Powerful

Please go watch this! Our church did cardboard testimonies a few weekends ago, and they are POWERFUL! GOD works in wonderful ways.
Here is the link.

Long hair and rainbows

Claire is obsessed with having long hair. She thinks that everyone with long hair is beautiful. She wants her hair as long as possible... no matter what. Even though our daily hair routine starts and stops with screaming and tears, she still wants long hair. Today we were in Walmart and she saw a woman walk by. I did not see her right away, but Claire made her VERY evident to me. Claire started jumping up and down YELLING " Mommy, I want hair like THAT!!!" "LIKE HERS!!!" As I looked up, I saw a woman with hair that would have reached the ground if it would not have been wrapped around her waist. Yes, that's right folks, it was braided, and then threaded through her belt loops like a belt. So, my response to Claire you might ask? "Maybe when your older Claire, maybe when you older." I think I might have laughed a little too! I don't know why I am always amazed by the things I see and hear at that store... you would think I would walk in there looking for a story. Is it just me, or do you have fun times in that place too?!

On a side note, Claire and Luke love to say the prayers at every meal, and bed time. It is so sweet to hear them pray for all the things and people that are special to them. They never forget to mention Mommy, Daddy, Claire and Luke (usually several times each) they sometime throw in Shelby (the cat) and Bailey (the dog). Nana and Papa's always are included, and if Claire is in charge of the Prayer she always throws in something special... She talks about God, Jesus, and "Thank you for the rain and the beauuuutiful rainbow that God created!!!" While she says this line she throws her head back and arches her hand across the sky mimicking a rainbow. It is the sweetest thing... but it always makes Jeff and I laugh. She is SO dramatic and full of life! What a blessing we have been given!

Today Claire made a drawing of "The beauuuutiful world that God created" (that's how she says it!)
(clouds at the top, a rainbow, flowers, and grass... pretty good for a 3 year old!)

The last few weeks...

I know, you expect more from me than this... but, the last few weeks have flown by. My Grandpa, Opa, went to live with Jesus almost two weeks ago. We are all missing him so much. We drove up to Colorado for the funeral, and to spend some time with my family. It was good to be there, but also very difficult. It was great to see that my Grandpa was loved by SO many people. Here are a few pictures from our Colorado trip...

Uncle Justin (my brother) with Claire and Luke

Me with my Grandma Elva (Oma)

Luke spent lots of time playing with bubbles outside! Papa Gerry taught Claire how to bounce and catch the ball!
All of the kids released balloons after the funeral. Claire said "I think Opa will catch my balloon in heaven." It was a very sweet time. (Thanks for the idea Becky!)

Since we have been back we have had lot's of great friend time. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the kids with there best buddies...

Claire and Luke, the best of friends, most of the time! :)
Claire, Luke, and Gracie Claire
Luke holding "Baby Bake" (Translation- Blake)
Luke and his best buddy KJL... How cute are these two?
Luke and Big buddy Ezra! Ezra teaches Luke how to do all the cool, fun things that big kids do!

This and that...

1. I wanted to share my latest creation with you. It is entitled the "Honey bee bag". Check out more pictures on my etsy site.

2. Claire and Luke got to have a camp out in our bedroom a few nights ago. Our upstairs AC is broken, and won't be replaced until Saturday. They loved sleeping in there zebra tent!

3. Thank you for your prayers for my family. My Grandpa is still with us, but he is very weak.

4. We had a great Fourth of July! Our good friends Kelsey and Lisa had us over for a cook out! The kids went swimming, we did a lot of eating, and then went and saw some great fire works. Fun was had by all!

Fun with sparklers!

Claire and Kaylen love to play dress up!
Luke had a great time making a festive hat.
Are these kids cute or what!?
Luke participating in the silly face contest.
Mommy and Luke
Daddy and Luke
Just a bonus picture... my handsome little guy.

Sadness

I got a call from my Mom this morning, letting me know what I have been dreading for weeks. My Grandpa, "Opa" took a turn for the worst this morning. They think he will leave us in the next day or two. I came out of my bedroom crying, Claire and Luke were very concerned. Claire started the following conversation (again). We have had this conversation SO many times in the last few weeks, but I think she keeps bringing it up so that I will understand... she gets it, but I don't think I do.

C: Mom, why are you sad?
E: I'm sad b/c Opa is very sick.
C: Will he get better?
E: No, He is going to live with Jesus soon.
C: Oh, but Jesus lives in my heart!
E: Yes, He does, but Opa can live in your heart too.
C: Don't be sad Mommy.

Kids really understand more than we give them credit for. Maybe I will learn something from her. Please keep my family in your prayers. We will probably making the trip up to Colorado sometime next week.

Walk with me...

This post may get long. Lot's of things to talk about... a fabulous memory, Canada, and funny, funny Claire.

Let's start with the memory. Picture this... Me with a side ponytail and HUGE bangs. I was wearing my favorite NKOTB Joey t-shirt with a sweet ribbon t-shirt ring. I was with my Mom, and a few of my favorite friends from my girls scout troupe. The location? The NKOTB concert at Texas Stadium. I think I was in third or fourth grade. I can remember the noise and the heat like it was yesterday. I am actually sitting here smiling, because I can remember how truly ecstatic I was. Yes, we were screaming, and yes, I kept the paper fan that they were handing out. I even kept the ticket stubs, and collected streamers from the police line tape. I made a collage out of the whole thing.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, it's not because I am embarrassed, because you know YOU did it too! I'm telling you this because one of the new NKOTB songs is out, and it is GREAT (it's called "Summertime"). You must go to itunes and buy it. It will make you remember things that you only thought you wanted to forget! :) If you know me well enough, none of this should be surprising you. Girls, I can't wait to hear similar stories... comment away!

Next, lets talk about Canada. Jeff got to bring me along on a business related trip to Whistler, British Columbia. It was nothing but fabulous and amazing. I have never been to such a beautiful place. I spent lot's of time at the spa, and lot's of time reading. A much needed break. Jeff played golf, and we also got to go to the top of a glacier. Amazing. One night we went to a "rock and role" themed dinner. The entertainment was none other than "Loverboy". Don't remember him? He sings "Workin for the weekend" and "Almost paradise". It was hysterical and lot's of fun.

The golf course in Whistler.
Jeff and I on top of the glacier.
A view from the ski lift.
A black bear that we spotted on the way down... they were everywhere!

And now for my sweet Claire. She is getting to be such a big girl. After she wakes up from her nap she has been helping me create things. Her latest creation involves threading buttons onto a stick in color order. She calls her creation a "button stick". I hope she grows up to be a crafty little thing!

Claire making a "button stick".

Luke's new trick

Fun with frosting...

My friend Christi and I made a ton of petite fours (tiny cakes) today. It was SO much fun, and they turned out just the way we hoped the would! Martha Stewart helped us a little bit by providing us with the recipes. Claire, Luke, and Sheadon helped by crying (we got to take little breaks!). All in all, it was a very successful morning! I can't wait to go to Becky's baby shower tonight and see everyone else enjoy them!

Luke

My sweet little guy is two now! Can you believe it? His birthday was May 25. That is also Mine and Jeff's anniversary (6 years!!!)! I love my two guys soooo much!

Nana Janis and Papa Dale were here for the events, if you can call them events! :)

I made cupcakes for Luke, and we opened presents. He loved every minute of it! For our anniversary we went to Central Market for dinner.... I love sitting on there patio! Then, we went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie. What a great night!

Other than that, our house has been one of disorder. After being gone for so long, and having company, I can't seem to get back to normal. Hopefully soon...

The morning of Luke's big day...
Happy Birthday Luke!!!!
Playing in the fun new sprinkler attachment!!!
Helping Pap Dale plant flowers
Coming soon: Pictures from our Colorado trip...

In Colorado...

Hi. I am still in Colorado. The kids and I came up to visit my family for a while. My Grandpa (sometimes referred to as Opa on this blog) is very sick. It has been a hard visit. We will be coming home on Friday.
So many people have come by to see my Grandpa, and we have been able to see most of them too. Claire has had a great time showing off... A few days ago Claire and I had the following conversation...
C- Mom, did you see that guys ears???
E- What guy?
C- That guy with the thing in his nose!
(she was referring to a very good friend of the family who is on oxygen)
E- Oh, yeah. His name is Gene. That thing in his nose helps him breath better.
C- Oh, but did you see his ears?
E- What was different about them?
C- He had ROCKS in them!!!
E- ?????????
Jeff chimed in at this moment and clued me in to the fact that she was talking about his hearing aides!!!
We all had a good laugh over that one.

Pictures coming shortly...

My ladybug

Claire did a great job in her first school program last night. They sang lots of cute songs about bugs. Claire got to wear a ladybug hat, and she looked too cute! I'm still working on the video... it's really hard to understand all of those sweet voices from far away.


Claire and her BFF Gracie Claire... How cute are they?
Luke and his Sissy...
Me and the kids... I was a little over enthusiastic about her performance, can you tell? :) It's rare that I get a picture with me and my munchkins.

On another note... go check out ZoeJo. My dear friend Sarah has a new design blog... very cool! She is a great artist and a very great friend... I'm proud of you Sarah! :)

How I spent my weekend...

1. I have a cold. yuck.
2. Got up (against my will) on Saturday morning.
3. Headed to the laundry mat. (I haven't been to one since sophomore year at ACU.)
4. Spent $32 in quarters doing laundry. Folks, that is a huge, whopping, 17 loads of laundry!!!!! My dryer is broken... it is rumored to be fixed soon. ;)
5. Went to church. The worship was beyond amazing. Wow!
6. Woke up Sunday morning feeling a tad better.
7. Had lunch with my three favorite people.
8. Went shopping, BY MYSELF!!! It was fabulous! I spent tons of time trying on clothes, walking aimlessly around the Nordstrom's shoe department, and listening to the silence around me.
So, all in all, it was a great weekend... if only I could breath through my nose!
Tomorrow Claire has her first school program... anticipate some fun pictures and videos!!!

Fun with friends...

We are so blessed to have wonderful friends all around us. You are all so important to us! I am on a mission to get pictures of the kids with all of their friends... look out, I'm coming at you with my camera!

With that said, here is a sweet picture of Claire and Blake.
My two new favorite pictures of the kids...

Baseball!

Last night we had the opportunity to go to the Rangers game. Jeff got his firms seats for the night, always the best way to go to a game! :)

Last year we got to go and the kids lasted until the third inning. This year we made it to the fourth inning! Maybe one day we will be able to make it through the whole game!

The only bad thing about the night was the people sitting in front of us. They were the "kid loathing" type... you know the kind. Every time Claire or Luke would even brush by them the girl would turn around and give me a death look. Believe me, the kids were SO well behaved. Ugh... people like that can really get under my skin. They didn't ruin the game for us though... we had a GREAT time!

Luke loved watching the players "HIT BALL!!!"

Daddy and Claire (this is my new favorite picture!)

Luke giving Daddy hugs!

Having fun...

I love spring time! It's so fun to be able to do things outside. Last weekend our small group had a garage sale to benefit a girl from our community. We raised over $700 dollars! It was a very fun time. Claire and her buddy Lael liked pretending that they were running a lemonade stand like the other (bigger) girls did. SO cute!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to the zoo with Claire's BFF Gracie Claire. Luke and Sydney got to tag along too.

On a side note: If you still need a Mother's day gift, I am willing to extend my deadline! I have had several people ask me if I could squeeze them in... Just contact me through etsy :) Happy Thursday!

Just kidding...

THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. I'm not kidding. When I saw this last Saturday I seriously thought I was going to pass out because I could not catch my breath.

Pictures

Last Thursday we had a really nasty storm come through. When the weather man starts showing your neighborhood on the screen, it's hard to not get scared! Grapefruit sized hail was predicted...we only got golf ball/ quarter sized! Thank goodness. Here are some pics from shortly after we emerged from hiding!

Some new pictures of the kids and Bailey. Below: Claire showing off her new Earth day shirt.

The munchkins with Bailey. Not the best picture, but it shows you how big Bailey is getting. She really is a very small dog. I don't think she is going to be very big at all.
Last weekend we took the kids to play miniature golf. I'll admit it, I was sceptical! I didn't think that they would last the whole time. I was wrong. They LOVED every minute of it. Luke talks about golf constantly. He walks around the house yelling "Hit ball! Yea Wuke!!!"
Here are a few of the pictures from our outing... The next Trevor Immelman. Sweet munchkins