Testimony # 5 of 2011 :)

This season has been an extremely busy yet very exciting one. God is so faithful and He has blessed me, this time, by fulfilling a desire of mine that I have had for what seems like forever. On November 30th our family, my dad and Brenda, closed on a family venture we have named Kids & Co.!(My sister and I, with our families, are in the big middle and we are loving it.) Yes, that's right. . . we are opening a daycare.
As of right now we are in the beginning stages of renovations. Tearing walls out, removing old and planning for the new. God is giving us all goals and ideas as to how we do this for His purpose. It's exciting to see His thoughts and plans for us unfold as we step by step follow His lead. Though we have only just begun, we have seen evidence of His hands, from the start, on us while we move forward on this project. 
I can't wait to see what He has planned for us next!!

Psalm 128: 1-2

¹ How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
      all who follow his ways!
 ² You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
      How joyful and prosperous you will be! 

Thanksgiving 2011

   This Thanksgiving was very different than the ones in the past. Our family had to got to travel. 

We went to see Chris's parents who live in Malvern. So on Wednesday, we left and went through Hot Springs. There we stopped and visited "Bathhouse Row." We toured the Fordyce Bathhouse/visitors center, and also saw many of the different hot springs fountains. I think we heard that the temperature of the springs stays a constant 127 degrees year round. While we were there we also looked around in the shops along the main street and just enjoyed being in a new place, together.

  Once we left downtown Hot Springs, we went to the UofA botanical gardens called Garvan Woodland Gardens. They were doing their Christmas light display, so we decided to go see. I am glad we did. The kids loved the lights and it put us all in a Christmas spirit.

 Thursday came and we had an interesting meal. Chris's parents oven went out, so we ended up cooking everything including the turkey and dressing on the bbq grill. The turkey turned out good and we all ate way to much in spite of the challenge of preparation. 

 That night after we put the kids to bed, Nana and Papa kept them, Chris and I went BLACK FRIDAY shopping. We ended up getting everything we went after plus some. Not to mention he and I always have a ton of fun. We actually enjoy shopping in the madness!      

 When Friday came and it was time for us to leave, we decided to go home by way of Little Rock. There we stopped at the River Market District and played around for a while, but we also visited the Old State House Museum. It was fun to learn a little bit of history. Before heading home we made one last stop at the Old Mill to take a few pictures. We had a good time, but we were glad to be home.

Here are a few pictures of our trips highlights. 

                              

A fountain in front of the Old State House Museum

This was the bridge that we crossed at the River Market

                                                                                 

Shay took this picture that's why she isn't in it.

                    

 

Busy Busy Busy

This past weekend was a doozy! We got much accomplished though, so that was a good thing.

   Starting it off with a bang, we decided to do a yard sale Friday and Saturday. That was good, we sold lots of "junk" and made a little cash. But most importantly, I got to spend time with my sister and my mom. It's always more fun to visit while you work!!
   Saturday, after we cleaned everything up from the sale, we had a moment of insanity and decided to go ahead and put up our Christmas tree. It usually goes up 2 weekends before Thanksgiving, so that wasn't anything new or different. However, I didn't realize how tired I was and how much work putting up the tree actually is. Well, we got it up that night, but that's all we did.
   So Sunday, after church, we went and grabbed lunch and came home and finished decorating the tree. It was fun and the kids had a good time helping. You know the saying "many hands make light work"? Well, I'm not sure that is completely accurate. I think more work was created by having help. But I didn't redo everything. All their help actually gave our tree a little character, if you know what I mean!! : ) 
   We ended the weekend by going to a special Sunday night service with Marty Blackwelder. It was good, and I'm glad we went. I love that God always gives us exactly what we need, when we come expecting!!
The kids are just trying to make it through this week to next weekend. I'm sure it has everything to do with the fact that they are getting out for the Thanksgiving holiday next week, and they have the whole week off!
   I love this time of year. . . I am just having to remind myself, quite frequently, to slow down and enjoy it!! But time with family is always worth it, and I can't wait to gather this holiday season with the ones I love.

                                         Have a Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!!

It's Halloween!

This year, our church did their "Fall Festival" on Sunday morning instead of during the children's service. It worked out well, and both of my kids had a blast! We went simple for costumes. Elijah wanted to be a Transformer, and Shaylin wanted to be a Punk Rocker. Eli's was an easy purchase this year, but Shay's costume was a bit more creative. There were 80's rocker outfits to purchase as well, but to put it nicely, not too many of them were age appropriate for my 8 year old!! So we turned to her closet and came up with a masterpiece!!  

Both of them were very happy at how everything turned out, and so was I!! I love it when things come together with little or no stress!! It's great!                     HAPPY FALL YA'LL!!

Shay's 8th Birthday

So it seems the last few weeks have just flown by for our family. We have been catching ourselves coming and going. I like being busy, don't get me wrong, but I think its about time for a break!!

A couple of weekends ago, October 14th and 15th to be exact, we had Shaylin's birthday party sleepover. It was great. She chose a "spa" theme, and we ran with it. We handed out invites that looked like salon gift certificates. They turned out cute if I do say so myself. Shay invited a few of her closest friends and we planned dinner, manicures, pedicures, and facials. Not to mention all of the fun and giggles that were unplanned. : ) The night went well and I think all of the girls had a really good time. Here are a few of our pictures!!

The Birthday Girl with her cake. She wanted lime green and zebra stripes!!

This was the center piece that Shay made for the table. She made the flowers out of coffee filters and plastic straws. So creative!

We ate pizza for dinner!! Shaylin had the table already set before the girls got there.

The name of our "Spa"!

Aunt D and her "almost professional" manicures!!

Gabbie getting a facial!

Chara getting a facial.

Giving Maggie and Teja their pedicures.

The Gang - Maggie, Teja, Gabbie, Chara, and Shaylin

 All in all it was a fun night. A great group of friends and a good time.

One Eventful Weekend

Our weekend was full of fun and amazing things, not to mention a few mishaps. 

We started it off by being blessed with new furniture!! Yes, its true. Our old, sad, red furniture found its way to a hole in the middle of a field, known to our family as "The Pit." I was not sad to see it go though. As the old one was ushered out. . . we welcomed a new black leather set in. Well, new to us anyways, and might I add in much better shape. We really are enjoying it too. Thanks Dad and Brenda. You guys are amazing.

On Saturday, we went with my parents to my dad's company picnic. It's hosted every year at Columbus Acres, in Ft. Smith. Not only do we eat lunch there, but while the adults enjoy playing bingo and trying to win prizes, the kids get to enjoy all sorts of fun things. There are bounce arounds, a rock climbing wall, bungee jumping thingies, paint ball shoots, face painting and a balloon artist. Not to mention the fun carnival games where they win countless little stuffed animals. (Those seem to always make their way to the trash can soon after coming home with us, but shhhhh. . . don't tell my kids.) It's always a day full, but always a good time.

Then Sunday came. It started out great. . . we went to Navigate and attended service at LWRV like we always do. Went to eat with Onye and Tiff afterwards, pretty normal as well. Then we decided to cut a tree down that was in our back yard. That idea was super, as we haven't really cared for the said tree since we have lived here.  However, little did we know that carrying out the task was going to prove harder than we had discussed. :-)
We got the tree cut, but somehow miscalculated the strength it was going to take to get it to fall in the desired direction. So it ended up falling on our neighbors privacy fence. Luckily the fence was already in a damaged state from the storms/tornadoes back in the spring. However, they did have dogs so we did have to patch the fence until it can be replaced at a later date.  But that was just the first ooops. I had pulled Chris's pickup into the back yard to load the tree limbs so they could be hauled to "The Pit." Once they were set and ready to go, I somehow again miscalculated and drove the truck through the gate wrong and scratched the fender on the brick of the house. (WOW. That is SO not like me either. I'm still getting over that one.) So that was the second ooops.  Ok, so I was aggravated at the fact that I scratched the truck, even though it is "just a truck." But in the midst of that and trying to pick up the rest of the mess that comes with cutting down a tree, I wasn't paying attention and stepped down onto one of the old fence boards with a nasty yucky nail in it. Not just the board, I stepped smack dab onto the nail. So yep, you guessed it. . . on to the Dr to get a tetanus shot. Whoopie. (I didn't know exactly how far the nail had gone into my foot, as it had to go through my tennis shoe first, but I did know it bled a lot, and it hurt!!) After seeing him, I'm not sure which hurt worse. . . my foot, or my arm?? 
After returning home, everything got better. We ended up taking the tree parts to the pit and watching them burn in a huge fire, right along with the nasty red furniture!! It was fun getting to watch it all go up in a blaze. I guess it was momentarily therapeutic!! lol But we ended the night by roasting hot dogs and marshmallows at Onye's, letting the kids drive his tractor, and shooting off a few fireworks left over from the 4th!!

Thankfully a good ending to a not so good day!

But over all, another wonderful weekend.

9/11

We will never forget.

To all who sacrificed everything and to those that left loved ones behind. 

To everyone who was impacted by the events of September 11, 2001.

Summer Update #2

The last part of our summer is coming to an end. It's definitely bittersweet. It has been a good time having the whole family home all summer long, but we are all ready to resume back to our "normal".

Chris, after being off for 10 weeks, will be going back to work. He's excited, I'm excited, and everyone is thankful!
Shaylin will start second grade next Monday, the 15th. She wasn't to hip on the thought at first, but as the day gets closer she has gotten into the right frame of mind and she can't hardly wait anymore!
Elijah. . . well, he is adjusting. Daddy's going back to work, Shay's starting school, and all he can say is "it's not fair that I have to wait two more weeks." I guess to him Labor Day seems so far away. However, that is when he will be starting his last year of pre-k. He is super excited to go back and see all of his friends too.
As for me, I should have a full load of kiddos to corral this fall. I'm excited. I'd much rather keep a house full as compared to a kid or two. It makes the day go by much faster. Not to mention it pays better. : )

Even though its almost over, we have had a fantastic summer -everything considered. Since I posted the mid summer update Shay went to art camp with her friend Chara, our family went on a mini vacation, and we have done more swimming than any summer past! (At least it seems that way!)  I'd say it was a success!!

Fall is just around the corner. . . . BRING IT ON!!

Fun yet Educational

Over the past weekend we went to Wichita, KS with my parents. It was sort of a combination vacation trip with the purpose of visiting my grandma. We left late Saturday morning and our first stop was Tulsa. Potty breaks, stretching our legs at a place we like called Garden Ridge, and then lunch at Zio's. YUM! From there we continued toward Kansas stopping once again in the town called Ponca City, Oklahoma. There we visited the Pioneer Woman Monument. My dad had gone there when he was a kid and wanted to take us all. It was neat, but VERY hot!!  Once we left there we were Wichita bound. Arriving in Wichita we went and checked into our hotel and dropped Chris off. He had worked all night (literally) at the church the night before, so he was exhausted and needed some rest. Me, my kids, and my parents all loaded back in the car again and headed to down town to see The Keeper of the Plains. This was really cool and the pictures don't really do it much justice, but we all enjoyed it.  

The next morning after breakfast it was time to head to the Zoo. Everyone had a good time there. We had to leave about half way through to go visit my grandmother and eat lunch, but then we came back to finish the animal tour. I think everyone's favorite part of the zoo was the Silver Back Gorilla, except Poppy. He liked the Fruit Bats in the Rain Forest Exhibit. I have to admit, they were really cool. This day we ate at our Wichita Favorite called Spangles for lunch. And for dinner we ate at Chipotle. Our first time, but we all enjoyed it as well.

The next day before coming home we went back to visit my grandma again and then decided to go to the Kid's Exploration Place.

 It was a hand's on museum that had lots of puzzles to figure out, a place to learn about water current and building dams, wind, a miniature train track exhibit of early day Kansas and a imagination area that looked like a castle for the kids to run around in and dress up in Medieval costumes. From there we were supposed to be coming home, but we were all having so much fun that we decided to extend our trip one more night in Tulsa on the way home. So on Tuesday morning before coming back to Alma we managed to squeeze in a tour of the Blue Bell Creamery in Broken Arrow, the Bass Pro Shop, lunch at Famous Dave's BBQ, and a game of Laser Quest. The creamery was very educational and lots of fun. Not to mention we all got a serving of one of their signature flavor ice creams.  All in all we had a great time. I am so thankful to my parents for taking us along with them. This was a trip that will not soon be forgotten!!

Let the good times ROLL!

We had Elijah's birthday party last night at Wheels in Motion. Here are some pics we took during the madness!!

The birthday boy and his new roller blades!! He thought he was hot stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Elijah with his best friend Jackson!

Meme and Poppy with Elijah

This is Meme's brother Ron and sister Donna

Our cousin Gracie from Florida

Emily and Aunt Lori

Aunt D didn't feel very well, but we were very glad she was able to come! Birthday's just aren't the same without everyone to help celebrate!

Alex was gettin' with it on these little scooter things. He could make them go all by himself!! It was so cute!

Ethan Kyler

 It was a fun time!! 

Super Summer Crew

  These are the little blessings that I get to see every day!!

This is Landon. I have kept him for the past few years. He went to preschool last fall but is back to visit us this summer.

This is Brycen. I went to school with his momma. He is such a sweetie.

This is Jocelyn. Her and brother Dante are new to the gang. We just met them this summer, but we know they are going to be good friends!!

This is baby Ty. I started keeping him after Thanksgiving last year when he was only 9 weeks old.

 

 

 

This is Dante and my big helper Shay. She likes loving on the kiddos and she is good at it!!

Everyone probably recognizes this little man. I think he enjoys having playmates everyday though.

I enjoy my job, but these smiles just make it even better!! We are playing the summer away. . . lovin' every minute of it!!

 

 

Summer Update #1

  This summer has been a good one already, and we are only half way through with it. It's going by way to fast, but we are definitely making the most of it.
  Chris started us out with a bang by having back surgery, which by the way he is recovering "supernaturally".
   Eli has conquered a couple of milestones this summer. So far he has already learned to swim well without floaties above and under water. He jumps in at both the shallow and deep end without assistance, and can also go all the way to the bottom at either end to pick things up. He is pretty pleased with himself over these "big boy" accomplishments.  He has ALSO learned to ride his bicycle without training wheels.  He learned a bonus lesson on the second day. . . ALWAYS WEAR SHOES WHILE RIDING A BIKE. . . Long story, but I'm sure he'd love to tell it if anyone is brave enough to ask him. (:
  Shaylin went to her very first week at church camp. They went to Dry Gulch and she loved it. From hearing her talk she had a good time and made a couple of new friends there as well. She also went to her very first Airedalette basketball camp this summer and is planning on going to art camp in a couple weeks as well.
   I, myself, have managed to keep the house clean for more than an afternoon at a time. Listen, if you know me, you know that is a BIG DEAL.
   Our family as a whole as made a couple of outdoor camping trips and we are coping with the heat by doing lots of swimming. Not to mention we have made several emergency ice cream runs. ;) 
   All in all we are having a blast just being and enjoying US.        Let the good times roll.

Birthday Boy

Today is a very special day at our house. Elijah is turning 5! 

Here are 5 fun facts about our little birthday boy. . . .

1)  His favorite flavor of  ice cream is vanilla.

2)  His daily outfit of choice consists of only a pair of Spongebob or Batman undies.

3)  He prefers brownies over cake.

4)  He enjoys taking baths. . . would take them several times a day if we would let him.

5)  He has watched the new Karate Kid movie more than a dozen times in the last few weeks. (Unfortunately, so have we!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIJAH!!

WE LOVE YOU!

 

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 - Lots of Pictures

   Our family made the most of the holiday weekend. Camping was fun and the church picnic was even better. The kids loved getting into the water and we all really enjoyed ourselves.
   Friday night Chris took a tarp and a white sheet and hung them between 2 trees for a screen and hooked up our projector. We watched a movie and I think before the night was over we had 18-20 people watching it from our camp park! Most of them were family, but we did have a few strangers join us for the show.That started the weekend off with a bang!! Then on Saturday, it was very hot, we let the kids play in the sprinkler and Alex had fun in his little baby pool. When the sun started going down we made our way to the playground to run some of the kids energy off after dinner. Here are a few of those pics.

Alex Ryne

Shaylin and her friend Chara with Elijah and Ethan

Best Friends

Getting wet!

Cousin Laden, Ethan, and Elijah on the way to the play park!

Remembering the reason we celebrate Memorial Day!

So Handsome!

Ethan Kyler

Momma's Stud

The gang!

 Then on Sunday we went back home to be a part of the church picnic and we were so glad that we did. The kids had a blast. Here are a few of those pics.

My Princess

Doing his Karate Kid pose!! :-)

Shay, Teja, and Elijah

Gabby, Maggie, Teja, Shay, and Eli

My AWESOME parents!!

Yes folks, he did it all by himself!!  :-)

We went back to the campsite and spent the night in our trusty tent!! Let me just say that a day in the sun and then a night in a tent. . . that's roughin' it. Trust me!  All in all it was a super duper weekend and it was full of food, fun, and family!!