunday's ago and a guy that Phillip works with asked SG for a hug. He bent down with his arms opened wide for a big hug and she leaned in to give him a hug. As they embraced he picked her up and squeezed her tight. (he was missing his own children who were away at camp with their mom) As soon as he thanked her and told her what a great hug that was she lifted up her entire dress and said, "Look at my baby boops!" I thought he was going to come unglued he was laughing so hard. I promptly pulled her dress down and we had a quick chat about how we don't touch other people's boops and we don't show other people our boops. Then I looked at this guy and told him that he had gotten her first (and last hopefully) "flash." I'm very thankful that we know this guy pretty well and that he has 3 kids of his own so he thought the situation was funny and wasn't mortified. I, on the other hand, was a little embarassed.

Kelly Hubatka

2007-06-18T23:05:00.000-04:00

To all the moms out there: you've got to start reading this blog.

www.kellyhubatka.com

She is an awesome mom of four beautiful girls and an awesome christian. Her blog is very encouraging and funny. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Week alone with the girls

2007-06-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

After a grueling day at work (church) Phillip hopped in the car and drove two and a half hours to walk on stage and speak to a group of middle-schoolers in his first, of five, talks at this week long camp he is doing for another church. I know he is exhausted!! As he is away this week speaking he is also preparing for his own 6th grade camp that is now, less than 2 weeks away. He is so faithful in doing whatever it takes to provide for our family while also doing an excellent job where God has placed him in the huge staff of NPCC. I love that man!!!

On the other hand that means I am home alone with both of the girls all week!! EEK!! Hopefully it won't be too bad. Savannah Grace has started gymnastics on Monday evenings and soccer/t-ball on Wednesday mornings so we have a few different activities to keep us from getting cabin fever at the house. I also have two aunts with young children that live within a 20-mile radius that we will probably go and visit some. Truly though I don't need to schedule to much because I should be at the house preparing for the upcoming neighborhood garage sale AND getting everything straighten and cleaned before Rylee's 1st birthday party. On that note, can you believe Rylee is almost 1? I can't. That means we have made it one year with two kids!!! Praise the Lord!! It also means only a few more weeks of buying that super-expensive formula!!! (be grateful all you mothers who were able to nurse for the first year) I will be able to buy enough whole milk for a month with what it usually costs me to buy her formula for a week!!!

Well, I’m off to bed. As I end tonight let me just say sorry for being such a terrible blogger lately. Sometimes I think, “I sit at home with two kids all day what do I have to blog about?” or sometimes I’ll get into a rut of wanting to use my blog as my own personal “vent” which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t want people to get the impression that all I ever blog about is the negative things, so during those time I choose not to blog.

To end on a light note here is a conversation I had with Savannah Grace, my 3 year old, the other day:

Scene: We were in the car on our way to her first gymnastics class. She had on her leotard with a little sundress over it and a pair of crocs.

SG: “Mommy, where are my special shoes for gymnastics.”

Me: “You don’t wear special shoes for gymnastics like you do for dance, you go barefoot.”

SG (with an exasperated voice): “Mom I don’t have BEAR feet, I have GIRL feet!”

Africa

2007-06-10T17:33:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

This past February Anita and I began a marriage building Bible study called Intimate Encounters. Our marriage has grown so much since going through this material. Recently we were asked to pray about taking some of the very same study material that has strengthened our marriage to encourage and train Pastors and their wives in Kenya.

Anita and I had been praying for direction as we both felt a passion to serve on a Missions Trip. When Dave Lewis told me about a team he was taking to Kenya to present some of the very same principles that had revolutionized my marriage I immediately wanted to be a part. When I told Anita about this opportunity she began to cry. Being an at-home-mom with a three year old and a less than one year old, she felt a call to serve on a Missions team, but hadn’t found an opportunity, until now.

As we begin the journey to Kenya we need your support. First and foremost we need you to pray for our team. There will be approximately fifty to sixty men and women attending the conference. These faithful Pastors and wives have never had any opportunity to attend a marriage conference of any kind. Please pray for theses couples. Secondly we ask that you pray about supporting this trip financially. We are estimating cost to be around $4,000 per team member. We are trusting God to bring those with time and opportunity in partnership with those with resources to accomplish His will in Kenya. As both Anita and I will be serving we will need to raise around $8,000. This trip is costing a lot because it is a faith venture. This team is simply made of people with a heart to serve God in Kenya. These funds will go to help provide airfare, housing, in-country transportation, food, passports/visas, and immunizations.

God has already begun to provide financially with the translation of the material into the native language Swahili at no cost to our team. We leave for Kakamega, Kenya on August 24th and return September 2nd. This is a considerable amount of time to be gone from our little girls so please pray for Savannah Grace and Rylee as well. We are hopeful to have full financial support by August 16th. Please pray about how God would lead you to support us in this opportunity. God Bless.

Please return to Phillip & Anita McCart 337 Ayelsbury Court, Sugar Hill, GA 30518
_____ I would like to support you with my prayers.
_____ I would like to support you with a gift of $___________.

Name:______________________________ Email: ______________________________

Vacation

2007-05-25T07:46:00.001-04:00

Ok, I typed this blog in a word document on Tuesday the 21st and forgot to post it!!! I was a little flighty that day trying to get everything ready to go, so here you go…

Well Phillip and I and the girls leave in the morning for our annual Memorial Day trip to Charleston, SC (via Mullins this year). We are going to make a brief stop in Mullins to attend the Mullins High School graduation where one of Phillip’s former youth members is the valedictorian. I must say it is going to be weird going back there after everything that happened, but I’m glad that Phillip is able to put it behind him and do this for a wonderful young lady. Then on Thursday we will head down to Charleston. Phillip’s parents are arriving on Friday and we plan to spend our time visiting with family, hanging out on the beach, and eating some fabulous barbeque and seafood. If you have never had the opportunity to go to Charleston boy are you missing out! Plan a trip, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

My heart belongs to Thee

2007-05-09T14:45:00.000-04:00

Wonderful Savior
My heart belongs to Thee
I will remember always the blood You shed for me
Wonderful Savior
My heart will know Your worth
So I will embrace You always as I walk this earth

Be blessed, be loved, be lifted high
Be treasured here
Be glorified
I owe my life to You my Lord
Here I am....

Beautiful Jesus
How may I bless Your heart?
Knees to the earth I bow down to everything You are
Beautiful Jesus
You are my only worth
So let me embrace You always as I walk this earth

For My Husband

2007-05-09T14:39:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know this is going to seem cheesy to some of you, but I'm not good with words so I have decided to use the lyrics from a song and dedicate them to my wonderful husband. (maybe I should have just made him a tape of a mixture of love songs) The song just sums up one aspect of our marriage, our friendship. Hope you guys enjoy the words.

Something brought you to my mind today
I thought about the funny ways
you make me laugh
And yet I feel like it's ok to cry with you
Something about just being with you that
When I leave I feel like I've been with God
and that's the way it ought to be, yeah

Chorus:
Cause you've been more than a friend to me
you fight off my enemies
cause you have spoken the truth over my life
And you'll never know what it means to me
just to know you've been on your knees for me
Oh, you have blessed my life
more than you'll ever know
Yeah, yeah, yeah, more than you'll ever know
Yeah, yeah, yeah

You had faith
when I had none
You prayed God would bring me a brand new song
When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing
and all the while I've been hoping that I'll
do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me
and that's the way it outght to be, yeah

You have carried me
You have taken on a burden
that wasn't your own, yeah
may that blessing return to you
A hundredfold
oh oh yeah, a hundredfold

I love you babe, thanks for being an awesome friend!

Correction

2007-05-04T21:45:00.000-04:00

I have a correction to make to my post entitled "Perspective". The link is supposed to be: www.globalrichlist.com. I misspelled it in the original post and I know some of you guys were wondering what you did wrong. Nothing! It was my fault. So try this new link and tell me what you think.

Friend

2007-05-03T23:51:00.000-04:00

What is a friend? Do you have any friends or could they be labeled more of an acquaintance? I think people who can count, on one hand, the number of true friends they have had in their lifetime are truly blessed.

A friend, in my book, is someone you can “do life with.” This person knows you deeply and still loves you and in return they share themselves with you knowing they will still be loved, they call to check on you when they know your husband is out of town and you’re home alone with the kids, they challenge you spiritually and keep you accountable in your weak areas, they take time to have “girl time”, your families hang out together and bond while you watch your children grow up together, they are completely honest, in a loving way, with you, there are no hidden agendas, no faking it, you can each just be yourself.

Below I have listed a few examples of this kind of friendship:

www.larryhubatka.com - Everybody Needs An E to the P (great definition of a true friend)

www.kellyhubatka.com - I need a friend like her: willing to be honest with her struggles, loves the Lord, loves her family, needs her friends, etc…

www.charlestonyaya.blogspot.com - Ordinary Life (another wonderful definition of true friendship)

All of the above mentioned stuff is to say that I need a friend like this and I want to be a friend like this! We have lived in the ATL for almost three years now and there are times when I wonder if anyone would miss me if I were gone (besides my family) because nobody really knows ME. One of the downsides of living in a big city is that everyone lives so far apart that it is really hard to stay connected and do things with people in your small group when they live on the other side of the city. (that’s a whole different blog) Believe me, I haven't just sat around waiting for a great friend to fall out of the sky. I tried out our local MOPS group but didn't really connect, I tried getting into a "moms" small group that meets during the day, but they're all "taking off" for the summer, I have even tried to volunteer at the church but apparently they don't have enough room in childcare for my kids. Ok, back to the part about no one knowing me.

On Sundays I am either “Phillip’s wife” or “Savannah Grace and Rylee’s mom”. Now don’t get me wrong I love being those two things but sometimes I just want to be Anita. I want people to know me as Anita because they know who I am and not just know me because Phillip mentioned me in his talk on Sunday morning. During the week I stay at home with two little girls because we have sacrificed financially knowing this was the Lord’s will but not having any money to go do anything with them so I feel like a “shut-in” half the time. I don’t want this blog to turn into a pity party I just needed to throw some thoughts out on paper/cyberspace. Sorry to sound all sappy and whiny, but does anyone feel what I’m talking about here? I just want the Lord to send me one good, true friend here in the area.

P.S. Grey'a Anatomy was AWESOME tonight!!

Perspective

2007-04-30T22:15:00.000-04:00

My wonderful husband, Phillip, came across a website that will put it all in perspective for you. I know at some point and time, or like most of us, multiple times in our lives we feel like we don't have enough. There is always someone out there who is younger, richer, cooler, prettier, has a better car, has better behaved kids and the list goes on and on. We all get caught in the nasty cycle of "keeping up with the Jonse's." Well, when you're in the middle of that cycle go to this website and it'll bring you back to the real world and make you very thankful for what you have.

www.gobalrichlist.com

Let me know where you rank on the list.

I am a Loser!!!!

2007-04-24T12:02:00.000-04:00

Alright, I know that sounds harsh, but wait until you hear what I did; actually it's what I DIDN"T do. I was being a good little wife and trying to do some spring-cleaning around the house when guess what I stumbled across?!?!? Savannah Grace's thank you notes from her birthday!!!!! I never sent them!!!! Now that might not sound too bad until you learn that her birthday was February 18th!!! So to everyone out there that came to her birthday and have been bitter for not receiving a thank you note, I am SOOOO sorry. I am going to get them in the mail this week. I promise!!! My motto since having 2 kids is, "Better late then never" right? Again I do send my most sincere apologies for being such a loser.

Great Post

2007-04-23T08:36:00.000-04:00

Alright, ladies if you want some good reading check out this blog: http://allison291.vox.com/. It is the writings of a fellow mother and friend. Her post entitled, "The mother of all pet peeves" is wonderful! Every mom, and to-be-mom should read this. Let me know what your thoughts are about the post. Have a great day!

Random Mixture of Thoughts

2007-04-20T23:06:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know that it's been awhile since I have posted but things have been crazy around here and I haven't sat down long enough to gather my thoughts and put them into a post. So here are the random thoughts and happenings in my life right now...

1. Phillip and I have started our Mid-Quarter Resolution to get into better shape. We have exercised together 3 days this week. We talked about doing this at the beginning of the year like we usually do when it is time to make New Year's resolution but like most of the people I know it didn't last long. However, as we began to look at our schedules for the upcoming summer we realized that something had to be done before our family trip to the beach at the end of May. More importantly, something has to be done before Phillip and I go to the beach for a week in July to celebrate our 8th anniversary! I definitely have some baby pounds to shed! Exercising is a lot more enjoyable when you have someone to exercise with! Not only are we doing something that benefits our bodies but it also benefits our marriage because we're spending time together and sharing a common interest.

2. Phillip and I just finished up our current small group. We went through "Intimate Encounters" at the church. (North Point Community Church) We loved it! It helped strengthen and grow our marriage more than anything else has. I would encourage every married couple to go through this study, whether you're engaged or have been married for 50 years, everyone has something to gain from this.

3. On that same topic, Phillip and I are praying about the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Kenya or Pakistan as facilitators of the "Intimate Encounters" material. This is huge for us on many different levels, so if you think about it please lift us up in your prayers.

4. Last Friday Phillip and I took on the daunting task of having the girl’s pictures done. Usually their pictures are done individually because it's easier to only try to get one to smile and look at the camera at a time, however it was time for Rylee's 9 month pics and SG's 3 year pics so instead of having to pay 2 sitting fees I scheduled it all together. Needless to say, it was a long day. We started out having some pics of them done together in their matching Easter dresses, then we moved into having Rylee's pics done in her Baby Dedication dress and finished up with SG's pics, half in her raincoat, goulashes and umbrella, and the other half in her ballet outfit. When we got finished I was sweating and I was a little discouraged because we had such a hard time getting Rylee to smile and an even harder time getting SG to have a "natural" smile instead of the cheesy smile she did every time we asked her to smile. Much to my amazement, and all of the credit to our photographer, when we started looking through them they turned out AWESOME!!! As soon as they get posted on the web I will share the link with you guys so you can check them out if you want to.

Ok, I will try to post on a more regular basis so my posts aren't so long. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Naive, Uninformed, Ignorant

2007-04-06T22:39:00.000-04:00

Alright, this seems to be a touchy subject for a lot of people, however it's not something I have given much thought to. Is it because I don't care, or maybe I'm naive, uniformaed or ignorant, I'm not quite sure. I was at a jewelry show lastnight with a lot of first-time-moms and some moms who have be so for awhile now. I'm not sure how they got on the subject, but they started having a debate on whether to get your children vaccinated or not. Like I said earlier, I have never thought about it, I've just always had it done. This is where, I admit, I can be to trusting I guess. This is not an area of my expertice so I trust the doctors to tell me what is in the best interest of my child. When I was a child my parents had me vaccinated and I ate all of the regular old food from the grocery store, none of this organic stuff. I'm fine, so I do the same thing for my children. I'm not saying that organic food and not having your child vaccinated is bad or wrong, but what I am saying/asking is where did you get this information from? It is nothing I've heard about in my everyday life yet over the past 6 months all of a suddened so many people are talking about not having their children vaccinated and organic food has less hormones etc. Am I just naive? Am I not watching the same news as everybody else? Am I a bad mother for not knowing about all of these things? Will my children all of a sudden be autistic one day? The more I hear about these things the worse it makes me feel and the more paranoid I am. Right now my course of action is to continue on my steady course and leave all these paranoid feelings and questions in the Lord's hands. They are His children ultimately and I am doing what I know, think and believe is the best for them and leaving the rest of it up to God. However, I do think I may surf around on the internet to try and find some more information so that I am more informed on these issues. Do you have an opinion? I would love to hear it.

Tag, you're it!! (as soon as you get home)

2007-04-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

PHILLIP COMES HOME TOMORROW!!!! Ok, I had to get that out of my system. This has been a long week and thankfully nothing has gone terribly wrong like it usually does when Phillip's gone, but I have to be honest with you guys, I'm worn out and my patience is about to snap!! Here's a rundown of our crazy week:

Monday: We went to my aunt's house for a visit after the girls naps and stayed there through dinner.
Tuesday: We stayed home all day and did nothing. (long day)
Wednesday: My friend Jen and her little girl Ella came over after naps and SG and Ella played outside for awhile and then we took them to Chick-Fil-A for dinner.
Thursday: I spent the day cleaning/straightening the house for the new babysitter. I had a jewelry show so I got to get out for the evening!! YIPPEE!!!
Today: Whirlwind shopping day getting last minute Easter stuff and trying to find winter parkas to go over the girls dresses since it's suppossed to be colder here for Easter than it was at Christmas! I had already bought them matching sleeveless Easter dresses with cute white matching sandals. Now I had to go back out and get pantyhose and white sweaters to wear over the dresses due tot he weather.
Tomorrow: Clean house and get everything beautified for my husband's return!

3 is worse than 2...

2007-04-01T21:49:00.000-04:00

Ok, let me preface this blog by saying a few things:

1. Holly, I read your most recent blog and I'm sorry this is so long, but I think you'll find it amusing.

2. The following information is what I have found to be true in my own personal situation. If you have not reached this point in your parenting don't let it scare you, it may not be the same for you as it has been for me.

3. What am I referring to you ask? If you don't know me let me say that I am not referring to the number of children in your household because I have no idea what it is like to have 3 kids (one day I will hopefully). I am referring to the age of one particular little girl in my house.

4. Finally, a huge part of this problem comes from her genetic make-up. I mean, she comes by it honestly. You know what I mean if you know Phillip or me at all, so again, as mentioned in number 1 your child's personality could make this a totally different experience for you.

Ok, with all that said, 3 is so much worse than 2!!!! When Savannah Grace was 2 I thought, "If I can just make it through the 2's we'll be golden." Then when I took her to the doctor for a check-up he told me that it wasn't the Terrible Two's but it was the Terrible Three's!!! I thought, "You have got to be kidding me! I'm barely making it now and you're saying it's going to get worse? I'm going to blow my brains out!!" (fyi - that last statement about blowing my brains out was for dramatic effect, I don't have suicidal tendencies) So I prayed, "Lord please just get us through the 2's, it can't get worse than this." Yes it can! Now, like I said earlier, part of this has to do with her personality. SG (short for Savannah Grace) is independent, strong-willed and Irish, which can all be good things, however in this 3 year old whose is learning her boundaries, these qualities rear their ugly little heads. A friend of my husbands, Pastor Steven Furtick, put this beautifully in a blog about his little boy, Elijah. (http://www.stevenfurtick.com/?p=217) We are right there with you Steven and Holly!! So, in light of all this new found information about which age is worse than which, Phillip and I have adopted a new philosophy. We are stating that the Terrible Two's doesn't refer to the age, 2 years old, but in fact it refers to the two years between the ages of 1.5 and 3.5. With that said SG is now 3 years and 2 months old, I'm giving it 4 more months and if things don't improve drastically I might have a major meltdown and rejoin the working force!

So all you moms out there send in some comments. What has been true for you? Any advice or encouraging words? Any new discipline tactics that I might not know of? Am I the only one in this boat?

I'm Back...

2007-03-31T20:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I know that it has been awhile since my last post, but our internet has been down for nearly a week now!! However, I'm back with a vengance. Phillip left today to go and spend his Spring Break on the white, sandy beaches of FL while I'm at home, alone with both of our girls for 8 DAYS!!! AHHHH!!! Ok, I have to be honest, yes Phillip is in FL for 8 days, but he's not on vacation by any means. He is giving of his time and talent to work with families that have had to face chilhood cancer with one (or more) of their children. The organization is called The Lighthouse Family Reatreat and they are doing wonderful things to bring families together and give them hope. If you are interested in knowing more about what he is doing, here is their website: http://www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org/ Even though I know in my head that he is sacrificing his time away from his family to earn some extra money, and work with an organization that he loves, my flesh creeps in to remind me that he is still in FL, staying in a great beach house right on the Gulf Coast, playing in the sand and water and soaking up some rays!!! I am definitely jealous!!! So what I ask from you now is a lot of prayer support!!! I have never been with both of the girls this long without Phillip, and all of the family I have here in Atlanta are tied up with out-of-town visitors, work, and kids of their own, so they won't be any help to me. I definitely have to give it up to all the single moms out there that do this day in and day out, but I for sure couldn't do this by myself on any long term basis. OK, the pity party is over, both girls are in bed and I'm going to snuggle up on the couch and watch The Pursuit of Happyness all by myself!!! (sounds relaxing)

Easter Song

2007-03-20T13:46:00.000-04:00

Ok, to all of you out there that have any decision making abilities when it comes to the music your church does on a Sunday morning, I have any Easter song for you. Now, I realize that it's a little close to Easter to just know be picking out a new song to learn, but it's THAT good, trust me. It is from Steve Fee's newest album, "Burn for You". Here are the words:

Beautiful the Blood

I never knew death could be so sweet
I never knew surrender could feel so free
I've never seen such meekness and Majesty
That the blood of Jesus was bled for me

I never knew these nails would love unfold
I never knew these wounds would heal my soul
I’ve never seen such beauty and sorrow meet
That the blood of Jesus was bled for me

Now I'll sing freedom for all of my days
Its only by the power of the cross I’m raised
The king of glory rescued me

How beautiful the blood flow
How merciful the love shown
The king of glory poured out
Victorious are we now

How beautiful you are
How merciful you are
How glorious you are
Christ our Savior

Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. Begin now preparing your heart as Easter draws near.

To all the moms out there...

2007-03-19T21:57:00.000-04:00

Alright moms, I just saw a preview on ABC for a new show they're starting in a few weeks. It looks hilarious and we can all totally relate to it. Here is the link where you can watch a preview:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/notesfromtheunderbelly/

Let me know what you think!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

2007-03-17T20:59:00.000-04:00

So if you know my family and me at all you know that my husband's favorite holiday is today! He LOVES to celebrate his heritage, so today is our national holiday. My day started off at 7:30 this morning. I woke up to make my husband and little girls some green pancakes before they left for my husband's soccer game. He coaches a U8 team of young boys in our local rec league. I took our younger daughter to a baby shower with me. Congrats Candy, I hope these last 8 weeks are wonderful for you. Then I came home and started making homemade shamrock cookies and a nice steak dinner. We had steak, baked potatoes, salad and some bread. Yum, Yum!! Hopefully I will have a picture to post soon of the whole fam in our green and orange. Hope you didn't get pinched today!

The 411

2007-03-17T20:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, so after I made my first post I thought that maybe I should have started with a little background information about who I am and what I do. The obvious... my name is Anita and I live in a small suburb of Atlanta. Other information: I am 28 years old. I have been married for 7 and a half years to my best friend Phillip. I have two little girls, Savannah Grace is 3 and Rylee Cait is 8 months. I am a stay-at-home mom, but I am also an Independent Consultant for Premier Designs Jewelry to help with the family finances and to give me a couple evenings out of the house, which I need for my sanity. If you’re interested in having a party and earning FREE jewelry let me know. I graduated from Charleston Southern University in 2001 with a BA in Youth Ministry and Church Music. We attend a wonderful church, North Point Community Church, with a wonderful Pastor, Andy Stanley and a hot Associate Middle School Director, Phillip McCart. Well I guess that's enough about me, but hopefully you are more enlightened about my family and me.

Time Alone...

2007-03-16T17:24:00.000-04:00

My husband gave me the best gift today: time away from the girls!!! Now don't take this the wrong way, I love my girls, however after a week of staying at home with them all day, a few hours out to run some errands was like a breath of fresh air. I didn't do anything spectacular, but being able to go to Target and look at anything I wanted to without wondering which aisle Savannah Grace ran down is spectacular in and of itself. Getting away for a little while definitely makes me a better mom when I do come home. So, "thanks" Phillip for giving me some uninterrupted "me" time.