Willingham World

Let Me Be Myself

2009-06-26T00:14:00.002-04:00

When Jon was in DC visiting, we hung out and had some great great times. He loved the fact that Rhett would come jump on his bed every morning and wake him up. Again, I will say how much I loved Jon and Rhett's relationship. They lit up the room with their love for each other. Jon and me would walk to Starbucks and get coffee while Josh and Rhett stayed at the condo.
He asked me a hundred times if I had heard the song "Let me be Myself" by 3 Doors Down.
I being in 2 year old kids song mode, obviously had not heard it.
Finally, one day I downloaded it for him on itunes. I didn't even listen to the words.
I have been looking in the cracks of the couch and all around for something he left here, and haven't found a thing. This disappointed me a little bit.
Tonight Josh and me were looking for a Third Day song on itunes and I came across the song I had downloaded for him. I had completely forgotten about it.
It completely blew me away and sent me into a breakdown. Here are the words to the song.

I guess i just got lost
Bein' someone else
I tried to kill the pain
Nothin ever helped
I left myself behind
Somewhere along the way
Hopin to come back around
To find myself someday
Lately i'm so tired of waiting for you
To say that it's ok, but tell me
Please, would you one time
Just let me be myself
So i can shine with my own light
Let me be myself
Would you let me be myself

I'll never find my heart
Behind someone else
I'll never see the light of day
Living in this cell
It's time to make my way
Into the world i knew
Take back all of these times
That i gave in to you
Lately i'm so tired of waiting for you
To say that it's ok,
but tell mePlease,
would you one timeLet me be myself
So i can shine with my own light
And let me be myself
For a while, if you don't mind
Let me be myself
So i can shine with my own light
Let me be myself
That's all i've ever wanted from this world
Is to let me be me

-This song just spoke volumes to me. Because so many times I didn't understand him. He even said that so many times.
Now I understand him.
We knew he had struggles. He had triumphs too! I am so thankful that in his last few months, he found people to understand him, people that were going through the same things he was.
I have felt this coming on, because I have had some really good days. I am glad that I found this song because it gives me a little bit more of a glimpse into Jon's heart and mind. I first found it as a discouragement. I felt like I should have understood him more. I just felt so sad that he had to endure pain like this. I quickly realized that Satan is at work all of the time. He is trying to take away my peace.
I feel like now that as Christian's, we have to try and be more understanding of people. We can't be so judgemental. We take so much of peoples struggles and instantly degrade them, talk behind their backs or simply judge them in our heads. We need to put a little bit more of Jesus on and show them love and compassion. We don't have to fully understand them, we just have to love them.
One thing Jon and me talked about a few weeks ago was how much he hated to hear someone talk bad about another person. He said, I know people don't really mean harm by it but I just don't like to hear it. He got so fired up about it. That was Jon. He showed people love and compassion no matter what. I never heard him say a bad thing about anyone. He always gave them the benefit of the doubt.
Jon Willingham is leaving behind a wonderful legacy. He lives on through people and the stories people remember about him. So even though he had valleys, he had mountains too!
Now through his wonderful examples, he is having TRIUMPHS! Through Jon there can be many more mountains!
People come in and out of your life. God sends these people in your life for a reason. Jon was one of those people to me. Through Jon I am seeing glorious glimpses into our wonderful Lord. Thank you Jon. I love you and always will.
Please continue the prayers you are sending up on behalf of our family. We appreciate each and every one of you for your love and support.

Jon Robert Wickin Wackin Sugar Ray Gomer Slick Weenie Willingham

2009-06-23T14:43:00.009-04:00

It has been a long time since my last post. As I begin this new one, I am not even sure I can write it.

Right now, Josh is at the field trying to go on with his everyday life as best as he can right now. Rhett is fast asleep. Denise, David and family are in Gulf Shores trying to enjoy a vacation they look forward to every year. It is difficult to be away from all of our family and friends during this time but we can do it because we have a God that can be 2, 3, 4......places at once.

I don't even know where to begin right now and I will go ahead and apologize for my scattered thoughts.

It has been 10 days since Jon passed away. We are making it. We have good hours and bad hours. God is not giving us anything we can't handle.

Josh was called by our wonderful God to talk about Jon at the funeral. We had been talking about Jon Saturday night and I left the room for a moment. Josh came into where I was and said he was being led to get up there and talk about his brother. To show everyone Jon's heart. All I can say is that he was definitely called. There is no other way Josh would have or could have gotten up there. He began to write and the words flowed so easily for him. He got to a point where he had to take a break. He then came in the room and said that God had given him the exact words to say and that he was going to write them down. Those words are what has gotten us through these last several days. It had to do with where Jon's heart was. He was finally right with God. Jon had found his FAITH. He was a new man, yet the old boy we had missed for so long. God took Jon when he was ready.

I have to brag on Josh. When he got up there and stood so strong talking about his brother, I saw a mature GODLY man. Josh is truly a righteous man. I am so proud of him. He wanted others to see into Jon's BEAUTIFUL heart. God allowed him to do that and Josh recognized it was from God.

Jon was a sweetheart. He was the kindest most gentle good-hearted person I knew. That is a fact.

I believe with all of my heart that Jon is affecting so many people.

My daddy had a great point regarding Jon giving his heart to help someone else live: He said, there was someone out there that needed a heart. There were people praying for that person. Someones son, Dad, brother, sister, mom, daughter or friend needed that heart. God didn't choose that person over Jon. He answered both prayers. Jon doesn't have to suffer on this Earth anymore. He is able to finally be free from the struggles we all have on this Earth. Jon's burdens have been lifted. As horrible as it is to miss Jon, someone else is living. Someone else can now help others.

Jon struggled. There is no doubt about that. We ALL struggle. His struggles were no different than any of ours, they just had bigger, more obvious consequences. Jon was working hard to overcome them. Jesus died for a reason. His grace is AMAZING. The words to "Amazing Grace" are ringing loud in my ears.

I believe that through Jon's death, there will be changed hearts. My heart is forever changed now. All I want to do is "Go tell it on the mountain!" Where would we be without God right now? I cannot imagine.

Josh and me are sad. Our hearts are very heavy at times. There are more horribly sad days to come, I know. But we have a peace. A peace that only our Heavenly Father can give. He is so good to wrap his arms around our hearts and protect them.

Jon was a good buddy to me. I loved Jon so much. I loved hanging out with him. We had some long and wonderful talks just weeks ago about his struggles and his new found faith. He was trying so hard. He was so excited about his new life. He couldn't wait to show me verses in the Bible and paragraphs from books that was helping him. He was a work in progress. "The God thing" was really coming for him and making sense. I am so THANKFUL for those glimpses into his heart and mind. He made me laugh so much. I loved how he played with Rhett. He got on his level, like he did with so many kids. He made them feel so special. He got Rhett a Matchbox race car set for Christmas. They loved to play with that thing. Rhett will miss his sweet Uncle Jon.

I am reminded of Jesus and how he gave his life for us to live. TO LIVE. He literally suffered and died for us so that we may live. What are we doing to live? Are we living a life that is worth what Jesus did for us? I had become so complacent. Already through Jon's death, I see the point. I want others to be able to experience the peace that I have been given and the peace that Josh has been given. I feel like now I am on a mission. A mission I should have started a long time ago. That mission is to live that life that is worthy of Jesus' death.

Jon is forever in our hearts. I will always be reminded of his beautiful heart. I will miss him dearly, but am reminded that I will see him again someday.

That day will be a glad day.

2009-04-16T16:44:00.003-04:00

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

2009-04-16T11:56:00.002-04:00

Well, this morning I was feeling more energetic than normal. I thought, now is a good time to start back my workouts. I have been pretty bad since I left Florence because I have no one to keep Rhett while I go. So, I found a Gold's 6/10 of a mile from our condo...pretty convenient huh? They even have a kids club for Rhett. Josh was home but I decided to give him a break and take Rhett to play with other kids. Well off I went. Arrived right in time for Body Pump, filled out a little paper work then took Rhett to the kids club. I filled out a little form for Rhett and checked him in. I told the lady it was my first time at the club....she informed me of the fee for next time($3). OK, Rhett reluctantly found toys and went to town playing. I left and went to Body Pump. I picked up right where I left and was feeling really good during the work out. Then, I got all weak...my muscles shut down feeling very fatigued. I overdid myself. SHOOT! I scooted out a few minutes early and caught my breath. I walked down to get Rhett and he was BAWLING!!!!! I mean he was snubbing and couldn't breathe!!! He was standing ALL alone. He never cries!!! I have NEVER seen him cry like this! INSTANTLY I started crying. I asked them how long he had been crying and they just SHRUGGED their shoulders and told me they tried to find me. Hysterically, I told them I was in Body Pump. They said we put his name up.

WHAT?!!!!! Put his name up? What does this mean? Then a girl picking up her little boys said, "Is his name Rhett?" Oh my goodness, I didn't see his name! I was in the VERY back with about 50 girls how was I suppose to see it? It is a card that they put in the window. If you saw this place you would know....it is one big solid window in a huge room with a hundred posters and signs!
Anyway, I have never cried like I cried today. I know, I didn't know he was crying. Obviously, I would have been there in a heart beat if I had only known. But Rhett didn't know that. Rhett was heart broken and just didn't understand why his Mommy had left! I asked him why he was crying and he said, "I duust..sniff, sniff.... wanted...snub,snub... my Mommy!"
Talk about heart broken. I came back to the condo and Josh thought someone had died. I literally lost it. Anyway, I think I will settle down a little and call and complain. I know they are a legit place that left out a tiny detail. But that tiny detail broke my baby's heart and nobody messes with my baby's heart!
So the moral of the story? Don't work out. I will probably even be sore tomorrow.

Can they really enforce this?

2009-04-15T12:14:00.003-04:00

Saturday before Easter, I, along with Bridgett decided to take Rhett to the mall to see the Easter bunny. While I went and bought a very "Heavenly" ham, Bridgett stood in the line with Rhett. I arrived just in time for Rhett to jump in the Easter Bunny's lap. I told Bridge to take my camera and snap some outside the fence. As Rhett was sitting in the Bunny's lap I thought, "shoot, I better snap one on my phone and send it to Josh." I snapped one and put my phone in my pocket. Then the lady told me to come look at the picture she took. Of course I wasn't going to pay for a picture. I just wanted Rhett to see the Easter Bunny. I examined the picture acted interested then said, "No thanks!"
Well.....thats when it got interesting.
The lady then said, "Did you take one with your phone?" I said yes, then the other woman motioned at Bridgett and she said "SHE IS!"
Well evidentally there was a sign that said if you take a picture with your phone or camera you have to pay for a picture....then under those words it said, "SHOPLIFTERS WILL BE PROCECUTED!"
So I had to pay for a $10 off-centered faded 5x7 picture! Should Bridgett have taken the picture form Victoria's Secret and zoomed in? Would Victoria's Secret thought she was taking pics of underwear and made her pay for them?
Can you really enforce that rule? Would they have arrested me for SHOPLIFTING?
So now we have to even be careful of what we take pictures of? Can I take a picture of Josh playing baseball? Will MLB arrest me? How far will people go? Have any of you ever had a similar thing happen to you?
I told them gently how I felt... after all, Rhett had his picture taken with Easter bunny in Florida last year and you could stand there and take as many pics as you wanted! I really didn't want to cause a scene so I paid them my $10 plus tax.....and left feeling discouraged, wronged, cheated.....and a wee bit ticked.
Is it that big of a deal? In the whole scheme of things? No, of course not. But these are just the type of things that just really drive me crazy. I have had plenty of them...target's return policy.....you know, just customer service issues in general.
What do you think??

The part I will miss....

2009-03-31T09:03:00.014-04:00

Spring Training is almost over. Leaving Florida will be strange.

There will be parts I will miss.

I have complained about Florida for sometime now but didn't realize how good I had it.

I am not talking about being a minority in a rude at times(lots of times)city.

I am not talking about the blistering hot and humid summers.

I am not talking about the 5 mile/30 minute drives in traffic.

I am not talking about the 10 fans at the stadium either.

I am talking about the relationships that changed my life.

I am talking about the family away from home.

I am talking about 9 inning Bible studies.

I am talking about knowing everyone's name.

Josh was drafted in 2000 by the Florida Marlins. It is very, very strange not to be traded. Josh was with the Marlin organization for 8 years. We have been married for 6 of those. Over the years I have developed some amazing friendships. Some of these have been traded away but they will forever leave a footprint in the journey we have taken.

In '06 several of us were all pregnant together. In '07 we had our babies together. They all watched opening day together.

We also all lived in the same condo together. When the guys were on the road we would cook breakfast and supper for each other. Summer lived one floor right below us. We spent many days letting our boys play together.

These kiddos spent every single day together. This means the Mommies spent every night together as well. They become your family. We know no one else and our families are hundreds of miles away. You really depend on these girls, especially when the men are on the road.

Our wonderful nannies were especially helpful! They were lifesavers and such wonderful women. I developed relationships with these ladies and they loved Rhett.

And I will not miss the bad haircuts from the Spanish-speaking hair "Stylists"!

I will never forget when I called Summer late one night because Rhett had been sick and was having an allergic reaction to Penicillin. Josh was gone for 10 days and Rhett was sick the ENTIRE time! His ENTIRE body was covered within an hour of taking his amoxcillin.

Then, when the guys played on the west coast, Vanessa called me at midnight telling me to get to the hospital she was having an emergency c-section and I was her "Mike". After I dragged Rhetts pack N play(with him sleeping in it) down the hall,up the elevator and to another wife's condo, I quickly left. An hour later tiny twin girls were born. What a night! I will remember that one forever!

Rhett and Hudson are forever friends! They are 3 days apart in age. Rhett loves Hudson so much and asks about him every single day.

We did manage a couple of trips to Jupiter. One, was when baby Haven (Hudson's new sister) was born. The other day was just a day off planned to hang out one last time for spring.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?!

I will miss my friends so much! Some friendships were just beginning(Meghan and Jenn) and some we had been friends for years(Summer). I will miss so much about these girls and what they will always mean to me. God has blessed us tremendously over the years. I truly thank God for these women that played a huge and vital part to my life. I believe with all my heart that God sends people into your life because he knows exactly what you need at exactly the right time.

I will miss our Bible studies and what they meant to me. I thank God for Wendy(chaplains wife) and all the wonderful studies she challenged us to. I thank God for her friendship. She helped me grow more than she will ever know! I also thank God for Wendy's ability to be a Godly wife to Chris and mother of 4 beautiful boys! I only hope I can be half the example she is to her boys! They(Wendy and Chris) are a perfect example of the impact you can have on your kids lives. They are an example of how children can be like Jesus even at a young age.

Thanks for sweet little Hudson, he is Rhett's first best friend!

My wives friends: Summer, Meghan, Lauren, Heidi, Meredith, Jenn Mac, Jenn Brown, Lindsay, Tonya, Vanessa, Erin, Natalee, Jane, Wendy, Stephanie, Katie,Tatum, Tara....I know I am leaving out a host of girls from the past couple of years...None the less all important!

And thanks to anyone involved with the Marlins. Thanks:

Parking lot guys and gals

The attendant that gave me my tickets at every game.

The security guards in the tunnel guarding the locker room, opening the doors for our hubbys and the ones opening the doors for us.

Worth- one of the sweetest men ever- always smiling

David the usher

The nannies

The man in the scorching non-ac elevator

Boomer- for scheduling all of the road trips

Wendy and Chris Lane

ALL of the fans that chanted "What time is it? HAMMERTIME!"

Doug the super fan- for standing in parking lot with a thumbs up after every game greeting every player!

Larry Keller- the scout that drafted Josh.

The list could go on and on and on!

Maybe this blog will let you guys at home understand a little bit about how it is for me 8 months out of the year MINUS the baseball part and how important ALL relationships are. You all know, I couldn't do it without your support and prayers either!

Pictures of the new house....so far

2009-03-12T10:00:00.009-04:00

These pictures are in no particular order. I have a lot of decorating to do and still getting more furniture and all of the window treatments. I didn't put pictures of all the rooms because they aren't finished. Also, the outside is still a work in progress...Will Lambert is working on the Landscaping. We are also trying to decide pool or no pool. I would love to hear what you think!

Playroom with window to exercise room

Exercise room with window looking into playroom.

The colors are a lot darker than they appear...this room is a burnt orange.

Future nostalgic bedroom...Grandparents first br suite

Kitchenette

Big theatre area

Man Cave

Shower

Master Bath Ceiling

Master Bedroom

Kitchen
The cabinet finish is very old looking and crackled

Powder bath

Rhett's Bathroom

Rhett's room....My sis is painting a canvas for above the bed

Study but not close to being finished

Great room. The opening to the kitchen will have a glass window in it that opens and closes .

Powder bath

foyer

Foyer ceiling

Dining room ceiling

Mantel hasn't been painted yet and still lack lots of decor.

Stair case

Rhett meets Mickey and the Gang!

2009-03-03T08:54:00.008-05:00

Don't you just love our picture in front of Cinderella's castle? OH, I mean the cluster of balloons!

It all started Saturday on our way to eat, "Are we going to eat with Mickey Mouse Mommy?".

Of course he had overheard me calling to make reservations then sharing with Josh the plan.

We went to Wal-mart where he saw a Mickey Mouse toy and said, "Is this Mickey's house?"

Sunday night...all he could say was "I so cited! I so cited! I can't wait!"

Monday morning the alarm goes off and the first thing he says is, "We going to eat breakfast with MICKEY MOUSE, YEA!!" After a couple of weeks of work Josh had an off-day!

This was his "excited face" at 6:30 A.M.
So we drove 1 hour and 30 minutes to Disney. We arrived at the Contemporary Resort, where Chef Mickey's is located.

We had an average tasting breakfast buffet but was all worth it to see the look on Rhett's face seeing some of his favorite characters. I also enjoyed some of Josh's faces! This one just cracks me up!

Rhett's eyes were as big as Mickey's when he first laid eyes on him! He loved him and gave him a big kiss and hug! I love this picture so much!

So Rhett says, "Who else comin to see me, Daddy?" (they came one at a time)

So here came sweet Minnie. She loved on Rhett. He gave her a big kiss on the nose.

Then he didn't want to leave Mommy out so he leaned in to kiss me too!

"Who else comin to see me, Daddy?"

Here came Goofy! Rhett was a little confused about his outfit though.

"Who else comin see me, Daddy?"

Then Pluto and Donald came out. Donald just didn't look like I thought he should....he was sort of shorter than I thought. He always seemed tall and thin to me. Oh well. It was still very cool!

Then we hopped on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Rhett was so funny. He thought it was much fun. He told the doors when to open and close. He had no idea where we were going.

So we started out on Disney Railroad. Then on to Toon Town. Rhett rode his first real roller coaster, the Barn Stormer. He CRIED.....not because he was scared but because he didn't want to get off. No line so we went again. They gave him a certificate for his first roller coaster ride.

I also would like to share my love for "Fast Passes". I just wonder why the rest of people stand in line for 45 minutes when all they have to do is grab a fast pass, come back when it says, then stand in line 5 minutes, all while you ride other rides in the meantime!

"It's a Small World"

Rhett took a 45 minute nap while Josh went on Splash Mountain. Then we met back up and had icecream before the parade.

Rhett loved the Parade and waved at everyone and asked again over and over, "who else comin to see me?"

I didn't take many pictures because I was saving battery for the rest of the parade that never came. I was so disappointed. If any of you remember the Dream come true parade, it was so long with EVERYONE in it. This years "Celebrate Today" parade (bad economy parade) was so short and lacked everything I loved so much! I was so pumped and telling Josh how this was the best part of the day. Maybe next year there won't be cut outs. I also missed Woody's Roundup parade which also may be part of a cut back. hmmm....even Disney is affected?

This face was priceless as he was on Peter Pan's Flight. Thinking he was seeing Captain Hook standing in the mouth of an alligator!

This was Aladin's Carpet Ride. The rest of the day he called it the "Carousel that went up and down."

After the parade we decided to go over to Hollywood Studios. We met up with High School friend, Paige Stevenson.( Her office is over there)

We went to the Playhouse Disney show. Rhett got to see Mickey Mouse clubhouse and Handy Manny performed!

Then Paige was so sweet and volunteered to keep Rhett while I(reluctantly) and Josh went on Tower of Terror, (I made nail marks in Josh and was terrified) and also on Rockin Roller coaster!

That was so much fun!!! I loved it and wanted more, but it was time to go back to MK for the fireworks!

Yes, this is us on the back row. Going ZERO to 60 in 2 Seconds!!!!!!

Here is little man all exhausted watching the Fireworks show, which was shorter this year too!

He had had enough...Mickey, Fireworks, Corn Nuggets.....then he was OUT!!

One thing I didn't do this time was the Carousel of Progress. This is one of my very favorites but just didn't get the chance.

It was a great day! I love Disney. I love how it makes even an adult like me have tears in their eyes seeing all of the wonderful things. I mostly teared up watching Rhett be so happy! We had so much fun and want to go back again this month before we head back up to DC for the season.

I am catching a flight tonight and heading to Florence for a week. My next post will be of the new house.

Spring Training happenings

2009-02-27T09:35:00.006-05:00

We have been in Melbourne Florida now for about 11 days. We are getting settled in, I guess. Settled in as much as you can in a rented apartment with rented furniure..with no pictures on the wall.

We live about a mile and half from the stadium Josh is playing in. Josh goes to the field everyday at about 7:30 AM. Rhett has been getting up so early so it hasn't been a problem getting up and taking Josh. The weather is nice but has been really cool in the morning. One morning Josh took the car so Rhett and I walked to get the car. The weather, to my surprise was very cold. I was in my workout capris, t-shirt and "Fit-Flops". Rhett was in his stroller in a polo and pants. We FROZE the whole way and two men walked by us in their PARKAS all covered up. I felt terrible that I put poor Rhett through that windy walk. Needless to say, we now take him to the park so that we have the car the rest of the day.

Josh was getting home around 2 or 3, but the games started yesterday and the schedule has changed some. He still leaves in the morning at the same time. Rhett and me get to the game at 1 then Josh plays for about the first 4 innings then the starters can go home. Josh works out and takes a few more rounds in the cage then showers up and we all drive home at about 4.

For me it is a long day without Josh. Rhett and me have a ball, but if we were in Florence we might go see my Mama or go eat lunch with a friend or something that gives me contact with someone that I might recognize.....it is amazing what you take for granted when you live Florence. Even going to Target, gas station, grocery store you see people you know. Being in a new town on a new team you have to find things to entertain you.

I enrolled Rhett and me in Gymoboree class. It is a mommy and me class filled with learning, music and physical activity. Here is Rhett at class:

It is so blurry because it was taken with my phone and he was swinging. We go once a week and we have so much fun!

We went to the beach the other day but it was cold and cloudy. We got to watch surfers, put our feet in(Brrrr) and then we built some sand castles! We decided it was too cold for shorts and headed home.

The boys had a ball!!!!

Rhett loved watching his Daddy at this years first Spring Training game.

Josh and Miguel Cabrera, former teamate.

They played together from 2000-2007.

Josh walked his first at-bat.

Josh looks so different in a Nats uniform. I think I like it...patriotic!

Josh was doing some extra hitting after he played yesterday.

Amy, Ginger, Rhett and Josh go to DC

2009-02-25T08:54:00.000-05:00

Well this is very outdated but when looking at my pictures trying to figure out what to blog about, I figured I would skip the holidays and go to the DC trip. Josh had fanfest he had to attend so I decided to ask my sweet sister to accompany us to help me find us a place to live during the season. We will be there from April to October.

Oh how quickly I found out how different it is from sunny South Florida....

Amy, Rhett and I had a different flight from Josh(since MLB requires him to fly 1st Class...ha...we got there in 1 and half and Josh had to fly to Atlanta first then to DC taking him 4 hours!). Amy, R and I had the funniest(craziest) cab driver, telling us that the week of inauguration was crime-free, unlike heaven where the angels would be "touching" us. I think that pretty much sums up our entire cab ride to the hotel.
Then while waiting on Josh we decided to take on the cold and wind and walk to the Capitol.

We were soooo cold walking back!

We rode in a cab the whole time. Rhett was hilarious and had to ask every cab driver their name, then I had the chore of having to pronounce them back for him. The nicest one we had was Abu(and easiest to say). Ironically, we were hailing a cab on the last day and we got in the cab and the the guy turned around and Rhett said, "Abu!" Yep, it was Abu again. There are 5,000 cab drivers in Washington DC and we got the same one twice in 3 days!

We found a celebrity while we were there, and honestly we were hoping he would give us a little bite on the neck while we got our picture made with him. Who would have thought we would have seen EDWARD standing in the window of a music and dvd store!

Then we went to Benni Hana's to eat for dinner. Josh got to have the night off from doing Nationals stuff

Mamie and Rhett had so much fun together! He had her all to his self! Our brother use to wrap Jacob up in a towel then spin him out so we decided to do it with Rhett on our big king size bed at the hotel!

He loved it! Josh was on one side and Amy was on the other getting ready to keep from spinning off of the bed!

We walked to the Smithsonian one day....Natural history is really cool! Rhett loved the dinosaurs and loves them to this day now.

Rhett was making same face as the skull.

There was so much for Rhett to learn about there. We can't wait to be there all the time!!

This was the funniest thing we saw the whole trip! This little ol man was a security guard at the Smithsonian! He was sound asleep and almost fell off the bench. He woke up stood up then gave us history lesson to keep himself awake!! He was so cute!!

After we went apt hunting one day we got to go visit Josh at his new stadium!

Daddy then took Rhett for a ride in the locker room!

After a long day we went to "Lucky Strike" bowling alley...it is a celebrity hot spot...we had so much fun watching Rhett bowl!

Love this picture of Amy and Rhett! Josh only beat me by one pin!

Had to take a picture of Amy next to the Gettysburg address, because to this day she can still recite it!

This is Amy and Rhett next to the Vietnam War Memorial.

We went to a lot more of the memorials that day but it was so cold! We were freezing and hated to make Rhett suffer any more!

We loaded up, Josh met us at the airport and we all got to fly home together. We got us a place to stay and saw and appreciated our Country's history more than ever. We are now excited about starting this new chapter in our lives. I think we will have a lot of very cool experiences. I will miss my sweet Marlin girls but it will be a nice change to see another part of the country.

It has been a long time

2008-12-15T10:56:00.001-05:00

I have been so wrapped up in the building of the house, not Christmas shopping , and not finding a new place in Melbourne, Florida and definitely not finding a place in Washington DC that I have not had a chance to blog. I promise I will start back as soon as I can.
Please don't write me off.

Happy Birthday, Happy Holloween and Congratulations...

2008-11-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

WOW! I have had a very busy last 2 weekends. I am so exhausted but so happy. All of this craziness is very welcome in my world these days. You see, from February to October all we think about is baseball. Not that it is so bad but with baseball comes the absence of family, friends, holidays, birthday parties and weddings. In season, we wake up go eat "brunch" take Josh to field (30 min drive) then head back to get Rhett a nap, wake up... get ready for 7:05 game and go...get back about 11:30PM...sleep...repeat....again and again....and again for 8 months. I love the baseball part too...but all us being together is what I live for!

So as muy cansada as I am....I am savoring every moment.

So first off, the Birthday party. It was suppose to be at Spring Park but the rain came...and went but the mud and cold wet night stayed. So....we decided to get an inflatable slide from Todd Meckes and have it at the traditional "Jaynes" birthday place, Stony Point Activities building.

So this is how Rhett's birthday started.

I asked Rhett what he wanted for breakfast and he said, "pancakes!" So I fixed him Mickey Mouse pancakes and attempted a choo-choo train....but didn't work out too well.

So, it's Friday...It is very important that he sees the garbage truck. Daddy and Rhett waited and just like clockwork our very nice driver honked his horn for our little birthday boy, as he does every Friday morning.

Ok, DO NOT LET HIM FOOL YOU. I worked all morning on this thing fighting Rhett off the whole time....it took me forever...Josh was gone and stepped in for the picture because I looked very frightful.

He loved it already...he had no idea what was coming later!

SUGARBAKERS- half chocolate chunk/ half vanilla...mmmmm good!

Rhett was so excited to finally see those candles lit again! It is an every day thing he asks for.

Rhett LOVES blowing out the candles!

He loved having all of his cousins at the party!

Rhett had a ball on the slide and was not scared at all! BIG thanks to Amy Rutledge for making this precious sweatshirt for Rhett!

Daddy had as much fun as Rhett....and came real close to busting the whole slide, not to mention a close call bouncing off the slide completely...I can see it now...."Willingham out for the season with broken tail bone." This pic might have gone along with it:

I finally found something that everyone enjoyed! So glad it rained!

Pinata time!

Mighty Jesse busted the thing WIDE OPEN!

It was a real hit!Amy gave me the idea of taking a picture of Rhett and Josh every year to see how he grows....Rhett, not Josh :)Yea! I survived my second birthday party! It was worth it all! We had so much fun!

Ok...here comes Halloween!

So...Halloween was a little different this year....great nonetheless.

ROLL TIDE! My grandmother Parker. She lives at Columbia Cottage.

Memaw Ruby....Josh think Rhett and Memaw look alike.

We didn't get to do much trick-or-treating. I had Bridesmaid luncheon and rehearsal. So we let Rhett go to Trunk-or-treat at Stony Point.

So now for the Congratulations! Brock and Brooke got married! Josh, Rhett and me were all in the wedding! We are so tired but it was so much fun!

And all in between...I was also building a house!! I will post those pictures soon!

I will also try and post some wedding pictures asap!

Mommy for 2 years

2008-10-19T00:07:00.000-04:00

2 years have quickly passed since my sweet little man was born. We are actually a week a way but know this week is going to be hectic so I decided to do it now.

I had no idea what I was getting my self in to. Yes, I loved the days when it was just Josh and me eating out and going to movies and staying out as late as we wanted, but by far having Rhett trumps everything I have ever done! I am dead serious...I know you parents out there totally agree.

I cannot describe what this little man has done for us. He makes me so happy and I am so in love!!!

I LAUGH ALL THE TIME! Rhett is so funny these days......

He is a talker...he talks constantly and says the most hilarious things(things I had no idea he even knew about.) He is putting together sentences and he understands possession and past tense. I know this sounds weird but he really talks like we do. He loves to play baseball with Daddy and Daddy loves it more than Rhett. He loves bath time and he might be the only kid on the face of the earth that loves getting his hair washed. I make sure I give his scalp a little massage then he dumps water on his head and face and giggles to no end. In fact, the more water splashed on his face the harder he giggles. He loves the water....he is a fish like his Daddy. He loves his sand box and dumps sand on his head too like the water. He is a strange eater these days but for the most part he will try anything. He loves marshmallows(thanks Trey), Chocolate Milk, Coffee(I know..terrible Mommy, but he swipes it when I am not looking then cries when I take it away! He even says, "mmmm, I love coffee!". HILARIOUS! He loves chicken, hush puppies, rice, EDAMAME(he loves striping the soybeans from the pods), biscuits and APPLE BUTTER(this is a once a day request.) He loves books and if it rhymes he will try his best to repeat exactly what you say. He can count to 13 or 14. He says part of the ABC's. He loves to sing...his favorites are...Blessed be the name, Day 1(thanks to Miss Hilda), Take me out to the ballgame( there might be as many 6 "strikes your out"), and our favorite is "oh my darling:Jaynes style).

He loves the Doodlebops, Wiggles, Wow Wow Wubzy and Elmo.

My favorite thing at the moment he says, "Mommy". At any given moment he grabs me, wraps his arms around me and with the sweetest little smile he says, "Maaahmee." I melts me every time...it is like he is saying "I love you, you are my best friend and I can't get enough!" I feel the same way!!!

He is by far the best thing that has happened to us....I cannot imagine my life without him. He is my little buddy. I cannot thank God enough for this precious life he has let me borrow! I also can't thank Josh enough for being the best Daddy any little boy could ask for. Josh is super involved and spends so much quality time with him! It stinks during the season so much being away from him because we miss him so much but right now, having Josh here with us every day makes those 8 months worth it.

Thanks for letting me dish and brag about my sweet Rhett. I could have written more... and he is a little stinker too....that can be saved for another blog, plus all this love inside of me sort of erases all those things I get frustrated with him for.

Let the 2's begin.......

(P.S. I am sound asleep in the picture above. He loves for me to wrap my arms tight around him when he goes to sleep...he is usually saying "hold me Mommy" even if I am holding him as tight as I can. This is also pretty comfy so I usually fall out too!)

A day at UNA

2008-10-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

We started out leaving my mom's house thinking I was going to meet Josh downtown for lunch. I thought, we ought to go see Una and Leo III while down there. I told Rhett, "we ought to see the Lions today." Well, that was the end of it. I pulled into our driveway to get ready and the fit started.....(these are getting more and more common the closer to age 2 he gets)....He cried and cried because he thought we were seeing the lions right then and there.

We went to Ricatoni's to eat, all the while he kept talking about the lions.

Here we go!! {I must add that the campus is so much prettier than when I was there...It was a construction zone that I paid for with parking fees and tuition....guess my little man can enjoy it.}

If I let him wear black, he has to be cute!

" WATER FOUNTAIN!"" I see the lions!"

Yes, that's right....this is what he was so excited about! He got to ride the lion! Isn't it funny how excited a child can get....over a concrete lion?

Leo woke up to say "RROOAAAR!" to Rhett!

Rhett chased a squirrel into the bushes!

Earlier that morning at my mom's we discussed squirrels, acorns and falling leaves.

Rhett found an acorn and thought he could coax the squirrel out of the bushes. He said, "hewe Qurrel, I got a acorn fo you." So stinking cute!!!! I love every minute of him learning and soaking up everything you tell him!!!

We were watching the many squirrels climb this tree and I had to take a moment and take a picture of this tree! Isn't it so pretty....think I could move this tree to my yard when my house is built?

My Brick are here!

2008-10-09T20:08:00.000-04:00

It is a muddy mess but they finally brought the brick today!
The brick is called "St. Augustine" and we are using a light gray morter.

Yea! My brick are finally here! Hopefully they will start in the morning if the brick are dry.

I had a hard time finding the exact brick I wanted. I love St.. Michael's catholic church(st florian)...always have. I have driven by 400 times looking at the brick and stone on that church hoping that one day I could find that brick/morter/stone combo. That brick is somewhere around 100 years old so they don't make it anymore obviously. I finally found this one and I love it!

As far as the rest of the house...I am waiting on my stinking plumber to actually do his job. He has almost been fired too many times. I will call him "Bob". He promises he will finish tomorrow....we will see if he shows. If "Bob" doesn't show tomorrow I will be fit to be tied. As Josh is telling everyone involved in the house..."don't get the Warden mad!" The electrician has had so much to do with all of Josh's whole house audio and surround sound. He is working Saturday and will be finished!!! Thank goodness! The insulation will be in Monday and Tuesday then the drywall can start tuesday or wednesday! I hope and pray we can be in around Christmas/new years. I will be so sad if we don't get to enjoy the house before we have to head back to Florida. But props again to my Diddy for building this thing with another full-time job!

2008-10-07T13:10:00.000-04:00

My sweet Rhett after playing at his new house all morning....he fell asleep eating his "Waviowi!"

Everyone says building a house is one of the most stressful things on a marriage. We love it! We have had so much fun with this house. I may not feel the same way come December. My daddy is building the house and he has done a fantastic job! Josh just got home so he is just in time to help make the decisions.

Rhett tryng to open up his big front door.
Basement stairs
This is the playroom. I cut a window in the wall. The otherside is the worlout room. This way I can watch Rhett play while I workout.

Front of the house....the brick and rock should arrive tomorrow so they will get started soon.
This is the back and side..I love my back porches already!
Rhett is always wanting to go to "Rhett's house" and he loves to help any way he can!!

Spaghetti boy!

2008-10-06T19:39:00.000-04:00

"No way." One of Rhett's favorite phrases....he says it very soft and sneaky though.
"I ate all de noodles Daddy"

Rhett wanted to talk about his spaghetti more than eat it.

I tried with no avail to put a video on here....if anyone has any suggestions on what I do I would love it!!

2008-10-06T17:45:00.000-04:00

Rhett loves Billy the Marlin...Rhett calls him "Marlin the Billy".
Josh, Rhett, Hudson and Cody....Best buds!

Rhett and Josh running the bases. Every Sunday we did this before all the other kids came on the field.

This is Rhett and his best buddy Hudson. His daddy is on Josh's team.

This is "little Hammer". Daddy's nickname in baseball is Hammer so naturally Rhett is little Hammer. He loves dressing up like Daddy!

Let's try this again...

2008-10-06T17:33:00.000-04:00

Let's see, I think it has been about 2 years since I blogged last so I am going to try it again.
It is the off-season for us so now is as good a time as any.
Rhett is almost 2 and is doing the most hilarious things. I got a new camera today so I have no excuses there.
We are building a house and we are pretty far along...hopefully in by the new year...but we will see!
We had a fun but different season this year and Josh was hurt a lot. I will share some pics of the season so you can get a glimpse of life on the road.
Ok here goes....make me do it! I love doing it just never find the time. Rhett is waking up so I will post pictures in a little while.