Bryson's bedroom is still a little bit bare. Tonight we worked on fixing that. I put stickers on a canvas and then Bryson painted it.
It ended up looking like this!
Of course we had to play while waiting for the paint to dry...
Thanks to the breezy weather, it dried pretty quickly. We were even able to hang it up on the wall before bedtime tonight. Jason was standing behind me with Bryson's pacifier trying to get him to smile. I got this shot of the paci in mid air--- at least B is smiling!
Every night when we say our prayers, we start off with "Thank you Jesus for this day." Then we list other things we are thankful for. I thought this verse was perfect to hang above his bed.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."
Last Friday night the Smiths came for a visit! A&M was having their annual Vet School open house, so it was the perfect excuse for them to head to Aggieland.
Tahrea brought this sweet little stone for my garden.
Somehow Jake got into the garden and managed to break and snap off several of my plants. Since it was already broken, Tahrea decided to eat some of the lettuce. This was our first official harvest of the season!
Tahrea and Charis
Bryson and Kale
Tahrea and Tyler both celebrated birthdays that week, so we made miniature chocolate chip cheesecakes to celebrate. Charis made the chocolate chips spell out "Happy Birthday!" It was so cute {and amazingly delicious- thank you pinterest!}.
We are spending lots of time in our garden. God has provided lots of rain and sunshine, and it has literally exploded right before our very eyes! It is so much fun to explorer the garden every day when we get home. Literally every plant has fruit/veggies except for our cantaloupe {which should produce later in the summer}. We are loving it and just hoping it will survive the bugs and heat this summer!
Bryson loves it, too. We have seen lots of bugs and he has played in the dirt, moving it from place to place, playing the role of helper. It is something to do outside and it definitely keeps B entertained.
Next year I will try not to be this obsessed into it- so I shouldn't be posting pictures of produce so often!
It is looking like we will have lots of fresh veggies this summer! :)
Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a Christian it is, to me, the most important day regarding my faith. Christmas is special too, and I definitely love all of the traditions associated with Christmas. But if it weren't for the cross and the empty tomb, Christmas would be just another day.
This year, as anyone might have predicted, we had a very emotional day. As we sat in the pew at church, singing songs of Jesus "trampling over death by death," and words like "in You death has lost its sting," it hit me in a whole new way. We experienced death on a whole new level this year. Losing a precious child is something that we just never dreamed of, and the sting of it has been, at times, unbearable. But, because Jesus conquered death {for us}, we know that Caroline did, too. And, in that, we know that we will one day do the same and one day be reunited with our precious angel. So, right there in the pew, holding hands with my sweet friend Stacey, I did the ugly cry. The really ugly cry. It was an amazing time of worship and healing, and recognizing the true sacrifice along with the true significance of it all. What an amazing and most precious God we serve. (To hear the music scroll down to the bottom and push the "pause" button before you press play.)
This was Bryson's idea of an Easter outfit. He is usually only allowed to have his pacifier in bed, so not sure why he had it here. Definitely made for a cute photo op...
After church we drove about an hour and a half to my Grandmother's house for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. My Grandma's lawn mower {known as the tractor to Bryson} had broken down, so she got a new one before we came. She knows how much B loves to ride it with PawPaw! Bryson could not wait to get there!
Cupcakes that my Mom made.
Before the egg hunt...
Always with that tongue out! It is necessary to get any task accomplished. :)
A look of mischievousness when he discovered what the silly string was for...
And finally- on the tractor with PawPaw!
We were blessed with beautiful weather and a great afternoon spent celebrating our Savior with those we love.
Last weekend (the day before Easter) we decided to spend the day at a fundraising event for Miracle Farm. Miracle Farm is a working ranch that houses troubled teen boys. They are able to work and in return receive room and board, and an education. I heard about it on the radio {just once!}, and am so glad that we looked it up and decided to go. Our friends the MacDonalds and the Johnstons joined us. The weather was gorgeous and the kids {and adults} had a blast. There was a bluegrass band playing, a petting zoo, roping practice, beautiful wildflowers, a barbecue lunch, and free Blue Bell ice cream. Doesn't get much better than that!
Quote of the day:
"Let's get out of here before these kids learn to read." -Jared MacDonald
At the top of the BIG slide!
And somehow Miss Annabel also found her way to the top. Not sure why any of us ever doubted she could...
Lunch!
It was so much fun to watch Bryson with all of the animals. He was in Heaven! Anything having to do with being outdoors and animals is right up his alley. He is growing up too fast, as we could hardly keep up with him as he ran from place to place. We were worried that he might fall asleep in the truck on the way home and then not take a good nap, but he talked the entire way! He was exhausted and conked out the minute we got home.
What an amazing day! Visiting Miracle Farm is definitely on our to-do list for next Spring.
