SA vacay

I mentioned in an earlier post that the days are passing quickly while Will has been away....I give the credit to a little SA getaway!
My parents, the crew and I were able to attend the annual Texas Bleeding Disorders Conference at the Rivercenter Marriott in San Antonio. We decided to make a vacation out of it! The kids had a blast playing in the "kid zone" while I learned a ton in the meetings. We love staying in hotels, and riding the escalator and elevator is really all it takes to entertain my crew. I made some great connections and met a few Moms who share in the challenge and blessing of raising a hemophilic son. A few other hotel activities were swimming, strolling the Rivercenter mall, and seeing the new Cars movie.
We then stayed with cousins Connor and Brody (thanks for hosting us Sam and Shannon) for a few days. We packed our days with Sea World and Fiesta Texas. Hot, but so much fun. We were able to see Pops and play with cousins too, and that's always fun. Here's a few pics of our four day SA vacay!

Cast-away!

On May 16th, Jack broke his left arm.
He didn't complain even once.
His attitude was such a great example to his siblings.
His optimism is a gift from God.
Six weeks later, he is cast-free once again.
I have never been more proud of this kid.

sharing Daddy

I was inspired by Ruth Graham and her attitude toward her husband's ministry. Her children have written and said that she approached each of his trips or speaking events with great optimism. She never sulked or pouted when he left. She told the kids - "what a great opportunity we have to share Daddy with ___." She got the kids on board...praying for the people he was to reach, getting them excited about what the Lord would do. How freeing for Billy to know he was totally supported by his wife and children! Free to do the Lord's work.
I can't say I have always been excited when Will is gone several evenings a week, ministering to young people, or leading prayer meeting at the church, or attending elder's meetings. And some Sundays I feel totally overwhelmed by the whole idea of being a single parent. But, I think of Ruth Graham often, and remember her words. It is our gift and opportunity to share this great man with others!
This has really been on my mind the past week and a half. Will was given the humbling opportunity to travel to Yapen Island, Indonesia. Our dear friends, Larry and Linda Jones, have spent 30 years translating the Bible into the Yawan language and the first Yawan New Testament is complete. Will was invited to share in the dedication ceremony there. We have been out of contact, except for a few emails that he sent before the hiking portion into the village began.
Here is a picture of when we took him to the airport. The days have actually gone by quickly and we can't wait to hear about his adventure. We gladly share Daddy, but all will be right with the world when we are back together again.

bubba blue

We can't get enough of our little boy blue.

summer lovin'

Josie is a summer kind of girl. She loves all things summer....pool time, gardening, farm jobs, baseball!
Last year at four years old, she really became confident in the pool. This summer she is taking off with her freestyle and backstroke, and qualified for her first swim team along with big brother. We decided to hold off until next year when Jack broke his arm. Looking forward to watching that duo race in the pool next summer!
She loves to get dirty and tend to her plants. Each year my dad helps her plant tomatoes in our backyard. She is faithful to check them every day and water. She also reminds me to water my flowers!
Josie loved her farm time with cousin Clay. They were busy from sunrise to sunset...creating forts inside, catching butterflies, picking vegetables and flowers from the garden, gathering the eggs, and roaming the farm. She is still telling me stories about cousin camp.
Our girl is playing tball for the first time this year as well. She is having fun and looks forward to each practice and game. Last week during her game she was playing the pitcher position and even got a few batters out at first by running them down! Only problem - no outs in first year tball at the YMCA. You could tell she has watched a lot of baseball with Jack! She knew just what to do.
What a joy it is to watch our girl shine in the summer!

summer ff #2: tea party

My girls love to have tea parties at home. When we were making our summer fun list, I suggested we have some friends over for a formal tea party. We made our guest list, sent out evites, washed all of our tea sets, made favors, researched games/crafts, went shopping, found a book to read, and decorated! The girls were great helpers. We had our little party last Friday and it was a sweet success.
I loved using all of my vintage linens from Granny and decorated with pink and yellow roses. Josie found our teapot at the antique store in Clifton, and she was a pro at serving. Kate's favorite part was decorating the teapot-shaped sugar cookies.
More pics to come on this lovely event but I really liked this post-party photo. Needless to say, we all napped well that day. Fun memory with 14 little princesses.

memorial day weekend

We met up with the Kennedys at the farm for Memorial Day weekend. This is definitely going to become a tradition! The kids camped out at the barn with SuperMam and woke up early to help pick the first round of corn. Everyone pitched in at the different stages - picking, shucking, scrubbing, blanching, scraping, bagging and storing. It's good for kids to see where food comes from....don't know many 5 and 7 year olds who have a work ethic like Doc and Mam's grandkids. They have a great example to follow!
We remembered our heroes as we talked about what Memorial Day means under the big tree. Mam reflected on her Papa, Kat upon her BC, and Clif upon our brother Clay and our Papa. We sang patriotic tunes and prayed. I am so thankful for my family who treasures what is important - hard work and serving others.
Thanks Doc and Mam for a weekend to remember.