happy 1st bday DC!

the day is finally here. the twin nephews are one! oh! how time flies when you're having fun! i decided to write them both a "letter" to half way express my love for them and wish them a very happy first birthday! so here's DC's





Nephew DC,

you're my second born nephew! i loved you the minute i heard your dad's voice say: "now, you can't tell anybody, and i do mean you can't tell a soul! but we're pregnant!" i was at a baby shower at church! i wanted to run and tell everyone! i actually went into the sanctuary right quick and prayed for you. and then God laid on my heart that there might be more than just one. and only He could have known that for sure then. He formed you about 4 weeks prior to the call. so, i didn't tell anyone until it was "safe" to tell. and i laugh when i think of that day, because i had just been part of a conversation about babies - seeing as i was at a baby shower and surrounded by other moms-to-be or those wanting to be a mom-to-be, and they were all asking how your parents journey was going. oh! how after the phone call with your dad i wanted to tell them God had blessed and your mom was expecting!



Then, a week or two later, we got a real good picture of your little bean looking self, and the other one!


And I knew then, we were in for a treat! a special God given treat!
the months between then and when you debut went by fast! it was so much fun planning for you two to get here!


then you came.




you were bigger than your older brother, not a lot of hair and weren't a happy baby! you were amazing! you were also having problems breathing. the doctors had prepared your parents that you and your brother would probably have to go to the NICU. you did, and LJ didn't. we all had hurting hearts. ask kel if you don't believe that my heart didn't break. we don't like to talk about it, or think about it. we're not ashamed of it,or you - it's just not who you are now. you were there 18 days. that's a very short time compared to most babies in there. you were so much bigger than the preemies in there; it didn't seem fair. but God had a plan! no matter what life may hand you, remember this: God has a plan. and a plan to prosper you not to harm you. it doesn't mean life will always be fair, happy and fun. it means, God is in control and there will be a rainbow at the end of the storm.


the first time i got to see you up close was at the end of the day you were born. it had been a long, exhausting, yet one of the happiest days of my life! your daddy was trying not to cry and wanted me to not. he didn't want to break down either. my heart hurt worse after that. he's the best big brother! you're already a LOT like your daddy! i couldn't really see your face. well, not at all. you had the biggest hands and feet. so sweet and chubby. i couldn't wait to see you the day you came home.

then you came home. precious,precious! you completed my big brother and your mother and brother that day! you were precious, and probably sore from being held so much by your parents and grandparents!






No one could ever complete your older, not bigger, brother than you! it's amazing to see the bond you two have! i love hearing you two squeal and jabber at each other. its really funny to see you two see the gates are down here at grandma's. you two jabber something at each other and then off you go in two separate ways! i love seeing y'all eat and talk like two little old men : )







oh the miles you two have traveled and you can't even walk yet!



there have been so many "firsts" with you and your twin for me as an aunt. i have loved each one of them. even the times you tried to pee on me : )



so here's a glimpse of some firsts of millions : )



if you and i had a dollar for every time i've kissed those sweet chubby cheeks of your's, well, your college would be paid for already! hahaha!



your smile, eyes, eye lashes, cheeks, hands and feet and everything else about you i love.




i loved the first time you reached for me, and for all the times since then. it make my heart skip a beat when you whine and crawl to me so i'll pick you up.




i love hearing you say,"hey".


i love that you already have a deep voice. i wonder if you'll be the next "G" bass singer of the family like your great-gpa (papa), grandpa and your dad?


i love when you bring my face to your slobbering little mouth and you give me "kisses".





i don't really love that you pull my hair, but i love those little hands : ) it actually seems like you are taken by my curls. it's ok. i still am and they're mine





i think it's funny that no one wears jewelry around you and your brother but me. so a few pieces have been broken. no biggie : ) it usually has been able to be fixed. i think between me and you we test premier's fix-it policy : )





i remember the first time i got to hold you and LJ together! oh, the sweetness! it was grandma's 51st bday get together - bama beat tennessee in a close game! and bama





you were one of the cutest little giraffes i've ever seen on halloween!




i'll never forget that your parents trusted me to keep you the first time your mom went back to work. she had decided to tough it out and stay all day until she got the phone call i had made your bottles wrong. i made you two boys a little sickly, but no one was made as sick or hurt and upset as i was! you were more sick than LJ, but i was a mess. i just about cried while typing that because i never want to hurt you.

i love how you melt my big brother's heart.

i love to see you  crawl. you crawl kind of slow. you're so much like your daddy : )

i love that you look so much like my daddy's baby pictures. i know grandpa loves that too.


and that little face you and your brother do - funniest thing ever!






i love that you love to be loved on and you already mean it when you love on me.



i love that you got lots of hair. it was so cute long! even if i did give your parents a hard time over it. you weren't a fan of it in your eyes. but who would ever want to hide those beautiful blue eyes and eye lashes?!



i love that you and your brother love to be read, Oh the wonderful sounds Mr. Brown can do. i think its amazing how i can say,"DC, bring me a book and i'll read to you." and you do. and i do. you love to be read to.

i love that you want to figure everything out. you are so observant. i should learn from you. you take it all in, see if you can figure it all out, and then act.

i love how rough and tough you are.

i love how sweet and calm you are.

i love and enjoy getting to give you a bath! it's like the tub gets turned into a wave pool! haha


i loved getting to cut your first hair cut. you were perfect! you didn't cry, but i was holding back tears!


i loved your first bday party! you were sleepy, but got woke up quick! once again, you took it all in and just smiled that gorgeous smile at everyone. you're the sweetest thing! you weren't sure about the cake at first. then your mom put it in your face. much better after that! you had it everywhere! you crack me up!

i love you!

Thanks for the best year of my life!

Love,

Aunt Britt

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY,DC!!!!!!

a year ago

..today i was trying to be patient, but it wasn't working out for me. my sisnlaw had a doctors appt in less than 24 hours, and we were all pretty sure the twin nephews would arrive shortly there after.

we were right. on tuesday of this week, the twin nephews - DC and LJ - or whatever combo i might have for them this week, will be one year old little boys! not babies!

my life has changed so much since the moment i found out their parents were expecting them! even when we weren't sure if it was just one,two or however many God wanted them to be. i have been blessed immeasurably more through these two little people.

i'm sure i bore my friends and clients with stories of them, but i can't help it!

kel gets lots of picture messages. she doesn't have any siblings, and i've always offered to share mine for various reasons hahaha, and she's a college student who needs a stress relief : ) 

so this week, is a birthday celebration for them and my granny : )

i'll start with a few pics (seeing as my camera was starting to die about the time they were born, then died and hasn't been replaced - forgive the time lapse please):

thanks for changing for life one year ago boys! i can't wait to see God's plans for you two unfold! i love you no matter what, and with a love i can't even put into words!

thank you God for letting me be an aunt!

Love you twins!
Aunt Britt

a lil bit of everything with a cherry on top

hey everybody! WOW! i really don't know where to start!

as i hope you read last, i'm an aunt again! nephew JC (i've decided against nephew buckaroo b/c it's to long to type LOL) is precious!

i wondered last year when i found out my sisnlaw was prego with twins, how would i love 2 babies equally. my sibs and i used to "accuse" my rents of loving one of us more or having favorites. i never did understand how they couldn't. now i do.

i wondered in january when i found out about nephew JC, was i going to be able to love this niece/nephew as much as i love nephews L and D. well, that's the amazing part of God's love and how He makes us. yes, there's the same amount of love for all three, and if there's ever anymore to be born, there'll be more love.

so, that's really what has been new with me - nephews,family, work, church, repeat.

meg had her baby too! precious juliana! and my best friend from beauty school (oh how i would have NEVER made it without "my friend Lori") Lori. my family still teases me how i never called her "lori". it was and still is, "my friend lori". well, meg had baby girl j one week before nephew JC and lori had baby girl alizah the day after him. the last time i saw lori, she was pregnant with her oldest daughter who's almost 2. the amazing part is, when i went to visit them in the hospital for this daughter, after not seeing each for over 2 years (i've never met her oldest), it's like nothing had changed. i love friendships like that! it was like it had been 2 days since we last saw each other.

so, babies, yes that's what's new with me! haha!

i've been praying about some things involving me,myself and i. i also feel so guilty when praying for myself, so i usually don't. i always can think about how much more other people need. so that's where my prayers tend lead. i've decided to become a little bit selfish and start putting my needs closer to the top of my list ... we'll see how long this lasts ....

i can't believe i've found time to blog, but i have been reading some regularly. and this morning i saw where Meg had given me this :



so here's the deal with this lil award:

rule 1 is to thank her for the award

thanks Megs! so sweet : ) just like you and baby J!


rule 2 is to copy and paste it.

it's cute,ain't it?!


rule 3 is to list 3 things i love about myself:

my dependability

my devotion to all things in my heart and mind (family,friends,work,church, most of all God)

my smile. it's amazing how a smile can change one's day

rule 4 is to post a picture i love ...

hmmm... just one? well, seeing as i haven't had a working camera in about 9 months, and my mother never loads her's on the computer ... this is one of my top favs




nephew d and nephew L sporting their "my aunt rocks" shirts bought by me : )

rule 5 is to pass this along to 5 other people

Stacy

Kellie

Heather

Honea Bees

Emily


see you later! i'm bout to go watch the Tide roll over arkansas! ROLLLL TIDE ROLL!

aunt alert!

quick, quick update here!

more to come soon ~hopefully : )

I'M AN AUNT AGAIN! nephew buckaroo was born on labor day. yep! sister and him will never live that one down! i was very honored to be in the room when he made his grand entrance!

he wieghed in at 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 inches long! he's precious and such a good,sweet baby. he's so spoiled rotten! already! i wouldn't have clue who's to blame there ....

the twin nephews are less than 3 weeks away from being 1! : (

it's been a fast,wild, happy, crazy, stressful, depressing, back to crazy,happy, wild, busy year for the whole G gang!

i'm immeasurably blessed! Thank you God for Your blessings on me,
Busy B

to pull or not to pull

yes, my friends! that's the question that runs in my mind every time my left jaw throbs another shot of pain.

i have enjoyed being an "adult" for the last few years. right now, not one of those times! i remember back to when i was on my parents WONDERFUL health and dental insurance plans. man, those were the good ole days! and when money came from someone else's pocket! and hard answers to hard questions were answered by my parents, not me!

i struggle with money management. i'm really striving to do better, and have been somewhat. welp! right now, i need a miracle!

i have had this tooth that bothered me exactly 2 years ago this week! random, i know. welp, after this tooth causing no pain or drama for over a year it's decided to become infected. yep, abscessed teeth are no fun!!!!!

and letmetellyou! SO STINKING EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my dentist doesn't do the actual "root canal", but does the crown part - and sheesh! maybe i chose the wrong profession! HA HA HA!

so now, here's the question, do i pull it or spend out the wazoo and a have a root canal?

in the words of meredith grey,"..... we're grown ups now. how did that happen? how can we make it stop?"

seven

i have been blogging in my mind. does that count? yes, i'll be honest here and admit i think, "i've got to update about this. i should blog about that. i need to vent about this and that and that thing too."


so, this morning, i thought, no matter how the day goes, i'm going to blog. about something.

so here's a little update about me and my busy days

#1 - FAMILY - the nephews are now 10 months old!!!!, dad is the over see-er of our building project at home, mom is keeping the nephews and planning the arrival of the newest nephew. bro would kill me if he knew i blogged, or that he was on here so i'll pass him up : ) and sister, well, she's 8 months preg-o in a heat wave working 40 hours a week,or more, while having her house remodeled some. so can you guess how she's really feeling? yeah, me neither b/c i've never been down the road she's on, but i do know this - she's a beauty preg-o! a beauty always, but i'm loving her big bump! nephew buckaroo (this maybe what i will refer to him as seeing as his mommy doesn't want his name on the WWW) is coming along just great! i think she gets an ultra sound of him next week. can't wait to see his precious face! with the twin nephews, we had LOTS of u/s pictures, but with nephew buckaroo it's been like 3 or 4! and none since she was at 20 weeks! she's a 30something weeks now! sheesh! aunt britt is ready!!!!

#2 - CHURCH

has been B-U-S-Y busy! we've had all sorts of things going on! men's banquet, the family life center building project, getting new play ground equipment up, VBS, disciple now: GPS, deaths, births, and now getting ready for the new church year! all that has taken up more time than you could ever realize! i'm still the girls in action - GA - leader, and i still LOVE it! oh, we had a coronation service for them beginning of june. once this summer the GAs and RAs (the boys - royal ambassadors) went and served at manna house. manna house is  an amazing place! they serve homeless, and those who just can't get make it. you can get food to eat then, later, clothes and even baby needs. ms fran, the lady who runs it, is more than amazing! we, or at least i, first heard of it at the children's mission explosion the kids went to back in feb. she told me and mrs e (one of my pastor's daughters, who is over the childrens dept) that she remember us by our smiles. i think it's because we have big,curly hair : ). anyways, we served there and are planning time in our new year for GAs and RAs .

#3 - FRIENDS

meg is having a baby girl in just a few days! i missed her shower b/c of d-now at church : ( but i can't wait to meet that precious baby girl! i also can't wait for her to join her mom and i at our p.f. changs dates : )

liz and i have started a new journey together, and it's actually been lots of fun. more on that later.

kel is living in ttown this summer, she's home right now : ), and this is her last year there. that seems kinda crazy to me. it feels like she just moved there!

there have been some friendships over the last year to fade away. 3 in particular i would've never thought. funny how life happens. the funny part is - looking back, i'm not that surprised, my life is less complicated and minus LOTS of unnecessary drama, and in the end - all answers to a prayer.

life lesson #102 - when praying for things, be expecting answers - even if they aren't the ones you want at first, b/c in the end, they will be.

#4 - WORK

has been busy,busy,busy or slow,slow,slow. lately, busy. this week, pretty slow. thank goodness for chemical services : ) i love my job. it doesn't feel like a job to me. and, 3 years ago, i was miserable at my previous salon. just got the booth where i am now, and had to tell my boss i was leaving. only, i got to leave about 3 weeks ahead of time. i can't believe labor day week i will have been there for 3 years, and starting year 4! time really does fly when you're having fun!

#5 - sister's baby shower
it consumed lots of my time, but only b/c i let it! it was so much to put together,and she had a great turn out! she got lots of stuff! everything she will need but a swing, receiving blankets, bath towel and regular burp cloths. it was a cowboy theme - everything from the invitations to gifts : ) when i can get my hand on her pictures, i'll share. i may do a whole post about it. sad thing is - it was over in one day. lots of days planning and shopping for sweet precious baby stuff for the shower to last 2 hours. i think once nephew buckaroo arrives, that will change ; )

#6 - new journey
i started a journey with liz the end of june, and in the craziness of our lives, we've pretty much stuck with it. what is it? well, glad you asked!
i'm exercising! yes, this girl - the one who has always been the "big" girl. the one who has always had a weight issue. i love my parents, and i know my parents love me. i come from a big,country family. "a little meat on your bones is good for ya" kinda family. well, yes, maybe. liz and i have "shredded" - jillian michael's 30 day shred - a lot! we've done some kind of Pilate's dvd. it's not what i thought it was going to be! it's fast pace, lots of moves and quickly! wow is all i have to say! i do love the shred though. i feel it working, and have just started seeing the results. we do it on liz's patio early in the morning! the last week or so, the heat index has been 90 plus at 630! now, that's when you know you're dedicated! liz went shopping with me the wednesday before sis' shower, and found this cute cute dress. one problem with that dress was that it was in with the millions of "regular" sizes and not on one of the four racks i needed to shop. side note - shopping with people who have never had a weight prob is not good for those of us that do! yes, we have 1/4 of the options you do. yes, most of the stuff looks 30plus years older than me. no, i don't do "names" b/c "names" mean nothing, size does. - needless to say, i was about in tears while shopping with a friend who is like my sister. that all changed when i tried on that dress. yes, it was a little snug, but it fit. it zipped. it was on sale. it was a regular size. i bought it! i wore it to sis' shower.




#7 - last but not least ...


finally, it has sunk in my heart and mind, that yes. i'm changing. my mind set, looks, body, wants and needs are changing.

i've lost 7 pounds : ) to me, that's a big accomplishment!

See you soon,
Busy B

birthday,of sorts

today is a very special day to me. it's a day that i think of often, but yet sometimes let it pass by. eleven years ago tonight, i gave my heart and life to my Savior,Jesus Christ. my dad was holding a revival at a very small,country church WAY back in the back of paint rock valley.

it's a night i'll never forget. my dad remembers when he was saved - 3rd sunday night in november 1968 - but doesn't know/remember the exact date. yes, i'm aware google could help him out with that part. but point is,one day i might not remember the exact date of mine either.

i pray i won't forget. that i won't ever forget. sometimes, this is a story i don't share. i was in the  middle of band camp (not like on american pie...) and was burnt to the crisp from the hot sun and marching on pavement. i was sick from it really. but i was so afraid to tell my friends, especially since i was going to be going to high school the very next week.

why was i so scared?

glad you asked! see, i thought i became a christian when i was 8 years old, followed my salvation up with baptism and all. i sung about the Lord, taught about Him, talk about Him, tried living for Him.  for a long time after i realized i wasn't a christian, i felt worthless. i thought, "who would want you, you liar?" among other terrible thoughts that the devil gave me. finally, i surrendered, and surprised my parents, family, friends and my church family.

i remember the following sunday, my youth director said to me, "you look so different today. a good different, something new with your smile and eyes." i remember being told i blushed. the funny part of that was, my youth director didn't know at that time that i had got saved wednesday night, he thought i already was like everyone else. he thought it had to do with a cute,shy,quiet blond guy that had become a very good friend of mine that summer ; )

so, today my heart is thankful that God loved me then, He still does, and that He always will!

Be back later,
Busy B