baseball and baked beans

On Saturday night Doug got tickets for Brent, Andrew, Jessica and me to see the Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park! Doug really "hooked us up" so to speak with awesome seats, great food - it's just not a ball game without a hot dog!- and even a trip down to the field! We had such a great time with family and plus we got to see the Astros beat the Phillies! YAY!

See, I'm not the only one who loves hot dogs!
We had seat on the third base line on the club level - what a treat to be able to see the players so close!
After the game, we drove back to Fort Worth for the church picnic (I forgot my camera-bummer!) and then on Memorial Day we went over to the Shaws house and had a little bar-b-que and let the boys swim.
Apparently my son likes baked beans....Papa Jon would be proud. :)
We tried so hard to get the boys all in the pool at the same time, but it never works out with three busy boys - Peter, Jaxon, and Lawson.
This is the little pool that Aunt Jessica gave Peter for his birthday - he loved it!

The mommies got a nice break while the boys played and the Daddies watched. Laura, me, and Emily (with little baby Peyton). We are so blessed to have such sweet friends!

Another big day for Peter!

Well, the time has come for us to start brushing Peter's teeth! We bought some safe-to-swallow toothpaste for starters and a toothbrush with a train on it (that's for you, Papa Jon!).
Peter did a pretty good job of holding still and tipping his head back so we could get the toothbrush in his mouth....I'm sure the bubblegum-flavored toothpaste helped. :)

After a few minutes, we handed him the toothbrush to let him chew on it himself.
The final vote - toothbrushing is fun!!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! This is my second Mother's Day and I still don't really feel like a mom. :) How strange that I am a mother of such a sweet little boy - I never thought I would get here....and I must say, it is even better than I imagined.
Not that motherhood is not without it's struggles. Our senior pastor, Dan Kirk, preached an EXCELLENT sermon on Mother's Day Sunday. It happens that we are in Hebrews 11 - the "hall of faith". Pastor Dan took us to 11:7 for the message and what an encouraging verse it is! Noah had an incredible task given to him by God. In Gen 6-9 we read the story of Noah and how God asked him, in the midst of all the evil and sinfulness in the world, to build and ark. Noah was not a shipbuilder, nor was he anywhere near water - he was a farmer. But Noah found favor with God; he walked with God, even in the middle of the total depravity of man that was all around him. Pastor Dan applied this to our lives by asking, "Do you ever feel that what God is asking you to do is impossible? Is the "ark" He is asking you to build looking like an unimaginable task?" In my heart I thought about being a mother and how impossible it seems sometimes and how hard it can be. Sometimes I wonder if I really can be a good mom....between my selfishness and my pride I know I fail all too often. I wonder if Noah ever felt that way....that there is probably someone better for this task. But we note Noah's response....he responded with faithfulness, never questioning God, never complaining, just obeying.
So, ladies and mothers of all ages, the question we need to ask ourselves is - do you trust God? And how are you going to respond to the "ark" that He has for you? It may be raising your children in the Lord, it may be more. We must remember that God will never ask us to do something that He will not provide for. I want to approach the tasks that God has planned out for me to do with the same faithfulness as Noah did. I hope you will pray along with me for the strength, courage and trust to do that very thing. Happy Mother's Day!

Last weekend we had the family retreat at Calvary Bible Church....well it was actually held a Hoblitzelle Retreat Center near Midlothian. We had such a wonderful time being with the other families there - we strenghtened existing relationships and formed new ones. We are always extremely blessed to be with God's people.

There were quite a few activities you could participate in....my favorite was the canoes. Peter didn't really get all that excited, but he did watch the water go by with interest. We took Rachael with us to ensure that he wouldn't try to go for a swim. :)

All of our meals were eaten at the cafeteria there....we had a few meals with the Schefflers (Matt and one of the twins - Caleb I think :) - shown here.)
For the craft we put the family's hand prints on a canvas bag....Peter didn't exactly follow directions...he just wanted to play in the paint. But I love to carry the bag; it is our new diaper bag.....Peter's first craft!
Prayer time was held at the outdoor ampitheater. It was such a pretty night and wonderful scenery. It set the stage perfectly for giving thanks to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We had a campfire too, which is my favorite part of any camping trip. We sang worship songs, had smores and enjoyed the wonderful smell of the fire.
We also played some kickball....Duracell Kickball, as Jeff Thom put it. I like this pic of Brent in action!


The week after we got home from the retreat, we decided that Peter was ready to move into his Big Boy carseat....sniff, sniff, he's not going to be a baby for much longer!

I just thought this pic was cute...he loves to pose for the camera!

Wedding Bells are ringing!

Brent's sister, Courtney, and her boyfriend Marty are now engaged! Marty really surprised Courtney by taking her to a game at Minute Maid Park to see the Houston Astros play and he proposed using the BIG SCREEN! We are so happy for you both and we will continue to pray for you as you take this important and wonderful step together!