Show us your life (How you picked your children's names)

Today at Kelly's Korner is another Show us your life. Today's topic is how you picked your children's names. Ok,ok I am a WEEK ahead of where I need to be. I checked this yesterday, misread the date, & went ahead to write this post and schedule it to post....Today is actually Money Saving Tips! I am going to leave mine since I did so much work on it :-)
With our first pregnancy, we had a boys name picked out right away & were struggling with girls names. It was important that we had it picked out because my husband was leaving for his second deployment to Iraq & we wanted to have them all ironed out so we didn't have to figure it out "long distance."
I had a dream that I was standing on a porch calling for "Kendall." I told Ben about the dream & we both agreed that we loved the name. Her middle name Autumn is up for debate why we picked it......
I thought that we had picked it because it was pretty & that is when we first fell in love. My husband remembers it somewhat differently!
Kendall Autumn will be 4 this June. Her first name means "ruler of the valley" and she fits that description to a T!
With our second pregnancy, we had scrapped the first boys name because too many people had used it & the jury was so way out on a girls name!
We knew that the middle name was going to be Carter in honor of Ben's late grandpa Beach. (That was also the middle name from the first pregnancy too!)
We battled for quite awhile before Ben suggested Isaac. I was not a fan at first. (I think that I kept thinking that people would call him Ike which I really can't stand!) It wasn't until I read up on the meaning of the name when I really started to fall in love with it.
Isaac Carter will be 2 this September. His name means "he will laugh" and man if that kiddo doesn't love to ham it up & giggle to his hearts content.
Hopefully, he will live up to his Great-grandpa Beach and to ALL his other (2nd generation) male cousins. (They all share the name Carter in some form or another.)

It's Friday!!

Thanks Heather at http://oswaldcuties.blogspot.com/ I have enjoyed reading Heather's blog for awhile & especially like her Monday Mugs meme! Go check her out you won't be disappointed!
The rules state that I have to share 5 things about me & then pass this on to 5 Beautiful Bloggers.

1. When I get nervous, I often stutter, sweat, talk ALOT, and make a fool out of myself.

2. I am trying very hard not to cuss at all. (This has been about a 5 year battle with potty mouth & I think it will be licked soon!)

3. I still think my husband is as sexy (yeah I said sexy!!) as the first day I met him. Shhh...don't tell him! Wouldn't want him getting a big head or anything!

4. I absolutely cannot throw things away that are sentimental to me. Even cards & such!

5. I like being a "red head." (Even if it is only an artifical enhancement!)
5 Beautiful Bloggers in no particular order :-)
1. Erin at http://nagle5.blogspot.com
2. Yonca at http://yoncaskitchen.blogspot.com
3. Laura at http://laurablogsagain.blogspot.com
4. Teresa at http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com
5. Marianne at http://familyamericanstyle.blogspot.com
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In honor of mother's day coming up right around the corner. YIKES!

My mom and I on her birthday September 7, 2000. (Now also my son's birthday!)
For more Friday Photo Flashbacks visit

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1. If you could, would you go back to high school? Ha,ha NO! I had a great time in high school but I love adult life too much to go back!
2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".) Ok, #1 For all of the world to repent & accept Jesus as their Savior and #2 a simple wish but for my children to know how much I love them no matter what.
3. What kids show do you secretly like? Backyardigans & Wonder Pets :-)
4. What is your beverage of choice? sweet tea (I have been southernized!)
5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)? After listening to the Beth Moore simulcast on Saturday, I am working to become an exceptional woman who is not lost in the pit of INSECURITY.
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And...here we go!

1. I was happy for May to get here because it means that I get my sweet hubby back!
2. Isaac dumped an entire cup of water out of the tub and I left my book open while I cleaned it up.
3. Why do slow drivers think that it is all right to drive in the left hand lane?
4. My husband was in my thoughts today. (Ok, ok so he's in my thoughts every day but especially with all of the things going on for his work that I am going to alone this weekend!)
5. One of my father's favorite sayings was you're not too old to paddle.
6. Frustration--I know that feeling!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the change of command ceremony at my husband's squadron & then friday night fellowship, tomorrow my plans include a visit to Relay for Life, Serena's birthday party, & then the Commanding Officer's welcome party and Sunday, I want to attend service at church & RELAX at home with the kids!

Day 178 of 365

Anne Frank:
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

10 things/Week 25 of 52 (MOPS)

Join in for 10 things to smile about!

1. A visit from my parents for Easter & 10 days later to watch the kids.

2. A trip to Yuma, Arizona, by myself to see my husband mid-detachment.

3. Reconnecting with old friends.

4. Getting my new Canon Rebel XS camera

5. A new ladies bible study started.

6. Coming to a decision on my husband's orders for his next position for the Marine Corps

7. Beautiful jewelry gift from a fun Commanding officer's wife

8. Planting some of our garden

9. Hearing my son count for the first time (19 months old!)

10. Relay for life

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Nicole, Myself, and Amy

MOPS Natural living meeting this past Tuesday.
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Angie (an awesome christian lady) from
http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ will be releasing her new book soon! I cannot wait to get this and start reading!

Day 177 of 365

Alice Walker:
No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.

Happy Birthday Grammy!

A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.
-- Author Unknown

Happy birthday Grammy! Sorry the phone cut out earlier.....there was no reception on the farm. We hope you had a blessed day!!

A VERY verbose posting.....Happy Wednesday!

Joining in at www.laurenalexis1.blogspot.com/

Miracles

I believe that God shows us miracles just about everyday. My personal miracles are many but what stands out in my heart and head.....

The miracle of a God-loving, kind-hearted husband that provides for our needs. (I had so many plans for what he should be that I am grateful every day that God opened my eyes to what he really wanted me to have in a husband BECAUSE it is so far above what I had dreamed it to be!)
The miracles of my children. Each a wonder and blessing. So eager to love and be loved.....

The miracle of friendships. I have been so very blessed with so many women & a few men that have truly touched my heart in ways that I will NEVER be able to repay.
The miracle of a gift that I didn't have to pay for and certainly don't deserve. Salvation!

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As we are approaching Relay for life this weekend, I want to remember Ben's Grandpa Schwalbe. I wish that I would have had more time to get to know him. He seemed to be a fun loving man & is missed by many!

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Wordless Wednesday (First touch of my children)

A bond that I hope lasts for their lifetime.

Cute idea that I saw on Alison's page since I was struggling with something to come up with something for Wordless Wednesday!

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Wordful Wednesday

For More Wordful Wednesday visit http://sevenclowncircus.com/

Since I have been playing with my new camera and trying to become better I thought that I would take you for a little walk into my past dabbles in photography. I not only LOVE photographing people but I like to do scenery as well. This was during my first visit to my mother-in-law's hometown in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

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1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid? Yes. On Kendall's 1st birthday in June 2007, I went to my BFF's (from college) wedding. I left my daughter with my parents, sis, & brother in law. On the way back to my sister's house, I found myself lost in INNER city Philadelphia. It was a SUPER rough neighborhood. Fortunately, my BIL was able to get me out of there and back to their home. I remember thinking....."I am never going to be able to kiss my baby before she goes to sleep at night!" YIKES!!! I don't ever want to do that again.
2. Have you ever been to an island? Yes, Puerto Rico on my second honeymoon. 3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler? I am a feeler for sure!!
4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray? There is no black and white!!! I see everything in all kinds of color!
5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let's pretend the Bible is already there, so you can't say that.) I am going to have to say a journal so that I could record what I was feeling & the island advenutes!

6. What are you most afraid of? My biggest fear is losing one of my children or dying before my children ever really get to know me.
7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones? Oh my gosh.....that is a tough question! I guess since I tend to pour out my memories and feelings into the blog & my journal that I would rather lose the old memories so that I could continue to progress with my family in making new ones. WOW....this is really intense today!

8. Pretend I'm looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them? First and foremost, a large picture of me from my baptism. I would be nothing and have nothing if it weren't for my Savior! The second biggest one would be of my family. There is nothing that you cannot achieve with the love of family. Hmmmm.....third would have to be surrounded by friends because they are just like family.
9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you're single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.) Not a single thing!
10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness. I am forgiven of a multitude of sins and for that I am forever grateful.
11. You're waiting in a doctor's office. What is your favorite way to pass that time? Probably reading if I am not chasing the kids around.
12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better? I would hope that she would enjoy my family and friends as much as I do. I would hope that she would learn to be a better communicator at an earlier age!
Check out Sara at http://thebowyers.blogspot.com/ for more!

Day 176 of 365 (Update on our Marine Corps Orders)

Maya Angelou:
I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.

For those of our family and friends that have been curious about our orders.....
We still won't know definately for another 6 weeks but it TENTATIVELY (you know Semper Gumby) looks like we will stay with 467 until the Summer of 2011. Please continue to pray for wisdom for us, the career monitor and all involved. Thanks!!

To love your husband Tuesday

It is a way share wonderful and creative ways to love your spouse. I was really excited to do this because for me, it's easy to put my kids before my husband, and to take care of their needs before his. And not that that's wrong, but I get so caught up in catering to them, that I feel like he can do for himself. Does that make sense? So, this is a great way for me to put everything in perspective and to remind myself that my husband should know that he is still dreamy and exciting to me.

So this is my first Tuesday joining in this meme. I am kind of excited for it. Not only can I try to find ways to love my sweet hubby better, I hope to really grow from it.

Today I am going to use the exercise that I found in our "10 Minute Marriage Principles" book. When you are having a "spouse attack," (something that happens to make you feel, think, act negatively toward your mate) you need to have an immediate COUNTERATTACK. The author of this book recommends writing 5 things that you love, value, or like about your mate. Now my Benny is not the only one that is over the top so I have a few more than 5!

I love that you make me smile, giggle, & laugh.

I value that you want to stay physically fit for yourself, me, & our children.

I love that YOU are the the father of my children.

I love that you are a godly man.

I value that you want to find a solution to problems.

I like the kind of friend you are to me & to others.

I love that you want to make others feel special & take the time to do it.

I love that you push me to try new things.

I value your integrity.

I love your beautiful smile and eyes.

I like how handy you are around the house.

For more visit

For my kids.....(The day I found out I was pregnant)

Kendall

The day that I found out that I was pregnant with you was in late October. Just a few days shy of Halloween. Daddy had just returned from his first tour of duty in Iraq in September so I know that it was so silly to be excited this early.

Daddy and I were getting ready for work when Mommy decided to take the test. Mommy was so excited that she forget to take the lid off of the test & didn't get any pee on the stick! (Mommy really is a nurse don't worry!)

Daddy made me promise that I wouldn't take another test (at work) until we were home together so he could be the first to know. I knew that I couldn't keep that promise so I drank a glass of milk & a sprite.

I was finally able to go to the bathroom & took the test! It turned positive almost instantly! I was so excited that I busted in on Daddy in the bathroom! At first I couldn't say anything, your daddy just looked at me like I was crazy! (Of course he was trying to do his thing in the bathroom so.....) I screamed, "We're pregnant!" We were both so excited, hugged, then daddy made me leave the bathroom!

Isaac

Oh my son.....we tried for awhile before we got to have a happy, positive pregnancy stick dance! Mommy took a test in late January (much to daddy's dismay because we had been disappointed a few times and I am pretty sure that he was worried we were going to have to take stock in pregnancy tests....)

Daddy had got home from his 3rd tour of Iraq in September 2007. We started trying right away but quite a few months went by compared to sissy. God saw fit to give us the best Christmas present of all....You! We just had to wait a little bit to get the proof of it!

That day in January, I snuck out of bed into our bathroom. I didn't want daddy to know that I was taking the test! Just in case my mommy's intuition was wrong.

It was the sweetest way to wake your daddy up. A hug and a kiss and a "Hey are you ready for another baby?!"

It was a Sunday so of course Mommy had such an emotional roller coaster of emotions at church. We prayed for you to be healthy and for your sissy to love you as much as what we did!

For more visit Alison at www.johnstonfamily519@blogspot.com/

True Story Tuesday

My child has said a wide variety of things in crowded public places that make me blush and try to hush her up fast. She never says them out of spite, she is just making an observation. (Most of the time true but just not anything we would EVER say out loud!)Last night, we were out on our bike ride. We were going past that 1 lawn that makes your neighborhood look kind of ghetto....you know the one that is in your neighborhood right? She stops her bike looks back at me and says,"Mommy they REALLY need to mow their lawn. It looks like crap."Thankfully, no one was out on the front porch."Uh-huh baby. Let's keep going."I love my Captain Obvious Daughter!

Day 175 of 365

Isaac Bashevis Singer:
Life is God's novel. Let him write it.

Monday Mugs (smiles)

Today's topic smiles.
One of my favorites from the weekend. I know that my friends surely make me smile and it takes my breath away to see my little girl all SMILES with her friends.

Nothing like a bath to make you smile

Or your grammy saying something silly to you
Or just stopping to pose for your mommy who is SMILING behind the camera.

If you want more SMILES visit Heather at www.oswaldcuties.blogspot.com/

Day 174 of 365

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross:
I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.

Days 43- 49 (Project 365)

Day #43 (Sunday)

Was spent having lunch with good friends, hiking in the foothills of Yuma, Arizona, with my hubby & just relaxing in general.
This is 1/2 way up to the top!

I think that this is the only picture I haven't posted from lunch yet. This is Rene and I. We met in Jacksonville, NC, where we discovered that we were born and raised only 45 minutes from one another.

Day #44 (Monday)

I spent the large majority of the day enjoying my hubby before I had to leave to come home to NC. I also got to have lunch with my friends, Erin and Claire.
Day #45 (Tuesday)
I traveled on a red eye flight for over 12 hours to get into NC at about 0830. I was understandably exhausted after only 1.5 hours of sleep but I played with my new camera for a bit while updating my parents on the trip.

Day #46 (Wednesday)

My parents left for PA today.

The Kids had school pictures.

We built legos all afternoon!

Oh and Isaac wasn't happy not getting his own way but that is just every day!

Day #47 (Thursday)

A glorious day at ladies bible study.

A new purchase from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. (Storage and foot rests! Who can beat that?)

Day #48 (Friday)

We skipped Friday night fellowship. :-(

We had a great time celebrating Baylen's 3rd birthday!

Day #49 (Saturday)

Not only did I get to hear Beth Moore speak & spend the day with my friends....

I got to see Brodi (my friend Kelly's oldest son) get baptized during service. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes......

Beth Moore Simulcast

It's no secret to our core group of girls that most of us love Beth Moore. She can break it down to just about every woman in the crowd. Up until Saturday, I had just participated in several of her bible studies. Our church hosted one of the sites to view her simulcast on "So long insecurity." Not only was it AWESOME to be with over 300,000 women watching Beth speak at the same time but it was PHENOMENAL to learn about ditching insecurity. (I can't wait to actually read the book!) I LOVED every minute of being able to share this with my friends too!

Kelly, Me, and Beth

Kel, Karen, Beth, and I
With Kara, who has inspired me to push past some of my insecurities esp. in the realm of ladies ministry.

I hope that y'all join with me on this journey of making myself EXCEPTIONAL and ditching INSECURITY!

Day 173 of 365

Francis Bacon:
We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.

Days 36- 42 (365 day Project)

Ok,ok so this is a week late....I was visiting my hubby so I hope you forgive a girl for being tardy!

Day #36 (Sunday)

I spent the morning joyfully serving at the nursery desk at church. I love helping & of course love children so it is a great passion of mine. If the day had ended here it would have been perfect! Instead, I had to take the Burb into Sears for a simple oil change and battery replacement. It ended up being a nightmare 2.5 hours (instead of the 45 minutes promised) with a little boy that was 2 hours past naptime & a little girl who doesn't understand that we don't need to buy every beautiful thing in the store.

Day #37 (Monday)

Kendall and I had a "mommy/daughter" date at the park after school before we picked up her little brother. I think that these are especially important with daddy being gone right now.

Day #38 (Tuesday)

MOPS today. We had a guest speaker on friendship. Let me just say that I am so thankful for my friends!

Before going to MOPS, I stopped at the little river walk beside New River to shoot a few shots of the kiddos.

New River

Day #39 (Wednesday)

Kendall made this drawing in MOPS on Tuesday. I relented and hung the life size tracing of her on one of our walls for a little bit. She giggles every time she walks past it.

Day #40 (Thursday)

Our first day of our new ladies bible study. Janet and Nicole put these cute plants in each of our rooms with a very nice card. It is so not necessary but such a blessing to have something fun to greet you!

Day #41 (Friday)

Before I left for the airport....I wanted to have a fresh picture for daddy when I hit the ground in Yuma.

Day #42 (Saturday)

Although we got to see each other A LOT more than I thought we would, Ben still had to work while I visited Yuma.

Here he is before going in to work.....

I promised not to post this because he was taking a silly super hero photo for the kids but it was too good not to share!