Some New Pictures

I have waited too long to blog about our many May events. So, here is a snapshot (literally) of what we've been up to...

Sunshine School Spring Program. Kendyll was Little Red Riding Hood and Carlie was a "brick" from Humpty Dumpty. Both shows were absolutely adorable. Carlie chose to personify a "brick" by not singing one word and staring into the audience. Kendyll hammed it up as always and enjoyed her night in the spotlight.

2) Abby Kate's Baby Blessing at church. She is officially blessed. We still laugh that we missed the Baby Blessing with Carlie because we were late. We think that might have been where we went wrong with her. (totally kidding!) Here is the best family picture we got from that day. :)

3. Just a cute picture of our cute baby. Ha ha. She loves her bathtime, but she is always so shocked when she first feels that water. Here's the look she gives.

GrandSunday had lots of celebrations! This month, we celebrated with Grankay and Aunt Kylie on their graduations with their MASTERS degrees! Woo hoo! We are also celebrating the GREAT news that Aunt Cassie will be a mommy in December, and Aunt Cailee turns SEVENTEEN next week!

Below is Grandad (my dad) holding my oldest and youngest. So precious....

Here's the pregnant mommy (second from the right) and the birthday girl (far right!). Cortni, I don't know what there is to celebrate about you! HA! Actually, your hubby got an AWESOME new job! So, there---that's what we celebrated for y'all. :)

Cailee, how in the world are you seventeen? I still remember taking you to college with me for a week when you were four years old. What was mom thinking?We had good cousin time too with the ever-so-fascinating automatic bubble blower. Carlie and Braden were laughin' it up...

We also realized last month that we had no pictures of Abby Kate with either her mommy or her daddy ALONE....So, here is Mark and AK in their first picture since her first week of life. How sad is that?!

There's never enough sister pictures at this house...

And, nothing's more precious to me than watching Kendyll read to Carlie in the middle of the day for no reason...

We also got to have a weekend at the ranch, full of the usual ranch fun. We also got to go to the town's "May Day". Lots of carnival rides, bounce houses, and of course, booths that will gladly sell your daughter a pair of hot pink boots for just the right price. :)

The Ranch also has unlimited supplies of popsicles and push-ups. Carlie prefers purple. And, she prefers to wear it all over her face, her clothes, and whoever's clothes are nearby.
So, there's our "nutshell" for this month (for you, Jenise). Short and sweet! We may be gone from blogging for a little while, as we enjoy a family vacation. But, we'll be back with LOTS of beach pictures, I hope!

My Wonderful Day

Well, I really wasn't sure that I would blog about my birthday....for a few reasons.

1) I have so many other things to catch up on from the last few weeks!
2) I don't really feel like an entire blog should be all about me.
3) I hate it when others feel bad for "forgetting" or "not knowing" about your bday, and when I announce it on the blog, it might cause others to have guilty feelings or appear that I'm looking for birthday wishes from everyone who reads.
4) I really don't like making a big deal out of my b-day....never have.
5) I've always wanted to "stay under the radar" about how old I am.

So, let me explain those last two reasons. I've decided this will be my "coming out" blog. I'm a recovering birthday-hider and I admit it. I have always been one to two years younger than all of my classmates and have had years and years of people saying "Oh my gosh, I had no idea you were only ___ years old!" or "You are such a baby! I can't believe that!" or even "How in the world are you that young?!" Now, someday when I'm 65, these might all be comments I will appreciate and look forward to hearing. But, for the last thirty years (okay maybe only 25 years), I have HATED that reaction. I have avoided "age" conversations like the plague and tried my hardest for years to have people think I was older. So, the result has been that I've lived my life wanting to be older than I am. And, I can't say that turning 30 has changed that for me. It still feels like I'm the baby of the group, since many, if not all, of my friends are older. And, I still get the same reaction as I did when I was twelve. So, I'm sure that won't change anytime soon either.

But, I'm promising myself (and my friends who think it's silly!) that I won't be an age-hider anymore. And, that I will now embrace my age and enjoy it (that was for you, Cass.) Most of you probably never knew my age because I just let people assume what they want and never say a number. Or, I have a horrible habit of "rounding up" to the next year shortly after my birthday passes. Ha ha. I know, I know, it's crazy. Those of you who have never been "the youngest" one will not understand this one bit.

But, there's the explanation for the comments on my last blog from my dear friends and sisters. :) They've known of my crazy b-day struggle for years, and were doing their best at getting me to admit it.

Now, on to my wonderful day! I had begged Mark not to make any big deal out of my bday (for obvious reasons) and he did the perfect job of making it a big deal for our family----but not for others via an awful surprise party that would embarrass me.

My day started with late sleeping and breakfast in bed better than any IHOP spread I could have ordered! Then, Kendyll presented me with "My Schedule for the Day". This was precious to me because she knows and appreciates my desire for a schedule. She loves her own schedules, and has already been begging for her new summer schedule to follow for our days at home. So, this was my schedule (written in her precious handwriting with her own spelling):

Mommy's Day

8 am Brekfist
9 am Camputer Time
10 am Musog (massage), which was then changed to Facial.
1 pm Mall
2 pm Mackup Done (makeup done)
3 pm Reading Time
11 am Free Time (that one was out of order!)

I was told that I had the entire day alone while Mark kept the kids. I had appointments for a facial and then Bobbi Brown makeover (my only bday request this year!) at Nordstrom, along with money to shop and a Barnes and Noble trip for new books. Then, I had free time and could come home whenever I wanted. They even had bought my favorite candy to load up my purse for my day! I got myself ready to go, and enjoyed such a wonderful day of doing nothing but relaxing and shopping. I had a girly lunch all by myself and got AWESOME new makeup, along with the best facial I have EVER had.

When I got home for dinner, the house was clean, the laundry was done (that was a HUGE task, too!), and Mark had started grilling steaks and getting dinner ready. We had an awesome dinner, and I got more surprises....sweet cards, homemade pictures and paintings, my birthday cake made by my sweet kiddos, and my favorite popcorn for movie watching time! We watched American Idol instead, at my request and then I put the kids to bed. Mark and I had a wonderful evening together sans kids after that, and I told him it was the perfect birthday for me. He knows me so well and takes such good care of me....and took care of three girls all day while cleaning house and cooking! I am so incredibly lucky.

Thank you, Mark, for a great day. And, thank you to my sweet friends and family for all of my birthday wishes. And, blog-reading friends, now you know...when I see you next time, don't you dare say "I can't believe you're that young!" or I might walk away. :)

Mother's Day Pictures

I love my three girls. Thanks for a great Mother's Day with each of you! Can you see the two cute haircuts?! I love their short hair! And, Kendyll's is going to be cut even shorter, at her request.

Whew!

I'm officially tired. But, surprisingly, my energy level is sky-high right now. Because, as of 2:00 today, we are done with preschool!! It is amazing that I feel like blogging....because I should be in bed while my kids are. But, I am literally GIDDY, knowing that summer is upon us!

I'm already looking forward to all the things that summer means for us. It will still have its own "busyness", but it has a whole different feel about it. Let it BEGIN!

I have alot of cute pictures that I haven't posted yet. But, I don't feel like dealing with Blogger right now. So, a picture blog is to come....for now, here are some of the latest stories around our house.

* Carlie has started singing constantly around our house (although she stops every time we get the video camera ready). She even makes up songs to say whatever she is thinking. This morning on the way to school, she sang "I'm so glad to go to school" and then "Where are the birds? Where are the birds? Where'd they go? Where'd they go?" It's so fun to listen to her sing what her mind is thinking. One of her favorites right now is The New Testament, which is hillarious. She actually knows most of the song, but I kind of love the books she says wrong....like, "First and Second Tipasy" (Timothy) or "Lashan and Allegiance" (Galatians and Ephesians).

* Carlie also loves to read to Abby Kate. It is the most precious thing to see and listen to. She even shows AK the pictures and asks her "Can you see dat?" (pictures to follow in the picture blog!) All day long, she wants to be near AK. This sometimes results in a two month old screaming, but Carlie really doesn't mean to hurt her with her squeezes and kisses. The girl just loves her baby sister TOO much. :) We keep trying to explain what "gentle" means. She's just not getting it....

* Speaking of gentle, Kendyll has had quite a few bible verses added to her disciplining lately. The most frequently used verse right now is "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." You can probably guess why this one has been popular. We are really trying to work on speaking gently to each other (unfortunately, I need the verse more than anyone else!), so she has had to recite it multiple times (and so have I!). The other day, she was really doing a great job of speaking gently to Carlie. Of course, Carlie's response was yelling "NO KENDYLL". Kendyll said "Mom, I gave her a gentle answer, but it still stirred up her anger!" It was pretty funny. A couple of other verses she's remembering VERY well these days: "Do everything without complaining or arguing" (sound familiar, sisters?) and "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry". Can you tell what the theme is here? Whining, crying, complaining, and arguing. That is the fun we're having around here way too often. :)

* Kendyll has already made her first Santa list. Wow. It's only May and she's already thinking of Christmas. Should I also add that the list is 5 pages long?? Of course, it's written in her 5 year old large print and includes things for Carlie and Abby Kate....but still.

* Abby Kate has officially found her voice. And, it is the cutest thing to hear her talk and even sometimes "yell" in her sweet way. I told her the other day, she's gonna have to learn to use that voice in this household. It's the only way she'll survive. Today, she used her scream to let me know I had completely forgotten her at school. Another teacher brought her to me because she was screaming and hungry. Oops! I had completely forgotten she was even THERE, much less that it was time for her to eat. Luckily, I still got huge smiles from her as soon as I said I was sorry. I mean, what kind of mom completely forgets her child? I have done it more than once...

* Kendyll is very into sharing God with others right now. One night, her Bible story was about being "the salt and light" in the world. Now, that was a challenge to explain completely! But, she did get the whole idea of showing God to others. She decided that the next day she wanted to go around our neighborhood and tell everyone that God loves them. Now, all of a sudden, I realized how "cowardly" I am about doing that very thing. I distracted her enough to not have to follow through on it. (Isn't that awful of me?!) But, she did make a card for all of our neighbors that says God Loves You. Then, she made a note for our niece Sophie (who is a year old) and said "Sofie, Love the Lord with all of your heart. I love you, Kendyll". It was precious.I really do hope she does better than her parents on feeling a burden for the lost and sharing her faith without hesitation.

* Along with telling others about God, she is also very curious about baptism and heaven. She has watched a baptism the last two Sundays, and one was a 13 year old boy. I prayed for him that night with the girls and that sparked an entire conversation. She's scared of baptism, and especially of having to go under the water. After this baptism, she said "Why did his daddy grab his face with a towel and push him in?" She's got a point there, ya know. I told her he was just helping him not get his face wet. Then, she loved the idea. :) I told her that baptism is so exciting and that the angels throw a party in heaven every time someone becomes a Christian. This led to a conversation about heaven. She asked if everyone in the whole world will be in heaven. So, I told her that only the people who believe in God and live their lives for Him will be there. This was the conversation:

K: "You mean there are people who don't even believe in God?"
Me: "Yes, there are. Isn't that sad? They don't even know that they are His children!"
K: "Well, don't they want to be walking in the light?"
Me: Totally laughing...."I know! It's so much better to know about how much God loves us."
K: "Don't they know they're gonna be constroyed? Just like all the people with Noah? Only Noah and his family were not constroyed!"
Me: Laughing again...."You're right Kendyll. That's why we have to tell everyone we know about God."

Constroyed. Walking in the light. Where does she get this stuff???

* We have begun a budget at our house. Yes, we should have been on one all along. But, we haven't been. We've recommitted to that, and it's making such a difference. "Financial Peace" with Dave Ramsey ROCKS. So far, we've paid for everything from our little envelopes (if you've done this series, you know what I'm talking about) and we're eating at home, leaving our air up high (hard for me to do!), and only getting necessities when we're shopping (also hard for me). This has really thrown Kendyll. Yesterday we were in Wal-Mart picking up necessities. She saw a few different food items that we would have probably bought "in the old days", as I'm calling them. So, after hearing the same line from me a hundred times of "That's too expensive, and we don't need it." She finally said, "Mommy, WHY do we only buy the stuff that's cheap?!" It was a great teachable moment about money. And, I took full advantage of it. :)

* We're bobbing hair for the summer! Both Kendyll and Carlie want to get their hair cut off for summer, and I can't wait. I'm hoping my mom will cut it for me this weekend while we're visiting. She's really good at getting your hair really short....even when you weren't planning on cutting it that short. Ha ha. Love you, Mom. (She was the chief hairstylist when we were growing up, and we got many cuts that were inches shorter than they were intended to be, as she tried to make it 'even'.)

Okay, I'll stop there. Unfortunately, this is what happens when I don't blog for weeks. I have way too much to fit into an update. :)