Last post of 2008......

I know it has been a couple of weeks since I have posted on here! I have wanted to get something on here, but there is always something that keeps me from it. I haven't been feeling too good (I have good days and bad days....I am hoping I will be done with this part soon!!) Anyway, some things that have been going on lately:

We had a GREAT Christmas! We got to go visit a lot of family and the kids got TOO much stuff! Avery was SO excited to open gifts! Raegan couldn't care less!! I think Avery opened most of Raegan's for her! Christmas morning Avery was so excited that Santa had ACTUALLY BEEN IN OUR HOUSE! It was so funny! She kept asking if her had put the big kitchen together and that that was so nice of him. (she thinks about stuff too much!) They got the "big, big kitchen" that Avery was wanting and they haven't stopped cooking since! (pictures to come soon...er.....sometime...) My sister got them both a microphone on a microphone stand that has different buttons that you can push for applause and Avery sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" a MILLION times, it was HILARIOUS! We would try to get her started on another song, but she would always go back to that one.


I am pretty much 1/3 of the way through this pregnancy!! I can't believe that! I am still getting sick, but it isn't all day and it isn't everyday....so, that is a BIG improvement! I think I have decided to NOT find out if we are having a boy or a girl! Everybody says I can't do it....and maybe they are right, but I think it would be neat to not know......I don't know...we'll see. Matthew has been so good to me....he went the other night at 11 o'clock to get me some cheese sticks at the grocery store!!! I wanted them SO bad! After he got done with deer that night he went and got them! Speaking of deer, I think we have gotten in around 90! Last year we did just over 100 and there are still 4 1/2 weeks left of the season! We didn't advertise any this year....we just told everybody and told them to tell everybody!

Well, I know I didn't cover everything, but atleast I got some stuff in here! I hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas and I wish everyone a BLESSED New Year! BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!

Santa Claus!!

I have been meaning to post this on here, but keep forgetting! It is late, but I wanted to get this on here before I forget again!

Santa Claus will be at my mother's house for one more weekend! Friday and Saturday night (19th and 20th) from 6-8 he will be out there to hand out goodies and get a picture with the kiddos! Everyone is invited! My mother and step-dad have a great time doing this and they LOVE to see A LOT of kids come!! So, tell everyone you know that has kids.....or if you just like to see 10 MILLION lights in one yard!! haha...maybe soon I will be able to post some pictures! There house is on Old Gadsden Hwy. in Saks....when you are on that road you CAN'T miss it!

PREGNANCY UPDATE: I am doing pretty good....still dealing with morning sickness....but, hopefully that will subside soon!! I am 10 wks and 4 days!! I am already over a quarter of the way there! Woo Hoo!

Well, I am headed to bed!

The Bridge

We went to Mt. Zion Baptist Church's annual "Country Christmas" last night and we had a great time! The kids loved it! They showed a video that I had never seen before, but it was a very powerful illustration of God's love for us. (grab a tissue...or 10!!)

Praise God!!

I had decided a few days ago that no matter what happened today at the doctor. I was going to title this post "PRAISE GOD!" Whether I had a healthy baby thriving inside me or my little bean had not survived (or any case in between), I was going to praise God!! I knew that if my baby was not alive inside me he or she was in the presence of Jesus....what an incredible thought!! And no matter what is going on in there, God always deserves my praise!!

When I went to the doctor today I was pretty nervous! I didn't even want to look at the screen when the sonogram started!! Somehow I managed. I could tell that things were progressing because last time we couldn't see the baby yet at all. I saw my little butter bean first and then I saw the heartbeat!!! I was SO relieved! The blood clot remains an issue, but hasn't grown any since my last visit. It measured a tiny bit bigger, but that could be from other things like difference of measurements, or if it moved or shifted in any way. The doctor didn't seem worried about it at all. We will just have to keep praying about it!!

When I went on the 7th I was measuring 4 wks and 4 days (6 days off of the original due date). Today I was measuring 7 wks and 6 days, which is more lined up with the original due date (only off by 2 days)....So, I got to keep my original due date of July 7th! This is a big deal in "pregnancy world"!! Six days difference is an eternity if you are going backward!!! I would welcome moving up six days in a heart beat, but please don't move me back even one day!!! haha.....

So, today I am 8 wks and 1 day pregnant! I feel like I can finally relax in this pregnancy! I still know that I am not immune to miscarriages and things may still happen! I also know that God IS in control and He will see me through! Thank you to everyone for praying! Please continue to pray for God's will to be done in my growing baby's life!

I'm hanging in there!

I have a couple of reasons for the name I chose for this post!



I am hanging in there.......I am trying to be patient and CALM in waiting for my next appt. It is Wednesday morning at 10. I finally feel like that day will get here. I was beginning to think it wouldn't. I am really nervous about the sonogram and I am trying hard to just relax about it. I know I was nervous before the first sonograms with both of the girls.....but, this time is different. After all the things that went on a couple of weeks ago, I guess I find it almost hard to believe that everything is okay in there! I want to believe it though!! I know that God is in control of this whole situation and I am really trying to get ME out of His way! Please continue praying for me that I will just CALM down!



I am hanging in there.........I am trying to make it through each day while feeling like I have been run over by a truck...a BIG one at that!! I feel so bad for Matthew! Bless his heart he is practically doing everything. There are times I can't even step foot in the kitchen. I feel so sick! I can't think of anything that sounds good to eat.....but, I am hungry all the time! That is such a hard feeling to explain to someone who has never experienced it. Sometimes Matthew just kinda looks at me like I may just be crazy. Maybe I am. Either way, I still can't eat anything!



Enough of the worry and complaining!!!!



Avery is very excited about the fact that I have a baby in my tummy!! She is actually pretty obsessed with it! She talks to the baby! She hugs my stomach all the time! She asks me if the baby is crying. She told me the other day that "the babies" (she just now started saying that there is just 1) have a night light in there so they can see. Everyday she asks me if it is the day that my stomach is going to get big. If she is laying beside me she is constantly asking if she is hurting the baby. When I am holding Raegan, she is asking if Raegan is hurting the baby. Some of the things she says crack me up!! I can't imagine what she is going to be like when you can see and feel the baby moving in there.

Raegan does a lot of hugging my stomach too. I think she is really just copying her sister, but I still think it is really sweet. She doesn't want me to put blankets over my stomach or roll over too far on my side when I am laying down. She starts saying, "Baby, baby, baby, baby......." in a voice that isn't too happy.

I have been wanting to and thinking about posting on here for a while now! I just haven't really been on the computer that much. I am sorry for not getting around to it sooner! Thanks again to everyone who is praying for us! I won't wait that long for the next update! There will definitely be one after Wednesday's appt.!!

This is what has been happening in the last several days of my life...........

Well.......the past week has been CRAZY to say the least! Monday I had to go to the doctor b/c I was having pretty bad back pain along with some other symptoms that aren't particularly good during pregnancy. Anyway, when they did the sonogram they didn't find a baby......that would have been fine considering I was only 4 wks and 6 days, but they did find a "sac" that was measuring 8 wks and 5 days. (at that time you should see an amniotic sac, a baby, and even a heartbeat...I know that there are exceptions, but normally by that time you would see something in the amniotic sac) This was really confusing me, because I knew I wasn't that far along. (I had been to the doctor for my regular check-up on Sept. 30th and they did a pregnancy test and it was negative.) So, the doctor told me that he was diagnosing this pregnancy as "abnormal" and that it may not make it. I was preparing myself for the worst. I had decided that I just wanted it over with. (He did tell me that best case there was a baby and things would be ok.....I was cautiously holding on to that hope, but in the back of my mind I couldn't help but feel that this was over). He sent me over for blood work to check the level of hcg, the pregnancy hormone that in normal pregnancies doubles about every 48 hrs. (in early pregnancy). I was to come back Wed. for more blood work. Monday night I went home and warded off any pregnancy symptoms!! I didn't want to think about the fact that I was still pregnant and I certainly didn't need anything reminding me that I was! I was just waiting.....I didn't know what symptom of a miscarriage would start first........so, I just waited. I was praying that I could make it through to Wed. when I would have the second set of labs. I thought if we could get the results and see that there was no hope they could go ahead and do the d&c ( procedure that removes the products of conception....sometimes, not all, after a miscarriage a d&c is performed to make sure an infection doesn't develop, sorry, I am trying to not be too graphic and still explain) so I could get all of this behind me!!

I went in Wed. just trying to get through it. I knew I had to wait for the results, but I just wanted to get there as early as possible and get the results back as soon as possible, that way I could see when I needed to be there for the d&c. I got a call Wed. afternoon that I never would have expected in a million years! I heard the words..."according to the blood work, the baby is FINE"......I couldn't even wrap my mind around those words because for the last 2 days I had thought this pregnancy was almost over. They wanted me to come in Friday for another sonogram. I didn't really know where to let my mind go! After all, I had seen the sonogram and I knew it didn't look like what you see on a normal sonogram, I heard the doctors voice just 2 days before and what he was saying. I couldn't imagine that everything was fine........The doctor told me on the phone that he didn't think what we saw on the sonogram was the amniotic sac and by my blood work I was not as far along as 8 wks and 5 days. This made me feel better, he said by Friday we may be able to see more.

Yesterday I had to be there at 8 am. When the sonogram started I saw that little black spot on the screen......the one you are suppose to see!! It was measuring a mere 4 wks and 4 days (about 6 days earlier than we thought). Sonograms can be off a few days and I could just not be as far along as I thought. (That would explain the VERY light positive results I got on the pregnancy tests) We didn't see anything in the sac, but that is normal for that early. My doctor said he is VERY reassured with that and he said we didn't need to do anymore blood work because he felt everything is fine. I go back on Nov. 26th for my regular "first" prenatal visit and another sonogram. By then we should be able to see even more!!

As for what they found on the first sonogram......it was a blood clot. (That may sound bad, but I had one with both of my other pregnancies!!) It could reabsorb (that is what happened when I was pregnant with Avery) or I could experience some bleeding during the pregnancy (that is what happened when I was pregnant with Raegan). That is what the doctor thinks is causing the back pain. I know that , as with any pregnancy, something could still happen!! I am trusting God that whatever happens He will get us through it! Please keep us in your prayers! After all this I'm emotionally drained! I think I have felt every emotion there is in such a short time! I am naturally a worrier, (it is something I am constantly battling with) please pray that I will give this pregnancy TOTALLY to God and have peace with whatever comes!

This has been a rough start!! I am gradually getting back to the excitement of being pregnant.....just cautiously! I want to thank all of you who knew about this and prayed for us!! Some of you truly went ABOVE and BEYOND!! That really means so much! God is good ALL the time and I just can't thank Him enough for all of the people I have in my life that care about me and my family!

Bring on the mini-van!!!

Well, I am 4 weeks and 3 days pregnant with #3.......

I am really excited, but I think I am in a state of shock. It hasn't really hit me yet exactly what is going on here. Surely it will hit me before July. That is when the "due date" is. July 7th.....of course when I have my first sonogram that date may be adjusted a couple of days one way or the other.

I took a test that had 2 lines (1 line=negative and 2 lines=positive). The second line was VERY faint. Everyone I talked to said that a line is a line is a line.....it doesn't matter how light it is. With the tests I took with Avery and Raegan there was NO question that they were positive. I took a few more tests that all had the very faint line. I called my doctor and they let me come in to do a test in the office and they ended up doing 2 that were both positive.....but faint. In all I have had about 8 positive tests.......after that I guess I realized that I may really be pregnant.

Avery is really excited, but says that she wants a girl. She said that she likes boys, but she doesn't want to have to take care of one. She also says that there are 2 babies in there. She has named them Austin and Scoop. (Austin is her favorite name these days......she names all her baby dolls Austin and the little puppy dogs that you have to name on her computer game are Austins too!)

Raegan will nod her head when we ask her if she wants a baby .....but she has no clue what that really means....bless her heart! And she will nod her head if you ask her if she wants a poke in the eye, so you can't really go by that anyway.

Just please keep us in your prayers!! The first part is the worst for me (or has been for the first 2) with the morning sickness and then just not knowing what is going on in there.....before you can feel them moving, it's like "are you okay in there???" I am just giving this baby to God and I know that He will take care of us however He sees fit!!

I know every pregnancy is different, but I was sick with both of the girls. (It was over at 12 weeks with Avery and lasted a few weeks longer with Raegan....I hope that isn't a pattern!!!) Now I have them to take care of and we have the deer business that I have to help Matthew with!! That will be fun during morning sickness......wrapping raw deer meat......yay!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!!
~Donna K

PawPaw and Nanny.....again....

Here are a couple more pictures of PawPaw and Nanny.......

I've been tagged......

(I never could get the rules clear enough to read)

I've been tagged by Lisa!



7 Random things about me.....

let's see.....

1.) I LOVE to talk!! (This is NO secret! hahaha)

2.) I can't play any type of musical instrument and I have no idea how to read music (I really wish I did though!!)......and yet I own a piano and a guitar.....

3.) I like to make balloon animals and have been a clown several times for different events.....since the kids came along I haven't gotten to do it much.

4.) I have a freakish memory of dates. I can usually remember anyone's birthday or anniversary that I have ever met.....but, I can't remember where I put my keys or cell phone.....

5.) I love the smell of the latex gloves we use in our meat business.....that is random!!

6.) I love garlic and onions. (so does Matthew so, we're good....)

7.) I have been pregnant and/or breastfeeding since January of 2005!! (and yes, I am pregnant now!!)

I put way too much thought into coming up with random things about myself!! It has taken me about 12 hrs to complete this post.....no, I haven't been sitting in front of the computer for 12 hours..... I have just taken that long thinking about what I am going to say!!


Now I am suppose to tag some people to do the same.......
I pick Crystal, Erica, Anna, and Angela!!

Operator Error...

For some reason the post "Happy Birthday Avery" didn't show up yesterday.....I re-posted it today. Be sure to go back a couple of posts and read it!!

PawPaw and Nanny!!

Here is a picture of us all dressed up for Halloween. Avery wanted to be my grandmother, so we went with it. Avery was "Nanny" and Raegan was "PawPaw". I was their caregiver from "Shady Acres Nursing Home and Rehab Center" (I had all that on my badge) Tonight we went to the Hallelujah Harvest at Hill Crest and that is where this picture was made. I didn't expect their costumes to be as big a hit as they were!! It was CRAZY!! People we didn't even know were asking if they could take pictures of them. I think one thing that made it SO funny is the way Avery really was using her walker and Raegan was really using her cane!! They did really good playing the parts!! I can't wait until we get to dress up again!!

You can double click on the picture to see it big. Be sure to look at how Avery has one stocking pushed down and one up. Raegan has white eyebrows and a handlebar mustache. Her hair was VERY hard to get white, but I did manage to give her a comb-over!! Also, Avery applied her own RED lipstick to get the full effect!

Happy Birthday Avery!!

Today is Avery's 3rd birthday!! I can't believe it! Time has gone by so fast and she is such a big girl now! She really enjoyed her party Saturday. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures soon.



Three years ago today (at this time of the morning) I was about to be heading to the doctor where I would find out that it was THE DAY!!! I had been to the hospital the night before because I had started having contractions that were pretty close together, but had been sent home after they checked me and I wasn't dilated at all. I remember it was about midnight but we stopped at Subway because I was SO hungry!! I slept pretty good that night other than some discomfort from the contractions. The next day my doctor called me (he found out that I had been to L&D the night before). He wanted me to come in so he could check me. I got there around 11 and I was very surprised when he told me I was dilated to a 3!! (Up until that point I was wondering if I was ever going to dilate) He sent me over to the hospital and by the time I got changed and hooked up to all the various monitors it was about 12. I don't know how long it was before they gave me Statol (a medicine to help with the pain), but I do remember that the only thing it did was make me laugh.....and I don't just mean giggle....I was laughing so hard I couldn't even talk....and that, of course, made everyone in the room laugh. I could not stop laughing at all!! It didn't help at all with the pain though, but I was too busy laughing to worry about it. After the laughter subsided, they checked me and I was around a 5 or 6.....I decided to go ahead and get the epidural. I was afraid it would slow down the process, ( I had heard that it could) but, I was also afraid that if I didn't go ahead and get it I would end up in one of those situations where I was ready for it and then I would be told.....nope, it's too late. I felt so much better after the epidural! I think it was around 7:30 when I was ready to start pushing. It seemed like 3 days that I pushed and nothing was really happening. It was about 1 hr and 1/2 to 2 hours. For some reason I had developed a fever (we never did figure out why). Everything seemed to be becoming an emergency-like situation. My doctor mentioned going to the c-section room and then if things didn't happen soon, he would do a c-section. I remember by that point I was like, "That's fine! Just get her out!!" I wanted her to be okay!! When we got moved into the other room I was feeling like I needed to push and they were saying "go ahead".....so, I had pushed a couple of times before they realized that she was coming!! When she was born I remember the doctor laying her on me and I touched her and thought....."Oh my goodness, this is really happening!!" I remember how strange it was to hear her cry.....not weird strange....just unreal. Since she had a few issues they took her away immediately to make sure she was ok. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, so she was not the right color. Because of the stress, she had pooped before she was born so, they had to make sure she hadn't breathed any of that meconium in. They thought her hip was out of place, and because I had a fever she did too. Anyway, I remember all of those things were really making me nervous!! I remember asking one of the nurses that was in there how much she weighed and she had to call the nursery to find out. She weighed 8lbs. 11oz. and she was 20 inches long.

They finally brought her to me about 4 hours after she was born. I can remember how crazy it was that the nurse was just handing her to me.....what was I going to do with this helpless newborn?? It is funny how to this day, I am really nervous to hold someone else's newborn baby (I still feel like I might need to sit down and someone hand them to me!! ha ha), but for some reason I didn't feel that way with my own. All of the things that were going on when she was born turned out to be nothing really! She did have an iv for a couple of days and we stayed an extra day in the hospital, but that was no big deal!

We came home and she has been calling the shots ever since!! (well, at least until Raegan got old enough to share in that responsibility!!) Avery has always been very independent when it comes to just about anything. She is so funny and I can already see that she is going to have a great sense of humor! She does still have moments when she thinks the world revolves around her and she can get really upset when things don't go her way. She is VERY strong willed. (I don't know where she got that from....) Since it is my baby girl's birthday I want to share some things about her:

She LOVES....absolutely LOVES to cook.....really cook or just pretend
it doesn't matter which.

She really likes to sing and make up her own songs.

Books are a MUST for her...she will spend hours flipping through the
pages of a book! It doesn't matter if there are pictures in it or not!

She loves magazines the same way, but has to pull all of those cards
out (you know, the ones you send in for another subscription)

She calls me Mommy, Momma, and Mom.

She loves her daddy!

She likes dogs and cats and really any other kind of animal.....but she
gets nervous if you get her too close to one that is big.

It takes her a while to warm up to people that she doesn't know, but
once she is warmed up she will talk their ears off!!

She has always played with her hair when she is sleepy.

She loves to dig in the dirt, but she loves to get cleaned up afterward!

She hates to get food on her clothes. She had to change immediately
if this ever happens.

She loves to talk on the phone as long as it is on her toy phone...every
now and then she will really talk to someone on the real phone.

She tells me she loves me and hugs me more times than I can count
each day.

She is a GREAT big sister and has been since the day Raegan was
born.

She loves babies and says she wants another baby sister.

She shows me the world through her eyes.

She teaches me something new every day.

......I am so thankful that God chose me to be her mommy!!

A small misunderstanding.....

Matthew called me this morning and said that a man came in the co-op and told him that a guy had stolen a tank from Fort McClellan and was being chased by the police down the highway. He said I may want to watch the local news to see what was going on.

My mind immediately went to a video that I have seen more than once of a tank that was stolen and driven (out of control) down a busy highway destroying anything and everything in it's path.

I was thinking, "Oh my, this could be really bad!!" I couldn't find anything on the tv or the internet about it so, I called the co-op in Jacksonville (it is located on the highway that the "chase" was on). I asked if they had heard anything about it. The guy there said, "is that what that was?" He said that about 30 min. before that a tank with about 3 sheriff's deputy cars behind it (sirens on) came by the store. He said that he didn't know how fast a tank would go, but that it was moving on.

Well, I felt I had confirmed that yes, this story must be true!! I still couldn't believe there was no news coverage of such an important event!! Where was this lunatic going?? What had he already demolished in his path?? Why did noone care to inform the public of such a happening as this?? (In the meantime I called my friend, Pam, to make sure she wasn't going to be traveling that way anytime soon).

I kept scanning the news channels for any information.....but nothing. A little while later my sister called me with what turned out to be the last update of the pursuit........the tank was heading to JSU......by police escort.....it was heading there to......be displayed during the homecoming festivities at the college......

.......well, atleast noone was hurt, right? Talk about a misunderstanding!

I guess the guy that told Matthew about it had seen the tank with the police escort, or heard someone that had seen it and everything else was an assumption. We all know what happens when you assume things, don't we? Well, I got a good laugh at the end of it all!!

Just a typical visit to a public restroom....

A friend sent me this in an e-mail.......it made me laugh!!

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied..

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume 'The Stance.'

In this position, your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.'

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT.

It is wet, of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'



This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang on to your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately!

This is pretty random......

Deer season started today. It is bow season, and last year we weren't open until gun season, so obviously that means we didn't do any deer during bow season.....Well, we got our first deer in today!!! I am excited about getting started again, but I know there is a lot of work ahead of us!!! I just have to keep in mind that it is only for 3 1/2 months!!

Last Saturday we gave Avery her birthday present from us.....(her birthday is the 20th, but I couldn't wait that long! Besides, she doesn't know the difference yet!) We gave her a Leap Frog, Click Start, My First Computer.....SHE LOVES IT!!! It is so funny to watch her use the mouse and play the games! She has always been interested in the computer, and now she has her very own! She acts like she is doing some really important stuff on it....I love that!

Avery has FINALLY learned to steer her john deere gator that she got last Christmas. This has been something that we have continuously worked on, but she finally got it. Before she would just stop right before she would hit something for us to come help her. The whole time we would be telling her to turn the steering wheel but she just would not!! I don't know why she wouldn't, and then finally a couple of weeks ago she just started using it. Now she will take stuff down to the barn for us (she really enjoys that because she is helping), or she will just follow us around everywhere. Raegan is always by her side (with her seat belt ON). They try to get Pepper (our poodle) to ride in the back, but so far that hasn't happened. As soon as Avery starts going Pepper jumps out (I don't know if I blame her).

That reminds me.......I better go give Pepper a bath!! She sure needs one!!! Sorry for the randomness of this post! I am just rambling!!

Life is worth the living just BECAUSE HE LIVES!!

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus

He came to love, heal, and forgive.

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,

And feel the pride and joy he gives.

But greater still the calm assurance,

This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,

I'll fight life's final war with pain.

And then as death gives way to victory,

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone!

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Words: Bill & Gloria Gaither

It is easy to get caught up in everything that is going on around us and let worry creep in. But I know that God holds the future and no matter what happens in this life, when it is all said and done, His promises will remain! He never promised things would be easy and we would go through this life without trials, but He did promise that He would take care of His children! I don't know what this life will bring, but I know that "life is worth the living just because He lives"!!

I really like the story about how this song came to be and I wanted to share it!

I have included 2 videos with this post, the first one is Gloria Gaither explaining the events that inspired the words to this song, and then the Gaither Trio performing the song in 1972. The second video is "Because He Lives" being sung at the Gaither Homecoming in Israel.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Some pictures with friends....

Avery is with our neighbors, Nanny and Pop, today. It is just me and Raegan here. Raegan doesn't know what to do when she has all my attention. She likes for me to hold her more than she usually does (which is a good bit anyway!) I don't mind it too much though! She is growing up so fast, I know the day is coming when she won't want me to hold her.....:(

I wanted to share some pictures that my friend Janna sent me of the girls from the last time we got together. She has 2 girls, Jessica and Allie....Avery and Raegan really enjoy playing with them!!

Everyone getting ready to go down the slide!!

Allie and Raegan climbing up !!

Raegan and Allie swinging together!!

Avery and Jess cooking.....that is Avery's thing!! She is ALWAYS cooking!!

Everyone jumping in the "jumpy thing" as Avery calls it!

This is what you get when you tell Raegan to say "cheese"

Jess and Avery swinging together and cheesing!!

Are they checking their myspace??

"It's okay weetheart...it's okay"

Raegan had her 18 month check-up yesterday and she does NOT like the doctor's office. As soon as a nurse started talking to her she tensed up and laid her head on my shoulder. When the doctor came in she started crying as soon as he took his stethoscope from around his neck to use it. It was SO sweet though because Avery put her arm around her and was telling her "it's okay weetheart...it's okay" (she has been calling her "weetheart" for a little while now). Raegan had to get a couple of shots and that really upset her. Avery kept asking me "what did that ady do to my sister?" They were both okay after the suckers and stickers were passed out though! Avery has to go at the end of the month, but I don't think she has to get any shots.

I had to go to the doctor today for a follow-up visit. A few months ago my heart started fluttering really bad. I stopped drinking drinks with caffeine and I haven't had any problems since. The tests they did came back normal. So, today I was only in the doctor's office for about 10 minutes. It was the quickest doctor appointment I have ever had!! I have to go back in June for another echo cardiogram just to make sure nothing has changed but, that's not too bad.

well, I guess that's about all for now....
Donna K

I wish I could describe Him to you....

I had never seen this version of this until I found it on youtube. It is good....It is really good!! It is good though, because HE is good!!

WOW....Is it really October already?????

Well, it is OCTOBER.....I can't believe it! I have really been looking forward to fall this year, I'm not really sure why....I'm sure it won't take long for me to get tired of cold weather and being cooped up in the house all the time, but for now...I am happy that it is fall! I have been wanting some chili and grilled cheese sandwiches lately! Yum! So, that is what we had today!!

We have a lot going on! Deer season starts on Oct. 15th. It is just bow season, but we will hopefully start getting some deer in! So, anyone who reads this and didn't know, we have a deer processing business!! Tell everyone that you know that hunts to bring their deer to us! Last year was our first year and we got started late getting everything going. This year we have been able to do improvements and get things done that we didn't get around to before. We are going to have a playroom this season and that will HELP SO MUCH!! I will be able to help more and the kids will have a good place to play!

Today Matthew was off and we were doing some work around the house. We are trying to get our house ready for winter. One of the things we are going to do is recycle our dryer air. Our laundry room is basically a back porch. It has windows all the way around it that are screened, then there are roll out windows that don't really keep out the "weather" (by "weather" I basically mean wind and hot/cold air). Anyway, today Matthew insulated it and we are going to fix the dryer where instead of the hot air blowing out, it will be blowing back in the house. There are different ways to do this. We are going to use the hose that normally blows the air out and run it up behind the dryer where it is easy to reach, and then we are going to attach a vacuum bag to it. We will just have to check the bag regularly for lent. It just seems like such a waste to blow all that warm air outside!!

We are getting ready for Avery's birthday!!! She will be 3 years old in 18 days!!! I can't believe that!! She is having a "Bob the Builder" party per her request!!
Well....Bob the Builder and Scoop!! Scoop is her favorite character on the show. Along with getting ready for her birthday we are trying to get their costumes together for Halloween. When I ask Avery what what she wants to be, she says, "Polly Nanny"....That is what she calls my grandmother, so.....I have decided to go with that!! I figure since Avery is going to be an old woman, and Raegan is still too young to care, it is only right to make Raegan an old man!!! I think it will turn out cute! I just have a lot to do to get all that together!

Well, I am about to go to bed!! I have been so sleepy lately! I don't know what is wrong with me!! By the way, today is Matthew's brother's birthday! Please keep him and his family in your prayers. They have recently moved to Germany! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!! WE LOVE YOU!!


~Donna K!!

In Christ Alone!!

This song is absolutely one of my favorites!! It is so powerful!! Please, if you have never heard it listen to the whole song!! Take a few minutes to praise God!!

"Twu-yee Amazing!"

A few things I wanted to share......

When I kissed Avery goodnight a couple of nights ago she wiped her mouth...then she said, "I'm not wiping it all off, just a little bit."


The other day, Avery was using the potty and Raegan had gone in the bathroom with her. I heard Raegan calling me in her usual I've-done-something-I-shouldn't-have-please-come-help voice. When I got in the bathroom Avery was sitting on the potty and Raegan was standing on the tank behind the potty!! According to Avery she climbed up there while Avery was on the potty. (She climbs on EVERYTHING, but that was definitely a first!!)


When I got Avery out of the bathtub the other day, I wrapped her in her towel and then she just stood in front of the mirror looking at herself. I heard her say "Twu-yee Amazing"....(she has called things amazing before, but never truly amazing.) I said, "What is?".....and then she said, "ME"


They are BOTH TWU-YEE AMAZING!!!!

5 years.....

On September 20, 2003 at 2:22 in the afternoon I was on my way down the aisle...I was going to vow my love to one man...I was getting married....I had no idea what I was getting myself into....

Let me start from the beginning....

Six years, 8 months, and 17 days ago a new guy started working at the Jacksonville Co-op. I should mention here that the only place in Alabama that he didn't want to be was Jacksonville! At the time I thought his name was Matthew Krenshaw. (His nickname is Crenshaw and that is what I would hear people call him...when he would say "I'm Matthew Kay"....well, I just thought he was saying Matthew K.....hahaha...that still makes us laugh!!) So, "Matthew Krenshaw" was just a co-worker for around 5 months before we started dating. We had been dating for 11 months when he proposed to me on my 22nd birthday! (If you know me, you know that my favorite number is 2....yes, I do have a favorite number....it's normal...kinda) I had told him I wanted a new Bible for my birthday, so when he gave me my gift to open (which he had wrapped in green wrapping paper...my favorite color) I could tell it was a book. When I started opening it, I could tell it was a Bible, and then I noticed it was his Bible. He started to tell me that he was giving me his Bible because he didn't get to buy me one, or he couldn't afford to or something. Then he told me to open it....

Ok, right here I need to tell you a story about a piece of cotton that I saw everyday on my way to and from work that was hanging from a tree limb for several months after the cotton had been picked from the field. It had gotten hung on the limb as the farmer was driving down the road. Through any weather I would see it still hanging on. I would point it out when Matthew and I would ride by it together. I would say "there's that cotton, still hanging on"...."it has been pouring rain and it is STILL there". It may sound silly, but I was amazed at what this little piece of cotton could endure just hanging there above the road on that tiny limb.

Back to me opening my birthday gift....

He told me to open the Bible and in the middle there was a note from him and it said:

"Donna,

I'm not really giving you this Bible. What I am giving you is a symbol of my love for you. I place it in the center of God's Word as I pray that is where our relationship will always be. I hope our love will be as enduring as the material it's symbol is surrounded by.

I Love You,
Matthew"

Under that piece of paper was that piece of cotton and in it was the ring!! (I was blown away by the thought that he had put into that and how well it all fit together!!) By that point I could not contain myself and I was shaking like a leaf! He had knelt down by me when he gave me the gift to open...so, he would be kneeling when he put the ring on my finger and asked me to marry him. I can't even really remember if I ever actually said yes. I do remember telling him I was burning up!! Haha!! I wasn't even able to eat the wonderful dinner that he had cooked for me!! I was so excited!

I think we had made the decision before that day was over that we wanted to have our wedding that September. So, we were only engaged about 5 months. Everything fell into place though and that day came around fast! It was beautiful! I know that because I have seen the pictures and watched the video....even the next day I couldn't really remember anything about the wedding. I guess I was so nervous, it was like I was dreaming the whole time. Either way, it really happened!!

Right before we got married Matthew got the position of manager at the Pell City Co-op. After the wedding I transferred to Pell City and he became my boss!! We bought a house and a little bit of land at the end of January of 2005 in Lincoln and I found out on Feb. 11th that I was pregnant! (He says that was convienient of me to be pregnant when we had bought a "fixer-upper" I couldn't really help him with anything!) I worked until right before Avery was born and then I stayed home with her until she was 9 months old. I went to work at Deltacom on July 27th, 2006. We had planned on me working about a year and then hopefully staying home again. Well...on August 3rd, just about a week after starting back to work I found out I was pregnant again! So, instead of working a year I worked as long as I could before Raegan was born. I have been home with the girls ever since then!!

Matthew is such a great husband and daddy!! He always takes care of us!! He works so much for our family! And I am so happy to be his wife! Some people may not know all the things he does, but he is ALWAYS working! He works more than full-time at the co-op and comes home and works more! We have a deer processing business that is about to be going again for our second season. That keeps him busy around the clock in the winter! He does chicken house inspections and he does some lawn spraying. He tends to our garden and this year we had pumpkins and gourds that he had to keep up. With all of this he will still cook dinner! He bathes the girls, brushes their teeth, reads to them, changes Raegan's diaper, plays with them, cooks with them, and so many other things that I can't even remember. He helps so much with everything! I am so thankful for him!!!

Five years ago I knew I had something good...but I had no idea. God has really blessed me and I don't EVER want to take Matthew for granted. I pray for many, many more years with him and many, many more precious memories!! Thank you Lord for this man of God... my best friend...my husband!!

~Donna K

A very powerful human video!!!!

I had to do it!!

1950

1952
1954
1956
1958
1960

1962
1964
1966
1968
1970

1972
1974
1976
1978
1980

1982
1984
1986
1988
1990

1992
1994
1996 (Matthew's real senior year)
1998 (I graduated in 1999)
2000


I have been seeing this everywhere so I had to do it!!

http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

Everyone needs to do this! It is HILARIOUS! (By the way....If there happens to be anyone that hasn't caught on yet, that is me and Matthew in every picture up there!!) I have been seeing these lately and I just had to do it. I hope everyone enjoys laughing at these like we have! Seriously, go do your own too!! There are some that are pretty bad, but some that could actually pass for the real thing, I thought!