Help!

I need to blog today, to just get things off my chest and to ask for your prayer. My oldest son Dalton is 6, and he is the most emotional child I think I have ever met. Being that he is a boy, makes it even more difficult for me and Jason to deal with. The smallest thing sets him off, and then takes about 20 minutes or more to calm him down.

One thing is that apparently he is a perfectionist. Really? He's a boy! Their handwriting is supposed to look like scribble-right? I am starting to think, that right now we are being attacked, and it is through our children. Jason has been training to be a Life House leader (that's what our church calls small groups-we have these instead of Sunday School classes). He has been in training since January, and his first official LH meets this coming Sunday night. We have both seen God's blessings over and around us these last several months.

Now, as we all know-where God works-Satan attacks. And I think that God is allowing this to happen to see if we choose to handle it through His strength. Sounds easy right? Not so much. Please pray that Jason and I will be able to use the strengths and fruits that God has equipped us with, instead of lashing out of our flesh.

This is my sweet, sweet boy: I know it is hard to believe that I have been talking about him right?
If you have any experience/ideas in how to handle this situation, please let me know! I am really beginning to believe that the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" is totally true, and I can use all the village I can get! :)

First Grade!

I can't believe it! My little boy is in 1st grade! He had a fabulous first day, and came home super excited! He couldn't stop talking...I have no idea where he gets that from! His teacher seems to be really sweet, and young! They all seem to be really young! He He! Maybe I am just getting older...Naaahhh

Check out my super cute boy on his first day of full day school!


Isn't he adorable!

Women of Faith

This weekend I, along with 15,000 other women, attended Women of Faith. It was AMAZING! I have wanted to go for the past 3 years, but it was always sold out by the time I remembered to order tickets. Thank goodness for the economy this year, there were plenty of tickets remaining when I remembered to check it out this year! I was able to bring some friends with me (about 13 of them!) And my mom got to come too!

We had an absolute blast! We stayed at The Fairmont Hotel, my room had some AC issues, but all in all it was pretty good. We had already decided that we are reserving rooms early next year, at The W! Woo-Hoo!

Do you ever notice how God sometimes put things in your life that He wants you to hear? Over and over...and over.LOL Jennifer, Stefanie, and I attended a small women's retreat in July, and it was about dealing with heart issues. Mainly things that you have buried really deep, that you may not necessarily want to deal with again. Well, guess what one of the things they talked about at WOF was! Marliyn Meberg talked about how we put things in boxes...shame issues, parent issues, abandonement issues, whatever....Yeah, I got boxes!

There were so many awesome speakers there, and the worship was absolutely wonderful! Steven Curtis Chapman was the final act on Friday night-talk about UHH----MAZING! He had everybody in tears, but he and his family are a true example of praising God in their storm.

PS I have pre-ordered 50 tickets for next year! August 20th and 21st are next year's dates. Let me know ASAP if you would like to reserve tickets! First come, first serve. I have 38 left right now.
Below are some pics from our super fun weekend!

Steven Curtis Chapman

Erin &Sharon

Me & Ryndi

Felicia's B-Day at El Fenix!

Ofcourse, I had to wear the hat!

Jen, Lynda, and Kelly

me and Tabitha lounging!

Gulf Shores

We went with our friends Suzie and Nathan and their girls to Gulf Shores, Alabama last week for our family summer trip. Needless to say, we had a blast! I am including the best pictures, but be warned...there are many!

The first 2 days there, it rained-not too bad the first day, but on Tues-it was a downpour! So, we drove to Pensacola and went to the Naval Air Museum there. It was really neat, and the boys had a blast! I also have a little bit more history knowledge now than before I left. LOL




We went on a dolphin cruise (which is really just a boat ride out to see some dolphins jump around). We loved it! Had tons of fun! We did this same ride 3 years ago, and it is absolutely worth every penny! Ofcourse, after we did the cruise, we could see dolphins jumping around in front of our spot on the beach! Both Jason and Suzie were making comments about how we could have saved $50! (They are a lot alike!) Whatever-we loved every bit of the experience!





I love how well the kids played together, I miss being able to say "go downstairs and play in the sand-we'll see you in a little bit"!




If you are wondering about the circling birds, this is what happens when you throw out goldfish crackers around a resting Amber on the beach! Hmmmm...Nathan thought he was funny!



And of course, we had to take the obligatory "Family Beach Pics"!






There's so much more, like the boys boogie boarding, and hermit crabs, but I will have to add those another time...this is way too many photos to expect anyone to look at in one sitting!

Our Special Place

It is time for Friday Home Tour again from Kelly's Korner!
So here is our master bedroom:
Please ignore the paint job at the top, we are "eventually" getting crown molding. ;)

This is not only my favorite saying, but a literal rule!

See that empty corner by the window? It needs the perfect chair...I am still hunting...

This is my side of the bed, it usually has a big pile of magazines on the floor, but I cleaned them up just for you! I made the "Faith, Hope, & Love" sign, I think it goes well with the decor.



And since I was out of town last weekend, I am posting a couple of pics of our "new" playroom. We have recently put both boys in one room in bunk beds, and made a playroom out of the other room. It has actually worked out really well! There are still remnants of Carson's old tractor decor, but it is still a work in progress!

Father's Day and Camping Trip

For Father's Day Weekend, we went camping with some friends to Lake Murray, Oklahoma. We had a blast! We drove to Turner Falls and hung out there for a little bit on Friday, and then back to our campsite at Lake Murray. There is an ATV area where we camped, that is totally massive! The boys had a blast just riding around our campsite area on their bikes. (Which we highly recommend to anyone going camping that you throw in your kids bikes!)

On Saturday, we rode 4 wheelers for a bit, and then drove down the rode to Sunset Beach. It had a great sandy area shallow enough for the kids to just play for ever without having to worry about drop-offs. After a couple of hours of fun in the sun, it was back to the campsite again, for more 4-wheelin' fun, and yummy dinner! My hubby grills a mean steak and sausage!

The evening was even better with s'mores and 20 questions around the campfire! Of course, the kids were in bed when we were playing 20 questions, because I get hundreds of questions when they are awake! LOL

Sunday we celebrated Dad's Day with a yummy breakfast, and then dirt biking and 4-wheeling mainly for the kids. And yes, there are pictures below where Jason took D through the mud and got stuck (or as Jason calls it not stuck but high-centered) (looks stuck to me) ;) Dalton did great on his dirtbike on the kid friendly trails, and apparently Carson rolled the little 4-wheeler and got back up ready to ride (2nd child)!

And to answer your question: Yes, we tent camped! And yes, it was hot, but, Jason brought a massive shop fan, and we actually needed a blanket while we slept! I love tent camping, after the first couple of hours of getting used to it again! :) We really need to go more often, so that we continue to "love it"!

Enjoy the pics! I have more to post later!