We clean up nice...

This last weekend we celebrated the marriage of our friends Lauren and Jason. Lauren was in our youth group when we first came to Augusta. Her dad was our church's pastor and we loved serving with them while they were with us here... they have become like our family and we are so grateful for them.

Here are pictures of my sweet family on the big day... Sadie was the flower girl, Eric helped officiate, I was a bridesmaid and Coley was just too cute.

Summer Lovin' Sunday! :)

I absolutely LOVE summer... being outside... relaxing inside... the water... the sand... AND no rigid schedule! Here are some quick snapshots of what we've been up to so far this summer! :) Enjoy!

Sadie enjoying a round of her new favorite game... she's ALMOST as good as I am! :)

Cole's new Police Car for the pool and the lake.

Little Miss doin' her thing in the sand. By the way... no matter how cool you think the colored sand is, stick with the old faithful. :)

Coley peekin' in on his momma.

He already has the ever-so-serious TV stare down... on this day, he was so intense, he couldn't move his cheek from resting on my leg. I love cuddling with my kids.

Sadie devouring her corn-on-the-cob and me wishing it had as much nutritional value as greens.

The Latest on Cole

We are in the 8th week of helmet therapy with Cole and are becoming a little antsy to finish this all up! :) It is sunny... it is hot... and our little boy is sweaty... all.the.time.

Over the last few weeks, he has plateaued in his head growth. When he was fitted for his helmet, he had a 5/8" difference between the vertical measurements of his head. The first 4 weeks or so, he grew like a little weed.... then recently everything has leveled off. In the last few weeks, his head has only grown aboutl 1/16". This leaves him with the new measurement of 3/16" difference between the two vertical measurements. The doctors would like to see this measurement at a 1/8" difference before we remove the helmet.

We return to the Orthodics office on the 30th for our check up... it is possible that we will remove the helmet IF:
- Cole's head measures in with a 1/8" difference (only needs to grow 1/16").
- AND his soft spot is closing enough to remove the helmet (he has a large soft spot... Sadie's was similar and took a long time to close).

SO.... please pray for a miracle! We would love for this event to be a memory!!!

What's that noise???

Yesterday Sadie, Cole and I were in my bedroom changing Cole's diaper. We were all talking (well, mainly Sadie and I) and then we heard this loud crash. Since I was in the middle of taking care of some little buns, I sent Sadie in to see what the noise was about... it's always a good idea to send a child to check on a strange sound.

She quickly ran and did what I asked and quickly ran back reporting that Bubba was sitting in the high chair. I thought, "Surely not." Well, it was surely so. When I walked into the dining room here is what I found... guilty much???


I had to laugh a little bit over this because just yesterday morning as I was cleaning the kitchen I was having a prideful moment over how Cole never leaves a mess in his seat. There is never a stray cheerio or dried green bean on his cushion!!! Well, I'm afraid Mr. Cole really isn't that neat of an eater and that when we are away from the house ol' Boston is helping himself to the open buffet in the high chair. He is another mouth to feed and care for, but I think I'll keep him around as my little Dirt Devil.

Augusta Strikes AGAIN!

You may remember my recent post on the Augusta Water Report... you know, the one about us having the "Best Tasting Water in Kansas???" I tell you... this city never ceases to amaze me. This week we received a "Sewer Cleaning Notification."

Eric and I have been homeowners for a little over six years and have never heard of a city sewer cleaning - so this is either something special that Augusta does or our previous community never informed us of such an exciting event. The notification shared that "sometime this week" our sewers would be cleaned and that we should know that the sewer lines can develop pressure during the cleaning process that is supposed to dissipate through your plumbing vents (wherever those are) BUT if there is an inadequate venting, the pressure could escape through your sinks, toilets, showers etc. Doesn't that sound lovely??? So to keep this from happening we are to cover floor drains with plastic and weights, cover toilets with plastic and close toilet lids and if you smell an "unpleasant odor" you are to run water to refill the traps.

I guess the moral of this great story is...
- My sewer system is gonna be "so fresh and so clean, clean" by Friday
- AND that if you need to potty at my house, be sure to pull back the plastic before doing your business. HA! Like I'm going to cover my toilet when I have a potty-trainer... we're lucky to make it in time to get the lid up, let alone plastic! :)

First Swim of the Summer

This year Sadie has outgrown her one ring pool... the one with the cute jingle bell stars and multi-colored rings.
I had to have a moment of silence for this outgrowing... I loved the memories from that first little pool... BUT, despite our great times, there was no possible way for her to fit in this pool anymore... especially with her little swimming side-kick. So, off we went to buy the kids a new whale pool (which has a tail that works quite well as a slipper slide)... this should give us some splashing fun through the next few summers. Don't they look like they're having a great time???

Cole getting his feet wet for the first time.

Sadie thinking this could possibly be the best thing that's ever happened to her. She has several swim suits this summer (thanks to our friends)... but this one is her favorite. :)


Little man taking it all in... doesn't he look so cute without his helmet (I think we're nearing the end of our helmet therapy... his head is looking next to perfect!).

Yes... this is definitely a big time (oh, and did I mention that our whale has a functioning blow hole... note the spray on the right.)! :)

Something Yummy...

Don't you love the Crock-Pot??? Here's a simple recipe we tried last week while my mom was visiting. She had heard about it from one of her friends and it was so yummy!!! I'm not really sure the name of it, so we'll call it...

Yummy Mexican Chicken
2 chicken breasts (already *cooked & shredded)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of corn, drained
1/2 pkg of taco seasoning or 1 1/2 T homemade (I'll have to share my recipe sometime)
1/2 cup salsa

Mix all ingredients together and cook in the crock pot on low for 4 hours. This is yummy served in a tortilla with some shredded cheese and sour cream OR I ate it leftover on lettuce with some Creamy Italian and crushed tortilla chips. Oh so yummy... and if you're calculating Weight Watcher points, it's only 4 points for 1/2 cup!

* I cook a bag of frozen chicken breasts ahead of time in the crock pot (chicken, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper - cook on low for 5 hours) and then shred it, baggie it in 1 cup portions & freeze it for meals. It makes prep time a snap and is easy to throw in casseroles, chicken salads etc.

28 things I'm forever thankful for...

Well, today is my BIRTHDAY! I'm twenty-eight (doesn't it look cool written out like that???)!!! I absolutely LOVE to celebrate a Birthday... seriously, does it get better than eating a mountain-load of sugar and being pampered all the day long??? Every year is a little sweeter and every year the Lord makes me a little more grateful. Today I'm deciding to celebrate by sharing 28 things that I'm oh so thankful for....

1. Dr. Pepper and Dove Chocolate (I bet you all were thinking I was going to put something kind and thoughtful first, huh!? Got ya!)
2. My husband - who loves me on my best and worst of days, who is strong where I am incredibly weak... and has a sense of adventure that keeps me on my toes! :)
3. Little Miss Sadie - I've never seen a child love life quite as much as she does... she reminds me to go lightly and to "not worry because it's just going to be perfect."
4. My precious baby boy (who's not gonna be a baby much longer) - he's so laid back (unless it's the middle of the night) and has a smile that can light up the room.
5. The freedom we have in America.
6. My Bible Study girls whom I get to sit criss-cross applesauce with every Monday night to grow in God's word (and grace - GIG:) and be incredibly encouraged. I'm so blessed to know each of you.
7. My really great friends... I have some of the most loyal friendships and I'm so grateful for each of you!
8. The opportunity I have to be with my children at this point in their lives.
9. A place to call home with all of our basic needs... and things we are far from needing. We live in a very blessed nation.
10. Those who have taken their time to genuinely invest in my life - Merle, T. Mac, Cooke, Deana, Angel, Brenda - from each of you I've learned and grown so much. THANK YOU!
11. The moments I have just to sit quietly.... ahhhhh...
12. My time at ESU where I spent 4 years of my life... I have such rich memories from my time there.
13. Books - I love to read and learn. :)
14. Memories I have from my Western Hills family... we are all over the place now, but I love you all so much and think of you often.
15. Super Summer... need I say more???
16. The fact that every day at 11:00 the mail comes... a stay-at-home mom's dream... the mail!
17. Rest (I don't think I would have considered this something to be thankful for a few years ago... but every time I get a good night's sleep now I feel so relieved and renewed.).
18. My family, beyond the precious three I live with... I'm blessed to have parents that cared enough for me to encourage me and support me in everything I did growing up and do now... and in-laws that love me like their own.
19. My little brother deserves a line of his own... I'm the luckiest sister in the world. No matter how much I bossed him around, made him play house/school or sung to him growing up, he loves me anyway. I'm privileged to be able to call him one of my best friends.
20. Kansas sunsets and storms... do they get any more beautiful or exciting???
21. God's timing - I'm growing to appreciate it a more and more as I get older - it is perfect and I should seriously trust it more than I do.
22. My grandparents - I'm very blessed to have been able to enjoy all four of them for 28 years.
23. The birth of both of my babies... some of my most incredible memories are with Eric during their first moments of their little lives.
24. Vehicles that get us from one place to the next...
25. A good foot rub... ahhhhh!
26. God's provision.
27. Snuggle time with my children.
28. To my Lord and Savior... for whom I'm doing my best to live each of these days for... may my life truly be an offering unto Him... giving Him the glory and praise that He deserves.

Happy Anniversary!

Six year ago today I said, "I do" to my man. How does time go so quickly???

We've lived.
Grown.
Added to our number.
Served.
Laughed.
Played.
Been real.

Eric - I'm thrilled to call you my own! I love you... Happy Anniversary... here's to forever.