Playing It Safe

This will be my last public post on this blog.
It's something I've been thinking about for quite some time. I recently went to a technology conference and have been thinking a lot about internet safety lately. Then, today, we had an internet safety speaker at school, so I took that as a sign. I will keep this blog up for family and friends, (Don't worry, Ganne!) but will host another more public blog, sans a lot of the pictures and info I've been sharing.
It makes me sad because I've loved the connections I've made. But safety is more important, and I know I'll make those connections again with time.
If you are a friend, I'd love for you to keep reading. Just email me (lhowell2@yahoo.com), and I'll send you the new blog information. Those of you on my email list will receive an email with the info soon.
Thanks for reading!

Miss Monica

I just went back to my blog's beginnings to see if I'd ever posted about Miss Monica. I realized that I started the blog just as we moved back to Mississippi, and I'd never introduced her to you. Miss Monica is our angel! (Well, she's the closest thing to an angel we'll know on earth, at least.) We met right after Anne Parks was born. It was June, and I was due to start back to school in August. I called the daycare where I'd had Anne Parks signed since early in my pregnancy and was told that she wouldn't ge tin until January. In a panic, I called the Florida Dept. of Children and Families who licenses in home childcare. The woman I talked to told me that she wasn't supposed to give recommendations, but that her top pick for her grandkids would be Miss Monica. She also told me that I was in luck: Miss Monica lived right down the road!

Monica took care of Anne Parks for the first year of her life as if she were her own. It was definitely hard to go back to work, but knowing that Monica was taking care of my baby made the transition easier.

Monica is a mother of six kids from age 5 to 23. She not only ran an in-home day care, but home-schooled her own kids up to 5th grade. I would arrive at her house to pick up Anne Parks, and she would have the kids each working on age-appropriate projects or school work, the house would be tidy, and dinner would be on the stove! When I'd ask her how she did it, she would answer, "Prayer."

Monica took great care of Anne Parks, but I got so much more than that from her. During that year, I was blessed with her spiritual example and humble devotion to God. What a wonderful role model during my first year of motherhood! There is no better lesson, especially for a new mom, than to turn to God with your worries.

Moving away from Monica and her family was hard for us. I had a hard time believing that anyone else would take care of Anne Parks like she did, and I have certianly missed her motherly wisdom.

When we were in Florida last week, we got to stop in for a visit with Monica and her family. What a happy reunion! Anne Parks had been too small to really remember them, but she loved them immediately and has been asking when she can see Miss Monica again.

Anne Parks and Faith

Christopher, Faith, and AP
We can't wait to visit again!

By the way, Monica is now working as a nanny for vacationers in the Destin area. If you're going to be vacationing, I highly recommend her!

Our Trip to the Beach

We had a wonderful time in Florida last weekend. It was our first family vacation with just the three of us. Anne Parks was so excited about going to the beach. After riding for about 20 minutes, she asked, "Where's the beach?" Luckily, I had planned ahead. I hit the dollar store before we left and packed treat bags. Every hour (as long as she was sweet), Anne Parks got to open one. Each had a snack (juice treats, cheese crackers, etc.) and a toy (slinky, book, stickers). She was such a good traveler, and we had a good time seeing what the next treat bag would hold.

The weather was perfect when we arrived, so we hit the beach as soon as we go into town.






Day 2 was overcast, so we played at Destin Commons...

and went to Seaside. Anne Parks loved the grassy amphitheater. I think for our next vacation, we'll just go to a big grassy field. AP had a blast running and running and running!


Day 3: Breakfast at Miss Lucille's Gossip Parlor in Gulf Place (where Jason and I lived when we first moved to Florida) At Miss Lucille's, ate giant cinnamon rolls, played with a puzzle, and tried on some fabulous hats.








The highlight of our trip was seeing our much-missed Florida friends. We had a cookout with the Powells, the Carters, and the Harpers. I wish I had more pics from the cookout, but I was so glad to be with my friends that it slipped my mind. I did get this one of AP and Erika.


We had a great time. I definitely won't let another year and a half go by before I see my friends (or the beach) again!

Beach

We had a blast at in Florida. I'll post more about it later. Meanwhile, here are pictures of Anne Parks the last time we were there (above) and on this trip (below). My how my girl has grown!

Garage Sale Junkie

I think I'm addicted.
Emily and I spent Saturday garage and estate sale hopping. We found some great deals and had so much fun. We arrived at the first sale at 5:00 am and hit about 5 garage sales; then, after stopping at home to unload our treasures, we went to at an estate auction where we spent the rest of the day.

Emily (you can read her take on the day here) and her garage sale "finds": three pairs of shoes, blue sandals for Smith, Banana Republic jeans, a blue cardigan, two blue trays, a Radio Flyer push wagon, a green vineyard ladder, three frames, a mirror, a small planter, two topiaries, a shelf, and a mirrored tray.




This lemonade stand at one sale was just precious.


I spent a total of $130, and these are my all of my "treasures":

four of these antique dining chairs

2 full-sized bedspreads

a pink pillow for AP's new "big sister" room


a camera for my favorite photographer


a Melissa & Doug clock puzzle
an apron and oven mitts for AP

one of my very favorite Disney movies

a small painting

a framed print

CD's to put me in a good mood on the way to work

a box full of craft, art, and sewing books and magazines

a cookbook

a Shel Silverstein book

a birthday cake book

three books: Wild at Heart, The Millionaire Mind, and You: The Owner's Manual

We got all of this before 7:00 am! There's so much more to tell about our experience at the estate sale, but I'll save that for another post.
Right now, we're planning our next garage sale shopping spree!

Back to the Beach

This is a picture of Anne Parks taken during the summer of 2007. It's one of the last photos of her as a Floridian. At the end of that summer, we moved back to Mississippi and haven't been to Florida since! I can't believe it's been so long!
I'm excited to say that on Friday we will be back for a visit! Our sweet friends, Erika and Chance, are providing us with a place to stay. We can't wait to see them and to visit with some of our other much-missed friends.

This is AP on her last trip to the beach. I can't wait for her to see it again. She's going to love it!

I'm sure we'll stop by Destin Commons while we're in town. I took AP there on her 1st birthday shortly before our move.

Go Bears!

Anne Parks and I went to our first baseball game this weekend at Southwest Mississippi Community College where Uncle Drew plays. We were glad to see Andrew. Since baseball season started, he hasn't been home much. It was beautiful day to be outside, and Anne Parks had so much fun. We can't wait to go back!