A Surprise for Sarah!

Sarah had been wanting a tea party birthday. I talked to my cousin from Alabama who has two little girls that are close to Sarah's age and we discussed them coming up for a visit. The weekend that worked out for them to come just happened to be Sarah's birthday weekend!! Perfect! We worked it out to be a surprise for Sarah. Friday afternoon when they arrived I asked Sarah to come out on to the porch for a minute. When she saw their van in the drive way her eyes lit up! She was so surprised and excited!! They got to spend all weekend with us and it was so much fun!

My cousin Dodey decorated Sarah's cake! Sarah wanted blue, so the icing was blue and the inside of the cake was blue.

Sarah wanted to eat mexican for her birthday. When they came out to sing "Happy Birthday" they smeared cool whip on her face. :)

These kids had so much fun dressing up!

These three girls are crazy about each other!!

We played games!

The clothes pin game!

Having fun!

Opening presents!

The first thing Sarah had on her birthday list was a bible cover. She loves it!

She got 2 Nancy Drew books! She has already read one and working on the other.

Bryan's mom gets her the birthday dolls. Sarah is so proud of them!

A real tea party! Even big brother wanted in on the tea party (cookies and milk). LOL!

And we couldn't leave Elijah out! This is a cookie and milk loving boys! :)

The birthday girl!

All the kids together on the couch! Love this bunch! We had so much fun with family this weekend!! They all made Sarah's birthday a very special time!!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

My sweet princess turned 9 yesterday! It brings tears to my eyes to think about how fast she has grown up. I have thought about all the sweet memories I have of her and I treasure each one! The other day as I was talking to her about turning 9 I realized that if she leaves for college at 18, she has already been with me for half the time she will live here. Bryan and I have been blessed with this precious life and our job is to point her to Jesus! Our hearts desire is for her to know, follow, and love the Lord with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Sarah is a blessing to me and to many others! She has the biggest heart and it shows. Sarah has a contagious laugh and sweet smile. She is the best BIG and LITTLE sister any kid could have. Sarah has the best imagination and is still a kid at heart! She loves to draw, sing, cook, do crafts, play the piano, and read! Sarah is so easy to love!

Dear Lord,
Thank you for Sarah and for the precious gift that she is! I pray that you would continue to change her heart and save her Lord! May she always know of your love for her and our love for her. I know Lord that you have great plans for her and will use her to be an encouragement and blessing to many people. Thank you for making me her mommy and I ask that you equip me through your word and prayer to be the mommy that she needs. Thank you for giving her Bryan for a daddy, give him wisdom to love her and protect her. May she grow into a godly young woman and live a life that causes others to glorify you!
In Jesus Name, Amen.

Time with cousins

My kids had so much fun at Rusty & Candice's house! We all enjoyed being able to hang out with them!

Joanna found something to ride in outside and loved it!

The boys enjoyed riding in Jameson's jeep. I think Jameson is "working" on it for them....at no charge. LOL!!

Levi knew just where all the dirt was and loved playing in it! The dirtier the better!!

Isaac really liked playing with their puppy. And I believe the puppy grew to like him too!

Uncle Rusty took the kids for a jeep ride through the woods! FUN!!!

Timothy gets one last ride before the batery runs out! So thankful for the fun and the memories we made with family!! Already looking forward to more times together!

A short, sweet visit

This past weekend we made a quick trip to Alabama. It started out as a trip that Bryan would make on his own but since he had been away from me and the three little ones at the beginning of the week he wanted us all to go. So we loaded up and headed to Alabama.

The main reason for our trip was Bryan was asked to speak at the memorial service of a lady he graduated high school with. She had passed away recently and some of the class mates were getting together a memorial service for the family. We got to my parents house around 10 on Thursday night and then spent half a day with my dad and mom on Friday. Friday we met Bryan's parents and his brother Rusty and his family for supper at the park.

We arrived around 6 that evening and had so much fun eating pizza, talking, and playing on the play ground! We usually don't get to visit much with Rusty and his family when we come but this time we got to spend alot of time with them. The kids played and played until we had to go and get ready for bed.

We spent the night at Bryan's parents house and then went to Rusty and Candice's on Saturday. They watched our kids so Bryan and I could go to the memorial service. Although the reason for our visit was sad, it was so nice to see and spend lots of time with Rusty and his family. So thankful the kids and I went!

Levi at the picnic!

Candice and Jameson pose together between bites! :)

Isaac and Sarah enjoying their pizza!

Elijah is a breadstick lover!!

Joanna had so much fun being like the big kids!!

My monkey (Timothy) hanging around!

Here is the big monkey brother ready to try the monkey bars!

Jameson ready to slide!!

Such a handsome young man!

Levi climbing up to the slide!

Sisters stop for a pose!

Pop and Gigi just watching the grandkids have fun!

Rusty and Candice. Big kids even play on the play ground!

My beautiful Sarah, who will be 9 in 4 days!!

Group picture!

Can you guess who this is?

For the kids!

Last week Bryan, Isaac, and Sarah were at Kids Camp on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The little boys, Joanna, and I missed them but enjoyed our time together. I decided that I would put the little tent up in the living room and we would have our own little camp. They enjoyed being able to sleep and take naps in the tent. We played games and just had some fun together while the others were away.

On Wednesday morning I let the boys make breakfast. It was so simple and easy I thought I would share. We called them "Cinnamon rolls"

1 package of cresent rolls
A cinnamon and sugar mixture

Pull the cresent rolls apart and let kids sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake by directions on cresent roll can.

The icing was just a mixture of powdered sugar and milk (very small amount of milk). They turned out so good! The boys were so proud of themselves for making breakfast! :)

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

We went to a Senior Adult lunch for our Senior Adults from church. Everyone brought a covered dish and someone had brought this ice cream cake that my children just loved! So I thought I would make one for us! As you can see by the picture that it didn't last long at our house! My parents were coming, my dad is a diabetic, so I made this dessert as much for my dad as I could. :) Isaac likes it so much, he wants this as his birthday cake! Simple and Easy!!

Ice Cream Cake

1 box of ice cream sandwiches
1 big tub of cool whip
Chocolate syrup

Place your ice cream sandwiches in bottom of casserole dish. Spread the cool whip on top and then drizzle with chocolate syrup. Cover with foil and place in freezer until firm. Enjoy!

T-Ball

 Elijah has started T-ball and is having so much fun! It is with the same league and team Sarah played for 2 years ago. We like this league because it is not too busy. They practiced in June and now just have games once or twice a week. It is at a church in town and not competitive. I took some pictures at his game last night and wanted to share them with you. This first picture is him up to bat. He did really well!

 He got on base. Elijah would keep running if there wasn't a coach on base to stop him! LOL!!

 When he is in the field he struggles to pay attention. He wants to play in the dirt so bad!! He is all boy! He is having a good time! :)

 Timothy and Joanna were his biggest fans! :) They did really well about staying right there in front of me and not wondering off. This picture is of Timothy finishing up his chicken nuggets from supper. He was eating with dirty hands, dirt won't hurt (right?)! :)

Little Miss Joanna wanted her own water bottle and to do it herself! She is so independent and is growing up way too fast!!

These two had so much fun watching brother play ball!