I am so behind on chronicling the days of our lives, so even though, our boy graduated 3 weeks ago, I could not resist sharing this momentous occasion. Jason and I are still determining if he will start Kindergarten or if we will give him one more year in preschool.  We go back and forth, but for now, we will celebrate how big our boy is and how he is growing up!

Bradley had two short sentences in the play they performed, which had been pre-recorded. He sang so good and did all his motions!

Afterwards they received their diplomas…

Nana and Poppy with the graduate

Jason and I with our boy.

Bradley and Emery

The real Bradley and Emery!

Bradley we are so proud of you…now stop growing.

I shared the details of Emery’s Baking Party here. I thought you might want to see it played out….

Emery invited 9 girls to her birthday party.

Why 9 you may be wondering? Because we found some cute plates on clearance and there were only 9, so she decided she could only invite 9. Who am I to argue? Once it got close to her day, I began to get VERY worried that no one was going to show up.  She invited several girls from her class and I only heard from one…and she texted me the day before to say her daughter had gotten sick and wasn’t sure she would make it. Our other friends from church were at soccer and a family birthday party. I literally was praying, “Lord, please do not let her have the experience of having NO ONE show up at her party….plus I have gone to a lot of effort…so please let some girls show up!”

I am sooo spiritual, I know.

Needless to say, she had five little girls show up and it turned out fabulous!

Here are some highlights:

Here are these cute little girls with their equally cute aprons…

We started with decorating cupcakes. This is the instructional part of the birthday party where I am telling them all about icing cupcakes.

The girls were eager to get started with the icing of their cupcakes…

so they could get to the eating of their icing..I mean cupcake.

I seriously adore this girl.

Look how….pretty! It’s like the face only a mother could love.

Bradley and Parker were so sweet and were all about their sister. They let her enjoy her day (for the most part).

Next,  we made our jar cookie mix. I loved this. Each girl had their own bowl and was able to mix her ingredients together. It was fun to see them concentrate on the recipe and measure it all out. We made Emery’s mix for small group and they were really good! Measuring properly is such a learned skill, so hopefully they added the right amount of flour and baking soda.

We made an assembly line around the table and they really were so great and patient.

This is Abre’s finished product.

Lastly, they made their own pizzas…or I should say Jason and I frantically rolled out their dough and they piled on the toppings. The dough wasn’t cooked any before adding the sauce and cheese, so they were a little doughy. Oh well…buy pre-done crust is my word of advice.

We really had a fun two hours and I enjoyed having these sweet girls in our home. Their conversations are so interesting and fascinating. I was reminded that Emery is growing so fast and not a little girl. She is such a joy and I am so blessed to be her mom. I hope her party brought her joy and a memory for years to come.

My man surprised me on MD with a new blog look that he and our resident graphic designer, Sully, created for me.

I also wanted to share my new blog name….

Did you see it?

Catchy, huh?

We had a fun day and were able to take in the local Thunderbirds Air Show…pretty impressive. And Loud. I guess when you have 6 fighter jets flying above your head you should expect it to be loud!

Right over our heads….

My sweet kiddos…so thankful to be their Mom.

What do you get when you mix Bat Girl….

Bumblebee, the Transformer….

A Hollywood Diva….

The cousins, dressed as a bunny and a witch….

and even more cousins, Elvis and Baby….

A fun, beautiful Trick or Treat tradition….

97 1150 467 Kelly Stewart 36 110 1:07:55 10:47 2:25:22 11:06 Smyrna TN

Those are my stats!! I am so pleased with my finish! I had two goals for running the half. The first was to finish under 2 hours 30 minutes. The second was not to walk, at all. I really had no idea if it was possible to finish under 2 hour 30 minutes, but I had an idea what my pace was on long runs and thought, I might could do it! When we started it was COLD!! 40 degrees to be exact, so dressing for this run became quite the challenge. We were able to throw layers off and they would be donated to local ministries. I was super excited and nervous at the same time! I had loaded up on Olive Garden the night before which I guess it what you are supposed to do, but honestly, not sure it helped.I did take a Muscle Fuel before, though, and I know it helped!

This is me at mile 6. This was my first time seeing my family. I had no idea what a big deal it would be to see them! They gave me such a boost. Jason handed me a SLAM at this point. Next time, I will wait a little longer to take the SLAM.

Kristi at mile 6. Amber left me around mile 3 and Jason and Sully didn’t get to their
spot fast enough to see her!The next time I saw my family was at mile 10. I looked
over and saw them running up a hill to catch me! So cute.

They were waving and yelling for me. Never underestimate how your words and excitement can build someone up…not just while they are racing either!

This is me at mile 10. This was as far as I had ever run. I was at 1 hour 49 minutes.
I thought the next 3 miles would be doable and our training schedule only called
for 10 miles. BIG MISTAKE. I had no idea how hard the last three miles would be.
I was in some pain and ready to be DONE!!I was quoting, “Be strong in the Lord,
run the good race, run and don’t become weary… please Jesus let the next mile
marker be soon!”I felt myself becoming a tad bit emotional at this point. I saw
a crowd of people supporting a foundation that was established in a girl who my
kids wentto school with who had passed away last year…and the tears started.
I was just soaking it all in and so thankful that I had reached this far and
was able to train.

Our race ended in the stadium at MTSU and when I rounded the corner to enter
I was pumped!!! I added a little kick, heard my name, saw Ashley and Marty
videoing me and SURPRISING me at the finish line…..and

CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!!

My official time was 2 hours 25 minutes and 22 seconds!

Can you see me…about to cross??

I promise I am still running at this point!

Taking deep breaths…thanking Jesus for many things in this moment.

Looking for my medal and some water. Need water.

Walking never felt so good…

Seeing my family…

Realizing again,how much I adore my sweet husband and children.

I was full of emotion at this point and so very thankful.
Here are my sweet running buddies…Amber and Kristi. It was totally their idea to do this and I jumped on their bandwagon.

I can honestly say, I am a changed woman
because of this experience. I know it sounds corny and silly, but truly I feel differently about so many things after running this half marathon.

I learned about being disciplined.

I reminded myself what it feels like to deny myself daily.

I accomplished something that was very difficult.

I tried something hard.

I set a goal for myself, for me, not my family, my friends or my children, but for me.

I remembered how much I love Jesus and spending time alone with Him.

I discovered I love to run.

I know I can do ALL things THROUGH HIM, who gives me STRENGTH.

My sweet, supportive family…

Yesterday, I felt complete joy.

A few weeks back, I had the chance to go on a little girl getaway. My sweet friends, Marty, Ashley and Connie were very strategic about where we would go….we basically chose the cheapest flight out of Nashville, which happened to be CHICAGO!! None of us had ever been, so we were super excited about spending the weekend exploring this amazing city. We left early on Thursday and landed in Chicago by 10! We headed to our hotel,   The Chicago Hilton, dropped our luggage in the room and were off!

Our first stop was the Navy Pier

There are several restaurants and also some rides at Navy Pier. Everyone says it is a must, but it didn’t seem to be that big of a deal!

Of course, the lake is pretty…

And the city view were impressive…

But, get a load of the big anchor….crazy..

Connie met up with us here because she flew a different airline. We became quite the bus travelers on this trip. We basically would ask every bus driver at the stops if they were going to our next destination. They were super nice. I love big cities…like seriously love urban living. Of course, I may just love the idea of it as oppossed to the reality of trying to navigate a city.

After Navy Pier, we went and did a little shopping on Michigan Avenue. We went to H&M, which was so crowded, but fun!

We discovered that the  Art Institute of  Chicago is free on Thursday nights from 5-8, so after stopping in at our hotel for a few, we headed back out. The line was around the building at 5 so we figured we would go eat first. We had our first Chicago style pizza at Pizano’s. Our waiter was a doll and even gave us free dessert, which was yummy. We didn’t get to the Art Institute until 7, so we rushed through it. Big mistake on our part, because there is so much to see! If was really cool.

Recognize this famous couple?

What about this famous grassy knoll?

This was is famous too!

I love this one!

I highly recommend going to the Art Institute. We could have spent hours there and had a blast.

Our next stop was the John Hancock building. We navigated the bus again and finally found it!

This is the view….from the ladies bathroom. This place was so cool. Great atmosphere!

Friday was a big day. We were headed to see Oprah! Whatever your personal thoughts on her, she is an icon. And there is also the added bonus that you may be in her audience for a favorite things episode and score some major loot. Needless to say, that didn’t happen, but I can now say I have seen Oprah in person. Our show was on the documentary Waiting for Superman. It was disturbing. It was scary. It is a tragedy.  Bill Gates was on the panel and we saw her give away 6 million dollars to 6 charter schools. Not something you see everyday!

It takes FOREVER to actually get into the taping.

This is us after the show. We were saying hey or something that Oprah suggested you say to get a good smile….not so much!

The wind, oh my word, the wind.

After Oprah, we went back to the hotel and changed clothes and headed out to the Bean.

I must say, this thing was fun and cool.

You can actually see the skyline in your pictures when you take it.

Where’s Kelly?

And at this point, no joke, I ran out of battery on my camera. I also didn’t have the charger. So thus ends the picture portion of this post.

Which isn’t cool because we totally saw Vince Vaughn about 5 minutes later and proceeded to stalk him for about 20 blocks.

I wish I were kidding but I am not.

We ended up at a GREAT place to eat for dinner, which a lady we met at Oprah recommended.

The Grand Lux Cafe was so good and had a ton of windows, which made the atmosphere great. We got there before the rush, and had a great time.

We did a little shopping and then ventured back to our hotel.

Saturday morning was raining. YUCK.

We had a late breakfast and then did an architectural boat tour. Total Tourist.We did our through The Chicago Architectural Foundation, and it was amazing.

The amount of information our tour guide, who is a VOLUNTEER, dispensed, was phenomenal. I was seriously as impressed by her as I was the buildings!

After our tour, we ate at Giordano’s and even got a frozen pizza to bring home.

And then we almost missed our plane because we went to get these.

But they were worth it!

I had a great time in Chicago with the girls. I think GIRL trips are ESSENTIAL!

I am thankful for my sweet friends, how they support and encourage me and how we have so much fun.

When is your next girl trip??

Last week we had our VBS style emphasis at our church, Lifepoint.  I helped coordinate all of our preschool workers and student volunteers. This year we opened up Pre-K to the community and had a great turnout! I got to love on some babies and toddlers, which was good. I am content in being able to love on them in doses and hand them back to mommy or daddy! We had around 800 kids on our two campuses and raised around $3800 for Haiti relief.

I love that our church focuses on children and students. I love that our kids worship with music that speaks to them, their age and their generation. The message is not watered down, which many often confuse with a hipper style of music or the use of lights and motions.  Our kids are learning to worship in spirit and truth and that following Jesus is about giving Him your life, not just a moment, a prayer or an acknowledgment.  They are learning what it means to follow Christ.  Last week they learned about Heroes in Scripture and their example. I am doubly excited to see our middle and highschoolers serving.  This week is possible because they sacrifice time at the pool, with friends, or hanging out in front of the tv for time spent investing in the lives of preschoolers and students. They are growing because they are serving Him.  Such a blessing to watch them grow in their journey with Jesus by being His hands and feet.

Emery was  on the praise team again this year and she did a great job!  It is so cute to watch her and we know that she is learning that leading others in worship is a privilege and that her role is to simply point others to Him.  No focus on self or on being the center of attention….at least that is our prayer.  Bradley was able to be in worship this year.  He came home singing some of the songs and talking about what he was learning, as well.  He told us all about, “the woaves and the fish.”  The girls were also able to invest in our neighbors this week. We don’t have many kids in our neighborhood, which is very evident in the summer.  Our neighbors had their nieces visiting and they came for two days.  The girls were so excited to be able to invite them. We are praying that they get to continue to see these sweet girls in the weeks to come!

Right before school got out last week, LuLu called to see if we wanted to skip the last half day and meet her at Myrtle Beach.

We didn’t have to think twice.

We took off after school on Wednesday and headed east. We drove to Columbia and got there about 1:30 am.

We were a little tired, but sooo ready to see the beach!

We had a great long weekend and stayed through Memorial Day.  We went to the same place we went to three years ago and had a great time visiting with “The cousins” which are LuLu’s amazing cousins. They are such precious people who love all over my kiddos and are just a pure joy to be around. You can see pictures from our last trip with them here.

We also got to spend some amazing time with our dear friends, the Swaffords. April called me on last Monday and said, “Guess where I am? The beach!” I said, “Which one?” and she replies, “Myrtle” to which I say, “SHUT UP, we are going to be there Thursday!!!!” I have no doubt God was all over this one in allowing our families much needed time together! We were phone tagging each other to figure out when we could do a weekend together this summer and low and behold….He already had it worked out!  April wrote about our time together, as well!

My precious girls. I am so proud of all they accomplished this past year. They are now a 3rd and 2nd grader!

Also, as my public service announcement, Landsend tugless bathing suits are AMAZING for girls! Modest, cute and no tugging!

Suits have been very hard to fit my girls and these worked great!

Bradley did a lot of this….

and this…

and he refuses to be left out of this….

I did a lot of this…..

Emery did a lot of this…..

and this….

and of course, this…

but, she really loves to do this….

Parker spent a lot of time doing this….

she also enjoys this….

and just being able to do this….

and this….

And, together they really love to…..

kid around…..

We were able to take some cleaned up beach pictures….

and I even got one with my man…..with whom I share a love of the beach…

Because my calendar is full!

This past week we had three performances to enjoy courtesy of our children. This is what is so fun about being a parent!

I love watching my kids on stage, working through their nervousness and accomplishing their goal! I also get a big kick out of all the other

parents doing the same for their kids. Video cameras, cameras and big grins are always a part of the picture of parenthood!

We all think our kids are amazing, talented and so bright….and for the most part, we are right!

This week was History Fair at the girls’ school. Each day a grade performs a small scene that pertains to

what they have been studying that year.  Emery has studied the states, the capitals, the presidents and can tell you each!

I am amazed at their capacity to memorize.

For Emery’s class, they read a book and traveled back to talk to a few presidents in history!

She got to talk to Teddy Roosevelt.

She did great!

Here she is with a few of her gal pals afterward!

So cute in her red and white!

Parker’s grade has learned about Egypt this year.  How fun is that!

They have studied Exodus and about Pharoah, the Pyramids, King Tut and

about how God delivered the Israelites.  She played an Israelite, but check out how decked out the Egyptians were!

It was soo interesting and they all did an amazing job!

This is a part of classical education. They start them early with speaking in front of people to instill a confidence in public speaking, as well learning how

to communicate.

This is Parker’s grade all decked out in their Egyptian garb…as well as a few Israelites!

Check out the Burning Bush in front!

Here is our little Israelite talking about how God gave Moses the 10 Commandments.

I was so proud of her. This was a struggle for her last year, and she did a great job.

I don’t think it occurred to her to be nervous! We worked on her part a lot, and I think it made the difference.

Now, we couldn’t leave Bradley out of the week of starring on stage!

He participates in a Tumbling class at his MDO. She comes once a week

and I am sooo glad we put him in this year. That boy has some serious energy and

this has been a great outlet for him. He is such a ham and loves being in front of  people.

Here he is lined up with his class after stretching.

The first thing they did was run to warm up.  He zoomed to the front and even lapped some kids.

He is all about making everything a competition…..not sure where he gets that from (his dad, he totally gets it from his dad).

PURE JOY!

Here he is tacking the balance beam….not bad!

This is his crab walk. He was so stinkin cute…

Then, came the catepillar crawl…or his intro into breakdancing.

I think he will be breakin it down one day!

Here is his horsey kicks!

Lastly, he got his very own MEDAL….such excitement.

Not sure how I feel about him having men in tights on it, but hey, gotta start somewhere!

I am so proud of my kiddos!

This past weekend, Mom, Kim and I headed out to Atlanta for a little girls Get-A-Way.

It has been a while since it has been the original Bradley chicks, so it was high time to plan a trip.

We decided to go to the Beth Moore Simulcast which was being hosted at First Baptist Church Woodstock, GA and it was

just what we needed to plan around.

On Friday, the girls had Grandparents Day at school.  LuLu had come in for a few days and the girls LOVE being able to share their school

with their GP’s.  They show off some cool things they have learned and enjoy time with them.  I love that our school does this, even if there is a push for the GP’s to

donate money!!

We left after eating lunch and headed south.  We rolled into our swanky Embassy Suites and were pleasantly surprised with our cool suite.

We dropped our stuff and headed to the Ballard outlet and  you know it….IKEA.

We pause for a moment of silence to honor my most favorite place to buy stuff for our home….

Now, we spent a few mindless hours walking around and a few hundred dollars later, exited.

I bought these for our hallway project….more to come on that at a later date.

I also got this and this for outside.  They are a lot larger than they appear. Excited about all the things I can do with these.

We then went to eat at Pappasito’s. I adore this place.  Their tortillas are hands down, the best I have ever had.  It was fun to take Mom and Kim.

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We were up bright and early and headed out.

It was POURING…so we stopped to get an umbrella.

Thank the good Lord for Navigation….that’s all I am saying.

We were early birds.  Seriously early birds.  That is the way we roll for some members of my family.  While I am not ALWAYS late, some members of my family like to point out that I am not ALWAYS on time, either. Some members of my family, on the other hand, are especially fond of punctuality.

Trust me, I am reminded A LOT that I don’t always arrive on time.

Anywho, we were at the Beth Moore Simulcast for her new book

So Long Insecurity.  I have not read the book, but I am a big fan of kissing insecurity goodbye.

I am a girl.

I have insecurities.

Shocking, I know.

Let’s just say, I sooo needed to hear this.  She talked about 6 Signs of A Secure Woman.  She based most of it out of Ephesians 4 and looking at the demon that is insecurity.  Insecurity is, in its most basic form, making it all about OURSELVES.  Insecurity keeps us chronically self-aware…and honestly….how gross is that?

We are caught in the Am I’s….

Am I smart enough, cool enough, skinny enough, Am I witty enough, Am I saying the right thing.

Yet, a life controlled by the Spirit curves out to serve others, love others, forgive others…to Magnify His Glory.  We are so esteemed by our Creator that we don’t focus on ourselves, but rather on Him.

There was so much meat that I can’t wait to read her book, look at myself through His Word and be transformed.

Because it matters to me, my faith and my ministry.

But it also matters for my girls.

To raise them SECURE in His love, His Grace, His AMAZING journey for them.

It matters to every woman, to every mom.

This is a battle we ALL face and I am so sick and tired of being told what I am supposed to be as a woman, a mom, a daughter, a wife by our twisted culture.

The only measuring stick I am to hold to is that of Christ.

I could be the skinniest, most beautiful, talented, confident, witty, woman on planet Earth, but I would still be a quaking mess of fears without recognizing who I am as a Daughter of the King.

I am WORTH it to HIM.

I am PRECIOUS to HIM.

I am BEAUTIFUL to HIM.

I am IMPORTANT to HIM.

I am DESTINED for An ABUNDANT LIFE through HIM.

Needless to say, I could go on and on.  As someone who has worked with teenagers most of my adult life, these are things I have known and said for years, yet it is sooo good to be reminded that I can be enslaved to my own self and be hindered in by obedience to the life God ordained for me.

I don’t want to miss His plan.

After the simulcast, which over 300,000 women heard about finding their security in Christ alone, amazing, we headed to the hotel and then to a local mall and the Container Store.

To me the Container Store is the Pottery Barn of organization and IKEA is the Target…..I am more a Target girl myself.

We ate a Maggiano’s and picked up Cheesecake Factory for dessert.

I soo gained weight this weekend, but I am secure in the knowledge that my pounds do not determine my worth!

We relaxed at the hotel and the next morning headed back to IKEA to pick up a few last things and to Atlantic Station.

All in all, it was a refreshing, relaxing weekend.

And when I got home, I came home to a clean house, happy kids, folded laundry and homework done.

Can I get an amen??

My man is a-may-zing.

A perfect ending…..