"Tell My Mom I Love Her"

How Do I begin?  Do I begin with a bunch of pictures of my life?  Or do I share a little/a lot of what is on my heart?  

Story #1

So it was a sunny day & perfect for a kindergarten fieldrip to the Dallas Arburetum.... I HAD to go because... well... it's my Gunner & he is in kindergarten &  how many fieldtrips will he even have? I had him & his good buddy to chaperone.  No big deal right?  Ha!  6 year old boys have LOTS of energy and like to run & are so excited to see the next thing.  Long story short... we saw lots.  This "Chaperone" had sweat running down her back & blisters on her feet & shoved a protein bar down on a bench in about 2 minutes.  But this is what you do right?  You go on these fieldtrips.  Are they a beating?  Well... from the looks of some of the other mamas & the sting of my blisters... YES!  LOL!  But would we trade it?  No!  

So we went through a cool little maze with trees & it had little things you could talk in to someone else across the maze that you couldn't see.  So you know the boys separated & ran to these microphone things.  I happened to be with Gunner's friend on his side.  So the boys screamed in it to see what their voices sounded like... Then all of a sudden I hear my little Gunner's voice say, 

"Tell My Mom I Love Her!"

What!  Did I just hear my 6 year old who is shy and gets embarrassed tell his friend to tell me HE LOVES ME?  

I run over to that microphone and talked into it!  I said, "Hi Gunner!  I love you too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ok... blisters are healed... sweat doesn't stink... mama has now had the best fieldtrip chaperone gift ever!  

You know this sat with me for days to come & it was the Lord that REASSURED me HE has this child & this child loves me & I am doing a good job being his mama.  I mean come on... we all know this isn't a typical thing for a school aged kiddo to tell their friend to tell his mom he loves him?  It was God speaking to me.... I know this.

God speaks to us through our children.  

He has done it again & again for me.    

 Gunner on his fieldrip

 I love sweet time with him

 A giant tree!!!

 A pretty waterfall!

 A caterpillar!  :)

Story #2

Second... My Noah... 

He comes home from school & says, "Mom, I'm mad, but, I'm kinda sad, but I'm mad... but... I'm kinda glad...but I'm sad."

EXCUSE ME?  What did my 11year old boy just say?  Sounded like a lot of emotions for a boy?  LOL!  I ask him why?

He says, "I found $20 at the bus circle today at school & I turned it in to the teacher."

I said, "Oh Noah... that was probably someone's lunch money, I am so proud of you for turning it in!" He said, "Well... my teacher said that was really honest of me and if no one claimed it, she was gonna give it to me!"

I said, "Well... Noah... you did the right thing & God will bless you for this.  God blesses us when we do the right thing & it might not come back as a blessing with money.... Maybe it will be that you do well and score 2 goals in your next lacrosse game?"  

Totally throwing that one out there off the top of my head.  Cause this year he is on a 6th grade team.  He and a few other 5th graders are playing with the 6th graders.  So it's been different.  He has done well, but never scored 2 goals in one game.  

The following Saturday, I go to his game, send my hubby to Jensie's soccer game.... 

Yep... he scores 2 goals. I got to see it! 

 Seriously?  

I tell him after the game... remember that talk we had about you finding that money?  He smiles & says I do remember.  I said... you scored 2 goals today?  I got to be there to see them!  He smiles so big... I said... that was from God.  

No doubt... once again God lets me be a part of his fingerprints.  It was like a pat on the back for me... His REASSURANCE....like He is walking right there with me raising these kids & He's got them!  He's got me & we are doing this!  :)

Story #3

Last but not least... long story short, it wasn't a good day... like it was a bad day, scary day, shocking day... To make it worse... Nathan had to leave town when we just wanted to be together.  (More on that at a later date)  I was sitting on the couch texting my husband who was out of town... literally about our day &  all of the sudden I hear Emmie Lou's voice reading scripture out loud in our bed.  (When daddy is gone I let a one of the kids sleep with me & it was her turn)

I hear her reading from the book she had made the day before with some friends.

Matthew 5:3-10 (picture below)

I kid you not... The timing was once again from the Lord.  His voice.  His REASSURANCE that He has us & everything was going to be ok.  Oh how I love the Lord.

 My sweet Emmie... Little Nature girl

 This is the book Emmie made at her little meeting

This is the scripture she was reading aloud in my bed!  The sweetest sound I have ever heard. 

Story #4.... to be continued.... 

 I have joked that I am sure there have been plenty of God moments with this one too... she's probably more of the fire & brimstone kind of gal!  She is a wild one!  But I know He speaks to me through her as well!  So I had to put a sweet pic of her....

Little Jensie.....Flowers for mommy... 2 different shoes... but they are both pink so who cares?

Thank you God for these children who you use in so many ways... to help ME!  I am their mother & suppose to be helping them & raising them.  But somehow I see God through them all.  It's his REASSURANCE that He is with us always.

These are the days I live for.  Cooking supper & kids playing at the creek.  They bring me home tons of wild flowers (& picked a couple of roses from home :) 

Happy Easter Pictures from Our Family

 Gotta get the bunnies in the pic

 These pictures really show how the kids are growing up and it's hard for a mama to look at these precious faces and not get emotional.  My sweet daughter looking like a lady

Simple & Sweet

 Love this kid... Can't believe he will be going to middle school!  He is so strong but funny and doing a great job leading the Orange pack

 Our baby girl isn't a baby... even though she wants to stay one forever

She ends up in bed with us in the middle of the night most nights... I just can't say no.  

Always silly

 Our precious blue eyed Gunner.  He is getting so tall and coming into his on

Love them lips

My honey... I love this man from the very depths of my soul

 Hibachi is always fun for our family!

 We had the funnest chef

Time to cook

Before Easter was Spring Break... Each kiddo got a day and got to pick all our meals and an activity.  Lots of fun!

 Steak!

 Sausage and Syrup???  This boy loves sugar

 Outside the skating rink for some grub... This is called Spring Break Tailgating

 It was the funnest time!  I love skating!  The music was awesome!  

 Spring Break Burn.... On the treadmill with mama

 A little game time at Dave & Busters

 Nathan always has a good time

 At the pet store getting some stuff and we see this girl with the cutest little baby pig... She was buying a leash for it.  Had to get a pic of that!

 We finally broke down and got a sectional.  Don't know why we waited this long!  It's the BEST!  All of our family can be together for family movie nights and all of the cuddles in between! 

Can you count all the heads!  I love my family! 

 Last day of Spring Break Mama had to get in a 1/2 marathon with a friend.... gorgeous day 

Then Home for Ice Cream Sundaes!  

Emmie Lou was in 4H and was in the Tarrant County Junior Live Stock Show this year!  It was so much fun!!!!

 These are all the ingredients for her apple pie she baked for 4H... Her great grandmother's recipe... whom she was named after.  So special!

 Did it ALL by herself!  

 Time to bake

 Finished pie to take to the stock show

Her  bunnies.  She took this photo of them and arranged the flowers and entered it in the photography contest at the stock show

 This was such a wonderful time.  When we walked in the huge barn... she said... "This is so me!"  She was comfortable being there all day long!  She showed her black bunny and won 2nd place for her. 

 Her special, special friends that are like family to us that also are in 4H.  We are so proud of these girls and all their hard work.

 Her photo she entered

 She also entered in a pencil drawing.

 Her apple pie took home 1st Place and also Grand Reserve! She got to walk in a parade with all the Grand Champions and Grand Reserve winners and won $50 and an apron.

 So special... When I saw the ribbons on the pie... I started balling.  It was so special to me that she baked it.  I wore my grandmother's ring for good luck and what do you know! :)

 Our family and one of her bunnies "Shadow"  

Little Country Charmer!  

 Spring time flowers at our house have to be photographed.... not to mention the pretty little girls!  :)

 Just grocery shopping with Mommy & needed to potty.  These are the moments that melt me.  Her little self.... Her cute little bottom and legs I could squeeze all day!  I love her & gonna miss her so much when she goes off to big school.  We still have another year though!  :)

 Sweet pic they took of themselves :)

 When Daddy has to dig a huge hole... we have to see how many kids we can get in it.

 Just something I found on my phone... these two are so much alike!

 Little tea time lunch for me and Jensie

 Just another day with Jensie Jewel.  She likes to play in my clothes & dresses.  But the shoes... well... she LOVES these black ones with huge heels!  She is a mess

 When boys are gonna come over... you gotta get boy grub... But what this Mama didn't know is how we didn't need anyone to help take our groceries out.  Three boys can get all the bags!  Love these kiddos!

A school night sleepover... about to walk to school together!  Love these times our children can share.

If you are still reading... you are probably thinking... good grief that was A LOT of sharing!  WEll, when it comes to the Lord.... He IS just so big & it's hard not to share A LOT about him &  his greatness!  He puts these things on my heart & in my life & I just have to share!  Thanks for reading!