Prayer.

It's something that means so much, but we do so little of. How many times do we go through our days and tell people that will remember them in prayer, only to forget as soon as we walk away?

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have been really focusing on praying lately. This verse has come to mean a lot to me these days. I have noticed that when I pray, there are things that I pray because there are so many needs around me. Not just in my life but in the lives of the people around me. But then, when I get really personal before God, that's when I have the desire to bow my knee before him. Those are the things that are so important in my life that all I can do is fall on my knees before God.

So what I want to know is.......What is it that makes you bow your knees before Christ?

Things I LoVe

SwEeT IcE TeA!!!

I just made my first pitcher of ice tea for the season! I couldn't wait till it was done brewing!! A little sugar, ok, a little more, there that's perfect!! A nice tall glass, lots of ice, and a lemon slice. AAAHHHHH PerFecT.

Sweet tea reminds me of my Dad. He always had some made when I was growing up. Now that I'm grown, I like it just a little sweeter then my Dad made it. :)

HaPpY MonDay

Happy Saturday!!

Dada is very happy today. She lost her 4th tooth! Since I hate messing with teeth, I was very happy when she happily went to Daddy and asked him to finish pulling her tooth out. It was barely hanging by a thread!! She is very excited about the "tooth fairy" coming tonight!! She said......now I will have $4.

Dada has flashcard homework at least 3 nights a week. The last couple times, Brother has wanted to do her flashcards with her. He likes to see which ones he knows and if he can beat her with the answer!! It is really cute.
Today was no exception. Hunny started doing the flashcards with Dada, and in no time Brother was right there with her. It was good to hear there laughter as they were doing it.

Do you like Brother's chocolate milk stain on his face and their mismatched p.j.'s??

I hope you have a GoOd SatUrDaY!!

An evening with my MoM and SisTerS!!

My sister Janelle has been on spring break this week so she came down to visit with my parents. Since she was in town, all of us girls decided to get together. I have been excited about this night all week.



I have been missing Jonathan and Melanie. It makes me sad to know that they are so far away when the rest of us are right here close to each other. It makes me sad that they aren't able to be a part of nights like this. So last night when we were all out, we took their picture with us, so they would be there as well!

We went to the Texas Roadhouse. Which is so good. A little pricey, but their rolls are out of this world!! The rolls alone are worth it!!







I am so happy that us girls take the time to stay connected. Since Joy didn't grow up with sisters like we did, it's good for Joy to be around us. It's good bonding time.













Sisters annoy, interfere, criticize. Indulge in monumental sulks, in huffs, in snide remarks. Borrow. Break. Monopolize the bathroom. Are always underfoot. But if catastrophe should strike, sisters are there. Defending you against all comers. ~Pam Brown


Jessica and Janelle both share a birthday in April. (Since I love them, I will not share their age. Although they are NOT old, they are just not as young as I am!!) Anyway, we celebrated their birthday last night also. All the waiters and waitresses gathered around and they sang Happy Birthday. While they sang, Jessica and Janelle had to sit on a saddle. Janelle was all for it, but Jessica wasn't to sure.

After a little (ok, a lot!) peer pressure, Jessica finally did it, although a little unwillingly!!

After dinner, we walked our food off at Wal-Mart and then Best Buy. Joy is in the market for a laptop. So we all had to give her our educated advice on laptops. I love my Mom's advice the best.......But Joy, this 1 is pretty. The color is so nice! We even discussed who Joy would have help her get viruses off her computer if she may ever need it. She promptly told us that they have a T.I. support at their school. It took us a minute to realize what she was saying. Joanna finally said don't you mean I.T.? I don't think we have ever laughed that hard!!

After shopping we went for ice cream, at the DELICIOUS Cold Stone Creamery!! Again pricey, but DELICIOUS!! (Notice Melanie.....you were there with us!!)


We even decided to call Melanie. I can't wait till May when they are able to come home for a nice visit.

Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling. ~Pam Brown

I am so thankful for my sisters. They all mean so much to me each in their own different way. I just want to encourage you to stay connected with your family. FaMilY is EvEryThIng.

A GoOdLy HeRitaGe

You never really understand what your parents have done for you until you become a parent yourself. My parents have made sure that we know and love God.

I can remember both of my parents spending hours in prayer over each of us kids. My Dad would be up in the early hours of the morning in his old green chair with his BiBle open on his lap. I always thought he was sleeping. One morning I asked him why he slept with his BiBle and he laughed and told me that he was praying. I can remember my mom spending time with God in the afternoon....while we were supposed to be taking a nap!! :) I would wonder how anyone could spend so much time reading the BIBLE. But now that I enjoy reading it, I can understand how someone could spend so much time reading it, and hearing from God.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.


6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.


Psalm 61: 5b thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.


Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

My desire is to give my children the same heritage. I want them to know that following God, and searching after him is the only way to find true happiness and JOY.

Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Yard Work

I have been wanting to get the yard work done for a couple weeks now. Since the weather was nice on Saturday, we decided to get busy!! Since we had Micah, it was even better since we had so much "help." I think there whole goal was to rake the BIGGEST pile of leaves that they could so they could jump in it!!
They could NOT wait to jump into that pile of leaves!!
They were laughing so hard while they were throwing leaves at each other!!

Micah is such a sweet boy! I am so glad that we get to spend time with him!!

Dinner and Bowling with the kids

Janelle had her nieces up this weekend. Jessica went up also just for a visit so we had Micah while she was gone. We figured he would have a better time with Brother then spending the weekend with a bunch of girls!!
Friday night we had plans to go out with Kevin and Heather. We went to my now new favorite restaurant.....Chipotle. The food is amazing! If you have never been there, you need to try it!!
The kids thought is was pretty cool b/c you can eat at the these high tables and watch the cars pass.

After dinner, we took the kids bowling. Ever since they heard we went last weekend, they have been begging us to go.
Brother was quite the ham. The kids have already shown us their competitive streak. Brother didn't want to lose. But he was in no danger of losing since my score for the 1st game was like 41!!

Micah was so quiet! I think the other kids were overwhelming him. But I do think that he enjoyed himself!!
Notice anything different about Victoria?? She got glasses this week. Doesn't she look adorable!?!?
Even though I only bowled a 41 in the 1st game, I agreed to play a 2ND game. I HAD to redeem myself!! Boy am I glad I did!! I think that Kevin really wanted to beat me. BUT. What can I say?? If you can't see the picture that well, I bowled a 131. Not a 31, a 131!!

Reading

I read this quote when I was perusing the internet. It didn't say who said it, but it made me think, and I think it's very true!! "Show me the people you hang around and the books you are reading, and I will show you what you'll look like in ten years."
Proverbs 19:8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.

Hello Spring!!

If there are one thing my kids love, it's their bikes. They have been riding and riding and riding!!
I love seeing the kids riding their bikes. This year I have given them more freedom, and they are loving it! I now let them ride up and down the alley and they can also ride around the neighbors house.

Don't ask me why my wonderful son insists on taking crazy pictures!! It is so hard to just get 1 good picture of him!!

With the warmer weather, we have been spending more time outside. I love to just sit outside in the sunshine and listen and watch the kids!
Dada is such a girly girl! I pulled our nail polish basket out and we sat on the porch and did our nails.

While we did that, the boys played catch. It is so good to hear them laughing and playing.

Proverbs 17:22a ~ A merry heart doeth good like medicine.

Our TV board

For a while now, I have noticed that my kids are watching WAY to much TV. I know that it is partly b/c it has been winter, but partly b/c they LOVE to watch TV. But in my eyes, it was just getting out of hand.

I have also noticed the whining. Oh the whining!! Dada is especially bad at this. But Brother can whine with the best of them. The morning and right after school was the worst time for the whining.

So we decided to do something about it. We made a TV board. They each have a side of the board, and they have to earn TV time. We have a list telling us what type of things earn TV time. When they earn the time, they get to put up a pin so they know how much time they have.

We started this on Monday. So far, I think that it is working out really well. We have had 3 almost whine free days!! All I have to do is just THREATEN to take away a pin, and they pipe right up. I never would have imagined that could happen.

I think the main thing about this is that we have something that we can do. It is simple and easy enough that we can do it anywhere we are at.

Today, it's not as nice outside, so they are wandering around the house wondering what they can do. Brother especially doesn't want to waste his time.

A NeW BiKe

At the end of last year, I accidentally ran over Dada's bike. It was her fault b/c she left it behind a car, and it was my fault, b/c I wasn't careful. I had almost ran it over about 2 days before I actually did it, so I should have been a little more cautious to check and see if there were bikes behind me. But needless to say, I didn't check and I ran it over. We didn't replace the bike, and have regretted not doing it many times. Dada LoVeS riding bikes. It's 1 of the forms of exercise that she loves, and doesn't even realize that she is exercising. So we really felt bad for her not having a bike. She tried riding her old little bike, but she was just to big for it. She really needed a bigger one. We debated getting her one for Christmas, but thought against it, b/c she wouldn't be able to ride it. Part b/c it was winter, and part b/c of her broken pelvis.

.
Well last weekend, we were at Wal-Mart while the kids were with Grandma and Grandpa. Hunny went to the toy aisle and he decided that we really did need to get her a bike. We were both excited to pick her up and show her her bike. We had the bike set up in her room so she would walk in and see it sitting there

She was so happy to get outside and ride her bike!
She rode and rode that bike, for most of the night. And the best thing about it was, when she got done riding, SHE put the bike in the garage!!

A SpeCiaL day

Guess what my boys are doing on this beautiful day?!?!

Hunny pulled out his bb gun that he had growing up and is outside giving lessons to his son.







I am glad that the windows are open, b/c I get to listen to their conversation! It is so sweet!
They are shooting at old pop cans on the neighbors old bbq. They even made pyramids out of the cans to see how many they can shoot off the bench.
You should hear Brother laughing. He is so happy right now.

I love how Hunny takes time with his kids. He makes time to make each one of them feel special.

I encourage you to do something SpeCial with your children today!

Things I LoVe

When I was a child, my mom used to make fruit dip. She usually only made it on holidays, or special occasions. But I always loved it when she made it. Now that I am grown, I make it all the time.

The teachers celebrated my birthday a couple months ago, and instead of bringing me a cake or cupcakes, they brought me fresh fruit and fruit dip!! They know me so well! It was a perfect snack for my birthday.






It is so simple to make!

FruIt DiP
1 box cream cheese
1 jar marshmallow fluff

Mix together.

Told you it was simple!! If you wanted to change the color, you could use strawberry cream cheese.

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Today is my late Grandma's birthday. It was been probably 6 years since she died. But she was gone to me long since then. She had Alzheimer's, and she moved to California to live with my aunt about 14 years ago. I never saw her after she moved. I loved her very much. She was always nice to me. This was taken at my house growing up. She would come and visit us every Easter. I was probably 5 when this was taken.

A full weekend

Friday night was spent with Kevin and Heather. Heather and I are more excited to get together then the kids I think. Hunny and Kevin had us in stitches the whole night.I think that Hunny was driving Heather nuts b/c he kept "shooting" candy wrapper baskets. It was just that he kept missing. By the end of the night, there was a whole pile of candy wrappers by the garbage can!! :)













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This picture was taken 4 years ago. It is amazing to see how much they have grown and changed!!
Saturday was a busy day. We had a bday party for my friend Sherrie's little boy. My kids were so excited about going. They love going to their house.

I love getting together with Sherrie's family also. Sherrie's parents were in town for the party, so for once we had to actually "behave" :)
Well.......okay, we tried to behave. :)


Nikki had to leave to go to play practice, so Dada was a little bored after she left.It is so hard to believe that Nikki is old enough to be going to play practice!! When I saw her on Sat, I was amazed at how grown up Nikki looks. Dada certainly looks up to Nikki!!
I hope Ty had a great 8Th birthday!!









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Saturday night we spent bowling with our sunday school class. We were excited to be out with just adults. Hunny and I were even more excited b/c Hunny's parents took the kids for the night. I tell you, it is so nice to have parents that are willing to take them whenever. Our kids love going over to Grandma and Grandpa's. They know that there will be a trip to Wal-Mart to get something special!
Our group had a blast that night. My sides hurt the next day from laughing so hard.
I'm not quite sure what Kevin was doing, or how he ended up beating everyone with a 164, or something like that.
Thankfully, we even remained friends after Hunny hit Heather in the head.
It was good to see Ben and Julie. They will be getting married this summer. I think they are a little bit excited about it!!
It was nice that some of the college kids were able to make it down for the evening. These kids have been such a joy to our church.
Another group of bowlers. Pray for Melissa. She is in the hospital as we speak in labor. I guess bowling helped things right along!!
After a serious discussion, we decided to get something to eat, (I mean what is a Baptist gathering without food right?!?!!)

Heather decided she just wanted to eat light.