Monday, June 24, 2013

Zoe's Dance Recital

Zoe's dance recital was this weekend.  She did a beautiful job.
Nana came Friday for the dress rehearsal.  The three of us had a great time and Nana was super proud of Zoe.  
 My favorite dance she performed was Swan Lake.  It was so pretty.

The recital was Sunday and Zoe had some fans there!  Steph and Taya came.  Taya was adorable.  She cheered loud for Zoe, but you could tell she enjoyed all the dances and wanted to stay for the entire show.  They came a little early (4:30) because Taya was so excited and the show ended at 9:30.  That's a long time for a little girl!
Mom drove down again, but this time she stayed at our house with Cole so Brad and I could enjoy the show.  She is such a good Nana!
Meme and Papa Eldon were there too!
Michelle and Hayden came too, but somehow I missed getting a picture of them!  
Zoe was a little nervous, but mostly excited.  She didn't seemed stressed and had a really great time.  Her tap and jazz dances were adorable.  Lots of fun!

 I wasn't sure if she would stick with dance if she couldn't be with Mrs. Charity, but I'm so glad she did.  She's worked hard and I'm so proud of her!  

Monday, June 17, 2013

Sterling House

Our Wacky Wednesday group went to visit our friends at the Sterling House to celebrate Flag Day.  I took Cole, Zoe, Hayden, Brewer, Hadley, and our new friend Reagan.  I really expected that it might be a disaster, but it went really well.  All the kids were very good.  I like to take our token child, Hadley.  The residents LOVE her! One lady got out her iPhone and tried to take a picture of her, but ended up taking a picture of herself instead.
It was really hot outside and just as hot inside, but most of the residents were wearing turtlenecks and pants.


We sat under a shade tree and watched Liz's colorguard do a routine in honor of Flag Day.
It was pretty sweet of those high school girls to take time out of their summer to entertain us.

The residents say exactly what they are thinking.  One lady just kept going on and on about how Hadley was the cutest one there.  Then she looked at sweet, little Reagan and said, "You're cute too, but she's the cutest", as she petted Hadley.  
Cole fits in pretty well with most of the old people there.  
We decorated flags for the residents and handed out some cookies.






It's always a fun visit!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Forrest Fisher

I was blessed to be Forrest's teacher in 3rd grade.  He was the cutest little boy ever and had such a sweet spirit.  To say he had a special place in my heart would be an understatement.  He was one of those kids I started praying for that year and continued to pray for him for the next 11 years.  I prayed his name so much that when Zoe would say her prayers I started noticing that she would pray for him too.  

I was pregnant with Zoe the year I had Forrest in my class.  He gave me this little lamb for her, that Zoe later named Lilly.  I am not one to save things, but I told Zoe how special Forrest was to me and she still has this little lamb in her room.  

I asked about him often, but had a hard time keeping up with him.  I teared up when I sat at his graduation and he walked across the stage.  I searched for him after the ceremony, but couldn't find him.  I sat by him at church the day he got baptized.  It was purely a coincidence.  I had never even seen him at our church before and one Sunday he went to the front and gave his life to Christ.  I couldn't stop myself from going up there with him and cried hysterically as I hugged on him.  (I know he thought I was insane).  

I haven't seen Forrest in many years, but you know how when you think of someone constantly and pray for them continuously...it feels like they are a part of you? That's exactly how I felt about him.

I got the call Saturday that he had died in a car accident.  My heart still feels so heavy.  If I feel this sad, I can't imagine how his family and friends who knew him better than me feel.  Praying for all of you and feel blessed to have been part of his life.


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

FX Fun

Zoe and I have been going to FX at our church the last couple of nights.  It's a Family Experience.  We have had so much fun. We've been learning about LOVE and serving others. 
   This is Morgan.  She's one of the youth ministers.  I adore her.  She is a perfect example of someone who loves others and puts them first.  Zoe loves her too, and soaks it all in.
They start with games, singing, and hilarious skits and then we do some activities. The first night was APP night.  They had a giant Angry Bird game, Find My Phone maze, Photo Shoot, and more.  This was a Pinterest activity.  We put questions in this little heart tin to answer as a family and decorated the top. 
They also packed a bag full of candy for a mission trip to Wichita later in the summer.




Last night was Messy Night.  It was SOOOOO much fun.  They had bubbles, shaving cream, pudding slinging, a chocolate slip and slide, colored powder, and more.
 


Firefighters were also there at the beginning of the night, but I was wishing they would have stayed around to clean us all off at the end!



Zoe said the chocolate slip and slide was lots of fun.


My friend Kristi snuck up and got Zoe with some of the colored powder!
  With the help of Mrs. Loving, Zoe and I were both really Messy!

Mrs. Loving snuck up on me and poured chocolate syrup over my head! 
Then she found Zoe and did the same to her! 
We all ran around all evening, just getting each other messy. 

Zoe usually likes structure, but she was giggling and having a blast with all this mess!  It was fun to do with her.
We wrapped ourselves in trash bags for the drive home.  We were sticky and gross!

It took us a while to get clean, but well worth the fun we had together!
 

Cutest Kids Ever...in my opinion

 Cole's been pretty sweet to Hadley the last couple of days.  I love it when he does that!
 He tries to teach her all about trains. 

 I let them strip down and play in the water.  They were super cute!

 After they were "done finished" (as Hadley says), they laid out in the sun to dry off.  I tried to take a picture of Hads, but she was kicking her feet.  I said, "Hold your feet still." And she grabbed them.
 I know I'm super partial, but these are two of the cutest kids EVER!