LOUIE, LINDS, and LEVI

Christmas 2010 (Better late than never)

2011-01-23T20:55:00.006-05:00

He has daddy's bed head

It snowed the day he was born and his first Christmas. Kind of crazy for a boy from the south

He loves his wagon

Levi and his cousins

I got to hang out with girlfriends from high school while I was home. This was our attempt at getting a pic of the kids. Yea, not so much ha!

Making cookies with Grams

Uncle Patrick

My awesome cousins Mal, Macie, and Jake

Levi's first train ride

Mr. Blue Eyes and Cousin Madi

One of my favorite moments! My granddaddy and his ipad

Picking out the Christmas Tree

Levi's first Christmas could not have been better. We were in Birmingham for the week of Christmas with our families. I am so thankful that we are able to do that every year. Our parents love to have us home for the week. We had a great week going to Zoo Light Safari, worshipping at Church of the Highlands Christmas service, Christmas parties, and making cookies for Santa. I love getting to spend time with my cousins who I feel like I never see and miss so much. Levi LOVED opening presents. I think he liked eating the wrapping paper the most ha! He made Christmas so much more fun this year and I know it will only get better! Grams got him a red wagon and since it is so cold outside Louie gives him rides around the house. It is hilarious, you would think he was on a ride at Disney. He loves it. Now I am ready for it to warm up so we can go outside!!!!

The Most Wonderful TIme of the year

2010-12-05T23:17:00.003-05:00

Who doesn't love Christmas? I am so excited to be celebrating with Levi this year. My mom took us to Fantasy in Lights this weekend and we had a blast. Levi made it for about 20 minutes out of the hour before he passed out. It was beautiful. He saw Santa for the first time as well and he loved him. I was so glad that he did not cry. I hope everyone is having a fabulous holiday season celebrating our Savior's birth. The other night I was rocking Levi and I could not help to think about what Mary thought when Jesus was born knowing the sacrifice her precious son would take. I love the song Mary Did you Know? It takes on a whole new meaning this year. Thank you sweet Jesus.

Few Pics from Gatlinburg

2010-11-21T22:04:00.003-05:00

We went to Gatlinburg for Louie and Debbie's birthday last week and had so much fun hiking in the mountains. We even saw two bears, a little scary! I am looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving this week. I have so much to be thankful for this year. On top of that list is my sweet baby Levi. He is such a blessing to our family. I hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving!!!

Halloween 2010 (I know a little late :)

2010-11-20T09:44:00.003-05:00

I love Halloween! I love the candy, costumes, pumpkin carving, trick or treating, chili, festivals, all of it. I have longed for so long to dress up my child and enjoy all of the festivities as a mother. I spent several Halloweens in the last few years trick or treating with my friends' children and then coming home to cry because I never knew if I would be able to have the children that I longed for. I praise God for Levi everyday! He is my miracle and I will never get over how good God has been to us after years of suffering infertility. Needless to say, this was the best Halloween yet! Levi had so much fun going to the pumpkin patch and trick or treating with his cousins. He made the cutest football I have ever seen. For anyone who knows Louie you know he is OBSESSED with football so when I saw this costume I knew what Levi would be for his first Halloween!

Fall 2010

2010-10-22T08:53:00.004-04:00

Still Loves his tubby

Now he eats his monthly bday signs!

My little pumpkin

Again trying to eat something he shouldn't

Loves his food

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the weather(although I would like for it to be a little cooler right now), I love pumpkin spice latte, I love Halloween, and I love the scenery. We welcomed the season a few weeks ago by going to Homestead Hollow with my mom and the Lovoys. I cannot wait for next week because it is our 7th annual pumpkin carving party with our best friends. There are three more babies in the mix this year so it should be very interesting :) After that, we are going to travel over to Bham to go to the pumpkin patch with all Levi's grandparents, aunts, and cousins. I am SO excited to experience everything through Levi's eyes this year! Levi is getting so big. He is sitting up great now. He is almost ready to crawl. He is army crawling and already getting into EVERYTHING. He is also cutting two teeth which is not fun for either of us.

Columbus is getting better. We are making friends and I am learning my way around. Don't love the city that much yet but maybe it will grow on me :) I think we got spoiled living in one of the most beautiful places in GA. I miss seeing the North GA mountains everyday when I pull out of our neighborhood. I especially miss our drive through the mountains in the Fall. I hope all is well with everyone. Enjoy some of our recent pics!

Hilton Head

2010-09-29T19:29:00.004-04:00

We just recently got back from Hilton Head Island with my family. We decided to go to HH when the oil spill happened this summer and I am so glad we did. I love to explore new places. This beach trip was WAY better than the last one with Levi. It was much more enjoyable. My favorite things about HH was the lighthouse and the low tide. People rode bikes and walked stroller down the beach. It was different that what we are used to. It was so awesome to be with my family for such a long time. Of course, Levi was TOTALLY spoiled when we got home and it took about a week to get back on schedule. We are still completely in love with our little man. He is doing new things everyday. This month he started sitting up, rolling around everywhere, and said his first word DADA of course. I cant wait to see what seven months holds. I believe he is really close to crawling and mommy is in trouble!

Two Post in one week!

2010-08-12T21:57:00.005-04:00

FIVE MONTHS OLD!!!

Beautiful Boy

Sitting Up

Beautiful Blue Eyes

Sweet Friends

Cousin Brudders (Kamism)

I know, you are probably in shock. Two posts in one week. I am trying to do better on this blogging thing. Here are some cute pics I took this week. He can sit up on the bed. He is so cute. He will sit for a second and then throw himself back like he is doing a trick for us. It is so funny. He is laughing at us now. I love to hear that sweet little laugh. I cannot believe how fast he is growing. I want time to slow down but don't we all :)

***On a side note, please for a dear friend of mine who is having a biopsy done on a tumor in her brain tomorrow. I am praying that it is benign. She is such a wonderful person and great mom of two young children. All you prayer warriors send up a prayer for her, her sweet husband and family.

Reality Hits

2010-08-08T20:46:00.002-04:00

Well, we are in Columbus. Up until last week, I do not think I let myself think about how much I miss "home". We moved in June, went on vacation, and July was spent getting the house together and lots of visitors. Well last Monday was my meltdown. I was sitting there watching the Bachelorette finale (Louie was at a meeting) when all of the sudden the tears started flowing. I sat there wishing that I was watching the finale with my friends as we had done so many times before! You see Cumming had truly become my home in more ways than one. When you live away from your family, your friends become your family and that was truly the case for us in Cumming. Every Thursday night for the last 4 years we have had dinner with what we called the "commune". The reason we were the commune is we all lived in the same neighborhood and could see each others houses, you never knew when you came home who would be at your house. It was like living in college. We had many Saturday morning commune breakfasts, birthday celebrations, and football parties. It was awesome. We went through happy times such as marriages, pregnancies, babies being born, birthdays, and sad times like miscarriages, etc. We were there for each other in the good times and bad.

This past weekend, we had to go back to Cumming because I had a dentist appointment and we got to hang out. I love the ease of conversation, the craziness of all our kids (giving baths, playing, putting them down for bed in any place we can find), and the history that we have together. That is why moving has been so hard. I miss them!!! Being the new guy is hard. It is awkward and uncomfortable. BUT, I know that God has us here for a reason. He is using Louie in so many ways at our new church. I love Jeff and Christy and the team. Everyone that I have met so far has been awesome. I am so thankful that I am getting to stay at home with my little man for whom I prayed for so long. I know that God will send us friends here. Louie always says, give it a year and it will be better. I know it is true. It just takes time. I remember leaving Mobile and thinking we will never have friends like this again and look what God did. I know that one day, I will look back and see all the great things that God has done! Pray for me and my transition :)

Catch Up Time

2010-08-07T21:22:00.004-04:00

Loves his daddy

Did not love the movies :)

My little H & M model

Eating Cereal for the first time

First time on Lake Lanier

WOW! I have been a terrible blogger this summer. We have had just a little bit going on ;) I am going to post some thoughts soon on our move and life in Columbus soon, but, I am way too tired tonight so I am just going to leave you with some cute pics of some fun things we have been doing this summer. Levi is getting too big way to fast

THREE MONTHS OLD ALREADY!!!

2010-05-31T16:14:00.007-04:00

First Mother's Day and Baby Dedication

What an awesome day!

Rock and Roll Baby

Levi loves tubby time!

He adores his daddy

Memaw's NINTH great grandbaby

Our new house

Saying goodbye to our Cumming House

Well, it has been awhile since we blogged! Our life has been insane the last few weeks. We decided to just put our house up for rent here and it rented in a week and then we had two weeks to get out! It was exhausting but we are so thankful! We found a beautiful house to rent in Columbus. I've had to finish up the last few weeks of school here in Cumming so Kacie and Casey have been kind enough to let us live with them. They are some of our best friends and we will miss them so much when we are gone. I only have two more teacher work days and then I take on my new job title as Mommy. I am so excited that I will be staying at home with Levi next year. We will finally all be together full time this Thursday in Columbus. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone at mychurch. This has been a crazy time in our life and I never want to repeat the living in two places thing again :) Levi will be 3 months old on Wed. He is smiling, laughing, and ALMOST sleeping through the night wohoo!!! Anyway, I hope you enjoy some of the new pics of our precious Levi!

Levi Update

2010-04-18T21:53:00.003-04:00

Hanging out at Vickery Village
He loves his cousins!

Precious

1st trip to the lake

Daddy loves to sit me up on the couch

Exhausted

Mal and Me

Going to church and NOT happy about it, unfortunate for a preacher's kid (HA!)

Why mommy did away with the sleep positioner

Dr. M, the BEST OB in Atlanta, delievered Levi. We love and will miss her!

Getting bigger, SLOW down

I LOVE being Levi's mommy. We are having so much fun with our sweet baby boy. He is starting to smile a little bit and is becoming more alert. Motherhood is awesome yet so exhausting. I miss sleep ha ha!!! We have had so many visitors. Levi is one loved little boy.

Week 3

2010-03-24T19:11:00.001-04:00

Week 3 has begun!!! I cannot believe my baby will be 1 month in just one more week. He is so sweet, we love him so much. Mom and I took him to see the Easter bunny and he slept right through it. I bet he will not do that next year :)

Week 2

2010-03-18T14:04:00.004-04:00

He is over the photo session at this point!!!

Sweet Feet

Stop taking my picture mommy!!!

I LOVE this one

Bright Eyes!

Loves his Grams

Well, we made it through our first 2 weeks of parenthood. It is amazing how much more laundry we have now and how messy our house is! It is driving me crazy. I cannot wait to feel completely recovered from the c section so that I can deep clean! We are having so much fun with our little man. We love being parents. I love staying at home with him. Please say a little prayer for us. We have been in transition for about 7 months now with Louie driving back and forth to Columbus. It has been okay but now that Levi is here Louie misses him like crazy and I am just so ready to get down there so that I can get to know people and start our life there. So, please pray that we can either sell our house or find someone trustworthy to rent it!!! Enjoy the pics :)

Levi's Arrival and First Week

2010-03-10T20:18:00.005-05:00

Levi and his best friend Asher :)

1st Doctor Appt.

Little Man

Roll Tide!

Going Home!

Daddy is in love

Our sweet baby boy was born March 2nd at 9:35 pm. He weighed 7lb 1oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. I was in labor for thirty hours and ended up with a c-section. It has been a rough week for me but I am feeling better everyday. Louie and my mom have helped out so much. I think I have fallen more in love with Louie this week, he is such a great daddy. Levi is just beautiful. We are having so much fun being parents. We went for his first appt. at the pediatrician yesterday and we have to worek on his weight. He is going to be tall and skinny like his daddy I believe. I hope you enjoy the pics!

Nursery FINALLY!!!

2010-02-19T19:04:00.002-05:00

Louie has worked so hard to get the nursery ready since I am semi out of comission. I am "trying" to be good on bedrest :) Only about 3 more weeks. I will be full term tomorrow. I started crying in the shower today just thinking about how far we have come, not to long ago we were wondering if biological children were even possible for us. Now, we are 3 weeks away from meeting our sweet baby boy. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

SNOW DAY!!!!

2010-02-13T12:44:00.001-05:00

36 Weeks
Snow Family

Little Levi Snow Baby

Pics I got from my mom, I promise last ones!

2010-02-10T10:46:00.003-05:00

It was so good to see Angel, Julie, and the girls

Me, Mandy, and Ashley

Me, Angie, and Tag

Aunt Britt got Levi his jeep walker, I cannot wait to see him in it

Me and some of mom's Bday club

Macie, Mal, and Me

I loved this cute little gift box that Amy made!

Angel and I are about two weeks apart!

More Shower Pics

2010-02-07T15:59:00.003-05:00

My sweet friends from Mobile came to Bham to celebrate Levi Nat, Catherine, and Kacie
Madi made these adorable onesies for him

Madi and Emily

Me, Angel, and the kids

Me and Kacie

Decorations were so cute

Angel painted this pic to match his nursery, I love it

Me and My sweet hubby

Furniture from Grams, Mombo, and Poppo

Molli helped me open presents

So blessed!

Bad Blogger

2010-02-07T14:39:00.010-05:00

Becca, Sarah, Me, and Kacie
Me and the hostesses for the Cumming Shower. They did a beautiful job. So much fun!

Three Preggos Amy, Me , and Beth

Mombo, Aunt Britt, Aunt Angel, and Grams

Levi is going to be one spoiled little booger!!!

Such a cute cake!

Adorable Punch that Kacie did

Cute Decorations

I loved this card that Katherine made

Poopy Diaper Game not looking forward to those!

Me, Christy, Ashley, and Darby in Columbus

Me and Denise

I LOVED this cake!

WOW! I cannot believe how long it has been since my last blog. I have been lazy since being pregnant. Now, I have been put on bedrest because of the high blood pressure so I have PLENTY of time to blog ha ha!!!! I feel fine, I just have to stay off my feet. Levi is doing great as of last week's ultrasound he is 5lbs and 7 oz. They did a 4d of his face last week and he is SO cute. I cannot wait to kiss those fat cheeks. We are going to the doc twice a week now so I feel like I live there. I go to my regular OB and a perinatoligist each week. The cool thing is I get an ultrasound every week, it gives me peace of mind. They are thinking that I will be induced the first week of March which is approaching fast. The last 5 weekends have been filled with showers. We feel so loved and blessed to have had so many wonderful people in our lives. We had one in Columbus with our new friends at mychurch, one here in Cumming, one in Bham which was awesome to see old friends and family, and then my last one here with my girls from Sawnee. It has been so much fun and I cannot wait to use it all! I hope he likes baths because I cannot wait to put him in those adorable hooded towels. Anyway, here are a few pics. I still need to get the ones from my mom and I will post those when I can! Keep praying for a speedy and healthy delivery and baby. Pray my bp stays under control. And, if you think of it pray that our house sells fast! Levi would love a nursery ha ha!!!

2009-11-28T22:30:00.004-05:00

While we were home for Thanksgiving our moms took some maternity pics of us. We went to Botanical Gardens and Aldridge gardens. I thought they turned out pretty good. I just cannot believe how big my stomach is getting and I have a long way to go. But, I have waited a long time and said a lot of prayers for this tummy :) Thanksgiving was awesome. I never want to leave and cannot believe how fast that time goes by. One of the highlights was going to see Blind Side with 24 other family members on Thursday. That movie is awesome. It made me want to do more with my life! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gatlinburg for Louie and Debbie's Birthday

2009-11-21T13:52:00.002-05:00

Louie and his two sidekicks

Ice Cream Anyone?

Such a cutie!!!

The Mill

Having a blast with Uncle Louie!

Trying to get a family pic with 3 kids is nearly impossible!

Love this pic!

This was our second annual bday trip to the mountains. This year we went to Gatlinburg. It was so good to get away and spend time with the fam. We went and hung out at the bottom of the chimneys several days. The kids loved it. We tried to hike to a waterfall one day but with 3 kids and a 6 months pregnant woman, it did not work out too well!!! Of course, we went to the Mill and Apple Barn. I ate salad all week after that because of all the rich food we ate. WOW!!!

On another note, I have made it to 6 months pregnant. I never thought I would ever experience this. It is wonderful. Louie felt Levi kick for the first time last night which was really cool. The only bad thing is that I am getting huge!! I feel like I am carrying in my butt and hips more than in my belly HA! I am going to have a lot of work to do when this is over! Keep praying for me and my little sweetie!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I cannot wait to get home to my momma and Britt and Pat!!!

New Ultrasound Pics!

2009-11-07T10:42:00.002-05:00

Talking already

My favorite, it looks like he is smiling

Sweet Baby

Big Foot

Rubbing his eyes

My mom was here last Saturday and we got some new 4-D ultrasound pics. Levi is starting to really look like a little baby. Of course I think he is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. It was amazing to see how much he has changed. He is even smiling in some of the pics and it looks like he has really big feet. I think he looks like he has my nose and Louie's mouth. Thanks so much to Jeanna who took these for us. Any pregnant girls in Cumming need to look her up at Window to the Womb. She is the best!!! Keep praying for a healthy baby boy and mommy. I have had some blood pressure issues but I am on meds so it is being controlled. Continue to pray that it will be controlled with the medicine. Enjoy the pics!

****On another note, please go to my friend Rodney's blog on the side and read the letter that Sarah wrote to Asher. Sarah did such an awesome job describing the impending birth of her sweet little Asher. She is such a talented writer. It made me cry!!! We plan on Asher and Levi being best friends, like all of us. They will only be 4 months apart! :)

Pumpkin Carving and AL vs TN Party

2009-10-25T14:45:00.009-04:00

Becca, Me, Sarah, and Kacie
Hanging out by the fire

Next year we will have 3 more little pumpkins :)

The Grahams took home the pumpkin belt this year. They were the winners

We did the trick or treat pumpkin, I thought it turned out cute

Carving our pumpkin

The Wards

Smores

Autumn and Sarah

Anna and Darby with their glittery pumpkin

The boys after the game

A little half time backyard football

I love this one of Louie and Casey

Lou and Rodney

We had our 6th annual pumpkin carving party last night at the Grahams. We had a great time. The game almost gave us a heart attack but somehow we pulled it through. I still cannot believe we won the game but all that counts is a W hopefully we will get rested up and be in better shape for LSU! After the game we ate chili, carved pumpkins, and made smores. It was the perfect fall night! Becca who is in the pictures went into labor this morning and had her sweet little boy Caleb 9 lb 6 oz. Congratulations Harpers. I cannot wait to meet him later on today!

Madi's Baptism

2009-10-10T09:12:00.001-04:00

My precious niece Madi was baptized last Sunday. I am so proud of her for making this big decision. Louie and I went over to share the day with her. She was so excited. She looked so little in there. It was too cute. I pray that God uses her in a big way and I know he will.

Baby Boom

2009-10-10T09:05:00.001-04:00

It is exciting around here. My best friends Becca and Sarah are pregnant as well and we are ALL having boys. Becca is due very soon on the 21st and Sarah is due in Nov. I hope our boys will be the best of friends as well. I wanted to share our preggo picture that we made a couple of weeks ago at Sarah's shower! Keep praying for Levi, I go for my 20 week ultrasound on Oct. 27th. I am almost half way there. I cannot wait to hold my sweet baby boy!

Alabama vs. North Texas

2009-09-22T15:21:00.004-04:00

Me and Lou

Mount Cody, He is my favorite!

We came back and watched the Auburn game with my favorite Auburn Fans!

Cuties

Halloween Shirts I got the girls. I thought they were so cute

Louie and I got to go to the Bama game last weekend. I love getting to go to T-town at least once a year. It was not a very challenging game. We killed them. I think our real season begins this weekend. On another note, I am out of school today because of the "floods" here in GA. I never thought we would be using an inclement weather day for that but I am glad we did after a weekend full of traveling I needed a day to catch up on sleep!

Our Little Miracle

2009-09-13T19:35:00.003-04:00

Levi 14 weeks and 3 days

Proof that he is a boy!!!

He loves his hands!

8 weeks Little Gummy Bear

7 weeks 5 days ultrasound

During September of 2006, Louie and I embarked into a journey that we never dreamed that we would be on. It was the journey through infertility and miscarriage. There were so many ups and downs along the way. It was the hardest thing that we have been through as a married couple. We tried for about a year before the doctor put me on clomid. Anyone who has been on clomid knows it is MISERABLE!!! We did that for 6 months with no luck. I was so discouraged. Then in March of 2008, after about 2 1/2 years of trying we found out I was pregnant WITHOUT drugs. WHAT!?!?! We did not think it would ever happen. We were so thrilled. But our first ultrasound revealed that I was pregnant with identical twins and one of them was not doing so good. A second ultrasound revealed that both of our babies had gone to be with Jesus. That was a very dark time of questioning God. We just did not understand. Our doctors were very hopeful that we would get pregnant very soon after the miscarriage. But again 10 months later we found ourselves childless. So, we decided to see a specialist. There she told us that we had unexplained infertility and there was no answer as to why we were not getting pregnant. So, we decided to try meds with IUI. We tried two cycles and it did not work either. Heartbroken again, we turned to God and prayed about what to do should we adopt or try IVF? We decided that IVF was worth the risk to have a biological child. It was a gamble but we trusted God that his will would be done. This June we did our first IVF cycle and it WORKED the 1st time. When our nurse called to tell us our test was positive it was the happiest day of our lives. We were scared to death. Each ultrasound was so scary, was the baby okay, would there be a heartbeat etc. Well, yesterday was the most exciting ultrasound yet, we found out that we are having a sweet baby boy! God has given us the desire of our hearts. We have always dreamed of having a boy first. It is still surreal. His name is Levi Joseph Lovoy! He is due on March 10th, 2010!!! God is SO good. He is the God of miracles and we will praise him each day for this baby boy!!! Please join in praying for this sweet baby that he will continue to be healthy and that God brings him safely into this world!

Labor Day at Stone Mountain

2009-09-13T19:25:00.001-04:00

We had a great Labor Day weekend! Louie's mom and dad came in on Thursday and we had so much fun. We rung in the new football season with our annual lunch to Dreamland. The Bama game was a blast. Then on Monday, we went to Stone Mountain to meet Angel, Kit, and the kids. We hiked and the kids played on the playground. It was a great weekend!

It's Been Awhile :)

2009-08-23T19:37:00.032-04:00

Britt and Adam

The Fam

Mom and Kacie

We're Jammin

Britt bought these lovely glasses for the Fourth

Mobile Crew at Dreamland for the Fourth

Rascal Flatts

Kacie and Casey at Rascal Flatts

Anna Ruby Falls

Our Favorite place to eat in Helen

Mom and Louie at Nachooche Grill

Casey giving horsey rides!

Commune Dinner

Commune Friends

Flowers for my 8th anniversary from Lou

Darby and Louie love each other!

The Grahams

WOW! It has been a long time since I have blogged. Summer was busy and I have two weeks down of the 09-10 school year. I am exhausted!!!! Anyway, I never got to post pictures from my family vacation with mom and my fam. It was the first time we had been on vacation for 5 years because of mom being in nursing school. We had so much fun. We also celebrated Darby's SECOND bday which is surreal when you were there the day she was born. We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. I also have pics of our commune dinner that we do each Thursday. We call ourselves the commune because we used to all live in the same neighborhood and could just walk to each other's houses all the time. It was is so much fun to hang out each week! Louie and I also went to Rascal Flatts with Kacie and Casey at the end of July. My mom came in last weekend and we went hiking and had so much fun and actually sae a rattlesnake, scary!!! We had a great summer and I am sad that it had to end! Anyway, pray for me I am 2 weeks into school and I can already tell this may be a trying year! :) I hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy the pics!

Sweet Summertime

2009-06-25T09:30:00.014-04:00

Madi and Molli opening presents
How cute is this picture of Louie and Kam

Poppo is the best!

I am tired of playing the guitar I think I will just lay in the case

Molli's turn

Madi and Louie LOVE each other.

They are so cute Louie plays the song at the top and she strums. She loves playing with Lou

Opening Father's Day presents

Drive-In Movie

Me and Mom (terrible picture but it was the only one I had!)

Stone Mountain

I am LOVING my summer so far. I cannot believe it is half way over. I love waking up when I want to and slowly easing into my day with a cup of coffee, bowl of Kashi vive, and the Today show. Does it get any better than that? In the last few weeks, my mom came for a visit. We had so much fun. We went to Stone Mountain, nothing says Summer like Stone Mtn :) We also so the movie My life in Ruins. It was a cute movie. Definitely a chick flick!!! It made me want to go to Greece so bad. Last weekend, we went to Bham for Madi and Molli's 3rd and 6th bday party at Pump it up. Louie looks forward to that every year. He acts like he is 10 again. It is too funny. We also went to the drive in movies to see UP in Argo. It was a blast. We also got to celebrate Father's Day with Louis. We gave him a remote control helicopter. He LOVED it! I hope everyone else is having a great summer!!!

Gulf Shores with the Lovoys 2009

2009-06-07T15:34:00.028-04:00

It's so hard to say goodbye to the beach!

Louie and Angel

Uncle Louie and Kam

Madi and Aunt Lindsay

Pictures! I just want to wallow around in the sand

It is really hard to get three little ones to cooperate for the pictures!I LOVE this picture!

Just the girls!

So Sweet!

Thing one and Thing two

Playing the guitar with Uncle Louie

Building Sand Castles

Molli is always busy on the beach!

Little Cuties

Tacky Jacks

I love the beach!!! It is my favorite place to be in the Summer. It is so relaxing to just sit by the water and read. I also love getting to spend the whole week with my nieces and nephew. I was sad to leave but we get to go back with my family on July 4th so I am looking forward to getting back. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Summer!!!

Fairhope and Old Friends

2009-06-07T14:49:00.023-04:00

Fred and Kacie

Percy Jane

Pier in Fairhope

Louie and I just had the best week. Last Thursday, we left to travel down to Fairhope to stay with one of my best friends Kacie. I got to meet little Percy Jane who is a little miracle baby that was born at 31 weeks. Fred took us out on the boat and Lou got to do some wakeboarding. It was beautiful. I love boating. We had a cook out on Friday night with some of our really good friends from Mobile. We had a blast and it really made me miss them so much. We have so many great memories with these guys!!! Saturday we hung out at the pier on the bay and then left to go to Gulf Shores!

Update

2009-05-19T19:45:00.012-04:00

Do you think my tractor's sexy??? Ha! This is from field day. I thought it was cute.

I thought this picture was adorable. It started raining right before the outdoor wedding

Me and the Bride

We started a tradition at my wedding. All the grandaughters wear my grandmother's wedding rings on our wedding day. It is the perfect way to feel close to her on that day. We still miss her after all these years and hate that she is not there on these special days!

My cousin's daughter Emily and me!

It has been awhile! May has been absolutely crazy with all of the end of they year stuff. I only have 3 more days of school and I am so excited. I have had a fabulous year and I will miss my babies! This past weekend I went to my cousin Charity's wedding in Enterprise. It was a beautiful wedding and I had a blast with the fam.

Marathon Relay

2009-04-27T19:34:00.005-04:00

Louie ran a marathon relay race on Saturday with some of his good friends. He ran 4.3 miles in 30 minutes and their team came in 3rd overall. I would pass out if I ran that!! He has already conquered a full marathon and has been there done that and never wants to do that again but he likes doing small races here and there.

2009-04-25T16:48:00.003-04:00

My sweet friends Julie and Jennifer both gave me a blogger award. They are so sweet. I love to check their blogs as well. I love to be able to keep up with my friends, new and old. Thanks guys for this award.

So here are the rules:

1. When given the award you write about the seven things that you love

2. Pass the award to 7 bloggers that you love, and be sure to tag them and let them know they've won. (You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard.)

Seven things that I love:

1. Jesus, he is my comfort, strength, and peace.

2. My Louie, he is the biggest support and my best friend.

3. My family, who are always there for me.

4. My friends who are there through the good times and the bad.

5. My church which I think is the best! :)

6. Traveling-I need way more money for this habit!

7. Alabama Football-Is there a better team? :)

Now I give this award to seven friends and bloggers.(this means you get to put this cute little award on your blog so don't let me down by not participating and passing it along.)

I give the award to:

1. The Chase Family

2. The Webb Family

3. The Weber Family

4. The Goodrich Family

5. The Cunningham Family

6. The Isbell Families

7. The Elliot Family

DISNEY WORLD!!!

2009-04-13T20:29:00.021-04:00

Orange Lake Resort

Wish I were there again! :)
Me and My sweet niece Madi and nephew Kam

Epcot

I am a crazy sea doo driver, Louie was scared!

Coral Reef Resturaunt, We had a great view of the Aquarium

Pirate Face on the Pirates of the Carribean

Magic Kingdom

Waiting on It's a Small World

It's a Small World

Sweet Sisters!

Me and Madi

It was FREEZING on Monday at Magic Kingdom

Louie and Angel

Louie Loves his Dad's Hat

Sci Fi Drive In Theatre

Aunt Linds matched the girls at the Magic Kingdom

Louie and Kam with their matching Hoodies!

Downtown Disney

For Spring Break this year, Louie and I went with the Lovoy clan to Disney World. We had so much fun!!! It turns out that being in Orlando was a good idea because the weather here was not great in Georgia. My favorite rides were Soarin in Epcot, Everest in Animal Kingdom, and Toy Story at Hollywood studios. The American Idol experience was pretty cool too since we are huge American Idol fans. Our resort was awesome also. We stayed there one day and hung out at the pool and rode sea doos. It was great. It was so fun to just be with the fam for a whole week. It sure was hard to wake up to the alarm clock this morning but I only have 29 more school days!!! Can you tell I am excited for summer? Enjoy the pics. I took a lot more that you can view on my Picasa link!!!

Grandaddy's 80th Birthday Party

2009-04-12T11:13:00.006-04:00

Grandaddy with all his kids!
My Fam

Emily taking pics of us!

My cousins Charity, Faith, and Hope

Grandaddy with my cousins Jamie and Bethany

Before we left for Disney, we went to Birmingham for the night to celebrate my Grandaddy's bday. We had a big surprise party for him and it was so much fun. We had a blast hanging out with my cousins and my grandaddy got to see a lot of family that he has not seen in a long time. My father-in-law made a perfect video of Grandaddy's life through pictures. I hope that I live to be 80 and have as good of a life as my grandad has. He is so special to us. We love him very much!!!

Spring Time Fun!

2009-03-30T18:42:00.007-04:00

Me and My Baby Sis

Molli loves to slide. She is a little daredevil!

Good for Nothing Men!!! Just kidding!

Madi, Molli, and Mom

It has been awhile since my last post. Louie and I went home for a few days a couple of weekends ago. It was a low key weekend, just being home. It was so good to be home without running to a party, wedding, etc. We had a relaxing time with everyone. My favorite part of the weekend was going to Oak Mountain on Saturday for a picnic. Louie and I used to go to Oak Mountain all the time when we were dating. Which on another note, the 26th it was our 15th anniversary from the first day we started dating. That's half my life! We are getting old :) I am really excited about Spring Break coming up. I only have 3 more school days and we will be heading to Orlando to go to Disney!!!

Family Visit

2009-03-09T18:11:00.002-04:00

Louis, Debbie, Angel, Kit, and the kids came to see us this weekend. It was so good to all be together. We celebrated mine and Kit's bdays together. We went to the Aquarium and it was so much fun. Although, it is VERY crowded. I guess Saturdays are always crowded. The kids loved it. Madi loved the otters and Beluga whales. They love their Uncle Louie. He is a jungle gym! Molli is so cute with her little pigtails and Kam is getting SO big. He is almost as big as his almost 3 year old sister!!! He is such a little cuddle bug. I just loved having them here. I wish we could see them more. I miss them! I cannot wait until the next visit!

Nashvegas

2009-03-01T19:09:00.004-05:00

I had a great 30th birthday week. I came home Wednesday and Louie had decorated the house with bday balloons. We went out to hibachi with Daniel, Becca, Rodney, and Sarah that night to celebrate. Louie bought a beautiful bday cake. He also gave me a shopping spree as a gift. He said I always have to stick to a budget and he wanted me to be able to shop budget free for once. He's the best husband in the world! Then I took off from school on Friday so we left for Nashville on Thursday night. We had so much fun. We shopped at Opry Mills that morning then went to Old Spagetti Factory and The Stage to see a band that night. It was a short trip but we had a blast as usual. I did not take any pictures though which is so unlike me but it was SO cold that I did not want to take any! We came back last night and were hoping for snow today but only had a few flurries! BOO! How did all the southern counties get more than the northern counties??? Oh well, maybe next time!

It's a Girl!

2009-03-01T16:09:00.002-05:00

I just spoke to Kacie's mom and she had a little girl Percy Jane via C-section. The baby is breathing on her own and has a head full of black hair. She only weighs 2 pounds 3 ounces. Kacie is doing well. What an answer to prayer!!! Thanks to all who were praying.

Pray for Kacie!

2009-03-01T09:17:00.002-05:00

Kacie (see previous post) started swelling alot last week, ankles, hands, etc. and she thought it was just part of pregnancy since she was entering her last trimester. Well, she went to the Dr. on Friday and her blood pressure was sky high. They admitted her into the hospital in hopes of getting it down. Last night, they got results back that her protein levels are sky high also so they transfered her by ambulance from a hospital in Fairhope to USA in Mobile. They believe that they baby is fine. But they are worried about mommy so she will be having the baby today. They baby is 31 weeks so pray for the baby and especially for Kacie. Pray for her family also. They are all scared! Thanks!

Fun Weekend!

2009-02-24T16:50:00.003-05:00

My best friend from Mobile, Kacie, came to visit this weekend with her husband Fred. We had such a good time. We saw the movie Taken which was awesome. We also had to go to P.F. Changs because they do not have one on the gulf and Kacie always has to go there. I was so glad to see her because she is expecting in May and I wanted to see her preggers. She looks so cute. She is not finding out the sex of the baby so I cannot wait for the baby to be born to see what it is. I don't know how she is doing it! The idea of not finding out is exciting but I would not be able to stand it. I love Kacie. I miss our walks, talking for hours, and endless hanging out!!! We hope to go to Mobile when the baby is born and visit all our great friends there. We made life long friendships there. This weekend we are heading to Nashville to celebrate my 30th (AH!!!) birthday. I am excited to get away for the weekend!!!

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-02-15T18:48:00.006-05:00

Louie and I celebrated our 14th Valentine's Day together this weekend. We had a great weekend. Louie sent me these roses to work on Friday. They are so pretty. Then we spent Friday night going out to eat at the new Jim and Nick's at the Avenue and our favorite place Barnes and Noble. Then on Saturday, we slept in, went to one of our favorite new restuaraunts that Rodney and Sarah introduced us to called Slice in Alpharetta for lunch, went to the movies, and grilled out that night. We saw He's not that into You and decided that is this generation's Singles! Wow, that sentence alone makes me feel old!!! Anyway, Louie gave me beatuful diamond earrings for Valentine's. I was so suprised!!! On a sad note, I am entering my last 10 days in my 20's :)!!!!

Family Visit!

2009-02-08T20:03:00.007-05:00

My mom, sister Britt, brother Pat, and his girlfriend Mary came to visit this weekend. It was the first time they have all been here together in 4 years! We played lots of Rock Band, went to Little Five points to do some shopping, ate at my favorite cafe Fritti in Virginia Highlands, and did a lot of hanging out. Mom, Britt, and I went to the Cumming Playhouse to see Steel Magnolias on Saturday night and Louie, Pat, and Mary went to the movies. The weekend went by SO fast. I was sad to see them go today but I am hoping that they will come back VERY soon!!!

Louie's Backpacking Trip

2009-02-06T18:56:00.003-05:00

Louie left yesterday to go backpacking in the Cahutta Wilderness with our friend Bret and some other friends. I was a little concerned that he was going to freeze to death last night! I did get a text today that he is okay, he survived the night and was having so much fun! I got to hang out with my friend Kristin last night and my mom, brother, sister, and Mary are coming in tonight. I have plans for a great weekend and I cannot wait for Louie to come home. I miss him so much when he is away!

Kam's 1st Bday

2009-02-01T16:26:00.011-05:00

He loves his sweet sisters!

Madi would not dare let him eat the cake without a fork!

Louie

Playing volleyball with Rachael and Joe

Angel and I wore matching sweaters on accident to the party!

This weekend, Louie and I headed over to Bham for 24 hours to go to Kam's 1st bday party. We had an interesting trip there. We crossed the Bama and GA state line twice! Louie and I stopped at Target in Oxford and when we left we got onto the interstate going the wrong way and Louie and I were having a great conversation when I look up and see the sign Welcome to Georgia. I ask Louie, "Why are we in Georgia?" That will teach us to always have our tomtom on so that will not happen again. We had a great time at the party. He had his party at the McWane center. It was a great place for a party. Kam was so cute. I cannot believe he is one years old!!!

Martin Luther King Jr.

2009-01-19T09:48:00.002-05:00

At school last week, I was reading a book about MLK and the civil rights movement to my second graders. I was reminded about how far our country has come as I was teaching. I cannot even believe that we treated other people like that, people who God loved and created just like us! My little 7 and 8 year olds were listening as I read and they could not even fathom a world that this could happen in. They were so innocent and sweet with the questions that they asked. The thing that I loved most is that as I was reading one little girl raised her hand and actually asked in all honesty,"Am I black? At first, I laughed hysterically to myself of course but then I realized how great that question really was, she does not even look at others skin color to the point that she did not even know if she was black or not!
Tomorrow is going to be a big day! Another reminder of how far our country has come. MLK fought for equality. I love his "I have a Dream speech" It is amazing to read and listen to it again and realize how many of his dreams in that speech has come true. Little white boys and little white girls holding hands with little black boys and little black girls. They do and they are and it is beautiful thing!!! I know that everything is not perfect but there is progress. Tomorrow history will be made. The first black president! I wish that MLK was here to see this day. The day that we become equal, the day that we hold hands black and white. It is truly amazing. I do not believe everything that Obama believes, I do not share a lot of his political views, but I am committing to pray for him for the next 4 years. He is not the messiah, Jesus is. He is not our Saviour Jesus is! I am concerned about our country but I am praying for it. I just think this is a big day for our country and I am excited to live in a world where there is a more equality. I am also glad I get to see it through little 7 and 8 year old eyes!!!

Happy New Year! It's 2009

2009-01-03T16:53:00.011-05:00

Harpers, Andersons, and Lovoys

View from the porch

The Cabin

Hanging out on the porch

The Girls

The boys found the canoe

Wow! I cannot believe 2008 has come and gone. We had some of the best times this year. I believe the highlight of our year was the West Coast Road trip. I believe that 2009 is going to be the best year yet! I look forward to what God is going to do in us and through us this year!!!
We just got back from Ellijay, GA. We went for a fun New Year's weekend with Rodney and Sarah and Daniel and Becca. We had a blast watching LOTS of football (What happened to Bama!!!) , reading, relaxing, walking along the creek, and playing games. We always have the best time together and I think it was the best New Years yet!!!

Photo Tag

2008-12-27T20:57:00.005-05:00

This is a picture that I took from the porch of our condo in Breckenridge, CO in 2007. We went on a ski trip with Rodney and Sarah, Kacie and Casey and the Padrons. It was a very memorable vacation! I want to go back SOON!

I am tagging Amy Heather Rice, Angel Hill, Jill Lane, and Lori Goodrich.

Here are the rules:
1. Go to your pictures folder.
2. Go to the 4th folder.
3. Choose the 4th picture in the 4th folder.
4. Explain the photo.
5. Tag 4 people.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-26T00:16:00.014-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Obsessed :)

Me and My little brother and sister

Goofballs

Matching PJ's so cute! The boys are good sports!

Kam and his first basketball net courtesy of Uncle Louie and Aunt Linds

The anticipation

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

My favorite boy in the world!

I hope everyone had a blast on Christmas. I am enjoying my Christmas break! Louie and I are enjoying being home for a few days with our family. It is so nice to spend unhurried time with them. We loved opening gifts with the kids. I loved spending the night at my mom's house and waking up to Granddaddy making us pancakes. I have also enjoyed spending the night with the Lovoy's and seeing Madi, Molli, and Kam everyday!
Here are some of my favorite pics from Christmas.

Traditions

2008-12-26T00:00:00.008-05:00

Cooley Grandkids

Decorating Cookies

Christmas Cookies

Christmas at the Alabama

Basketball Game

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the traditions that we have as a family. One of my favorite traditions is our annual family party with the Cooley's (my mom's side of the family). I do not get to see my family often so it is so awesome when we do get together to catch up with all my cousins. We always have it at my Granddaddy's church and have an annual basketball game where all the men go crazy and then wake up the next day very sore! My granddad makes the best punch that we all devour quickly. We also have fun playing dirty Santa which usually ends with Macie and Mallory fighting over a present! A new tradition that we have started is going to the Alabama theater and watching White Christmas. My absolute favorite tradition is making cookies with Jake, Mal, and Macie. Although we are all in our 20's except for Macie we still love to make and decorate cookies. Pat and Jake just watch and eat them! Christmas is such an awesome time to make memories. I am so thankful for such a great family to spend my life with!! I love you guys!

Cooley Family Christmas Party

2008-12-25T23:58:00.001-05:00

No More Student Loans!!!

2008-12-01T19:44:00.002-05:00

Louie and I sat down 3 1/2 years ago with Casey Graham (of Rethink Money-see link on the side) who is one of our best friends and mapped out a plan to get us out of debt! We had racked up plenty getting married at 22 and 24 with one income while I finished school. I will be the first to tell you that I did not have Faith that we could do it in fact, I thought Casey was a little insane! I thought that debt was just the American way, that you just racked it up, make the minimum payment and then pay it off in the alloted time. Casey encouraged us that we could do this and Louie and I started paying off debt little by little, we payed off a credit card, car, loan that we had to fix our roof from a hurricane in Mobile, and then finally my student loans. WOW! We would be completely out of debt except for the house if it had not been for Louie's car (which was a piece and Louie NEVER complained one day about it) finally kicking the bucket last month. So now, we are working on paying off our new car! I am so excited about what this will mean for our future and future family! Thanks to all our friends who helped and encouraged us during these last few years. And thank you so much Casey for giving us the vision that this could actually happen!!!
On another note, I enjoyed seeing all the snow today. It was beautiful! I hope this means that we will see LOTS more this winter! Happy December everyone!!!!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T15:53:00.011-05:00

"Who's team gonna win?"

A Family Divided!

Me and Britt

We had so much fun being in Birmingham for Thanksgiving. It is always good to see our family. We have so much for be thankful for. We have such a great family and the best of friends. God has blessed our lives in so many ways! We also got to watch the Iron Bowl with everybody. The game was so much fun. Roll Tide!!! I cannot believe that Alabama is 12-o!!! This football season has been awesome but I have to admit, I am a little bit nervous about the SEC game!

North Carolina Weekend

2008-11-23T14:44:00.013-05:00

Family Pic

The Biltmore

Kam was not impressed with the Biltmore! :)

Cousin Eddie I mean Kam!

Lake Lure

I have been a bad blogger lately. We have been so busy and I have been reading the Twilight series in all my free time. Great books by the way! Anyway, last weekend Louie and I went with the Lovoy's to Lake Lure, North Carolina for Louie and Debbie's birthday weekend! We had a great time getting away. It was gorgeous up there and we were lucky enough to get up there before the leaves fell. We also went to the Biltmore. It was so good to get to love on the kids all weekend and hang out with Louis, Debbie, and Angel. I hope you enjoy the pics and I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! Louie and I have so much to be thankful for! We have an incredible family and group of friends. I praise God for everyone in our lives!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T14:50:00.014-05:00

Since Halloween was on a Friday night this year, we decided to go trick or treating with Madi, Molli, and Kam. It was so nice to get to see them all dressed up. Madi was Jasmine, Molli was Minnie and Kam was Mickey. Molli had the cutest little shoes! They were so precious. I am in love with a new man! Kam is such a cuddle bug.

Saturday in the Mountains!

2008-10-27T20:43:00.012-04:00

Louie, Mom, and I drove up into the mountains on Saturday. We went to Brass Town Bald which is the highest point in Georgia. The drive was beautiful. The leaves are really starting to change up there. I am sure it is gorgeous on peak week. I think we missed that by a few weeks. As always, I had a blast with my mom. I am always sad when she has to leave!!!

5th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

2008-10-24T22:58:00.007-04:00

Andersons, Harpers, Chases, Grahams, and Lovoys

The Champs-Ryan was not happy for Mom and Dad! :)

Our Pumpkins, Ours is the trick or treat pumpkin is ours

Five years ago we started a tradition for Halloween. Every year we get together and eat chili, drink hot chocolate, roast marshmallows by the fire, and carve pumpkins to celebrate Halloween. The Grahams, Andersons, Harpers, Chases and Us all lived on the same street in Mtn. Ridge. Now, everyone has moved out of the neighborhood except for us but the tradition has continued. It has been such a fun way to celebrate Halloween. We had a blast this year as well! Mom was here for a visit so it was great to have her with us this year. Congrats to the Chases, they are the winners of the contest this year!!! Happy Halloween!

Bama vs. Ole Miss WHEW! 7-0

2008-10-19T16:07:00.006-04:00

Louie and I went to the Bama game yesterday. It was so fun to be in all the atmosphere of game day! We also got to tailgate with my brother and sister for a little while before the game. It was fun to see everyone. The game was awesome the first half, I thought we were going to kill them. It got kind of scary in the second half but we pulled it out! It was a late night so we are very tired today!

Great Weekend!

2008-10-12T19:26:00.006-04:00

We had a great weekend. Louis and Debbie were here for a visit and we packed in a ton of things like we always do. One thing I love about living in North Georgia is that we are so close to the mountains. We drove up to Helen yesterday and hiked up to Anna Ruby Falls. It is also Oktoberfest up there so that was an incredible opportunity to people watch. All I have to say is people from Georgia SHOULD NOT make fun of me for being from Alabama. :)

Fun Times at the Cumming Country Fair

2008-10-10T21:19:00.008-04:00

Daniel, Becca, Gavin, Us, Rodney, and Sarah

Fun times at the Fair!

The Lovoys

Fair food is the best but probably not the best for you! :)

Rodney, Sarah, Me, and Lou

We started a tradition a couple of years ago of going to the Cumming Country Fair. It is something that we look forward to each October. It is one way that we welcome the Fall. It is also an excellent place to people watch. This year Louis and Debbie were able to come with us! We had so much fun.

Can I just say, it is fun to be a Bama fan right now!!!!

2008-09-28T16:36:00.003-04:00

The game last night against Georgia was INSANE! After several years of watching Bama get defeated time after time, I am so excited that the boys are back! Saban was worth every penny we paid to get him and I cannot believe Bama is ranked #2. What is going on? I just hope we can keep up this pace but for now it feels good to be on top again!!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!

Happenings at the Lovoy House

2008-09-21T14:59:00.002-04:00

I have not given an update in awhile. There has not been much going on with us. We have enjoyed this beautiful fall weather. Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the weather, the decorations, the Cumming County Fair, Halloween, pumpkin carving party, and Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. Oh, and I almost forgot football on Saturdays. It has actually been fun to watch Alabama football again. Although, I am a little nervous about next weekend playing GA.
On another note, church was really good this weekend. We are studying the book of Job. The book of Job used to scare me, like if I read it God would surely allow something terrible to happen in my life. But, it has been really encouraging. This morning's talk was about answering the question, Why is God allowing this to happen? Wow, how many times have I asked this same question that Job asked many years ago. Job had terrible things happen to him, but Job did not run from God, he worshiped him by saying Blessed be the name of the Lord. Shawn asked the question that when we have tragedy in our lives are we going to worship God or run from him? I don't want to run from him, I want to choose to say blessed be the name. I want to believe that God gives us the power of choice and free will and I want to use that power to choose to believe that God knows what is best for me and is going to do what it best for my family.

Funny Story

2008-09-08T17:46:00.002-04:00

Okay, so our church has been doing a series called the Marriage Project which has been awesome. I believe it has helped struggling marriages and encouraged people to believe in their marriage again. As a culmination of this series we held a renewal of vows ceremony yesterday. Louie and I decided to participate because we thought it would be sweet since we were married seven years ago. Also, I think your wedding day can be a blur and you do not pay attention to the words of your vows. It also brought to my mind the fact that Louie and I had no idea some of the struggles we would face in the better or worse part (circumstances not with each other). Which so far, the worse has validated our partnership and faith in each other.
So, I would love to tell you that it was a defining moment in our marriage but we laughed hysterically the whole time. I swear I felt like I was 12. It was one of those moments where you KNEW you should not be laughing but COULD NOT help it. You see Louie and I are not very serious people so to try to be serious was very hard!!! Even though we laughed the whole time, I am glad we did it. Louie is my best friend in the whole world and I love him SO very much. I would marry him 1 million more times if I could!

Great Weekend!

2008-08-31T15:09:00.006-04:00

Ready for the big game!!!

Roll Tide!

Braves vs. Marlins

Louis and Debbie were here this weekend and we had a great time. We went to the Braves game Thursday night and actually WON! Saturday morning started the way every Saturday morning should with ESPN game day. By the way, I love Tim Tebow now. Did anyone see that special? What an incredible guy to be so young! Anyway, after Game Day we went to Dreamland. Something about Dreamland just makes me feel at home. Although we are in GA there are always lots of fellow Bama fans there. We had people over for the game last night and it was so much fun. I feel like we played as a team for the first time in YEARS! It was very exciting. I LOVE college football. Louis and Debbie had to leave today and we always hate to see them go. We love to have family in town. I hope everyone has a great Labor Day. I cannot wait to sleep in and be extremely LAZY tomorrow!

JOHN MAYER!!!

2008-08-30T10:49:00.003-04:00

We went with Rodney and Sarah to the One Republic, John Mayer concert last night and had a blast. John Mayer is really talented to say the least. It was really cool to see him live. The concert was at the new amphitheater in Alpharetta and it was an awesome venue. I am sad it is over!

Mom Visit

2008-08-29T15:31:00.003-04:00

I am a little behind in my blogging! My mom came last weekend and we had a blast. On Saturday, we went to a part of Atlanta called Virginia Highlands. It is a very cool place to go. We ate lunch at this place called Fritti. If you live here you should go some time. Then we went to Piedmont Park (where we are in the picture) and strolled around. And of course, we did some shopping. Mom is getting ready for her trip to New York with all her friends. I always love visits with my moms and hate to see her go. I am glad she has such a great schedule as a nurse and can come more ofter than she used to! I am excited for this weekend. Louie's parents are here, we are going to see John Mayer tonight, and college football is here, ROLL TIDE!!!!

Sunday Reflections

2008-08-24T18:43:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, our worship pastor Todd did a song called Healer that I had not heard before. We are in a marriage series and it has kind of become our theme song for the series. It touched me in an incredible way because of all the things I have been through in the past few years. Here are the words from this song:
You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in You
I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need
My Healer, You're my Healer
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Every time Todd has sung it at church I have clung to the words and believed God that he can do things that are impossible. I have also not been able to contain a flood of tears that well up inside of me each time I hear it. After church, Louie told me the story of the man who wrote this song. He was a worship leader from Australia who claimed to have cancer, even sang this song with an oxygen tube on, but this week it was announced that it was all a lie. Even his family did not know. WOW! What came to my mind was not judgment or anger. What came to my mind was the fact that GOD is so much bigger than man. When he wrote that song God knew what was going to happen and God is using it even in this controversy. He knew that a woman at a church in North Georgia needed to hear these words to help heal her! It is just a reminder that we should never put our trust in man but always put it in God alone. I am praying for this worship leader who has fallen from grace. I know that God can truly heal him just like he has all of us and as the song says. I am also praying for his family. I thank God for him because even through his sin the words that he wrote is touching lives that need to hear it. I hope this blog makes sense because I feel as though I am rambling! :)

5 Days down 175 to go!

2008-08-16T10:26:00.002-04:00

Well, the first week of school is over. We had a great week. I love my class. They are so cute. They came in on Monday so excited and ready to learn. I taught fourth grade last year so for the most part they could spell, write, and read. I forgot how little second graders are when they first come to me. Most of them can read a little, but for the most part they are beginning readers and cannot spell a lick! I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard how do you spell ..... I am so excited though. I cannot wait to watch them grow this year. Needless to say, I was so tired last night that I fell asleep at NINE-Thirty. I was exhausted. Thanks for all your prayers.
On another note, I am looking forward to the next two weekends my mom is coming next weekend and then my other mom and dad (Louis and Debbie) are coming the next. Plus football season starts in TWO weeks!!! I love this time of the year!

New Batch!

2008-08-09T10:49:00.002-04:00

On Monday morning, I am going to get a new group of students. Some of them will come in excited, some will be anxious, and some will be scared. All of them are in my hands for 9 1/2 months, to teach, to mold, to love, and to lead. I am praying for the most successful year yet. This is my 5th year this year and I can't believe how fast time flies. I am super excited to be teaching second grade again this year. I love to see the gains they make in second. I love to watch the ones who struggle in reading to find their groove. I love to watch the ones who cannot count money to learn to count. I love to watch the ones who master addition and subtraction and are challenged to start multiplication. I love it. Don't get me wrong there are bad days that try my patience but I see teaching as a gift, a calling that God has given me. I am writing this post because I want your prayers. Pray that God gives me favor with my students and their parents this year. Pray that these kids see Jesus in me everyday. Pray that they see his patience, his kindness, his grace, his forgiveness, and most importantly his love. Also, pray for the first day of school. It is such an important day where I will set procedures, routines, rules, and will set the tone for the rest of the year. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers!

Beach Pictures

2008-08-02T14:53:00.004-04:00

It has become a tradition that we do white pictures every year at the pics. Louie and Kit LOVE it! LOL! I loved taking pics of the girls. I love candid shots. Those are my favorites. Molli was hilarious. She did not cooperate but it was hilarious. I hope you enjoy the slide show!

Beach 2008

2008-08-02T12:35:00.003-04:00

We just got back from Gulf Shores last night. We had such an awesome time. We went with the Lovoys but had lots of visitors while we were there. My mom and Pat came down Sat. and Sunday and it was so good to see him. He lives in Arkansas now so I have not seen him since Christmas. We also got to see all of our friends from Mobile. It was great to see them and catch up. Louie's Uncle David and cousins Brittany and Chris also came down. We had so much fun playing on the beach with Molli, Madi, and Kam. Kam turned 6 months yesterday, he is getting so big. It was a great end to the Summer. On Monday, it is back to reality for me! Summer 2008 has been the best one yet!

A Good Read!

2008-07-24T10:02:00.004-04:00

During the Summer, one of my favorite things to do is read. It is great to have the time to just snuggle up with a book on the couch. My great friend Sarah recommended a book for me to read this Summer called The Shack. I am sure you have heard about it. It is an unexpected best seller. When, I picked this up to read I did not expect that I would discover a new way of looking at God and the trinity and how much he cares for us. It start with a tragic event in one man's life and the big question Why would God allow this to happen? As most of you know who are my family and friends, I have had this question many times in the last few years. In the Spring we were so surprised to find out we were FINALLY pregnant after 2 1/2 years of trying. We were going to go back to the specialist this summer and could not believe it had actually happened. We were elated and praising God that his timing was so perfect. Then, we went for our ultrasound and there were two heartbeats (what twins with no drugs, God was really good) but baby B was not doing very well and they wanted us to come back in 2 weeks. Baby B was not expected to live. We left the doc not knowing exactly how to feel, we truly believed God had carried us through all the pain of infertility and blessed us with twins and he was going to heal this baby. So, 2 weeks later we went for another ultrasound, I knew as soon as she started something was wrong. She could not find either heartbeat. Our little miracles were gone. I was MAD! I could not believe God would allow this to happen. Louie and I who are in the ministry, who serve him, who love him, who try to live our lives for him. WHAT! Then Louie the voice of reason, Lindsay God is the same God today that he was last Wednesday when we were praising him at Growth Group. (NOT WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR AT THE TIME) I praise God for Louie and his faith. Faith and trust is something that I struggle with at times and I am working through. I believe I read this book for a reason this summer. Just to solidify that God loves me with all his heart and that the verse John 10:10 is so true that God wants to give us an abundant and good life. If any of you are struggling with the whys or even your faith, I want to encourage you to read this book. I hope and pray that God is going to use our story and our journey of infertility and miscarriage to help others out there who are struggling with same thing. So, go out to Barnes and Noble and get the book!!!

Off to the Beach!

2008-07-24T09:56:00.003-04:00

We are leaving first thing in the morning for the beach! I am super excited because I get to spend a whole week with my nieces and nephew and of course Louis, Debbie, Angel, and Kit. This will be Madi's last week before she starts the BIG kindergarten. I CANNOT believe she is already going. I cannot imagine how Angel is feeling. Anyway, I am also very excited because I am going to get to see my brother. He is coming in Friday to Bham for a visit (he lives in Arkansas now) and I was bummed because I was not going to get to see him but my mom and Pat decided to come to the beach for a few days. I have not seen him since Christmas so I cannot wait. I am ready for some tanning, some beach reads, and some fried shrimp. I will post pictures when we get back. Pray for safe travels for all of us!

Britt Visit

2008-07-22T16:20:00.005-04:00

Britt came for a visit last week and we had so much fun. I cannot remember the last time we got to hang out together by ourselves. We went to Stone Mountain for the third and LAST time this Summer. I love it but 3 times is a BIT much. We also had lunch at Wolf Vineyard Cafe one day. It is such a beautiful little vineyard in the North Georgia Mountains with a great view and awesome food. We also tubed the hooch with our friends Sarah, Rodney, Casey, Kacie, Darby, Becca and Daniel. That is always a blast because you would not believe the hilarious sights you see along the river. We also did lots of laying out of course at the lake and pool. We had such a good visit and I cannot wait for her to come back!

Surprise to Me!!!

2008-07-14T12:05:00.001-04:00

Louie surprised me for our anniversary with Kenney Chesney tickets. I have always wanted to see him in concert and he came to Turner field along with Leigh Ann Rimes, Sammy Hagar (who still thinks it is 1984), Brooks and Dunn and Kenney. The day did not start off very promising, it was pouring down rain. Thank goodness when we got to our seats they were under the canopy. Another funny thing that happened is Louie got crapped on by a pigeon. It was hilarious, we thought someone spit chewing tobacco on him at first. I laughed so hard. Louie did not find it as amusing! The surprise of the night was when Jennifer Knettles came out to sing STAY with Kenney. It was such a fun concert. The people around us were also VERY entertaining! WOW! I did not know there were so many rednecks in the world. Enjoy the slide show. Isn't Kenney SO cute!!! Enjoy the slide show!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-14T12:04:00.001-04:00

SEVEN YEARS!!!!!

2008-07-14T11:23:00.007-04:00

WOW! Today marks our SEVEN year anniversary. I cannot believe it has been 7 years. What a fun 7 years it has been. In 7 years we moved to Mobile, AL and lived for 3 years. We wore the drive to Gulf Shores out while living there and soaked up every minute we could at the beach and met some of our best friends for life there. After living there for exactly 3 years we moved to Cumming, GA and moved 3 times while waiting for our house to sell for 1 year. (Waiting has been the story of our life! :) We have loved it here! We have been on so many fun adventures. We have packed so much into 7 years and I cannot wait to see what the next 7 years hold. Who would of thought when we started dating at 15 and 17 that we would be here today. I see it as such a privilege to be married to Louie Lovoy. He is the kindest, most generous, and loving person I know. What you see is what you get with him. He has made my life so fun and fulfilled. I love him sooo much. Louis and Debbie did an awesome job raising such a beautiful man of God. Enjoy the old pics! I do not have a scanner so the quality is not very good. The pic of us with me in the beautiful blue sequin dress is from I think our 2nd date to the PROM, that is a funny story if you ever want to hear it. Check out the hair! Anyway, I just want to reminisce today.

Mom and Grandaddy Visit!

2008-07-11T12:25:00.007-04:00

My mom and Granddaddy came to visit this week. I think it was good for him to get out of the house after his surgery. We had so much fun. I took them for a picnic and to hang out at the lake on Wednesday. On Thursday, we shopped ALL day. There can never be a visit with mom without shopping. We had a blast and found a lot of good deals which is always good! We also did A LOT of relaxing as you can tell by the picture in the middle. We sat on the back patio a lot just reading and talking. I do not think we do enough of that. It is good to get away from the TV and computer every now and then!

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-05T12:17:00.005-04:00

Sarah, Rodney, Louie, Casey, and Rusty
After the Peachtree, we went to the lake. We swam and the boys played on the wake board. We also ate some great food. One of our best friends from Mobile, Rusty was here with us this year for the Fourth so it has been great hanging out with him!! I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July!!!

The Peachtree Road Race!

2008-07-05T12:06:00.005-04:00

I know we are DORKS!!!!

We completed our first Peachtree Road Race yesterday and we had a BLAST!!! We did it with some of our best friends, Sarah and Rodney and Daniel and Becca. It was my first 10K. Louie did a marathon in Feb. which is 26.2 miles. After doing only 6 I cannot believe he ran that many miles. Anyway, I think we have found a new Fourth of July Tradition. There are 55,000 people who run the race each year. It was amazing to see that many people running. Needless to say we were exhausted last night!!!

Granddaddy

2008-06-30T19:52:00.002-04:00

Thank you for praying! Granddaddy came out of surgery great today. The artery was actually 90% blocked so it was a really good thing that they caught it before he had a stroke. Keep praying for a quick recovery. He will be in ICU tonight and hopefully will come home tomorrow.

Pray for my Granddaddy!

2008-06-30T09:42:00.002-04:00

My granddaddy is having Carotid Artery surgery today around 11 central time. Please pray for him. He has been a huge part of my life and I hope this surgery will keep him around for many more years to come. Thanks for your prayers!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Darby!!!!

2008-06-28T22:56:00.002-04:00

Darby turned 1 today and we had a great time at her party. It really seems like yesterday that we were waiting outside of the delivery room to meet little Darbs for the first time. I cannot believe how fast this first year has gone by. Casey and Kacie have done a great job this first year and are the sweetest mommy and daddy. Darbs is a lucky girl. We have had so much fun watching her grow this year and turn into such a funny and sweet little baby. We love you Darby!!!

Stone Mountain with the Moores

2008-06-27T00:29:00.002-04:00

We got a surprise call from Angel on Tuesday. She called to tell us that they were going to Stone Mountain and wanted to know if we could meet them there. Miss a chance to see them, no way!! So we met them there for the laser light show and had an awesome time. Molli loved her Uncle Louie last night. They had a great time playing and wrestling on the lawn. Kam is getting so big, we loved holding and playing with him. Madi and Kit had a great time playing checkers and we had a blast watching them blow bubbles. It was so good to catch up with Angel and Kit too. I hope you enjoy the slideshow!

We are Home!

2008-06-24T19:32:00.000-04:00

These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip. Yesterday, I asked Louie if it was good to be back at work and he said well, I would rather be traveling the world with my wife! I thought that was funny. The trip really was amazing. It was fun to get to see all these places that you hear about on tv and the movies your whole life. It was also good to spend all that time with Louie just the two of us. I am so glad to have such an awesome husband to share my life with. This trip was also healing after miscarrying the twins, it was good to leave and get my mind off of things. God really used this trip to show me how big and powerful he is. It was good to see all the beautiful things he has created and know that he is the same God who loves us and has a plan for us. I cannot wait to see how he finishes our family. I have so much hope and I just cling to Jeremiah 29:11. Anyway, we are glad to be at home and I am glad I still have several more weeks of summer to enjoy!

Seattle and Heading Home!

2008-06-20T00:13:00.000-04:00

We have been in Seattle since yesterday afternoon and have had a fun time. We went to Pike Place Market yesterday and saw the very first Starbucks. I think we should own stock in Starbucks because we frequently go there! So, it was cool to see where it all started. One of my favorite things at the market were the Pike Place Flower Shop. The flowers were so pretty and they were cheap. Louie said that if we lived here he would buy them for me everyday. We also watched them throw the fish, one of the things they are famous for. Today we walked by the Space Needle and decided that we did not want to go in because it was to crowded so we just took a pic of it. So, we headed over to Alki Beach which my friend Beth suggested. Great suggestion Beth! It was a GREAT people watching place. We were tired so we just sat on a bench on the boardwalk for hours and talked and watched people. The pics are not that great because we are tired of taking pictures and Louie is really tired of getting his pic taken. HA! We have had an unbelievable time but we are ready to head back home. We fly out tomorrow at 12:40. Pray for us! It is a 5 hour flight and I really hate to fly!!!

Portland Oregon

2008-06-18T01:15:00.000-04:00

Today we flew into Portland from SF. We had a 7:10 flight, I have no idea what I was thinking when I did that. So, we arrived here at about 8:30 and then went to Peet's Coffee for about 3 hours to drink coffee and read. I think we needed some time to chill since we have been running like CRAZY! I was really not all that excited about coming to Portland, I do not know why but I just wasn't. Boy was I surprised! We went to the Columbia River Gorge and saw some of the most beautiful sights I have seen. We saw some awesome waterfalls that were huge. The mountains and lakes were awesome too. I like the city but at the end of the day, we are just nature people. We love the mountains, lakes, and beaches. We had an awesome day of just exploring this beautiful part of our country! We really have such a diverse country. It really is amazing to see that vast differences. We are headed out in the morning for our last leg of our trip. We will be going to Seattle tomorrow. We fly back home on Friday!

Napa Valley and Muir Woods

2008-06-17T21:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we made sure we saw everything we wanted to in San Fran. We started the day by driving over to Napa Valley (Wine Country). We ate at this awesome restaurant called Brix. It had the most romantic view with mountains, vineyards, and gardens right off the patio. After we left Napa, Louie wanted to see the Redwoods so we went to a park called Muir Woods. The redwoods were so big, it was amazing. On the way back over, we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge which had a toll charge of $5.00 , I thought that was a bit much. Anyway, we also drove down Lumbard St. which is the crookedest street in the US. This morning we said goodbye to San Fran and flew to Portland. I will post those pics when we get back tonight. We are meeting with a pastor from Imago Dei to talk about small groups. This is the same church where one of my favorite authors goes, Donald Miller. If you have not read Blue Like Jazz, it is a must read. Anyway, enjoy the pics~

San Fran

2008-06-15T20:37:00.000-04:00

We are having a blast so far today! We have been to the Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Union Square, and Ghiradelli Square. Louie has eaten two bread bowls of clam chowder in the last 24 hours at Boudin. They have been making bread since 1879 and it is very good. We took a ferry ride that took us to the Golden Gate Bride (which is actually orange) and Alcatraz. It is an understatement to say that we FROZE our butts off. I think Summer here is colder than winter in GA. We were laughing so hard about the wind that a man asked us if we had been to Napa already today. It was hilarious! We love riding the trolleys. We rode hanging off today. We are going back down to the pier 39 area again tonight. I am probably not going to blog again until we get to Portland. We had to pay for internet 24 hours and that will be up tonight so hopefully it will be free in Portland. We fly to Portland on Tuesday morning! Enjoy the pictures!

Carmel By the Sea and 17 Mile Drive

2008-06-15T01:36:00.000-04:00

This morning we checked out of Monterey and hung out at Carmel by the Sea. This has been one of our favorite stops so far. The 17 mile drive was an awesome suggestion Lyndsey! The drive has 21 vista points and the points along the water were breath taking. One thing I love about the Pacific is watching the seals! It is so neat to see them in their natural habitat! I LOVED Carmel by the Sea too. We ate at this cool little coffee shop. Louie and I felt like the Beverly Hillbillies rolling up in there! There were actually people there that wore their sweaters tied around their necks. It was hilarious. I cannot believe people actually live in places like that. After eating lunch, we headed to San Fran. We arrived here at about 6:00. Tonight we rode the trolley down to the Fisherman's Wharf. I love the little cable cars. I cannot believe how big this city is. We will be here for 3 nights. We are having a blast on this adventure!!!

2008-06-15T01:22:00.000-04:00

Louie and I left the LA area yesterday at about 9:00 and drove the most beautiful drive I think we will ever see in this lifetime. We drove for 9 hours to Monterey. It did not seem like 9 hours at all because the scenery was awesome. We drove up Route 1 with Mountains to our right and cliffs that went out to the pacific on the left. I was very glad that we were driving North because I was scared to death. There were places where we were driving up the mountain at literally 20 MPH. We stopped a million times to take pictures. This is definitely one of those things that you HAVE to do before you die. It was incredible. We have an amazing God that created places like Big Sur. It was really foggy throughout the drive. I wish it had been a sunny day but from what I hear the fog is pretty much the norm. We finally ended up in Monterey at the Hyatt and our room was awesome there. We went down to Cannery Row to eat and ate outside looking over the ocean at Louie Linguines. We had to eat there right?!?! My next blog will be about what we did today!

2008-06-13T00:43:00.000-04:00

Today we visited Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, and drove up Mulholland Drive. We went to Hollywood Blvd. and saw the Kodak Theater where lots of awards show are taped and the American Idol finale. There was actually an awards show tonight called the AFI awards but it was kind of a no name event, but, it was cool to see how they set up for the Red Carpet. We also saw the Chinese Theater and the famous Hollywood sign. It was kind of funny because I did not realize how many tourists there would be there. Louie said it was like being in Gatlinburg. One cool thing we got to do is sit in on a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel show. Louie and I sat on the very first row! We did not get to see any celebrities besides Jimmy but it was really cool to see all these things that you hear about on TV. So, tomorrow we get to drive up to Monterey on the Pacific Highway 1. I am so excited because I have heard that this is a beautiful drive.

Day 3 of our Big Adventure

2008-06-12T01:30:00.000-04:00

Today we left San Diego and headed North. We stopped by La Jolla again today. All the pics of the Pacific and seals are from La Jolla. The US Open is taking place right beside La Jolla starting tomorrow. La Jolla is one of the prettiest places I have ever seen. It is amazing that God created places like this. After we left there we headed to the LA area. It took us about 2 hours to get here. The traffic actually was not as bad as it is in Atlanta. We are staying in Marina Del Ray which is about 15 minutes from Santa Monica. Tonight we decided to go to the famous Santa Monica Pier. It was cool but we were sad because the Ferris Wheel stops running at 8:00 which we did not know when we decided to eat first. We watched the sunset from our restaurant over the Santa Monica Beach. There is a picture of that also. It was beautiful! Tomorrow we hope to spot some celebrities because anybody that knows me know I am all about some People and TMZ.com. I know I am sick!

2008-06-10T21:25:00.000-04:00

Today was another great day in San Diego. We are staying in the Gaslamp district of San Diego at the Ramada. The picture of Louie standing by a gate is actually our hotel elevator. Our hotel was built in 1913 and it still has the original elevator. It is a wee bit scary! We started the day by eating breakfast at Cafe 222. It was a really cool cafe close to our hotel. After breakfast we drove over to the beach near Hotel Coronado. The beach was awesome with all those pretty rocks. The weather has been really cool here which is a great break from the 95 degrees we left in ATL. After we left Coronado we drove over to Seaport Village where we ate lunch and then caught a Ferry that took us back over to Coronado. It was neat to see San Diego on the water. Tonight we are going to walk around the Gaslamp and may walk down to the stadium where the Padres are playing. Tonight is our last night here. In the morning we will be heading to the LA area for a couple of days. We are going to stop at La Jolla again because we LOVE it. Pray for safe travels to LA!

2008-06-10T01:29:00.000-04:00

We had a blast today! I feel like today lasted forever. We woke up at FOUR this morning to get to the airport on time for our flight. No one should know what FOUR in the morning looks like! Anyway, our flight left at 8:45 from Atlanta but because of the time change we arrived here at 10:05. Everything went very smoothly from Flights, to car rental, to hotel. I was glad because I was a wee bit nervous about all of that. THANK YOU so much Rodney and Sarah for picking up our car at Marta. We love you guys! Well, we went straight to La Jolla beach when we got here to eat lunch. It is BEAUTIFUL there. I could not believe it. We had a meeting with a pastor from North Coast Church at 2 so we had to eat in a hurry so that we could meet him. He taught us lots of new things about how to do small groups. We loved meeting with him. After that, we drove back down the coast and went back to La Jolla because we did not get enough before. We went to this fabulous park that had a great view of the Pacific. I loved seeing the seals. They are sooo cute. Louie decided a couple of years ago that we should move to Breckenridge but after today he is ready to move to San Diego. JUST KIDDING MOMS!!! We have one more day in San Diego tomorrow. I will keep you updated!

Off to the West Coast

2008-06-08T20:05:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the big day. Louie and I will be off on the adventure of a lifetime. We are flying out to San Diego to start our two week sabbatical. We will be driving up Highway 1 from San Diego to San Fransisco making many stops along the way. On Tuesday the 17th we will be flying to Portland and then driving up to Seattle. To say we are excited is an understatement. We are going to try to blog periodically about what we did that day and where we are headed and hopefully post some pics to. Pray for safe travels!!!