Only the Lawsons...

O.K., so Lee and I are currently on our "Babymoon" in Santa Rosa Beach (amazing, by the way!), but I had to take a second to blog about what happened to us right before we came down last week!
As most of you know, Lee and I were scheduled to move into a rental house in Old Cloverdale, which is somewhat like the "historical" part of Montgomery. We were super excited at first, and were very thankful that the Lord provided us a rental house that we could move into before the baby came. There are not many rental houses available...at least one the size that we needed! We still have renters in our house in Fairhope that say they are interested in buying, but who really knows what they will end up doing, and we really don't want to own 2 houses at the same time, so renting was our best (and only!) option.
So, over the past week I have been boxing up stuff at the apartment and we have been taking small loads here and there after Lee got off work. The movers were scheduled to come Saturday and move the big stuff. Let me say this...the houses in this area are OLD, hence the historical part of the description. They remind me of the mid-town Mobile houses. Might sound weird, but we love those types of houses with all of the uniqueness and character and hardwood floors in every room, etc. Anyways, we were pumped.
About 2 days before we were suppose to move in, I was cooking dinner in the kitchen and heard on the news that 2 people were shot a few miles down the street from the house. Wowsers. Didn't love hearing that, but just sort of played it off as not too big of a deal since that was a rare event and we had an alarm system. I also think that I let the thought of all the extra square footage down play it as well. That was red flag #1. Red flag #2 was equivalent to about 10 red flags: as Lee and I are taking one last load the night before our trip, we did one more run through before we left. As we are walking out, we looked back and noticed 2 small holes in the wall with some dark colored stuff on the floor beside it. We were like "What in the world is that??" and we as we got closer we noticed it. I hope you are sitting down for this: The holes were RAT HOLES IN THE WALL WHERE RATS HAD CHEWED THEIR WAY IN and the brown things were RAT DROPPINGS!!! Disgusting! I immediately went into panic mode and started to breath deep and fast...dying to run back home and take a shower because I felt so nasty. Lee just stared at it, then at me, then back at it, then back at me. Speechless. We had pretty much moved more than half of our apartment into the house and were leaving early in the morning...only to come back to movers at our doorstep to move the rest of us in. Lee tries to assure me that everything will be o.k., and that we will NOT be moving into the house. I remind him that we just signed the lease a week earlier and I doubt that they will let us out of it. We get into the car and I start full out crying as I am having visions of rats crawling into Knox's crib at night. We go home and I call my mom to cry to her for about an hour, and Lee gets online to look for other rental houses in Montgomery. It was too late at night to call the owners of the house and beg them to let us out of the lease, so all we could do was pray, pray, and pray that they would have open hearts to our situation and call them first thing in the morning. When we woke up we were suppose to be excited about the babymoon, but instead my eyes were swollen shut from all the crying and we were both still so shocked. Lee called the guy at 8 a.m. and had a conversation with him. Bottom line was that he said that he would be o.k. with letting us out of the lease as long as another tenant could be found within a few days. At that point we weren't sure how to feel. I mean, the likelihood of that happening was slim. So, we finish getting ready and head out the door for the trip. With Maddox in tow, we head to the beach trying not to think about the disaster. Well, about 15 minutes into the trip, Lee's phone rang and it was the owner's secretary calling to tell us that they had found another tenant for the house and they would let us out without any financial obligations!!!!!!! Yay God!!!!! However, the people needed to move in THAT DAY, so we had to get our stuff out ASAP. Lee hangs up the phone, we do a praise God/victory dance, and then head straight to a Penske truck rental place. We got a truck, went to the house, loaded up everything, and drove it back over to the apartment. Lee pretty much threw everything in as fast as he could so that we could get back on the road and start the vacation. Even though there was a lot of stuff to move, we were smiling the entire time because we were so thankful that we were about to get out of the lease.
SO, we are now enjoying ourselves on vacation, but will be headed back to an apartment filled with boxes (that I do NOT want to unpack just to pack up again) at the end of the week, and nowhere to live! ha ha. Only us. We did make some appointments to see some other rental houses when we get back, so hopefully something will pan out there! I am confident that the Lord will provide, and this time...we will do a MUCH closer run through before we sign any leases!

Happy Birthday, Carley!!

Ok, so to make a long story short, my sister painted my niece's room a little while back and has had trouble finding artwork to go along with. She asked if I would paint something for Carley for her 3rd birthday. I thought, "Why not?? I am just sitting here waiting for Knox to come, and it will be a good way to entertain myself while Lee is at work." Holy pajamas...it was the most stressful thing I have ever done, and it might be the very last! Haha. Ask my friend Cathie, she will vouch for me. I vented to her on a daily/nightly basis. I have never done something this big, and I am really not an "artist", so it was sort of an issue. Everything also needed 4 to 5 coats as well! Ahhhh! It definitely took me All day EVERYday to finish this sucker! Anyways, the bottom line is this: It is complete and I am alive. Thank you , Jesus! Oh, and tell me this isn't one of the cutest little girls that you have ever seen!

Are you kidding me????

OK, so most of you know the slight obsession that I have with my dog, Maddox. He is amazing. Very smart, very energetic, very cuddly, and EXTREMELY cute! Anyways, I took my little guy on our usual long walk today. Since we have been held up in an apartment for a few months, he LOVES going on long walks. Anyways, HE usually takes ME for a walk, if you know what I mean. He pulls on the leash so hard sometimes because he is so excited. He's a mess.

Anywho, started the day out in normal fashion with a little breakfast, bible study, and getting the laundry started. He practically sits by the door waiting on me to get finished so we can head out. (Before I go on, I want to throw out there that I have been doing a bible study on the fruits of the spirit, and today talked a lot about kindness. This info will come in handy in a bit). So, I put Maddox's leash on, and off we went!

As soon as I stepped outside I thought to myself, "It is rather warm today for 10:00 a.m." However, I didn't think much of it. Maddox was already running and pulling me down the stairs. I am not sure how long our walk is, but if I had to guess I would say about 4-5 miles or so? Well, we were about half way through the walk when I noticed Maddox was acting very strange. He was breathing extra hard and he kept pulling me off the sidewalk to EVERY tree we passed. At first I was like, "Stop Maddox! Bad boy! Quit pulling mommy!" The further along I DRAGGED him, I realized that he was desperately diving into any shade that he could find! So I stopped with him in the shade for a second and when I got to him, he just LAID OUT! If you have met Maddox, you would know that this is not normal behavior. First of all, he is super fast all the time...we call him the muscle. He never gets tired and has more energy that any dog I have ever seen (preparing me for a boy, much?). Also, he is definitely a leash dog, and if he gets a chance, he is outta there! So the fact that he laid there and I didn't even have to hold the leash really scared me! Then I noticed he was breathing funny, and his tongue was practically laying on the ground. On top of that...he started to whimper! I have NEVER heard that from him, and he is 2 years old! So I got real scared and started petting him. Yea, his coat was scorching hot. We sat there for a minute, and then I thought to myself, "We can't just sit in this person's yard under their tree," as well as, "Man...we are a at least a couple miles from home, and I can't make him walk." Therefore, while I am tearing up because I feel like a terrible doggy parent for making him overheat, my pregnant self picks him up and holds him like a baby (something he never lets you do), and started trucking it. I tried to go as fast as I could to get him out of the sun, but after a mile or so I wasn't feeling too great either! He weighs 22 pounds and started getting a little heavy. He seriously looked me in the eyes the entire time as to say, "Mommy, I don't feel good. Please get me home." It was absolutely pitiful. I was talking to him the whole time telling him that I was sorry, and that I was going as fast as I could. Finally, I had to stop on the corner in the shade to sit because I couldn't go any further. He just laid in my lap while I sat. Then, this lady pulls up out of nowhere, rolls down her window, and says, "Ma'am, can I please give that baby some water? It's pretty hot out here." She hops out of her van-which has kids in it-and grabs the water she was drinking and puts it in some kind of container she had stored in the back. Maddox could barely stand up to drink it! Finally, I put some ice in my hands and held him, and he just laid there licking the ice. That lady was soooo sweet, and so KIND to stop with a van full of kids to give my doggy some water. Notice I said kind....exactly what I was studying about today. I mean, I walked home asking myself, "Would I have done that for a dog on the side of the road if I were in her situation??" I would hope the answer is yes, but I don't know. I feel like the Lord really just used that to show me a true picture of what being kind to people is. Not just being kind to people you know, or when it's convenient, but being kind in all times. She really blessed me (and Maddox) by stopping, and it probably wasn't the most convenient time for her. They were headed to tennis lessons! She even asked if she could drive us home, but I told her that we were right across the street, and would be fine. I thanked her like a thousand times, and then off she went. Once again, Thank you sweet lady for stopping to help out a preggers and her puppy!

Well, I carried Maddox most of the rest of the way back, until I really couldn't take it anymore. I think the ice really helped him because he was a little more perky when I put him down, and he was able to walk back to the apartment. Man, when we got in, he went to his water bowl, lapped it up, and then passed out on the floor. That poor baby. I hope this isn't any indication of the type of parent I will be...over-pushing my children! Ugh. If you need me today, I will be at home, cuddling and loving on Maddox. Short walks for him from here on out!!!!!

Oh, and I had to come back and add the bottom one. He got up and moved to his favorite seat... and snuggled up with one of his birthday presents...

The things I do when my husband is out of town...

Ok, so my hubby had to go out of town this week to Oklahoma to complete year 3 of his Economic Development class. I was sad to see him leave, but I am very proud of him! He is actually "graduating" today! Once he gets back and takes his E.D. test (and Lord willingly-passes! :)), he will be 1 of only 10 fully certified Economic Developers in the state of Alabama! Go Lee!!! And of course, Yay God for blessing Lee in so many ways!!!

Anyways, it's never any fun when lee has to go out of town, especially since I am in a new place not so close to my family and friends. However, this time I decided to get a little crafty while he was gone. I went to Hobby Lobby-one of the best stores known to man-and picked up some canvases, paint brushes, and paint. Here's what I ended up with. It is definitely not perfect, but at least it was something fun for me to do while Lee was away. Maybe I'll stick it in Baby Knox's bathroom?? We'll see...

Happy Birthday!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADDOX!!!!!!!

I can't believe our baby turned 2 today! This little booger has been our pride and joy over the past 2 years, and I couldn't imagine life without him!!! Isn't he the cutest? He wanted to take a big boy pic with one of his birthday presents, so here he is with his new football! We love you, son, and we can't wait to watch you grow older!!!

Opening Day!!

Well, if I wasn't excited enough about having a boy, this weekend's Opening Day for my nephew, Braden, took it to a whole new level. If you know me, you know I LOVE sports and the competition that comes along with it. It just runs in my blood...
This year my brother asked me if I would keep the score book for the team (he is the coach). It's been quite a few years since I have done that, but I was up for the challenge! Dad was coming to town so I figured between him, Lee, and myself... we could handle it. Saturday morning came and we arose early from our beds (a little too early for some...sorry Uncle Lee!), and headed to

the field ready to start the glorious season. Since it's Pratville, parents are quite serious about the sporting events that take place around here. The park was VERY crowded and most parents had the matching team shirt with their child's name or number on the back (I know, I know...but don't doubt for a second that I won't have one with Knox!). Competition filled the air...
The game started off great, and between the 3 of us, we were able to keep the score book correctly. Now listen, I have always loved watching Braden play baseball, but was a little shocked at how some of the people acted at the games...I mean, it's little league. However, this year (much to my surprise) I found myself JUMPING up and down on the bleachers, YELLING out where the next play should be, disagreeing with the umpire, and totally embarrassing my husband along the way. All he could do was stand with some of my family off to the side and laugh at me. Ha ha. Good thing his love for me is unconditional.
Here's where I wanted to brag about Braden...He hit a double his first at bat, a triple his second at bat, and RIPPED a HOME RUN opposite field his third at bat! I could NOT believe it. I was

SPASTIC! Something deeeeeep within me just came out when I saw him running those bases. He had like 5 RBI's and he even made an awesome play at second base to get our team out of the inning when the bases were loaded. Incredible. I acted like I was watching a Major League baseball game out there. I am so very proud of him, and I can't wait to watch him again! It made me so ready for Knox to get here. I know that we will have a few years before he can play sports...but that's probably a good thing- It will give my husband time to adjust to my craziness!

Missing Home...

I am feeling very sad today...missing my family back home and especially these 3 beautiful girls. I love them very much, and I pray that I am not missing out on their lives too much. Carley is the baby (left), Abbie is the oldest (center), and Ashton, a.k.a "Ash-bug", is the middle child (right)!