Couldn't have said it better myself...

Biblical parenting doesn't come about by the changes we force on our children, but by the changes we allow God to make in us. A child when fully taught will be just like his teacher (Luke 6:40).

Quote from Joe McGee

WOW, what a powerful, convicting statement, but it is so very true.    

Lord, please let my life be a light for you.  Let me be open to the changes that you desire in me so that I may be more like you.  I pray that my life will be a reflection of you and your goodness, not only to my children but to everyone around me.

Road Trip!

A 2 day road trip turned into a 6 day road trip!  

Layla and I decided to leave Friday and head to Murfreesboro for a couple of nights.  My sweet sister n law Abbey had a big role in the play "Hairspray" so we wanted to see her perform.  Here is how our 6 days played out....

Layla and Granddaddy and the baby he bought her.  

As soon as we drove into Murfreesboro, we had a quick dinner with my parents at Cracker Barrel.  This was the only time that we saw them during the weekend since we stayed with Lucas's family.  Layla was so excited to see them and ran to greet both of them.  I also have to say on our 3+ hour road trip Layla stayed dry in her panties the whole time!  We stopped once half way but that was it!

"Penny" and I

Abbey was AWESOME in her play.  The character was perfect for her and she was a lot of fun to watch!  

Pool time for the cousins!

Boy OR Girl??

After a relaxing day playing with her cousin, Layla and I attended a party for one of our best friends to find out the sex of their baby.  I was absolutely convinced that it was a girl, but to my surprise, when they cut the cake it was BLUE.  Congrats Jake and Amanda on baby Roland.  We look forward to meeting him.  Love you guys!

Worn out.  Had to take a pic when I saw the book between her legs!

 When in TN,  we share a room with Layla.  I love getting sneak peaks of her sleeping because I rarely do this at home.  I also love listening to her talk in the mornings to all her babies when she doesn't know that I am in the room with her:)

Not a great pic but SURPRISE, we are going to Baton Rouge!

 So Sunday after church, Layla and I packed up with Papa, Granna, Aunt Abbey, Aunt Ashly, and Abram and headed to Baton Rouge!  They had plan on making the trip but we had not for a couple of reasons.  Lucas could not get away from work and I thought I was going to be teaching spin class on Tuesday.  When I found out I would not be teaching this week, Layla and I just decided to make the trip with them!  We were going because PawPaw Ronnie had a surprise 70th Birthday Party.  Unfortunately, my pics are not that great because all I had was my iphone.  We did get a few good ones on Ashly's camera with Layla and the grandparents that I hope to get soon.

Cousins in the 3rd row of the Denali.

 We drove my car to Birmingham and left it in a parking garage and then we all piled in the Denali.  The trip total was a little over 9 hours and I was very anxious about how Layla would do.  I must say it was a miracle because Layla and Abram both did GREAT!  We had our ipads, iphones, and dvds to keep them occupied.  We actually made it the whole trip without ANY meltdowns!

Loving on the HUGE Minnie Mouse at Uncle Marty and Aunt Terri's house.

 We arrived in Baton Rouge about 12 am Monday morning and the kids were so excited to see all the toys.  Fortunately, we got them all  back to sleep pretty quickly and everyone got some rest.

No words needed to describe Layla's face when she saw this inflatable.  

PawPaw's birthday party was at Uncle Troy & Aunt Amie's house.  They rented this huge inflatable for the kids and it was a huge hit! Even though it was sweltering hot, we all braved the heat so the kids could jump, jump, jump.  

Layla loved it so much, when  we pulled in the driveway the next day, her eyes got huge and she said "Minnie Mouse!". Unfortunately, they had already come to pick it up:(

Love Papa.

Layla loves her cousins: Ava (almost 5) & Sadie (3)

SOOOO Sleepy!

We were at Troy & Amie's until about 11pm and Layla was so exhausted she finally fell asleep in my arms.  She hasn't done this in so long.  I enjoyed every second of it!

Paddle boat with Granna and Papa

The next morning we got to spend some time relaxing at Marty & Terri's house.  Papa & Granna entertained the kids outside for awhile.

Granna showing Layla Troy's police car

Cousins Ava & Layla

These couple of pics are from the second day at Troy & Amie's.  Layla thought she was so big playing with Ava.  I love the expression on her face here.  The kids got a lot of playing in while the adults ate boiled crab legs.  Yummy!  

Nap in the car on the 9+ hour trip home Wednesday. 

 We left Baton Rouge about 8am central time and got back to Atlanta about 8pm eastern time.  It was a very long day but this kids were excellent in the car.  Abbey almost got arrested by a security guard at a rest stop but other than that it was pretty much drama free:) 

I was so glad we got to make the last minute trip.  Pawpaw was so excited and I got to meet some of Lucas's family that I had not yet met.  We got to just sit around and listen to them reminisce about their childhood.  It was definitely a precious time with the family and we were so thankful to be spectators.

Just had to add this last pic.  I took it over my shoulder in the car yesterday.  Obviously she was trying to count something on her fingers.  I just couldn't resist a shot with the sunglasses on her head like a big girl:)

1st Tattoo at Church

Hope Everyone had a great 4th of the July.  We spent ours in Atlanta and it was good to be home and not traveling.  It did rain the night of the 4th here so we did not venture out to catch any fireworks.  I think after a busy weekend Layla was happy to be in her bed on time anyway.  Being in the Eastern time zone, the fireworks did not begin until 9:30pm.

Layla kicked off her holiday weekend by spending most of Friday with her Aunt Natalie.  I had to get CPR certified again so Natalie took Layla to the pool and then they had lunch.  After lunch they went home for a long nap and I was able to get a pedicure after my class:)

Happy about her Chick Fila Lunch

We have spent most afternoons inside because of the afternoon showers that have been coming our way lately.  We have desperately needed rain so we are happy to get some.  Layla does sing the song "Rain Rain Go Away" every time it starts:) Here is what she has been up too while we have been inside:

Her idea of an outfit

Shopping in the bathroom with monkey

An everyday around the house outfit for Layla.  She prefers to be naked.  Hopefully it's  a stage:)

Napping

Doing some painting.  She has good technique.

Photoshoot.  Blinded by the flash.

Look at these long curls!!

Wearing my race number...almost all day.

Our other favorite place:  Jason's Deli.  We are suckers for the soft serve.  She is sharing her juice with baby here.  

Going to get smoothies with Bobby & Sydney after Music Class last week.

Layla started Vacation Bible School on Tuesday, which worked out nice since Music Class was off this week.  She is going to a church up the road that we visited a couple of times called All Souls.  They are hosting a VBS just for 2-3 year olds.  So from 9-11am Tues- Fri, Layla has and will be there.  Of course, there are a few tears when I drop her off but she is always all smiles when I pick her up.  I must say I can get SO MUCH accomplished in 2 hours without my shadow.  Yesterday, I grocery shopped. Today I got the downstairs sparkling clean, and tomorrow I plan on doing the same to the upstairs.  I thought this would be a good preview of what it would be like taking her to a Mom's Day Out program.  It just confirmed what I already knew.  I do like getting things accomplished a little faster, but I prefer my day to day routine that involves Layla in all of it.  In no time, she will be spending all her time away and we have some much fun together.  My house can always be sparkling clean in a few years:)  Today, they talked about the Good Samaritan and she got her first "tattoo".  She couldn't wait to show me when I picked her up.

Other things Layla is up too in her 2 year & 1 month:

Size 7 shoes (whoa!)

She is obsessed with mine and her toenails being painted.

We listen to the song "God is Love" on repeat in the car and she can sing EVERY word.  

As of 2 days ago she is "grounded" from the tv and ipad.  I got tired of the fight when I asked her to turn it off while we ate.  So we  are just not watching anything.  And honestly, I think everyone is happier.  

She can count to 15.

Now tells me when she has to go potty instead of me prompting her.  She has actually started a little dance because she is trying to hold it and doesn't want to stop and go.

She is obsessed with trains.  We live right along the train tracks and MARTA track so she is always on the lookout.  And when she sees one, she wants her window rolled down.

She does have her moments when she acts her age, but all in all she is a good kid with a lot of love to give:)

Heat, Hills, & Humidity

Today I ran the 42nd Annual Peachtree Roadrace in Atlanta. It was a 10K (6.2) miles. I ran with 54,999 other people and although the first group started at 7:30, my timed start wasn't until 8:33. So the first runners we're already enjoying their breakfast before I even started. Encouraging huh? I had been warned about this run. I had been told not to be competitive but just enjoy the atmosphere and now I know why. Here is a list of things that happened along the way:
1: I dodged all the walkers, about 85%.
2. I was offered beer, Popsicles, slushies from Mcdonalds, fresh coffee, & Krispy Kreme donuts
3. I was shot at with water guns (which felt good if not in the eye)
4. I had T-shirts launched at my head that I had to dodge
5. Saw participants waiting at the side for others who had not started with them
6. And saw a couple of people carried off course via stretcher... Too hot I assume.

To say all of this, the run down Peachtree is an experience unlike any other. It is neat to see the "main street" of the city shut down. I finished well above my goal at 1:09:51 but it was the best I had today. I don't think I'll be signing up again anytime soon. I'll wait about 6 years until Layla is ready to run with me:)

Lately

We had a rainy Thursday, so after an early text from a friend we decided to join them at Hippo Hopp for some indoor play time.  This was Layla's first visit and I think that she had a good time!  Our daughter is definitely not a climber, which is a good thing on most occasions, but here she did need a little extra help here and there! 

Snack time with our twin friends: Sydney and Bobby.  We met them at Music Class!

More interested in their snack than hers....

In Motion!

This was her favorite.

After Hippo Hopp and a long nap, we cuddled and watched 101 Dalmations.

Layla's choice of outfit for the afternoon....

Love these quiet moments.  She doesn't stay still for long!

 On Saturday, the weather was beautiful so we headed up to the lake to spend the day with Aunt Natalie and Uncle Chris.  Every time Layla gets more comfortable and has more fun!

Daddy trying to get the hair out of her face.

Kind of a smile :)

Splashing daddy from the back of the boat

Sunbathing

Having FUN!

Sitting on her own while the boat is moving!  She is usually in our laps but is being brave!  And, it helps my tan lines:)

Sunday afternoon project.  Lucas says that I'm nesting.  Is that possible if your not pregnant?  I am really just trying to make the most of the space in our house while getting rid of things that should have been gone a long time ago.  And,  perhaps there is a thought of adding another one to this space...somewhere in the back of my head:)

Closet Before

Closet After!  YAY!

She gets a wall all to herself

The playroom before....

And after!  Such a relief that everything has a space behind a door! We still need curtains and a chair for me but it a 100% improvement!

Hope you all have had a enjoyable weekend with your family!  Ours has been fun and productive!