Oh, to be two again...

Charlie got a little hot, so...we pulled out the Sprinkler and, well, the picture tells the rest. Oh, to be two again. No, mommy and daddy did not join in...despite Charlie's begs to "play too".

More Pictures...

The top left picture of Charlie and "Chan" shows how large Chandler is! He's more than half the length of Charlie!! A few weeks ago, we left the kids with a babysitter while we went to a couple's shower, and she had trouble finding Charlie's diapers. No problem, she just put one of Chandler's on him...strange how a 2 year old can wear the same size diaper as his 5 month old brother! The top right picture shows 3 generations of Briscoe men at our deck party...Uncle Woody, George, Chad, and Charlie and Chandler. Passing the name on! In the bottom picture, Charlie and I take our own picture. He's so cute!

Chandler is Eating!

Wow! How time flies! Chandler turned 5 months on May 21, and he started eating rice cereal! He spits out most of it, but hopefully he'll get the hang of it soon. Big brother Charlie always wants a part of the action!

Spring is in the Air at the Briscoe house!

We've been busy over the last few weeks! We hosted a little deck party with some family and friends and enjoyed some house guests, George and Melissa. Of course, we couldn't have guests without putting them to work, so we did a kitchen remodel too! "Design on a Dime" at it's finest! We'll put more pictures on the blog after we make a few finishing touches and touch ups! You can see part of the new kitchen in the picture of Charlie "helping" make coffee above, but we'll put better pictures on here in the days to come! Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day, and I first must honor both the Mom's in my life, my own and Chad's. Without these women, neither me nor my husband would have life, and therefore I would not be a mother myself. Thank you, Mom, for giving me life. I am also thankful for Chad's mom, who raised the man I fell in love with...and keep falling in love with everyday! It is strange to have life come full circle, after honoring my Mom all the years I've been alive, I am now honored by my children...really unbelievable. I wanted to take a moment to put into words the amazing ways that God blessed me today. First of all, I got to sleep until 8:30...which hasn't happened in 50+ years, just kidding, only two and a half! Then, my boys (all 3), came into the bedroom with a beautiful tray carrying breakfast made by Daddy! Chad made eggs, french toast, regular toast, bacon, orange juice and coffee, and it was delicious! Who knew that Chad knew how to make French Toast? Then I opened two cards with two coupons - one for a free house cleaning and one for 10 more breakfasts' in bed! I love gifts that keep on giving! The whole family sat on the bed, (everyone munching on my breakfast), and then we went for a walk in Crescent Hill. Unfortunetly, a great coffee shop that I used to frequent when we lived in Louisville before had been converted to a bakery that was closed on Sundays. So, we walked up a huge hill to the top of the Water Reservoir for the Louisville Water Company. It had a track around it for walking, so we walked the whole thing! It was so much fun, and we called it a "family field trip" because we kept stopping to read the historical information signs! We didn't even know the reservior was there before! I relaxed during the afternoon, and then we grabbed Mexican for dinner and visited with Mamaw before putting the kids to bed. Charlie and I laughed and laughed in his bed before he finally got so tired his eyes were closing. He kept asking me to sing the same song over and over, and I didn't want to stop because he would erupt in giggles at the same spot everytime.
After recalling today's events, I am sure that I am the most blessed woman alive. I have these two precious boys. Charlie is so precious and so desperate to please. He loves to hear our praise and loves to make us laugh. He is so good to baby Chandler and wants so much for him to play back. He is amazing.
Chandler is growing so big and strong! He laughs at everything and when we nuzzle his neck with our noses, he laughs with this deep gut laugh! He's captivated by everything that we do - especially his big brother! He is so precious.
And, best of all, Chad is the most amazing husband anyone could have. He is so faithful to us, his family. He brings laughter to our home and, much like his oldest child, loves to please. He has grown to be so thoughtful and creative. He tries so hard to make me happy, and succeeds. He loves God most of all, and regardless of his stage in life, is honest about where he is with Him. He doesn't hide it. He is transparent and that is magnetic. I love him so much!
After a day like today, I am truly undone by the blessings of God. In the book, Captivating, by Staci Eldridge, she talks about a woman's desire to be "romanced", and how God "romances" us each day with the little things we often overlook. Well today, God romanced me through my family. He wooed me and beckoned me into His presence over and over. Even though the day was rainy and chilly, it never felt gloomy. It was "sunny" all day to me. When I looked out, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Because Jesus was reminding me that He loves me everytime Charlie laughed or Chad did something sweet. He was saying "I love you and I've blessed you, not becuase of who you are or what you've done, but because I do". And I felt more loved by Him today than any other day in recent history. Thank You, Jesus, for an amazing day. You've made my heart too big for my body.

Derby Weekend!

These are our friends, Dawn and Brian Dausman. They hosted a fun Derby party at their home. We had lots of fun, spent time with friends and didn't win a single thing! Oh well! ANyone who knows us knows that is always our "luck"! After the Dausman's party we went to Rich and Staci Hohman to hang out. Charlie was crazy on the inflatable slide they rented, and Chandler hung in there too! They closed the night with home-made fireworks that Rich set off in their field! It was the absolute best homemade fireworks show we have ever seen! It was Louisville Thunder style...almost! Of couse, we forgot our camera, so you just have to imagine it.
Here we are at the Dausman's party. Chandler was sleeping in his carseat...always left out. Hopefully he won't have a complex! Since we are both absent minded...we always forget the camera, but we do have some great memories from Derby 2006. We went to the Hot-Air balloon GLOW which had 49 hot air balloons filling their balloons with fire for about an hour last Friday night! Charlie and Chandler loved it! We grabbed a bite to eat at the "Chow Wagon", which is carnival style food right in the heart of the city by the Ohio River. We hung out with great friends and ate great food at a few Derby parties. We are so glad that we could spend this Derby in Louisville...no better place on earth.

Powerful Prayer

Today I experienced something very powerful. I was sitting in a little coffee/muffin shop no more than a half a mile from our house writing in my journal. I have to say that it is very tough to find time for God with two little fellas in the house (three if you count Chad)! When nap time starts, my chore time begins too. I find myself constantly torn between "duties" and "what is really important", like time with God. Sadly, duties win too much of the time. Anyway, back to the coffee/muffin shop...I was writing out a prayer to God about what was on my heart. Writing out my prayers is the most effective way that I have found to stay focused and truly PRAY about what is going on with me. As I was writing out my prayer, half way through I stopped writing. Not because I didn't have anything else to say, but because I felt pressured to stop and listen. I did, and I heard the dull hum of a few employees talking about Derby and a mother and young daughter having a muffin before school...and then I heard it. Or more, I FELT it. I really "felt" God answering my prayer right then. I know this seems strange to some who might be reading this...and to answer the question that I'm sure is in your head right now..."no, I don't hear voices, but thanks for asking". It was more of an "impression" than a voice. And as I continued to feel this "impression", I started writing down what I felt. What I wrote was a direct answer to what I had been praying, and I know that it wasn't from me or my thoughts, because I wasn't thinking about this before I started praying. Plus, it was actually scripture that I hadn't thought of in years!!! After I'd written down this "impression", I went back to praying about what was on my mind, and actually asked God a direct question. Then I waited. I was waiting to hear from Him. (I know that many of you are wondering whether I am WAY to cooped up in the house with two babies and the smell of laundry and dirty "stinkers", as we call them, is going to my head, but I promise you...I am not crazy and this did happen!) I started writing again and once again, scripture poured from my pen. He answered me. After about 15 minutes of conversating with God, I felt so relieved and at peace about things. It was like He was there...right there...right in the midst of the situation with me. I am not one to publicly "post" spiritual experiences to this blog...there haven't been any so far except this one! But, I really think I should, because maybe you are experiencing a struggle in your life and maybe you have been praying about it for years. But, I want you to really think, "Have I listened?" Too many times I say my prayers, or usually write them, and then run off to change a diaper or clean up a mess or take a shower. Today, God gently reminded me to spend just as much time LISTENING to Him as talking to Him. A good counselor merely listens, but a GREAT counselor listens and then speaks the Truth. We have a great Counselor. Let's listen to Him.