I'm a Bad, Bad Blogger....I know!!

I know, it's been more than two months this time. All I can say is, I've been BUSY!!!! I'm not complaining though. I like being busy, to a point. It's better than being bored. But seriously, it's been ridiculous.

Softball season for Alison started the first of March and it didn't stop until this past weekend!! Which is an awesome thing!! During this Softball season, I also had 2 weddings, 1 prom, helped organize and deliver a ladies devotional, 3 softball tournaments, several individual photo sessions, helped my parents plant a garden, raised money for Relay for Life (thanks everyone who donated), Bobby was in Dallas for a week on business and not to mention, there were several Dr. appointments sprinkled in. SOOO, life as been slightly busy and doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon.

The first wedding was a good family friend and a "little" girl I used to babysit, boy do I feel old!! It was a beautiful ceremony that took place in a little chapel on the lake at Children's Harbor.

The Prom I did was interesting, to say the least. It was the first prom I have done and I must say, I like shooting proms!! It was so much fun. It was the area Homeschool Prom, so there was a good mix of personalities and fashion to keep it interesting. The kids were great. I was reluctant to accept the job, but so glad that I did and can't wait to do another one.

The very next day after the prom was the other wedding. Talk about wearing myself out. It went pretty smooth and again was a beautiful, simple ceremony...just like I like them :).

Now, back to Softball. This year was the best year for Faith Christian High School Softball in the history of the school.....which, if you are from around Anniston, you know really isn't saying much. BUT, this year was awesome, seeing as last year's record was like 3-15, which last year was the best in the history. Last year, even with that record, the girls beat the right team at the right time to advance to the Sub-State tournament, only to lose right away. THIS year our regular season record was 11-5. In class 1-A, area 8 we won and place 1st overall. From there we hosted the Area Tournament. And despite the ridiculous "swine flu panic" and cancellation of all high school sport events....after six games that tournament record was 5-1. The last 3 games of the tournament were played from 3:00 pm - 9:30 pm on Tuesday, May 5. The second game went into overtime and after 9 innings, we won 15-13 and had to turn around and play that same team again to determine the seat for the Regional Tournament. We also won that 3rd game.....20-10!! So, two days later we are headed to Lagoon Park in Montgomery, for the Regional Tournament!! I was so happy for the team, but so sad that I would have to miss Relay for Life, which happened to fall on the same weekend. That Friday, we played Billingsly at 10:30 am and lost 8-7. At 5:00 that same day, we played Wadley and won 13-1. The next morning, we played Sweetwater at 11:30 am and in the 6th inning we were behind 9-2, but came back and tied it in one inning, only to lose 10-9. Hard loss, but they played hard to the end. Faith's overall record for the 2009 season, including tournaments is 16-11. Not a bad improvement. Next year, the goal is State Playoffs...way to go Faith Lady Lions....you did good!! AND you got that Area Banner to hang in the gym...09 goal--achieved!!Well, that has been my life for the last couple of months. It's late and one of those Dr. appointments I mentioned earlier, comes early tomorrow morning in Birmingham....so, good night to my blog friends. Hopefully it won't take me as long to post next time.

"If we're not directly displaying the Glory of Christ, then we are useless and ignoring the reason for our existence."

Relay for Life 2009

I'M BAAACCCCKKKK!!

I know it's been a while. Things have been busy around here. We went to Winterfest in Gatlinburg, TN with our church youth group a couple of weekends ago. There were about 57 of us and we truly had a blast. Several of the 57 were sick with the crud by the time we got home. Luckily, no one in our family were seriously effected.

Softball season is upon us....so there has been practices, ordering uniforms, buying cleats, bats, batting gloves, etc., etc!! The first game is TONIGHT....WooHoo! I'm so ready to see some softball action.

THEN, tomorrow, I have a wedding! So my busyness has just begun. Actually tomorrow is the easy part. Except that it will take place about 2 hours away and that always adds to the stress. This is the wedding of a little girl I used to babysit years ago...ugh! It will be close to Alexander City, AL at a camp for terminally ill children, Children's Harbor. They have a cute little chapel right on Lake Martin. It's is supposed to be a beautiful day, so I'm sure the ceremony will be even more special. Say a little prayer for me AND for the new couple!!

This post is actually about something that is very close to my heart. Finding a cure for cancer....

This year the church my family attend is going to have a Team at the local Relay For Life. This year the event will take place May 8 & 9, 2009 at Fort McClellan. I am so excited and blessed to be able to do my part this year. Last year I attended for the first time to take pictures and observe. It totally blew me away. The Calhoun County Relay for Life is the biggest in Alabama. That makes me so proud. Last year they had close to 7,000 people attend and raised $626,500. How awesome is that??

That brings me to this.....

Dear Friends and Family,
This year, hundreds of thousands of people will hear the words "You have cancer", and there's a good chance that some of them will be people we know and love. Every school day 46 children are diagnosed with cancer. That's just the children. We have all been touched by cancer in some way ... and we all have the power to make a difference. That's why I have chosen to fight back right here in my own community by participating in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life®.
I want to invite you to join me in the fight against cancer by making a donation in support of my efforts. Further down in this message is a link to my personal Relay For Life® web page where you can make an online contribution. If you would rather not make an online contribution, you can certainly mail me a check in any amount, made out to The American Cancer Society. My mailing address is: 3111 Lori Lane, Oxford, AL 36203. Every amount, no matter how small, makes a difference and provides hope. You can also sign up to join my team and learn more about Relay and how it's changing lives. This year's event will take place at Fort McClellan, May 8-9, 2009.

Relay For Life® brings more than 3.5 million people from across the country together each year to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against a disease that takes too much. This fun-filled, overnight event empowers everyone to help fight cancer by raising money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission.
I am doing this in memory of friends (Julian-age 4; Coleman-age 5; John Eric-age 2; Dante- age 2; Ethan-age 2; Jay-age 39 and too many more to list) and family (my uncle Charles) who I have lost to this horrific disease. And in honor of family (brother-in-law, Roger) and friends (Kennedy-age 4; Haley-age 19; Lynn, and many others) who are survivors.
Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we will celebrate, remember, and fight back.
For state fundraising notices and the American Cancer Society's Privacy Policy, please paste the following link into your browser: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SU/su_0.asp.
This is the direct link to my personal donation page: You may have to copy and paste the link….. If you have any questions please e-mail me or call (256)832-9987.
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09National?px=9676814&pg=personal&fr_id=15767
Be Blessed,
Gaye H. Phillips
A Moment in Time Photography
www.amitoxford.com
http://www.ghphillips.blogspot.com/

This was an e-mail that I sent out to everyone in my e-mail address book, so most of you have probably already read it, or at least I hope you read it, but more importantly I pray that you will help this monster we call cancer.

Here are the faces of a few that I am doing Relay For Life in memory of...

Coleman Larsen~Born 12/10/03; Diagnosed 9/21/06; Earned his wings 1/5/09...

Julian Avery~Born-5/12/03; Diagnosed-3/8/07; Earned his wings~1/19/08....
John Eric~Born-6/18/06; Diagnosed-9/7/07; Earned his wings~5/16/08....
Dante` Taraborelli~ Born-9/17/06; Diagnosed-12/29/07; Earned his wings~1/6/09.....

I pray that everyone who reads this will take the time to contribute...any amount will help....NO amount is too little. I have faith that my blog family will join me in this effort and pass the word to others. Together, if we all work together, we CAN find a cure for cancer in our lifetime....or at the least the lifetime of our children....This beast must be stopped.

As Coleman said so often....."NEVA DIV UP"....in his memory...we can NEVER GIVE UP!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I just wanted to wish my blog family a Happy Valentine's day and remind you all that God's love is the perfect love, because HE IS LOVE!! He loves every one of you....it's up to you to receive it....it's free!

"Love doesn't make the world go around....It makes the ride worthwhile"

25 Random things about me, that you know you want to know!!

Ok, I, like many of you have a Facebook....why, I don't know, but I have one. This little "tag you're it"....tell us 25 things about yourself....has been going around. I have avoided it like the plague, but after about 50 people "tagged" me, I thought, why not? I finally figured out WHERE on my Facebook to do it....that would be under NOTES, for those un-knowing, like myself. So, last night I started the little 25 things about me list. I FINALLY get through and start "tagging" other "friends" and all of a sudden....POOF.....my screen is blank....WHAT????? I worked so hard on this list. I was furious, so, I calmly shut my computer down....and since it was close to midnight, I went to bed. :) Then, today after about 3 additional "tags", I said ok, I'll try it again. Trying to remember the 25 things I had already typed the night before, I began AGAIN. I get to #19, I believe it was, and right in the middle of a sentence.....POOF.....again it is ALL gone! This is beginning to be a challenge, and one that I AM up to....but forget Facebook....I'm going to my blog....where, I think it's safe. We'll see....

25 Random Facts You May or May Not Know About Me:

1) I was born and raised in Anniston, Alabama.
2) I have one brother, 4 years older than me, whom I fought with our entire growing up years, but secretly I have always adored him. :)
3) I had a bicycle wreck when I was in the 2nd grade and injured my teeth, which was the beginning of a lifetime of dental trouble.
4) An old boyfriend who was also Bobby's best friend, introduced us and oddly enough drove us home the night we met, and had to sit in the car while Bobby walked me to the door.
5) My first job was at Hardee's of Oxford, where I worked with Bobby for about 3 years....fun, fun times.
6) Bobby and I dated for 6 1/2 years before we married....and he was so worth the wait :)
7) I went to Faulkner University for 2 yrs., then transferred to Auburn University for 1 year, until I couldn't stand being away from Bobby, and moved back home to eventually get an Associates Degree in Management from Gadsden Business College.....woohoo!!
8) Bobby's mom passed away 3 months before we married....I really miss not having a mother-in-law!!
9) Bobby and I have 2 wonderful daughters, ages 20 and 16.
10) Bobby and I have been married for 22 1/2 awesome years....He is my BEST FRIEND ever and I adore him!!
11) I also have a best friend that I grew up with, who I still consider my best friend today....the sister I never had....Love ya, Lisa!!
12) In the 22 1/2 years that Bobby and I have been married, we have moved 12 times.
13) I have several people I love in heaven who I can't wait to be reunited with....I am SOOO ready!!!
14) My relationship with my Savior has grown stronger in the past 10 years.....He is my HERO!!
15) After 13+ years of being mis-diagnosed, we have a daughter who was finally diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome this past year....at least we finally KNOW!!
16) I have had Epstein Barr Syndrome for about 20 years....95% or adults have it.
17) I also have Osteo-Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, but they're not going to win!!
18) I love my job and I'm blessed to be able to work for myself from home.
19) I love to see God's beauty through the lens of a camera...He is so awesome.
20) I was once in the hospital for 7 days because of a freak infection from an abscess tooth which had to be surgically removed. But I have THE best dentist EVER, David Cummings. He's also an awesome photographer and mentor.
21) I have to wear a "night guard" religiously EVERY night to keep from breaking anymore teeth and I don't mind wearing it!!
22) I LOVE to cut the grass (riding, of course)...it's my alone time to pray, think, organize my thoughts, goals and plans and even vent if I need to.
23) I am a big fan of Nicholas Sparks and have read ALL of his books and even met him a few months back...He is so down to earth....I knew I liked him for a reason.
24) I have read THE SHACK 3 times and formed the strongest bond with 7 other sisters in Christ anyone could imagine through our "Shack Study".....I LOVE YOU WINGS SISTERS!!
25) I am an avid Auburn fan, my husband is an Alabama fan (his ONLY fault, by the way), my youngest daughter is an Alabama fan (she hasn't matured yet) and my oldest daughter is for whoever has the cutest quarterback. WAR EAGLE!!

Ok, done, and no POOF, so far. I tag anyone who is reading this who haven't already participated. If I can suffer through, so can you ;)

I'll leave you with this until next time.....

"Sometimes we need to forget what we want and remember what we deserve"

Our Good Bye is NOT the End....

Coleman's celebration of life was Saturday, in Callender, Iowa. I'm just going to let Peggy, Coleman's mommy tell you about it. Be sure to click on the link to see the video. The link is in green, (John Deere Green) Coleman's favorite color. Coleman will live in my heart forever. I can't wait to meet him at the gate. There are too many I'm wanting to meet at the gate. I'm homesick....Gaye

One Day At a Time...
"Coleman often asked, “when is it dunna be my enda- teemo party mommy?” My answer was always “as soon as you’re finished, we’re going to have THE BIGGEST party sweetie.” He and Caden planned it many times-

Yesterday’s celebration of Coleman’s life was everything I KNOW he would have wanted his party to be.It was the most beautiful day of sunshine on a fresh snow. Pastor Kent did an amazing job that Coleman would have definitely approved of 100%. It included all of Coleman’s favorites, and such a wonderful message. Thank you Pastor! Yes, there were tears, but they weren’t for Coleman- they were for the rest of us left here missing all he brought to this world and all he would have brought to the party if he had been there in person.

I believe with all my heart that he WAS there, and I know he was smiling. He would want us to smile too. I didn’t want to focus on all we’ve lost- we know that, but instead we wanted to focus on all we’ve been given in the miracle that was Coleman.

Maybe it’s because Scott and I never knew if we would be able to have ONE baby, and how blessed we always knew we were to have TWO. We absolutely knew the amazing gift Coleman was from his first day here, and so we cherished the 1,851 days with him…each and every one of them. We have so many wonderful memories. Boy did we have it all. To say he changed our lives (and so many others) is an understatement.

Many times during this journey, I prayed so hard, “God….. PLEASE SAVE HIM!” I heard a whisper in my ear, “But he’s already saved, and so are the rest of you.” I thought about that so much yesterday. I also thought about the time Coleman was in karate class in New York and the teacher was working on meditating. She asked them to close their eyes as they were doing their breathing exercises…and to imagine the most beautiful thing they could think of. Coleman closed his eyes and whispered with this little smile on his face, “Dod.” Scott and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes and smiled. That memory came to me several times yesterday.

As much as we are in pain, we know we will be together again. Our Good Bye is NOT the end…which was the video played at Coleman’s service…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnDx26D_JuA

I have much to share on the celebration, and I will…its just way too much to type out now, but I’ll get it down eventually- be patient with me…To say we were overwhelmed BEFORE- well after yesterday, we are just plain in shock…. So many wonderful, amazing people! How blessed we are to live in this community! How blessed we are to know how many lives Coleman touched! Thank you to all of you who shared Coleman’s life with us!!!

Many have asked about Caden….Caden is handling things just as well as he can. Someone mentioned he has lost his best friend. I think in many ways Coleman was his ONLY friend, as we didn’t hang around kids regularly for fear of germs and keeping Cman safe with his counts.Caden was Coleman’s caregiver in so many ways and did absolutely everything Coleman asked of him. They were side by side 24/7. He kept Coleman feisty and loved on him every chance he got. They were a team. Toward the end he felt it was his job to “help Coe-man fight harder.” We’re doing a lot of talking about the last night we were all together, and what has happened since, and what’s to come, but just a little at a time. I tried reading him books about it and he held up his hand and said, “SOP! This is too sad and too much for me. I can’t hannel it! We’re gonna make a new rule. When I say SOP you hafta sop talkin, and when I say GO you can sart again.”I said, “okay Caden…” He said, “I DINNIT SAY GO YET!”So I just hug him and hold him as much as he’ll let me. He’ll talk when HE’s ready.

Yes, he’s lost his other half, but he’s doing as well as can be expected.Has he cried? Yes. has he laughed? Yes. Has he asked a lot of questions? Some. More to come I’m sure.

He’s been even bouncier than usual, but it’s just because he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He never was the “talker” of the two- how could he be with Coleman doing all of the talking? :) But he’s opened up a little at a time. He doesn’t like to see people sad…and asked us at the visitation if we could “just a-vite alla these people out to our house so we can have a party wifout anybody cryin?”As we went to bed that night I said, “let's say our prayers.”He said, “I only have ONE prayer” and whispered, “I love you Coe-man. Amen.” He slept in the middle while Scott and I hugged and hugged him. I know he’s hurting so much, but we're being patient with him as he talks about it a little at a time.

When we pulled in our driveway from the celebration yesterday he said, “I miss him already.” I said, “I know, me too buddy.” He said, “but God sill loves us, ann we’re sill TEAM LARSON.” Scott and I both assured him that was so true. We’ll always be a team.

He sat there and said, “well… ONE good thing…… I guess I get his piggy bank!”We couldn’t help but crack up laughing. That’s Caden- looking on the bright side- and wanting us to do the same. I told him Coleman would want him to have it, and maybe he could think of something nice to do for someone else with the money in it.

Some have asked when he’s going to go to school. I told him when HE was ready he could go. His teacher stopped over and wanted to know if he wanted to come to school with her last week. He got nervous and bouncy and said, “I’ll call ya when I wanna.” She asked if he wanted her number, and he said, “……no.”

Cracked me up. Sorry Kim! We just aren’t going to rush him with anything and are going to let him take his own sweet time. I know he'll wake up one morning and be ready. We know it will be good for him and he will love it…but there will be no pushing from us. There’s no hurry.

Will he make it through this? Yes, just like the rest of us… one day at a time, with our faith and the love of our family members who are hurting too. We'll get through it together.

Like I said, there’s so much I want to get down, but I need to take my time here too-One request I do have is for prayers for our church family. Our church – Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church- in Callender was broken into last night! All that I know so far is a flat screen tv with some video equipment was taken. I’m sure other things as well…they were still investigating during church this morning.As our pastor said, we need to pray for whoever did this. It saddens me so much on top of everything else.

As we left the church yesterday, Pastor Kent chased us down with my laptop that I had at the church the past couple of days with the video for Coleman’s service on it. I’m so thankful it wasn’t left last night, as it was the only copy of the video I had…I hadn’t loaded it to UTube yet, or made a copy, so if there’s a bright side for us, it’s that….. still we’re saddened for the other things that were taken. In my heart, I know those things can be replaced and with the community we live in, we’ll see to it they are. Still prayers for our church family would be appreciated.

Also prayers for the way too many little warriors continuing in this fight. Scott told one of the other families yesterday, “we’re still a cancer family”. How could we not be? We’ll do everything we can to continue to raise awareness and funding for Childhood Cancer Research. I have a lot planned for the future…so you’ll be hearing from me again and again-

As the 1,851 balloons said yesterday, “Nev-va div up.” For the so many people who were involved in working so hard on those balloons- our deepest thanks! It was beautiful, amazing, just too much for words and it meant so much to us! THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who has sent messages, cards, etc. Please don’t worry that you’ll say something wrong to us! Believe me, I KNOW I’ve said some stupid things the past couple of days- and will probably continue to do so!We don’t know what to say either… so we would never hold anyone’s wording against them.Just knowing so many people were touched by Coleman means so much to us. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know you care. THANK YOU!

We love and miss you Coleman.You did a great job sweetie. More to come. "

Blessings to you all,

Team Larson

P.S. (this is Gaye's thoughts)....God is so good to bring people like Team Larson into our lives...Coleman accomplished so much on this earth in his short 1,851 days here. We can learn so much from him and his family. God bless you Team Larson.

"OUR GOOD BYE IS NOT THE END"

The post I didn't want to make...

I am broken hearted....again! January 5, 2009 at 10:45 pm my little hero, Coleman won his fight. He is home, he is in no more pain, he is free!!! As you know, I never met this little fighter in person, but oh how I learned so much from him through his CarePage. If you haven't visited his page, you have missed out on a blessing. You can visit by clicking on his picture to the left. He spent half of his short 5 years on this earth battling the monster we call cancer. Yet he had more faith than anyone I know.

The past month or so has been so hard on so many I love. I've really had to be careful to not question God. My prayer life has steadily gotten stronger in the past couple of years than it has ever been, but my prayers aren't being answered the way I think they should be. Don't get me wrong, I know our petitions to God aren't going to be answered the way we want every time. Coleman taught me so much. He knew where he came from, he was poked, scanned, endured chemo & radiation, took too many meds to count, was told he didn't have cancer anymore, went through a bone marrow transplant, told he had cancer again, endured chemo again, poked even more, scanned again and again, lost his ability to walk or talk or swallow, yet his faith in God never waivered, because he knew where he was going. His lessons will linger on forever in the lives of those who knew him (personally and through CarePages). I am learning (more and more after each heartbreak) that God isn't always going to answer my prayers the way I want Him to. His ways are not my ways, as much as I wish they were. He sees the whole picture, where as I just see bits and pieces. It's so hard, and no, I probably won't stop questioning God....because I'm human, but one day, Lord willing, I will understand. AND because I am human, I am angry, not at God, but because somehow we can send a man to the moon, we can build a house that runs completely on solar power, we can etc., etc., but we still don't have a cure for this absolutely horrible disease that is killing our children (and adults). 46 precious children are diagnosed with cancer every school day. That is unbelievable, but true.

The Larson family, along with several CarePage families have researched childhood cancer research sights and have found that with most, only a very small percentage (2-10%) donated actually goes to Childhood Cancer Research. Only through Curesearch.org does almost all (90%+) goes to CCR. That is where my donations will go from now on.

Coleman's mother, Peggy is amazing also. She said that through this journey, she has learned to pray for God's will to be done in her child's life. She believes that God's will was done through Coleman. The more lessons I learned through this hero of mine, I believe it too.

Caden, Coleman's twin brother is dealing with this the best way he can. Mom & Dad are showering him with love. Keep him in your prayers. I can't imagine what must be going through his mind.

I want to thank everyone who prayed for Coleman's healing. He really did win the battle...he is free. Please continue to keep Team Larson in your prayers.

"While we mourn, others rejoice to meet him at the gate"

Rest in Peace Coleman.....12/10/03~1/5/09

Continuing to catch up...

Ok, moving on...Another rather exciting event on Tuesday, December 23, was the arrival of our great-niece, AraBelle Nicole Ishee. After several fretful trips to the hospital over the past 9 months or so and a long 23 hours of labor for her mother, Casey, AraBelle decided to make her appearance at 11:40 pm. She is perfect, of course and came out weighing 7lbs. 9oz. and was 21.5 in. long. Welcome to the world AraBelle....

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On Wed., Dec. 24 we celebrated Christmas with Bobby's family at our house. Not everyone was able to make it, but we managed to have a good time anyway. Casey and AraBelle were unable to be here for obvious reasons, just as Alison and I couldn't 16 short years ago. There was food galore. There was a zoo of dogs, including our 2, Lexi & Lola, then there was Shooter (chocolate Lab) who belongs to Bethany & Marc and Lilly (weimeraner, I know that's not spelled right, but she's a BIG dog) who belongs to Chris and of course the lone cat, Zeke. So it was a day of fun for family and pets. Here are a few pictures from the get-together.... Noah & Alison......

(sweet??) Garrett & Alison....

Marc & Bethany.... Brady, Lucas & Piper.....
Marc, Roger (Bob's Brother), Vicki (Bob's Sister), Garrett, Micah & Katie....
Garrett & Eric....
Bobby & Abbey.....
Family is a great thing....especially when they can be together on Christmas Eve.......

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Once everyone left and Bobby went to work....yes, he was on shift and had to work Christmas Eve until Christmas morning :(, So the girls and I went to see AraBelle and Casey for a while. She was still perfect, see........

Once we (actually I) had my fix for the night, we returned home for a warm winter's nap until Santa came and Bobby returned from work....

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Christmas morning I got up to start breakfast before everyone got up (yes, I know, very out of character for me, but hey, it's Christmas:)) I knew once the smell permeated the house, Bobby would show up to finish the task, which he did....Am I blessed or what??? Anyway, once the girls got up and we ate, we all commenced to opening gifts..... Alison seems happy, and that is a good thing... Abbey is happy too....good thing again....
Santa even thought the dogs were good and brought them something....
What? Zeke too....hummm

A few things my sweet husband gave me this Christmas....some of my favorites....Reba (seasons 1-4), Mamma Mia!!, Army Wives (season 1) and The Note...by the way is probably my new favorite movie. Thanks sweetie!! I love you!!

The big gift was this beauty, my new wireless Photoshop Keyboard and mouse. I guess that means I have to learn myself and quit giving everything to my better half. I think I'm up for the challenge.....

THEN, the best sister-in-law on earth, Vicki (Bobby's sister) gave me my now favorite coffee mug. It says "love the moment", and that's exactly what I try to do....life is so short!! And yes, I like a little coffee with my creamer. She always says I'm hard to buy for, but she always comes through with THE BEST gifts!!:) She also made a donation to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, in my name. How cool is that?? She knows how passionate I am for all those precious kids fighting for their lives. I am truly blessed with the best family. Thanks Vicki!!

Yes, Lexi, that's all....

Well, after all of the gift opening, cleaning up, and getting dressed, we kept our Christmas tradition alive and went to the movies. It was very obvious that there are many families in Calhoun County who have this tradition, as the movie theatre was packed. This year we say "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". A very good, very deep and very long movie, one I highly recommend!!

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Moving on to Friday, Dec. 26.....we had to have our AraBelle fix, especially since she is home now. We went to see the best Christmas gift this season, oh, and her mommy, daddy and big brothers. Still perfect and of course another photo shoot....

Big Brother Noah and Princess AraBelle... Well that is how the Christmas season went around the Phillips' house. I pray that everyone was as blessed as we were. I wish you all a happy, safe and blessed New Year.

"May we all count our blessings daily this New Year"