Our church community is always talking about justice in our city. What does that look like? Who do we serve? How do we serve those who are hurting? These questions have been on my heart the last few weeks and frequently on my drive home I pass Trinity Mission Nursing home. And everytime I pass by there my heart hurts for the residents (they are in a great place), but not THEIR homes. They are being taken care of by people who are not family. I know some have family that come and visity regulary, but there are others who probably feel SO alone at this last stage in their lives. I decided to just call one afternoon….I explained to the activities director why I was calling and asked how we could serve them. He said it would be awesome if we could make the cookies for the residents afternoon snacks. Not only would it be a blessing for the residents, but the kitchen staff could have a break from making cookies for one day! PERFECT! So, this past Friday a few families from CJ got together (with LOTS Of cookies) and met at Trinity Mission. It was a short visit filled with hand shakes, lots of smiles, hugs, cookies, and blessings! We also had some funny stories….especially Rachel W! She had a resident warn her about another resident who was a cross-dresser…he loves to have his nails painted She also got a massage from another resident/ or staff member (no one knows!) and last but not least, one of the residents walked out of her room and pulled down her pants. Thankfully the kids were too busy handing out cookies to notice, but all the adults got an eye full! What a blessed afternoon for all of us! I look forward to serving them again in any way they need. Here are some pictures from our trip….

Now on to the random photos…

My kids were playing on the couch the other day (thankfully playing nicely together!!)

Now you see them….

Now you don’t…..

Ryan found one of his Daddy’s guitar picks and came into the living room to play a little tune for me….

Here’s a cute picture my Mom sent me of Ryan and Jamas. My parents bought them each a John Deere tractor shirt…

Thanks for checking in on us!  We have lots of changes coming up in the next couple of weeks and ask that you say a little prayer for our family.  We have a sonogram tomorrow to see if Hudson is still measuring BIG!  If he is we may be picking an induction date.  Man, that makes it seem SOOOOO real!  I can’t believe we’ll be meeting him any day now!  Thanks in advance for your prayers!

This past Tuesday and Wednesday we spent some time at the Great Wolf Lodge. It was an amazing place…a dream place for kids. We went with Grandmom, Grandad, Ryan, Lindsay, Jamas and Silas…thanks to the generosity of Grandmom and Grandad (we couldn’t say thank you enough!!) We also took the kiddos to Rainforest Cafe on Tuesday night for some jungle fun. Here are some pics from our adventure!

Here is a random picture of Ryan. He wanted to have a ponytail like Torie…so there you have it! He left it in most of the day, amazingly!

Aunt Susan and cousin Nicole had Torie over for a little slumber party. Nicole took her to eat at Panda Express, lots of tickling from Uncle Carter, a little pool in the game room, High School Musical 3, and then a pedicure at their favorite nail salon. Thank you SO much…I know she felt SO special!!

Here is a picture of Torie’s pretty toe nails.

Of course then Ryan wanted me to take a picture of his toes. So here ya go!

Now onto 4th of July fun! We started the morning with the Burleson parade.

Jamas @ the parade…

After the parade we headed to Grandpa and Grandma’s house to hang out, play in the backyard, and eat lunch. My Grandma had mentioned that Ryan was sweeping the entry way hall….and I was glad something was keeping him entertained. I noticed a few minutes had gone by and I hadn’t heard him (which is VERY unusual for him.) I decided I better go check it out. I walked to the entry and didn’t see him, but I noticed the pantry door was shut…and a blue liquid seeping out from under the door. This is what I found when I opened the pantry door.

There was so much liquid laundry detergent on him we just stuck him right in the tub (no soap required for that bubble bath!) And Aunt Kim graciously cleaned up the huge mess in the closet. He smelled great!!

After lunch we all went home and took naps before leaving to meet Grandma C, Josh, Shelly and Jake @ Spring Creek BBQ in Bedford. After a wonderful dinner (thank you Grandma C) we headed to Grapevine lake to watch fireworks. Grandma C brought lots of stuff to keep the kiddos entertained until the fireworks began.

We had a great time! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday?

We had fun at the Crowley Bicentinial Park Splashpad today. Not only is it lots of fun for the kids but it’s also FREE! Can’t beat that combination! I forgot my camera and need to say a big THANK YOU to Rachel W for taking some pictures of my kiddos, too. Here are some shots of their fun….

Don’t forget to check back for more summer fun!

It seems that June has flown by…Here is a picture of Torie and Ryan entertaining themselves!

Torie with her end of the year awards…She had a great school year and we are SO proud of her!

Ryan and his buddies @ House Church…chowin’ down..

Daddy and Ryan jammin’

Ryan had a really bad virus a couple of weeks ago that caused sores and blisters in his mouth…which meant that he couldn’t suck his thumb. He now thinks that it will still hurt to suck his thumb. Most of you may think that it’s great that he has broken himself of sucking his thumb….(and that’s what I thought at first) but after two weeks of very little sleep and a really hard time getting to sleep @ nightime and @ bedtime…I am begging him to start sucking his thumb again. Becca let me borrow this crib tent to try and keep him in his bed…and this is how I found him today….naked and stuck between the bed and the tent! We may NEVER sleep again!

Here is Ryan trying to keep cool drinking a slurpee @ Target!

Torie has been more than busy this summer with sleepovers, basketball camp (pics coming soon) , and Grandparent Wednesdays (she spends most Wednesdays with my parents getting spoiled and having some one on one time!) Tomorrow her and Daddy are going to the Rangers game.  I went in to kiss her goodnight and she has her shorts, Rangers shirt, and Rangers hat ready for tomorrow!  So cute!

This past Sunday we were blessed to have a shower for Hudson. Thanks to all the girls who worked hard to throw us a wonderful shower! We truly feel so blessed! Here are some pictures from yesterday….

Hollie’s awesome cake…

Katelyn made this frame and letter H for Hudson…

Opening gifts…

We are ready for Hudson…(but where do we put all of his stuff in our little house???)

Yummy cake…

Ryan, Grandma C, and Jake enjoying cake at the shower…

We are looking forward to July and trying to stay cool in this crazy heat! My Dr has decided to move my sonogram up a week….Two weeks from tomorrow….Please say a prayer that Hudson is head down and ready to go!! Hope you all have a blessed day!

I figured since I am awake at 4am, why not catch up on my blogging! I will share a few cute pictures of the last couple of weeks.

Here are Ryan and Grandad working….

Here are the boy cousins…Ryan, Jamas, and Silas

Ryan and Jamas giving Silas kisses…sweet boys!

My Mom has decided to take every Wednesday this summer off since my Dad is out of school. Her and Dad are wanting a few of those Wednesdays to be “Torie days.” This past Wednesday Torie got to spend Tuesday night and all day Wed at Grandmom and Grandad’s. She even had Catie over to swim in the afternoon. Here are a few pics from their fun day…

The last set of pictures are my kiddos with their new cousin Silas.

I can’t believe it is already the middle of June. Time sure flies! We are hanging out, enjoying our summer, and trying to stay cool (indoors!) Well, maybe I am the one trying to stay cool…! We are getting things ready for our new arrival. Sometimes it seems like it has taken forever and then at other times I can’t believe we are so close. My shower is in 2 weeks…and thinking about Hudson coming just a few weeks after that is just crazy! We are anxiously awaiting his arrival and praying for a healthy baby boy and a smooth transition for our family. We covet your prayers and thank you in advance for them. Have a very blessed day!

We’ve had a crazy few days…but a fun few days. On Thursday, Ryan and I drove to Granbury to meet Misty and Mya for lunch and some playtime. Here are Mya and Ryan posing for a picture on the playground.

Later that evening we headed to a celebration of life service in Keller. Ryan was watching a movie on the way there and the picture of Torie is on the way home after her and Ryan were wrestling (or as he says, “tackling!”)

Her hair is a testament to how rough their (more like his) wrestling really is!

Ryan got his five stickers for sleeping in his big boy bed and Friday we headed to the store to pick up his prize. He picked a Pablo Bubble Blower. Here he is enjoying his prize.

Here it is in action…

The last pictures are of our glider/rocker. We got it for free from Landon and Julie but it did not have covered cushions (they were just exposed foam.) When Ryan was a baby I just covered it with a blanket and it was left in his room. With the new baby we have moved it to the living room and I was very anxious to get it covered. I have been looking at fabric and trying to find a place to cover the cushions. I stumbled upon a garage sale one Friday morning that had an entire bolt/roll of upholstery fabric for $25…and it was JUST what I was looking for. BTW, I went to Hobby Lobby this weekend and found some fabric just like this for $25/ per yard. I was thrilled at my bargain! My Mom also volunteered to help me cover them . I am not a seamstress by any means much less with no pattern. My Mom showed me how to cut out the fabric, attach it, get zippers on, make ties, etc… She also sewed a lot of the rounded part and other parts I was leary about sewing…. Here is the final product. I am SOOOO excited about it!!

Thanks for checking in!

We have had a time with getting Ryan into his big boy bed. We originally had moved him to a twin bed with an easy transition. We then decided a toddler bed would give more space in the room…but he didn’t take to it very well. We have had him in his crib until last night. I took everything out of his crib and told him he was a big boy and could no longer sleep in the crib. He was sad but made it through last night. We also made him a chart (like sister’s) and everytime he wakes up in his big boy bed he gets a Backyardigans sticker to add to his chart. When he has 5 stickers in a row he gets to go to Dollar Tree and pick a treat. He is VERY excited about the stickers and it is the first thing he asks about when he wakes up.

Ryan in his big boy bed.

Here is his sticker chart next to sister’s responsibility chart.

His chart up close….

Since everything was out of the crib I washed it today and moved the bed up to the level for infants. I then put all the stuff back in it (like the mobile and other things we used when he was an infant.) Here is a picture (at the moment it is storing his stuffed animals as well!!)

Hopefully soon we’ll have a post about him being potty trained : )

Rachel W made a post about her meatloaf recipe. I decided I would try it (because you can sneak veggies into it) and we loved it! I also stole her idea to make it in muffin tins (which also cuts down the cooking time.) It was yummy! Here’s the recipe if you want to try it!

1 lb of hamburger meat (leaner the better)
3/4 cup of shredded cheese
1/2 can of tomato sauce (I didn’t have any so I used half a can of V8)
1 egg
20 crushed saltine crackers
Season Salt (I also added some black pepper and dried onions)
1/2 cup of minced bell pepper (or whatever veggie you wanted to add)

Mix all ingredients together. If you make a loaf cook for 1 hour @ 400 degrees. If you make muffins cook for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. YUMMY! Then each person can add ketchup, ranch, bbq sauce, etc… to their own meatloaf muffin! Torie LOVED dipping hers in bbq sauce.

We have had a crazy few days….and the kids spent the night with Grandma C last night. When we got to her house this afternoon this is what we found!

The kids LOVED this Cadillac Escalade….Maybe they realize this is the closest they will ever come to having a real one…hehe!

Here is Jake riding with Ryan…

Torie enjoying the ride….

Thank you, Grandma C for having the kids for the night. They had a blast playing with Jake and the Escalade.