I could have danced all night...I could have danced all night...

Last night was DD's 1st formal and her 1st dance! She attended her school's Homecoming Dance. I was privledged to attend as well and chaperone. It was such a fun night. The kids dance for 3 straight hours.

It was much different from the dances I remember from high school...there were no couples who tried to hang out in the dark corners and there weren't any of the groups gathered that never seemed to dance. That is something I love about DD's school. Everyone enjoyed each other and there were no appearance of cliches and even if you couldn't dance you jumped in and added your 2 goofy cents! I (and the other Moms even got into the act and dance along with some of the 80s tunes...DD even said I was a good dancer -- a good 80s dancer that is -- WHAT does that mean!) DD before in her Jessica McClintok dress. I think I wore a Jessica McClintok dress when I was in high school...or maybe that was Gunne Sax?
DD invited a friend from church to attend the dance as her "date". Don't they look sweet?
We had a gathering at our house before the dance so that everyone could visit and eat. This is a photo of some of the kids. There were no boyfriend/girlfriend combos just a great group of buddies who enjoyed the entire night together...along with a late night visit to IHOP after the dance.

10 years ago

I spent the day in Labor/Delivery at Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, SC. It was a long, long day. My baby’s due date was not for almost another 3 weeks and I was surprised to find myself there (baby #1 came ON her due date). I think this was just another notification that this baby was going to be a different child all together. At around 4:00 p.m. Baby#2 went into distress and I was rushed into O.R. A few short minutes later I was the Mother of a baby boy.

A boy! A beautiful, little boy.

I didn't get to hold or see him for several hours as he had some breathing issues and that wreaked havoc with my hormonal emotions. I think the fact that we had lost a baby a little over a year before probably increased my panic. 6 hours after he was born I demanded to see my baby. They brought him to me and I was so relieve to see a healthy, rolly-poly little boy. He was OK. I was OK...God had blessed us once again. He came into this world at 9 lbs (the Dr. said if he had gone to full term he would have been 10-1/2 to 11 lbs)! He looked more like a 2 month old baby than a newborn.

Now, 10 years later, I watch this boy growing into a young man and I am so proud of him. He is sensitive, kind and loves God. He is smart and funny; loves sports and his continuous energy inspires me. I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

He and I often seem to find ourselves and opposite ends of situations but I love this boy more than life itself. God never makes mistakes and he is proof.

Happy Birthday, sweetie!

I am resolved....

Happy New Year!

We rang in the New Year with a party here at the house with a few friends. They are good friends, because like us, they aren't big New Year Eve Partiers! They all took off for home before midnight, as they didn't want to be on the roads when all the true party folks loaded up in their cars and headed home from their parties. DH and I both enjoyed the after party glow (and a clean house!) while we watched the ball drop in Times Square. The night was magical, as the house was quiet and all the children were spending the night away...the next morning was even more magical -- as we got to sleep in together! WHOOOHOOO!

In years past I have not made New Year's Resolutions. This year, though, feeling the need to get myself organized and my life running a bit more smoothly, I have. Maybe I will wish I hadn't -- but I did. I am also going a step further and, gulp, putting them out there for all (2 or 3 of you that read this blog) to read! So here goes,

I resolve to:

• Pray more
• Be more consistant and dedicated in my Bible Study and daily prayer/quiet times.
• I HAVE to get my health in order (and yes, as cliche as it sounds, that includes eating healthier, exercising and loosing weight).
• Be more patient with my children and make more memories with them -- other than the memory of Mommy being in a snippy mood .
• Organize and purge my house! In my last house, everything had a place and everything seemed to stay organized and it was much easier to keep clean. We have been here almost 3 years and it still feels chaotic to me.
• Have more friends in and share our home with others frequently.
• Finish redecorating/redoing the upstairs (the paint stops just half way up the stairs -- just high enough that you can't see it from the foyer!).

So, there, I did it. I made New Year's Resolutions. Can you believe? Oh, now to keep them. I did pretty good on January 1st (even with the eating and exercising part!).

2007 promises exciting things...one of the 1st being DD is going back to her previous school! If you have read Southern Somedays for a while you may remember the struggle I had with her desire to attend the local public high school. She was very curious about public school and we decided to step out in faith and let her go (literally and figuratively). She had alot of fun over at the public high school...was very popular and involved -- for which I am very grateful but she approached us a few weeks back and asked if she might go back to her Christian School! To say we were thrilled is an understatement. I am so proud of her making the decision on her own, even after having the ideal "high school experience" at the public school. She told us that everyone at the public school was really nice and since it was so big there were all kinds of cool things to do but it just wasn't her previous school and she missed the quieter, more intimate involvement and friendships. She missed her Bible courses and....get this....she missed uniforms! THAT is amazing, especially after all the years of, "If I didn't have to wear uniforms my life would be great...blah, blah, blah!" On a completely selfish note I will be glad to have her back at the previous school because that is where her younger brother goes and her baby brother will go next year (just think all 3 children at the same place!)...for the begining of this school year I had 3 children at 3 different schools so it meant a day of driving for me! This will really make my life much more simple!

Hope you all had a marvelous start to 2007!