Catching-up the pictures for the past 2 weeks (hold onto your seats!)

Ok,ok so I am out of control with posts today! I think that I have reached my quota though! Since the past 2 weeks have been so chaotic, I decided to get everything up here to keep the grandmas AHEM I mean our family happy! (Love you both! I know that you guys are dying for some pics of the kids so here they are!)

Ballerina Princess Birthday at the Beach
Fun at the beach!

Modeling her bday hat!

Sweet face

First day of VBS

Hair-do from daddy on Father's day

Cheese!

Why do I even buy toys for them?

Too cute for his own britches!

Too funny not to post!

Dress-up with sissy

The queen of dress-up

Wordless Wednesday (Birthday girl)

A special Wednesday message

A Very Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl!

It seems like just yesterday that I was bringing you home from the hospital. You were so tiny, so new. I was so nervous of what to do with you. Now you stand before me, a little lady full of thoughts and opinions of your own.

Happy 4th Birthday Kendall Bug!

We love you so much!!

A daughter is a miracle that never ceases to be miraculous...full of beauty and forever beautiful...loving and caring and truly amazing.
-- Deanna Beisser

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer.
-- Author Unknown

A daughter is a gift of love.
-- Author Unknown

A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be a friend.
-- Author Unknown

What children take from us, they give.
We become people who feel more deeply,
question more deeply,
and love more deeply.
~ Sonia Taitz

What Is A Daughter
© Jack
She’s a joy she’s an angel’ well that’s what she thinks
She clings on to your heart like a plug to a sink
She drives you all crazy with make believe games
She’ll have you believe that fairies fly planes

She often comes in with imaginary friends
And can draw on their dads with permanent pens
She has pretty parties with dolls as her mates
But then runs straight out and she swings on the gate

She listens to stories of love and romance
Then shoves a live frog in her best friends pants
At night when asleep the angels go quiet
I often do think that she could start a riot

She looks like a princess all said and done
And Uses mums lipstick to draw a big sun
All over the walls and down the settee
Her face is alive and she giggles with glee

Its then that you have to be strong and quite firm
For if you stand back she will never quite learn
And learn things she does most every day
She learns how to get thing her very own way

She came into your life and captured your heart
And then from that time you won’t stay apart
You may keep your son till he finds a good wife
But your daughters your daughter for all of her life

Source: What Is A Daughter, Daughter Poems

A mother's love for her child is like
nothing else in the world. It knows no
law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes
down remorselessly all that stands in its path.

~ Agatha Christie

Father's day pictures (way late!!)

Father's day was pretty low key this year. My poor Benny. VBS was getting ready to kick off the next day so I was quite tied up!
We did make him french toast for breakfast, took him to Quizno's (one of his favs) for lunch, & gave him the rest of his gifts. (We gave him a few of them early so he could use them on our trip to Highlands.)

Thanks for all that you do babe! We love you!!

Big girl seat

She is officially "all grown-up." Ben finally convinced me that since she was the correct age, weight, & height that we should get her the dreaded booster seat. I don't know why I feel more secure when she is in the 5 point strapped in, buckled to the hilt but anyway.....she has graduated to her first "big girl seat" and she is so pleased!

Working on loving my hubby bigger and better!

Giving him Credit and Props

I know that everyone likes to hear themselves praised. (Our sinful nature right?!)It is a feel-good booster but I think that it feels especially great when it comes from my hubster. He has done ALOT in the past 2 weeks to help me out with VBS prep-work & then with Kendall's party. (I normally take care of all the birthday party details but I was so sick that Ben had to do it this time.) I made sure to publicly praise him to my volunteer staff at VBS & to our friends who attended the party. I can't think of a better way to acknowledge all of his hard work! (Especially since most people assume that I did all of it!)

Keeping my mouth shut!

Oh that is a TALL ORDER sometimes! We were at the beach unloading party supplies at the pavilion. We decided to leave the kids in the a/c for as long as we could. Ben decided to unbuckle the kids. I piped up once to let him know that I didn't think it was a good idea but let him do his thing.....5 minutes later there was part of a can of Dr. Pepper on the front seat. I kept MY MOUTH SHUT!! It would have been so easy to retort a "I told you so." But it would have been a fight starter & that was not needed or necessary! I am learning to let him learn how to deal with the kiddos in his own way & not mine. Even if I have to BITE my lips shut sometimes!!

____________________________________________

Challenge: Pray For Your Husband Daily

Marriage Challenge Week #3

This week the hard work begins! If you do not yet own "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian - get it! It is an excellent guide and a treasure to keep on your book shelf.

James 5:17 says "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Prayer changes things - do you believe that? Then let's get started! Here's a list of items you can begin to pray through for your husband (taken from Stormie's book):

1. His Wife -that's a good place to start right? lol!

2. His Work

3. His Finances

4. His Sexuality

5. His Affections

6. His Temptations

7. His Mind

8. His Fears

9. His Purpose

10. His Choices

11. His Health

12. His Protection

13. His Trials

14. His Integrity

15. His Reputation

16. His Priorities

17. His Relationships

18. His Fatherhood

19. His Past

20. His Attitude

21. His Marriage

22. His Emotions

23. His Walk

24. His Talk

25. His Repentance

26. His Deliverance

27. His Obedience

28. His Self-Image

29. His Faith

30. His Future

Challenge: Print this list out and pray through this list daily. Also, do not forget to ask your husband each morning for any specific prayer requests he has for the day. I do this regularly and my husband always answers with a detailed situation he is concerned about. It's a blessing to pray for him and watch God work and answer. Our intimacy has grown through this and he always knows he has a prayer warrior in me. If you don't pray daily for him - who will?

Like a string around your finger reminding you of something important, let your wedding ring be a reminder to pray this week. I want you to pray every time you look down and see your wedding ring. When you take your ring off to wash dishes or shower - say a sentence prayer for your husband. When you are sitting watching television, reading a book or typing on your computer and your ring flashes your way - say a sentence prayer for your husband. Make it a habit to pray for your husband.

For more visit Courtney at

________________________________

Monday Mugs (Pets)

Our "first" girl

Jordan Tanner (Jordie, Jor)

She is a rescue pup from the Indiana County Humane Shelter in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Rhodesian Ridgeback & boxer mix. She had the sweetest disposition, whip smart, super fast (even at 9 years old), obedient (as long as there is not any "prey" near by to chase) and just the best dog that you could ever ask for!

Our "first" Boy
Geronimo George (Mo, Momo, knucklehead, "big dummy")

He is our beautiful German Rottweiler. He has the BEST tempermant, is one of the most gentle dogs you will ever meet (unless you are attempting to hurt one of us), at a shade over 130 lbs still thinks that he is the size of a 10 lb dog! Our circus just wouldn't be complete without his antics!

Kahlua (Fuzz, kitty-kitty)

She is her own lady and always has been. She can be very standoffish but most of the time is very loving (to us.) She probably gets the least of our attention but that is how she likes it!

Attached at the hip (always)

Love our pretty pets!

Day 227 of 365

Concealing an illness is like keeping a beach ball under water.
Karen Duffy

Sick,sick, sickedy-sick

Hello family and friends!
I am still here but lost the entire weekend to being very sick. Headache, fever, cough, shaking chills, yeah fun in the summer time right?!
I am feeling better except for the cough that I just can't shake. I will be back to posting here soon......when I get the house in a bit more order!
Let me leave you with some good news though!
-We had a daily average of 590 kids birth-rising 6th grade at our VBS last week.
-200 of those were pre-schoolers that I got to see in the craft room!
-There were over 50 (I think that the final tally was 64 but don't quote me on that) kids that gave their life to Christ.
-We had a great game night on Friday night with our small group (even though I was quite deliriously feverish!) at our house & even had 2 newcomers!
-My wonderful hubby stepped in on Saturday & completed all of the grocery shopping and party prep for our little gal.
-Our Kendall bug had her 4th birthday party at the beach on Sunday!
Until later.......

A sneak peek of Kendall Bug's 4 year portraits

More to follow I promise!

Friday

So why this picture of Ben and I from 2003?

Well besides the fact that I really like it.....I have been so sad recently to see all of the oil that is ruining Pensacola Beach, Florida. (Really all the beaches makes me sad but especially P'cola because that is where Ben & I met, made many memories, and got married.)
So praying for everyone still living there and the area surrounding. I hope that it will be returned to its previous glory as God intended it to be.

_____________________________________________

1. Do you know how to play a musical instrument?
I used to love playing the clairnet but I don't think that I could remember even how to read the music let alone play now.
2. What is your pet peeve while driving?
Slow drivers in the passing lane
people not paying any attention to what they are doing
3. Would you rather have a housekeeper or unlimited spa services?
HOUSEKEEPER!!!
4. Is there a song that you hear that will take you back to the moment, like a junior high or high school dance?
"Look Away" by Chicago
5. What song best represents your life right now?Hmm..... not really sure on that one!
_______________________________________

1. If I could choose my last meal it would be a buffet because I love food too much to narrow it down to just one thing! Probably a sampling of roundsteak with gravy, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes with butter, a little general tso's chicken, crab cakes, my grammy's peant butter fudge & ginger snap cookies, mint choc chip ice cream, baklava, Oh the list could go on and on and on!
2. My favorite person to share a meal with is Ben, Kendall, Isaac, my parents, my in-laws, and my sister because, I never get them to be in the same place at the same time.
3. The best meal I've ever had was a meal at Peg Leg Pete's in Pensacola with Ben. Not so much just the food (although the crab & lobster were delicious!) but knowing that Ben was going to take care of me no matter what!
4. The one food that makes me feel instantly better when I'm having a bad day is a candy bar. C'mon did you really think it was going to be anything but chocolate?
5. My absolute specialty in the kitchen is my italian dip, meatball stone soup, Aunt Shellie's trail mix, turkey vegetable chilli, and a few other odds and ends. I love to cook and try new things!
6. The city that has the best food is probably San Diego. (Even though I don't ever want to live there again!)
7. My favorite healthy snack is a nice, big, fresh orange or yogurt with granola, or Ben's Aunt Shellie's trail mix.
8. In my opinion the nationality which has the best food is Asian or Greek.
9. If I could learn to cook anything in the world (and be really good at it!) I'd choose baklava! If you know what it is, it looks like it would be very hard to make!
10. The most outrageous dessert I've ever had was hmmmm.....not really sure on that one. I guess I will go with the groom's cake at our wedding. It was kind of weird to be eating the "Aggie bon fire!"
_____________________________________________

_________________________________________

week 31 of 52 (Thursday on a Friday)

The end of fun is never easy to take!

Right before we had to hike back up a very steep 1.2 mile trail.

Kendall was not happy!

For more visit
_______________________________



Anywho..It's time for a little Thursday Five action..
To play..Just post 5 things that have made you..
1. Being at home from vacation has made me very Happy
2. Seeing the kids enjoy all of the VBS crafts that I have worked on hard on has Delighted
me this week.
3. I am Grateful that we are going to get to see my parents and in-laws this summer on family vacations.
4. I am Totally Stoked to see Kendall's 4 year portraits that she had taken last night.
or
5. I am SUPER Thankful for ALL of the adult & youth volunteers that have showed up this past week to help with pre-school crafts.

Day 226 of 365

"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remeber. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."
- Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

Day 225 of 365

"Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be. Each of us has the power to give life meaning, to make our time and our bodies and our words into instruments of love and hope."~ Tom Head

Wednesday (actually on time!)

Wordless Wednesday

(So lucky to have such beautiful children)

_______________________________

Wordful Wednesday

One of the check points for Ben's adventure race.

I am so glad that they got to see such pretty scenery while they were working their butts off!

_______________________________

2005

Some of the first military friends that I made here in Jacksonville.

Just going through some old photos and enjoying the memories!!