Making A Declaration!

Tomorrow, along with the rest of the United States, we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.  Thirteen small, insignificant colonies DECLARED freedom from Great Britain, a mighty world power in 1776. They didn't just earn, gain, or achieve freedom, but they DECLARED it.  

The definition of declare is to make known, state CLEARLY, to announce officially, to PROCLAIM!

It means to state emphatically, to manifest, reveal, to SHOW!  

There are many things that I need to DECLARE freedom from in my life.  There are things  that I need to state CLEARLY to my doubts,  many burdens that I need to PROCLAIM a release from, and many miracles that I need to believe will be manifested in my life.

There is power in DECLARATION!

I found this little tidbit of patriotism in Landry's 3rd grade journal.  

I Love America!

America rules!  I think that America's Army is amazing and awesome.  I am glad that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.  I'm glad that I live in America.  One day I hope to get all of the quarters for the 50 states.  George Washington was a great leader and president.  If George Washington had not crossed the Delaware we probably would knot have the state of Virginia.  America is the best country because of the army, freedom of worship, and the freedom of speech.  George Washington and Abraham Lincoln will never be forgotten!  Wahoooooooooooooooo!  

By:  Landry Presson

Ahhh, that boy.  He makes me smile!  I also LOVE the 4th of July because it is my birthday!  Tomorrow, I will be 41.  Wow!  I would love to declare freedom from gray hair and wrinkles, but I think I need to learn to love them!  Happy 4th of July!

Happy 7th Birthday to my baby boy, Landry Clark Presson!  Time gives you no warning - it just speeds by!  I have mixed feelings about that!  Landry told me that he has been waiting for this day since he turned six!  I wish I had a printout of all the things that churns through my boys mind, because he keeps it busy!  I love his sense of humor, the fact that keeps his big brothers on their toes, and that he is a carbon copy of his Daddy! He is in 1st grade this year, and is an amazing student.  I know, because I am his teacher.  He gives hugs and kisses often, and tells me that I am the best teacher in the whole world, except for Sis. Kirby!  lol!  He loves learing to write cursive, and does it with a passion and perfection that can only come from Landry!  He has recently discovered an intense love for football.  Avery and Riley are teaching him to play it in the backyard of the afternoon.  He watches it by the hour, with all of the other males in my home, and only cheers for the teams that Clark cheers for.  He thinks his dad is the all knowing knower of football.  Happy Birthday, Landry!  I am excited to see where life takes you, but I would be so happy if it would just slow down a bit!

The day we met Landry, doesn't seem possible that it was 7 years ago!

Happy First Birthday!  I would love to go back and squeeze that baby one more time!

Two years old!!

Three!  Starting to be a big boy!

Four years old! 

FIVE!!  5555!!  He has officially lost the baby look! :(

Six years old.  Mini Clark!

SEVEN YEARS OLD!  I pray you have a fun-filled year of memories

that only a seven-year old can make! 

May you always ask the Lord to order your steps! 

I LOVE YOU!

xoxoxox

Happy 40th Birthday to Clark! (we are getting old!)

Happy 40th Birthday to my favorite person in all the world!!!  I could say a million things about the man that I married, however, my expressive vocabulary is limited in comparison to how much I admire, love, and respect him.  Thankfully, Hallmark can say it perfectly.  I picked out a birthday card for him that truly expresses how I feel. 

In the words of Hallmark...

For my Husband, a man after God's heart -

"Those who fear the Lord are secure;  He will be a refuge for their children."  Proverbs 14:26

Because you seek Him

as your source of wisdom,

you're a wonderful leader...

Because you depend on Him

to be the strength of your heart,

you're a loving husband...

Because you pursue His best

for our lives and home,

His blessing and peace are here.

There is nothing else

that could make me feel

more honored than sharing my life

with you!

"The steps of good men are directed by the Lord.  He delights in each step they take. 

Psalms 37:23-24

I am married to a man that is all of these things and more.  I have loved being married to him, raising three boys with him, and look forward to growing old with him!  He is my life's greatest blessing.

This is a side of Clark that few see, but that definitely exists!

Happy 40th Birthday!  <3



Happy Birthday to You, and you, and you, and you!

September is my family’s month for BIRTHDAYS! This birthday month became popular back in 1886 with the birth of my great-grandmother Alice Matilda Smith. Later her daughter, Edith Wood, (my grandmother) was blessed with three of her four children born in September. My Uncle Dan, (September 2nd), Aunt Ruth (September 6th), and my mom (September 10th).

Mom continued the September birthday tradition with her firstborn, Lisa LaDean (my sister) on September 20th. My middle man, Riley Lance, was born the day after her birthday on the 21st. Lisa’s youngest grandson (at the moment), Cooper, just celebrated his 1st birthday on September 8th. Randy (my brother-in-law) was born on the 5th, and my cousin Vanessa celebrates her big day on the 22nd, and her neice (my cousin) Bailey was born on the 26th.  Whew! 

AND, I married into the Presson family, and they also favor September! Clark’s mom was born on the 18th, and his dad on the 26th. Papa Don also shares his birthday with his first-born grandson, Drew. Riley shared his birthday with Lilly, the boys Great-Grandpa Presson’s wife.

As you can tell, we blow out a lot of candles, buy a lot of presents, and do hours of partying in September! Today we are celebrating my mom’s 70th birthday!!! Happy Birthday, Mom!!! She doesn’t know it yet, but Lisa and I are surprising her with breakfast this morning, and inviting Faye and Ray over. It is going to be delicious. Later, Lisa, Leslie, Amy and I are taking her to the Melting Pot for her special birthday dinner! Yummy! It is going to be a Girl’s Day Out ONLY, and we are excited about it!

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you and I am blessed to have you for my mom. No one in the world loves me the way you do! I pray this 70th year is full of laughs, blessings and good health!

Happy Birthday to Selina!

Happy Birthday to my forever friend Selina LeAnn Arwood.  We have been friends from the moment she was born.  I was almost 2.  We were born and raised in the Aurora, IL area.  We both love Chicago style hot dogs, Portillos, Batavia fireworks, and Oberweis ice cream.  She met and married a man from Tennessee, and we were all sad that she was moving so far from home.  A couple of years later, I met and married my own Tennessean, although he was from the opposite end of the state, and also moved far from home.  For ten years she lived in E TN, and I lived in W TN.  Then we moved to her city of Maryville.  I love that our kids are growing up together.  Avery & Riley think that Tyler is the absolute coolest and Landry is determined to one day marry Allison.  Her are a few pics from our past that I thought I would share.  Happy Birthday, Selina!  Love you much!

I wrote this poem for Selina after she was in the hospital in 1982.  Sheila found it a few months ago.   LOL!  LOVE IT!  The stamp on the envelope was very interesting...it was a Tennessee stamp!!

Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store

nor under a tree,

but in the hearts of true friends. 

... Cindy Lew

Happy 9th Birthday Riley Lance! XOXO

Happy Ninth Birthday to Riley Lance. Nine years ago today, I was officially 3 days overdue. I had been dilated to 2 for a month, the doctors had been telling me for six weeks that I could deliver any second. Second after second passed and NOTHING happened. Talk about an unhappy pregnant woman. I had been walking our neighborhood day after day, hoping to “get things moving.” I’m sure the neighbors were relieved when he was finally born. However, Riley had decided to wait…and wait. Finally, the doctor admitted me at 11:00 and Riley Lance was born at 2:00 on a beautiful Thursday afternoon. Weighing in at 7lbs., 14 ounces and 21 inches of absolute perfectness. He was beautiful. Those big brown eyes, soft brown hair and big dimples stole my heart the second I saw him. Thank you, Lord for the blessing of my sweet son...

My dear Riley, when I think of you I think of so many things. The main thing I love about you is your relationship with the Lord. I love to watch you worship in church. It is with such powerful sincerity. Your faith amazes me. You exemplify childlike faith. I have walked in your room in the middle of the day and have seen you on your knees in prayer, for no reason other then you want to spend time with the Lord. You never go to sleep at night unless you have spent time reading your Bible. The Lord has something great for you in life…sometimes it scares me to

think of the places you might go in Him, because they might be far from me. However, all that matters is that you are in the center of His will.

From the second you were born, you and Avery have been a team. I love the way the two of you laugh and play together. I hope are always like that. I think it is awesome the way you are starting to let Avery know that he doesn’t ALWAYS know everything! You are also a wonderful big brother to Landry. I know he tries your patience sometimes, and just get ready, because he probably always will.

You bring more happiness to Daddy and me than you will ever know! I hope this birthday is a special one. I can’t wait to see your face when you open your present. I KNOW you are going to love it! May this 9th year bring you much happiness.

I love you forever,

Mama XOXOXOX

Independence Birthday!

Independence Day has always been extra exciting to me...ALWAYS! The main reason is because it is my birthday...and the birthday of our country :)! My mom as raised me to be very BIG on tradition. As a child, my big day started out with PRESENTS, breakfast at Pancake House in downtown Aurora, parade, humungulous fantabulous picnic at Faye and Ray's (this event brought more PRESENTS!...I am the baby of the family, it comes with the territory). The cherry on top of the day was fireworks in Batavia with all of my family and friends. Sweet memories, sweet life!

Fast forward to 2009. The Pressons dressed in our red, whites, and blues. This is a necessity, almost as important as the presents...almost. We filled up on $40 worth of pancakes at Ihop. I kept thinking how much CHEAPER they would have been if I had made them at home, but it was, after all, my birthday. Then a wonderful picnic at Mom & Dad's, complete with PRESENTS, homemade ice cream, red white and blue birthday cake from Leslie, bubbles, and balloons. My 36th birthday ended with fireworks in Townsend at the foothills of the mountains with family, friends, and PRESENTS. Blessings with a bang!

Did I mention that my cake had 36 candles on it? Well it actually had a number 3 candle with six candles next to the 3. It was the redneck version. I will blog on the age of 36 later...it may take several days to work up the courage...

MY 3 GREATEST PRESENTS EVER...

Leslie brought a pinata filled with goodies! FUN!




Fireworks in the foothills...this was the first year that Landry wasn't scared...Presson progress!

Happy Birthday America, I LOVE sharing my special day with you!