First Bridal Shower Ever

This weekend I hosted my very first Bridal Shower and really enjoyed it! My beautiful friend A. is getting married in August, and her sister-in-law asked me to help with the shower.

It was really nice to see my home dressed up with beautiful flowers and grownup decorations!

Wedding Colors

Daisy's are one of my favorite flowers of all!

Yum!!!! Kaitlyn got her finger sandwiches!

The beautiful bride!

A. and her wonderful husband to be I.

Aunt B., Grandmother of the Bride



Sister-in-law and Sister of the Bride

After the shower, while we were cleaning up, a couple of people could not stay on their feet! Couldn't help snap a few pictures of the clean up crew! :)




See the shoe in the right corner of this picture?
That is my husband sacked out, too!!!!

Images from the Blessed

They say that confession is good for the soul, and if that is the case, I should feel good after this post. I must admit my first draft started out as a gripe session. I was going to complain about how busy our lives are and how much of the summer we seem to be missing. After typing, deleting, typing, browsing pictures, and typing again, I have arrived at a much different point of view. At times all of us need a check from the Lord concerning our attitudes, and today was my turn!

The last few days, we have all seen images from Iran and plane crashes, heard depressing predictions and threats, and listened to weak leaders that have no clue. We could all have a reason to just sit down and sigh, because is there anything good under the sun? I really believe there is good, and we find it everyday in our life in a little town in the South!

Here are the images from the Blessed.................

"In the jungle, the might jungle, Ricky swims today.............."

84 yrs old and still playing ball!

Well, she would be playing ball if someone knew how to pitch!

Watermelon...........YUMMY!!!!!!


Wet beach towels on the line!

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

She REALLY enjoyed the Strawberry Shortcake!

Homemade tent and a good movie!

Playing at Peppermint Park.


Chilling poolside!


Hey, do I see Cher?

What in the world?

P.S.--I in no way mean to discredit the severity or seriousness of current events through this post! I am concerned and prayerful for all those involved!

Siblings.......

and best friends!

HOLES--From Nicholas' Point of View

Toby has become extremely interested in his roots lately. Thanks to his cousin Charles, he has been able to get in touch with a large family group that have knowledge of family history. I have to say I am a little jealous of the fact that he can so easily gain access to family history, know where they originated, and that he probably looks a lot like his great-grandfather on his dad's side. The kids and I, all being adopted, know nothing of our ancestry. Of course, holes in our history have been a topic of discussion in our home the last couple of days.

Last night, Toby was telling the kids all about a church that was built by his great-great-great-.......grandfather and showing them pictures. After he was finished, this is the conversation that ensued after a comment that suggested a "hole" from one of the kids.

Me: "Toby, please be careful! We would all like to know our history!"

Toby: "I will! It is just so exciting to know where you came from!"

Me: "Tell me about it! We just all do not have that opportunity in this family. There are so many holes for the rest of us."

Toby: "I understand, but I have holes in my past, too! Everybody does to some degree! I would like to give them something to be able to point to."

Nicholas: "Daddy, I have holes."

Toby: "You do?"

Nicholas: "Yes sir, right here in my underwear! I get these little holes at the top around the band!"

Can I say, we laughed until we almost cried. Oh, that life could be so simple and easy to understand!

Wonderful Wednesday

I love times when God drops in on me and wraps HIS arms around me!

This morning I was awakened by crying around 5 am. Kensli was having leg cramps and nothing would sooth her. Also, yesterday was and extremely stressful day emotionally for me! So, this morning I am not feeling my best. It is hard to pray when you are feeling sick, but this morning I did not have to look for HIM! He just dropped by when I wasn't even expecting, reminding me at one of my weakest moments, how much HE does love me!

So, today, instead of a Wonderful Wednesday Picture Post, I want to say, "He loves me!"

I want to give a praise report, too! My dad hit his head several weeks ago, while on a job in GA, and has been experiencing headaches, dizziness, and high blood pressure. He went to the doctor, but they failed to discover anything without a MRI. He really didn't want to get tied up with doctors out there if it was something that needed long term treatment. He thought that he was going to have to quit and come home last week. We all were very worried!!!! Sunday he was prayed for at the church he is attending and is feeling so much better this week! I am so thankful I know a God that heals!

Sleepless in Louisiana

Things to do when you wake up at 3 am and can't go back to sleep:

*Lay there for over and hour and try to convince yourself that you are sleepy.

*Get up quietly so you do not wake your very light sleeping 4 yr. old!

*Check the time! (I know you are not suppose to do this when you can't sleep, but kept wondering when everyone else was going to get up!)

*Pray! (Usually puts me right back to sleep, but not this time!)

*Check the time!

*Read your Bible for the day!

*Listen to a bird sing its heart out right before dawn!

*Check the time again!

*Play on the computer!

*Contemplate watching some news, but decide to wait a while longer for a good dose of depression!

*Fix coffee! (Use real sugar, not honey! Something about disrupted sleep makes me think less about being healthy!)

*Check time!

*Make a to do list, and the first three entries say............ TAKE A NAP!!!!!!!!

*Watch the sunrise!

*Think about hollering, "HEY, EVERYBODY, TIME TO GET UP!!!!!!!"

*Read some complete stranger's blog! (Hey, they were adoption blogs with very cute kids!)

*Hear alarm go off!

*Wait for someone else to get up! (Took him and hour to get up and he's not downstairs yet!)

*Get another cup of coffee!

*Check time, and realize it is almost 7 am!!!!!!

Hope this list can help someone else out there in insomnia land!!!!! Raising my cup of coffee to a very long nap today!

Ball Season Wrap Up

Ball season is over for another year in our area! We had a good and easy season, which makes me a little sad that it is over!

Nicholas made the Allstar team for the 5 year olds, but since he is 6 he can't play. I know he is small, but come on, check your records before you notify kids! :) No big deal! We probably wouldn't have let him have played anyway! One tournament and it would have been over. Seemed like a good waste of money to me! Yep, you have to pay for them to play Allstars. :) Also, with the heat index being 105 today, and the humidity just about as high, I think it is fine with him not to play!

Ricky was given the opportunity to pitch during his last game. It is the first time he has ever been given the chance, and he did fine. He has played 1st base for so long, it is nice to see them trying to develop him in another position!

Here's a few pictures of Ricky's pitching.

Wow, he surprises me sometimes at how big he is getting.

Now that ball season is over, we can resume our normal schedule of life. Ballpark food dinner for the kids several nights a week is over. They may not be happy about this, but there is always next spring. :)

Wonderful Wednesday

A Great Question

What happens when a 6 yr. old torments his siblings with a water gun?

He gets thrown in the pool, clothes and all!!!!!

Our Week at Kids Kamp

Have you ever been so tired that your eyes wanted to cross! That is where I am today! Kaitlyn went to bed so tired she was sick, and Kensli woke up sick last night. I do believe having to much fun can be detrimental to your health!

Kids Kamp was great! I think I took 2 pictures the entire week, so I have nothing to really share. The kids had so much fun though, and they can't wait until next year!

HIGHLIGHTS of the WEEK

*My 2 campers got to hangout with their best friends for a whole week!

*Grew in their relationship with Jesus!

* All the snacks you could imagine and some food, too!

*Breakfast served at 8 am and Curfew at 10:30 pm.

*Silly string fights!

*All the cotton candy that you could possibly buy!

*Slushies at Peppermint Park! The kind that turns you teeth colors!

*My 11 year old realized that soccer in not an organized enough sport for him!

*A fun drama during Adventure Time.

*Ricky realized girls are cool, and Kaitlyn decided boys can be tolerated!

*Water day, where everybody is fair game!

*More giggles and fun than could be tolerated!

What a great camp! Can't wait until next! Ricky moves up next year, which means two weeks of camp for us!!!! YEAH!!!!!!

Gone for the Week

This week is Kids Kamp out at the Church Campgrounds. The kids are so excited and they are bouncing everywhere! Packing for all of us is hard, but so worth it for the fun!!!! I am taking my camera and hopefully I can get a few good pictures. My kids are so "cool" that they may run from me! ***sigh*** Their growing up is so hard for me! :)