Can I tell you how thankful I am? I am thankful for many things, but this week it is something that may seem petty to some of you. In December my dishwasher died. So since then we(Dave and I) have washed many, many dishes. Our plan was to get a new dishwasher in November because that is when it worked into our budget. Last week my parents had to do some unexpected work in their kitchen, and gave us their not so old dishwasher. It is just like new. Oh how thankful I am for my new dishwasher.

Erin Rebekah

Eight years and 9 months ago Dave and I got some very surprising news. We were gonna have another baby. Abby was 3 months old and we were expecting another baby. We were a little overwhelmed and excited at the same time. I saw my doctor on June 19th and he scheduled for me to come to the hospital at 5 am June 20th to be induced to have my baby girl. Dave and I arrived there right on time and the nurses got me all set up and ready. Just like with Abby's birth, everything went great. It was a pretty uneventful morning. Dave actually ordered drill for his marching band show around 10 am. A short time after that I was holding a precious little girl with a head full of brown hair. Abby looked just like Dave ( and still does), so when Erin was born I now had a little girl who looked just like me. She was precious from head to toe. She weighed 9 pounds and 1 ounce. Her personality was evident from the very beginning. She was a bit fussy and cried alot. She was and still is a mommy's girl...although she has warmed up to her daddy lately:) She is a sweet little girl who I call "Little" sometimes. She takes her time to do things....just like Dave. She looks just like I did as a little girl and shares the name Erin with me. I love her sweet smile and infectious laugh. Happy 8th birthday Erin. I love you.

June

What a busy two weeks this has been. My baby girl turned nine, we spent a week vacationing at the beach, and then Dave and I headed to Summer Beach Project. Our vacation was great. We relaxed, swam in the ocean, played in the sand, ate lot of really good food, and spent time just hanging out with our family. We went with my entire family....me, Dave, my 3 sisters, their husbands, all 8 children, and my mama and daddy. It is so nice getting to spend a full week with them every summer.



Next Dave and I headed to Ft. Walton for beach project with campus outreach. We had intended to bring the kids, but the day before we left, my parents asked if the kids wanted to go home with them. It was unanimous that they would spend the next week with mamaw and grandaddy rather than at beach project with us. I miss them like crazy! Our time with the students has been good. Beach project is definitely a character building time. Tight living conditions, getting to know different people and lots of different personalities can be hard.....but so good for building character. The students are learning alot.



Saturday, June 13 Dave and I will have been married for 11 years. Happy Anniversary Dave! I love you and look forward to many, many, many more years.

Abigail Grace

Nine years ago today my life changed forever. All day long I had contractions on and off. I was already three days past my due date. I was getting quite miserable and I was so ready to meet my little girl. Dave and I left for the hospital on Sunday afternoon excited and scared at the same time. I knew when we returned to our house it wouldn't be just the two of us anymore. We would have a cuddly little baby with us. We got to the hospital around 5:00pm on Sunday afternoon. It was a most perfect night. I am serious. Everything was perfect and at 3:00am Monday May 29, 2000, I was holding a beautiful red headed baby girl. She was perfect. 8 pounds 5 ounces, 21.5 inches long. Simply perfect.

Today my little red headed baby girl turns nine years old. My how fast the time goes by. Happy Birthday Abby Grace. Mommy loves you!!

Daddy's Retirement Has Finally Come

Today we had the privilege of doing something very special. Mama, Tracy, Lori, Giny, and I went out to the Army Depot for my Daddy's retirement ceremony. I can only remember going onto the depot one other time when I was very young. It was nice to finally see where Daddy has worked all these years and meet some of his co-workers. They presented him with several certificates, one of which was his certificate of retirement. YAY!! He has been counting down to this day for 2 years. His demeanor has even changed over the past few months. I think retirement is going to be really good for him. His co-workers also gave him some gifts. A sort of gag gift spoke alot about who he is. This bag had different things like duct tape, an empty coke can and water bottle, a rock that they had written the words "dumb as a rock" on( one of his favorite sayings). These items all have a story and would mean nothing to you unless you know him. This was my favorite part of the day. When they presented him with this gag gift I realized that my Daddy has a consistent character. He is the same all the time. He has gone to the Depot for all the years and maintained good integrity and gained respect from his fellow workers. He is not a people pleaser, he is who he is. I liked seeing that today. It was a special day for him and for us.

Sisters

Just when I was beginning to think the girls would fight forever and wondering if they really even like each other, I found this piece of paper in the back seat of the van. Abby spent of couple of days with our family in Talladega and Erin really missed her, especially at bedtime. I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

Abby's Recital

Abby just completed her first year of piano and did a great job at her Spring Recital. I think of Abby as my big girl. She has always been my big girl. Erin was born 2 weeks after Abby turned one. Then came Samuel one year later. So she was always my big helper, and she still is. I call on her to do so much more than I do either Erin or Samuel. I guess because I know she will get it done. I am working on not taking advantage of her and making my little ones do a little more. She has always been compliant and responsible. We use to joke and say that if Abby was with Samuel and Erin when they were playing it was like having the Holy Spirit with them. She is a good big sister and a good daughter. She is my big girl! So the other night at the recital when she was standing on stage with the other students, I could not believe how little she looked. I sometimes forget that she is just 8. She will be nine in a couple of weeks and to hear her talk you would think she is going to 16 and getting a car. Turning nine is a big deal to her for some reason. I loved these pictures of her playing.