Fishin' should always end with a Ta-Da!

Lots of pictures, so beware!

We spent the long weekend at the lake with my mom. Scott's family joined us on Memorial Day, per tradition; as always, we had a blast!

Ella Beth was so excited to try out her princess fishing poll. (I hear princesses and fish go well together!)

See what I mean...Ella Beth caught this fish ON HER OWN! Scott wasn't even next to her when she was reeling it in!

She was tickled beyond measure! She was so proud, and she talked about this "really big fish" all day. :)

Daddy was pretty proud, too!

Showing Kaitlin how to catch a big one. ;)

Hanging out with Uncle Jason in the pool.

Landon was still a little sleepy after he woke up. Didn't expect to have so many people and so much water all around either.

The pool water was a little chilly for his tastes at the beginning of the day.

The two sweetest cousins I've ever seen.

This picture just cracks me up. Landon is looking for food, Ella Beth is talking, Kaitlin is smiling, and Hayden is crying. Love it!

Scott was nice to play in the pool with Ella Beth. She loved anyone who would join her!

Landon warmed up to the pool (once the pool warmed up for him), and he played for about an hour. He had so much fun splashing and throwing his toys out. Mommy got a work-out throwing them back in!

The day ended with smiles all around. Glad I captured this cute one. :)

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Ella Beth had her Gymnastics Jubilee last weekend. She absolutely l-o-v-e-s gymnastics! She talked about her jubilee all week. I am just tickled to death at how much she has come out of her shell within the last year. She puts it on thick when she's in her element!

Ella Beth was waiting in line for her turn to jump her heart out. Here she is turning around to make sure we're watching. Don't worry, sweet girl, we saw every second!

On the balance beam doing her favorite trick - throwing a kiss while doing her stag stand!

Ta-da! Love this girl!!!

Ella Beth and Ava celebrating after a fantastic Jubilee! These girls are just too cute when they get together!

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OK, so enough pictures already, right?!?! Maybe not. ;)

Don't say cheese; just smile :)

These pictures are a long time in the making. We were scheduled to have our shoot in March...however, March 2009 was the "hospital month" as we call it around here. Andrea (my long time friend/our photographer) and I had to keep making dates/rearranging schedules, but we finally got a decent shoot in.

I L-O-V-E these pictures...especially since I am finally in some with my kiddos! Landon wasn't too sure about the whole thing to begin with (as you will see in the first few shots), but warmed up to the camera nicely. Ella Beth, on the other hand, was a complete ham from the get-go!

Andrea also played around a little with just Scott and me. L-O-V-E pictures with my honey!

Check out our session:

http://georgialane.com/Castleberry/

Gee, thanks, Ella Beth.

So, today a conversation happened today while at my mom's house.

Me: I can't believe I'm going to be 30 in less than 2 weeks.

Mom: I know, but you are.

Me: I'm getting old.

Mom: You're not getting old. Mommy's not getting old is she, Ella Beth?

EB: Yes she is!

Me: Gee, thanks, Ella Beth.

EB: Ahh, mommy. I love you.

(I guess that "I L Y" makes it all better. But the countdown is still on - 13 days. Yikes!)

Have you ever?

Have you ever had a person in your life with whom you just can't have a relationship? No matter how hard you try?

There is someone in my life that I simply don't know how to deal with. I've tried everything: being a friend, killing with kindness (trying my hardest to be sincere), ignoring, confronting, praying...all to no avail. Lately, however, I am fighting the urge to just "deal" with this person...tell him/her what I really think, if you know what I mean.

But, instead, I believe I am going to have to make a very difficult decision.

In the past this person has said that it ruined his/her Christmas when I announced my pregnancy with Ella Beth. He/she also expressed disapproval annoyance disgust at the announcement of my pregnancy with Landon. These two instances are not isolated events, but they are two that I have had to deal with in the forgiveness department.

But, things have gotten more complicated.

You see, this person doesn't just affect me; he/she has started affecting my kiddos. Ella Beth has started asking me questions about this person that I simply don't know how to answer. She asks, "Why doesn't _____ like to play with Landon?" "Why doesn't _____ talk to me?" She says, "______ likes to play with [others], but he/she doesn't like to play with Landon." To me, that's where it has crossed the line; that's where it's going to stop.

This decision I am about to make is going to be difficult, and I'm not taking it lightly. You see, in making this decision, I am going to have to break someone else's heart in order to save my own and protect Ella Beth's and Landon's. I am going to have to separate Ella Beth and Landon from one relationship that is valuable in order to get the "yucky" one out of our lives. Is that too selfish?

I know this is a bit vague (to say the least!), but any words of wisdom out there?

It's all in the family

Lately, I have really been evaluating who we are as a family. What are our priorities? What are our goals?

Too many people we know are caught up in just being busy. They must
be involved in everything - every group, every social outing. For a
while, I'll be honest and admit, we (mostly me) were trying to
keep up. If "so and so" is going, we should too. If "such and such" is
happening this weekend, we should be there.

Well, it became painfully obvious - very soon - that our family was
totally neglected. We were shipping our kids off to their grandparents
far more than we were spending time with them. Some people kept saying,
"Oh it's good for your marriage. You need an identity other than just
being Mommy & Daddy." Yes, but only to an extent.

You see...we made the choice to become parents. God allowed
us to be blessed with two amazing children. Why, then, were we spending
so much time AWAY from them? Away from the choice we so willingly and
excitedly made?

Not any more.

We have decided that we are ultimately dedicated to God, first;
dedicated to our family, second. Everything else comes in at a far
third.

That's not to say that Scott and I won't be going on dates (because
we thoroughly enjoy those!). And, it's not to say that we won't be
hanging out with our friends. It's just to say that our priority is our family
- and that will come before any other commitment. You see, when our
kiddos grow up and turn into middle schoolers and high schoolers...we
want their greatest influence to come from home.

Judge us if you must, but we are so delighted by our decision. The
air in our house is lighter. The smiles on our faces are more
permanent. We absolutely L-O-V-E being with each other - as a family.
To us, it's the best decision we've made.

Of course, you're welcome to come visit. We'll be easy to find!

Something we've been up to as a family:

Here's our garden! Scott has put so much effort into it; we're going to
eat "good" this summer! (Squash, carrots, onions, peppers, potatoes,
green beans, zucchini, corn, butter beans, and more!)

 
 

Our strawberry patch!

 

Ella Beth got to pick the first strawberry of the season!

 

 

Yum-o!

29

I have only 29 days left of being 29.

In 29 s-h-o-r-t days I will officially be out of my 20s.

I'll be 30.

Just trying to brace myself for it.

You know...in case I need a walker and have permanent silver hair when I wake up on June 5.

Oh dear...

it's really coming!

I'm moving!!!

Yup, you read that right - I'm moving. Blogs that is.

Be on the look out for a special message regarding the new placement of my blog. Per my husband's request (that I've been semi putting off since the beginning of the year - opps!), it will be "private" - by invitation only. ;) Just in case you're not in my normal email bank, let me know via comment on this blog if you'd like to know the new location and password for my new blog.

So...after my last post (that was quite heavy), I can give a little bit of an update.

I've still been struggling with feeling let down by God, but I have realized that this "season" is only temporary. I have realized that I am growing in my faith through this season, and that is ultimately God's purpose.

A story that my friend Ally shared with me that really helped me realize that my reaction to adversity can determine the path that it will lead me.

There
was a woman who complained to her father that her life was miserable
and that she didn't know how she was going to make it. She was tired of
fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was
solved, another one soon followed. 

Her father, a chef, took her into
the kitchen. He filled 3 pots with water and placed each on a high
fire. After the pots were boiling, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs
in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the 3rd. "What is he
doing?" she thought.

After 20 min he removed the pots from the fire and
removed the contents. The father asked her what she saw and she said
"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee."  The father said, "Look closely and touch
the potatoes." She did they were soft. He then asked her to break the
egg but it was hard boiled. The he asked her to sip the coffee and the
aroma brought a smile to her face.

The father explained that the
potatoes, the eggs, and coffee beans had each faced the same
adversity. However, they reacted differently. The potato went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it becamce soft
and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its
liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water and the inside
became hard. However, the coffee beans were unique. After they went
through the boiling water, they changed the water and became something
new.

The father asked his daughter, "Which are you? When adversity
knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a
coffee bean?" In life, things happen around us, things happen to us,
but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.