How to Make a Reese Sandwich

I was working in the kitchen when I heard some screams from the living room followed by Cade insisting he was just trying to make a "Reese sandwich."

I love the look she's giving him as if to say, "What the heck are you thinking?!"

Reese cannot make it through a meal without running her filthy dirty hands all through her hair. Geez kid. Must you always have jelly in your eyebrows after breakfast? No wonder Cade thinks you belong on a sandwich...

Reesie is our good eater, (Praise the Lord) but when she's done, it's a timing-trick to get any food off of her tray before she switches to "throwing it all on the floor" mode and running it through her hair!

Note to self: Make sure the kids are well-hydrated before busting out the water table. Proof that parenting is equal parts hard work and hilarity.

Look at this pretty girl, you can't make a sandwich out of her?!

We've just been having all sorts of fun around here doing whatever the heck we want to do all day long! Some more pics along the way...

Occasionally we venture up to MNU to visit Matt. The kids pretty much think they own the place. Don't tell the softball coach that they are particularly fond of raiding their equipment area.

Venturing to new parks!

Movie night. Reese ate more popcorn than anyone!

Snack break at the pool. (Although the background of the pic looks like we're chilling in the desert rather than the pool.) We've been enjoying spending a portion of our morning at the outdoor pool at the gym. The joys of pretending to be a stay-at-home mom! Next time I'll take pics that actually have water in them perhaps.

What can I say, we LOVE summer!!!

New Adventures

Last week Cade attended an evening Vacation Bible School with one of his friends at a church nearby. This proved to be a new adventure for all of us!

It seems strange that Cade is old enough to be invited places...without us. When I registered him and made sure he was okay and with the correct group, it seemed so weird to just leave him. I felt very comfortable with the church and their registration and check-in process. The church is actually where he will be attending preschool in the fall. Cade was pumped because he thought this was school. We'll have a hard time explaining why there's no bounce house at the school in September!

Usually we take Cade's "backpack" that has a change of clothes in it everywhere we go. I knew he wouldn't have a place to put the bag so this was his first time venturing off without it. I tried to emphasize the importance of letting someone know if he needed to potty.

The third night he was at "school" I got a call from a number I didn't recognize...I just knew it was someone from VBS telling me Cade had an accident. That's pretty much what is was, but it was a different kind of accident than I expected.

He collided with another kid and had a bloody lip.

The next night after Cade went to "school" again...we got another call. They said Cade wasn't feeling well and had thrown up.
This picture was taken earlier that day at the Farmstead--I'm sure it was the main contributer to his sickness. Eek. Not going to win any "Mother of the Year" awards...

Friday night, the last night of "school," Cade was in attendance again and they had a "parent night" where families could participate with the kids. Matt, Reese, and I joined Cade as we rotated through the singing, snack, games, missions, and Bible story time stations. Every rotation people knew Cade's name and seemed to be checking that he was in the correct spot. Hmmm...we knew what that meant. He was "that" kid. Matt said he would never complain about any kids at basketball camp ever again.

We had a fun time as a family seeing what Cade had been up to. The Bible time puppet show was so cute. And it explained why Cade has been yelling "Toad-a, Toad-a" all week. It was an "Athens" theme and they chant "Toga, Toga" to get the puppet to come out. Now I get it. Hilarious.

Cade loved his first experience with VBS. He came home each night so excited to tell us about it and couldn't wait to go back the next night. Maybe next year will be a little less eventful--if they allow him to return!

Feel the Father's Day Love

I am undoubtedly very blessed to have a father who not only loves his family but also loves the Lord. What an important combination.

I'm thankful that God has blessed me with a husband who does the same.

And of course, the main reason my husband is such a great dad to our kids is because he learned from one of the best, his dad. I love it when Matt shares stories about things he remembers from tagging along with his dad.

It's fun to see our dads embracing their role as "Papa" and "Grandpa" to our kids too. My kids are pretty darn lucky, that's for sure.

What else is great about the dads in my life? They don't mind our homemade "gifts."

See, Cade has already learned so much from Matt.

Happy Father's Day!

Mullet Be Gone!

Reese's first hair cut! Stephanie helped out Little Miss by cutting off the near "party in the back" she was sporting. Reese did well--it helps that she is pretty easily entertained, as long as snacks are involved. That's my girl.

Who had a mullet?

See Cade's first hair cut here. (Second child, always sharing the spotlight).

Guess How Much I Love You

...enough to take you to the zoo. It was a beautiful day and we were happy to join Grandpa and the Beck's for a morning at the zoo.

Zoo Diva!

We love having our cousins close!

Livin' the Dream

Warning: If you work a full-time, year-round job please proceed with caution. You may want to focus on how much more money you make than I do to avoid becoming angry with me while you read this.


We're a week in--we have NOT been to the outdoor pool once, the temperature is yet to hit 80, and I'm pretty sure we haven't gone more than 24 hours without rain, but we still LOVE us some summertime!!!! I'm already very certain that it will be harder to head back to work after this summer than any other. But why do I want to think about that now?

It's just much easier to be relaxed without having to worry about work (and real life!). I feel much more free to sit on the floor and play...which reminds me that I also need to make it a priority during the busier times too.

Last summer I think I was still adjusting to the fact that I had two kids. This summer our routines are pretty set and we're comfortable getting out and about on our own. What a difference!

Both kids saw the eye doctor for the first time. This was the only pic I quickly snapped since I didn't want the doctor to think I was strange with my "need" to document the moment.

Did you know that kids under 12 months can get a free eye exam if the doctor participants in the InfantSEE program? The doctor at the Wal-Mart on K-7 is part of the program and she was awesome with the kids. Cade's was free too!


We started off the break with a bang--organizing closets, the basement, and the garage.
This is what Pinterest says an organized garage looks like...

This is what a real-life organized garage looks like to me!

Matt's parents were in town and were a huge help! I feel bad for them as this was at least the 5th time they've organized our garage. I wish I could promise that we'll maintain it!!

Dug out some of my old keepsakes and decided they should be proudly displayed!

We enjoyed having G-Mom come for a visit and were able to take advantage of one of the few sunny days lately at the farm! Told you we love that place.

Cade and Matt fed the goats a bottle. It was hilarious to watch!

Thank you, G-Mom for adding to our summer fun!

I downloaded this free smoothie maker game on my phone and now my camera roll is full of pics like this! Cade loves to make his own smoothies and screenshot them. He would be a real contender in Mrs. Keeley's Smoothie Challenge that my 7th grade students do!

So far the summer has been great--but we wouldn't mind a little warm weather and sun with summer also.

Let it Begin!

Summer! Let it begin! Bring on the summer activities!

Last weekend we made our first trip of the season to DeAnna Rose Children's Farmstead. We just love that place. I'm excited that both kids are old enough to enjoy it this summer. (I felt a little bad always dragging Reese with us last year.)



A friend recommended that we visit Orr Family Farm on our trip to Oklahoma City in June. I'm not sure, but I would think it's a similar concept to Deanna Rose. Unfortunately, they were hit very hard with the recent tornado. The stories and pictures that emerged after the storm are definitely heart-wrenching. But it's so refreshing to see the way people respond in the wake of tragedy. People reaching out to help those in need. God is definitely using people to help make good out of something horrible. Prayers for Oklahoma.