Back to Blogging

So, I'm trying to get back into blogging. It is such a wonderful scrapbook of our "Humble" memories. It is amazing how much our children have grown in just two years. I promise...pictures soon.

FYI...sometimes I'm a Facebook spy and I love this recent post by my brother....

This is the preface of the book that my grandfather (Pop) wrote many years ago....

‎"I am proud of my children and grandchildren, and I want only the best for them. However, I want them to be prepared for the rough times that will most likely come along in their lives. There is nothing better to prepare for those times than a deep faith in God and love for and from those close to us."

This book is a treasure for me. I'm so glad that I have it so that I can share with my children about their great-grandfather. It is awesome how words from long ago can still impact lives today. Thanks Pop for still being an encourager through your written word.

We could all learn from his amazing faith! I hope that my children see the same strength in me that I saw in Pop.

Thankful in 2009

It is Thanksgiving Eve, and we have a busy day tomorrow and Friday. As I've been cooking and working around the house, I've been thinking about what a lucky person I am. I wanted to share my top 9 things that I'm thankful for in 2009. (In no particular order...)

I'm thankful for...

1. For my husband, John. He is wonderful and I truly mean it! We've been married for 7 years and still enjoy being together. He is an awesome father to our children. I love you John.

2. Mitchell - my first born child. He is such a blessing in my life. He is such a sweet older brother. He has such a big heart.

3. Marshal - my little man. He is almost 8 months old and is going to start crawling soon. He is such a happy child and I can already tell that he is going to have a big heart like his brother.

4. My family - I have such wonderful parents, brother, and sister. My parents taught me what a loving relationship looks like and so many other things about life. They continue to be wonderful grandparents. In fact my mom keeps Marshal each day while I'm at work. It is such a blessing to know that he's with someone who loves him each day.

5. John's Family ... I know many people don't really get along with their in-laws but I love my in-laws! I enjoy spending time with John's family as much as I do my own. Being the oldest in my family, I  gained older brothers and sisters when I married John. We are really close to John's sister, his brothers and their wives, their children. I love that Mitchell and Marshal know their cousins so well.

6. Being saved by grace - The Lord Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior! I accepted Christ as a teenager and God is such a big part of my life. I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home and now our children are too. I pray for the day that Mitchell and Marshal will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

7. Shelter, food, the essentials- Many people are going through some difficult times right now. We are blessed to have a home and able to put food on the table. At school, I see it daily - students without their basic needs being met and it is so sad.

8. My co-workers- (This may seem weird) I'm blessed to work with such great people. Many of them love the Lord and it makes the day more enjoyable when you can relate so closely with the people you work with. The other teachers in my grade-level take care of each other. When I was out last year on bedrest they took care of my classroom so that I wouldn't have to worry about anything. It was not something that I asked them to do...they just did it because they care.

9. My grandmothers - I have two amazing grandmothers! Ma and Mawie you are both such a big part of who I am today. I'm thankful that I've been able to spend so much time with both of you. They, too, have set the example of a Godly woman in my life. You both mean the world to me!

A Happy, but Rainy Halloween! (including Pumpkin Carving and 7 months old)

Crazy title, huh? It sums up life in the Humble Household...
Well, I should totally be fired from blogging because it has been a month since my last post. Life is crazy...I've had a lot of ideas.. but just no time. This has the potential to be a long post...

It all began a couple of weeks ago when we went to a pumpkin patch in Dawsonville and got two pumpkins. One was to carve and the other was Marshal sized. Then the next week we spent some quality time together carving the pumpkin. Mitchell and I did most of the gutting and John did the cutting. Marshal mostly just watched. I gave Marshal some of the guts to touch. He didn't like it. I think that our pumpkin turned out really cute... Too bad it was rotten a whole week before Halloween.

Gutting...

The final product ... (aren't they just so cute!)

SPOOKY!

Then on Halloween went spent time with both my family and John's family. We always eat with John's family and the cousins go trick-or-treating together. It is so fun! This year was no different. We went to John's brother's house and ate chili. YUMMY! Then headed out for candy. But...before we took the first step it started raining again, so John took Marshal inside and Mitchell and I grabbed umbrellas and went on our way. Mitchell had fun and got a lot of candy. Being their mom I might be a little prejudice, but I had some pretty cute trick-or-treaters. Mitchell was a fisherman (he used all his stuff from Montana) and Marshal was a monkey (banana included).

And on top of this crazy weekend - Marshal turned seven months old. I truly can't believe that he is that old. I know that I say that every month, but its true. Then I look at Mitchell and I think how fast he is growing up. I just want to stop time and cherish every minute.

Yard Sale

This weekend we went to the big yard sale in the Reunion subdivision. John's brother lives in the subdivision so he let us know what was going on. We normally participate in the Reunion's bi-annual yard sales (Fall and Spring). We will spend all night getting ready the day before and then spend all morning selling. It is exhausting but so much fun! Everytime that we have participated we have made at least $200. People will buy anything! This year was different. We didn't sell this year - instead I was on a mission to buy Marshal some clothes for this fall. My sister and I started at 8am on Saturday and walked the whole loop (about 1.5 miles). Then I met John at his brother's house to get the kids. I fed Marshal and then we went back out. We had skipped some of the side streets. At that point I hadn't had much luck finding clothes that were Marshal's size. I hit the jackpot! The side streets had so much more stuff. John came around and picked us up and drove us around from house to house. I was able to get 24 clothes pieces for Marshal, two books, two picture frames, a wooden stool, and some toys for a total of $30. Now that is some deal hunting and some of the clothes still have tags on it. Next yard sale I will definately be out their again!!! It was so much fun and some great excercise.

Six...

Marshal,
Today you turned 6 months old. I can't believe that you are half a year old and in 6 more months you will be a whole year old. You are growing up so fast. It seems like only yesterday your dad and I were only driving to the hospital with you on the way. I remember holding you for the first time - you were so little. You are such a blessing in our lives. I love watching you grow in learn. Here are six things about you, my little six month old...

1. You love to eat. So far you have tried sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, green beans, english peas, pears, bananas, peaches, and applesauce. You like almost everything that you try except for the carrots and peas.

2. You love your bear-blanket. Your dad and I call it your "baby" and Mymer calls it your 'lovie." When we put you to bed you reach your little arms up and wait for it. Then you take it and squeeze it. It is the cutest thing!
3. You love your brother. It is truly amazing how I can already tell that you admire and look up to him. When you see Mitchell your face lights up with the biggest smile. You even watch him walk around the room.
4. You laugh at the weirdest things. You laugh when we sneeze and think that the fly swatter is hilarious. If we pretend to swat flies you will laugh until you have this deep belly laugh. It is the funniest thing.
5. You enjoy exploring new things. Recently you have started sitting up - this has given you a new perspective on the world. You have discovered the patterns on the rugs, magazines, toys, and continue to play with your toes. You love your toes!
6. You like to give kisses. Okay - it is not really a kiss - it is more of an open, drooling mouth on the face. My favorite is when I have worked all day and I come to pick you up and you grab my face and give me a kiss. This truly melts my heart!!

I love you so much!!!
_______________________________________
I can't leave Mitchell out!

Mitchell,
I'm so proud of you! You are at such a fun place in life. You are learning to read. Each day you come home and tell me something new that you have learned or discovered. You are turning into a young man in front of my eyes. You are such a blessing in our lives! I can't believe that you are 6 and a half years old. Here are six things about you...

1. You like school but your favorite part is recess and then lunch!
2. You are a good reader! I'm amazed each day at how well you read.
3. You are an awesome big brother. I know that it is sometimes hard being the oldest child and it has been an adjustment for you, but I know that you love your brother. When we get home from school the first thing that you want to do is give your brother a kiss. How sweet!
4. You have lost 3 teeth. You lost your 3rd one today. I can't wait to see how much money the tooth fairy leaves you.
5. You like watching TV and playing on the computer! Your favorite website is Poptropica. You will watch anything that comes on the Disney Channel.
6. You are the most organized child I know. Today you asked for an organizer case for your DS. You have 3 organizer cases for your many Bakugans. Each one of your toys has a place and you know where everything is.

I love you so much!

Sitting Tall

Marshal is beginning to sit like a big boy. He thinks that he is so big. It makes me so nervous that I'm normally sitting right there with him but I had to get a picture. I put pillows all around so if he did fall he would not bang his head.

When he sits he likes playing with his toys. His favorite is a magazine - I've learned to give him old ones because he will tear it up. He's still learning and sometimes falls over head first - in slow motion. Then he wiggles to try to get the toy he's lost. He wants to crawl so bad. I don't think that I'm ready for him to crawl but it won't be long before he does.

Look how big...

He's always sticking out his tongue so this picture fully captures his personality.

A Humble Birthday!

Last weekend we celebrated another Humble birthday. My niece turned 7. All the Humble's went to John's parents' house for the party. The grandkids had on red UGA Bulldog shirts so we couldn't resist a picture. Its so nice to be so close to both John's family and mine. I had that growing up and would not trade a minute of it. Family is so important to me and John both. It is very rare these days for children to see their cousins, aunts, and uncles on a regular basis. We are so blessed!!!

A picture of all the cousins! Marshal was fussy so John sitting in the background holding him up in the picture. It is hard to get 8 kids smiling and looking at the camera all at the same time!

Before the party, Marshal was able to take part in a Humble tradition. All of the grandkids sit "the bowl" when they just start sitting up. He looks so big!!! (I think that he's trying to wave.)

Here's Mitchell in "the bowl" when he was little. Look at the similarities - hey you might think that you are seeing the same child.