I love my little guys...

christmas 2011

2011-12-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

busy working on our gingerbread village, they turned out super cute. not sure where the picture of them finished is?
clay and dear old grandad... thankful for another christmas with my grandparents

about to open their new boots, they were pumped

in our first official christmas dress

did santa come????

yikes, he sure did....too much fun!

uncle clay taking a break from fighting with uncle tuck over holding hadley, to play with colby

awesome new chairs from grandmo and pep

uncle clay is getting this crew ready for his snow skiing bachelor party

christmas lunch, grandmo blessed us all with a wonderful meal

this has been one christmas never to be forgotten. with the arrival of our special baby, my heart has been so focused on that other baby born so long ago....His love for me and my family is beyond words!

wow what an adventure

2011-12-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

not sure i can fully explain it here, so here are some pics to enjoy. miss hadley was born on the 12th and our waiting period ended on the 23rd. soo here are some of her first few days.....

yay for hair

going home, to the hotel, after 24 hours

meeting nonni and pop

and meeting grandmo and pep

so in love!!

meeting her big brothers

family of 5

ohh he loves his little sis

first few visitors

meeting her sweet cousin and her aunt dane dane!

many more pics to come....

Grandmo's birthday

2011-12-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

we were able to celebrate grandmo's birthday the night before we left to get hadley. hadley was born the day before her grandmo, so lots of pink birthday celebrations in our future!! we love you grandmo

Lankford Christmas

2011-12-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

with part of the crew headed to south africa, part headed to california and the arrival of miss hadley, we had the lankford family christmas early this year. we all met up at non and pop's to start by picking out the perfect tree.
here are my boys getting ready for the tree hunting, hay ride...
even though we were without the south african crew, it was a super sweet time with the rest of the family. soo excited for these 2 and their summer wedding

cy, my little photographer, took this picture of part of the crew

the boys with our mighty tree

cy, nonni, colby and pop had a blast decorating the tree

ooohhh i love this sweet face, reminds me so much of some of those faces in south africa~

court, we tried a cousin pic, crazy as ever and so missing your crew

cy won the award for most excited gift opener, he loved each gift!!

colby wanted to make sure everyone knew how thankful he was...

sweet boys hard at work

we celebrated the next morning with a big breakfast and lots of gifts, so fun!!

whew we are trying to cram it all in before sister comes!

2011-12-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

this weekend, we were all over the place! i have pics from some of it and just memories from other events. friday night we went with most of the fam to downtown nashville to watch the christmas parade. it was so much fun, i had no clue what to expect and loved it! the weather was great and it was a very fun friday night activity.

then early saturday morning we were up and ready to go at the jingle bell run in franklin. this year we brought the boys along and i think we all had a great time.

ol' st nick was even there for a jog and we were able to snag a fun pic with him
hopeful that this is one of the last fam of 4 pics :)

cy ran in the santa chase that morning, here he is a the starting line, very serious

run, buddy, run

so proud of how awesome he did!!!

sweet bec always comes out and supports our family in this run, this year i decided i was going to hang with her in the race. ha, she tells me as we get started that she is planning to run the entire thing. i am NOT a runner. i NEVER run, soo i made it about 2/3rds of the way and then let her gone on ahead. i really did not finish too far behind her, but i was super proud of her!!! i will say, i am SOOO sore today.

so then this crew loads up and heads east to watch the green devils plan in the state championship. we were so pumped to be there with gav and kara to cheer on the team. we only made it until half time, but the green devils came out on top and are the 2011 state champs!!!

we had to rush home from the game to head to our sunday school classes christmas party. it was a tacky party and unfortunately i have no pics. i will tell you that nate won " tackiest" you can just imagine!!

then we ended the weekend with the always classic preschool christmas performance at church. colby is old enough now to be in the show and he was a super cute camel.

he sang, SOME!!!
he waved, LOTS! and then he looked bored the rest of the time. oh well, as jonthan c. said at least one out of the two is into to preforming!

this brother LOVES to be on stage. here he is doing his speaking part. we were all so proud!

he loves a good song that has several hand motions, he really gets into those...

either way, they had a huge cheering section~all the grandparents~fun family and friends~

and of course mom and dad!

next weekend we kick off family christmas, that is unless miss hadley decides to make an early entrance!!!!

Thanksgiving 2011 in pictures

2011-12-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

this year we had both sides of my family celebrate thanksgiving together at my parents house.....it was great, very loud, but super fun!

here are my mom's people :)
here are dad's

uncle clay and granny (my dad's mom)

indian Cy and nanny (mom's mother)

tuck and our youngest cousin, ethan

my biggest brother, oh he makes me smile

my dad and my cousin, joe

grand dad and I, he is my dad's father

sweet kelly and cy, i do not think Colby was in the picture taking spirit and did not pose for any pics

lets just say you know you have had a LARGE time at thanksgiving when you have to be carried out!!!!! hehe

my brothers and i are so blessed to have ALL of our grandparents still living. what a blessing to spend each holiday with them!

it is almost time...

2011-11-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

2 weeks and 1 day until we meet our PINK surprise.....please join us in praying for the health of our baby, a smooth delivery for our birthmother, an amazing PEACE that only the Lord can provide for Nate and I, and a period of simple transition for our boys and all our family! thank you for walking this journey with us.....

catch up.....fast beach trip

2011-11-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

as a lankford boy you never know what your day might hold. on a random monday i got a call from dana and nonni saying they were going to be beach bound the next day. were we interested? YEP! so off we went, 5 days of sun, fun and hanging! thanks for inviting us girls!

the kitchen staff was a little scary
hope one of our last pics without little sis

oh how i love these two

a true beach bum

he sat in this hole for hours each day, oh the imagination

fall picture update....halloween

2011-11-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

this is the first of a couple of catch up posts.....
halloween came and went, but we had fun saving the world as turtles. aunt dana had a costume party and i was not about to show up as a party pooper. soooo i went as a sweetheart twirler, when i was in about 2nd grade my mom had a little baton twirling group. we were the sweetheart twirlers and i busted my very large sweatshirt back out! random, but fun!
cy and a special cupcake at the fall festival

all the ladies at the costume party

trick or treat......

a picture update

2011-10-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

so all things are wild and crazy here at the lankford house! we have made 2 very special trips south to meet a young lady that holds a special place in our hearts. more to come later about that, in the mean time though we are making the most of our time as a family of 4.....
for fall break we headed to east tn to meet up with gavin and his soon to be in laws. we had a BLAST! the boys were in boy heaven...enjoy the pics

friday night high school football, go green devils!!!
chicken farming, really there are no words!
amazing and SMELLY
love some good poppi time
horse riding alone

best buddies, can't wait for that 3rd little head to be in the pic

photo shoot out on the farm, looks a lot like mater

a dad and his little boys

loving my guy :)

photos by cy....

colby loving

big brother loves his mom

horse riding with poppi

and mr. dan

pony riding, really does it get any better if you are 5 or 3

then home and off to gentry farm with the little school. thanks colby for letting us tag along

and yay that grandmo came!

happy fall, ya'll

a little blog break....

2011-10-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

because things are going on and life is changing...please pray with us! :)

m-i-c- see ya real soon, k-e-y- why b/c i like you...

2011-09-25T20:34:00.001-07:00

one last safari ride with pep...
one mean momma bird....i think she was sad to see us go!

one last disney treasure....

saying goodbye to our super great hotel....

our small touch of africa to remind us of that crazy african crew we miss and love....

one last day of missing school.....

we headed home, with lots of smiles, laughs and memories! thanks nate for letting us go and thanks grandmo and pep for helping us pull off so many great surprises! what a great trip to spend as a family of 4, next time we will be making many stops at ALL princess sights! :)

a busy day 5

2011-09-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

we knew we were closing down our trip so we had to make the most of our last full day. colby was going to make sure that no one got in our way to ride the family fav "soarin." really he just ask every 5 seconds, "where's my pistol?"
we ate our last big meal in "italy", or the italian village in epcot. it was yummy and they had a great gfree dish.

we had to take a couple of pics with the giant ball in the back ground. not sure i had ever been in the big ball until this trip, and it was actually an interesting ride.

family of 4 for now.....

then we headed over to hollywood studios, this time with grandmo and pep. again we hit up starwars and this time came out with some LARGE, over priced swords.

check out the intense battle here....

all bad guys beware~

this was a much appreciated rest time for the big guys

also a nice rest of the big guys was the always entertaining muppets in 3d....check out the vintage mickeys

when cy went off to watch, "indian and the jones," again with nate and pep, colby opted for a less intense activity. (colby had not been a fan of indian and the jones on our previous visit, he watched most of it under the seats in front of him)

since moving in with grandmo and pep, all morning news shows are no longer shown, disney junior rules~ so it only made sense that colby attend the show with mickey, jake and all the other junior stars, with grandmo!

one character i had not imagined the boys getting an autograph from, "green army man"

surprise #2...guess who showed up on day 4

2011-09-25T19:59:00.001-07:00

look who we found sitting under the tree right at the entrance to the park monday morning... colby is on the phone with pep as we walked into the park that morning. he thinks he is telling pep all about disney while pep is on his way to work....yes cy looks terrible, at this point he has thrown up in the hotel room, in the food court and on the bus.

all that was about to change.....as they stroll by the tree, both boys recognize 2 very familiar, "heys"

this was sweet colby once he saw his grandmo and pep

and sick cy jumped straight up and into his pep's lap. really it was soo sweet i will never forget their faces!

cy was not up for race cars, so he sat with grandmo and ate 10 peanut butter crackers. he kept them down and it really is amazing what a good dose of grandparents will do for a kid!

colby however was ready to go, he and pep beat nate, of course!

now grandmo is being forced to get in on the character pics....say cheese

colby and pep were about to yell, "we need ketchup" something that was quite normal at our dinner meal

a nice boat ride back across the lake for some late night fun at magic kingdom

day 3 a goofy breakfast and some wild animals

2011-09-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

on sunday we ate our mickey waffles with a cast of characters....
colby and donald were so happy to see each other....

cy was also very pumped!

minnie is not a very shy mouse!

this guy was so close to our jeep we had to be reminded not to reach our hands out and touch him

pocahontas kept us occupied during the random afternoon rain shower...

we ended this day with a very fun trip to the lego store. cy was sooo excited!

day 2 hollywood style

2011-09-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

we were up and going early on day two. we headed to hollywood studios for a character lunch and to ride some fun rides. crazy mom would not let us pass too many characters without having them sign our homemade autograph books. yes i am that nerdy!
the boys loved the star wars ride, maybe if we ever watched the movie we would really know what was going on.....

really as a mom of boys you just have to love cars....these made us all very happy

random entertainment waiting to meet buzz and woody

buzz, was about to get it from colby and his mom for trying to steal the super cool autograph book

lunch with a handy man....

and a cutie named june

oowwwstanding oso!

they were supposed to tell mr.incredible that their dad could beat him up, yes i am rolling my eyes

a little hot, but that was really just from that fact that cy had been breaking it down in the flash mob dance out in the street

sweet brothers cool it off in the swimming pool

magic kingdom day 1

2011-09-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

we shot aliens with buzz
we fought pirates with jack

we went soaring with dumbo

we almost vomited with the mad hatter

and we gave high fives to a few random peeps along the way...........

that night we ate an african feast at our hotel and then crashed....what a big day!

a big day for 2 little boys....

2011-09-25T19:05:00.001-07:00

wake up sweet boys we are off on a BIG adventure.....
this was the scene early last friday morning. these two kiddos were about to start a fun filled 6 day adventure at disney and they had no clue! they were a little sleepy but it did not take too long to fill in the clues.
Clue 1: the always crafty dad made a dollar store airplane have four flying heads on it....

Clue 2: a giant disney balloon, two new buzz lightyear* tees, and 2 backpacks filled with lots of dollar store treats :) disney here we come........

cy was way too little to remember his last airplane ride so this was really a first for both of them. they were pumped and had a great time!

i could not have planned it better, we walked straight into the park and walked right up to our first character "Mickey the Mouse" then out the door to see our first of several parades. it was a great way to say welcome to 2 little boys that really had no clue what to expect!

you will not be invited next time.....

2011-09-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

last friday night pep convinced grandmo that spending the night at the cabin would be a super fun idea. sooo because grandmo was going, i was also invited along. now most of the time it is a strictly "NO GIRLS" allowed activity. mom and i do not usually mind too much, sometimes this mean, a dinner at changs or a trip to green hills. perfect for us all, BUT this time we all loaded up and headed that way.

when we first arrived we made our hotdogs and made sure all of our bellies were filled. then it was off on a major 4 wheeling adventure.

smores were a later part of the evening and at this point i was still all smiles!

oh and i want to point out that the cabin has no running water, so you do not drink much water when you are there! again, a very BOY place....

yes, this momma spider also makes her home near the cabin. those white dots are her thousands of babies riding on her back.... my smile began to fade!

i do not have a pic of us all sleeping on the front porch of the cabin together. i was not too keen on this and about 2 i ended up on the cot inside. i loved the evening events, but sleeping at the cabin is not something i plan to do again! as my mom and i woke up EARLY on saturday ready for breakfast at the local store and then showers at home, nate and dad both said "you will not be invited next time.." and once again my smile returned!!! :)

Colby's first day...Yay!

2011-09-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

it was finally colby's turn to go to school. ALL of us were super pumped! cy was glad to know that colby was no longer just kickn it with mom all day, colby was glad to no longer just be kickn it with mom, and i am glad to be kickn it with myself for a little bit!!!

colby walked in to his 3 year old class like it was nothing, i was sooo thankful

he and his 2 buddies in class all wore polos and plaid shorts, must be the cool thing when you are 3?

so proud of both my school boys and yes, i did think to myself "man i have been waiting for this all summer :)"

Kindergarten here he comes

2011-08-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Well we have officially made it through our first day of kindergarten! Cy woke up super early this morning, more than ready to go. I have been praying for this to be a smooth transition for us all and so far so good. He was so proud of his backpack and his "tiger" blue shirt. We are all super excited that Cy is going to have the same sweet teacher that his Uncle Tuck had back in kindergarten. I am so proud of my little buddy!

cy and tuck both getting ready to go to school today!

hey big school, here i am....

hope mrs. philips is ready for lots of ninja games at recess and random hunting stories from our little man

ok so no real tears to mention this morning, but really i think i was pacing by pick up time. oh and it was just half a day! i really cant imagine how next week will be.

he seemed to have a good day, he was starving and wiped out when we picked him up. so i take all of that as a good sign, of fun that was had. he DID NOT like the chocolate milk at lunch so we will have to reassess the lunch situation!

pictures that make me smile!

2011-08-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

just a random summer night, with my crazy crew.....

today....

2011-08-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

i have several posts to catch up on and some great "indian" pics to post. but today i just need to give thanks.......
this season of life that nate and i are walking in right now has had a few ups and downs. some days we cry more than we smile and others we are totally care free. every day though i set out to fix my Hope, upon the Lord. some days i make it (half way, anyway) others i FAIL miserably. i have seen that hope in anything else is just not going to cut it and to find the real stuff He is our only Hope...... today, oh man today, He renewed that Hope in so many ways! so today i will rejoice and hide this day in my heart to remember on the days when Hope might seem a little further away.

1 Chronicles 16: 9 sing to him, sing praise to him: tell of all his wonderful acts.

Psalms 66:20 Praise be to God. who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

random july pics using my new camera lens!!!

2011-07-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

i had a great birthday weekend and love my new lens.... not totally sure how to make it work best, but i am really practicing! enjoy the pics

a happy birthday surprise.....

2011-07-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

i love a good birthday celebration...i love celebrating my family, my friends and really anyone that has a birthday! so i was sooo excited to come home tonite to find a few of my sweetest peeps ready to help me celebrate. my way to precious mom, gathered the troops for just a little snacking, competing and lots of RANDOM conversations!!! it was so special!

surprise we are here!!!!!
lets eat.....RIBS, yay!

just a friendly "noncompetitive" scavenger hunt

poor random girl at sonic*, she was an alabama fan and did not want to wear this jersey.....we did not care!!!

our w*almart "first date" items....ours were pg rated, i will not comment on the other groups items....they were not blog friendly, hehe

up close and personal with the WINNING TEAM

always fun to have a random house stop on any scavenger hunt....clay and his friends thought they were having a nice quiet dinner, (side note, ash is pretty much begging at this point for some water and a potty break.....did NOT happen!)

despite a good effort, the *braves were not victorious this time.....

fun friends, that can discuss everything from nursing babies to quoting scripture.....

showing off a special gift that contains the sweet name of miss hadley, oooohhh the girl fun that is in my near future......

sleep over!!! yay............

2011-06-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

we were finally able to pull off our spend the night with bear and brax....

cy and brax are just the right age to play and hang...they are much cooler than the little guys(in their minds) no sleep over is complete without pizza and ice cream cones

summer memories

double trouble!

getting ready for movie number one....with this crew it may take a few to get everyone settled down and out!

lankford family vacation...teepee style

2011-06-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

teepee number 4, much like numbers 1,2,3, and 5.....real nice???
big boys...

lil boys.....

sweet lil riders on our boat

the big kid boat.....

lake swimming with dad

boat riding with mom

best buddies......

my cy austin

my colby todd

nothing is ever boring with uncle gav around!

19 lankfords stranded on the lake during a severe thunderstorm....watch out nearest campground bathhouse!!!!

2 hours later....still stranded!love our daddy fishing time

oh and bear climbing the roof, yes rich is a very tall man...

fathers day....a lil late

2011-06-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

we love our dads, our pepe, and our pop!

spending days with our cousins.....

2011-06-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

random pics from these first 3 weeks with our peeps....
this is a very random pic, but i just love how it shows "big" girl bri holding tiny Jude, as well as "big" guy brax and sweet colby. oh the fun of a big family!

oh so many BOYS!

i have realized recently that bows are about to become a major focus of my day...i mean bristol is in her diaper at the creek, with her bow is perfect place!!

we were able to spend one great afternoon hanging out on nonni's front porch eating chips and playing in empty boxes....what kid does not love a big empty box?

a June to remember....

2011-06-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

so we have been wildly busy this june....but man has it been great!!! we had such a big surprise when our african friends arrived early that we have just loved every minute of having them here. these pics really just have the boys in them, b/c to my crew their best buddies are home and they are soaking it in!
this pic was taken with in the first few minutes of them being here!
these two are 2 peas in a pod.....it was like they were never apart!

nate sooo excited to have more of his boys back....

i think the baboons over in africa have taught brax a few tricks

ohhhh and none of us can get enough of this sweet thing!

5, really?

2011-06-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

i can't believe it...... today my big brother, Cy turned 5 and i am a little unsure about this! i mean 5 is soooo big, and for some reason today he just looked soooo big. but i am so thankful for each day of his sweet, special and precious little life. in a lot of ways, he is a mini me of his dad and then in a lot of ways, i feel like i am looking at myself in the mirror. he is a sweet combination of us both. what a fun day, filled with some very special peeps in attendance.

monkey bread and a football candle for breakfast!

sweet lunch crew....

mom and her big 5 year old

daddy, cy and yes, braxton drake....

thinking about being 5....... with a pink cake!

Watson family vacation 2011.....we had a blast!

2011-06-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

we loved us some grandmo and pep.....

we celebrated an anniversary.....

also an engagement......

we found shells.....

we jumped in the waves........

we showed off our cool moves?......

and our sweet smiles...........

we ate LOTS of ice cream............

we loved on all our family members.......

and we enjoyed LOTS of dad time..........

and so we will wait in the pool.......

2011-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

not the swimming pool...... the official adoption waiting pool!!!!!!!

yes, we are officially ready to be chosen for a sweet little girl. nate and i spent friday in south georgia turning in our paperwork, handing over our amazing lifebooks (thanks Bec) and learning all about the process.

so please join us as we pray for God's amazing hand to guide us, give us patience and lead us to the little bundle of pink that has been apart of our family since before we even imagined!!!

7 wild, crazy, fun filled, blessed years!!!!!

2011-05-30T19:52:00.001-07:00

i can't help but think of the day and smile! it was perfect, and totally me in everyway.

love you nate..............

boys.....

2011-05-13T20:08:00.001-07:00

they have the sweetest hearts, and love their mommas......
they grow up WAY to fast......

they make us proud..........

they steal our hearts at first sight.......

and in the Lankford family, the more boys the better!!!

welcome to the fam sweet Jude, where boys totally out number the girls. love you buddy!

while dad is away....

2011-05-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

we sang in our p.j.'s
we played in the sand

we dug for shells

we did something? in the sand?

we had a blast with some super sweet friends!

Easter pics

2011-04-28T18:28:00.001-07:00

bunny time!
in his mind, the "winner" of the bike parade :)

hunting eggs with friends at church

"wild" buddies

another sweet egg hunter

basket time, of course with minimal clothes

watson clan pic for the lifebook

lankford clan pic for the lifebook

shady egg hunters at grandmo's house

my sweet family of 4

What a weekend.....

2011-04-17T19:12:00.001-07:00

it started with a special night with some special girls! they are my Sunshine!

but then it was ALL CARDINALS!!!

#4 was soo pumped.

his first at bat ever, and he smacked it

lil brother had me worried, he had been "helping" so much at practice that sitting out of the game was not something he thought was a good idea.

that was of course until his buddies showed up and he had snacks to share!

great first game, Gooooo Cardinals!

good ole Pep and his wonderful support

we finished the weekend with a bday celebration for sweet Uncle Taylor, baseball cupcakes in honor of the first big teeball game.

love some snuggly cousin time.....

family nite fun

2011-04-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

we had a blast decorating eggs on tuesday night! our family of 4 all have some one super special on our hearts these days!!!!

Little friends

2011-04-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

i have some new little friends that i have recently met and they have some needs. i always say, "yes i can help", and then just have to pray that the help will come. so i am hoping to get a little help from my few blog readers! my newest little friends were born around Valentines day and their mommies are just returning to school. both new babies are in need of DIAPERS AND CLOTHES, as well as random other items like bottle liners. i believe that both babies need size 1 and 2 diapers, and newborn to 6 month clothes! any help would be greatly appreciated and i am ready again to take any items that you might be ready to give away! i hope to have exciting news regarding this journey i am on with these sweet girls and their babies!

Happy Birthday #31

2011-03-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

so on sunday i planned a surprise trip with #31 himself. we headed west and landed in a downtown *memphis hotel! we ate TONS, shopped some, bought new tires for our car :), and just CHILLED!!! thanks to some wonderful grandparents it was a breeze leaving our two knuckle heads at home. they were well taken care of (especially since their school lunches today each contained a 6 pack of apple sauce!) it was so fun to get away and just hang with my sweet nate. tonite i made his fav dinner and we just hung out some more. family time all around, just what we all needed! happy birthday sweet #31

special friends

2011-03-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

last friday nite, we had 2 very special visitors. they were all decked out in their camo and ready to go hunt with nate and the big boys for the opening day of turkey hunting. they were too cute... everyone BIG and small were gathered around to the prize of one lucky 12 year old!! and here it is, sweet lil guy was able to shoot his first turkey in our back field. his guide is pretty good if i say so myself!

after the sunburns calmed down.....

2011-03-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

our muscles got BIG...... and our beach time actually included Uncle Tuck..... and Miss Brittany.....

thanks so much grandmo for letting us join you and the crew for a wonderful spring break at the beach!!!!

We "heart" South Africa

2011-03-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a sweet friend at church we now rock our africa tees with a special heart over the southern tip!! we love you, uncle Joe, aunt Court, Bri, Brax, Barron, and Bristol!!!!

sunburns all around....

2011-03-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

we just got to the beach on sunday and all proceeded to get sunburned. ooh well! fun times with tuck, grandmo, and miss brittany!

camping sunday school style......

2011-03-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

so several weeks ago, some of our sunday school class decided they were going camping for part of spring break. when they announced it in class one night, nate (aka clark w. griswold) was sooo excited and jumped in with both feet. within days he had planned a big pig roast as well as ribs on the smoker. he was pumped. i agreed as long as tent camping was not the plan, so he called his grandparents and borrowed their camper for the weekend. as you know, my sweet husband gets super excited and ready to go.

so after 12 hours of preparation on wednesday we headed on down to the park and spent the first night in the inn. fun for all!!
here is nate setting up 1 of his 2 sites. we had to save 2 extra sites and that was very against the rules. i was the only one stressed about that though!

sweet colby playing on the playground, amazing weather!

sweet big brother

our fearless leader.....

my guys, catching some fishes

yay, 1st catch
look mom, i will hold it!
colby just got his bike for his bday, a rode a million laps around the campground. not sure if he ever figured out the brake though!
MOST of the camping kiddos, a couple are missing. sweet "big" kids for my crew to play with.

like going on a mission trip and waking up the first morning home, without your peeps, i really missed everyone as soon as we left. we all had a great time, meeting kiddos for the first time and getting to know sweet friends better.

wordless wednesday...He has a plan

2011-03-09T13:26:00.001-08:00

and with the sign in our front yard, we are trusting that He has an even greater plan than this.....

i could touch her hand.....

2011-03-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

in my dream last nite, she was here and i could touch her hand. it was still so small and skinny! just like i remember. miss ya sis, praying for that day we get to hug again!

2

2011-02-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

happy birthday sweet girl.....

red and yellow, black and white. they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children........

sneaky little loves..

2011-02-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

they steal my heart everyday

a champion snow angel....

2011-02-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

for you dane!!

update for my super helpers

2011-02-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

okay, so i never really got the "best" plan figured out for this sweet mom, but i was able to help with some grocery shopping and lunch items. thanks so much to those who donated! i am still trying to stay on top of the eating situation and unfortunately the housing situation is about to change so we will just see where that road leads!

i am planning to celebrate the sweet little ones 2nd birthday at the end of the month. i hope to take the cookies and maybe even buy my first ever set of 'dora' bday plates! this is the little girl that i am trying to help her mom with the food situation. i do not plan on bringing toys or elaborate gifts. however, i am going to collect any personal hygiene items you might have laying around. she needs a tooth brush, tooth paste, soap, and shampoo, maybe hair accessories? i don't want to overwhelm or make a show out of these items. these are just a few things that i know she needs and right now her mom is not able to buy these.

i love a good birthday and want this mom and daughter to have just a small idea of what celebrating a person can feel and look like! if you want to help, let me know! if not please join me in praying for these sweet girls as they try to face life in a slightly more challenging way.

happy birthday Pep!

2011-02-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

today we had a wonderful birthday lunch with Pep. he is such a blessing to us all, we love you!!!

finally....

2011-02-13T13:50:00.000-08:00

....we were able to you use that "snowmobile, batman, snowman thingy!"
the kiddos got it from nonni and pop this year from christmas, but last week's snow was the first time they busted it out. it was fun, but the best part was spending time with dad and the fam!

i have had enough!!!

2011-02-01T15:18:00.001-08:00

that was my comment to nate over the weekend. i could not handle any more of the attacks we were having each night right outside our home. you see every nite some creature was getting into our trash and having a grand ole time. trash was EVERYWHERE!!! that is just gross. so i told nate he needed to fix the problem asap. i did not care how, just do it. well here he is last night waiting for "the creature."
now here is "the creature" Thank you nate!!! this is why i married you!! :)

Happy Birthday Colby #3

2011-02-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

Last friday we spent the entire day celebrating our sweet Colby. unlike his mom and big brother, colby gets to celebrate at school. which is huge in my, summer birthday, opinion. this year i sent football shaped oreos. they are a favorite of colby's. nate says that his cake "looks like his mom and dad made it," well we did! he didn't care!

his super sweet teacher made him a #3 tshirt which he wore very proudly. we really wore it all weekend, thanks ms. amber!!

friday morning we celebrated with a candle and cinnamon rolls. cy had asked to pick out a special gift for colby so he gave it to him that morning. they were both so proud. colby asked for a million random things for his bday, but a bike was one and that is what we got him. it is not exactly bike riding weather right now, but come spring i knew he would be dying for one. he was blessed with a very warm bday weekend, so he got some practice in already.

friday at lunch we had a few peeps over to grandmo's house to play. so much fun and so wild!! thanks pep for the awesome custom footballs. so cool! and grandmo for hosting the gathering.

colby LOVES panchos cheese dip so friday nite we had dinner there. wild times again, but so special for my littlest buddy. (side note is that colby was on day 4 of oral steroids, so he pretty much bounced off the walls all day, and part of the nite! YIKES)

it was a great day and so thankful to be the mom of such a sweet 3 year old!

calling all super helpers!

2011-01-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

if you have a toddler at home you may know the phrase, " calling all super readers," it is from a pbs show that my two love to watch. i actually don't need the help of the super readers right now to rewrite the story of some children's book, i need the help of some super helpers to help rewrite the story for ONE 17 year old mom. she and her too cute for words almost 2 year old are just trying to make it these days. this mom is 4 months away from graduating high school and really is in a bad spot.

you see at home things are just not too great, to say the least! these two have moved about 3 times in the last 4 months and their current situation is really a last resort. they are out of "good" options and really never had a wholesome option in the first place. the adult that they currently live with is NOT supportive of the mom OR the sweet 2 year old.

we all know that trials are a part of life and this momma is not exempt. even with the living situation bad, she also ran into some other bad luck last week. without going to much in to the child's life, (yes the mom), she needs some help!

what i am asking for is help in feeding these two sweet girls!!! yes, they are currently in a spot where food is not easy to get, and nothing is free in this situation.

so i am asking for help once again. i need groceries, gift cards to buy them and other meals for these two. currently sweet lil miss is living on junk food and lots of sugar, so much that her teeth are almost all rotted just from the juice she consumes each day. things like milk, fruit and even sandwiches are hard to come by for this crew.

like the other requests i have had, i do not know how this will look exactly or how the Lord will provide. i DO know that i will have to set up a system for getting any food items, meals and such and i will want to spread them out. the food items will be closely monitored at school thru the daycare. i am ONLY interested in feeding the mom and child. NO ONE else that is in their lives currently!!!!

can you help? thank you!!

*the greatest show on earth, just ask Nate.....

2011-01-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

on friday night we went with my parents and brothers to yes, the greatest show on earth*, the circus!!! it was a surprise, and when pep told cy what it was he was sooo excited. he remembered that he had been to the circus before and it was awesome. nate loved it just as much and will tell you all the acts if you happen to have missed this years show :)

they wanted to strike a circus picture before we left. they thought looked super good....
the elephants doing tricks.....fun, but of course the highlight for my group was the one that pooped all over the stage. BOYS!

making memories....thanks grandmo and pep for a fun night

snow vacation

2011-01-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

once nate found out that good snow was a real possibility he loaded us up and off on our "snow vacation" we went. or "off to grandma's house we go" we love to get snowed in at grandmo's, she has the best hills, best snow clothes :) and the very BEST snowed in food. really it is vacation. so we spent 3 nights at hotel cedarmont and had a blast. nate worked during the day and played at night. we threw snow balls, sled down mr.kermit's hill and did some slightly dangerous 4-wheeler sledding. so fun!! thanks to our wonderful hosts for letting us crash, we loved it!

here is colby riding the sled with nate pulling him behind the 4-wheeler, safe huh?
cy considers himself a champion sledder!

my "snowmen"

oh and nate ate snow slushies the entire time we were there. *coke flavored, cranberry flavored, and some that had a yellowish tint :)

we were also able to keep cuddles, cy's class pet, for a few extra days! cuddles just had to brave the snow storm with us!

love him always......

2011-01-06T20:14:00.000-08:00

he wears many hats.....husband, leader, dad, nater, nate, boss, teacher, friend, buddy, hunting buddy, son, son-in-law, grandson,uncle, cheerleader and this?????

i do love him always, no matter what hat he is wearing. praying for my nate today and tomorrow! we all need lifting up sometimes!

HOPE......for 2011

2011-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

so 2010 ended. i have very mixed emotions. it was a doozie of a year. one that stretched me, pushed me, crushed me, and held me in so many different ways.

it was a year that had several periods of ups and downs. it had so many that truthfully, i was a little unsure about starting another year. a year is so long and so much can happen. so instead of remembering the bumps, i wanted to remember the treasures this year held......

- my first mission trip, which lead to my heart cry for young moms. something that the Lord is stilling pushing and guiding on!
- doing several bible studies with some amazing women, that pushed me way out of my comfort zone.
-meeting some friends this year that only God could have fit into my life.
-letting one sweet friend go, a long way away!
-walking through several rough patches only to realize what it truly means to fear and love the Lord, and know He loves me so much He only wants the best for me.

it was just a WOW kind of year. so i will focus on the HOPE i have for 2011. Hope that only the Lord can take care of. nothing that this world can provide.

oh this tray of yummies that nate made me last night, might provide some hope of a full belly in 2011!

christmas day lunch

2010-12-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

after the santa gifts had created chaos at our house, we headed over to grandmo and pep's to see what was waiting over there. amazingly santa had also left a few fun gifts for us there. the boys were pumped.
here they were in the outfits they chose to wear on christmas morning opening a fun new table and chairs.
dad got his new turkey decoy, all 3 boys were thrilled.

uncle clay scored some super cute adventure vests and hats. they were so fun.

cy is a serious adventurer!!!

after all the santa gifts were opened and the family gifts, we had a wonderful gluten free lunch! thanks mom, you rock! we spent the day just hanging, playing games with nanny, and visiting papa at the hospital. we did enjoy our white christmas the next day on an adventure outside!
oh and we love our new santa stocking caps!

santa came to town and a very happy birthday!

2010-12-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

it was finally christmas eve and time for santa to come. last year we fed santa and his reindeer and we had to do the same this time.

dad helping us with the reindeer food!
a good nite cheese with santas cookies....

for as long as i can remember we slept in the floor of my parents bedroom. this just stopped in the last couple of years, yes we even did it when we had nate around. so i wanted to start this tradition with my boys. so here they are in the tiny floor space of our bedroom. so fun!

aaahhhh santa gifts here we come..... i do have to add here though that we prayed and sang a wonderful rendition of "happy birthday jesus," before the running down the hallway madness began! so thankful to celebrate the birth of our King with my little fam!

gifts we asked for and some surprises too......

classic cy face.......this is a "thanks mom and dad, this is great face"

and a "oh man, yes!" face from colby.......want to remember these innocent looks forever!

everything in this house really needs to come in pairs!!!! they really are 2 peas in a pod. i love it!

christmas eve with the watson family

2010-12-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

each year on christmas eve my dad's family gets together to celebrate the holiday. we have done this for as long as i can remember. they don't live too far away so the drive is not too bad! there are not many little ones so cy and colby were in rare form. lots of singing and gift opening!
so thankful for my sweet dad.....

crazy uncle clay getting cy. it is usually a 100 degrees in my grandparents house, so clay wore a tee just to be safe.

nate and good ol' cousin joe!

we even took nanny, my moms mom, with us this year. that was a fun treat. we got to spend christmas day with her as well!

another year with grandad! something to be thankful for!

Lankford christmas- minus a few:(

2010-12-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

christmas eve lunch was to be a nonni's house. my crew was very excited and ready to get the christmas party started. can't lie and say that there was not a part of me that was really missing our s. african counterparts. it just was not quite the same without them. BUT we made the most of it and just took things slow and simple. it was great visiting and just hanging out with everyone.
the boys loved having pop's attention!

this festive crew was posed and ready to sing once we had our oversea friends ready to go. bummer for us, they were out and the skype thing did not happen. bummer for them, they missed a crazy christmas treat!

the snowman was showing all our disappointment at this point....

colby was about done listening to big people talk.....lets get to the presents people!

cy and pop still had a song or two in their hearts to share. one last Rudolph song!

thanks pop and non for the cool cabin. can't wait to build it out back.

colby loved his new set of power tools. non was even so thoughtful to make sure we have extra batteries! thanks non!!!??

jadie bug needed her own lady bug pillow pet from cy and colby. she is too cute for words!!

court would have made sure we lined all the cousins up for a pic. this was the best we got! missing several sweet faces, but loving on the ones we have here!

Dickson Lankford family christmas

2010-12-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

it is always an adventure when you load up and head to dickson for the lankford fam christmas gathering. you never no if there will be 50 people or 100? this year i really think there were about 70ish. it was hard to go without my good sis in law in tow. but i had to be brave without her and try to remember A LOT of little cousin names.
the boys were sooo pumped they are big fans of going to "peyton and hannah ontana's" house they love playing with all the kids.
colby loves letting peyton wag him around.....
sweet cousins that we hardly ever see and grandpa and helen......

cy also loves his big cousins and thinks running free at their house is super fun.....

the traditional, all male, singing of "up on the house top." colby loved it, cy did not?

the three jerry's, as grandpa gave a few encouraging words.....

we love to get a little chuckle about the dynamics of this crew, but truly the Lord has and continues to do a mighty work in this family!

christmas activities......

2010-12-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

December is always full of fun family activities. here are a few we did in the days leading up to christmas......

Cookie decorating with pep, grandmo, uncle clay and uncle tuck. the cookies turned into large misshapen objects so no good pics to show! super fun and yummy though.... nate and tuck trying to figure out how to get the dough to roll out. yikes...

right before felix left for the year he decided to play a trick on us. he snuck into the boys room and stole several pairs of under roos. we found them the next morning hanging all over the tree. silly felix! he also rode in our car with us christmas eve just to be super sure we were being nice.

and the rockettes*..... always a major highlight for our crew. grandmo gets the tickets back in august i think so we have tons of time to get pumped up about the nite. this year we went on the 23rd and sat on the 2nd row. it was awesome! great way to get the festive mood started.

thanks for taking us again pep and g-mo!

joyful noise part 2

2010-12-15T13:31:00.001-08:00

this time my sweet colby got in on the performing action. this is the first year for him to be on stage at the little school christmas program. man did he and his girl, caroline feel good up there. she had some great moves and it really helped spur colb along. no tears and a big smile for dad at the end. way to go little buddy! ( he claimed that he was going to sing so loud that we would need to cover our ears. fortunately for us, he had no clue what the words to the song were!)

cy, again was in his element performing on stage. he knew his words and his motions. so fun when they are old enough to really participate and have fun doing their "thing."

if i can find the pic from cy's first little school program, i will have to compare!

post 4- snow and grandmo's birthday

2010-12-15T13:22:00.001-08:00

yeah for the snow, bummer dad was not home to take the boys out in it! that just meant that mom and grandmo had to. it was so pretty and so cold. we had fun chasing grandmo's dog and making race tracks in the snow. what a fun birthday to spend with our grand mo!

birthday dinner at pancho's. love the hat!!!

december post 3.... make a joyful noise

2010-12-15T13:06:00.001-08:00

disclaimer: this post can do the actual performance no real justice with out the video on facebook*

this is just a post to help me remember this sweet event.
about a month ago, someone at church casually mentions that "oh yeah, cy has a part, in the preschool program." huh? cy? yes, singing with his girl, sophie up front, alone! i laughed and hoped it was all wrong and the embarrassment of my child crying on stage was just going to be a bad dream.
ultimately the time came and they still kept saying cy was going to sing in a little trio, front and center on stage. i just crossed my fingers and prayed. again, why doubt something the Lord plans. it was beyond anything nate or i expected!!!!!!!

he sang, he danced (slight pelvic thrusting), he did it twice, and he was sooo proud! he will be the first to tell you that really everyone loved his dancing! yes, cy it was the talk of the crowd, sweet boy!

thanks to the brave souls that decided putting cy lankford on stage was going to be okay.

here we are with his fan section, they were as stunned as we were!

sweet friends

i think he is dancing in this pic, but the video really is way better

december post 2

2010-12-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

one perk of being in the pre-k 4 class is that you get to make gingerbread houses with your mom! cy was a little unsure about having me in his class, given his track record of separation issues, i have not done this before! but we had a blast and he was so proud. can't believe he is getting so big so fast!

a December to remember, part 1

2010-12-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

last year we were the people that built our gingerbread house the day before christmas. well not this year! my colby todd was soo ready to get it up and going. he has a SLIGHT sweet tooth and knew this was going to be a great holiday tradition for him to be involved in. so about 2 weeks ago we bought the house and built it. i would show a current pic, but it looks a little different. since nate is the only one tall enough to reach it on the counter, i won't need to point out where all the candy has gone! hehe..... it was really cute and fun though.

i know you are wondering what is it with the lankford boys and their muscles showing? if you figure it out please let me know!!!

soooo Good pics.....

2010-12-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

make sure you read the post below!!!!

soooo GOOD!!!

2010-12-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

my God is so GOOD!!! so good that when i asked He provided so much more than i could have ever imagined through YOU!!! thank you all 30+ people that helped me with my operation essentials project it was a HUGE success..........

GRAND TOTALS: 2800 INDIVIDUAL DIAPERS WERE GIVEN OUT
80 CONTAINERS OF WIPES WERE DISTRIBUTED
160 JARS OF BABY FOOD WILL BE FILLING SOME TINY TUMMIES
25+ TODDLER FOOD ITEMS

PLUS A FEW TOYS, MONITORS, BOOSTER SEATS, AND OUTFITS WERE GIVEN!!!!

this meant that each girl was able to receive a Large box, stuffed as well as a Large trash bag filled with goodies.

it was so good and so perfect! they were super surprised and just as this momma is happy when someone makes a fuss over my babies. they too were so happy to see a special treat just for their little one. i clearly pointed out that with this many diapers and wipes these babies should be clean and dry for the next several months!

Thank you again for joining me in this journey. a pack of diapers, per baby, would have been one thing, but you all took it over the top. i am so thankful to each of you and my Lord as He holds my hand on this adventure.

"I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in the darkness."
Isaiah 42:6-7

Update!!! Operation Essentials

2010-11-30T13:48:00.001-08:00

yipppeee, the response for help has been wonderful. i plan to take the items to my young friends, next friday, Dec. 10th. so i need any items that you might have by thursday afternoon, the 9th. i am more than happy to meet up with you if you need me to. this is a blessing that you are helping me with and i will get the items from you however i need to. thanks so much, and obviously the more the MERRIER! thanks so much and if you need to contact me, my email is lankfordtiffany@yahoo.com

thanks and have a blessed week!

Operation Essentials......

2010-11-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

as we head into the wonderful, and super crazy holiday season my heart is beating fast again for something else. i need to be obedient again and offer to help. i have been working with about 7 young moms this fall. i know their names, most of their stories, their sweet babies and even the inside of their homes. they come from all different situations, but all are trying to make it in one way or another. some of them are currently trying harder than others, some have more frustrating teen attitudes. but they all brought a tiny life into this world and those little babies need a voice. that is part of my heart cry as well. they have needs that honestly some of their moms can't meet....

so my new request for help comes along the line of ESSENTIALS. they need DIAPERS, WIPES, AND FOOD.

diapers: b/c some days they only have enough to

change their babies once or twice all day,

no matter what.

wipes: b/c if diapers are not being changed often and

wipes don't get used, baby skin suffers.

food: b/c some little toddlers are not getting any

healthy food items. period!!

yes, some of my momma friends get help from higher sources (the government), but even those don't get diaper help. all of these essentials are costly, but so needed.

if you have extras of any of these or just happen to be out and want to throw a pack in your buggy PLEASE let me know! nothing fancy, or expensive. just the basics will work. i plan to make several home visits with these essentials closer to Christmas. 1 friend helping will be great, 2 will be amazing, but i can't wait to see how big our God is in something like this!!!

the babies range in age from 3 weeks to 18 months. i need all sizes of diapers. also all types of food, baby food to easy toddler meals.

thanks!!! and if you don't know what i am doing go back to the end of september and you can read about this crazy idea God laid on my heart!

this is the trendiest thing we have done in a long time.....

2010-11-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

according to nate~

randomly we decided to go tailgate at the ut- vandy game this weekend. a guy that nate works with has a great spot so he took the big smoker and headed up early. our crew which included, nate and i, jeff and ash, and good ole jose wore our favorite team gear and had a blast. i actually convinced nate to wear something that was kind of trendy and he was sooo proud. ashley told him he was pledging a frat all night and that tore him up! i thought he looked super handsome.

everyone in middle tenn. decided to attend this game. so only ash and i were able to score tickets and made it in after the 2nd quarter had started. we had great seats to watch 2 terrible teams. oh well, it was fun cheering on our vols. oh and the boys stayed back and "held down the smoker."

it was great fun hanging with these two clowns. a nice treat away from our crazy crew!!!

our yard pets.....

2010-11-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

2 mommies....2 brown babies......and 1 snow white baby all live in our yard. we watched them in the spring, but this fall they have gotten braver. it probably doesn't hurt that nate feeds them corn about 25 yards off our back porch. the boys and i watched them eat and play one afternoon last week. they really are much closer than they appear in these pics! oh the perks of livin in the grove

crazy cousins

2010-11-15T18:50:00.000-08:00

last night we invited our girls over for a fun cousin sleep over. we stayed at grandmo's house and had a wild time. we played puppies and cowboys, rode horses, dressed up, ate, bathed, and just loved on one another. it was great.
it is hard to get this crew to all smile in a pic.
here are the boys rocking out their jerseys with princess-cheerleader livi. jadie bug was not too interested in posing and this was stressing cy.

this pic just makes me laugh! she wouldn't smile. she looks like she belongs in some 19th century photo.

finally bath time brought out the best in all of us. the best part was the fun skyp-e session that interrupted bath time. we loved visiting with our "aprica" crazy cousins!

i love these kids. they are what makes this life all that it is!!

the ZOOOOO

2010-11-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

last May i wanted to take the boys to the zoo. it only took 7 months to get them there! we took advantage of the wonderful weather on saturday and hopped in the car with grandmo. with all the big boys in the fam gone, we were ready for our own adventure.

colby had NO clue what the zoo was all about and thought about backing out when we heard the monkeys as we got out of our car! but he is tough and was ready to see the giraffes.
Cy was just so pumped to have his own map to read. he really is his mothers child.
colb was very impressed with the flamingos and so amazed that they stand on one leg. he was still talking about those birds and their legs today..

cy is so excited that his aunt dane dane is having a baby he has told everyone this weekend. he was also very impressed with this soon to be momma goat. very concerned about pushing that baby in her belly. yikes! easy buddy!

we all loved the cool daddy giraffe. he was flying solo, b/c his "wife" and baby were still spending quiet time together. the baby was only 10 days old and had yet to make its public appearance. the daddy did come very close, so that was fun!

map-man finished the day strong! found the map again today and pointed out one area we did not visit. oh dear! next time.....

thanks G-mo! we had a BLAST!!

hunting season has begun....

2010-11-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

and this crew is ready
let u decide who is the MOST excited!!!!

my day....

2010-11-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

3 tiny babies..... 3 heads of dark black hair....3 moms trying to figure it out too early in their young lives....3 situations where i was WAY out of my comfort zone.... 3 times i said please call me, i am ready to help in any way.... 3 times i took a tiny gift and walked away with a HUGE blessing.... i had an amazing day and can't wait to see what happens next with this plan of His.....

*as a mom you never know what will really leave an impression. today as i traveled to visit a young mom, i headed to a very unfamiliar neighborhood for me. however, i remembered that one time when my mom took us into a similar neighborhood to help. that was all the encouragement i needed. i knew it was okay and just right. when i mentioned it tonite at dinner to my brother, he knew exactly what i was talking about.... thanks mom *

why did i wait so long?

2010-11-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

to have some family pics made? i love them all, and they are so true of our crazy lankford spirit. thanks to a great photographer who was willing to try all sorts of silly ideas! more to come....

a new adventure.....

2010-11-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

as this silly little adventure series finally comes to an end, i have to take a minute and acknowledge the end of something else. a very LONG year started in this house last october. it was a year full of interruptions, "or more recently termed, divine-interventions."

it was a year of disappointment, excitement, fear, faith, more excitement, more heartbreak, almost unbearable pain and loss, and confusion. nothing about it seemed to make sense, yet it all had a purpose and plan.

i was really trying to hold on to that last year of ups and downs. but i had to let go, have to live for this year, and these moments. i have learned that all we have is today, and really that is all that matters. no more long term plans, or worries about what anything will look like at any certain time in life. just today and just these memories.

i really want to make good memories from now on. no i don't think it is all going to be super rosy and fine all the time, but i am living expectantly. living with the desire to carry these burdens with contentment and comfort. knowing that He has not missed one minute of any of these events and will be there to walk me through the next.

honestly nothing about the last 3 years of our lives has made a whole lot of sense. but He has us here for a purpose and i will take joy in knowing He is using this time of "divine interventions" to allow us to be a part of His amazing plan. this is all i have and all i know to hold on to.

so with a joyful heart i will look forward to these next 12 months with excitement and anticipation to see what lies ahead.

thank you to any and all of you that have braved this year with us!

i am so blessed by so much!!!!

a halloween adventure.....

2010-11-06T19:49:00.001-07:00

i'll be honest, halloween is not my favorite holiday. i have several friends that love it, and i am happy for them, but not me. i am a scaredy cat, and most things about halloween scare me. oh well, i would never tell my boys that so off we went being these tough football players. they had a blast, celebrating at school, at the pumpkin fest, at the Kuhn party, at church and trick or treating with the cousins. it was great.
grandmo joined us for a little bit at church for the fall festival. i really appreciated that since nate was busy working at the bonfire. the fall fest is great, but those game rooms are pretty insane. i needed two sets of hands and eyes!

trick or treating this year was again different with out the crazy other lankford crew. but this rowdy bunch below managed to keep things interesting.

this one is for Non and all our buddies in africa. we missed you guys! sending halloween love from some of your tennessee cousins!

a birthday camping adventure.....

2010-11-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

it was a good 2 days.... we camped for the first time as a fam. that was very fun and very cold. then we celebrated a sweet life that deserves to be celebrated. it was emotional, yet so sweet.
not sure what to say about this adventure, so just enjoy the pics.......

it really was a birthday party
2 crazy cooks, it is amazing the group of friends that surround sonya and dra. so blessed to be a part of that group....

dad couldn't let us go to the state park for our camp out without official bikes.

colby on his motorcycle....

cy so proud he was about to bust. super cool helmet and all!!

and yes we slept in a tent on the gravel. never got the pic, but it was classic!

a heartbreaking adventure......

2010-11-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

yes they left and it was a stinky adventure to go on for us. but i know that it was a grand adventure for them to begin. i am so excited for them and know that God has HUGE plans. but i really miss them tons, and can't believe that it was only 2 weeks ago that they left. i would swear it was 2 years ago. it is going to be a long holiday season without them, but thank goodness for big families! we still have jadie bug and sweet liv. we will hold them tight while our dear briley, braxton, barron and bristol are over in "aprica." it was a great night at non and pop's before they left, full of love and full of tears.

sweet colby and livi being such big helpers.....

good buddy brax taking it all in that night, that boy has a special place in many of our hearts

my sweet friend and sis. sad to not have court, but lovin that the Lord blessed me with sweet Dana also.....

she finally gave it up in my arms that night. can't really look at this pick without a tear forming in the ol eye.

we talk about joe, aunt tort, bri, brax, bear bear, and bris daily. can't wait to figure out skype< b/c my crew over the phone is slightly chaotic!

bedtime adventures......

2010-11-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

upon the departure of our sweet cousins, we acquired a very fun thing. new bunkbeds!! the hardest part is that all of us are reminded of the boys that used to sleep in these beds every nite. man we miss them dearly!!! but my boys LOVE these beds and have not missed a beat being in the room together. they tell each other all the time how much they like "tamping out" together each night. thanks sweet barron and braxton for the cool beds and the shiny stars that colby sees each nite!!

a Florida adventure.....

2010-11-06T18:22:00.001-07:00

over fall break we headed south. we have gone for the last couple of years with the Kuhn family and Joey and Court to the beach for fall break. this year we were absent several fun loving cousins, but took some special peeps instead. my parents and uncle tuck joined us for the first part of our trip and we had a blast. they had never been to the "florida" house and we were ready to hang with them there. the super fun Kuhns joined us after a couple of days and everyone had a great time enjoying the amazing weather.

this trip was full of several new adventures for us all.....

our first adventure involved geocaching. this super fun scavenger hunt game is very addictive and so much fun! here i am with my first find!!

this was also the first time the boys wore matching suits. i thought they were too cute! oh and the best part was that i had purchased them for $1.97 each! yes!!

another first for the not too adventurous me, yolo boarding. notice how smooth the water was, and i was still pretty sore from having my muscles so tight the entire time. hey but i did it, so me!!

our super fun peeps! the boys loved having so many people to help entertain them!

oh and the high-light of all adventures. nate and karl catching the 400 lb female bull shark. if you happen to have not seen it, just email nate and he will get it right to you!

my kids had a blast with the kuhn gang, and i think even sarah survived with out briley. we did miss having those sweet faces with us though.....

new computer...

2010-11-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

yes, i finally have a new computer and can't wait to resume blogging! lots of more october adventures to post! yeah!!!

a hero adventure.....

2010-10-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

to show our support for all the ordinary heroes in our lives we attended the big fallapalooza celebration. it was fun to celebrate the super cool ordinary heroes in our lives and even listen to uncle clay talk about how his life changed this summer in africa. heroic adventures seem to be all around us these days, some closer than others!!!

a pumpkin adventure......

2010-10-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

a couple of weekends ago we called our troops together for one Orange saturday adventure. none of us thought the cousins would still be here this fall, but since they are we were ready to make a few more Tennessee fall memories with them. after a yummy breakfast at the Barrel, we were headed to the patch. all boys in our car, of course!!!

the boys briefly cheesed while we waited on the rest of our peeps!
wow these 2 are a mess, gum and all!! we will be so ready to have the bear back with us!!!

this sweet pumpkin is still going to be here with us!! thank goodness! oh and that new pumpkin arriving next spring at her house will help keep us all distracted some what.

the crew with their pop and non.... lankford silliness at its best.

we head home thinking about the day of memories we made and know that their will be more to come in the future.....

a baby adventure.....

2010-10-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

ten- four, baby Nathan has finally arrived!

yes on 10-04-2010, Nathan Alan Baldwin finally made his debut. he is the new son of some very dear friends. as we waited into the night for him to come it was a wonderful adventure to see a friend from the 6th grade finally become the mom she had patiently waited to be. babies are a miracle from the Lord and always create their own adventures in getting here!!

the adventure series....

2010-10-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

october has been full of adventure in our house. some BIG, some small, some New, and some that we will treasure in our hearts forever!

the month is not over yet, and we still have several more adventures to participate in and watch from the sides on.

just trying to live each day to its fullest is an adventure in itself!!!

although this adventure just happened yesterday it might win for largest in SIZE.... all 8 feet and 400 lbs of it. thankfully they were fishing in the waters with this guy and not swimming!

so excited.....

2010-10-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

about all the fun baby treasures i have received for my teen moms. yesterday i was able to take a toddler car seat to a little girl. she was about 15 months old and still riding in her baby carrier, and nothing some of the time. not any more!!!! she was so proud and so was her mama. i can't wait to deliver my goodies next week. if you still have anything to add PLEASE just let me know and i will get it from you. thanks so much!

oh and if you can't get it this time, start saving for christmas time!!

it's time......

2010-09-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

back in april i wrote a post. it was about this young girl.
well since then the Lord has continued to divinely interrupt my life and push me towards His plans. the burden then was to help young mothers, and now i am trying to make it happen. i do not have a big fancy plan, just a heart that is currently trying to follow His lead.

as i pray about each step and watch for His divine guidance, i have reached the point of asking for help!

i have meet with some of these young moms in our community and they need our stuff. not the new stuff, and not the stuff you were going to sell in a yard sale to raise money for a mission trip. the stuff that you were just going to donate to someone. this is the stuff i want. ALL OF IT!!

blankets, sleepers, pj's, mattresses, sheets, toys, car seats, any and everything that you just don't need any more......

i promise it will all go straight to a young mom in need. the need is so great and i would love to have your help in meeting it.

if you have some stuff, just let me know. i will come and get it from you.
i pray that the Lord will allow me to do a mighty work with Him in this community.
thank you!

oh and please pass this info on to anyone else that might be willing to donate!

A birthday memory....

2010-09-26T13:38:00.001-07:00

with a super special 3 year old cousin. as our dear family prepares to leave, i am trying to hold on to as many sweet memories as i can. it was going to be barron's bday and i wanted to do something special that all 3 buddies would remember. nate and i picked up the bear and headed to the mall with all 3. i did not give any of them details before hand so that everyone would be surprised!

after a very healthy pizza dinner, nate took the boys down to the candy store. everyone got to pick their own small bag to carry around for the night. the pizza lady had given us balloons on sticks, but thankfully by this point we had lost them!!
down for a little playground time! oh unless you are the lankfords and really all that means is wrestle mania time... yikes! the boys ran from point a to point b all throughout the mall. i just shook my head and thought people don't judge me, this is not exactly physically possible. they are not ALL mine!

the biggest treat was the "small fry" guys that we purchased. my hope is that barron's little guy makes the trip with him and we can all skype about our little furry friends. the little boys both picked frogs, while cy took home a little bear.

here we are giving them baths.

lots of cheesing going on from the boys and their 3 friends, all named "fheodore (or theodore?)"

we had a blast celebrating our special buddy, bear! we will miss them, but can't wait to see what the Lord has in story for that crew!!!

i'd be more ready for a cage fighting match...

2010-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

this was said just minutes before nate's first soccer game last saturday. he was a little nervous, but ended up doing great. the 1st half was kind of rough (he nearly died!), but his lungs adjusted and he did great the 2nd half. we have to give props to uncle clay for scoring the only goal for this team! another try today, maybe even a victory!

the best part was that Mr."i do NOT wear pink" is had to play in a pink jersey. hopefully today they can wear their super cool orange shirts!

labor day ribs

2010-09-10T14:02:00.001-07:00

i did not snap a pic of the rib man, but he did a great job as usual! we spent the late afternoon with a lot of our family. it was great. love seeing these sweet faces! brax was trying to read cy this book, but cy was not too interested?

we even had tay, that is a fun treat!

the pool was a little chilly, boat riding was the activity of choice for most.

slumber party

2010-09-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

this is probably be the closest thing we will have to a slumber party around here for a while, but it was great! sweet braxton was our first spend the night friend and all the boys were so excited. they stayed up late watching cartoons and chatting. brax informed me that no he was not tired until the 3rd yawn! about 10 or 3 yawns later everyone was out. colby did not make the cut all night. he had to go to his bed. the big boys were up early ready to play legos! so much fun and a memory to hold on to for the next year or 2?