Muddy Pond-erings :)

Grayson and his buddy Caleb on last day of school

Season's last day of school

One thing that I have learned from our first year of public school is that I do not want to go back to work (doesn't mean I won't in the future, but I don't want to nonetheless). I am able to be at the school whenever I'm needed or want to be or Season wants me to be there. I have no guilt whatsoever, and I never have to okay my leaving with anybody else. I would like to say I never feel rushed, but I do everything in a rush at the last minute. It's how I function. But, I very rarely feel stressed, overwhelmed, or pulled in too many directions. I feel peace. Are we busy? Probably not in comparison to most families. And we love it! But we have our weeks where we say okay we gotta slow down. And we do. We can. Because I don't have to go to work. I can be at home to "settle down" life and readjust the tone of our home. My husband (and me too for the most part) thrives on simplicity. Too much business goin' on and he is out. And in my opinion, most children are that way, too.
I am presently watching my kids swim in the muddy pond behind our house. No electronic devices, no fancy shmancy water slides, no money spent. Just give 'em a stick, a jumper cable, and a plastic sled, and they are completely joyous in it. I often struggle with wondering if I am doing God's will, or wondering how I can be absolutely purposeful for Him throughout my day. But at this moment--I know I am right where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what He wants me to. Nothing else is competing for my time--no job, no prior commitments, no computer, no TV, no meaningless daily task--just my kids, my pen, my thoughts, and His awesome presence.

Brief Family Summary (in order to start this blog afresh)

Graham is presently enjoying work that requires no thought, only the sweat of his brow and his (awesome) manly muscles. He is daily learning to surrender control to God, in realization that his plans are nothing in light of our Creator. He finds much joy in Grayson being his constant shadow, in watching his little girl play ball, and in his wife keeping his house clean and dinner on his table :) He dislikes stupid television, reading any book other than the Bible, and clutter. He is busy creating various house plans, helping different people, and providing a wonderful life for his family. Summer is presently enjoying the daily tasks of being mom to her two quickly-growing children and wife to her man, and living a simple life. She is trying to learn to love like Jesus, increase productivity in day-to-day life, and to stop hesitating when God says to Move. She finds much joy in the silly things her kids do everyday, random kindnesses from friends and family, and truly feeling the presence of God. She dislikes going to Wal-Mart, not having a good book to read, and living in Texas in the summertime. She is busy trying to keep the floor clean, figuring out how to get things done with the least amount of effort (lol), and spending too much time on the computer! Season is presently enjoying being mommy to her babydoll Skylar, getting ready for dance recital, eating lunch with Aunt Mally at school everyday, and swimming in the muddy tank in the backyard. She is learning that life is not fair, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do, and to trust Mom, Dad, and God. She finds much joy in doing tricks on the trampoline, tagging out girls on the tball field, and Tuesdays with Granna and cousin Azlyn. She dislikes not getting what she wants, computer class, and getting poison ivy all the time. She is busy hording stuff in her bed, pretending to be her brother's teacher, and watching too much TV.
Grayson is presently enjoying everything he can to the fullest! He is learning to be patient, his ABC's, to spell his name, how to be a real man. He finds much joy in being with his daddy and pappy and his best bud Caleb, sharing affection with those he loves, talking very loudly, and in kicking the cat. He dislikes washing his hair, drinking water, not getting a prize at Wal-Mart, and being disciplined. He is busy cutting down trees with his loppers, getting as dirty as possible, making his family laugh, irritating his sister, and burning brush with his dad.

Conversations with Grayson

Me: You're going to be a preacher, aren't you?
Grayson: No
Me: Are you going to be a missionary?
Grayson: Yep.
Me: Where? In Africa?
Grayson: No! At McDonald's.

So, if my boy is prophetic....he may be the first missionary to McDonald's. Servin' up a Happy Meal and a holy message. Won't you support his cause?

Vacation 2008 (and song lyrics)

I have determined not to bore my few readers with too much "kid" talk anymore (which, for the record, may be difficult). So, I won't go through the detailed version of our family vacation. So, just a random list instead. Though if you enjoy seeing pics of my peeps, there is a link in the sidebar.

* Vacation with little ones can be difficult. Staying up late, messing with their routines, going all day long. After three days of it, they are exhausted, as are we. I don't know if it was worth it, or if they will even remember it. I know there were moments that they were elated and excited about what we were doing; regardless, I just kept thinking I know I'm going to miss this. I don't want to get stuck on the negative, i.e. whining, diarrhea, money spent, time stuck in the car, repetitive phrases, McDonalds. This phase of life is taxing at times, but I already grieve it's end. Grayson's sweet little voice, his passion for all things fuel-powered, his belief that Mommy can make it better, Season's beautiful face making it's way out from underwater, her belief that I am basically perfect (though I did embarass her by dancing in the bathroom "Mo-om Stop!"). Yep, I'm gonna miss this.


* Speaking of song lyrics, they can really get ahold of your mind. For years and years. And they will show up when you least expect it. Like when your two-year-old says "Back to the Hotel," and all you can think of is a terribly sinful rap song. I checked the lyrics just now (please don't do that) and was grossed-out. I told Graham how awful it was....his response: "Well, I can't think of any other reason a gangsta' would want to go back to the hotel. Sure not to swim." Nevertheless, "back to the hotel" was a phrase we heard a lot! (for swimming purposes of course)

*Graham has decided that McDonald's and Wal-Mart are taking over the world. And Starbuck's too. Monday nite we went to our McDonald's and Season wanted a Happy Meal because she was set on getting the Kung Fu Panda prize they were advertising. So when she opened the Meal and got a Speedracer prize instead, she wasn't very Happy. She couldn't understand why they would tell you one thing and and then give you something else. Hmmm, welcome to the real world baby. I tried to explain false advertisement, and finally just said they were liars. lol oh, another song lyric to tie to this randomness....You can't always get what you want


*I have decided that Season will cease wearing swimsuits at the age of ten or younger if I so see fit. In fact, swimsuits should probably just be outlawed. What would be wrong with just a tank top and shorts? How old-fashioned am I? We got an eyeful of them at the waterpark. I threw up in my mouth a few times watching the boys watch the girls. At one time Graham asked, "Is that somebody's mom?" It made me laugh. But, yeah that is somebody's mom or daughter. Modesty should be important as Christians. Now I don't think we have to take it this far. However, our outside must be a reflection of our hearts for Him. Solutions, anyone?

*I'll conclude with this pic of my man. He insisted we pull over and get this shot. If I made a big deal every time I saw my name in print....

Parties, Progeny, & Prayer

Well, we had a good time yesterday. But then we do fratenize with some peculiar people, the likes of which are pictured below. I seriously wish everyday was a holiday and we could just hang out and play games and talk and eat while our kids ran around naked in the backyard creating water parks.


Ok, so I'm changing the subject. My girl is a graduate! What a stinkin' ordeal just to get outta preschool. Don't even get Graham started. But the kids had fun and felt special, and that was the point, I think? Season was a cutie in her poodle skirt, and I was quite proud of her for getting on the stage and actually "performing" for others. (One of my fears is that my children will be painfully shy, like my sister and I were.) I am both excited and nervous about "real" school starting. I know once she gets in the school groove, she will love it and be an awesome student, but I'm so going to miss her. Season and Bubba at her school party.

At graduation with her friend Kaydee

Dancing At the Hop

Season - class of 2021


Grayson told me that Jesus and God live in his belly button. And then he held his belly and said "OOOWWWWWW!" When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "God bites." hehehe so cute. He has also known for several months that he is having his birthday party (in July) at the swimming pool. He has terrorized the whole family and also random people at times talking about it. His favorite question as of late is "When my birthday be open?" And what an interesting ride is potty training a boy. We have peed so many places outside lately (And when I say we I mean Grayson with a little help from me), and I am beginning to think it might be slightly bad decorum. Yes, I think I have just made that decision, no more peeing outside unless it is in my own backyard, or the grandparents' backyard, or maybe a friend's backyard, and okay the ballpark, that's okay, right? Look, I am just happy that he is doing it.


Speaking of my children, I want to share some scripture that I have somewhat paraphrased to pray specifically for my children. Colossians 1:9-14 -
Since the day you were born we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. We pray this so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully give thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light for He has rescued you from the dominion of darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom you have redemption Amen. I'm claiming it.

Does anyone know how to avoid being covered in puke when you have a two-year-old with the virus? oh. my. ugh. Thankfully, he is almost back to his happy-go-lucky self today.

My family girls and I went on a mini shopping trip this past weekend. In addition to Ikea and Garden Ridge, we went to The Dump, which ain't just any Dump.

Our trip required much gallivanting, and my sister's Garmin made that totally rock! It's hard not to think about the way God works when using a GPS. Everytime you took a wrong turn, a women's voice on the Garmin would say, "Recalculating." God knows our beginning and our ending; and I think that He gives us the choice on the stuff in between. Not that He doesn't know already what choice we will make, but that maybe somewhere He has our "perfect"course mapped out and everytime we choose wrong He says, "Hmmm, ok, recalculating." Don't misunderstand, I have no idea how God really works. He is much too high for my brain matter. But I do know that He will work all the wrong turns and u turns of our life together for good if we delight in Him.

My child has issues. Issues with loud noises and chaos. The whole time we were eating at Pappadeaux(obviously pronounced papadoughs not Papaducks unless you're my sister) she had her ears plugged with her little fingers, her big beautiful eyes jetting to and fro every corner of that place. It was insanity in there with sooo many people talking, standing around gabbing at the bar, plus it was so dark in there you literally had no idea whether you were eating shrimp or clam until you bit into it. Anyway, she was seriously unable to function while trying to understand this environment. My sheltered little girl....

The Best Part of Waking Up

I am laying on the couch after a day of doctor visits and shopping
for roller skates. Grayson piles on top of me with his blankie,
covering up both of us. He grabs my face and says, "Mommy you're
tute(i.e. cute). You my fweetheart!" Yes, yes I am forever and always.

Birthdays and Bliss

This past month has been busy and fun-filled for us. The first of November marked the tenth year of marriage for me and my man. Ten years of wedded bliss…I’m sorry but that phrase makes me laugh and wanna throw up all at the same time. Not that there haven’t been moments of bliss or as my favorite dictionary says moments of being on cloud nine or in seventh heaven. But I’m afraid too many people go into marriage with the idea that bliss will just overtake their life, when in reality marriage is about doing life--good, bad, and ugly-- side by side (or, okay, one tiny step behind your man if you want to get all Biblically-technical about it!) It’s about putting the person you love before yourself, accepting him unconditionally, and encouraging and supporting him. To me, it’s about putting him and our marriage in God’s hands and laying my selfishness at His feet. And I’ve only really learned this the last two years, and am still not perfect at putting it into practice. The first ten years were definitely a learning experience, but so worth the end result. Graham and I are happier than we’ve ever been, serving God together, and seeking to be what He wants us to be both individually and as a couple. Sorry if I am making you sick with our blissfulness….hehehe. Believe me, we annoy each other like crazy. Our personalities and ways of seeing things our pretty much opposite, so yeah, we definitely have our disagreements. Give and take. But, I am so excited about the future! We celebrated ten years with a ski trip to Colorado. Graham loves to ski and is pretty good at it. I, on the other hand, can ski but not so good. Fear seems to overtake me at the top of every mountain. Many parallels to life abound in skiing for me. Graham hits the top and doesn’t slow down ‘til he gets to the bottom. I tend to take it a little at a time, slowly but with a focus. (Which is seriously a much more painful way to ski, but I am skeered to go fast!) I don’t think our ways of skiing necessarily mirror the way we attack life, but, okay I’ll stop being deep. Anyway, we had fun skiing. The mountains are absolutely majestic! The air is crisp and clear and the pure white snow unmuddied by the world is heavenly. After finally finishing up a difficult semester of classes, my vacation was more about being able to relax, so I spent some time in the hotel room by myself and Graham got to ski the Blacks by himself. He met some interesting people on the lifts, of course. And I did nothing! Loved it. Driving home(15 hours I might add)was even fun, planning a financial budget for the year and singing to the radio (Chicago rocks), giving shout-outs to Quanah Parker and even Baby Jesus,lying in the middle of a courthouse lawn.


Season celebrated her fifth birthday on Dec. 2nd. So, ten years of marriage and five years of parenting….wow. Most of the time I feel like I’ve been doing both forever, but then sometimes I feel like such a novice, bumbling around trying to figure out how in the world to do it right. It’s a cliché, but I cannot believe my baby is 5! Though I thought it strange, she wanted a penguin party, and of course a sleepover. And because yes I am crazy, I let her invite ten friends and family to spend the night. I think they all had fun, and it really wasn’t that difficult, except at bedtime. It took two hours to finally get all of them to sleep at the same time. I kept imagining that they were really all mine, which was a scary thought at first. But then I thought about all of the help I would have if I trained ‘em up just right. If I had ten kids, after about five years, I could just sit on the couch all day while the older ones took care of everything. Yep, it would be great. Tunnel vision. Anyway, Graham of course came up with the entertainment, a scavenger hunt and air mattress gymnastics. He is a fun daddy.

At the present, we are trying to potty train Grayson. He and Graham have actually been in the bathroom for about an hour. Apparently things are not coming out so well. But, Graham was so excited today. He has been working for TxDot for ten years and was recognized today for his service. Here he is pictured with his colossal award.
Obviously he has been an excellent employee.


Aren't you glad that we will ultimately recieve our just rewards in heaven?

Saturday afternoon.

Saturday we pulled out the paints and had some fun. Thought I'd share our final products...


I call this uh.."Saturday afternoon." I know, I know
the pure creative genius of each stroke is overwhelming.


Grayson loves to paint, or uh dump out paint....


all over himself. It looks tragic, huh.
He enjoyed washing it all off with the waterhose, too.


My big girl. She calls the one on the left "Big Dipper"
and the one on the right "Pool." I love how she really
thinks about what she is painting, and explained each painting
to me as she did it.



This has nothing to do with anything, but if you are a lover of the words as I am, you will so enjoy this cool dictionary. Try it. It's fun. Yes, dictionaries can be fun!

It ends well.

I can only think randomly as of late, too much swimming inside my head to really focus on one thing. That’s why it’s been a whole month since my last post! So, I thought I would make a “random” list so maybe you can really get an idea of what it’s like to live inside my head. Scary thought, huh? I think that is how I cope, don’t focus on anything for too long so as to not get lost in it. I think that’s why school has been so difficult for me lately. Writing 10-page papers takes focus, and it’s just something that my lazy self does not want to do right now. So in honor of my thought process, a random list.

1. I am so hacked off at people who see the need to display a life-size Freddy Krueger in their yard. Is that entirely necessary? Especially when I know these people have children under the age of ten. Is that really what you want in their heads? I know it’s Halloween or whatever, but making a graveyard in your front yard? Why is that acceptable? I don’t have a problem with letting my kids participate in Halloween through dress-up, trick-or-treating, or the carnivals that abound during that time, but when I have to drive by a stinkin’ Freddy Kreuger waving at me everyday just to get home, that I have a problem with. And I don’t even live on Elm Street!

2. My boy is the cutest, orneriest, sweetest, silliest person I know. I love him! But he is really good at driving me bananas, and I think he knows it already. In fact I think he intentionally walks around the house and takes inventory, noting things that he can destroy, spread all over the house, or lather all over himself when I’m not looking for a few minutes. I think he is constantly making mental notes to himself like “ok, if I drag that chair over here in front of the sink, I can then reach the faucet. I can turn the water on and fill up the cups and then dump it in the floor! Mom will love that!” Tuesday as I was trying to get ready to go to the Pregnancy Center, he had toilet papered his whole room, taken the hand soap from the bathroom and slathered it in his hair, and gathered a stack of DVD’s to take “bye bye.“ Then just for good measure he dumped out his block, legos, and a jar of buttons that he found somewhere. He has so much fun! When we go to Wal-Mart or “Mal-Nart” as he calls it, he yells, very passionately, the name of each item he knows. “Fish!” “Cereal!” “Juice!” He is just such a boy. Something I know very little about. It is such an exciting challenge though. The other night he was coughing a lot, wasn’t sleeping well. I went to his room, asked him if he was okay, patted his head, gave him a kiss. He said, “Thanks Mommy.” The next morning he climbed under the covers with me and snuggled up. Out of the blue he says, “Mommy I love jew(you)” And then struggled to get his arms out of the covers, spread ‘em out, and say, “This much.” Man, little boys know just how to love (and terrorize) their mommies!


3. I am so excited for my friends, the Tefertillers, who leave Saturday for Africa. Keep them in your prayers as they strive to follow God’s lead and share His love outside of the U.S. I so admire their passion for and obedience to our God. Good people, and I love ‘em! I just have this feeling that God is about to reveal how real He is to new people everywhere, from here to Africa! Really! I can literally feel a churning! That sounds so stupid I know, but I’m just excited! Now you may not be able to see it outwardly (that’s not my style lol) but WOW! HE IS SO REAL! Get ready! We had a little party for the T’s last night, and as our awesome friend Terrie read Revelations 9-10 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." I was so moved as I envisioned that scene. Think about it. I so want to be there, don’t you?


Well, I had a lot more randomness goin' on, but thinking about Jesus and worshipping Him in our home in Heaven kind of rids your mind of all the clutter.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth
Psalm 57:5

Lappin' it up...

Well, this may be my last post for a while as my school just started up again. And from my perspective it is hard core. This is my third semester. My third semester to look at all those assignments and feel like I'm drowning while I think “How will I ever get all that completed?” I do honestly love being a student, but I don’t love feeling pressured by due dates! And trying to figure out how and when it will all get done. I do not want to get straight A's but be a bad mom and wife, so I struggle to keep my head above water every semester. And I know, I know, I signed up for this. I am paying for this! Why? Because I know God has some kind of plan He is working on up there. And when I was seeking whether He really wanted me to do this or not, I was like, uh, God don’t you know this is going to be hard, take time, money, etc. blah blah blah. He was like, uh, what? Do you think I’m only supposed to ask you to do easy things? How do you think Moses felt or Abraham, or you know, what about my son Jesus? Ok Ok I get you God. Sometimes we have to Do Hard Things, right girls? (lol) And as I complain, I know that in the big scheme of things being a grad student is really no big deal. But it is still my reality at this point in my life and this is my blog so there you go. So needless to say, on average for the next three months I have about two 8 page papers due per week, along with two tests. And that’s only nine hours people. It is a real challenge for me, one I am incapable of completing without God.

I did something else hard this week, too. I lived through a softball game in which we lost 30-5. It was horrible! It really was my definition of hell on earth. My team could not do much of anything right. I was completely miserable and helpless standing at first base. The only way it could have been worse is if it were a few degrees hotter…..and I was naked. Seriously! Torture.

My Season went to her first day of preschool yesterday. I really don’t know what happened while she was there, except that they had popcorn for snack and she played in the dirt. But when I picked her up she was smiling. That’s good right? Lol. She really did have a good time and is ready to go back. I’m excited that she’s excited. She also had gymnastics yesterday. It was the most hilariously adorable thing I’ve ever seen, and she loved every minute of it. This season of her life is just a lot of fun. She is learning so much so quickly, and I admire the joy she finds in the simple things. I love being her mommy.

So, I am about to listen to a lecture online. That is the truth of my life. It is such an exciting one...sitting on my couch wearing headphones with my laptop... in my lap hehe

Catching up

I cannot keep up with my blogging. I just have so many important things to do, lol. No, but really, I have been busy lately. Not with anything huge, but lots of small things that I would like to finish one of these days. And school is about to start back up for me. I am almost dreading it, simply because I have had few deadlines this summer. Deadlines are good for me though because they give my day some discipline whether I like it or not. Season will start preschool this year, too. She is really excited about it, so that is a relief for me. She is also going to be taking gymnastics. I can’t wait to see her do that! But, I’ll blog all about that later. Today I feel like I need to catch up with what’s been happening lately. So this post will be somewhat random, like myself. And I’ll try not to get too deep and reflective as my past few posts have been very much so. I need to lighten up I think!

This past weekend the Pregnancy Center hosted an all-night tournament, at which I played and worked. Needless to say I went a whole 24 hours without sleep! But it was worth it since we raised much-needed funds for the Center. My team did horribly, losing both of our games. Lose two and you’re out. So,yeah. The second game I was just scared of getting hit with the ball at first base by my own shortstop, being that he was mostly drunk. He kept missing the ball and blaming it on Budweiser or Miller or whatever. Funny in a sickening kind of way. He somehow managed to throw me the ball; however, I did try to stop the ball with my ankle at one point. Unfortunately, also,one of our volunteers broke her knee(or something similar, she’s supposed to go to the doctor today to get the prognosis). She was playing hind catcher and pretty much got run over at home plate. It wasn’t pretty at all with her lying on the ground suffering, while the guys on her team were worried about kicking the guy’s butt that slid into her. Anyway, after that, I sat in the bleachers for six hours keeping score. I am a pro at this point. A pro with tons of mosquito bites and a flat sore butt. I learned some new batting techniques, caught up with one of my ex-students (who was also drunk BTW), watched monster moths try to crash the games, and managed to stay awake until the sun came up. Shane (Wendy’s man) very kindly brought me drinks and tried his best to keep me awake, while he was dreaming with his eyes open. All in all it was a good time. I made it to Sunday School and then I crashed like never before. Staying up all night is stupid, no matter the reason. Lol.

Softball has become quite a part of my life this summer, as tonight will be my fourth game in five days. I honestly love it though. I mean I hate playing when it is so hot or when my teammates are drunk, but I do enjoy the competition. This is the first season I have played first base and I like it, though every time the ball is hit toward second base I want to be there too. I pretty much want to be wherever the ball is hit, not that I would catch it every time but I would sure like to try. Is it wrong to be a 30-year-old mom and enjoy sports so much? I just hope my kids enjoy them too. Then, at least I can vicariously live through them, lol.

My kids are still awesome. Grayson makes me laugh so much. He is just so determined when he gets something in his head. He is also very forceful, by that I mean that if he wants to sit in my lap and I am doing something else, he will kick and claw his way to right where he wants to be. And it can be painful. Even his hugs are painful, but so loving too. He is such a show-off. I love it. And Season, wow!, she is growing up so fast, it makes me hurt, too. She is determined, as well. She is very convincing too, making her way somehow seem like the right thing to do. I question how a four-year-old can be so persuasive, and maybe I am just being a pushover. Yeah, that could be it. She is very good at working the tears right when she needs them though. They challenge me, bring me to my knees, fill my house with laughter and love, and make me act seriously silly.

I have enjoyed several times with friends lately, old and new. It is such a blessing to have friends, and good ones at that. I am just in awe of God for surrounding me with the people He has. Well, I have blogged my time away…and not really said much, but it has somehow made my head a little less cluttered. I have more ideas in my head to share, but still have to expand them. (walking in the spirit vs. not walking in the spirit, willlingness to admit weaknesses, my responsibility in people’s perceptions of me, our spiritual gifts, my friends, my religion, personality types). So, yeah, the ideas are just swimming and I’m sure you are just so anxious to hear my views. I guess I will sign off now as my forceful son is literally climbing on my back.

But I gotta add that my husband is awesome, too. He has made my latest outings possible by being such a great dad. I'm thankful that he is always around and doesn't complain(very often lol) when he has to pick up the slack. WYMSIE baby! He is my MAN.

Ramblings as usual

TGIF! We just finished up a week of Vacation Bible School. I was the craft teacher, and Season was in the "LoneStar" class of 4-5 year olds. Grayson got to spend every morning with Gran Gran, and he made me feel really bad every time I left him. I am so glad I don't have to do that every day! But I know he had a great time without me. Mom said he pretended that he was going to Wal-Mart to buy books while pushing a baby in a stroller and carrying a purse over his shoulder. Yeah, there is something wrong with that picture, but it makes me laugh nonetheless. Season had a hard time the first few days, you know, crying and running to her wonderful mommy because she doesn't want to spend a moment away from me. But, I threatened her with her life and the last three days I didn't even know she was there. She is becoming a big girl, and I seriously hate it. I think I would be perfectly happy if she stayed four forever. My favorite class was the 4th-5th grade, mostly because they think it's hilarious when you act like a total idiot. And I love that, no inhibitions whatsoever. Anyway, today was the last day and the kids sang a few songs for their parents. As I was listening to them, I was completely blessed as I thought that Jesus must be thoroughly blessed and entertained as well, at hearing them sing "Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is your name." There is nothing like a child's voice singing to his/her Father...so pure.

And I did my good deed for the day a few minutes ago. I looked out my front door and there were like several huge tree branches in the road. Cars were veering into oncoming traffic to avoid them, and we live right in front of a hill where you can't really see what's coming over it. So because I was afraid someone was going to have a wreck, I thought I would just go throw them off the road, not realizing how much of a task it would be. It was basically like a whole tree cut up and dispersed in the highway in front of my house and two others. And here I am in my pajamas basically, no bra, no shoes, and all these men in their big bad trucks wouldn't even freakin' stop and help. But that is the kind of world we live in, huh? Nobody has time to stop and help a girl out. I'm sure they were thinkin' what is that idiot doin' with her dog in the road pickin' up a tree. Whatever. So here I am gettin' muddy and inflicting scratches upon myself, but I did it and I can't wait to tell Graham about it. He'll be so proud, lol. Although he may think I made it up because a stinkin' TxDot bulldozer thingy came and picked up the branches and dumped them into the back of a truck. Yep, it took two men and two big vehicles to pick up what I had singlehandedly done all by myself. Such an exciting life I lead, lol.

And Graham is going to kids'camp (as a counselor) next week. I'm a little jealous because I love church camp, but I am so excited for him to be able experience it. Ok, Ok, I'm out.

Is it so wrong that I believe my children are absolutely beautiful and smart and funny? Doesn't everyone think this about their babies? They should. Anyway just wanted to share some pics of my babes.

Still too young to know when she looks like a dork. lol I hope she never loses that innocence.

Yep, that's my boy. I love his silly personality!
Season was so proud of her goggles, which I bought at Target for a dollar. How many more days/months/years will just$1 make her happy?

Still bein' a silly boy...not quite ready to jump in the deep with sister.

My girl looks just like her daddy....did I even birth this child? She takes my breath away.

Eudey life

I have nothing inspirational about which to blog, just life in general that we daily take for granted. After all the Bible says that life is a vapor, and we let it pass as if it will never end. I can’t fathom life as a vapor, especially on those days when I change dirty diaper after dirty diaper, break up numerous “fights,” cook dinner only to have it turn out like crap, literally, and well, you know what I mean. But most of the time, life is good, and those are the things that give my day, ummm, flavor, let‘s say. And I thank God for His goodness, but I still feel humbled and undeserving.
This week has been full of swimming. We were blessed with a pool, and my Season has absolutely enjoyed herself in a degree to which only a child can muster. Her joy has been contagious, as I found myself inside the pool in a swimsuit (gasp!) actually splashing around and having a good ole time. In fact, Graham and I actually jumped in one night sans, uh….kids. It’s been fun and relaxing, and now I never want to experience another summer without a pool!
On Tuesday my sister and I took our kids, along with my niece, to the Dallas Zoo. The trip left me wondering if outings as such are really worth the effort. I mean with the semi-long road trip, the heat, the money, the complaining kids, the stinky rhinos, the spilled drink in a nice restaurant…. But the looks on the kids faces as they see or experience something new, or scary, or just plain strange is, as they say, priceless. They created memories, and I love playing a part in that. Grayson’s favorite animal was the giraffe, so cute to hear him say it. But, overall, I think the favorite was the monkeys, of course. Wow, they are so human-like it’s scary. And I gained a new appreciation for the lion as I stared at him/her thinking that Jesus is called the Lion of Judah. What an awesome visual. The lion sitting in the cage was so beautiful and peaceful. My sister even said she just wanted to crawl in there and cuddle with it. And I agreed, especially as I was picturing Jesus. But, as we looked at it’s paws and teeth, it’s power was obvious. And did you know a liger is a for real animal? I thought it was something Napolean just created, but no completely fo’ real.

Azlyn, Season, Grayson, Addi

Later that night, the girls had a t-ball game that was much less than exciting. They are so cute, but if you are looking for a competitive display of skills, it ain’t gonna happen. In fact, the most competitive part of the whole game is when it’s over, and both teams race to the sno-cone stand. We did get our long anticipated t-ball pictures, though, the outcome of which is a whole other story. I say our because I am in the picture with Season. She absolutely refused to pose, and I thought maybe if I was in it with her she would smile, but no. I think I am smiling big enough for the both of us. The things we do for our children.

Did I mention how much I love the pool? Mostly because now I have an excuse to just sit and do nothing, or I mean, uh, watch the kids.

Five things I love right now

1. I love watching my kids interact. I love that they love each other. When they hug and kiss on each other there just ain’t nothin’ better. They like to pretend that Grayson is a dog, and Season leads him around with a leash(belt). I love it. Grayson barks and begs, and Season throws him a toy to fetch. To hear Season say , “Look at Bubba. He is so funny,”, with this huge proud grin on her face. And when Grayson wakes up in the morning and says, “Where Seazee?” The Best! It‘s exactly why I wanted them to be close in age, so that they would have a forever bond, a reliance on each other, a knowing glance, inside jokes, a peace in the fact that no matter what life may bring, they will always have each other.
2. I love anytime I can steal some quietness, some time where absolutely nothing is going on, the calm before the storm. This is usually in the mornings amidst my coffee topped with whipped cream, my Bible, and my journal. I love this quiet time that I can reflect, pray, read, study, just a time to gain understanding, prepare my “battle plan," for the day, and be refreshed in order to get through the day with peace.
3. I love when I get to spend time with my kids individually. They are able to just be themselves with Mom without having to one-up each other, lol, and I am able to focus on just them. Lately, Grayson is so affectionate. At bedtime, after a book about tractors, of course, he insists on kissing each of my eyes, my ears, my nose, and my forehead. I love it! They are the sweetest kisses ever! He usually wakes up before Season in the mornings too, and for about fifteen minutes, he will not let me out of his sight. He needs me….selfishly, I hope he always does! I tell him no other woman can ever take mommy’s place! Ok, and not in a weird Oedipus Rex kinda way. Lol. Season says the cutest things, and has a way of making me feel like the best mommy ever! Like on mother’s day, she said, “Mommy, I’m glad you’re my Mommy!“ She and I got to take a shopping/movie trip together the other day (along with my bff who loves me even though I am an unfashionable, clumsy dork). Anyway, Season was just awesome, ok except for like seven potty breaks and lying on the dressing room floor and saying very loudly, “Mommy, your bobo is a lot bigger than mine.” She is growing up so fast, and I just want to be able to savor every little thing about her being who she is right now. Why am I a stay-at-home mom? Yeah, all this and more. Being their mommy makes me feel ragingawesome.
4. I love that Graham and I can share the Lord. We can argue and analyze and share the things of God. Through this we grow in our love for each other and our love for God. We tried to start a tradition of getting up early , having coffee together, praying, and doing a little devotional thing. We did it like two days in a row, and it was great. Unfortunately, I am really lazy in the mornings, so we are still working that out. But, to see his passion for the Lord still raging--love it! Though when I get in a bad mood and he tells me, just give it to God, oh wait this is things I love. So, anyway, yeah.
5. I love to get lost in a good book. I just finished Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. It came highly recommended by a couple of friends, and it totally lived up. I know a book is good when I get mad that it’s over. And, yeah, I was completely mad at the author for not telling me more. Go read it, and be amazed at people who truly know what it is to be persecuted for Jesus. I love a good praise CD. I love that we just spent the rainy weekend with great friends and had fun. I love allergy pills. I love chocolate. I love the library. I love my life group. I love the Sonic at happy hour. I love my new dryer. I love to be in His presence. I love that Season is playing with the Barbie’s I used to play with. I love that Grayson is right there beside her brushing the Barbie’s hair with a plastic spoon. And we wonder why the word love has lost its meaning.
I love this picture...Isha's Alisha, Christy's Maddie, My Season!