Splash Pad meet-up!

We met up with our "rockin" friends for some Splash Pad fun!  These 4 girls have so much fun together.  The 2 mommies do, as well! The pictures pretty much speak for themselves.  We went out to lunch after the water playing was over and got a chance to sit and visit while the girls ran around

on the play ground.  I'm so thankful for friends who just "get" me! Those gifts that he brings into our lives when we were not expecting them.   God uses those relationships to build us up and encourage us.  Thank you Jessica for being that to me! (even if we don't get to sit in the same room very often) :)

I smile as I think about these 4 girls being that for each other as well.

*** Next meet-up will include a picture of the mommies too ***

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

1 Tessalonians 5:11

Sweet, Sweet Sydney

The girls are IN LOVE with their little cousin, Syndey.  Memorial Day weekend, she came for her first visit to Texas!  She is such a sweet and good natured baby.  Rarely fussy or crying.  We love her so and just wish we lived a little closer!

We had to take some fun pictures while we had all the girls together!

And, of course, we were super excited that Aunt D and Uncle Brad came along too! :)

It was a great, laid back, weekend.  We mostly stayed around the house.  The guys went fishing a couple of times and the girls made a quick shopping trip as well. We are so thankful that they were

able to come and spend a few days.

Needless to say, she stole all our hearts!

Much about May

May brought us many smiles! Abi lost another tooth at school and has been reading up a storm.

We soaked up our last few Thursdays with just Adison before school officially let out for the summer.  She will be starting Kindergarten this fall and I'm gonna miss my little padre.  Stripe

enjoyed wearing many different outfits and accessories during his play time with Itty.

We have been remodeling the girls' bathroom and have made many trips to Lowes and Home Depot.  We just happened to walk up on a Saturday Kid's project one morning and the girls were eager to begin building.  They made birdhouses for Mother's Day.  The apron's seemed to help them hammer even harder. :)


I tried my hand at Mumsey's rolls.  They were definitely not Mumsey's, but they turned out pretty good. (lots of butter always makes thing better) We also finished the girls bathroom! YAY!!!!


I received many secret notes, surprise drawings, and cards from my girls for Mother's Day. Abi even left me a note under my pillow and hidden in my phone.  She is too sweet!  We played almost every day at the park.  We had to get in the park time before the Texas Summer hit.  We celebrated our teachers and treated them for all their hard work.


Adison also left me a fun little surprise by my bathroom sink.  I had seen this small plastic dinosaur sitting on my counter for a couple of days.  One morning Itty was in my room and I said, "Thank you so much for my surprise that you left me!  I love the cute dinosaur!" 
Adison replied, "Oh yeah!  I forgot about that.  I dropped it in the potty and I needed you to wash it for me. "

Needless to say - the bleach came out! Although at that point it likely didn't matter.  :)


Steven had to do a little work on the boat, but it's now up and running.  We took the girls for a short ride out on the lake.  They were ready to dive in!


Adison graduated Pre-K!  She has grown so much over the last year.  We can't wait  to
see this big girl in Kindergarten!






A good friend left THFW to begin a new job closer to her home and family.  It was bitter sweet to see her leave, but exciting to know she is starting a new chapter.  It just means we will have to meet up more often. :)






Abi finished the First Grade with all "A's". She just took off in math this year.  It has been fun to watch her as she gains more and more knowledge.  Daddy and Adison got donuts for her last Thursday alone with us.


We all picked up Abi on her last day of school and celebrated!  We took them to the mall to bounce on the trampolines with harnesses.  Abi was flipping everywhere!  We also went by our new, favorite dessert place, Orange Leaf!

May was a month full of finishes.

Adison finished Pre-K.

Abi finished 1st grade.

Steven and I finished the bathroom!

We are ready and excited for the new beginnings that will follow . . .

We also had a special little visitor the last weekend in May.  But, more on that in another post. :)

Promises

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Genesis 9:12-13

Not too long ago, the girls and I were eating inside a fast food restaurant.  We looked out the window and could see the dark clouds blowing our way.  The pretty intense storm blew through pretty quickly and we were able to witness the most beautiful rainbow from our backyard!

Promises!

I had a special moment with my girls and was able to "visibly" show them one of

God's promises. I'm so thankful for that!

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2 Peter 1:4

Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 1:28

April

Most of the pictures from April, I took with my phone.  Technology amazes me these days.  As I look back at the pictures, I am reminded of how fast life happens.  Flowers have been blooming all over our yard.  Roses, magnolias, tulips, and many more.  The buds grow and bloom overnight!

Here are a few of the many April happenings around our homestead:
Many, many trips to Lowes! (the girls love to "ride" the mowers)
Adison started a new gymnastics class
Steven and I celebrated "9" years together
Abi lost, yet, another tooth
Adison got real glasses
Homework, homework, homework
The "marble jars" were filled to capacity (these were started back in Feb.- more below)
Everyone, but Mommy, seemed to get the stomach bug mid-April
We've made many trips to the park
We've eaten blueberries off of our bush in the back
The girls have been in the sprinkler
Snuggles happened daily
Prayer time has been especially sweet for our family
Moments to learn and lean on God have been abundant

The Marble Jars were filled!
Kind words were recognized.  Putting others first was rewarded.
Obeying when no one could see was acknowledged.
Hopefully, obedience to God was affirmed.
Our hope and goal for our girls through this is self-evaluation
on a level that they can see and understand.
Some days they got 3 marble and some days only one.
But after the jars were full, it was time to celebrate!
To Chuck E. Cheese we went!

We had a couple of eye specialist appointments for Adison this month.  This sign was in all the patient rooms and I found it very comforting to know that these doctors acknowledged the Ultimate Physician.


Our Itty Bitty is captivated with ladybugs!


Life happens so fast.  My word for this season that keeps singing in my head is "captivate".
my thoughts, my prayers, my actions

one of my all time favorites:

 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corn. 10:5