Memorial Day Weekend

The Good Times

     We spent the long weekend with our best pals The McClanahans in Bowling Green, KY.  We travelled on Friday and celebrated Sydney's 5th birthday on Saturday!  The kids had a great time and we were really enjoyed celebrating her special day.  We spent Saturday afternoon at the pool, Sunday morning at Living Hope Baptist Church, and Sunday afternoon (again) at the pool!  It was a HOT weekend and the pool was a perfect place to be.  We stayed SO busy that we did not get many pictures.

The kids in the kiddie pool.  The picture is from our cellphone and a little blurry.

I wanted to include this picture from Jacy LAST summer at the pool.  In the background is Luke's baby carrier.  I would like to see us try and strap him in there now!!!

 The Bad Times

Unfortunately, Sunday evening brought a stomach bug:-(  I ended up sick and was not able to go to Holiday World on Monday.  However, Brian earned Father of the Year by taking the girls on the trip.  They had a WONDERFUL time and I found a cute picture to sum up their trip.



Pre-School Graduation

My Mom has told me many times to never say "I would never......." Fill in the blank with something related to your children.  For example:  I will never be one of those parents that are crying at graduation from kindergarten.  What's the big deal?  Avery's pre-school graduation started and I boohooed the UGLY kind of tears.  The kind where your face gets all messed up because you're trying to hold it in.  I know it's a good thing and I know they were probably happy tears, but boy is it hard...

Avery graduated from Training His Treasures (at Stanton Christian Church).  She has been attending the school since August, 2008.  Ms Marie Fain and her many teachers have been such a blessing for our family.  The ceremony started with the students reciting the pledge to the American Flag, the Christian Flag, and the Bible.  Avery and two other students led the pledge to the Bible.  They recited Proverbs 22:6:  Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Avery also had a memory verse Proverbs 18:10:  The name of the Lord is a strong tower; believers run to it and are safe.  It was a great program and all of the students did a wonderful job!

Avery also had her last visit to her babysitter- Ms Evalene Dotson.  What an amazing and Godly woman!  She is still taking care of Jacy and we are very blessed to have such loving people to care for our children.  I love that I have a job that allows me "extra" time off with the kids, but it is great to know that when you do have to leave that they are in such caring hands.

Stacy is leaving facebook

      It occurred to me a few months ago that I have spent too much time on Facebook.  The sad part- I am not really posting much on Facebook- just flipping through it on my phone.  I often feel like I am reading posts that are not my business, but at the same time someone has posted it for the world to see.  With that being said, I am deleting my Facebook account!  What will I miss the most?  The posts and pictures from my friends related to their family.  I have really enjoyed the updates of old friends, their kiddos, and uplifting verses that my friends have shared.  I have not enjoyed the negative posts, the cursing, inappropriate pictures, etc... 

     A very special friend, Jessica McClanahan, sent me an email with a link concerning Mothers that are missing time with their children because we are always attached to a phone, IPAD, etc.  If you get a chance, check it out (maybe once your kiddos are in the bed).  This was another reason for dropping Facebook.

     In the end, I prayed about it!  The answer to my prayer?  Start a blog!  I have really enjoyed reading Jessica's blog over the past 5-6 years and it has been such a blessing to stay informed about her family, even if they live three hours away.  I felt that with a blog I could share more about my kids and family with extended family in a way that I didn't feel comfortable doing on Facebook. 

     I am not gifted with words (I teach MATH) and I am not really that creative, but my first goal with the blog is to be consistent :-)

A picture of my sweet family!  I took this picture the night I thought our computer had lost EVERY picture that we have...dating back to BEFORE Avery was born!  I turned and told them it was time to start making new memories:-)  Thankfully Brian worked his magic and retrieved all of the pictures.  However, I'm thankful for this snap shot of our wild night life.