THE BLACKBURN CREW

We've Moved

2010-09-01T09:42:00.000-04:00

www.topharmer.com

Corn-icopia

2009-06-14T10:48:00.007-04:00

In all our efforts to become completly self sustaining(i kid, i kid) we planted a rather large garden with our fellow "city folks in the country" neighbors. It is on about 3/4 of and acre and we have lots of yummy vegetables: corn, okra, tomatoes, cukes, peas, peppers, squash, and potatoes....

Look at those beautiful trees....ahhh country living at its finest

Look at my sweet little farmer boy in his super sassy work boots:

Lots of cornage:

This is a terrible picture of my teeny garden...It basically just herbages, small tomatoes, and lettuce.... We basically have the tomato plants here so the kids can just pull them off the plant and eat them...a little pesticide never hurt anyone...actually this is an all organic garden y'all

Blog Failure

2009-06-14T10:47:00.003-04:00

I am a blog failure....Life has been busy....and well it is much easier to upload pictures on Facebook and be done with it....But I will start trying to get more pictures on here so I won't keep getting threats!

And its officially in!!!

2009-04-14T18:33:00.002-04:00

you would think that after two kids a first tooth wouldnt be so exciting, but Anna Cate busted out her first tooth... and I am excited.

she sure appears to be happier for it too.

Eileen will work on some pics soon.

2009-04-07T09:10:00.002-04:00

Just a little FYI, the reason that no AFTER pictures are up is becuase I cannot find a shower curtain I like....I have already returned a few....once I get a shower curtain up I PROMISE i will post the pictures......It looks sooooooooooooo good!

My Boy!!!

2009-04-06T13:34:00.003-04:00

Avery's First Dance Recital

2009-03-27T18:12:00.001-04:00

Averys First Ballet Recital.......enjoy....we did!

BEFORE.......

2009-03-25T22:04:00.006-04:00

The before pics of our super groovy pink bathroom.
The pink potty....awesome

We're BACK!!!

2009-03-20T16:26:00.002-04:00

Long story short, three computers died...no internet...blessed by a brand new macdaddy computer...so we are back....we got lots of pictures....and we got a new bathroom.. holler.

Last Nights Adventures

2008-11-26T10:15:00.002-05:00

We went to the Mall last night and found this guy.

Um, this is just for show and tell.

2008-11-19T21:31:00.001-05:00

So our computer kicked the bucket a few months ago....thus the reason for no posts...I am sure some of you were wondering if the kiddos tied me up and threw me in the closet...they didn't! Here are some pictures from the past two months....

Anna Cate

2008-11-19T21:07:00.007-05:00

Siblings....

2008-11-19T21:04:00.002-05:00

Avery and CJs Birthday at the Zoo!

2008-11-19T20:52:00.008-05:00

Our Country Boy

2008-11-19T20:42:00.003-05:00

Pumpkins!

2008-11-19T20:27:00.005-05:00

Ok, just a taste...

2008-11-18T18:06:00.003-05:00

How did these get in here...

HALLERWEEN - Time to gather 'round

2008-10-15T10:07:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone, this is TOPHER.

I am writing to tell everyone about the HallerWeen Afterparty.

Please go to:

ruszburns.blogspot.com

to find out what it is all about.

We look forward to having you.

2008-09-26T22:04:00.002-04:00

I promise by the end of the weekend there will be new pictures....good ones....no more silly daddy crosseyed ones.....Sorry I have been a little preoccupied with trying to be a mommy to three(and honestly I think this may take a while!)

I like this one

2008-09-10T15:10:00.002-04:00

More of the little girl!

2008-09-10T14:59:00.002-04:00

Aunt Sarah, Uncle Will, and Nena
And she may be a daddy's girl already!
So i may like to have fun with the girl.

Chillin' out with normal eyes.

2008-09-09T21:21:00.004-04:00

So we were hanging out and it finally came to me...We can take videos on the camera. Badda Bing, here it is:

The Beautifulness - topherism

2008-09-09T07:38:00.003-04:00

It is about quarter til 8 tuesday morning. I am sitting here with Anna Cate lying next to me. That is a pretty awesome thing by itself. But then i look up and see "pretty mommy"(as I have taught the kids to call her) Eileen. This is one of those times in life when I am freshly aware of the benefits of the Gospel and its effects on our lives.

Last night we were talking about needing to talk to someone from the nursery when Autumn walks in. She looked familiar but we couldn't pinpoint who she was. We soon realized that she was the same nurse we had last year. She is our age, married almost the same time we did, and is not preg with baby number 3 due next month. We had a great time getting to know her with the twins, and now 3 years later she was placed back in our path.

So why the story about Autumn. We began talking about kids and why we are here on earth. Not in the deepest sense of spreading the news of Christ's work on the Cross but as our lives move closer to eternity, why are we here.
This to me, is very freeing, to understand that I am a tool for the Lord to have kids and attempt to raise them in a way that they will glorify the Lord with their lives. I am not sure how many kids we are scheduled to have over the upcoming years but I am certain that this is the Lord’s mercy on our lives to give us kids after our lives have been regenerated by the Gospel. Without His work in our lives we would undoubtedly view these kids as a choir and hindrance to “our lives.”

My bride, through some trials, has been nothing more than phenomenal in her perseverance and dedication to glorifying the Lord through this pregnancy. I still find it amazing that she was not only willing but eager to have more children after all the sickness she had with the twins. She is one of my heroes, my real life hero. She makes it easy to lead. Oh, did I mention that she is amazingly hot? I mean smokin’ hot. I know the Lord was more than kind just blessing me with a great wife, the nice thing is that He continually makes her hotter. BONUS!!!
Well, I am going to go find something to help me maintain my weight. Signing off, toph.

AND SHE IS HERE - 10LB 3OZ

2008-09-08T18:31:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow....

2008-09-07T21:52:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow afternoon/evening we will be meeting our little girl for the first time. Surgery time is scheduled for 5:30, so she should be here by six! Pray for all of us tomorrow, as well as the Dr. We should be able to update with pictures tomorrow night. We will be in the hospital until Thursday, so come and visit. We cannot have visitors tomorrow night, since we will probably not even be in a room until close to 10. But come on down any other time, we just ask to PLEASE call before coming.

edited to add: My surgery time is at 5:30 pm not am

Funny Quote of the Week

2008-08-23T10:40:00.002-04:00

Yesterday getting ready to leave the house to run some errands, CJ waiting at the back door says
"Come on Kids, get in the car! Lets GO!"

2008-08-20T18:15:00.002-04:00

Unless God has something else planned....we will be meeting Anna Cate on September 8th!

2008-08-19T20:40:00.003-04:00

Tonight after dinner Avery looked at me and touched my belly and said
"Mommy, you need to pop that baby out!"

I agree....

Baby Watch 2k8

2008-08-14T21:51:00.002-04:00

We went to the Dr this morning to see if there was any progress, I am still not 1 cm(which really doesn't bother me because I didn't start dilating until I was in active labor with the twinnies). I was hooked up to the NST again, and this time we had contractions consistently 2 minutes apart. My Dr called them little baby contractions, she said they were real and we were making progress but they needed to be stronger. So looks like yet again it could be tonight or could be within the week(she did say she thought that it would happen within the week). So tonight the twinkles are with my parents again, the husband is painting trim and I am just contracting away....

Could be tonight or could be a week....

2008-08-12T17:30:00.004-04:00

This is what I was told at the doctor today. After having contractions that were 10 minutes apart yesterday and last night I went in to get checked to see what the heck was going on since this is a little early....So they hooked me up to the NST. I was contracting(Good ones too!) and had lots of irritability. They just were not consistent enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. So the consensus is that it could be tonight or could be a week. Since I have past 34 weeks they will not stop labor, so I have been sent home and told to rest.

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

How to get an Extra Ultrasound

2008-07-31T16:06:00.004-04:00

1. Carry 7 lb twins, and go 3 weeks early(aka Have a big old babies)

2. Look out of proportion with the rest of your body(for those of you who did not see me last time, or who haven't seen me in a while, think normal everything else except for the massive watermelon on my stomach.

And the most important....

3. Measure early, for example I am measuring 6 weeks early! No joke, I about died when the Dr told me that.

So at my doctors appointment today I received the news...Miss Anna Cate is a Moose. Well not really but she is not hurting in the weight department. Since I was measuring BIG, the doctor had me get an ultrasound to make sure I wasn't going to have to schedule a C Section sooner. The good news is we got to see little girl, she is about 6 lbs right now, and we are going to get another ultrasound in about 2-3 weeks to see if she will be served her eviction notice early. The doctor said she thinks it is just that the twins stretched me out, and I just have a lot of amniotic fluid.

So for your viewing pleasure, here are two pictures of our little delicate flower....

In the last two months.....

2008-07-14T10:28:00.028-04:00

we have been pretty busy. We have moved into the new house, have gotten about 80% unpacked, the house is about 90% done, and I got a new camera!! YAY! I haven't taken any pictures of the new house yet, I want to wait until it is finished and the nursery is done.

So anyways in the last two months.........

we have eaten lots of ice cream.....

Danced in the kitchen......

learned to shake what our momma gave us.....

had several important conference calls.....

Cruised around in Mommys sweet new ride. That is right ladies and gentlemen...I have joined the mini van mafia, and I love it!!! As a former "I will never drive a minivan" girl, I will gladly e
at my words...Christopher suprised me for my birthday and got me a really nice Odyssey!

Acted silly in our new big kid beds with daddy.....

went to a Rodeo and met a donkey named Cletus......

Played with our buddies in our new playroom....

went fishing in the pond behind our house, and both caught fish......

had a visit from our good friend Nyah from Maryland............

went to the Summer Shootout at Lowes Motor Speedway with our favorite cousin, Jacob. Christopher now has a new NASCAR watching buddy, CJ loved the races!

Visited Daddy at work:

2008-05-08T16:02:00.002-04:00

I lost my camera....thus the reason of no new posts. I am quite sad, yet my birthday is in twelve days so I am sure something will pop up!

Anna Catherine It Is!

2008-04-08T10:36:00.003-04:00

Apparently we need to speak to little Anna Cate about modesty! I prayed this morning for clarity and I think that we got it!

Whoops!

2008-04-04T13:57:00.003-04:00

So I forgot, thats right I forgot that I had a blog and I needed to update it...Hey I guess that is what happens when you are pregnant...I forget a lot of things!

So many of you know, we are closing on a house in three weeks! Surprise Surprise, we found an awesome deal! It is an OLD 1960's brick ranch on a .77 acres. The back yard seriously looks like a park, with green grass, trees, and a little stream! Now the house it self isn't so picturesque. It is a typical brick ranch, that has not been touched since it was built. Needless to say it is quite ugly on the inside. We are planning to pretty much gut the inside. We are going to start by knocking out two walls and making a bigger kitchen, pulling up all the carpet, painting and maybe building a deck. Then sometime in the next year we will redo the awesome PINK bathroom!( I honestly am in heaven in there, there is nothing in there that isn't pink!). We also are planning to add a full bath in the master, a sun room, and eventually a garage. Lots of work, but this is actually our dream house. So expect LOTS and LOTS of before and afters!

We are Alive!

2008-02-21T17:36:00.003-05:00

We are alive!! I just realized that I have not posted anything in February and the month ends next week!

The kiddos are over their sickness and are doing great. They have discovered their new favorite past time of climbing in and out of their cribs. We have only had one injury which is quite impressive with our track record of ER trips!

We found a 3 bedroom apartment that we are going to move into in two weeks until August, and in August we have something up our sleeve.....but that is a later post.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor to hopefully hear the heart beat of our little bean, which I am really excited about. I am still experiencing morning sickness (or evening sickness really!); the doctor prescribed me Zofran which has worked great up until the past two weeks. As weird as it is, I am encouraged by the throwing up, since it is a constant reminder that our little baby is growing. The only thing that is giving me a really hard time this pregnancy is my self control, or lack of. I have found myself crying, being tempted towards anger and most of all lacking joy. I really realized this yesterday after getting a hair cut that I really don't like, just crying and letting my bad attitude ruin the whole evening and morning. After being freshly convicted of this and repenting imagine my surprise when I pulled up Girl Talk this morning and saw this http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/. A whole series on emotions, but not just emotions, but the temptation of hormonal emotions....

1 Corinthians 10:13 “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Sicklies

2008-01-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

Little Miss Avery has pnemonia again! This is the second time in the past six months. She started to get the rattling cough and fever early this week so we took her in and she has infection in both of her lungs. The dr said that once you have any kind of lung infection you are more likely to get them again. She is on antibiotics and breathing treatments which seem to help. Please just pray for quick healing, and for the cough to subside enough for her(and mommy) to sleep.

God is Good

2008-01-29T15:18:00.001-05:00

Hmm my post disapeared the other day....

Well as we all know Gods plans sometimes are not always our plans. We have just found this out. As you all know we are scheduled to close on our house on February 15th. After a lot of prayer and wise counsel we have decided to let the house go and wait 6 months to move. Christopher has had a strong sense from the Lord for us to wait for several weeks, that he has something better planned for us. Plus the loan we wanted wasn't looking like it would work. So we went ahead and sent the termination agreement over this morning.

Yesterday I was pretty sad and disappointed that we were not moving into the house that I sooo wanted. Today I woke up refreshed and thankful that I have a husband that hears what the Lord leads him to do, and follows it(even though he know he will probably have a crying wife!). So now we are on the hunt for a 3 bedroom apt to live in the next six months. I am excited about the fun we will have in our little apartment, the joy of not having any yard work or maintenance for a season, and most of all carrying on our tradition of us moving when I am 8 months pregnant(or 9 this time!)

As far as preggo updates...last Thursday we went to the doctor and had the scheduled ultrasound and saw out little bean, and its little heart beat! It was so amazing to see, we didn't have an early ultrasound with the twins so it was so neat to see our little bean just beating away. I go back in the middle of February so that we can hear the heart beat on the doppler. The morning sickness is alive and rearing its ugly head. I feel great in the mornings but start to really feel bad around 1:45. So my wonderful husband has told me to nap and rest while the kiddos are down. Even better he cooked dinner most of last week since it was a struggle for me to be in the vicinity of food. God has really been showing his kindness and mercy to me through all the yuckiness, he has provided help through Christopher and his parents with the kids and even more he has provided me with his comfort through this time. The funny thing is my New Years "resolution" was to be long suffering! What a great test he has provided me!

Only the Best

2008-01-24T16:09:00.000-05:00

Being pregnant is easy. Yea, easy! For me it is no problem. However, I have to give my Bride some serious commendations. This is now the second time in our lives we have had to walk through Eileen being pregnant and I can honestly say that she is so good at making it look easy. She has the ability to chase the twins all day, keep the house clean, and cook dinner for the kids and me. The girl has got it goin’ on. I know she has not been feeling good and has been very tired, but she has still been there for us. She is willing to sacrifice her energy and feelings for the well being of the family. I can not thank the Lord enough for providing such an awesome woman for me. I often think back and wonder “why did I spend so much time looking for the girl that was going to be my wife,” God knew all along who she was and that person is Eileen. So, Eileen, thank you for all of your work and devotion to the Lord and our family. I love you! I know it looks like I just typed it to type it, but I mean I REALY love you!

Little Bean Blackburn...

2008-01-18T13:09:00.000-05:00

The past week I have been cramping a lot more than I did last time. So the doctor had Christopher and myself come in this morning for an ultrasound. She said that she knew that there wasn't anything wrong, but she wanted to make sure I have a great weekend(Can I say that I love my doctor!). So the results are in we have ONE precious little bean! I am thinking that it is a girl...maybe it is because that is all our church is producing now.....what do you think???

Quick Update

2008-01-09T14:24:00.000-05:00

Quick Baby Update:
I went to the doctor yesterday and we have a due date: September 13, 2008! I will be going back to the doctor in two weeks(24th) to have an ultrasound to see if we have multiple babies.

My dear friend Kelly(who I have know since I was 6, and has a twin brother herself) sent me this verse this morning...how fitting.
“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had Holy plans for you.” –Jeremiah 1:5

Oh Baby!

2008-01-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

This past week we found out that we are expecting again! The due date for now is September 12th. And to answer the million dollar question, we don't know if we are having twins again but we have about a 70% chance of it! I am going to the doctor tomorrow so hopefully they will tell me when I will get an ultrasound to see how many beans I have in my belly! Last time I was already camped out on the bathroom floor by now, but I am actually not feeling any different than normal so far. So please just pray for a healthy mama, baby and pregnancy!

Under Contract!

2007-12-14T15:35:00.000-05:00

Over the past few weeks my mom has been taking me out house hunting. Last week I found a home that I really really liked(well I guess I can now say I LOVED!), I took Christopher by on Sunday and we submitted an offer this week. We went back and forth several times, and have now come to terms! So we will be closing on Feb 17th on our new home! The house is a 3 br with a bonus, about 2300 sqft, it has a great open(but not too open) floor plan, and an awesome backyard with TREES! The most exciting part is that it is in Davis Lake, which is about 4 minutes from Christophers work, 7 from church and about 2 minutes from our friends in Harris Cove(which is really an answered prayer to be so close to my friends!). So please just pray for a smooth transaction and that they house will serve us well!

Pictures!

2007-12-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

This is the "Please can I have a horse for Christmas" shot

Cj is such a softy inside. He is so gracious towards Avery(most of the time). He is always getting things for her, asking if she is okay and most of all he helps her over train tracks!!

My Boys

Two Year Stats!

2007-11-09T17:04:00.000-05:00

Today I took the kiddos in for their two year appointment. Which was pretty pointless, but Southlake Peds can thank me for my $30 later. We were informed again that we are behind on some of our immunizations, Whoops! Thankfully our Dr is still willing to see us even though we were told that they were going to kick us out of the practice unless we got them. She even agreed with the choices that we have made as far as the immunization! So here they are:

Avery
24 lbs 30%
34.5 inches 90% (which is hard for me to believe since she is pretty shrimpy!)

CJ
32 lbs 89%(Hmmm kinda scary that there is an 11% out there that weighs more!)
37.5 inches (Almost 38) Which has no percentage because he is off the charts!!

Tagged!

2007-11-08T16:38:00.000-05:00

So that I don't get anymore threatening emails, I better answer this one. Or maybe I should confess that I don't have any favorite children's books because I don't read to my children(KIDDING!!) I just got a little preoccupied and forgot..I have been tagged by Becky, and I am to tell seven things that you may not know about me...

1. I am a Texas girl, and better yet I am an Aggie by blood....Gig 'em (down with the horns!)

2. I have driven for 10 years and have owned 5 cars.....My first one being a 1988 Jeep Wrangler, then a 1986 BMW 535i, a 2000 Jeep Wrangler, a 2004 Honda Element, and then my white stallion a 1999 Volvo V70

3. I have turned my back on the south and have turned my tea of choice from sweet to unsweet. It's almost sinful I know!

4. I want another set of twins, call me crazy but its true

5. I don't like to watch movies in the movie theater, I like to wear my jammies and I don't like how I always fall asleep!

6. I will not try clothes on in a dressing room, hey its the Myers Park in me!

7. I was saved after hearing a message that Brent gave at Celebration 2003, it was on the sidewalk in front of the coffee house!

I have tagged Liann, Meghann, and Jeanie

MUTE MUSIC AT BOTTOM BEFORE VIEWING

2007-11-07T18:06:00.001-05:00

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Thank God I'm a Country Boy

2007-11-07T15:17:00.000-05:00

Cj is a meat and potato kinda guy, a mans man, a good old boy, and he loves his mama. Seriously we have trained him right, he likes tools, NASCAR, and his John Deere. He LOVES golf too but it isn't really working into the theme I have going on...

Working on the well house, Papa let him help make it and now every time we go outside he "works" on it a little bit. He pulls out his hammer, and the drill!

Gotta Aerate for the fall!

HE is obsessive about the tractor, he will go out to the shed climb on and yell for the key!

Go Jimmie!

Body for Life!

2007-11-07T15:06:00.000-05:00

So as many of you know I have started the Body for Life program about two weeks ago. Even though I have only lost 2 pounds I already feel so much better. Not that I ate really that bad before I just had a few not so good habits I needed to kick(diet coke and Chickfila with the kiddos). Since I have rid myself(well I have had a few) of the DC's and have been taking my vitamins I feel like a new woman. As far as the BFL, I am finally started to really get into the swing of this whole being on a diet thing and it is actually quite easy. Since the time change(which I have loved) I actually am able to have enough time to exercise in the morning; which is one of the BFL concepts , working out on an empty stomach and waiting an hour to eat. The food aspect is pretty easy, I can pretty much eat most of the stuff we normally eat I just need to revamp it. But I also get one free day a week with No Exercise and I can eat whatever I want. So please ask me how I am doing, and yell at me if I am slacking! I am really trying to get back to my ideal weight before the baby train comes by again....

Two at Two!

2007-10-24T16:37:00.000-04:00

Well our little twinnie-poos turn two today! What an amazing, wonderful, grace filled past two years these have been. Honestly I cannot express in words the joy that these two little kids have been in our lives. I keep trying to think of how to word this post but I cannot find the words for it. After how easily I took the kids turning one I thought two would be so easy, but it isn't! Our babies are not babies anymore, they are walking, talking, running, jumping little adults. So before I start to babble on, or start to cry.... here are a few pictures of the kids at the picture people today(don't mind the zazzle...I stole 'em).

Priceless Jewel

2007-10-04T11:43:00.000-04:00

I do not get goose bumps a lot, and I rarely cry. So there is the setup. I was sitting here looking at our family blog and saw a picture of Eileen’s beautiful face. Then the Shane and Shane song “Be Near” comes on. Ok, goose bumps. I was reminded of a line in Ricucci’s book Love that Last when he talks about how Gary so often cherishes other things in his life more than his most precious jewel(ok that is the word I remember) his bride. In devotions I was convicted of so many examples of my doing the same. The goose bumps came in here.
Be Near. In his divine way, the Lord gives me his nearness in Eileen. Her gentleness and patience with me is a true example of the Lord’s patience and gentleness with me. Eileen is the prime example of a servant and selfless bride. She fulfills all that is written about the joy of a husband who has a submissive, serving, loving wife. Eileen is genuinely the most precious earthly possession I have and I pray that I always make her feel as beautiful and worthy as she is.
Crying. I will leave that for later. This one is about Eileen.

Patience is a virtue :)

2007-09-28T16:47:00.000-04:00

So now all of the complainers out there who told me I needed to update here you go....I have officially cleared the memory card on my camera! We are about to head off to Asheville for the weekend, so hopefully we will have lots of pictures to share of our new mountain house when we get home! Pray for a safe weekend for us!

Daddy's Birthday!

2007-09-28T16:36:00.000-04:00

For Christophers Birthday the kids and I got him a new wedge. For those of you who don't know what a wedge is let me tell you....it is a very complicated piece of golfing equipment. I went to Golf Galaxy thinking I could pick up this wedge based on a model number, oh no it is much more complex than that!! So this past Saturday Christopher and I went to go try this new toy out and play a round of golf. He loved his new club, it even ripped the covers off one of his balls! He played really well, he pretty much was right at par or under(I am proud of my little Sergio!) Christopher then surprised me(on his birthday weekend!) with a brand new PINK golf bag, and a pretty red driver!! We are hoping to be able to play a few evenings a month, as our date night!

The Beach!

2007-09-28T16:24:00.000-04:00

The day after my brothers wedding we left for the beach! We went the whole week with Christophers family and had a great time relaxing after a busy few weeks. The kids had a great time, the remember the beach from May so they warmed up to the waves pretty quickly. We actually had to pull them off the beach most days. Our last night down there we went to Broadway at the Beach for dinner, Avery and I rode the carousel and the kids each picked out a Build a Bear. Cj picked out a dog that he promptly named Bobo, and Avery picked out a rabbit that is named Lovey. I was impressed that they actually cared and did the whole thing themselves.

I like how we went to the beach, and i have NO pictures of the beach....Christophers mom has a ton, so I will have to get them from her!

Uncle Nick and Aunt Britt's Wedding

2007-09-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

On September 8th, my big brother got married! The kiddos were in the wedding, and they actually made it down the aisle. I was so proud of them I even started to tear up at the sight of them running down the aisle. We had a great weekend of wonderful food and festivities...my parents even got us a room at the omni for the weekend.....

This is the only picture I have of both of the kiddos, the photographer got some great shots of the them. This is my grandma and her new husband Frank.
My little man, he loved his suit...but he took the jacket of when he saw daddy take his off too!

Looking at the view of downtown Charlotte from our hotel room, which they loved!!

Happy Birthday!!

2007-09-21T14:07:00.000-04:00

In just two weeks....

2007-08-22T22:55:00.001-04:00

We will be homeless! That is right, we came to terms on the house. The Lord was extremely generous to us, and the buyers agreed to pretty close to what we were asking! The even crazier part is that they want to close SEPTEMBER 6th. This was already going to be a busy next few weeks, and now we also have to pack our home up and move! So don't expect too much from me the next two weeks.....I will be a packing machine!

Whooo Hoooo!

2007-08-21T23:02:00.000-04:00

After being homeless from 11 until 7 today, having FOUR showings, and rearranging LiAnns whole house, we recieved an offer! And we are actually pretty sure we will get one tomorrow as well. So we are going to wait and see what the offer tomorrow brings and see if we can come to an agreement with one of them! So it is looking like after only 18(!) days on the market we will have this Old Girl under contract!

Weird

2007-08-16T13:11:00.000-04:00

Now I am all for originailty, and finding a baby name that means something. But seriously people, 4 Real......

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070808/od_nm/newzealand_name_odd_dc

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070816/ap_on_fe_st/china_name_blame;_ylt=Aph6aP3DEkzvyVrQgdGlMFAZ.3QA

So....since I am always up for a good laugh, let hear some funny names you have heard..

I know a girl that her maiden name was Eileen Tuite....like Ilean2it. Get it. HA HA

House Ponderings....

2007-08-15T09:54:00.000-04:00

So these past few weeks as we have been getting the house ready to sell, and now that it is on the market I find that I catch myself getting anxious about where we will live. It comes in spurts, some days better than others but I still do it. Why would I mock my maker, Why would I think that my plan is better than his, and most of all Why do I doubt his love for me? Yesterday I stumbled upon the verse in Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. He has a plan for ME, and he plans to prosper ME and to not harm ME, plans to give ME hope, and a future. If that doesn't humble me and help me to keep my eyes fixed on the cross....I don't know what would. What a great, merciful God we have!! So I guess that answers the question that most people ask, Where are you going to live? I dunno, where ever the Lord blesses us with! And it will be perfect because it is a gift from Him!

On a side note, after all the mortgage market worry and craziness on Friday activity has defiantly slowed down....but that is fine....It is giving me more time to enjoy this last season in our FIRST house!
Also here is a link for the house in MLS, I can't believe how bright the colors look. Are they that bright in real life??
www.carolinahome.com/findHome/report.cfm?mlsID=%26%2B%3C%3B%2EX%5CA%2B%0A

2007-08-14T15:42:00.000-04:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

And here she is........

2007-08-07T13:31:00.000-04:00

We are finally on the market! We had a showing within the first 24 hours it was on the market, which was encouraging! It is definitely interesting when we get the appointment phone call, or just when we leave the house, It is a mad rush to get the kids and dog in the car and get the house immaculate! Not something I would recommend. So that is it for us now, just getting this baby sold!

Update

2007-07-30T22:33:00.000-04:00

Since it has been a while I figured I would do a little update on what we have been up to.

This past Wednesday the kiddos turned 21 months old, or as Christopher says almost 2! They have really started to blossom into little people. I know that they are people, but now that they are actually speaking in English, and it sentences it really makes me feel like I am not talking to the wall all day.

Avery the little princess, the little girly girl. She loves her sparkles, her pink, her high heels, and her pretties(any jewelry) and she will let you know when she is missing something! She carries her two babies(just like mommy!) around all day, she even feeds them, burps, rocks and puts them to bed. Her favorite things to do right now are read books, play legos, and copy everything Cj does. Avery is quite the chatter box. She has started to really talk in sentences(like two or three word here, I am not saying she is giving lectures or anything). Some of Averys(and CJs) phrases are "That's Cute"(this is mostly to clothes), "Oh Daddy", " Avery peepee in potty", "Love you, (mommy, daddy, Aunt BB, etc..) .

Cj is close behind as he has a few phrases that he says as well , but he is more the man of a million faces. He will do anything for a laugh. And he is 100% boy, he is constantly going, climbing, jumping, and taking everything apart. But, just like Avery, he is a great cuddler. Cj loves his daddy and eagerly awaits his arrival from work, as soon as he hears the garage door open he is waiting by the door screaming(and this is no understatement) "Daddy home!". Other than Daddy he like to play with his truck, his little plastic animals, and pretty much anything he finds laying around the house(examples: screws, pens, levels).

We are in full fledged training mode in our house now(and have been for several months), We are defiantly seeing the differences of raising a boy and a girl, but I think that it is why It is so rewarding. There are days when it is hard when both children are in need of some serious character molding, but on most days they like to switch off that role. I have really been praying that I won't continue to compare my children's sin, for example "Why are they so disobedient and the other is so obedient". God has really been showing me that it is such a joy to have two children in need of a savior, and really how at such a young age I can already have such an impact on how I portray the gospel in their lives.

And now the house....We are in the last phase of putting the house on the market. Meaning the sign is eagerly awaiting its home in our front yard. We have a few more nail holes to fill, a lawn to be mowed, and some tools in the garage to be pack up and we are ready. My mom has blessed us by sending her cleaning lady up here on Friday morning to get our house spotless before the rush of eager buyers come this weekend! Please pray that our home sells quickly and smoothly. I am pretty anxious about keeping the house clean with the kids around, as I have seen how hard it is to just get the house ready for the market with them under my feet. I am hoping that next time we decided to sell a house, the kids will be older and can actually help to clean up after themselves!

Grace abounding, strong and true
That makes me long to be like You
That turns me from my selfish pride
To love the cross on which You died
Grace unending all my days
You’ll give me strength to run this race
And when my years on earth are through
The praise will all belong to You
-Grace Unmeasured, Bob Kauflin

Hey You!

2007-07-27T14:45:00.000-04:00

bet you didn't know that I drove a Pimp Wagon.....according to this kid on Craigs List I do:

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/car/382510872.html, granted mine is newer and has less miles....but it is still a Volvo Wagon!

Our Little Mobster!

2007-07-24T14:15:00.001-04:00

CJ is the ring bearer in Uncle Nick and Aunt Britts wedding. Yesterday when he tried on his new suit he kept posing(seriously as soon as the camera came out he was Mr GQ)....So here are a few picks of my handsome little man!

Best Buds!

2007-07-24T13:49:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks the kids have really starting playing with each other. It is so awesome that they have built in playmates for life. Honestly there is nothing sweeter than seeing the love that they have for each other. The way that CJ is (a little) more gentler with her than anyone else, the way that they jack jaw with each other all day long, how they are the epitome of monkey see monkey do, the way they make each other laugh and laugh and laugh, nothing can really make a mothers heart smile more. The joy that we have experienced with these two little monkeys really has shown me Gods favor in our lives. So anyways here are a few pictures of the youngest part of our Blackburn Crew....

Playing with measuring spoons Haha I have more!

Giving some brotherly love!

Looking like the possessive boyfriend!

Chillin on the fourth with some corn! Nothing says southern like two babies gnawing on corn

Sipping YooHoo!

A look back in time!

2007-07-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures. No it is not CJ Jr. They are of the Mr. Gale Blackburn. Not only am I starting to act more like my dad (this is Christopher Sr. talking here) but I have a son that looks exactly like him.

Verse 31

2007-07-06T09:13:00.000-04:00

Guess who's back, back again, Topher's back, tell a friend. Ok, to the serious stuff. As I was driving into work this morning I began to think about my life. Well more about how much I enjoy being home. Not just being home but, being home. I arrive home from work to kids that are amazingly well behaved, food that is cooking and soon ready to eat, a tidy house, and big hugs from everyone. Most notably, I return home from work to a beautiful woman that loves me more than anyone ever has before. So back to my thinking this morning, I was reminded of Proverbs 31. So I collected some verses below that were spoken thousands of years ago but are lived out even today in Eileen. I do believe that verse 31 is, in a small way, being lived out in this very insufficient note about the "noble things" (v.29) she has done. So consider yourselves, the ones reading this, as city gates. Here is my bride written out by scripture:

10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate

Changes.....

2007-06-13T08:27:00.000-04:00

Well it is official, WE ARE MOVING!!! We are going to spend the next 10 days working like crazy to get the house on the market. This is all kinda bittersweet, we are leaving our first house where we brought our children home to, where they had many of their first....but we are getting a new house, a bigger house, hopefully one we can stay in for many years (until we buy our 10 acres in the country, hehe), and we will no longer have any car payment or credit cards(Praise the Lord!). We have not found a house yet, but we are leaning towards two new communities in Huntersville. We will not decide officially until this one is sold, and then we will have to wait 5 months for it to be built. So in the mean time Christophers Parents have graciously offered for us to live in their upstairs. We are really excited about this and think that it will be a really fruitful and sweet time. So please just pray that the whole house selling process goes smoothly, that it sells quickly, that we are wise in our home purchase, and mostly that we are humble and that we don't drive the Blackburns crazy.

Memorial Day Weekend!

2007-05-31T13:05:00.001-04:00

This past weekend we went up to Maryland to visit our good friends Neil, Jess and Nyah. We haven't seen them since October, so it was really fun to see how the kids have changed. We had a great time. On Saturday we went to the National Zoo, and the kids rode the metro for the first time. The kids really enjoyed the little monkeys(I don't know what they are called!) and the cow in the kids farm. On Sunday we went to church and then tossed the kids into the pool after nap time. And then we sadly headed home on Monday. The kids had a blast with each other, they all slept in the same room, which was pretty comical all the noises coming out of the room, took baths together and just played! So we have now come to a close of the Blackburn Summer of Fun trips.....but we are thinking of selling the casa, so we have a whole new adventure beginning!

POOL TIME!

CUTIE PIES!!
STRING CHEESE!

AVERY WEARING NYAHS DRESS UP SHOES!

FIRST METRO RIDEMMMMWAAHH!

OBSESSING OVER THE COW!

We're Back..............

2007-05-22T19:04:00.001-04:00

This past Friday we got back from a week at the beach with my family. The kids LOVED the beach this year. We went first thing in the morning till nap time, they slept for 3 hours and then we were out there again! They really liked the tide pools, and Papa Reid and Nana taught them how to "step,step, step" through them. They weren't too excited about the ocean, SMART KIDS(I hate the ocean, but love the beach!). Overall we had a great time!! We are headed up to Maryland this weekend to visit our buddies the Smarts and I think that we are going to try to go to the National Zoo while we are there!! Yay! On our honeymoon we went there three times, and Neil and Jess even came down and went with us one day. Weird I know but we love 'em that much!

Church Picnic

2007-05-07T13:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to the church picnic! The kids had a blast on the hayride and we enjoyed the petting zoo. Also this past weekend they had their first "sleepover" with their buddy Alathea.....It was pretty funny all three of them in one room......hopefully they didn't scare her too much with all their nightime nonsense!

18 Months!

2007-04-25T08:23:00.000-04:00

The twins turned 18 months old yesterday! My how the time has flown! I have put a few pictures up for your enjoyment.
The kids are really turning into, well kids....They are running, jumping, laughing and talking! They both have a great sense of humor.....Cj is all boy: he is climbing on everything, diving off of things and like for Daddy to wrestle with him. Avery is prissy girl. She needs her shoes, purse, and bow before we go anywhere. But she still likes to beat CJ up. More later.....

SHES GONNA BLOW!! This was taken 2 days before the kids where born! SCARY
Avery fresh out of the cooker! She was maybe 5 minutes old

CJ 5 minutes old....Making the infamous turtle face!

They love to give kisses! Yesterday they kept giving them to each other!

More Kisses!

CJ showing off his full grill!

Getting soaked by the sprinkler! They loved it

Silly Family Photo!

Avery Girl

Daddy and Cj at Aunt TT and Uncle Andys Wedding

Who are you calling shrimp? Avery really is that much shorter than CJ! It is really cute!

Playing with sidewalk chalk A.K.A dumping out the whole box and laughing

Avery on her slide in the backyard amusement park that we have!

My Amazin' Bride!

2007-04-20T09:05:00.000-04:00

Yay! I snuck in here again. No I didn't sneaked in here.
With that said I wanted to take a minute to honor my bride once again. I don't know how many of you all know, but Eileen and the kids have been sick for the past few days. Eileen has had some kinda stomach thing and the kids have had things coming out all over the place.
Through all of this, Eileen has done an amazing job loving and nurturing the kids in their sickness. She has also done an excellent job keeping up the house, cooking dinner for the family, maintaining the household tasks, and loving me.
She has proven to me, and whoever would observe her, to be a selfless, humble bride; a selfless and humble mom; a selfless and humble homemaker. I know God's grace has been more than sufficient and she has been diligent to rely on it.
Thank you my love for all of your hard work!
Love you ;-).

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

2007-04-10T12:28:00.000-04:00

Last night while I was getting dinner ready, Avery ran into the corner of the wall and split her forehead open! So off to the emergency room(AGAIN!) we went. She had a CAT scan done, which came out fine and received four stitches in her head! We will go back Friday to have them removed. Isn't it amazing how hard we try to protect our children, God humbles us and shows us that he is the one in control...and we need to fully rely on HIM. Once the little princess wakes up I will post some pictures of her big girl scar! And I promise I don't abuse my children, I seriously think I cried harder than Avery.....

On a side note...CJs lip is completely healed, you honestly cannot tell that he had stitches....I am still in disbelief that we went to the ER twice in eight days! We definitely know how to make memories at this house!

Surgery Update!!

2007-04-02T21:25:00.000-04:00

Reid is out of surgery, and it went pretty well. The doctor removed his whole prostate, and he believes that the cancer was still intact...which means that it has not spread. He also went ahead and removed his lymph nods just to make sure(even though he said that they looked cancer free!). The used a robotic arm to do the surgery and it accidentally pinched his colon, so he actually has to have a few stitches put in as well as a colonoscopy to make sure that they didn't poke a hole in it. He has been in recovery for the past 4 hours, and is not doing well at all. He is in A LOT of pain, really nauseated, and extremely paranoid. They won't let him get a room until he is doing better, which we hope will be soon. UPDATE: He is in a private room, and is on a morphine drip so he is feeling GREAT

I wanted to know if anyone would be willing to do a freezer meal for my parents, I know that it would really serve my mom to not have to cook dinner for them, They are pretty easy to please when it comes to food, and it is just the two of them. I wanted to take them to them Wednesday night(which I know is late notice) but I could also take them to them Sunday after church.

Our trip to the ER....

2007-04-01T22:21:00.000-04:00

...and this is no april fools joke.

This morning like every Sunday morning I brought the kids downstairs to finish getting ready for church. This morning when I put the kids down at the foot of this stairs Cj lost his footing and smacked his face on the bottom of the banister thingy. He starts wailing so I quickly scoop him up and try to calm him down. Well after a few seconds of him still wailing, I take a look at his face......and his lip is split all the way in half on the outside and a pretty good gash on the inside(if you want to imagine it looked as if he had a cleft lip). So I frantically got a paper towel and tried calling Christopher....I finally got a hold of him. CJ calmed down a little while we were waiting for Daddy.
We went to Presby Huntersville(the nurses and doctors were awesome; I cannot say enough good things about these people!). We saw the ER doctor, who decided that his lip was pretty bad, so she called an oral plastic surgeon, who came in on his day off just to fix our little boy up. So they carted the little man to the OR, knocked him out, stiched him up, and sent him home. He was pretty cranky this afternoon, but once we put some food in his belly and he took a nap with daddy he was feeling better. Tonight one of his stiches fell out so we will be going back to the doctor in the morning! So overall I say we had a pretty exciting and not TOO eventful FIRST trip to the ER!

**On a side note, Reid(my step-dad) is going in for surgery to remove the cancer in his prostate tomorrow at noon, please be praying that the surgery goes well, that the cancer has not spread, wisdom for the doctors, and most of all for comfort for my mom and Reid*****

Pictures!

2007-03-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

Slacker....

2007-03-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

I know that I have been slacking that past few weeks on posting....but our house has been pretty busy.
The kids are over their sickness and are doing great. CJ is really starting to take over the talking business....he pretty much repeats what we say! This weekend he started saying Puzzle, Stella(Our Friends Dog) and Jacob(his cousin, who he thinks is the coolest). Avery is just being the little miss priss as always.
Christopher has started playing the drums for M28 again. So we will miss him on the 4th Monday of the month and the 4th Wednesday. He has been crazy busy at work too, He was promoted from the Regional Sales Manager to the National Accounts Manager. It is pretty dang cool!
I have been TRYING to get our house organized. I have started cleaning everything out and trying to put it in its place. This is a pretty hard task when I pull EVERYTHING out and then the little boogers wake up. So our house is pretty much a mess....hopefully I can finish this weekend before Tiffanys Bacheloretty Party! I have also been working on my little business, and I have decided that with the hairbows i also want to sell little girls pillowcase dresses. Hopefully in the next two weeks or so we will finally have the website up and running. Also if you see cute pillowcases if you could please pick them up for me and I will pay you back.

To My Bride

2007-03-01T17:52:00.000-05:00

This may be a bit of a surprise but it is time that I got in here and said something about my beautiful Bride (she is the one in the middle).

First, I want to commend Eileen on her servant's heart. She does a wonderful job serving me, the kids, and the house. She has three full-time jobs (being wife, a mom, and a homemaker) and she excels at every one of them.

As a wife, Eileen cares for my needs, listens to my dumb stories (and acts interested too), she supports me in the decisions I make, and she is diligent in her pursuit of her relationship with the Lord.

As a mom, Eileen is consistent in her instruction and guidance of the kids, she regularly seeks out my council on issues with the kids, she loves Avery and CJ, no matter what the circumstance and she is a model to Avery and CJ of what a wife and mom are supposed to look like.

As a homemaker, Eileen is already a busy woman. She somehow finds time to keep the house clean. She regularly has dinner waiting for me when I get home (and it is good food if you couldn't tell by looking at me). She is diligent with looking out for the little things that I like and even the things that I dislike.

Eileen is a true servant and she makes sacrifices everyday, sacrifices I can not begin to repay her for but I know she is regularly storing up treasures in heaven...which are far better than the "treasure" I buy her.

So, to my love: Eileen, I love you and I can not express the respect and appreciation I have for you and all you do for me, the kids, and the house.

Yours forever,

CJ sr.

All Better!

2007-02-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well the little cutie pies are doing so much better! This morning they were back to their usual antics!

Averys first ponytail!

Averys Sick Day!

2007-02-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

Last Friday poor little Avery had a rough day. From Wednesday night to Friday evening Avery slept about 5 hours total. She was pretty lethargic all day, and just overall she felt awful! She stayed in the chair in the living room pretty much all day, and took the occasional cat nap.

Valentines Day!

2007-02-21T14:04:00.000-05:00

On Valentines Day morning, I took the kids to Chick-fil-a for heart shaped biscuits. We met up with several other friends(mine and theirs). We had a great time and hope to make it a yearly tradition! Then for lunch we took Daddy out to Panera! The kids had a great time hanging out with Daddy midday, and I enjoyed seeing my hunk!

CJ Getting tickled by Olivia and Avery at the bottom of the slide!

The kids discovered that the highchairs at chick-fil-a hard rollers on them and that it was better to swing your legs to roll around the room that to sit with the adults!
Lunchin' it up with Daddy!

FOR THE ADULTS!!

On Valentines Day Evening we were scheduled to have a couples care group meeting, so we decided that we would still get together, but we would have dinner together. We had a roast and potatoes for the boys and then we had chocolate fondue for dessert! We had a great time, our couples group is hilarious(some of our bestest buds, Dena and Steve are in our group, so I gotta throw them a splash out!) We all took time to honor our spouses so of course the girls cried, but we really did have a great time! Christopher gave me a beautiful pot of tulips(my favorite spring time flower!!) and a really awesome card. What a great hubby I have!

POX Watch 2k7

2007-02-21T14:01:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well. So Cj does not have the Chicken Pox! He woke up Tuesday morning with no sign of the "pox", and this morning he is free and clear of them. We are thinking that his rash was a result of being at the doctor for three hours with a wet diaper on, and being SHOVED into the X-Ray machine! So we will just chalk it up to sensitive skin. So we are out of quarantine, and on the move.

Seeing Spots!

2007-02-19T19:34:00.000-05:00

Since last Wednesday Avery has been struggling with a NASTY cough. So on Friday I took her to the doctor, and while we were there we had to get a chest X-Ray to make sure she didn't have pnemonia. He said that she probably just had early pnemonia or RSV. Well low and behold yesterday CJ woke up from his nap with a nasty cough. So off we went to the doctors today. Cj got his turn getting his X-Ray, and we went back to the doctor. When we were about to leave I showed the doctor the nasty rash that I noticed about 10 minutes earlier when I was changing Cjs diaper. So our final diagnosis is: both kiddos with broncilitis, both kids have ear infections, and the boy has CHICKEN POX......we will keep you posted on the Saga of the Red Dots as it moves through our house!

Happy Birthday Alathea!

2007-02-11T22:09:00.000-05:00

Saturday was Avery and CJs best buds First Birthday. Alathea had the cutest little princess and frog birthday party! Jeanie(Alatheas Mom) made all the little girl princess crowns and the little boy frog hats, the kids looked so cute in them. It was pretty funny while Alathea was opening her presents Avery decided that she liked the new purse and sunglasses Alathea got and put them on and showed Alathea how to be a girly girl like her!

Just like Daddy!

2007-02-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

On Friday night the M28(the college ministry at our church) had a coffee house, and they asked Christopher to play for it. So we loaded up the whole gang and went to hang out for the evening. While they were practicing Christopher gave CJ his first drum lesson! He loved it! We practically had to pry him off of the drums, and the whole time they were playing he kept trying to crawl onto the stage and touch the drum!s! I think we know what a certain little boy with be getting for his birthday this year!

Avery Girl!

2007-02-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

Since CJ seems to be getting all the attention around here I thought I would post a picture of Avery doing what she does best: Look Cute and Eat!

The Q-Tip Inspector

2007-02-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

On Monday morning while trying to get ready to go to a playdate, CJ discovered my stash of Q-Tips and hair clips! Normally when he is in the bathroom he like to put things in the toilet or unroll the toilet paper, but this morning he decided he needed to inspect Q-Tips! He has such an engineer mind, he inspects everthing!

Vegas Baby!

2007-02-04T19:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Christopher left to go to Vegas for work. Apparently this is a pretty important Car Dealer Convention, where they drum up quite a bit of business. The owner of the company, the National Sales manager, and Christopher and one other sales guy went. I think that it is a pretty big honor that they ask him to go!

It truely amazes me how God had the perfect plan for Christophers career all along. One thing that I love about Christopher is his enthusiams for new things, but occasionally like many of us it ends quickly! This has been very true with Christophers jobs, he never really found his niche, or something that he enjoyed. Last spring Christopher started working for ALN. From day one Christopher has loved this job. No matter how hectic it gets(which is everyday!!) he never really complains. He enjoys going to work, and really appreciate what a blessing it is. The most amazing thing is Gods wonderful grace that he has had with Christopher and this job. Christopher has never had a real sales job, and he is only 26 but he consistenly is given big clients, clients that other salesmen,who have been working in sales longer that he has been born, can't seem to close, and given complements on his ability to grasp this business in less than a year. I truely cannot say enough about the men that Christopher works with, he has grown so much as a husband, a leader and a father from the guidence he has recieved from them. Seriously where else can you work and have weekley prayer meetings, and accountability!(well other than a church :)

With this all said, I just wanted to take a minute to honor my husband who I love more and more each day! To really honor the wonderful man, husband, servant, father and son that he is!

Toby too!

2007-02-01T11:04:00.000-05:00

I forgot the pictures of poor neglected Toby being a snow dog! He was pretty upset that we had to come in too!

SNOW DAY!

2007-02-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

It snowed for the first time today in THREE years!! So I bundled the kids up and took them outside! They loved it! They actually cried when we had to come back inside.

Ladies and Gentleman, CJ has now left the building!

2007-01-29T20:17:00.000-05:00

As of Saturday CJ is now a full time walker, and he is seriously taking this walking thing seriously............ and the climbing thing too......

I left him for two seconds to walk into the bathroom and came out to the sound of pouring water and this is what I found
YES THAT IS OUR DINING ROOM TABLE!!!

15 Month Appointment

2007-01-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

I took the kiddos in for their 15th month appointment. They did great considering that we were there for a hour and a half! We saw the nurse practitioner today, who is wonderful, she is super patient and takes her time to answer all the millions of questions I have. They had to get three shots each, but they did great nothing a graham cracker couldn't fix.
THEIR STATS

Avery
23.2 lbs(52nd percentile), 31 inches (52nd percentile)
CJ
25.12 lbs(50th percentile), 34 inches (97th percentile)

So that concludes that Avery has turned into our little petite buttercup and CJ is our big strong boy!

15 Months!

2007-01-26T17:38:00.000-05:00

This past Wednesday the kids turned 15 months old. It blows my mind how OLD they are getting. In the past month they have really started to act like little people. Avery is walking/running 100% of the time. CJ is doing about 50/50, he is so tall he is struggling with getting everthing moving at the same time. We think he will be a full timer in a few weeks. They have started to talk "alot"(this is according to the proud mom!). They say: Daddy, Momma, Toby, Dog, NO!, Uh-oh, Thank You, yesssss, Cj, Turtle, more, and that. Avery will count to 3, but she really just likes to repeat two over and over again. This past year and three months have been such a blessing!

2007-01-25T16:03:00.000-05:00

Hey all! Well since everyone else is doing the blog thing, we thought we would go with the cool kids and do one too! We figured that this would be a good place so that all the far away family and friend to see what is going on with the Blackburn Twins(we know the truth it isn't about us anymore!)