Quote of the Day

Scene: This morning while trying to get ready and out of the house for a trip to the library...

P: Mom, am I going to take a shower tonight?

M: Yes, tonight is a bath night. Why?

P: Well, if am I going to have to take a shower tonight I am not going to put any underwear on, because I will just have to take them off again tonight.

M: Um, no ma'am. Let's go ahead and put some underwear on.

BFF

A couple of weeks ago R got to play Mr. Mom for about five days. He let me get on a plane on the 22nd and fly to Midland, TX to surprise my dear friend Marleah for her birthday. What a guy, huh? R and the kids dropped me off at the airport on Friday afternoon and after much wailing and gnashing of teeth I said good-bye to Ryan, got my bag, waved at the kids, and headed for a mini vacation. It's the first time I have flown since we moved here, and can I just say, I have watched way too much 24!

Ryan and I moved to Midland one year into our marriage and five months into a pregnancy. He took his first ministry position with students and so off we went to serve in a church there. Marleah was Ryan's administrative assistant and was also married to Robert during the first year or so that we lived there. We became close friends, and I don't think there was much of a weekend or American Idol episode that we didn't spend together. Very fun times with lots of laughs! Sweet memories.

I got to Midland late Friday night and M had no idea I was coming. M's sister picked me up from the airport and brought me back to the house. We walked in the front door and Amy told Mar she brought a friend with her...Mar gave me the once over and once she realized who I was, her jaw hit the floor. Fantastic!! It was great to see her and the genuine shock was just the icing on the cake!

We had not seen each other in over two years, but the beauty of our relationship--it was like we hadn't missed a day. We talked and laughed until our sides ached. Marleah is without a doubt one of my dearest and closest friends. We just get each other. I hate the miles that separate us and wish we could see each other more.

Mar-You are my best friend, and I am so grateful for your friendship. I love you much, my dear friend!

Birthday Boy

Better late than never, right?

The big guy had a birthday on the 22nd of last month. He is mourning the fact that he is officially "in his thirties."

We pulled out all the stops this year...R slept in and then I made him waffles. Don't be jealous.


R, I love you! You get better and better every year. Happy Birthday!

A day in the life of Mason...

It is not uncommon these days for us to get asked, "What's your latest Mason story." And unfortunately, we generally have one or twelve to tell. This little guy is as destructive curious as they come. Here are a few pics of his latest antics...

this would be Ryan's stash of Coca Mocha Nut coffee mix that M decided to test drive...


this is what a hot pink sharpie looks like on a leather chair...


this is what an ipod looks like after it has been microwaved... RIP



and this....well, you do the math.



There are no pictures to document the actual destruction of the previous picture, only the aftermath. Let me tell you, it was not pretty. Lets just say the trail of tears led from our master bath through our bedroom into our kitchen through the front room and into the family room...ending on OUR LESS THAN TWO YEAR OLD SECTIONAL! Breathe...breathe...do not harm the child...breathe....

I try really hard for our home to be nice and clean, but still lived in. I know that it is "just stuff" and there are more important things in life than our possessions, like our children, our marriage, our big screen...you know, those kinds of things. I want my family to look forward to coming home. I never want to give my guys the impression that our house and the things in it are more important than they are.
All that being said...for goodness sakes, can we at least not have nail polish spread from here to yon? Is that too much to ask? I think not.

Eggs, Tornados, and an Empty Tomb

We have so much to be thankful for!

A band of storms came through our little town this past Friday, and a total of 7 tornados touched down with one of them doing significant damage to many homes and businesses in our community. You hear of devastating, natural disasters on t.v. and the radio, and you feel bad for people, but it never really has the impact that it probably should until it hits close to home. We thankfully had very little damage to our home or yard, but hundreds of people in our area were not so fortunate. And, can I just brag on our church for a second...there was a disaster relief team of volunteers on site within an hour of the tornados hitting, and many more went out all day Saturday to love on people and try to help with the clean up. So refreshing to see the "church" being the "church."

Ryan and I watched the Passion of the Christ for the first time on Saturday night. I know. I know. How can we not have seen it yet? It originally came out in the theaters during a very dark time in our lives, and we chose not to watch it at that point, and then somehow have just never watched it since. We borrowed the dvd from some friends a few weeks back and then finally sat down to watch it on Saturday night. My heart had been heavy with the meaning of Easter and it's impact on our lives since early in the week last week. Going into "Good Friday" my heart and mind were heavy with the idea that the day represented the day that my Savior was beaten, tortured, and crucified to a cross for MY sins. So, I knew that it was definitely not going to be a "feel good" watch. And boy was I right. I had said to myself from the beginning that I will not turn away, I will force myself to watch every second of it. And I am not going to lie, I couldn't. The beating and torture was truly awful to watch, but what haunts me even now is the point where the Father turns His back on the Son. Why? Because He could not look upon the sin that had been laid on the sacrifice--His Son Jesus. What sin? MY SIN. God, who knew no sin was made sin for me. Ridiculously undeserving, sinful me. I was truly broken. The weight of my sin was upon me. Heavy. Sickening. Disgusting. Father, forgive me! It was difficult but needed. "Oh praise The One who paid my debt, and raised this life up from the dead!"

Before the movie we had a little egg coloring extravaganza with the P and M. Here are a few pics of our artists...





















The pic with Mason reaching and his Daddy pulling his arm back is how the little guy spent most of the night. Bless him. They had a blast, and we will be eating hard boiled eggs for days to come.

Praise be to the Risen Lord!

M

Presidential Report and Dioramas

Our resident first grader has had a few school projects as of late. During January she had to do an oral report on a President of the United States.
Here is the first practice of her oral report for her President project. It is a VERY rough trial run, but it has some hysterical moments, so I had to post it. She actually got it down very well by the time she had to preform it at school and got a fantastic grade from her teacher--the highest in the class, in fact. We are a very humble people around here!


And then in February she was given a project on an influential African American. She had to do an oral report and create a diorama. And I know, if you are anything like me, you are saying a dio-what? But we consulted google and her Daddy and got to work.

Here are some pics of the finished project...


























Please note the choice of p.j.'s in the last picture--We are also a very stylish people around here!

Man, do I love this kid. She can sure make her Momma laugh!

"My Daddy Dunked Me"

Man oh man, am I a slacker. My deepest apologies to our tens of readers on the lapse between posts. I am going to do better. Maybe.

On February 22 our girl P was baptized. Needless to say, it was a very exciting day for us around here. We absolutely love our church. It is relevant, it is a place where the Word is taught, and God is using it to change lives and bring glory to His name. And isn't that what it is all about? And what a treat to be able to share the experience with dear friends. We were honored to have them there to celebrate with us and are so grateful for their impact on our lives and the lives of our children. God has truly blessed us with some great people to "do" life with.

So, anyway, for those of you who weren't able to be there...here is a little footage of P's special day.



Peyt, we are beyond proud of you. The Lord YOUR God takes great delight in you! Never forget what He has done for you. We love you!