Sunday, Parker and Emery had their good friend, Peyton, over for the afternoon. They played and hung out in Parker’s room and spent sometime outside. Jason and I were talking in our office and watching them play. We noticed that they had gathered their bench, two plastic bins, which they covered with a paint tarp and set it up at the end of our driveway.  I thought, “how cute, they are playing restaurant!”

Little did I know….

We walked outside and I heard them talk about having customers…..again, I am thinking RESTAURANT. Jason and I wander back inside and Parker comes in and shows us her sign that they had been showing passing cars.

It read….

Will Dance or Sing for Money

I wish I could adequately describe Jason’s face…he was truly at a loss for words! He informed Parker that “we didn’t, we don’t, umm….that’s not really appropriate.” I later found their list of songs they had written. They had a secular and a Christian set list.

Secular included: You are my Sunshine

Christian: Every move I make

So you be the judge: Innovative, Entrepreneurial or 8 year olds gone wild?

This was our house when we bought it in September 2008. Definitely not going to win any curb appeal awards.

This is during the phase of the addition where our  neighbors, most of whom have never stopped to meet us, asked

“Do you know that your brick doesn’t match?”

Seriously…..we liked keeping them in suspense.

Next, came the removal of all landscaping and our love affair with

30 gallons of LaFonda Sagebrush began.

Ahhh, the mystery of the mismatched brick is solved.

This was the house and porch after digging 3000 (maybe less) holes to plant new landscaping and

the porch was autumned up, as well as the front door painted.

Look at that baby shrubbery….it will take another 10 years for you to mature.

Also, for some strange reason, our sidewalk does not go all the way to the driveway….why, not sure.

So, we killed the grass with good intentions of adding some stones and fancying it up, but that has not happened yet.

This is our house June 2010.

I am lurving me some black mulch, daylilies abloom, black painted wicker with pops of red and

everything springing up to life!

We are far from finished but are really pleased with the fruits of our labor.

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…

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….

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!

On Earth Day a couple of weeks ago, we had a family night focused on God’s amazing creation.

LuLu was here and she saw first hand the good, the bad, and ugly parts of family night.

In planning our family night, I found a lot of resources to use for a craft, but recipes were a little harder, so I decided to center
them around 4 areas of Creation: the Land, the Sea, the Sky and Fire.

For decor, I filled some contaners with marshmellows and blue construction paper for sky, blue dyed water for sea, grass for land and candles for fire….fancy, huh?

First up, the kids collected trash from our yard, or sticks or what not…talked about keeping creation tidy and clean

Ms. Emery getting it done..

Parker filling up her bag….

Bradley’s bag was full of sticks..which is helpful for when Jason mows!

The Clean Up Crew

For our menu, I chose things from the land, the sea, the sky. I made Spicy BBQ Shrimp, broccoli, salad, baked potatoes and Sky rolls, aka wheat rolls.

Bradley is allergic to shrimp and yellow dye, so the kids ate natural fish sticks….and yes, Parker ate two of them!

For dessert, we had Springy Flower Pots…

They were yummy, but a lot o dessert, so the kids ate very little of it..

this is mid family night, do you see the joy i am experiencing? There is always a moment when I question my sanity during a themed family night…always.

This is the kids watching the LIFE series on Discovery. It is fascinating. They were cutting out tiny triangles to make magazine bead bracelets…..this never happened.

We ran out of time, I didn’t give them enough supervision and it was just a bad moment. Seee, sanity questioned.

We did manage to get my pots for the front porch planted or transplanted from the hanging baskets. Emery was the trooper and helped out her Daddy.

Jason led our devotional out of Psalm 104.  We talked about how the Earth declares the Glory of God and how in

His wisdom He created EVERYTHING. We had a great discussion of how God provides for us through the things of this Earth and reveals

His creativity. We also touched on how in all the beauty of His Creation, we are His crowing jewel.  We talked about the love God has for us and how our purpose is to reflect Him to all those around us.

We ended on a great note.  So, I will too

Psalm 104

¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

² He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent

³ and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.

⁴ He makes winds his messengers, ^[a]
flames of fire his servants.

⁵ He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.

⁶ You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

⁷ But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

⁸ they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.

⁹ You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰ He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.

¹¹ They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

¹² The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.

¹³ He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

¹⁴ He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:

¹⁵ wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.

¹⁶ The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

¹⁷ There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.

¹⁸ The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys. ^[b]

¹⁹ The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.

²⁰ You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

²¹ The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.

²² The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.

²³ Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.

²⁴ How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

²⁵ There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.

²⁶ There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

²⁷ These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.

²⁸ When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.

²⁹ When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.

³⁰ When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

³¹ May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works-

³² he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³ I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.

³⁵ But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD. ^[c]

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.

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…..

Last fall when we were landscaping the yard, I was at my second home, at the time, Lowe’s.

They had a major clearance sale to get ready for their Christmas display

I found this:

for a whopping $12.49.  I actually bought two of them and gave my sister one.

I wasn’t sure if I would hang it on our barn or use it inside.

After seeing how tall our ceilings were in the bedroom, I decided to put it over our bed.

But, green was not in the color scheme, so….

I bought some blue paint and changed it up. I would brush it on, wipe off, brush on, wipe off.

Just call me Mr. Myagi.

and this is how it looks now…

I love it!

Not bad for about $15.