FullerTown

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 ...

Last evening, I went to the grocery store after the children were in bed. Please do not reprimand me for going out at night alone. I was armed with a set of keys in both pockets (to stab a perpetrator) and a working cell phone. This is the only way the grocery store fits into my schedule! Anyway, on the way I realized that Christmas is 65 days away. This is 9 weekends! Do not fear, I have already been doing my online research. It is time to do the in-store looking. I like to choose the gifts, then make my Excel spreadsheet to make sure it is as equal as possible. Then, I go to the store and look closely at the box or package. What kind of batteries does it need, and how many. What kind of maintenace is this item going to need? I am pleased with everything I had planned on purchasing. So, let the shopping begin. So far, I've been Christmas Looking. Now, I will be Christmas Shopping. Then I ventured into the clothing section. I nearly had a fit over this . And I thought wearing this ...

Today is my birthday. I was awakened by the alarm at 6:05; then again at 6:11. My sweet husband got up and turned it off. He proceeded to get Luke ready for school and then they brought me breakfast in bed!! Luke was so excited he could hardly stand it! I was instructed to stay in the bed and rest until he returned home from taking Luke to school. The girls & Paul slept until 9:00. It has been a LONG time since I have still been bed at 9:00 a.m. Then I was instructed to get ready. We dropped the children off at the babysitter and went to lunch. It has been a LONG time since we ate a meal in peace. And talked about adult things. And didn't have to escort a little Fuller to the restroom. Twice. It was a very nice treat. We then went to get Luke from school and parted ways. Daddy & the children had an errand to take care of. I was able to go shopping alone. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just wanted to be able to walk around a store and not ...

Our mommy is turning 31 years old . We are planning a BIG day for her. We are really excited about all the fun stuff she is going to get to do on her birthday. As we think of her birthday, we wanted to share our 31 most favorite reasons that she is the best mommy in the world. 1. Our mommy loves us with all of her heart. 2. Our mommy sacrifices her time to spend with us. 3. Our mommy makes every moment of our day memorable. 4. Our mommy cares for our every need. 5. Our mommy cooks us awesome cookies. 6. Our mommy shares her spaces with us. 7. Our mommy plays with us. 8. Our mommy waits in line at school to pick up our brother each day. 9. Our mommy teaches us our Bible verses each week for AWANA. 10. Our mommy reads us stories each night. 11. Our mommy fixes awesome snacks each afternoon. 12. Our mommy washes our unending loads of laundry each day. 13. Our mommy cleans up our make up messes as we play dress up. 14. Our mommy snuggles with us after bath time each night. 15. Our mommy ma...

I am the most blessed man in the world. God gave me a precious gift 11 years ago when I met the love of my life, Laura Ann. She is my rock and helpmate each day. I will forever be indebted to her for her love, support, and leadership in my life. She is the reason I desire to awake each morning and she makes me want to come home each night after long days at work. I love the way she loves me and our awesome kids each day. She is our gift and my inspiration. She has taught me more than I could ever share because she is an amazing teacher. I love her wisdom and her knowledge of the Bible. I am challenged by her Godly walk and by her saintly example. I am in awe of the way she unendingly gives her time to serve others. Her quiet portrait of sacrifice is God speaking through her amazing life. Her prayers are a source of encouragement and strength for me. Each time I stand behind the pulpit to share God's word, I think about how she has shaped my life in ways that I never imagined. Laura...

I do apologize for my blogging hiatus this week. There has been much to write about but my energy levels are at an all-time low. So, this post will be random. News Alert : My birthday is on Monday. I usually, in the past, have sent out a news bulletin to all about my impending birthday starting on September 1. This marks the 50-day mark. Thirty days in September and twenty in October. How convenient for me and all who love me. I never intended this to be selfish; just helpful. This year the news bulletins were not produced. On September 1, I was consumed with planning my baby's first birthday and the start of WEE Love Academy the next day. Patrick and I both have a sinus cold. We both took some medicine last night and are WORSE today! How did this happen? We both sound like sick frogs!! The good news is: this confirms that we do sleep in the same bed!! That's it. Sleep. Although, sleep does not come easy these days. I feel like if I cough just 37 more times, I...

First, this morning I wore one of my favorite dresses. When I went to deposit Sarah Belle into her class and put her down, I heard a "POP" from behind me as I stood up. I felt something give in the skirt of my dress. Sure enough, the back seam of my dress ripped to just below my posterior section. So, then I was afraid to take big steps or even stand up. After all, the youth sit behind me!! I made it through the service without hearing snickers behing me. When I got into the Suburban to come home, it ripped all the way up to the bottom of the zipper!!!! Glory to God it was time to go home. Tonight, we had The Lord's Supper. Luke & Anna Brooke sat in the service with me. We wanted them to learn about The Lord's Supper and its significance. I was trying to tell them what was happening and keep them quiet on the second row. There was a picture up on the screens of one hand on top of the other with the little communion cup and a cracker. As the deacons ...

Today started with Daddy giving Paul a special treat: chocolate milk!! In a sippy cup! Oh my! He liked it!! Then Luke had his first Kindergarten field trip. To the Pumpkin Patch. He had so much fun. Been talking about it all afternoon. There's a rumor that he KISSED Sacannah on the way! Of course, he denies all accusations when I ask him. He has talked all afternoon about the Bubble Forest, petting all the animals, and picking a pumpkin. The camera was dropped into a mud puddle, so I only have one picture. This is Luke, Evan, and Amara. Amara sits at Luke's table and Evan is his best friend. They had a great time!

It was late Sunday night after a busy day at church. We settled in Sunday evening and finally all the children went to bed. After everyone was asleep, Sarah Belle (as it is her ritual) came back downstairs. She climbed up into Mommy's lap. After a few minutes of watching the news I looked over and two of my girls were cuddled up asleep in their red chair. I could not resist capturing the moment to share with the visitors of FullerTown!

This is what a tub with four babies and whole bottle of Barbie Bubble Bath looks like on a Saturday night: Then each one wrapped up in their favorite towels: And then in pajamas: Now, it it snuggle time and then night-night. Lights out. Eyes closed. Sweet Dreams.

We have some sweet friends in town this evening. Brian & Kerri Redding are friends from our Seminary days. We have 7 children between us now. We are reminiscing about the good times when it was just the four of us. Of course, these times are absolutely wonderful!!! Here is a picture of all 7 children. From the left: Jacob (4), Anna (8 months), Caleb (2), Sarah Belle (2), Luke's bag from Granny, Luke (5), Paul (13 months), and Anna Brooke (3 1/2). Brian is the Music Minister of First Baptist Church of Glen St. Mary, FL which is my family's church. If we ever get all these children to sleep we will be able to watch the Vice-Presidential debate! We are having a great time together! I know this is a cheesy way to end this post but I am typing one-handed with a two-year-old in my lap!!!

We had our first little Fuller wedding this week!!! We really did have a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous wedding at Southside last weekend. The parents of the bride were so gracious to allow me to bring home one of the stunning arrangements used in the reception. So, on Monday, the 3 oldest little Fullers decided we would have our own wedding. They decorated the Living Room with the special arrangement and dishes, got all dressed up and pretended. I must say, IT WAS HILARIOUS!!!! Of course, they have never been to a wedding, or even seen one on TV for that matter. So, their rendition was perfectly cute. Luke is not really kissing Anna Brooke although their lips probably did touch. Here is the latest, cutest picture of Paul: I was on Copperhead Watch Duty as he crawled through the flowerbed. The children are enjoying the Fall weather changes. I am enjoying having the windows raised during the day. The joy of living in the Carolinas....