Sunday, January 30, 2011

One More Week...

until middle school basketball season is over!  I am one tired Mama.  I guess it is so hard when Bryan's not home much because he is SUPER-DAD when he is home.  Don't get me wrong...I am so thankful to be so tired.  I LOVE every minute of being splashed and getting soaking wet during bathtime.  I LOVE feeling crazy when the boys are having screaming competitions at the supper table and I have to put two boys in time out and explain that it is really bad manners to scream at the table.  I LOVE reading stories when Jordan says "one more" and Nathan says "booooook" over and over again each night.  It is my pleasure.  It is my honor.  It is humbling to begin to think that the Lord thinks I am actually capable of being Nathan and Jordan's Mommy. 

After leaving home and going to college (many years ago), I was so thankful for the responsibilities my parents instilled in me. Nathan and Jordan are very happy helpers!  I'm not too naive.  I realize that there will be a day that they are just helpers, not happy helpers.  But for now, they find joy in their chores.  They have three responsibilities at home: 
1) Clean up their toys. 
2) Help me take the mail from the mailbox to the table for Daddy to find when he gets home. 
3) Feed Cooper. 

Nathan and Jordan take their job of feeding Cooper very seriously. Sometimes Jordan will point at Cooper and point to the bowl of food.  Then, he will say, "Cooper.  Eat.  Cooper.  Food.  Eat."  My sweet Jordy can be quite bossy.

Happy First Birthday Avery!

We celebrated our niece, Avery, today!  I can't believe she is already ONE!  She looked so cute in her tutu. 



Nathan, Jordan and Luke enjoyed playing with all of Avery's balloons. 

We love you Baby Avery!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The New Trend at Our House

The new trend at our house is to wear firefighter hats to supper.



How do you like those messy ketchup faces!?  I think it was this time last year when I was wishing that the boys followed me in my love for ketchup.  My wish was granted.  :)

Thursday, January 6, 2011

"When We All Get to Heaven..."

"What a day of rejoicing that will be!  When we all see Jesus, We'll sing and shout the victory!"

We got a call in the middle of last week that my Grandaddy Fuller was sick again and this time did not look promising.  Last Thursday morning at 7:00 am, my mom, dad, and I jumped on a plane bound for Birmingham, Alabama. Jennifer and Baby Georgia joined us on the next flight that afternoon.  Bryan and the boys joined us a couple days later.  We drove almost 2 hours from there to my grandparents house just over the Georgia line.  Over the next 24 hours, we spent many moments by my Grandaddy's bed.  I watched my strong and beautiful Memom sit by the bed of her love and savor every minute of his last days on earth.  If I heard anyone tell her how strong she has been over the last 7 days, she is very quick to say that it is not by her strength alone.  On Friday afternoon, those of us that were at the house gathered around his bed.  We held each other and cried and prayed for my sweet Grandaddy.  Uncle Robert, Uncle Steve, Uncle Roy, Uncle Jon, Aunt Laura, and Mama each told him that they were at peace with him going to heaven and embracing Jesus with open arms.  Grandaddy had been through bladder cancer, leukemia, and colon surgery.  His earthly tent had been through so much and he was ready for his new tent in Glory!  "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." II Corinthians 5:1 We sang the old hymn, "When We All Get to Heaven" together and rejoiced with Grandaddy as we knew his time was so near.  We cried deep painful tears because it was such a moment of separation.  What a worshipful experience.  My faith was deepened just by being surrounded by my family of believers during those sacred moments.  My dad woke me up at about 1:30 that morning to let me know that Grandaddy had passed away.   I am thirty years old and he was my first grandparent to lose.  Grandaddy was born in 1924 and had lived 86 precious years on earth.  His daddy passed away when he was only 6 years old.  He was a member of the United States Army.  He was a veteran of World War II.  Grandaddy was a man who knew the meaning of hard work and loyalty.  Grandaddy was very devoted to his family, his business at the Auto Supply Store, his Sunday school class, and so much more.  He had a gift of serving and laboring.  I can not wait to tell Nathan and Jordan stories about their Great Grandaddy Fuller.  He left a great legacy for the men of our family.  Memom and Grandaddy had been married for 63 years!  I will never forget the moment that the four veteran soldiers removed the American flag from his casket, delicately folded it into the perfect triangle, and presented it to my Memom at the funeral service.  What an incredible heritage of love and devotion for our family.  I am absolutely honored and blessed to be his granddaughter. 

"Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd, He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus, We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Onward to the prize before us! Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open; We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to Heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus, We’ll sing and shout the victory!"









This picture is priceless...one of the very last pictures taken with my Grandaddy in the beginning of December

- My Memom and Grandaddy with their four sons and two daughters-

Uncle Roy, Uncle Steve, Uncle Robert, Uncle Jon
Mama, Memom, and Aunt Laura
Grandaddy

Monday, December 27, 2010

A Jolly Christmas at the Calvert Home!

Christmas Eve Morning at Gram and PaPa's House

Gram and PaPa with all their grandbabies!


Yay! A  "Bear-plane!"

 A "Tay-toe!"
Gram and PaPa surprised all the grandkids with a new kitchen for their playroom.  So cute to see all four boys playing together.  :)

Christmas Eve Night at MeMe and Grandad's House

MeMe and Grandad created a new dress-up trunk at their house for the grandkids.  SO FUN!!!

I had to sneak in this picure...Aunt Jenn took it on Christmas night at MeMe and Grandad's house.  Nathan was cracking us up in his baseball hat, with his bat, fireman coat, pj's, and Cookie Monster house shoes!!  What an outfit!


We didn't end up with many pictures from Christmas Eve night.  Jordan was just a little grouchy!  Is there such thing as too-much-Christmas-syndrome?!  We have also been transitioning him to only having his paci in his bed.  He has really adjusted great but he can be super grumpy when he is hungry or tired.  That paci sure was a life saver for two years with him but as he approaches his second birthday, we are trying to wean Jordy off of it.  :( 

Christmas Morning!!

Santa Claus came to our house!  The boys were so excited!


 Look at that face! Nater-Tot is one happy little kid.


Jordan sat in this chair for almost thirty minutes making sandwiches and pizza with his new food.  He loves to organize the pizza pieces!
 MeMe and Grandad gave the boys a tunnel!  They LOVE it!

Nathan and Jordan helped Daddy open presents.

Oh, and I could not pass up the opportunity to share THIS picture!  Vivi came over Christmas morning all dressed up as Rapunzel!  Check out that wig!  She wore the wig all day long.  She still had it on when we saw her again on Christmas night.  Santa Claus brought her all the pieces to the Rapunzel costume. 
 I love her!

We had a wonderful time with family celebrating this Holy Season.  Tonight, Bryan is putting up the Christmas decorations as I write.  Bryan likes to put them up himself because he says he is better at organizing and packing than I am.  It's true.  Tonight when we took the Christmas tree out of the boys room, Nathan stuck his bottom lip out and got a little teary eyed.  That sweet baby did not want to say bye-bye to his "Shishmas twee."  We have a few more days at home before our crazy daily schedule begins again.  Tomorrow night a date night with my handsome man is on schedule.  :)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Compassion for Henry

In the Spirit of the season, I posted a link to Compassion International on the left side of the blog.  Bryan and I decided to sponsor a child through Compassion after we were challenged by one of our pastors (Thanks for challenging us, Curtis Jones!) at church several years ago.  We got on the computer that night and were SHOCKED at the number of children waiting for a sponsor.  We chose Henry.  He was a darling boy in Kenya and his little barefoot picture in his green shirt just stole my heart.  We have been able to be penpals with Henry as we help support his life journey.  Because of Compassion he is closely monitored by a local church in his area.  The local church makes sure that he gets fed and that his basic needs are met.  The local church also takes time to share the Gospel with Henry.  Henry sends us letters (handwritten by a translator) and he draws pictures for us too!  They are precious!  It is just a small part that we can play in the life of a child that has needs we can not even imagine.  If your heart has been tugged to share some love this year, this organization is highly respected and very well organized.  Merry Christmas!

Countdown...just 3 more days!


We took the boys back to Main Street last night to enjoy the light show.  They LOVE it!  The lights are timed to music and it is very cool!  Notice how the boys have on short sleeve shirts 4 days before Christmas...it was 80 degrees that afternoon.  Gotta love Texas!  Thank goodness Christmas day is suppose to be cold!



"Yaaaaaaaayy"  "Cooooool"  "Wwoooooww!" 





Frosty has become a celebrity at our house this year.  Nathan was tickled to see him in real life!  (Too bad Frosty's head got cut off in this picture.)




All of our presents are wrapped and we are ready for Christmas!  I still have some cooking to do and Cooper (the dog) needs a bath and I have to clean my house...but that's it.  HA! 


I hope that you and your families have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.  What a special day to celebrate the birth of our Savior!  The boys' Sunday School teacher gave them a little box to open on Christmas morning. I peeked into the box to see what it is and it's a little picture of Baby Jesus.  I can't wait to give it to the Nathan and Jordan on Christmas morning to once again tell them the real Christmas story. 

Luke 2:8-11
"8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."