Shhh! We're in the LIBRARY!

Jenna, Lexie, and I went to the Taylors Branch Library on August 13th, 2011. Jenna had been to the Library before, but we'd never gotten her a card of her own. She finally got a card and she was so proud of it! She read 6 books while we were there. :) She is getting better and better at reading, I am so proud of her! Lexie had a BLAST at the Library and was sad she wasn't old enough yet to get a card. She would sit over in the children's area and "read" books, only she was making up her own stories - and I laughed because she would make surprised faces as if she were surprised by her own made up story. LOL... enjoy the pics and the video! the title of this post is what I feel like I repeated every 30 seconds to Lexie... haha.

Jenna signing her Library Card!

Lexie entertaining me with her "reading"... :)

Just A Moment

Has anyone ever asked you to do something...and you said "I will, in just a moment". Or needed to tell someone something, and you said "I'll tell them tomorrow".

Maybe you want to call your mom, but the minutes got away from you... so you put it off til the next night, then the next night?

I am all too aware of the lesson "If tomorrow never comes..." ...Everyone does, we have all lost someone. You, who are reading this post, right now you are thinking of your someone... Everyone is fighting some sort of battle, we're all in this life together and nobody gets out alive... so we cry together, and we fight together...the best part of life is when we laugh together.

The people of Norway need prayers as they are in a nightmare of sorrow, as many people lost their lives, and many people lost their loved ones. My heart breaks watching the youtube videos of the violence they endured.

I have 3 friends that need prayers tonight, and tomorrow, and the next day-- if you think about it at any moment, pray.

First: My best friend Amanda Roshto needs prayers for her mother. Mama Betty has survived cancer. She's suffered other medical issues in the past few years, and young Amanda has been taking care of her mother and tending to her needs. Betty is young- only 62 years old, and had to have emergency surgery last week, and then this weekend was clinging to life and the doctors are still unsure why. Although, she has been improving-- Amanda's heart is breaking, she worries about her mom and hasn't left her side. Pray for God to guide the hands of the nurses and doctors caring for Amanda's mother, pray for them to find the answers so they can begin treating her and she can begin healing, and pray for strength and comfort for Amanda. I visited them in ICU yesterday, and Mama Betty had improved so much- she was breathing on her own and talking to us, though she was very disoriented. Amanda, I love you! Praying for you and your mama, and asking all those that read this blog to pray for your family as well.

Left to Right: Me, Twiggy, Mama Betty, and Amanda

Second prayer request: My friend Rebecca Hadel. On July 8th, she was in a horrific car accident. She has not woken up yet--- but we are very hopeful that she will. She is improving every day...her progress is amazing. It is an absolute miracle that she survived such a crash. God had his hand on her that night. Her mother Lynn, her sister Sarah, and her 3 year old son Davis were also in the car that night. Lynn suffered broken ribs and is at home healing, Sarah suffered a broken collar bone, also at home healing... and God must have been a shield for sweet Davis, he has only a scratch on his forehead.... and he is also at home...however, Davis had nightmares of the crash and misses his mommy dearly. Carolyn, a good friend of mine, is Becca's other sister. Carolyn has been going back and forth- taking care of her mom, taking care of Becca, updating her caringbridge site so that all of us can get updates on her progress... Carolyn is an incredible person, I'm priveledged to call my friend. You can read Becca's caring bridge to get specific prayer needs for Becca, but also pray for Carolyn, that she has the strength to continue her ministry in caring for her family. And pray for sweet Davis, as he adjusts to his "new normal" while his mom is away getting better.

Here is the link to her site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rebeccahadel

Lastly: Pray for my friend Lauren's sister, Courtney. She has surgery tomorrow-- she has brain surgery tomorrow at 2pm at Duke University Hospital to attempt to remove a brain tumor. She has a newborn baby girl that she holds in her arms tonight, too. Her baby is not allowed to visit her whilst she is in the hospital, so this is very hard for her. Please pray for her and her family. Here is the link to her caringbridge as well:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/courtneygrass

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3

"Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world." ~Martina McBride, Love's the Only House

Pray... Just Pray.

Summer Nights Drifting Away...

Whoa! This summer has been so busy, and its already almost over-- time just doesn't slow down for us! Here are a few snapshots from the summer:

Isle of Palms, SC - July 2011

We stayed with Betsy and Franky, who are also two of Lexie's Godparents - Lexie played and played and had a ball with them. She loves them! (We do too! lol)

Isle of Palms, SC - July 2011

Eric, Me, Franky, and Betsy

Daily was in town for a 2 week stay from the Navy, we miss him soooo much. Texas Roadhouse treated him to dinner to thank him for his service and we were blessed to be able to join him. Left to Right: Lisa B. (Daily's fiance), Mike Daily, Eric, and Ashley H.

Jenna's first swim meet! These are her friends and teammates: Emily, Kiki, and that's Jenna in the blue cap and team suit. She did AMAZING on the big team! We were so proud of her! Our teams were combined to make a team, the Wade Hampton Garden Gators and the Edwards Forest Waves. (Jenna is an EDF Wave!; Emily and Kiki are WHG Gators) lol Go Gators and Waves!!!!!

At Divisionals, the teams paraded around the pool, each with a theme. Our team was tie die shirts and the song "Wipe Out!"... this is a picture of Jenna and her Coach (Nicole Swain) during the parade.

Jenna on the 4th of July...my big girl isn't afraid of the fireworks anymore!!!! Lexie however... hid underneath the seats in the van. lol. ::sigh::... i remember when Jenna used to hide in that same spot...then I blinked... and she's all brave now. :)

Shew! That covers at least some of our busy summer... stay tuned! there's just a bit more! :)

Father Daughter Dance 2011

Jenna had the absolute time of her life on Friday, March 11th, 2011. Her daddy surprised her with a REAL tiara!!! Her smile could not have gotten any bigger when she saw the sparkly gift and quickly had me put it in her hair.

She was getting ready for her first Father Daughter dance. They had a really great time and Jenna felt like a princess. They even took "prom photos" at the dance--- that's the last pic below! Jenna had a good time with her daddy at the dance and she can't wait to do it again next year! Lexie and I ordered a pizza, curled up on the couch and watched Princess and the Frog (for about the 1,342,615th time)... lol- that's a favorite in my household. But I know she can't wait until she's old enough to go with daddy to the Father Daughter dance too. :) then it's ladies night out for me! lol. :)

The dance was put together by Jenna's Girl Scout Troop-- Troop 2995. The purpose of the dance is for the Daddy's to be able to teach their daughters how a gentleman should behave on a date. Daddy's are encouraged to "set the bar high!" ...and I think Eric did an awesome job. He held Jenna's hand as she walked to the car, opened doors for her, and even danced with her even when I know he didn't really want to. (*cough cough* Jenna got him to do the YMCA dance with the other daddy's *cough cough*)... oh yeah- the bar is set pretty high. Jenna will expect nothing but the best treatment... that is, if her daddy ever actually allows her to date. As far as Eric is concerned...she's never allowed to date. haha. :)

Father Daughter Dance 2011

more pictures at www.dropshots.com/pilkentonpearls

Happy 6th Birthday Jenna Jade!

6 years ago today, Eric and I met this precious gift from God... held her for the first time... and we had been in love for months...but upon seeing her face, we were overwhelmed by how much we loved her...who knew, that 9 lbs and 9oz, 21.5 inches long...

..would grow to be this talented, wonderful young lady? And she's only 6!!! My brown eyed girl, I love you so much! And Jenna says "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Another One Bites The Dust!

Another one's gone, another one's gone, another one bites the dust!

Jenna just keeps pulling teeth out of her mouth. They get loose to a certain point, and she just reaches in and plucks them out... and then shows off the blood because she thinks its "cool". I have to turn away... ::shudders::... Here are some pics of my toothless child...though, the two permanent teeth on the bottom seem to be coming in pretty good!

Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Jenna is becoming quite the little actress! She just completed her second production with Greer Children's Theater, as a child of Israel in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She sang every song, and learned all the dance moves and just had an absolute ball with this play.

9 weeks of rehearsals, 6 performances spanning over 2 weekends... plus school work and home work and Girl Scouts on top of that... its no wonder I got behind on blogging! :) Busy little bee... its kind of wierd not having any commitments this week. :) Jenna loves it though, she'd rather be at the theater doing anything at all, than be any where else. It's her favorite thing... whether she's watching rehearsal, in a show, helping tear down a set piece at shows end... anything at all, that theater is Jenna's "happy" place (besides the beach of course, which is her favorite place to be)...

THANK YOU so very much to everyone that came out to see her shows. We were overwhelmed with love and can't express enough how wonderful it made Jenna feel to see you all after the shows and hear your compliments-- after 9 weeks of rehearsals and constant critiqueing, it absolutely pays off when she gets the "job well done" from the people she loves... she told me in the car "Momma, I have a lot of people that love me, I sure do." and she had the biggest smile on her face. THANK YOU for that... all of you. Love you all!

Jenna, baby, we are all so very proud of you. You are so talented! We love you!
Below are a few of the pics from the show.... more pics and videos at www.dropshots.com/pilkentonpearls (Of course, there are no videos of the actual show... it is copyrighted... one or two pics are from the show, but they were taken by professional photographer David McLaurin)

Bill Burns as "Jacob" (a.k.a. Israel/Joseph's Dad) and Jenna
Jenna got SO into this part... she had to jump out and scream NO! for each brother, then scream "YES! YES! YES!" for the brother that had Joseph's golden cup... she was so funny with her facial expressions and her energy... I was impressed. Jenna has a gift for theater. :)

This was the picture that was taken at the first rehearsal - the day after she was announced a member of the cast. LOOK! She had all her teeth!! :) lol... it was the week after that the teeth started to fall out... She looks so different, I guess I just forgot what she looked like with teeth hahaha.

One of the scenes in the beginning when Joseph first got his coat from his dad... Jenna is in the center of the photo looking to the left ...haha....something must have caught her attention

Cast Photo! LOOK, I'm in it...I'm standing on the right, Jenna is second from the right (kind of behind the girl in the orange vest)... I was in the photo because I ran sound board for the production. I love it!
different angle of same scene when Joseph first got his coat... this time Jenna is looking where she's supposed to haha. :)

The Children of Israel and their "Stage Mom" Ms. Paula... Jenna adores Ms. Paula!!

Jp McLaurin as "Joseph" and Jenna and Jenna's newest Bestie Emberlynn

Jenna got so many flowers and also a GIANT chocolate bunny, they all made her feel so special. She said Thank you so many times and absolutely loves every gift she got!

Dallas Friedman as "Pharoah" (he was a hoot!) and Jenna

Jenna: the Hockey Player

Jenna lost her bottom two front teeth back before Christmas.... on Saturday, January 8th, she lost one of her top front teeth.... and all the missing teeth made us think she looks like a hockey player! Eric happened to have a Sharks hockey jersey, so we put it on her for a quick picture. haha... Jenna is such a funny little girl- and she isn't scared at all, she pulls her teeth right out... I'm fine with her wiggling them back and forth when they start to get loose...but that top tooth, she would twist it! Yes, you read that right- she TWISTED the dern thing... gross! haha- and I can't watch her pull them out.

Jenna has a dentist appointment coming up that was scheduled this past summer... I'm not sure there will be many teeth for them to clean! haha!

Lexie saw her pull this one out- bad thing about it was Lexie walked around with her fingers in her mouth and every now and then saying "mommy, pull my teeth too!" ... to which I would reply, "You JUST got your teeth dear, let's wait a few years before we start yankin' them out!" haha. :)

1st Snow 2011

We got 8 inches of snow! WOW! We haven't had this much snow since 1993. It was soooo pretty! And extremely fluffy! Usually we have ice in the mix, but it was pure snow, so it was perfect for a few angels...but didn't stick together so there was no snowmen....but the ice fell some in the afternoon and Eric was able to make some pretty amazing snowmen. We have had so much fun! I will say, that Eric and I had more fun than the girls. Jenna played in the snow a good bit, but once she got too cold - it was over. Lexie...well, we managed to get her out in the snow long enough for a picture or two.... but she HATES the cold.... haha, poor baby is only truely happy if the sunshine is warm and her toes are on a beach... its amazing the pure happiness that the child will show for the summertime beach, and pure hatred for the winter wonderland. :) makes me laugh though- as much fun as I had in the snow- I have to agree with Lexie...a warm sunshine, cool breeze, sand and ocean sound absolutely wonderful! haha! Here are a few pics from the first snow day of 2011:

Jenna's Angel... one and only- notice her face? oh yeah, well she says "mom... my butt and back are now cold. I don't think I like making snow angels." haha... sheesh.
My parent's dog: Roxy ... eating the snow! so funny!

Eric and the 2 snowmen that lived! they were so cute!!

I actually helped a little... I did the hair on the short one, I also did the arms on the short one, and added the scarfs to both. :) haha. look, I made the little one look like its holding hands with the big one! :)

This is Eric's first snowman... shortly before his head fell off and exploded into pieces...BAH haha

This is a waterfall that is near my parents house. My mom, Jenna and I walked down to take a few pictures of it.... It's part of the old mill, and it always looks so pretty in the snow!

Lexie... not too happy about the snow. She looked at us like we were crazy, all of us playing in it... she just has never liked being cold. Maybe when she's a little older she'll play in it with us....but she is my little summertime baby...she's much happier in warmer times of the year.

Our boxer dog, Destiny.... ALSO caught eating the snow hahaha.

Pretty wishing well in my parent's back yard.

more pictures at www.dropshots.com/pilkentonpearls

New Years 2011

We brought the New Year in with a few of our best friends, Jon and Stephanie Johnson and their three boys Nick, Gavin, and Peyton. Lexie has a small crush on Gavin but flirts with Peyton (Peyton is just 6 months older than Lexie) and Jenna sticks close to Nick who is a year older than her. :P We always have a blast when we are with the Johnson's! :) Hope everyone has a prosperous New Year!!! God Bless!

Left to Right: Jon Johnson, Steph Johnson, ME, and EricJenna, Nick, and Gavin - Ball has DROPPED on the tv in the background to bring in 2011!!

Jon and Steph Johnson - LOVE THEM!!

Eric and I just before midnight! 2011 is going to be a great year for us... I have Faith that God has some great things planned for us. I love you honey, can't wait to take on challenges and meet the goals we have set for ourselves! I know we can do it with God's help!

Lexie flirting with her Daddy -- both my girls are hopeless Daddy's Girls! haha, its ok, :D They are momma's babies too. We both get love! :)

The bestie Steph J and me! :) We have been friends for over 15 years - we've been there, done that, been through it all...laughed together, worshiped God together, cried together,...lost touch for a few years but got back in touch, and I LOVE this girl and I'm so lucky to call her my friend! She's pretty awesome and I'm so glad God put her in my life!
They had a bonfire for their Christmas Tree and Eric set off some fireworks... the kids all hid in the house, and I hung out with them (only because Lexie was clung to my FACE during the fireworks) haha

Gavin is the cutest little boy in the world lol... :) He'll never have a problem getting a girlfriend, that's for sure lol. :) He's so sweet- he told his mommy that he was going to ask a girl at his school to marry him. isn't that the sweetest thing?

Jenna and Nick... NOTE: Nick is a full year older than Jenna. Yes, Jenna is taller. haha, Bless his heart, he may hit a growth spurt and pass her someday though! She better watch out! :)

The Terrific Two Year Olds! (a.k.a. the terrible two year olds hahaha). Peyton and Lexie, they are both soooo photogenic. :) And they were stuck together like glue that night. (Mainly because Peyton didn't want her to take his toys hahaha....cute!)
Favorite picture of Peyton ever! He has the bluest eyes!
Jenna in her Justin Bieber shirt (that she wore 2 days straight cause its her favorite) and me just before the New Year! Steph J got these hats for us, the kids weren't too in to wearing them, but I thought I loved them! :) haha
Jenna and Lexie

Happy New Year from The Johnson's and the Pilkenton's!