Josh Darnell

Please keep my friend Josh and his family in your prayers. Josh was a high school friend. I first met him at Watkinsville First United Methodist Church (my old church from my childhood.) My senior year, we got to be good friends. Below is the email I received from Kelli (Miller) Magee today and she received this from another close friend of ours and of Josh's, Erin.

Hey ladies, I hope this finds you having a nice day. I have news to deliver from Melissa. Josh was involved in an explosion yesterday in Afghanistan. He has shrapnel in his pelvis and abdomen, but not near any vital organs. He has some burns on his face, and his arm was shattered. Most of these injuries are on his right side. He has had surgery on his arm and is expected to regain full range of motion in it. He has also had more surgery to clean out his wounds, and he could possibly have more surgeries in the future. He is currently in Kadahar , but they are hoping to move him to Bagram soon. He will then be moved to Germany and stateside after that to either Washington or Texas. Melissa has talked to him, and he said it could have been much worse. Two of his men were killed and many others were injured. I've attached a link from CNN about the attack. Start praying hard and pass on the word to friends and family to pray for him and his men to recover and to travel safely back to the states. I'll keep you posted on anything else I hear today and in the coming days. Love you, Erin http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/01/2009195391166694.html

Thank you, Lord, for watching over Josh. Although he was injured, we are so thankful it was not worse.

Thank you for keeping him and his wife and family in your prayers.

Sincerely,

So Much To Say, No Time To Do It

Well, if you are here then you received my email introducing my new and private blog! YAY! I hope you like the new blog design. My mom made me PROMISE I would make my blog private. So this is for you, Mama!

I would love to write more but I have been slammed all day. I have bride emails to return and first birthday parties to prepare! Brooks' first birthday celebration (and I say that as "cel-a-bray- chion) is less than 48 hours away. I can't believe it has been a year! I hope to post a blog tomorrow reminisicing about this very week last year. I remember it so very fondly!

Loves!

New Blog, Coming Soon!

Let's just go ahead and give a big shout out to Jennisa over at Once Upon A Blog. Because not only is she the BEST blog designer ever, but she has totally put up with me and my crazy chain of emails today.

I love my new design that should be up soon and if ANYONE out there wants to give your blog a face lift , you should get on her list. Totally worth the wait. Right, Suzanne!? She did my cousin Suzanne's over at Steeces Pieces, so of course I picked her because I know Suzanne knows the best about the blogging world. She has been so great through out the whole process. Especially dealing with me and my indecisiveness. Even through the madness of the holiday season, Jennisa is on the ball!

I am certain and have very high hopes that this is the key to my hope of blogging more often. Stay tuned! (All five readers... ha!)

My Goodness!

well. this post is going to be in all lowercase. not because i can't type normal, but my precious little son got ahold of my laptop and now the left shift key is a goner. so until i can make a trip to best buy for a little repair work, it's either typing like this... or LIKE THIS!

funny story: today my mom and i took brooks shopping. i enjoy taking him shopping because he is so easy right now. he is very well behaved and other than needing a few diaper changes and to be held and talked to every now and then, he is super easy. so, anyway today mom and i went all day with him and we split up for a few minutes and brooks and i waited for mom in a sporting goods store. we plopped ourselves down in front of the store in a comfy georgia chair that was on display. so as people walked in and out of the store we watched. i love to people watch and brooks does as well. he stares at everyone. people talk to him all the time and he either smiles kindly at them or looks at them like a deer in a headlight! so anyway, we sat there for a while and just as i was kind of getting annoyed with every person stopping and talking to brooks (totally like when you are pregnant and everyone rubs your belly) a lady walked in and said to her friend, "oh my goodness, look at that beautiful little GIRL."

Really, girl? please tell my how my son who is wearing a brown and green outfit with a reindeer on the front of it (and has definite boy shoes on) even remotely looks like a girl. i didn't correct her, i just said "thank you."


what's weird is that happens a lot. okay, so he doesn't have much hair and it's hard to tell, but he does not look like a girl! one time we were in target and he had on a navy polo and camo shorts and a worker walked up and said, "look at that little PRINCESS." PRINCESS? No, actually he is a boy, but thank you. it actually happens a lot and it doesn't really bother me but i just wonder what is going through these people's minds when they see him and think he is a girl. because last time i checked, if he was a girl, i highly doubt i would be dressing her in camo shorts and a boys navy polo. nor would i put my little girl in the outfit he was wearing today. it's a boy outfit!

so, whatever, it's really funny and i just can't believe how often it happens! i just don't think he looks like a girl, but that's just me!

Lately...

It's like the George Strait Song, which many of you probably do not know. It goes, "I've come to expect that from you." Well, I've come to expect "it" from myself. The whole "absence in blogging thing." It's a problem I have, but I am working on a cure! Stay tuned to the end of this blog for my problem-solving technique that I am oh so excited about!

I can not believe how this year has flown by! And I am NOT exaggerating. I think about my life this time last year, as I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our precious little boy! Life is so different now, because of him. I love being a mom and waking up to my "day." I love staying home with him but also working at the wedding house. I love living every day because I really am striving to be better at this "mom/wife" thing EVERY SINGLE DAY! And I can't believe it has almost been a year since he blessed our life so very much!

So, what's next on our agenda....

Well, next week we will travel to the great state of Arkansas to visit John's family for Thanksgiving. Upon our return home, we will proceed to pack up our home and move back to Oconee County! We are purchasing another home, and it is an old home that we are looking to restore. J is a super-doer when it comes to anything handy around the house. I don't think there is anything he can not fix or upgrade or install... he's good! The home is just a couple of turns away from the house I grew up in and where my parents still live. So, if you know me, you know I'm excited! The down side is we are still looking for a renter for the house we are currently living in. But I have high hopes!

Even with the home we are moving in being old, musty and in great need of repairs, when I walk outside I hear crickets. I can't see my neighbor's house. The grass is green. My church is less than a mile away. It feels like home because it is home and I am so thankful! Not to mention one of my neighbors (who is an extended relative) has a monogramming machine! WOOHOO!!!

We have also been blessed with the addition of TRIPLETS in to the Michael Family. Yes, triplets! My brother and his wife are expecting two precious boys *yay for Brooks* and one precious little princess girl! WE ARE SO THRILLED... and I will be a hop, skip and a jump away from any help they need at ANY TIME. And that most definitely includes 2 am phone calls. CAN'T WAIT! Many of you know, I have a friend in Texas who has quads. So the idea of multiples is not new to us (totally thanks to her,) but it is certainly very surprising and exciting. I never expected my brother to be the father to triplets!

Now for the upcoming addition for John's side of the family: his little sis is getting married this coming May! YAY!

In other news... once Brooks' FIRST Thanksgiving and FIRST Christmas are behind us, we will be celebrating his FIRST birthday! So here it is... an update on Brooks at 10 months. Where do I even begin!?

- He gets in to EVERYTHING. Toilet paper roll, a speck on the floor, the dishwasher, the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, entertainment center cabinets, newspaper, dog food, pantry. Anything that opens, closes, or looks like it could possibly open and close!

- He is pulling up to stand up and is walking holding on to furniture but he is not yet able to stand on his own or take steps on his own.

- I don't think he was crawling last time I blogged but he's been crawling since he was 8 months old and is now a professional crawler!

- He waves hello, goodbye. He tries to clap his hands. He shakes his head "no." Gives high fives. New word is "Bubba" and "Da" (for dog.) Yesterday Cash barked and he said, "Da?!"

- He LOVES DADDY'S HAT. That is the first thing he goes for when J gets home from work. Loves to take it off of daddy, put it on B. Off of B, onto Daddy. Loves to play peek-a-boo with the hat as well.

- At his last well visit he had not gained any weight but was 2 inches taller. Very tall for his age and he is starting to thin out. Still, at 10 months he weighed 20 lbs!!! Whew!

- He is definitely more attached to me than he has been in the past. If I leave him at home with Daddy to take a quick trip to the grocery store, he crawls to the door like a mad man to get to his mommy the minute I arrive at home and he hears that door open!

- He has 6 teeth as of today! All in different stages...

- He is still the cuddliest little bug ever.

- He knows what we mean when we say "no no." Usually because he is about to open or get in to something, or close to something that could hurt him. He is very good about stopping and doing what we say. He usually flashes a big smile and either proceeds to go where he is not supposed to (testing the waters oh so much) or finds something better to do! Overall, I am already proud of how well he listens to what we tell him. I know he can't understand discipline yet but I feel like he knows what is going on.

- And last but not least: He gets the MAJOR giggles at night. Uncontrollable giggles. Usually right before he bed time. And it's just enough to spend 10 minutes or so playing with him and just being silly before it's time for bed. It's so fun!

So... back to that "CURE" I was speaking of in the beginning of this blog. I been added to the fabulous waiting list to have a "blog make over!" I am using someone who was referred to me by my friend/cousin in Texas I was speaking of earlier. I'm super excited about that. Kind of like my "new blog" for the "New Year!" I'm way down on the waiting list but I can't wait to give my blah blog a face lift and hopefully it will jump start me on writing as often as I would like to!!! I must discipline myself to post more often, because so many milestones and memories are flying by!

New Photos of Brooks!

My sister just posted the photos she took for Brooks' 6 month old shots! Check them out by clicking on the following link:

http://www.candiceholcomb.com/iWeb/Candice%20Holcomb/Wardlow.html

I am lucky to have such a talented sister, I MUST say!

HOW WILL I EVER CHOOSE WHICH ONES TO FRAME!?

Long Time, No Post

So... it's been a while folks but I am still here. To all five of my readers, I do apologize! So the summer came and is slowly going and my last update was the trip we took to Arkanas in May. Well, I can't really do that much catching up so I'll just give you a long overdue update on Little John:

- He still looks JUST like John. I mean the resemblance is unmistakable!
- On July 29 his first tooth popped through on the bottom. Yes, I jumped and screamed and immediately sent out a text... then I called my mom and followed up my text to John with a mid-morning phone call to him at work. I was excited. To say the least.
- He is sitting up like a pro which he started to do right at 6 months!
- He is trying with all his might to crawl. Not so much yet.
- He loves, loves, LOVES to STARE at John. It's like he is in a transe. It is so cute.
- John devotes atleast an hour each night reciting "Dada" to him over and over. The whole scene is quite repetative at our home at about 5:15 pm each day. Here's how it usually goes:

John: "Brooks, DA DA."
Brooks: Nothing
John: "Say DA DA. Come on, DA. DA."
Brooks: Nothing
John: "DA DA. DA DA. DA. DAAAA."
Brooks: (Itty bitty mouth moves up and down and mouths "AA AA.")
John: "YAY!!!"
Me: "Did he say it, I didn't hear it."
John: "Watch him. Brooks, say DA DA. DA DA."
Brooks: "DA"
John: "YAAAAAAAAYYYYY BROOKS!"
Brooks: (Big smile because for some reason Daddy is jumping up and down at this point.)
John: "DA DA"
Brooks: "DA DA."
John: "YAAAAAAAAY BROOKS!" (Sometimes at this point John will pick him up and hug him like he is congratulating him or something.)
Me: (Getting a bit jealous...) "Brooks, say MA MA"
John: "Stop, you are going to confuse him."
Brooks: (Absolutely nothing.)
Me: "Say MA MA"
Brooks: "DA DA."
Me: "Good, say MA MA"
Brooks: "NA NA"
John and I simultaneously: "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

Yes, this is a DAILY THING!!! And it usually goes on a bit longer! But I must say, he is saying "DADA" and "NANA." And as you can see, I must give John the credit.

Moving on...

- At his 6 month well visit he weighed 18.5 pounds and was 27 inches tall. Subsequently, according to every stranger we see in public, he is destined to be a GA Football Player. I'm glad they are letting me know this far in advance so I can go ahead and start preparing myself for that one!