Table Decor

Mommy's Lovely Place mat
Parker's Firetruck Placemat
Daddy's Rainbow Place mat
Turner's Place mat

Turner decided we needed place mats around here! So, she custom designed one for each of us. Parker is a HUGE fan and can't get over his awesome firetruck!

I am taking them to be laminated tomorrow, because I fear a revolt if/when they get messed up (which, in these parts, is just a matter of time!).

p.s. I have to say that Turner's desire the "dress up" the table comes very naturally. Her namesake, Alice Turner, ALWAYS has a done-up table! Love ya, Grandy!

Good News and Bad News

The new wheels!!!
Five kids sitting comfortably in our new car!

Good news: We got a new car!!! Or, "Truck," as Parker calls it! We have finally moved on from 1996, and we're so thrilled. Neither Thomas nor I have ever had a new car in all our lives! We got a Toyota Highlander with a third row (See the five kids above??? They are all in OUR CAR! Woo Hoo!)

Bad news: We brought the car home Thursday night. I had been parking it in the driveway, because I was too scared to pull it in the garage. Sunday morning after church, Thomas was driving it in the garage and explaining to me how I could do it, when we heard a loud, VERY unpleasant scraping sound. Not so good. Needless to say, I spent Monday at the body shop getting a VERY unpleasant estimate for fixing the rear fender of our four-day-old vehicle.

Good news: No one was hurt. It is just a car. AND, it was Thomas driving. :) In all seriousness, we are so fortunate to both have good senses of humor about life's ironies. We have laughed about it and both feel waaaay too blessed in the big things to sweat the small things.

The car will be "like brand new" by next Friday! Stay tuned! :)

To Fair? Or not too fair?

Yikes! Stuck in the mud!
Wet, wet mommies and kiddos! (Waiting under a tarp for the stuck van).

Ice Cream makes everything better!
Yeah!

Last year, we had a blast at the North Georgia State Fair with our dear friends, The Figarettis. Turner still talks about the elephant ears and fun rides.

So, we had big plans to go back on Monday night. Monday turned out to be quite rainy, but cleared up nicely as the afternoon progressed. So, after one last check of http://www.weather.com/ (25% chance of showers and pretty skies), we made the 1-1/2 hour drive and paid to get into the fair. Moments later (literally), the sky fell out. So, no rides, no elephant ears, no animal shows. And five sad kids.

Just to top off the experience, The Figarettis' mini van got stuck in the mud and had to be pushed out by four men!

But...I have learned over these last 4-1/2 years that part of good parenting is flexibility and plain, old good marketing. So, we quickly made Plan B to eat hamburgers and go for ice cream. For my food lovin' little girl, this was a great consolation!

No fair this year, but thankfully, kids are so adaptable and had a blast anyway. The rainbow God ordered for us was icing on the cake! :)

Havin' a Ball...

Turner and her sweet buddy, Trip...post Saturday games.

Future soccer dude!

Just like Sissy!

Cute Little Gators!

Turner and Parker pulling for the Gators last weekend! Daddy needed their help -- big time!

LOVE, Unscripted...

Below are some precious moments I've been able to capture lately. It is so neat to see Turner and Parker's relationship blossom! And to think I worried about how a sibling might affect my firstborn!!! There's no greater blessing...

Family movie night -- Parker climbed up next to Sissy on his own, and they even held hands! SOOOO cute. I snuck and took the next photo, so you could see their hands.

My Little Conductor...

The World's Longest Train

The two Sweetest Engineers!

Team Victory!

Turner started soccer last weekend! It was so much fun. Thomas is coaching, which is really a treat for all of us. She loves it so far and had a blast at her first game on Saturday! Victory team did great! I think all the girls scored, and Thomas was most proud because none of them scored on their own goal! :)

Viva Mexico!

Airport snackin'!
Turner and her Mexican Amiga, Lucia

Sweet Boys!
Within MINUTES of arriving at our Casa, Parker had put this hose in his mouth and had a nice, long drink. I was honestly terrified that would be IT for him, as I am pretty sure sucking the garden hose in Mexico is not on the list of "things to do to ensure a happy stomach." Thankfully, his tummy must be made of steel, because he did not get sick!

More playing...

Can you spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E?

Ahhhh....the fountain. Also a favorite for Parker. Much to Turner's dismay, he gave several of her Barbies baths in this very fountain. Later, he would give himself a bath in it!

Silly boy!

The contents of our Mexico Mission bags (more on that later)

Turner outside of her favorite "blue door" bakery. We came here each morning and bought a huge assortment of sugary, bad-for-you items to take home for breakfast! This would definitely make her highlights list of the best things to do in San Miguel.

The Paroccia -- a beautiful church in the center of town.

Another shot...

One of the side streets. Notice all the decorations hanging to commemorate the bicentennial of Mexican independence! All the streets were full of flags, streamers, lights, etc.

Daddy and the kids in the square at night.

The crowning of Miss San Miguel -- Turner was in heaven watching all the fancy gowns, etc.!

Turner and Pops and Gammy watching the reenactment of the Mexican Revolution in the square.

Daddy -- The transportation of choice! He got good workouts on the cobblestone streets, with a backpack weighing over 30 lbs. and a girl who wanted an occasional ride, too!

A typical San Miguel wedding, complete with Mariachis, Burros and shot glasses of tequila...

Happy Boy!

My girl!

Sweet Chicka!

This is hilarious! I was trying to get a shot of both kids, but Parker ended up IN the fountain shortly after I pressed the button for this one! :) I think he realized how un-fun Barbie felt when she was dunked!

Ready for supper

Ole, Ole -- one of our favorite restaurants, where there is a huge collection of bullfighting memorabilia.

Ole, Ole!

Mmmmmm...care for some salad? Here is how lettuce arrives at the Mercado. Fun to look at, but not fun to eat for the Gringos!

Turner and me in the square

We had the huge privilege of taking the kids -- once again -- to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. They did so well and are becoming quite the world travelers! I think all those long car trips to South Carolina have really paid off, because Turner and Parker could not have behaved any better or been any more flexible!

Parker was completely taken by the planes, trains and automobiles...not to mention all the TRUCKS that work on the planes. Turner was just excited to be "going and doing."

This trip is so special to us on so many levels.

First, it is great family time -- and what an awesome privilege to be with family and have the opportunity to share in such a rich cultural experience. I started traveling to San Miguel the summer before Thomas and I were married, and this was my sixth year, so it holds quite a special place in my heart!

Second, it is such a wonderful chance to teach our children that everyone doesn't drive around on a golf cart and live the way we do. It is our deep desire and prayer for Turner and Parker to understand how truly blessed they are, to learn that there are many different (equally valuable) ways of doing things and to see the world/have compassion for the people of the world, who may be suffering, hungry, cold, weary, etc. And, praise God, San Miguel is a perfect "classroom" for them. There were several conversations we had with Turner that warmed our hearts...just knowing she is "getting" it.

One such conversation started like this: "Mom, have you noticed that the people here have dark brown skin? That no one has skin like ours?" Yes, child. God created us all differently -- using all the colors of the world! We are ALL "fearfully and wonderfully made!"

Another: "Mom, did you see that lady? We have to give her some Pesos! She might need them. She might be hungry." (One such incident weighed so heavily on her, that we turned around and walked a full block back to give one of the street women some extra Pesos.) Praise God, because when we do it for the "least of these," we do it for HIM!

We also did our "Mexico Mission" again this year. Turner planned it out and decided to give away crosses, fruit snacks, lollipops, silly bands, peanut butter crackers, lemonade, granola bars, soap, wipes and mints to the widows, women and children begging on the streets. We gave away 25 bags during our week there. It was awesome. One widow literally chased Turner down in the artisans market (long after receiving her bag) to bless Turner and give her a rag doll she had sewn together as a thank you. It brought tears to our eyes to see. "Feed my lambs..."

Another highlight, was that Turner got to play with her Mexican friend, Lucia. We met Lucia last year, and we managed to find her phone number and have her over to play two different times. It was precious to see the two girls. They didn't say much, but they didn't really need words -- they just played together and smiled at each other. At the end of the day, we humans all want to connect, don't we? And most of the time, our children know how to do it better than we do.

One funny story I don't want to forget: We were in the town square one night (the Jardin), and I was holding Turner. She looked up at me with HUGE saucer eyes and said, "MOM! You HAVE to see this." She turned my head around with both hands and showed me a street woman with her baby suckling her breast. It was not at all discrete, and my Dr. Brown's bottle fed child could not believe it. "Do you SEE what that baby is sucking on, Mom?! Do you see that???!!" Guess she and I need to have a discussion! :)

Finally, September of this year is particularly special, because it marks the bicentennial of Mexico's independence. San Miguel de Allende sits at the heart of the Mexican Revolution which led to Mexico's independence from the Spaniards in 1810. The town is named after Ignacio Allende, one of the two key leaders of this movement. So...needless to say, in a country that knows how to throw a Fiesta, there were lots of fireworks, light shows, reenactments, flags and fun!

Thank you, Gammy and Pops, for allowing us to visit you in such an amazing and beautiful place! We are blessed beyond any words and we just pray that we will continue to pour out our blessings on others and that they might see Christ in us.