World around Us

Noah and I took a little field trip today. And on our excursion, I found this sign - what a great sign about life!!! I LOVED it, so I took a picture with my new phone (thanks sweetie!! =) Maybe if we did this every day, our eyes would be opened just a little bit more:
Look - take a moment every day to just look around you. Notice the beauty of this world, take in the peace, take a breath and just take it all in.
Listen - listen to others! Maybe someone that is different from you, respect their opinions, maybe you could learn something new and have a new outlook, one that you have never considered before. Maybe our friends...sometimes we just need to listen, and not say anything. Or maybe your children, I notice myself sometimes just going and going and going, getting ready, going out the door, stick to the schedule! All the while my kids are just trying to talk to me - I need to just stop, listen, and take in everything they have to say.
Touch - such a teaching tool =) and a tool of life. Noah was running around today touching trees, just learning about the different textures, so cute! But also the feeling of someone touching you, whether it is a loving touch, a helpful touch, or just a handshake. We all need more hugs in our lives =) They are therapeutic!
Think - I find that I think too much sometimes, hehe -my hubby would agree that I think 'out loud' too much!! But I think that is good. This day in age with the political war, very opinionated people, etc...I think it is important to just THINK about what you are believing in, what you say, and how you say it. I have also learned over the years (too bad it took me 30 years) to really think before I say something. I am still guilty of saying things before really thinking about how it will effect someone else, but I have to say that I am sooooo much better about it than I was 10 years ago. We don't live forever! Think about how lucky we are, think about how we want to live our lives, think about the footprints we want to leave, and think of others!!

Here is Noah in front of his favorite tree that he found today. The reason it was his favorite was because it had Rollie pollies all over it!! Isn't it just beautiful?! So huge...

Stop to Smell the Roses

I find myself every single day stopping for a moment and looking at my wonderful babies and thinking "When did I become so blessed?" and then I think to myself, "they are growing up so fast, I am going to miss these days oh so much!!" It makes me think about how I spend my time, what I put first in my life, why do the dishes NEED to be clean when I have two sweet little boys to snuggle with....the answer is, they don't!!! I walked by the sofa last night while the two of them were watching 'Finding Nemo' before bed. They were so cute, each one sitting at an opposite end of the sofa from the other one - I was actually on my way to clean up from baths and dinner when it hit me....WHY clean up???? This is the perfect moment to just stop, and smell the roses! So I sat right in between my babies, each boy looked up at me with an innocent smile, then they both scooted right up to my side and snuggled with their proud mommy. Now, is this going to happen in 10 years??? I dread it =( So I need to take it all in now. They grow up too fast, who knows what tomorrow will bring, and what will they remember about me when they get older?
My house is a mess, we have no groceries, and laundry is piling high - Guess what I am doing tomorrow?? I am taking Noah to feed the geese at the community across the street while we enjoy a nice hike together... Can't wait!

Below is a picture of my sweet baby sleeping today. I just had to duck in end enjoy his sweetness...and his 'Mike Wazouski' socks =)

Raphael is Here!!!

We have finally chosen...TAH DAH!!! Raphael it is =) After weeks of going back and forth on what to be for Halloween and what not to be, Elijah has made a decision. Ninja turtles were never in the 'running' - we were trying to decide between Superman or Transformers. He has always been obsessed with the Turtles, but we didn't know it was an option. So when he saw it in the store, he went CRAZY! And when I saw the price, I went CRAZY! Much better than any of the others =) So he committed and said he wouldn't change his mind in a few weeks. If he does, then he is out of luck. Happy Halloween!!!

Here We Go....

The start of 'Free Branch Jewelry' !!!! Yes, I am trying to get this started. I NEED to get my creative juices flowing again!! I used to draw all the time, paint, and sew skirts and dresses (which I have been making our window curtains, so that does count for something). But since my little kiddos came along and since our camp has taken up what free time I do have, I have put my art to the side...way over to the side =(. I have been feeling a little lost lately and realized that I truly lost a part of myself when I decided to take a break from my artwork, so I am going to start it up again!! This time, trying my hand at jewelry. I have wanted to try jewelry for 7 years now, since my wedding. I made my own tiara for my wedding because I searched and searched in stores for the 'right fit' for me, but just couldn't find something that I loved. So I gathered up things that I loved (wire, beads, crystals, etc...) and went to town. I wish I had a picture, but I still haven't located my tiara since the move...stuck somewhere in boxes. That sparked a new 'art' for me, but I have just now found the time and drive to really get started!! 'Free' coming from Freeman, and 'Branch' coming from the lovely town I live in, Flowery Branch. Hopefully I will start an etsy shop soon, just need to get more pieces under my belt =) Just played around today with some first pieces - but think they came out pretty well!! What do you think?

Our Sweet Town

The longer I live here, the more I just adore Flowery Branch. The people here are so nice and of course country (which I LOVE), there is enough wide open space to keep me sane, we are close to the mountains, and as my mom and I found out a few weeks ago - the Historic Downtown is just as cute as can be. And will be even cuter once the econemy turns around.
Today they had an old car show and chili cookoff. It was a little wet, but so much fun none the less. The little boys had so much fun, and daddy loved seeing all the old classics. Of course he had to wear his Trans Am shirt to complete the wardrobe.
See below, Eli walking downtown this morning.
Here is Eli on the famous red caboose in downtown. People are allowed to go inside for a little tour. The boys had a blast.

And of course me and the boys in front of my dream car. If we have any more kids, this is
what we will have to invest in =)

Daddy and Noah admiring the 'goods'

Eli getting his first ever shaved ice:

Noah posing with his little car shirt (all decked out)

Eli meeting 'Herbie'. Herbie talked to him by honking every once in a while - Eli thought he was amazing =)

The Freeman Family had much needed 'Family Time' today and got to know our town just a little bit more. I love the South and hope the boys grow to appreciate it as much as I have!!

Sorry...but...

These are just TOO cute not to post! Noah's New Underoos!! Yes, Noah's underoos =) He has been showing interest in the potty for the past couple of months, but I haven't been pushing anything because I didn't want to scare him. Finally on Monday, when Eli was at school, we just spent the entire day working on our potty skills and he was sooooo excited. So, I pulled out our little sponge bob underoos, that were Eli's, from the storage bin. But we shortly realized that they were too little. Noah inherited his daddy's hiney and they were so tight around his hips, hehe. So we took a little trip to the store and stocked up on his new undies. Soooooo cute!


And of course....these are his favorite:


Hopefully he will stay intersted in the potty so that this can be IT!!

Caglewood Welcomes Elijah Freeman

Yes that's right, Elijah is our youngest and newest counselor!! This weekend, Caglewood visited Camp Glisson. The amazing place where Paul and I met, got engaged, got married, and baptized Elijah 3 years ago. So I realized a month ago that Elijah was finally old enough to be introduced to our camp and found that Glisson would the most perfect opportunity. So we packed up our car yesterday morning, kissed Noah goodbye (who stayed with his Minna, so we weren't missed ;), and headed up to the BEAUTIFUL mountains that I miss oooohhhh so much, and were greeted with open arms. Elijah was a little hesitant at first because Mary Beth bombarded him as he was getting out of the car and welcomed him with one of her silly, loud snorts. But it didn't take him long to realize that these people were AWESOME, and it definitely helped that Michael asked him if he knew anything about Star Wars. Yes, Elijah has a new best friend - they ran and ran and ran, pretending to be Clones throughout the field where they were befriended by another little boy named Wyatt. He absolutely LOVED it and I could see that his spirit was at absolute peace. Our campers are 'life lifters' - they definitely teach us how valuable life is, how the little things can be the most amazing things, how 3 steps up a ladder can be just as important as 30, how many things in our daily lives can seem so petty, and how every day is an absolute gift. I saw a special light in my baby's eyes, he never stopped smiling. And may I say that we never stopped smiling because of him. Our day consisted of playing with friends, soap making, climbing the alpine tower, going on a 'swing' which is a cable that attaches you 40 feet above the ground and releases you so that you swing back and forth, naps, camp fire making, hot dog roasting, smore making, and wonderful hugs. I can't think of a better way to spend a beautiful Saturday in the North Georgia Mountains.
Here he is gearing up to climb the alpine tower:

Here is the Caglewood Clan making soap - so much fun, and sooo messy!!

Elijah and his new best friend Michael:

Elijah making it to the first 'rest stop' - daddy camping out as the 'helper'

Elijah and Mary Beth, who was also his buddy:

Our Glisson 2009 Clan:

We had such a wonderful trip!! We are so thankful for our amazing counselors - we were very blessed to have a 1:1 ratio most of the time. Our next trip is to Cumberland Island, which Elijah and I will not attend =( ...maybe in a few years. If you would like to see MORE pictures of the weekend go to our family site http://www.ourlittlestinker.com/

And remember to "Love One Another"

All Grown Up....Well, Sortof.

Elijah's first day of Pre-K!!!!! I can't believe that my little baby is growing up. But he had such a fun time! We love his new school, Celebration Academy. His new teacher seems great, he has a lot of boys in his class, and the atmosphere just seems refreshing. Hopefully it will be a great year!
This was Elijah making his lunch last night (note that he cut it in half himself =)


This was Eli before school, ready to conquer the world!!




And this was Eli after school, conquered!



Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us.

Whew...something else!

Yay! Another way to keep in touch with people via technology!! Of course, I am a little overwhelmed with all of my 'connections', but I have been debating blogging for some time now and have gone back and forth on whether or not I really wanted to add something else to do. But I find myself almost every day saying to myself 'hehe, that would be something really great to blog about'. So here I am, I bit the bullet. Even though I am on facebook and I have a family website, here I am, now a blogger. I really wanted a place where I can post day to day thoughts and hopefully meet some new people along the way. Being a stay at home mom and also being a VERY picky person with who I befriend, finding other mothers that can also be good friends in the long run is very hard. I am hoping that this is maybe an outlet for me to find others more like me AND with little ones.