Such an awful loss

My Granny raised me. When my parents divorced I went to live with my Daddy. His shop, where he worked was behind his house, so I always ended up at my Granny's where I had a companion. My Grandaddy died when I was 4, which was the very time my parents divorced. So Granny and I were there for each other in both of our times of need. She was very tender hearted, very kind and Christ-like. My Granny taught me how to love and how to treat the ones we love. She was so sweet and never unfair.

As I grew into an older child, I did tend to take advantage of her sweetness.

As a teenager I wanted my freedom and she allowed it...to a point. When I was away for too long she would call every friends phone number she had and she would eventually find me!

I finally moved out of town. I worked 2 blocks from her house, so everyday on the way to work I would come and eat breakfast with her. She never got tired of me and neither did I of her. She was so easy to talk to so caring, and such a great listener.

Gran was very particular about her house. Her house never got dirty. She made me pick up after myself, and to always do things the way they should be done. She HAD to have the bath mat picked up after every shower. The television was never left on and before she would leave the house she always checked her tires to make sure they looked safe enough to drive.

She loved Jeremy, my husband. She agreed on one thing, we both thought he was gorgeous. She made him laugh and he likes anyone who can do that. Gran was so funny. She'd tell those old folk jokes and he just loved her to death.

When I had my son she was the biggest help, even though she lived an hour away. She taught me so many old remedies. She'd help out in any way she could ALWAYS. I worked part time and she'd keep him even though she couldn't even pick up his chunky butt!

When I went into labor with my daughter 10 weeks early we ended up having her at UNC. So we moved into my Granny's house for a month in order to be close to Sydney in the hospital. Not many people would take on an entire family into their home for that long, but she was glad to.

Sydney, Cameron and I saw her every week from that point on. We would take the day and go visit her. That was the only place other than home they would take a nap. Because they were used it every week.

On the second day of a beach trip I got a phone call...Gran was in the hospital, and wasn't doing good at all. She went down hill from there. For the next 4 months she progressively got worse. I would go see her at least every other day. She began to forget things. One day she asked me if Jennifer had made my dress. It hurt me so bad. I didn't even have a dress on.

I would bathe her, and help her to the toilet (which was right by her bed). She would call for her Mama who had died 10 days before I was born, and would say the craziest things.

One Friday I stayed with her while my Daddy was working. She wasn't herself at all that day, and I knew she was ready for heaven. I couldn't let myself see her again, it just hurt too much. The very next Wednesday I got a phone call from my Daddy saying she had passed comfortably in her bed with the family sitting with her. That was the worst day of my entire life...

I cried until there were no more tears. Still sometimes I can't hold back the tears when her name is mentioned. My son tells people not to talk about her because it makes me cry.

But the 28 years we spent together was such a blessing to me! She taught me so much. She taught me about the Lord and how to do the Lords work. She was a priceless part of my life. I agree with the old saying, it is better to love and lose than to never love at all.

Why I will never pay for portaits again!

These are pictures I took on the farm. This was last year when my husbands business was going through a slow time. I decided to take out my camera and find a pretty spot to do it myself! There are so many great places to take pictures out in nature, I don't think I will ever pay someone else to do something I can do all on my own!

Once there are kids in the house....

Once there are kids in the house there is never a moment to be "me" for very long. I did get really lucky with my first child. Although he had colic bad for the first 5 months of his life, he was a great sleeper. He took a nap in the morning at 10 for an hour and a half, then at 3 he took another hour and a half nap. That is honestly what saved me! He took naps until he was 6 years old! What a true blessing! Now I am dealing with my daughter. She is a precious, delicate princess. BUT she hasn't had a nap since she was 3! It got to be such a fight, I just gave up! On any given Sunday my husband and I are nap takers! Thank Goodness, my Mama lives next door because otherwise we would wake up to something awful!

Seriously I can't even take a bath with out my little girl standing at the side of the tub begging to get in. So I have figured out that is is just best to take a shower unless she isn't home or when her Daddy is home on the weekend so I can lock the bedroom door!

Wish me luck!

Who we are, what we do & enjoy

My husband, Jeremy and i first dated when we were 14 years old. By age 18 we were dated exclusively. We got married when we were 22. Just like any couple, we have had our times of disagreement, but for the most part really we are best friends. Jeremy is so funny and such a jokester, I am constantly trying to catch my breath from all of the laughing. Jeremy works 5 days a week. He drives a truck from Raleigh to Winston Salem, then is the Warehouse Supervisor in Winston Salem, and last of all he drives his truck back delivering back to Raleigh. He leaves at 1pm and gets home around 1am, so we don't really get to see him very much. Come the weekend though we enjoy every waking moment with him!

My little boy, Cameron, is ALWAYS full of energy. He is JUST LIKE his Daddy as a child. He loves to play baseball, basketball, football, kickball, dodge ball, & video games but spending time with his Daddy is the all time best thing in the world to do in his eyes! He looks forward to Saturday ALL WEEK LONG because that is when his Daddy is home!

Sydney, the princess of the house is pretty laid back. She is so much like me when I was a small girl. She loves to dress up. 5 days a week she comes out of her room with a church dress on and will wear it until she is made to change. She is so messy! Her playroom hardly ever is clean. She is particular about where things go when she does clean though. She has so many questions about why God doesn't talk to us, and is serious when it comes to praying. She has a list of babies she prays for every single night.

I am the housekeeper, the taxi driver, the keeper of the band aids, the cook, the kisser of all boo-boo's, the soft place to fall when they are tired and the one who makes sure everyone eats as little as possible of all of the bad things we want but don't need :)! That's what Mom's do right!? But I also volunteer my time at school. I help my husband from time to time doing whatever I can do for his business. I love to hang out with all of my girlfriends on Friday nights. We usually get together with all of our kids and go somewhere fun. While the kids play we chit-chat! My weekend is dedicated to the family, because our time with Jeremy is so important!

I am so thankful to the Lord for always providing for this family. We have never gone without even in the worst of times.

Friends & Children is what it's all about!

The Bell House is often wild and silly, full of energy and almost always playing or watching some sort of game. But we are so close nit, And in love! This is a normal weekend for us at the Bell House. My husband is a NCSU fan, but I buy the clothes haha!

These are my girlfriends from high school. We were close in school and tring to get closer again.

Sydney with 3 of her very best friends...Maddox, Scooter & Sugar.

This is my daughter playing with her friend Clair at their Daddy's dodgeball game.

This is my husband getting some much deserved sugar!

There is nothing like standing in the middle of a bunch of your good friends.

This is my son (on the right) and my daughter (standing,in the pink) with their good friends.

This is my daughter (bottom right) enjoying time at the pool with all of her friends!

My Little Family!

This is my family that lives on our families farm. We are silly, abnormally close & take care of one another ALWAYS!

This is my Mama. We are really very close, and she is my next-door neighbor. She is a farmer. Her job is to freeze and jar up vegetables and jam's. She is a very hard worker!

This is a Sunday at Grandmama & Grandaddy's. My Grandmama loves a "get-together". I guess that is who I get it from!

This is my Grandmama. She is such a hard worker. Everyday when I take the children to school she I see her out in the garden. Which by the way, by the time I see her she has been there for hours & sometimes is still there when I go get the kids from school!

This is my sweet Grandaddy. He had a stroke a few years ago, but still gets out in the garden from time to time. You can't keep a country boy down!

My little girl Sydney is honest to goodness the funniest child I have ever known. She doen't do the funniest things but she knows "grown-up" language and uses it the correct way but on a child's terms. She is just the most hilarious child!

Yes, I will certainly admit we aren't normal! We encourage unmanorly behavior at the table from time to time. But Cameron, my 8 year old son is a great child who has so much energy! Like most boys he enjoys being gross and nasty at times, but knows that is not an everyday activity!