because i said so...

breckenridge kind of summer

2013-09-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

a week in Breckenridge was just what our little family needed.

exploring the mountains and soaking in God's beauty was hopefully

the beginning of a new summer tradition. can't wait to go back!

sweet ballerina

2013-05-21T20:03:00.000-05:00

Ellie had her third and final dance recital with South Tulsa Dance Co.

It's always so much fun to watch her get dressed up and do her thing up on stage.

She and her BFF were able to dance together each year. We sure will miss seeing Claire every week.

I think the girls talked as much in class as their mamas did while waiting. :)

a day in the life.

2013-04-30T22:26:00.001-05:00

what's a mama to do when she's got the day to herself?

with nothing to do but get ready for this?

well, whatever she wants, of course. :)

ended a pretty good day with a pretty good night with this guy.

now bring on the sun and sand.

#12

2013-04-11T22:42:00.004-05:00

it just doesn't get any cuter than this guy suitin' up

and playing his first ever baseball game.

be my valentine.

2013-02-15T12:40:00.001-06:00

Annual dates with our valentines.

Most of us weren't feeling good but we pushed through, in the name of love. :)

Daddy and Ellie dined at Cheesecake Factory.

The boys and I pulled up to our traditional place, Cosi. Cosi was no more. Boo.

So we headed down the street for some mexican eats.

The kids really look forward to this date night each year.

I hope they look back on these dates and remember how much fun it is to show each other love,

not just on Valentine's Day, but every day.

baptism bash

2013-02-10T12:05:00.000-06:00

This was such a special day!

Watching two of your kids proclaim their love for Jesus publicly.

Seriously what it's all about!

I'll never forget the night last fall when they asked Jesus into their hearts.

And I'll never forget seeing their excitement on this day.

They keep asking when they can get baptized again, they loved it so much. :)

God is so good!

a full christmas

2013-02-02T16:31:00.002-06:00

we had a fantastically full december,

filled with all kinds of christmas crafts and learning about god's perfect gift.

so thankful and blessed to spend my days at home with these kids.

and yes, i am still picking up marshmallows. :)

candy cane day

2012-12-11T19:49:00.000-06:00

We needed a day like today.

A day filled with good moods, minimal fighting and lots of candy canes!

Watching him read J is for Jesus reminded me of when he was three.

It was his favorite Christmas book. He knew it by heart.

First time to use polymer clay today. And last. :)

Peppermint chocolate chip pancakes for lunch!

My little candy cane girl.

woolaroc

2012-12-04T23:12:00.003-06:00

we ventured to woolaroc for the first time. a very good family day with lots to explore!

a museum, animals, rocks, trees, trails, art, guns,

and a lodge that kyle and i fell in love with the minute we stepped inside.

that frank phillips was a luck guy to be surrounded by such beauty.

this picture of ellie cracks me up. her face.

regretting the "accidental" dropping of the cup.

she was guilty and she knew it. :)

wood for the fire.

2012-10-22T00:27:00.001-05:00

she's happiest when she's helping others.

she's really happy if she gets to help her daddy.

you'll notice, not a brother in sight. :)

oh wait... there they are.

not really interested in the helping,

but definitely interested in the s'mores.

pinterest props

2012-09-12T12:17:00.000-05:00

I'm wanting to try and keep track of the ideas we try on pinterest so I am throwing these pics on the blog,

despite the whacked out coloring of the pics. But I'm not going back to fix them.

Ain't nobody got time for dat. :)

This is a collaboration of morning worksheets that I came across.

I love this idea!

My place in the world project.

Mainly for Embry and Ellie but Hayes enjoyed it too. We've been going over these

the last few days to help them familiarize themselves and grasp the concept of city vs. state vs. country, etc.

I made these numbers to help with learning to tell time. Duh. :)

Fun math activity. Hayes got a kick out of this yesterday.

Will probably do this often because it's learning in disguise. :)

hello homeschool!

2012-08-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

Exhausted and encouraged.

That about sums up our first day of homeschool for me.

We've got a few bumps to smooth out but today was a good day for our little family.

I love our first day pictures and how they differ a bit from years past.

No new outfits picked out by Mom, no back packs, no shoes.

But excitement and smiles remain for what lies ahead.

We kicked our day off with a scavenger hunt... just because we could.

A few other highlights were finally being able to break open the new math toys,

snuggling up in the living room listening to Charlotte's Web and attending Hayes' lego class. :)

Here's to a great year of Kindergarten and 3rd grade!

phone dump continues...

2012-06-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

happy father's day!

2012-06-17T22:58:00.000-05:00

When it comes to dads, my kids got a good one. :)

grease lightning

2012-05-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

Ellie loves to dance.

And getting to see her buddies, Claire and Hannah every Monday

made for a sweet year of ballet and jazz.

Such a pretty little dancer.

Her biggest fans came to cheer her on. :)

phone dump.

2012-05-12T13:54:00.001-05:00

So my good friend, Courtney, gave me quite the challenging gift for my birthday this year. :) A picture-a-day photo album. I was sick at the first of the year and completely forgot about starting with my daily pictures, so I decided I would begin on my birthday and capture each day of my 35th year.

I have really enjoyed it. However, I have been using instagram and not my camera. More practical and easier that way, but I think my camera misses me. And of course the pictures aren't the best quality. But in this case, it's quantity over quality baby. :)

So here's a few moments of my 35th year so far...

eight years old.

2012-04-28T09:07:00.001-05:00

I sat across from him on the bus yesterday.
His first time.

I just stared at him, watching as he talked to his buddy and acted like a goof.

He would look over at me and smile.

It was the last day he would be seven.

We had just spent the day together at the zoo.
He taught me everything he knew about snakes... his current fascination.

He even let me hug on him without getting embarrassed.

Will that change now that he is eight?
I hope not.

He declares he will never marry or have kids.

So will he ever know how much I truly love him?
How my heart aches with pride when I see him grow in confidence
and accomplish things he didn't think he was capable of accomplishing?
How I can't imagine life without him in my world?

There have been recent stories about him chasing girls on the playground.
That's new.
Maybe there's still hope. :)

Wishing my big boy a very Happy Birthday.
May you feel extra special and loved every single minute on your special day.
Everyday.

And may today be filled with more legos than you know what to do with.

Love you, Hayes.
xoxo

game face.

2012-04-12T23:48:00.001-05:00

seattle

2012-03-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

much-needed getaway.

just the two of us getting to explore.

many laughs and memories made.

mucho coffee and seafood consumed.

thanks minnie and papaw for taking care of our sweets.

xoxoxo

sickie poo

2012-03-21T00:26:00.000-05:00

we've spent some quality time together lately.

quiet, stay-at-home, recovering from the flu time.

there was a lot of this...

and this...

more of this...

occassionally some of this...

unfortunately this...

maybe a little bit too much of this...

lots of this...

and finally this...

it was tough seeing them feel so bad.

but there was just this quiet peace of being home together.

nothing to do but focus on making them as comfortable as possible

and watching god work through prayer.

will you be my valentine?

2012-02-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

I think it is safe to say that all five of us look foward

to this special night with our valentines each year.

The boys wanted to dine at Cosi like we did last year, while Daddy and Ellie chose Carrabba's.

We met up for some book browsing at Barnes & Noble afterwards.

i choose peace.

2011-12-24T23:22:00.001-06:00

no christmas cards this year.

avoided the frustration of attempting to make my kids all smile happily

at the same time for the camera.

eliminating stress where i can.

choosing to focus on christ.

oh come let us adore him.

no santa this year.

kyle and i told santa we've got it covered and want to focus on jesus' birthday.

multiple times a day, people ask my kids if they are excited about santa.

we kindly reply that we are having a birthday party for jesus instead.

most look confused. that's okay. well, not really.

i'll always remember embry's response to the first question.

a lady asked him what santa was bringing him for christmas

and he proudly said, "santa's not coming to our house because his presents

(my ears heard presence) will be a distraction to us."

eliminating the competition.

for he alone is worthy.

our gifts are different this year.

i could not do one more year of running around to find things...

just to buy them... just to check them off my list... just because that's what you do.

it completely distracts me from where i want to be. there is so much more to this.

even though others may not get it, it's where we are. where we are supposed to be.

we give you all the glory.

christ the lord.

praying that this will be the most meaningful christmas yet.

that we can take the time from the busyness swirling around us

and truly adore the gift that has been given to us.

merry christmas!

'tis the season...

2011-12-24T11:01:00.000-06:00

for some advent activities!

What a fun December it has been!

1 - Explore Christmas lights at Rhema.
2 - Shop for Blackwell family and Broken Arrow Neighbors.
  3 - Christmas parade and Bethlehem Walk.
  4 - Make popsicle snowflakes and watch Frosty the Snowman.
  5 - Ellie's Christmas dance. Family game night and s'mores.
  6 - Shop for OK Foster Wishes.
7 - Take cookies to Life Church staff.
8 - Hot cocoa and Christmas books.
9 - Make cinnamon ornaments.
10 - Christmas Train.
11 - Christmas cookies.
12 - Watch It's a Wonderful Life.
13 - Button wreaths and felt wreaths.
14 - Dinner under the tree.
15 - Date night with Minnie. (which means date night for Kyle & I. :))
16 - Lights with Papaw & Minnie.
17 - Christmas with Nana's family.
18 - Girls go to Nutcracker. Boys go to the movies.
19 - Read J is for Jesus and do a candy cane craft for GG's apartment building.
20 - Family game night and hot cocoa.
21 - Make candy cane popcorn for friends and neighbors.
22 - Deliver popcorn to friends and crafts to GG's apartment building. Watch Home Alone.
23 - Gingerbread nativities. Life Church Christmas service.
24 - Make Christmas presents for Jesus and bake him a birthday cake. Sleep under the tree tonight.
25 - Birthday party for Jesus!

my lunch date

2011-12-02T21:33:00.003-06:00

We had a lunch date today. Her choice... so of course we went to Panera.

I took this picture because it reminded me of one I took about this time last year...

She's such a little lady. She longs for high heels. She keeps busy "coordinating" her outfits. She wants to fix her own hair.
She enjoys mothering her brothers. She gets frustrated with me when I won't let her wear make up.
She's 5! Where does this come from? She's growing up too fast and I don't need her to speed it up any faster!

According to her homework today, I think that her need to mother her brothers has expanded into some wishful thinking.
Maybe she needs a new doll for Christmas. :)

time well spent

2011-11-29T12:12:00.008-06:00

The time, always the time, I'm an amateur trying to beat time. The six kids rouse. We race. The barn... and hurry. The breakfast... and hurry. The books, the binders... and hurry! In a world addicted to speed, I blur the moments into one unholy smear. I have done it. I do it still. Hands of the clock whip hard. So I push hard and I bark hard and I fall hard and when their wide eyes brim sadness and their chins tremble weak, I am weary and I am the thin clear skin, reflecting their fatigue, about to burst, my eyes glistening their same sheer pain.

The hurry makes us hurt.

I don't really want more time; I just want enough time.

I just want time to do my one life well.

-Ann Voskamp

Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing... Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away.
-Mark Buchanan

These are words from a book I am reading right now. Oh, it is speaking to me. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It's just what I need right now as Kyle and I are taking steps to simplify and get to the place where God wants our family to be. Being thankful for what we have today. Right now. Maybe doing things a little different than the next family, maybe doing some things the same. Changing things up according to what is on our hearts.

But what always seems to get in the way no matter how I try to keep things/activities/obligations to a minimum is my unnecessary need to get things done. I'm guilty of flying through moments just to check each one off the list.

I've even found myself rushing through this book so I can move on to the next.

And I feel that I am thankful for this life. Every bit of it.

But am I really? Do I stop and notice the details? The amazing details in each day that show God's love and power? Because they are everywhere. All around me.

So I am making an effort to slow down and really enjoy this book and the poetic words that fill its pages. And while I'm at it, enter into each moment of my day. Rush my kids less. Love my family more. Thank God for the blessings, big and small.

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.

Psalm 39:6