Carter

July 26

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, COLIN!

Those Two

When Carson and Kylie get together, there is no telling what they will get into. Turn off the playlist at the bottom of the page before watching the video.

Painted from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

Too Cute!

We got this as a gift for Carter the other day. He loves the rattle. Thank you, Mrs. Betty.

Coffee at Midnight

It is almost midnight, and I am having my second cup of Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla coffee. Why? Colin is having Jacob sleep over for his birthday. Although Colin won't officially be 8 years old until 12:33 am on Monday, we celebrated his birthday tonight. Usually we don't do "small" birthday parties, but since Jeffrey is in SC, we decided to keep it low key. We spent the evening with our friends the Evans', both sets of grandparents, Aunt Mary and Uncle Wayne, and Edie. We had a good visit with our friends and family, but it just wasn't the same without Jeffrey. I know he wanted to be here too.

Here are some pictures from Colin's party.

Colin and Jacob are still going strong. They've played outside, in the bedroom, XBox, DSi, Wii, and now they are playing cars/army or something like that in the den. Colin wanted to stay up late, so we will see when they are ready to crash! Carson and Carter went to sleep a while ago.

We've had a busy couple of days. I spent three days in my classroom. I worked hard to get it ready for my new group of kiddos I'll meet in two weeks. This afternoon I had to ship my dress back to the company because it was too small **sniff** and then pick up Colin's birthday cookie. We came back home and I quickly finished cleaning the house. I'm tired! But I'm enjoying listening to the boys playing James Bond now!

Gene and Loretta came by this afternoon to drop off some pictures from the Baby Dedication and treats for the boys. I had let Big Dog in the house because it was SO HOT outside. Well, when I opened the door for Gene and Loretta to come in, I didn't think to look for Big Dog. The door opened.....the dog ran like the wind blows! I was not too excited to have to go after him. Luckily, he didn't go far, just next door to Ms. Crafton's. I got Big Dog to come to me and grabbed ahold of his collar. He tried so hard to wiggle out of it and I had to hold the collar on both sides of his neck. We got to the bush in Ms. Crafton's backyard and Big Dog decided to lay down on his back. I couldn't get him up (his name is Big Dog for a reason), so I had to wait patiently (HA),still holding on, for him to get up on his own. What a sight we were!!!! Needless to say after I got him home, Big Dog stayed outside.

Women of Faith Wednesday (on Thursday)

This week, Women of Faith asks:
During difficult times in life, who has supported you, or who have you supported?

Immediately, I thought of....

Edie.

Edie has been a part of my life for about 19 years. As my husband's cousin, she took me in as family when we first met and has always shown me love and kindness.

What can I say about Edie?

She has always been here for me.

When I first became a Christian, she was such an encouragement to me and I was blessed to attend my first women's Bible study with her. She later gave up several afternoons to attend a ladies Bible study at my house.

Edie is one to stop and drop everything when someone is in need. She has done that for me on several occasions. When my grandfather died back in 2006, she took care of my boys so that I could be with my family. Then when my grandmother died in June, she was there for me again.

Perhaps what I love most about Edie is her willingness to listen and offer sound advice. Regardless of what I'm going through, I can call her up and talk. We can talk for hours (and we have). I always feel so much better after talking with her.

Although things in her life have not turned out they way she would have liked, Edie is still a person full of joy and love. She is a wonderful mom to her beautiful daughter Lauren. She is dedicated to our church (singing in the choir, working in the nursery, and directing VBS). She is an amazing teacher to the students she has (just ask her Star Student Colin).

Edie is the sister I never had and I love her very much.

Boys and Their Toys

This afternoon after church, we took the boys out to Sportsman's Lake so they could drive their remote control boats. All the boys (Paw Paw included) had fun. Although Carson enjoyed it, he would have been just as satisfied at home playing with this toys.

boat from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

boat2 from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

The batteries were low on Carson's boat and it almost got away.

Come Back from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

Look What Big Dog Found

This afternoon, I was in the yard with the boys while they were practicing their golf swings when Big Dog started barking. Over the years, I've learned his barks, and I knew this one....he had something. Check out these two videos of him and what he found. Don't forget to mute the volume on the playlist below.

snake from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

Counting Down

If our plans had gone accordingly, we would be spending the weekend with Jeffrey home until next year, but God had plans of his own. So, now we countdown until September 1.

Remember my obession with finding a dress for the CHBOLC Graduation Banquet? Well, I found one. Its ordered and on its way. I am praying for it to fit perfectly. Here is a sneak peek:

We are blessed in that we get to talk to Jeffrey daily. We are blessed that he is not in harm's way. We are blessed that he was given the opportunity to go ahead and finish CHBOLC. So until we see him again in 7 weeks, we will remember our wonderful trip to South Carolina for the 4th of July.

We will anticipate reuniting with him as well.

And this next week.....

Guess who will be celebrating his 8th birthday.........

Faith Friday: All About Me

Since I recently realized I was an Army wife, I came across a web page called Wives of Faith for military wives. Each Friday, they have a blog carnival and today I am participating in my first one associated with this web page.



Wives of Faith said to give 20 random facts about myself. So here it goes:

1. My name is Natasha, but people pronounce it two different ways and I've been called Tash, and Tasha as well. I am also called Natalie by a friend at church. Not sure why since we've known each other for about 6 years! Do I correct her even when people around us are calling me Natasha?

2. I am married to my best friend who is currently at Ft. Jackson and will be graduating from CHBOLC in September.

3. God reached me through my oldest son.

4. I have 3 sons and I honestly don't know what I'd do if we ever had a girl.

5. Because of my kids, I have learned to love soccer and even coach U4 soccer last year with my friend Hilarie.

6. I love to travel, but I love coming home!

7. I have 3 all time favorite trips: the trip to the beach when I got engaged, our trip to Chicago (my first plane ride), and our trip to the mountains last year for Thanksgiving (hoping to do it again this year, starting a new tradition).

8. I am a 4th grade teacher, but I'm really not excited about school starting on August 4. I've been on maternity leave since March.

9. I love eating at our local Chinese restaurant (ate there 2-3 times per week with my first pregnancy).

10. My favorite movie is Steel Magnolias, and I cry everytime I watch it.

11. I am addicted to NCIS and Say Yes to the Dress.

12. I would love to be a stay at home mom.

13. I am so not a neat freak.

14. I am currently trying to read the book Friendships for Grown Ups. As someone who has never been comfortable in her relationships, I am looking forward to learning from this book (Thanks Nicole for telling me about it).

15. I often wonder what it would be like if my mom didn't have a miscarriage when I was a teenager.

16. I worry if I am a good enough mom.

17. I don't want to mess up my kids.

18. I am proud to be an Army wife.

19. I cry everytime someone makes a profession of faith.

20. My life is truly a life worth living!

Husband Bashing

I got my daily email yesterday from iMom and the topic was "Husband Bashing." Here is what the email said:
"Often, when a group of women get together, somebody will share a personal concern or frustration related to her marriage. When this happens, do you offer encouragement to strengthen your friend's marriage, or do you join right in the husband-bashing round table?
One of our husband's most basic needs is having our respect. Being openly critical of your guy in front of others (including your children) doesn't just reveal his shortcomings - it reveals your lack of respect for him. If you just need to vent, share with one trusted friend and seek advice or encouragement. Airing out your marital woes for the masses rarely yields good outcomes, and may just feed the fire of discontent."

This email really struck a chord with me. No, I didn't feel ashamed or angry or guilty, but I felt relieved to have my feelings on this topic confirmed.

I am by far NOT the perfect wife, and my husband is not the perfect husband, but we are perfect for each other. We met in our teens and dated throughout high school and college. We dated for 7 years and engaged for over 1 year before we got married. Needless to say, we both new what we were getting into when we got married. We were aware of the others imperfections and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together anyway.

So, how do I handle my frustrations with my husband? Well, husband bashing is not it. Mostly, I pray about it. I've got to decide if the imperfection is worth fighting over. Usually it isn't. If my feelings are hurt, I let my husband know. I have to say that whatever disagreements we have usually resolve themselves. We've learned how to let things go and laugh about our quirks and imperfections.


Sure it is good to have another woman that you can go to about some things, but it probably wouldn't be a good habit to get into, going to her every time you were annoyed or hurt. After all, she can't fix it. Only you, your husband, and God can.

The one thing that strikes me the most about that email is this: One of our husband's most basic needs is having our respect. Being openly critical of your guy in front of others (including your children) doesn't just reveal his shortcomings - it reveals your lack of respect for him.

In Ephesians 5:33, God has given us orders: "Let the wife see that she respects her husband."

Can't really get any clearer than that.

I know some women who constantly bad mouth their husbands. They really don't have any boundaries and don't care who can hear. Not only does it show a lack of respect for their husbands, but it shows their true character as well.

As for our children, I would never degrade their daddy in front of them. I'd like to think we've never even had an argument in front of them. I don't recall any. I want my boys to know that I love and respect their daddy, that he is a wonderful man and my heart belongs to him.

God has given both the husband and wife instructions, wives are to respect their husbands and husbands are to love their wives. If God tells us we have to do that, it means that it is something that we will have some struggles with. Whatever those struggles entail, we are to take them to Our Father in prayer and submission. It takes 3 to make a marriage work: the husband, the wife, and God.

A while back, my husband bought me the Love Dare movie and book. I absolutely love them, but I'll admit, I haven't finished my own Love Dare journey. As a wife who wants a strong, healthy marriage, I was eager to get started. I was glad to see there were somethings I was doing right already and some things I needed to work on. I do encourage you to try it if you want to strengthen your marriage. It is totally not one sided as some may think.

Lord, I thank you for my husband, for his faithfulness to this family and to you. I pray God that I will always show him respect in private, in front of my friends, and in front of our children. Lord, I pray that you would bless my husband and I thank you for blessing me by allowing me to be his wife. Amen.

Women of Faith - Revolve Tour

This week, Women of Faith asks:
The Revolve Tour is back in 2011! Have you ever been to a Revolve event, or is there a teenage girl in your life who you’d like to take?


I have never attended a Revolve event. After checking out the web page, it looks pretty amazing and I can definitely see how important it would be for teen girls to attend. As a mom of 3 boys, it is probably unlikely that I could ever attend such an event.

I remember being a teenage girl, the awkwardness and unsureness of going from a girl to a woman, the struggles with friendships, relationships, and self image. Not an easy thing to go through.

There are several teen girls I know that I would love to go to one of these events with. I can picture some of us "older girls" (me, Brandy, Hilarie, Leslie, Edie, and Ginger), getting together with some of our youth (Lauren, Morgan, Jacqueline, and Megan) and their girlfriends. These girls and women are special and could certainly appreciate a night of learning more about God's love for them.

Camp Creative

Monday and Tuesday was Camp Creative at church. This 2 day camp was started a couple of years ago as a follow up to VBS. Needless to say, it has grown. They were expecting about 25 kids, but ended up with about 40. What a blessing!

The purpose of the camp is to teach boys and girls different ways to worship and minister. One of my favorite parts was at the beginning when the kids sang We Will Exalt You to the tune of We Will Rock You. It was great. Each of the three class performed a mini play and they all performed movements to two songs. During the reception, the boys and girls had their artwork on display for all to see.

I would have taken pictures, but Carter spent his time fussing and spitting up all over me (nasty shots). It was good to have a full house for this event and to see some old friends that had their children attend.

Colin's stingray

Somebody Is NOT Feeling Good

Carter went for his 4 month check up today. Dr. Chris was amazed at all he is accomplishing as a 4 month old. We are blessed with a healthy, strong boy.


But right now, he just isn't feeling good at all.





Nasty shots!

Quote of the Day

"I'm all about the donuts."

-Carson, age 4

He is definitely my child!

Look Who Is Growing

Not Me!

Just a quick post to let you know what has NOT been happening lately. To read more, head on over to MckMama's.

While heading down to South Carolina, I did NOT get stressed out about the traffic backed up on the opposite side of the road. It didn't even affect my trip other than knowing it would be like that on the way home. I, therefore, did NOT insist that Jeffrey find me an alternate route home.

During our last full day in Columbia, I did NOT walk into a wall at the EdVenture Children's Museum. Later that night, I did NOT proceed to hit my arm on a chair and my knee on a table. I am NOT clumsy and am NOT covered in bruises.

Upon returning from our fabulous trip, our power in the front part of our house did NOT go out. After 2 hours of being home, I did NOT have to pack up my 3 kids again to spend the night at Sue and Birbie's.

On Friday, I did NOT spend the enitre afternoon and evening at the hospital with my mom and dad. Mom did NOT get too close to my dad and uncle while they were moving a couch and did NOT almost have her toe cut off. I did NOT watch several hours of Say Yes to the Dress with my dad, aunt, and cousin while waiting for mom to have surgery and during her recovery, and I most certainly did NOT drink 5 cups of hospital coffee. I did NOT finally arrive home at 1 am.

Since finding out that I will have the opportunity to attend the CHBOLC Graduation Banquet in September, I have NOT become obsessed with finding a dress. I am an adult and would NEVER get that excited about the chance to wear a fancy dress.

I was NOT excited about having 2 days of childcare so I could work in my classroom. Colin is at Camp Creative at church and Sue offered to watch the little boys. When I arrived at school, it was NOT locked up due to freshly waxed floors.

On my way to Wal-Mart this morning, I did NOT lay on the horn and slam on the breaks because some guy ran a red light and almost hit me. He did NOT proceed to display his middle finger at me. Folks in my hometown are much nicer than that.

Our Trip to Ft. Jackson in Pictures

We left last Friday to visit Jeffrey at Ft. Jackson. We had a wonderful trip and were able to do some fun things. We watched the fireworks on post Saturday night. Sunday we went to Charleston and Ft. Sumter. Monday was kid day; we went to EdVenture Children's Museum. The best part of the trip was seeing Jeffrey and just being able to spend time with him.

Enjoy the pictures:

I Recently Realized I'm an Army Wife

While lying in bed the other night in my husband's hotel room, it hit me....

I'm an Army Wife.

Yes, I know that Jeffrey took his oath way back in November, but it is so real now.

When he went to AT in Ft. Jackson back in April, he was only gone for a week. That was really no big deal, just like his business trips we are used to. But this time it is different. What started out as Phase 1 of CHBOLC has now turned in to "stay until finished."

I realized that I was only visiting my Army husband, and he was not coming home with us.

I wasn't hurt or upset, it was just a realization that I had failed to acknowledge and let sink in. I knew it was happening, but it just didn't hit me until then.

I am very proud of Jeffrey and what he is working toward. Not many men (or women) can do what he and the other Chaplain Candidates are doing. What better way to live your life than to serve God and Country.

I know it is difficult on him, missing out on a summer with his 3 boys. Carter is getting so big, rolling over, scooting, jabbering away. He will be almost 6 months old when he sees his daddy again. Carson and Colin are starting soccer and Colin's birthday is coming up. School is starting and Jeffrey won't be able to take Colin on the first day as he has always done.

But you know what?

I refuse to complain about it and feel sorry for us.

We, afterall, are not in the situation as many military families. Some families are separated for many month due to deployment. Right now that is not something we are even close to experiencing. Some families are relocated and no longer live close to their support system (mine is next door and a few blocks away).

So, I refuse to gripe.

I stand proud to be the wife of an Army Chaplain Candidate.

I stand proud to be married to a man who is not ashamed of his faith in our Lord.

I stand proud to share my life with a man who wants to serve his country and his Savior.

I stand proud to be an Army Wife.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Matthew 5:9

How We Keep Cool

This week, Women of Faith wants to know how we beat the heat.

With a new little one at home, it is hard to get out to swim with the bigger kids. Fortunately, their grandparents live next door and they are able to go to their house swimming.



Before leaving for Ft. Jackson, my husband bought them a little blow up pool for our backyard. My mother and father-in-law helped me put up our canopy to cover the pool. Not only does this let me and Carter get some shade, it also keeps the pool pretty clean from our shade trees and birds.


The boys also love their little yellow duckie sprinkler. We bought this when Colin was about 4 years old. The boys have such a good time playing in the sprinkler.

Perhaps our favorite way to keep cool is by going to our favorite place in the world, Chaney's Dairy Barn. The boys order their favorite, Blue Moon Ice Cream, with sprinkles. I enjoy my favorite too: Strawberry Cheesecake in a waffle cone. YUM!

Honestly, some days we are total bums and just watch TV and play in the house all day.

So, how do you keep cool in this heat?

A little of this and that....

We have missed our friends the Evans. Hilarie's sister had her baby so they had been gone visiting her and Hilarie's family. We were so glad they came back this week. We spent time catching up. Hilarie and I took the kids to our favorite spot, Chaney's Dairy Barn. After a delicious treat of our favorite ice cream, we let the kids run wild on the playground for a while.

I think these two really missed each other. Love the matching shades!

Tuesday was Ben's birthday party. It was nice to spend time with our friends from church.

Colin bowls like his Mama!

Me and my Carter

The big boys got some pool time over the weekend.