The Sweetest Surprise

On Wednesday nights, the girls come to church with me. They go to their little discipleship classes while I fulfill some of my nursery responsibilities. We are always eager to get home because we get to see daddy!

Last night, we got home from church, greeted Daddy with our usual shower of sugars and snugs, and then we all ate a late dinner together. After putting the girls to bed, David and I listened to the last few minutes of Focus on the Family on the radio, and then we watched a little television. I noticed our bedroom door was pulled closed, but I guess I didn't think too much of it. It wasn't until we were going to bed, and I opened the door that I saw....

our new bed!

My precious husband has been 'sneaking' away on the weekends to buy wood, cut it, stain it, and create this beautiful new bed for our anniversary! I thought David had been getting 'called in to work' a lot lately, but he was really working on our bed at a friend's house. He also picked out this entire bedding set all by himself. I couldn't help but cry at this incredibly sweet surprise. (Later, I also laughed about all the 'stories' he has been telling me over the last few weeks so he could slip away to work on this secret project. One Sunday afternoon he told me he was going to get a haircut and four hours later he came home with no haircut. wink!)

The girls also love the new bed! They were very excited to come climb in with us! (And I cried all over again this morning... God is just so good to me. )

The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
-Genesis 2:18*
* I am so incredibly thankful that God chose me to be David's wife!

Best Friends

After the rain let up on Sunday afternoon, I asked the girls if they would like to go play in the 'big puddle'. (There is a low spot at the end of a road in our neighborhood and we like to look for the 'big puddle' whenever we go for a walk.) Even though the girls have played in the puddle before, they were thrilled with the idea! We got two kitchen spoons and we were off to have fun. Wubs ran up ahead of me because she was so excited, and Bella wasn't far behind! wink!


"Puddle! Puddle!"- squeals Bella all the way down the street.


Wubs was using her spoon to go 'fishing for rocks'. Here is one of the little rocks she 'caught'!


When we got home, the girls were wet and splattered with dirty puddle water, so they hopped right into the tubby. I always get Bella out of the bathtub first to dry her and dress her while Wubs gets a little extra time to play in the water. This time, as I was reaching to get Bella, Wubs said, "No mommy. Don't make her get out. She's my best friend!" Oh, how that blessed my heart!

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."-Romans 12:10

Daddy's weekend project

This weekend David built a climbing wall for our girls! (Thank you Papa for your generous gift of climbing wall materials. What a blessing!) Wubs was thrilled when she ran into the backyard to go try out her new swingset addition. David still wants to use a sander to make the sides of the climbing wall smooth. He warned Wubs about getting a splinter. After climbing up and down the wall about 10 times, Wubs spotted a little sliver of wood sticking out. She asked, "Mama, is that one of the stingrays?" Luckily, no splinters (or stingrays) stopped Wubs from having a great time! wink! Here's the finished project!
Daddy demonstrates for Wubs. She was hesitant to try at first.
As Wubs was climbing up the wall those first few times, I was encouraging her by cheering, "You can do it, Wubs! You can do it!" She turned to me and said, "You need to say it louder."
"YOU CAN DO IT, WUBS!!!"


This weekend was also special because David and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for the precious gift of our marriage, and my wonderful husband. God is so good!
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."- 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Little Gym

Earlier this week, Wubs was invited to Little Gym for 'bring a friend' day. (Thank you again Ms. Lori, Jamie and Kylie!) Little Gym is a gynmastics center in Raleigh for children of all ages. It was a such a treat for Wubs to participate in her first gymnastics lesson!Wubs got to lead the group to the first 'station'. Her friends, Kylie and Jamie, are right behind her.

Here is Wubs on the balance beam. She walked across it over and over again! No doubt the other mothers knew we were visitors, as I was the only mommy taking pictures and cheering.

The teacher assisted Wubs as she walked across the 'horse'. I didn't think Wubs was going to attempt this one (since it was considerably higher from the ground than the balance beam) but she did it! And did you see that perfect 10 dismount? wink!

ps- Yesterday we had our sweet friend, Luke, over to play! We hope he'll come over again really soon!"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."- Phillipians 4:5

Princess for a day

It's almost time to promote all the children at our church to new Sunday school classrooms. We need more volunteers to be sure all our classrooms will have plenty of adults to help teach the curriculum and minister to these little ones. Since all children love a good story, we are asking volunteers to step forward and come share the Ultimate Story- the story of Jesus.
This past Sunday, I was asked to dress up like Snow White and 'interrupt' adult Sunday school classes to share with them about the many volunteer opportunities we have in our children's ministry program. When Bella woke up on Sunday morning, I was already in costume. She kept staring at my head and repeating, "Bow? Bow? Mama bow? Bow?" Wubs took this picture all by herself. Snow White and Prince Charming are very lucky parents!
On the way to church, Wubs asked, "Mommy, when we get home, will you be just mommy again?" Sweet girl. I guess she was concerned I might eat a bad apple. wink.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as your trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."- Romans 15:13

Have you 'herd'...

...about cow appreciation day at Chic-Fil-A? It is a day where all 'cows' eat free. Our family went to Chic-Fil-A on Friday night so we could eat mor chikin! The girls loved seeing all the 'cows' and David and I were relieved we weren't the only adults dressed up. wink! In fact, many people were in authentic cow costumes, utters and all. We hope to do it again next year! Here are some pictures of the fun:



"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."- Romans 15:5-6

Translating Bella's words

Bella has so much to say these days! It's fun to hear her little voice, and to watch Wubs playing and having a friend in Bella. There are some words, however, that only a mommy can translate. Here are just a few:

'Chep Bow' (translation) "Look! I have ketchup in my bow. See how I rubbed ketchup in my hair?"
'Did!Did!' (translation) "I have finished my snack. Will somebody get the lid for me? Lid!"
'Man Key' (translation) "My blankie! I need my blankie!"
'Tay' (translation) "Okay."
'Wowper! No wowper!" (translation) "Swiper, no swiping!"
'Sin Soot?' (translation) "Let's put on our swim suits! I think playing in the pool would be fun, don't you?"
'Rosh han' (translation) "My, my I'm sticky. I need to wash my hands."
'Miiiiine' (translation) "I have not yet accepted the idea of sharing."

Below are the dresses Nana made for the 4th of July. Thank you again, Nana!


" The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."- Psalm103:8

Great Wolf Lodge vacation!

Last Thursday, our family went on a special vacation! We traveled to Concord, NC to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. The Great Wolf Lodge is a hotel known for its indoor waterpark, rustic atmosphere, and fun family activities. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the way.


Wubs was tall enough to ride most of the waterslides, although she only wanted to ride the 'green one' over and over again! There was so much to do- both at the indoor waterpark and at the outdoor pool area. We also enjoyed a puppet show, the arcade, and lots of delicious food!



Before we left town, we needed to stop somewhere for dinner. Daddy treated his girls to Chuck E. Cheese. Wubs and Bella were absolutely thrilled! We made so many sweet family memories!



"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."- Philemon 1:6