Little ladybug

Lucy Jane found her First Lady bug! We were playing on her 'pirate ship' outside and she found a ladybug on my shirt! She held it and talked to it and was very interested in the tiny creature! Love teachable moments! 

She eventually squished it! :) lots of fun with my sweet girl! 

First day of Pre-school!

We have debated about what to do for Lucy Jane this year! Last year she went to Kids Day Out at our church and loved it! It was 2 days a week from 9-2 and she had wonderful teachers! She is definitely my social butterfly and needs to have interaction with other kids on a regular basis. 

Over the summer, we had play dates and stuff that kept her having fun...but I knew she needed more. She loves structure ad a routine. She asked all summer if it was time to go to school. I had signed her up to start KDO again this fall but didn't have complete peace that it was the right choice for her. 

Rich and I decided that I should call the church (at the very last minute) and see if they had any openings in their Pre-K 3 program. They had one slot open. We signed her up immediately. 

She goes on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:00-3:00. She absolutely loves it! 

The first day, she was sooo excited! She wasn't sure about the polo and tennis shoes but is adjusting well! (Never owned a pair until now) 

Showing me her big girl backpack! They are required to have a big back pack so that it can store all of their nap stuff, change of clothes, and of course puppy! 

She has the most loving, caring, perfect-for-her teacher, Mrs. Bryant. Lucy Jane knows she is boss and knows that she loves her! 

Daddy even shares in taking her to school! Those are her favorite mornings! 

She has her sweet friend, Hailey, in her class! She loves her friends! 

She is so tired at the end of the school day, which tells this Momma she had fun!  She is already telling me bible stories about God creating light! I love that she is learning so much and being loved on so much!  My heart is full! 

I am enjoying my cuddle time with this little ham while she is at school! My heart is happy! My family is happy. This is a good place to be! 

Buffalo River 2013- Happy Anniversary

What a fun weekend away creating memories that I hope will always be cherished!  I had never been to the Buffalo River and it had been years since Rich has been, so he planned a trip to celebrate our anniversary!  At first, I think he had the idea that we would be camping in a tent.....(4 month old and 3 year old)...I said NO WAY!  so......he rented us a nice little cabin in the middle of the woods and it was perfect.  At first I was a little scared of all the bugs around us I have to admit.  Seeing how much Lucy Jane loved being there made me happy! 

Rich did all of the grocery shopping for our trip which helped tremendously.  I left all the cold refrigerated stuff at home (of course) so we hit up the Harrison Wal-Mart. (This was an experience all in itself)  We ate every meal either in the cabin or had a picnic at the water.  Lucy Jane swam and fished with her Daddy!  He bought her a pink Barbie fishing pole and showed her how to hook a worm to the pole to catch a fish! I love her adventurous spirit! 

We stayed at Buffalo River Outfitters. The cabins were so secluded and perfect for a family getaway.

 

Chef Rich always cooks good food while we are away! Grocery shops and cooks....pretty lucky!

Lucy Jane sporting her hat and smile! Ready to hit the water!

Just chilling!  Happy as can be!  There was a nice breeze that kept him pretty content!

As we were leaving, Daddy found Lucy Jane a turtle! She was so excited!  She wanted to bring it home so badly, but we chose to set it free!  (not an animal person) :) 

He can't wait for Kaylor to fish with him someday!  :)  You can see Lucy Jane throwing her pole behind him! 

Thankful to have a husband that plans fun things for us to do! I would never think to do things like this with such small kids, but he brings me out of my shell.  For that, I am thankful.  Lucy Jane has loved every second of the adventures he takes us on...and I know the memories created will last a lifetime. 

Have to share...

As women and Moms, I think we all struggle with feeling good enough, accepting ourselves for who God created us to be, and genuinely appreciating who we are in HIM. 

This was my devotional this morning...

I struggle with the negative talk. "This makes me look fat" "I wish I could keep my house as well as she does" "we should all have dinner together at 5:30 like every other family" and on and on.... We can not compare our lives to others because we honestly have no clue what their life is really about behind closed doors. God created us uniquely to be our own being in his image. 

We all have flaws. Don't beat yourself up. Talking about our problems does nothing to fix them! Take action, but keep notice of your progress! :) 

Find your confidence in The Lord. He should be the one to fill us, not others. I am challenged today to be the best ME that I can be. Hard work pays off! :) lets vow to not compare ourselves to anyone but HE who holds the standard! 

He's still workin on me....

Rich, the kids, and I had a great weekend in Branson with friends! We went to visit the Kids Across America camp. This is a Sumer camp program for Inner City Kids. A friend of ours runs the camp and we have gone a few times to visit! 

We stopped in eureka on the way for dinner! 

On Friday night, we arrived at the camp just in time for the closing ceremonies. It is such a neat experience getting to see the excitement from all of the students and staff! They were shouting chants, doing dances, and radiating with excitement from a week full of being loved in and learning about The Lord! 

Saturday, we watched the kids load up and head home. My heart was so heavy for these kids. Most of them are going back to not so great circumstances. This one week of camp creates a high in them that could possibly change their lives forever. 

We played all day on Saturday!

Lucy Jane and Charlie getting ready to go for a ride!

Our sweet friends, the Steven's, that came along with us!

Both kiddos finally crashed at the end of the day!

We had such a fun weekend! I was convicted about what I am doing to serve. We are spoiled. We are ungrateful. We need to do more. 

Thankfully, he's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the earth, and Jupiter and mars. How loving and patient he must be...cuz he's still working on me!

5 Years Ago....

Time flies...5 years ago today Rich and I (or neighbor boy as I called him then) went on our first date! We lived in the same apartment complex, so I had seen him around here and there. I had checked him out, but he had no idea. :)

A few weeks prior, he pulled into the parking lot at the same time as me and conveniently helped me carry my luggage upstairs from a trip I had been on. We ended up talking until the wee hours of the morning...on my front porch I might add because I wasn't about to let him inside.

He convinced me on this night to go grab something to eat with him. (I had stood him up the other times he had asked) :). 

We went to Joe's Italian in fort smith. He was so easy to talk to and had lots of neat stories. He was so fun to be around and we laughed the entire time! 

I knew there was something special about him. He had a wild/exciting personality and made me feel so special. 

Glad I went!  We were engaged 2 months later. Married a year and 2 months later. 

5 years later... I am still laughing! (Most days) he makes me smile (most days) and still makes me feel special. 

Thankful that he is mine! 

Hanging with the Hardcastle's

Lucy Jane loves playing with her buddy, Hudson! These two play really well together and are so funny to watch! We spent a day last week hanging out! Here was our day!!

Kaylor loves to be snuggled up! (I created this probably) :)  I carried him around the mall in my Moby wrap and he was happy as could be!!

These two were so excited to see each other! 

The boys hung in one stroller for a while and the girls on another!  

Somehow we always end up at Target! 

Such a good trooper at Target! (This was after the panicked  run down every aisle to find has drops!) 

Sweet Analyn Kate didn't make a peep all day! 

Monkeys hanging out under the shopping buggy! These two are a mess! 

Sweet friends!!!

Look at that smile! They love playing in my car for some reason!!! 

Love their friendship and look forward to watching Analyn Kate and Kaylor become buddies too!!!  Love our days together!