FullerTown

Our Christmas was a LOT of FUN!! I will give the details as best I can. Paul woke up at 7:15 am. He and I went and took pictures of the other little Fuller's. They were all so cute. Then they woke up! They were a little excited! They were ready to run downstairs. A Picture essay of the rest: Notice Anna Brooke sitting at Paul's gifts? She took a very meaningful look at everyone else's gifts before she went to hers. It was very sweet of her to notice everyone else's things before rushing to her own. Everyone's helmets have since been adjusted and fit Everyone received a bicycle or tricycle and matching helmet. The girls received an amazing, beautiful kitchen that matches their bedroom. Luke received a firetruck bookcase that he is very proud of. Paul received a pretend airport with all the accessories. After we were finished with our gifts, we traveled to Louisburg to have Christmas with the Fuller family. We had a very fun time and everyone received things they ask...

I now realize that I should have typed this post about Day 3 in Florida last night because I'm forgetting how we started our day. Now, I remember. The boys were outside with Granddaddy. They were piddling in different things then built a cross with a star on top to put lights on. It is a neat idea and very pretty. The girls went to Aunt Rie - Rie's house to play inside unhindered by boys. Marie called Granny's house and said, "Anna Brooke and Sarah Belle are sitting down, coloring in a coloring book. I didn't know this was possible. Girls are so much easier than boys!!!!! Which is true at this age. Give us a few more years and we will re-evaluate this situation. Then the Fuller's went to town to pick up a few things and take care of some errands. Our friend, K and her children, followed us back to Hideaway Farms. Back at the farm, we played on the hay in the tractor barn, went to play on the climbing tree, fed the cows, and then came inside to warm up. It ...

Day 2 in Florida was great! We attended worship with my parents and sisters. They all attend the First Baptist Church of Glen St. Mary, FL . They have a wonderful Pastor who preached the Word. I always like that. And, this awesome worship leader named Brian. He and his wife are dear friends from our seminary days. We had lunch at home. With many friends from days gone by. And lots of family too. It was very good to see many faces that we had not seen in a long time. Sweet, sweet people that we love so much. And they love us too. The Christmas Musical Programs were last night. First, Caleb and his Cubbie friends sang Silent Night dressed as the Nativity scene. Caleb was a shepherd, with a beard. (Green shepherd outfit looking straight at the camera.) Then, the older children sang several really cute songs, complete with hand motions. Conner stood front & center and did very well. (He's wearing the red sweater vest). Then was the choir musical. They all sang beautifully. Marie s...

We arrived safely at Hideaway Farms (my parents' home) at 1:30 a.m. this morning. The children were all asleep but woke up to see their Granddaddy and Granny. They were excited! This morning we went to Conner's (my older sister's firstborn) Tae Kwon Do belt test. He is currently a white belt (beginner) and was testing for his yellow belt. He did very good. We were all very proud of him. Then the children except Paul went with Granddaddy and Granny to see The Tale of Despereaux . A movie about a little mouse who learns to be brave. The little Fuller's enjoyed this as did the grandparents. While they were going to the movie we (Stephen & Marie, B & K)went out to lunch. It was a lot of fun! We laughed so hard at each other remembering old times. As we were leaving, I heard, "Laura!" I turned around and it was my very best friend from High School. She and I were inseparable . We rode together to the local community college the year after high school. So...

We have many friends scattered all over our great country. This is the result of Bible college and Seminary. And the convergence of two large family's address books. So, we are leaving for Florida today to celebrate Christmas with my family. The problem is, that we haven't mailed our Christmas cards yet. To many of you this will seem like no big deal. But you all know what you think of the person whose card you receive the week after Christmas. So the cards have to be mailed today . 650 cards. Oh, yes, we are officially mentally insane. Another problem is that we did not pick up the cards from the printer until around 8:30 p.m. just last night . Actually, the printer brought them to me. Tracked me down at a Christmas Party. We put our children to bed and the ink started flowing. Computer ink that is. And some Bic brand ink as well. We hit the sack between 2 am this morning so we could have at least a little rest. And the stuffing, licking and ink started again. I was busy with ...

Woo-hoo!!! Yahoo-jah!!! GLORY TO GOD!!! GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING!!! Yesterday was Luke's Kindergarten class Christmas Celebration. He will only be in Kindergarten once and Christmas comes but once a year . I really am in need of a camera. So, I did some quick research of the local electronics places and found one on clearance. It is not fancy, but it is a red camera. Very festive. Merry Christmas!! Here are the pictures so far: And, this morning at Preschool: How very cute!

A few weeks ago, the Seniors from church went someplace and Patrick accompanied them. He saw this and wanted it. He would not purchase it for himself. The sweet Seniors heard him admiring it and got together to purchase the ornaments. Then, someone else got the tree. They presented it to him at their monthly luncheon. Sadly, he was not in attendance to accept this generous gift in person. So, they set up the tree in his office. He was SOOOOOO surprised to see it. He says it is one of the best gifts he has ever received.

--I am finished with my shopping!!!!!!! (A special thanks to the biggest Wal-Mart I have ever visited that is located two counties away.) --I have rearranged the gifts as I usually do when we are ten days away from Christmas. Each family has their own tree. Christmas morning gifts are in the Family Room. My family's gifts are in the dining room. Patrick's family's gifts are in the Living Room. You Fuller's, Derrick's, Altman's and Fish's who read this should feel really special. --I am finishing wrapping the gifts now. The girls and Paul are assisting take the gifts to the correct location. (OK, I just checked behind them. Only 2 of the last 6 were in the right place. I do appreciate their help. I really do.) --The children are feeling better. Now the Mommy doesn't feel so great. Yes, I do have a doctor appointment. Thanks for asking. --This morning I ate a pear from Harry and David for breakfast. Every year we receive a gift basket from t...

This has been an interesting couple of days here in FullerTown! There is no better way to let you know the goings-on around here except to chronicle it all for you. On Thursday evening, it was clear that Sarah Belle was sick enough to visit Dr. B. Thankfully, a Friday morning appointment was available! She and I made our way to the new fancy location of the Pediatrics office. I missed the turn and ended up taking the long route. Perfect. Miss Sarah Belle has a 'mild' ear infection. If this is 'mild,' I would hate to see 'severe.' She is pretending to be a koala bear! After the exam, she looked at Dr. B, pointed to him and said, "That boy cut my ear." Try to imagine her sitting on the edge of the exam table with her eyes only half open, holding both ears and pouty lips. It was precious. And sad. It made Dr. B chuckle. After we visited the pharmacy she was feeling better. So, she and I stopped in a store that I knew would be a great place to...

Well, it has been a looooooong time since you were given the chance to see into FullerTown . The town manager has been quite . . . . . . busy. Last Monday was Anna Brooke's birthday. She had a wonderful day! She received many gifts that she is enjoying. Then we went into 'Get-Ready-for-the-Christmas-Family-Open-House Mode.' On Tuesday we stopped by Sam's Club after Preschool before going straight to get Luke. When we arrived home, the Christmas tree was ON THE FLOOR!!!! Yes, the live 9-foot tall, 100 pound Christmas tree was taking a nap!! I was speechless! I could not declare it a "Glory to God" moment! On Saturday, we went to the Greensboro Christmas Parade. I was the last one out the door as usual. I grabbed my black flats instead of going upstairs to get socks so I could wear warmer shoes. By the time the parade was over, and we saw Santa Claus, my feet were ICY. I could barely walk back to the Suburban they hurt so bad. Note to self: Next year w...

Our family hopes you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We have so much to be thankful for. The list is way too long to share here. We are the most thankful for a L ORD who loves us and gives us new mercies every single day . Awhile back, I was asked to write an article to describe what God has done in my life since my college days at BCF . I was delighted! So, I set to work trying to describe my life since then. It is very hard to put into words how good the L ORD has been to me and my family. Anyway, you can read the article here . Click on 'Winter 2008.' The article should come up. Scroll down. You will see a large house now called 'Eastlake Residence Hall.' This is where Patrick and I met at a new students' reception. Then, it was the President's Home. Scroll down a bit farther and you will see our picture and the article. Let me know what you think!

My heart was saddened today when I received a phone call from my best friend from college. She told me the most shocking news. Our friend from college, Rebecca McLain Pruitt died yesterday. Another friend has started a blog to tell the story of her death. You can read the blog here . Rebecca is Patrick's age, 29. She started college the same semester that we did. She had the most beautiful smile. And her joy was contagious. It was evident that her strong desire to be a teacher was more than a job; it was her calling. I remember one day Rebecca was in my dorm's common area. She was hugging her Bible to her chest and was visibly upset. I asked her what was the matter. She said so sweetly, and with a tear in her eye, "I think God is trying to tell me something, but I can't figure it out." Please join us in praying for Rebecca's family. Her parents are missionaries in Belgium. She also has a younger sister. We will never forget Rebecca .

Saturday was lots of fun for us. First, we (Granny, Aunt Rie - Rie , Conner, Caleb, Myself, Luke, Anna Brooke, Sarah Belle, & Paul) went to an heirloom sewing store. Granny needed some treasures from there to make the Christmas outfits. Then we went to Chick- fil -A. A very fun time. It was of course busy for Saturday lunch. The Lord provided 2 tables next to each other for us. Nothing is as fun as the indoor playground at Chick- fil -A. Everybody knows that. Then a few other quick stops before we finally went into the grocery store. Wal -Mart. What a wonderful place. We purchased just a few essentials and we were back home. Fun times. Then we ate dinner, bathed 6 kids, snuggled, watched songs, and went to bed. Then Daddy called. His flight from Miami had been cancelled. Dread. He called a few minutes later that he was on a flight to Charlotte. Pastor Matthew was coming to get him. He would not have luggage but he would be home. And about 2:30 a.m., Daddy walked thr...

This morning we had SNOW on the ground!!! I was so excited. So, the schools were on a 2-hour delay. I took Luke to school. Then there were a few things to do before going to pick him up. The most important: Dry Cleaners. We went to the Dry Cleaners, dropped off 2 boxes at Goodwill and then went to get Luke. Then we went to Target to get some ideas of what we wanted for Christmas. I would like to have 2 of these . Luke says that you need to tell Santa that you want an item. If you say that you need something you won't get it. He only brings things that we want. Nice concept. This evening, My Mom (Granny), Aunt Rie - Ri , Conner and Caleb arrived. The children played hard for about an hour. Now, everyone is in bed except me. But I am asleep.

Today has been a very good day. Luke had a great day at school. Today was the Thanksgiving Feast. The class made vegetable soup. A parent brought cornbread muffins. Another brought a fruit tray. Luke ate his normal lunch box fare. He was standing outside today wearing a Native American headdress and a vest made from a paper grocery bag. He looked so incredibly cute. The girls and Paul also had a wonderful day at Preschool. They absolutely love their Kindermusik class on Thursday. Paul enjoyed hoarding the egg shakers! This was adorable. After we picked up Luke from school, we came home and completed several necessary tasks. Luke asked when Daddy was coming home. I said it would be a couple more days. He said, in his bossy voice,"Well, CALL HIM AND TELL HIM TO COME HOME, NOW !!!!!" I think that is a good idea.

Day 2 went well. We achieved many of our goals for the day. We went to church (aka "Mission Friends") last night. Pastor Cole from Water of Life Community Church preached a wonderful message from 1 Peter about the eyes and ears of God. Two of his members led in worship. It is always good to learn someone else's version of an old song. I thoroughly enjoyed it. By the time I was writing last night, I was falling asleep and there was a lot of "a;dsfhourihtva n;mcjflkh." So, I went to bed. I'll tell you a secret but you have to promise not to tell. All little Fullers have slept all night these past two nights. Now, don't go telling anyone. You will jinx the run of sleepiness around here. (I know that's a weird sentence, but the concept is great!) There were several funny conversations or statements during the day but after a restful 7 hours of sleep, I only remember one. We were all in the girls' room, Luke was jumping on the bed, I was b...

This week is Jungle Week at Luke's school. It is the theme for the Book Fair. So, every day there is an activity the children can participate in. Yesterday was 'Animal Theme clothes day.' Today the children could bring their favorite books about animals. Tomorrow is 'Animal Hair Day.' This brings me an opportunity to share something that has not been shared until now. I have acquired a 'wanting' for a zebra print accessory. I have been secretly searching for zebra print shoes . But what wold I wear with them? Or, maybe some other accessory . This is so unlike me. Ooooh , I just found this . It would look great with my new black corduroy pants I received for my birthday. Or my beautiful dark rinse jeans. So, what do you think? Could I pull it off?

Our Daddy is away...again. He left this morning going to the Dominican Republic. He will be participating in Baseball clinics and working at an orphanage. So, our day has been more hectic than usual even if Daddy was home. Daddy took Luke to school then headed to the airport. Paul, the girls and I went to Preschool. We were way earlier than usual. Weird . After Preschool we came home and everyone was asleep. So, Mommy was innovative. Instead of waking everyone up from their much-needed naps, I came inside. I quickly got myself some lunch, the computer and went back outside to the Suburban. I sat and read the mail, and checked the email while I sat for an hour listening to the hum of three babies snoring. I was proud of myself for some reason. I had an hour of peace & quiet in the middle of a hectic day. After we retrieved Luke from school we came home. And unloaded. Changed diapers. One page of Kindergarten homework. Load up again. Luke had an appointment with Dr. ...

It has been a great joy for many years now for our family to participate in Operation Christmas Child . Every year during November we take all of our children with us as we shop for items to fill our shoeboxes . Amazingly, the little Fullers pick out things for the little boys and girls who will receive the boxes. They do not think of themselves and what their wishes are during this shopping trip. We have prepared our family's portion of shoeboxes. Our church has a goal of 500 boxes! Wow!! This is big, but we can do it! Here is a picture of Paul's contribution to helping with the boxes. He was so proud!!

Our girls have started coming into our bed in the middle of the night...or early morning. Last night was no different. Sarah Belle was first. Then, Anna Brooke came and was worried that Sarah Belle wasn't in her bed. Upon discovering her in between Mommy & Daddy, Anna Brooke wanted to snuggle with Sarah Belle. So, she scooted up right in the middle of all the snuggling around 5:00 a.m. this morning. Now, there is hardly enough space for two adults and two sprawling girls in a queen-size bed! I scooted out first, then Daddy. This is what was left: After the camera flashed, the facial expressions changed: Notice the pouty lips! It wasn't long before they woke up as happy as could be.

Luke has been enjoying Kindergarten all year. Yesterday and today something really neat has happened. He has jumped into the Suburban with a wide smile and said, "School was great!" He is excited to show me what is in his backpack. I am amazed. Great!

We have been away this weekend. By ourselves! We took our firstborn to school Friday and headed west on Interstate 40. We stopped on the way to ride through several quaint little towns. We love doing this. We even found several shops that interested us. So, the Christmas shopping began. We found several boutiques that were a treasure trove for Christmas gifts. We then checked in to our hotel. They had reserved 2 rooms for us! So funny. We had dinner at the Stable Cafe . It was delicious! The portions were perfect. The food was mouth-watering. Hard to articulate how good it was! Then we toured the Biltmore House in candlelight. Spectacular! Beautiful! I could not get over all of the fresh flowers. They were in every room! You must know that the State Convention for the Red Hat Society was meeting at our hotel. This was so funny to us. Seeing women dressed in red & purple was hilarious. These ladies must have a competition to see who can be the most decked out in red & purple. ...

We are so proud of our sweet brother-in-law, Stephen South. This past Sunday evening he was ordained as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Glen St. Mary, FL . Our hearts were broken that we could not make the trip. Although we tried to work out arangements to fly down during the afternoon but the airlines did not have a flight available. We prayed earnestly for him on Sunday as we knew this was a special day for him. Stephen will be a fine deacon. He has always been very sincere in all he does. Stephen served our great nation in the Navy for 4 1/2 years. While serving in the Navy, Stephen was trained to be an electrician. He married my sweet sister, Marie, shortly after being honorably discharged. He went to school to become a Journeyman Electrician. Now, he has made a fine career for himself building hospitals. We are certain that Stephen and Marie sought the face of God in this matter of whether or not to accept God's call to deacon ministry. Stephen is so genuine...

We are enjoying the Fall weather here in North Carolina. This is one of the blessings of living in this part of the country; four seasons! In my childhood Florida there was summer, one month of Fall, one month of winter, and one month of Spring; then back to summer again. I'll bet my Mom wore shorts to the polls this morning. Anyway, my foyer now looks like this: Luke is so proud of himself! I'm not sure what it is supposed to be. He says he wanted the foyer to look pretty. The back yard looks like this: Absolutely beautiful!! This is the reason we have no window coverings in our bathroom upstairs or in the kitchen or patio doors downstairs. Every morning as I stumble into the bathroom with one eye open I utter thanks to sweet Jesus for giving this view to enjoy every time I wish. Note to self: Make sure both eyes are open in the morning....

Here in FullerTown we are always looking for ways to teach the little Fullers to give. We are in the process of choosing which toys we will donate to Goodwill. Next weekend we will prepare our shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child . We have already been talking about what kinds of little boys and girls will receive the boxes we make. The goal of taking Luke and Anna Brooke to Canada this summer was for them to begin to realize that they have a very good life. They live in a nice home with a closet full of beautiful & handsome clothes. The pantry is never completely empty. They did see children who were less fortunate than they are and they had questions. Yahoo!!! There were sweet moments shared and conversations I will never forget. I have always wanted our family to sponsor a child on a monthly basis. This weekend at the Women of Faith conference, World Vision had many booths around the concourse. I went for a brisk walk to get some fresh air during the pre-conference on Frida...

Today I received a cigar catalog in the mail. It is from JR Cigars in Burlington, NC. How did they get my address? My children all have chocolate mouth. A ring of chocolate is smudged all the way around their mouths. My husband is THE BOMB!!! He has taken care of the little Fullers yesterday and today so I could attend the Women of Faith Conference. They went to the park, out to lunch, and to Wendy's for a Frosty. In 4 buckets of Halloween candy, there is not one Twix bar. Don't worry, there are plenty of other chocolate treats to be enjoyed. I am ready for November 5! No more political commercials on TV!!!! The man who sells the parking tickets at the Greensboro Coliseum does not take Visa. How weird is that? I am going to take advantage of my extra hour of SLEEP right now......

Our weekend so far has been a blast! Someone GAVE our church tickets to the Women of Faith conference. I have invited friends and neighbors to accompany me. We are having a great time! Laughing. And crying. I always cry at conferences like this. I think it has something to do with hearing 13,000 women singing praises to their Lord. I cry every time! (OK, I don't know what's up with the italics. It is not selected!!) And, you know this is Halloween weekend! The little Fullers were dressed as M & M's. Luke called and informed his Granny a few weeks ago that he was going to be an M & M; and she would need to make his costume. Along with his sisters' and brother's costumes. He got his assertiveness from his Daddy. After going to half the neighborhood to collect said candy Daddy took the little Fullers to the Southern Guilford football game. They always love going. Luke likes watching the players run and the band march. Anna Brooke tries to mimic the cheerleade...

Well, Tuesday night was ... shall we say ... an adventure. I think everyone woke up at some point during the night. Then today has been an unusual Wednesday. My neighbor, P along with her little grandson J, came over to sit with the girls & Paul while I took Luke to school. We had a short time to get our Wednesday chores done. Not enough time. I took the children to Mrs. A's house. I drove back across town to the school for Luke's Fall Harvest Celebration. Pringles and cupcakes never tasted so good!! We then had to come by the house and change out the laundry and check the mail. We were expecting our Halloween costumes that Granny made. They arrived and are sooooo cute! We will attempt to take a picture tomorrow to share with you! Also, a very special birthday gift for me was included. We went back to Mrs. A's house and walked to the park next to her house. Dinner was Burger King and then on to Mission Friends. We came home, bathed, snuggled and went to be...

Woo- hoo !!!!! Only one more day to go until DADDY'S HOME!!!!! Today has been a day filled with miracles. 1. Last night, Sarah Belle stayed in bed and went to sleep! She did not get back up even once! 2. Everyone slept all night!!! I woke up one time when my book slid off of the bed and hit the floor. 3. I managed to get everyone up and ready this morning. Every little Fuller was dressed, Luke was fed, teeth brushed, hair combed, bundled up in fluffy coats and buckled into the Suburban by 7:33 a.m.!!!! Everyone else ate breakfast at Preschool. 4. Tonight, Paul went to sleep without his bottle. He drank his bottle before being laid down; he just did not have a bottle in his mouth while actually going to sleep. Other things that have happened today: 1. Everyone walked Luke into his classroom this morning. The girls held hands and escorted him straight to his seat! This was very cute. We were even on time. 2. After bathtime , one little Fuller had a bowel incident that requi...

Today was our third day with Daddy away. We had plans of completing one task on our list for Saturday that went undone. Cleaning the children's bedrooms. I mean cleaning the closets and everything. So, this morning, I make a deal with the little Fullers. If, and when, they cleaned their rooms, I would call Mrs. A to come and accompany us to Triad Park. The children all LOVE Mrs. A. Well, it took awhile to get these rooms cleaned. They really were not that messy. It's just that the little Fuller's do not enjoy straightening their messes. They are learning! Mrs. A was summoned to FullerTown around 5:15 p.m. Like crazy girls, we loaded up the little Fullers and were en route to the park at 6:00 p.m. We even took all the tricycles. Now, this is not something that I would normally do; but Daddy would. Oh no, I will not be out- niced !! They were very excited. When we arrived, Luke and Anna Brooke rode the tricycles and Paul sat in the swing with Mrs. A while Sa...

I had an eventful night last night. First, Sarah Belle went to sleep in 'Daddy's spot.' The last I can remember is her eyes wide open and mine were very droopy. She began whining while dreaming so I moved her back to her bed. An hour passes. Anna Brooke is standing beside the bed saying, "Mommy, I want to snuggle with you." How could I resist. After all, it is a little cooler in this bed without Daddy. So we snuggled, and she snored!! Another hour passes. I am awakened by Paul's cries. I stumble downstairs to warm the bottle. I move Anna Brooke back to her bed. Paul finishes the bottle and is not satisfied. So, here came Paul into 'Daddy's spot!' It wasn't long before he was asleep again; so, he was put back in his bed. A couple hours pass. The alarm goes off. I must get up and be completely ready before the children get up. So, I got up and go into the bathroom. Luke comes in and wants to know what I am doing? He goes and gets into Daddy's...

FullerTown's leader departed early this morning for several days. He is going to be preaching a Revival meeting in Canton, NC at Dutch Cove Baptist Church. The pastor there has been a dear friend for many years. The children have been asking all day, "When is Daddy coming home today?" "Late on Wednesday night." {I don't think they understand that this is 4 DAYS away!!} So, we set out to busy ourselves. Luke helped to make a list of things to do. It went something like this: Task Firetruck puzzle Straighten bedrooms John Deere puzzle Another task Christmas puzzle Another task ICE CREAM!!!! We did complete the first several steps, then skipped to the ice cream! Then we went outside to ride tricycles on the patio before dinner. Everyone played and then their bare feet got 'freezing' so they came inside. At one point they were sitting on the grass and I thought This would be a beautiful picture . I came inside and got the camera then remembered it was ...