Atwood Family

Lately....in 2012

2012-02-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

We haven't done anything to exciting, which has been kinda nice. I realize that I have been slacking on the blog, so this post is just going to be some random shots that I have taken in the last few weeks!

One Saturday the Norris', the Johnston's and the Schoggin's came over for dinner and visiting. Aubrey Claire is a life saver when it comes to the little ones! I sure love her and that Jake and Lilly, too, of course!

Jake and Lilly have been spending lots of time together! They are so cute together. This time they were running from the "monster". Now they are hiding from that bad "monster"!

On this day they had been playing really hard and then decided they were tired and wanted to watch TV.....I found them in my bed....Jake loving my phone and Lilly loving Dora on TV!

Best Buddies....they have so much fun and love each other so much! Do you see a recurring theme here....Lilly is ALWAYS in a "tutu" dress as she likes to call it! I promise she has other clothes, but has soon as she gets home from school she wants to put one on! And, please note that it is a FIGHT to get it off....EVERY NIGHT!

In the past few weeks, we also have suffered from another double ear infection!
She is such a big girl and takes her medicine so well!

A HAPPY girl before school!

Lilly wakes up every morning and watches "her shows" before getting ready for school. Dori usually is right beside her! That cat is the best cat in the world!

Although, the past few weeks have been low key, the next few are going to be VERY BUSY and FULL OF FUN! We are heading to Disney World on Saturday and will be gone a week. I think that Brian and I are more excited that Lilly. She really has no idea what she is about to experience! I can't wait to see her little face! She is going to be so excited! When we return the "princess" has a birthday! She is turning 3....I can't believe it!

How blessed we are....

All our Love,

Sara Whit

2012...so far!

2012-01-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

Lilly Whit wants to say "HAPPY NEW YEAR"!

She is such a mess and is SO EXCITED about being a big sister, very soon!

Aunt My took her to get her nails done during the holidays! She loved that!
She loved the pink butterfly chair and Myra said she did great!

She likes to help us cook and wash dishes, these days! She is all the time pulling up a chair and wanting to help us! PLEASE notice the outfit! Everyday when she comes home she wants to put this on...her "Hello Kitty, just one", headband and tennis shoes that were Maggie's and are about 4 sizes too big!! She also has a her "tutu" dress that she wears ALL the time, too!

Pop Pop and Grandma Shirley came to spend the day with us on Saturday! She does love them!! Notice she has Dori, the cat, in a head lock!

Aunt LaLa picked her up on Sunday and they went to see the movie Beauty and the Beast. She took her Belle princess with her! She loved it and is still talking about, 3 days later! Not sure why my computer did not rotate, but this is when they pulled up to the movie!! She woke up quick! :)

Aunt LaLa said she had to take a picture with the chipmunk, too! I don't blame her...he is cute!

Aunt LaLa and Lilly in their 3d glasses getting ready for the movie to start!

And lastly, Lilly is featured in Southern Bride magazine! We were so excited to find out that Lilly made the feature they did on Rebekah and Walker's wedding. She loves showing everybody. She says, "That's Rebekah, and she is married and I am the FLOWER GIRL!" It's so cute! It's been to show people! It's a great write up on the great wedding and one lovely couple!

We are back into the swing of things with school and work. Baby Walt's nursery is coming along, so hopefully, I can post pictures soon. He is scheduled to be here on April 11 if nothing happens before then! We are getting ready and can't believe there will be another baby in the house, SOON!! YIKES!! We are all excited!

All our Love,

Sara Whit

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the ABOVE picture pretty much explains the first half of Christmas Eve night. Talk about a BEAR of a little girl. She would not cooperate to do ANYTHING....not even sit in LaLa's lap. This picture is too funny, so I had to post it. We did enjoy our church service and thankfully she was good in that! We also made it to Cousin Penn's party for a total of 45 minutes. She was good there, just hard to keep up with. Brian and I were not having all that great of a time, so we cut out early. Santa was on his way and all!

We let her open up the present under the tree from me and Brian. It was a beautiful pink night gown that she saw at Special Daze and she really liked it then, but I should have known it was not going to be what she wanted to sleep in....so picky these days.

The whole time she was opening it up, she kept saying, "I bet it's baby in there!" She didn't seem too terribly disappointed! We talked her into wearing her new night gown with the bribe of Santa wanted her to wear it! It worked!

Santa came....and he brought way too many things! Lilly is trying out all her new hair accessories that Santa brought. She can fix hair really good, now!! And as you can see from this picture she has already taken off her beautiful pink nightgown that we gave her and has changed into the one princess one that Santa left....we change clothes A LOT these days!

Lilly trying out her new MSU pom-poms that Santa brought her. They are just like Anna Lauren's she said!

Santa brought her that PINK pillow pet that she has been asking for and she and Dori are trying it out!

After we got up, played with Santa stuff, we got dressed and the whole family met at Lifepoint Church in Tunica to worship together. That is where Tom and Laura go, and they have helped start it. It was a great service and I was so blessed to be a part of their Christmas day service! We went to Mamie and Boo's house, where more Christmas was to be had! Lilly LOVED all the presents and the fact that EVERYBODY had them...

So excited about Christmas....my sweet girl....ALSO...I will say that a Christmas miracle occurred...Lilly woke up on Christmas Eve and decided that she was potty trained!! She has not had on a diaper since....PRAISE the LORD!! I am so happy!

Uncle Tom modeling his SNOW CAMO....goodness!

Lilly's Train tent and tunnel that Aunt My gave her....she loves it!

Lilly changed clothes AGAIN.... now in her dancing outfit that her Grammy gave her. She loves it because she can twirl in it. Mamie and Boo gave her a double stroller for her babies and she is pushing them all over the house....another favorite gift!

Lilly is helping Mamie open her present from all her children. She has just started learning to play the game Mahjong and we got her a vintage game board!

Aunt My and Boo both got new tennis shoes....and although Myra's are very BRIGHT we are really excited about Boo's new kicks....his old ones were terrible and a little embarrassing for us all when he wore them that ONE time of year at the beach!

So, Uncle Tom and Aunt LaLa could not wrap Lilly's gift so they made her hide her eyes...I just love this picture of her doing this. And, I am not sure why, but I didn't get a picture of the gift, but it is a sweet baby bed with a canopy and mobile and baskets for storage! She LOVES it! Uncle Tom and Aunt LaLa are the best!After all the opening and lunch, Lilly and Aunt LaLa chilled a read a few books that Lilly got for Christmas!

And the day after Christmas...Lilly made herself a "house" she said, with her new big stuffed dog, her pink pillow pet, other couch pillows and of course DORI!

Life is more than GOOD and we are blessed beyond measure.....most importantly we are so thankful for the GREATEST GIFT.....JESUS!! He is just indescribable!

Deer Slayer, Schoggin Family, Christmas Cookies and Presents from Maryland!

2011-12-24T10:27:00.000-08:00

Brian is SUPER PROUD of his deer that he killed....maybe now he will not want to hunt AS much....yeah right! :)) The Schoggin Family came over one night this week and Lilly and Anderson exchanged their presents to each other! As usual Lilly loved ordering that little boy around!!

Lilly helping Anderson open his vacuum cleaner that we gave him!
Anderson...so excited!

Lilly helping Daddy with the present!

2 little monkeys snuggled up with MoMo....both in their jammies and ready to crash!

Aunt My came over one night and we made cookies. Thank goodness I waited on her for this project because it took the two of us to make it work and with the 2 year old offering up her help, you can only imagine!

Lilly making her favorite cookie....the Christmas tree!

Lilly Whit doing her part of the decorating....the sprinkles!

Christmas Cookies 2011

Christmas Eve morning we let Lilly open her presents from the gang in Maryland. We have gotten Skype so it was fun to let Grammy and all the aunts and uncles watch her open her presents. It was great fun and it made us feel like we were there together. YAY for technology!!

movies from Grammy.....

Modeling her new ballerina outfit from Grammy....she has had it on all day and there is no sign of taking it off anytime soon!

We wish you and yours a blessed Christmas day!

Love to all,

Sara Whitten, Brian and Lilly

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2011-12-17T07:59:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Jesus' birthday on Wednesday with our Sunday School Class. We wanted a time to get together to fellowship, so we just made it a birthday party for Jesus. Another way to show our children the true meaning of Christmas. We all had a great time. The children drew names, so they each had a present to open!

Avery, is the oldest child out of our group, so she read the younger children a story, "God Gave Us Christmas". It's a sweet story that tells how God gave us, Santa, why we get presents and then the best present of all is Jesus! I love how Hayden is so in tuned to the story....so sweet!
Our Sunday School teachers are Craig and Calvert Shideler. They have been such a God-sent to our class. We are so thankful for them. Lilly loves Mrs. Calvert, and wanted to sit with her during the story!

We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, and the children LOVED it!

Lilly opening up her present! Her friend, Piper, drew her name.

Sweet Will Prince, getting into all this wrapping paper!

Aubrey Claire, Tracy and Olivia Kate showing off their presents!

Even our Elf knows the TRUE meaning of Christmas! Look at where we found him this morning!! Lilly LOVED it. I think this has been her favorite place yet! She has just been going by and talking to him....I have a great video of her and the conversation with the elf!

May you continue to feel His presence this Holiday Season!

All our love,

Sara Whit

2k Preschool Christmas Party

2011-12-14T14:49:00.001-08:00

Lilly had her Christmas Party at preschool yesterday. Santa was there and she was much more excited about him this time around. She kept asking me all day the day before, if he could ride with us to school. I would say, "Well, Lilly, he is really busy and he is coming from the North Pole!" She would sit there for a minute and think about it and then say, "we can pick him up, and take him to school!" She loved him and kept going back to talk to him and give him a hug! It was so sweet!

I love this picture of Lilly in Santa's lap, Anna Lauren giving him a hug and Ann Parker supervising! Such sweet girls and friends!
Lilly and Anna Lauren....AL making the "kissy" face and Lilly saying "cheese"

So this is how we sometimes give "love".... a little rough, but they can take it!

Don't they look like teenagers!!?? Anna Lauren, Caroline Tomlinson (Lilly calls her by her ENTIRE name) and Lilly!

This picture makes me laugh, because Lilly was talking to Caroline, saying "you going to say cheese and take a picture with my mama?" She was saying it in this high pitched voice like Caroline is a baby!

Lilly giving Ann Parker a great big HUG!!

All of her friends gathered around Santa. He was very quick to remind them that it was Jesus' birthday! So Sweet!

Haley and Sam came to the party, which made it even more fun!

Here's to more Christmas Fun....

Love to all,

Sara Whit

A weekend of Baby Jesus and Santa

2011-12-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

WHEW...what a weekend! It was full of much Christmas cheer! Sunday was FULL....we were at church by 8am because both me and Brian had parts in the Christmas program at both services Sunday morning. Sunday night, Lilly was an angel in the children's program, "Back to the Manger". Here she is with her friend Piper.

The program Sunday morning was very moving. The title was "Mary Did you Know?". The choir sang very familiar songs and then several people posed as a father, a doctor, a mother, a child, a business man.....while others represented the Biblical characters that were part of the Christmas story. Each person of today's time had different questions that they had for the different characters of the Bible who were present at the birth of Jesus!

Brian played the inn keeper...he just had to stand there! But it was powerful!
Sunday night the children had there play, "Back to the Manger". I helped put it on this year and they all did such a great job. Lilly's little age group, had a very small part in the play....and it was very sweet! They made up the nativity scene.

It looks like she did great, but in actuality.....she got to the church with her Daddy and I could not even see her, because I knew that she would just cling to me and "want me" all night. So, I got my friend, Paige, to fix her hair and I stayed out of sight. When it was her turn to take the stage, I quickly got out of sight. Thank goodness for the video camera. Brian recorded it all, so I watched it when we got home! I pray that this is a phase and it ends quickly!

Saturday morning we had breakfast with Santa at Magnolia Heights. All the way there, she told me how she was NOT going to sit in his lap. I told her that was fine, she didn't have too. Then we were walking inside the school and she said, "Mama, I gonna LAY in Santa's lap and take a nap!" So, when it was her turn she climbed right up in his lap and laid her head down. It was so sweet!

Her friend, Anna Lauren, was there and had to sit with Lilly in Santa's lap, too!

Sweet friends, who have tried really hard to be good for Santa this year. They have had their moments, but for the most part, pure sweetness is what they are!! And have I mentioned that they love each other?

Giving Santa "love" before she left. Can I just say this is much better than last year at this time! We have certainly grown up a little!

Thanks for sharing our life with us!

Sara Whit

Tis the Season.....

2011-12-12T08:54:00.001-08:00

.....to be very busy!

I am about to play catch up this week, so get ready to get updated on the Atwood family. Since Thanksgiving, we have been busy getting into the Christmas spirit. Our holiday started out with Lilly and her Daddy having a date to Cedar Hill Farm to cut down a Christmas tree. Brian is determined that we are going to have a real tree every year. I am okay with that since he wants to make a big deal out of it....but the second he starts bringing one home from Lowes, it's artificial we go. The neat freak that I am can't stand the mess....I am willing to put up with the mess if it creates memories!

So, I had the opportunity to go with two dear friends shopping for the day, and Lilly and her daddy had a date. She had a blast.....the animals at the farm were super friendly that day and they even got a pretty good looking tree. I sent Brian with the camera and he captured this one picture of the back of her head.....oh well!

This weekend we were SUPER busy.....so I am going to have to divide it up into 2 posts. Bass Pro Shop in Memphis is rumored to have a GREAT Santa there, and it also happens to be Brian's favorite store of all time. HOW CONVENIENT....so he loved the idea of going there on Saturday to visit Santa and look around for himself, too! Lilly made friends with the dog, Maggie, who was in line with us waiting to sit with Santa, too. Maggie was in a reindeer suit and Lilly loved it. She did great in Santa's lap, but I was not allowed to use my own personal camera because Santa was COPYRIGHTED....really? Just in case you didn't know...now you do! That's okay, we found Santa somewhere else, so pictures of the jolly ole fellow and Lilly to come soon!
Lilly shooting the "ducks" at the Bass Pro Shop

She found what Daddy wants for Christmas!

A big 4 wheeler!

We left the Bass Pro Shop and headed on over the Pink Palace Museum. It was our first time there and it was a really great experience! We caught a 45 minute Christmas movie at the imax theater and then toured the Enchanted Forest.

The toy makers at the Enchanted Forest

Loving the Enchanted Forest!

This was her favorite.....the gingerbread village with the CHOO CHOO TRAIN! She loved it!

And I had to put this picture in this post....these two girls are a MESS. Anna Lauren, Lilly's best friend came over at preschool one afternoon. They had a blast together! As you can see Lilly is dressed as a princess. That is the first thing she does everyday when she gets home......heads to her dress up box and puts on her princess "get-up".

Stay tuned for more Christmas .....

We are wishing you a wonderful Christmas Season to you and your family!

Love to All,

Sara Whit

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

We wish you all a very

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I pray everyone had a wonderful day!

We love you ALL!

The Atwood Family

Weekend of Birthday Parties and Baby NEWS!

2011-11-21T15:09:00.001-08:00

We had a weekend full of birthday parties! We started Saturday off with Emma Kate Lucka's party. She turned ONE....and they are always so much fun. It was a cute owl theme and everything was SO VERY CUTE!! The children had a great time! Look at that table, I tell ya....PRECIOUS!!

Lilly had a great time eating her owl rice krispie treat....all of these special treats were hand made by the grandmother....AMAZING!
Lilly got to play with her friend Annabelle at Emma Kate's party....they are the big kids of our group and love getting together!

The Birthday Girl.....Emma Kate! She loved her birthday cake!

Lilly Whit giving the Birthday Girl some love!

Lilly and Aubrey Claire taking pics with the frame, funny glasses and boa!!

We were lazy on Saturday afternoon. Lilly and Dori had fun being lazy together. This is how I found Dori one time.....

And then, a little while later, I saw THIS....too sweet!

Our friend Leland Kairit turned 2 on Saturday, so we had his Elmo birthday party that afternoon! That little guy LOVES him some ELMO. If any of you are familiar with Elmo, you know that he has a pet fish that he loves! So, guess what? You guessed it....we have ANOTHER mouth to feed....LILLY LOVES her new PET GOLDFISH! Thanks, Elizabeth! You get mother of the year for having such AWESOME party favors!!! HAHA!!

And in OTHER BABY NEWS....we went for our ultrasound today! What a blessing it was to watch the newest addition of the Atwood family having so much fun in his mama's tummy! HE...that's right....it's a HE, is a wiggle worm! A little BOY! Lilly will have a little brother. I can tell her all about that....I have one of those myself!! :))

My cup runneth over!

All our love,

Sara Whit

MSU vs. Alabama

2011-11-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

It was a great day in Starkville on Saturday. My whole family was there and we had been looking forward to this weekend for months. My mom, sister, brother and sister in law all came to Starkville this weekend. They had to see what all the hype was about...me, Brian, Lilly and my daddy have been coming all year. It was a great day to have them all at the tent AND it was Aunt My's birthday.

Our friends Ed and Ashley brought a corn hole toss game and the guys and kids had a great time playing that. Ward brought some balls and Lilly helped herself to playing with them!

Emily, came with Myra to the game and she is like family to us. They have been friends since their freshman year in college. Her nephew was there, so Lilly was just in heaven...she loved "loving" on that little guy. Right after this picture was taken, she said, "det up, you hurtin me". :) Amy, Hunter's mom, was standing next to me when she said it. I am so thankful for laid back first time mother's....she was a great sport and we enjoyed spending time with them!

Here Lilly is again, trying to make sweet Hunter laugh. It worked a few times. Myra and Emily liked having their niece and nephew at the tent!

Aunt My, Aunt LaLa and Lilly at the tent before game time. SOMEONE was fading and fading fast!

Lilly and Daddy on the way in to Davis Wade Stadium!

Mom, Aunt My and Lilly bundled up in the stadium. Lilly eventually fell asleep midway through the 2nd quarter and woke up about the 4th...so we actually stayed until the game was over this time....first time for everything!
Once again, David and Norma Jackson extended their home to us for the weekend. They were not ever there and allowed the four of us to stay the night. What blessings they have always been to me and Tom and now Laura and Brian get to benefit from their love! Tom and Lilly had a great time playing Sunday morning! She cried when she realized that they were in different vehicles and would not be riding home with us!

It was another GREAT weekend in Starkville. How blessed I have been to be able to make all the home games this season! GO DAWGS!

Bully's Party Homecoming 2011

2011-11-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

This week at Bully's party we had another great time! Brian was in the woods, so Lilly and I loaded up the car and we took Taylor with us. He is our friend and neighbor and just like any 9 year old boy.....CRAZY about some SEC football....well, any type of football. Lilly loved having Taylor with us and since he is Jake's big brother she is not used to having him all to her self...she liked it and even started calling him "bubba" like Jake does by then end of our time together!

Cheering for the Dawgs in Boo's lap!

We were walking to fanfare and we turn the corner to find, Mrs. Linda, Lilly's 2k preschool teacher! She was so excited!!

We went to the Campus Book Mart and there were lots of Bulldogs in there....Lilly and Taylor posed on one!

Jake came over Friday night to play and they had a picnic with goldfish!

And I am just going to throw in a couple of pictures of some cute ones that I got of Lilly...this one is of her rocking ONE of her MANY baby dolls.....sweetness!

LOOK....at this CRAZY girl....she said, "Mama, Mama, I got crazy hair!"

I am thankful for you, my dear family and friends, this Holiday season!

My HEART for Amendment 26

2011-11-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I was given the opportunity to take a new job that allows me to work from home and travel to various school districts to use my education degree and my passion for educating children in a different way. When God answered this prayer for me, it was my goal to use time that was given back to my life to be a better Christ follower, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. When I was in the classroom, I never had time to do the things that could make me a better person, especially a Christian! So, the one thing that I have taken the time to
do in the recent months is research this Amendment 26. I have read and listened to both sides and have seen points for both sides, but in my mind I decided it had to be a heart/moral issue for me. And if you know me at all, you also know that I can’t keep my opinions to myself, so I am going to share my thoughts. I don’t write this post to cause controversy or to make enemies, but for you to hear my heart. I hope that is what you hear when you read this, and if you haven’t made a decision to vote yes, maybe this will help you. I am in no means here to judge you, that is not my job….thank goodness. I just know what I have struggled with and the kinds of
thoughts that I have had over the past couple of months.

I feel strongly about the following verse….why? Because it is God’s word, and when all other words have crumbled around me or turned out to be false or have failed me, one thing that does not fail me is God’s word. I have learned the hard way….after listening to the world and the world failing me, the one thing that has not….is GOD’S WORD!

Proverbs 31:8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the
rights of all who are destitute."

I should say, at this point, if you are reading this and are pro-choice, then we have a fundamental difference in beliefs. You will probably not agree with anything I say. I write this more for the "pro-life" proponents who are against this vote. To make it clear, the actual wording of what we are voting on is as
follows:
"Initiative 26 would
amend the Mississippi Constitution to define the word 'person' or 'persons', as
those terms are used in Article III of the state constitution, to include every human
being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof."

That's it. This particular vote is as simple as a matter of what you believe. When does life begin? Does it begin at the moment of conception? As a follower of Jesus Christ and a believer in the inerrant Word of God, I need to look no further than scripture itself to determine my vote.

Psalm 139:13 "For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb."
Psalm 139:15-16 "My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began."
Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I
set you apart; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Isaiah 44:2 "This is what the Lord says-He who made you, who formed you in the
womb, and who will help you..."
Isaiah 44:24 "This is what the LORD says-your Redeemer, who formed you in the
womb..."

It absolutely breaks my heart to hear friends, "pro-life" voters, and fellow followers of Christ believe the lies surrounding this issue. First of all, the vote is on how this amendment is worded. It is to protect the precious lives of unborn children, and that is it. This is not a vote to ban birth
control or IVF. It is a vote to ban abortion....the murder of the voiceless and innocent. I am not naive to the possible repercussions to this amendment. I realize that some forms of birth control may eventually be affected. Do I believe that at any point Mississippi will actually do away with
all birth control? No. I think that is HIGHLY unlikely. This bill could change the methodology by which IVF is done. It might mean that fewer embryos are harvested, resulting in fewer and fewer unused embryos. Again, it is highly unlikely that IVF will ever be banned.

I have heard several arguments claiming this vote will criminalize mothers who miscarry. This is so very ridiculous that it does not deserve the dignity of a response.

Another area of concern for several voters is abortion in cases of rape or incest. While situations like this are unimaginably difficult, TRUTH does not change in hard circumstances. Please hear my heart... and this is my heart! I am, in no way, trying to take away the pain and difficulty of a woman faced with such. I cannot even begin to comprehend. But I do know that God alone is the giver and sustainer of life. And I fully believe that no child and no pregnancy is an accident. Even the times when it is so hard to understand, God still values that precious life. He GIVES life…nothing else…not rape, not an unplanned pregnancy, not a petry dish, not even sex! GOD GIVES LIFE! And why can't adoption be an option in a case like this. I have friends that would give their right arm for a baby to love, raise and call their own!

These are probably some weak, arguments on reasons to vote yes. But for me personally, and anyone who is a child of God, the scripture is our final authority. And the Bible is very clear. God gives life, and He is the only one with the right to take it away. God values life, and because of that, so should we. If we say we are pro-life, how can we not vote to save it? If you believe
in the Word of God, then you believe life begins when you are "formless." There is not much shape to a little person at conception, but God is "knitting him together" and "planning his days before a single one of them began." God alone knows what is going on inside of a womb. He
alone sees it. He alone plans it. Who are we to say that life is not worthy?

I answer to God alone for my vote, as do you. I will vote for what I know to be right, and
trust our loving, good, and infinitely wise Father for the outcome. Isn't His plan always best? Because of that truth, we need not fear any possible repercussions from voting yes.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your
own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths
straight."

All my love,

Sara Whitten

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Lilly was a Kitty Cat for Halloween this year. I thought it only appropriate because of our new found love for cats that she has developed since July. She was really excited about dressing up like Dori...our own kitty cat. When I showed her the tail that she was going to wear, she took it to where Dori was sleeping and said, "Look, Dori, I got a tail, too." She had a great night.

We walked outside to see her good friend, Lucy, waiting to go trick or treating. Lucy was Hello Kitty....look at how big they look, all posed up. Lucy even has her hand on her hip, like the big girls do it! Too much....they are growing up too fast!

Our first stop was to see Sam, Haley, M&M (that is was what the girls call Sam and Haley's mama), and Grandaddy (Sam and Haley's grandaddy). We met Brooke, Mark, Anna Lauren and Will at his house for pictures and a little fun. Anna Lauren was a cow girl and Will a MSU Bulldog!
The crew with Granddaddy....they LOVE him. She did not want to leave, which I knew was going to happen before I even got there! I say it all the time, but she has no idea how blessed she is to have so many people that love her!

Our cute neighbors, Taylor, the naval sailor and Jake, the cowboy.....

Our good friends, Erik and Brianne St. John, brought their mule over and were so gracious to let us ride on the back seat. Lilly hopped on and was ready to go, "c'mon, Mama!"

Standing outside a house practicing her lines, "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You".

Lilly and Daddy, Brianne and Langston going to a house!

Elmo and the Kitty Cat, taking a break at Nana and Mr. Horace's house!

Knock Knock......

When we got home, we had a mass invasion of bigger kids come through, Maggie, Leigh Taylor, Martin, and more were up to know good with the toilet paper....I gave them water and candy bribed them not to roll my yard. First time, since we moved in 4 years ago that my yard is not WHITE the morning after Halloween! I liked it!

Maggie and Lilly giving each other kisses!

So after the fun, and bath times and a good spaghetti supper, Lilly spotted the Elmo costume and was determined to put it on.....

Then she found Langston's sunglasses and thought that they needed to be worn too, silly girl!

And I will leave you with this pick as we say, Happy Halloween. Lilly and Sissy....smiling and happy...as it should be! How blessed we all are to be able to share such fun times with the ones that we love! NEVER take a day for granted!

And here is to a great month, November!

Love to All,

Sara Whit

Jake turns 3 and Fall Fun Night at Church

2011-10-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe but our little Jake is 3 years old. I can't believe it was 3 years ago that we were fervently praying for his little life in the hospital. For those of you that don't know who Jake is, he lives next door, is 4 months older than Lilly, and my God child....a pretty special little boy to our family! He is for sure a fighter and has proven that over and over again in his 3 years of life. He has brought us so much joy and happiness. Brian and I just love that little boy and Lilly ADORES him! She calls him "Jacob". We just laugh and laugh, because she does it EVERY TIME she says his name!

He had a football themed party...his daddy drew out a real football field and painted a J in the middle. They had a large time! They were to wear their favorite football costume! Lilly wore her MSU cheerleader outfit proudly!! :)

Jake's Tailgate Tent......

This was the run through sign.....too cute....and it was even cuter to see the kids run through it!

Here is the picture of the birthday boy with Lilly....enjoying their cake and ice cream!

Lilly met a new friend at the party....his name is Lex and he is a cutie and was super sweet to Lilly. They had a large time together! We love making friends!
Lilly saw the boys running around with helmets on, so she was bound and determined to let one of them let her wear one....she finally conned a REBEL out of his helmet...so I had to snap the pic!! Thanks, sweet Maddox for your helmet! Rebels are nice, too!! :))

This is just a silly pic of her playing with her fire hat that she got at school. She loves firetrucks now, ever since she went to see them with Uncle Tom that day. She came in and said, "Look, Mama, I Unca Tom!!"

Our church's annual Fall Fun Night was this afternoon. Lilly was so excited to ride the horses. Aubrey Claire rode with her and they had so much fun!

She had a sinking spell in the bouncy house and curled up in Mrs. Brianne's lap. It was sweet!

She wanted her face painted, so Mrs. Angel drew a pumpkin on her face.

We got half way back to the bouncy house and she said, "Mama, I need one on dhe othda side of my face." So, we walked back to Mrs. Angel and she put a ghost on the other side!

Lilly and Jake....two tired little pumpkins!!

We have another full day of "Halloween" activities tomorrow! So, I hope to get lots of good blog material! I am sure I will, she is all excited about dressing up as a "titty tat".

Love to All,

Sara Whit

Lots Going On!

2011-10-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Lilly had a FIELD TRIP with her 2 year old pre-school class last Wednesday to Cedar Hill Farms. This is a great little spot hidden in the trees in Hernando, MS that is a fall favorite for all of us North Mississippians. They have animals to feed, ponies to ride, trains to ride, and a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, where you can pick your own pumpkin. We had a change in weather on Wednesday and it got really chilly. As you can see, Lilly's friend, Caroline Tomlinson, was prepared and Lilly, not so much! She loves her friend Caroline and calls her by her whole name, "Tarolin Tomlinson"....remember, we can't say are c or k sounds yet!

Lilly feeding the animals.....she loved it and wanted them to LICK her hand when they were through with the food!

It would not be complete if her good friend Ann Lauren was not there. She was and they had a great time together. Here they are waiting for the train!

FINALLY, on the train and excited!!!

Brooke, Anna Lauren's mama, told them to make a silly face and they did!! Too cute!

We rode the ponies and of course Lilly did not need me. She wanted to do it all by herself!!

We were so proud of AL. She was really scared at first, but as you can see, she had a great time!

The hay ride was the last thing we did, and one little girl was going doing fast. Look at that pitiful face she is making. She was so cold and ready to go home. We took the girls to eat cheese dip after that and they loved it!

When we got home from the pumpkin patch and doing a little work with mama, Grammy and Jamie had made it to the house.

Lilly and Aunt Jamie!

She loved showing Grammy and Aunt Jamie, Dorie, and all the things that she did with her. Dorie laid down and Lilly covered her up and then got in the floor and laid down with her! She does love that kitty cat!

Dorie likes to sleep in the stroller, so when Lilly sees her in there, she gets in there with her!

Aunt LaLa had a birthday and we celebrated all together on Monday night. We always try and get together for a steak dinner, cake and ice cream when one of us has a birthday. Lilly LOVES it and was so excited when she saw that LaLa's cake was PINK!

LaLa and Lilly loving some birthday cake!

Look at those two cute girls....they love each other so much!

We have so enjoyed Grammy being with us for the week. I worked an Emmaus weekend, so it really worked out for her to be here with Lilly while I was gone. We will get back to our routine of school tomorrow, because Grammy is going home! Sad, but it has to happen!

Love to all,

Sara Whit

Bully's Party!

2011-10-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

The Bulldawgs played in Starkville this past weekend, so we had to attend "Bully's Party", as Lilly likes to call it. We decided to make it a weekend get away, since the game started at 11:25 Saturday morning. We have some wonderful friends, David and Norma Jackson, who always welcome us to stay with them! We took them up on their offer and stayed Friday and Saturday night! We got to their house Friday night and this is what we saw.....I have been replaced! It's okay!!! :)) But I do remember when that sign would say, "Welcome Sara Whitney" (their son, Lake used to call me Sara Whitney, so that is what I am to the Jackson family)

Lilly loved going to the game with me and her daddy...she rode on Brian's shoulders all the way to their seats!!
We lasted until halftime of the game. Then we came back to the tent where all of her friends were. Langston, Kate Ross and Lilly had a blast playing with each other. We all even took a walk to the book store.

Lilly loves her some Langston!!

I looked up when we got back from the book store and saw her just laying in the wagon, resting, she told me!

Having fun at the tent!

FINALLY a sacked out little girl. She climbed up in her stroller all on her own, and fell asleep!

Anna Clay came to her first MSU game and by the looks of things, she had a great time!

Two worn out little Bulldogs taking a nap in the Junction! Nothing sweeter....I love this!

As usual, we have been busy. Grammy and Aunt Jamie flew in today, so we are sure to have a week of fun with them!

A Sick "Dori" and The Firetruck

2011-10-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Dori had a little procedure done last week, just to make sure we don't have lots of little "Dori's" running around, and so she was down and out. Lilly took this VERY seriously. She did not want to be far from her and was a good little nurse.....for the most part!

Uncle Tom is a Fireman, so when he told us that it was Kid's day at the Firehouse, we HAD to go. Lilly had a great time. I am not really sure that she knew just a whole lot about firetrucks when we got there, but now EVERY time we see one....she says, "there is a firetruck, I rode on two." They took the kids for a ride and let them crawl all up in the firetrucks. Lilly counted the firetrucks and she knows that she rode on two of them....so she will tell you...."I rode on just two...not all dhem". I just love her conversations and stories!

Lilly just getting warmed up to the firetrucks and Fireman Tom.....

Lilly and Aunt LaLa

Lilly kept asking about her friend, Ann Parker, so I went to get her so she could play on the firetrucks, too. She lives right next door to LaLa and Tom and she and Lilly go to the same preschool. They were so excited to see each other and had so much fun!

Brian, Lilly and Ann Parker....about to take a ride!

And they are off......

More pics to come of our weekend in Strarkville! Check back REAL soon!

Love to All,

Sara Whitten

Fun at Mamie and Boo's

2011-10-13T11:59:00.001-07:00

Aunt My came to Tunica for a short weekend visit. Lilly spent the day at Mamie and Boo's with her. They had a great time "playing" together. Lilly had her first taste of what it means to live in Cotton Country. She played in the cotton field behind the house that I grew up in. Aunt My said that she had a great time and would just walk and walk until someone had to say "Come back". I am so glad that she liked it so much....a true Southern girl!

"Walkin in High Cotton"
Look at that big girl....she can FINALLY pedal and steer! She is so proud and so are we!

Silly Lilly....wearing Aunt My's glasses!!

We had a great weekend, spending the majority of it in Tunica. We even rode Uncle Tom's firetruck....Aunt LaLa has all those good pictures. We are looking forward to another fun one, at Bully's Party! aka The MSU football game in Starkville!

Love to All,

Sara Whitten

Homecoming at MHS

2011-10-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

It was Homecoming week at Magnolia Heights this week. Some special people were major participants in the Homecoming festivities, so we were happy to support them. Sidney is on Student Council and she was also a Senior Maid on the court. She came over about two weeks ago and had an "idea" that she asked Brian to build her....below is the "masterpiece" He built it and she decorated it! I thought it turned out great!

Our Sissy(Betsy) is a cheerleader....so everyone knows how hard cheerleaders work the week of Homecoming! Lilly couldn't wait to got see "Sissy cheer".
We were watching in the stands and it did not take long for Lilly to spot Lucy, her friend! She had a fit to go down there with her and then had another fit when she realized that she didn't have her "football game outfit" on. That would be her cheerleader uniform, in case you were wondering!

We got to see our super sweet Lizzie!! YAY!!

When Anna Lauren and Lilly saw each other at the ballgame it was all LOVE!! Are they not the sweetest things? Don't let that love fool you...they will fight in a minute!

Silly girls!

A tired Lilly with her Sissy at the ballgame! I love this picture!

Anna Lauren, Lilly and Sidney!

The girls and Sidney, again! Lilly kept saying, "Sidney has a princess dress on"

Parker, Sidney and Lilly

and Lilly with Maggie, who was crowned Homecoming Queen!

It was a fun and busy night!

Our weekend was just as fun and just as busy....more blog posts to follow on our Saturday and Sunday!

Love to All,

Sara Whitten

Fall, Work and Lilly!!

2011-10-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Silly Lilly....she is ALL in to dressing up. Her Aunt LaLa and Uncle Tom gave her a dress up box for Christmas and she is just now starting to really get "in to" it. She wants to put it ALL on AT ONCE, though, so we still have a little learning to do!! She is cute and she loves it! So, that is all that matters.

Over the weekend, Brian and I cleaned off the front porch and washed it all down. We unfolded the stroller to clean it up and Lilly just had a fit....she is now wanting to be in it all the time. She says that it is NOT for the new baby....it is hers!! GREAT! There is someone else in our house that likes the stroller, too....DORI. We have found her sleeping in it several times!

Lilly just hops right on in there with Dori...you can see that Dori moved to the back!

I have had my rep/friend in town, from Polyvision, this week and we have been having fun selling our interactive white boards and training on them. On Tuesday, we went to PDS in Clarksdale to showcase our technology to the parents and teachers at the "Hot Dog Hoe Down" We had a great time....and the kids LOVED the ENO board. I just love watching them work on it. They think they are playing, but I know they are learning!

Here is my great friend Crystal!! She flew in from Texas to do some training and work with me some this week. She is incredible and I love being with her. I learn so much from her and we have FUN! We laughed and laughed about this car all week. Polyvision's colors are this electric limey green, and when she pulled up in this rental, I was like WOW...Crystal is committed! So, it was not on purpose, but we had to take her picture with the car, her lime green shirt and an ENO mini magnetized to the car! We love our jobs!

And here is a cute picture to leave you with....Lilly with Tilly. She is in love with this dog who belongs to our dear friend Sidney. Sidney took the pic and sent it to me!! Sometimes I am just not quite sure where this child came from when I see her around animals....because it is not me!! But then, I think about my mom....that is where she gets it!!

Love to all,

Sara Whitten

A Big Girl and MSU Tailgating

2011-09-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's official! My BABY is not a BABY anymore! She sleeps in a big girl bed and LOVES it! Her room is so cute, thanks to some incredible family members. Her bed belonged to my grandmama and granddaddy and was their first bed when they got married. It was in need of some TLC, so Brian was able to work his magic...and WAHLAH...BEAUTIFUL!

Aunt LaLa is becoming quite the seamstress and she made Lilly these super cute and great pillows on the bed and the throw at the end of the bed. If anyone knows me at all you know how EXCITED I am that my sister in law can do such things....cha ching!!! :)) Thanks, Aunt LaLa we love them and are so thankful for you and your skills!

So here is the princess...she has taken to her "throw" that sits at the end of the bed. She wants to cover up with it every night, and she calls it her "blankey".....and the pink side MUST be touching her....not like this picture...she has changed her mind. The pink side is flannel, so it's softer and she has figured that out! My high maintenance little girl...I know, I know....she gets it honest!

I don't have many pictures captured from our two ballgames, so far, at MSU, but I have acquired a couple. Below are my 2 of my favorite girls. Betsy, aka Sissy, and Maggie! It was a white out against LSU, so we were all in white! GO DAWGS!

Lilly's friends, Piper and Hayden, tailgate with us and they brought MARKERS to the game. You see my child has a death grip on them, because she does not get to play with markers at home!! Piper, Maggie and Lilly having fun at "Bully's Party". Lilly refers to our times in Starkville, at the tent, as Bully's Party! I LOVE IT!! That's my girl!

We are certainly blessed in this Atwood Home.

Love to All,

Sara Whitten

Catching Up...Nashville Visit and Thomas the Train

2011-09-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

Sorry that I have been MIA for a couple of weeks, but we went to Nashville 2 weeks ago and some little two year old "hid" my camera and Aunt My found it, thank goodness! So, I have been without my camera since our trip and I just got it back! So, I have a good bit of catching up to do...We had a sister weekend in Nashville. Laura, Lilly and I drove one Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with Myra. We had a great time, catching up, helping Myra with some more house decor and the usual sister stuff.

One of my best friends lives in Nashville, as well, so we decided to take Lilly and her little boy Hudson to see Thomas the train on Saturday afternoon. If you remember, she is my friend that just adopted the baby in May....here is is with Lilly and Myra below. WHAT A PRECIOUS MIRACLE HE IS....super super cute!

Lilly LOVED loving on baby Hayden...she is going to be such a great big sister!

Andrea and I loaded up Hudson and Lilly, while Hayden stayed at home with his daddy and Myra and Laura did a little fabric shopping, and took them to see Thomas the Train. Here are Hudson, Lilly and Andrea ready to go in!

They had a little stations for the children to go to, a couple being bouncy stuff....Lilly loves to "jump" as she calls it and demanded to do this slide. Hudson was so sweet holding her hand. Andrea and I were behind them and we heard him say, "this slide is kinda big and you are kinda little, so I will help you". SWEETNESS!

There was a man there playing songs on his guitar and he invited Lilly and Hudson to play the triangle with him....too cute!

ALL ABOARD the CHOO CHOO Train! We rode on an actual train and Lilly loved it. She was looking out the window the entire time we were moving, loving the scenery!

Here they both are as we were making our way to the car.....tired little engineers they were, but they had lots of fun!

In the 2 weeks that I have not had my camera we have been to Starkville twice to tailgate. We have a tent this year that we share with some fun other families. It has been great fun. We still have 4 more games, so I will get those memories captured, don't you worry!!

James 3 - WOW!

2011-09-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

It's Monday night and I am a little behind with EVERYTHING...can you tell!? James Chapter 3, being one of them! Last week was just one of those weeks....too much to get done in the amount of time given. So, many things suffered. But thank goodness, this week is going to allow me to play catch up!

So, James 3, once again, convicted me beyond what I cared to be convicted of, honestly! James 3:1-12 is all on Taming the Tongue.

3 Questions that Marla asked us this week

1. How did James 3 hit you over the head this week? verse 8 says, no human being can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. verse 10 says, from the same mouth come blessing and cursing

These two verses just show me that I can't do this thing called "life" on my own. Without God's help, there is no telling where my BIG mouth would have me. It is my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. Reading that the the Bible says it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison! WOW!

2. What encouraged you from this chapter? Verse 17 encouraged me....But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

How thankful I am that when I look to God for wisdom, I know this is what I will get...

3. How are you going to apply scripture to your everyday life? All I know is that if I am ever even going to do any good at reigning in this tongue or not giving into the temptation of jealousy and selfish ambition then I am MUST spend more time in the WORD. I can't do it by myself...only my Lord will be able to help me. I pray that I can do this, oh how I want too!

Love to all,

Sara Whitten

James Chapter 2

2011-09-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

WOW! So, I am doing this online read along with the book of James. If you would like to find out more, or even join us then check out this blog. If you have never read the book, get ready to be challenged, motivated and convicted! I am only in Chapter 2 and it has been such an eye opener for me.

The theme of Chapter 2 == DO NOT JUDGE & FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD

How guilty am I of that in every single area of my life. I am still so bad about it and it's scary to think that I was 10 times worse when I was about a decade younger! God jerked me up and I was broken before Him. The GOOD NEWS, is that our God does not leave you broken. He puts you back together and when He does, you are better than you were! I have a long way to go.... But James 2: 13 says, For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

In my study notes it explains this verse even more clearly saying what you do to others will be done to you in the judgement, rewarded for good or punished for evil. I don't want to be a judgmental person. I pray daily that I can see every person that I am in contact through the eyes of Jesus!

A question we were to blog about is one that David Platt posed "Can you be a Christian and not help those in need?"

First of all, let me say how thankful I am that I don't have to make that call. James is clear when he says that "faith without works is dead". James 2:26 says, "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." We have been called to do "good" things, to help when we see a need. It often requires much sacrifice on our part, but God told us to do it. It is in my born nature to "do". Sometimes I "do" too much. I am not saying this to get compliments, because am I doing it for the right reasons? This chapter challenged me to think about that. Am I doing it because it's what Jesus wants me to do and I want to do His will, or for selfish reasons, or because I am too scared to say no. If I am really honest with myself, it is more the latter and that hurts my heart. Oh, how much more joyful and peaceful my life would be, if I could GIVE in the spirit of JESUS all the time...because I love Him and want this world to know HIM. I KNOW that if I did better in that area then my judging would be better, too! Isn't that always the case!

This sinner, saved by grace, is so thankful for the mercy I have been given! I pray that my people will know about my faith through my works.

Love to all,

Sara Whitten

BIG NEWS and BUSY WEEKEND!

2011-09-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

Can you tell from Lilly's shirt the BIG NEWS.....that's right! We are going to have baby! We are all very excited about this news and feel very blessed that God has chosen to make this so easy for us. My heart goes out to my handful of friends that I have been trying for YEARS to have a baby and can't....this has been a humbling experience for me. And even as I type this I am JOYFUL, because it is 2am and I have a SEVERE cold...my head is about to explode, I can't breathe and when I try to sleep I feel like I am dying because I can't get any air...Being that NYQUIL is my drug of choice and that is out of the question, I am catching up on Bible Study and Blogging!

Yes! God is GOOD.....ALL the time!

Lilly was picked up by her PopPop and Grandma Shirley from preschool on Wednesday and they took her to Tupelo to spend the rest of the week. Brian and I got there on Friday night and stayed the weekend. Aunt Jamie and Uncle Bret flew in from Maryland, so we had a great visit with them!
Uncle Bret, Daddy, PopPop and Lilly watching a little football!
Aunt Jamie and Lilly and her baby doll!

Aunt Jamie, Uncle Brett, Lilly and Tammy (the dog) and YES....Lilly was pitching quite the fit. She was acting very attached to me and not wanting to get her picture taken! DRAMA...all the time!

We left PopPop's house and met our friends Kellye and Chet and their little girl, Kendall, for a quick lunch! The girls had a great time playing with each other. It was fun telling them the news of our new addition, too!

Silly girls....friends forever!

We left Tupelo and headed to the Collierville to the Withers Family Reunion. It is always so fun seeing all of my aunts, uncles and cousins. This side of the family is so loving and full of life. They accept you for who you are and love you unconditionally! Great qualities! I love them, too and am thankful they are family! Here is Lilly with her cousin McKinnon! She loved that there were "big" girls to play with and had so much fun with them!

We told everyone our news on this day and Lilly got to practice being a big sister with this little guy that was there! Aunt LaLa and Lilly had so much fun loving on him!

Anna Margaret, McKinnon, Lilly and Shelly

WHEW....that was a busy few days! We enjoyed all being home together on Labor Day and are having a great 4 day work week!

We are Blessed!

Love to all,

The Atwoods

Football and hiding....

2011-08-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

Sidney called last Thursday night and asked if Lilly could go to the Jr. High football game with her and Parker! I knew that she would love it. Her friend, Lucy, had an extra cheerleading uniform for her to wear, so we got all ready for the big game....even some face paint!

She had a blast....here she is with Anna Lauren and Brooks. Brooks is Sidney's sister, so they went to see her cheer.

Two great MHS cheerleaders!

Lilly, practicing her skills! She looks so grown up in that little uniform....I can't STAND it!

She is in to "hiding" these days....I think that we can thank Aunt LaLa for that! This is where I found her last night! That little stinker! Gotta love that little girl!

Life is good....we have been enjoying it. Going to both MHS ballgames and to Senatobia Warriors games and starting Thursday....MSU BULLDOGS games! Football is here and we are loving it!

A Tribute to Grandma McDaniel

2011-08-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

August has been a month full of many changes for the Atwood Family. New jobs, little ones going to school and one that has affected us the most has been losing Grandma McDaniel. Grandma McDaniel was Brian's mother's mom. She lived a long, happy, productive life and this month her body just gave out. She went to home to be with Jesus and is now pain free. Our loss is Heaven's gain. We are going to miss her, no doubt!

Brian has been so blessed to have grandparents still living to see him marry and have children. Lilly was blessed too, because she was loved, dearly, by her great grandma!

The above picture is of Brian and Grandma the day or two before our wedding. She was so much fun to have around that weekend. She sat right there, perched on that couch and watched all the happenings. The funniest story that Laura, my sister in law, still tells today was when Laura finished with a flower arrangement that she had been working on. She had Gertie (Grandma) get up off the couch, pretend to be coming inside the house for the first time and Laura asked her what her reacion was of the arrangement. Her repsonse, "Those are so pretty, that I want you to do the flowers for my wedding!" It was great and we loved Grandma's wit! She was always making us laugh!

Pretty Grandma and pretty Lilly, meeting for the first time!

Loving each other....Lilly was 4months old!

Grandma making Lilly laugh!

Grandma and Lilly Whit hanging out on the deck enjoying the evening. This is one of my favorite pictures of them both!

Grandma and Riley

This picture was taken of Lilly and Grandma at Christmas. This was our last time being with Grandma. We had some wonderful quality time with her and she did with Lilly. It was very special. Lilly did great and I think made Grandma feel VERY special! Little ones have that effect on us all!

Grandma reading Lilly a book....and Lilly is enjoying it!

Antother day during our Christmas visit to see Grandma. Lilly climbed in her chair to see her....of course she wanted her to read her a book!

Precious memories!

How thankful I am that I had the opportunity to know such a wonderful soul and more importantly for Lilly to know her.

In the days ahead I am claiming James 4:8 for the family.

"Draw near to HIM and HE will draw near to you."

]Jesus is the great comforter!

Sunday---Fun Day....

2011-08-21T18:00:00.001-07:00

Our weekend was a lazy one, a football game Friday night...GO WARRIORS! We won...and Lilly had a great time! I had dinner with some ladies that I used to teach with. Saturday, Lilly and I were lazy all day. Visiting with the neighbors and others in the neighborhood. Brian was at the deer camp.

Sunday, Daddy got home so he and Lilly went outside to play....I saw some cuteness going, and new I needed to update the blog, so I went to snap a few pics. Lilly, cheezin it up on her 4-wheeler with her ring pop and Jake's kitty cat, Jerry!

Jake very serious about riding his 4-wheeler!
Jake posing for a cute shot....I love this little boy!

We did a little cleaning....

We played with some play-doh! I spelled her name. That is about as creative as I can get. I kept thinking to myself, "what would Gini make, if she was sitting here?" Sorry, Gin, this is all I could come up with!

Lilly had the bright idea for ME to make her, Anna Lauren and Jake....once again, I wasn't quite sure about all of that either, but I did my best!

And of course our quiet weekend can't end on a quiet note, now can it? Lilly has not even gotten up from her dinner plate and she is putting her flip flops on to got get Dorie, our lovely kitty cat. Well, Brian leaves to go help a friend with something and Lilly and I start looking. I can't find her anywhere and I start dreading what we may or may not find....but then I start to hear a meow....and Lilly finds her WAY UP in the top of a tree. Daddy is gone and we have no way of getting her down! So, all I know to do is to coax her down....you should have seen the two of us....

As you can tell from this last picture it was getting qutie dark. She FINALLY came down! YAY! Crisis overted for the moment!

Have a SUPER week!
Love,

The Atwood's

Feeling Blessed and Praying for Caden....

2011-08-14T14:15:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, last school year, I received the blessing of making a new friend. My friend Gini, as I always affectionately refer to as became a constant in my life everyday. She was at my house before daylight and many nights at my house well past dark. We shared pretty much everything with each other. I knew about her friends and she knew about mine....well, today, one of her dear friends....the matron of honor in her wedding....is hurting and needs our prayers.

As I look at this little 2 year old, that is so full of life, (in this picture she was "hiding" in the bathtub with her "titty tat") I am BLESSED....blessed for so many reasons.....

blessed because she is healthy and happy.............

loving life in this picture, because her kitty cat, Dori is in the bed with her. SHHHH! Don't tell her daddy....he says no cats in the bed!

Why my God has chosen to give me such a wonderful life, a family that loves to have fun....

is beyond me! A sinner in need of more grace and mercy than I wonder is available in a day, has a rich life.....I am thankful!

And as I ponder, on this Sunday, afternoon about all of my blessings, I think about the stanley clan, especially little Caden. I pray for his strength, the doctors and his parents.

When I first found out about little Caden, I immediately thought, "GOD, why them? They have made it there LIFE to serve you each and everyday.....I think they get what it means to serve and honor you." But, we are not to question Him, and through the their story, we can all learn so much! I know that I have.....

THANK YOU, CADEN, for teaching me so much about HEART... I am continuing to pray for you daily and follow your story. I encourage all who are reading this to pray for Caden, his mom and dad and little sister, and to follow their blog!

Feeling Blessed Today,

Sara Whitten

Lilly's first day of 2k Preschool

2011-08-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

My baby girl stared 2k today! I can't believe that it's been 2 years since I left her as a 6month old with a babysitter, as I started back to school. Time does fly, when you are having fun! I knew that this morning was going to be a little difficult, because we are not used to waking up at 7am. If we do wake up at 7, she watches Sprout until she is ready to get her day started. Brian stayed home this morning, and it was a team effort. She did much better that I thought.....here is the sleepy head still with those fingers in her mouth....not quite into things yet!

Waking up.....a little
FINALLY.....eating those yummy eggs her daddy made her!

Here she is.....right outside the preschool, with her nap mat and back pack in hand.

She is on the hunt for Anna Lauren, her best friend. We saw her mama and daddy on our way in, so she knew that her friend was there. I just love looking at her from the back with her backpack on, such a big girl!

She found her....Lilly and Anna Lauren!

Her cubby, and when her teacher, Mrs. Linda, showed it to her, she said, "It's PINK!"

Already found some toys!

Playing in her new class room!

Brian and I were telling her Bye, and they both just waved us off....my baby, so big!

I know that she is going to have a great year. She is so ready for some organized activity and to play with friends. I can't wait to see how she did today!

A New Job and A New Kitten

2011-08-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

Many changes going on in the Atwood home these days....it is really hard to believe that I am sitting here at 10am on a Tuesday in my home, blogging, when 3 weeks ago I thought that I would be back at HLIS teaching a self-contained 5th grade classroom. I GOT A NEW JOB, and I am praising my God with every fiber of my being. I have prayed for 3 years that something "different" would come along. With each passing year, I have felt less and less fulfilled with where I was in my everyday life. I knew that God did not want that for me, but I just could not understand exactly where He was leading me. God has answered my prayers and and as gone ABOVE and BEYOND what I ever could have hoped or imagined for my life, right now!

I am employed by Benchmark Technology and am an Educational Sales Consultant. My company sells all types of technology that can be used in the classrooms, by the teachers and the students. We also do all types of training and professional developments for the schools. I am VERY excited about my new position. I am able to work from home, which is going to allow me to take Lilly to school and to pick her up--a mother's dream!

We have just been taking it easy, the past couple of weeks, and getting adjusted to our new way of life....Yesterday, Lilly went to take pictures for Special Daze, a children's clothing store in town. They wanted her to "model" some of their fall fashions for some ads they are doing. I was proud, she did great! It was 105 and she had to wear very WARM clothes! She spotted "Bully" on the way out to do some shots and had to stop to give him some "love".
Here she is again....hoping I will have better pics later. I had to quit taking pictures, because I was the one behind the camera trying to get her to smile!

Some other news and it's not so exciting, is that Puff, our gray kitty cat, "ran away"....all the way to kitty cat heaven. We came home from church Sunday and we started looking for Puff immediately. I found it odd that she was not waiting on us when we pulled up, but we all started looking. THANKFULLY, Brian found poor Puff. It was a really hard thing for Brian and I to explain to Lilly that we thought that Puff had run away. She was tired and and needing a nap, she cried so hard, because she wanted her "titty tat". We told her that when she woke up we would talk about having another kitten come live with us. I laid down with her and she was asleep in minutes. During nap time, Brian and I started on the hunt for another cat. We called our neighbors and they thought there was on left from the little of Puff. So, Cliff rode down to pick it up. He brought the new kitten to Lilly and told Lilly that Puff's brother was going to live with us now....she was more than ECSTATIC....although Puff's brother was not so much! This cat already had the name Dora....Lilly pronounces it "Dory" So.....please pray that Dory will embrace and be happy in his new home.

Lilly starts 2k pre-school tomorrow! I can't BELIEVE that my baby is old enough to go to pre-school! She is really excited. We met her teacher and took her school supplies, so she is ready! I will be posting pictures of that big day, for sure!

Red Birds Game with PopPop

2011-07-27T14:32:00.001-07:00

Hello Blog followers! I have missed you all, but have been getting some much needed time to rest and relax before school starts in just 3 short days! YES....I am MORE than depressed about it.

So, the night before we leave for our beach vacation, Brian's dad takes us all to a Red Birds game. We had a great time, despite the hot temperatures. The highlight of the night was when a Red Hot (sort of like a cheerleader) came up to me and said that they were looking for a pretty little girl to dress up as a tooth fairy and run around the bases with her! I was so pumped and told them to sign Lilly up.

We met the two cute Red Hot girls at the Fans First booth in the middle of the 3rd inning! She had to get her wings on, so she could do her job!

Lilly leaving to go with the Red Hot to sit and wait at the First Base gate!

Lilly and her Red Hot friend after running around the bases with a big tooth brush! She did so good!

Lilly hugging her new friend good bye!

After she was all through she got a bag with all sorts of things to help you take care of your teeth. She loved everything in there and played with that the rest of the ballgame!

After the game, we came home and finished packing for our long awaited beach trip!

Beach Trip 2011

2011-07-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

I guess since we went last year and we went this year, that would make is annual. So, my mom and dad have taken us twice to the beach and this year we had a great time. Lilly liked the sand and that ocean much better than last year. Here she is sitting in her chair with her umbrella that Grammy sent her for her beach vacation.

Sporting her life jacket, ready to head to the ocean, with anyone willing to take her!
The first night we were there, Aunt LaLa made frogmore stew. Lilly liked watching her cook!

Doesn't that look divine?

We also perfected our "flips" while at the beach. Aunt LaLa helped with this, making Lilly go through several steps of the "flip". In this picture is step 1, The Start, Step 2, The Flip and Step 3, The Finish....which is Go Dawgs!

More smiles at the beach...I just love this picture!

Lilly and Aunt My

Aunt LaLa and Lilly playing in the sand.

Aunt LaLa painting Lilly's finger nails, she LOVED it!

AND one of the greatest highlights of our trip, was I realized that my oldest and dearest friend in the entire world was at Rosemary Beach, which is about 10 minutes from Watercolor, where we were. So, we scheduled a play date and went to swim with her and her little ones. Georgia is giving Lilly a big hug! So sweet!

Georgia, Lilly and Callie after a couple of hours swimming! They are sweet but tired little girls!

Mama, Laura and Lilly and I set out one late afternoon to get some of those beach pictures with Lilly in all white. Laura has a pretty nice camera, so we headed to the beach! We got some and they are sweet, but she had this idea to take her to this purple wall at Seaside! I thought all of these turned out so cute!

This concludes half of our week at Watercolor....stay tuned for the second half!

Daddy FINALLY made it to the Beach!

2011-07-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

On this VERY day.....Daddy was flying in to spend the rest of our trip with us. My dad dropped, me, Lilly and mom off at Destin Commons. We shopped and Lilly and Mamie rode the train.

Then after we got Daddy, Lilly had fun playing in the water at the outdoor mall. She was so cute running around there in all of those sprinklers!
Daddy and Lilly posing for a picture while they enjoyed their hot dogs!

The night Brian got to town, we had the opportunity to meet up with the preacher and his family that is very special to me. They live in Niceville, FL now and asked us to meet them at Baytowne. We had such a great time. Lilly spotted kids doing the EuroBungee Jumping and she had a fit to do it. After asking the people if she could, we bought a ticket. The line was pretty long, so I thought that she would not even stay in it.....boy was I wrong. She was enthralled with it!

And there she is.....starting her jumping....she liked it and did it the whole time, but was VERY serious.

Flying High!

Here is Mama, Daddy, me, Lilly, Mr. Michael and Mrs. Libby

Lilly and Daddy heading to the ocean.

Lilly playing in the sand!

Lilly taking a nap with Aunt LaLa! She snoozed for an hour!

Lilly and her baby watching Lady and the Tramp before going to bed.

Mamie, Sopie and Lilly, playing on the beach!

On the last night, we went to a great restaurant in Sea Grove. The food and atmosphere were wonderful!

Aunt LaLa and Lilly at dinner

Me and Brian

Mama and Daddy.....the whole reason we got to have this fabulous trip is because they PAID for it. We are so blessed to have such great parents, who want to do these things for us! We love you and are so very thankful for you!

Welcome Puff, Boo's Birthday and a Summer Outing with Friends

2011-07-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

My faithful readers, family and friends know that I have very hard time saying "no" to anyone. Well, I can tell you that with EVERY FIBER of my being I wanted to say no to Lilly getting a kitten, but she and Robin talked me into it! On the Saturday that I returned, Lilly was so excited to show me Jake's kitten. She carried that kitten around for two straight hours and after I was talked into her getting one, we had to talk "Daddy" into it. He finally caved, so off we went on the golf cart, down the road to pick out our kitten. Puff was out roaming around, so we thought that he should come home with us. Lucy, Lilly's friend who gave us the kitten, had already named it, so we just went with it....I like Puff. Lilly is "in love" with this kitten. She so reminds me of my sister when she was little. Myra was always walking around with a cat in her arms!

When Puff is inside she is usually in Lilly's arms.....poor thing!
She talks to the kitten like it's a baby...it's SOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!

Happy Birthday to BOO. Boo had a birthday last week, and we finally got to celebrate it last night with a great steak dinner and a delicious homemade coconut cake!

Oh, how this girl loves cake and ice cream!

Today, we went to get our friends, Jack and John Ellis Price. Gini is keeping them this summer, so we all went to Southaven together to run our errands. We ate lunch at Chick-fil-A and these two monkeys had a great time playing in the playground.

Jack is toooooooo cute, because he wants to hold Lilly's hand everywhere we go.....like EVERYWHERE.....and Lilly lets him, which is so funny to me. He talks to her like a little baby and hugs her and tells her he loves her! SWEETNESS!

PURE SWEETNESS.....

One of our stops was the dr's office, because John Ellis had to get shots for school. Lilly and Gini entertained themselves by playing with the camera while we wanted on John Ellis.

And because he was SO VERY BRAVE, we went for ice cream after he was done!

Tired little children after a long, hot day in the CITY...ha!

Lilly loving on that cat, again!

Lilly and Puff...poor puff!

With Love,

the Atwoods

Trip to Tupelo and Chuck-e-Cheese

2011-07-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

While I was a way for the week at Student Life Camp, Lilly had some adventures of her own. She spent her usual Tuesday with Mamie and Boo and even got to spend the night. Then on Wednesday, mama took her to meet Brian's Dad and step-mom. PopPop and Gramdma Shirley. Lilly stayed with them from Wednesday to Saturday and she had a great time. As you can see from the picture below, she had to work really hard while she was with them....HAHA! Lilly and PopPop are sunning together on the raft.

They took her to the circus and she loved it....
and she played with their dog, Tammy. I heard that they also visited the mall where there is a train and a carousel. Fun times for Lilly!

Nana, who lives a few houses down from us, had her two grandcuties down for the week and they invited us to go to Chuck-e-Cheese. We had such a fun time with them. It was a nice outing out of the heat! She loved seeing Barney.....

She loved anything that she could get tickets...she thought that was just GREAT!

riding the airplane....

Caroline and Lilly riding the jeep.....

Lilly playing in the playground...she loved it!

visiting with Chuck-E....she was not quite sure about him. She treated him the way she did Santa. She wanted to be near him and look at him, but did not want to touch him at all and I had to be holding her. Funny girl!

She loved riding the horsey....

Stella, Lilly and Caroline redeeming their tickets. It's a great day at Chuck-E-Cheese!

How blessed we are to have such a wonderful family and extended family.

Here's to many more memories with them all,

Sara Whit

Student Life Camp 2011

2011-07-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

I was given the awesome privilege of chaperoning the youth trip with my church to Student Life Camp. I was very hesitant about going, and the youth were so amazing, because they BEGGED me to go. I don't know why they like my crazy self, but they do and I am so glad, because I love them and they make me feel so ALIVE! God took great care of my family while I was away, and He met me right where I was and I needed His extra TLC that He poured on me this week.

The theme of the camp was DEVOTED

The definition for devoted is being very loving or loyal; to give all or a large part of one's time or resources to. Our theme verse was:

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all of your strength.

The picture below was where we worshiped each morning and evening. It was amazing. Our speaker was Ed Newton and he is from Memphis, TN. You can read more about Ed, here. He was fantastic. One quote that he said that has stuck with me is this:

"What you do and what you say REALLY does matter". He is so right, it does...if not for anything else, for His kingdom. Nothing is more important than winning souls for Christ and that starts with your actions and words. We can't do any of that unless we are DEVOTED!

Starting out on our journey...we left at 4:30a.m. Olivia, Avery and Lizzie rode with me and Geri! Our girls, one night, at worship. They are amazing. I have to say that God is busy working in each one of these lives in so pretty powerful ways. My prayer is that they will be sensitive to that leading and be ready for the awesome things He has in store for them. What jewels each one of them are! Each day we had RECREATION for 2 hours. Our very first day at camp was water day...the object of each game was to just get SOAKED. The object of one game was to get your Family Group Leader soaked....they accomplished it! The next day was TEAM BUILDING day during Rec time...Coach Carter and Colten, not sure those two are very equally matched! The adults...Susan, Geri, Carter and Whit...we are missing Josh in this picture, but he kinda is in between youth and adult...hahaha! Posted on the big screen all throughout the day....

Oliver, Josh and Carter...being CRAZY at dinner!

Sweet pretty faces of Elizabeth and Lauren....love those girls!

How awesome...Anna Beth and Robert...just like brother and sister!

Todd Agnew...our PHENOMENAL worship leader!

Praising JESUS!

Oh Praise the Lord, our mighty Warrior, oh praise the Lord, our Glorious One. By His hands we stand in victory, By His name we overcome!

Praising Him some more....

My sweet Lizzie.....

Crazy picture of the group!

Our most amazing group of young kids. I love them and was blessed beyond measure by each one of them this past week! To GOD be the GLORY for the great things that He has done!

So, I ask you? To what are you devoted? When people see you, do they immediately think, "I wish that I could be more like him/her?"

I can honestly say this, "When my time on this earth is through, I don't want people to wonder if I knew my Maker. I want them to say that I lived because I KNEW my MAKER!"

By His Grace Alone,

Sara Whit

Happy Birthday, America!

2011-07-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July....we swam in the morning and then after nap time we went to our friends Kristen and Derick Prince's house to celebrate!

Lilly enjoyed eating some BBQ with our good friend Lauren!
Kristen and Derick rented an inflatable slip-n-slide for the kids, and they had a BLAST!

McCormick Kahill just had fun snoozin....

Avery and Lilly doing the slip-n-slide together!

Too cute.....

This where she stayed most of the afternoon!

Brian and Sissy

Sweet Jake....

Abby finds us at the Prince house and wants to join in the fun, too!

We watched the fireworks show from LuLu and Sissy's pool, so Lilly and Sissy took a night swim.

Love to all,

The Atwoods

Sidney's Birthday and Summer Fun

2011-07-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Another busy week in the Atwood Family. Our sweet friend Sidney had a birthday last week. She was in New York City for her big 17th birthday, but we celebrated when she got back. Lilly loves a birthday. I was going to let the birthday cake be a surprise, but the second she walked in the door, Lilly ran to her and said, "here is your birthday cake". Oh well...it was cute!

Lilly sitting ever so anxiously on the edge of Sid's lap, ready for to blow those candles out of a cake that is NOT hers....again....so cute!
The girls blowing them out....YAY!!

I snapped this pic as Lilly was just prancing through the house. She was playing hard on this morning....getting herself and her puppy dog already to go somewhere, not sure exactly where, but somewhere really good! She has her cell phone, her camera, her keys and her puppy dog and the shades already on!

We have had lots of pool time.....

Our church swims on Wednesday nights at different places and this is a picture of a group of sweet girls. Payton, Anna and Emma Grace with Lilly. She has so much fun with those big girls!

And we have most of your pool time with Tabitha, Hayden and Piper Brown. These are our great, fun friends who always like to play. Hayden and Piper are twins and they could not look any more different or act any more different. We love them both and I am so happy that Lilly will have twins as good friends That is so neat to me!

Lilly and Piper after a long day at the pool.

Hayden, Lilly and Piper playing away in the water....

Lilly giving Piper "love".

We have made SEVERAL trips to Wal-Mart this summer, and these weddings have really had Lilly getting into lipstick...so the second we walk in the door, she starts asking me if she can get some "lips". I gave in today and this is what happened....oh my oh my oh my!

We stopped by to visit our friends at the Upstairs Closet and Lilly decided to "model" a few things for us and everyone shopping the GREAT half off sale! Rhinestone reading glasses, anyone? Mamie, if you are reading, these sure look like you!

And now, her FAVORITE thing that she just HAD to get her little hands on... the pink, bedazzled cowboy boots. Aunt My or Aunt LaLa, I think that these have your name written all over them...Lilly wanted them so bad!

Lilly and I have been having so much fun...I got teary eyed today as I thought about my summer being half over....I will choose to cherish the rest of my break.

Happy 4th to All....We have BIG plans, so stay tuned.

Thanks for following our life, I am humbled!

Sara Whitten

"Shake it Up" VBS 2011

2011-06-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

"Shake It Up" was this year's theme for VBS. The children learned to carry out God's recipes for life and they had a blast doing it! Each day had a color and a "secret ingredient" to learn. I was in the story room and had my work cut out for me.....they were not your traditional stories that you hear year after year, so I had some studying to do myself. WE DID IT, though! It was a fun-filled week, for sure! Thanks to Emily and all who worked at making VBS GREAT at FUMC!

Lilly and Maggie at opening ceremonies. It was RED DAY and this was as good as I could get it for red....we are pink girls! That red bow was sufficient!

I could not get a close up one, but I just love this picture of all the little ones singing, especially Lilly clapping her hands while she sits with Mrs. Brenda....she does love her!

As you can already see, Maggie was a life saver in the 2 and 3 year old room. Her mama was in charge, but called on her services often. Sweet little Jack Price is getting Maggie's love on this day!

There is Jacob....as Lilly is calling him these days! I had to wear a chef hat all week long and he LOVED it. Sometimes that was the only way we could get him to leave his mama and come sing with us, if Whitty promised to put on her funny hat!

Chef Whitty and Lilly after opening ceremonies on the last day of VBS! We were both very tired girls!

On Friday, we left at noon and then returned to the church at 6 for a Family Fun Night. The children performed their songs and then enjoyed pizza, watermelon and water slides! The little ones loves being at the front and dancing!

Lilly and Denni Grace after the performance wanting to be on the stage.

Maggie and Lilly made it to the top of the slide!

And Lilly LOVED it....she was ready to do it again!

Maggie and Lilly enjoying some watermelon at Family Fun Night!

Paige feeding Will Prince some watermelon..........

he is loving it....I could just squeeze those cheeks off. He is sooooo cute!

still loving this watermelon......

Lilly and Denni Grace being silly little girls. These two had a blast together this week. We are so happy to have this sweet family at our church. They have been with us since August, but DG is a year older, so she and Lilly have just now connected. You know, little ones have a way of catching up to you. Lilly loves Denni Grace and we are so thankful to have new friends!

A tiring, but wonderful week it was. I still am amazed at how much Lilly is learning by being in church at 2 years old. It is just so incredible wonderful. How thankful Brian and I are to all the fabulous people we have in our life that help us teach Lilly about God and Jesus and their love for her. We both know that we could not do this alone.

I encourage you, if you are reading this and desire for your children to grow in the grace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and are not part of a church family, to plug into one! God never told you that He wanted you to do this alone, in fact the opposite is true. We are all here to encourage one another, and how thankful I am for that!

By His Grace Alone,

Sara Whitten, Brian and Lilly

Wedded Bliss....

2011-06-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing time this weekend celebrating such a special time for our friends, the Gannaways. It was a much more emotional weekend than I thought it would be, and I found myself on the verge of tears or thinking back a good 15 years several times over the weekend. Jeff and Sandy Gannaway have been special friends to our family for as long as I can remember. They have three girls and the picture below is how most of my memories are of those 3 little munchkins....they have all grown up and the oldest, Rebekah, got married. When I stepped into the church for the rehearsal on that Friday afternoon, I saw my "first batch" of babies that I started babysitting. I wasn't even really old enough, but when Rebekah was just a little thing, I would come over to "play" with her and would go on weekend trips to visit my Aunt Libby with Mrs. Sandy.....the other two came along and Myra and I were the babysitters. Myra even got a trip to Disney World out of the deal :)!

Rebekah, Maggie and Ann Clark

Maggie, Rebekah and Ann Clark....what beautiful girls they have turned into be! It was an honor for Lilly to "lead the way" for Rebekah on her wedding day, and I am so thankful that I will forever get to remind Lilly of this special day that she was able to participate.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!

We attended the Bridesmaids luncheon on Friday at noon, and Lilly kept saying to me, "I go see, Bekah!" She would venture down the table until she found her. She would visit with her a while and then come back to me. Here she is "visiting Bekah", the bride!

The 2 sweet flower girls giving the bride some good "love"!

Lilly sitting with Ann Clark having some oranges. That was her favorite part of the delicious meal. Ann Clark informed me that she ate 7 oranges sitting with her. She must have known that she would need that Vitamin C for her big weekend.

The lovely couple practicing at rehearsal....Rebekah and Walker.

Anna Clay and Lilly loved playing with the purses of all the girls at the rehearsal. Of course, out of all 15 that were there, they both wanted the same one. This purse, was the one they liked the best....at the end of the rehearsal it had been tampered with and some "lips" were missing!

Anna Clay with the "favorite" purse....she did find it first, so she was entitled. It was a great find, but there were so many more, just as great!

Lilly and LaLa at rehearsal.....thank goodness for LaLa, she was the brains behind our entire plan of getting Lilly down that aisle....SHE DID IT.....by the way! She walked all the way down the aisle, so sweetly, on wedding day. Thanks to a PINK present from Mamie waiting on her at the end and Aunt LaLa telling her to go get it, she made it! We were all so very proud! Both of the girls did great....super cute!

WEDDING DAY....here is the princess bride! She looks radiant. I would say, "Lilly, where is the princess?" and she would just point to "Bekah".

Here is one sleepy flower girl! You can imagine the thoughts that were running through my mind, as she would look straight at me in that whiny voice and say, "I seepy, mama, I seepy". GREAT....one hour before she had to perform. I wasn't looking for her to do it!

Getting her "flowah duhl" shoes on ......

Loving that halo.....

Lilly and Anna Clay had on bloomers and one pair had Go Dawgs on the bottom and the other pair had Hotty Toddy. The bride and groom both went to Ole Miss, but the Father of the Bride, is a HUGE Bulldog fan...so both were represented!

Lilly found a pair of MAJOR high heels and loved walking around in them. I loved watching her with those panties on....GO DAWGS!

She loves feeling Mrs. Sandy's shiny dress. Mrs. Sandy, the mother of the bride, looked so pretty!

So, after the whole I am sleepy conversation, it was time for pictures....she was not going to have it. Lilly Whitten threw an all out fit and told everyone she was going "night-night". She walked right up to a pew and laid down. Things at this point were not looking good....

PARTY TIME......

Sissy was there......YAY!

Anna Clay having so much fun!

Lilly listening to the band

Lilly and Aunt My, being very SILLY!

She found Aunt LaLa's lip gloss and decided that she needed to put it on everyone that she saw, Mamie, LaLa, Mama and Sissy and then one other nice lady that we have never met before. :)

The Withers clan and spouses.....

Libby and Lilly....Lilly does not like to wear shoes for long and you count on her walking up to you with shoes in hand minutes after you arrive at your destination. It gets frustrating at times, but I am learning to pick my battles. Anyway, Libby pointed out that her feet were dirty, so they started calling them her "dancing feet". Lilly loved that and now, almost a week later she looks at the bottom of her feet and says "my dancin' feet".

Lilly after she was told that she had to leave the party....she was so tired and just worn completely out, but DID NOT want to leave. She cried and cried and called for everyone she could think of, "I want LaLa, Tom, My, Mamie, Boo, Libby, Sissy, LuLu" DRAMA!

And here we are, with our dress off, halo on and waiting for some delicious chicken nuggets. She got in the car and said, "I want shicken nu-gets, Mama." Brian and I thought she was pretty hungry....it had been a long day, but worth every minute of it!

Oh...this is one of those times when I just am so thankful for my life, my family and my friends. It was good to go home, it was good to be with old friends, and I am so thankful that it was for such a joyous occasion, as a wedding.

THANK YOU, LORD....my cup runneth over!

With all our Love,

the Atwoods

Road trip to Nashville and a Graduation Dinner

2011-06-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

One perk of being a teacher is that we get 8 weeks off during the months of June and July....it is nice, but I PROMISE I deserve it. Anyway, I decided that we needed get to Nashville to visit Aunt My before things got really busy. So, we asked Sissy to go with us and she asked Maggie to go with her. I was ready to go and thought that these two "princesses" were too, and then I found them BACK in the bed, and Sissy had Lilly "tickling" her arm! Oh my....finally, we got on the road and headed to Music City!

We stopped in Jackson, TN to eat at the Cracker Barrell.
We swam on our first afternoon there and then grabbed some Mexican while we were out. We went to Aunt My's house and did toenails, made cookies and watched SPROUT. I just love this picture. Me and my 2 girls...my big girl and my little girl!

Lilly was quick to tell Aunt My that she needed a pillow and a blanket and that she wanted the TV on SPROUT, please! She should be the spokeschild for SPROUT.....we LOVE it!

Maggie, Lilly and Besty in the bedroom that they stayed in. Lilly loved being in the middle of them. Playing with their Iphones is what she loves to do!

Bye-Bye, Aunt My! Thanks for letting us come stay with you. We had a great time!

So, another awesome, precious teenager that God has put in our lives is Sidney. She has been a God-send to me this past year. Always there for me and Lilly. Going the extra mile and it seems she is there when I need her the most. I tell her all the time that she is "wise beyond her years". We have gotten to know her boyfriend, Parker Gaines, this year as well. As you can clearly see, Lilly LOVES him. Always asking for him and about him. Thank goodness he is just as sweet and kind to her. He graduated this Spring, so Brian and I cooked dinner for him as his present! I don't ever know what to get the guys, so I thought that this would be a fun thing to do. Lilly loved having both he and Sid there.....

Pure sweetness.....

Love this....so very much....it just makes my heart smile!

We are busy....but loving every minute of it!

Thanks for visiting our "life". We are blessed!

Love,

The Atwood's

Paisley and Matt's Wedding

2011-06-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

This post is little belated, but my camera was "dead as a door nail" so I had to depend on my Monica and Laura to capture the weekend. I am so very thankful for the great pics that they they got of everyone!

So, the beautiful bride is Paisley Jackson. Her and her family were so special to me during my years at Mississippi State. Her mom, Norma, taught the Sunday School class that I attended and then I started babysitting Paisley and her brother, Lake. They became my home away from home and we stay in great touch today. Paisley married Matt Oakely, Memorial Day weekend and Lilly was the flower girl.

Although, much practicing was done, Lilly Whit did NOT walk down the aisle. She walked about 3 feet and turned around and went back to our friend who was directing the wedding. When asked after the ceremony by me, Uncle Tom, her daddy, Aunt LaLa, why she did not walk down the aisle she merely said, "I did not want too; I poured dhe flowahs out." There is NO mistaking that she is TWO. She was beautiful, though, and she cooperated with most everything else she was asked to do!

OUR RADIANT BRIDE!

Our Sweet Flower Girl!

Me, Paisley, Monica, and Meme at the Rehearsal Dinner. It was held at Hotel Chester and was a wonderful evening!

Mama doing Lilly's hair. I can't believe how still she is being. "Doing hair" stresses me out. It stresses me to do my own hair and always the little girls that I have babysat. I just knew that I would have all boys!

Lilly showing off her pretty bracelet that Honey (Norma) and Paisley gave her for being the flower girl. She LOVED it and could not WAIT to wear it!

Lilly with Holly, the matron of honor, right before the ceremony started.

Lilly and Uncle Tom after the ceremony. Sending Matt and Paisley off to the reception with the ringing of cowbells.

Lilly giving Matt some "love" right before he marries our Paisley!

Paisley and Matt Oakley

Paisley and her daddy, David, dancing! I love this....too sweet!

Aunt LaLa and Lilly outside of the reception venue. The reception was held in a renovated horse barn. It was FABULOUS. The atmosphere was fun and inviting, decorations were amazing and the food was divine. I did not expect anything less from the Jackson's. It was a great party!

Lilly looking at the water......

Surprise.....no one but the parents of the bride knew about this.....a fireworks show! It was a great break up in the party. We all gathered outside; Paisely and Matt were told to come to the front. They put them out from everyone and then fireworks started going off and they did for the next 30 minutes. Lilly was very serious about them and talked about them for the next few days after that. You would say, "Lilly, what about the fireworks?" She would respond with, "fireworks, in dhe sky, pow, boom". The jury is still out if she likes them or not! We will see in a few weeks....JULY 4th!

Here is to Mr. and Mrs. Matt Oakley.... we love you and wish you all the best! Thank for allowing us to be a part of your special weekend!

This was our first of 2 weddings for the summer that she is the flower girl. Our second wedding is this weekend, maybe things will be different and then maybe NOT!!!

Love to all,

The Atwood's

The Birthday Boys!

2011-06-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

It is so very hard to believe, but Anderson turned 1 this past week and we celebrated with him on Saturday. It just amazes me how these little ones change in ONE year. He is no exception, this little man is running all over the place and getting into everything! Below is the fabulous centerpiece for the table. A cute 1 year old smash cake and then cupcakes for his guests!

Here is little Anderson....this picture was taken while he was still in the hospital!

Here is the BIRTHDAY BOY....WOW....what a difference a year makes!

Getting ready for the song and the eating of the cake!

"Let me see what this stuff is all about!"

Lilly's good buddy, Ward, was at the party, too. They love each other so much and were partners in crime as they kept Ashley and me on our toes.....going out and then back in! This picture summarizes there day together!

I don't know why, but this picture would not rotate. Lilly eating her BLUE cupcake.

Me: "Come on, Lilly, let's go get a cupcake."

Lilly: "O tay, Mama, I want PINK!"

Me: "Well, they don't have pink ones here, just blue, white or brown."

Lilly: "No, PINK!" O tay....ummmm.....BLUE!"

THANK GOODNESS she was fine with that! I am telling you, at the beginning of that conversation, I thought it could go either way!

Don't be confused, we are still at Anderson's party, and yes, you do see Lilly in MoMo's lap unwrapping HIS presents! We held Lilly back and forced Anderson in her lap for as long as we could, and then we just had to let it go....Lilly with MoMo, opeing Anderson's presents and Anderson playing all over the place!

Brian had a birthday on Monday! Lilly wore her birthday dress all over town on Monday and each time someone commented on it, she would point to the cake on it and say, "Daddy's cake!". At one point during the day I heard her singing, "Happy Birthday, to Dadddddy", over and over again...too cute! I just love this picture of her looking at the candles and the cake! Kids do love birthdays...for themselves and others! I think it's so sweet!

Daddy and Lilly!

Lilly enjoying her cake and ice cream at Mamie and Boo's house. She is using her big girl spoon and doing such a great job!

We are blessed to be able to celebrate the lives of such wonderful people....Anderson and Brian....I think that it's great that we celebrate them so close together since Anderson is Brian's Godson! GOD IS GREAT and LIFE IS GOOD!

Summer Fun and Camping with the Girls

2011-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

It was day 2 of week 1 of Summer break for me.....it was 10am and Lilly and I had already gone for a walk, pulled weeds, and shoveled rocks. I started to deal with my wilting plants, when she informed me that she was going to ride her "4wheeler" to see Gunner and Abby. I agreed, and I could see her and hear her playing with the dogs. She was having a great conversation with them. I thought this was so cute and great and then I thought, WHAT ELSE could she be doing over there? I know she is not just sitting there talking....so I wandered over there and this is what I saw.........my little dirt ball!

Thinking it is great to throw dirt all over Gunner...poor Gunner. He is such a great sport. If he wasn't own a chain though, he would not be so gracious!
I just wanted you to get the whole picture in your head.....She was DIRTY!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this face! She made her daddy so proud this day!!

As most of you know, I HATE a mess...so as she is caking dirt all over her....I am frantically thinking of how I could eventually get her clean, without having to go inside my house FIRST. We had a plastic pool from last year and I kept looking at it, thinking "dare I?" I had no other choice....I crawled up under our deck and started dumping the EXTREMELY GROSS, NASTY water that has accumulated over the past year, out of it. I then took the hose, some DAWN and a dishrag and went to cleaning. Meanwhile, Lilly is still having a large time in her dirt pile. I rescued the little pool, and Lilly was happy to jump in. For a moment, I pretended I was back in Evansville..... naked, in a pool, in the front yard. That's what my brother and sister and I did growing up! And here is the naked baby, getting clean, before going inside!

We have been to LuLu, Sissy, and B's pool 3 out of the 5 days. We would have gone more, but I got WAY to sunburned and hurt REALLY bad for a few days. Here she is putting on "lips".

Wearing "Ally's" hat!

Having a great time in the water!

On Thursday afternoon, I met Gini in Batesville and we headed down to Tilatoba, MS to meet up with 4 other HLIS teacher friends! Alicia has a cabin on Pine Lake and she invited us down for a little R&R....we had such a great time. The entire 24 hours we were there, consisted of that table and chairs and a tournament of SPAIDS! It was great 24 hour retreat with some wonderful friends....3 of whom I will dearly MISS!

We did pause the tournament for a little late afternoon fishing! Here is Rachel trying to catch the big one....

Gini just relaxin with her fishin pole!

Leslie and Fowler having a good time. They both were a little knew to the whole wildlife, cabin in the woods, fishing experience, so they were funny!

And since Fowler was the NEWEST to this type of experience, it was only right that she caught the one and only fish!! YAY, for Fowler! She loved it and did not know what to think all at the same time!

Alicia and Rachel....2 of the best teachers and mentors a girl could ever work with....oh how I loved teaching with them and oh how I am going to miss them. I am happy for their new starts at Overpark Elementary and Desoto Central Middle. Both schools are getting GEMS!

The summer has started out with a BANG....BUSY BUSY BUSY......as our life usually stays. I hope to have flower girl pictures up soon. My camera died and I did not have a charger. So I relied on LaLa and MoMo for pics. Just waiting on those two girls to upload. She did as good as 2 year old can do.

It's HOT HOT HOT here and all Lilly wants to do is be outside. She could care less that it is 101....so we are playing hard and sweating lots! Here's to many more fun summer posts!

Love to all,

The Atwood's

A New Life and a Good Nap!

2011-05-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO THE WORLD

HAYDEN MICHAEL
My friends adopted this precious baby Monday. He was born Monday afternoon and they were there to welcome him into their arms minutes after he arrived. This baby so blessed, and his parents are blessed, as well. God is so very good. You can read their adoption story here. I was allowed to see him through the window because adoption rules are VERY different, but am planning a trip soon to see him. I will get some good loving then!

Tom and Lilly took a good Sunday afternoon nap together....too sweet!

School is ALMOST out! The kids are gone and I have to report tomorrow. After that, my summer starts! We leave for Starkville tomorrow afternoon for Paisley's wedding. Lilly has been practicing dropping her petals. I am anxious to see how she does!

Final Days of our Visit!

2011-05-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

By this picture of "Lilly Bug", you can tell that she is having a great time with her cousin, grammy and aunts. After church on Sunday we went to eat in Southaven at McCallisters. That is a favorite among Brian's family, so we are sure to make a trip when they come down. Shelly had to leave on Sunday, so we had to say good-bye to her a couple of days early, BOO!

Thanks, Aunt Jamie, for this Super great picture of the 3 of us. Your camera is WONDERFUL. This is Lilly giving me and her daddy a "group" hug. She will say, "mere, mama, daddy, goup hug." It's really cute!

I am loving this pic of me and my baby girl, too, so I had to share!!! It's a framer!

Lilly blowing her pink bubbles!

Aunt Shelly, Riley and Lilly before she left for the airport!

Grammy, Aunt KK and Aunt Shelly, watching the babies in the play room!

The sisters and Riley before Aunt Shelly went to the airport!

Aunt Jamie and Lilly watching a little SPROUT together!

And here is the princess....pretty pooped after all of the great fun!

WOW....another wonderful visit from our family up noth. I am so glad that Lilly has a cousin so close in age. From the looks of things, that is not going to be the case on my side of the family, nor a sibling, but God's plan is PERFECT. So, I am trusting Him for all cousins, and babies and neices and nephews and husbands.

On another note, school is winding down. Slowly but surely, things are wrapping up. I have had a very challenging year, but have learned so very much. I can say that I am glad for the experience just because I have 3 more days with my students. I am looking forward to a break...just to "be".

Here's to summer time!!!

Sara Whitten

More of Visits from family!

2011-05-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Playing in the yard with Grammy!

"Chillaxin" with Aunt Shelly after breakfast!

Being a "cool dude" in Lilly's sunglasses....I love it! This pic is great!

Lilly loves riding the lawn mower with anyone that is on it. She rides with Brian and then when RaRa, our neighbor, is mowing their grass she rides with her too.

Riley had his turn riding the lawn mower, too. He liked it MUCH better than the 4wheeler!

The wagon was a hit. Aunt Jamie giving Riley and Lilly some love!

Aunt Shelly posing with the little ones in the wagon.

Lilly and her baby Stella with Riley, both with bed head!

Climbing in the den cabinet has always been a favorite activity of Riley and Lilly! They climb in there and demand the door to be closed!

Lilly assuming the role of "older cousin" (by 6 months) and pulling Riley.

TOOOO CUTE.........................................

Still more to come of our last days together! Stay tuned!

Grammy, Aunts, and Cousins from Maryland!

2011-05-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

We had our family that lives in Maryland and South Carolina come visit for the week: Brian's mama, 3 sisters and nephew. I know that Grammy was thrilled to have all of her children and grandchildren under one roof. That is such a rare event these days. Lilly and Riley had so much fun together. Lilly talks about Riley EVERYDAY. Family....we are BLESSED!

Aunt Shelly, Aunt KK (Kristy) and Riley...just a few minutes after they all arrived!

Grammy and Lilly, excited to see each other!

Aunt Jamie and Lilly, excited to be together!

Aunt KK and Lilly, being cool! What they do best!!

2 little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Lilly loves to do this and she recites the end part with me. This week, she had Riley join in with her. Sorry, Kristy, I hope that Riley has forgotten about "jumping on the bed."

Uncle Brian was so excited about taking Riley on the 4-wheeler...you know a boy to do "boy things" with?!! It did not exactly go as planned! Look at that sad face...it got better, I promise!

Friday night we ventured out to Tunica and had dinner at the Catfish Warehouse. It's a local favorite and on this night they had the Turnrow Cowboys playing. You have heard me talk about them before. Been listening to them since I was just a little girl. So happy that Lilly is having the opportunity to do it, too. I thought that this would be a fun outing for us. It is a pretty kid friendly restaurant, and that was a MUST with those wild two! LaLa met us there, while my brother was cheering the Grizzlies to a victory!

Riley and Lilly dancing, entertaining the crowd!

Grammy, Brian and Aunt Jamie, having a good time at the Warehouse!

Kristy and Shelly, the two younger sisters! Kristy lives in Maryland and Shelly lives in South Carolina. So, it was a sweet reunion!

Lilly has this thing when we are at the Wareshouse that she wants me to "SIT" on the edge of the dance floor. She will not have it any other way, sitting in a CHAIR is not an option....Brian says that I should not give in, but, I mean, it's better than her throwing a big fat fit and it does not hurt anything. She will dance for a little while and then come and plop in my lap for a bit. Aunt Jamie was here to capture the moment. She was there to capture all of these great shots, by the way!

Lilly walked up to the stage after a song and said, "I dance"! Mrs. Patti was so kind to get her and hold her during this song. Lilly loves Mrs. Patti. She points to her and says,
"She sings, Mama."

LOTS more pictures of our week visit to come! I just find it's easier to do a little at a time!

With lots of love,
The Atwoods

Happy Birthday, Libby!

2011-05-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, I am going to backtrack into March, because I just got pictures from my trip to see my Aunt Libby, Uncle Craig and cousin Bob in Jackson. If you remember, I had no camera back then, so I was at the mercy of others to capture my memories. I used Libby's camera, but she just figured out how to download them to her computer. So, here we have it....It's fitting that I am highlighing this trip now, because it is Libby's birthday MONTH....MAY....is her birthday MONTH, so she should be featured.

Here is the birthday girl with Lilly and her lovely dog Pearl. Lilly loves Libby and Pearl so very much! It is so funny how she is just "gaga" over dogs...she gets that from my mom and aunts! I just love my Libby. She is the "aunt" that everybody dreams to have...you know....you can go visit her anytime, and she cooks for you and does your laundry for you. She is is "cool". I love her so much....as does everyone else in my family!

My Uncle Craig is just wonderful. Out of my 8 uncles....he is the only one that I really have a relationship with. Brian and I can call him for anything and often do. He is full of wisdom and very smart in all areas, ESPECIALLY construction, so my hubby thinks he "rocks." Most importantly he makes me feel loved and always wanted there! Lilly loves him, too. Aunt Libby bought her the mama sock monkey and the baby sock monkey that day at Target. She was only intending to buy her the one sock monkey, but Lilly INSISTED that she get a baby monkey too. Libby said that she wanted a Daddy monkey, too, but thank goodness she said "NO".
My cousin, Bob, was there, too, and he was entertained with Lilly and her computer and baby dolls. She made him hold her baby and he did so with a smile on his face. They love each other!

She loved taking a "tubby" in Libby's great big new bath tub.

Lilly loved Libby's gnomes as much as Libby loves them! I don't really see the attraction, but it's there for these crazy kids! :) And it was EXTRA hot that day, and she decided to take her shirt off...everyone seemed fine with that!

Lilly enjoyed some lettuce while there....I wish she would eat more of it at home, but we will take what we get!

And on our trip, Lilly and I bought her flower girl dress for the weddings that she is going to be in this summer. We were posing for this picture, so we could send it to the bride, to see if she approved. She did.....so it was a sale. We walked into this sweet Vietnamese man's showroom and I was just in Heaven. The most beautiful dresses and outfits that you have ever seen. I already had the dress number that I was looking for so I told him. He pointed out the dresses that I was looking for. There was the white one and then a pink one was right beside it. As you can guess, Lilly pitched a fit for the pink one...FINALLY.....I got the white one on her and she went straight to that mirror. She LOVED it and demanded that her keds tennis shoes come off. They did not go with her dress! I love that stinker face, so much!

We love you, Libby, Craig and Bob and can't wait to come back for another visit. Your "new" house is just gorgeous. We had so much fun. Happy Birthday, Libby. Being 24 is tough but you will get through! :) See you soon.....June 19th!!!

Paisley's Shower and Great Friends!

2011-05-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Me: "Lilly, what are you going to be in the wedding?"
Lilly: "Dhe flowah dirl"

She can answer the question, now whether or not she performs, the task remains to be seen!

Lilly and I loaded up Sunday morning and drove to Starkville for Paisley's wedding shower. It felt so good to be back with Norma, Paisley and so many other familiar, wonderful faces! All of those people remind me of such an amazing time in my life. A time when life was really GOOD and I was very content with most all of my circumstances. I learned so much during this time, under their wise counsel and it helps me out today in this "real world" I live in today, when it seems that nothing is easy. I am blessed and so very thankful for the people that the Lord sends me, if even for a SEASON!

Here is the beautiful bride with Lilly. WOW....I can't believe that she is old enough to get MARRIED!

Pais opening one of MANY gifts that she received on Sunday!

MoMo had a seat by the bride, so Lilly thought that she would "perch" in her lap for a while!

So, after the shower was over, Lilly saw the pool table with all of the balls. She was having a fit to get on the table and play with them. Janet Mullins, being the gracious homeowner and also grandmother of 3 boys, put her right on that table where she entertained herself for a quite some time. I had to PRY her off, so we could head home.

I made a call on Saturday afternoon to 2 of my dearest friends. They both live in Columbus and I long to see them, especially when there is a trip to Starkville in my future. I figured it would be a long shot for them to be able to meet me, BUT to my surprise they were willing and eager to do so. I was SO HAPPY....they just make me feel so special, loved and right at home. I don't see them often, but it's like we never missed a beat when we talk or a see each other.

Mandy is the beautiful blond on my left. I grew up in Tunica with her and we have been the best of friends for years and years. There is not much we have not done together or been through. We are both thankful that walls can't talk....or we would be in trouble....hahahaha! All I can say is that I could not be happier for my dear friend. The happiness that she has found with her life of a wife and mother of 3 is what I prayed for her, countless nights of prayers. The Lord is faithful and what a blessing it has been to watch her life unfold!

Shannon is the beautiful blond on my right! I met Shannon the day I moved into the 2nd floor of Rice Hall my Freshman year at MSU. I was SO EXCITED.....she lived right across the hall from me and we had both just pledged the same sorority. Our friendship was instant and during that 1st semester we did lots and went through lots together! She moved back home after Christmas and I was sad and mad....but nothing changed with our friendship. We can still pick up right where we left off. It seems that we have been friends for years and we really only spent about 4 months together......God is so good!

We all met at the union at MSU to have a light lunch and get a good visit in, before Lilly and I had to head to the shower. We walked into the union and we saw a very TALL MSU basketball player, John Riek. He was so nice to all of us and Lilly, of course, held her arms up for him to hold her. I don't think that she has ever been up so high! Riek is just a freshman, so we will be watching him for several more years!

Me and Lilly outside of the Union on the statue of Bully!

Getting all of these silly girls to cooperate for a picture was no small feat...this is as good as it gets. Kate Ross (Mandy's youngest), Macy and Lucy (Shannon's 2 girls) and Lilly Whit.

Lilly LOVES Kate Ross and was so excited to see her. She talked about her all the way home. It makes me so happy that Mandy has a little girl the same age as Lilly. I pray that they will have many opportunities to be together and who knows....ROOMMATES.....could be in their future!

Once again, another FABULOUS day....filled with love and laughter!

I am on the school countdown. My last day is May 27...it can't get here soon enough!

Love to all.

The Atwood's

Baseball and Birthday Parties!

2011-05-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Can we say..."PLAY BALL!" Both girls are ready with their babies....Lilly has hers and Sidney has hers :), shades and the perfect attire for the last baseball game of the year. Sidney called and asked if she could take Lilly to Parker's last baseball game...of course I knew that Lilly would have a great time and was so thankful to Sid to want to do this. This was her sweet man's last game, and I didn't understand why she wanted to chase a toddler around....but,all is well, they went and from the sound of things had a BLAST!

Lilly Whitten....all smiles watching MHS baseball with her backpack on....such a big girl!

Sidney and Parker, after the WIN! YAY....so exciting! I just am crazy about these two...they are so fun, kind and generous to each other and others. I tell Sidney all the time that she is "wise beyond her years". My little girl is in love with Pak-ah and never wants Sidney to leave! We are blessed to have their friendship!

Lilly and Parker after the game.....she says, "Pak-ah hit dhe ball, Mama."

WARD BIANCHI IS TWO
On Saturday morning Lilly Whitten and I headed to the big city, Memphis, for one of our favorite friends birthday parties. Ward turned 2, and we were so excited about celebrating with him. Lilly and Ward remind me so much of each other. They act the same, they EVEN whine the same way....it's hysterical. Ashley and I just started looking at them both on Saturday and said..."work it out." I know that they are going grow up being good friends and I am looking forward to their days at MSU together!

Lilly playing at the park....she loved it! She kept saying, "Mama, LOOK, I DID IT!"

This wagon was brought by another child, Vincent, who attended the party, but these 3 wanted to ride in it. Vincent was so sweet to share. I think that at one point in time in got a little worried that they weren't going to get out! Ward, Aurie and Lilly....enjoying a ride!

These 2 were a harder sale to coax out of the wagon...they both, in the same voice, were whining, "no, I ride, my wagon!" UGGGHHHHH.....no it was not their wagon and they HAD to get out. So glad that Lilly has a twin, who is a boy!

CHILLAXIN' in the park swings....I wanted to get in it myself. The weather was beautiful and we are all so glad to be out in it...soaking up the sun!

We had a BUSY Sunday, as well, and I am excited about getting those pictures posted. Check back for Atwood Fun....here is a hint....we went to STARKVILLE!

Easter Sunday 2011

2011-04-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

Living He loved me....Dying He saved me.....Buried He carried my sins far away....Rising He justified, freely forever....And one day He's coming,
OH GLORIOUS DAY!

She had to have her glasses because she knew that we were about to get in the car to go. She knows when her sunglasses are appropriate!

The Easter Bunny found his way to the Atwood home and dropped Lilly off a few things....her favorite was the lip gloss and the M&M's Easter Egg!

After a wonderful worship service we drove to Tunica and had dinner at Tom and Laura's house with my parents. Aunt LaLa does such a great job of hosting....she is a natural!

After a scrumptious lunch, we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful day. Lilly gathered up her gear and headed out there with us.....she looks like such a little lady in this picture. She is taking care of that baby!

Uncle Tom taught her how to water his herb garden and other types of plants his has growing around the yard. She thinks that she is now an avid gardener. She even did so well, that Uncle Tom put a strawberry plant in a pot for her to have as her very own. We are taking care of it and hopefully soon it will have some yummy strawberries.

Our Easter weekend was GLORIOUS, but it left us feeling like this.....

Love to All....
The Atwoods

Easter Egg Hunting 2011

2011-04-25T04:06:00.000-07:00

We went on two Easter Egg Hunts this Saturday....one in Tunica at the church I grew up in and then the one at our church. It took a little coaxing, but Lily finally started picking up the eggs...she put them in her friend, Mary Sue's, basket at first, but then realized there was something in those eggs, so she started putting them in her basket.
Look at that cute little thing hunting those eggs!!Lilly: "Wook!"

Lilly: "WHOA!"

Lilly: "I got it!"

Working hard to get those eggs! Climbing the big magnolia tree with Uncle Tom!

Easter Egg Hunt #2.....the three amigos...Lilly, Jake and Lucy! They both love Jake so much!

Jake insisted on holding Lilly's basket for her....

Hunting eggs again and still much more interested in what was inside...she never got the concept that it was a "race", but that's okay! She wanted to eat what was in the egg RIGHT THEN!! We started making a game out of it and saying "Lilly, go find a pink egg and then a blue egg and a yellow egg...she liked that and would get so proud of herself when she got the color right!

It was a beautiful Saturday........

Easter Cookies and Easter Eggs

2011-04-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

This BEAUTIFUL Easter weekend is turning into quite a busy one...we have just been being very flexible with our plans....so unlike me....but it's been great. Yesterday, while in Wal-Mart, ALONE, I pretty much ran into a station in the middle of the store full of cookie cutters and decorating things, so I thought that it would be a fun thing for Lilly and I to do that afternoon, together....SHE LOVED IT....

Lilly: "Mama, I cook'in

Lilly: "No, I doed it, Mama, I DOED it!"
FINALLY, she let me help her long enough to get the dough made and we were off...she loved this part....she watched me at first, and the second she thought that she could do it herself, it was all her...she did not want nor did she think that she needed my help!
Please notice the intensity...YES...she does have her tongue out, a trait that she inherited from my dad and her Aunt Kristy!

pursing those lips, making sure that it is "just right"

Then it was time to cut out our cookies, she thought that this was really neat. She found a few favorites and we stuck to those....the butterfly, flower and bunny....we did one egg and she wasn't really into that one so much!

Watching them cook...our conversation when we got them out of the oven, went something like this:

SWA: "Lilly, stand back, they are hot...we have to let them cool."

Lilly: "I see um, Mama, I see um.....I blow on them, I blow on them"

So, she stood in her chair and blew on them for a few minutes!

We took a break and came back later to ice them. I wasn't quite sure how this was going to go, but I don't know why I wondered, because PRISS POT thinks that she can do it all. I laughed and I laughed. She took the icing tube and I when I turned around from getting my camera, she had it in her mouth sucking that icing right on out of that tube!

SWA: "Lilly, no, that goes on the cookies! We can eat it when we are through!"

Lilly: "No, mama, yiyyee eat it, it's YUMMY!"

Our finished product!

Shannon, my Cookie Mama, don't worry, Lilly and I aren't going in the business. I KNOW that right now you are TOTALLY so worried that you are going to lose so many customers because of how great these cookies look! HAHAHAHAH!

Friday night Sidney and Parker came over to play and we dyed Easter Eggs. It was another wonderful experience. We are so thankful to have Sidney and Parker. They adore Lilly and Lilly them...she just leads "Pak-ah" around and he lets her.

It was fun telling her to put her eggs in the colors and watching her get it right. She is really doing well with her colors, now, and knows a good many! Her favorite is still PINK...runner up is BWUE, then YEYYOW

Lilly: "WHOA, it's PINK"

Sidney has a little sister, Mary Brooks, who is in the 7th grade. She had 3 friends over spending the night. The 4 of them had been to see Scream 4 and were home alone after the movie. They called Sid at my house and were terrified at home. Parker went to get them and they ALL gave Lilly a "tubby".....I went upstairs and this is what I saw. My child is ROTTEN!

How BLESSED our family is....God has given us so much and we are so undeserving of His unconditional love, grace and mercy....such memories that we have made this weekend as we remember the ULTIMATE sacrifice...

THANK YOU, JESUS!

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole batallion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand........And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head......they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

- Matthew 27:27-30

Palm Sunday 2011

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Matthew 21: 9-11"Hosanna to the Son of David Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

It is a tradition for the little ones of FUMC to carry palm branches, waving them, as the adult choir sings "Hosanna". It was a sweet moment, and I am blessed to be a part of a church where they allow our children to be a part of the "good news". Lilly is already learning so much and she is only 2, and I contribute that to her wonderful teachers. I am convinced that it takes a village of like-minded people to help raise my little one.

Lilly got upset right before walking out, so she CRIED all the way down the aisle...which is TOTALLY not like her, but she got better and joined her friends to sing!

"Behold, Behold! I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock! If anyone hears my voice, If anyone hears my voice; I will, open, open open the door, HE will come in!"

Lilly knows her songs and sings them all throughout the day!

The pre-school choir....precious!
Lilly and Hayden singing "ALIVE, ALIVE" . She had a cute pink bow in her hair and, as I said earlier, she had a rough time in the beginning...she ended up taking her bow out and it landed on the ground. Mrs. Jill tried to put it back in, really fast, right before they sang and she shouted out, "NO, I don wan it!" as she was pushing the bow away! Oh goodness...she was in a mood for sure and gave the crowd some entertainment!

We started our Easter Holiday off with a beautiful Maundy Thursday church service. It really prepared me for this weekend. I was able to stop, be still, and think about the actual events that took place each day..WOW..God KNEW it took unblemished blood to take away our sins and HE did it...unblemished and spotless was HE. So, as I clean and play with my little girl, and enjoy Brian being home today on this Good Friday, all I can do is stay in a mindset of thankfulness over what my Lord did for me!

John 19:30 "It is finished", and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Crawfish Alley 2011

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It's a Tunica Tradition and we love to attend each year.....everyone seems to come out to enjoy the good ole Delta atmosphere, and I love to see old friends in such a fun setting....

Crawfish Alley happens to also be something that my brother, Tom, is very involved in. He is on the Crawfish Crew and they spend months planning and preparing the big event. This year they cooked 11,000 pounds of crawfish and every bit was eaten. This is a fundraisher for the small private school, Tunica Academy, of which is my Alma Mater....so each year we go find Uncle Tom in the alley...he is usually behind the bar...Uncle Tom and Lilly welcome you!

Lilly found her friend Emma and after they terrorized the alley a bit, we decided it was time to strap them in..they enjoyed it, I do believe!

The Rivergate Festival was also going on where they have arts and crafts, games for the kids and this year they had a petting zoo...Lilly Whitten LOVED it. It cost $2 to go inside with the animals and she wanted IN...she went in on two different days. She and her daddy held the bunny. When the owner asked Lilly what color bunny she wanted to hold (brown, white or black), Lilly said, "pink"! Oh...that child!

She and Boo found the "horseys" as Lilly calls them....these cost $5 to ride and we did it several times, as well....

This is on day two and she had already ridden a few times, so she thought that she was an "old pro". She demanded to get on the biggest "horsey" there and DID NOT want my help. She settled for the leader of the ponies, though, THANK GOODNESS!

Lilly was able to play with her sweet friend Hayle Fife at Crawfish Alley...Lilly just kept walking up and grabbing her hand....it was too sweet. Hayley is full of personality, as well, and she and Lilly got along, beautifully!

Crawfish Alley always bring My Sue home and we were all so very glad to see her. Lilly really enjoyed Aunt My this visit and was always wanting her to hold her. Myra picked her up on Thursday when she got into town and she and Lilly spent the night in Tunica. I had to work late....YUCK!

Payton and Gini Bramlett made the trip from Oxford to "party" with us on Saturday. Remember that Gini and Payton are from Georgia. Payton is in law school at Ole Miss and they are here ONLY for 3 years, until he finishes! WHATEVER...I say! I am determined to make them fall in love with Mississippi and stay forever...this weekend might have done it!! HAHAHAHAHA!!

Brian and Payton "putting down" some crawfish...I am serious, they worked really hard at eating it ALL!

So, A LOT of my family was there this weekend....cousins, aunts, uncles, family friends, sisters, brothers, mamas and daddies....we were talking about the fact that Lilly has not missed a Crawfish Alley....she was only a little over 2 months old when she attended her first one...I decided to recap the last 3 years.....OH....each picture is with Uncle Tom, becasue at least one of the days, dresses really crazy and stuff and since this is "his" deal and all....it has kinda been tradition to "pose" with Uncle Tom.

Uncle Tom and Lilly.....at almost 3 months old!

Uncle Tom and Lilly....13 months old.....notice Tom's handlbard mustache?!

Uncle Tom and Lilly THIS year....26 months old.....he actually BOUGHT this sleeveless denim shirt with Crawfish Alley embroidered above the pocket....it was GREAT!

It was a great weekend!! Here is too many more of them!

***on a side note***I would like to apologize for last weeks blog posting. I am very embarrassed. After going back to read it, (after it was posted) I noticed that I had mispelled several words! Can I please explain myself. I had the FLU and I posted that blog on the first day fever free in 48 hours, but still pretty sick. I just don't think that I was in my right mind! So, just wanted you to know, that I am a great speller, but not the best typer, at times!

Love you All,

Sara Whit

A babtism, friends, cleaning and shopping!

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Emma Kathryn Lucka was baptised last Sunday and I was so excited to be able to attend. I don't think that there is anything more moving and sweeter than to see parents, with their precious gift from God, stand in front of friends and family of the faith and vow to raise their baby in a Christian environment. Emma Kate did beautifully and as she was paraded throughout the church, I prayed that she would always feel that much love surrounding her each and every day. You are dearly loved, Emma Kate, and the Atwood's are praying for you everyday!

Sara Whit, Paige, a very tired Emma Kate, and Paige at the luncheon held after church.

We had a busy Saturday and once again, were surrounded by wonderful friends and family. Our great, good friends, Christy, Andy, Aspen and Zane came and spent Satruday night with us. We had a great time eating friend catfish and watching the kids play. They love dressing Lilly up in all of her dress up clothes. They put on quite a show for us and Lilly was a great participant. Lilly and Aspen

Lilly and Zane...she loved her some Zane...and how can you not. Look at that precious little thing. I see some prom dates in our future...if his daddy will let him go...HAHAHA...jk Andy!

Zane, Aspen and Lilly all dressed up before church.

We had tacos one night this week and tacos make a big mess...being her mother's child.....Lilly goes to get her broom to sweep it all up!

Lilly and Aubrey Claire all smiles before we get on our way to do some shopping at the Spring Market.

This is one of her favorite places to be, in her mama and daddy's bed, with her mama monkey and her baby monkey, watching SPROUT before bedtime!

One tired little girl!

Have a great week!

Precious Moments

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I have been trying out my new camera the last few days, ever since I was scolded by my sister who said I was not posting enough pictures.....anyway, I captured some sweet, cute, fun and funny ones this week that are and will be precious moments one day!

I will forever hold this picture in my memory. Lilly really likes her Bible. She knows that you take it to church, that it teaches you about Jesus, and she knows that our Bibles sit beside our beds. The other night, Brian was in the bed reading his, and I see her fly through her room, grab her Bible and then run back into our bedroom....she struggled to climb on the bed, wanting no help, because she thinks that she can do anything....climbed right beside her daddy and started "reading" her Bible right along with him....my heart rejoices....

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.

As a mother, I cling to this verse and forever pray that her heart will be as tender towards the scripture as they are today!

As you can tell, when we get out of the bathtub we only like to be in our diaper. Putting pajamas on is a struggle and she usually pitches a big fit if they are not PINK......high maintenance! She loves to brush her teeth and, obviously, in this picure does it with her sunglasses on! Lilly "shopping at mal-mawt" with her baby and two purses! I fell out laughing the other night when I saw her doing her best to get on her little 4-wheeler. I could not figure out why she was struggling so and then I realized that she was trying to get her baby on their with her. Can you tell that she has done this before? She has been the baby doll many times, on her daddy's 4-wheeler! I still stand amazed at the things she remembers and picks up on......everything! Lilly and her baby doll watching a little "Sprout" before going to bed. She has to be in her daddy's chair and everything has to be just right.....have I said high maintenace yet? Another precious moments picture....this is usually the way I leave them each morning as I head to work! I pray that you all have a FANTASTIC week.....

Love,

Sara Whit