A Golden Anniversary

This weekend we had the opportunity to celebrate my Aunt and Uncle's 50th wedding anniversary.  It's a major milestone, one that not many people can claim, so it was truly worthy of celebration!  Marriage is a wonderful thing, it has really sweet moments that are nostalgic and memorable but it also has many challenges and hardships as two imperfect people try to live together daily, loving each other in spite of unrealistic expectations and unspoken wishes or desires.  Learning to communicate with each other and to live with a "reservoir of grace" toward one another is so very hard to do.  I'm thankful that Aunt Jane and Uncle Jerry have loved one another well, have remained committed to each other and persevered through the hard times.

It was a surprise party and they had no inkling that many friends and family were gathering this weekend to celebrate them.

This picture captures my Aunt Jane's surprised reaction.

I liked this quote that I found, "A great marriage is not when a perfect couple comes together, it is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences."   Clearly, after spending fifty years together they have learned how to "enjoy" each others differences, it is that fact that truly reveals their love for one another.  Aunt Jane and Uncle Jerry, I'm glad I could be there and toast to your commitment to each other and celebrate with you this weekend!

May God continue to bless and keep you, may His light shine down upon your marriage and may He fill you with His peace.  I'm grateful for your legacy and pray that Adam and I can follow in your committed footsteps.

Thankful Feasts All Around

This year each of my kids had Thankful Feasts at school.  It was a pretty precious time of hearing scripture quoted that they've been memorizing and hearing all the things that they are thankful for.  I'm grateful for where they are in school this year and my heart is over come at times as I hear the things being taught in the classroom that we are also teaching at home.

Thursday, Ava Jane had her class program and did a great job quoting her verses and singing the songs.  How wonderful to hear her hiding God's word in her heart.

Grammy and Gigi came to see her and she was thrilled to have them.

Emerson's class has been memorizing Psalm 100 and what a joyful noise they made to the Lord as they spoke his words to all the parents and grandparents.

I am so thankful for Emerson and how well he has been doing in Kindergarten this year. My heart wanted to burst when I heard him quoting these scriptures:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and we are the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Lawson's class played games and watched several Thanksgiving movies then had their feast too.

The fourth grade had several visitors from the Game and Fish Department who shared all kinds of information about bears and other animals native to Arkansas. After all the feasting in the first two classes, I unfortunately missed all that the fourth grade did.  I think the kids had a good time for sure and are thankful to be out of school during this holiday week.

Sugar Plum Ball 2016

Yesterday was Ava Jane's first Sugar Plum Ball.  She enjoyed picking out this red dress and wearing her new black "high heel" shoes--she loved how they clicked and clacked across our hardwood floors and thought she was a big girl for sure.  Adam gave her a corsage to wear, which she liked at first, then decided she didn't really want to wear it the rest of the night.

How cute are these two?  This girl surely loves her Daddy and her Daddy is wrapped around her little finger most certainly!

We gathered up with several of our friends, Ava Jane, Julianna and London Kate were so cute!

We took group pictures then the Daddy's and Daughters then they took off for the Purple Cow.  That turned out to be a a poor choice, as it took for.ev.er to get their food and ticket, but I think Ava Jane enjoyed going there none the less.

After that, they headed down to the Statehouse Convention Center where the Festival of Trees was in full swing and dancing the night away was taking place.  Ava Jane had a fabulous time dancing around.  Here's a little taste of the fun she had.

Here, Adam and Ava Jane were trying out the move from Dirty Dancing as the song "Time of My Life" played through the speakers.  I'm pretty sure this little girl was on cloud nine having her Daddy's complete and undivided attention all night long.  I'm so thankful they got to have an evening together and that she was made to feel like a princess!  A memory was definitely made and I hope many more like these will be in their future.

A Decade With Peyton

A decade.  How could a decade have been spent with this little boy?  I seriously have no idea how that could be?  It seems like just yesterday that I had swollen feet, high blood pressure and a brand new baby boy with big hands and big feet, who I spent every waking moment with--holding, nursing, reading to, walking with, etc...we went almost everywhere together.  And yet it seems like so long ago too, when he was actually a baby.  The days have surely been long but the years have been so short!

I am proud of the young man he is becoming.  He is one of the most kind, thoughtful and responsible children I have ever known.  I can count on him for almost anything, and I am blessed each and every day when he takes initiative to vacuum the carpet, take out the trash, clean out the car, or water the plants.  I mean, the future Mrs. Peyton Head, will be one lucky lady.  He is incredibly thoughtful and takes initiative regularly.  I see Jesus in him, in his servants heart and his sensitive nature toward people.

I enjoy spending time with Peyton, hearing him talk about all the things that interest him, things that I know nothing about.  He's full of all kinds of fun facts; facts about nature and animals.  He's a deep thinker and asks questions about many different subjects.  He likes to know why things work the way they do and he sees most things in black and white.  I appreciate his faith in God and how he takes everything Adam and I are teaching him straight to heart.  He has an incredible way of listening and then applying to his daily life, whatever we have been teaching him and for that I am so grateful.

This boy has my whole heart.  I couldn't possibly love him anymore.  Peyton, today and always, Dad and I love you more then you will ever know.  Happy 10th Birthday Bud, you'll never be single digits again!

Halloween 2016

Sunday afternoon our church hosted Family Fest.  The kids were super excited to dress up and gather candy.  They enjoyed the bounce houses, the carnival style games and seeing the animals.  Our church did a great job of hosting the large amount of people and having lots of options for kids of all ages, though I will say it was quite crowded and a tad bit overwhelming at times.  It didn't dampen the kids excitement though, they were all about having some fun!

The camel stole a child's hat right off his head and wouldn't give it back...it was pretty comical to watch.

For Halloween this year, we hosted our D-group from church along with a couple other friends too. We decided to go with a Star Wars theme for our costumes.

I had everybody bring a spooky-cute main dish or dessert; here was some of our tasty spread.

And here are some of Carol's amazing cookies!  (Almost too cute to eat!)

It was a fun evening, but a little chaotic with 31 kids and 20 adults.  

We went up and down several hilly streets then headed back home.

We had fun dressing up!

Past Halloweens 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011