1 Corinthians 2:9

Gamble. Part I.

This going to be a two part post.  I am going to write about Luke as a father. Closer to our anniversary I am going to write about Luke as a husband. 

(Teaching the girls how to skip rocks! HA)

Ten years ago I took a gamble. I got married.  I loved Luke. I *thought* I knew what kind of husband and father he would be. I saw the potential. I hoped I was right.

Well, I was wrong. 

He has surpassed every expectation I ever had. I gambled and I hit the jackpot!

Next week Luke is having his 2nd Annual Daddy & Me Campout.  He wanted to do it. He organized it himself.  He WANTS to spend time with our kids.  He isn't doing it to pacify them or to meet some quota of fatherly obligations. He is really excited about it. He takes the kids camping all the time, but this is different. He invites other dads hoping that they will spend quality time with their kids. 

He has invited a lot of dads and some of the responses he has gotten are very sad. A lot of people have their priorities mixed up. Luke doesn't view our children as an obligation.  They are his best friends.  If you gave him a choice of hunting by himself for a weekend or camping with them he would pick camping.  

Most of the time I change the diapers, take care of baths, pack lunches, clean house, cook meals, plan trips, chauffeur kids, ect. But, if I ask him for help he is always ready and willing. We are a team. And, we are a really good team. 

He has taken over Devotionals with the kids, he takes them hunting, fishing, camping, and coaches t-ball. He fixes them breakfast and plays board games with them. He does all of this while working two jobs. The days he works at JB Hunt he is gone 14 hours. He gets up at 3:30 am. On his days off he works on mowers or clearing our land. Guess what he does on his lunch and on the way home from work?  He coupons! I told you I hit the jackpot! He works harder than anyone I have ever met, but that doesn't stop him from spending time with his kids.They miss him so much when he is gone. As soon as he gets home they demand all of his attention. He is exhausted and usually has things that need to be done, but he always takes time to hug each of them and ask about their day.

I LOVE that he always makes them a priority and I LOVE that he wants to participate in every aspect of their lives. He is the most amazing father and I am the luckiest girl in the world! 

Fall Family Hiking Trip 2012

We asked the girls if they wanted a lot of Christmas presents or if they rather go somewhere. They chose to go somewhere. We wanted to go before the weather got too cold. We decided to go back to the Buffalo River. We stayed at an amazing cabin. It had a golf cart, hot tub and fire pit! We played games, hiked, and fished. We hiked the Alum Cove Trail. It is our favorite trail so far. Tuesday night after the kids went to bed Luke and I relaxed in the hot tub. It was so clear out and we sat and enjoyed the stars (and quiet). It was the only relaxing we did the whole trip! I'll never forget it.

We couldn't have picked a better week!  The weather was amazing and the trees were breathtaking.   We made some wonderful memories.  This may be a new fall family tradition!

Joshua 1:9

Happy Fall Y'all!

I love this time of year! The trees are beautiful and the weather has been amazing! Last week we took the kiddos out to eat and to the pumpkin patch. We had so much fun! This is one of my favorite family traditions.  I got some cute (and funny) pictures. 

While I was gone to Branson the girls were a huge help to Luke, so he gave them each $10 to spend at the pumpkin patch. They loved trying to figure out what all they could buy. As always, Kinnison had to have a cinnamon roll. While we were taking pictures Kinnison found a ring. I figured it was a toy, but when she brought it to me I saw that it was a men's wedding ring. We turned it in to the owner. He said that a photographer had lost it earlier that day. As a reward he gave all of the kiddos a little pumpkin for free.  They learned some valuable lessons and we made some wonderful memories. I am so blessed!

(Click on the family photo at the bottom. Kimber's face is hilarious!)

Isaiah 43:2

Girl Getaway!

Last weekend I went to Branson with some of my girl friends. We call ourselves a book club. We don't do much reading. HA. Three out of four of them have a birthday in November, so I got them all a birthday present. I got them book club t-shirts! Beth and I spent a couple hours at the spa. It was amazing!  It was a much needed getaway.We had so much fun. We ate, shopped and laughed a lot.  I can't wait to do it again!

Grace.

Last Monday Luke and I were baptized!

It is something I have been praying about for a while now. I kept thinking I had to have some sort of epiphany to make it happen, but that wasn't the case.  It was a long, slow process for us. I noticed changes in Luke when he got home from Men's Encounter. Our relationship with God and each other changed.  I talked to him about getting baptized and he agreed that he wanted to rededicate his life to Jesus Christ.  Once we set the date I couldn't wait!  We wanted it to be a private event. Neither of us were comfortable doing it in front of the entire church. We really wanted to do it outside, but there isn't much water in our area and what water we have is very nasty. I think Vance was really excited we agreed to do it at the church! So, Monday after we picked Kinnison up from school we went to the church and we were both baptized in front of our children.  It was an amazing experience. 

I want to say THANK YOU to Vance, Keith and Brian. Vance has been a huge part of our journey. Keith helped out with the video and music. Brian took some amazing video and pictures. We are so thankful for each of them! If you haven't seen Brian's work you are missing out.  He is an amazing photographer. Check out his website.

I also want to say THANK YOU to all of our family and friends that have offered congratulations and words of encouragement.  We are so blessed!

Luke- I am so thankful that God gave me you. You are my best friend. You are the most AMAZING father in the world. I love listening to you do devotionals with the kids and I love that you always make them your first priority. We are so lucky to have you in our lives. We love you and are very proud of you!

Amazing.

We have had a big week! I'll share the details and pictures soon! In the meantime, I want to share a video of our amazing daughter.  We are so proud of her! Kimber has also memorized a bible verse. I'll record and post it soon!

Also, for now I am going to leave the blog public. I didn't realize you would have to create a gmail account and log in each time you viewed the blog. I have granted access to the people I know about, so if I ever decide to go private you will still be able to view it.