Why things happen

I don't claim to know why things happen. I'm not sure if I believe that things "happen for a reason," or if what we do with what happens is what brings reason. I do know that I am very blessed. I have beautiful, healthy, wonderful children, a great husband, a fabulous family, and a whole group of awesome friends. Last year about this time I found out that I was very unexpectedly and honestly not very joyfully pregnant. Neither Trey nor I were very pleased. How could we possibly know what was to come? How would we know the year would start off with a crap storm? We couldn't know that the year would be full of uncertainties. We didn't know that we'd be without any kind of guaranteed income or that we'd take huge risks that probably wouldn't pay off. That's what happened though. Who could have known that our family's saving grace would be this amazing, little, unplanned baby? She came in and lit up everyone's life. I'm sure that the other kiddos feel some jealousy sometimes - I mean, they're human after all! But, they all love her immensely. She's the first thing they all gravitate toward in the morning. Sometimes I have to remind them to give me hugs and kisses! LOL. She brings joy into every single day. This year has at times been overwhelmingly stressful, but she shows us all joy and peace. I couldn't be more thankful for our precious, little surprise.

More videos from Arkansas

Cute video

Here is a cute video from vacation. I have others, but it's going to take me a little while to get them uploaded!

Big day for Theresa

My baby girl rolled over today. She's 11 1/2 weeks. We were at a book club at the park tonight. 3 out of 5 of my children have waited for an audience to roll over! Beth Ann rolled over when we were visiting my parents, Louis rolled over in the park with friends, and now Theresa. My kids aren't shy - LOL. :-)

I'm sad that summer is drawing to a close, but we're trying to go out with a bang. We had a book club/play group at the park tonight, and then we finished it off with ice cream! The kids invented a new game - spin the globe! We think they were picking marriage partners. It was pretty funny, but we were all thinking that we liked their choices!!!

I think I'm in love!

Jon Stewart officially rocks my world!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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www.thedailyshow.com
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Summer break is coming to a close

We've had a very busy summer, and so I have not been blogging much! Oops. Sorry. I'll get back to it again. I promise! We spent a good chunk of today at Carrie's house playing. Our kids and her kids love each other so much. I took this short video of them on bikes and scooters today. The best part of summer is all the playtime we get with our friends!

Saturday night we took the kids to the cheap theatre to see Night at the Museum 2. Aren't they cute?




Two weeks from today, it's back to the grindstone! It's really been a great summer. Luckily it hasn't been outrageously hot either since our swamp cooler is still sitting on our porch. Hmphf. I should have taken more pictures this summer. Ah well - we were too busy having fun!

ABC's of Misty's Books

I found this on Bryan's Book Blog who found it at Boston Bibliophile, she calls it the ABC Book Meme, and these are the instructions she has on her blog:

“For this meme, you list a favorite book that starts with each letter of the alphabet. If you don't have a book for a letter (such as Z or X) than you can substitute a favorite book that simply has that letter in the title (i.e. The Lost City of Z or Hot Six by Janet Evanovich). However, you can only do this a maximum of 3 times. (Z, X, and Q, but not Z, X, Q, and V.) Books can be of any genre from fiction to non-fiction to poetry to textbooks.” And I am adding the rule that articles at the front of books (The, A, An) don’t count and it is the next letter that truly counts, so The Stand is an S book and A Medicine for Melancholy is an M book, etc."

I didn't completely follow the rules. There were a couple that I put on because they were different authors. The book on the letter may not have been my absolute favorite with that letter, but I didn't want to repeat authors! Also, I did have a "Z" book, but it was so terrible that I just couldn't put it on. So, sue me! :-) If anyone else decides to do this, please let me know. I would love to see your list!

A: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
B: Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
C: Candide by Voltaire
D: Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
E: Empire of the Sun by James Graham Ballard
F: The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe
G: Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper
H: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
I: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
J: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
K: Keeper of the Light by Diane Chamberlain
L: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
M: Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding by Naomi Baumslag
N: Night by Elie Wiesel
O: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
P: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Lereoux
Q: EnQuiry by Dick Francis
R: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
S: The Stand by Stephen King
T: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
U: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James
V: The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
W: A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford
X: The UnXpected Mrs. PollifaX by Dorothy Gilman
Y: Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne Dyer
Z: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AZkaban by J.K. Rowling