07-11-15 Retreat Weekend

This is my second year on the steering team for our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group and it really is such a pleasure to be serving alongside an amazing group of women who have such a heart for this ministry! 

Retreat weekend is an exciting time for the steering members to get together to plan the upcoming MOPS year. Many ideas get tossed about, but in the end we want to provide a place where mothers of small children can come together, find support, grow spiritually and connect to a thriving community of other moms. Our hope in providing this safe environment, is that we create long lasting relationships and opportunities to share the gospel with the women we meet. It really is a wonderful ministry! 

My first year of motherhood was incredibly intimidating, so having a place to go where I could interact with other moms, ask questions, get advice, connect, and learn was invaluable. It really was and is an answer to prayer!

I love this group of women! :)

Most everything that happens at MOPS throughout the year is planned at this table. 

07-10-15 Exciting weekend!!

07-09-15 Eight months

These are the moments I wish I could bottle and keep on a shelf. 

Baby E Is getting big and no amount of denial will keep him tiny forever. 

He turned eight months old the other day. 

He loves food, especially cereal (and the accidental servings of honey mustard!) 

He rolls over and scoots around on his belly to get where he wants to go. 

He sits on his own. 

He wakes up once or twice a night. 

He talks like a gremlin. 

His laugh sounds like a cry. 

He likes to touch your face and pull on your lips. 

He has six teeth. 

He says baba baba when he is hungry. 

He thinks C and Big E are hilarious. 

He loves Ms. Rebecca. 

He is a master at the walker. 

He is starting to give huge, slimy, wide mouth kisses. Perfection! 

Happy eight months, little guy. We love you!

07-08-15 You're going to die...

So this morning I got the kids dressed and sent them out to the van to strap themselves in. When I looked out to check on them, I noticed that C was in her seat, but E was not strapped in. I walked over to the van and that's when I remembered that I had left his car seat with the sitter and it never made it back to my van. I muttered, "Oh no, Elijah, we don't have your car seat!!" and walked away. 

I called Rebecca, who was watching them today, and asked her to come get the kids because I couldn't drive them over without the car seat. When I got off the phone I went back to the van to find Big E crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "C told me I was going to die!!!!!" 

So apparently when I walked away the first time, C must have turned to him and said something along the lines of "we don't have your car seat, so you are going to die!"

And the thing about Big E is that in his eyes, everything that C says is gospel truth. She can tell him not to do something and when I tell him he can he cries that he isn't allowed to because C said "no." 

Poor fellow took some convincing that he was not, in fact, going to die. Once we had that squared away, he cheered up. 

This evening we had dinner with my sister-in-law, her kids, and my in-laws! I love spending time with family!

07-07-15 The long awaited photo...

C's official ballet photo finally arrived. I've been stalking my mailbox for weeks, so I was pretty excited when I opened up the little door and found the long awaited envelope inside. I'll be honest, I wasn't really impressed with the quality of the photograph- she wasn't really centered and the colors were off. But thankfully I have a great friend who is a wiz at Photoshop, so I gave her the photo and voila, she worked her magic and redeemed it! 

Isn't she adorable?

07-06-15 A little bit of crafty

So I am way behind on holidays... I mean way behind. This past weekend I finally gave my mother her birthday present. Yes, her birthday was in February... Don't judge! 

I made her some coasters with pictures of the kids. I think they turned out pretty great! The hardest part was figuring out which pictures to use, but I figured my mom really didn't need 85 coasters, so I settled on four of my favorites. :)

07-05-15 Long Weekend

It's always sad when a long weekend comes to an end, but at least it was spent with dear family and friends!

07-04-15 Happy Independence Day

We got to visit my parents today, and the kids got to attend their very first parade. There were lots of fire trucks, farm vehicles, horses, and politicians. The kids' favorite part, was that many of the vehicles that passed threw candy out towards the children.

The fire trucks were a bit too loud for this little girl, though they paled in comparison to the canon that ended the parade. 

Goobs was in charge of watching the stuff. 

Big E loved all the tractors and fire trucks. 

This evening the kids watched the fireworks while standing in Noana's big bath tub so they could see them above the houses. As they started, C turned to me with a big smile and said, "You know what's better than fireworks?? Jesus!!!" 

A little while later the saw a firework shaped like a smiley face. I hear her exclaim, "Daddy, that one looks like you!!" 

Here are some photos from last night playing with sparklers with the cousins, 

07-03-15 Went swimming!

The kids and I went swimming today with some good friends! Well, most of us went swimming. However, if you were Baby E you just drifted around in the pool taking a 45 minute nap. That's right, my kid who screams through bath time, snoozes through a swim. Maybe I need to bathe him in cold water from now on! 

Nothing to see here, folks, just a baby taking a nap in a pool. 

Don't worry, there was always an adult with him and he was never in any danger. While he snoozed, the rest of us swam. C is getting much more comfortable in the water. Big E is doing better, but still spent a considerable amount of time sitting on the stairs and playing. It was really a lot of fun! 

07-02-15 Baby Chub

Baby chub is probably one of the best things under the sun. Seriously, how can you not love those chubby ankles and chunky thighs?!? So squishy!!

07-01-15 Fun with cousins

I've mentioned it before, but I will say it again... I love living so close to family. I had another doctor appointment for my toes today, (that's right, they still aren't all the way better) so I got home early. The kids and I went out and met up with my sister in law and her kids. They rode bikes and played in the common yard area. 

Climbing trees is hard work and so much fun!

We had unexpected, but always welcome, visitors when Aunt Annie and Uncle Chris showed up with cousin Josh. Josh loves anything that flies, so he was pretty excited to see a helicopter flying overhead. 

Afterwards, I had dinner with a dear friend and her daughter. Such a wonderful evening! 

06-30-15 Conversations with my children

While I was prepping dinner the other night, E came running into the kitchen.

E- "Mommy, what are you making?"

Me- "I'm making burgers."

E- "Can I have a toy with that?"

(Note to self, let's avoid drive thru for a while!)

As you know, C took her first plane ride this past weekend. In fact, she took a total of four flights. Two to Arkansas and two home. I was curious to know what she thought about flying, so I asked her what her favorite part was. Her eyes got really big and she got a huge smile on her face. She leaned close to me and whispered, "Mommy, every seat had its own table!" 

I'd like to note that I am pretty sure that E is convinced that Daddy and C were actually on the plane the entire weekend. He also got very excited yesterday when I told them they were coming home because he wanted to see the plane land at our house. 

For weeks, E has been walking around the house saying, "What is that amazing smell?!?" every time I cook dinner. I admit I was pretty flattered. But then I noticed him using this phrase at odd locations like gas stations and near trash cans. 

So last night I was cooking dinner and he walks in and says, "What is that amazing smell?!?" And I say, "I'm cooking hamburgers." And he says quite emphatically, "I do NOT like that smell." 

So apparently, all this time he has been using the word "amazing" wrong and has been insulting my cooking.

06-29-15 Welcome Home

06-28-15 Me and the Boys

It's been me and the boys this weekend while Tim and C have been out of town. It's always interesting to see the different dynamic when the kids aren't all together. Big E has missed C terribly and asks about her all the time. He really doesn't know what to do with himself when she isn't around. It is going to be a difficult transition for him when she goes into kindergarten. 

I'm looking forward to my family all being under the same roof again!!

06-27-15 Look Who's Sitting Up!

Today was the first time that Baby E really sat on his own for an extended period of time. Up until now, his oversized head always pulled him down. It appears he has finally learned how to balance it! Way to go, Baby E!!

It would appear that C is having w good time on her trip!