Monday, June 29, 2009

Happy Birthday Day Q!!

Quinton turned 29 today. I use to think that 29 was old! ha! ha! ha! Oh how young we are! I still feel so young anyways! Here are a few pictures I found of Q when he was younger.
Happy Birthday Q!
Quinton and Wade. Check out those Nike shoes! So in style!

Deci holding a picture of Quinton when he was little. They look just alike!


Sunday, June 28, 2009

God bless nursery workers!

So, we are "potty training" Deci...kind of...I'm not making it a big deal. I'm letting Deci take control for now and trying not to stress about it. Ok, so this is a big deal for me! So when I dropped Deci off in the Nursery at Church this morning I didn't mention it to Mrs. Judy. Deci had a pull up on so she was good to go. When I picked up Deci, Mrs. Judy told me that Deci started yelling "I-na Tee Tee, I-na Tee Tee!" Mrs. Judy was all by her self this morning. It was the early service and usually there aren't a lot of kids. Today there were 5 or 6. Sweet Mrs. Judy couldn't leave the kids alone so she lugged all 5 (or 6) of them down the hall to the bathroom. I'm sure that was quite a sight! Thanks to Mrs. Judy, Deci was nice and dry when I picked her up!

One time I picked Deci up from the Nursery and she had red kool-aide in her sippy cup...she was under one..I think. Anyways, if you know me I'm a "No sugar notzi" with Deci. (or I use to be...I've slacked off a bit). One Nursery worker buys Deci special snacks that doesn't have any sugar in them. I couldn't ask for better Nursery workers than we have! Thanks!!!!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

I could spend everyday like this!

Me, Kerrie and Deci loaded up after work Wednesday morning and headed to Springville to see my dad and Debbie. Here are a few pictures from that afternoon.

This is Deci's cabinet. She loves Tupperware! :)
If she only knew how to match the lids to the bowls.


We walked around the pasture and picked a whole bowl of blackberries and then came back and put them on ice cream! Yummy!! I was like a kid picking blackberries! It reminded me of my childhood. :)

Another thing that reminded me of my childhood is peanut butter crackers! There are very few nights that my dad was home that he didn't have peanut butter crackers and a glass of milk before bed. Paw Paw Bo shared his peanut butter crackers and milk with Deci today. She decided she wanted to dip her cracker into the milk!


Laying out!



She wants to be just like Aunt Kerrie...or Key key, or Tay or whatever comes out of Deci's mouth for Kerrie. :)


Deci was wore out by the end of the day. She had so much fun swimming. She is such a water bug! She ended up with a fever later that night. (and still has it) We think she may be getting Fifths Disease??? I don't know. Looks like me are making a trip to the Doctor tomorrow.

Pictures from the past week or two!

Climbing the tree already!

I think we need to get her a real pillow. :)





Hanging out with Uncle Wade!







Pictures from Q's trip to Mexico. This girl was turning 15. This is some special service they have for them. I don't know a lot about it but I'll have Q post more about Mexico later.





So cute! Must be the flower girl.






I











Marley and Deci





Deci being silly!




Tuesday, June 23, 2009

This world has nothing for me and this world has everything

Random thoughts time! I haven't blogged in a while except for posting picture. I find it hard because I love to journal so much but I know not all of y'all would like to know every detail of my life. (Oh, how I could blog everyday, every detail.) If you are around me enough you will know that I love to talk...about anything. I LOVE details. Anyways, I'm sidetracked... I know not everything is so important that I should put it on here (like the fact that Me, Q, Deci, my mom, cousin Erica, Her husband and two kids have had the same virus this past week). I do just feel like sitting for a while blogging about my thoughts from the past few weeks about this world.



A few events have happened, really over the past few months that have really made me and Q stop in our tracks and have to think. It's hard for me to separate people and Sin. Q finds it a little easier but if you know us you will know that he is the compassionate one. I was talking with two close friends last night about how when we had this virus Q likes for me to baby him and I have a really hard time taking care of him when he's sick. I lack compassion sometimes. (Sorry Q) :) While Driving the other day thinking about a certain situation that just happened I thought about how this world is so corrupted. I started singing this song that I've heard forever but can't think of who sings it or the rest of the words. (yes, I've tried google) It says "This world has nothing for me, but this world has everything." It just reminds me that this world does have EVERYTHING that you could think that you want but really it doesn't have anything that will bring you real joy, real peace. Maybe for a moment but not for long.



At lifepoint (Albertville) we have been going through the book of Matthew and the sermon series has been Inside Out. We sing "From the Inside Out" by Hillsong. It's one of my favorite songs right now. It's a prayer really for God to change us from the inside out. Sometimes I can look clean enough on the outside but so ugly on the inside. I know it's a constant battle with me. I know all this "talk" can sound so good on paper like I have it all together but really I struggle more than I should. It's so easy for me to share my thoughts but so hard sometimes for me to act on them.



Q has me reading a book he just finished that he says changed the way he thinks. It's called "The irresistible Revolution, living as an ordinary radical." by Shane Claiborne. He called me from youth camp and told me that I had to read this book and that we were going to have to talk about getting rid of some stuff and living on less. I started reading a few days ago and I'm loving this book. It's a man that grew up in Tennessee, moved to a big city up north (sorry can't think of it now). He lives in a house with other people that hang out with the homeless. They really are acting on what they believe and it's really challenged us. Not that we are going to go out and sell our trailer, cars, clothes but I really do want to start taking big steps in becoming more of who God has called me to be. I'm not there by far. I really struggle with being selfish and negative. I forget so easily where I've come from. The guy that wrote this book went to help Mother Teresa for a summer. He actually met her. He likes to quote her a lot. I'll end with a quote from her that I got out of the book.

"Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.

Love until it hurts and then love more."

-Mother Teresa

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Youth Camp

So i'm recapping a little. I'm actually in Mexico now, but went to beach camp with all the youth last week. Kyle put me in a room with a group of guys that seemed as if they had been straight lining red bull for about 72 hours. Right above my bunk was the notorious C-H-A-N-C-E. He is by far the most hyper young man I've ever had the privilege of meeting. The funny thing about our room was that at the end of the night everyone got a goodnight and an I love you from every other room mate. I never really understood how to take that.

I got to speak three times last week and God really showed up. We had three students make professions of faith and many of them began to really strive to hear the vocie of God on their journey. I believe the things God is doing through that group will be Epic. Next week me and Audge begin to meet with our student small group. We are oober excited and a little nervous that we are too much of old farts to still connect to the younguns.

Speaking of Audge, I miss her bad. I've been away for almost two weeks now with just a day respite in between. I can't wait to see her and Deci again. I love doing mission work and ministry, but it is always more fun with Audge by my side. Deci's conversations have been keeping me going. She is so funny. I know there are not any real words coming out, but you can feel the emotion in her tone. I want to hug them both.

I'm sure I'll have more to talk about as we get back from Mexico. God is still turning my world upside down and I love it.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Pictures of the week!


Deci LOVES to draw!

The view from my dads front yard.






Fly the cat. He was a good sport for a while.




Swimming with Paw Paw Bo!






At Holleigh Cain's house. She let us come over and swim today.





Eating Watermelon with Pops!




Look at that face! She was so mad!




Pops saved the "Tub" that held drinks at Wade and Kerrie's wedding for Deci to have a pool at his house! :)



Saturday, June 6, 2009

Random thoughts

First... I have to tell you a story. My car got sick and had to get a new engine. We were soooo blessed to have some guys help us out but when we got the jeep back it wasn't completely fixed. I was driving out to pick up pizza for some friends that were coming over and the car started making funny sounds. I had no idea what to do so I had to pull over and called Q. Q was at home with Deci and I had our only car seat. (we are slowly finding out that it might be a good idea to invest in another one) He called our Alder Springs neighbor Brooke to come over and watch Deci. She's never had to keep Deci before but she is college age and we trust her. As far as I know, when she got here Q ran out the door to meet me and gave her little to no instructions. Q arrived to meet me and we just took my jeep to the place that "fixed" it the first time to leave it for the next day. On the way back home we got a phone call from Brooke. It went something like this. Brooke: "Hey, Audrey, Deci just Peed in her little potty. What do I do now?" Audrey: "What??" Brooke repeats herself. Audrey: (Busting out laughing) "Are you serious???" Brooke: (As calm as can be) "um...yeah." Like, no big deal, that's what she does right! Deci hasn't peed in her potty in the 3 days before that! I've decided Brooke is a Great babysitter. If you ever need one I would recommend her! Way to go Brooke! Thank you so much for helping us out!!!!!

Second...I'm really embracing the reality of being a mom. Today I teared up while listening to country songs on the radio about parenting...3 of them. One of them was "Your gonna miss this." Which I doubt entirely that I will miss this lack of sleep phase!

Last...I wish you could have been a fly on the wall at my Dad's house today watching me, Deci, Paw-Paw Bo, Debbie and Missy play "Ring around the Rosie". I wish Deci would have left just one of us out so we could have snapped a picture. One day I'll post a blog called "Ring around the Rosie with Deci" and post pictures. This is one of her favorite things to do right now. If you have played this game with her consider yourself Special! :)

Friday, June 5, 2009

Pictures of the week

It was raining one day so I got out a box of Macaroni. This entertained her for a while!



We had some friends from our community group over last night to eat. These are 3 out of 5 of our kids. We turned up the music and let them dance!


I got to keep these two girls yesterday during the day. Deci LOVED it! I thought for a moment, "Hey, this is easier than one!" I'm sure that can't be all true but they entertained Deci all day long!



This was Deci's first experience in her kiddie pool this summer.

















Oh, am I raising a girlie girl??? Check out the mattress on the floor in the back ground. I need to do an update on Deci's sleep situation.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Interesting normal day

So I got up yesterday morning, grabbed a shower (shower #1), and headed out to meet Duke Spain. We loaded coke cases for the Recovery on the Mountian event coming up (you all should come). Now when I say loaded cases of coke many of you are thinking, huh, nothing to that. Let me rephrase it to pallets of coke. After about a hour and a half of loading and a gallon and a half of sweating, I headed back to the church. I should mention at this point that there was a small ache in the small of my back and my biceps were being stabbed by invisible knives. I know. The question becomes, "Quinton, how do you know it was knives if they were invisible?" Trust me I know.

Upon returning to the church and handling a handful of craziness, in which handling meant passing off to Kyle and Seth, I went to meet Jeff at the gym. He has something he wanted me to pass on to someone else. Alterior motive: Matt is on vacation and I need someone to talk to while I workout. I worked out with him and Teresa for about thirty minutes before heading to Subway to meet with Thomas. Things to note as I left; I was stronger than Jeff (booyah), my back still hurt, my bicepst were still getting disceted, my shoulders now hurt so bad i actually grunted as I turned the steering wheel, and lost another gallon of sweat. Lunch with Thomas Snellings was great as always. He is a definant positive influence in my life. He is one on the most Christ like men I know.

I left there and headed home to see the fam. Audrey, Deci, and I sat around the table and talked for awhile. I do a horrible job of enjoying simple moments like that, but yesterday it was really nice just to sit and talk. My wife is so incredible. I just felt very loved in that moment and very comfortable. After spending some time with the girls I grabbed a shower (shower #2). I hung out a little more and went to meet one of my discipleship partners Dusty at the gym. Awesome time for about 30 minutes. Our investment in each other is really begining to bare fruit. I love watching guys grow in Christ. Luckily for me, Dusty was working out shoulders. So instead of another muscle group hurting me I just lost all feeling in my shoulders for the remainder of the day. By the way, was not as strong as Dusty yesterday.

Headed home where Audge fixed me chicken spaghetti. I love that stuff. She just started cooking it lately and I can't get enough. We ate as a family and afterward I jumped in the shower (shower #3). Headed to Lifepoint Youth Service. Great night. We got introduced to our small group that we are working with this summer and I was super excited about the students me and Audge will get to hang out with all summer. There is somthing really special about seeing students start to get it and begin to really follow hard after Christ. Night ended with a group of munchkins (our name for short over caffenated junior high guys) through a rock at the front door of the church. I scared them, corrected them, and challenged them though I'm not sure any of it took. Headed to Sonic for the free rootbeer floats and headed to the house.

It was really a normal day, but all the relational stuff taking place made it something more. I think when we really begin to focus on other people around us and enjoying them then normal becomes something more. Jesus loved walking with people on a daily basis. He loved their dreams, their jokes, and even their mistakes. He loved them completely. I hope I never get to busy to love the people I'm walking with. Hope to walk with you soon.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

I'm gettin in on this

So my amazing wife decided to open us up a blog page. I don't know if she realizes the beast she is releasing. I love writing, but also write about the most spontaneous stuff. So we should be a good and entertaining mix. I'm actually gearing up to take two trips almost back to back. First youth camp, home a day, and then off to Mexico. I'm looking forward to what all God is going to do there, but I'm also a little nervous about being away from the fam for so long. I'm really enjoying our family. We are beginning to hit our stride with Deci. Tonight me and Audge were sitting watching tv and Dec would sit with us and just have little mini conversations. It was very cute. Also, I'm really going to miss Audge. She is the balancing factor in my life and we have really had a ton of fun lately. Today she kept one of her friends two girls and when I came home I thought so this could be us one day. A house full of kids. And I didn't get notious or anything. In fact, I got a little excited. I think it will be fun to see our family grow and change.

I realized somehting yesterday. Not all people have seen the move The Never Ending Story. That is a shame. I think we should all do the service to promote and lend this movie to all who have had their existence lessened by the absence of this movie. Atrayu is a beast.

Pray for me and the traveling. I'm speaking at youth camp and really want to have a positive influence on the students. I want God to really speak through me during next week. Just pray that I would continue to hear from my great teacher.