Our silly night at Chic-fil-A!

We had so much fun, dressing up like cows last Friday night! (We participated in Chic-fil-A's annual cow appreciation day.) We have enjoyed cow apprecation day for the last few years. And every year, David and I have the same conversation; we are blown away by the generousity of this restaurant. I wonder how much free food they give away every year for this event? Wow!  Here are a few pictures from our evening...

Wubs and Bella, just before we left home.

Say, "Moooo!"

Just the girl cows. (I almost wrote 'just the heifers' but technically, I don't think I'm a heifer since I'm a mommy? Hmmm. )wink!

The leader of our herd and his oldest cow!

Even JJ wore a little costume. He gave me a funny look while I painted his nose, but he never once attempted to wipe it off!

Our blessed little herd!

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."- Hebrews 6:10

Today is Cow Appreciation Day!

Have you ever gone to celebrate Cow Appreciation Day at Chic-fil-A? It is so fun and today is the big day! If you dress like a cow, you'll get a free meal- plus, you'll get to see lots of funny costumes! Click here for more details. Maybe we will see you there! Have a great weekend!

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."- Romans 6:23

Dogsitting Pippen

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to take care of the sweetest little fella, Pippen! Our friends, Mike and Emily, were going out of town, and since they know our girls love dogs, they asked if we would like to dogsit for them. It was such a treat! (And I admit it, even I started to love Pippen!) One day, we would like to get our children a dog of their very own, but until then, dogsitting is the next best thing! wink. Pippen celebrated his birthday while he was in our care, so we did our best to make him feel special! We sang happy birthday and fed him a small piece of steak. The girls also decorated his cage with lots of little pictures. We are looking forward to keeping Pippen again in August for a few days!

"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions."- Proverbs 18:2

DIY: Make a Superhero (in just 3 easy steps!)

Step 1: Go through your closet to find your old t-shirts. (Sweet hubby's old t-shirts work great, too!)
Step 2: A little snip here, a little snip there, and a few stitches... it's a cape!

Step 3: Add some super children.

Ta da! Superheroes!
"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,"- Luke 1:47

Made

The other day, I overhead Emma Grace and Bella talking in the backseat of the car. Bella was holding a toy and she must have noticed some words on the bottom of it. She asked her sister to read the words on her toy.

"Wubs, what does it say?"

"It says...Made In China."

"WHAT?!?? It was made in China?? WOW!! MOMMY! My toy was made it China!!!"

Bella was absolutely thrilled to find out that her toy had been made all the way in China! wink. It was really cute.

The toy was just a simple Dollar Store nicknack, nothing special. Until now! Bella thinks that her 'China toy' is so amazing! I got to thinking about that. The value of the toy has certainly changed for Bella. What will happen when Bella really understands about the One who made her? I can't wait for the day when Bella experiences true joy as she comes to the saving knowledge of her Maker. After all, Bella has been made by the creator of the universe, in His image;she has been made fearfully and wonderfully!

Emma Grace started swimming lessons last week! We love Miss Bailey and Wubs is having lots of fun! Here are a few pictures from her first lesson.

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may recieve mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."- Hebrews 4:16

The 4th of July

The day before the fireworks, we had a lesson about why we celebrate Independence Day. The girls learned about our country's freedom from Great Britain, the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, and the meaning of the stars and stripes on the America flag. We colored pictures for a 4th of July storytime, and we also made a 'freedom necklace' using red and blue Fruit Loops. (I realize that the necklace craft was a bit of a stretch but we are pretty low on our homeschool supplies right now due to our summer break. But Wubs and Bella loved it!)

(Look Aunt Paula! Emma Grace loves her new dress! Thank you again!)

This year, we took the children to their very first 4th of July fireworks display! The girls have seen fireworks in our neighborhood and also at a baseball game, but this was their first time sitting on lawn chairs in a grassy field, gazing up at the sky. As you'll see below, Emma Grace enjoyed the display more than her sister. wink! Bella liked the idea of the fireworks, but when it came right down to it, they were loud and they made her nervous. Oh, how I love all the differences between our girls. They are both so precious!

A family photo before the fireworks began. Here comes the show! Watch Bella's face...

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."- 1 Peter 3:8

Photojournal: (7 years old) well child appointment

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."- Phillipians 4:5

Our trip to SC (post #2)

On Saturday, Nana graciously allowed us to host a party for Wubs at her house. We rented an enormous waterslide for all the cousins (and Grandpa!) to enjoy. It was such a hot day, so a water activity was the perfect choice for Wubs' party! My camera batteries died but Aunt Paula shared her pictures with me! Thank you again Paula! xoxo!!

Wubs loved the waterslide! David was busy grilling up some delicous burgers while the children enjoyed the slide.

All the cousins, piled on the couch for a picture.

Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed watching the grandchildren go down the slide. Grandpa got so curious about the waterslide, he even went down a few times himself! He is SO fun!

One of my all time favorite pictures! So sweet!

Bella l.o.v.e.s Aunt Paula's dog, Sammy. Sammy came to the party, too!

After the party ended, we cleaned up and the children were exhausted from all the excitement. We put them to bed and David and I slipped away for a date night. Thank you, Nana, for giving us this time out together!

We had a wonderful time with our family and we look forward to our next trip to South Carolina. Our trips always leave us wanting more! wink!
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."- Romans 8:28

Our trip to South Carolina (post #1)

This year for Emma Grace's birthday, we traveled to South Carolina to celebrate with our extended family. It was such a treat to have some family time and rest! We arrived in SC last Wednesday evening and we returned home on Sunday. We packed a lot of fun into four days! On Thursday, which was Wubs' actual birthday, we started the day with a little shopping with Nana. After the girls had picked out a new toy (and mommy had been blessed with a few new clothes) Emma Grace got to pick the restaurant for her birthday lunch. She picked McDonalds, her favorite!

After lunch, we went to Nana's house to let JJ take his nap and allow the girls to play for a little bit. Then we were off to Grandpa and Grandma's house to go swimming! Emma Grace got to play with her cousin Mitchell, too, so that was quite a treat! We swam for an hour and then Grandma prepared a big meal for everyone. We loved our dinner and conversation with Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Paula and Uncle Justin, Mitchell and Miss Mary. It was a wonderful birthday for our sweet seven year old!

Tomorrow, I'll post more about our trip. We had so much fun!

"He has showed you, O Man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."- Micah 6:8