Friday, June 29, 2012

Monday, June 25, 2012

A "Father's" Day at the Lake

I had a chance to spend the day with my family and great friends. We are grateful  to the Bigger's for having us out to the lake for the day. Both the kids were very excited but Pierson, I have to say, was ecstatic about going fishing!  
We started the afternoon off with a yummy lunch of KFC chicken, home-grown green beans, home-grown potato salad, home-grown cucumbers, and deviled eggs fresh off the Bigger's farm. DELICIOUS!

 Pierson found his new passion.... Fishing! He caught 14... yes 14 fish in one day. The first one he caught by himself was hilarious. There was no reeling involved he just yanked his pole and that fish came flying out of the water almost hitting Maylin and I. He was beaming  all over!
 Maylin's first fish... well I think this picture says it all! She enjoyed fishing... but actually dealing with the fish  was a whole different ball game. Yeah, she takes after her Mommy. :)
 We did manage to get her to hold it for a picture. lol
 Notice Maylin's hair is wet.. Nope, we had not been swimming yet... On her first cast she cast herself right off the dock. I missed it, but Adam said the look on her face was priceless. LOL
 Pierson learning to love fishing with his Spider man fishing pole. THANKS Mr. Jim for getting the kids awesome fishing poles. I am not sure what Maylin likes better the fact that she got to have a great day with family and friends or the fact that her fishing pole lights up when she casts?!
 I just love this picture. No words needed!
 Pierson is a true water bug!
 Maylin enjoyed being on solid ground but if she had to be out on the water she wanted to be helping Mr. Jim drive the boat. This girl is a speed demon. According to Mr. Jim it was everything he could do to keep her from going full throttle!
 Out on the water she wasn't as happy. We can officially say that she didn't care for tubing.
 But Pierson once again was having the time of his life.
 Adam enjoying the view of Kate and Andy hanging on for dear life! Hang on guys! It is going to be a bumpy ride!
 Adam and I... yep there is a reason I could hardly move the next day! Oh my back!
 Maylin giving it another try between Mommy and Daddy.  She still wasn't sure.
 Back on land Adam helping Pierson get a fresh worm on his hook.
 "I'm not eating another cookie?" :)
 Taking a break from the sun Maylin draws some of the birds we had seen that day.
 Trying her hand a fishing again. She might have caught more if she left her worm in the water for more than 5 seconds at a time. :)
 At it again. This time on a bigger contraption.
The bigger size of gave Maylin a bit more security... In her own typing skills.
 "i wus brave and sdan up with mom and kate "  
Synchronized swimming with Adam. 
 "my dad an me dance at the lake"
One last ditch effort to cap off the day. I don't think she really wanted to catch anything. I think it was just the act of casting that she enjoyed.
It was an awesome day with awesome people. I think it was all this little boy could take. He didn't last long in the car on the way home. Actually, the last thing we heard from either one of them was the sound of Maylin's fishing pole dropping out of her hand as she drifted off to sleep. 
Thanks to the Bigger's and the Highsmith's for having us out to the lake!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Happy Fathers Day

to the best dad in the world!

A perfect ending to a perfect day. We spent the day before father's day sitting by the pool, chasing bugs and snakes... well not chasing the snakes, more like watching them from a distance. While daddy wasn't looking we wrapped his father's day present. We ended the day by grilling out and eating dinner by the fire. What fire is complete without s'mores?  Certainly not any that are ever built at our house. 
We knew that tomorrow was going to be a busy day so we decided to go ahead and give Daddy his present. 






In Pierson's words, "...so you can always remember how big we were."
In Maylin's words, "...cause we love you so much!"
In Mommy's words, "There is a perfect spot in your office..."

In all three of our unspoken words, 
"Because we know we can always put our hands in yours and you will take care of us, provide for us, love us and most importantly lead us towards our heavenly father.

Happy Father's Day Adam/Daddy. 
You are loved and adored by all of us! 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Oh The Faces We Make










I don't know where she gets it?


Really???... 




"Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it." 
-Haim Ginott
I personally don't have a clue what Haim means?
:)


Friday, June 8, 2012

Schools Out For Summer!

I know, I know, everyone is posting about their precious children's last day of school today.
But I feel like I would  be failing as a bloggy mom if I didn't do it too. 
Besides, I do have two of the cutest kids in the world...  I mean, who doesn't want to see this?! ;)
 Yep swollen/cut eye and all. Pierson was up and excited to start "game day" in his classroom. (He fell yesterday at school and hit his face on the corner of a table.YIKES. A trip to the Dr.'s office and liquid stitches were in order).
Maylin... well to her defense she has never been a morning person. If waking up isn't her idea she is not going to be happy about it. Since school started so early this year 95% of the time we had to wake her up. Yes we tried going to bed earlier, but getting them to bed before 8:00 is just about impossible and even when we did getting up at 6:30 still wasn't her choice.
 Once they got going, signed their teachers "thank you" cards, ate breakfast, brushed their teeth, fixed their hair and got dressed they were both ready to go and SUPER excited that today was the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!
 As they pulled out of the driveway they both did their normal morning routine (which I have failed to capture until today) of blowing kisses, and yelling out the window "I LOVE YOU MOMMY!  HAVE A GOOD DAY! BYE! I LOVE YOU!..."
until they are out of sight. 

Happy last day of school my precious babies... 
Now I am going to take a nap while I still can! :) 
Let the chaos of summer begin... but not until 2:30 please. 
:)


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

We have another family member...

Our family is excited to sponsor this beautiful girl (I'll leave out her name for privacy). We got to meet her on our last trip to Honduras and were thrilled when we learned that she was available for sponsorship. We have sponsored children in the past through various organizations and have been happy to do so but this time it is different. We actually know her. We have hugged her, sang with her and seen her get new TOMS
We know that we are going to get to see her again in November when we go back to Honduras. We are thrilled to be able to send her a small package next week. As part of the package we are sending this picture of our family complete with her. I hope she likes it and understands how much we care for her and are committed to seeing her grow up.

She is not an orphan. Her mother is the cook for one of the orphanages our church supports. Our little girl has grown up spending much of her time there in the orphanage. Our sponsorship will help get her school supplies and uniforms. It will also ensure that she is getting fresh food. 
As she gets a little older education will become harder to come by for her in the remote area she lives in. Middle school is a long walk in this not-so-safe area of the world. Because of this most children there never go past 5th grade. We as a family have committed to making sure she gets the education she deserves.  Whatever that means and whatever we have to do to make sure it happens. 

If you are a child and have nothing, a dream of college or even High School appears to be almost unreachable. If you are a child and have nothing in La Moskitia, the poorest region of Honduras, continued education is nothing more than a pipe dream. It is our intention to make sure that this princess sees her pipe dream come true. 
While you probably will never meet her or see her in our home. This little girl is now officially part of our family. Through thick and thin. For better or worse. Sweet girl we love you and pray for you tonight.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

CCC Staff Training.

What are six adorable children ages 7 and under doing at a 10 day training for college students?  

I have many answers: playing, swimming, eating, throwing rocks into a pond, chasing geese, playing volleyball, being plain ornery...   No one would argue those things. 
One thing others might not see is that they too are being "trained". 


They are being trained to be Godly servants. They are being trained to be kind and enthusiastic for Jesus. They are being trained to love and be loved by a God who cares for them endlessly and unconditionally. 
 Yeah, I know that it looks like they were just having a lot of fun,
 Swimming,
 riding on shoulders,
 climbing walls,
 sliding down slides,
 swinging to the sky,
 eating 'watermelon ice'.
 and playing with enthusiastic college students


Yep it looks like they were just there to play. But my kids and their cousins have the awesome opportunity to be loved by some of the most awesome college students. They get to spend time observing the way they worship, watching how they love each other in Christ, taking in what it means to be a servant and learning what it means to love our God with all their hearts.   

I don't know about you but that is the best kind of training I can imagine for my children.
"Thank you God for giving Pierson and Maylin the opportunity to be a part of such and awesome ministry and having such amazing people to model their lives after as they learn to know you more."