Happy First Birthday, Kaylor Joe!

Ya'll, my little 6 pound 8 ounce baby boy just turned a year old.  I have had a hard time sitting down to complete this post!  We forgot our good camera at the office and all the pictures on our phone STINK. Our video camera was not touched. Not one time. During his FIRST BIRTHDAY. I am mom of the year!  I was more concerned with the fact that he wouldn't nap, watching for the mail man to grab his (cute cute) shirt, and getting all the food out on the table, that I never even thought about using our video camera to capture his big day.  ughhhhh

The day was great!  He is a special little boy, that has had this Momma's heart since the moment my eyes saw him.  He is loved so so much by the best big sister in the whole world!  She wanted his day to be perfect! She woke him up singing to him, and spent the whole day showing him how to use his toys, and reminding him that he is ONE year old now! haha

 

 

His cake was precious!  A sweet lady, Mrs. Robinson, made this cake for him.  Obviously the theme was, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."  She did such a good job at recreating the pinterest copied  picture that I sent her. :)

 

The lovely, Holly Thomas, made his cookies.  She is an AMAZING artist!  She even wrote the story out on some of the cookies and had his name written over them.  That is a momma's touch!  Ya'll need to follow her in instagram to see all the neat stuff she does!  @thedoughmestichousewife  I may have hidden one in the pantry to look at every now and then! :) 

 

Here is a cute video of him eating a cookie!!!

 

 

Our sweet friend, Angel, made Kaylor and Lucy Jane shirts for his party day! :)  She was worried sick that they weren't going to be here in time....but guess what!!!!! 12:50 they were delivered in the mailbox!!!!! Party started at 1:00!  Perfect timing! Ya'll follow her on instagram @themustardseed  She makes the cutest monogrammed stuff, too!

 

I made him a little birthday banner with pictures from birth-a year on a caterpillar! 

He loved his cake!!! He was sooo sleepy because for some reason he decided he wasn't going to take a nap that morning! Honestly, that never happens so it was very odd.  He crashed soon after the sugar high! 

 

 

He got lots of fun toys, had sweet friends and family over, and spent the day being cuddled and loved on.  I couldn't have planned it to have gone any better.  I wish I would have taken more pictures....but guess that is just how it happened! 

 

My friend Mollie shares a birthday with Kaylor, and she came by to celebrate with him before having her own party!  How sweet of her!

 

 

Ashley and her crew drove up from Ft. Smith and spent the whole day!  I am not sure how to have a party without her. She always comes early and helps set up, helps clean up, and then stays late and we visit!  I sure do miss living close to her....and our kiddos eat it up every time they get to play together! 

 

 

We tried to get a family picture.....let me say it again....TRIED.

 

 

And we TRIED to keep him awake to open presents!  He was excited at first, and then, well and then it was nap time! :) 

My sweet Mimi holding him right before my sister took him upstairs for bed!  (and no I didn't get a single picture with my sister or my nephew, Hoyt. Ughhh again)

Just enjoying a little more cake!  And enjoying sitting with her Bubba!

The birthday boy is all smiles as usual!  He is such a happy boy so far, and for that I am so thankful!

It is obvious that I am definitely his favorite! :)  And I am just fine with that! 

God has an amazing plan for your life, Kaylor.  I pray that you will walk after God, keep his commandments, and obey his voice.  I pray you will serve the Lord and hold fast to him, because HE will never leave you nor forsake you. 

 

 

Picture update!

I am so behind, so I am just going to update several of my pictures off my phone!

Kaylor is 11 months old now! Crazy how he changes so much everyday, and Lucy Jane is looking more like a little girl instead of my baby. I can hardly stand it! 

I can't believe how big Lucy Jane looks in this picture. This picture was taken at Little Giggles in Bentonville on Friday. We met some friends to play, and Lucy Jane spent most of her time on the monkey bars. She said she would keep practicing until she gets it just right! 

And here she is...practicing!!! She only face planted once! Haha!

Kaylor loves this little car! I didn't think he was big enough to ride or play anywhere near a toy this big!!! (I'm in major denial at how quickly he's growing) 

These pictures were on my phone so they aren't the best quality, but he sure does like all the boy toys they had! Poor kid has been playing with little piddly toys and baby dolls his sister leaves laying around! It's time for me to hook him up with some boy stuff!!!

This was taken today as I was trying to get supper ready! He was just hanging on my leg the whole time saying, Momma! 

Then he cuddled up to his Daddy so I could finish! 

As I'm typing this, Lucy Jane comes in the living room from peacefully coloring in the kitchen...and says, "mommy, daddy, look what someone did to me?????" 

She have covered herself in the crayons!

Last night, we went to Fast Lanes and Lucy Jane cracks me up with her hand ALWAYS on her hip!!!

These two finally got to sit in the big buggy together at Wal-Mart! You'd have thought I had taken Lucy Jane to Disney world she was so excited! 

We've done lots of crafts on the cold days...

And sometimes she lets Kaylor in on the fun...

And sometimes she doesn't! :(

Kaylor got his first haircut! He had a little mullet going on so we had to take care of it! 

He was happy about the sucker! 

These sweet cousins took a drive through the gentry zoo...while Lucy Jane screamed in the back that the animals were going to eat them! 

She is all about going through the self check out! She wants to ring up all the items herself and pretend she's the "best checker ever!"

These babies have my heart!!! 

Broken Hallelujah

First of all, I am not a Blogger, writer, or expert on any topic! Just felt the need to disclose that before I started writing! I love to blog for the simple purpose of journaling our life and kiddo stuff to look back on and remember later! 

With that being said, I felt the need to share what was on my heart! A couple weeks ago I was driving down the road and for some reason there was no chaotic noise coming from the back seats! :) (not normal I know)  I was listening to the radio, and the song Broken Hallelujah by The Afters came on. I had never heard the song before and the lyrics quickly caught my attention. When we got home, I googled the lyrics so I could read them. 

Broken Hallelujah

I can barely stand right now.

Everything is crashing down, 

And I wonder where you are.

I try to find the words to pray.

I don't always know what to say,

But you're the one that can hear my heart.

Even though I don't know what your plan is,

I know you're making beauty from these ashes.

I've seen joy and I've seen pain.

On my knees, I call your name.

Here's my broken hallelujah.

With nothing left to hold onto, 

I raise these empty hands to you.

Here's my broken hallelujah.

You know the things that have brought me here.

You know the story of every tear.

Cause you've been here from the very start.

Even though I don't know what your plan is,

I know you're making beauty from these ashes.

When all is taken away, don't let my heart be changed.

Let me ALWAYS sing hallelujah.

When I feel afraid, don't let my hope be erased.

Let me always sing hallelujah.

When I read the lyrics to the song I had just listened to, my heart became so convicted. There are so many going through a season that seems difficult. I have friends that have lost babies, lost jobs, struggling with family situations, financial issues that have them feeling crippled in life, and so many more things going on that we don't even know about. 

We all have seasons to go through in life. There will be great times, good times, and times that seem unbearable...but we should still praise God through the storm. He desires our love, he wants us to depend on him, he craves intimacy with us. The Lord never promises life will be easy, but he DOES promise to be there for us in EVERY season. Even when our praise is broken, we need to give it to him. When we aren't sure what to pray, he knows our hearts. 

There is Hope in Jesus. He makes beauty from our ashes. 

Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

"At present you may be temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials. This is no accident. It happens to prove your faith which is infinitely more valuable than gold." 1 Peter 1:6-7

We will all have trials. The Bible says to lean on The Lord in times of trouble, let him know you trust him, give him your Broken Hallelujah.