April Vacation

This year for our vacation we decided to take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge and to Lego land. We also decided not to tell them where we were going. We thought it would make a great surprise! The first nite we had dinner with some friends from Wylie, which was bitter sweet since he was leaving for boot camp the next day, but it was great to catch up and see how their kids have grown. Easter Sunday, we went to our old church and enjoyed lunch with some more dear friends from Wylie. It was so awesome to spend another holiday with this amazing couple who has kept in touch with us. Then it was off to Great Wolf. The kids could hardly stand the suspense by now! We pulled in the parking lot and they were ecstatic. It was great seeing their faces and hearing their squeals of excitement! We couldn't get checked in fast enough. They upgraded our room since our reserved room wasn't available and believe me it was sooo awesome. The kids had a secluded bunk bed room that looked like a mini log cabin. And the rest of the room was quite cozy as well. We finally headed down to the pool area and were so overwhelmed by it we didn't know where to start! The big boys headed for the slides and Kami, Keagan and I headed for the kiddie area. It was nice they had a designated kiddie area and even a toddler area. Keagan enjoyed the water for a while but then he was ready for a nap. We had to practically drag the older two out. That evening we decided to do the magi quest. It is a magical scavenger hunt with clues on all 8 floors. It was really fun but exhausting! Kaleb and Kami really enjoyed it! We finally convinced them to go to bed so we could get up and do it all again. After a quick breakfast, we were in the water again. Keagan and I went shopping in the gift shop and found some neat stuff. After that, the kids wanted to finish their scavenger hunt. We finally left to go check into our next hotel for the last portion of our surprise trip. We were able to eat dinner with some more friends at the Rain Forest Cafe. We loved being able to see so many friends on one trip!













The next day was just as exciting! We took the kids to Lego land in the Grapevine Mills Mall. We played there for hours. They had a factory setting to show you how legos are made, rides and a movie. They also had a play area and an area to build lego race cars. Kaleb LOVED it! We of course had to buy some lego kits on the way out in the big lego store. Even Keagan got some duplo blocks! That evening we went to see Rio at the movie theatre. We really enjoyed it and were able to eat dinner during the movie, which was awesome! We are excited to get a movie similar to that here in Lubbock soon too. Finally, it was time to head home the next day, but not before stopping in Abilene to see one of my best friends. We had dinner with her and one of her boys and finally made it home in time to sleep in our own beds. Awww....it was a great trip and would highly recommend all of these neat places to families looking for something fun to do this summer!

Oh happy day!!!

My heart is SOOO happy! My baby girl, Kami, prayed Monday and asked Jesus to come live in her heart. She has been asking a LOT of questions lately and has been learning about being saved in church and at AWANAS. So, Monday we sat down and had a long conversation about what that means and I asked her several questions to make sure she was ready. She completely understands what it means so we prayed together to Jesus. There is no greater moment than leading your child to Christ. I remember when Kaleb did the same thing back in August of 2008. It was almost like you could hear the angels singing. God is soo good!! Now she is anxious to get baptised. I will post pics of that soon!

Family Updates!

Well, I am behind on blogging AGAIN. I had a few posts from a while back that wouldn't publish last time I was on so they were published today. Anyways, lets see....Keagan is 5 1/2 months old. He is rolling over and trying to sit up. He has a tooth trying to break thru and finally sleeping thru the night now. We had such a hard time with him gaining weight in the beginning so we started supplementing with formula a few feedings a day and that really helped. That was of course after all the tummy aches and constant crying until we figured out he was lactose intolerant and needed soy formula. Apparently, I only make skim breast milk by the way!...lol. He is doing much better now and we are trying baby food. Baby cereal just seem to upset his tummy to much. I sure hope that is not a sign of trouble to come! He was not a good sleeper in the beginning either. He had to wake up and nurse every 2 hours for the first few months. It slowly started to get better. He is so much fun right now with his laughing and cooing. I just have to say I love being a mom!


Kami is doing well in school and is finally reading. She loves school and is anxious to learn something new each day. She is taking gymnastics and really seems to enjoy it. She comes home and practices after class. She is also doing really well in AWANAS. Her memorization's skills have improved drastically. She is really into arts and crafts and loves to play outside.


Kaleb is also doing well in school. He amazes me how quickly he picks up on new things. He doesn't like writing in cursive though. He is playing machine pitch baseball again this year and Tim is the coach. He likes playing pitcher or short stop. We are really working on good sportsmanship this year. That is such a hard concept for him. Kaleb really loves riding his bike and reading library books. He just finished up his bear badge for boy scouts as well.


Tim is working alot as usual and been out of town a lot this year training new managers in the area. He has finally gotten his store running smoothly so he doesn't have to worry about them while he is gone. He is such a hard worker and I am so proud of him. He still manages to come home and be a good dad and husband too. God has truly blessed me with a great man.

As for me, I went to weight watchers to lose my baby weight and then some and I am proud to say as of today I have lost 20.2 lbs and am training for another 5K in May. I still have another 40-50 lbs left to lose and am excited to say I feel I have found a program that that goal is actually attainable! God has reminded me I can take care of myself too and still be a good mom. Please keep me in your prayers as I fight hard to reach my goal!


I am excited that at the end of the month we will be taking our spring break/vacation to Grapevine. We are going to the Legoland Discovery Center and the Great Wolf Lodge. We are also going to take the kids to eat at the Rain forest Cafe and go back to Wylie and visit our old church and friends there. I can hardly wait. We were going to a Rangers game too but I feel that would be hard with Keagan. So, maybe next year!

Baby Keagan is finally here!!!!

Children are an inheritance from the LORD. They are a reward from him. Ps 127:3

Our little blessing from God is finally here. Keagan Andrew was born October 18, 2010 @ 4:26 a.m. He was 6lbs. 6oz. and 19 1/2in. long. I went into labor that evening and had the worst back pain EVER!! I tried staying at home as long as I could stand it! We dropped the kids off with my friend Nicole and headed for the hospital around 3 in the morning. We checked in and it wasn't long before we had a beautiful baby boy. I was able to have him without the epidural like I had hoped and only had to stay in the hospital for 2 days. It was an easy birth...it only took 3 pushes! (Praise the Lord) I was so grateful that Grammy Carol could come down and help for the week. Having 3 kids is a little harder than I imagined. And, homeschooling them on top of that is even harder with a newborn! Kaleb and Kami were so excited to finally have their baby brother. They both have been such good helpers. And, Tim loves the thought of another baseball player! He is one proud papa! We are already thinking of another one....LOL. Keagan will need a sibling to grow up with and I hate odd numbers! If that's God's will of course!!

Baby Shower and New house!

I have so much to update! I have been slacking off on blogging, but hope to do better this year. Let me start with the great baby shower I had. On September 18, Grammie Carol and my friends came together to make a beautiful shower for Keagan. I received so many great things and the decorations were adorable! And, Aunt Debbie was so gracious to let us have it at her house!








On September 30, we closed on our house. We were able to save enough money for closing costs and have the carpets cleaned. I am so thankful for our new home. It needs some work, but it is so nice to be able to say it's "ours"!! We moved in all weekend and Tim painted the kids rooms. We tried to put the crib together but somehow are missing 2 major pieces. Which is fine for now. We have a great backyard for the kids to play and a room for school. The boys bedroom is big enough for all their things and thankfully so is their closet.


I will have more to update as soon as baby Keagan is here!!!

Taking a Moment to be Grateful!

I am so blessed....and this doesn't even describe how I truly feel right now. God is good and I am so grateful. We have been back and forth on the right decision of purchasing a house. Should we rent since we know there is ALWAYS a chance we will move again? Or, should we buy a house in hopes of staying a while and then renting it out if we have to go? We decided to take the plunge and buy! We got pre-approved and began looking. I found the perfect house after looking at 10 others. It has nice sized rooms and and an extra living room we could use as a school room. The price was not too high but a little more than I had hoped. We decided to make an offer and pray and give it to God. In less than 24 hours we had a deal!! No counter offer or anything. Let me just tell you....we got a great deal on a great house. I have been praying so hard and God gave me the desires of my heart while providing abundantly for our family. The inspection went great...another answered prayer, we found good home insurance, and we have most of the money ready for closing. I feel like God has graciously blessed my prayers and provided just like He said He would. We expect to close at the end of the month and move in shortly after!
We are also only 5 weeks out from Keagan's due date. I am so grateful to God for this baby, his health and the chance to be a mom to a newborn again. I love being a mom and am so blessed to get to stay home and enjoy them. I have a great step-mom planning a shower this weekend to help welcome Keagan into this world. All my wonderful friends will be there to support me. I am so grateful for all these thoughtful people.
I am grateful for Rodney and Martha Simmons being so kind and allowing us to live in their extra home while we finished out our lease in Odessa and saved for this new house. I pray God blesses them greatly for their kindness.
I am thankful for a husband who works so hard to take care of us and allows me the chance to stay home with the kids and home school them. He is such a great father and provider. I am so grateful I have healthy kids who love God and crave to learn more about Him. I am glad we have a good group of friends who love and support us. I am blessed with family from both sides who care and pray for us.
So as you can see, I am extremely grateful for everything in my life. Times haven't always been easy or pain-free but God never gives us more than we can handle and the blessings far out weigh bad. Praise you God!

25 Tips on How to Stay Married:

25 Tips on How to Stay Married:

1. Always put her first - before work, friends, even basketball. Act as if she's the best thing that ever happened to you, because we all know she is.

2. Keep no secrets. Pool your money. Allow nothing and no one to come between you.

3. Pick your fights with care. Play fair. Show some class. Hurtful words can be forgiven, but they're hard to forget.

4. Fall in love again every day. Kiss her in taxis. Flirt with her at parties. Tell her she's beautiful. Then tell her again.

5. Never miss an anniversary or a birthday or a chance to make a memory. Memories may not seem important now, but one day they'll be gold.

6. Never give her a practical gift. If she really wants a Shop-Vac, let her pick it out herself.

7. Go to church together, and pray every day for each other and your marriage.

8. Pay your bills on time and make sure you each have a living will, a durable power of attorney and life insurance, lest, God forbid, you need them.

9. Love her parents as your own, but don't ask them for money. Never criticize her family or friends. On her birthday, send flowers to her mother with a note saying, "Thank you for giving birth to the love of my life."

10. Always listen to her heart; if you're wrong, say you're sorry; if you're right, shut up.

11. Don't half-tie the knot; plan to stay married forever.

12. Never go to bed mad; talk until you're over it, or you forget why you were mad.

13. Laugh together a lot. If you can laugh at yourselves, you'll have plenty to laugh about.

14. Never criticize, correct or interrupt her in public; try not to do it in private either.

15. Remember that people are the least lovable when they are most in need of love.

16. Never fall for the myth of perfectionism; it's a lie.

17. When you don't like each other, remember that you love each other; pray for the "good days" to return and they will.

18. Tell the truth, only the truth, with great kindness.

19. Kiss at least 10 seconds a day, all at once or spread out.

20. Memorize all her favorite things and amaze her with how very well you know her.

21. Examine your relationship as often as you change the oil in your car; keep steering it on a path you both want it to go.

22. Be content with what you have materially, honest about where you are emotionally, and never stop growing spiritually.

23. Never raise your voice unless you're on fire. Whisper when you argue.

24. Be both friends and lovers; in a blackout, light a candle, then make your own sparks.

25. Finally, be an interesting person, lead your own life. But always save your best for each other. In the end, you will know you were better together than you ever could've been apart.

Here's to happily ever after