Happy Heavenly Birthday!

Last Monday our angel would have been 5.  It was Kinnison's first day of school, so we were very busy. I always try to keep myself busy so that I don't have time to sit around and have pity party. Well, yesterday I went for a walk at the park while Luke went to pick Kinnison up from school.  I always listen to worship music when I work out. About halfway through my first lap it hit me. I sobbed. Not necessarily because I was sad.  I was thinking about how wonderful a birthday in Heaven would be. I was thinking about if my Grandpa Lester, Papa, Granny, Uncle Steve, Grandma Veda, Grandpa Tom or Edith are taking care of my babies. I tried to imagine what they are like and who they look like. I read Heaven is for Real over Spring Break. It talked about this very thing. The little boy describes his sister in Heaven. His parents were shocked because they never told him about their miscarriage and they didn't even know if it was a boy or girl. Very inspiring. 

Anyway, I just wanted to take the time to say Happy Birthday to our sweet baby.  You are missed and loved very much! 

Back to School.

The first week of first grade is officially over. 

We miss Kinnison at home, but I am happy to have some sort of schedule again. Her school activities always keep us very busy though.

She had a practice spelling test yesterday. If you get 100% on the practice test you don't have to take the test on Friday! Everyone in her class passed the practice test. They got an extra recess today! 

Last weekend Kinnison learned to ride a bike without training wheels! She is getting so big!

Kimber has adjusted well to not having Kinnison at home. She helps me out with Kanyon. She can write her name by herself now. She can count to 25. She knows most of her uppercase letters and some of her lower case letters. She knows all of her colors and shapes. Her favorite food right now is a Slim Jim. She would eat one for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I would let her. 

Kanyon is a mess. He is into everything. He can say mama, dada, wow, woah, uh oh, dat, dis, and baba. He is walking really well. He climbs even better. He is super strong and full of energy. He wears me out.

I want to say how proud I am of Luke. Last weekend he went to the Men's Encounter with some guys from PGCC. He had an amazing weekend and met some great guys.  He is a terrific husband and father! We are so blessed!

Laundry Saver!

On average I do about 4 loads of laundry a day. Most of our laundry is stained with grease, oil, grass, dirt, markers, ketchup, chocolate milk, cooking oil, ect.  I have tried every stain remover out there. Most of the time I can get the stains out, but there are always a few that are extremely stubborn. I also have a problem with deodorant stains.  I kept seeing a homemade recipe for stain removal on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.  It worked wonders! It is AMAZING!

Here is what you need:

1 Part Dawn
2 Parts Peroxide
1 Part Baking Soda

Example: 1 TBSP Dawn, 2 TBSP Peroxide, 1 TBSP Baking Soda
If you have a lot of stains you could do:
1/4 cup, 1/2  cup, 1/4 cup...ect

Mix the ingredients together and use a brush to rub the mixture into the stain. I use a toothbrush. I have let it sit for 30 minutes and overnight...just depends on how bad the stain is.  I have used it on white and colored clothes. It doesn't bleach them!

I'm 30!

Thursday I turned 30! And, thanks to my husband it was the best birthday I have ever had. He started planning months ago! He told me he tried to get off work, but had training that day.  He told me that Mom was going to watch the kids so I could have a day off. He made arrangements for me to get my hair done, a massage and a mani/pedi. It was a much needed break. It was so relaxing!  I knew something was up because he was acting strange, but I had no idea he had planned me a surprise party. I got home early and couldn't get ahold of Mom. Luke said he wasn't going to be home from work until 6. I was getting restless. Finally at about 5:15 Mom called from the farm and told me she had been down there working and I could come down there to get the kids. I didn't figure it out until I pulled onto Crawley Rd. and saw the signs. He put Swamp People themed signs on the trees! When I saw the first one I had to back up. I literally laughed out loud. It was so much fun driving from sign to sign. I couldn't wait to see what the next one said. 

Luke was getting nervous so he had Mom call me to come down there earlier than planned. I beat most of the guests down there. It was still an amazing surprise!

He had told my Mom and Sister about the party months ago, so they helped him with the planning. They cooked jambalaya, shrimp and even alligator! Mom made chocolate alligators to top the cupcakes with and they ordered the Swamp People Action Set to use as a cake topper! 

I want to say THANK YOU to my wonderful husband. I was dreading my 30th Birthday and you made it special. I had so much fun. It was seriously the best birthday I have ever had! Thanks for being so good to me!

I also want to say THANK YOU to my Mom and Charity. Luke told me everything that you guys did and I appreciate it. 

Last but not least, I want to say THANKS to everyone who came. I appreciate the gifts, but most of all I appreciate you being there. The most wonderful part of the night was getting to visit with my friends and family. 

I am so unbelievably blessed! 

Love,

Happy Birthday, Luke!

Yesterday was Luke's 31st Birthday!

On Saturday I made a cake and let the girls decorate it. They surprised him with it when he got home from work. His Father's Day gift was supposed to be his birthday gift too, but we wanted to get him something else. The girls picked out a new Bible for him. He loved it!

Lastnight we got to go on a date! Scott and Cassie met us at Outback. After Outback we got some shaved ice. We had a lot of fun! Thanks for watching the kids Gammy and Pappy! 

We had Kimber's appointment at ARCH on Wednesday. For right now we are keeping her on her antibiotic. We had to start her on Mirilax. Apparently constipation can also cause UTI's. I have to keep track of what she drinks and when she goes to the bathroom. Once we get that lined out we are going to see how she does off her medicine. If she gets another infection while on the antibiotic she will have surgery to correct it. If she gets an infection off the medicine, we would have to restart it and would most likely do surgery. It was a long trip, but we are thankful that we might get to stop the meds and not have surgery!

Luke and I gave her a new Cabbage Patch Doll to take with her on the road trip.  She loved it. 

I want to say THANKS to all the people who email, called, texted and commented on Facebook. We appreciate the prayers and well wishes more than you will ever know!




Love,

Meet Tilly

Luke brought a dog home Saturday. She is a five month old boxer. Her name was Sky, but the girls wanted to change it. They picked Tilly. We have discussed getting a dog for a couple months now, but always talked ourselves out of it. Tator is such a good dog. He is perfect. He is very low maintenance. Someone Luke works with posted her on their classified ads. He saw her and fell in love. She gets along well with Tator and Willow. She follows the girls wherever they go.  The only problem we have is that she wants to sleep in my bed.  When she is in the bed, Tator wants in the bed. Luke and I downsized to a queen bed when we built and there just isn't room for all of us. She is adjusting really well and seems to fit our family perfectly.

Back To Reality.

Well, our vacation is over. We had so much fun! The weather was great and the beach was beautiful. Kinnison and Kimber spent most of their time playing softball on the beach. They built some sand castles, flew kites, and played in the pool. Kanyon had a blast. He started standing up by himself, learned to back down the stairs and into the pool. We took a crate of new potatoes and he enjoyed throwing them all over the house. His word of the week was "wow". Luke purchased a blow up boat off  Craigslist.  The kids loved riding in it. When we weren't using it he filled it with water for Kanyon to play in. He loved it! On the Fourth we got to watch the most amazing fireworks ever! They did a huge display at the Gulf Shores Pier. It was seriously the best show I have ever seen.

We stayed in a duplex. We were a little nervous about sharing the house, pool and beach with total strangers.  We couldn't have been more blessed! They were so sweet. They had a three year old boy in their house.  Every day the girls looked forward to playing with him. 

On our way home we stopped at Alligator Alley. We got to hold a baby alligator, feed alligators and watch a feeding show. It was a lot of fun for the kids and the adults!

I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to go on another vacation. We had a lot of fun and wonderful memories were made. We are already counting down to next year! When we left the girls told me they were going to start saving for next year's vacation. As soon as we got home they emptied the change from my wallet.  They love to travel just as much as Luke and I do. 

Happy Birthday Kanyon!

Kanyon  is one today. How is that possible? We had his party at the farm Sunday.  We are so thankful for the friends and family that were able to celebrate with us. This time last year I was so worried that Grandpa wouldn't be here to celebrate Kanyon's first birthday, but he was! It was a lot of fun! I also want to say THANK YOU to my mom and Grandma who cooked most of the food! It was delicious! 

                                 

He is such a big boy! He is cutting 6 teeth right now. That makes 14! He is going to be walking very soon!

Daddy's Hands.

I'm posting this early because Kanyon's Birthday Party is on Sunday. 

(Luke thought I was crazy for wanting a picture of his hands)

This is what he does on his days off. 

He works. 

His hands stay cracked, bloody, calloused, and greasy. 

I thought this song fit him perfectly. 

I remember Daddy´s hands, folded silently in prayer.

And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind. 
I remember Daddy´s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.
There are things that I´ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,
But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle 
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

I remember Daddy´s hands, working 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over, I´d live my life again.
And never take for granted the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle 
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle 
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love .....
In Daddy´s hands.

My kids have the best daddy in the world. He teaches them, comforts them, plays with them, holds them, compliments them, protects them, disciplines them, and loves them unconditionally. He loves taking them fishing, camping, hiking, and swimming. He loves to teach them about the outdoors. He has so many obligations, but he always makes the kids a priority. 

Luke- I am so unbelievably blessed to have you in my life. I couldn't have picked a better father for my children. We appreciate all your hard work and all the sacrifices you make. Thank you for everything you do for us! We love you! I hope you have a wonderful Father's Day! 

We got him a ridiculously awesome present, but he doesn't get to open it until Sunday morning. I can't wait!

One Down...

And, one more to go. I am so thankful Kanyon's surgery is over! 

 We got up at 4:30 on Friday morning because we had to be at the surgery center by 6AM. 

 Luke and I got Kanyon a new lovey. His face lit up when we gave it to him. 

He was very hard to contain. We tried the bed restraints, but they didn't slow him down.

Gammy & Pappy got him a new soccer ball and Toy Story balloon. Those entertained him for a while.

He was bouncing off the walls! The nurse gave him some medicine.  They called it "goofy juice" and we quickly realized why. He was hilarious!

He was very sad when he woke up from his anesthesia, but he calmed down when daddy slipped him some cherry slushy. 

We are so thankful that he did well and praying that the tubes will help. 

Now, we just have to get Kimber well!