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Blessing Bookends

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It seems quite fitting that just a few days after Lou’s blessing, we had the Senior Tea for some of my favorite soon-to-be high school graduates.  I got all nastalgic (shockingly) thinking about how the moms of these beautiful senior girls must feel like they should still be picking their “babies” up from the nursery instead of sending them off to college.  I loved having that these two events, that both represent so much change and growth, so close together.  Both are the beginning of something new.  A new group of babies joining our congregation with great blessing and joy.  And a group of students sent out from our congregation with equal amount of blessing and joy. 
Bookends.
Look at these beautiful senior girls, their sweet mommas and amazing junior class hostesses.
It was such a privaledge to be part of this afternoon celebration.
I love that our church is so committed to praying for these times of transition.  For the babies and the women they become.
The prayers for each group are different in some ways but in some ways so much the same. 
The prayers for those you love never really do change.
Oh, Lord, may they find
Strength.  Faithfulness.  Courage.  Love. 
in your Holy Name.
Amen.
ABL

Ok, so, just had to share…I was up late tonight, after writing this and looking through other pictures and my little blessing woke up crying.  She never wakes up anymore at night.  I treasured the time I got to just hold her, rock her and pray over her all the more because of this day.  I was reminded how few moments I will get like that before it will be her turn at senior tea.  The timing of it just gave me chills.  Isn’t it sweet how the Lord uses so many things to remind us of Him?

Blessed {again}

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We are so blessed to have spent nearly 9 years at a Church where we are loved and encouraged in so many ways.  I could write a whole series of blogposts on the people that minister to us there, the ways we are challenged to grow, the opportunities we have to minister to others.   But I’ll save that.  Or, better yet, just come see for yourself sometime 🙂

On Wednesday we were once again blessed by our Church family as we participated for a third time in the annual baby blessing.  I love that even though our Church has so many members, this night always feels so personal. From the moments of prayer for our family by an elder while laying hands on each of us, to the mixing and mingling with other families of babies born in the same year, to smiles hugs and squeezes from the amazing Children’s Ministry staff.  I won’t say I wasn’t a little sweaty trying to keep up with my 3 munchkins, take pictures, and be sure they got their promised snacks at the “party”.  But so worth it.  We are so blessed by this time of blessing.  BLESSED indeed.

It was amazing with KJ in 2007 and with Cbug in 2009.
and in 2010, it was Lou’s turn.

Prayer time by our of our sweet Shepherds and his amazing wife!  Love them
(and Lou loved trying to get her shoe off then put her shoe in his pocket…during the prayer.  awesome)

And on stage with all of the other 2009 babies’ families
(You can’t really see us in the first one and in the second one, you can only see RRL…laughing…because Lou and I had to move to the back row to keep her from climbing over me and anyone else in her way.  She was OUT. OF. CONTROL)
Enjoying time with family
(you can tell how much she LOVES her aunt and uncle)
And with some of her favorite people
(and here you can tell how much she did NOT want to be held.  or have her picture taken.)

My sweet blessing.
We are so blessed to have her in our family!  And she is so blessed to be part of this extended family.
PS- Did I mention there were snacks?
ABL

Being "old" never felt so good

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RRL likes to make fun of me for being “old” … referring especially to my love for talk radio (thanks, Daddy).  So, when we arrived at the garden club tent in Ennis for the 2010 bluebonnet festival and this cute couple was standing outside our van, RRL was quick to point out that now he knew I really was “an old Lady at heart”. So I chose to go to the same place for vacation as they did.  What does that mean? 
As you may remember, last year I was on a mission to find a perfect location to take bluebonnet pictures of our children. Thanks to my last minute research we found a decent patch and got some fun pictures.
This year, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I did my research ahead of time and discovered that Ennis is the “bluebonnet capital” and each year they have a festival commemorating that fact. Yep, I’m serious…and I’m even more serious when I tell you that I thought it would be the perfect place for a little spring get-away for our family.
While it might not have been RRL’s first choice of weekend activities, he was happy to spend a weekend with his four favorite people…Right, Babe?!?!
Whether he went willingly or not, I think even he would admit that this was another one of my hare-brained-ideas that actually was a great success!
We started out seeing some of the “sights”.  You know, the visitor’s bureau, the Ennis sign, the Garden club tent.  Yep, that pretty well covers it.  I must say, this really is the cutest town.  We enjoyed strolling mainstreet and ate at the best restaurant downtown.  It was nice to get away and only be an hour from home.

 

We spent Friday night just being together, including a drive along the “bluebonnet trail” on a scouting mission for Saturdays bluebonnet pictures. The cool thing about the garden club is that they map out for you the best roads to take to see the most wildflowers that are in bloom at the time. Aren’t they gorgeous?
Funny thing about bluebonnets, though…when we told KJ we were going to see “fields full of bluebonnets” he was beyond excited.  I mean unreasonably excited.  Through a series of events, we finally put together that he thought a bluebonnet was an armadillo thanks to a book we once read on Texas history.  It was narrated by Bluebonnet the Armadillo.  So, KJ was picturing fields and fields of armadillos.  No wonder he was so pumped…but he handled the disappointment well.  Before we figured out the confusion, he informed someone from the garden club (he makes friends everywhere he goes) that when he “saw some bluebonnets, he was going to SQUASH THEM ALL”.  We quickly reassured them that we would let him do no such thing.  The look of panic on their faces was priceless, though.
Now for the real point of the trip…
After seeing the gorgeous fields, I had high hopes for the pictures.  I brought bribes for the boys (cookies) and then banked on the fact that the picture diva would smile.  She always smiles.  I was wrong.  She apparently DOES NOT smile in bluebonnets, especially when her teeth are bothering her and it is her nap time.  She was miserable.  Ah well.  That said, here are a few (of the hundreds) that were my favorites.
One of the only things that helped Lou enjoy her time in the flowers was her watering can.  That is, until her brother took it away.
She also tolerated Cheerio bribes.  In fact, in the picture above, of her standing up she actually has a cheerio hanging on her tongue.  Side note:  Can you believe how big she is, standing up with her brothers?
Even though their sister wasn’t into it, the boys had lots of fun running and playing and wresting and hugging and jumping in the fields of flowers.
Aren’t they sweet together? Crazy wild. But sweet.

We ended the weekend at the festival.  Fun times, fried food, and three sleepy kids by the time we left.  We loved the corndogs and funnel cakes (of course).  The kids loved the train ride and the bounce house…..and of course, just jumping off the curb repeatedly is always good for a few laughs (thanks, C).
I offered to ride the train with the boys, as other parents were.  KJ put his hand on my arm and said “mom, i think it should just be me and Cbug”.  Um, ok.  I know when I’m not wanted.  Actually, I loved seeing KJ take C by the hand and lead him to the train.  They were so big!  The princess was worn out from all the picture taking and just enjoyed her nap in the stroller.  Sweet girl!
I sure loved this weekend with my family.  Bet you couldn’t guess that from the number of pictures (there are more on facebook).  Bet you also couldn’t guess it from the number of words on this blog post.  Hey, an old lady’s gotta tell her stories.
If this is what being old is made of…I’m fine with it.  Being “old” never felt so good.
ABL

MMM: a send off celebration

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There are people that make an impact on you because of the way they love you, and then there are people that make an impact because of the way they love you AND your family.  LC has been one of those people for us from the time she was in high school.  She has loved our children and hung out with me when RRL is out-of-town.  We have laughed together…a LOT.  So, when she finished grad school and got a job far away, we HAD to have at least one more fun night celebrating our sweet friend.

You can see how much she loves these boys…just by the fact that she was even willing to try to take a picture with them and all of their rowdiness.  These three boys love to be together, and they LOVE LC, but this was pushing bed time.

LC and some of her friends with my kiddos. 
Poor kids can’t find anyone to take them home and put them to bed.  Look at Lou’s sleepy eyes! 
At least the girls are gorgeous and so sweet to my three.  Sure love these girls!!
The real MMM project part of this celebration was the little book we made for LC to take with her.  The boys each made one page, I wrote a letter, and then we made a page of crazy pictures of the kids (see below).

Because LC was moving to a town packed with USA history, I decided to dress the kids in red, white, and blue; KJ took the patriotism one step farther.  The photo shoot was a failure at getting a great shot of all three kids (like 9 out of 10 photo shoots are with 3 kids under 4).  But it was a success at capturing thier personalities…which LC can surely appreciate after spending so much time with them.
Clockwise: 1) My favorite picture; 2) Lou clapping and Cbug doing his favorite thing- identifying a “dub-you”; 3) KJ finding other uses for the flag; and 4) C’s famous crazy face.

This was a fun Monday, but a bitter-sweet send off.  We love you, LC!
ABL

Easter Weekend {unabridged}

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Our Easter weekend was AMAZING.  It was crazy busy.  But it was amazing.

First stop…
KJ’s school Easter Egg hunt.  I love his little preschool and the people we are meeting there.  I especially love the times when I get to visit and watch him in his element.  He knows everyone.  Everyone knows him. The easter egg hunt, though, was business.  He was totally focused and it was hilarious to watch him run in circles gathering eggs like his life depended on it.  The best part was, though, at the end of it he couldn’t have cared less how many eggs stayed in his basket and willingly shared with others who didn’t get very many.  What a precious heart!

I love that he goes to school with the daughter of someone I work with.  It is so amazing to me to see the Lord bring “co-workers” into my life in a deeper way.  I’m blessed to be getting to know this family…and KJ loves his friend K.
Second stop…Cousin brunch.  For several months now, I’ve been meeting once a month with some of RRL’s cousins and their kiddos for a playdate.  It is so fun to watch “family” become so much more as these children develop relationships.  This month we decided to expand to the whole family on a Saturday morning for brunch and an egg hunt.  It got a little crazy with 8 kids under 5 (even with missing the other 5 great-grandchildren).  But it was so much fun!
Here is KJ showing his great-grandmother his prized football egg.  This was bittersweet, because I so wish he could really know her, but I do know that I can see her legacy in him and in each of these sweet great-grandchildren.  What a privaledge to pass on to them the faith that we celebrate at Easter because of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents!
I’m so blessed to have married into such a fun group of cousins.
Saturday night we moved our normal small group to the park for “family church” and an Easter egg hunt.

This is what Easter weekend should be about.  Showing our kids what is important to us.  Showing them that our family is surrounded by people that love them, but even more who love the Lord and believe that He died and ROSE on the 3rd day.  These people will encourage our children to claim this truth and these are the moments I want them to cling to, espeically around holidays like Easter.

We started the evening with some singing and a lesson for the kids.  One dad did an amazing job of using symbols in Easter eggs to have hte children help tell the story of Christ’s death and ressurection.  It was perfect and the kids soaked it up.  We also did family communion.  I loved that another dad led us to really think about the ways Jesus moved in the bible and even in our own lives. He is RISEN INDEED!
My treasures showing the spear that they found in their egg and listening to the explanation of what it symbolizes.
After Church we had an egg hunt.  What a fun group of kids!
Easter Sunday!
All dressed and ready to go.
Note-
1) Lou does have two legs, she just kicked one up in her dress and
2) Lightning McQueen really is a family member.
We went to Sunday morning service at RHCC.  Another great blessing in the weekend!  We went prepared for wrestling all 3 through service thinking there was no childcare.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the moments when our family gets to be together for worship.  However, 1.5 hours keeping 3 kids under 4 still and quiet is just a lot.  So judge if you want, but there may or may not have been an audible sigh of relief when we heard the announcement that there was indeed power kids and I quickly filed all three munchkins to their respective classes.  They loved it, we loved it.  Really a win/win for everyone, right?

As for the wardrobes, Libby’s dress was given to her by a dear family friend.  It is a treasure indeed and I loved having all of my sweet children dressed in white for the morning.  I was actually feeling a bit overwhelmed by their “adorableness” until I looked down the pew at KJ in the middle of serivce and realized that he had on his black and red flame hotwheels socks under his dress clothes.  Oh how the Lord will humble us. 
Then went to Grammy’s house for lunch and ONE MORE Easter egg hunt.  Another fun time with family and friends!
KJ’s shirt below was his Easter basket present.  He LOVES spider man these days.  The boys also got walkie talkies.  Which would have been great…except they didn’t work.  What a downer!
Easter weekend was such a delight!  I loved every. crazy. moment.  And while I hope we can teach our children about Jesus all year, I’m so thankful for times when the whole world stops to aknowledge Him.  Time set aside to remind us to continue teaching them.  Hope your weekend was full of those reminders, too!
ABL

MMM: Try this at home!

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This Monday activity was so fun, it has been requested on multiple occasions since this first effort.  And in some shape or form, the “obstacle course” will also make an appearance at KJ’s birthday party.  Not only was the activity awesome because the kids loved it, I loved it because…
a) it took little to no preparation ahead of time (the only thing I did was make numbers for the various obstacles)
b) It used all materials/supplies that we had around the house- I did not buy anything
c) I felt like it was also educational because I made the boys follow directions in number order.
d)I got to participate!
So, here you go. Our own personal backyard obstacle course… 
First, drive the vehicle of your choice throughthe dandelion maze (so glad we have weeds!)    
Second, climb the rock wall and zoom down the slide (and try not to get your fingers stepped on in the process)
Third- go for a wild-headfirst-dive over the beachball
Next, make your best shot…number 4 is the basketball goal.
For number five, climb through the tunnel of fun and then run for number six…the rope swing.
You’ll have to be a great shot again for number seven, but this time you can only use your feet.  Soccer time!

In number 8 we want to keep the dandelion maze around for our next obstacle course, so go ahead and blow those seeds all over the yard……and while you are taking deep breaths, blow some bubbles for number 9.
Lastly, you’ll have to have a good arm and accurate aim. Throw the frisbee toward the finish line!
We had so much fun doing this over and over.  Then KJ wanted a turn “watching” and taking pictures.  So I got a turn at the course!
And when Colter got tired of the obstacle course you will be shocked to learn that he…
…headed for the sandbox!
These stunts may look wild and dangerous, but I would say you should DEFINITELY try this at home folks!
ABL

REWIND: Cbug’s paaaaar-taaayyyy!

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Its been two whole months, but this is worth documenting.

Cbug had so much fun at his second birthday party, from the moment he woke up until the last of the guests were gone.  He must have said “My paaar-taaaaay, my paaaar-taaaay”  about 1000 times that day.  So much fun!
<---- the invitation
I made pudding cake and chocolate chocolate cake as our “dirt” for the construction party.  
And yes, I caught the spelling mishap before the party!
Cbug loved the cake.  He also loved the party favor trucks (which initially had raisinettes in them as dirt).  Everyone especially loved rolling them across the huge open church floor.  Who needs a playscape?

And the birthday boy’s siblings had lots of fun, too…
 
Just the fact that this is the best picture I got of all of the children says a lot about the party.  Sweet, fun, organized,friendly CHAOS.
Happy Birthday (one more time), Mr.  Cbug! 
Hope you feel celebrated because we sure do cherish the day you were added to our lives!
ABL

Daylight Savings Time

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Since RRL was out of town when the time changed we decided to embrace the extra hour of sunlight and invite some friends to join us for a picnic.  I love having friends that I can invite to an impromptu “bring-your-own-food/please-help-me-chase-my-kids” sort of picnic. 

I also love that my children have such wonderfully sweet (and adorable) friends!
and they loved that Mr. James has such a cool airplane!
I love enjoying these sweet baby girl smiles.
and they love laughing at their Mommas and crawling away.
I’m so glad we decided to celebrate Daylight Savings Time for the extra hour of sunshine, instead of bemoaning the lost hour of sleep. 
(Although there may or may not have been some moaning the next morning)
Hope you are finding lots of ways to enjoy the sunshine with people you love, too!
ABL

eventually … already

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EVENTUALLY

I’ll get around to posting about:
-Cbug’s birthday party

-Family outing to the museum
-Daylight Savings Time Picnic

-Makeover My Monday activities
 
     but in the mean-time…

     Can you believe that
                SHE
       is nine-months-old

 
           
            
   ALREADY?    

or that she could be so
sweet in her white dress,
while gouging her
favorite babydoll’s eyes?

MMM: Daddy’s Bday Surprise

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When Monday also happens to be RRL’s bday, it makes perfect sense that our MMM project would be a surprise for him.  I wanted to make him dessert, but we were having cake the next night with his family to celebrate, so I had to get creative.  He LOVES Dr Pepper so I was thrilled when I cam across this recipe for Dr Pepper no bake cookies.  The recipe even indicated that it was kid friendly so it was perfect for us (so I thought).
The recipe definitely was kid friendly during the first several steps.  I mean, of course it was, it involved Nilla Wafers.
And even involved crushing them and dumping them (two of the boys favorite activites in any arena)
And the recipe was shaping up to be a tasty one, too.  Add some Dr. Pepper and a whole-lotta butter (yes, that is an official measurement)
This is where it got tricky.  After you mix all of those fun ingredients, you are supposed to form small balls of dough, dip them in icing and then roll them in nuts.  I do not have many pictures of these steps because…well, this was NOT kid friendly…or mom friendly for that matter.  IT WAS A HUGE MESS.  Don’t know if my icing was too runny, maybe should have actually used nuts (instead of substituting mini-chocolate-chips), or the dough should have chilled to be a little more firm.  Whatever the reason, the finished product tasted great, but looked anything but appetizing.
Anyone else have a fun Dr. Pepper recipe? 
Please keep in mind that if you tell me it is kid friendly and I can’t even do it myself, I might cry.
ABL
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