Easter Pictures, Finally

So, I am finally getting around to posting some Easter pictures! We had a great Easter, although we did end up getting sick after the early morning service and missed going to visit with our families. We were sad about that, and the girls were doubly sad that their Mama and Daddy were lying on the couch, half-comatose, all day long. LOL. I digress. We had an Easter Egg Hunt at the church on Saturday, and I'm including a few pictures of the girls' easter baskets, as well.

Back from Oblivion

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted a blog. No doubt, I've lost my readership. Well, I'll see if I can woo you back with some great posts coming up. First of all, I can't believe that the Easter season is upon us already. It seems like we just moved back to NC, and we've been here for six months already! Incredible! God has been doing some amazing things in our lives and in the life of our church, Mountain Springs Baptist Church. I don't know how to say this enough, but GOD IS GOOD! He has blessed us in so many ways, and we are so grateful for His love for us.

Bethany has turned 2, and in the grand condition, she has joined the ranks of the other terrible two's in the nation. I think she may be running for President of this elite group. Her favorite phrase as of this week is "stop that" and can be heard as her protest to actions such as hugs, kisses, tickles, or any other thing she deems unworthy of her personal attention. She still is a sweetie, though, and her smiles light up the house.

Emily will be turning 4 in July. What a precious little girl she is! Her favorite outings are going to the gym, where she loves to visit what she calls the whirlpool. No one can convince her that it's just the pool. There's no "whirling" at all, unless you take into consideration the toddlers splashing, kicking, and having general fun. Emily also loves her ballet class. Her teacher, Miss Sydni, apparently hung the moon :) Her big recital is May 30 (for some reason, that sounds wrong now that I've written it!). We can't wait!

Ken loves being the Associate Pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist. God is using him in many ways in the church. God is also using the members of MSBC to bless Ken, and it has been so wonderful to see the encouragement and love that they so freely give Ken (and the whole family, for that matter).

I am excited that I am going to be helping my parents start their business in the next few months. This has been my Dad's dream for so many years, and I will be glad to be any help that I can be in his fullfillment of that dream. I am glad to be a Carolina girl, and I am thankful that I am close to my girlfriends; I am also thankful for my many new friends at MSBC. It really does feel like family :)

Okay, so that's our update. Be looking for more posts (with pictures) as I try to keep this thing updated!!!

Very Busy Little Girls

My girls have been very busy for the last two weeks... very busy trying to drive me crazy! They have been into EVERYTHING. Yesterday, about an hour before church, the girls got into my conditioner and put it all over their hair and clothes. I had to stop what I was doing and bathe them and get new outfits for them. Needless to say, we didn't get to eat before church.

That was just one example of the mischief they've found for themselves. Here are the biggest two:


Yes, you read it correctly. Emily cut Bethany's hair. A lot of it. This is what I could grab before it scattered into separate pieces.






Then, on Monday, this happened:



Emily and Bethany got into the glitter I used for our trunk, and Emily bathed Bethany in it. How in the world does Bethany agree to these things??? Four days later and about 10 baths later, they still have glitter in their hair, in their ears, and on just about every surface in our house.

I just hope I can get them to bed before any more mishaps. Speaking of which, I'd probably better go stand right on top of those two so they don't get into anymore trouble.

Fall Festival

Our church held their annual Fall Festival this past Sunday night. It was SOO much fun! The committee decided to add Trunk or Treating this year, and everyone did such a great job with their trunks! Many of the adults got into the spirit and dressed up as biblical characters, heroes, and even a HOT CHICK!

The festival started out with a parade of costumes. We see Mrs. Bonita, Zoei, baby Zach, Sydni, Annette, Taylor Starr, Daniel, and Carston.

Preacher Phil joined the parade!


Emily and Bethany take a break from the crowd

Mandy, Cameron, and Katy joined us for the festival! We were so glad to have our friends with us

After the parade, the children enjoyed carnival games for prizes. Here, Cameron and Bethany play "Castle Ring Toss"

This was the cutest game! It was the "Little Debbie Cake Walk". Props to the Cox family for this awesome game!

Emily stood still for a picture, although her attention was on the Great Pumpkin display

Bethany hams it up while I get a picture

Emily and Nana- we're so thankful that Nana and Papa came to visit with us!

Papa and his Bethany

The children's choir performed a few of their songs for the crowd


God's Promise Trunk

The fruit of the Spirit trunk

Queen Esther's trunk

Noah's Ark trunk

We had such a great time! We are so blessed to be at our church. We couldn't ask for a better fellowship, and we are honored that we are loved by so many!

Monkey Joe's with friends

Last Thursday, we joined Daniel McLean to celebrate his 5th birthday. This was our first trip to Monkey Joe's and everyone had so much fun! I was very grateful that Zoei and Jonathon (Jon-Jon to Emily and Bethany) helped me out! I had toddlers running in every direction.

Bethany surprised me by going on the big slides!

Literally, this was the ONLY time I got Emily to stay still long enough to get a picture. Every other time, my camera couldn't keep up with her!

Jon-Jon was such a big help! The girls love him to death, and I think the feeling is mutual.

The Terrible Three's ?

So, I have heard from everyone and their brother "Brace yourself for the Three's. You think the Terrible Two's are bad? That's NOTHING". So, I've braced myself. I've cringed, waiting for the horrible onset of more temper tantrums, etc.

The thing is, it's not as bad as last year. Emily seems to be improving. Sure, she still does bad things. She'll hit Bethany if she gets angry, and she cries when she doesn't get her way. BUT- she is learning to accept responsibility for her actions. She can tell you what she did wrong and why she shouldn't do it.

Plus, since she's able to communicate more effectively, we've had a much easier time. If she's on the verge of a crying fit, we'll ask her to stop crying and tell us what's wrong. Typically, that calms her down, she can tell us the problem, and we work together for a solution.

Last night, Ken asked me something, and I called him Honey. Emily looked at me quizzically and said, "What's 'Honey'?". I explained to her that I call Daddy Honey because it's a nice name, like when I call her "Emmy Poo" or "Baby" or "Sweetheart". She looked deep in thought, and then said, "Oh, I get it." LOL! I about died laughing.

So, my point is, I guess, don't listen to other people. Your child is different from your other child and different from every other child in the world. Don't let other people discourage you or your confidence in your child.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

And Kitty's name is.....

After much deliberation, we've finally named Kitty. Her name is...

Peek-a-boo!

Boo for short

She loves to hide, so we thought that was a cute name. Also, if you're familiar with "Monsters, Inc", they call the little girl "Boo". Funnily enough, she calls Sully "Kitty". Haha. We liked that, but thought it would be too confusing for the girls.

So, Peek-a-boo, welcome to the family!

She's spoiled already. If I don't pet her enough, she brushes up against me and meows until I pet her. LOL