Thank You, God, For These Moments

Today started off with a good amount of sibling arguing and fussing. First, it was the bandanna. A.J. found one in Abigail's room and wanted to wear it as a pirate "hat." Abigail, who had shown no interest in it for weeks, all of a sudden needed it and went into a loud fit. The morning consisted of several of these moments.... followed by time-outs and apologies. However, just a few minutes ago, I looked out on the screened in porch and this is what I saw:

Both kids had cuddled up together on the porch, and they were watching cartoons (yes, we have a T.V. on our porch). They were being so sweet. I just had to take a picture and thank God for moments like this.

But... don't worry... it didn't last long. Not 5 minutes later, Abigail started pitching a fit because I wouldn't let her color while sitting on the couch. She threw her crayons down on the floor. (See the picture below). So, I do thank God for the brief peace, and then... life back to normal!

And, yes... I realize my child is wearing long sleeves with shorts on a hot day! However, she asked if she could pick out her clothes, and since we weren't going anywhere, I let her. Believe it or not - she actually has on 2 shirts, which is one of her favorite things to do!

The Pirate Ship

Yesterday, we went over to play with Amelia and Heath (and their new brother Chase). They have a blow-up swimming pool decked out as a Pirate Ship. A.J. was in heaven! We had a wonderful time. I took some pictures, but of course, could not get one where they were all looking at the camera at the same time. Apparently, photography is not my calling!

Pa Singing

Grandma and Pa came to visit for my birthday. The kids were very excited for two reasons: (1) It was Grandma and Pa, and that is always fun; and (2) we went to eat at a restaurant! That is always an exciting thing to go eat somewhere without a drive-thru! At the end of the evening, Pa decided to sing the kids some good-night songs. However, watch this clip, and you will see that would have no such thing! It was really quite funny.

Worn Slap Out

Saturday, we had a very busy day. We spent the majority of the afternoon at church handing out barbecue plates as a missions fundraiser. The kids spent those hours (more than 5) playing on the playground and in the sand of the volleyball court. They were very well behaved, but VERY tired by the end of the day. After baths and eating, A.J. sat at the computer to watch a movie. However, he couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to even see the first 10 minutes! He was simply worn slap out! (Excuse the mess around him... that is the work of Princess Abigail on a daily basis).

DeSoto Caverns

Allan had to go to Birmingham to visit a church member in the hospital on Friday. So, since it was my birthday, we decided to all go together and spend half of the day at DeSoto Caverns. We had a wonderful time. There was basically nobody there except a few school trips (who we managed to avoid), so we didn't have to wait in any lines! We enjoyed the caverns (pictured above) and the attractions, as well as a well-packed picnic (thanks to my hubby)! Here are a few pictures of our day!

The first picture is the kids before we went into the caverns (which are simply gorgeous). If you live anywhere close by, you should take the time to check out these caverns. We were blown away by their beauty.

There were also a few rides in the park (all man-powered and dizzy makers). This is one we rode together. During this time, Abigail and Mommy were off of it because our stomachs did not like the circles!

We also ran in a maze. We started of as a family going through it together, but in the end, it was A.J. and Mommy who won the race. We just forgot to tell Daddy we were racing!

Kindergarten Awards Day

A.J. had his kindergarten awards day today. First, there was 45 minutes of school-wide awards. The only ones eligible to kindergartners were perfect attendance and faithful attendance (less than 2 absences and 5 tardies). Needless to say... we did not get those!!!

After the school-wide event, each kindergarten class was presented a certificate of completion. Here is a picture of A.J. and a video clip of the presentation.

His teacher, Mrs. Hall, has been wonderful this year. She is retiring after many years of teaching, and we are thankful to have had the opportunity to have A.J. in her class. Thank you Mrs. Hall!

A.J. Singing at Church

Last night, A.J. sang at church with the children's department. This song is one just a few of the children sang together. You will quickly see the reaction on A.J.'s face when he realizes I am filming him! That look is what makes me think so often that he looks like Kevin. Normally, A.J. sings much better and much louder, but I think he was very caught up in trying to do the sign language that accompanied the song, that he forgot to keep singing! I hope you enjoy the clip because it took me ALL day to get it on here!

May Happenings

It is amazing to me that now that I am not working, I seem a lot more busy! However, this is fun busy and enjoyable busy! I love it. Here are few happenings over the past week in the Pierce household:

Jelly Bean Field Day

A.J.'s school held its annual Jelly Bean Field Day last week. I was amazed at how well organized it was despite the fact the children were running around independently from activity to activity. It was quite calm. It is what I like to call organized chaos. A.J. had a great time. Here is a picture of him on the last element of the obstacle coarse.

The Turtle

We found a turtle out in the middle of our street. We brought him up to the house and let him go in the backyard. Now, when I was a little girl, I remember finding turtles (we lived near a creek), and we would paint the shell before releasing him. Our thought was if he came back, we would know it was our turtle. That, of course, never happened.

I wanted to paint this little guy's shell, but Allan said it was against nature. What do you think?

The Two Abigails

We went over to Jawan's house in Columbus for a little play fun. Here is a picture of both of our Abigail's playing together. I would write more about the fun we had, but right now, I am about to pull out my hair with inserting pictures into this blog, that I am out of uninterrupted time at the computer! Jawan... know we had fun, but I am too stressed to write about it!!!

According to Al

I guess the blogging spirit has gotten a hold of me, as well as Allan. He has now started his own blog. Now, don't expect cute pictures of the kids or crafts they have made, but do expect one powerful opinion on EVERYTHING. Put it this way... his first one is on gas prices. Be sure to tune in! www.accordingtoal.blogspot.com

Noon Tunes

Opelika (during the month of May) has "Noon Tunes" on Wednesdays at noon. It is where a music group plays on the lawn outside the courthouse (next to a gorgeous fountain), and people spread on the lawn with lunch.

A new friend of ours (we met because her older daughter is in A.J.'s class at school) invited us to come. This is a picture of Natasha and Abigail enjoying the beautiful day on the lawn.

A lot of the families enjoyed nicely packed picnics from home, but we enjoyed nicely bought Little Caesar's pizza picked up through the drive-thru!

A Question for All Wives

Here is my question for all of you with husbands like mine. Is there a reason the dirty clothes NEVER wind up in the hamper, but merely lie on the floor next to it? This morning, after Allan had taken A.J. to school, I walked in the bathroom to find a hamper with only a few items in it (which belonged to Abigail and me) and clothes all around it on the floor. On the floor were A.J.'s pajamas and the clothes Allan wore when he was in his garden this morning. Why is that?

On another note... you must know I have a WONDERFUL husband who does more around the house and with the kids than most any husband I know. That is just my one question... the hamper is SO close... why not put the clothes in it????

2 Lost Teeth

We have reached a new moment in our family history.... A.J. lost his first two teeth! He had to have them pulled (because the big teeth were already coming in), but one of them was so loose it would have been out at any moment. (Thank you Pa for taking him to the dentist).

He enjoyed putting his teeth under his pillow in his special tooth holder. The tooth fairy (who he already knows the identity of) left him a gold dollar coin for each tooth. He thought it was great to find a pirate treasure when he woke up!

(Note to other tooth fairies: if we stick together, we don't have to fall into the trap of tooth fairy inflation! A.J. thought you were supposed to get $10 for each tooth!)

P.S. Don't you love his sheets! He got them from Nana and Papa a few years ago for Christmas. They are his "sheet music." He has always loved them and likes to "sing" his sheets from time to time! A great buy!

Catching Up

Since I am new to the whole blogging world, I thought I would insert a few pictures to catch you up on us the past month. I could go back to the birth of each child, but I fear that would be incredibly boring!!! So, here are a few recent highlights:

I am a new aunt. Kevin and Lesli gave birth to Christian Shepherd-Alexander. Here is one of his first pictures through the window in the hospital! Emily Grace is a very proud big sister.

We were home recently for Rose Show. Here is A.J. and Brennan. As you can tell, A.J. loves to pretend he doesn't like having his picture taken with her, but really.... he loves her so much.

This is our new redneck swing (that is actually what it is called). We recently bought this swing for Abigail and A.J. (thank you Nana and Papa) for their swing set. It is made out of recycled tires. The kids love it and fight over it often!
So, there you are. A quick update and a few pictures. I hope I will do good at keeping this up, and I hope you enjoy peeking in on us from time to time!

My Fishbowl Story

I have been asked by a few friends (Jawan and Kevin... you will be very proud of me) to start a blog or why I haven't started a blog of my family. So, here goes. I am sure I won't always remember pictures, and I am sure I won't keep it up daily, but I am going to give it my best try (especially to keep in touch with out of town friends and family).

So you may ask... why do I call it "My Fishbowl Story," and here is the answer:

First, as a pastor's wife, I feel as though sometimes I do live in a fishbowl. People watch me. Not every single move, not every single word -- but a lot of them. I know I have to live a life worth watching. However, I feel the same is true for all Christians. We should all live a life worth others watching. It has been said that you may be the only Bible your neighbor reads. That is it. That is why we all live in a fishbowl. Someone watching you may see no other God than the God they see in you. I, along with all Christians, must live a life worthy of being watched not only by God, but by everyone.

The other aspect of this name is the "fish" itself. Often used as a symbol for a Christian, I thought it was fitting for my first attempt to be open and share the lives of my family with others through this cyber world! This could be scary!!!