Alright all you bloggers out there and my friends and family who read my blog...I need your input. The elders at my church have chosen a few people to take a hard look at our congregation and come up with a long range plan for our church. Our congregation is pretty stagnant and hasn't really grown or done much for the community for a while now. It's time to step it up and I need your help. I would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes and tell me about the church you attend. Here are some of the things I am looking for but please tell me as much as you want:
What drew you to the church you attend? What did you like about it? What did you not like about other churches?
What programs/ministries do you have at your church? Are they successful? Why or why not?
What do you like most about the worship service? What would you change?
How does your church reach out to the community?
How does your church reach out to its members, i.e. youth, children, adults, seniors, etc.?
These are just a few questions I would ask you in person but, again, please feel free to tell me anything. You can leave your thoughts as a comment or e-mail me. If you don't have my e-mail, let me know and I'll figure out a way to get it to you. I would really appreciate it if you can help. Thanks so much! I figured this would be the best way to get a wide range of info from a wide range of churches.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
concert
We went to a concert in downtown Kennesaw Saturday night with a group from church. We had a great time and enjoyed the music. I think Charlie did too.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Charlie and his toy box
This post is especially for Gram and Papa. They bought Charlie a toy box for his birthday and he is loving it. He loves to pull all the toys out and it has really helped with his pulling up because it is just the right height...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
swimming...
We celebrated Nicholas' first birthday yesterday. His parents had a pool party at their neighborhood pool for him. It was mostly family and us but, luckily, we know all of them quite well since we attend church with all of them. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, cole slaw, fruit salad and more! The weather was not cooperating when we first got there but by the time we got done eating, the storm had passed and it was sunny skies so we got to go swimming! This was Charlie's first time in the "big" pool and he loved it! Not only did he love cruising in his float but he loved swimming without it. Then came presents and cake! We had a great time and Charlie crashed when we got home. Here are some pictures from the day and a video of Charlie swimming...
Monday, June 9, 2008
realizations...
1. No matter how clean the floor is, Charlie is going to slide across the one spot we missed with the vacuum.
2. A clean diaper means it's time to poop. Oh, and dinnertime means...time to poop!
3. Apparently, my knees are the best teething toy.
4. When they won't eat their dinner, add icing!
5. From birth, apparently, boys are drawn to the remote and making sure their "hmm hmm" is still there.
6. Opening doors and drawers make the top ten list of fun things to do for a one year old.
7. Who knew you could play peek-a-boo with Paul, read Judy's book, and feel Daddy's scratchy face 1000 times before bed and Charlie still not be asleep. (btw, if you don't recognize these activities, think back to your childhood or when your children were young...it'll come back to you!)
8. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, a tooth comes in.
9. Showering before noon is impossible, even though Charlie takes a morning nap.
10. Did I brush my teeth today? (Gross, I know.)
I'm sure I've got plenty more. If you've got kids, you're probably just laughing at me and nodding to each of these! Oh well. The joys of motherhood. Maybe that should be the name of my blog.
But on a more serious note, I have come to realize that Charlie's new "things" happen so gradually or there's too many for me to keep up with. You blink and he's learned something new or has cut another tooth, etc. So here goes me trying to think of all the new "things"...
I noticed today that he cut his bottom right tooth. His top two teeth are about halfway in. It looks like he's going to have a gap like his momma did but we'll see once they're completely in. I'll try and get a picture posted.
Let's see...Charlie has learned to point to what he wants instead of just staring at it and grunting or whining. He doesn't point like you or I point with our finger. No. Charlie points with his hand. If you watched "The Apprentice" in the first couple of seasons, you'll remember how "the Donald" would point at the person with his whole hand and say "You're fired!" It reminds me of that every time. Conan O'Brian refers to it as the "cobra". (sorry for all the """"" 's) :) However, it does help to know what he wants.
Neither Daniel or I have been able to recognize any words from Charlie. He says mama and dada but not in reference to us. He makes mmm and mamama sounds when he see's his cup with milk in it. We hear duh sounds when he see's the dog or kaka sounds. (Our dog's name is Khaki.) I'm sure he's talking up a storm but we just can't understand him.
We've been having trouble the last few days getting Charlie to eat. For you new moms like me, this is apparently normal. I talked to the nurse today. She basically told me to offer him three healthy meals for the day, to not bulk up on liquids, and no snacks. She said, "He'll eat when he's hungry." So, on goes the battle!
Charlie is not walking yet. He walks with help and can walk along the coffee table by himself. No steps by himself though. He is pulling up alot now on the couch, his toy box, etc. Charlie is starting to want to walk everywhere instead of crawling (sliding). He'll look for and reach for my hands to pull up with and off we go. Needless to say, my back is killing me! I'm glad he has the desire to walk though. It probably won't be too much longer before he gets fed up and does it on his own.
Charlie has learned how to play peek-a-boo in a sense. For example, he will crawl out of the room and then turn around and peek around the door frame at you. He'll crawl away and do the same thing all over again. We've been trying to teach him peek-a-boo. You have to put his hands in front of his eyes but he's knows what's going on because he will leave them there for a few seconds before pulling them down. You'll get a pretty good smile by doing this!
Well, that's all I can think of right now. Hope this brings you up to date.
2. A clean diaper means it's time to poop. Oh, and dinnertime means...time to poop!
3. Apparently, my knees are the best teething toy.
4. When they won't eat their dinner, add icing!
5. From birth, apparently, boys are drawn to the remote and making sure their "hmm hmm" is still there.
6. Opening doors and drawers make the top ten list of fun things to do for a one year old.
7. Who knew you could play peek-a-boo with Paul, read Judy's book, and feel Daddy's scratchy face 1000 times before bed and Charlie still not be asleep. (btw, if you don't recognize these activities, think back to your childhood or when your children were young...it'll come back to you!)
8. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, a tooth comes in.
9. Showering before noon is impossible, even though Charlie takes a morning nap.
10. Did I brush my teeth today? (Gross, I know.)
I'm sure I've got plenty more. If you've got kids, you're probably just laughing at me and nodding to each of these! Oh well. The joys of motherhood. Maybe that should be the name of my blog.
But on a more serious note, I have come to realize that Charlie's new "things" happen so gradually or there's too many for me to keep up with. You blink and he's learned something new or has cut another tooth, etc. So here goes me trying to think of all the new "things"...
I noticed today that he cut his bottom right tooth. His top two teeth are about halfway in. It looks like he's going to have a gap like his momma did but we'll see once they're completely in. I'll try and get a picture posted.
Let's see...Charlie has learned to point to what he wants instead of just staring at it and grunting or whining. He doesn't point like you or I point with our finger. No. Charlie points with his hand. If you watched "The Apprentice" in the first couple of seasons, you'll remember how "the Donald" would point at the person with his whole hand and say "You're fired!" It reminds me of that every time. Conan O'Brian refers to it as the "cobra". (sorry for all the """"" 's) :) However, it does help to know what he wants.
Neither Daniel or I have been able to recognize any words from Charlie. He says mama and dada but not in reference to us. He makes mmm and mamama sounds when he see's his cup with milk in it. We hear duh sounds when he see's the dog or kaka sounds. (Our dog's name is Khaki.) I'm sure he's talking up a storm but we just can't understand him.
We've been having trouble the last few days getting Charlie to eat. For you new moms like me, this is apparently normal. I talked to the nurse today. She basically told me to offer him three healthy meals for the day, to not bulk up on liquids, and no snacks. She said, "He'll eat when he's hungry." So, on goes the battle!
Charlie is not walking yet. He walks with help and can walk along the coffee table by himself. No steps by himself though. He is pulling up alot now on the couch, his toy box, etc. Charlie is starting to want to walk everywhere instead of crawling (sliding). He'll look for and reach for my hands to pull up with and off we go. Needless to say, my back is killing me! I'm glad he has the desire to walk though. It probably won't be too much longer before he gets fed up and does it on his own.
Charlie has learned how to play peek-a-boo in a sense. For example, he will crawl out of the room and then turn around and peek around the door frame at you. He'll crawl away and do the same thing all over again. We've been trying to teach him peek-a-boo. You have to put his hands in front of his eyes but he's knows what's going on because he will leave them there for a few seconds before pulling them down. You'll get a pretty good smile by doing this!
Well, that's all I can think of right now. Hope this brings you up to date.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Felicia's graduation
On Saturday, the 31st, my cousin, Felicia, graduated from high school in Canton, GA. She is such an amazing person! We are all so excited about her venture into the world of college. I know she will do great! She was fortunate to have alot of family attend. I had a house full of company! The ceremony lasted a while since there were over 400 kids. Charlie decided to take a nap...
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Memorial Day 2008
Charlie and Mommy at Lake Eufaula
Eat (especially something chocolate!), nap, go fishing!
For the past few years, Daniel and I, along with all of his family, go and camp at Lake Eufaula for the Memorial Day weekend. Daniel's parents have an RV and jet skis. They always get a campsite right on the lake. This is one of my and Daniel's favorite vacations of the year because we get to sit and do nothing by the lake. It's not like being at the beach where it is just stifling hot and there's no shade. At the lake, you can sit and bask in the sun or you can find a relaxing spot in the shade...your choice. There's roasting marshmallows at night over the campfire. The best part is that you can go in the RV and sleep with no bugs and you have an air conditioner. We just had the best time this year. Daniel's parents reserved the site for the week before Memorial Day. Daniel took off a few extra days and we headed down on Wednesday and stayed until Monday. Daniel's sister and family joined us on Friday for the weekend. Charlie did surprisingly well. He slept good, including naps during the day. He ate good, along with the rest of us! He loved the water! It was usually a short-lived event but he had fun splashing around until he got bored and was ready for something different. I had found a little float with a sunshade at a consignment store a couple of months ago that worked out well. Also, Charlie got an inflatable pool for his birthday so we took that as well. Again, loved splashing in the water. We got to feed many ducks and geese. Had a blast on the jet skis. And, yes, I actually got in the water. All in all, it was a great vacation!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)