My First Embarrassing Moment By My Daughter

It happened!! I knew it was coming but I wasn't sure when. Yesterday Emma Claire was trying to be a sweet little helper but left me with my face blush. I was in the kitchen cooking supper and talking with James, our friend from Idaho, when in walks Emma Claire saying "Mommy's, Mommy's". I turned to look at her and she was standing there in the kitchen dangeling my white bra next to her. Of course, I looked at her with a smile and said "Thank you, Baby, that is mommy's". I quickly retrieved it from her and headed to the bedroom. When I asked her who told her to do that she said "Daddy". Who would have guessed it!?!?! When I got back to the bedroom I asked Benjamin and he said that she was going through some of my things, picking them up, and saying"Mommy's, Mommy's". He said then she dissappeared and he didn't know that she had gotten away with one of my bras. Yea Right! Who do you think I should believe? I will never forget her sweet little face when she came into the kitchen. She was so proud that she was helping mommy and had no clue to the embarrasment she caused me. She's so worth it!!!

Saturday Night Mall Brawl

On Saturday night Benjamin, James (our friend from Couer d'Alene, Idaho), Emma Claire and I went out for some dinner at Olive Garden. Yea! It was soooooo good. Who doesn't like the all you can eat breadsticks. After dinner we thought we would go to the mall to walk around for a bit. As we walked in I commented to Benjamin that I had never seen so many people there. We hadn't been there at 7:30 on Saturday Night before so we thought maybe it was the usual crowd. There were people hanging over the rails from the upper level and youth aged teens everywhere. Anyway, we took Emma Claire to the play area on the lower level for a little while and then headed upstairs. After we got off the escalator we turned to walk in a Foot Locker and then this awful chaos started going on. There were people running everywhere and people screaming. Then we heard someone yell that it was a fight. It was only a minute that the police started running by and telling the stores to lock their gates. By the grace of God we were able to get inside the Foot Locker and hide in the back. I could see parents walking around outside the gates with their children with no where to go to get away from the havoc. By that time there were police everywhere carrying guns. At that moment I was pretty calm and just wanted to take care of my baby. We were in the store for what seemed like 30 minutes when we were told that things seemed to be under control and that we were able to leave the mall. All we knew was that there was a fight upstairs where we were and there were about 200 to 300 hundred people involved. As a funny side note, we were just trying to get away from the unknown madness and my husband just has to stop at Auntie Anne's and get a Glazin' Raisin Pretzel. He said he just couldn't come to the mall without getting one. I know, he's his own character! Anyway, as we were coming out of the mall there were flashing lights and police cars EVERYWHERE. When we got to our van and were safely inside it all hit. At that moment it hit me how bad it could have been and I felt my hands begin to shake. We weren't sure what all had happened until we had gotten home and watched the news. We were so blessed to have been kept from any danger. I think it was a lot worse than any of us had thought and will ever know how bad it could have been. We need to remember to count our blessings every day for God's great unmerited favor. Poor James has a trip that he will never forget coming to visit us in North Carolina! Below is copy of an article from WRAL.com. It's a brief summary of what all happened. We love you, All!


Mall brawl gang-related, Raleigh police say


Posted: Today at 6:15 a.m.


Updated: Today at 3:44 p.m.


A massive fight that involved hundreds of people and forced the evacuation of Triangle Town Center mall was gang related, Raleigh police said.


Four off-duty officers working at the mall reported a fight in progress and requested assistance around 8 p.m. Saturday. Witnesses told WRAL News that about 200 teenagers started yelling and fighting on the mall's upper level.


The melee poured outside the mall as the crowd spread out, and an estimated 200 and 300 people were involved at the height of the fight, police said.


On-duty Raleigh police officers, Wake County sheriff's deputies and state troopers responded to the fight and fully restored order around 9 p.m., police said. Witnesses said the fight lasted about 20 minutes, and police said no guns were pulled out during it.


Christopher James Gamble, 17, is accused of stabbing a 15-year-old boy in the buttocks during a fight outside the mall, Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue said. The victim was taken to WakeMed and and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.


A police sergeant suffered a significant laceration on his knee during a foot chase, Sughrue said. The officer was transported to Duke Raleigh Hospital and was expected to recover.


Shoppers were asked to leave Triangle Town Center around 8 p.m., an hour before closing time, and mall security personnel had the facility closed by 8:40 p.m., said Jennifer Jones, the mall's marketing director.


"The genesis of the incident was gang related," Sughrue said in a release. Some of the participants in the fight are known to be associated with gangs, he said.

Raleigh police use the term "gang related" to delineate "an incident (that) occurred to further the purposes of the gang," according to an email from Sughrue. Such purposes could include "establishing a gang’s territory, gaining influence by suppressing another gang, or seeking revenge against another gang."


Sughrue stressed that those were only examples, not necessarily what prompted the fight at Triangle Town Center. He was not at liberty to discuss what prompted police to classify Saturday's fight as gang related.


Police charged six people in the fight:


Darryl Anthony Bobbit, 18, with felony inciting a riot; resisting obstructing or delaying a public officer; and second-degree trespassing. He remains in jail under a $6,000 bond.


Tyrell Eugene Brantley, 18, with felony inciting a riot and disorderly conduct. He remains in jail under a $8,000 bond.


Gamble, with felony inciting a riot and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Gamble remains in jail under a $35,000 bond.


Laquavis Oneal Jordan, 16, with felony inciting a riot. Jordan was released into the custody of his family on Sunday.


Javonnie Nicholson, 16, with felony inciting a riot, assault on a law-enforcement officer and second-degree trespassing. Arrest warrants say that Nicholson jumped on and pushed a police officer trying to arrest her. She remains in jail under a $7,000 bond.


Ricky Ladd Williams, 16, with felony inciting a riot and engaging in an affray. He remains in jail under a $10,000 bond.


All six suspects are scheduled to make their first court appearance at 9 a.m. Monday.


Police also had a 15-year-old boy in custody, who they said would be the subject of a juvenile petition. That measure is similar to a criminal complaint against an adult and brings the minor under the purview of the juvenile court system.

Williams was placed on probation in June for a common-law robbery in Wake County, according to state Department of Correction records.


The investigation into the mall fight continues, Sughrue said.


Jones said the Triangle Town Center opened at noon Sunday as scheduled.


“We will be in contact with the Raleigh Police Department to get more details and obviously, with the shopper in mind, making sure the safety is here,” Jones said.


Web Editor: Anne Johnson


Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


comment by GG on 08/22/2008


Emma Claire - This is just one of many times that the Lord has been there and given his loving protection to you and your family when you didn't even know it. That's the kind of loving God we serve. Give THANKS to HIM Always!

comment by RaRa on 07/28/2008

PTL for protection from things we know to pray for and for those situations where we don't know the whole story. We are truly blessed beyond measure. I still get the chill bumps thinking about what could have been. Love you guys!

Poll Results: Emma Claire's Favorite Snack

And the winner is.....


It was a really close call on her favorite snack. She gets really excited when she sees you get the Puff container out, but Benjamin says that Fruit Loops are her favorite. For this one, we will call it a tie between Fruit Loops and Puffs! Thanks to everyone that voted!! We Love You.

Crackers 7%

Puffs 10%

Marshmellows 10%

Fruit Loops 74%

Leader of the Pack

Every night at Vacation Bible School the children line up outside and march in following the American and Christian Flags and the Bible. Tonight they let Emma Claire lead everyone in. It was sooooo funny. She walked in front of the Flags and couldn't hardly get down the isle for dancing. They had the theme song playing and she was "move'n it" down that isle. She clapped the whole way and every few steps had to stop and shake her booty! So, so Cute!! I will never forget her first VBS.

I tried getting a video but she was too far away and it was too dark in the sanctuary.

Two New Teeth

She finally did it!!! On Saturday she cut her bottom left eye tooth and today she cut her bottom right eye tooth! Yea for her!!! It has definitely been a struggle for all of us cutting these teeth. I hope the top eye teeth aren't too bad for her (or us) either. : )

Air Pistols and Sidewalk Chalk, by BQ2

As we strolled thru Wal-Mart, like good baptists, last night, it happened that Emma Claire was leaning so far out of the buggy reaching for anything hanging on a hook, that Ashley let her down to walk--or waddle, rather. First, she was enamored by the bicycles. "Wooo," and "Oooh" she said as the bikes got larger with brighter colors. Then, she made a bee line, not for the barbie dolls or the kids kitchen accesories, but for the super-sonic c.o.2, refillable, 5 shot air pistol!!! That's right! She's Quinn thru and thru. And she didn't pick up only the gun, but she made sure she had the c.o.2 refills for an extra round of ammo. No wonder the boys cry when she walks in the nursery!


Well, for the ladies reading this who are thirsty for something more girly, she did get a pack of sidewalk chalk at the Wal-Mart, and she played with it in the driveway this afternoon. Ashley and I drew pretty shapes and faces as we explained to her what each was called. Momentarilly perplexed but not deterred, Emma Claire proudly broke 2 of the 4 pieces of chalk and marked all over our drawings. She was so proud. I'm not sure what she was more proud of though; scribbling on our shapes or the fact that she had almost twice as many pieces of chalk when she finished than when she started!

She's growing up fast, and we love every minute spent with her. She'll be asking for the keys soon, and Daddy will be loading his guns to take care of the boys at the door. God has blessed us greatly. Deuteronomy 6 has come alive to us over the past 17 months, and we ask for wisdom every day as we seek to raise her rightly. Each night our prayer is this, "Lord, thank you for our sweet girl. Bless her, keep her, and use her for Your glory!" What a great privilege and blessing. Amen

comment by Bobby on 07/22/2008


I hope she never wants to date Keller then. I am not a big fan of him being threatened with artillery :-)
comment by Brandon on 07/19/2008

Amen!!!

Cutting Teeth

For the last week Emma Claire has been trying to cut her Eye Teeth. They are Yucky!!!! Needless to say she has been really tough to deal with this last week. It seems like at the drop of a hat something can upset her and then when she gets upset she can't seem to stop. They are finally to the point where you can see them and feel the tips of them under her gums. It won't be long now! I have heard these are the worst ones and I believe it. Please pray for her as she gets through the next few days. (and it wouldn't hurt to pray for mommy & daddy too!) : )

Night, Night

When bedtime rolls around Emma Claire is usually ready to see her bed. Last night as I was taking her into her room to go to bed I thought I would just love on her a little bit before I put her to bed. As I walked over to the bed she reached out for me to lay her down and said the sweet little words "Night, Night". I will never forget hearing her say those words. They were so sweet and so innocent as if telling me "It's okay, Mommy, it's time for bed." I love my little Angel.

Stop, Stop. Stop Birds

While we were on the beach Emma Claire loved eating from the little bags of cereal they had at breakfast. On this particular morning she was eating from a bag of Frosted Corn Flakes. While we were playing on the beach that morning she dropped her bag and the cereal went everywhere. The next thing we knew seagulls were flying in from everywhere and started eating her cereal. Emma Claire wasn't sure what was happening. We showed her they were eating her cereal and then she took off after them yelling "Stop!, Stop!". It was so, so funny! We didn't even know she knew the word stop. It was a great laugh for our day! Check out the video! I didn't get the beginning of it, but it was still very funny!

Travelin' Quinn's

We just got back from all of our travels and we have had a great time. We first made our trip to Florida, came home, and then Emma Claire & I left for the great Mississippi! We were there mainly for my best friends wedding, but enjoyed getting to visit with Family. After that we were off to Wrightsville Beach for the 4th of July Weekend. Uncle Brandon, Aunt Hannah, & Branna stayed in our room with us and Poppa, GG, & Phillip stayed in the room next door. We had a great time playing on the beach and going to the aquarium. While we were there Poppa & GG renewed their vows for their 30 year anniversary. Emma Claire had a great time playing with her little cousin Branna. Or, as she calls her, "Baby". She loved to help take care of her and give her some lovin. We left the beach on Monday and Uncle Brandon, Aunt Hannah, & Branna came to stay with us at our house until Wednesday. We were so glad to get to spend some time with them and can't wait to see them again!


comment by GG on 07/10/2008


Emma Claire: Poppa & GG will never forget our first vacation with our "baby girls" and it was sooo special having your Daddy conduct the ceremony to renew our wedding vows. You and Branna looked precious in your matching sun dresses...our little Angels!

Wrightsville Beach/ Quinn's Vow Renewal