December 31st, 2012
This will be the first year since we've been married that we haven't rung in the New Year with friends and family........sad to say we are all sick. Michael and I have had the flu since Friday - just found out today that Chase took Angie to ER this morning because she's been throwing up all night......most of our friends are sick too - this is CRAZY. It seems the flu is rampant this hear. But whatever we are dealing with.....whatever illness has invaded our families - we still have so much to be thankful for! I look back on the past year, and oh my goodness, what blessings! Our precious family - so many sweet times shared together.....I can see Chase and Angie growing in their faith by leaps and bounds and that warms my heart and just means so much to this momma. I can also see Haley and Addy growing in their relationship with the Lord too.....Chase and Angie do a nighttime devotional with Addy each night and Chase said she runs to get the devotional book and can't wait to read it each night - thank you Lord! Make us all hungry for your word and a closer relationship with you! Addy has grown so much this year.....I am seeing such a precious little personality emerge.....she's beautiful, inside and out. I pray Lord that this is the year she accepts your gift of salvation. Haley was invited to the Sky Ranch leadership camp this coming summer. What an awesome opportunity this will be for Hay Hay. I can see God working in her life - thank you Lord and i pray You will just fill her sweet life with Your Holy Spirit and that she will continue to seek you and be strong in You and your plans for her life. I cherish the relationship i get to share with Hay. She is precious in my life! Lord i pray so hard for Audie.....God she needs you in her life and I just pray that you will put people into her life that know You and will help her know You and love You more. I pray that Audie will come to know You as her Lord and Savior. I wish she could understand that her relationship with You is THE most important relationship she will ever be a part of.....that You have a specific plan for her life and if she would just let You in.....if she would just let You drive.....that You have the sweetest journey planned for her - and that plan is perfect. God i pray that You will protect her....that You will help her know your saving grace. Oh and my sweet baby boy.....Hayden Michael Corley. What joy this little boy brings to all of our lives! He's all boy.....and a bundle of energy! He has us all wrapped tight around his little finger.....he can woo you with his smiles, melt your heart with his words and at times, he's a force to be reckoned with =) God i pray this precious little boy will come to know You at an early age.....that You will do great things to him and through him. I pray Your Hand upon His life and that You will protect him, guide him and help him become all that you have planned for him. He is so sweet Lord.....a precious gift in all of ours lives! My Avery Grace.....goodness comes in little packages and she IS still so very tiny for her age. Still she loves to entertain - I do believe we will see her on broadway one day! She's a tiny little bundle of energy with an imagination and creativity that surprises me at her young age. She's very sensitive....sometimes to a fault.....I pray Lord that you will guide that sensitivity in the right direction. Sometimes i see hurt feelings and I pray Lord that You will give her a security in who she is in YOU and ease the situations where she's unsure and insecure. I see so much of MY young life in Avery's. I pray she can come to know You Lord and I pray that you will put people in her life....in Shawn's life, that will guide them both to know you as Lord and Savior. Shawn - oh so much like his dad.....so quiet and keeps things to himself.....not a talker......somewhat of a loner.....Lord i can see how much he needs you in his life.....my prayer is that this year will be the year he starts moving forward.....getting he and Avery into church - into a relationship with You. I pray for people to come into both of their lives that will help them seek You and find You. Walls have been built.....i pray this is the year they start coming down. Chase and Angie - i see them both growing in their relationship with you Lord - for that i am so very happy and thankful. I pray that this year You will continue to bless them and mold them and guide them. Thank you Lord for the people you have put in their lives that have helped them in their spiritual growth. I pray you will just continue to stretch them and mold them and make them Lord.
My sweet husband.....Lord how i love him. To think we only knew each other 5 days before we decided to spend the rest of our lives together. Thank you Lord....you helped us find one another.....you helped us grow in our faith together......and you continue to bless us and keep us safe.
I love my family Lord.....they are precious gifts in my life from YOU. Thank you for each one of them and I pray that in 2013, each one of us will come to know YOU in a more intimate and personal way......open our lives Lord and opens our hearts.....help us love you and serve you more and more.
Help us in 2013 to know and realize what truly means the most in this sweet life you have given each of us! First and foremost, our relationship with You Lord....i pray we all grow and magnify you in new ways in 2013......stretch us, mold us, make us YOURS.....and then 2 - the gift of each other. For family and friends Lord i thank You. What blessings in my life!!!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The little things.....
Sitting back tonight remembering yesterday and today.....times spent with two of the loves of my life.
Haley and Hayden came to stay the night with us last night - Chase was working late and Angie was running a 1/2 marathon with Moe this morning......so just a sweet time to have my babies come and stay. I must say, they are so very special.
Haley is growing up so fast. I still remember the very first time i met her - and oh my goodness, how the time has flown. She is just beautiful inside and out. I am so very proud of her. We found out yesterday that she has been invited to attend Leadership Camp for Sky Ranch next summer. It's quite an honor - there will be only 50 there in Colorado next June/July. Haley is growing so much in her relationship with the Lord and i am just so very proud of the young woman she's becoming. I couldn't love this little girl one bit more if she had my blood running through her veins. She's mine.....totally and i love her so very much. Haley and i had fun watching all the reality shows - The X Factor.....Shark Tank.......i love to hear her laugh and when she does, those blue eyes flash......she's such a sweetheart. I know most times she would much rather be with her friends.....but she's so sweet to come and stay with us. I love spending time with her - she makes me laugh.
Oh my goodness.....and then there's that sweet little blue-eyed boy.....
Oh my goodness, be still my heart! Here he is with Allie - or as he calls her "aya" - I was so surprised at how much he's talking now! My fear was he would tell me things and i wouldn't be able to understand him....but Angie said not to worry.....just tell him what you think he's staying and he will tell you if you are right or wrong. Luckily only a couple of times did i have trouble - and Haley was a big help - in face she said "i am really being a good interpreter for Hayden"!
So many funny things happened during their stay. There's a rule i have at Mimi and Papa's - one is what happens at Mimi and Papa's stays at Mimi and Papa's.....and another rule is - we MUST stay up late! Too much fun to have to go to bed early. That usually hasn't applied for Hayden, but last night it did. I kept staying "I think it's time for you to be nite nite boy" - and his quick reply was "no nite nite"...he was so good and just played with his Truck Trucks, his Bye Bye's and an elmo bus. He spend the evening putting blocks in the bus and then driving them around - then taking them all out.....only to put them back in again. If he sees an iPhone or an iPad his first words are "I see?" - and if he gets close enough it's "i do!" And boy can that little one work an iphone or ipad. It's amazing! Last night as he played with his toys, a storm was brewing outside......and soon it started hailing and hitting the dining room window- the thunder and lightening boomed and lit up the sky - i watched Hayden.....he stopped what he was doing and stared at the window at the top of our front door......he stared for just about a minute and then he got up so quickly and came running to me.....he had such a scared look on his face. For the rest of the night - even tho the storm came and went, he kept his eye on that front door.....and he didn't leave my lap! I hate for him to be scared.....but oh my, how sweet to hold my baby boy. I kept telling him it was okay.....that we were safe.....i told him it was just thunder and i said "thunder, you go away!" - the rest of the night if even a little rumble came, he would arch those eyebrows and look at me and say "funder go way! He stayed up with us until about 10:30.....when it was truly time to be nite nite boy, he was so precious......he didn't fuss one bit! We went upstairs and read a book - it was a dora dora scavenger hunt book and he amazed me at all the things he knew......my goodness, he's so smart! He saw a number "2" written and he said "there's a 2" - well yes sir little man......you are right! We got to the end and he said "again" - but i told him it was very late and we need to say our prayers and be nite nite boy. He held me tight as i prayed......just prayed and prayed for that sweet boy....and then he hugged but big and as i put him into his bed i told him to get a good night sleepers and we would wake up in the morning and play - he just laid down his sweet head, grabbed his sippy cup and put a hand on his firetruck and said "tay" - which is his way of saying "okay" - my heart just about melted!
The next morning, he didn't wake up until 9:15!!!! And that's unheard of! I woke up before he did and i went into his room and just sat and watched him sleep.....Haley was sleeping in too so i thought i would just take that time and say some prayers and wait for him to wake up. Pretty soon his eyes opened and he looked around kind of like "oh yeah.....i'm at mimi and papa's" - but when he saw me, he got the biggest grin on his face and he's up for the day!
One of the first things he wants when he gets up is "choc moo moo" - this little boy LOVES chocolate milk! He's not a really good eater, so when he says to me "Mimi, choc moo moo pease?" I told him we would have to wait until after breakfast.....and then offered to let him help me make the eggs.....i already had cinnamon rolls in the oven -
He was such a good helper. I got him the little stool i have used for Addy and Avery and set him at the counter.....first i had to crack the eggs into the bowl.....he watched me do the first one and he said "me do?" - so i handed him and egg and helped him tap it on the counter.....but i couldn't catch him before he put it over the bowl and squeezed.....egg and eggshell goes everywhere - luckily all into the bowl but he looks at me with this awful look on his face and goes "EWWWWWWW!" oh my - he didn't like that egg on his hands! Needless to say he didn't say "me do" for that part anymore! Once we got the egg shell out of the bowl we dumped them into the pan. He loved stirring the eggs and being mimi's helper. I had sausage cooking in another pan on the stove and he kept pointing and saying "mimi....no"i am guessing he doesn't like sausage - so i ask him if i could fix him bacon - no.....and he points to the cinnamon rolls.....quite a few times he pointed to the cinnamon rolls! Once i got his breakfast on the table, he was quick to crawl up in his chair - i told him we needed to say the prayer and right away he bowed his little head and put his hands up under his chin.....he's SO serious during the paryer......he always keeps his eyes closed tight and he doesn't budge until someone says "amen" - then he says "AMEN!" - I just pray dear Lord that you take that precious little life and do GREAT things with him as he grows......i pray that he loves You Lord so very much....early in his life and that many will come to know You because of him.....you know....since he was just a TINY thing - he's always just seemed to KNOW when the prayer is being said. It's like nobody every had to tell him to bow his head and be serious and quite.....he just did it. To my surprise, the first bite he takes is the eggs.....maybe he wanted to taste of what he cooked =) But he had trouble getting all the bites on the fork.....so i reached over and helped him get some on his fork....."tan tu" he would tell me. "more pease" and so the pattern was set....i would get a bite on his fork and he would ALWAYS tell me "tan tu". Angie told me she wasn't having to prompt him with his manners anymore.....he even says "tuse me" if he needs to get by in a tight squeeze! He ate an awesome breakfast.
Shortly after he got down and started playing he asked me "mimi, choc moo moo pease?". Angie dilutes his chocolate milk and i was doing the same. The night before i put about 1/2 and 1/2 but this morning i put even less chocolate milk and mostly regular milk....i handed him his sippy cup.....he tucked it under his arm as he usually does and off he goes. Shortly he comes back to me and says "Mimi? Bad Choc moo moo!" Guess i didn't get the mix right =)
This little boy just melts my heart......He's SO very sweet. I love that everything he says is a double....Dora Dora, truck truck, bye byes - i wish i could take the last 24 hours and bottle them up and open them over and over......just blessings in my life.....when they say Mimi.....my heart just overflows with a love like no other......
My heart is full.
Haley is growing up so fast. I still remember the very first time i met her - and oh my goodness, how the time has flown. She is just beautiful inside and out. I am so very proud of her. We found out yesterday that she has been invited to attend Leadership Camp for Sky Ranch next summer. It's quite an honor - there will be only 50 there in Colorado next June/July. Haley is growing so much in her relationship with the Lord and i am just so very proud of the young woman she's becoming. I couldn't love this little girl one bit more if she had my blood running through her veins. She's mine.....totally and i love her so very much. Haley and i had fun watching all the reality shows - The X Factor.....Shark Tank.......i love to hear her laugh and when she does, those blue eyes flash......she's such a sweetheart. I know most times she would much rather be with her friends.....but she's so sweet to come and stay with us. I love spending time with her - she makes me laugh.
Oh my goodness.....and then there's that sweet little blue-eyed boy.....
So many funny things happened during their stay. There's a rule i have at Mimi and Papa's - one is what happens at Mimi and Papa's stays at Mimi and Papa's.....and another rule is - we MUST stay up late! Too much fun to have to go to bed early. That usually hasn't applied for Hayden, but last night it did. I kept staying "I think it's time for you to be nite nite boy" - and his quick reply was "no nite nite"...he was so good and just played with his Truck Trucks, his Bye Bye's and an elmo bus. He spend the evening putting blocks in the bus and then driving them around - then taking them all out.....only to put them back in again. If he sees an iPhone or an iPad his first words are "I see?" - and if he gets close enough it's "i do!" And boy can that little one work an iphone or ipad. It's amazing! Last night as he played with his toys, a storm was brewing outside......and soon it started hailing and hitting the dining room window- the thunder and lightening boomed and lit up the sky - i watched Hayden.....he stopped what he was doing and stared at the window at the top of our front door......he stared for just about a minute and then he got up so quickly and came running to me.....he had such a scared look on his face. For the rest of the night - even tho the storm came and went, he kept his eye on that front door.....and he didn't leave my lap! I hate for him to be scared.....but oh my, how sweet to hold my baby boy. I kept telling him it was okay.....that we were safe.....i told him it was just thunder and i said "thunder, you go away!" - the rest of the night if even a little rumble came, he would arch those eyebrows and look at me and say "funder go way! He stayed up with us until about 10:30.....when it was truly time to be nite nite boy, he was so precious......he didn't fuss one bit! We went upstairs and read a book - it was a dora dora scavenger hunt book and he amazed me at all the things he knew......my goodness, he's so smart! He saw a number "2" written and he said "there's a 2" - well yes sir little man......you are right! We got to the end and he said "again" - but i told him it was very late and we need to say our prayers and be nite nite boy. He held me tight as i prayed......just prayed and prayed for that sweet boy....and then he hugged but big and as i put him into his bed i told him to get a good night sleepers and we would wake up in the morning and play - he just laid down his sweet head, grabbed his sippy cup and put a hand on his firetruck and said "tay" - which is his way of saying "okay" - my heart just about melted!
The next morning, he didn't wake up until 9:15!!!! And that's unheard of! I woke up before he did and i went into his room and just sat and watched him sleep.....Haley was sleeping in too so i thought i would just take that time and say some prayers and wait for him to wake up. Pretty soon his eyes opened and he looked around kind of like "oh yeah.....i'm at mimi and papa's" - but when he saw me, he got the biggest grin on his face and he's up for the day!
One of the first things he wants when he gets up is "choc moo moo" - this little boy LOVES chocolate milk! He's not a really good eater, so when he says to me "Mimi, choc moo moo pease?" I told him we would have to wait until after breakfast.....and then offered to let him help me make the eggs.....i already had cinnamon rolls in the oven -
Shortly after he got down and started playing he asked me "mimi, choc moo moo pease?". Angie dilutes his chocolate milk and i was doing the same. The night before i put about 1/2 and 1/2 but this morning i put even less chocolate milk and mostly regular milk....i handed him his sippy cup.....he tucked it under his arm as he usually does and off he goes. Shortly he comes back to me and says "Mimi? Bad Choc moo moo!" Guess i didn't get the mix right =)
This little boy just melts my heart......He's SO very sweet. I love that everything he says is a double....Dora Dora, truck truck, bye byes - i wish i could take the last 24 hours and bottle them up and open them over and over......just blessings in my life.....when they say Mimi.....my heart just overflows with a love like no other......
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
More memories.....
Addison......in a diaper, no top, just a diaper....she's probably around 3 - she has on those plastic dress up shoes - the ones with the pink feathers on them - and she has a purse on her arm.....those big brown eyes flashing - and i ask her "Addison, where are you going?" - she gives me this PRECIOUS look and blinks those brown eyes at me and say "Oh MIMI.......i go ¨CHOPPING!"
Shawn - around 4 - he's been to Bible School and apparently they talked about tithing - because he asks me that afternoon how God gets the money they give at church......so i go into this huge explanation about how, through the church, God uses that money to help others.....well he goes back in his room for a while and then he comes back in the kitchen where i am cooking dinner and he tells me "momma, He dropped it" - i said "What Shawn?" "He dropped it momma!" - and he's holding the little church bank they made that day in Bible School.....he holds it out to me and says "I gave it to God and HE dropped it!? - okay, so i am seeing what has happened.....he has his money for God in his little church and since God takes the money and THROUGH the church He uses it to help others - Shawn held that church up to God and he let go......I want that kind of faith!
Chase - around age 3 - sitting on the floor in my momma's kitchen, licking the beaters from a cake she's making......Chase - "Mema, do you know what my momma and daddy do after we go to bed at night?????" - my mom, horrified....thinking oh my gosh, what in the world......and then Chase says "They eat ICE CREAM! "
I am helping Avery write a book.....we are going to mail it in and the Discovery Kids company publishes it and makes it into a book....well, she makes up this story about big bug and little bug (because Shawn calls her little bug and she calls him Big bug" and this tree named "Bigoldtree" - and int he story there this fairy named Caroline and Caroline comes to see Big bug and Little bug in a "Poof" she appears - she tells me the entire story and then we get into the illustrations and writing on the pages the company has provided. She starts to illustrate page 8 and she draws this fairy down in one corner of the box where the illustrations go.....the fairy is very small and much of the box is blank so i say "Avery, look at all this space - do you want to draw something here?" - "Oh yes, Mimi....i am going to draw her poop" - "Avery, WHAT did you say?" "Her poop, i am going to draw her poop" - "Avery Grace Corley - you are going to draw POOP??????" oh my, Avery starts laughing so hard she's crying......"NOOOOOOOO, MIMI, her POOF!!!!" - I had forgotten all about her "Poof" - we laughed until tears rolled down our cheeks.
Addylou - it's Thanksgiving and Hillary and Jason are visiting us for Thanksgiving.....we are all gathered around the table having Thanksgiving dinner......okay, so Addison sometimes takes things literally......i mean LITERALLY. So she comes over to my chair and she whispers in my ear "Mimi, Uncle Shawn told me that Jason has two brains - does he really?" and she puts her face RIGHT in front of my face so she can look in my eyes - Oh my.....i am laughing just thinking of it. She wanted the TRUTH!!
Okay, so this is the sweetest......When Chase was 8 years old, he was saved. He asked Jesus into his heart and he was so excited. I guess i need to say that part first......it was during a revival - and Chase and Shawn were sitting in the pew with us and Chase was right next to me.....this night he fidgeted and just wouldn't be still. All of a sudden i feel this tap on my shoulder.....i lean over and tell him to "listen" - and he hands me this piece of paper.....on the paper it says, among all the little drawings and notes between he and Shawn, "tonight God told me it was time to be saved, but i was afraid" - OH MY GOSH.....the moment a parent dreams about.....i asked him if he understood what that meant and did he want to go forward at the end of the service and he said "do i have to say the prayer?" He meant the big prayer for everyone......at the end of church. Oh my.....what a precious moment in our lives.....and i have that note hanging in my closet this very moment.....if we ever had to leave the house quickly, it's one of the things i would grab first.....okay, so fast forward a few weeks - the four of us are in our living room and the weather is AWFUL.....warnings are running across the bottom of the TV - parents are calling to be sure we are okay - it's really scary......Chase takes Shawn to the sliding glass door to look at the weather and tells Shawn...."Shawn, you need Jesus NOW - You need to ask him into your heart RIGHT THIS MINUTE.....we might not be here tomorrow!" Evangelism at the age of 8! But the precious part.....he was SO concerned about his brother......SO like Chase.
Don't forget the night i feel asleep in the chair in the game room....it was light when i fell asleep but pitch dark when i was awakened by a knock at the back door......a policemen had Shawn in tow.....caught him inside the fence at the day care across the alley.
Oh and then there's the time Chase was spending the night with Robert Fermosa.....Michael and i are awakened by a phone call.....okay so Chase is probably 8 - 9 at the most......and the call is from the Mesquite Police!!!! They have Chase on LongShadow Lane and need us to come and get him. We hurry and throw clothes on and drive around the corner. The headlights shine on the police car and there's this LONG neck with nothing but blonde curls everywhere......Robert is so short you can't see his head....but Chase you can see clearly.....caught knocking out Christmas lights in some man's yard!!!
Shawn singing Christmas carols when he was 3 - "Then one froggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say......"
Okay.....more later.
Shawn - around 4 - he's been to Bible School and apparently they talked about tithing - because he asks me that afternoon how God gets the money they give at church......so i go into this huge explanation about how, through the church, God uses that money to help others.....well he goes back in his room for a while and then he comes back in the kitchen where i am cooking dinner and he tells me "momma, He dropped it" - i said "What Shawn?" "He dropped it momma!" - and he's holding the little church bank they made that day in Bible School.....he holds it out to me and says "I gave it to God and HE dropped it!? - okay, so i am seeing what has happened.....he has his money for God in his little church and since God takes the money and THROUGH the church He uses it to help others - Shawn held that church up to God and he let go......I want that kind of faith!
Chase - around age 3 - sitting on the floor in my momma's kitchen, licking the beaters from a cake she's making......Chase - "Mema, do you know what my momma and daddy do after we go to bed at night?????" - my mom, horrified....thinking oh my gosh, what in the world......and then Chase says "They eat ICE CREAM! "
I am helping Avery write a book.....we are going to mail it in and the Discovery Kids company publishes it and makes it into a book....well, she makes up this story about big bug and little bug (because Shawn calls her little bug and she calls him Big bug" and this tree named "Bigoldtree" - and int he story there this fairy named Caroline and Caroline comes to see Big bug and Little bug in a "Poof" she appears - she tells me the entire story and then we get into the illustrations and writing on the pages the company has provided. She starts to illustrate page 8 and she draws this fairy down in one corner of the box where the illustrations go.....the fairy is very small and much of the box is blank so i say "Avery, look at all this space - do you want to draw something here?" - "Oh yes, Mimi....i am going to draw her poop" - "Avery, WHAT did you say?" "Her poop, i am going to draw her poop" - "Avery Grace Corley - you are going to draw POOP??????" oh my, Avery starts laughing so hard she's crying......"NOOOOOOOO, MIMI, her POOF!!!!" - I had forgotten all about her "Poof" - we laughed until tears rolled down our cheeks.
Addylou - it's Thanksgiving and Hillary and Jason are visiting us for Thanksgiving.....we are all gathered around the table having Thanksgiving dinner......okay, so Addison sometimes takes things literally......i mean LITERALLY. So she comes over to my chair and she whispers in my ear "Mimi, Uncle Shawn told me that Jason has two brains - does he really?" and she puts her face RIGHT in front of my face so she can look in my eyes - Oh my.....i am laughing just thinking of it. She wanted the TRUTH!!
Okay, so this is the sweetest......When Chase was 8 years old, he was saved. He asked Jesus into his heart and he was so excited. I guess i need to say that part first......it was during a revival - and Chase and Shawn were sitting in the pew with us and Chase was right next to me.....this night he fidgeted and just wouldn't be still. All of a sudden i feel this tap on my shoulder.....i lean over and tell him to "listen" - and he hands me this piece of paper.....on the paper it says, among all the little drawings and notes between he and Shawn, "tonight God told me it was time to be saved, but i was afraid" - OH MY GOSH.....the moment a parent dreams about.....i asked him if he understood what that meant and did he want to go forward at the end of the service and he said "do i have to say the prayer?" He meant the big prayer for everyone......at the end of church. Oh my.....what a precious moment in our lives.....and i have that note hanging in my closet this very moment.....if we ever had to leave the house quickly, it's one of the things i would grab first.....okay, so fast forward a few weeks - the four of us are in our living room and the weather is AWFUL.....warnings are running across the bottom of the TV - parents are calling to be sure we are okay - it's really scary......Chase takes Shawn to the sliding glass door to look at the weather and tells Shawn...."Shawn, you need Jesus NOW - You need to ask him into your heart RIGHT THIS MINUTE.....we might not be here tomorrow!" Evangelism at the age of 8! But the precious part.....he was SO concerned about his brother......SO like Chase.
Don't forget the night i feel asleep in the chair in the game room....it was light when i fell asleep but pitch dark when i was awakened by a knock at the back door......a policemen had Shawn in tow.....caught him inside the fence at the day care across the alley.
Oh and then there's the time Chase was spending the night with Robert Fermosa.....Michael and i are awakened by a phone call.....okay so Chase is probably 8 - 9 at the most......and the call is from the Mesquite Police!!!! They have Chase on LongShadow Lane and need us to come and get him. We hurry and throw clothes on and drive around the corner. The headlights shine on the police car and there's this LONG neck with nothing but blonde curls everywhere......Robert is so short you can't see his head....but Chase you can see clearly.....caught knocking out Christmas lights in some man's yard!!!
Shawn singing Christmas carols when he was 3 - "Then one froggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say......"
Okay.....more later.
Monday, March 19, 2012
time with a sweet baby boy....
March 2012.....5 days and nights with my sweet Hayden Michael.....oh my goodness, what precious times! These are the things that will stick in my heart and in my mind.....the "o" face when he's surprised or just a bit afraid.....that sweet little grin and the dimple in his chin....flying kites with papa (and don't forget the first kite wasn't big enough or bad enough and we found papa calling stores to find the "bad boy" kite the very next morning =), picnics and "in and out" burgers, green peas and roly poly bugs, saying "bye bye and waving to his plate at dinner time... the way he loves juice, when it's night night boy time, the way he put his head on my shoulder and held me so tightly..... singing Jesus loves Hayden, Jesus loves the little children, and Sunshine on my shoulder and running my fingers through his curls - and the time i wasn't running my fingers through his curls and he did it so i would remember to do that =) (he loves that JUST like his daddy did at that age) ....the way he says "hi Allie" and waves at her.....the way he learned to ride the wiggle racer - he learned if you start at the top of the drive way on the hill and then put your feet up in the air you go really fast - will never forget the look of pure joy on his face as he raced down the hill.....the "Chase face" when i put him in the baby swing and started the swing.....he gritted his teeth and his eyes got so big.....JUST like his daddy on the big boat ride at Six Flags when he bit off more fear than he could chew...the way he wouldn't taste pudding.....told me NO NO NO and shook his head, but when a little bit touched his mouth, he did a double take and pulled the spoon to his mouth....after that, he couldn't shovel it in fast enough! The way he went up the HUGE 12 foot slide, all by himself - he got to the top and i ran around to the bottom of the slide and saw his face right before he came down the slide....pure joy.....a grin from ear to ear and he couldn't wait to do it again! He giggled all the way down the slide too.... Playing hide and seek (aka pop pay aka peek-a-boo) with him and the way he would stand in the doorway peeking into the room and craning his neck to see if mimi was there....his giggle when he would find me.....the way he calls me Mimi and the way he calls papa.....melts our hearts...saying "i love you" - pointing to his "eye" for the "I" and hugging himself so tightly for the "Love" and then pointing big for the "You" - Mimi taught him that =) .....the way every once in a while in the car he would just say "mimi, papa" - it was like he was enjoying his time with his mimi and papa and he just wanted to say our names....brushing his teeth with big people toothpaste and the way he loved the taste and the way he looked at me when i brushed his teeth.....getting up every morning hungry and pointing at the bananas.....finding sticks from the weeping willow tree next door and playing with them for the longest time.....he's all boy.....feeding the ducks at City Lake park - and talking about "duck ducks" for the next 2 days......loving trucks and every time he sees one, he has to tell us all about the "da druck" - seeing the cows and the way he says 'MOOOOOOOOO" , the way he calls dogs "woof woofs"....the sweet way he does itsy bits spider....teaching him "the wheels on the bus" and the way he does the babies go waaa, waaa, waaaa - he thought that was so funny......shoveling mac and cheese with his hands when he couldn't get it on the fork....bath time and the sweet smell of him fresh from the bath.....the way he spreads his toes out big when you first take off his shoes and socks.....oh and the way he says "shoes" so quickly....papa thinking he was too young for kites and kind of making fun of me for wanting to plan so many things for us to do.....and then papa coming up with one plan after another =)...the gentleman's kiss - be still my heart...hugging and kissing Allie good morning.....hugging and kissing Allie after he had been in time out for hitting her......telling Allie "sorry"....seeing pictures of momma and dada and sissies and calling them by name as he walked past.....skinned knees from all the falls when he was running and playing - and the way he would come to me so i could kiss it....the laughter when i would push him big on the new pillow pet racer we got him for inside the house.....picking flowers.....the look on his face when i would do something new - like running through the weeping willow tree branches hanging to the ground - this look would come across his face - he would stand for just a bit and think about it and then he would run as fast as he could and join me.....the day we were late getting lunch because we had a showing of the house and looking back in the car seat seeing Hayden chewing on something.....when i asked him what it was, he reached down, WAY down into his carseat crease and pulled up old crumbs.....oh bad Mimi for letting you wait so long for lunch! The way he would point and grin when i walked in to get him from his nap or first thing in the morning.....the way he would point and say "ohhhhhh" - So many memories of this sweet time with Hayden one on one. Times like that don't happen often and i want to treasure every single minute and hold tight to each little memory. As i write, i miss him so. We are so blessed to have this sweet little boy in our lives. Thank you God for Hayden Michael Corley. This Mimi prays so hard that your Holy Spirit will guide Hayden and touch his heart at an early age and that Hayden will do great things in his lifetime for YOU Lord. He's a precious gift. Thank you for the time we could spend getting to know each and every little part of him...... how i am just in awe of Your love for us and the way you created each of us so uniquely and perfectly. Being a Mimi is the best.....no rushing around or work to get in the way of spending 15 minutes watching roly poly bugs......no hurries as we played with sticks......getting to sit down with him and watch him enjoy toys and lunch and nature and life. I can never thank you enough Lord for all the blessings of my life! My family.....oh Lord, my family.......thank You for each of them! I pray that each one of us can magnify You in all that we do in our lives....our offering to You sweet Lord.
p.s. one more memory from the weekend before. I was helping a friend give a baby shower.....tons of people crowded her living room as Angie walked in with Hayden in her arms. I saw the look of surprise on his little face as he scanned the room and saw so many faces he didn't recognize....but then, his eyes locked with mine and the look on that sweet baby boy's face when he saw me. I will never forget that look. He loves me so much. His arms reached out and his eyes smiled so big.....and the grin he had was from ear to ear. Blessings in my life.
p.s. one more memory from the weekend before. I was helping a friend give a baby shower.....tons of people crowded her living room as Angie walked in with Hayden in her arms. I saw the look of surprise on his little face as he scanned the room and saw so many faces he didn't recognize....but then, his eyes locked with mine and the look on that sweet baby boy's face when he saw me. I will never forget that look. He loves me so much. His arms reached out and his eyes smiled so big.....and the grin he had was from ear to ear. Blessings in my life.
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