A Brand New Ride...

Who: William and Liam.

What: William taking Liam to pick up his new bike that my mom (Gagi) ordered for him.

When: Tonight.

Where: Walmart...and then home.

How: Liam rode his new bike from the toy department through the entire store, all the way to the check out lane. He then rode it from the check out lane, out the front door, through the parking lot to the truck.

I will regret for a long time that I missed seeing this. But...I did get to see him ride it from the car up to the front door...at which point he took over my phone call with my mom to thank her for his new bike...and then proceeded to ride the bike into the house.

"Thank you, Gagi, for my new bike."

First Easter.

You could say I'm in a reflective mood. I can't stop thinking about Liam's first of everything! I found these pictures from his very first Easter...and oh my, was he adorable (and healthy!).

Easter morning with his turtle Easter basket from Grandma.

Our family.

Not very many babies would have been so HAPPY on the Easter bunny's lap...
but this kid was always happy about everything!

Having his very first cereal on Easter weekend. He loved it!

Kisses from Gagi.

He always slept the best at Gagi's - and Easter was no exception.

Tough morning.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” – James 1:17

I received a heartfelt message from our priest this morning:

A life, even though it may have been brief, was still a life, and your experience of loss is an affirmation of the value of that life and every life.

I never even knew I was ready for a second child, until the miracle happened and was quickly taken away. But we move on and know that it was God's will.

As we found out we were expecting, immediately I began to reflect on Liam's newborn days...and the blessing he was in our lives. I still look at these pictures and can hardly believe 4 years have gone by. I love that boy more than I can describe.








“From the fullness of grace we have received one blessing after another” - John 1:16

New life.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) Ephesians 5:8

All the little ones listen to Msgr. talk about the meaning of Easter.

The hunt begins...

How many eggs did you get?

All the children were very proud of their 4-5 eggs each, but when the coordinator of the hunt realized they only got a few eggs each, she quickly had the teens hide some more eggs for them in another area. (see below)

Could Liam BE more excited?

I hope this kid was helping him instead of preventing him from getting an egg they both had their eyes on :)

A basket full - that's more like it!

it is well...it is well...with my soul.

The last two weeks have been unusually stressful. I returned from my papaw's funeral in Kentucky (which was a TV drama all in itself, sadly enough) to discover that I was potentially miscarrying a pregnancy that I had not even confirmed with a home pregnancy test. I returned to Georgia, saw my ob/gyn the next day, and learned that I was already about 6 weeks along. The threat of miscarriage is still happening, and can I just say, unless you've been there, you can't put it into words for someone to understand your pain. Yes, there is physical pain, but the emotional toll is hard to bear.

We miscarried two years ago. Liam was 2 years old, and we were shocked to even find out I was pregnant. Now, two years later, we are just as shocked. But the joy of a surprise doesn't even have time to move into your heart because you're already faced with the loss that is inevitable. That's where we are now.

So, now we pray. A baby is such a miracle in so many ways.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.“ Proverbs 3:5,6

Top 10 (and I'll just leave it at that...)

10. Don't, under any circumstances, think it is acceptable to wear blue jeans to your parent's funeral.

9. Don't bring dogs on leashes to ANY funeral. Ever.

8. Try to stay longer than 30 minutes to your parent's funeral visitation. It's called "family hour" for a reason.

7. Don't have your sister arrested on the morning your parent passes away. Better yet, try to avoid the urge to have your sister arrested on ANY day. I know that's difficult for you.

6. Do you even live here?

5. Yes, we know you're in town. You've made it known. Now please go home.

4. Your stick used to stir up shit is foul. After 30 years, at least get yourself a new one.

3. You.are.50.years.old.grow.the.hell.up.

2. Still desperate for attention? Take a number. You're no more special or deserving than anyone else in this family.

1. Respect. It's something you should really consider with regard to your family. They've tolerated your crazy ass for enough years - it's the least you can do for them.

Finally...peace.

Lucky Dog.

There are only two kinds of people in the world, The Irish and those who wish they were.


Liam got up this morning, ready for his holiday! He knew it was the day to wear green! Tragedy struck when we realized Daddy had taken off to work with the "green man" hat (Leprechaun hat). Liam had recalled dressing up last week in the hat, beads and shamrock glasses. Today's outfit wouldn't be complete without that hat!

This resulted in a complete unwillingness to wear the new Snoopy St. Patty's Day shirt I had found for him, or anything else green...in fact, the only thing I managed to trick him into wearing were his St. Patty's Day socks. Boo! He's the most Irish kid in his class and he showed up with a navy blue shirt.

Oh well, mommy was to the rescue to make this a fabulous St. Patrick's Day. I had asked his teacher last week if I could provide their snacks for today - Leprechaun juice, Lucky Charms in a cup, and all green fruits with green "shamrock" dip. When I arrived with the goodies, they all screamed, "It's a PARTY!" Liam could not have been more thrilled for me to be there, sharing this special holiday with him. He loved telling everyone that HIS mommy made the green drink and the green snacks.



The best part of the day? When I arrived, his teacher showed me the beautiful rainbow he colored for St. Pat's Day. (Liam has never shown an interest in coloring...and suddenly, on St. Patrick's Day, he colored the most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen.)


Turned out to be a lucky day after all.

If you're enough lucky to be Irish, you're lucky enough!

Cheese.

He makes my heart smile.

Troubled Water

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2