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I had big plans for Emery’s birthday party.  We had talked through a Carnival theme or a Sweet Shoppe theme party.  She decided on the carnival but wanted a candy bar.

Works for me.

After Easter, I bought a TON of candy on clearance, in preparation of the festive day.

The closer it got,  she decided she wanted to have a few friends over for a sleepover…..

Works for me.

She chose three of her great buds, Delana, Charlie and Natalie.

Our first stop was at a Bowling Alley/Bumper Cars/Arcade place.

They decided to play some video games and ride the bumper cars.

They had such fun….for five minutes, at least, but fun was had by all!

Afterwards, we dropped Parker and Bradley at my parents, so Emery didn’t have to worry about including her siblings.

It’s her birthday and sometimes, you just need to have one kid be the center of attention! She was perfectly fine with ditching her brother and sister.

Our next stop was the Japanese Steakhouse.

For the record, the last time we went to the cook in front of you type restaurant, it didn’t go so well.

Actually, it is the stuff of legends…

Emery was crying while they took our drink orders, scared out of her mind.

Bradley was crawling up me trying to get away from the table.

Parker was not sure what to do.

After the big swoosh of fire…it went downhill.

At one point, Emery was in the corner behind our table, in the fetal position, Bradley was screaming at the top of his lungs.

and Parker was declaring she wasn’t eating anything…..I kid you not.

They ended up watching a movie in the van and we stopped at McDonald’s on the way home.

Not our shining parental moment, that is fo shore.

So to say I was a little apprehensive, would be putting it mildly.

Everyone needs their picture in front of a shiny gold lady in their life.

Our sweet chef, at least I think, I didn’t understand anything he said accept, “happy Birthday,” which he said no less 240 times.

Sweet girls, they were precious. They got soo much food and seriously ate four bites.

We had 6 to go boxes.

Check out all of our rice…

After dinner, we headed home.

I had set up the candy bar since I had $40 worth of 75% off candy and I apparently think candy, sleepover and 7 year old girls is a good mix.

When I was getting ready for the party, I passed this

oh, and popcorn, we also ate popcorn….

Today, my sweet, unexpected blessing that rocked my world, turns 7.

That sounds soo much older than 6.

I have mentioned once, or 896 times that Emery was not in our plan….her sister was 8 MONTHS old when we found out we were pregnant, again.

But, she was always in His plan and such a reminder of the amazing Sovreignty of God and His perfect plan for us.

This weekend was going to be all about Emery Kate, and for the most part it is, but there is also something we are dealing with called the Great Flood of 2010, so some things have shifted.  She loves to be out and about and we were able to go to church and out to eat.  My sister had to turn around since they live in Franklin and roads to our side of town were water drenched everywhere.  Please pray for Nashville….it is truly indescribable.

Emery is the child that I struggle to understand the most.  She is still a mystery to me in a lot of ways.  I think I have her figured out and then, she reacts or responds in a different way, and BAM, I am back to trying to figure her out.

She is shy but outgoing.

She is full of life, but a wall flower.

She is happy, but sad.

She is an attention seeker, but doesn’t like attention.

She is loud, but quiet.

She is passionate, yet apathetic.

She is laid back, but routined.

She is strong, yet vulnerable.

She is moody, yet joyful.

She is friendly, yet cautious.

She loves to joke, yet doesn’t like jokes (on her).

She loves to teach, yet loves to learn.

She is competitive, yet understands she can’t always win.

She is loving, yet, standoffish.

She is a giver, yet seeks to get.

She is confident, yet insecure.

She is all of these things…..and I wouldn’t change her for the world.  We are learning that she needs more of us, yet expects the least from us.  My greatest prayer for my typical middle child is that she will find her joy, her purpose, her security, her passion in JESUS.  I know that what she truly needs, I can not give her, I can only show her by example and point her to the One who can.  Then, isn’t that true of all of us?

Emery- you are pure light to me.  Your smile transforms your face and truly lights up a room! You have such great potential to be an amazing woman of God. He has gifted you in so many ways and I know that He has an abundant life planned for you.  I pray you chase hard after Him, that you turn neither to the right or the left of Him and bring Fame to His Name.  I am so excited and blessed to be your mother.  I feel such a burden for you and I pray that I don’t fail you.  Do great, hard things sweet Emery.

To celebrate Bradley’s fourth birthday, we celebrated by hosting a Superhero Training Session.  He is beginning to exhibit all kinds of superpowers, as are many of his friends, so what better way to celebrate his day than to invite them over to hone their powers!

This party took some planning and getting ready.  I found a lot of ideas from this site.

I bought some black fabric and made capes for the aspiring superheroes.

I also bought a lot of felt to cut out emblems and masks.  I used sticky back felt and had letters for their initials to trace and cut out for their cape.

We had a cape/mask decorating table set up…

Some markers and coloring books…

I filled a bag holding a cape and mask with their initials on the outside, ready to grab and decorate.

When everyone arrived, they played on our bikes, power wheels, trampoline, and ran around until we were ready to begin our

First training session: Outfitting The Modern Superhero!

With a little help, they were able to decorate their capes and masks! This was fun to see

how everyone chose their own style or color for their superhero outfit!

Micah and Noah have been home from China for a few weeks and jumped right into Superhero Training….

Even baby Myles got outfitted….

He has the superpower of overwhelming his foes with CUTENESS…

Bradley was ready to show how serious he was about becoming a superhero…..

Ally Kate, likes to do things her own way…..

Our Second Session of Superhero Training: The Art Of Wall Knocking Down..

Bradley with his ready stance…

VS.

the wall of cardboard….

Who will win the age old battle??

Super Bradley, of course! The wall was no match for his superior strength.

Reese show the wall who was boss….

Ally Kate, uniformed up and ready to do battle…

and the wall fell with her gentle touch….

Bradley and Mason teamed up like good superheroes do and showed that wall who was in charge…

Jadyn went next and proved that the wall couldn’t handle her strength….

Our Third Session: Leaping Tall Buildings and Hand to Hand Combat…

They played on the trampoline and had a big time…

Reese proved she could hang with the boys…

She showed them….

Our Fourth Session: High Speed Chases

They were great at driving safely while chasing the bad guys…

They even learned the superhero trick of taking turns….

Our Fifth Session: Fuel for the Superhero

I went with superhero colors and not specific superheroes for decor…

Bradley showed his amazing ability to put fires out with one mighty blow….

We also had SuperJuice…

And, SuperSweets to give us a quick burst of strength..

We also had fruit and ice cream…

Our superheroes did a great job at their SuperHero Training Session.  They played so well together and it was an amazing afternoon.

We have great friends and I am so thankful for these super boys and girls that Bradley will be growing up with.

Here is our Valentine’s Family Night from last year…in case you needed any ideas!

We had our third family night this week and it was good.  It had been a really taxing day for me, and I was not looking forward to all I needed to do once we got home from school, but we did it!

We decided to have a Valentine’s Day celebration.  This was an easy one, because there are tons of websites, blogs and magazine articles related to crafty ideas focused on the Day O’ Love.  Heaven knows, I am not a Creative Guru, and our motto is “Originality is Obscurity of the Source.” (Rick Jenkins)

I decided to make a fancy dinner, decorate with red and watch our wedding video.  Our children have never actually seen it, and honestly, it had a been a while for me, as well.  Parker’s verse at school this week was 1 John 4:12, “No one has never seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”  So, we talked about it at the table some.

How pretty are these strawberries??

How pretty are these strawberries?

Check out that technique of dipping the strawberry into the chocolate!

This is so simple to do, but looks super fancy!

Our table, before I added the chargers, dishes and food.

Our pink drinks, to add to the look of love.

Our fancy dinner consisted of baked spaghetti, garlic toast,

strawberry applesauce and our drink!Again, be in awe of how good these look, especially in a footed pedestal server.

I also through in some Ritz/Peanut Butter crackers, dipped in chocolate!Eating her dessert!

Bradley went for the crackers.Loving the strawberry after declaring she would not like it.

Also, take note of the future orthodontic work that will be needed!!

During dinner, the girls told us what they love about each person in our family and a way they could show that person love this week.  Emery said she loved my hugs and kisses, which is funny because it such a game to see if she will let us kiss her!  They also loved that Bradley is wild, yet that is what they also get tired of after he tries to tackle them (out of his love for them) all afternoon!

Here are a few things I learned after watching our video:

1. 1997 Video Technology- NOT SO GOOD.
2. My music, while progressive at the time, or so I thought, included an organ.  Why?
3. My bridesmaids were hot!
4. I still get chills watching it.  Such an amazing day.  I have no doubt that I got a much better man than I deserved.
5. I would wear my dress again, which is no easy thing to say 12 years later!
6. It is a little confusing to an almost 3 year old to watch his parents get married. He kept asking “Where I are?”  Try explaining you were not born yet to an almost three year old!
7. Favorite Line- Parker says, “I didn’t know LuLu had those kind of clothes!”

All in all, it was a good family night!  What have you done with your family this week?

We did a big party for Parker and her sweet friend, Ramsey.  Their are 5 girls in her class with December birthdays!  That is a lot of parties, so we decided to combine Parker and Ramsey’s party! It was a bounce party and sooo fun! We invited her whole class and it was WILD!

The boxing gloves was hilarious! This is Parker and her friend Ellen. The girls were as tough as the boys!

We also had a small sleepover with her BFF’s Peyton and Evan.  We surprised Parker with a trip to Build A Bear, her favorite place on earth.  I had some major coupons, so it was a really frugal trip!

Feel the love…

They are three totally different girls, but they manage to make it work….most days.  On other days, watch out! I can’t wait to see how God uses them for His Kingdom.

I can’t wait to do spa days on our birthday or a weekend trip somewhere!  I look forward to many more birthdays with this girl!

Today is such a big day in the Stew house, for many reasons.

One, it is my birthday.

Two, it is Parker’s 8th Birthday.

Three, it is Marta’s, our compassion child, 19th birthday.

Wow, is all I can say.  The Lord made this day significant to me for three very specific reasons, some I am still not aware of.  He ordained my own birth, the birth or my first child and the birth of a girl I will probably never meet, but to whom I am forever connected.

I am reminded on this day, that it is not about me, anymore.  IF it ever was, those days are long gone! Now, for my birthday, I get to take donuts to a 2nd grade class, be taken to McDonald’s to lunch by my 3 year old, and get to choose between Fazoli’s and Arby’s for my birthday dinner.  Why?  Because I am a mom and it is my daughter’s birthday.  It is her childhood and her day.  I will gladly take backseat to let her have a day that is special just for her.  She thinks it s SO COOL that we share a birthday.  She asks often if she was the best present I ever received on my birthday and I answer her that yes, she is…..and the epidural was a close second!  Don’t get me wrong, my family and friends are great to treat me to night’s out, presents and fun to celebrate my day, it just usually happens on another day.  God uses this day to show me that life is greater than me and it is all about His plan.

13 years ago, we began sponsoring a little 6 year old girl.  Jason had chosen her because we shared a birthday.  Little did I realize then, how significant that would become to me.  After traveling to Africa and really seeing the reality that her life could be and seeing the difference Compassion makes in a generation of women in Africa, I am reminded that God is in the details, He is about redemption and salvation.  I don’t know the impact we have on Marta, but I know that we have been committed to her and I have been taught so much through her life.

A baby truly does change everything.  My life was forever changed 8 years ago, today.  Parker Caroline, 6 lbs 11ozs, of pure, life changing, flesh.  She amazed me, overwhelmed me, flustered me, had mercy on me and showed me a glimpse of the Father’s sacrifice, when He sent a baby that changed everything.

This song has become an instant favorite of mine.  The Lord is crazy in love with His creation and if you ever doubt, remember the lengths He went to show us…..His baby changed everything….

When we moved, you may recall that we inherited a garden that mostly had already ripened, but we did enjoy some tomatoes for  a while!  My dad asked if he could plant a garden this Spring, and I said, YOU  BET!  We are not the best of vegetable eaters, I will admit, so maybe easy access will make it easier!  I made the comment that we should plant an organic garden to Jason, to which he responds, “How much more organic does it get- it’s in your backyard.”  You can see we are as far from granola as they come, but hey, baby steps!

Last week, we finally had a clear, sunny day, to plant the garden, so Dad and the kiddos went to work.

Poppy telling them about planting.  Check out Emery’s winter gloves to work in.

Showing them how to cover it up…

Making rows.  Those are our tomato plants.

We ended up planting squash, zucchini, cucumbers, watermelon, canteloupe, radishes, ocra and the tomatoes.

Bro and Sister

I will be curious to see how this all comes out due to the experience of our farm workers….

Grow little plant, Grow…

Our neighbors, who also go to church with us, gave us their trampoline!  Their kids are much older and don’t use it anymore!  See, Recylcling at its best!

My 100 pound lab, Knox, even got in on the fun!

There you have it, the Stew family’s version of going green!

I can’t believe that I just wrote that.

He has been such a huge blessing, joy and completion to our family.

I remember so much about the day he was born, the nine months before that, the devestation of a miscarriage before that, and always the hope and prayer that God would give us a healthy baby.

We are so glad He gave us you, Bradley!

In this past year, you have continued to capture our hearts. You are all boy and everything you do is with energy and motion!  You love cars, trains, and any kind of ball.  You love to be outside and can often be found playing golf or shooting hoops!  You are full force and do not do things half hearted.  You love to wrestle with your daddy and the sisters when they will indulge you.  You refuse to go #2 in the potty.  This has shown your extreme stubborn side.  You are strong willed when you  have made your mind up about something.  You are a talker, as well. You talk all the time, in a deep voice, in a way that will probably require speech therapy!  But, I love it.  You can’t say your r’s or your l’s and it makes me melt.  You LOVE your mommy.  You give great hugs and sweet kisses.  You especially like to pray and always thank God for mommy and daddy.  I am so glad God ordained you to be in our famliy.

We celebrated Friday with my family since they were going out of town.  We also threw in a few friends and called it a birthday party!

I decided on a golf theme because recently, he has been a tad bit OBSESSED. He kept telling us he wanted blue golf clubs and white balls.

We found him a golf bag that is blue, since he really doesn’t need new clubs to replace his mini Nike clubs!

Here are some pictures:

The table setting..

My centerpiece- golf balls, tees and some shredded green filler! Bradley wanted his yellow practice balls thrown in, as well!

Trying out his new bike

Green and brown cake- I went for cute!

Checking out the candles, which were golf balls on tees!

His groupies....

Today, we went bowling!  Jason even dropped in at lunch!  He also had a few friends come and hang out with him to bowl a round!

He had to carry his own 9 lb ball..

Bowling was a big hit for the 3 year old boys! Bradley, Mason and Jonah were all about rolling the ball down the ramp!

Hanging with his Dad

He's a natural...

Quick picture of Jason and I with Bman.

Happy Birthday, Son!  I pray that you will be a lion chaser who leads this next generation to love God and serve others.  I pray that you will be bold in your love for Him and have a heart for the nations.  I am praying that you will reek of integrity, character and loyalty.  I am praying you will be a man who leads leaders, your family and those around you to a deeper walk with Christ. Love you Bradley!

Jason and I decided to give Parker a new, bigger girl, room for her birthday. I mean, come on, she is the ripe, old age of 7. I was also ready for some paint to go on a wall, any wall, in our new to us, home. Bright pink probably would not be my first through 35th choice, but she is 7, and should have some say in what her bedroom looks like, right??

She has been telling us for a while that she wants a pink and black room. This shows me that she is her mother’s child with her choice of black, and still a 7 year old, girl, with the choice of pink. So, I have been feverishly shopping, for about a month, to pick out her new bedding, some accessories and new lighting.

Our big plan was to surprise her when she came home from school on Friday. I had grand, HGTV big reveals, in my head. But, that did not happen. One, it took three coats of paint. Two, it was 30 degrees outside, so the paint took FOREVER to dry, and we had the 2 year old wanting to be a “helper.” Bradley and paint are not a good mix. So, it turned into a 24 hour design, instead of an 8 hour design!

Here are some before pictures:

Isn’t it beautiful? (Insert sarcasm)

Can you tell she didn’t get all her “chores” done?

Here are few pictures of the process:

We moved most of the furniture out into the hallway.

Here is Bradley “helping” Jason with the electrical outlets.
He is FASCINATED by them, especially if there is no child proof plug.

Ah, splotchy, first coat!

And, here is the Almost final result: (I still have some accessories to buy!)

This is what you see from the hallway.
Jason finished it up while I was at a party with Parker, and got most
of the styling right! The curtains are actually tie-up curtains and most of the accessories on
her dresser, I am going to replace as I find ones I like!

This is her bed, with Emery posing! She was pumped to see it before her sister!
I got the bedding from Target. I am also wanting to add a few more pillows.

Here is her desk area! We need to attach the top still!
Jason got her these shelves and
frames from IKEA to display her
artwork in! Her chair is also from IKEA.
The bulletin board is black with pink, white and green
polka dots.

Here was my little craft project! These letters I got at
Hobby Lobby and painted myself! The black has white polka dots, which is kind of hard
to see. The ribbons are the opposite print. This is super inexpensive!
The mirror is from Southern Living at Home.

Here is our first attempt at wall words.
I found this at Hobby Lobby and it seemed
to be something that I think fits Parker!

Princess- Daughter of the Heavenly King

THE BIG REVEAL!!!
She was so excited to see her room. She obviously knew that she was getting something in her room done after coming home from school on Friday! She had to wait until Saturday evening, which she did like a trooper! She loved it and jumped up and down a lot! So cute!

Here she is being interviewed by her Daddy

Parker in her new room!

My favorite moment came a few minutes after she saw her room. Jason and I were in her room with her, talking to her about her room. She told us thank you and that she really loves her new room. Then she said something to me that showed me she is growing up. She is beginning to make some connections. She said, “Do you know why I love it so much? Because I know how hard you both worked to fix it up for me.”

Tears, sweet tears. I love being her mom.

Parker came around the the painted ornament party and it ended up being a lot of fun!

Here are a few pictures of the party:

Hugging Nana after getting this:

Waiting to paint…