SUMMER....the highlights so far!

I know I always say that I'm having a hard time keeping up, but it really is the truth. This summer has FLOWN BY, and we have had so much going on. There are days that I literally think my head might spin off my shoulders! It is all good things, but crazy busy nonetheless. Here are just the highlights of what we've been up to...

Camped on Memorial Day with our best friends, the Coffmans.

Opened our new business...Suds Express Laundromat!

Celebrated Noah's 7th birthday at Climb Time

Watched LOTS and LOTS of baseball...go Levi and Noah!

Celebrated Levi's 10th birthday...double digits!

Went on a missions trip to Monterrey, Mexico to love on the orphans.

Watched Levi pitch amazingly in All-stars!

Went to the 4-H fair and LOVED it!

Went to Florida with my best girlfriends!

What a great summer so far!!! I am thankful for how God has blessed our lives.

Easter 09

Today I am so thankful for Easter and all that it means. I had the priviledge of singing on the Worship Team at church on Easter Sunday morning, and it was just a wonderful reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the amazing miracle of his resurrection! Because He is alive and has saved me from my sins, I can live this life with hope and with the knowing that I am made perfect through HIS blood. Thank you, Jesus, for your priceless gift.

Easter Sunday was a a relatively relaxing day, despite all that we had scheduled! Chris did a wonderful job of getting all 3 kids ready for church, since I had to be there early. I was so proud to have my family walk through those doors...I just love them all so much. After church, we went to lunch at the Country Club with my parents and my brother and his family. Gracie thought she was hot stuff because they had a little miniature cup of mousse that was just her size.

After lunch, we took Gracie home for her nap, and Chris and I took a nap, too!! I don't often take naps, but sometimes it's nice just to curl up in bed during the middle of the day! Unfortunately, I must have needed more sleep, because I was still exhausted when I woke up!

From there, we went over to my mom and dad's for an Easter Egg Hunt! All the kids loved it and Gracie was just like a pro! It did make me wonder how much longer my boys will enjoy participating...I hope for a long time, but I'm afraid the years are numbered now.

I just can't believe how big they are getting. Here are a few pics from the day:

Spring Break 09

We had a wonderful time on our Spring Break trip to Redington Beach, Florida! I am so thankful for the quality time with my family, beautiful weather, lots of laughter, and fun times with friends. For the last several years, we have gone to the same area with about 8-9 other families...all with kids the same age as ours and all friends that we love dearly.

Last year, it took Gracie 5 days to even TOUCH the sand...this year was a different story! She loved the sand and the ocean. She kept saying, "Come on water" and would love to feel the waves crash up on her legs! Aren't these pictures just pure joy?

Me and my girl

Daddy's girl!

Is that my shadow?
Building castles in the sand...

Noah skim boarding...

One of my favorite pics of all time...

Love those boys...

One of our favorite things to do each night after dinner was go to the Ice Cream store for a treat! The Candy Kitchen and Pinky's were our 2 favs!


My love...

Spring has (finally) Sprung!

Man, am I glad that Spring is finally here!! I don't know about you, but it seemed as if Winter would never end!!! We have all had our fair share of cabin fever around here, so the kiddos were so excited to get out of the house the other day! It was a beautiful day, sunny and upper 60's, so I decided to take the kids to the park after we picked the boys up from school. Here are a few cute pics from the park:

Love my kids!!!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth....Noah lost both his front teeth within 2 days!! Look how cute he is!

Miss Gracie sporting her bow, PJ's and her new sunglasses...too cool!

Gracie has never really loved for me to take her picture, but now she is giving me this really "wonderful" look every time I get the camera near her...isn't that lovely? Do you love the outfit...that day she had to wear her Belle dress PLUS a tutu on top of that!

Gracie really, really loves her brother Levi (Bi-bi)!

A Mountain Top and a Valley

Right now I am experiencing a mountain top and a valley...all at the same time!! Three weeks ago, I had surgery on my foot. I have had plantar warts on the bottom of my foot for about 12+ years. I have needed to have them taken care of for so long, but I simply didn't want to deal with it or go through the pain. It had been giving me a lot of pain lately when I walk, so I decided it was time to take action. It is especially scary to deal with something on my foot since I have juvenile diabetes....healing is slower, infection is more prevalent, complications can arise, etc. This is where my "valley" comes into play.

I have had to stay off my foot for much of the three weeks because the pain is so intense....extremely hard to do with 3 kids, a house to run, and a real estate business!! I still cannot put pressure on my foot, which requires me to walk on my heel with a significant limp or walk using crutches. As a result, I am now experiencing pain in my back, legs, knees and heel. To top it all off, I have a sinus infection! I know I'm sounding like a total complainer, and I'm really trying not to be, but to be honest...I'm getting really discouraged. My hubby has been a wonderful help, my family has pitched in, and friends have been helpful, too...so for that, I am thankful. But, I just really want my normal foot back. We are supposed to leave for our beach vacation in Florida in 10 days and I am so nervous that it will not be healed in time. I am praying for God to heal this foot....quickly!!!!!

Enough of the whining...now onto my mountaintop moments!!! Through all of this, I have had to rely on the help of others and Gracie has been forced to cope with that. As a result, she seems to be developing another level of security that she previously did not have. Up until now, she has still not let anyone put her down for nap or bedtime, won't let anyone change her diaper or get her dressed, and Chris and I have not been able to leave her with someone else without sneaking out the backdoor. During the first full week after my surgery, my mom came over most every day to help take care of Gracie and I. During this time, Gracie learned to let my mom put her in her carseat, change her diaper, get her dressed, take her to gymnastics and.....put her down for NAP!!!! This is huge. I mean, really huge. The day they left the house for gymnastics, Gracie actually walked out the front door and said, "Bye, Mom". What a big moment for my little girl!!! I was so proud of her and SO happy for the door of security that she was walking through. The biggest accomplishment was that she let someone else put her to bed other than Chris or I....major, major accomplishment. Later that week, I had to go do some showings for work and Chris had to drive me (since I still couldn't drive with my foot). My sister-in-law, Stacie, came over to babysit and Gracie literally RAN out to her car to greet her! She waved goodbye to Chris and I and said, "Goodbye Daddy and Mommy". Stacie put her down for a nap and Gracie wimpered for a bit, but eventually gave in and did really great. Again, serious progress. I was just so proud of her and so hopeful that this would continue to be a building block of trust for her.

I know that all things work together for good...I believe that to be so very true.

A Baptism Day to Remember....

On Sunday, January 25, 2008, there was a party up in Heaven for Levi and Noah!!! Levi and Noah decided to give their hearts to Christ about 2 years ago in the back of Chris' pickup truck and on that day, they made the most important decision of their life. We were so extremely proud of them and so thankful that their salvation was in Jesus Christ. We have talked with them ever since that day, that Christ asks us to be baptized after we ask for His salvation, as an act of obedience to Him. Levi is very nervous to get up in front of people and just really didn't feel comfortable being baptized on stage at church quite yet. I didn't want to pressure him, so I just kept offering it up to him every time a baptism was scheduled at church. I felt like he would make the decision when he felt comfortable with it. So, in January, we found out that another baptism was being offered and both boys decided they were ready and wanted to be baptized!! Chris was able to baptized both the boys and that made it even more special. I was so proud of them for taking that step of obedience.

Here is Noah being baptized:

And here is Levi....

Later that night, Levi came up to me, gave me a hug and said, "Oh mom, I just can't believe I got baptized today!" How sweet is that??