Here's the Deal with Here's the Deal

I think the time has come for this blog to go private. The world is just too scary and untrustworthy. I need to better protect my babes. But if you are some of the faithful few (a grandmother/aunt/kid's mom/friends with nothing else to do) who like to tune in, you will not be shut out! Simply, give me your e-mail address if I don't already have it, and you will be signed up to the VIP, exclusive HTD viewers list and given the super-secret password:) Sounds top secret, huh? I won't privatize the blog for a week or so in order to catch any stragglers...then you have to sign in to see what's the Deal! (Photos taken by my cousin Tifani of Captured Photography! She's great!)

A Jumping Fun Party!

We celebrated Layton's 3rd birthday at the Jumping Party place in Stephenville this past weekend. As you can see, it is definitely a jumping good time!The kids were so brave going-it alone on the super-big slide. Audrey liked to throw a few claps in on her way down.Yes, even our best friends Caden and Kinsey were there, too!Granny and Brenna watched and cheered for the kids coming down the big slide...as I took a break from my constant companion :)

And with a party full of three-year-olds and wild jumping contraptions, a few tears were shed......but overall, everyone was very happy to celebrate their favorite nephew/cousin/grandson/friend Layton!

Special Birthday Week

Happy Birthday to the World's Greatest Awpa...

...and the Best Mimi in the Universe!

We love you both very much...obviously!

Symptoms of Spring

Here are a few signs that Spring may be what you are experiencing:

Bees buzzing around blooming flowers...

Seeds aplenty and gardeners galore...Pretty pastels...Bright bouquets of wildflowers... Warmer temps for lots of time outside...Dirty kids and clothes...

Garden pixies...

Spring cleaners/motorcycle gangs...

Bird feeders/watchers/welcomers...

Little critters...

If you said yes to one or more of these signs, then spring has definitely sprung for you.

Peck, Peck, Peck

Have you ever heard the saying, "Raising kids is like being pecked to death by chickens"? Ha! My mom always laughed about this quote, and I never knew why...until now that I am raising kids, of course :)


Since we have all been sick around here, the little peck, peck, pecks have been more constant and tiring.

Audrey keeps vomiting her medicine...peck, peck, peck.
Brenna keeps unrolling whole toilet paper rolls...peck, peck, peck.
Audrey will only eat a few bites at each meal...peck, peck, peck.
Brenna wipes as much food in her hair as she puts in her mouth...peck, peck, peck.
We have played musical beds as everyone coughs and rolls around all night...peck, peck, peck.
Not to mention how clingy and fussy we have all been off and on...peck, peck, peck.


But it's with these times of grumpiness and fatigue on my part, that the Lord pecks at my heart. He has reminded me through numerous sources of my calling and purpose in this journey called motherhood: to show my children the love of Christ, pray for them, and train them up to love Him and be His disciples.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:5-9

I want them to know nothing different than this in our home and lives. I want any and all impressions on them to be the reflection of Christ. There are some scary things in this world. I am reminded of this every day. And the longing of my heart is for my girls to earnestly love and pursue the Lord forever. I want them to stay sweet and pure and holy for Him.

"Train a child in the way she should go, and when she is old she will not turn from it." Prov.22:6

And like every mother, I worry that I won't be enough, I won't do enough. But as a friend wrote in her blog, Isaiah 40 promises that the Lord helps guide those with young. The Shepherd leads us "ewes" as we care for our little lambs.

Another analogy that was meaningful to me recently was this: I am to be like the builders who constructed the cathedrals in Europe. They worked tediously for years knowing they would never get credit for their time. Their greatest goal was to make a beautiful place of worship for their Lord. Likewise, mothers are raising children physically, emotionally, spiritually to be "temples of God," to be built to give Him glory and worship.

So my little chicks may peck, peck, peck at me, but if they uncover the Lord through it all, then what a way to go...

SPRING BREAK

Here's a few aspects of our Spring Break this past week:

S hopping/Shoplifting--Here's Audrey posing with the flowers she picked out at the store...

...and Brenna with the cupcake liners she STOLE from the store. Neither I or the cashier noticed that she was clutching this treasure when we checked out. I discovered our crime when I was buckling her into her carseat.

P icnics & Playhouse--Lots of great times outside, eating and playing and fixing up our playhouse. Audrey did a great job painting her house and would only take breaks to peel paint off her hands. Daddy put up the light in the playhouse and some lights in the tree for fun ambiance :)

R iding--Gators and Horses...aren't they such big girls!

I ce Cream--What flavors do these outfits remind you of? I guess I always have ice cream on the brain because I kept invisioning Neopolitan and Sherbet. We enjoyed several milkshakes this week, including one to mask Audrey's medicine and one from Sonic that Audrey poked a hole through with her straw.

N ature--I have never loved dandelions and dirt so much...and appreciated bug-free time outdoors that will be over too too soon.

G ames--We enjoyed our first visit to Chuck E. Cheese with Mimi and Pop!

B aby Calf--Audrey loved feeding this little guy at Granny's.

R oadtrips--To and from McAllen, to Eastland, to Ft.Worth, back home, to Stephenville and back...trust me, it felt like a lot of carseat time!

Everyone sick--yes, it never fails. Break time means everyone-get-sick time. Josh had some kind of stomach virus, the girls both had ear infections and coughing, and I got laryngitis. The worst part is that I simply cannot get medicine down Audrey. She gags and throws up at the very thought of medicine in her mouth. She cannot be bribed. She cannot be tricked. She cannot be forced. I am afraid she is going to have to get a shot.

A llergies & appointments--In addition to the pediatrician, we also visited Brenna's orthopedist for her hip check-up. Brenna has a shallow hip so the angle of her hip is off enough that it could wear out as early as her twenties if it does not correct itself. So I am happy to report that it is correcting itself nicely and does not require extra corrective measures right now!

K ites--We tried flying these cute kites in different types of wind for several days, and Daddy finally succeeded on the last day of Spring Break!

Overall, it was tiring...but a good one!

Vows in the Valley, Part 2

Here are more scenes from Hayden & Ann-Maree's wedding weekend in McAllen:

The kids (big & small) had a great time in the hotel pool!

Brenna Beth didn't care for the water...but she loved struttin' in her new bathing suit :)And the day was extra-special because Layton turned 3!No words for this picture...

A pool full of sweet little cousins...

Then we made another splash at the rehearsal dinner...

This was a great night of eating and sweet, funny speeches and more special family time.

The End.