Wordless Wednesday

Waiting for Brigdon

Photo courtesy of J. Higginbotham Photography

Tuesday Ten

My word, it's been a while since I've done a Tuesday Ten!  It's been sheer craziness 'round here, and I honestly don't know why.  Just busy livin' life, I suppose.  Here's a brief breakdown of what we've been up to the past month or so. 

***It's photo-heavy....consider yourself warned!***

{ONE}

The boys gained a new baby cousin, Kai David, seven weeks ago.  They were smitten.  Kai is Brig's first encounter with a baby -- he's always been the baby -- and he affectionately calls him the "bay bay."  So sweet.

Nana B with all THREE grandsons

{TWO}

Naturally, the fall season calls for carving a pumpkin or two -- something Harrison looks forward to every year.  This year, I was able to let him do the majority of the work, all but the cutting.  It turned out great!

Ta-da!

That is some serious concentration

{THREE} 

This little pistol of a boy loves to climb in -- and on -- anything he can.  I'm honestly not surprised he hadn't found the dryer sooner...

{FOUR}

Our church hosts a county-wide fall festival every year and it is so fun.  The kids love the bounce houses and games, and the adults love the food!

Brothers -- in coordinating pumpkin shirts!

{FIVE}

I was able to tag along with Harrison's kindergarten class for a field trip to the pumpkin patch, followed by a fall party back at school.  It was the prettiest day and all the kids had such fun.  He and his classmates even took turns carving a pumpkin for their classroom. 

Pumpkin Patchin'

Scooping out the junk....eww!

{SIX}

Halloween!  These critters loved dressing up and trick-or-treating with their pals.  I already had the monkey costume for Brig, and after much persuasion for Harrison to agree to be the Man in the Yellow Hat, it was a no-go.  He was set on being a "monster truck race driver," so that's precisely what we did.  And Brig was Curious George all on his lonesome.  A few weeks before we trick-or-treated with the boys, Justin and I attended a costume party thrown by some friends as Shrek and Princess Fiona.  Even when you grow up, getting dressed up is still a blast!

Mama and the 'monster truck race driver'

Mama and a wiggly Curious George

Princess Fiona and Shrek

(Disclaimer:  Harrison snapped this photo.  Shrek is squinting at the flash and Fiona is too busy explaining how to work the camera to strike a pose.  Hey, it works.)

{SEVEN}

Every year since Justin and I have been married, we've participated in Operation Christmas Child.  OCC is a ministry that collects shoeboxes and distributes them to children in all parts of the world.  We pack a shoebox with small toys, school supplies, candy, and toiletries.  Then the folks at OCC include a 6-week discipleship book in the shoebox and hand deliver them across the planet to poverty-stricken children who wouldn't have otherwise gotten anything for Christmas.  And more than the toothbrushes and toys, these children are taught about Jesus through the discipleship course.  They, in turn, tell their families about the love of Christ.  Entire communities are changed through the work of OCC.  It's something very dear to my heart and now that Harrison is old enough to understand that Christmas is so much more than presents, he is a big helper in our shoebox packing.  It's something we look forward to every year.  After we packed and wrapped the boxes, we prayed over them and for the children who would receive them and that they would accept Jesus and go tell their families.  I have no doubt that heaven will be much fuller thanks to the work of OCC. 

{EIGHT}

We've got a potty-trainin' nearly 2-year-old in the house!  Brig's been doing super on the potty for the most part, but there are not-so-great days.  I would have never guessed this pistol wild child of mine would be so good with the potty.  I'm so proud of him!

He's covering his face because he didn't want his picture taken....he he.

{NINE}

My best friend Susannah and her husband welcomed two perfect baby girls to their family last week -- Payton and Ashlyn.  They joined big sister Meghan and big brothers Logan and Weston.  The twins are sweet as can be and just perfect.  It's such a miracle when one baby is born, but to see TWO perfect healthy newborns is just unreal.  What an amazing God!

{TEN}

I rescued two Cracker Barrel rocking chairs from the dump last week.  These were my mother-in-law's chairs, which were previously white.  Both chairs were worn and one had some rotten wood.  My handsome handyman of a husband repaired the rotten wood.  After sanding them and adding two counts of satin black enamel paint, I am in love!  Total cost:  $15.00 (for paint).  These are so comfy and look great on my little porch.  The Little Mister rocking away in these pics isn't too bad either. 

Make it a great week y'all!

Memory Monday

***After a long break from blogging, I'm back -- and very glad about it!***

We're recovering from a busy Thanksgiving weekend full of food, shopping, and fun.  More about our holiday shananigans in tomorrow's Tuesday Ten.  But for today, it's Memory Monday!

For today, I'm going to jump back a little further than one year ago to TWO years ago.  We were a family of three at that time and anxiously awaiting baby Brig to make his appearance.  We celebrated the holiday, but opted for no shopping.  Instead, we packed for the hospital, tied up loose ends for the nursery, and put up Christmas decorations.  And it was perfect timing because the Monday after Thanksgiving, we welcomed our sweet pistol of a fella Brigdon David Chapman to our family, and we have never been the same. 

Memory Monday

"It's just another Manic Monday...."  But, we're praising God for a new week and new mercies!

But in the style of Memory Monday, let's look back one year ago and see what the Chapman brood was up too.

We just wrapped up the county fair here in our small town this past weekend, so I found it quite fitting to highlight that for today's Memory Monday.  My boys -- especially Harrison -- l.o.v.e. the fair!  And though our county is small, so is our fair, but nevertheless, it's a blast for the kids.  The weather has been rough this past week, and we actually never made a true fair night with the boys (the first time in years that we've skipped it!), but Harrison's school had a field trip one morning and they were able to see a few shows, check out the exhibits and the animals.  No rides and no (yummy!) fair food, but it was enough for him.

Last year....

Harrison and cousin Tyler (with custom applique shirts courtesy of Mama Couture!)

And this wittle guy, who hardly looks like the same child a year later!

Happy Monday Y'all!

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Ten

I've missed a few weeks (because we've been biz-E), but Tuesday Ten is baaaack!  Here's a glimpse at what we've been up to lately. 

{ONE}

We had some Labor Day Weekend fun with one last hoorah of summer at the river.  Of course, these two river rats just wanted to play in a mud puddle. 

{TWO}

We've been seeing an awful lot of these 'round our property lately, which only means it's time for...

putting out some "yella a-kerns" and...

brushing up on bow skills. 

{THREE}

It's not officially fall yet, but we have a few days of bee-you-tiful Florida-style fall weather this past week (highs in the mid-80s and lows in the 60s -- oh yeah), so that meant it had to be time to get out some fall decor.  I added something new to my fireplace mantle after seeing this idea from Pinterest.  A few yards of cheap burlap got me this "Give Thanks" banner, an embellished table runner for the dining room table and plenty of burlap leftover for a rainy day. 

{FOUR}

One of my favorite things about this season is the return of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte.  The other day, I was browsing Pinterest -- yet again -- and came across this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes and knew I had to try them...and soon.  I decided to bake these up for our Thursday night small group to enjoy, but since a few don't care for coffee, I omitted the coffee from the batter.  They were still oh so good.  Being the coffee lover that I am, next time I will definitely be including that.  The recipe also called for true whipped cream as the frosting.  Like the kind where you beat heavy cream and powdered sugar.  I short-cutted (not sure if that's a word) here and used the kind from a can that you shake.  They still tasted great, but the kind in the can melts rather quickly.  All around, a total crowd pleaser.  AND the recipe made nearly 3 dozen cupcakes, so I took half to my small group gals and stowed half in the freezer, which later made an appearance at Saturday morning's MOPS meeting.

{FIVE}

It's no secret that we heart Sunday afternoons...well, actually, we heart Sunday's in general.  The last Tuesday Ten showed you one way that a couple-a country boys spend a Sunday afternoon.  But, oh there is so much more -- naps being a personal favorite.  Or, of course, you could drive a remote-controlled boat in the pond...

or just goof off like this guy...

{SIX}

I've been reading Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst on my beloved little eReader for a few weeks now.  To be honest, it's been so hard for me to get into.  I keep trudging on, hoping something will grab me, but nothing yet.  I originally bought it because I had heard great reviews and the subject matter (replacing your craving for food with a crave for Christ) hits home for me.  I'm a big fan of Lysa TerKeurst's blog, Proverbs 31 Ministries too.  I still plan to finish it regardless, but it's been a doozy.

{SEVEN}

My cousins and I (who I rarely see and wish could get together with more often) threw a little baby shower last weekend to welcome my new nephew, pending his arrival sometime in the next month or so.  And, naturally, I had fun monogramming a few goodies and shopping for teeny tiny little boy things.  Hard to believe my critters were that little once upon a time. 

(My cousin Elizabeth, my sister Leslie, my cousin Whitney and me)

{EIGHT}

My dear friend Kristi grabbed a few pair of "Armor of God" pajamas for the boys.  Brig's are a bit too big, but Harrison's fit just right.  And he was so excited to bust them out that first time.  They're adapted from Ephesians 6:13-17:  "Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.  Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

{NINE}

Curious about what a Friday night looks like 'round here?  It's pretty quiet, actually.  A perfect Friday night looks like this:  The house is clean (because I have this starting-the-weekend-off-with-a-clean-house "rule"), a bag of popcorn and the always-entertaining Tom & Jerry is in the DVD player. 

{TEN}

Our local highschool's football season kicked off this past Friday, and Channel 4 News out of Jacksonville were in town for Football Friday, where they highlight a particular high school football game in the area.  Our own Superintendent of Schools showed off her serious school spirit during The Morning Show with a baton routine and finishing out with a split.  It was hilarious! 

Check out the video here:  http://www.news4jax.com/video/29129212/index.html

Have a blessed Tuesday!

Memory Monday

School is well underway and I'm happy to report that H is loving it!  He's completely exhausted at the end of the day, but this Mama is so very glad.  A quick kiss and he hops right out of the truck in the mornings, and has a huge smile on his face when he hops off the bus in the afternoons.  We're in a routine and it's truly been great. 

BUT - Looking back one year ago, my boy wasn't yet a seasoned big-school kid, but just a preschooler trying to learn the ins and outs.  I can remember him bringing home that first week's work on Friday and seeing this tucked in his folder....

You can read more about our first weeks of preschool here!

Happy Monday!