Momma is having a hard time letting her baby grow up!

I remember this day like it was yesterday...

However, it was over six years ago!!!
Damon, my almost 10 year old, has always been my strong and independent child.
Derek, on the other hand, has been my cuddle bug...that child that no matter where I go, he is always right there stuck to my side.

At times, it can be a little nerve racking...not ever having more than the width of a sheet of paper between the two of us...not being able to leave him anywhere without tears, or at least a promise that I will soon return...not being able to wake up in my own bed without seeing him curled up between Greg and I...not being able to walk down the stairs to get something out of the garage without him screaming and running after me because he doesn't want me to leave him.
But it seems that these little things that got on my nerves before, are the same things that I am starting to miss...as my baby boy has decided to become a little man!

I guess I should have seen this coming...


He has, after all, wanted to follow in his daddy's footsteps.

I think it has hit me considerably hard in the past few weeks, with Derek's first season playing football. Within mere moments, I have watched him grow up right before my eyes. I notice him tucking his bottom lip and shrugging his shoulders...when a few months ago, his reaction would have been a melt down. Things that would have made him run into my arms crying...are now the things that simply make him grit his teeth and determine to be tough. When did my little baby boy get to be so grown up?

I know...I know...it is time, and I have to start letting go.
I am doing my best with this process, but if he still wants to crawl up into my lap and snuggle with me...I am NOT gonna put up a fight!
He can grow up as much as he wants...
as long as he doesn't mind being my baby for the rest of his life!

...Moore to come!!!

My baby is about to be 10!!!!

...ok, so I am having a little bit of a hard time dealing with the fact that in a few short days I will have a ten year old child!

In around December of 1999, I found out that I was going to be a mother. A mother, me??? It was devastating news, since I was unmarried and still in college. I immediately repented publicly and made every effort to pick up the pieces and make the best out of my situation. I had known of wonderful Christian MARRIED women who tried for years and years to get pregnant...and when it finally happened, they were ecstatic! Because I got pregnant when I had sex outside of marriage, I was not able to experience the joy a mother has when she finds out that she is bringing a new life into the world. It was months before I was able to feel any kind of happiness because for a long time I looked at my pregnancy as some kind of punishment for my sins.
Greg and I got married in Feb. of 2000...and because we were in love, not only because we were going to have a baby. (although that sped up the process) Even though I still felt a deep sense of guilt for what I had done, I was slowly starting to get excited about the idea of having a baby. My family and friends were so supportive and much like God does when we confess and repent of our sins, they forgave me and treated me as if my sin did not exist anymore. I was given baby showers...I fixed up a nursery...Greg and I picked out a name...I went to birthing classes...and before long I found myself feeling that ecstatic feeling! That feeling that I thought I would never feel...that feeling that I thought I did not deserve.
One Saturday in August...after eating a Rally burger (YUM) I started feeling a little strange. Hours, and a phone call with our doctor, later...I realized I was in labor...and Greg and I went to the hospital!
At 5:38 a.m. on Sunday, August the 13th...I brought Damon Deval Moore into the world. One look at this beautiful baby, and I knew my life would never be the same.
I realized at that moment...that this was something that God meant for my good!
We are currently in a gospel meeting and our guest speaker said something that really hit home with me. He said that if we did not go though certain struggles in our life, we would not really learn our lesson and find that closer relationship with God. I can say without a doubt, that I would not be where I am spiritually if it had not been for the struggles that I went through. I have a deeper appreciation for my children, and for my own life and blessings...I find myself less judgmental of others who go through similar situations...I am completely and totally humbled that God could forgive me and wipe my slate clean so that I can go on with my life.

This has been on my mind lately because I am planning Damon's 10th birthday party...and his 5th grade year at school. I look at him and wonder, what did I do to deserve such an amazing son? He is so smart, funny, talented, sensitive, caring, and unselfish. In December of 1999, I had only feelings of guilt, despair and hopelessness...but in August of 2010, I have only feelings of joy, love, hope and amazement...that I could be so blessed!

Thank you God...for letting me be there to see his first Christmas.

Thank you God...for letting me be there to see his first day of school.

Thank you God...for letting me be there to pull out his first tooth.

Thank you God...for letting me live to see the young man he has become.


Please bless me with many more years so that I can keep watching all his "firsts".

Don't go too far...there is much, much MOORE to come!!!

My Heart Belongs to MAYWOOD

Maywood Christian Camp...

Where do I begin?
After completing my 25th year at Maywood (give or take...there were a few years where I could not go due to pregnancy or having a newborn), and seeing the joy in the eyes of the girls in my cabin when they experience camp for the first time... I am realizing just how much that place means to me!


Experiencing Maywood is a right of passage.
I have been everything from a camper, worker and counselor...and for the past three years, my boys have gone as campers too! I have enjoyed being able to witness the experiences that my children have had at camp...the experiences that I so fondly remember having myself so many years ago.
I thought about being mushy, and going into all the wonderful memories that Maywood has given me and my family. I thought about being funny, and telling all the hilarious tales of camp. The thing is....Maywood is the PERFECT blend of funny, emotional, spiritual, physical, and outdoors. It is a week, once a year that you will NEVER forget!
I think the best way to describe Maywood is by listing all the "firsts". Things that happened first and only at Maywood Christian Camp...

~sleeping in an un-airconditioned cabin
~showering in flip-flops
~cleaning a cabin and bath house to a retired fire fighters standards
~telling a joke in front of a hundred other campers to get mail
~learning buildings according to their Biblical names
~waking up to the "Bull Frog" song
~sharing bed with bugs, and bathroom with frogs
~picking a boy to take to dinner...and calling it Sadie Hawkins
~putting make-up on in the 90* heat, only to have it sweat off
~bringing cans of shaving cream to camp...not to shave with
~being paranoid about putting elbows on the table at meal time
~singing "Round the Mess Hall you MUST GO!" to an unsuspecting girl or boy
~having a "camp" boyfriend
~finding friends who would be pen pals for years to come
~having a ball field devotional
~watching friends become Christians
~non-mixed swimming....in a pool surrounded by a see-through fence
~having a snack consisting of soda and candy...and calling it "CANTEEN"
~eating apple sticks
~writing name on furniture and NOT getting in trouble for it
~having Bible class on a picnic table
~being hypnotized by Brother Jerry
~showering only to come out feeling dirtier
~sweating for a week straight
~giving the thought for the day
~making me think about my personal relationship with God
~listening and participating in some of the most beautiful singing EVER
~hearing a million knock knock jokes...and watching Brother Jerry laugh at every one
~seeing new cabins, nurse/director's huts being built at Maywood
~experiencing air conditioning for the first time at Maywood
~thanking God for a place like Maywood

These are BY FAR not the only memories...but if I listed every "first" at camp, I would run out of room. Thank you Maywood Christian Camp...for what you have meant to me, and for what you will mean to my children and grandchildren and so on....for years and years to come. There are so many children and adults, too many to count, that have been blessed by this wonderful place...and God willing, that number will only continue to grow!







...and of course, as always...there is much MOORE to come!

What MOORE can you expect from me?

For those of you who don't know...I am currently a student at Faulkner in Birmingham. I am currently in an information systems class, and the instructor has given us an assignment to list our short term and long term goals...this was harder than I thought.

What ARE my goals????

This brings me back to my high school days, when I filled out college applications and other questionnaires and surveys. Everyone seemed to want to know the same thing..."where do you see yourself in 5 years...in 10 years...what are your goals???"

Goals....
Short term goals are those that you hope to accomplish in a year or less. My short term goals are:
1. Probably the biggest one right now is to graduate. I am set to graduate with my BA in MHR from Faulkner University in May of 2011. In order to accomplish this goal I must continue to focus on my studies and commit to completing this course study....by attending class, studying and completing all assignments.
2. The next short term goal is to successfully complete the 2010/2011 year as PTA board officer, Homeowner's Association treasurer, Team Recruitment coordinator for Jingle Bell Run planning committee (Arthritis Foundation), and Preschool Department coordinator at Roebuck Parkway Church of Christ. This goal can only be achieved by taking the following steps: being organized, prioritize responsibilities, delegate and ask for help, use time wisely, do one thing at a time.
3. My third goal is to get healthy. This covers a range of things, including weight loss. To accomplish this goal, I must eat healthy, go to the doctor regularly, take medication as prescribed, exercise regularly, etc... This is also a long term goal, because I hope to maintain the results.

Long term goals are those that you hope to accomplish in 3-5 (or more) years. My long term goals are:
1. Get a job! After getting my degree, I hope and plan to gain employment. This can be achieved by updating and improving my professional resume, filling out applications, and having successful interviews with potential employers. In order to ensure this goal is fully attainable, I may further my education or go through specialty training.
2. Be debt free! This is MUCH easier said than done...but it is a very important long term goal for my family. This goal will be reached by committing to the following things: put money in savings every month, pay more than the minimum on credit card payments each month, budget wisely, and limit frivolous spending. (that one will be tough...we love to eat out!)
3. The third long term goal is to complete some lingering home renovations. There are some things we have been wanting to do to our home for years, and I plan on being able to complete them in the next 3-5 years. To accomplish this goal, I need to make list of things that need to be done, and prioritize them in order of importance. Some of the things that need to be done: clean out downstairs (rent truck and haul away useless stuff), save up to pay for construction on downstairs (make into a movie/game room...right now it is unfinished). This may seem like a superficial goal, but it is very important to my family...and will allow not only our boys to have a place to play, but will allow us to entertain more friends and family in our home.

....stay tuned...there is MOORE to come! :)

Who am I?

I really never bought into the whole blog thing...I mean, although I enjoy reading funny and touching stories about other people, I have a hard time thinking that anyone would want to read anything about me. Not that I feel I am an unimportant person...but I just am not certain that my life would be very entertaining to others. I have been through my share of hilarious, embarrassing, wonderful, heartbreaking and life-changing moments. I have laughed, cried, loved...and laughed some more. (laughing is one of my favorites) I guess the more I think about it...I may just have a story to tell. So, with that being said...
Welcome to my blog! "Get Moore" is a look into my world...pictures and stories about my family, friends and experiences...everything you could ever want to know...and some things you never knew you wanted to know about me...Courtney Moore!


...So...who am I, you ask?


I am a wife of 10 years to Greg Moore Jr... a tall, dark and handsome man who is the absolute love of my life! I am mother to Damon... a sweet, smart and athletic 9 (10 next month) year old boy who has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I am also mother to Derek... a handsome, hilarious and fun-loving 6 year old boy who brings laughter and love me daily.




I am also a daughter, a sister, a sister-in-law, an aunt, a teacher, a volunteer, a friend, a ladybug, a student, a pet owner, a Christian, a counselor, a survivor, a mentor, a cleaning lady, an accountant, a sinner, a personal assistant, a cook, and a supervisor....and I seem to be adding to that list every day! I have a busy, whirlwind of a life...and I am loving every single minute of it. I could not be more blessed! Stay tuned, because there is much, much, much more to come!