Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

My littlest guy turned 7 today! I can't believe it! Although it seems like yesterday that I brought his little 9lb 9oz self (he was my second smallest baby) home, it also seems like he's always been here. I can't imagine one day of my life not knowing him.

He is funny, shy, and snuggly. He sometimes crawls in my bed very early for some snuggle time. He's like a little heater :) He builds all kinds of things that baffle me. He's so smart. And handsome! He looks like his dad :) He loves to do crazy things...not dangerous really, he's actually kind of conservative...just crazy. He cracks us up!

He's also stubborn; especially about food. And school. He hates to hear the word "no".

He takes awhile to warm up to things. He doesn't like "switching gears" so to speak. Maybe he gets that lovely trait from me as I hate change.

We had just a very small party for him today to celebrate his day. Just us and my mom. He picked our meal (not healthy of course) and told his dad what he wanted for a cake. I'm the cake baker and Todd is the cake decorator.
Our monkey picked a monkey cake for the second year in a row ;)
Opening presents:
Loving his new Crystal King:
Brandon helped him get it together ASAP!

A birthday hug from Meemaw:
Little hands:
Happy Birthday my sweet, little guy :)

Celebrating, Graduate Style

As you can see, last week was busy! And fun, of course! Through all that though, we planned a party in Kristen's honor to celebrate her achievement. We decided to have it at the church her dad attends so everyone she loves would feel comfortable coming. It was a great idea! They have a picnic shelter, the best playground ever, and a cool sand volleyball court so there was something for everyone! Her friends and family drifted in and out throughout the afternoon congratulating her. It was wonderful to see everyone! We had a really good time!

We were really hoping for a sunny day (it was supposed to rain) and the weather couldn't have been better! Sunny and breezy...very nice! Actually, it was down right windy but although it made a few things a challenge (like keeping your plate from blowing away!) it kept the temperature very comfortable under the shelter.

Her cake was three sheet cakes put together! There were these little silver tiaras scalloped all around the edge that you can't see...very cute!
There was TONS of food! Kristen's stepmom, Sandy, and I did the cooking (except the potato salad...thanks Mom!).
The party gets started!
My mom gave Kristen a picture frame that had a picture of the three of us; my mom, me, and Kristen, all during our senior year. How cool is that?!?
More partying :)
The super-fun playground:

A rousing couple of games of volleyball:
That's my hubby serving in that one :)

A couple more shots of the graduate:
Here with her grandparents.
And getting cake ready for her guests. She's a good hostess :)

There was so much cooking and preparing to be done that week. Kristen's job was brownies so she recruited her little sister to help with that :)
I forgot to take a picture of all the chocolate on their mouths ;)

It was a great day and such a meaningful celebration!

Cooling Off

One of our VBS traditions is going swimming at my Uncle Raymond's house one (or more) of the afternoons! The water is still freezing in his pool this time of year, but the kids never care! (I, however, do not get in yet ;)) There always seems to be a group of us and we always have a great time!

Now that our super-busy week is over, we can't wait to go back for another afternoon of relaxing!

Strawberry Pickin'

So several of my friends have been telling me about how GREAT the strawberries at the pick-your-own places are this year. This is actually something I've been wanting to do for a while now, but our June is usually so busy that I always forget. Not this year! My mom and I had planned on going out a couple of weeks ago with the kids to get our share of those wonderful strawberries, but the constant threat of thunderstorms and the chilly weather had me postponing.

I wish I hadn't.

We decided to go after VBS last Monday. We drove out to the farm and guess what? It was THE LAST DAY for picking. You know what that means. Yep. There weren't very many left. And the ones that were left had something wrong with them ;) Yep, I waited too long. Now that I know when to go, I'll be more on the ball next year though! I want my yummy, red berries!

Since we were there, we went on out to see what we could find.

Not even half a bag.

Oh well, the little store had some really yummy tomatoes that made the trip worthwhile ;) And of course I took some cute pictures of my babies digging around in all those plants looking for little red treasures ;)

After I had to leave the field to hunt down a port-a-potty (Megan) , listen to whining (Nicholas), and deal with the blazing sun after a morning of VBS, I called it quits. We happily took our little berries, and some other goodies from the little store, home!

Lessons learned:
1. Go late May/early June
2. Go in the morning
3. Take drinks and snacks ;)

Now that I know what I'm doing, I'm really looking forward to berry picking next year! lol

Week of Craziness

Last week's VBS was a success! To be honest, I was a bit worried about how'd it turn out. The road right in front of our church is under going some major construction and I was afraid it might discourage people from coming. Monday, there was only one entrance to our church parking lot open...out of four. So you see my concern!

I should have known God would work it out :) He always does. We had tons of kids from the neighborhood! It was really a blessing to be a part of the week. This is my sixth year teaching VBS and I look forward to it every year!

So do my kids :) Here are a few pictures of then throughout the week:

Kristen was one of the music teachers.
Some of the boys in my class learning the songs.
Nicholas doing a caterpillar wrap!
Brandon learning a game in recreation.

Good friends, Megan and Rosalyn.
A big favorite for my kids...craft time!
Another favorite...snack time!
A few pictures from the closing program Friday night:

Getting Ready for a Busy Week

Yesterday and today, we worked on getting the church ready for VBS. Our kids all really look forward to this every summer! It's one of their favorite weeks. Kristen is one of the music teachers and I'm in the 1st-2nd grade. Brandon, Megan, and Nicholas sit back and enjoy the week ;)

Todd sometimes helps with the set-up and this year, he was really needed! The theme is space and I wanted a rocket ship! Check out his handy work:

A cardboard rocket just like this sells in the Land of Nod catalog for $90!

Another picture I saw was a half moon. I wanted that too!
That used to be a refrigerator box! Now it's my cool, half moon puppet stage :)

We had so much fun setting up and we had so many helpers!
We are now gearing up for a super busy, but really fun week of learning about Jesus, hanging out with friends, doing cool crafts, and learning some fun songs!