A Marlow Moment

It's a ...

2009-07-05T17:04:00.008-05:00

GIRL!

She's 8 lbs-1 oz, 20 1/2 inches long, born at 1:33 today, and her name is

Miranda Skye Marlow!

Mom and daughter are doing great. No complications. Miranda is VERY quiet. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

We're told that by consensus, she's beautiful. :)

One very proud big brother!

One very tired big brother

One very upset big brother (that his picture was taken being tired) :)
(After all, yesterday was July 4th and fireworks can take their toll on a boy)

And One Very Proud and Loving Big Sister

More pictures to come later...

Caribbean Cruise

2009-02-25T18:57:00.007-06:00

January 2009

Scott & I were blessed to go on an 8-day cruise during January. We've been wanting to go on a cruise for a long time but the timing was never right. This time we were pushed over the edge b/c it was actually an internet marketer's cruise- so b/c it was business related, it only seemed right to go! :) My dear sister Jen & her husband Al helped my Mom keep the kids in KY. We are VERY THANKFUL for them serving us in this way since they have 3 kids of their own!

Our Carnival cruise went to the islands of St. Martin, St. Kitts, & Tortola. We had a marvelous time. The islands were just beautiful. We took a full island tour of St. Martin & enjoyed the beaches on every island. Instead of staying on Tortola, we took a speed boat to nearby Virgin Gorda. The scenery there was breath-taking. Out of all the places we have been, including Fiji, I think this was the very most picturesque!

All the pictures on this post are from Virgin Gorda. If you would like to see more pictures, please check out my photo album on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=752745096&aid=103720

Do I Dare?

2009-02-25T18:36:00.003-06:00

Just like Ariana trying to decide if she should push-off to slide down the slide, I'm trying to decide: Do I dare start blogging again? It's been since September. It's funny how in life you go through spurts- spurts of doing a particular activity, then you stop for a while, and then you pick it back up again. In my life that would describe my exercise routine & blogging! So I'm not making any promises here, but I will try to blog a little now and hopefully somewhat routinely in the future. I mean, how can I not blog after finding such a cute new background?... :)

Fun Times In KY

2008-09-12T17:22:00.001-05:00

June-July 2008

It's hard to capture all the fun that we have during the time we spend in Kentucky. We are usually there for a full week & it is a FULL week. We tend to get up early because our children mandate it, and like children ourselves, we "adults" stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking, giggling, scrapbooking or playing the wii. By the time we return home we are exhausted! Here's kind of a modge-podge of pictures from the week.

We were excited to be in town for Anna's 1st birthday party! Isn't Anna adorable, not to mention the cupcake she is about to devour?! Karen did a fabulous job decorating! It was first-rate! :)
Double-first cousins with our precious little girls. Oh how the years go by!

Happy party attenders! Don't know where Ariana put her smile...

Since my Granddaddy died in 1983, my family along with Uncle Tom, Aunt Lois, Sam & Karen (who lived about 45 min away) have been having dinner on Tuesday night with my Grandmother. "Tuesday Night Dinners" have always had a special place in our hearts. There is nothing like being with family. And even though many of us kids have moved away, those who are still in the area continue to gather together for dinner on Tuesdays. So when we visit we try, if at all possible, to be in KY on a Tuesday night so we can join in the fun.
I bet you wish you could attend too for this quality of free entertainment! Uncle Tom is known for doing hand-stands after he delivers babies. Of course John David, Luke, & Austin are soaking this all in....and wanting to try it for themselves! Isn't Austin doing a great job?! :)

Jen & Al bought a kiddie pool for the kids to play in. The water was a bit chilly, but that didn't stop my boy! He was excited to show off the "swimming skills" he had learned in class the previous week.

Luke found a way to have fun without getting wet! :)
Later the boys (& the flys!) enjoyed a picnic supper on the porch.

The cousins later enjoyed a BIRTHDAY PARTY! We decided it would be nice to celebrate all the little ones' birthdays since it's not possible to make it to all their individual parties.
John David cracked us up by trying to extinguish his candle by blowing through his nose! He was quite determined!
Ariana LOVED Grandma's new swing set. Swinging is definitely one of her favorite activities!

My sweetheart!

Thank you Lord for my family!

Ariana's First Hair Cut

2008-08-27T18:16:00.004-05:00

June 27, 2008

I will state the obvious. Ariana needed a hair cut. For some reason her bangs decided to grow much faster than the rest of her hair. But, like most mommys, I had a difficult time agreeing to cut her hair. I don't know why- there's just something about that first hair cut,- but boy does it look better after you bite the bullet and do it!!!!
Scott wanted the honor of cutting his daughter's hair. Grandma agreed to be the anchor.
Ariana did a great job letting Daddy trim her bangs and the little "fly-aways" over her ears.

I think Scott did a terrific job! Ariana was quite elated to be able to see the world again with clear vision!

Introducing Claire Elizabeth

2008-08-27T17:48:00.004-05:00

June 28, 2008
We were excited to meet sweet little Claire for the first time while we were in KY. Claire is almost a month old in these photos.Isn't she adorable! She looks just like her daddy!
Claire with her big sister Catherine.

Claire with all of her cousins (cousins Austin, Ariana, John David, Luke, Lucy & sister Catherine)- welcome to the family Claire! We saved a seat on the couch for you! :)
My little sister Johnna with her little baby Claire.
We love you Claire- & so does your big sister!

Farm Living

2008-08-27T17:08:00.004-05:00

June 30, 2008
Austin had a BIG time with Granddaddy on the farm!
The boys were thrilled to ride a little piece in Granddaddy's big 2-ton truck.
Granddaddy showed the boys the farming equipment. They got to climb up on the huge John Deere tractor,
ride on Granddaddy's "new" bulldozer (this really thrilled Austin- he is at the age where he is SO excited everytime he sees a bulldozer or other construction vehicle.),

ride the tractor lawn mower (funny as it seems, I think this was one of the biggest thrills for Austin & Luke. They got to steer it around Great Grandmother's yard),
climb & play in the back of the pickup truck,
ride in the huge combine,
and help Granddaddy feed the cows!
Farm chores were never so fun!!!

Take Me to the Tee-Ball Game!

2008-08-26T21:11:00.007-05:00

June 30, 2008

While we were in Kentucky, Luke had a tee-ball game. It was my first tee-ball game to attend- probably the first of many- especially if I get to eat ice cream after each game!

What an athlete! That's my nephew!
Ariana cheered from the stands. She will definitely make a great cheerleader one day with her volume!
Granddaddy shared some quality reading time with the Austin & John David (there's a lot of down time in baseball! :) ).
One of the best parts was the yummy ice cream we enjoyed at McDonald's after the game. Mmmm!
There goes Grandma spoiling her grandbaby again!

Celebrating Dads

2008-08-26T17:33:00.004-05:00

Father's Day June 16

Scott had a fun day celebrating fatherhood-

Lots of tickles, laughs, & giggles...
and some serious SMORES making with Austin.
We really enjoyed our chocolate graham cracker SMORES!
Of course we had to top off the day with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory- Scott's favorite restaurant. (I never say no!)

June 14-
A few days before we celebrated Father's Day with Charles.
Ariana loves her Papaw!

Has Anyone Seen THIS Family??

2008-08-26T17:22:00.003-05:00

If anyone knows the where-abouts of this family, please contact the local crazy house!

Wild Weekend at the Lake

2008-08-26T16:11:00.005-05:00

June 20-22

Our sweet friends invited our entire Life Group to spend the weekend at their lake house on Cedar Creek Lake. We had a wonderful time. This was Austin's 4th year to go to the lake (he was only 2 weeks old the first time!) but by far his most adventurous experience! Austin loved everything about the lake-

Swimming.... (look at the boy go!)

Boating....

Tubing... (I went tubing with him the first time. I wasn't sure how he would respond to it, but he loved it. He wanted to go faster...)

and Jet skiing!!!
Yes, that's right, Austin was actually driving!!! Now, before you panic, he & Scott were just barely in front of the boat dock- not in the "lane" of boating traffic! We couldn't believe how well he was doing. He actually was steering and applying gentle acceleration. Pretty impressive for a 3 yr old! :) He had a blast.

And now you know why he looked the way he did in the first photo!

Swimming Days

2008-08-26T15:21:00.007-05:00

There is nothing more essential to a sweltering hot Texas summer than a dip in the pool. That is where Austin & Scott have been most days.He just cracks me up! Both of my boys love jumping into the water. One day Austin just jumped in. Now it's his favorite thing to do.
Cousin Bailey got to come over a few times to swim. It's just never often enough! Bailey & Austin always have a big time together, especially if they have a common target.
Do you remember the pictures of the screaming girl on Memorial Day? Well, Ariana FINALLY decided she likes the water after all. This was the first time she had been in the pool and enjoyed herself (mid June). She hung out in her floatie for about 45 minutes, never complaining. Yea!!!

Austin took 2 weeks of swim lessons in June at the local community center. (He was supposed to take 2 more weeks in August but one week ended up being canceled due to rain & chilly temperatures- in AUGUST. CRAZY weather!!!! For all you non-Texans, August is usually the hottest, driest month of the year. I'm sure it was b/c of Global Warming... :) ) Austin really enjoyed his lessons and had no trouble jumping right in. He still can't swim all by himself, but he can kick and put his head under water at the same time. As far as moving his arms at the same time as kicking and breathing, well, how good are you at patting your head, rubbing your tummy and hopping on one foot at the same time? Then you understand that he needs a little practice! :)
Our little fish- he's a cutie! Maybe our future "Michael Phelps???"

Dear Me!

2008-08-26T15:10:00.003-05:00

Where to begin? Our lives have been quite busy during these summer months of June, July, & August. Sorry to all of my faithful blog-checkers who were no doubt, disappointed countless times not to see a new blog posting! I apologize. I was just having too much fun and taking too many pictures to stop to blog! :) You know how that goes!!! And now I am extremely overwhelmed trying to decide what tid bits of our lives to post. I love digital cameras, but boy do they generate way TOO many photographs! I took around 3000 photos just on our 3-week vacation. You tell me how to narrow that down!!! But I'm going to sit down and focus on this daunting task while my kids are napping. Hopefully they will take a LONG nap!!!

Bombardment!

2008-06-08T23:58:00.002-05:00

Sorry to bombard you with so many new postings! As you start to look at everything I have posted, you will realize that the reason I didn't blog these memories sooner is because I was VERY busy making them!!! But boy does it feel good to have May completely blogged! Whew! That was hard work! Enjoy.

Welcome Baby Claire!

2008-06-08T23:55:00.003-05:00

Friday May 30, 2008

Welcome to our family Claire Elizabeth! Little Claire was born early this morning at 2:01 a.m. to my sister Johnna & Aaron. Now Catherine is a BIG SISTER! We look forward to meeting you Claire! We wish we could be there with you now. We will see you soon!

Family Bible Study

2008-06-08T23:48:00.002-05:00

Friday May 30, 2008

This is just too precious not to include! When Austin discovered that Daddy was downstairs having his morning Bible study, Austin wanted to join him. So he took his Bible into the living room and sat near Daddy, looking at his Bible while Daddy looked at his! :)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2008-06-08T23:37:00.003-05:00

Thursday May 29, 2008

Our church's children's ministry had a volunteer appreciation night at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark (what a great Texas name for a ballpark! Makes me thirsty!) to watch the minor league baseball team, the Frisco Rough Riders, play. It was Ariana's first baseball game.I'm just certain that she is going to be a cheerleader. She definitely has the vocals, spirit, and smile for one! Austin was pretty excited about the free hat we were given. We had a good time. If we had brought a glove we could have caught some balls. It "hailed" near us quite often! Instead of trying to catch them I was busy trying to protect my children's heads! I have never paid attention to a baseball game so much in my life! :)

Memorial Day

2008-06-08T22:52:00.004-05:00

Monday May 26, 2008In keeping with the tradition of my mother's flag ceremonies she would lead us in as a children on patriotic holidays, I led my family in our first flag-raising ceremony. ;) We sang "My Country tis of Thee" & said the Pledge of Allegiance. I tried to explain the significance of the day in 3-year old terms. I think Austin had a good time.

America's FutureMy Miss America

I just love Ariana's expression!A self-portrait- since I'm never in these pictures!

Memorial Day was a beautiful day. We decided to enjoy the weather by grilling-out for both lunch and dinner & swimming. This was Ariana's first time in the swimming pool. We were surprised by her response. Austin never responded like this,but each child is different. We are sure she will eventually love the water, just like her older brother. She just screamed the entire few minutes we had her in the pool-- and she never got more than her legs in the water!

Austin has become "Aqua-Boy!" He loves to swim!

After enjoying a nice relaxing dinner on the patio, we all played Austin's new game Cariboo. It was a lot of fun. (Thanks Aunt Johnna & Uncle Aaron!)

A Trip to the Zoo!

2008-06-08T22:01:00.005-05:00

Wednesday May 21, 2008

For our play-date this month with Bailey and Aunt Shay-Shay, we went to the Fort Worth Zoo! It was very exciting. This was the first trip to the zoo that Austin could remember (he went once before when he was less than a year old) and the first time I had been to the zoo since I was a preschooler! (Correct me sisters if I am wrong.) And of course, it was Ariana's first trip to the zoo- but I don't think she was that impressed. It probably just seemed like another day in the stroller for her!
Aunt Sharon had the ingenious idea of riding the train to the back of the zoo and working our way forward to avoid the large crowd (lots of field trips!). The kids of course loved the train. We rode it a couple of times.
We had a great time seeing lions and tigers and bears, oh my! And don't forget the beloved elephants!!
Austin impersonating the lion:
Bailey & Austin giving their best "ROARS!!"
This sight was a little unnerving. I took it as a warning sign that the kids shouldn't be TOO loud! I'm including this picture particularly because every time someone mentions the zoo, Austin starts talking about the lion with the hat. Now you will understand!If you are ever having a poor self-image day, just take a look at these animals. You'll feel MUCH better about yourself & your size!

The LONG awaited elephants! The kids had been looking for the elephants all day!A baby giraffe

Two Cute Monkeys!

Bailey and Austin were just non-stop bodies of energy. They ran everywhere and constantly squealed. These two cousins have so much fun together.

The Definition of Cute (and Adorable too!)

2008-06-08T21:44:00.006-05:00

Thursday May 15, 2008

This is the official definition for "Cute" in the new 2008 Webster dictionary:

Ariana Calais 9 1/2 months old.

Ariana has discovered that she can get ANYWHERE she wants by rolling!

Bye for now!Oh I love my precious little girl! What a sweetheart!!!

My Child, Strange?

2008-06-08T21:34:00.003-05:00

Thursday May 15, 2008

Here is my 3-year old's lunch. I'm not kidding. This is what he wanted:a peanut butter sandwich, raisins, a slice of Muenster cheese, and a spinach salad with slivered almonds and a little bit of Caesar dressing. Praise you Lord! Ever since our trip to Aunt Ju Ju's house in April, Austin has loved spinach salad. He can't get enough of it. One day recently he ate my entire adult-size bowl of salad. It barely had dressing on it. And this was after he had eaten a rather large dinner. AMAZING! I didn't like salad until I was 20!

And for you doubters- here is the after picture.For some reason he didn't finish the sandwich, which is unusual. I think he was eyeing the birthday cake for dessert.

Austin is THREE!

2008-06-08T20:38:00.005-05:00

Wednesday May 14, 2008Austin was so excited that his birthday had finally arrived. Since we had a birthday party with Bailey almost 2 weeks early, the actual birth day was quite anticipated! We started the day serving Austin his favorite meal for breakfast- Waffles! And we ended the day with his favorite meal- Waffles! (for dinner they were homemade) And we had lunch at his favorite place- Chuck E. Cheese! What a day!!!
Breakfast was followed by opening presents from Mommy & Daddy and also presents he had received in the mail from his aunts, uncles, and grandparents. How cool is that?!
Grandma & Granddaddy just happened to call to wish Austin a happy birthday while Austin was opening the gift they had sent. So we put the phone on speaker so they could participate in the gift opening.
Ariana decided she liked the bows and balloons the best!Austin had a lot of fun at Chuck E. Cheese. He wanted to sit up front so he could watch all of the Chuck E. Cheese show.Scott & I remembered that our nephew Luke had tried Coke for the first time at a birthday party when he was 3 and loved it. So we thought we would do the same for Austin. He had never had a soda before. What a nice birthday treat, huh? And after all, every Texan needs to be introduced to Dr. Pepper at a young age. Well... Austin didn't think so. He thought it was a cruel joke!He thought it was disgusting! (It was actually Mr. Pibb- maybe that's what he was reacting to? Contrary to an untrained mouth's opinion- Mr. Pibb is not even close to Dr. Pepper!!!) We were actually really thrilled that he hated it. He'll learn to like it soon enough. The longer we can postpone it, the better!

Since Austin was now 3, he thought he could take his little sister for a spin in his big Monster Truck! Ariana was surprisingly confident in his driving. :)
My baby boy! What happened?!

Austin loves to slide. He told me the other day, "Mom, slides make me so happy!"After dinner we had birthday cake. And I'm not kidding- we sang the Happy Birthday song & blew out the candles at least 15 times-- maybe 20! He wanted to do it again & again. Hey, why not- he was having loads of fun. (I tried not to think about the spray of germs on the cake! Though I did refuse to eat from the side the candles were on!!)

Happy Birthday to you, Austin & MANY MANY MANY MORE!!!

Celebrating ME!

2008-06-08T18:05:00.004-05:00

Sunday May 11, 2008

Every day should be Mother's Day... I especially believe this after cleaning out poopy underwear! So I really cherish the official one day of the year when the entire country recognizes the contributions of mothers! :) I also especially like this day because I get treated to Maggiano's- my FAVORITE Italian restaurant!

I love being a Mom & I have two wonderful children. They are a true joy. Aren't they precious!
Thank you Lord for giving me the blessing of being a Mom! It's hard work, but the work is nothing compared to the joy it brings. I'm trying my best to treasure each day- for I know the days are fleeting.
And by the way, THANK YOU, MOM!!! You are a treasure to me! And as each day passes, I am more amazed at & thankful for how you so gracefully raised us!

May Days

2008-06-08T17:12:00.005-05:00

Here's a variety of moments from the month of May.

We were excited to have Julie & Jonathan stop by on their way to & from San Antonio. Even though it was only for a few brief hours on both days, we were thrilled to provide them breakfast and a place to sleep. Aunt Ju Ju got up early (even though she had had little sleep) just to play with the Austin & Ariana! Isn't that sweet!!Jen & Al still hold the record for the shortest time here (approx. 18 hrs), but Julie & Jonny get an award for coming TWICE in 24 hours!

Austin has a new job-- rinsing the dishes before loading them in the dishwasher! Remember the days when you pleaded to help with the dishes?! I'm taking advantage of his pleas! :) Who says a 2 year old can't help you around the house?!

This particular Saturday morning we finally got out our bike trailer and went for a family bike ride. It was a lot of fun! The kids seemed to enjoy it as well. Austin did a good job caring for Ariana as they rode together in the trailer. Scott deserves credit for pulling the trailer behind his bike. He did an awesome job! We rode down part of the Chisholm Trail and then picked up lunch at Chick-fil-A (Austin's favorite) and ate lunch at a park along the trail. It was a great family outing, not to mention hot & exhausting!For his birthday, Papaw gave Austin a baseball training set. It's pretty cool. It actually dangles the ball for the player, allowing the player to keep his eye on the ball. Austin is already a pro... :)

PARTY TIME!

2008-06-08T14:34:00.010-05:00

Saturday May 3, 2008

Austin & Bailey had an absolute BLAST celebrating their 3rd birthdays together at a joint birthday party. Dora & Diego seemed to be the perfect theme, as they are cousins too (& Austin ADORES Diego!). :) We kept it pretty simple- mostly a family get-together, with a few "surrogate" aunts & uncles thrown into the mix.There's nothing quite like birthday cake & ice cream! We caught them in the kitchen later in the day digging into the cake with their hands for a "quick snack!" I guess it's their cake.....

Austin & Bailey had non-stop fun, spending the majority of the day outside on the swing set, playing with the sand & water table, and running through the sprinklers. It was a gorgeous, warm day.

Of course, opening gifts was a highlight for them as well. It was like a 2nd Christmas! Austin received lots of cool presents. One of his favorites is this talking Cars t-shirt. Yes, TALKING! He asks to wear this shirt almost every day- doesn't matter how dirty it is. Sometimes I give in. :)

Ariana won the prize for the cutest guest award!

It's hard to believe that our babies are THREE now! This should be another Fun & Interesting year! (I hope I can keep up!)

Okay this is so cool.....

2008-05-15T16:06:00.001-05:00

Okay this is so cool.. The happy birthday Austin entry that entry was made via my cell phone using jott.com. You call jott.com and it dictates your message and will send it to you in an e-mail or your blog, or to many other links but his is really cool and I had to tell you about it. Check it out jott.com listen

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Happy 3rd birthday Austin....

2008-05-15T15:54:00.002-05:00

Happy 3rd birthday Austin. Austin had a great 3rd birthday yesterday. We opened lots of presents and ate waffles for breakfast and for dinner since waffles are his favorite food and we went to Chucky Cheese for lunch. So he had a big day and he enjoyed looking at all of his cards and getting all the phone calls of people singing happy birthday to him and I will post pictures of his birthday party and of his birthday a little later. listen

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Happy Birthday Aunt Shay-Shay

2008-04-16T18:16:00.008-05:00

Boy, Aunt Shay-Shay has the BEST birthday parties! :) Today was our monthly Wednesday get-together & also Aunt Shay Shay's 25th ;) birthday. We had a blast!
Austin made Aunt Shay-Shay a birthday card covered in a rainbow of colors (including black) & an array of puppy & kitty cat stickers. He was really proud of the card he designed. He also "sang" the Happy Birthday song to Shay-Shay quite loudly. I say "sang" because when he sings loudly, it's really just shouting. It was really funny.

We decided to go to Happy Hopperz- a place that has indoor bounce houses. Oh my- it was so much fun! We got really silly since we were the only people there most of the time. Let's just say that Sharon & I tried to defy our age!!! (Uh... yeah, we were just in the bounce house to help our children... uh... yeah...)
Our favorite was the obstacle-course bounce house. Sharon & I had a blast diving through & over (yes, over!) the obstacles. I'm sure my body will tell me about it tomorrow!
We were rolling with laughter. I also had a super time bouncing & doing pikes (where you jump & extend your legs straight out in front of you & touch your toes). Yeah... tomorrow is not going to be good... :) But boy, today was sure fun!
Austin & Bailey had a blast too. It actually wore them out- imagine that! Ariana went down a little slide once with me. But after Sharon & I got "stuck" & had a really hard time getting up at the base of the slide... well, we decided that was probably all the sliding Ariana needed to do! Thank goodness Papaw & Ms. Janie were with us so they could watch Ariana while I was acting like a crazy woman!

Afterward we enjoyed a lunch at Chick-fil-A. It felt good to sit down. :) What a fun day!
Happy Birthday Shay-Shay!

Flying a Kite

2008-04-16T17:56:00.003-05:00

Tuesday April 15, 2008

Austin & Scott have gotten into a nice routine of playing outside together every evening. It's a really special father-son time. Usually they play with a ball. But today Scott brought home a kite to fly with Austin.

This is Austin's first kite. How cool is that! I had several kites growing up (remember that one Snoopy kite, Mom, that we flew so high that we had the huge roll of string fully extended?!!) but none as cool looking as this. Thank-you Wal-mart & China! :)

Scott explained how to fly a kite to Austin.

Soon the kite was up and flying. Austin was amazed! He loved watching it fly. Later, they moved to the end of the culdesac and Austin flew the kite by himself once. Not bad for a 2 1/2 yr old first-timer!

Teething Days

2008-04-16T17:25:00.006-05:00

Ariana has some favorites when it comes to teething toys.
Her absolute favorite item to chew on is her pair of pink tennis shoes! I let her go for it since she doesn't use them to walk. They are as clean as anything else, I suppose! She LOVES these shoes!! She gets really upset when I take them away.She also gets a kick out of gnawing on the Rock-a-Stack rings (& post!). She just thought it was a riot when I would place a ring on her head and then it would slide off. She belly-laughed for a long while. It has hilarious!
Ariana's next favorite thing to chew on might be my camera, but I didn't let her have the chance to find out!!!

I did it! Aren't you Proud?!

2008-04-16T17:20:00.004-05:00

This entry is dedicated to Johnna & Karen. I am (or used to be) notorious for not burning the candles I have. Johnna & Karen would always get after me. Well, I did it. I wanted to document it for the world to see. I actually burned a candle until it was all gone. (Don't ask how long I've had the candle though!)
Thanks girls. You've made a difference in my life. :)

No More Toothless Grins

2008-04-15T22:45:00.004-05:00

April 15, 2008

Today was the day. It happened. The long-awaited guest arrived. After two weeks of painstaking teething, Ariana got her FIRST TOOTH! Just as I had suspected, the front right bottom tooth was the culprit that caused all the fussiness & drool! It isn't over yet, but at least we are seeing (or feeling) some results! I can just barely feel the tooth above the gum's surface. Understandably, I don't have any pictures of the tooth, but I do have some pictures of the tooth's proud owner! :)

Getting Ready for a New Day of Smiles

2008-03-31T00:28:00.007-05:00

Friday March 14, 2008

I came across these photos & I just had to blog them. It's hard to find cuter photos than a baby in a bath towel! Can you get any cuter Ariana?! I love my daughter. She brightens my heart only like sunshine can brighten a room and she's as beautiful as a rose. I could gobble her up! She has such a sweet spirit about her.

Ariana enjoys soaking in the tub. She had just started sitting up in the bathtub a couple of baths prior.

My sunshine!!

I could kiss this face all day!

My rose!!

Our precious Ariana Calais ready to be a blessing to others through the gift of her smile!It's no wonder, by her endless grinning, why she is known as "the Happy Girl" in the church nursery!

Lucy Grace updated

2008-03-30T08:33:00.002-05:00

Be sure to scroll down to the "Welcome Lucy Grace" post. I updated it with pictures!

Family Birthday Celebration

2008-03-29T22:52:00.007-05:00

Friday March 21, 2008

Scott did a great job making me feel special on my birthday. He knows I love nothing better than to be with my family. Conveniently for him, we already had plans to be in Kentucky on my birthday weekend. So he seized the opportunity to have a surprise family birthday party for me.

We celebrated at Columbus-Belmont Park, a park located along the Mississippi River about 40 minutes from my parent's home. You can see the beautiful, very full (due to the recent floods) Mississippi River behind Johnna, Aaron & Catherine. It is a famous Civil War site. The 1861 Battle of Belmont, a raid fought to test the strength of this Confederate stronghold, marked the opening of the Union's Western Campaign. It was also Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first active engagement in the Civil War. It was fascinating to think of the battle that occurred on that very ground 147 years earlier. I hadn't been to the park since my 4th grade field-trip! Austin loved the hike we took along the grounds after dinner. The trenches we walked in & the bluffs we climbed were massive! It is almost unfathomable to think of men digging these by hand. In fact, when General Grant got word of how well-fortified this area was, he refused to approach by land, but instead, came by the river.

The kids (of ALL ages) had a great time playing at the park! My nephew Luke is a swinging-pro at the grand old age of 3 1/2!... So is my Dad... but I won't tell you his age!! :) I think swinging is therapeutic! After pushing Mom to higher heights, Julie got on the swing too. As you can tell, we all had a lot of fun!
Mom did a great job entertaining the kiddos. Here she is with all five of her grandchildren: Austin, John David, Luke, Catherine, & Ariana. They loved going round and round on the saucer (no, not Ariana!). Scott had it all planned out. We had his famous, yummy grilled barbecue-hamburgers, hot dogs, & the fixings. My brothers-in-law helped with the grilling.

For dessert we had chocolate (of course!) birthday cake & a variety of Ben & Jerry ice cream to choose from. The birthday candles were really cool- the flame was the color of the candle. Because of the wind, they didn't stay lit long! I guess God was just trying to help me blow out the candles to save me from any public humiliation! :)Our precious angel Ariana enjoyed the birthday meal too! Her's was special-order!Scott really made me feel special by taking the effort to celebrate my 30th birthday in this way. I am loved. I felt especially loved as he prayed for me.
Thanks Scott! I love you too!

The Big 3-0!

2008-03-26T22:15:00.007-05:00

March 24, 2008 Yes, it happened- I turned 30 on Monday! The big 3-0. It was really a great day. I had a lot of fun. For the first time in over 10 years, I played tennis! I love tennis but haven't had anyone to play with. It's not really a sport Scott enjoys- although perhaps I changed his mind! He played with me on my birthday. It's what I really wanted to do. (It was probably a subconscious denial of my age!) So we went out to the Mayfield tennis courts, where I used to play "all the time" in high school. It brought back lots of memories- embellished memories of the "tennis glory years!" ha ha!!! After an hour, there was quite a learning curve and we were able to volley back and forth some! :) Despite the depressing decline in tennis skills, I will still consider the afternoon we spent trying to play tennis to be "fond memories" because this time my memories of playing tennis in Mayfield have Scott in them! I'm especially excited because Scott said he would play again with me soon! Practice makes perfect! (We are going to need A LOT of practice!!) And for those who are curious, the ending score of our game was LOVE-LOVE. :) :)

After our intense tennis match, I made sure to consume twice the calories I burned earlier by indulging in the delectable homemade strawberry birthday cake Mom made for me. Mmmmm was it good!!! Being the ripe old age of 30, it took me, plus a 2-year-old to blow out the candles! That evening, Scott and I ate dinner at Doe's steakhouse restaurant in downtown Paducah. What an incredible meal! I also enjoyed a romantic walk along the downtown streets of Paducah (near the river) with my honey.

I had quite a memorable birthday!! Scott did an incredible job planning special events to mark my entrance into the 30's! (One of these days I'll blog the "surprise" family birthday party he arranged for me at Columbus Belmont park. It was so special!) I have no doubt that it's going to be a great decade!

(Again, sorry for the lack of photos. I have tried NUMEROUS times to upload them, but it just won't work here. Somehow one small photo managed to upload but I haven't had another successful attempt since then! I'll add more later.)

Welcome LUCY GRACE!!

2008-03-26T11:15:00.005-05:00

UPDATE!! Thanks Aaron for helping me solve the picture upload problem!! Here are some photos of Lucy Grace on her birthday!Lucy's very happy family!
One proud papa! Al with his daughter, Lucy Grace.

Luke was absolutely thrilled to have a new baby sister!! He is so proud to be her big brother!
Great Aunt Lois & Grandma Joyce introduce themselves to baby Lucy.Great Grandma & Grandpa Wooton were excited to welcome great-grandchild #7! What a blessing from the Lord!The paparazzi assembled & ready to capture the announcement of boy or girl! We had several family members present by proxy of cell phone to be a part of the exciting moment!
I'm glad Lucy Grace isn't camera-shy!!! You are a celebrity Lucy!

Welcome, Lucy, to our family!!! We love you!!!!

As of last night, March 25th, we have a new niece: Lucy Grace Chandler! She arrived at 7:57 p.m. and weighed 7lb 14oz. She is beautiful! Scott & I went to the Murray Calloway County Hospital last night with Mom, Johnna, John David & Luke (Dad stayed home with sleeping Austin, Ariana, & Catherine. He was a great babysitter! :) ) to greet baby Lucy. Luke was really excited to have a little sister. In fact, he predicted he was going to have a sister in the car-ride over. I think John David was a little stunned by it all. What a beautiful family! We are excited to have Lucy in our family!!

(Sorry I didn't post any pictures- I guess the Internet connection here is too slow.)
Look at the CHOG blog to see updates and pretty photos of Lucy Grace! The link is over to the right of the page.

Ariana & her Papaw

2008-02-05T21:12:00.001-06:00

January 24- February 5, 2007
What a blessing it has been to share our vacation with Charles, Scott's dad. We have really enjoyed our time with him, the kids especially. Ariana just grins from ear to ear when she sees her Papaw. She definitely recognizes him & can spot him from across the room. Ariana loves her papaw!!

These are some native Hawaiians Papaw & Ariana made friends with in the Up Country (yes, the same day it hailed-- as you can see, it wasn't cold.). Charles said these same two guys were sitting on this very same bench the last time he was in town. I guess they don't have anything better to do!
I could just eat my little girl up! Adorable doesn't even begin to describe her!!
Ariana loves to take walks with Papaw. I think Papaw loves it too!

Papaw is walking (& maybe dancing alittle :) ) with Ariana along the streets of Lahina while the rest of us finish our meal. Ariana was in heaven- taking a walk with Papaw AND being outside-- two of her favorite things to do.
Charles walked Ariana around every restaurant we went to. And it would never fail that almost every woman in the place would glance his way &/or talk to him- usually trying to convince him to give up his grandbaby! (We are assuming the increase of female attention was because of the baby! :))Where is that belly button?!
"I love you, Papaw!"

You gotta watch out for those grandparents... kids can talk them into almost anything, including driving the car! :)

Ariana LOVES her big brother!!

And she sure does LOVE her Papaw!!
We are so thankful Papaw came with us to Hawaii!! These past two weeks have been filled with very precious memories. This is what life is supposed to be about.

I'm a Whale Watcher!

2008-02-05T19:22:00.000-06:00

January 28, 2008
I'm a whale watcher, I'm a whale watcher... (sing to the tune "I'm a Wheel Watcher"- Wheel of Fortune :)). It has been amazing watching the gigantic humpback whales. Our condo has been a great place to spot the whales.

Austin is always ready for the task of spying on the whales. Looking high....Looking Low....The whales are getting away!Papaw taught Joann the fine art of spotting a whale. There's a fin... there's a tail-slap... there's a breach! We watch for whales periodically each day. They are really fascinating to watch. That's one of the most popular pasttimes around here this time of year. The whales are so amazing that we thought we would get a closer look by going on a whale-watching cruise. We decided to watch a video on the whales in order to appreciate our subjects more. The documentary was really fascinating. Here is Charles & Scott watching the movie.
Here we are on our whale-watching cruise.

The water was absolutely gorgeous! No wonder the whales swim over 3000 miles to get here in the winter and have their babies!

We spotted many whales on our 2 hr. excursion. Within the first few minutes we saw a baby whale breach (jump out of the water). On two different occasions we had whales swim VERY close to our boat. It was unreal how LARGE these whales were. We decided not to stress ourselves out trying to get photos of them, but to enjoy the experience instead. So, sorry, there aren't any pictures of whales to show you. (visit http://www.pacificwhale.org/ to see pictures) We did get to see a rainbow. In fact, our boat drove through a double-rainbow on the way back to the harbor. I understand now why Hawaii chose to display a rainbow on their license plate- they see rainbows ALL the time! Because the sun is almost always out, even when it is raining, there are lots of rainbows. We've seen almost one a day, and on several days we have seen multiple rainbows. It's a beautiful reminder of how we can rely on God to keep His promises.

Ariana seemed to enjoy the boat ride. She never fussed. I think she really enjoys being outdoors. She is just too cute!!!!
Austin had a big time on the cruise. He loved spotting the whales. He was quite the charmer on the boat, making sure to say "Aloha!" to everyone. He gets very offended when someone doesn't acknowledge his "aloha." On several occasions he has been known to run the person or people down shouting "aloha!" in his soft-spoken voice until they say "aloha" back. It's really funny.

Humpback Whale Facts:

A whale weighs 45-50 tons and is 50 feet in length!!

the Pectoral fin is 15 feet long;

the Tongue weighs up to 4000 lbs;

the Brain is the size of a human being;

the Heart weighs 400 lbs;

a baby calf weighs 1-2 tons when he is born;

the calf doubles his weight in a year & drinks 100 gallons of milk each day (which is 50% fat);

the calf doesn't have any lips to suckle so the mother injects the milk into the his mouth.

One Very BIZARRE Day in Hawaii

2008-02-04T20:37:00.000-06:00

January 29, 2008

I'll just post some pictures and you can tell me in the comment section what was so strange about this day!!

The first picture shows something that hasn't happened since 1987!! We never did make it all the way up Haleakala. We drove 2/3 the way up before we discovered at the National Park gate that they had closed the rest of the route due to treacherous conditions. They had closed it during the night and didn't expect to reopen for a couple of days. Bummer. (Big bummer for Ariana who had experienced car-sickness on the way up! All that for nothing!! We think it was car-sickness: she threw up several times during the switch-back turns & then showed no signs of illness once we stopped.) We were hoping to get some really unique pictures at the top of the mountain!!

The 2nd photo shows something that no Hawaiian around us could remember ever happening before. It was definitely a unique day!

The weather during our trip hasn't been just wonderful. It's been windy and partly-mostly cloudy most days. It's rained aleast for a short while on half the days. The Hawaiians say this isn't normal either. They've told us that it's been raining like this for about 2 weeks and is expected to continue for at least another week! Overall, the weather has been warm and plesant despite the wind and occasional shower. It's never been cold. Seeing the gigantic hump-back whales makes it definitely worth coming to Hawaii in January, but I'm thinking we will come back next time sometime after April to "ensure" better weather!

P-Day!!

2008-02-04T19:46:00.000-06:00

January 29, 2008

No one knew the bizarre events this day would hold for us in Hawaii. One EXCITING event is that today was the day that "it Clicked!" Something in Austin's brain clicked and all of a sudden after 25 days of potty-training in full-force, HE INITIATED trips to the potty. He went from always tee-tee'ing & poo-poo'ing in his underwear before he would tell us he needed to go to the potty, to telling us every time he needed to go and holding it until he sat on the potty. He was 100 percent! He was officially POTTY-TRAINED!!! (at least for the day!! I wish I could say he's been perfect since then, but he has been really close. He even holds his bladder overnight and during naps on most days.) And to beat all, this particular day we were in the car traveling most of the day. We weren't always near bathrooms when he would announce he needed to go-- so he would have to hold it for quite a while... and he did!

This was the day we traveled up to Haleakala and cruised around the Up Country. When Austin first announced he needed to tee-tee we were far from a potty. You can imagine the excitement I felt when HE announced he needed to go-- this was a first. (He usually would tell us, "I tee-tee'd." Note: he would speak in past-tense!) So, I attempted to help him tee-tee outside. However, things were complicated. Austin had never stood up to tee-tee before AND it was raining and cold outside (we were on our way up the mountain). So, I tried to help him tee-tee from the doorway of the van. Well, that wasn't going to happen!!

So he had to hold it for a long while... and he did! We couldn't believe it!!

Later in the day Scott started his male educational campaign of "the World is My Potty!" Here he is showing Austin the beautiful world he can take advantage of. :)

Austin never quite got the concept. But that was okay- he just held it and used a toilet when it became available!

Big Boy Austin shows off the same pair of pull-ups that he wore ALL DAY! Way to go AUSTIN!!

Look Mommy! Wow! I'm a big boy now!!

First Foods in Hawaii

2008-02-04T18:25:00.000-06:00

January 24, 2008

A day after turning 6 mo. old Ariana began the life-long enjoyment of eating food!

She started with rice cereal. Ariana did very well, but it was still a messy affair!She liked the cereal.Gimme that spoon! I think I can do this myself!!Now Ariana is quite the experienced food coniseur! She likes everything she has tried-- squash & sweet potatoes. Now rice cereal is looking less and less appetizing! She will start sweet peas tomorrow... gotta get in those green veggies!

Building Castles in the Sand

2008-02-04T04:07:00.000-06:00

January 26, 2008

Scott decided the time had come to teach his 2 year-old son the art of building "drip castles!" Great skill goes into building such revered castles- along with a GREAT MESS! Perfect for

boys young and old!

Out of the blue, like a mad artist, Austin suddenly stopped, waved his hands wildly and in a serious-tone shouted, "I need something! I need something!" Soon his artistic-block disappeared & he resumed designing his castle.

The Art of Making a Mess... ur.. Castle:
Ta-Da!! The completed drip castles!! Austin had a blast building these castles with his daddy (as Scott did with his son!)! Scott is such a fun daddy!!And the Art of Cleaning Up (personally, my favorite part!):

Scenes in Paradise

2008-02-04T01:57:00.000-06:00

January 24-27, 2008

We arrived in Maui, Hawaii on the 23rd. The children did awesome on the 8 hr flight. Ariana put on quite a smiling show for all to see and never fussed once except just alittle on the descent. (And I didn't use Benadryl.) Austin played quietly the entire trip with just a couple toys at a time and only watched one video. More impressively, he never had an accident, but tee-tee'd in the potty every time! Yeah, I was really proud of him!

This is the view from our condo's lanai (porch) here in Ma'alaea. We have been blessed to have a beach-front condo. It's an awesome view (we are on the 4th floor) and we have easy access to the beach.

This is the beach just below our condo. You can see our condo- it is the very top, corner condo in the first building (top right corner of picture).

View from the lanai looking to the east & at my precious daughter! The mountain in the background is Haleakala

Austin & Ariana enjoy the outdoor breeze. It's awesome hearing & watching the waves crash constantly from our condo. It's very relaxing. However, we discovered very quickly that we couldn't leave the sliding door to the lanai open. (Thankfully, we can still hear the ocean with the door closed!) We were over-run by large gnats & fruit flies within a day of being here. It was horrible. We soon discovered that it was an island-wide problem that they are currently suffering (it wasn't like this when we stayed just a few condos down the road in October 2006). We also discovered that it is extremely windy on this part of the island during the "winter" months. Ma'alaea is in a valley- in fact, large windmills are just up the mountain from us which should've been our first clue!!

Isn't she a doll?! This is Ariana's first day in Hawaii. She is excited to be here!

Papaw is excited to be in Hawaii too, especially since he is with his grandbabies! We are blessed to have Scott's dad with us (or maybe we are with him?!) on vacation. It is a lot of fun & a true blessing. Austin & Ariana are really, really loving having their Papaw with them 24/7.

On the first day we decided to take a stroll along the beach. A simple stroll, right? Not when you are a 2 year old! Austin was at first scared to let the water touch his feet. He soon relaxed, but got a big kick out of telling the water to "Stop!" before it reached his feet.

But unlike Jesus, the wind and the waves do not obey Austin! During our stroll the receeding water caused the sand to shift and Austin to lose his footing, resulting in him falling flat on his face & body. He was covered with sand! Thankfully this did not increase his fear of the water, but instead, ceased it. He and the beach were officially well-acquainted. BOY met beach. (A.K.A. the beginning of a messy vacation!!)

"Little Miss Hollywood" ready to enjoy the rays!

Scott reaquainting Austin with the water once more (it didn't take long!).

Tickle-time!

One HAPPY boy at the beach!

Scrap Fast 2008

2008-02-01T18:45:00.001-06:00

January 19-21, 2008
I was THRILLED to be able to attend the 2nd annual "Scrap Fast" with my sisters, cousin, & sisters' sister-in-laws! Julie was the hostess-with-the-mostess this year in Sleepy, Mississippi. And I say "Sleepy" because we were! We stayed up until the wee hours of each morning scrapbooking. It was so much fun.

Karen & I were the "newbies" at Scrap Fast this year. Our youngest attendees were 5 mo old Ariana & 6 mo old Anna. Both were educated in the ways of digital scrapbooking. Yes, that's right- DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING! I am SO PUMPED about this. Julie, Jen, Karen & I started dabbling in digital scrapbooking over Christmas and I am hooked. Since we are all very new at it, Scrap Fast was a time of learning for us digi-scrappers. Some had it harder than others: Karen't computer kept shutting down on her but she kept such a GREAT attitude. She won the "Perseverance Award!" But because we are still learning how to scrapbook using the computer, there were moments of frustration. So every hour we had a digital scrapbooking "pep rally" when somebody had to say something positive about it! :) It is different. There are lots of pros and cons to it, just like traditional scrapbooking. But for me, I think that the pros definitely outweigh the cons (All I need is my laptop- no heavy totes to lug around (I scrapbooked on the airplane!); I can crop a picture to any size; and I can share my scrapbook online with people around the globe-- the 1st "picture" on this blog posting is a scrapbook page I designed.)

There were 8 of us at Scrap Fast- 4 traditional scrapbookers- Melanie, Christy, Kerri, & Johnna- and 4 digi-scrappers- Julie, Jennifer, Karen, & myself. Julie's living room was well-used and lived-in during those 3 days!!

Some how, when someone wasn't checking i.ds at the door, a MAN was let in this very girly event! Mom & Dad were in the neighborhood and stopped by for a visit. Dad wanted to learn the ways of scrapbooking digitally. Actually, I think he was just wanting to see the inter-workings of an all-female event!
Ariana really enjoyed Grandma's visit.

The new generation of scrap-bookers!

It was a really great weekend- great company, great accomodations (especially since I got to sleep in the bed!), great food, and lots of great scrapbooking. I can't wait to get together again.

Happy 2008!

2008-01-30T23:09:00.000-06:00

December 31, 2007/ January 1, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We had a great time ringing in the new year at my parents' house. We didn't have visitors over b/c we were passing around what I coined "the Godzilla Virus." Most of us were feeling pretty good by New Years Eve but due to fear of being contagious we didn't pass out invitations to the party.

Luke, Ariana, Austin, Catherine & Luke ring in the New Year a few hours early!

Our NEW YEAR's BABY! (What a contagious smile!!)

Austin thought the party was the best he had been to all year!

May you be blessed with a new year that's all about knowing & loving God more. And may you SMILE as big and as often as she does!!

Special Time with Grandma

2008-01-28T03:08:00.000-06:00

December 30, 2007

Ariana had some special one-on-one Grandma-time over the holidays.

Ariana sure does love her Grandma. And she knows that Grandma surely loves her too!

Hmm... do you think Grandma is always this silly?

Uh... YES!!! That's okay with me-- she's a lot of fun! I love my Grandma!!!

Christmas with Joann's Family

2008-01-27T23:12:00.000-06:00

December 26, 2007

Christmas is definitely a week-long (or longer) event with my family! Here we are celebrating again the day after Christmas.

Dad received a not-so offi-cial "Judge Judy" gavel to preside over the Westplains commun-ity. Dad loves the Judge Judy show, so this was a great gift from Jen & Al.
Mom liked looking at the new pages in the year-in-review scrapbook we add to each year.

Ariana was really fascinated by the glowing glo-worm she received.
Austin was not going to let this gift get the best of him. He managed to carry it across the room by himself.
Our Christmas Angel: Ariana Calais.

Talk about toy-envy!! Catherine decided to make herself at home with Ariana's Bumbo seat, nursery rhyme book, and drum set! How cute is that!! Catherine knows how to live the good life. Look how relaxed & comfortable she made herself!

Here's our little sweetheart! Isn't she just adorable?!

Christmas Day with the Greens

2008-01-27T21:36:00.000-06:00

December 25, 2007

After a long 12 hr drive from Texas to Kentucky, we joined my immediate and extended family to celebrate Christmas at Grandmother's. We were pretty tired but still managed to have a great time. Every year it gets a bit more crowded- but the more the merrier! It is such a blessing to spend time with family- especially my grandmother, since she is the best grandmother in the world! :)

What is so cool about Christmas at Grand-mother's is that EVERYONE is there- my aunts, uncles, cousins & BOTH sets of Grand-parents. So I got to spend time with the best Grandma & Grandpa in the world too! :)

Johnna, Joann, & Karen.
The boys at the "Kids Table!" (Since 1983 my family has had dinner every Tuesday night at Grandmother's house. The utility room was always reserved for the kids- which not-so-ironicly is where Grandmother sat the boys for Christmas dinner!)

The worn-out, half asleep Marlows after their cross-country Christmas expedition! (Ariana is actually taking a nap.)
Uncle Sam & Aunt Pan Ke entertained the kids.

Cousins Austin & Luke take a break from all the exhausting fun!

Christmas Eve with Scott's Family

2008-01-27T19:28:00.000-06:00

December 24th, 2007

We enjoyed celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve with Scott's family. After being treated to a nice dinner at Outback Steakhouse, we went back to Charles' house to read the Christmas story and open gifts.

This year Sharon had the honor of reading the story of Jesus' birth to all of us.

Children just make Christmas time so much fun! Austin & Bailey were both 2 1/2 yrs. and Ariana was 5 months old. Bailey really likes playing "big sister" to Ariana. I had to include this photo because Austin looks SO MUCH like Scott as a child in this particular photograph. Surprisingly (since the general concensus is that Austin has my eyes), it is his eyes that look a whole lot like Scott's did as a kid & also the shape of his face. I can't get over how similar they look in this photo.

Ariana is never short on loving! Aunt Shay-Shay is a big hit with both Austin & Ariana. I really think Ariana looks like Sharon. I know many of you have said the same thing. Too bad Ariana isn't smiling in this picture- it might be easier to compare.

One of my most favorite gifts that we gave this year was a calendar I designed for Charles. (I think he liked it too! :) )

This year we had the privilege of having Charles' friend, Ms. Janie celebrate Christmas with us.

Again, Ariana is not in want of love!! Ms. Janie has the special touch- she can quickly quieten a cranky baby! (Not that MY baby is EVER cranky... ha ha!)

The kids had a great time with their Papaw!

. . . and with Daddy.
And Daddy & Uncle Kevin had a good time with Scott's new remote controlled helicopter. I'm not sure who had more fun- the kids or the "adults!"

But one of the best parts of the evening is when a special guest arrived....

SANTA!!! Who would have guessed that Santa would have had a free moment to spend with us on Christmas Eve? Let's just say that Aunt Shay-Shay has connections! We were quite honored. Austin was thrilled. He kept trying to take pictures of Santa with his toy camera. It was really cute. :)

Ariana was equally as thrilled. She had a happy first encounter with Santa Claus too.

Our Family Christmas Celebration

2008-01-26T20:06:00.000-06:00

December 22, 2007

We had a fun time celebrating Christmas with our children this year. Austin, being 2 1/2, had been anticipating the event for weeks by periodically exclaiming, "Santa is coming! Santa is coming!" On "Christmas Eve" (we actually celebrated a few days early), we attended our church's Christmas Eve/Friday Night service and then toured a nearby neighborhood to gawk at the beautiful Christmas lights.

While we were there, we were surprised to see Santa! This was Austin's first time to meet Santa and he wasn't afraid at all (that surprised us). When Scott asked Austin, "What do you say to Santa?" Austin charmed Santa by telling him "Thank you!" We think he was Santa's favorite of the night!!
When we got home, Scott & Austin made chocolate chip cookies for Santa and then Scott read the kids "The Night Before Christmas." Austin wanted to wait up to meet Santa. (I think he thought it was rude not to be awake when the guest arrived!)

"Christmas Morning" was filled with lots of excite-ment. Ariana was tickled with her first doll, and Austin with his first train set.

We were reminded that Christmas is about family: God sent His Son to earth so that we might in turn be a part of His family too. In honor of that, we had a nice long "family-day" spending good quality time with the kids and playing the new Candy Land Castle game over & over & over with Austin!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-01-26T19:19:00.000-06:00

November 24, 2007

For the first time in 8 years, I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family!! Scott & I went separate ways during Thanksgiving. Since the kids were too young to travel to Mexico on our church's annual Mexico Mission trip, I took Austin & Ariana with me and Scott headed to Mexico to build houses over the holiday. I miss being able to go to Mexico, but it was really exciting to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I was alittle nervous driving 12 hours with the kids by myself but they did exceptionally well. In fact, Ariana didn't hardly make one peep until the 11th hour- and I can't say I blame her!!! That's a long time in the van. I did have help from Dallas to Little Rock (half the trip): Candi rode with me to Little Rock, Arkansas where I dropped her off to spend Thanksgiving with her sister. So that was really nice to have another adult in the van to help manage toddler needs (videos, snacks, etc.).
To make Thanks-giving even more exciting, our family celebrated at Jonathan & Julie's new house south of Memphis. I felt as if I had just walked into Southern Living magazine. Everything was beautiful and perfect! And the food was fabulous!! I could have just kept eating & eating. Julie was an incredible hostess. She has a gift for that sort of thing!!
Here's a picture of Mom & Dad and all of their grandchildren. We are in the BABY BOOM years! And Johnna & Aaron announced over thanksgiving that they are expecting their 2nd baby in June. :) So we should increase our numbers by at least 2 during 2008, possibly 3! (Jen & Al are expecting their 3rd the end of March & Julie & Jonathan are about to start the adoption process!!) We have so much to be thankful for!

Ariana had a fun time celebrating her 1st Thanksgiving in Mississippi! That makes state # 6 for her in just 4 short months!
Everyone but Scott & Billy were able to come to Julie's house: Aunt Lois & Uncle Tom, Grandma & Grandpa, Grandmother, Mom & Dad, the newly weds Sam & Pan Ke, Russ, Karen & Anna, Al, Jen, Luke & John David, Aaron, Johnna & Catherine, & Me, Austin & Ariana. We had a happy house-full! I love my family! Thank you Lord for your many abundant blessings- especially for my loving family!! I know I am VERY BLESSED.

We got ELFED!!!

2007-12-07T10:19:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Marlow Elves!

Click this link to see Santa's new little helpers!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1216681211

Report from Cuva

2007-11-27T15:09:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to give everyone an update about my trip to Cuva (I'm substituting the "v" but it's actually closer to how they say it anyway!). I don't know how sensitive I'm supposed to be with some of this information, so I might change some of this soon. I know I shouldn't give last names of Cuvan pastors. It's a Comnist gov't, so it's good to be careful about pictures that show up in a public place.

Some of the language I'll use here will be a little different than what you might be used to. I'm just trying to say things in a way that is safe.

The trip started out with a highlight! While having lunch during our layover in Cancun, we noticed Ryan Gosling at the table next to us! He was VERY nice and posed for a picture with us.

That was the last celebrity we saw on the trip though. Now it was down to work.

We brought over 700 pounds of medical supplies. They are going to be distributed to people who need them. While Michael Moore touts Cuva's medical system as one of the best in the world, he neglected to mention that the patients often have to bring their own medicine and medical supplies to the hospital with them.

They even need to bring their own food.

We had several opportunities to share the good news. I and my partner, Justo (pronounce the J as an H), had the opportunity to go out sharing with some of the local believers. We shared with Janna and her mother Carmella . Both of them chose to believe. (None of these are their real names). Then their neighbor Sarah came in to meet the Americans. We shared with her how incredibly simple the good news was and what belief was about, and I'll never forget this--when I asked her if she wanted new life in Christ, she said "Of course! Why wouldn't I!?" Then, just as we were leaving this family, the son came in (the daughter and the son were both in their 40's--new families don't get new houses until the previous generation is gone).

Justo shared with him and Rodolfo never took his eyes off of him. You could tell the truth was sinking in. In a culture saturated by rules of conduct and behavior (from both the government and both of the dominant religions there--Santeria and Catholicism), a message of hope and freedom is something entirely new.

While faith in Christ is so rich and deep and full of discoveries every day, in reality it is so very simple. Hearing that it's not about our adherence to a incomprehensibly difficult to bear code of ethics, but about God and his glory -- acknowledging that he's done all the work already is truly mind-bending news. And I could tell that Rodolfo had never heard this before. He readily acknowledged his sin before the Lord and placed his faith in Christ. This is a new family of believers. You'll meet them in heaven.

We got away for a little fun one day. We went to the monument where the leader speaks to the nation (we made it a practice to not mention his name). I decided to stoke my beard and pose a bit while I was there.

This is the podium he speaks from. Someone else was speaking there that day.

On the return to our hotel, we rode in the "eggs." They are small, open-air, motorcycle powered taxis. No seatbelts. Fast corners. Heavy traffic. Lots of praying.

The one Rosa and I rode in looked more like a Model T than an egg.

The view at 40 mph.

One thing that is amazing about Havana is that you see so many 1940's and 50's American cars still on the road. I would say these represented maybe a fourth of the cars there. The others were all either Russian or French.

From what I hear, all the insides of the old American cars have been replaced by Russian engines and parts.

We even had the privilege of riding in one (even though we're not supposed to--the tourists are supposed to ride in the luxurious Russian LADAs) :)

I haven't been in a car like this since my Papaw used to drive me around town.

These were some of the children we shared with. I had the joy of acting out the David and Goliath story for them and then they got to tell us what the meaning of the story was. They did very well!
Our Cuvan friends waving goodbye to us as we left for our plane. I'll miss them. But I think I'll see them again before too long.

Austin's TREE of THANKFULNESS

2007-11-15T23:18:00.000-06:00

During this time of year, it is natural and only right to think of all the things you are thankful for. God has so richly blessed us! Not only materially, but also spiritually! I hope I can teach my children to recognize how blessed we are as Americans- the freedoms & the material abundance we have- and even more as Children of God!

In an attempt to have Austin reflect upon these gifts from God, I designed a craft for him to do. I had him name what (& who) he was thankful for. After I wrote it on a leaf, he applied the glue & then told me where to place the leaves. He was excited to use a glue stick!

Austin is thankful for many things. He often amuses us when he mentions television shows & characters (such as Clifford the Big Red Dog) in his prayers. He used to thank Jesus regularly for "our house and our DOOR!" (We don't know how or why that one originated, but he recognized something to be thankful for that we often take for granted. A door is so important!) His prayers are so sincere. In his little world, those things he mentions are so very important to him. He IS thankful. Of course we love it when he randomly starts mentioning friends and family members he is thankful for.

It is so easy to get caught up in the "consumerism" mentality of our society. I pray the Lord would keep me from sinking into that shallow way of thinking! It is so easy to fall into. It is definitely a daily struggle to view my possessions, my money for what they really are- God's! It isn't mine at all. And those "things" never satisfy! We just keep wanting the newest and the best thing on the market. It never ends. When in fact, we are only stewards of these blessings God has given us. Although He wants us to enjoy these gifts, we are to also view the world through His eyes and GIVE to others. And, contrary to man's way of thinking (which is what I love about God's Truth!), this is when we are satisfied! To be satisfied you must GIVE, not Get! Joy in giving brings satisfaction- a sense of fulfillment. JOY does not come from the things we tend to hold so tightly to. Joy comes from knowing the Truth, serving Him, and Giving to others. So I hope to impart to my little ones that life is not about the here and now, but about eternity. After all, when you die you are going to leave it all behind anyhow! Success isn't based on how you are dressed or how much money you have in your wallet, but instead, how you are serving & living for the Lord. Are you living for today or are you living for eternal purposes? I think this is a good thing to ponder at Thanksgiving time. (And believe me, I am preaching to myself!!)

What am I thankful for? I am so thankful for the wonderful family & dear friends from around the globe whom God has placed in our lives! We are SO BLESSED!! I am speechlessly thankful for my incredible husband and my two beautiful healthy children. It is such a blessing to be able to stay home full-time with them now. And I am eternally grateful for the love, grace, mercy, & compassion of our Almighty God who instead of giving me the punishment that I deserve for my wickedness, allowed His Son Jesus Christ to take the punishment for me. And now I am allowed to have fellowship with a HOLY GOD. He desires a relationship with me. He even calls me His Friend! Amazing. I am speechless.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Sister-In-Law: My HERO!

2007-11-15T17:50:00.000-06:00

November 14, 2007

Okay, I will try to start from the beginning. Since Scott was away, I tried to be the good wife by attempting to take care of our swimming pool. This is Scott's area of expertise. In fact, I have never done more to the pool than turn on the water to fill it up and clean the leaves out with the net. Well, Tuesday I went outside to put chlorine tablets in the skimmer baskets as instructed by my dear husband. A couple of months ago Scott found a black widow spider just inside the lid of one of the baskets. So you can understand why I might be a little anxious going into this job. I cleverly used a fork to lift the lid. I did find a very large spider in the first skimmer basket (where the black widow was) but it was light brown in color with stripes on it’s back. I took a few deep breaths and decided not to get freaked out. I eventually pulled out both skimmer baskets and dumped them, after making sure the spider was out of the way! I used the fork to lift the baskets- but I was still close to the spider. But I did it. I was proud of myself. So proud, that I thought I would go beyond the call of duty (well, not really) and lift up the pool vacuum to clear out the leaves on the underside. I noticed it hadn't been running- it was in the same place as it was 2 days ago. Usually this means that the magnolia leaves have clogged it. To my surprise it wasn’t leaves stuck in the bottom of the vacuum. It was a RAT!!!!

Ewwwugh!!!

Yes, I SCREAMED! (and danced!) It was SO disgusting!!!!!!!!! Did I mention that I had already skimmed a dead rat floating in the pool the day before? I was a big girl. I didn't squeal or anything. BUT THIS?! I could NOT deal with this! This is something I would have to call the pool maintenance man for if I were single (but I was just going to let it wait for Scott!). As I started to put the vacuum back in the water (with the rat still lodged in), I saw the rat's poor little face and kind of felt sorry for him. What a terrible way to die. It reminded me of my childhood fears of being sucked down the bathtub drain! I pulled the vacuum back out trying to talk myself into touching the rat, but... NOPE! I just couldn’t! I COULD NOT do it. I just couldn't. It was just his head and front paws sticking out of the vacuum- the rest would have to be MANUALLY EXTRACTED. No way. Couldn't do it!

Fast forward to Wednesday, when Sharon & Bailey were over for the day. (We have decided to start getting together every 3rd Wednesday of the month so the cousins can play. I'm so glad we are doing this!) I started relaying "The Adventures of Joann & the Pool" to Sharon for no other reason than a few squeals. But that's not what I got. As soon as I told Sharon about the rat that was lodged in my pool vacuum she quickly jumped up and said "Let me see!!"

THEN she surprised me and said she would get it out!!!!!! I couldn’t believe she was that brave. When we pulled the vacuum out of the pool, the rat stunk so bad! It was SO DISGUSTING!!! It took a variety of tools to get him out: needle-nose pliers, a screwdriver, another pair of pliers and scissors. Yes, scissors. I'm telling you it was STUCK in the vacuum. To get him out required disassembling part of the vacuum. Once she took a screw out, she was able to pull out the rat, but he had the piece of the vacuum around his waistline. Our only option was to CUT him in TWO! Let me just say- it was ALL SHARON! I still CANNOT believe she was so Brave!!! He was so LARGE, and the tail was SO LONG, and the intestines were hanging out. A good ¾ of the rat was inside the vacuum. It was so GROSS!!! It was a squealing moment!!!! I could NOT have done that. Needless to say, those scissors are history. The tools she used (besides the scissors) are soaking in a bleach solution!

Look at the length of that thick tail!!!

Sharon the Brave!

After discussing it a bit, we decided the rat shouldn't die in vain. Nor should we waste such good meat. Sharon had the idea of making "Rat Smoothies!"

Mmm! Rat never did taste so good!

Austin wanted more!

Only Bailey had the right idea!

Okay, well, I'm just kidding about the smoothie part! To all of you folks who are hyperventilating, those are Strawberry-Banana Smoothies! Quite tasty in fact! :)

I really am just amazed by my sister-in-law. She said she did it for all the things that Scott had ever done for her! I think they are even now!

Sharon, Scott said he was SURPRISED too by your courage. He said he is VERY proud of you AND very thankful too!

P.S. Yes, I have called a Pest Control man to come check out our house. In fact, he is coming tomorrow. They are actually called "Roof Rats" and they live in your attic. I heard them last night scurrying around!!!! None are in the house. (Dart would let me know if they were.) But I want to keep it that way, plus eliminate them from my attic! And No, we don't usually find rats in our pool. I can only remember one once before, a couple of years ago. Finding two within a few days tells me we have a PROBLEM!!! So gross!

BOO! (I'm back on the blog-scene!)

2007-11-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

October 31st, 2007

BOO!!! Happy Halloween! Did I scare you with actually posting a blog?!We had a good time as a family on Halloween. These were the cutest trick-or-treaters I saw all night! I especially like the "Daddy" costume. Isn't he cute?!! :) The giraffe & sweet pea give him some tough competition though! Austin made giraffes look good on Halloween! (I wonder where he got his inspiration to be a giraffe?? :) )Ariana made the cutest little pea-in-a-pod, especially when she started doing her classic finger-sucking pose.

Aunt Candi came over to see our trick-or-treaters. We don't know who dressed up as the dog, but he did a great job impersonating one!

To be honest, I'm not really fond of Halloween. I find ghosts hanging from trees in people's yards quite eery & creepy. Pumpkins are okay, but much more than that just seems evil. So, in order to counter-act the evil of the holiday, while most parents take their kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, we prefer to church-hop. :) That's right-- we went church hopping! On Sunday, two different churches in our community had fall festivals. We attended both.:) Some people go to church once a year on Easter; we go 3 times a year on Halloween! :) Just kidding!

Austin LOVES the bounce-houses. On the other hand, I have a love-hate relationship with them. I love the fact that it gets the bounce out of him so he isn't tempted to bounce on the bed (as much). However, I'm terrified of him getting clobbered. I need to toughen up, don't I?! Getting bounced on is the last thing on Austin's mind. He's just all into the fun!
At Prestonwood Baptist Church's Fall Carnival, the giraffe decided to take on the ballerina. It was quite a dramatic race as you can tell by the photo. Such passion. Such speed. So much at stake! (candy! :))

Earlier on Halloween day, we spent the day with family.Do you like my costume? I dressed up as a blogger!
Austin & cousin Bailey had a really good time together... kissing (hey, it's just cute at this age!),
playing....
& dancing! They are such a joy to watch while they play. It's gets more and more entertaining every time. This time they decided to try on mommy & daddy's shoes! Little Miss Sharon & Little Mr. Scott Marlow!
Ariana had a good time too- just in her own sweet way!

Our Day at the State Fair of Texas!

2007-11-02T01:55:00.000-05:00

Thursday October 11, 2007

The beloved time of year for all true Texans arrived, as always, during the month of October-- the time set aside just to marvel at the great feats and triumphs and talents of highly esteemed specimens called "Texans."
I mean, who else could make (or dare to spend the time on!) a sand sculp-ture such as this!

Here is our fine specimen of a Texan! And being from the elite "North Texas," he is ready to travel the fair in-style! He's ready to cruise. He's ready to live the good life of fun rides, slobbery animals and Carny food. He's none other than our "A-Man"!
This year he chose to bestow upon his Papaw the fine honor of pulling his fashionable chariot.
Much to our delight we recognized a highly esteemed Texan on display. A photograph of our adorable neice Bailey won honorable mention in the photo contest! Thousands of Texans gazed upon her beauty during the Fair. We were VERY excited & proud that she was in a winning photo!!

Ariana only chose the very elite to carry her at the Fair. She really enjoyed being spoiled by her Papaw & her Aunt Shay-Shay!
Aunt Shay-Shay made her smile!

She loves her Papaw & Aunt Sharon!
Austin enjoyed the petting farm again this year. Do you think this giraffe provided some inspiration? (You'll know what I'm talking about when you see the halloween photos!)

I'm just glad the goat didn't inspire! But Austin sure did have fun petting and feeding all the animals.

Fun & Games at the State Fair of Texas

2007-11-02T00:56:00.000-05:00

Thursday October 11, 2007

We had a lot of fun at the State Fair. Thinking Austin might find the dog shows interesting, we hurried to the stadium & claimed our seats. But there was a bit of a miscommunication-- he thought HE was to be the star of the show.

He got really into the music and started dancing to the beat.

Then he thought he would show off some of his more extreme moves: jumping off the step. The crowd went wild cheering. He, of course thought they were clapping for him.

So to further entertain the gathered crowd, he decided to show off his good looks in his Papaw's hat. We thought it was quite a sensational act! :)

Daddy went to great care to select the best suited rides for the A-man. He thought the GIANT slide would do the trick. It took a while to climb to the top, but it didn't take long to get back down!
Austin agreed that Daddy did a GREAT job choosing the ride! So much so that Austin really wanted to slide again.

Ariana had a very relaxing day at the fair. She enjoyed her carefully selected rides: the Baby Trend stroller & Aunt Shay-Shay's arms!

She loved Aunt Shay-Shay's arms the best. She really did well at the fair. Despite the long day spent out in the pleasant autumn weather, Ariana managed to pretty much sleep all day, except for meals. She didn't complain at all.

This photo was timed perfectly! Austin enjoyed climbing, bouncing, running, and sliding in this jungle of a maze.
He enjoyed it so much, that he was set on playing again.
REALLY set!
He couldn't figure out why he wasn't allowed in again, until Daddy explained the rules. Oh, the hard lessons of life! We aren't sure how the guard could resist his little sad face!

After a long day of playing, we decided to eat some more Carny-food.

I chose a healthy TURKEY leg- ha ha!- & dedicated it to my brother-in-law Al. I know how much he enjoys them. :)

Austin could just barely see over the table to eat his meal! It was funny. Oh to see life from a child's point-of-view!

Although, sometimes being small pays off. Austin did have a good view for the parade. You can't beat Dad's shoulders!

The Final Hour: Fun & Games at the State Fair of Texas

2007-11-01T23:45:00.000-05:00

Thursday October 11, 2007

During the last hour at the fair, we wanted to play some games. Being determined to get "our money's worth" we decided to play a game that guarantees every child wins a prize. Sounded fair. Scott chose the "Dart Throw." Not exactly what a mother of a 2-year-old son & a nurse would choose, but I decided to hold my tongue and let boys be boys. Scott trained Austin in how to throw the dart.

Who wants to guess if any balloons popped?

Look at that precious face! You would have thought he won the nicest stuffed animal in all of the fair. To him he did. He received a sad-looking little mouse, but to Austin, he was gold. I've never seen Austin hug a stuffed animal so tight and so sincerely. It was a precious moment! And when given the chance to "upgrade" to the next larger size stuffed animal, Austin wouldn't have anything to do with a trade. He loved his little "fair mouse" (that's what we call him now). So instead, he was given a little dolphin too. He was thrilled with both. Several weeks later, he still insists on sleeping with both stuffed animals.

Mommy decided to play her very first Fair game ever. She couldn't resist trying for that UK basketball. And... she won it! Well, I had a little help... :) But the ball went in and out several times. Yes, I've been right all these years-- it's rigged. The secret: throw it granny-style (underhanded)!

By the time we left, we had been at the fair for 13 hours! Austin did so well! He had a great time. He never complained. And he went all that time without a nap! What an amazing boy! He was quite excited about all the loot we were taking home-- loot that we collected all during the last hour at the fair. Obviously good judgment deteriorates the longer you stay at the fair! My tip: Don't leave home without the WAGON!!!!

She's Here!

2007-07-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

Ariana Calais Marlow arrived on the scene yesterday, July 23rd at 12:32pm. She's healthy, happy and loving life. So far, she's a very quiet baby. She's only really been upset once so far and that was when she needed a new diaper.

After the new diaper.

Our room--decorated so generously by all of Joann's friends at the hospital!

Grandma is showing Austin how to be gentle with his little sister.

Austin welcoming his little sister to the family with a kiss.

Papaw is so proud. Now he has three grandchildren!

Our wonderful doctor, Judith Hsu. It was her first delivery at the new hospital. Ariana is only the 30th child born at Baylor Frisco.

Gina and Julie were Joann's L&D nurses. They were wonderful!

The courageous "Women in Black" of Baylor Medical Center at Frisco. As you can imagine, Joann is a very popular patient at BMCF. She's the first employee to have a baby at the hospital, and she is a nurse on the post-partum unit, so all of her friends at work have come to see us. The colors of the women's unit are black and pink--which we think is SO COOL!

Scott has always wanted a daughter. Ariana is a long time wish (and prayer) come true.

Such a kissable girl!

Austin's 2nd Birthday!

2007-07-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

May 14, 2007

Austin had fun celebrating his 2nd birthday. Austin took special interest in looking at each of his birthday cards. He enjoyed his cards so much that for the next month he would ask to look at them and would carry them around the house.
Papaw came over in the afternoon to join in the birthday festivities.
Austin loved his new bubble machine! Now that is how bubbles are supposed to be blown!
Multi-tasking: Austin enjoying the bubbles and shampooing his hair at the same time!
Daddy got in on the bubble-action too! WOW! Look at that bubble!

That evening, we had a birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.

The BIRTHDAY BOY!

Austin loves his PARTY Time crown-- he still wears it around the house!

At first, it might seem that only 2 kids were at the party- Austin & his cousin Bailey.

However, it soon became evident that Chuck-E-Cheese most definitely was a place where a kid could be a kid! And big kids were spotted all over the place!

I don't think Austin & Bailey were the only ones that had a good time!

Games were followed by opening all the fun presents.

Then, it was time for some birthday cake! Austin knew just what to do!

Nothing but chocolate for this boy! Yummy!

Aunt Rhea had fun dancing with the "Big Cheese" himself! (I think she had too much chocolate cake!!!)

Austin had some "Daddy-time" at the party as well. He loves climbing up & in the tubes. (I think Daddy likes it too!)

From bubbles & games, chocolate cake & pizza, Austin seemed to really enjoy his birthday. He was truly excited about each person who came- Papaw, Aunt Sharon, Miss Elizabeth, Bailey, Aunt Rhea, Aunt Candi, Aunt Susan & Uncle Keith! It was a really fun day. We can't believe he is already 2!

Early Birthday Celebration

2007-04-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

April 16, 2007

Austin celebrated his 2nd birthday early in Kentucky.
Grandma & Granddaddy gave him a lawn mower for his birthday! Now that's what I'm talking about! Free lawn service from here on out!
Austin mowed Great Grandmother's yard. However, this isn't your typical lawn mower. This mower blows bubbles as you go! It runs on bubble juice! :)
Uncle Al, Aunt Jen, Luke and John David also gave Austin a gift-- his first tee-ball set!
Austin took a swing with his new bat- who cares if it is the wrong end! It obviously works both ways!

Seeing in Black & White

2007-04-28T16:30:00.000-05:00

April 16, 2007

Monday evening as we went outside (again) to play, Austin spotted the cows from a distance. He immediately ran to the fence and started saying, "Here Cow! Here Cow!" Mommy used her "magical whistle" (the whistle we use on the farm to round up the cows) and the cows quickly came over to greet Austin.

Austin waved and said "Hi" to the cows.
Austin and the cows made friends pretty quickly. They seemed very curious about this small little man. They weren't frightened in the least but continued to stand near the fence and stare at him. Austin wasn't afraid either.

Farmer Jr. Austin and "his" cows.

Being black & white Dart blends right in with the cows. Now the cows are trying to figure out what this "little cow" is doing outside the fence! Dart is taking a breather. He just ran all the way home chasing Scott in the truck from a field down the road.

A boy and his dog. There's definitely a special bond here. I wouldn't let just anyone pull on my ears! Would you?
"DADDY!" Daddy's home! Austin runs to greet him.
All of my boys on the farm.

More Fun Moments in Kentucky

2007-04-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

April 11-16, 2007

Grandma & Austin trotted on a horsey while in Kentucky... they didn't get very far, but I don't think that was the point! The fun was all in the journey.

Oops Austin! Get back on that horsey!

Do it again Grandma! More! More!
I love my Grandma! She's a lot of fun... and pretty silly too!

This reminds of me of a photo of me & my cousins on Grandmother's couch many many years ago. Except in that photo it was all girls and one boy... hmm... the tables have turned! These precious children did a great job during yet another photo shoot. :) Austin is on the far left with cousins Catherine Ashley Davis (9 mo. old), John David Chandler (10 mo. old), & big cousin Luke Albert Chandler (almost 3 yrs old).
More smiles for the camera! What great sports! What beautiful faces!
Austin put on his jacket & hat before heading out the door for church. I couldn't resist taking a picture. He was wanting to go outside and play. He ALWAYS wants to go outside and play! How can you resist that face?!
Austin is enjoying tickling John David's feet. I'm not sure if the joy is mutual! Austin seemed pretty curious and interested in his younger cousins this trip. Since both John David & Catherine are crawling now they were able to be more interactive with the older boys, although this usually meant they were chasing them down the hallway at a crawling pace. John David reminded me of the Family Circus baby... always trying to follow the older kids but not quite making it to the destination before the older kids have already run back down the hallway to a different location!
But at least John David & Catherine have each other! Sometimes it's just impossible to keep up with those older kids... so they play with each other instead!

Catherine learning to eat "big people food" the big people way! She likes those bananas!
Yummy! Can I have another?

My double-first cousin Karen is pregnant and due to deliver her first baby, a little girl, July 5th. We had a baby shower in her honor. The shower was a lot of fun... particularly the food... All the food was very tasty! This is a matter of great importance to a pregnant woman!

And we had to have plenty of food available since we had TWO pregnant women at the shower! I'm pregnant with our 2nd child, due July 30th. So Karen & I are about 3 weeks apart. It kind of makes you think of "double cousins" in a different light!
I told you the food was really tasty! Thanks Johnna for taking this incriminating photo!

I had a really good time seeing my college roommates again at the shower. Tiffany (Stallings) Puerto drove up from Memphis and Carrie Crossett (on far right) came up from Milan, TN. It was great to catch up with them.Tiffany brought her children- Luke & Lilia. They are great kids! I really enjoyed meeting them. They love getting their photo taken. My favorite moment was when Luke saw the cows in the field behind the house. He quickly pulled me over to the window to look at them. He was so excited. We explained to him that he was on a farm. He immediately wanted to know "where's the man"-- there must be a farmer if we are on a farm. Just at that moment Dad walked in the room and I introduced him to Luke as the farmer and had them shake hands. Luke was so cute- he was so excited to meet a farmer and be on a farm. How precious.
Jennifer had fun in her own way at the shower.... we caught her red handed! Looks like shop-lifting to me! Jen, I don't think your boys will want anything pink!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub 3 boys in a... Red Wagon! A male-bonding experience-- Luke, Austin, & John David. Libby the dog wanted to join them, but being a girl, she quickly faced rejection.

Obviously by this picture the boys enjoyed their ride in the wagon. Austin cracks me up- he looks like he's in the 1st car of a roller-coaster having the time of his life!
Aunt Jen did a great job pulling the wagon up and down the driveway.

Oh yeah! That was fun! Let's go for another ride!

THE SQUAWKING CHICKEN and other fun times with Granddaddy

2007-04-23T17:22:00.000-05:00

April 11-16, 2007

Austin loves Granddaddy! He couldn't get enough of him while we were in Kentucky last week. Granddaddy & Austin played with Jay Jay the jet plane and his friends. Granddaddy particularly liked Revin' Evan, or as he would call him, "the Reverend Evans!"

A game of chase around the living room.

Granddaddy had a good time teasing the boys. Luke & Austin thought they were "blowing" the TV on & off.

But the highlight had to be the Squawking Chicken! You see, Granddaddy has this chicken... and, well, it sounds a bit distressed when it's depressed. Actually, it's quite hilarious. Austin didn't know quite what to make of it.

He decided to have compassion on the poor yellow plastic chicken. "There, there chicky- don't cry!"

The chicken is a bit scary looking!
Luke decided to stay at a safe distance and use his new photojournalism skills!

The squawking chicken was probably our favorite moment between Austin & Granddaddy. At least it was the funniest. However, I think Austin would vote for the times he would just crawl into Granddaddy's lap and watch TV with him. Granddaddy would probably choose the same!

The Cowboy in the 10-Gallon Hat Rides into Town

2007-04-23T16:18:00.000-05:00

April 12, 2007

A mysterious Texas cowboy in a 10-Gallon hat galloped his way into a Kentucky home last Thursday evening.

He was greeted warmly by his dear friend & Kentucky cousin Luke Chandler. Luke identified the mysterious cowboy as Austin Marlow. What a surprise!

Luke didn't seem to mind that Austin had ridden his horse all the way into the house! He was just glad his cousin had made the long hard journey from Texas.

Austin stopped just long enough to greet his cousin, drink some water and cover his horse's head with his very own hat. It's very important you know, for a horse to dress in the latest cowboy fashion!

Austin was all smiles as he rode off into the sunset. "Hi-ho Silver! Away!"

Austin's Best Buddy- Luke!

2007-04-23T14:40:00.000-05:00

April 11-16, 2007

Austin went to Kentucky last week to visit his best buddy- cousin Luke! They had a FANTASTIC time together! We were delighted that although disagreements broke out on a regular basis regarding differing philosophies of "MINE!" these didn't seem to affect the love they had for one another nor lessen the excitement of playing with each other.
"BEST BUDDIES"- Austin (almost 2) & Luke (almost 3).

Austin & Luke had a fun time playing on Luke & John David's new swing set. They particularly enjoyed the slide.
Wow! That is one super-sonic fast slide! Austin enjoyed sliding down the slide all by himself and didn't seem to mind how fast it sent him hurling toward the ground below. He was all smiles!
John David decided to take a more relaxing approach to the swing set by swinging with Grandma.
Softball-pro Aunt Jen taught Austin how to play Tee-ball! What a great hit! Nothing beats learning from the professionals!
Obviously Luke has had a lesson or two from the pro himself! Look at how fast that ball is flying! You can just barely see it (just beyond his left shoulder). Way to go Luke! Luke is also observing strict safety precautions by wearing his hard helmet while batting! Perhaps he has had a lesson from "SAFETY GIRL" as well! :)

Bubbles are always a favorite at this age and boy, does Aunt Jen know how to put on a bubble show! She has a bubble wand that blows the biggest bubbles known to man-kind!

Luke "blows" a bubble 3 times his size!

Luke was very impressed with Joann's monster bubble (or perhaps he was concerned about his mom who was about to be engulfed by this bubble of super-large proportions! Jen barely ducked in time as this bubble was coming straight for her & the camera!)!

Luke & Austin also played at Grandma's house. Like good boys, they decided to convert the Fisher-Price house into a train station for Thomas the Train & all his locomotive friends.

Hey! Who turned out the lights?

Austin & Luke decided bath time is even more fun when shared with a friend! Afterall, you have someone else to pour the water on!

It wasn't easy getting these two prunes out of the tub! This is probably the cleanest they've been in years!

Joining the "Family Team"

2007-04-01T23:53:00.000-05:00

At just 21 months of age Austin started doing his first "chores" around the house. The COOL thing is that he actually ENJOYS helping! I'm appreciating this stage because I know it won't last long.

Austin likes giving the dog and cat their food. Upon the suggestion that Dart and Caboodle need food, he starts running through the house exclaiming, "Food! Food!" He of course loves scooping and then pouring the food from one container to the other. It doesn't always make it into the bowl... but Dart takes care of the mess.

Emptying the dishwasher is another job Austin helps Mommy with. He really gets into handing Mommy the clean dishes to put away. He's so enthusiastic about his new position as "Dishwasher Assistant Manager" that sometimes Mommy has a difficult time keeping up with his pace! Austin even helps put away some of the items he's familiar with, such as sippy cups & lids.

Now, upon the occurrence of the not-so-occasional "accident" (or an "UT-OH" as Austin would describe it), Austin does participate on the clean-up crew. This particular evening he enthusiastically hunted for puddles of spilt milk on the floor and wiped them up.

Daddy oversaw the project, but Austin didn't need too much direction. He knew what he was looking for and he knew how to take care of it!
I think we are discovering that he has a bit of perfectionism in his nature!

I'm sure Austin is going to have a great time with these photos when he is older trying to prove that his parents are slave-drivers! But for the time-being, we are enjoying our new little helper. He sure is a great little guy!

Picnic at the Park

2007-03-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

Monday March 26, 2007

On Monday, Daddy had the great idea of having a family picnic for lunch! So we travelled to a nearby park to enjoy our lunch in a basket. We even included Dart in the family fun.

Austin ate all of his big-boy bologna & cheese sandwich, bowl of grapes, and cookie for lunch. He tried some lemonade in his sipee cup- he didn't seem to notice the difference!

Austin & Daddy had a really fun time swinging, sliding, climbing, & crawling on all the playground equipment. Mommy supervised. It was a real joy seeing Austin run around on the grassy hills. He just loves to be outside.

Beginning Moment

2007-03-30T17:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our somewhat "official" family blog site! I am looking forward to keeping everyone updated on family stories and photos via this site. I just hope I can figure it all out!