So many surprises!!

Okay, this blog has been "in progress" for DAYS now. And, so I must digress for a minute to say a few things first.

1) Happy 18th Birthday to my sweet sister, Cailee. Yesterday was her big day...and I can hardly believe it! Cailee, you are a beautiful woman, inside and out, and I am so proud of who you are. Thank you for loving all of us so much, and for being a role model for my three little ones. I couldn't ask for a better baby sis!

2) Happy Homecoming to baby Hannah! We're so glad that our friends, Matt and Sara, have officially come home...for the second time...with their precious girl. After a tough week in the hospital, after returning from China only 24 hours beforehand, we are continuing to pray for a full recovery for this little "fighter". We love you, Hannah!

3) Our family has been completely heartbroken over the news of the Chapman family's grief this week. For my sisters and I, it really does feel like someone in our own family has lost a daughter. And, my mind is continually spinning with all they are dealing with right now. Our prayers are with each of them. For those who haven't already heard, go to Steven Curtis Chapman's website for more. And, then, go hug your children as long as they'll let you. :)

Okay, now on to the blog, that is now officially "old news"...

"So Many Surprises!"

We had quite a fun week last week. First, a wonderful Mother's Day, then Kendyll's Kindergarten family celebration, and then....a surprise trip from my husband for my birthday!! It was a great week, and my sweet girls did a wonderful job (along with Mark) in making me feel honored in every way.

After church on Mother's Day in the back yard...

Last weekend, we celebrated Mother's Day at home on Saturday, with a "Daddy & His Girls Spoil Mommy Day". They made me breakfast, went to Lakeshore for some mommy's day crafts, and left me ALONE all day. Then I was treated to a yummy steak dinner at home. The best surprise was my celebration cake...which included Mother's Day and birthday in one. :)


We spent the rest of Mother's Day with Mark's side of the family, including the whole "Abilene gang" who was here to support sweet Aunt Carol as she had major back surgery last week. Grandmother, Carol, Chuck, Kristen, George, and Carrie---it was SO fun to have you in our neck of the woods for a few days! How did I not get ONE picture of the time together?? I did get this one of Grandma and Pops with all the kiddos...



Now, when Mark told me that we were leaving on a surprise vacation this week, I gave him somewhat of a disappointing reaction. I realized all the things I was missing...and then he gently reminded me that he had worked hard to surprise me and that I should probably be excited. Oops... :)


Anyway, one of the things I was "missing" was celebrating with Kendyll after her last day of school was finished. So, we moved the "celebrating" up a couple of days, and gave her a whole night of honor as the big kindergarten graduate. We picked her up after school, and told her she had FIVE surprise stops on our adventure:

Stop #1: A special gift. We gave her a new "big girl" Bible and Bible cover. She thought that was it, but then we had her look up...and we were sitting outside James Avery.

(By the way, she is the BEST kid to surprise. The reaction she gives is so great and makes a mommy and daddy feel really good. :) She got her "giddiness" from her daddy...He does the same thing! She also LOVES to hide her eyes, and she admits that she only peeked once all day! Here's the pose we had from her repeatedly...)
She got to pick out her first charm for a brand new charm bracelet. The girl was so giddy. And, she now has a cute butterfly hanging from her arm. We said that was perfect because it represents how much she "blossomed" this year into something new. The plan is to add one charm each of her twelve years...
Stop #2: Libby Lu! She has only done Libby Lu once before and was SOOOO excited when she opened her eyes in front of the store. And, I was so impressed with the girls who worked there and how special they made Kendyll and Carlie feel. It was definitely worth the money to watch my girls feel like the princesses they are. :)

Here is the reveal...

And, the makeover...

And, the final result (with their Daddy, of course!):


They dressed up, got a backpack, and even danced with the stylists. It was cute! Carlie wasn't so sure about the dancing part...

But, of course, Kendyll loved it! (A side note...it was pretty funny when they told her the dance song options. the first one on the list was something by Hannah Montana. We don't watch her and have never really even heard her music, but Kendyll knows it's something that other girls like. So, she looked at me with this unsure look and said "I know you may say no, and that's okay, but can I pick the Hannah Montana song?" It was so cute. And, of course, she danced her heart out to Mylie Cyrus...for the first time. :)

Stop #3: California Pizza Kitchen! One of Kendyll's all time favorites (she used to call it the "black and white place"). She was so surprised and we had a fabulous dinner together, toasting the big kindergarten graduate. She even got a free meal for the occasion! (She of course told everyone who walked by that she was a kindergarten graduate...)

Stop #4: The Carousel. Another family favorite every time we're at the mall. Too bad they cost so much to ride! It's such a ripoff!! But, whatever it is about horses that go up and down, makes it fun. Abby Kate did NOT like it, and held on for dear life. I could feel her heart beating through her shirt! (See the second picture below, for her look of confusion...before it actually started moving. After that, it was tears and trembling. :)

Stop #5: The Disney Store. For the last stop, she got to pick one store to go look through and could buy one thing. The Disney Store won the prize...and the princess nightgown was what she decided to take home.
Overall, it was such a fun time with our sweet big girl. I laughed on the way home at myself...I go WAY overboard on every celebration, even though I really don't mean to when the planning begins. I hugged Mark and told him thank you for putting up with my parties. :) He and I agreed that it's worth it just for the memories. And, I can say for sure, that Kendyll felt incredibly honored. :) Now, Carlie's already asking what she gets to do when she finishes preschool on Thursday. Uh oh.

...And, the last surprise of the week, I didn't know about until we boarded the plane! Mark did a great job of keeping the surprise destination a secret all the way until the end. And, it was exciting to spend a few days with him---without children---to relax and explore....

CHICAGO!!! What a beautiful city! With such fun things to do and YUMMY food to eat. I'll be back with pictures later...thank you, Mark, for a wonderful getaway!